Ch. 19

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They stayed in the woods near the walker infested safe zone for the night while Eugene recovered. Everyone needed a cool down, though.

It was the middle of the night, and Daryl had been on watch since everyone laid down. Beth had insisted that she was going to sleep beside him instead of near the center of camp, and he didn't mind. He liked her close by.

He sat with his back to a tree while Beth slept in a sleeping bag next to him. Her breathing almost lulled him into a daze, so he stood up and started to move around. He could last a couple more hours before he had to wake up Glenn.

It was crazy to him that just a few months ago they had been sleeping on the roof of the tackle shop and getting solid rest. Even the funeral home had been a place to recharge.

Now, they were back on the road, sleeping on the ground, and running all the time. With Eugene's confession, they didn't even have a plan anymore.

Camp was quiet, and he could hear the distant growls from the walkers below. One day those fences would give, and if anyone was around they had better move fast.

"I can take over," Abraham's gruff voice came from behind him.

Daryl turned and looked over his shoulder. "Glenn's got it next."

"I know, but ya look worn out, so I can keep an eye on things until it's his turn."

"Why?" Daryl asked. His face might have been bruised, but he was pretty sure that he broke Abraham's nose with that head butt. He smirked at the ground at that thought.

"Saw ya noddin' off back there."

"So now you're peepin' on folks like Eugene?"

"Just fuckin' forget it," Abraham said and started to walk off.

Daryl sighed and started to follow him. "Take watch," he said. "I'm gonna lay down. Wake up Glenn in a little while, and he'll take it until dawn."

With a nod from Abraham, their disagreement was settled.

He barely got any sleep at all before Beth was pushing him awake.

"We gotta go," she whispered. "Rick said we gotta start doublin' back now, and that we're lookin' for a place to hunker down for winter."

"Great," he muttered and rolled onto his back. "Fuckin' great."

"I'm sorry ya didn't get much rest. I hog the covers," she said with a grin, trying to get him to smile back.

He couldn't, though.

Winter on the run wasn't a good idea. The walkers might have slowed down, but food was scarce, and lighting a fire was damn near asking for trouble. There were more people to feed and keep warm this time, too.

"We gotta find a safe place," he said and closed his eyes again. "We won't make it movin' around like we did before we found the prison."

"I know," she said quietly. "Too many of us now, and Judith cries too much."

"Yeah."

"We could always scout ahead," she offered.

Daryl sat up. "Nah, we don't need to separate either. Let's just hope we find somethin'."

Beth leaned forward and kissed him softly. "Ya know, we didn't have sex and somethin' terrible still happened. I think we're in the clear."

He snorted. "Ya blew me." He thought she would laugh, and when she didn't he peaked up at her from under his hair. Her eyes were dark and intense, and as she drug her tongue over her bottom lip, he groaned softly. "I left ya hangin'."

She just continued to stare, and he looked around the camp. Everyone was starting to move around, packing up their stuff, and readying to walk back the way they had come.

"C'mon," he whispered and stood up, taking her hand in his. He grabbed his bow with the other and headed out into the woods and away from the safe zone.

They'd all think they had gone hunting and wait for them to get back. It wouldn't take long. Not with the way she was looking at him.

After they walked for a few minutes, he sat his bow against the base of a tree and pushed her against it. She blushed a little and that flare of innocence mixed with the lust in her eyes broke him a little.

He pushed a hand into her hair as he brought his lips to meet hers, and she pressed her hips forward to meet his.

Her hands traced his shoulders and up his neck and into his hair, pulling him so hard against her that their teeth clinked together.

"Sorry," she mumbled but pulled him back too fast for him to say anything.

He kissed his way down her neck, and stared sucking lightly on the juncture of her shoulder and neck. The noises she made were soft needy as he worked open the button of her jeans and slid his hand inside. She was so fucking wet against his fingers and he dropped his forehead to her chest for a moment as she gasped from his touch.

It was an awkward angle and her jeans were so tight that he could barely move his hand or thrust his fingers into her like he wanted.

The light teasing touches were enough, though, and soon she was trembling against him, begging him for a just a little more.

He pushed the material a little past her hips and caged her body between his and tree.

No one would see anything if they wandered by.

Finally, he pushed two fingers inside and curled them up just the way she liked, and she threw her head back against the tree. Daryl went back to kissing and nipping at her neck and pushed a hand under her shirt and into her bra.

When he lightly bit down on her shoulder and tugged on her nipple, she started pulsing around his fingers.

"So, so close," she breathed.

On the next upstroke, he curled his fingers again and pushed her shirt up completely, replacing his hand with his mouth on her nipple. He barely sucked her into his mouth before she was clamping down on his fingers and groaning loudly against the top of his head.

He slowed down his hand and gently pulled out as he straightened her top. Daryl wiped his fingers against his bottom his shirt before tugging her jeans back into place.

