... Chapter 44 ...
An aggravating noise pierced through the hazy dream Beth was having and she squeezed her eyes shut, groaning sleepily for hearing it. Reality slowly began to intrude where only comforting shadows had lingered before, bringing with it the residual headache that she had all but forgotten she had.
There... there it was again... that noise... what the hell was that?
She pressed her palms to her temple as her head throbbed heavily in protest, wanting nothing more than to submerge herself back in the darkened abyss that had been so welcoming. Hovering at the cusp of it, she heard the grating sound once more...
''You awake there girlie?''
The question itself was gruffly asked, the voice it was asked in deep, southern and tinged with a distinctive ax to grind. Her eyes flaring open, she let her aching head lilt over until its owner was found.
Sitting on the spare bed adjacent to hers was a large man with the steely gaze of someone who had seen a despicable thing or two in his life. His blood stained clothes were off putting enough but it was the prosthetic he had on his arm that had her eyes widening nervously. It had a sharp blade strapped to the end of it that the man was sharpening meticulously, the repetitious sound of the whetstone scraping along its length being the irritating noise that had woken her up.
When the intensity of his piercing glare didn't falter, she found herself asking, ''Who the hell are you?''
He just smirked in response, the slight gesture showing itself to be vaguely familiar for some reason. He set the sharpening stone down on the end table between the two single beds, ignoring the fact that the girl across from him was anxiously watching him do so the whole time.
''Ain't that a question for tha ages,'' He drawled, taking his sweet time before his eyes swung back over to find hers, ''Names Merle Dixon, darlin'. You might 'a heard of me... y'know, shacking up with my baby brother an' all.''
Beth could only stare at the man in complete shock, blaming her sleep addled mind on the fact that she was having a hard time comprehending what had just been said to her. Wait... did he say Merle Dixon? As in Daryl's brother? What kind of dream was this?!
Unable to make the slightest bit of sense of the situation, Beth felt herself falter in confusion. She tried to push herself from the bed, ignoring both the headache and the fact that her limbs felt like they were made of lead.
''Wouldn't do that if I was you.'' Merle sniffed, shaking his head knowingly as he watched her struggle to sit up.
Gritting her teeth against the pain, she ground out, ''Why not?''
''Ya probably ain't aware of it but ya damn near concussed, that's why not. Now, I ain't one ta be tellin' folks what they should or shouldn't be doin', but ya head took a beatin' that would down a fella twice your size. Whatcha weigh… a buck ten wet?'' When she purposely didn't answer, Merle continued as though he hadn't really expected her to. ''They're givin' ya time ta recover, best take 'em up on it.''
At the mention of the word 'they', everything that had happened to her within the last twelve hours all came roaring back to the forefront... the fire at the house, being tied up in the trunk of the car, the confrontation in the driveway… all of it. Beth felt her heart sputter into a stall in her chest, every aspect of the disparaging ordeal falling to the wayside to leave behind the only thing she truly cared about.
''Where's Daryl?''
Merle shrugged, his flinty grey eyes glazing over at the question. ''What can I say, my lil' brother done got himself in one hell of a conundrum comin' out here ta get ya. Far as I know, he's locked up an' will probably stay that way until Joe decides how he's gonna handle things.''
''Locked up?'' Beth repeated, the concept failing to register as she struggled to process such a thing. Finding what was being said almost as frightening as the nonchalant attitude of the man who was saying it, she quickly snapped to and sputtered furiously, ''Oh my god! You're his brother! How can you let them do that to him?!''
''Hey now! I didn't ask ta get thrown in tha middle of this!'' Merle growled back resentfully as he surged to his feet, doing so as though his point could be made somehow more convincing for it. ''If anythin', both y'all should be thankin' me! It's only 'cause of me that his dumb ass is still alive! If anyone should be gettin' called out 'round here, it's you! You're tha one that had him chasin' through hell an' high water ta come here after ya! So I'm thinkin' tha more important question here is who tha hell are you?''
