A/H: Hey all! I just want to thank everyone for your lovely reviews and to the many more followers I have received! I also wanted to bring up that this chapter is off of a scene from the actual show. I know some of you may not like it, but unfortunately it had to be done because like I said previously in an authors note from my first chapter, I had to get past this point and I know I couldn't have done a better job then the actual writers! So I wanted to make a disclaimer that I do not own this scene, and most of the lines in it. After this chapter, things can finally get underway! So if you want to skip this one, I completely understand! Apologies again.

CHAPTER FIVE

"We should be almost there," Carol called out to Daryl and Beth who both walked several feet behind her and Tyreese.

It was the early afternoon. A couple hours had passed since they started making their way towards Terminus. They were high on alert, and with every step they took the more anxious they became. Beth found herself continuing to fix the strap of the baby carrier that held Judith on her back, and it only made the situation more strenuous for her. She couldn't help but feel a rush of relief when Carol answered her question about how far they were from Terminus. Beth was fed-up with always being on the move, so she couldn't wait to relax in what would hopefully be their new permanent home. Perhaps she was putting too much promise in Terminus, but at this point she couldn't care less.

She remained deep in her thoughts until the moment she bumped into Carol who happened to stop a few moments prior. It only took Beth a second to realize what was going on as she heard familiar groans coming from a clearing not too far ahead. Daryl instinctively drew out his crossbow, but Tyreese and Carol had a better idea.

"Over here," Tyreese whispered, waving Beth and Daryl towards him as he rushed silently to the other side of the brush just as the first walker appeared from behind the trees. Carol was already ahead of them.

Hiding wasn't necessarily Daryl's forte, but it soon became evident that perhaps Carol and Tyreese's idea of running was a good one, as many more walkers followed pursuit behind the first undead that showed its face. Beth counted up to twelve before she felt Daryl pull her farther into the trees for a much safer distance, but she could see that there was much, much more. In their rush to get away in the quietest manner possible, Beth couldn't help but grow with concern over Judith who was strapped—almost—securely on her back. All she kept hoping for was that the baby wouldn't start crying. However, it was obvious that the walkers could still track their scent, and it became clear that hiding proved to be pretty useless.

"We can't stay here!" Beth hissed in fear as she watched the hungry mouths of the dead inch closer.

Then suddenly—like a strange miracle, gunshots echoed throughout the air which seemed to come from all directions, startling the group. Despite being alarmed at the nerve racking sound, it was easy to tell that the gunfire was quite a distance away from them. The sounds of barraging bullets being fired stole the attention of the herd away from Daryl, Beth, Carol and Tyreese.

Daryl narrowed his brow as he watched the undead gradually pass them as sweat drizzled down his face. He waited tolerantly with his group before they cautiously made their way back to the tracks when the guns had finally ceased fire and the walkers were out of site.

"That gunfire…" Tyreese began, speaking through his short breaths, "It could have been from Terminus."

Carol shrugged as she and the group began walking onward, "Maybe someone was attacking them."

Daryl volleyed a glance at her. "Or they were attacking someone…" he said unimpressively.

Beth shook her head, knowing that no matter the outcome, the idea of walking to Terminus now didn't seem like the safest idea. "Do we even wanna find out? I mean…gunshots don't necessarily say 'welcome.'"

Carol stopped and turned to face Beth and rubbed her shoulder in a comforting way. "Yeah…" she sighed, "There's another track through east that will get us there. We'll be real careful. We need to get answers."

"Okay," Beth nodded in settlement.

Daryl studied the trepidation in the blonde's eyes and his heart jumped to his throat. He knew he would do everything in his power to keep that girl safe. It pained him to see such innocence suffering with discontent. Finally, he realized he had to turn away as his thoughts were getting the better of him. "Let's go east then."

As they continued on their way, the damp moss and fallen trees provided an eerie setting as they knew the dead were somewhere close. Their silent footfalls left nothing but faint crunching sounds from the leaves that lay lifelessly beneath their feet. They didn't stop walking until they heard an unfamiliar voice not too far ahead of a man talking on a 2-way radio about a woman with a sword. The four of them immediately halted, listening peculiarly in on his conversation as he set up fireworks around a shed, unaware of their presence. It wasn't until what they overheard did each of their hearts leap out of their chests.

Instantly, Carol proceeded out of the trees and into the open, followed by Daryl, Tyreese and then finally Beth who all had already drawn their weapons. Carol pointed her gun out first, pressing it right at the back of the man's head just as he spoke about wanting the "kid's hat" after bleeding him out.

"Keep your finger off the button and drop it," Carol spoke with anger and distress within her forceful tone.

The man lifted his hands up in the air, nervously chewing the gum in his mouth as he shifted his eyes. "Listen, y'all don't have to do this. Whatever you want, we got a place where everyone is welcome." It was indisputable in the man's voice that he was untrustworthy.

