This is the longest chapter I have written so far and I will have to say I enjoyed it. I really like the challenge of trying to analyze how Beth and Daryl will react to different situations and why they do what they do. I appreciate all of the support I get from my readers and the sweet comments y'all leave. Enjoy!
Daryl's POV
Daryl woke up on the cold, hard cement floor. The smell of stale blood filled the air and made him think back to the events of last night. After he and Joe had talked, Daryl had stood in the same spot on the railroad tracks for a while. Joe's voice was still ringing in his ears, telling Daryl that he was an outdoor cat. The leader had said everything Daryl didn't want to hear but had known all along. The redneck had wanted to believe that he had changed while he had been with Rick's group and those couple of weeks with Beth made him want to change even more, but he was an outdoor cat through and through. He could never be the man that Beth needed. No matter how much he changed, he would never be the sweet college-educated man that a woman like her deserved. Then, there was the age to consider, that was something that couldn't be changed. The fact that he had feelings for Beth proved that something was wrong with him. Daryl should be looking at her like a little sister and that certainly wasn't how he had been looking at her those last few days. Not only had Daryl let her father get killed, but then he had let Beth get kidnapped because he wanted to play house and pretend like the past had never happened. He had pretended he was an indoor cat in that house with Beth and Joe had just pointed out how stupid he had been. No matter how much Daryl wanted to be a part of Rick's group and Beth's life, he just wasn't good enough and nothing was going to change that.
That last thought had made him start walking toward the metal building, towards Joe's group. A part of Daryl yelled at him to stop being an idiot and go search for Beth, but the more cynical, pessimistic part of him squashed the feeling. There was no point, Beth was gone and Daryl couldn't find the will to try and be something he wasn't any longer. The redneck found himself opening the door of the metal building and revealing the Marauders. Joe looked up at his entrance and smiled in a way that made Daryl feel like the leader had just won a big victory. He hung his head and entered into the railroad platform. A couple of the men looked up as he entered, but Daryl couldn't even put a name to their faces. Despite traveling with the group for the past several days, Daryl hadn't tried to integrate himself. He hadn't planned to stick around long enough for names to matter but some unknown force pulled at him and kept the redneck on the very fringe of Joe's band of men.
Turning his attention from the men, Daryl focused on what was inside the building. The platform was filled with old vehicles that reminded Daryl of the truck he used to have before the apocalypse. The men were searching for gas but didn't seem to have found any. Daryl set his crossbow and a trash bag containing his few belongings on the ground next to the closest rusty piece of junk that could barely be called a car. As the redneck was pulling the tarp off of the rundown vehicle, one of the men walked up and kicked his bag away. "Claimed," the man demanded. Daryl didn't bother to fight with him like he had with Len that morning; all of the fight had gone out of him.
After several years of running around pretending to be something he was not, Daryl was back in the same position he was before the apocalypse, just this time he was following Joe instead of Merle. Daryl picked up his crossbow and moved to get his bag as calls of claim echoed throughout the building. He headed toward a white truck, but Len threw his dufflebag in the back, calling claimed and smirking at the redneck. Daryl turned away, ignoring the man's taunts. All of the vehicles had been claimed, so Daryl but his belongings on the floor and settled down.
It all felt so familiar, the rough men, the leader he admired but hated, the pent up anger at being a part of no good group. However, Daryl had learned long ago how to block out his feelings. He laid down, trying not to think about Beth, but that was close to impossible. The thought of her made him feel ashamed to be with the Marauders. She had believed that he was better than that, but then again she had also believed that Daryl would protect her and look what had happened. Daryl's hand moved to his lips and he gently tugged on the skin around his thumb. He still hadn't had the chance to eat his half of the rabbit from that morning but Daryl wasn't hungry anymore. He really didn't care what happened to him at this point, he was tired of living in a world that to him had been shitty long before the walkers had ever appeared. The redneck wished he could see Beth's smile and hear her silly optimistic words, he was hungry for a bit of hope. However, any hope seemed to be hidden from him in the dark, dank building.