Beth stood up as well and moved to shove past him, not much caring that it was like trying to push a tank out of her way, ''I don't have to answer to you! Since I'm the only one around here who even seems to care, I'm going to go find him so move!''
''Goddamn it, sit ya ass down!'' He grabbed her by the arm to sit her back down on the bed, holding her there firmly until he was assured that she wasn't going to fly further off the handle.
Ignoring the look of complete indignation on her face, he finished what he was saying, the tone of his voice a hell of a lot more serious for it. ''I don't think you're rightly appreciatin' tha severity of tha situation here. That Len fella's throwing 'round a lot 'a accusations… 'bout how Daryl kicked tha shit outta him and how he's claimed ya. Now, me an' Joe go way back but I only jus' stepped into this fucked up scenario a few days ago. Vouching for my brother will only go so far. I don't know what's bein' planned but I do know that ya best be ready for it. All that bein' said, ya better calm tha hell down an' start talkin'!''
Beth just stared at him despondently, the things he was saying making her pounding head spin. There was no way to know what Joe would ultimately decide to do with them, but the connotations of that decision could mean death to Daryl and a fate almost worse than that for herself. Realizing it, she looked up at Merle and nodded glumly, not really looking forward to having to explain herself. If there was the slightest chance that doing so could convince him to help, what choice did she have?
Merle sat back down, feeling the need to stress, ''We ain't got all day.''
Taking a hesitant breath, Beth told him everything from the farm to the mortuary, skipping over the parts that she felt that he didn't need to know. The most telling of which was that she was in love with his brother. The whole time she spoke, she could think of nothing else. That Daryl was alive meant more to her than she could possibly put into the words spilling out of her mouth. Whether or not he stayed that way seemed contingent upon getting Merle on their side. Although she knew little of him and couldn't help but to find him untrustworthy, there was no doubt that having an ally in this place would greatly increase both of their overall chances of survival.
When Beth was done, she looked over to find Merle pulling pensively at the whiskers on his face. He sat there completely lost in thought as he absorbed all that had been said.
''So... Officer Friendly's still alive.'' He sniffed quietly, ''Ain't that jus' a hell of a pill ta swallow…''
''That's all you can think about?!'' She demanded incredulously, ''After everything I just told you?''
''I got beefs of my own.''
With the dismissive response his final say in the matter, Merle stood up to go over to the door. ''I'm gonna head back downstairs, tell 'em you're still sleeping it off.''
Her heart skipped a beat. ''But… what about Daryl?''
''What about him? My brother done made his bed when he left me ta die on that rooftop. I ain't expectin' ya ta understand but the blood that was supposed ta be thicker than water dried up an' died that day, 'specially now I know that he done stuck with Rick fuckin' Grimes ever since. He made his choice an' I made mine an' I reckon there ain't much more ta be said 'bout it, so don't be expectin' no help from me.''
Stunned, Beth could only stare at him, immediately regretting having told him a damn thing. Merle picked up a tray of food that was left sitting by the door and set it on the nearby console table, looking for all intents and purposes to be grimly determined to adhere to his convictions. Sparing her the slightest of glances, he left the room without saying another word, locking the door behind him.
If she hadn't been so physically and emotionally drained, Beth would've gladly laid down on the floorboards and cried. Instead she just sat there lost, the disparaging course of events she'd been run through since escaping the fire taking its toll. Instead of somehow convincing Merle to do right by his brother, she had likely only succeeded in sealing Daryl's fate. The elder Dixon was probably downstairs right now, regaling the others with the information she had just freely handed out... information they could now use against Daryl in the worst possible way.
With the guilt of it weighing down on her, Beth could feel herself crumbling disparagingly. She should've stuck with her gut instinct on the matter and not have said a word. Feeling about as low as she could, she went into the bathroom, twisting the faucet out of habit. Surprisingly water began to flow and she leaned down to splash some on her face. Opening the medicine cabinet, she found some aspirin and antiseptic along with several other things. Swallowing three of the pills, she took some time to clean herself up, hoping that by doing so she could pull herself back together. Quietly locking the bathroom door, she tended to all of her wounds, remaining undisturbed the whole time thanks to Merle's lie. That it had worked only proved he was good at it, which she guessed made him at least good for something.