"Shut yer mouth!" Daryl spat furiously, already fed up with the stranger's shady disposition and deceitfulness.

"We're friends with the chick with the sword and the kid in the hat," Carol explained matter-of-factly while almost losing her breath by the shock of what the man said on the walki-talkie.

"Huh, really? What a small world—"

"What did I say about shuttin' your mouth?!" Daryl's fury grew stronger as he spun himself in front of the stranger and pointed his crossbow only a few inches from his face. It was unmistakable to see that he was losing his patience. "Get in the shack!"

As the man struggled to stand up with his hands still in the air, Beth heard Daryl mutter 'fucking deaf bastard' under his breath. When they transferred him over to the shed, Beth figured that the rest of her group thought the same thing she was. Their family was at Terminus, and they were most certainly in danger. Not only that, but losing all hope with Terminus that had been carelessly building up inside her immediately shattered into pieces. However, Beth was eager to see them all again, and for a brief moment she recollected back to when her and Daryl had been drinking moonshine.

Drunk and emotional, she could barely remember what they were fighting about. The only thing that kept reciting over and over again in her head was what Daryl told her—that their friends were all dead, or that they might as well have been because they'd never see them again. Although Beth knew that he didn't truly mean it, the words still haunted her in the back of her mind until this day. Thankfully there was still hope, and she knew that too.

Inside the shed, Tyreese was the first to spot a portion of a seatbelt from a car and quickly tied it around the stranger's wrists, followed by Daryl who shoved him to the floor with his crossbow. Beth carefully took Judith off her back, thrilled to find an old cooler large enough to fit the baby inside.

"We need to get our friends back," Beth said after placing the baby down, nestling her comfortably in a blanket.

Carol regarded Beth and her eyes softened, "We will, don't worry. I have a plan."

"Whatever you do, I'm comin' with you," Daryl replied, not keeping his sight off of the man wearing the cap.

Though there was no fear in his voice, the stranger began to make up an alibi. "They attacked us. We're just holding them."

"I don't believe you," Carol said carelessly as she searched through the man's bag, finding a poncho and more fireworks.

Tyreese was becoming anxious; he wanted to somehow figure out if Sasha was also at Terminus. "Who else do you have? Do you know their names?"

The man shrugged and began to lie through his teeth once again. "We just have the boy and the samurai, that's it. We're just protecting ourselves!"

"I don't believe you," Carol repeated as she flashed one look at the man before pulling out the brown poncho.

The man was getting impatient. "There's a bunch of us out there in six different directions. There's a lot of gunfire back home. We need to set up our charges all at the same time to confuse the dead ones with. That's good for you too!"

"No it isn't," Carol said annoyingly as she zipped up the bag and swung it over her shoulder. "There's a heard heading toward Terminus right now. We don't want to confuse them away. We're gonna need their help."

Daryl smirked slightly as he began to figure out Carol's plan. "Tyreese, Beth. I need you both to stay here and watch him."

Tyreese nodded as he pulled out his gun, but Beth resisted. "What? I want to help!" The blonde yelled frustratingly.

Daryl shook his head as he turned to her. "No, it's safer here."

"He's right," Carol added, "Besides, Judith needs you."

Beth sighed, feeling defeated. "Alright, fine."

Daryl appreciated the strength and willingness of her offer to help, but he knew this rescue mission would be dangerous, and he felt he would do better if he didn't have to keep looking over his shoulder at her to make sure she was okay. Remembering back to when she was snatched up by that group of men only a few days back and how she was able to take down their leader, he wanted nothing more than her to stay by his side. It just couldn't be now.

Before departing, he walked over to Beth and stared at her right in the eyes. "We'll be alright."

Beth nodded slowly as Daryl pinched one of her blonde curls between three of his fingers, and she forgave him instantly. "You better be."

Daryl smirked slightly at her brassiness as he turned towards Carol who was watching them heartwarmingly. However, before they could leave, the man spoke up again.

"It's a compound," he said, pleased that both Carol and Daryl turned to look at him. "They'll see you coming… if you can even make it that far with all the cold bodies heading over." Without giving him the satisfaction, both Carol and Daryl turned away towards the exit of the shack, ignoring what the man just told them.

Tyreese placed his hand gently on Carol's arm, stopping her at the door. "Carol, how are you two going to do this?"

She hesitated for a moment, unsure if she should tell him even though the answer was painstakingly obvious. Then, without one break of silence in her voice, she finally replied. "We're gonna kill people."

Tyreese blinked as he looked at her to Daryl. Then Carol walked out the door, leaving Daryl to glance over at Beth one last time. Shifting the strap of his crossbow on his shoulder, he nodded and proceeded out the door, leaving both of them to wait restlessly for their return.