Suddenly, Merle was there, sitting next to him. His older brother looked just how he remembered, angry and tough as nails. Daryl turned his head, staring at his older sibling. "About time you get your head out of the clouds baby brother," Merle growled, "you let your mind get all screwed up listening to that blonde's useless drabble about there being good people. You know there ain't no good people, if there are they sure as hell don't last very long." Daryl turned his head away but his brother reappeared on his left side. "Quit being such a pussy Darlene," Merle taunted, "you should be happy you found men like yourself to run with. Your old group would have figured out that you weren't worth a piece of shit at some point and kicked you out anyways." Daryl stood up and shook his head, trying to get away from his brother. Without a word, he picked up his crossbow and headed outside. Merle's voice called after him, "Ohhhh, baby brother has his feelings hurt. Ain't that a pity." Daryl slammed the door behind him, putting an end to the illusion. The cool night air made him feel more lucid and washed away the image of Merle. Daryl took a deep breath and began walking around the railroad platform. He found a few walkers, which he easily dispatched. Daryl pointlessly wandered around for a few minutes before making a detour into the woods to relieve himself. Once he finished, he headed back towards the metal building, hoping and yet dreading that his older brother wouldn't still be there.
When Daryl opened the metal door, he flinched out of habit at the possibility of hearing Merle's sharp words. However, the phantom of his brother was gone. On his way in, one of the men offered him a cigarette, which he took with a grateful nod. Daryl returned to his former spot on the ground and stuck the cigarette between his lips, but didn't light it. He savored the taste of it knowing that he might not get another one for a long time. Just as he was getting relaxed, Len's voice cut through the air. "You've got to be kidding me," Len said dramatically. Daryl groaned internally, Len always had something to complain about. "Christ," Len cussed. Daryl did his best to ignore the man until he heard footsteps coming straight for him. The redneck sat up, ready to take on whatever Len was going to try and pull this time. "Give it here," Len demanded as he walked straight up to Daryl. "You step back," Daryl growled. He was already in a bad mood and Len was pushing it after giving him trouble this morning.
"My half was in the bag," Len continued, "now it's gone. Now ain't nobody here interested in no half a damn cottontail except you! Ain't that right?" Daryl realized what Len was trying to pull, stealing was against the code and he was trying to make Daryl look like the bad guy once again. The redneck stood up, feeling defensive. He could feel the eyes of the men turning toward him and Len, waiting to see how the confrontation would pan out. Daryl became conscious of the fact that it might have been a mistake to keep from getting to know the men in the group. If it was his word against Len's, there wasn't many people here that would trust him. However, Len could accuse Daryl all he wanted, without proof nothing was going to happen. "You're the only one who is still thinking about that damn crap," Daryl hollered, tired of Len's schemes. Len's eyes narrowed as he sized Daryl up. "Empty your bag," the gangly man demanded as he stepped towards Daryl's belongings. In a smooth motion, Daryl snatched his bag off the floor. "I said step back," Daryl reiterated. The two men glared at each other until Joe came between them. The leader yanked Daryl's bag out of his hands, but didn't open it.
"Did you take his rabbit Daryl," Joe questioned, "Just tell me the truth." Daryl prickled at the insinuation that he was a thief. He might not be good but he wasn't so low as to root around in other people's things and take their junk. "I didn't steal nothing," Daryl asserted. Joe nodded and began searching Daryl's bag. "What do we got here," Joe exclaimed as he emptied Daryl's bag and a rabbit head fell out. Daryl tensed at the sight of the dead animal, trying to make sense of what happened. The pieces suddenly clicked into place and he felt his anger swelling. "Well look at that," Joe sighed. Daryl looked down at the rabbit and then up at Len. "You put that there didn't you," Daryl demanded, "when I went out to take a piss!" The lanky man just sneered in his face, "you lied." The redneck shoved the bastard, wanting to beat him until he confessed to his crime. "Didn't you," he hollered in Len's face. The fox of a man stepped back and looked towards the leader. "We gonna teach this fool or what Joe," Len asked. Daryl stepped forward again, ready to pound the man into a piece of pulp.
