Bethyl Week Day 7: Hope
Beth stumbled over a broken tree root managing to just catch herself on the tree before she tumbled down onto the ground. She rested her face against the rough bark of the trunk as she took a deep breath, trying to encourage herself to keep moving. She needed to put as much distance between herself and the people who had taken her as possible. Beth had not heard them following her for quite some time, nor had she heard anything else in the woods but a few walkers, but she did not let that fact slow her down. Beth felt like they could be anywhere, that every tree she passed was hiding one of them and at any moment they would jump out at her and yell 'boo!'.
Wincing as she put weight on her still not fully healed ankle Beth pushed off of the tree and forced herself to continue on her way. She ignored the hollow pit in her stomach and the dryness of her mouth choosing to focus only on getting away from her captors and whatever plan they had for her.
And so the days passed in much the same way.
She managed to kill a walker with a rock and steal the knife they had hooked onto their belt which took care of her most prominent need, that of a weapon. With the knife she managed to hunt and kill a snake in the way that Daryl had taught her. The memory of him brought a surge of hope through her and she promised both herself and him that they would see each other again. Beth did not allow herself to think for a second that he had died in that funeral home. If Daryl was tough enough to pull an arrow out of his own side than he was more than tough enough to get past those walkers.
Beth managed to track down water eventually as well and with her basic needs met she was able to make better time through the woods. Eventually she allowed herself to believe that her captors were no longer following her, that they had given up on her as dead or at least decided to try and find someone easier to attack. Her heart went out to whatever poor girl they tried to take and she found herself hoping that walkers got to the men before that happened.
Her days began to blend together in frightening monotony. Wake up. Check weapon. Start walking. Eat a little of whatever food she could find. Drink water if she could find it. Wish for a shower. Keep walking. Eventually find a safe place to sleep, Beth had taken to climbing trees and sleeping in them. It was easier to fall asleep up there than convincing herself she was safe on the ground. She longed for the days when she had someone else to split the watch with at night.
The days dragged on and Beth wandered farther and farther into the woods with no direction in mind. Her thoughts were consumed with the idea of finding her family and she held onto that hope like it was the only thing she had left, which in a way she supposed that it was.
Despite the time that had passed and the fact that she had no idea where to look for the others Beth went to sleep every night promising herself that the next day would be the day that she found them.
Beth never let herself hope that they would find her.
Which is why when she was awoken from her sleep early one morning by the sound of voices passing underneath her tree she almost did not look down to see who it was. Beth had forced herself not to move a muscle despite the fact that her entire body was telling herself to run. She lay on her branch about half way up the tree with her heart hammering so loudly in her chest she was sure that the people below her could hear it. Beth would have stayed in that tree and let them all pass by her if the sound of a familiar cry had not pierced through the air at that moment.
She had sat up immediately at the sound of a baby's cry, luckily the sound of her movements blocked out by the people below her frantically hushing the child. Beth stared down in shock at the group huddled right beneath her tree sure that she was still dreaming. There was no way that her entire living family was simply huddled beneath her.
As her eyes scanned the group desperately and caught familiar face after familiar face she realize that it was real, she was not dreaming. Beth's eyes fell on Maggie and the stillness that had flooded her upon hearing Judith left her with a startled gasp. No longer caring about the noise she made Beth began to make her way quickly down the tree. She heard the sounds of her friends moving, no doubt pointing their guns at her as she all but fell the last few feet to the ground.
Beth did not bother to look at anyone else as she straightened and stumbled the remaining distance into Maggie's arms. Her sister froze upon contact with her before she slowly grabbed her arms and pushed her back far enough to stare into her face.
Maggie's eyes went wide at the sight before she whispered her name softly and then they were hugging so tightly Beth felt like she could barely breath. When they finally let go Beth turned to face the rest of the people surrounding her, her eyes immediately landing on one face. She felt her smile widen as she walked forward to meet the person pushing past the others to her.
Daryl held her even tighter than Maggie had, lifting her a few inches off the ground as he held her in his arms.
She felt rather than heard him draw in a shaky breath and Beth smiled against his shoulder as she turned her head to whisper in his ear.
"I told you to have faith."