...

Beth sat beside Judith, watching over her as she continued to think about what was going on outside the shack. Tyreese remained quiet, keeping his eyes on the stranger like a hawk. The silence was deafening. All Beth could hear was the aggravating sound of the man still chewing his gum which by now had most likely lost its entire flavor. She wondered if that's why he was so calm and collected. The man didn't seem to give two shits about anything.

Looking at him through the corner of her eye, she could see that he was inspecting her. It gave her chills, but she still had to give him a leer for good measure before turning back to Judith. Then that's when she heard him chuckle.

"Does the baby have a name?" The stranger asked, figuring her glance was an invitation to discussion, but Beth was unresponsive. "Hey! She got a name?"

Beth flinched every time he spoke to her, so she decided to answer him in hopes that he would stop talking. "Judith."

"Is she your daughter or somthin'?"

Beth knitted her brow as she began to feel uncomfortable. "No, she's a friend."

The man bobbed his head back a little, and then looked down to his hands. "Huh, I figured. You seem a little young to be having kids," he sighed, thinking of something else to say that would make her feel sorry for him. "I don't have any friends. I mean I know people, but they're just assholes I stay alive with. Are the other two your friends—the man and woman? Or the black guy here with you?"

Beth bit her tongue, hoping that maybe by ignoring him he'd finally stay quiet. She didn't like the way he referred to Tyreese either. Unfortunately, he carried on like a broken record.

"I used to have em'. We used to watch football on Sundays—went to church," the man chuckled for a second time as he looked back down at his hands. "I know I did, but I can't picture it anymore. It's funny how you don't even notice the time go by—"

"We don't care what you have to say," Tyreese interrupted him, agitated by the smirk on the man's face.

The stranger shrugged, but the smile did not disappear. "I'm just tryin' to make conversation."

"Well don't," Tyreese uttered firmly, keeping a steady grip on his gun. "We don't need it."

The man sighed. "You two seem like good people. You're still around but you don't know how to get your hands dirty, I can tell."

Tyreese glared, annoyed by the man's attempt to be annalistic while Beth kept quiet. "You have no idea of the things I've done."

The stranger's smirk vanished, but still held a firm look. "You're a good guy. That's why you're gonna die today. That's why the girl and the baby are gonna die."

This time, Beth snapped her head in the man's direction as puzzlement shrouded her face. Tyreese gripped the gun tighter while inching himself closer.

The man lifted his hands up in a way to calm them down. "Or, you guys can get in that car outside, get out of here and keep on being lucky."

Tyreese's eyes widened with anger, looking as though he was ready to strangle him. "You think you gonna kill me?"

Beth stood up, clenching her fists in worriment as she felt the angst between both men develop more and more with each passing word.

The man leaned forward with a twisted expression of confusion, but talked in a way like Tyreese was an over-sized idiot. "Why haven't you killed me? What is the point of keeping me alive? Hell, why are you even talkin' to me? You two should take the baby, take the car and go," he leaned back against the wall in disbelief. "I don't wanna do this today."

Tyreese's face began to twitch as Beth started to speak. "Tyreese, don't listen to him. He's tryin' to manipulate us."

Suddenly, before anyone could say another word, an explosion boomed in the distance, shaking the nerves of both Tyreese and Beth who ran hurriedly to a window to see what was going on. They spotted a cloud of fuming, dark smoke rolling up into the sky past the trees not too far away. Its intimidating presence caused great distress to build immediately inside them both.

The man leaned forward once again, curious about what was going on. "Was that Terminus?"

"Yeah," Tyreese quietly replied as the man let his head fall back in discouragement, "Probably."

"Maybe you're gonna win this," the stranger continued as he fiddled with the seatbelt wrapped around his wrists, "Or maybe your friends just got capped. Maybe I'm the one who's gonna get capped when they come back."

"Nobody's gotta die today," Tyreese countered as he kept his darting eyes outside the window.

The man scoffed in scepticism. "Man if you believe that, then it is definitely gonna be you three—even if that place is burnt to the ground."

Tyreese was the first to look back at the stranger sitting on the floor as he clenched his hands into fists. It only took Beth a second to notice, and she knew perfectly well how violent Tyreese can be if someone got on his nerves. As much as she wanted him to knock the guy out so there would be some peace and quiet for a change, she also didn't want Tyreese getting hurt. She had to say something fast.

"Tyreese, please," Beth grabbed his arm in a gentler matter, "He's just tryin' to start a fight. He wants you to get mad. Don't listen to him."

