Shelter was the top priority because the two were vulnerable traveling alone. As they searched, they hugged the creek. Daryl thought it safer. They walked south since the population thinned out the further south they traveled from Atlanta, offering a lower risk of hostile encounters.
Late in the afternoon, they came upon a country farm house. When they approached the house, Daryl held a finger to his lips signaling "Shhhhh, quiet." He jerked his head sideways indicating Beth should follow him. Daryl led them around the home's perimeter while they looked and listened for walkers or humans. They heard nothing.
The two approached the front door. The windows were boarded up preventing them from seeing inside. Daryl knocked loudly to draw out any walkers. They waited. Hearing nothing after several minutes, Daryl pushed the door open.
They stepped inside to a small living room that appeared both elegant and comfortable. A red brick fireplace centered the left wall. A French country sofa with elegant curves adorned the room. Contoured in wood with six curved wooden legs, the sofa was attired in rich tan.
A wood coffee table, with curved lines continued the French country theme. A set of wing chairs in striped fabric of greens and blues faced the sofa. A side table sat between the wing chairs, and a tall floor lamp stood behind the left wing chair. The floors were wood, covered in an area rug that picked up the blues and greens of the wing chairs.
"Fancy for a farm house," Daryl said aiming his crossbow in front of him.
The living room opened to an adjacent dining room with a wood table and six dining chairs. The walls were pale blue. A china cabinet displayed a set of dishes in a blue toile pattern. Silk paisley drapes in blues and greens graced the windows, pooling on the floor.
"Looks like they lived here recently" Beth said, "It's pretty clean."
The back door lay straight ahead as they entered the long kitchen. The cabinets, sink and appliances were on the right wall, a pantry on the left. An imposing, distressed farm table resided in the middle of the room surrounded by four wood, ladder-back chairs. Off the rear of the kitchen sat a small half bath.
"We're clear on this floor." Daryl said, and led the way upstairs.
Once upstairs Daryl entered the first open doorway on the left side of the hallway. Beth trailed behind him. The master bedroom walls were tan. The bedding and fabric drapes were also tan, accented with soft rose. The rose was subtle and muted, making the room feel warm and romantic.
The master bedroom suite contained a bathroom. Beth admired the tan tile and subtle rose paint on the walls. They checked inside the master closet. It was quiet.
"C'mon, this room's clear," Daryl said, as they proceeded down the hall to the next open doorway on the left.
The boy's bedroom in blue with red accents saw rock n roll posters affixed to its walls. A video game console, sports memorabilia, a desk with text books on it indicated the boy was high school age. As Daryl cleared the boy's room, Beth proceeded to the opposite side of the hallway where there were two doorways remaining.
Entering the first doorway, Beth found an attractive white bathroom with Mediterranean blue accent tiles in a random pattern, but no walkers. She continued to the last doorway and cleared the room. This was a girl's room, painted pale yellow. The bed covering was white with pale yellow flowers. It was very feminine and pretty. The yellow and white drapes with Mediterranean blue accents recalled the color in the bathroom. "Wow, nice taste," she thought.
Beth looked in the closet. She saw some nice tops that might fit her. Even if they were a little large she would make them work. Beth put on a grey sweat jacket that looked cozy. She moved to the girl's desk and bookcase and smiled at the prospect of reading the romance, poetry and fiction she found on the shelves.
She walked over to the dresser where she saw a small jewelry box, a comb, tissues and some cosmetics. She opened a tube of pink lip gloss sitting on top of the dresser. Looking in the mirror, Beth removed the wand and brushed the gloss over her bottom and top lips. She puckered in the mirror spreading it evenly.
"Probably not a good idea" she thought to herself. She took a tissue from the dresser, and wiped the gloss off her lips.
"What r ya doin'?" Daryl stood close behind her, only inches between them.
"Ah!" she jumped. "Daryl! How long have you been standing there?" she asked, turning to face him. "You scared me. Please make sounds when you come up behind a person." she requested emphatically, looking up at him.
Daryl stood still looking down at her. His eyes met hers. He held her gaze for several long beats.
As Daryl's blue eyes beamed directly into Beth's, she felt her heart beat quicken. Beth wondered if her heart raced because Daryl surprised her when he came up behind her, or if it was because his body was so close to hers. She felt a force field of heat and energy passing between them as they stood in close proximity.
As she looked in his eyes, she wondered if he could read her thoughts, if he knew she sometimes fantasized about him. She felt herself blush with embarrassment, heat and blood rushing to her face. Beth turned her hot face away.
Several moments passed. Daryl finally spoke. "There's no basement just a crawl space. The house is clear." He turned to head downstairs.
Beth looked at herself in the mirror. Her face was red and hot. Her heart beat rapidly. She felt a twinge between her legs.