Disclaimer: A nod to the genius Robert Kirkman for creating this wonderfully dark, post-apocalyptic world. I do not own or have rights to any of the characters/plot of this series. I'm simply a fan indulging in my post-apocalyptic fantasies.
Thank you Nicole for getting this edited for me! : )
...
Climbing the fence and walking across Alexandria to her 'new home,' Beth entered the house with a sense of apprehension. She knew the impending conversation would be uncomfortable, but it was unavoidable. Beth wasn't used to seeing people cry. She'd only cried a few times, mainly out of frustration during her rehabilitation, and could only recall seeing Morgan shed tears once; during his brief explanation of losing his wife and then Duane a year or two later. Therefore, she wasn't sure if she dreaded the conversation more or the tears she knew Maggie would inevitably shed.
The small child Maggie had been holding was playing with a wooden, no doubt handmade, toy car on the floor. Glenn was sitting beside him while Morgan and Maggie were settled on the couch with their backs to her. Morgan rose from his seat and Maggie turned to give her an uncertain smile.
"Enjoy your trip?" Morgan asked with a hint of aggravation in his voice.
"As a matter of fact I did," Beth replied cheekily.
She refused to feel guilty for her momentary escape when he had left her to deal with the Maggie 'situation' by herself the night before. It may have been petty, but she felt it was only fair for him to be put in the same 'situation,' dealing with an upset Maggie, when they awoke to find her missing.
"Mmm hmm," Morgan hummed with a slight frown, "Did you have a visitor? Or decide on your own that you'd been gone too long?"
Beth tilted her head, "What do you think?"
Morgan smiled, "I'm glad he found ya'."
"Yeah, yeah," Beth smiled and swatted his arm playfully.
Morgan's face fell and Beth took note of the deep lines of his face, "No more sneakin' out without tellin' me you're…sneakin' out."
She smirked as his choice of words, "I promise I'll let you know next time."
"Good," he took a step back nodded behind him, "They were worried too."
Beth glanced at Maggie and Glenn, both trying desperately to act as if they couldn't hear the conversation behind them, and slowly removed the bandolier slung across her chest.
"Are you…?" Her voice trailed off.
"I'll be right here," he answered her unfinished question as he took her machete from her.
She gave him a faint smile, "'Kay."
Taking a deep breath, she moved around the older man and took his seat on the couch.
"Hershel," Maggie called to the young boy, "C'mere sweety. I have someone I want you t'meet."
The child ignored her and continued playing with his car.
"Hershel Rhee," Beth noted the seriousness in Maggie's voice, "Right now mister."
"Listen to your mom," Glenn whispered and took the car from the boy.
Standing, the child grumbled and approached his mother, giving Beth a few shy glances.
"This is your aunt," Maggie motioned with one hand while wrapping the other around her son's waist, "This is Beth. My sister."
"Is she the Beth you tole' me about in my bedtime stories?" His innocent brown eyes looked from his mother to Beth.
Maggie let out a small laugh, "Yes. She's the same Beth that was taken by the bad men."
"She helped Mr. Noah get out," Hershel stated, looking back up at Maggie.
"Yes, yes she did," Beth thought Maggie sounded somewhat proud, "Why don't you go say hello?"
"Okay," the boy said with a nod and turned his gaze back to Beth.
It was odd hearing people talking about her, in her own presence no less, about instances she had no memory of. Though they may have been bedtime stories, they might as well have been fairy tales to Beth.
"Hi," Hershel said quietly focusing on a spot on the couch and flicking his brown eyes up to her every so often.
"Hi," Beth replied, feeling as awkward as the toddler looked.
She didn't know how she felt about children in the general sense. She hadn't had any issues with Judith, but that was the first and only experience she'd ever had with a child...that she could remember. However, if what people said about her past self was true, she seemed to be a 'natural' with little ones.
Taking a calming breath, Beth tried again, "So you're my nephew, huh?"
"That's what Momma says," his reply caught Beth off guard and she couldn't help but laugh.
"Sorry," Maggie apologized, giving Hershel a look, "The kid says whatever he thinks."
"He's fine," Beth gave a genuine smile and turned back to Hershel, "So how old are ya' kiddo?"