Tyreese stopped in his tracks and faced Beth. It was hard to ignore the desperation in her eyes. "I know you're right. I just—"

Before he could say another word, the familiar, unwanted sounds of detestable groans caught his ear. He spun around quickly and jumped back to the window as though he were being sucked up by a vacuum. Beth's heart leaped violently when she saw his eyes piercing through the glass and his mouth dropping open in horror. Then he leaped to the next window just as she too heard the growling outside, and her heart beat quickened. She dashed over to him to see how many walkers there were.

Before they could react to what was going on, the stranger who they had completely forgotten about stood up and rushed over to Judith who was left alone laying in the cooler. Hearing the shuffle of his feet, both Tyreese and Beth spun around to see a horrific sight. The man had his hands inside the cooler, right at Judith's head and throat. They began to sprint forward but were cut short when the man shuffled back a few inches, dragging the cooler with him.

"Back off!" He yelled, once again moving the cooler another few inches away just as Judith began crying. "BACK off!"

Beth took one or two steps back with Tyreese following right after, regretting very hard that she left Judith's side. Now she was wishing that she had let Tyreese beat the guy up. Why did she always have to try and be a good person?

"Please, please don't harm her," Beth pleaded, knowing full well that he wouldn't give a shit.

"Both of you put the weapons on the ground and kick them over right now," the man demanded, then waited a second before yelling again. "RIGHT NOW!"

Shakily, both Tyreese and Beth took out their knives and guns and knelt down, cautiously placing them on the floor. Just as they kicked the weapons over, the walkers outside were now banging at the windows, wanting to get in.

"Please… don't hurt her," Tyreese begged as sweat dribbled down his cheeks.

The man's face held no expression as he kept his hands on the baby. "Go outside. GO. OUT. SIDE!" Seeing as they remained standing still in utter shock, he continued to make threats. "It takes one twist!"

"NO!" Tyreese put so much force into his voice when he yelled that it seemed like his lungs were going to explode.

"Don't make me!"

All Beth could hear was Judith's crying and the walls shaking by the beating hands of the dead. She tried to fight it, but tears started to fall from her eyes, knowing there was nothing neither of them could do.

"Go outside," the stranger said more calmly, looking down at the baby then back to them.

Beth noticed in the corner of her eye that Tyreese was beginning to walk backwards towards the door, so she decided to do the same. She couldn't believe that this was it. She had no chance against the walkers outside without any weapons to defend herself with. Images of her sister and the rest of the group flashed through her head like bolts of lightning, and then there was Daryl. Beth felt like she let him down, like everything she figured he used to think about her was true. She could never defend herself like Michonne or Carol as much as she would have liked to. Beth thought about how he'd never get the chance to teach her how to use the bow, and then to how saddened he and the others would be when they learned of her and Tyreese's deaths.

Then the door creaked open behind her and the sun touched her skin. Giving up, she expected to be eaten alive at any moment. And then images of her father, mother, Maggie, the rest of her family and her life on the farm began flashing through her mind. In that split second, she heard the growling get louder and Tyreese yelled as he pushed the dead back with his arms. What happened next was a blur, but the sun was still shining and the dead were not grabbing at her.

"Beth!" Tyreese cried a few moments later as he gripped the neck of one walker and used all his strength to hit its head against the car.

Beth snapped her head up, watching the walkers try to grab at Tyreese. Without a thought, her instincts took over as she snatched a large, sharp rock and sprinted in his direction. Making no hesitation, she swung her arm in the air and wailed the jagged object right into the walker's skull that just nearly took a bite out of Tyreese's arm.

"Behind you!" Tyreese yelled, side stepping away hurriedly.

Beth spun around and dodged a walker who tried to snatch her. It only took a few seconds before Tyreese grabbed it and threw it against a wall of the shack, banging its head on it several times until the walker fell lifelessly to the ground.

It was the last one. Tyreese had managed to kill them all with his bare hands, and it happened so quickly. She looked at him wide-eyed. Without a second of hesitation, he ran straight to the door of the shack and rammed it open with his right shoulder. Beth followed pursuit but stopped in her tracks at the door. Tyreese was already on top of the man holding his knife to his throat, uncertain where he got it from. Beth could hear them speaking, but the words were impossible to understand through their whispers. Then before she knew it, Tyreese hit the man again, and again, and again yelling the words "I won't" with every punch.

Beth winced from the scene in front of her, and after the fifth blow she just couldn't stand it anymore. "Tyreese STOP!" She yelled as she ran to his side, "You've done enough! He's not going to do anything anymore!"

She had to say it several times before he finally stopped, and all fell quiet except for the heavy sounds of their breathing. She stared at the man's battered and bloody face before rushing over to Judith, hoping that the baby was alright. Once Beth picked her up, she took another glimpse at the man lying stationary on the floor. His blood was everywhere; on the floor, on his face, his chest and also on Tyreese. Beth wondering if the man was dead or if he had just passed out. In all honesty, she hoped he was dead. She didn't want to deal with anymore shit today.