Chapter 44: Lost


DPOV


~A few months ago~

We were spending the night in a small, abandoned store and I had sealed the place up tight. Placing boards against the windows and placed the wires along the front door and back. Kat was silently reading a book, sighing she dropped the book to her side with a loud thud. "Alright, I'm bored," she declared to me. "How about we play a game?" she asked me, making me arch an eyebrow at her quizically.

She was always the type of girl to say what was on her mind, either it be a bold statement, or her emotions that didn't seem so personal. "What type of game?" I questioned her, curious as to what she would and could come up with. Hopeing it to not be some stupid game, where we had to make up the rules and not follow them. Although, I knew Kat wasn't that creative, but she was a curious creature.

Kat was on her feet, glancing at the shelves and would pick up random objects. Inspecting them and eventually, she found a nickle and walked towards me. "One where we ask questions," Kat spoke as she sat on the ground, crossing her legs and sitting upright. "And we have to tell the truth," she spoke quickly and pointed a finger up at me.

I felt myself tense, sitting down opposite her and staring at her. We were close, but we sat in a position that both of us could stare at one another. Her blue eyes bright, the sun was going down and it was almost night time. "Shit," I grumbled. "I don't know how I feel about this," I told her truthfully, nervous about being asked any questions that would make me want to lie. Hoping to myself that she wouldn't ask me if I liked her more than a friend, or a family member.

Kat sighed, she had the nickle in her hands, ready to throw it into the air and catch it. "Oh, come on!" Kat spoke with exasperation, her body slump and head tilted a little to the side. "I think we know enough about each other," she told me, making me over think it all and stare at her under my eyes. She had a point, but I wasn't sure what she had up her sleeve and what she could possibly want to know.

"Exactly," I spoke coldly, my eyes glued to her and I could feel my heart stop. The way it would, only when I was around her and in this type of moment. Her bright blues, the soft orange glow illuminating her skin and making her more beautiful than ever. The way we stared into each other's eyes, it was as though we both had this strong connection, a comfortable silence and neither of us blinked.

Slowly, a smile crept on Katherine's features, making me glance down and force myself not to smile. "It's only a game, Daryl," Kat said with a small shake of her head. "There's no harm in it," Kat spoke, shrugging her shoulders and staring at me as I began to pick at something on the ground. "Please?" she asked me in a pleading tone, making me glance up at her and hold her gaze.

There was no way I could fight her, or resist her and the way she pleaded me to play this stupid game. "Fine," I agreed to her little game, unable to say no to her and gave in to her desire. "If it's what it takes to keep you quiet," I grumbled, slightly teasing but my tone was dry. Kat giggled, giving me a bright smile and moving to flip the coin in the air.

She was doing it to practice a little, making me chuckle softly and watch her intently. "I knew you'd come around," Kat spoke with a cute, small smile and it was the one that was permenant in my mind and behind my eyelids at night. "Okay, I'll start with the question," Kat spoke seriously, flicking the coin and catching it in the air. "Truth or dare?" she asked me, I was already guessing that we weren't using the coin in this game, that it was only for her personal entertainment.

Thinking over my choices, I decided to go for the safest route, not wanting to have to be asked questions that I'd need to answer truthfully. "Dare," I spoke challening, wondering what she had in store for me. Hoping it wasn't something I wouldn't be able to do, such as to get close to a walker without a weapon, or to eat my shit or something like that. My heart stopped when I thought of a dare. What if she dares me to kiss her? Hell no!

Kat's face scrunched up in that cute way, the way she would glance around the room and try to think of something. "Okay," Kat spoke once she found a good enough dare to throw at me. "Hmm," she continued, her eyes darting around the room and finally flashed the clear blues towards mine. "Try to lick your elbow," she dared which made me want to roll my eyes at her.

Instead, I chose to make a 'pfft' noise and looked at her skeptically. "That's dumb," I commented and it made her gasp. Her jaw dropping to the ground, making it hard to stop the smirk pulling at the corner of my lips. "But fine," I said before I leaned my head down, cupped my elbow and arm. Attempting to lick my tongue against my elbow, but I wasn't close enough and it didn't work. "Truth or dare?" I asked her, my beard wet and patches of saliva covered parts of my skin. Skin such as around my mouth, my chin and parts of my arm, above my elbow.

Kat didn't hesistate. Her bright, crystal blues stared right at me and never faltered. "Truth," she spoke confidently. The way her gaze was glued to me, would have sent shivers down my spine, but I couldn't help keeping that comfortable silence going for a few moments. Pair of us sat there, staring at one another and testing each other.

Thinking of what to ask her, I didn't want it to be about her and myself. Or anything personal, which involved emotions or family. I wanted to ask something of interest, something that may of been obvious but it may have been something I never guessed. "What's your biggest fear?" I asked her.

Kat didn't waste time in thinking over what her answer was going to be. "Losing the ones I love," she informed me, her eyes shied away from mine and stared down at the coin she was flipping between her fingers. "Especially without saying goodbye, or if they die because of me," Kat continued, a small frown pulling at her lips as she spoke and kept her eyes hidden from me. Shrugging as she spoke, as though it was something that had seemed to reoccur to her and the ones she loved.

