…... Chapter 40 …..
Beth ran down the alley as fast as she could, flying past the walkers and dumpsters in her way until she reached the main road that adjoined it up ahead. She skidded breathlessly around the corner and ducked into the entrance of a recessed loading dock located just behind the adjacent building. It was as good a place as any to wait for Daryl to catch up. Feeling more than a little lightheaded and dizzy for the effort taken to get there, she peered into the interiors darkened corners just to make sure there wasn't any hidden threat that could suddenly and unexpectedly make itself known.
As she panted heavily at the dusty air, it didn't take long to realize that she couldn't see anything past the oxygen deprived haze that was still clouding her vision so she drew a deep breath and tried again. The fog finally cleared enough to show her that the enclosure was empty. Not daring to feel relieved just yet, she tentatively ventured back outside, needing to see what kind of state the road was in as well.
The stretch of asphalt was nothing more than a service street, its sole purpose to allow deliveries to the stores and businesses it ran between. It was littered with burnt out vehicles, even more dumpsters, a ridiculous amount of trash and more than a few dozen walkers. Upon seeing the daunting amount of obstacles they'd still need to overcome, Beth felt her shoulders drop despondently. Why had she even bothered to hope for something else?
Slumping back in disappointment against the docks corrugated gate, she took advantage of the brief reprieve to focus what was left of her energy upon slowing down the painful heaving of her chest. The short run had pulled from the last of her reserves and with Daryl right on her tail it was just a matter of moments until he caught up. When he did he'd probably need for her to do it again so she wanted to be ready. Still hunched over with her hands on her knees, Beth looked up expectantly and waited for him to barrel past...
A long minute passed…
And then another...
Her brows drew in confusion... ok, that was strange…
Not having much choice in the matter, she left the relative safety of the dock to peer back down the long alley, her stomach dropping uneasily to see that he was nowhere in sight. The walkers she had managed to bypass with relative ease were still there quiet and undisturbed. They milled listlessly around the dumpsters scattered down the narrow corridor blessedly unaware of the potential meal that had just raced past them in a blur.
Beth pressed herself anxiously against the bricks, now stuck in an impossible dilemma.
She had been told on more than one occasion that when he told her to run, she was to do just that and not go back for anything… including him. Daryl had made clear that under no circumstance was she to return to help, that he didn't want her to try and assist. She was to go to whatever predetermined location had been chosen for her and wait for him there with no questions asked.
As much as her head was telling her to do just that, her heart was having none of it. Now left faltering on the edge of overwhelming indecisiveness, she swallowed hard at the tangible lump of dread in her throat. Everything that made her who she was now urging her to go back… to see what was wrong… to find out why he wasn't there behind her like he assured her he would be.
There in the distance, she finally saw what she was looking for. Sporadic glimpses of the Horton were seen past the impediments between them as Daryl made his way towards her. Spared of the nerve racking quandary Beth could feel herself slump in relief against the wall she was hiding behind. It was then that she noticed that he was moving a lot slower than he should be, especially considering the amount of walkers he was surrounded by. Unsteady on his feet, he was practically stumbling his way around them, inadvertently alerting them of his presence to the point where they began congregating behind him as was their nature. It wasn't until he got a lot closer that she saw the reason why. He was injured, the blood flowing down the side of his face being a dead giveaway.
Seeing her hovering there, Daryl pushed past a dumpster in his way to roll it back in the path of the oncoming walkers. He slammed his body weight against it in an effort to wedge it tightly against the alleys narrow walls, his teeth gritted in determination until he was able to kick down the locks on its wheels to ensure it stayed there. The tactic worked just enough to leave the multiple walkers now trapped on the other side with nothing better to do than to groan loudly in disappointment.
''Thought I told ya ta run.'' He groused, sweeping past where she stood waiting nearby.
Beth was left gaping at his back. ''You also told me you were going to be right behind me… or did you forget that?''
Not expecting a response and unsurprisingly not getting one, she followed behind him as he led the way further down the road, both of them using the burnt out cars and alcoves that lined the stretch to avoid the scattered walkers in their path. As they hunched down behind a random SUV, Beth could see that he was holding it together by a thread. The constant movement had caused the nasty gash on his head to bleed out that much more profusely.
''Daryl…'' She whispered, only to have to repeat herself more earnestly when he didn't seem to hear her, ''Daryl! We have to take care of that! You're going to fall over if we stay out here like this!''