The whole time, she leaned against the tree, grinning with her eyes closed.

"Ya feelin' better?" He asked even as he his dick was pressing hard against his zipper.

"So much. God, I missed your fingers and your mouth," she said then put a hand over her lips.

He stood there, smirking, feeling heat light up his cheeks a little. It made him proud that he could make her fall apart like that, and even want him that way to begin with.

"I'm at your service," he joked, but they both knew he really was.

"I love you." Beth stood on her toes and kissed him softly. The earlier heat kisses had transformed to lazy, satisfied ones.

"We need to get back, arrow."

Beth nodded and linked their fingers together as he led them back to camp.

Just like he thought, no one really noticed their absence. Rick asked if they'd caught anything, but Daryl just shook his head, and that was the end of it.

They walked through the morning, everyone taking turns carrying Judith, who got very bored, very fast.

It was a tedious uphill battle most of the way, and by the time they reached the junction to route sixteen, they were all ready to fall down and sleep for days.

"We gotta find a place," Glenn said as he leaned against a tree.

"It's not like we aren't lookin'," Tara said. "Not really a whole lotta fortresses built in South Carolina."

"Military bases?" Abraham offered.

"I betcha there's about a hundred walkers for every person in our group just pressed against the walls. Not to mention what's inside one of those things. It's a fuckin' small town for Christ's sake," Merle said and shook his head. "Ya sure you're really military?"

Abraham puffed out his chest, clearly offended. "Served over twenty years."

"Yeah, well I served three and eighteen months were spent in lock up, and I know more than you apparently."

"You were Army?"

"Yes, sir. Answered Uncle Sam's call, but didn't do so well when it came to loud mouth, prick S.O.s." He smirked. "Hoo-ah!"

Abraham looked less than impressed as he turned away from Merle and back to Rick.

Daryl sighed. "Let's look for a gated community. Might be some walkers but we could reinforce the fences until we're ready to move in the spring."

"We're basically screwed for tonight, though," Rosita said and put her hands on her hips. "Abandoned house?"

They were all looking around and most of their eyes settled on Daryl. "I ain't a fuckin' GPS. Ya can't just ask for a location and follow my ass to it."

"Maybe you and Beth could look ahead?" Michonne asked from his right. "Or if ya don't want her to go, I could go with ya."

Daryl shook his head. "I'd rather us stick together."

"Then y'all can go in the mornin'." Rick looked away, putting his hand on his gun. "Maybe y'all'll get lucky."

"I meant all of us," Daryl said. "Every time we split up, bad shit happens."

"Abraham?" Eugene said quietly. "Can I please see your map?"

No words were exchanged on his part, and he tossed the map to Eugene's feet. After spreading it out, and giving it a close look, he said, "We are near Aiken, South Carolina. We went around Augusta, which was a smart move, but we are nowhere near where we should be. First off, I think we should send a scout team in and around Aiken. It's a small town, but I'm sure there was money there, especially since Augusta is so close. We stay here a few weeks and recover then move to Lexington.

"I do not recommend stopping for more than two weeks at a time, and once we find transport, we should head straight through. I know we're all tired, but the mission is to get to D.C., and it should still be the priority."

"If you don't wanna get planted on your ass again, I highly advice you shut the fuck up, Eugene," Abraham said and grabbed the map.

Two hours of discussion later, they ended up choosing Eugene's plan anyway, and Abraham would barely look at anyone.

It was the worst trip Daryl had ever fucking been on, and he couldn't wait to find a car so he could get as far away from the others as he possibly could.

Quiet.

A decent night's sleep.

A nice door with a lock to separate him from Eugene.

He would take just about anything at that point.

A couple of days later, they made it to Aiken. Merle figured it was what people up North imagined the South looked like. It had golf courses with big houses lining the fairways, and streets lined with trees and white picket fences surrounding their houses.

Merle looked at Beth when they walked through the fairway of one hole on their way into town. "Wanna drink, party girl?"

Beth blushed and shook her head. "I think I learned my lesson last time."

"What?" Maggie asked, instantly curious, and Beth shot Merle a death stare.

"You're a loud mouth, Merle Dixon," she said and walked a little faster.

"This sounds like a really good story," Maggie said and caught up with her.

"I'm a steel fuckin' trap, princess," Merle muttered. "I only tell the funny shit."

"What's he mean, Daryl?"

Merle thought that Maggie looked like one of those excited little dogs that would piss on the floor if you got them too wound up, and when Daryl shrugged and didn't speak, she deflated a little.

"I'm sorry if I just wanted to hear a funny story when all that's around us is terrible stuff," she muttered. She was playing Beth, though. Merle could see it in her eyes.

Beth wasn't immune to it either, and probably never had been because she sighed heavily before saying, "I got mad one day and went lookin' for a drink. Daryl found us some moonshine, and I ended up burnin' down the shack to get us out while walkers tried to get in through the front."

