She listened as a group of walkers entered the pharmacy, her eyes widening in fear. Beth bit her lip to calm her heavy breathing, at least so Daryl couldn't call her out on it. A walker stumbled into her view, then made its way to the other side of the room. She winced as it stepped on an arrow and snapped it in half. Unable to bear the tension of the pharmacy any longer, Beth nudged the man next to her.

"I've got a knife," Beth whispered. "It's in my back pocket. I can't get it." Daryl nodded in response then slowly reached around her with as little contact as possible, pulling the Swiss Army Knife from her pocket. He opened it and looked at the weapon with a frown.

"Ya call this a knife?" he grunted, pressing the blade against the rope. As he began to saw at the netting above them, a walker glanced up and snarled. A moment later, four walkers were clawing at the bottom of the net, which hung just out of their reach. Daryl worked faster, wearing the rope down to just a meager string. "Soon as I cut this, yer gonna hang on to the rope till I get rid of those bastards." She nodded in confirmation and grasped the rope that was attached to the ceiling. He brought the blade back to the netting once more, then fell to the ground as it tore. Beth watched in fascination as he bent his knees to lessen the impact, and immediately ran for his crossbow. Her fingers tightened around the rope when she felt her arms start to hurt.

Daryl loaded an arrow and pierced the first walker through the eye. He subsequently shot two more, each through the skull. Beth saw a brief flash of panic on his face when he realized the last arrow was broken. With only a moment's hesitation, she allowed herself to drop to the ground, mimicking his landing. Her feet weren't as sure as his, so it took a moment to regain her balance. As soon as she did, the girl dashed after the walker, purposely making as much noise as possible. The creature turned to look at Beth, then must have decided she would be easier to prey on.

Daryl quickly retrieved his arrows and aimed at the walker that was pursuing Beth. She pushed a shelf into its path to buy herself time, then moved out of the way as he shot the creature. Daryl made eye contact with Beth, an indecipherable look on his face.

"You don't listen much, do ya?" he deadpanned. She cringed at his tone, but was relieved that he didn't seem too angry. Daryl looked to the pile of rope in front of him, examining the knots that had held the netting up. "I dunno who set that trap, so we better get a move on." As he went to collect his arrow, she threw some food into her rucksack and picked up her bat. A sideways glance at Daryl revealed that he was staring pointedly at her bloody hand. She'd nearly forgotten about it. Beth found a first-aid kit to clean up the knife wound and bandaged it with gauze. Meanwhile, Daryl tossed supplies into his own bag.

"Are you alone?" Beth asked, thinking of Maggie.

"Jus' me," he replied with a shrug. Then he looked back to her, perhaps in irritation. "Suppose I ain't alone no more."

Without much of an explanation, Daryl carefully led Beth to a hunting and sporting store a few blocks down. She paused at the doorway to ready her bat.

"Cleared it this mornin'. Ain't nothin in there," he said gruffly, pushing Beth aside to open the door. Once she cautiously wandered in, Daryl locked them inside the dim store. He pointed to a torn package on the ground. "See them right there? Look for more of 'em." She picked up the plastic and saw a picture of a man shooting a crossbow on the cover. It was labeled Horton Bolts. For the next ten minutes, they searched the shelves and back room for the strange arrows to no avail. Beth found a similar looking package containing regular arrows.

"Could these work?" she questioned weakly, holding up what she had found. He looked at her like she had three heads.

"The hell you thinkin'? Those ain't even bolts!" he stormed. When he saw the confused look on her face, he lowered his voice and reluctantly tried to explain. "Arrows are for regular bows, bolts are for what I got." Beth nodded in understanding then continued to search. As the afternoon faded into the evening, the letters on the packaging become difficult to read. She strained her eyes just to see the images on the labels. Without Daryl knowing, Beth gave up their fruitless search and tried to collect things she deemed useful. As the last sliver of sunlight began to disappear, Daryl kicked away a pile of merchandise then slumped to the floor.

"Guess we'll have to stay here for the night," he admitted in defeat. "Can't be out there in the dark." Beth started to form a coherent reply, but trailed off in the middle of her sentence. Daryl spared her a glance and saw the girl passed out on a mountain of boat cushions. He chewed his lip thoughtfully, then finally decided to settle in for the night. He leaned against a wall and tried to fall asleep, but his mind was elsewhere.

Daryl observed furtively as Beth cradled Judith in her arms and sang to her softly. Merle pocketed a small bag of blue meth, then smirked at Daryl.

"You tappin' that, lil' brother?" he asked loudly, snickering to himself. Daryl swore at him and pushed him against a concrete wall, much to Merle's chagrin. A second later, the eldest Dixon had his brother pinned by the neck, a feeling Daryl knew all too well. "Yer right. No preacher would let his little flower near trash like us, brother. Don't you forget that." Daryl's lips abruptly turned downward as he socked Merle in the gut and ducked under what would've been a shiner. He pointed an accusing finger at Merle's chest.

"Things ain't how they used to be, Merle. I ain't your bitch no more," he snarled.

Author's Note:
Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter, I really appreciate it. If you have a second, please drop a comment!
I'd like to mention that I'm trying to include some Easter eggs in this story, let me know if you find them.
Finally, my friend ImagineRepublic encouraged me to write this, and is also writing a Beth/Daryl fiction.
Jeez this is a super short chapter. Feel free to read it on your phone so it looks longer.
Thanks again for reading!