An hour later, Beth emerged from the bathroom feeling a lot more like herself. The headache that had plagued her for hours had begun to recede, clearing her mind and giving her back her resolve. Since she had time to spare, she dug around the room to find anything of use only to come across a stash of women's clothes sitting in a box forgotten in the closet. Not wanting to think too deeply about who they belonged to or why they were there, she changed out of the blood stained ones she was wearing and into the few things she found in her size - clean socks, a pair of dark jeans and a thin black sweater. Once dressed and with her boots back on, she went over to the window and jiggled on it, not really surprised to find it locked. That it was done so from the outside was telling.
Happening to glance down at the overgrown yard, she paused in disgust upon seeing the pool full of walkers. The thing was completely fenced off and surrounded by multiple lawn chairs. Dozens of empty beer cans and a plethora of crushed cigarette butts were scattered at the base of each one and she felt a shiver run down her spine, barely believing the level of depravity these men would have to sink to in order to find such a thing even remotely entertaining. Starting to get an inkling of what might have happened to the previous owners of the clothes she wore, Beth paled in recognition of it. Was the same fate going to happen to her?
She heard the door unlock from behind her and instinctually reached for her knife, only to be met with nothing but the denim at her hip. Standing there defensively none the less, she hardened her stance when Merle came into the room, holding the door open as he indicated towards the long hallway outside with a tilt of his head, ''C'mon, they're waitin' for ya. Joe's made up his mind.''
''To do what?'' Beth asked, not moving an inch.
''Can't rightly say," He said impatiently like it was a given, "Weren't privy to tha discussion. Jus' know Tony's downstairs pulling Daryl outta whatever hole they had him in as well, so let's go.''
When she still didn't move, his eyes narrowed threateningly, ''Jus' so we're clear, I ain't got an tha slightest bit of an aversion ta comin' over there an' gettin' ya. I'll carry ya downstairs kicking an' screamin' if I have to. Now both of us know what my baby brother will do if he sees that happenin'. You gonna walk down there on ya own or do ya wanna get him killed?''
''You're an asshole.'' She said bitterly, doing as he wanted none the less.
As she marched past him, Merle sniffed knowingly, ''Yeah? You ain't tha first one ta say so… and when all is said an' done here, ya probably won't be tha last.''
Purposely ignoring him, Beth went downstairs, keeping her head high despite the fact that she was nervous and her pulse felt like it was racing out of control. It wasn't hard to decipher were to go. Even from the main entrance she could hear Len yelling obscenities from the enclosed patio just past the kitchen. With Merle a hulking figure at her back, she headed towards the spacious room, squinting past the late day brightness flooding its windows until everything came into view.
The occupants of the house were there waiting for her, all of them standing except for Joe. He was perched quite comfortably on an old bar stool and sat upon it like it was a tin plated throne.
''Ah… if it ain't the guest of honor.'' He declared, using the narrow neck of an empty beer bottle in his hand to spit out the wad of chewing tobacco in his mouth.
At the sound of his voice, Beth paused in the doorway only to be pushed further into the room by Merle. She remained oblivious to the fact that everyone was staring at her, not caring in the slightest. The only one that mattered to her was somewhere there amongst them and her gaze swept dismissively past the rest until it finally fell upon him.
Daryl was standing there by himself, relegated off to the side of the room as though he were on trial. Her eyes widened at the sight of him, having fully expected his brother to have lied about his presence in order to get her moving. He had multiple abrasions on his face and his left arm was covered in dried blood but other than that looked better than she'd expected, especially considering the accusations being aimed at him by Len. His hands were tied behind his back and his weapons were nowhere to be seen, both aspects enough to have him looking understandably pissed off about it. Still, Beth couldn't help but stare at him with her heart lodged in her throat, doing so until the yelling started up again to jar her from the moment.
''This is horseshit!'' Len bellowed angrily, abruptly drawing her attention away from the man who was staring right back at her. ''I fucking come back here with supplies and the car an' this is how I get treated?! What the fuck gives you the right?''
