After this chapter, I will have caught up with the TV series and the rest of story will be completely up to my creation, so I am very excited about that. I tried something new in this chapter and think it turned out well. I look forward to continuing Interphase and seeing where it leads me.

Daryl's POV

The redneck, having finished his evaluation of the leader of Terminus, focused on where Alex was leading them. Daryl wasn't usually much of a talker, but he wanted more information about this place. He casually strode up alongside Alex and fell into step with the man.

"So how long has this place been here," he asked.

"Since the start," Alex replied, "some people were here when the outbreak happened. As camps started getting overrun, others started finding this place. I think it was instinct, you know. Follow a path. Some folks were headed to the coast. Others out west or up north, but they all wound up here."

Daryl nodded as they came around the side of the building and into an open area with an outdoor grill. Several people were milling around a cluster of tables. A woman with messy brown hair was cooking some kind of meat on the grill and smiled at them as they came closer. Daryl didn't recognize the meat, which was unusual since he had eaten almost everything during his scavenging in the outdoors.

"Heard you came in the backdoor, smart," the woman commented, "You'll fit right in here."

"Hey Mary," Alex asked, "will you fix each of these new folks a plate for me?"

Daryl's eyes wandered over the strangers as Michonne started talking.

"Why do you do it," Michonne asked, "why do you let people in?"

"The more people that become a part of us, the stronger we get," Alex answered, "That's why we put up the signs, invite people in. It's how we survive."

Daryl felt Rick tense next to him and the redneck directed his gaze toward where the leader was looking. Something that he overlooked upon entering the area was suddenly very obvious and very familiar. A woman wearing a poncho sat at a table eating. That poncho had kept him warm until he had given it to Maggie last winter. Daryl's eyes moved to the man messing with boxes beside her. He wore riot gear, the same riot gear that they had had at the prison. There couldn't be that many suits of riot gear in the area, it had to come from someone who had been at the prison.

"Here," Alex said as he offered Carl a plate of meat. Before Daryl could even turn back to the conversation that was going on, Rick had already made a move. The leader pushed between Daryl and Carl and slapped the plate of food out of Alex's hand.

Daryl instantly brought his crossbow up and the others had their weapons ready in an instant. He fixed his on the nearest target, Mary, who just watched as the scene played out.

"Where the hell did you get this watch," Rick asked Alex as he held a gun to the man's head. Daryl spared a split second of his attention to glance over at Rick and see Hershel's watch in his hand. The redneck turned his focus back on the strangers, some of whom already had their weapons trained on his group. He didn't know exactly what was going on, but it was clear that things were about to get rough.

"Where the hell did you get this watch, answer me," Rick repeated, shaking Alex.

"You want answers," Alex shouted, "You want anything else? You get them when you put down the gun.

Daryl watched as more men appeared, a couple of snipers peeked over the rooftop to their right. He, Michonne, and Carl made a circle around Rick and faced outward to protect him while he interrogated the man.

"I see your man on the roof with the sniper rifle," Rick threatened, "How good is his aim? Where did you get this watch?"

Daryl swung his crossbow around, looking for the best target. His eyes searched for a quick exit, but they had been led into what must have been the very center of Terminus. Behind him Rick continued arguing with Alex.

"I have this," Alex yelled at the sniper, "You just put it down." Then, he turned his attention back to Rick. "Now you listen to me," he threatened, "there's lots of us."

Rick wasn't one to be easily intimidated. "Where did you get the watch," he repeated, his voice growing harsher.

"I got it off of a dead one," Alex claimed, "I didn't think he would need it."

Daryl listened to the conversation, but never brought his guard down. He watched the men shift around as if waiting for orders. Gareth appeared from the side of a building and Daryl quickly trained his crossbow on the leader. Before he could hide it, surprise flitted across Gareth's face, but it was quickly melted away and a mask of calmness took its place. The leader began briskly walking over, Daryl's crossbow pointed at him the whole way.

"What about the riot gear and the poncho," Rick continued.