"I'm three..." he concentrated and eventually showed her three short, chubby fingers, "and a half."
"Wow," Beth's lips curved at his pronunciation, "You're almost all grown up!"
"See Momma," Hershel turned to his mother, "I tole' you I wasn't a baby."
"Hershel, I never said you were a baby-"
"Yes huh!" The younger boy interrupted Maggie, "You call me a baby all the time. I kept tryin' to tell you, I'm a big boy now," he finished and puffed his chest.
"Hershel Everett Rhee," Maggie scolded her son, "You'd better watch your tone young man."
The boy dropped his head and toed one of his shoes into the wooden floor, mumbling a quiet, "Yes ma'am."
Beth felt herself biting her lip, trying not to smile, as Hershel's attention returned to her.
"Momma said you live with Grandpa, up in Heaven," Hershel scrunched his face up at her, "Did you come'd back to visit?"
"Uh..." Beth's face fell and she glanced up at Maggie, who seemed just as perplexed on how to answer his question.
"Mr. Noah tole' me the story of how you helped him," Hershel continued, "He says you were really brave."
"Mr…Noah?" Beth inquired and heard Morgan shuffle behind her.
"Yeah. He lives at home," the child informed her, "He makes sure the bad guys stay away from the walls. He plays with me too...when Momma and Daddy are busy."
"Sounds like he's an important guy," Beth smiled at the child's obvious admiration of 'Mr. Noah.'
"You should come see him," Hershel smiled toothily, "He always says that 'Ms. Beth was the prettiest girl he ever saw'd.'"
Beth's smile widened. Whoever this 'Noah' person was, she had no doubt that he would be mortified if he knew what her 'nephew' was telling her.
"Alright big guy," Glenn whisked his son off the floor, "Why don't we go outside and play while Mommy and Aunt Beth talk."
"Can we play that game with the ball again?" Hershel asked as Glenn walked them around the couch.
"Absolutely," Glenn enthused, "We gotta' work on your form if you're going to be the first quarterback of the new world."
Beth had no idea what Glenn was talking about, but she assumed that it wasn't anything of importance from the way Maggie rolled her eyes and laughed.
"He's somethin' else," Beth remarked good-naturedly.
"Kid's a handful," Maggie sniggered.
The room quickly sobered and Beth peeked over her shoulder to check on Morgan, who was casually leaning against the wall where she had left him. He motioned with his hand for her to 'get on with it' and Beth narrowed her eyes at him to tell him 'don't rush me.'
"So," Maggie broke the silence and regained Beth's attention.
"Yeah," Beth breathed.
The silence resumed and Beth tried not to fidget. When frustration finally won over patience, she decided to get the conversation over with.
"Look…Maggie," Beth began, "I know we're supposed to be 'family,' but I don't-"
"You don't have t'explain," Maggie lifted a hand and stopped her, "Morgan already talked t'me about it."
"He did?" Beth looked over her shoulder with less subtlety and found Morgan casually picking at his nails with a pocketknife; her bandolier hanging on his forearm.
"He'd already told me what happened, while you were recovering, about findin' you behind tha' church," Maggie blinked her eyes rapidly, "but this mornin' he told me…"
Beth found herself hanging on Maggie's every word.
Taking a deep breath and pressing her lips tightly together, Maggie straightened her shoulder and met Beth's stare, "He told me that for the past three years, all the two 'ah you have had is each other. He said that, when you woke up, you were like a child. Completely oblivious to the ways of the world now. He said he'd 'raised' you tha' best he could, taught you how t'walk, taught you how t'fight, and taught you how t'survive."
"He never gave up on me," Beth stated, "Which is why I'll never give up on him."
Maggie smiled, "I realize that my request for you t'come with us, back to Hilltop, was…so selfish. I'm sorry I did that to you. It wasn't until we talked this mornin' that I understood everything."
"Understood everything?" Beth wasn't exactly sure what Maggie was referring to.
"Understood that he views you as his lil' girl. He worries for you, takes care of you, an' dotes on you, just like Daddy did. You're in good hands with him," Maggie reached out and held her hand, "I jus' want you t'be happy."