The belligerently spoken question came from behind her so Beth looked over her shoulder for its source. Just past Merle's prosthetic arm, she saw Len standing at the back of the room in even worse shape than Daryl. He was also tied with his hands at his back, although he obviously wasn't taking the fact even remotely as well. He was bleeding from a deep cut above his eye and had several blood stains marring his shirt. Someone had also taken him to task leaving Beth to only speculate why.
As if to answer her question, Tony went over and slammed his fist into Len's belly, making the man double over as he fell to his knees. Gasping for air, he came up seething, the anger radiating off of him an almost palpable black cloud. The big man who had hit him didn't seem to care, grinning as though the blow had been something that he had wanted to do for a really long time. Completely confused by what was going on, Beth couldn't help but think that she had just walked into a den of testosterone fueled madness. Her brows drawn, she turned back around to see Joe just sitting there watching the proceedings disinterestedly, his casual attitude confounding her even more.
''Now Len, I done told you that there's a price to be paid for everything...'' He said with a sigh, getting up to wander around them all like he was taking a casual afternoon stroll. He walked behind where Len was still panting on his knees and grabbed a handful of his greasy hair, leaning down to sneer at his ear, ''Did you really think I'd let you just waltz on back in here without paying it? You disregarded my orders getting Harley killed, you take off in the middle of the night only to come back weeks later without Dan but with his car, this girl and the fella she belongs to in tow and I'm supposed to believe that wasn't your intention the whole fucking time? Do I look fucking stupid to you?''
The air was heavy with unnerving tension as Joe waited for an answer, an answer that Len's defiant body language made clear that he wasn't going to get.
Releasing him with a shove, Joe continued on the path he was taking, coming around Merle's stoic frame to stand in front of Beth. He notched a finger under her chin, forcing her head up so he could see her better. ''Well, well… look at you. Don't you clean up pretty.''
Beth could hear Daryl bristle sharply all the way from the other side of the room. He took a threatening step over, seemingly beside himself enough to attempt it. That he would do so despite not having the leverage or the capacity to do anything more was saying something.
''What was that?'' Joe said sarcastically, cupping a dismissive hand to his ear, "Didn't quite hear you…"
With a nod, he sent Tony over to do to Daryl exactly what he had just done to Len, the solid weight of the large man's fist cutting off any further enraged sentiment. Daryl huffed in pain as the air rushed from his lungs, the momentum of the blow enough to make him sway unsteadily on his feet. He stood there wheezing for breath, the dark look on his face indicating that he wanted to do nothing more than to destroy absolutely everyone and everything around him.
Ignoring him, Joe turned back around and continued to talk to her, doing so like the interruption hadn't happened. ''How's your head? None of us saw you go down until you were laid out, flat on the ground. That's when I had Merle here take you upstairs… let you catch your bearings.''
He said it like he had done her a favor, the look on his face one of cool condescension. Completely detached in his lack of emotion, he swept past her to go sit back down on his stool. Watching him go, Beth felt her shoulders slump in relief for no longer being within his immediate vicinity. The intensity radiating from the man was almost too much to handle and her nerves were barely hanging on by a depleted string as it was.
When he was sure that he had everyone's attention, Joe finally got to the point he was wanting to make. He scanned the occupants of the room before his gaze settled back on her.
''You being locked away allowed me to discuss the situation with everyone else here without the distraction you provide. As expected, both Len and Daryl here made excellent points... and when they didn't… well, they paid the price I spoke of earlier. Now, Len… he lied to my face, was directly involved in the killing of two of my men and is generally an asshole, but... he did bring back the car and some sorely needed supplies. He keeps saying that should count for something and I can tell by looking at him just how sorry he is. Ain't you Len? You're real sorry about all of that, right?''
Still on his knees in the back, Len nodded sullenly, the hatred emanating from his eyes indicating that he was anything but.
