Wow sorry guys, I have been working so much its ridiculous. I'm so freaking tired all of the time when I get home I just want to crash. Thanks for all of the reviews so far, they keep me motivated! I wrote this to the sounds of RED and Birdy mostly.

Stay

Hymn For The Missing

"Daryl, come on."

"No it's stupid."

"It ain't stupid Daryl; you're just being a fuddy."

"Fine; I spy with my little eye something Greene."

"That isn't fair there are green things everywhere."

"I'll give you hint; it's a pain in my ass."

Beth turned toward him and glared at him hard. He kept his eyes on the road but managed a smirk. They had been driving for about two hours and Beth had managed to talk him into playing a game like this was some kind of fun road trip and they were on their way to Disney world.

"You're being such an old grump," She was talking to him and he gave her a sideways glance, her cheeks were pink and he relished in the fact that he was annoying her. "What happened to the nice Daryl back at that old shack?"

"He's still here but I'm focusing on the task." He reached for the map and spread it out on the seat between them. "Now tell me where to go."

"It just says to keep going strai-"

Daryl slammed on the breaks and quickly turned the truck toward the forest edge. He let the truck roll as far as he dared before shutting off the engine and cutting the lights.

"Get down now!" He hissed, grabbing her hand and pulling her down next to him. She was laying halfway underneath him, breathing heavily, while he was curled protectively over her.

"What happened?" She whispered, he could feel her breath on his neck and forearm and he shivered even though it was probably only 70 degrees outside.

"Herd."

"What?"

"A herd of walkers, down the road a ways, I don't think any of em saw us…"

"How can you be sure?"

He moved slightly and lifted his head to stare out of the back window. He saw the large group, about 50 or so, groaning and lurching across the road about a mile ahead. None of them noticed the big dust cloud rising or the truck that held two perfectly healthy human beings to devour.

"They didn't see us they're too far ahead."

"What do we do now?" Beth asked tilting her head up slightly so she could see his face, "the map said to go that way for at least another hour…"

"We'll have to go a different way…" He sighed sitting up. She sat up and he stared at her for a second, her cheeks were flushed with adrenaline and her breathing heavy. A few stray strands of hair had come undone from her braid and she reminded Daryl of a wild flower.

He grabbed the map and studied it halfheartedly. Beth was staring at the herd of walkers that continued to lurch and groan their way across the fields.

He heard her sigh and fought the urge to ask her what was wrong. He needed to focus on finding a new route that would lead him back on track.

She sighed again and this time he looked over with his eye brows raised.

"What?"

"We've been in this car for hours, I need air."

It was times like this that Daryl almost felt she was a stranger again. She never acted like this before, but then he didn't know her before all of this happened. This was a new Beth, mixed with the old.

"Fine, we need to get away from those walkers anyway." He tossed the map to the side and set the truck to neutral and let it roll into the woods, carefully maneuvering through the brush and trees until he felt he was far away enough to start the truck without drawing attention to themselves.

He found a small side trail and they cruised slowly through the woods, windows down, and enjoyed the warm but breezy weather of the afternoon.

"Can you pull over?" Beth suddenly asked quietly. Daryl glanced at her, surprised, but appeased her. The truck rolled to a stop; the gravel crunching under the tires.

Daryl cut the engine and looked towards Beth before he saw what she was looking at.

A doe and a buck stood close by in a small meadow off to the side. They weren't eating the wildflowers or searching around for something. They just stood close; almost leaning on each other. The sun shone down on them warming their coats.

Beth turned to him and smiled before reaching for the door handle and slipping out of the car.

He grabbed his bow and followed her quietly, careful to tread lightly so he didn't spook the deer.

Beth came to a stop at the meadows edge and just stared at them.

He brought his bow up and aimed but stopped when he glanced at Beth again; she was crying.

Her small shoulders shook slightly and he could hear her soft sniffles.

He stepped forward and purposely snapped a twig on the ground. The deer looked around a moment and spotted them but didn't move an inch. They weren't afraid of them; why should they be?

After a few moments the deer moved a little further away but stayed in the sun, still close, still there.

He stepped forward again until he was right next to Beth and just like she had reached out to him that day at the graveyard she reached out again and took his hand. He curled his fingers into hers and closed his eyes.

"It's beautiful isn't it?"

Her voice startled him for a second but he nodded; she was looking up at him.

It was beautiful; a little painting of peace among a world of horror and chaos.

"You think they'd mind if we shared the meadow for a minute?" She asked wiping her face with her sweater sleeve. He raised an eyebrow at her and she just smiled and walked into the small field.