Beth took a shaky breath, "I'm workin' on it."
Patting her hand, Maggie let go and sat up straight once more, "Good. The offer to come stay with us is always open. Whenever you want. Whenever you're ready."
"Thanks," Beth said with a smile, "Maybe-"
Glenn opened the door, Hershel propped against his hip, and interrupted Beth's statement.
Morgan pushed off the wall and inquired, "Everything alright?"
"Yeah," Glenn replied, "There's a guy here to see you two."
Beth looked to Maggie, "I'll be right back."
Maggie nodded and Beth rose from her seat, following Morgan into the front yard.
A man, clad in body armor and a rifle resting on his back, stood at the end of their walkway.
"Can we help you?" Morgan asked as they approached the stranger.
"Hope so mate," the man replied in an accent Beth had never heard before, "Name's Cooper. You can call me Coop. I work under Dwight taking care of our scouts."
"Nice t'meet ya'," Morgan shook the man's hand, "Name's Morgan and this here's Beth."
Cooper reached out and shook both of their hands, "Pleasure."
"There somethin' you need from us?" Morgan inquired earnestly.
"I got your names off tha' list Sherry had in 'er office. Said you two were looking to do some runs outside the walls," Cooper explained, "Wanted to know if the pair of ya' would be willin' to run a patrol down the southern roads?"
"Where tha' herd came from," Beth crossed her arms over her chest.
"That'd be the one," he nodded to her, "We need someone to replace Byron. Seems he won't be able to run patrols for us anymore."
They didn't need Cooper to explain why they required a new patrol. It was understood that when someone could no longer do something, it generally meant they were no longer among the living.
"You want the both of us?" Morgan inquired, "I thought scouts usually made their runs solo?"
"Usually," Cooper admitted, "With tha' herd, we've been ordered to double up on the scouts making patrols outside the walls. That and it bein' the both of you's first time out, thought it'd be a better idea to send you together. You can decide who keeps the job when you're not such newbies."
"Newbies?" Beth scoffed at the notion.
Morgan ignored Cooper's jab and turned to Beth, "You up for it?"
"When d'we leave?" Beth's gaze drifted from Morgan to Cooper.
"Meet me at the stables in five. I'll be providin' a map, a herding horn, and have the stable hands get the horses ready while you get what you need here," Cooper informed them.
"How long will this take?" Beth asked, looking over her shoulder to Maggie and Glenn standing in the doorway.
"Couple of hours," Cooper rubbed his chin in thought, "Could take longer if you have to stop and rest your legs. It's a good twenty miles from Alexandria to the trade off point where the scouts of Hilltop patrol."
It was nearly noon and a couple of hours would have them back in Alexandria later in the evening. She had planned to meet with Daryl as soon as she finished talking with Maggie, but with the change of plans, she knew she wouldn't be making it back in time before whatever his plans were for the evening.
Cooper's voice cut into her thoughts when he continued, "The main road is reinforced, but you'll need to veer off into the woods and keep an eye out for mobs of those undead bastards. We want to keep them off the roads if at all possible."
In the years she'd spent getting reacquainted with the world; she had become a very capable tracker. It was something Morgan has shown her while hunting one day and she had picked up on it immediately. In time, they had gotten to the point where Morgan kept lookout and left the tracking solely to Beth. Her keen eyes saw things that Morgan might not have immediately caught and being smaller; it was less of a hassle for her to move through the brush.
"Good t'know," Morgan confirmed and added, "We'll meet you at the stables in 'ah few minutes."
"Good on ya' mate," Cooper said in mock salute and left Beth standing at the gate with Morgan.
When he was out of earshot, Beth whispered up to Morgan, "Why'd he talk so funny?"
Morgan barked out a sharp laugh and wiped a hand down his face trying to cover his smile, "He's…not from around here. Probably got stuck here when tha' epidemic took hold."
"So he couldn't just make a trip back where he came from?" Beth asked as they made their way back to the house.
Morgan chuckled once more, "Not unless he has 'ah boat…and a lotta' gasoline."
"Oh," Beth glanced over her shoulder, feeling sad for the man who would probably never get a chance to see him 'home' again.