Kat's eyes suddenly surprised me, when they glanced up and looked directly into mine once more. "You can't pick dare again, so truth is what you're getting," she said quickly. "Ah-ah-ah," she rushed, her expression was one of teasing when I was about to protest to her. Stopping me from what I was about to say to her. "Don't argue with me, you'll only lose," Kat said, pointing her finger at my face and tilting her head, her eyes side glancing at me playfully. "I'm going to have to ask you the same question, so..." Kat drifted. "What's your biggest fear?" she asked me the same question I had asked her.

Sighing, I thought over what she had asked me and I knew instantly what to answer her with. "Do I gotta answer this?" I asked her, hoping she would say no. Instead, she pursed her lips and nods her head in my direction. "Being alone," I revealed to her, looking up at her from under my lashes, I had been staring at my fingers that were picking at something stuck on the ground. "It's your turn so, your dare is to sing a song. Start to finish," I demanded of her.

Kat giggled, a bright smile pulling at the corners of her lips and showing me her straight, white teeth. "I can do that, easily," she said as though it was something simple. I knew it would be something easy for her, but she prefered it when she had music. She sang a song she had learned as a young girl, happily singing and this is how we spent out night. Calm talk, silly dares and deep truths. We hadn't asked anything emotional, only small things that may have been pointless to some, but meant everything to me.


Present day...DPOV

Beth wanted to practice, so I told her the basics and gave her an example. I had found a squirrel and hunted it down, shooting it and showing Beth how to shoot and aim. We were wandering in the woods, it was her turn to do it after we hunted down a few more squirrels and rabbits. "Are we close?" Beth asked me in a small, innocent voice.

Beth was aiming perfectly, she was ready and I felt almost proud. Kat had wanted to learn how to use a crossbow, I feel bad for never teaching her. If I was going to be gone someday, I wanted Beth to know how to use a crossbow and feeling like her big brother, I did what I could and taught her. Enough to hunt, maybe not enough to kill or to handle when there is pressures from a walker. "Almost done," I told her.

I studdied the area, checking the ground and I could see the tracks. Walker. "How do you know?" Beth questioned me curiously, surprised that I would know how long it would take for her to find out what it was and in what direction it was moving. This is actually kind of fun, if you ask me. Never pictured myself teaching Beth how to use a crossbow, never pictured me teaching anyone, if I'm being honest with myself.

I kept close, staying behind and watching over her. "The signs are all there," I infrormed her. "Just got to know how to read 'em," I encouraged her to keep looking, to see what she was tracking and to get the right information to find out what it was. Come on, you're a clever girl. You can do this Beth, I have faith in you.

"What are we tracking?" she asked me quizzically, she took a few steps ahead and kept her feet silent. Both of us attempting to not snap any twigs, or to touch anything that could alarm what we were tracking. Shit, I hope we don't step on anything that makes a lot of noise. If the walker hears it, we'll be screwed if Beth can't handle the pressure.

Keeping close, I stayed behind and kept my eyes on the trail. "You tell me," I suggested to her. "You're the one who wanted to learn," I reminded her, my voice was plain and questioning. Wondering if she would know, if she'd find it and if she had the confidence to kill it with the crossbow. I sure hope so, I can't always be shooting walkers for her. I mean, what if I lose a hand? Or I die? She's learning to protect herself, but she needs to know how to handle walkers. Especially at close encounters.

Beth glanced back at me, a skeptical look colored her face, all whilst she lowered the crossbow and examined the scene. "Well, something came through here," she indicated at the footprints she found on the ground beside her feet. "The pattern is all zig-zaggy," she described the movement of said footprints. "It's a walker," she guessed correctly.

Feeling like teasing her, I subconsciously began to stroke my beard, watching her and proud of her observation. "Maybe it's a drunk," I shrugged, trying to make her see other ways of guessing this, even if it was false. Both walkers and drunks walked the same way, aimlessly, feet dragging along the floor, and all while being unable to walk in a straight line.

Beth looked at me proudly, knowing she had guessed correctly and was learning quickly. "I'm getting good at this," she spoke as she turned her head and looked away from me. "Pretty soon, I won't need you at all," she told me confidently, raising the crossbow and aiming. Her stride was one of confidence, she was alert and she was pleased about it.

Weirdly, my body froze over and I didn't quite like the thought of my being gone so soon. "Yeah, keep on tracking," I ordered her, following closely behind and keeping my voice level. I didn't want to show her how I felt about death, thinking of needs and other shit. I wanted to keep going, not just for her, but for myself. It's what Kat would want me to do. To keep going. To not lose hope.

The sound of snarling made us more awake, rounding a corner and peeking through the bushes. Beth kept her eyes on the walker, staring it down from the length of the bolt and making me feel nervous. What if she doesn't kill it? What if she misses? I'd be a really shit teacher, wouldn't I? "It's got a gun," Beth informed me as she examined the walker and lowered the crossbow. She slowly made her way towards it, I stayed in the shadows, as to not alert the walker. A sudden snap and gasp made me jump forward.

The walker growled and snarled as it made its way towards Beth, who had got her foot caught in a bear trap and fell to the ground. Shit. Seeing Beth struggle out of the trap's hold, I rushed towards her and she attempted to kill it. An arrow stricked through its neck, but didn't kill it as she had a low shot. Running to her, I took the crossbow from her hands and faced the walker. Hitting the walker with the handle of my crossbow, I smashed his head in with my foot and quickly moved to the struggling Beth.