Once again, Joe stepped between them. "Whoa, whoa," Joe said, placing a hand on either man's shoulder, "now Daryl says he didn't take your half of the rabbit. So we got a little conundrum here." The leader turned to Daryl and spoke in a stern voice, "Now either he is lying which is an actionable offense," before turning to Len, "or you planted it on him like some pussy, punkass, cheating piece of shit. 'Cause while that wouldn't be specifically breaking the rules, it'd be disappointing." Joe let his words hang in the air, waiting for Len to answer. The eyes of the men suddenly felt more like vultures waiting to swoop down on the prey then just interested onlookers. The scraggly man finally found his voice. "I didn't," Len insisted. Joe gave a very calm smile. "Good," the leader answered calmly, before punching Len in the face. Len crumpled to the ground with a groan. "Teach him a lesson gents. He is a lying sack of shit and I'm sick of it. Teach him all the way," Joe ordered before walking over to Daryl. The men stopped watching the confrontation and began punching and kicking Len's already crumpled form.
"I saw him do it," Joe said just loud enough for Daryl to hear. However, the redneck couldn't tear his eyes away from the man being beaten by his own comrades. "Why didn't you try and stop him," Daryl asked. "He wanted to play that out," Joe replied, "so I let him. You told the truth, he lied. You understand the rules. He doesn't." Daryl felt uncomfortable with the leader's praise, it wasn't the same feeling he got when Rick praised him. Joe bent down and picked up the rabbit head. "Look's like you get the head too," Joe stated before tossing the hunk of meat and fur at Daryl's chest. The redneck caught the tattered animal head and stared down at it. He could still hear Len's grunts and groans as he received a beating. Since the time he had first met Len, he had wanted to punch the guy in the face. Now, Daryl was finally getting what he wanted but it didn't feel right. However, instead of doing anything, the redneck just stood there and watched Len get worked over by the Marauders. Joe's decision wasn't something Rick would have been okay with and it wasn't something his old group would have allowed. All of his anger at Len was gone and Daryl sat down on the floor, watching as the lanky man was dragged out of the railroad platform and the pounding continued outside. Every cry of pain could clearly be heard but Daryl didn't move a muscle. "If Len had had it his way, that would be you out there instead," Daryl told himself, trying to erase the pity he had for the man. The redneck growled in frustration before lying down.
Slowly, each member of the group had trickled back in, except for Len. After lying awake for hours, Daryl had finally managed to fall into a fitful sleep. Now that he was awake, the scene kept playing over and over again in Daryl's mind. It wasn't like he hadn't seen a man get beat up before and if anyone deserved it, it was Len. The lanky man had been asking for a whoopin since the first day Daryl had met him. The harsh punishment was familiar; it was Daryl that was different. He had gotten soft during his time with Rick's group, he had forgotten what it was like to live with men who would have your back one second and have a gun to your head the next. Daryl heard the men slowly wake up and start preparing to move out, but he had kept lying on the cold ground with his eyes closed. Finally, when the screeching of the metal door opening pierced the air, Daryl opened his eyes and sat up. He looked over at the center of the floor, where blood stains spotted the pavement. All the men walked around the crime scene like nothing had happened. "Com'on, let's move out," Joe ordered. Daryl rose to his feet and slung his bag over his shoulder before picking up his crossbow. Trying his best to ignore the crimson coloring on the floor, Daryl followed the men outside.
Daryl stopped in his tracks when he saw Len's dead body right outside the door. The man had been so mutilated that his face couldn't even be made out. One of Len's arrows was sticking out of his left eye socket. Daryl couldn't tear his eyes away from the corpse. He remembered Beth's reaction to the dead woman's body at the country club. She had been so concerned about covering up the woman's body. That's how Beth was, she always wanted to show respect for the dead. A dirty white sheet lay on the ground nearby; Daryl reached down and picked it up. He stared down at the man he had hated so much the past few days and his hands tightened on the rough fabric. Len had died, but it could have almost as easily had been Daryl. If the redneck was going to survive in Joe's group, he was going to have to return to his old self. Daryl couldn't live in both Beth's shiny optimistic world and in the Marauder's world, the two were inherently incompatible. If Daryl didn't want to end up with an arrow in his head, he couldn't be weak and emotional; he couldn't feel bad for someone who had tried to kill him. Slowly, Daryl placed the sheet back on the ground. It didn't matter if Len was covered or not, the man was dead and would never know the difference. Daryl stared down at the man one last time before walking away. He had developed a soft side and he needed to leave it there on the ground with Len if he was going to be the last man standing.