"He's still alive," Morgan said as if reading her thoughts, "That counts for somethin'."
"Yeah," Beth turned back to doorway.
They walked up the steps in silence and met Maggie and Glenn still standing at the door with Hershel held between them.
"Everything alright?" Glenn echoed the words Morgan had asked him just moments before.
"We got asked t'make the patrol run down tha' southern roads," Beth explained.
"You refuse?" Maggie questioned, sounding hopeful.
"No. They need someone t'patrol the roads and I'd rather that someone be us," Beth said confidently, "We're used to it out there."
"When do you leave?" Glenn asked, hoisting Hershel higher on his hip.
"We have t'meet Cooper at the stables in five minutes," Morgan spoke beside her, "We should only be gone a couple 'ah hours. You're welcome t'stay here if you'd like."
"That's okay," Glenn replied, "We need to get back to Hilltop. This is the first time both of us have been gone at the same time. We need to make sure the walls are still standing."
"Alright," Morgan nodded and looked down at Beth, "I'll get our bags. You say your goodbyes."
"'Kay," Beth nodded and took her machete from Morgan.
"It's was 'ah pleasure meetin' you two," Morgan announced, politely shaking Glenn's hand and giving Maggie a brief hug.
"Thank you for takin' care of my sister," Maggie squeezed an arm around Morgan's shoulder.
Stepping back, Morgan smiled and replied, "Most of the time it's her takin' care 'ah me."
"Thank you all tha' same," Maggie returned his smile.
Morgan maneuvered around them into the house and Beth was left standing on the porch with her 'family.'
"You be careful out there," Glenn held out his free hand and wavered, slowly reaching up to wrap it loosely around her shoulders.
Beth nodded and patted his back awkwardly.
"We'll probably pass each other on the road," Maggie stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Beth's shoulders with more confidence than her husband had.
"Maybe," Beth reached up and timidly wrapped her hands around her sister's biceps, "We have to scout off the main road too."
Maggie stepped back and held Beth at arm's length, "You take care 'ah yourself."
"I will," Beth answered genuinely, "You guys too."
"We'll be fine with you patrolling ahead of us," Maggie said with a smile and dropped her arms from Beth's side, "Hershel, tell Aunt Beth goodbye."
Hershel, wooden car in hand, looked up and gave a toothy smile, "Bye."
"It was nice t'meet you," Beth reached out and ruffled his hair.
"We're going to say goodbye to our friends here and head out in an hour or so," Glenn announced, handing Hershel to Maggie.
"Alright," Beth acknowledged.
"Our offer's always open," Maggie told her once more, "Don't be a stranger."
Beth smirked at the pun, realizing Maggie had a very similar sense of humor to her own and was just as proficient in the use of sarcasm.
Morgan emerged from the house a few moments later and with their goodbyes said, they headed to the stables to meet Cooper.
…
Daryl pushed opened the door to Rick's office, finding the older man hunched over his desk, flipping through paperwork.
Sitting his crossbow in the hall, he quietly knocked on the door, causing Rick to look up at him and wave him inside.
"Dwight said you got word on Byron," he explained while closing the door.
"I gave him 'ah brief rundown earlier," Rick affirmed.
"So what's tha' deal?" Daryl plopped down in a chair in front of Rick's desk, "How'd 'ah herd get by him?"
"We sent 'ah runner out yesterday t'check the roads," Rick began, "Dwight's findin' people who can fill the spot temporarily until someone can take the job permanently."
"Yeah?" Daryl stretched out his legs and crossed his feet at his ankles.
"One of tha' guys found Byron hangin' from a tree, in the middle of the woods, about eight miles out," Rick slid a piece of paper across his desk, "he'd turned. What was left of his horse was found 'ah couple yards away."
"Suicide?" Daryl asked skeptically, "What tha' hell would he do that for?"
"Your guess is as good as mine," Rick leaned back in his chair and rested his hands behind his head.
"Guy has 'ah kid on tha' way," Daryl flung the report back on Rick's desk, "Ain't no way he'd cut out early."