"Got the riot gear off a dead cop," Gareth said, having come within hearing range, "found the poncho on a clothesline."

"Gareth, we can wait," Alex pleaded, desperation in his voice.

"Shut up Alex," Gareth replied calmly.

"You talk to me," Rick ordered.

"What is there left to say," Gareth asked, "you don't trust us anymore."

"Gareth," sobbed Alex.

Gareth raised a hand, silencing his comrade, "Shut up."

"Gareth, please," the man continued to beg.

"It's okay," Gareth said in a tone devoid of emotion.

Daryl's skin prickled. The man who once had warmly invited them into Terminus was now standing before them and didn't seem to care less about the fate of one of his own men. There was something very off about the leader of Terminus, he just couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Rick, what do you want," Gareth asked.

"Where are our people," Rick asked, cutting straight to the point.

"You didn't answer the question," Gareth said, before closing his hand. An instant before anything happened, Daryl realized that Gareth was giving a signal to fire. He spun around and started shooting towards the men. It all happened in a blur, suddenly Rick was at his side and Alex lay dead on the ground.

"Carl," Rick yelled, "Get down, now! Go!"

Rick took off down the closest street and Daryl covered everyone before following. They hadn't gotten more than a few meters down the street when gunfire caused them to turn back.

"Come on," Daryl yelled, seeing an alternative empty street. The whole group raced past the red brick walls and came back out at where they had started. Immediately, gunfire at their feet cut them off and forced them to retreat down a different street. Daryl's breath was ragged, but he kept running. He could feel the bits of sidewalk shards hit his legs as the gunfire chipped away at the ground. However, none of the shots got even close to actually hitting them. Daryl wondered why they would only be shooting at their feet, but he didn't have time to think it through. They ran into a large barn that had once been used to hold trains. The group ran towards the end, but a man pulled the door down, locking them in. That is it! They are trying to capture us! The gun shots are meant to direct us to where they can easily corner us! Daryl searched desperately for a way out and saw an iron door to his right.

"This way," he hollered and yanked on the iron bars, but the door would not open.

"Here," Michonne called, leading them towards another door, which was unlocked. Daryl went first, trying to make sure the coast was clear despite the sun blinding him in the eyes. Old cars and broken boxes littered the area ahead of him. The redneck circumvented the obstacles, with Carl right on his trail. Then, bullets began raining down behind them, causing the group to run even faster. Up ahead, there was another red building with a door that Daryl prayed was unlocked.

"This way," he yelled at those behind him. Before they could reach the door, gunfire cut them off and caused them to have to run down a different street. We are being herded!

"Dammit," Daryl cussed as he ran. This was the second time recently that he had fallen for a trap. First the walkers at the house and now this. He couldn't fail this time like he had failed Beth, he had to get them to safety. That thought caused him to run even faster as he searched desperately for a way out. Daryl raced past a cage that held what looked like parts of a human skeleton. Meat hung from the sides, drying out in the sun. His stomach turned at the sight, so he looked away and kept going. As Daryl sprinted past some red boxcars, a pounding could be heard.

"Help! Let us out," voices cried from inside the containers.

"What the hell," Daryl exclaimed, realizing that Terminus was holding people hostage in boxcars. He scanned the boxcar, looking for a way to open it, but he didn't see one and his group was already moving on.

"Keep going," yelled Rick. There wasn't time to let them out, so Daryl turned and followed after Rick's disappearing back. After multiple turns and dead ends, they entered a room lit by candlelight. It took a moment for Daryl to take in exactly what he was seeing. Candles filled the room, grouped in clusters every couple of feet. Candles had been hung from the ceiling and set on shelves all around the room. Various personal objects lay on the ground, each with a name written below them. There was writing on the wall that said, "We first, always. Never again. Never trust."

"What the hell is this place," Daryl asked without expecting an answer. There was something deeply wrong with the people here at Terminus.

"These people," Michonne said, "I don't think they are trying to kill us."