Knowing him as she did, Beth fully expected the completely logical suggestion to be rudely brushed off. Readying herself to have to argue with him about it, she was surprised instead when he just slumped back against the vehicle and nodded resignedly. Seeing a back entrance to a small diner nearby, he pointed to it before pressing the finger to his lips, indicating that she was to head there as quietly as possible. Beth peered around the bumper of the vehicle to make sure the coast was clear before taking off for it, the sound of the crossbow rattling from behind assuring her that he was right where he should be this time.
As soon as they reached the restaurants back door, she stepped aside and let Daryl find a way into the building. He was starting to look unnaturally pale so she could only pray that the diner and the two nondescript stories above it were empty. The door gave and she followed him in, keeping to his back as he swung the Horton and the flashlight through the ransacked rear stockrooms. They carefully stepped past the walk-in refrigerators and the wreckage in the kitchen to finally arrive at the main dining area up front.
To say that the place was a disaster was an understatement. Stepping around the pile of trash on the floor, Beth glanced around to see that every available surface was covered with an array of dirty dishes. The boarded windows behind the booths had clothes hanging all over them like they were makeshift curtains and there was calendar spray painted crudely on the wall. Looking closer, many of the boxes were crossed out, indicating that whoever had been tracking the days on it had been camped out in the restaurant for a while. Not that it mattered now. Whoever they were, they were long gone. The place was empty… there was no blood… no gore… none of the usual signs that indicated a violent breech of any kind.
As if thinking the same thing, Daryl lowered the crossbow in his hands. ''Fuckin' abandoned… jus' like everywhere else," He muttered, pausing to pick up a raggedy looking teddy bear from one of the tabletops, "S'like everyone who lived here jus' upped an' turned or somethin'.''
''I know… it's really weird…'' Beth whispered over the nervous pounding of her heart, ''What about upstairs? Do you think it's abandoned too?''
''Won't know till I go check.'' He responded, already heading for the door to do so.
When she was quick to remind him of his injury he stopped and turned around.
''It's jus' a cut,'' He said for being completely aware of its existence. ''It ain't like I'm dying or nothin'. Tell ya what, let me get this done an' I'll let ya take care of it afterwards. Deal?''
Knowing that he was going to do what he wanted with or without her consent, Beth just nodded and sat down at the counter, straining her hearing to detect anything out of the ordinary coming from the two upper floors the whole time he was gone. Her fingers clenched unknowingly around an empty sugar dispenser in front of her in an effort to counteract the depressing pall of the diner. What could've possibly happened to this town that would cause every single living soul within it to end up dead on the streets? After thinking about it for longer than she wanted to, Beth realized that she didn't really want to know.
She looked up when Daryl pushed open the kitchens swinging doors, the Horton pointing safely at the ground.
''S'clear.'' He said, motioning for her to follow him with a tilt of his head. ''Windows upstairs ain't boarded so it's a hell of a lot brighter up there, cleaner too. Let's patch this up an' then figure out how we're gonna get outta here.''
Beth followed him as he led the way, the natural light flooding the stairwell making it easy to do. The directory on the wall showed that the second and third floors housed multiple private law offices, small hometown practices that would best serve a place the size of Piedmont well. As she looked past the rows of secretarial cubicles stationed in the middle, Beth could see that everything was in fairly pristine condition, at least when compared to the mess downstairs. Speculating on it further, she supposed that offices in general wouldn't hold much appeal to the average scavenger when there was a stocked diner to be ransacked below.
Daryl walked into the first executive office he came to and headed straight to the bar. Grabbing a handful of fancy cocktail napkins, he pressed them to his temple, peeling away the top few layers when they became overly saturated with blood. With him fully preoccupied with the task, Beth wandered over to the rooms huge windows and glanced down at the walkers that still lingered on the street.
''Goddamn it…'' He groused from behind and it prompted her to turn around to see him swiping at the wound like it was an inconvenience that he had neither the time, patience or inclination to deal with.
''Here, stop that,'' She came over to take the napkins from him before he did even more damage. ''Go sit down over there and let me see what I can find to take care of it.''
With no choice in the matter Daryl tossed the Horton onto the desk that dominated the center of the room and ignored the cloud of dust it kicked up in response. He slumped down into the plush leather chair nearby, looking about as out of place in it as he possibly could.
Beth dug around in the offices private bathroom until she found some antiseptic and a small first aid kit. Retrieving what was left of the bottle of water they had brought with them, she sat down in front of him on the chairs matching ottoman and attempted to get as close as possible without having to actually resort to sitting in the man's lap.