She was panting, whimpering and grunting as she tried to pry the trap off her left foot. Knowing how these worked, I unlatched it and got her foot out. Holding onto her leg, she raised it in the air a little in her sitting position. "Can you move it?" I asked her, on one knee and crouched beside her. She rotated her foot, trying to see the damage it had done to her and worried to if she could walk or not.

Beth whimpered in pain, helping her rotate her foot a little more, I got closer and checked if it was functioning as it should. "Yeah," Beth said, not so confidently and it had me scared for her. Getting her to her feet, she hopped on one foot for a little, until she could put a little more weight on her foot and began to walk. She was limping, but she said she could manage. Picking up my crossbow, we made our way through the woods and kept moving. Stopping every so often, only to check how she was doing and if she was doing alright.


Deciding to support Beth, I had an arm slung around her waist and her arm was over my shoulder. Giving her enough support, so that she could stand and keep moving. Gradually, her arm began to slip from her hold on me and she went to touch her leg. We had found ourselves near what looked like a cemetary, there was a huge house at the bottom and I was positive we could find something from there. "Can we-can we hold up a sec?" Beth stuttered as she touched, and tried to get some pressure and weight off her leg.

Beth kept examining her foot, shaking her leg and pulling up her boot. Whenever she winced, I could tell she was in pain and could hardly walk. "You all right?" I asked her, needing to hear her say something, reassure me that she was okay and that she could hold out a little longer. I can't lose her. Especially not over stupid blood loss, that would be a shit way to go.

Beth whimpered a little, her face contorting in pain and making me worry for her. Shit. Is this what it felt like for Kat? Always worried, always trying to look out for her little brother? Carl must be crushed, alone and that's only if he's alive. "I just need to sit down," Beth told me, her voice soft and kind. As though she was the one trying to give me comfort.

Looking at the distance, I tried to roughly measure the amount she would have to walk. Nope. That is not an option, at all. Thinking of something, I knew she would probably have a hard time jumping, but there was no other way I could see her getting across. "All right," I huffed. "Hold up," I said as I juggled my crossbow and placed it over my body. My crossbow resting against my chest, the leather strap pressed against my back. "Hop on," I instructed, my arms out to either side of me and my body crouched low enough for her to get on my back.

Beth hesitated, making me wonder why she didn't just jump up already. "Are you serious?" Beth asked me in a questioning tone, as though I was making this up and only saying this for a joke. Jesus, does she really think I'd leave her behind? She can't walk, she can't even put too much pressure on her leg and I couldn't see a better solution to this problem.

"Yeah," I answered her quickly, wasting no time in telling her exactly what she needed to hear. "This is a serious piggyback," I spoke, but it was slightly teasing as I wasn't going to let anyone jump on my back. Especially not for some lame ass joke. "Jump up," I encouraged her, wriggling my fingers, gesturing her to get up on my back. Waiting patiently, she eventually jumped up and I moved to get her and myself comfortable. "You're heavier than you look," I told her truthfully, not meaning it as an insult but only stating it as a fact.

Beth's breath lightly fanned my ear, making it a little difficult to concentrate and a little awkward, seeing as I wasn't used to this level of proximity. "Maybe there are people there," Beth mumled into my ear, it was almost unclear to me, but I could somehow make out her words.

Thinking over it, she had a point and I wasn't sure how many there could be. I hope it's just one. And one that isn't a big, buff guy. One that I can actually fight and not lose to. "Yeah, if there are, I'll handle them," I agreed with her and reassured her. I'm going to keep her safe. She's all I have left.

Beth was tiring me a little, extra weight being put on a grown man's back, it wasn't the best thing and I was just thankful she had an excuse to be on my back. This, is one of the reasons why I wouldn't want to have kids. If they asked to get on my back, I wouldn't be able to carry them for too long. "There are still good people, Daryl," Beth told me, we were both more comfortable and I was slowly adjusting to her being on my back.

Beth's arms were tightly wrapped around my neck, holding her close to me and I felt like I really was her big brother. "I don't think the good ones survive," I told her my point of view. Kat died. She was a good person. So was both Beth's and Kat's fathers. Beth's head turned, she glanced at one of the headstones and slid off my back. Lowering her to her feet gently, I looked in the direction she was staring at and saw the headstone. Beloved father. She's thinking about Hershel...

Silently, paying my respects, I did what any other person would do. I stepped back, pulled out a weed and placed it above the headstone. The pair of us staired at the writing, thinking of the ones we had lost. Especially Hershel. He was a good, kind and wise man. Tough as nails, he was. Governor just had to come and ruin it all for us. Surprising me, Beth's small hand slid into mine and our fingers were laced together. It was a sad moment, but all I could think of were the comparisons between Beth's hand and Kat's.

Beth's hands were smooth, Kat's fingers were rough but soft from her use of the bow. Using bows tend to harden the finger pads. Beth's nails were long and sharp, Kat's nails were smooth and long enough to scratch with added pressure. Beth's hand was smaller than my own, but Kat's fit mine perfectly. Beth's hands were cold, but Kat's were warm. I miss her, so much. So much, that it actually hurts to think about her.