"No, they are aiming at our feet," Rick agreed, which confirmed Daryl's earlier assumption.

"There," their leader said, motioning towards a door. Before they could go through it though, a man reached in and closed it.

"There," Daryl called as he spotted another exit, which was marked A.

"Go," yelled Rick and they all quickly filed through the door. The moment they were outside, the gunfire started again. However, Daryl spotted a fence with trees beyond it. They were so close to freedom. The redneck started running toward the chain-link fence only to feel his heart drop as men suddenly appeared from within the forest.

They were surrounded on either side and there was not enough of them for an equal fight. The bolt Daryl had been about to load in his crossbow stayed frozen in his hand as he took in all the guns pointed at him. More people just kept appearing. A man on the roof materialized with a sniper rifle and men poured in from the direction they had just come. He turned around to see the same despair written on the faces of his friends. Daryl glanced at Carl, worried for the fate of the young kid, who had already been through enough the past few days.

"Drop your weapons," commanded Gareth from the top of a nearby building, "now."

The only sound in the silence was of his group's ragged breath. Not a single one lowered their weapons. Each searched desperately for some escape route, but there wasn't one to be found. Daryl snarled at himself, angry that he hadn't been able to lead the group to safety. He had already lost Beth, now here he was unable to protect what was left of his group. The redneck flung his bolt on the ground in frustration. Then, he let his crossbow slide out of his grip and onto the pavement. The others set their weapons down more carefully.

"Ringleader," Gareth ordered, "go to your left. The train car, go!" Daryl glanced over to see a red boxcar just like the earlier one. He got the feeling that they were about to be in the same predicament as the trapped people he had come across earlier.

Since Rick didn't make a single move towards the boxcar, Gareth continued. "Do what we say and the boy goes with you," the Terminus leader told them, "Anything else, and he dies and you will end up in there anyway."

There was no other choice and they all knew it. After giving Carl a nod, Rick began walking towards the boxcar.

"Now the archer," directed Gareth. Daryl glared up at the man who was ordering him around. He wanted to memorize every detail of the man because someday, somehow he was going to make him pay. Gareth stared down at him, not with smugness, but in a controlled manner. All Daryl wanted to do was yell and the man and punch him in the face, but that was not possible. Instead, Daryl slowly walked towards the boxcar, looking around as he went for anything that might help him later escape.

The redneck felt vulnerable leaving his crossbow there on the ground. He had never been completely separated from it since he was captured in the Governor's town. However, he felt nowhere close to how vulnerable he had been when he had lost Beth. His crossbow was just a weapon; the struggle to keep it wasn't worth risking the life of Carl.

"Now the samuri," Gareth bade Michonne. Daryl could barely hear her light footsteps behind him, but they were there.

"Stand at the door, ringleader, archer, samuri, in that order," Gareth ordered from his spot on the roof. Daryl came up to Rick, who was standing right in front of the steps that led to the boxcar door. Michonne stopped behind Daryl and they all looked back at Carl, who looked awfully small standing all by himself. They waited for Gareth to tell the boy to follow, but no such order came.

"My son," insisted Rick.

"Go kid," Gareth finally commanded.

Daryl felt a tiny bit of relief as the young boy started walking towards them. No matter how bad things got, they needed to stay together.

"Ringleader," Gareth yelled, "open the door and go in."

"I'll go in with him," Rick argued.

"Don't make us kill him now," Gareth replied without malice or anger.

The Terminus leader really confused Daryl. He didn't seem to do things out of pure meanness like Joe or craziness like the Governor. Gareth didn't show that much emotion in general. Daryl was used to people doing hurtful things because they were just plain mean, but he couldn't get a feeling for why Gareth did what he did.

As Carl got closer, Rick slowly ascended the steps and opened the boxcar door. It was an easy lock, the kind where you just have to flip the bar up and slide it across, no key required. However, it also looked like a sturdy lock, the only why they were going to be getting out is if someone from the outside opened it. Daryl peered inside, but the blackness was impenetrable. Ricks boots rang out as he entered the metal confinement. Daryl followed after him. Once Michonne and Carl were in, the door was pushed shut behind them, plunging them into darkness.