"It doesn't sound right t'me either," Rick's eyes focused on a spot on the wall and Daryl recognized that his friend was going into 'cop mode.'
"Anyone else out there with him?" Daryl inquired.
"Not according t'Sherry's records. Just Byron," Rick replied, still staring into the distance.
"The fuck was he thinkin'?" Daryl grumbled and ran a hand through his disheveled hair, "You tell his old lady yet?"
"Rosita's friends with her," Rick cut his eyes from the wall back to Daryl, "She was in here when I explained things t'Dwight. She said she'd handle it."
Daryl nodded.
Daryl supposed it was probably best hearing such news from a friend rather than any of them. She was lucky in a way. Not everyone got such a luxury. In most cases, people witnessed the death of their significant other. He'd had the misfortune of finding his own brother, already turned, and he'd had to put an end to Merle's reanimation. That was something he would never wish even on his worst enemy. When his reflections began to veer towards Beth, the memory of her at Grady Memorial forever haunting him, he squeezed his eyes shut and willed his thoughts to the back of his mind.
"I've informed Dwight t'pay extra attention to tha' roads for 'ah while. There hasn't been any activity on tha' road to The Kingdom, but that doesn't mean there won't be," Rick commented and dropped his hands back on his desk while shifting in his chair.
Before Daryl could reply, Dwight burst through the door and quickly scanned the room.
"Daryl?" Dwight huffed, shutting the door behind him, before immediately blurting out an apology, "Daryl, man, I'm sorry."
Daryl stood and narrowed his eyes, "Sorry fer' what?"
"Look, I was busy with setting up shifts on the wall and asked Cooper t'find someone to run patrol on the southern roads," Dwight ran a hand over the scarred side of his face, "He went an' got the list from Sherry. He told her he needed tha' names of people who'd volunteered to work outside the walls."
"What're you gettin' at Dwight?" Daryl fisted his hands as every muscle in his body tensed in anticipation.
"They...she requested to work outside. She put her name down for the herders, runners, patrols, and everythin' else we got goin' on out there," Dwight shifted from one foot to another.
"Who?" Daryl asked, even though he already knew the person's name.
"…Beth," Dwight sagged in defeat, "It's my fault. I should've put off tha' scheduling and found somebody myself."
Daryl felt his nails digging into the toughened skin of his palms.
"I didn't know," Dwight tried to explain, "I had no idea she put her name down to work outside. If I had, I would've told them to cross her off the list."
Breathing deeply, Daryl felt heat radiating off of his skin. He wanted to punch something, namely Dwight, but he knew that would do nothing to help their situation and he respected the man too much to actually do so. Instead, he settled for grabbing the chair he'd just been sitting in and chucking it across Rick's office. The wooden seat clattered into the opposite brick wall and crumbled to the ground. Leaning over Rick's desk, knuckles white from how hard he gripped the lip of the counter, Daryl's chest heaved as he struggled with his anger.
Closing his eyes, he managed to focus enough to speak, "She by 'erself?"
"No. Cooper sent Morgan with her," Dwight replied from where he'd moved away from the door.
"How long they been gone?" Daryl stood and glared.
"Thirty minutes or so," Dwight answered honestly.
"We had someone found hangin' from 'ah tree," Daryl threw an arm out in the general direction of the roads, "'an they don't think to send out someone with fallmore patrol experience?"
"Daryl," Rick's tone placating, "We don't know if anything happened with Byron-"
"That's tha' point," Daryl interrupted, "We don't know what happened."
Rick let him finish before continuing, "-and if we're bein' honest, Beth and Morgan are probably the best ones suited to be out there right now."
"What're you tryin' t'say?" Daryl spat.
"I'm sayin' that we've been livin' behind these walls for the past three years," Rick elaborated, "We all remember what it's like t'be out there, but none of us are as sharp as we were three years ago. Beth an' Morgan haven't had any walls to protect them…they've had to survive. They travelled all tha' way from Georgia, just the two of 'em, to get here. They make this run and when they get back, I'll make sure Beth's name…that both of their names are removed from outer wall duties."
Daryl's glare remained in place, but his anger had slightly subsided, "You make sure of it."
"You got my word," Rick replied firmly.