Beth's POV
Beth sat in the chair as Mary buzzed all around her. "Oh, my dear, your hair is so tangled, we will have to get that worked out right away," the older woman said in a concerned tone. Beth nodded dumbly at the statement, still confused by the woman's unthreatening atmosphere. "Are you feeling okay," Mary questioned, "you didn't eat any of your meat?" The brunette reached to put her hand to Beth's forehead, but Beth shied away from the woman's touch. "I'm …uh…a vegetarian," Beth answered. "Oh," exclaimed Mary, "well I will have to make sure and tell the cooks so that they don't send you anymore meat." Beth didn't reply, but her eyes flickered from the lady to the heavily armed man standing at the doorway. He had kept his eyes trained on her since the moment he had entered and it was making Beth uncomfortable.
"Why am I here," she asked Mary. The woman smiled kindly before answering. "Dear, this is not the time for questions. Once you are feeling better and are well rested, we will have time to talk," Mary replied with a sweet smile. Years ago this answer would have satisfied Beth and even if it hadn't she wouldn't have dared to talk back to someone who was her elder, but things had changed since the apocalypse. "No," Beth hollered, standing up, "I want answers right now! Why are you holding me here? What do you want from me!" The guard in the corner of the room shifted, lifting his gun a little higher. "It's alright, Mitch," Mary promised, indicating that he should lower his weapon. Reluctantly, Mitch returned the gun to his side. "We don't want anything from you," Mary assured the blonde, "we are just trying to help you. This is Terminus, a sanctuary for all. We take travelers in." Beth glared at the woman, Mary's voice was calm and her words were nice but everything still felt off. Gut instincts are meant to be headed, they were what kept you alive.
"But I am not a traveler who just wandered into your camp," Beth insisted, "your men bought me and drug me here for some reason and now I am being held hostage in this room. I want answers." The older woman took a deep breath before replying. "I don't see why you are complaining, our people saved you from some very bad men. Who knows what could have happened to you if we hadn't bought you from them. And as for being a prisoner, once we know you are not a threat, you can tour our sanctuary. It is all safety precautions," Mary explained. Beth felt her anxiety decrease, but she still didn't completely trust Mary, it all sounded too good to be true. "So," Beth tested, "if I promise not to go ballistic, you will let me out of this room?" The blonde felt Mitch tense up at her question, but the older woman didn't seem to be taken aback. "Of course," she answered, "but you will have to understand that Mitch and I will need to escort you. Why don't we go right now and give you a tour?" Beth nodded in surprise, apparently what Mary had promised wasn't just an act. The older woman walked through the door and Beth paused a second before following.
Mary was already halfway down the hall before Beth caught up with her. "This is an old building that was used as a hotel for train passengers who had to stay overnight," Mary informed in her best tour guide voice, "the employees often stayed here as well." Beth nodded, only half paying attention to the history of the building. She was much more interested in the small glimpses the windows gave her of Mary's camp. Mitch traced Beth's footsteps like a ghost, always a few feet behind her. Mary led Beth past rooms and down staircases until they came to the main entrance. When Mitch opened the doors, the light initially blinded Beth. A whirlwind of noise immediately surrounded her and once her eyes adjusted, Beth could only stand in shock.
People were bustling around cooking food or planting crops. Kid's laughter rang out in the air, making Beth's heart ache as she remembered when the prison was half this full of life. Women scrubbed clothes in washtubs full of dirty water. A couple of men were hauling a deer through camp. Curious eyes followed Beth's movements and she suddenly felt very self-conscious. Despite last night's shower, Beth was still much dirtier than any of the surrounding people. Whenever Beth made eye contact with any individual, they automatically became uneasy and looked away. The blonde didn't have much time to contemplate this bizarre behavior because Mary was already dragging her towards the closest field and rattling off a list of what was being grown.