It was taking a while for Daryl's eyes to adjust, but he could he thuds coming from the other end of the boxcar. He tensed, ready to take on walkers if he had to. However, there were no snarls or growls that walkers usually made. Slowly, he began to make out the outlines of a group of people. A few of the outlines moved towards them.

"Rick," asked a voice, which Daryl knew to be Glenn's.

"You're here," Rick said in awe, moving towards the voice. Daryl moved with him and could soon make out the figures. Glenn and Maggie were there. So were Bob and Sasha. Behind them were other strangers, but one looked familiar. A girl with short brown hair came up beside Maggie. Daryl recognized her from the last fight with the Governor, it had just been a glimpse, but he was sure it was the same girl. Maggie seemed to notice the glances at the girl and stepped in front of her.

"They're our friends," Maggie declared, "they helped save us."

Daryl didn't know how they had teamed up with someone who had played a part in the destruction of the prison, but if anyone should have a grudge against the girl, it would be Maggie, whose own father died. If Maggie didn't have a problem with the woman, then neither did Daryl. "Yeah," he grunted, "now they are friends of ours."

"For however long that will be," said a burly man with red hair and a large mustache ominously from the corner of the boxcar.

"No," Rick answered, causing heads to turn towards him. "They're going to feel pretty stupid when they find out," he continued, going into leader mode.

"When they find out what," asked the same man from the corner.

Rick didn't answer right away, instead he peered out of a crack in the wooden planks. Finally, he turned around and took everyone in. "They're screwing with the wrong people," Rick said in a threating voice and Daryl believed every word of it.

Beth's POV

Beth sat on the bed, thinking about all the gunshots she had heard outside of her room. Quite the commotion had gone on, much more than the time right after she had been allowed to wander Terminus. The blonde pulled her knees into her chest and hugged them tight, which was the most comfort she was going to get at the moment. She knew Maggie was somewhere in Terminus and prayed that the commotion hadn't involved her sister. It was frustrating to be so close, to have Maggie in the same railroad station, and not be able to see her.

Hours ticked by and since Beth didn't assume she was going to get a news report on what had gone on, she picked up the Bible and began flipping through the pages. A highlighted sentence stood out and Beth turned back towards it. There, in faded yellow highlighter were the words, "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." Beth closed her eyes and let those words sink in. It was true that very bad things had happened to her and the ones she loved, but she couldn't let that change her heart. And the day might come she might have to do bad things to protect those that she loved, but she couldn't, no wouldn't, let that make her hard and uncaring. At the moment, Beth couldn't change what was happening around her, the only thing she had control over was her reaction to what happened to her.

Gareth's POV

Gareth sat on the little dusty cot. He could have had a much nicer bed, a much nicer room in general, as the leader of Terminus, but he chose not to. He had never wanted to be the leader of anything, much less of a whole group of post-apocalyptic survivors, but it had somehow just kind of happened. The young man closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, he could feel a massive headache coming on. He kept seeing Alex lying on the ground, riddled with bullets and covered in blood.

Gareth had known Alex for a long time, they had known each other before the apocalypse ever happened. They had been neighbors. As little boys they would often play together but in high school, Alex had moved and they had never seen each other again. That was, until the outbreak brought people clamoring toward Terminus. Jack had opened Alex into the safe haven with open arms. Gareth and Alex had gone back to being friends, it had felt good to have someone that he knew and trusted around. Now, his friend was gone though, just like his brother and sister. There was no longer anyone in Terminus that had known him before the outbreak. Gareth's past felt farther away than ever.

Gareth didn't cry at the loss of his friend, he didn't even really react because he couldn't. Ever since that day when he had killed all of those men for what they did to Emily, he had stopped showing emotion. It hadn't been by choice, it had just happened. That night when she had died in his arms, he had shut all of his feelings away, so far away that now even he couldn't reach them. Or at least, so he thought.