Maggie's eyes widened. "Ya got away from a herd by burnin' down your shelter while ya were drunk on moonshine?"

Beth laughed and nodded. "Yup. Sure did. I think we all felt like we'd been run over the next day."

"Drunk sex is the best sex," Maggie said with a shrug. "Hope ya made the best of it."

Even Merle turned a deep shade of red at that and looked at Maggie like she was insane. "They weren't by themselves, woman. Good Lord."

"Who knows?" Maggie said and looked over at it. "Maybe ya joined in?"

Merle's jaw dropped, Daryl stopped walking and looked back at Maggie like she had lost her mind, and Beth's face looked like a cherry tomato.

"Ya fuckin' with us?" Daryl asked quietly. He was eyeing hard.

"Merle is mighty protective of Bethy," she mused and walked past them.

"I—Maggie, I'm not—are ya serious?"

She shrugged again. "Stranger things have happened."

"Oh my God," Beth whispered and looked away from everyone.

When Beth started walking really fast, Daryl took off after her, flipping Maggie off as she started laughing so hard that Merle thought she was going to fall to the grass.

"Your faces," she gasped. "Priceless."

"Ya really think that's funny? Outta all the jokes ya got, that's the one ya went with?"

"I wanted to see Daryl get jealous, and I thought it might make him get all protective. Apparently not, though."

"That's 'cause I'm his fuckin' brother, ya idiot."

"I guess my sense of humor needs some more fine tunin'. It's not like I've had lots of reasons to joke around lately."

"Obviously," Merle said and shook his head.

They walked in silence for a second, trying to catch up with Daryl and Beth, before Maggie asked, "You and Carol?"

He shrugged.

"That her call or yours."

"Hers."

"Thought y'all sorted it all out back at that safe zone."

"Who the hell knows. That woman runs hot and cold." They were together. They slept side-by-side, but they didn't put it out there in public, and after that joke, Maggie didn't need to know shit.

Maggie nodded. "Maybe when things settle down, and we actually have safety again."

"Yeah, and maybe the walkers will all drop dead and things will go back to normal."

"They're already dead."

"Die again then. Damn, woman, are ya always this fuckin' naggy?"

She laughed and looked up at the clear, blue sky. "Merle?"

"What?" He asked gruffly.

"I just want ya to know that I accept your apology."

He turned his head to look over at her, and he saw the sincerity in her eyes. It made his throat get tight, and he looked away with a nod. "Thank ya," he muttered and walked a little faster to get away from anything else she might throw his way.

They found nothing in Aiken or any other place nearby. Finally, after a nearly three weeks of searching, they found it outside Richmond, Virginia.

Sherwilt Estates.

A nice gated community with a few walkers staggering around. It wasn't ideal since one of its walls was beaten in, but they could fix that up enough to make it last the winter.

After a pep talk on safety and killing the walkers right at the gate, they broke into groups of two to clear out houses with Carol staying with Judith and Carl in one of the first houses that they checked over.

It became clear pretty quickly to Beth that the house was safe, but that something terrible had happened inside. She found a woman with her head beaten in right inside the door, and there was a walker, strapped in a recliner with a 'W' carved into his forehead, that had an arrow through the chest. Lord knows what he had to witness before that came.

The next house must have been the same because Michonne stepped out and looked around. "Someone killed them in here."

"In ours, too." Daryl said back.

Rick nodded. "Think they're still around?"

Beth shook her head. "Do y'all's have 'W's carved into their foreheads?" she asked, looking around at the surrounding woods.

"Yeah," Michonne said quietly. "All of them that still have a forehead that is."

"The bodies look really old," Beth said as an uneasy feeling raced through her veins. This was right.

From out of nowhere Eugene popped up. "She's right. The rate of decomposition suggests these people have been dead for a least six months."

"They let some of 'em turn," said Daryl. "But it's obvious they were just killin' to kill. Most of the supplies are still in this one house." He looked to Eugene. "Ain't you supposed to be with Tara?"

"She felt it best if I stayed put and went with Maggie and Glenn. I'm not much of a fighter."

"You're gonna have to figure that out," Beth said. "Ya ain't gonna live long without fightin'."

Daryl walked around back and stood in front of the wall. She walked up beside him and noticed what he was staring at. Carved into the side were the words, "Wolves not far."

"Ya think that means actual wolves?" Beth asked.

"I seriously fuckin' doubt it," Daryl answered. "I think we need to get the hell outta here."

Right at that moment, they heard screams for help and took off toward the front.

Sasha was racing toward them in tears. "It's Tyreese! Come help me!"

"Fuck no," Daryl whispered as everyone else took off.

They couldn't lose him. He was one of theirs, and they had already been through so much. As he crossed the threshold to the house, though, he heard the yelling and Merle's voice trying to calm him down.

Daryl closed his eyes for a moment before gathering himself together to walk forward and see what was happening in the room down the hall.