''Daryl here… well, he's obviously a good guy. I can tell he cares. He killed Harley back in that store and as I said earlier, I can't rightly blame him for that. It's bad luck to speak ill of the dead but Harley got what was coming to him. The man could only ever think with his dick and look where it got him. Daryl did beat the shit out of Len though and there's a reckoning to be had for that. After all, Len is still one of this group... despite his transgressions... and we take care of our own."
Joe paused the spiel he was on so he could dig in his pocket for his can of chew. Taking all the time he had in the world, he pinched a fresh wad of tobacco between his fingers, packing it together tight. Beth watched him do so nervously, wondering where the hell he was going with all this. Looking warily around the room, she could see that she wasn't the only one.
''Daryl came here looking for you Beth, and I hate to be the one to tell you this but that's where he done fucked up. It goes without saying that he brought whatever bad intentions he might have with him. It's only because he's the young brother of my friend Merle here that I'm even allowing him to huff that goddamn breath back into his lungs as we speak. So, with all that being said, I'd like to know... what do you think I should do in this situation?''
Shoving the chew into his mouth, he sat back and waited for an answer. Taking a page from Daryl's book, she wasn't one to disappoint.
''I sure know what I'd like for you to do.'' She managed to bite out derisively, wishing more than anything that she could just tell him to go to hell like she wanted.
Almost immediately, Tony stepped over towards her, making Daryl stiffen from across the room. Joe was quick to hold up a dissuading hand, the simple gesture effectively stopping the large man in his tracks.
''You know Beth, I like you, I really do. You're a sassy little thing and damn cute as a button. But liking you doesn't change what needs to happen here...'' He paused, a self congratulatory stroke of genius seeming to go off in his head, ''It does, however… give me one hell of an interesting idea...''
Beth felt her stomach churn in dread as she braced herself for whatever it was she was about to hear. She chanced a quick glance over at Daryl to see that he was clearly apprehensive as well. From behind them, Len was practically grinding his teeth with anger, having finally mustered the strength to push himself heavily to his feet. Merle did nothing but stare on indifferently, his face a blank slate as though the sudden turn of events was to be expected. Of all of them, only Tony seemed remotely excited, his face flushed with color as he began chuckling like a lunatic. The spectrum of the vastly different reactions she was seeing didn't bode well. Everyone obviously had an idea to what was coming but she still didn't have a clue.
''Beth, take a look at both Len and Daryl, would you?'' Joe asked, the tone of his voice pleasant enough despite the dire connotations lingering beneath it. He paused while she apprehensively did as requested.
''Both these boys want you, enough to where they're willing to take the life of the other just to fucking have you. What do you think, should I give 'em that chance? Let 'em resolve the issue for themselves?'' He contemplated the specifics of his own question while running a hand down his straggly beard. ''Let's see, both of 'em are trackers with one hell of a score to settle. Len, he's the best I have… but who knows, Daryl could be better. Considering that he found you within a day when the same took Len weeks, I'm inclined to believe it. His brother Merle here says he's good… what about you Beth, do you think he is?''
Worrying nervously at her lower lip, Beth just nodded, not trusting the sound of her own voice.
''You willing to bet your life on that?'' He said ominously.
With her heart pounding furiously in her chest, Beth just stared at him, wondering if he was really expecting her to answer. From across the room, Daryl was glaring over her head at his brother who, much like Billy who lounged in the doorway, hadn't said a damn word. Even for knowing Merle for as little as she did, Beth thought his silence to be out of character. The tension in the room pressed down upon them all uncomfortably, doing so until Joe chose to relieve it.
''Never mind, no need to answer that. Tell me, have any of you ever heard the saying 'To the victor goes the spoils'? Anyone?'' He looked pointedly over his audience, not particularly giving a shit that everyone looked on edge. He smiled unnervingly for it, the warmth of the sentiment not reaching the maliciousness of his eyes.
''It don't matter. We're going to find out who's best 'round here, once and for all… and whoever wins gets the job and the girl, and whoever loses dies.''
…...
Thank you for reading "What Still Lies Ahead" as always. I hope you are still enjoying reading it as much as I am writing it. Any feedback is appreciated so please take a moment to review.