Daryl gave a nod and glanced at Dwight, standing across the room looking as guilt ridden as he'd ever seen the man. Having nothing more to say, Daryl stalked out of the room, grabbing his crossbow off the ground as he went. With determined steps, he marched straight towards the walls, and any notions of a relaxing evening working on Beth's machete were gone.
…
Placing a chair in the middle of the walkway along the top of the wall, Daryl had kept his gaze focused on the tree line all afternoon. When his eyes needed a break, he'd dropped his head and gnawed on his thumbnail until he'd torn the quick, stopping only when blood began trickling from the abused skin. The sun was still several hours away from setting, but there was still no sign of Beth.
"Becca saw you leave early this morning," Dwight announced coming up the ladder behind him, "when she was on guard duty."
"Glad she's observant," Daryl snarked.
"You had the night shift last night," Dwight huffed, "You gotta' be runnin' on fumes by now."
"'M fine," Daryl brushed him off.
"You need sleep, man," Dwight pressed.
Daryl was already on edge and the last thing he needed was someone nagging him to go rest while Beth was out in the woods. She was the one who should have been resting. It'd only been a few days since she'd had her encounter with the herd and he knew she hadn't fully recovered yet.
"I said I'm fine," Daryl barked, glaring over his shoulder.
Dwight fidgeted, as if trying to decide whether to stand his ground or run, and Daryl refused to feel remorse for snapping at him.
"Any sign of 'em?" Dwight asked while he dragged a chair across the steel walkway and placed it beside him.
Daryl shook his head and glared down at his bloody nail.
"I know you two…" Dwight began, "I know Beth's import-"
"Don't," Daryl growled.
Daryl watched as Dwight's shoulders sagged beside him.
Breathing in deeply through his nose, Daryl closed his eyes, and forced his anger down.
"Coop and I…we fucked up," Dwight grumbled and wiped a hand over his mouth.
Daryl didn't immediately reply. Lifting his head and opening his eyes, he reached for the front pocket of his shirt and pulled out a battered packet of cigarettes. Tilting it sideways, a white stick slid into his hand, and he brought it up to his lips. He hesitated for a moment before offering the packet to Dwight. Lighting his cigarette, he passed the lighter to the man beside him and decided to make an attempt to rid the man of his guilt.
"It ain't on you, Dwight," Daryl exhaled smoke as he took another long drag of his cigarette, "If Beth wanted t'go, if she put her name on the list of jobs outside tha' wall, it ain't none of our business t'stop her."
Feeling his edge being dulled by the soothing sensation of nicotine filtering through his system, Daryl exhaled the smoke retained in his lungs. He'd had time to replay the conversation he'd had with Rick in his office at least a hundred times. His immediate reaction had been fear which had quickly turned into anger, confusion and doubt filtered in between, and finally he arrived at acceptance. His mind had played over all the possible scenarios that could happen to her while on the road. He didn't like the fact that she had willingly put herself in danger, but wasn't in any sort of position to make decisions for her. There was also the fact that she wasn't alone and even though he didn't want to admit it, Rick had a point; Beth and Morgan were still used to living outside the walls. She'd survived three years out in the world, without him, and he'd just have to have faith that nothing would go wrong during their patrol.
"I just...I didn't know she was on the list," Dwight repeated barely above a whisper.
"I know, man," Daryl's eyes went back to the trees.
It was getting late into the afternoon. Maggie, Glenn, and their little ankle-biter, as Daryl had dubbed, him, had left several hours ago in their wagon. He supposed if something had happened, they would have rushed back to the safety of Alexandria's walls. Maggie may have been a lot of things, in his opinion, but she was a good mom. She would never endanger Hershel any longer than the time it took them to make the trip from one walled community to the other.
"Are we good?" He could feel Dwight's eyes on him.
Inhaling deeply and burning the rest of his cigarette down to the filter, he plucked what was left from his mouth and dropped it onto the metal flooring. Smothering the still lit stick with his boot, he turned to Dwight.
"Yeah," he nodded a few times languidly, "We're good."
Dwight exhaled loudly, blowing smoke into the air, "Alright."