Beth let half of her attention focus on her tour guide while the other half scoped out the compound for a possible way to escape. There were high fences, which were good for keeping walkers out but also just as good for keeping people in. Beth thought she saw a sniper on the roof of one of the buildings, but he moved out of sight before she could be sure. Guards walked the perimeter, each holding an assortment of mismatched weapons. The blonde frowned, it was going to be hard to sneak out even if she was ever allowed to walk unescorted around Terminus. "Here, Beth," called Mary, "help me harvest some of these carrots." Beth turned her attention from the guards to the leafy sprouts springing out of the ground. The young woman bent down and began pulling the orange vegetables out of the ground, her stomach growling at the sight of food. Once they had filled a whole basket, the women hauled the load to the outdoor kitchen, where they rinsed dirt off of the carrots. Mary held out the last carrot to Beth, "here, you worked hard."
Beth was still crunching on the carrot as Mary introduced her to the office area. It was a big one room building that lacked furniture except for a few desks in the very center. Here, the people of Terminus broadcasted radio messages to any survivors who might be able to hear them. Beth took it all in with amazement, she couldn't believe what her eyes were seeing. There were maps of Georgia that were covered in pencil and ink markings. Beth eyes welled up as she found where the prison was on the map. She quickly distracted herself by focusing on the circles and numbers that had been haphazardly drawn on the chart. "What do these markings indicate," Beth asked Mary. The older woman looked at the map for a second. "Oh, they indicate a rough sketch of the groups of humans we believe are in the area," Mary explained, "we like to keep track of all movements nearby and recruit new members whenever we can." Beth's fingers ran over the tattered paper almost lovingly, could it be that one of those circles represented her group? "Have there been any other newcomers lately," Beth enquired, her breath catching in her throat. Mary smiled sadly at her, "No, no one but you." The blonde sighed in disappointment, she was still alone.
Next, Mary took Beth to the small school that had been set up. Toys lay scattered outside, making Beth think of how Judith could have grown up here. The blonde shut that fantasy down quick and pushed the precious child out of her mind. Even after all the things she had gone through, Beth still wasn't strong enough to think about Judith's fate. Someday she would have to accept the loss of infant, but today was not that day. Beth quickly walked past the playground and into the building. As Mary was showing Beth the rooms being used for kid's classes, a woman came running up. She had long blonde hair and reminded Beth of Andrea. The Andrea look-alike whispered in Mary's ear and then hurried back in the opposite direction. "Some business has come up that I must attend to," Mary announced, "Mitch will take you back to your room and maybe later we can finish up the tour." Without another word, the older woman spun on her heels and headed off with a sense of purpose in the same direction as the messenger had gone. Beth found herself alone with Mitch, who was about as friendly and talkative as a rock. After an awkward silence, Beth headed back outside, her bodyguard following like a shadow.
She didn't want to leave the outdoors; it had been so long since she had been outside without being a captive or afraid that she was going to get killed by walkers. The blonde slowly made her way through the compound, admiring the pots of sunflowers along the way. Unlike before, there was no bustling of people, it had gone dead quite. Near the edge of the camp, Beth could see some old boxcars set up, which wasn't surprising since it appeared that Terminus was an old railroad station. The man who had bought her, Gareth, was walking around the boxcars and seemed to be checking on them. "What do ya'll keep in those," Beth asked, pointing towards the boxcars. "If you have questions, Mary will answer them," replied Mitch curtly, "now hurry up, we need to get back."