She set a makeshift prep station at her side, doing so out of habit and with the acute awareness that she had Daryl's complete and undivided attention. When everything was finally ready, she dampened what was left of the napkins with water and glanced over at him, for some reason feeling very self conscious. He shifted forward in the chair, closing the distance between them enough for her to be able to reach the wound without having to stretch too far to do so. With her pulse inexplicably racing out of control, Beth pressed a napkin gently to it, trying her best to refocus her wayward attention back on the task at hand. The way he was staring at her was making it incredibly difficult and she had to keep reminding herself to pull a breath from under the intensity of his gaze.
''Y'know, you got tha prettiest blue eyes I ever did see, I ever tell ya that?'' He said from out of nowhere, his voice low and quiet on the air. ''Swear, they're like tha ocean… ta me anyways.''
Completely stunned, Beth stopped what she was doing with her hand left hovering uselessly at his temple. The man must have lost more blood than she thought!
The compliment was so out of character that she could only stare back at him in return, trying her best to determine if he had meant sincerely or if it was just the traumatic head injury talking. Either way, it had her heart feeling like it was going to throb right out of her chest.
As if suddenly realizing he had voiced his very private thoughts out loud, Daryl's body tensed unwittingly. He immediately set his defenses back to formation, his features schooling themselves into an air of forced indifference. A slight flush at his hairline was the only indication given that he might have been embarrassed and he dropped his gaze from hers uncomfortably.
Beth picked back up where she had left off, blotting away what was left of the blood until she was satisfied the wound was clean. Sweeping the hair from his eyes with her finger, she traced it down the length of his jaw to say softly, ''Y'know, sweet talkin' me is not going to get you out of explaining what happened to you back there.''
Seemingly relieved that she wasn't going to make his awkward situation even more so, Daryl relaxed the broad set of his shoulders, the tension held tight there releasing.
''I mean, you told me you'd be right behind me...'' She continued, dabbing some antiseptic carefully to the wound. Beth let the connotation linger on the air in hopes that he would start filling in the blanks to finish it himself.
With his head starting to feel a hell of a lot better, Daryl sighed from under her ministrations, ''Yeah, well… that was tha game plan, that was until a damn walker gotta hold of my ankle right when I was makin' tha jump. Goes without sayin' that I wasn't expectin' ta get hung up like that. Next thing I knew, I was ass out on tha ground, feelin' like I'd been worked over with tha business end of a sledgehammer.''
''Was it then that you decided to break your fall with your head?'' She asked with a smile, pausing only to give him a knowing look, ''Because this looks like it may need stitches… again!''
''Sass... nothin' but sass,'' Daryl sniffed, appreciating the humor apparent in her tone none the less, ''Weren't my intention, that's for damn sure. I'm layin' there bleedin' out like a stuck pig an' next thing I know, I got a bunch'a fuckin' walkers raining down on me from tha rooftop above like a goddamn tickertape parade. I don't know… guessin' they didn't much appreciate tha fact that their lunch was makin' a break for it.''
In the process of tearing open some suture bandages, Beth stopped what she was doing, having not realized just how potentially deadly the situation could've been. ''What happened then?''
She watched as he lost himself in the dark recesses of the recollection. ''Can't really say. Jus' know it was surreal as shit layin' there watching 'em fall like that… like… somethin' out of a nightmare that there weren't no waking up from. Tha beatin' my head took had me floating in an' out of things but I could still hear 'em droppin' nearby. Weren't until one almost landed on top 'a me that I finally pulled my shit together an' jumped tha wall.''
Beth listened with her heart throbbing against her ribcage, not trusting herself to say a word. It seemed like every time they ventured outside of the safe haven they had created for themselves, something bad happened to one or both of them. The disparaging aspect of it made his idea of staying locked up in the house appealing... but only if he stayed in there locked up with her.
She applied the sutures to the cut, pressing down on them lightly to keep them in place. The temporary measure would have to suffice, at least until they got home and she could see to it properly.
''You're probably still going to need more than this… but... it's the best I can do for now.'' She chagrined, dropping her arms to indicate that she was done.
''S'fine.'' Daryl dismissed predictably. He shoved himself from the chair to go and retrieve the Horton. ''Stitches or anythin' else is gonna have'ta wait either way. It's gonna get dark here soon enough an' I don't want us being out here when it does. 'Sides… no offense or nothin'… but I ain't sure my head can take another round of ya needlework.''
Shoving the antiseptic and the rest of the items into the backpack, Beth glanced over to see that he was joking. ''Oh, really? Like you could do so much better?''