They sat in silence for a few moments before Dwight stood and pat Daryl's shoulder a few times. Daryl tore his eyes away from the greenery to look up at his second-in-command.
"I'm gonna' go check in with the guys on the northern wall," he said as he approached the ladder to climb down, "Make sure tha' roads to The Kingdom look clear."
Daryl nodded and tossed his hand up in a lazy wave.
"If you want someone to keep a lookout for ya'," Dwight offered as his feet sounded down the steps of the ladder, "Come and get me."
"Sounds good," Daryl replied loud enough for Dwight to hear.
Being alone once more, Daryl focused his attention back to the woods, willing two figures on horseback to appear on the road. When none came, he rubbed his face with his hands and resituated himself in his seat in an attempt to get more comfortable. He had no intention of moving until Beth and Morgan rode through their gates. Steeling his nerves, he crossed his arms and continued to wait.
…
"Dar…"
Daryl felt something tugging at his consciousness.
"…ryl."
He furrowed his brows and tried to decipher what it was that he was hearing.
"Daryl."
His eyes flew open as he jumped in his chair.
"Hey…hey," a female voice said beside him, "It's just me."
Blinking his eyes, noticing the sun was slightly lower in the sky than he remembered, he turned his attention to the person sitting next to him.
"Carol?" He asked confusedly.
"That's my name," the older, pepper haired woman said with a teasing smile, "You fell asleep."
"Damnit," Daryl looked around for any signs of Beth and Morgan, "Have they…?"
"Not yet," Carol shook her head and pressed her lips into a thin line, "I came up here to check on ya' and found you nearly falling out of your chair."
Daryl rubbed his face roughly, blinking away the haze of sleep that lingered, "Know how long I was out?"
"Well," Carol murmured, "I came across Dwight about an hour ago. He said I could find you up here. Asked me to check on you in 'ah bit."
"Not long then," Daryl sighed in relief.
Daryl dragged his eyes over the clearing below, scanning the line of trees for any movement. Worry had long since been eating away at him. He knew the run should have only taken four to five hours, less if they'd seen something and needed to rush back. That time limit had long since passed.
"I know Beth is a little…different," Carol spoke quietly, "But she's still Beth."
Daryl nodded, unsure of where Carol was going with her statement.
"What did you tell me that one time?" Her eyes darted back and forth as she looked towards the sky, lost in thought. "When we were following those cops? How'd you phrase it?"
He knew exactly which instance she was referring to.
"Ah," Carol focused back on him, "'She's tough. She saved herself.'"
Daryl bit the inside of his lip and listened as Carol continued.
"She survived being on her own at Grady. She survived being shot," Carol's tone turned mischievous at her final statement, "She survived you. I think she can handle a patrol run."
"You tryin' t'say something 'bout me?" Daryl side-eyed her.
"Nothin' you don't already know," Carol laughed and bumped his shoulder with her own.
Daryl let a small laugh escape his lips as he ducked his head down.
Silence resumed, but Daryl felt a little lighter than he had since talking with Rick. Carol hadn't said anything that he hadn't already concluded himself, but hearing both Rick and Carol say that they believed Beth would return was a welcomed reassurance.
Standing, she ruffled his hair and glanced toward the woods, "I'd better…"
Daryl looked up when Carol didn't finish her sentence.
"Is that…?" Carol shielded her eyes with her hand.
"What?" Daryl rose from his chair and mimicked Carol's pose, scanning for what she had seen.
"There," Carol pointed toward what he thought might have been a walker.
He squinted his eyes, noticing the walker was dragging something behind it, and he quickly connected the dots.
"Son of 'ah bitch," Daryl swore, clambering down the ladder with Carol right behind him, "Go get Dwight an' then find the doc."
"On it," Carol said in a rush and took off towards the northern side of the wall.
Daryl hollered for the men on duty to open the gates and as soon as he could squeeze through, he was sprinting down the road. His lungs burned, still tasting the cigarette he'd had earlier, as he leapt off the dirt road and into the dead weeds that grabbed at his tattered jeans.
"Beth!" He hollered as she swayed on her feet.
He could hear shouting behind him and pushed his legs to move faster.