I continued our journey, Beth on my back and when we reached the house, I opened the door slowly and banged against the door frame, whistling and leaning inside to get a better look. Raising my crossbow, I was ready for whatever was about to come out. When Beth was about to enter, I gestured for her not to go in and to wait a moment. "Give it a minute," I told her, wanting to make sure she was safe, and to do that, she needed to be patient.

When nothing came towards us, I walked inside and Beth followed behind. Beth was the one to shut the door behind us, the way she closed it was quiet and gently. "It's so clean," Beth commented, which was an understatement. Nothing looked like it had been moved, the floors were clean, there didn't appear to be any dust or smears anywhere. Usually, we would find that there were blood stains, gunshot holes and dust everywhere.

"Yeah," I agreed, glancing around and peeking into rooms that were empty. "Someone's been tending to it," I told her, informing her of what was happening if she didn't already know. "May still be around," I warned her. Making sure to keep a look out, I inspected the house a little more and was surprised to see that there was a guy in an opened coffin. His face looked weird, like it was falling apart. Stepping closer, I ran my fingers along the suited man's face and I pealed off some skin. He's decomposing.

The house was more or less empty, only corpses in coffins were still there and they were more than dead. Wandering down some stairs, we came across a room that was filled with dead people. Walkers, dressed up and one looked like he was in need of his make up being done. This person's been dressing these people up, putting make-up on them and tucks them into coffins. Clearing my throat, I felt a weird sensation course through my veins. "Let's get that ankle wrapped," I told Beth as I searched inside the cupboards, finding some bandages and ripped open the plastic.

Beth was stood there, staring at the two men laid out on the metal table. The pair of them weren't ready for a funeral, judging by how the person living in this house took care of them. This person is nuts. Dressing up walkers, giving them some make believe funeral and stuffing them in a coffin. "Looks like somebody ran out of dolls to dress up," I commented, I knew I sounded like an asshole, but this was just too weird for me.

"It's beautiful," Beth answered me back, making me huff and look back down at the bodies. "Whoever did this cared," she told me. "They wanted these people to get a funeral," she continued, giving her side of this messed up story. "They remembered these things were people before all this," she explained. "They didn't let it change them in the end," she spoke softly, making me think over what she said as I stared at the corpses. "Don't you think that's beautiful?" she asked me, curious for my opinion after what she had just said.

Thinking over her words, I stared at the corpses and kept silent. If I could, would I do this to Kat and Hershel's bodies? Yeah, I would. Kat's something special, something I don't quite know about entierly. All I know, is she's changed me in ways I never could of imagined. She means something to me, every time I thought of her, I either wanted to cry or smile. I cared about her, more than a friend. Hershel, he was one of the wisest, kindest and most compassionate person I have ever had the pleasure meeting. They deserved funerals. Everyone did.

"Come on," I said after I cleared my throat again. Moving to her, I got to my knees and fixed up her leg. Bandaging it and tying it so it was tight enough. She hadn't done much damage, seeing as her boot prevented the bear trap from getting into her skin. It had only sprained it, enough to have her in pain for a few days and not be able to walk. Patting it lightly, I gave her a kind smile and straigtened up.


We were searching the house for food, seeing as I had bandaged up Beth's leg and she could walk a much better than before. "Dang," I heard Beth mutter. "You find anything?" she asked me, hopeful that I would find something and I had. Opening cupboards, all I could find were cups, jars, plates, bowls and other stuff. When I came closer to one of the cupboards, myself and Beth opened it at the same time. "Whoa," Beth said, suprised when we found a stash of food perfectly placed.

All the labels staring at us, everything was clean and it didn't have a speck of dust. "Peanut butter and jelly, diet soda, and pig's feet," I listed, reading each label aloud and glancing at what else this cupboard had to offer. "That's a white trash brunch right there," I said as we all started to pull out cans and other foods.

Beth examined them, my eyes landing on what looked like baby food and it made my heart drop. Lil Ass-Kicker. The image of all the Grimes popped into my head. Lori, Rick, Kat, Carl and Judith in her sister's arms. "It all looks good to me," Beth said, pulling me out of my hair-raising imagery and making me look at the other food stored inside the cupboard.

Thinking about the cans, I pondered as to why it was so clean and perfectly ordered. This person has OCD and...they might still be alive. "No, hold up," I stopped her from pulling out anything else. "Ain't a speck of dust on this," I observed, telling her the facts and making her look up at the food we had been pulling out. Shit.

Beth looked up at the food then to me, she was holding cans of food and shrugged at me. "So?" she questioned me, as though it wasn't a big deal and she thought nothing of this fact. Does she not tell that someone could still be living here? Someone with OCD and a lot of problems, if you asked me. Dressing up people like they were dolls, even if they did know them. Either way, this person might just be hunting for walkers to put in suits and we just stumbled across them.

"That means, somebody just put it here," I informed her, trying to make her see why I mentioned that there was no dust on it. "This is someone's stash," I pointed out more, in-case she didn't understand where I was coming from. "Maybe they're still alive," I said a little hopeful. "All right, we'll take some of it and we'll leave the rest, all right?" I suggested, waving a hand around and indicating to the food in front of us.

Beth wriggled a can, as though she was about to pull it out and she kept her eyes on me. A smile formed along the lines of her lips, her blue eyes wide and staring up at me. "I knew it," Beth said as though she had just realized something, making me look at her a little surprised at this sudden outburst.