Daryl smirked knowingly but didn't respond, instead going over to the window to assess the situation in front of the building for himself. She left the backpack where it lay on the ottoman and went over to join him there, knowing without having to be told that the substantial amount of walkers they both saw on the street were going to be an issue.
''How do you want to do this?'' She asked.
''Well, we're here. Reckon we might as well sweep tha place an' see if there's anything left in it we can use.'' He glanced down to where she was at his side, ''Ya found bandages an' antiseptic… who knows, maybe there's more. Between everythin' downstairs plus all 'a this up here, there's gotta be something.''
''And if there's not?''
Thinking about it for a moment, Daryl sighed and squared his shoulders, seeming to accept the only viable option that was available to them. ''Still gonna call it a day. Like I said, don't want us out here at nightfall. Whole point was ta check tha place out and we've done so. With a better idea on what ta expect, we can come back in tha next couple 'a days or so... not be caught so unawares by it."
Adjusting the crossbow strap more comfortably across his chest, he glanced back down to the road below. "Hell, at this point I'm more concerned 'bout gettin' past them walkers than I am about findin' food. We managed ta get a fair amount of 'em out of our way but I don't trust for shit that they won't come back once tha sun sets. I'm thinkin' it's best ta get out now while tha goings good. I don't know, what do you think?''
Beth just nodded, the prospect of what he was saying starting to make her nervous, ''How about I check downstairs while you take these two floors?''
''Yeah, but make it quick… say, fifteen minutes tops.'' When she agreed, Daryl paused hesitantly before taking the moment to gruffly clear his throat, ''And, uh… thanks for takin' care of this,'' He gestured to the small bandages at his temple, ''… it feels better already so I 'preciate it.''
''You're welcome.'' She said sincerely, meaning it. The quietly spoken expression of gratitude had him shuffling back and forth on his feet as it chafed against everything that made him who he was. As much as she wished it differently, at least he was trying.
Leaving him to his own devices, Beth quickly headed back downstairs, now faced with the daunting task of digging through the personal belongings of those who had used the restaurant as a temporary sanctuary. Stepping around an narrow inflatable mattress on the floor, she took a moment to look around the chaos they had hastily left behind.
The place was in even worse shape than she had initially thought. The cups on the tables still had coffee in them and personal effects were stacked all over the chairs. It truly was like whoever had been there had upped and vanished without a trace. Rummaging around only seemed to confirm the strange notion. She found a stockpile of canned goods hidden under an unused tent – spaghetti O's, baked beans and a variety of vegetables – all of them stacked neatly in a box along with several can openers. With anything in cans worth its weight in gold, why not just take them?
Choosing not to dwell on it, she shoved what was most substantial into the backpack and left the rest where they were. She dug through a crate and found six government issued insta-meals, the kind soldiers were forced to eat while out in the field. They were vacuum packed and sealed for freshness so they went into the bag as well, along with several packets of instant oatmeal and a couple of candles.
With the backpack running out of space and herself almost out of time, anything else she wanted to take would unfortunately have to wait. Beth placed it all neatly into the box with the remaining cans and hid it carefully away in the kitchens dish washer. When the two of them returned they could get it then, but until that time at least she felt secure that it was stowed away safe and sound.
Going back upstairs she found Daryl digging through the lockers in the employee break room. He had managed to find a couple of things worthwhile but nowhere near the surprising haul that she had. On the table next to him sat a couple of bottles of water, some packets of ramen noodles, several protein bars and multiple bags of candy. All of it went into the backpack until the thing was practically bulging at the seams.
The break room had two large vending machines that sat against the far wall, both of which were stripped empty and completely destroyed. The front panels of each were shattered as though someone had kicked them in and looking over at them, Beth wistfully sighed out loud, ''God, what I'd give for a cold can of root beer right now…''
Daryl spared the machines the slightest glance before muttering, ''Yeah, guessin' it was too much ta hope that there'd be somethin' left in 'em but whatever, I reckon we found enough. A hell of a lot more than I thought we would.'' He adjusted the Horton over his shoulder while she situated the bag over hers, ''Shit ain't tha best but it will last us, least 'til we can make it back out here again.''
Beth was about to tell him of the box she stashed in the kitchen when the sudden sound of rumbling could be heard coming from the street out back. They just stared at each other as they listened to it in shock, both of them frozen in place. With the noise getting progressively louder, there was nothing within it that indicated what it might be coming from but whatever it was, it was large... large enough to cause the second story windows to rattle noisily in their frames as it passed in front of the building.