"Beth," he shouted again.
"Daryl?" Her voice broke as she said his name.
When she lifted her head to look at him, he realized how pale her skin looked beneath the streaks of blood. Her lips held no color and the underneath of her eyes were adorned with bruised shades of purple.
"What tha' hell happened?" He yelled, quickly closing the distance between them.
As soon as he was within arm's reach, she flung herself towards him and collapsed against his chest.
He caught her easily, steadying her before pulling back and brushing the loose hairs from her face that had been spared of the blood and guts that coated her like a second skin.
"Herds…comin'," she murmured as her eyes closed, "Stay out of…tha' woods. People…"
Her breathing evened out and her body went limp in Daryl's arms.
Glancing behind them, Daryl realized she'd been carrying Morgan's unconscious form within a sleeping bag. He was completely covered in walker entrails, even more so than she, and Daryl's eyes immediately zeroed in on the older man's arm.
"Fuck," Daryl wheezed when he realized that Morgan's arm ended directly below elbow; the stub wrapped in a blood soaked bandage.
"Dwight!" Daryl's voice taking a gruffer tone in his rattled state.
"I'm here," Dwight yelled behind him.
"Get him to tha' doc," Daryl glared over his shoulder.
Dwight, along with a few other men, wasted no time lifting Morgan from the ground by the material of his makeshift cot. They began moving back to the gates as nimbly as possible without jostling the man too much in his fragile state.
"Get tha' herders out here," Daryl called after them, sweeping one arm beneath Beth's knees and wrapping the other tightly under her arms, "There's another herd."
"Another one?" Dwight hissed ahead of him.
"Another one," Daryl repeated gravely.
As soon as they were within the walls, Daryl shifted Beth in his arms, gripping her so tightly that he feared he would leave bruises on her skin. People with rifles were running past him, back towards the gates, and he could hear the pounding of hooves a few streets over. He spotted Rick, rushing up to Morgan as they carried him down the street, towards the doctor's house. A moment later he was glancing back at Daryl and his eyes dropped to Beth's unconscious form.
"What tha' hell happened?" Rick's voice was deep, almost a sneer.
"She passed out 'fore she could tell me," Daryl didn't slow his pace as he spoke, "Said somethin' about 'people.'"
"She say anything 'bout Maggie an' Glenn?" Rick asked as he kept up with Daryl's pace.
Daryl shook his head.
He had no idea what had happened to them, but a few things were evidently clear. Byron's death was definitely not a suicide attempt. The first herd, as well as the one currently shambling toward them, had not found their way to Alexandria by accident. Someone had directed their path. Someone was targeting their community. However, it was Beth's final statement before passing out that had told him everything he needed to know.
There were people in the woods.
…
A/N: In case anyone is confused, The Hilltop (run by Maggie and Glenn) and The Kingdom are both communities like Alexandria, though smaller.
So the reference to Maggie calling Hershel 'baby', as in using baby to replace his name when she's talking to him, is a conversation I actually had with my 4 year old. The punk kept correcting me when I called him baby (in place of his name). *sigh* They grow up so fast…
Also, Hershel's middle name, Everett, is a shout out to TWD Games by Telltale (see Lee Everett from season 1). Morgan's arm amputation is also a shout out to one of the possible outcomes Lee has on the game!
"He never gave up on me," Beth stated, "Which is why I'll never give up on him." Yup…completely foreshadowing the end of this chapter! Just in case you missed the importance of that line!
Cooper is Australian. Love me some Aussie's! : P Hopefully you could imagine the accent!
By the way, I am not a smoker. I've never smoked in my life…so being the detail freak that I am, I literally googled if anyone had a description of 'how smoking makes you feel.' Lol. I know everyone is different, some say it feels great and others say they hated it, but I read several people's posts and went with the most common response. So if any of the details are inaccurate, sorry!
Annnndddd there you have it! I've been working towards this chapter for several chapters now! So excited for you guys to finally get here with me! Totally twisting the comics here! You didn't think things would get easier just because they have a safe place to live now did you? I mean…it's The Walking Dead universe we're talking about here! : ) Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! It's probably my fave so far! Leave me some love! XOXO