The leader had been feeling off ever since he had first talked to the young female prisoner. She reminded him so much of Emily that for once in a long time he had dropped his guard and told her his whole story. It wasn't just that Beth looked a lot like Emily, she acted the same too. Both Beth and Emily had those big wide innocent eyes that seemed to believe in the goodness of the world. Watching Beth struggle to get out of her chains reminded Gareth of Emily, who he had always taunted as being a feisty kitten with no claws.

However, he had been sent by Mary to get Beth for a reason. Gareth couldn't allow himself to get attached to her, because soon she would be…..no, he couldn't finish that thought. It would be like losing Emily all over again. Gareth reached for the worn photograph by his bedside. In it, Jack and Emily smiled out at him.

"What am I supposed to do," Gareth asked, "How am I supposed to lead these people? That was supposed to be your job. You promised that you would watch over Emily and I, you were going to keep us safe. How am I supposed to fill your shoes?"

The leader's breath started coming in short bursts, the room felt like it was spinning.

"Is this what it feels like to have a panic attack," Gareth wondered, clutching to the photograph for dear life. Anxiety welled up in him, but he refused to allow it to take over him. Instead, he kept sitting on the bed, trying to make all of the emotion go away.

Gareth was interrupted by a knock at his door.

"Gareth, you in there," called Mary, "we need to decide what to do with the new prisioners."

"I'll be out in a minute," Gareth managed to reply in a level voice. He had to keep it together, he was the leader. Whether he had wanted to be in charge or not, he was and everyone looked up to him. He couldn't let any of his people see him having a mental breakdown, he had to be strong. However, the minutes passed and Gareth still couldn't get his breath to slow or his anxiety quelled. The leader needed to talk to someone, anyone, but he had no one. He used to always talk to Alex, but now Alex was gone. Gareth hadn't let himself get close to anyone else.

Then, an idea popped into his head. He could go see her, the one that looked like Emily. She wasn't one of his followers, he didn't have to be strong in front of her, she didn't expect anything from him. Also, although he hated to think about it, she wouldn't be around much longer to ever tell his secrets to anyone.

Calming himself outwardly, Gareth managed to walk out of his room and through the building. He said hello to everyone he came across and replied to anyone's questions. He did exactly what a leader should do and slowly but surely, he made his way to Beth's door. Mitch was standing outside the door, looking bored. Upon his approach, Mitch straightened up and nodded in his direction. Gareth returned the nod.

"I would like to speak to our prisoner," Gareth informed the guard.

"Of course," Mitch answered, stepping aside for Gareth to enter.

Gareth unlocked the door and stepped in. There, sitting on the bed reading the Bible was Beth. She had looked up when he had come in and surprise was written plainly on her face. Emily's emotions had always been obvious as well. Gareth shifted uncomfortably, he hadn't really thought about what he would do once he had found Beth, he didn't even know where to begin.

Beth's POV

Beth had been looking for more highlighted sentences in the Bible when the door to her room and unlocked. She had expected Mary to come in with her dinner, but instead it was Gareth. The lanky man stood at the door, his expression unreadable. When he didn't say anything, Beth decided to take the initiative.

"What was all the commotion earlier," she asked, hoping to get more out of him than Mary's roundabout replies.

Gareth took a seat in a chair across from her and stared at his hands for a while before replying.

"We had some intruders. There was a fight. My best friend died," he finally said in a monotone voice. The blonde was shocked to get such a direct answer, but even more so that Gareth wasn't freaking out like any normal person would do. Of course, who was normal these days?

"What happened," the blonde questioned, not wanting to ask directly if Maggie had been near the fighting.

Gareth just stared at his hands like his eyes weren't seeing the present. After a few minutes, his right hand began rubbing the stubble on his face, a sign of his inner distress.