I began to unscrew the lid of a jar I had picked up. Side glancing at her, turning my head slightly to look her in the eye. What the hell got into her? "Knew what?" I questioned her, wondering what she would answer me with and what she was smiling so widely about. Something is wrong with this girl.

Beth's smile was slowly fading, but her joy was evident in her eyes. "It's like I said," she began. "There are still good people," she said as though I was the one being good, deciding to make her shut up, I picked up some of the stuff inside and swallowed it down. The sound was sloppy, loud and I could see her cringe from the corner of my eye. "Gross," she complained, making me smirk as she walked away. Peanutbutter in her hand, she sat down and watched me as I shook the jar in my hand.

Glancing at the food in the cupboard, I decided to make her feel even more disgusted with me. "Hey, those pig's feet are mine," I called dibs on the pigs feet, which only made her pull a disgusted face. Holding in my laugh, we sat down and ate. When we decided it was going to be a good enough place to spend the night, I pulled out the wire and began to make us an alarm. While Beth checked the inside of the house, I made sure we were safe and the only way in, was through the front door. All the windows were alread blocked with wooden planks, as well as the backdoor which was nailed up tight.

When I was finished securing the house, I went upstairs in search for Beth. Hearing the soft notes of the piano, I knew she was playing a song and slowly, I made my way to her. It was familiar, but I wasn't sure why. "And we'll buy, a beer to shotgun and we'll lay in the lawn, and we'll be good..." Beth then began to play a string of notes, but I decided to alert her of my sudden presence by clearing my throat.

Clearing my throat startled her, making her turn and glance at me with a small, shy smile. "The place is nailed up tight," I reassured her. "The only way in is through the front door," I told her and she hadn't said a word. Slowly, I made my way towards the coffin and hopped up.

Beth's eyes widened at the view of me sat on the bed. It was as though I was sat on what to me, felt like air. "What are you doing?" Beth asked me curiously. Like if I had two heads, she didn't know which one to look at and as though I was being stupid. Shit. Seems like dead people still have fancy shit when they die.

Sighing, I swiveled so that I could lay down and placed my head on the pillow. To others, they may have thought that this was a rough, and rock like bed. To me, it was comfy and I ain't lying. "This is the comfiest bed I've had in years," I told her truthfully, considering as I didn't get much sleep on a perch in the cell block, or in the tents when all I could feel was the floor, or before that, when I would sleep in my truck.

Beth's eyebrows rose curiously, her smile plastered to my face and her expression was childlike. "Really?" she asked me, as though I was making this up and not truly meaning it. Jesus, she really is like a little sister to me. Always asking questions, not believing me and I'm always having to keep her safe.

Getting comfortable, an arm was raised above my head and I was laid out in the coffin. "I ain't kidding," I told her as I propped one leg up, in case she tried to trap me inside the coffin. Thinking over everything, I noticed how uncomfortable she was. I was harsh to her before, but I didn't mean to hurt her. I was just, mad and sad. We'd lost so many people, I'd seen Kat and Hershel die. It wasn't easy. Sighing, I decided to make her feel happy. "Why don't you go ahead and play some more?" I suggested softly. "Keep singing," I encouraged her.

Beth's eyes were lowered, but when I mentioned her to carry on, her baby blues looked up at me and they were filled with surprise. I know I'm an asshole, but, if she's all I've got, I don't want her to hate me all the time. She's family, and I never liked seeing my family upset. "I thought my singing annoyed you," she said to me, her tone was one of sadness and confusion.

Getting comfortable, I thought about what to make up as an excuse, instead of telling her the truth. Honestly, her singing did get on my nerves sometimes, but it was only because most songs didn't make sense for her to sing them. Kat's always had meaning, and after hearing her sing a little, I realized the song she had been playing moments ago was one Kat once sang. "There ain't no jukebox, so..." I said with a shrug, trailing off at the end and waiting for her response.

Beth didn't waste any time, she jumped right into it and began to play the piano. "And we'll buy..." she sang as she played the piano, reminding me of Kat when I first heard Kat sing this to Judith to sleep. "A beer to shotgun, and we'll lay in the lawn and we'll be good," Beth sang, which reminded me of the times I had spent with Kat, along with the times I wasn't there but admired her from afar. When we drank a beer together in the prison, when she was in the small farm with Judith and they were making mud pies. The smile on her face, how Carl and Rick got to work but would laugh at the pair of them.

Everything seemed to remind me of Kat, only making me miss her more and feel more remorse and regret. "Now I'm laughing at my boredom," Beth sang, reminding me of the time we sat in that store, when laughed at the questions we had asked and dares we attempted. "And my string of failed attempts..." Beth sang, reminding me of many chances I had to tell Kat I liked her, or times when I could of kissed her if I had the balls to. Absentmindedly, I was fidling with the strands of hairs on my chin, thinking of Kat and pondering in the memories. What would it have felt like to kiss her? To have her in my arms? To whisper sweet nothings? To share a bed with her, to have her so tightly pressed? Gradually, I fell asleep and woke up the next morning to go out and check if the noise trap still worked.


Beth had met me outside, she looked tired and we spent some time searching for anything that may of needed fixing. Deciding it was time to eat, I told her we should go in and she agreed. Hungry, we both headed for the kitchen and she was going too slow. "Going as fast as I can," Beth complained, before she could enter, I picked her up bridal style and entered the kitchen.