He followed her hesitantly, feeling the sun on the back of his neck. She suddenly stopped in the middle of the field and fell to her knees.

He scrambled to her quickly as she slowly fell backwards with her arms thrown out.

"Beth what-"

She was smiling and then laughing; fits of giggles between what sounded like sobs.

He stood for a moment; unsure of what to do. He looked over at the deer who now had started observing them.

"I'm fine, I'm okay." Beth said breathlessly staring up at the clear blue sky. "Come look at this…"

Daryl yearned to get her back in the truck and back on the road to safety but instead he laid his cross bow aside and laid down flat next to her and stared up at the sky. She brushed her fingers against his, he felt fire everywhere they trailed.

"What am I supposed to be looking at?" He asked after a few moments.

"Home…" She sighed grinning again.

"Stop"

She turned her head to look at him, "what, it's true…"

"Beth you're actin' weird…"

He searched her face and noticed the small beads of sweat gathering on her forehead, the distant look in her eyes, she seemed paler than usual.

"Beth?"

"Home" She mumbled closing her eyes, "I want to go home."

"Shit."

He rolled over and grabbed his crossbow from the ground before turning back to her. He reached down and felt her forehead; she was scorching.

Shit shit shit

He quickly scooped her up ran to the truck, gently loading her inside, before hopping into the cab himself and revving the engine.

He ripped the map from the floor of the truck cab and noticed the closest spot on the map was the possibly inhabited house they had been headed to earlier.

He cursed loudly and stared at Beth; he couldn't go back that way because of the herd of walkers and it wasn't exactly safe to set up a tent outside.

He'd just have to go around; it would take a few hours but it was the safest possible solution. He reached over and pulled her out of her sweater to remove some of the heat; he'd have to keep the windows down.

He pulled a bottle of antibiotics out and coaxed a pill with some water into her mouth. She barely lifted her head enough to help him and kept mumbling incoherently. He set the bottle of water near her neck and started driving; mapping out his own back route to the cabin.

It felt like he had been driving for hours although he doubted it. Beth's breathing had become more labored with every passing minute and sweat poured down her face; she had begun to tremble violently.

The sun was just beginning to set, basking everything in a bright orange glow. He squinted against the harsh rays and hoped he would come across this damn cabin soon.

He snatched the map from the floor and peeked at it while trying to keep his eyes on the look-out.

Just as he was about to let loose a string of curse words the cabin popped into view; as if it were appearing out of nowhere.

He knew he was throwing caution to the wind tearing around the forest in a loud truck but he couldn't help himself. The thought of losing Beth again after finding her made his chest hurt and his head swim.

The truck rumbled to a stop just in front of the cabin. It was more of a farmhouse really; larger and more homely looking than the last place.

It stood, two stories, looming over the truck. He looked up at it and then at Beth and let out a frustrated sigh. He knew he'd have to check the damn place but he didn't want to leave her alone.

Slamming his fists against the steering wheel he reached into the back of the cab and grabbed his crossbow before shutting off the engine. He made sure the truck was secure and the windows were rolled up before he hopped out and approached the house.

It seemed well guarded; several ditches with spikes sticking out of them littered the ground. He moved around them carefully and toward the front door.

He tried the knob and it was unlocked. He flung the door open and waited with his bow ready.

Daryl let out a loud whistle and waited a few minutes before stepping inside.

It was clean, a little dusty, but overall well kept. It smelled like wood and freshly cleaned linens. Someone had definitely lived here before but where were they now?

He moved through each room with care, checking every possible place a walker would be hiding. The bottom floor was small and had only a living room and kitchen with a staircase leading to the second floor.

After making sure the downstairs was clear he headed up, a pungent smell hitting him like a wall as he approached the top.

He knew before he turned the corner what he would find.

Sitting against the wall were the bodies of a woman and two children. Their heads mostly blasted off from what he assumed was a shotgun. Dried blood and brain matter scattered the wall behind them. He covered his face with his sleeve and approached them.

They were dead, and he had a feeling they had died healthy human beings.

The woman's eye was still open, blue and staring straight at him. He felt bile rise in his throat and backed away from them into something else, something moving.

He turned quickly, his heart leaping into his throat, and came face to face with a male walker. It's jaw hanging by a few pieces of sinew and skin. Half of its face was gone but one blood shot eye stared at him hungrily and it was on him before he could lift his bow.

He fell with the walker while it made ugly noises through its gaping mouth.

"Fuck!"

His bow clattered away from him and he reached for the knife strapped to his leg, the walker desperately trying to get its mouth close to any piece of flesh.