Beth reluctantly entered Tidwell, the name was written over the entrance, and retraced her steps up the stairs to the third floor. Just as she was about to go back into her room, the sound of gunshots rang out. Beth turned around, ready to run to the window to see what was happening, but a strong arm shoved her back into the room. The door slammed closed and the dead bolt locked into place before Beth could process what had happened. Immediately, Beth began pounding on the door and yelling. "Let me out! What is going on," the blonde hollered. No answer came from Mitch, the only sound that could be heard was a few faint gunshots and boots running away from her room. Had a herd come through? Were other people attacking Terminus like the Governor had attacked the prison? Questions whirled around in Beth's head but she had no one to ask. If everyone in camp flees, will there be anyone to let me out or will I be stuck in here? Beth's fingers found her heart necklace and the piece of jewelry offered her some comfort in the midst of her anxiety.
Silence filled the air, it was almost worse than hearing the gunshots. Beth sat by the door, waiting for the sound of human voices or walker's groans. She had felt the same way back when the sickness had broken out at the prison. Her and Judith had been locked up in a room to keep the precious baby from catching the disease. Often, Beth would sit there and wait to hear who had died that day. She had often worried that one day no one would come and that it would be just her and Judith. However, Maggie had often visited her and Daryl had stopped by when Maggie couldn't. The thought of Daryl made Beth want to cry. She would give almost anything to trade the nice bed and strong walls for sitting on a log beside Daryl in the woods eating a snake he had caught. Sometimes you don't appreciate how good things are until they are gone.
Daryl's POV
Daryl stared at the sign that boldly declared "Sanctuary for all". "You seen this before," Daryl asked Joe. "Oh yeah," Joe replied, "I will tell you what it is. It's a lie." The older man spat into the grass. "Ain't no sanctuary for all," the leader muttered in disgust, "Ain't gonna welcome guys like you and me with open arms." No they wouldn't, but if this place is real, they might welcome girls like Beth. Daryl's hopes jumped a tiny bit, but he did his best to squash them back down. "So it that where we are headed," Daryl questioned Joe. The rough man snorted at Daryl's suddenly inquisitive nature. "So now your asking," Joe said, giving Daryl a hard time. "That's right," Daryl responded. "We were in a house, minding our own business," Joe explained, "and this walking piece of fecal matter was hiding in the home. Strangled our colleague Lou and left him to turn. Lou came at all of us and the perpetrator lit out. We tracked him to these tracks, to one of those signs, and thus we have a destination in mind." Daryl processed the information. "Did you see his face," the redneck asked, knowing there was a small but possible chance that one of his old group members had run into the Marauders. "Only Tony," Joe said, indicating toward the man with the black and white bandanna.
Tony had stopped walking and was staring at something on the side of the tracks. Daryl could just make out the tops of some radishes growing out of the dirt. The word left his mouth and there was no way it could ever go back, "Claimed." In one word, he had accepted membership into the group. Daryl didn't know how he felt to be a part of the group, but at least he had finally made a decision. As the redneck reached over to pull the vegetables out of the ground, he noticed a chocolate candy bar wrapper nearby. Carl had always had a sweet tooth. Daryl shoved the thought out of his mind and yanked the radishes up. Dusting off his prize, Daryl stuffed it into his sack and fell back into step with Joe. He didn't care about avenging some man he didn't even known, but if the Marauders were headed towards Terminus, then he might as well go with them and see what he could see. Sure, if the place was legit, they probably wouldn't let him in like Joe said, but there was a chance that someone from his old group had escaped and ended up there. If Daryl was honest with himself, he wasn't just looking for someone from his old group, he was looking for a someone with scraggly blonde hair and sky blue eyes. However, Daryl wasn't being honest with himself, so he walked on, trying to hide the tiny ray of hope that had come alive in his chest.
And there we have it, Daryl is headed towards Beth but that doesn't mean anything is set in stone. I am really trying to write the characters so that they are true to the original movie counterparts, so please let me know if I ever deviate too far from that (nicely though). Also, I often only have the next chapter or two roughly sketched in my mind, it isn't a work that I have already finished and am slowly posting. So feel free to leave any ideas for things you would like to happen or scenes that would interesting and if I feel like they would fit the story, I might include them (no promises though). I hope to get the next chapter out by next weekend, but I also have a Latin test, so that is only tentative. A big thanks again to all my followers, y'alls support has really helped me stick with this story.