"Forget that," I grumbled as I picked her up, Beth laughed and slowly, I lowered her to the chair. "Here you go," I said as I placed her on the chair, pulling out food and placing them in front of her. "Whew. All right," I spoke, a little exhausted from picking her up. Shit, is that what it feels like for Kat when she would pick up Carl? "Let's eat," I declared to her and as I sat down, cans rattled and alerted us of an unwanted visitor.

Getting to my feet, I picked up my crossbow and saw Beth get to her feet. "Stay," I ordered her as I stalked towards the front door, carefully, I opened the front door and saw a dog stood there. It had one eye, a white coat and it looked a little thin. "It's just a damn dog," I informed Beth as I slowly got to one knee. "Hi," I called quietly to the dog. "Come here, boy," I tried to bring him inside, reaching out for him. But, he yelped and scurried off.

Straightening back up, I stepped back and shut the door. Turning around, I fould Beth near the entrance and staring at me. "He wouldn't come in?" she asked me, curious and her tone was a little childlike. Stepping closer to her, I loosened my grip on my crossbow a little and made my way towards her.

I was surprised to find her standing there, on her feet and not doing as I said. "I told you to stay back," I reminded her of my command. If she doesn't follow my orders, she's going to get herself in trouble. Just like I had that gut feeling, telling me to keep Kat close and I was stupid. Instead, I had let her go out there alone and try to get to her Dad. Now, they're both dead.

Beth's expression turned wide eyed, like a child trying to look innocent and as though it wasn't their fault. "Yeah, but, Daryl, you said there was a dog," Beth spoke, making the excuse that this dog was clearly harmless. She doesn't know what can happen out here, so naive and I'm the one who has to teach her now. The dog could have bit me, if he was aggressive and not afraid of me.

Deciding not to argue about it, I placed my hand on her shoulder and nudged her to turn back from where she came. "Maybe he'll come back around," I spoke, sounding all hopeful and as though it would actually happen. "Come on," I encouraged her and gradually, we got back inside and sat down to eat.


Beth was sat down, writing on a piece of paper she had asked me to find for her, along with a pen. She had told me she was going to use it, only for her small diary that she would keep in her back pocket. I didn't ask her, she simply would tell me and I would nod. "I'm gonna leave a thank-you note," Beth informed me, it was dark and it was already time to eat again.

The fact she was leaving a note, surprised me and made me a little curious. These days, Beth's mind was one that interested me. Kat, I could never read her perfectly, but there were times I knew what she was going to do, or what she thought about. Kat still had her surprises, but Beth took a full 360, which made me curious as to why she was always so hopeful. "Why?" I asked her.

Beth began to write on the white, small piece of paper as I dug into the jar. Spooning up the conents and savouring them. "For when they come back," she told me. "If they come back," she said, acting as though she was losing hope and had every right to. "Even if they're not coming back, I still want to say thanks," Beth explained, making me see how kind-hearted she was.

Wondering where we could go next, I thought of our options and decided to take a chance. "Maybe you don't have to leave that," I began. "Maybe we stick around here for a while," I said with a small shrug, making a suggestion and wondering what Beth could think of it. "They come back, we'll just make it work," I spoke confidently, knowing that we were good people and that that whoever lived here, could be too. "They may be nuts, but maybe it'll be all right," I commented and tried to be hopeful, for her. Kat would be hopeful, especially in a place like this.

Beth's eyes wandered up to look at me as I spoke, her expression was one of surprise and one of her in a deep thinking process. "So you do think there are still good people around?" Beth asked, even if it did sound like a statement. A smile formed on her face, as though she was proud of me and a small chuckle escaped her. "What changed your mind?" she questioned me, my thoughts and change to them from before.

I didn't know how to answer her. Beth survived this long. Kat and others believed I was a good person. I'm surviving, Kat had survived for a long enough time. So did Rick. Hershel. They were all good people, people who meant a lot to us. "You know," I said, not wanting to explain any further while I shrugged and continued to eat.

Beth wanted a longer answer than what I could give. "What?" she asked me again, all I could do was shrug and mumble. "Don't," she scolded and immitated my mumble with a smile. "What changed your mind?" she asked me, but all I could do was stare at her and hoped she could see my answer in my eyes. Kat, Carol, Carl, Rick, Hershel. Everyone we had met, they were good people and if we could of survived, there might be a small chance some of the others did too. "Oh," Beth said when she realized what my answer was.

The sound of cans rattling and a dog barking, then whining made me and Beth a little startled. Groaning, I reached out for one of the jars of peanutbutter, "I'm gonna give that mutt one more chance," I told Beth and myself as I went for the door. When I opened it, instead of finding the dog, I found myself with a group of walkers, snarling and clawing to get me.

Quickly slamming the door shut, it was impossible to close it all the way and the walkers were pushing against it. There was no way in, no way out and we were now trapped. "Beth! Beth!" I called to her quickly, she could probably hear the snarling, because she rounded the corner and threw me the crossbow. "Run! Run!" I said, waving an arm and gesturing for her to get the hell out of here. When she left the hallway, I ran away from the door and stood by an exit, raising my bow and fired a bolt into a walker's head.