As if suddenly remembering that she needed to pull a breath, Beth's hand flew up to her chest in a pointless effort to calm the pounding of her heart. The slight motion all it took to break the heightened tension that held them both firmly in its grips. It prompted Daryl to bolt out of the room leaving her there to run out after him. Beth didn't know what she was about to see but she was completely dreading it none the less.
She skidded to a halt next to where he was peering through the rear office blinds and waited for him to confirm that it was indeed some kind of tank out there. When he didn't say a word about it one way or the other, Beth resorted to having to look outside for herself, being mindful to open the blinds just enough to not be detected by anyone or anything that could be watching for movement from below.
It turned out to be a military armored truck of some kind, heavy duty with large oversized wheels. Behind it followed a writhing mass of walkers, all of them traipsing after the vehicle like it was the pied piper from hell. Whoever it belonged to had felt the need to reinforce its defenses beyond the standard steel plated sidings. It had a metal V shaped bumper welded to its front end that let it plow easily past the walkers in its way, doing so much like a hot knife would through butter. Bars covered its windows and an army issued gatling gun of some kind was stationed on its roof. It was an massively imposing vehicle, one specifically custom made for the kind of world in which they all lived in... and it looked like it was slowing down.
Its brakes squealing, the truck stopped just down the block from where they were watching it and a man rushed out from the passenger side. Although his clothes were clearly not military, he was still heavily armed. Unrolling a poster of some kind, he slapped it against the fence and stapled it there methodically before frantically glancing over to see the walkers behind him were now starting to catch up. He got back inside the vehicle and it took off again, pushing past the walkers in its way like they were insignificant nothings. Beth looked on as they mindlessly integrated in with the others, doing so until the truck and the meandering corpses behind it both disappeared around the corner.
With the silence it left behind deafening, she dared to look over at Daryl. ''What do you think that was all about?'' She whispered, wishing more than anything that he would just volunteer his opinion on his own.
He shrugged, his face a blank slate. ''Could be a scouting party jus' checkin' out tha place, could be what's left of tha army lookin' for survivors... who knows, could be somethin' worse.'' He looked back down the length of the service road before saying quickly, ''I ain't too worried 'bout it. C'mon, let's go.''
''What?! Right now? Are you sure that's a good idea with that thing out there?''
''It's a damn good idea,'' He assured, already heading for the stairs, ''Whoever tha hell that was, they jus' did us a solid by clearin' all them walkers. They had ta come in from somewhere… which jus' means that there's a clear path out of here somewhere as well. We need ta find it an' quick!''
With no time to think upon what he was saying, Beth ran after him as he flew downstairs and out the diners back door.
Grinding to a stop next to him as he checked out the stretch of asphalt they were about to risk, she saw he was right. It was remarkably clear with barely a walker to be seen. Feeling as though luck was on their side for once, she followed him as he took off down the street, heading out in the opposite direction from the truck. The two of them traversed it as fast as they could, doing so without having to resort to running. It was clear that Daryl intended for them to take advantage of the favorable conditions while they had them so Beth kept that in mind, making sure to mimic his movements the best that she could.
He stopped behind a retaining wall and pressed his back to it, pulling the Horton up more securely on his chest. Beth fell against it next to him, taking the moment to hurriedly catch her breath. Panting at the air for it, she happened to glance over and see one of the posters that the occupants of the truck had attached to the wall. Torn at the edges, it was covered in sloppy handwriting but was still legible for the most part. Unable to help herself, she pushed away from the bricks to go and read it, Daryl coming over to join her when she didn't respond to his insistent whispering of her name.
'Sanctuary For All.
Community For All.
Terminus.
Those Who Arrive Survive.'
The words themselves were scrawled above a faded map of Georgia and Beth looked it over to see that the state itself was covered in a plethora of red lines, all which led to a central location marked with a big black star.
''Terminus…'' She said out loud, readjusting the backpack on her shoulders, ''It doesn't look too far from here. Do you think it's where the others could've gone?''
''Maybe.'' Daryl muttered from next to her, chewing pensively at his lower lip as he studied the map, ''...'All that arrive survive'? I don't know… sounds shady as shit if ya ask me. Ain't no such thing as sanctuary, not no more. Any place tryin' ta be one gets overrun an' nobody tryin' ta reach one ever makes it.''