"It was just a normal procedure. There were some new people, but we didn't know about them until they were already here because one of the men left when he was supposed to be on watch duty. However, it still would have been okay, it was going okay. Then, something set them off and they got angry. The leader grabbed Alex and threatened to kill him. I tried to stay as calm as I could, but I realized that I wouldn't be able to save them without letting these people go free. I wouldn't be able to save Alex without other men dying and as a leader I have to do what is best for everyone." At this point, Gareth's face began to contort in grief and frustration.

"I was right there, I could see the fear in his eyes but I pretended not to. He begged with me to save him, but I couldn't, so I acted like I didn't care. He died thinking I didn't care." With the last statement, Gareth looked around the room as if he were trying to find something invisible to normal human eyes.

Beth took in all the information slowly, she was still surprised that Gareth had even come to visit her and more surprised that he was telling her all of this.

"Why did you act like you didn't care," Beth asked, confused by the leader's ramblings.

The young man opened his mouth a few times, but closed it, at loss for words to explain how he was feeling.

"It was easier," he finally said, "not to care, to convince myself and others that I didn't care. I haven't cried since the day Emily died, if I start caring again, it will all come out, all of it. This world is a cruel one and deaths are an everyday thing now, if I let them get to me, I will be weak and I can't be weak when I am supposed to lead everyone."

Beth frowned at his words, mostly because some of those were similar to the thoughts she had had not long ago.

Choosing her words carefully, Beth began talking to Gareth.

"It may seem like it is a lot safer to not let those things get to you. It may seem like protection not to care. I would know. When my boyfriend, Zack, died last year, I didn't shed a single tear. I lied to everyone about how much it affected me. I lied so well that I even convinced myself," Beth confessed, "For a long time, I thought I didn't have emotion anymore. I told myself and others that I didn't cry anymore. I was so sure that by locking away all of my emotions, I would keep myself from getting hurt and that is the only way I would be able to survive in this world."

Gareth looked up at Beth as if taking her in for the first time.

"Well, what happened," he prompted, "you obviously didn't turn out like me so there must be more to your story."

"Well," Beth continued, "I had a lot more taken from me after that, more than I would have ever thought possible." Her voice trembled at the memory but she forced herself to continue. "It hurt a lot and I tried not to let it get to me. However, I was with someone who locked his own emotions away even tighter than I did. Neither of us cried, we would just sit around the fire at night, staring at it blankly. We would go through the motions each day, doing exactly what we needed to do to survive. But that is all we were doing, just surviving, we weren't really living. However, the more I talked to him, the more I realized how much he wasn't saying and how much it hurt him to keep it all inside. By the end of my time with him, we had both cried a lot and we had both yelled a lot, but if felt much better than pretending not to care. I realized that if you keep your emotions locked inside that it slowly eats away at you till there is nothing left. Having emotions is part of what makes us human and different from those mindless corpses that wander all around these days. It isn't weak of you to miss someone you cared deeply about, it is strength to be able to become close to someone in the first place. "

Beth took a deep breath after her short rant. She hadn't meant to say so much, but she couldn't help but see some of her past self in Gareth at the moment.

Gareth sat in his chair, not moving a single hair. Beth didn't move either because she wasn't sure how he had taken her little speech. The blonde kept her eyes trained on the Bible in her lap to avoid awkward eye contact. After a little while she chanced a look up and saw that a single tear was rolling down Gareth's face.

The leader stood up and slowly made his way to the door. Before leaving, he turned back. "I can't do anything to help you Beth, but I will make sure that nothing happens to your sister," he promised, before abruptly leaving. The blonde sat on the bed, her mind reeling from the crazy conversation she had just had.

So that is the end of this chapter. I thought it would be fun to occasionally use a POV that wasn't Beth or Daryl's. Gareth's POV seemed like a good place to start since there is so much that is unknown about him. However, Daryl and Beth are still the focus of the story, so most of the POV's will be theirs, but every couple chapters or so, I would like to add some other people's versions. If you like the idea of other POVs, please let me know and depending on reader's reactions to them, I may do more or less of them.