Running down the hall, I could feel my heart race and sweat begin to form on my skin. "Beth, pry open a window!" I instructed her, trying to get her out of here before the walkers could spot her. "Get your shit!" I ordered her, I kept moving and heard the snarls coming closer behind me. Trying not to freak out from the small space of the hallways, I kept moving and stayed close to the walkers.

Beth's voice was distant, in another room and far from me. "I'm not gonna leave you," I could hear her voice call out to me. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. She needs to keep moving, she needs to get out and find somewhere safe to hide. I can't let anything happen to her. I won't let anything happen to her. Quickly, I chose to go to a room I knew I was safe enough to get rid of these walkers.

I didn't stop for a moment, I couldn't risk getting grabbed and chose to run down the stairs. "Go out. Go up the road," I instructed her, hoping that there wouldn't be any walkers there waiting for her. That they were all inside, following after me and not Beth. "I'll meet you there," I reassured her. "Go!" I shouted to her. "This way," I called to the walkers, they all followed me down the stairs and I had to think quickly. Seeing the first one walk down the stairs, I shot him with a bolt and knew it would slow the walkers down, knowing that it would cause them to stumble over the body.

As quickly as I could, I swiveled the metal tables, with the bodies still laid out on them, to block the walkers from me. Using a needle and some scissors, I began to kill the walkers one by one. They began to form a line, arms reaching out to grab hold of me and jaws clenching and opening. As though they were eating me, I kept killing as many as I could, but they began to pile up and block others from getting too close. Ducking under, I climbed beneath them and moved the other table to block the walkers again. Sandwhiching the walkers between the two tables, I killed two to secure that the others would be stuck there. At least, it would be long enough for me to make my escape.

Two walkers were making their way down the stairs, one reached out for me and almost grabbed hold of me. Using the needle, I dug it into one walker and climbed up the stairs. Another came towards me, using the scissors, I killed the other walker and watched her fall. Taking the bolt from the walker by the stairs, I ran up and made my escape. There were few walkers roaming around, but I kept running, one walker came closer, his mouth bloody and he was closer to the road.

Feeling my heart sink, I stopped for a second to examin the walker and saw that the blood was fresh. Whacking him with the butt of my crossbow, I wandered over to the road and found Beth's backpack on the ground. The sound of tires squealing made my head whip in it's direction, there was no sign of Beth and I was convinced the people in the car drove away with her. A cross was all I could see in my head, as it was the last thing I saw of the car as it turned the corner. Calling out to Beth, I ran after her and tried to catch up to the car. It was hopeless, the car was faster and long gone before I could get it.

I kept running, along the road and hoped I would find her. The pain in my chest, the thumping in my head and the sound of my pulse in my ears, it all was too much. A burn in my legs from all the running, I had forgotten the bag back on the road, my breathing heavy and I tried not to cry. I'm a failure. I'm alone. Kat's dead. Rick's dead. Michonne's dead. Carol's gone. Carl's dead, or alone. Ass-Kicker's dead. Sasha and Tyreese are dead. Bob's dead. Maggie's dead. Glenn's dead. Hershel's dead. I've failed them all. I've failed to keep Kat safe. I've failed Beth, because now...she's gone. And I'm alone. I deserve this.


Stopping when I saw a crossroad, I knew there was no way of finding Beth now. I fell to the ground, my head bowed and I was trying to regather my senses. My breathing heavy, body exhausted. I had no food. I had no water. I no one. Sweat made my hair stick to my skin, exhaustion and grief flooded me. Making it almost imposible to breathe, impossible to think and to keep myself from doing something stupid.

"Well, lookit here," a male voice called to me. Quick as a flash, I punched the guy in the face and heard a grunt escape him. Rapidly, I picked up my crossbow, aimed and moved to be on my feet, all in a fluid sequence. A circle of guns cocking and aimed at me. "Damn it," the man groaned as he wiped at the blood on his face. "Hold up!" the man shouted quickly to all his men, keeping me in a circle and their weapons aimed at me.

"I'm claiming the vest," I heard a man behind me call out to the others. "I like them wings," the man behind me commented. Jackass. Ain't no one gonna be claiming shit of mine. It's my vest and mine only. He touches it, I swear I'll put a bolt between his eyes.

The white haired man, who I was convinced was their leader stared up at me and held my gaze. "Hold up," the leader growled at them firmly, wiping the blood off his face and began to laugh. He was sat on the floor, but with a sudden decision to get up, he carefully got back to his feet. "A bowman," he called out. "I respect that," he told me, as though it was something I would truly care about.

My aim was always on him, not on anyone else, only him. "See, a man with a rifle, he could have been some kind of photographer or soccer coach back in the day," he explained why breifly. "But a bowman's a bowman through and through," he said as he examined my crossbow. "What you got there, 150-pound draw weight?" he asked me, staring at me directly in the eyes. "I'll be donkey-licked if that don't fire at least 300 feet per second," he said, which surprised me because he knew so much about my crossbow. "I've been looking for a weapon like that," he told me, which made me more tense than I already was.

Are they going to kill me and take my crossbow from me? "Of course, I'd want one with a bit more ammo and minus the oblongata stains," he commented and showed me his row of bloodied teeth, the blood had seeped from his nose and traveled into his mouth. What he had said, had caused amusement to the man behind me and I could hear his laughter.