Beth's felt her shoulders slump in unwitting disappointment. It was the first time since the turn that she had seen anything resembling an organized effort to unite the survivors so she had tentatively indulged the stirrings of hope that had flared painfully in her chest. Daryl was much more of a realist, his sixth sense about such things giving him a much clearer understanding of the potential hidden dangers. While what he was saying was probably true, she still found it discouraging to hear and her eyes fell from the poster despondently.
As if he could tell, Daryl put an arm around her shoulders. ''Hey, I ain't sayin' we can't still go an' check it out. Jus' cause it don't seem right ta me don't mean that Maggie an' tha others didn't choose ta go there. With these storms rollin' through, who knows… they might've thought it was tha best option outta tha few available to 'em."
He stepped over to trace a possible path on the map with his finger before adding, "Here, tell ya what... when the weather clears up we'll take a road trip an' see what's up. I could be wrong an' maybe it's exactly what this thing is sayin' it is.''
She looked up at him as he came back to her side, barely believing that he would offer to do such a thing. ''Wrong?'' She imparted, her brow rising skeptically, ''You?''
''It happens,'' He shrugged in return, the corner of his mouth smirking up, "Don't try ta call me out on it 'cause I'll jus' change my mind about goin' an' not take a chance in provin' it.''
Beth held up her hands to concede immediately, somehow both of them already knowing that she would. Daryl was obviously going against his gut instinct on the matter and she could only wonder at it, not daring to question his motives out loud. Whatever his reasons were for doing so, she just knew that she was grateful. It had been so long since she had dared to hope that she had almost forgotten what the galvanizing sentiment felt like.
''Now that's settled, it's 'bout time for us ta get tha fuck on outta here an' go home, what d'ya say?'' He glanced down to where she was next to him before lightheartedly adding, ''Don't know 'bout you but I'm thinkin' we should go ta bed, eat a shit ton 'a junk food an' maybe fool around… see what happens.''
The sense of humor that was trying its damndest to relax the harsh lines of his face hadn't been attempted sincerely since they had first stepped foot outside of the house. Beth suppressed her happiness for hearing it and said with as much conviction as she could muster, ''Y'know, I'm going to need you to not say things like that to me outside of the bedroom, I've been told by a certain someone that it will get me in trouble.''
''Pfft, like ya need help with that…'' Daryl grinned, pulling the crossbow back up as he ignored the expected eye roll the response earned him.
Getting himself situated, he pointed the weapon into the far distance. ''That's tha way we're headin' out. Stay close ta me an' keep clear of them recessed doors an' alleyways. Whatever way is tha emptiest is tha way we're goin', we jus' need ta do it fast until we clear tha river…'' He paused for a moment before asking, ''Ya ready?''
"Born ready." She said, smiling when he recognized the same cocky assurance that he had given to her at the moonshine house.
Shaking his head appreciatively at it none the less, he tsked, "Smartass..."
Beth pulled her knife from its holster, once again feeling better for having it held tightly in her grip. Leaving the brick wall behind, Daryl proceeded to lead them out on the roads less traveled, doing so until they found their way out of town. Using an old maintenance bridge to cross the roaring river, they reached the relative safety of the surrounding woods to disappear into the thick cover it provided.
Looking past the swaying tree limbs to the darkening sky above, Beth realized that they had probably left not a moment to soon. Winter had the night descending faster than usual, the shadows all around them seeming to blacken with every step. The prospect of being stuck out in the woods once it did was enough of an incentive for her to pick up her pace.
As she did so, she realized that she didn't feel remotely as scared as she used to at the thought of knowing such a thing. With Daryl at her side and her knife in her hand, it was almost like she could keep the lifelong phobia at bay. In fact, Beth was beginning to realize that she felt a lot more capable overall, her confidence growing substantially. There was a gradual shift happening within her, one that she never expected, and the trip to town had been all that was needed to assure her of it.
Daryl's trust in her to do what was necessary to keep them both safe was a huge factor behind the growing inclination. He wasn't one to hand it out freely and that he had it in her meant everything to Beth. Secure in the knowledge that the two of them could handle anything that came their way, she felt stronger for it… more self reliant. With the conviction only gaining traction the longer she was around him, acknowledging it to herself was a good feeling... one that encouraged her to keep guard at his back until the trees began to thin and the mortuary lay quietly in the distance.
…...
Thanks for reading "What Still Lies Ahead" and sticking with me through a milestone of 40 chapters! This was a really long one, to the point where I was almost tempted to cut it in half. Looking forward to reading your comments as always andif you are new to this story, welcome. Bethyl on!