It had been stupid to think that getting her out the house would be safe for her. 'Wait by the road,' he'd said.
She was injured. Had been trying not to let her ankle bother her, but he could tell it was still hurting her. That was why he'd carried her around at the house. Made sure she rested it as much as possible.
And then when the walkers showed up, he'd told her to get out, just to get her stuff and go and he hadn't really thought about it. All he focused on was getting the walkers to follow him, to give her a chance to get out.
Somehow, it didn't occur to him that just as many might be outside, if not more. And he'd sent her out there. Alone
Sent her out armed with a knife, a bad ankle and no chance to survive, not really.
And when he'd got there, to the side of the road, the walkers were tearing at her. She was silent, dead already and he could see more walkers coming towards them all the time, he pulled the first two walkers off, stabbed the second two until he could pull Beth's body clear of them. And then he carried her in his arms, just like he had done in the house and he ran down the road, away from the house and the walkers.
When the walkers were out of sight he took Beth into the woods, propped her up against a tree. Her blood was all over him, his hands, soaked into his shirt, running down his forearms to his elbows.
Her face still looked so perfect, just like she was sleeping.
Her shoulder has a gaping bite from it and her body had been ripped apart. Her guts were protruding, pushing there way out as he'd jostled her about getting here. He pulled off the jacket he'd been wearing, wet with sweat now anyway even in the cool night air.
He didn't want Beth's body to lose it's warmth, wanted to keep her warm. So he worked her arms into it, adjusted it over the shoulder wound. He ripped the shirt off and ripped in to make a bandage for her. Pushed her guts back in and tied the shirt tightly round her waist.
He fastened the front of the jacket up and she looked okay. She was sleeping.
He lifted her up carefully in his arms and they moved on. A little further away from the road and that house. And when his arms and legs protested that they could go no further, he found them shelter in a little house hidden in the woods.
And inside he lay her down in the one bed the house offered and covered her with a blanket to keep her warm. He went and rested on the couch. And sleep claimed him quickly, his body and mind exhausted. He didn't wake until the gentle thud of Beth hitting the table at the end of the couch disturbed him. And she noticed him then. Her blue eyes hazy and lifeless, but they turned to him and she snarled towards him.
And he met the sight of her corpse, slowly shuffling towards where he lay, still covered in her dried blood with a slight smile. A slight crooked upturn one side of his mouth.