"Get yourself in some trouble, partner?" the man behind me, the one who wanted my vest said as he spoke to me teasingly. I swear, if I get to be alone with him, I'll shove a bolt in his ass.

The leader took no notice of the man behind me's musings. "You pull that trigger, these boys are gonna drop you several times over," the leader warned me. I could tell he was being serious, I could tell the moment they closed me in, they were a bad group of people. "That what you want?" he asked me. If I die, I would of died fighting against assholes and a bunch of pricks. "Come on, fella, suicide is stupid," he said as he noticed my deliberation. "Why hurt yourself, when you can hurt other people?" the man questioned me, making me look at him through slinted eyes. "Name's Joe," the man informed me.

Thinking over my options, there wasn't many. Be alone, or stay with these people. I can't look for Beth, simply because I don't know where she went and who she's with. Everyone's dead, but maybe I can bump into someone along the way. Alone, or with these guys. Staying with these guys could maybe get me some food, but I would have to rob them all during the night and get as far away as possible. Be alone, or go with these pricks? "Daryl," I informed Joe and the others with a single nod of my head. Lowering my crossbow, I showed them I would be no harm to them and slowly, we all turned and made our way through the woods.


Okay guys, this chapter may be short, but it's going to be packed in the next two chapters. Yes. I've said it. Two more chapters, I have them prepared and ready to start on. I need 5 more reviews for this chapter, that way I can fire the final two chapters for this season up. It's going to have: Grimes family moments, forgiveness, Karyl reunion and many more stuff...thangs. So, get reviewing! I'm writing the next chapters as we speak!


Now, questions and replies to reviews.

1) What did you think of this chapter?

2) Who do you picture Kat to look like?

3) What do you think is going to happen?

4) Who do you want to go with Daryl when he goes to rescue Beth? Kat or Carol, give your reasons why!

5) What do you think will happen when Joe and the Grimes family meet? Especially, what do you think will happen to Kat?


Replies!


Fangirl1510: You'll see that in the next few chapters, I promise! xx


guest: Well, him being shocked is no surprise there.


Anna: Yes, he will be shocked. They both will be.


Guest: 1) I'm thrilled you loved the chapter. All through it, I was hopefull that people would like it, but I knew that to some they may not like it. Seeing as, Beth was someone Daryl grew close to, but I thought it was a little silly. That was because, in the show those few episodes were the only ones when you saw them speak and actually notice each other, only because they had to. Kat and Daryl, they've always talked about personal things, even when they weren't noticing it and it kind of seemed to make sense to make them speak to one another when they talked about the past. As in, the scenes between Beth and Daryl, the ones that I replaced Beth with Kat.

2) As for Grimes, there wasn't any moments in this, but there will be lots to come in the upcoming two chapters. The next one will be still focused on Daryl, but it will have scenes between Carl, Kat, Rick and Michonne. I can't wait for it, because I'm doing what I would normally do on some occasions. What I mean, is I'll be putting in scenes and making them my own. So, we'll see how that goes.

3) They'll eventually get there, it's only just that they clearly aren't together like that and I can tell you now, they won't be officially together until possibly mid-season 6. There are lots of plans I have for them, they will kiss in season 5, but they won't be together. If that makes sense? As for Grimes and Michonne, I've already said it in number 2.

4) I swear, you know my writing so well. It might be like that, but we're going to have to see what position they're all in and what will initially happen. Such as Joe, the others and maybe, I'll have Daryl walk away from them, like he was originally going to. But, if you read my messages and this, you'll probably already know that they will meet again in the next few chapters. Thank you so much for your review!


EastDenise: Wow! Whoops! I'll rewrite some chapters later on, right now, we'll let that slide, right? {Winks} I'm glad you liked the switch-up, I'm surprised you liked it, seeing as you love Bethyl. That's the thing, with those types of relationships, neither of them think about relationships. It's just not who they are, but the connection they have, they can feel it and it's like that saying. Love is blind, so these two are just getting themselves into denial continuously. Love will win, eventually. Rome wasn't built in a day!


redangel2463: 1) Would you believe me if I said I worked incredibly hard with that chapter? It tried to get it perfect, so that no one would loath it, but that they would either love it or hate it.

2) Thank you very much, that was an honor to hear! I was so worried, because for me, it made sense to switch it up like that. Beth is a sister to him, someone he promised himself to look after, but he wouldn't talk about his past. He only talks, when someone's heard about it, seen it, or actually lived it. Examples, heard would be Carl, seen it would be Kat (Which I'll explain in season 5!) and finally, Carol, because she's lived it, of course!

3) I hope this chapter was good enough? I'm a little worried now!

4) Hmm...we'll see dear. We'll see, I can tell you now...it's going to be one hell of a chapter. Thanks for the ongoing support, it means a lot to me!


Hannah: Thank you! That means a lot to me, seriously!


judgefreezone432: Haha! Thank you, you're awesomer! Thanks for the reivew. 1) Okie dokie. 2) Don't worry, that will be coming REAL soon. 3) Hmm...I'll keep that in mind, but you'll see something similar to that.


So, until the 5 reviews...I'll be typing away the next chapter, attempting to get it ready for Sunday! So, if you give me the 5 reviews, I may fire it quicker than you expect! Until next time...

Much love!

HeroJustInTime90 xxx