He ripped the knife out of the holster and slammed it into the remains of the walker's skull and it was still.

It didn't take much for him to put two and two together; the male walker, a shot gun lying on the floor nearby, the dead mother and children.

They had all tried to commit suicide together, the father being the last, but he had failed.

Daryl wondered how long it had taken the man to bleed out before his heart had finally stopped. If he had to lay dying while starting at the gory remains of his family.

He breathed deeply, gasping for air in the hot and muggy room.

A bed stood in at the far end, untouched. A small bathroom was to the left and he rushed to it, vomiting into the toilet until he had a headache.

He never had a weak moment like this before. The panic of Beth's sudden illness and the adrenaline pumping through him proved to be too much to handle.

He could only imagine what his brother would say if he saw him like this.

After checking the rest of the house and the rest of the area outside he grabbed Beth and the gear and whisked her inside.

He set her gently on the couch and rummaged through the bags for something, anything, to help her. None of the medications Alice had packed looked like they would help.

He touched her forehead again and she was cold and clammy. She shivered violently, jerking around as if she were having a seizure.

He quickly unwrapped the bandages and saw the exit wound was swollen and red.

If her father were here he'd know what do to. Daryl had no experience with medical issues, he had no idea how to help her and it made him furious with himself.

He racked his brain trying to remember everything his brother taught him about survival. She had broken her fever; that much he knew. Her body temperature had dropped rapidly leaving her cold and weak.

Her wound needed cleaning and she needed new bandages.

Grabbing the bag with the medical supplies he lifted her from the couch and carried her upstairs and straight to the bathroom, ignoring the horrid scene around him.

He set her down in the tub and shook her shoulder lightly.

"Beth wake up, come on I need your help." He begged knowing his voice sounded weak and pathetic.

She groaned lightly and her eyes barely opened. She looked at him weakly and he stared back helplessly, mentally begging her to tell him what to do.

"Beth."

The only response he received was ragged breathing and her haunting stare. He reached over to the bags and pulled out the antiseptic and bandages.

He turned the tap on and the pipes groaned to life, the water came out a russet color at first but then ran clear. It was cold water but it was clean and he looked down at her, his face becoming red.

He knew he'd have to take some of her clothing off to get her cleaned up and out of the sweat soaked clothing. He suddenly wished Maggie were here to do this, he felt wrong undressing her in this state.

But he knew he had to do it, or she was going to die.

He took a deep breath and unbuttoned her shirt, peeling the soaking wet clothing away from her skin and tossing it aside. He left her tank top on and reached for her boots, pulling them off along with her socks and then unbuttoned her jeans. They were difficult to get off but he finally did, avoiding eye contact with any part of her as he did.

Once the clothes were away he grabbed a bar of soap from the bag and began to wash her up a bit, careful to avoid too much contact. He had to shift her to get her head near the faucet so he could wash her hair and her wound but most of the dried blood and pus came off easily once he got started and he splashed some water on her face lightly making her groan and turn away from him.

"S'allright…" He mumbled over and over while he worked. She did little to help him and he was exhausted by the time he was done. He turned the faucet off and rummaged through the cabinets until he found a towel. It was ratty and old but it would have to do.

He dried her up the best he could and she resumed shivering. He could hear her teeth clacking together as he rubbed antiseptic and ointment on her bullet wounds before wrapping bandages around her head.

She looked slightly less pale, a little pink tinge returning to her cheeks, but she was still freezing and shivering.

He remembered something then that his brother had told him when teaching him about survival during the winter time.

He felt his face grow hot again and rubbed his hands over his eyes.

"You're going to be the death of me girl." He sighed before picking her up and carrying her to the bed. He grudgingly pulled his shirt over his head and pulled the blankets back before sliding in next to her.

She shifted slightly and seemed to gravitate towards his body heat, finding him through her haze of unconsciousness.

He shivered the moment her cold skin touched his but he reached out and pulled her to him, her head resting against his chest. He blushed at the contact of her bare shoulders against his chest but wrapped his arms around her anyway, knowing this was all he could do to help her.

Her breathing was still labored and warm against his neck and he pulled the blankets up over them. The sky outside was dark now, some stars blinking through the small window.

Tomorrow he would clean up the mess in the room, hopefully before Beth saw anything.

"Don't die." He whispered to her, although he knew she wouldn't hear him.

He had a feeling he wouldn't be sleeping much tonight.

Yay another chapter down. I'm already working on the next. I really hope you guys enjoyed it. Let me know what you think!