The Walking Deth - Part III

Where We Belong - Chapter III

Staying Put

Chloe looked terrible that morning. She was so white, the only way I could spot her among the sheets was through her straw coloured hair that hung dull and limp from the loose skin on her skull. I had called out her name to wake her, and her fine blonde eyelashes had fluttered a little in response.

I knelt down to the side of her bed and stroked her across her ice cold forehead.

"Chloe you need to try to eat somethin'." I murmured gently to her.

Her eyes flicked open and looked past me and then closed again. I scooped up a spoonful of tomato soup and held the spoon to her ghost white lips. They parted ever so slightly and I tipped the spoon allowing the soup to drip into her mouth. Her tiny tongue pushed at the soup like a birds would lap up water, and the majority of what I had fed her dripped out of the side of her mouth. After a few spoonfuls she looked like a pale white vampire lying in a coffin with lines of blood running from her mouth. She pressed her lips closed when I tried to offer her more. Feeling defeated I dropped the spoon back into the nearly full can and pulled myself to my feet, resolved I would have to try again later.

When I turned Daryl was standing behind me looking down at Chloe. His eyes, full of fear, tore away from her apathetic body and looked at me. We didn't say anything we could read each other's thoughts, and I didn't want to say them out loud.

Daryl turned his sad face away from me and began rummaging around in his backpack.

"I'm gonna have to go out an' hunt." He said while glaring at the contents of the bag. "I'm guessin' were gonna be here for a few days, until we find a way to get these kids outta here."

My lips pressed into a pout as I thought of how exactly we were going to do that. We certainly weren't going to fit them all on the bike, and I hadn't seen any cars big enough to fit them all in when we rode through the town.

"We'll need to wait for Chloe to get stronger too." I suggested, looking down on the girl who had fallen back asleep. Although I didn't know if she ever would.

Daryl insisted that he go out right there and then to hunt, even though we had plenty of chickens we could butcher. I was a little anxious to be left alone with the kids. I was anxious to be left alone with Chloe. If something happened to her while he was gone, I didn't think I would have the strength to do what needed to be done. But Daryl looked so eager to get out there. It was probably like stress relief for him, and it had been a stressful few days.

I kissed him and sent him on his way and then turned back to the room full of orphans I had been left with. I looked over them and tried to recite their names in my head. Chloe was easy to remember. I didn't think I would ever forget her. Austin, with the deep blue eyes and mess of dark hair, was the oldest of the group. He was a serious boy with a bit of an attitude, but he was dedicated to protecting his friends. Marie, with the strawberry blonde hair and face full of freckles, was the oldest girl. She loved to talk and giggle and was like a ray of sunshine, breaking through the clouds of misery that these kids had been living under. Winnie, the one with the bronze coloured skin and ringlets of brown hair, she was the youngest of the group at about three or four years of age. None of the children could tell me her exact age, her older brother didn't know what month she was born in, and the little girl had never learned to talk. Her brother was one of the Tommys; Tommy C, but I didn't ask what the C stood for. He had warm brown eyes and skin a few shades darker than his sister's. He told me he was ten, but Marie had insisted he was only eight. The other Tommy was Tommy J. He had blonde hair and an excess amount of skin that suggested he would have been a plump boy before the outbreak. Nathan was a long and skinny nine year old who kept to himself. Lawson was a mischievous eight year old who liked to pick on the girls for fun. Jovan was the youngest boy at five years old he had pale skin, platinum blonde hair and grey blue eyes. His sister Anna could have been his twin as far as looks went, although she was a couple of years older, Jovan seemed to be the more protective of the two. Lyra was six years old. She had golden curls and Greene eyes that reminded me of Maggies. That was eleven children to remember, and eleven extra seating places we needed to find in a car if we were ever getting them out of here.

My first order of business for the day was to repair the chicken coop, and separate the hens from the rooster so we didn't get any more nasty surprises when we cracked our eggs. I collected the tools I needed from the workshop and a few of the boys followed me, excited about helping bang stuff together. The little girl, Winnie, tagged along too; I found that she was never far behind me.

When the coop was nailed back together, we attempted the more difficult task of rounding the hens up. This part the boys loved; running and rolling in the mud, darting and dodging from side to side and lunging onto the birds and presenting me with nothing but a handful of feathers. I ended up telling them to forget the hens and just worry about the rooster, and the kids spent another good half hour trying to corner him in the yard.

After we got him locked away, I told the kids to collect twelve eggs for lunch, one for each child and myself, hoping there would be no chicks this time around.

Once successfully cooked, without any chicks, I tried to offer some to Chloe, but she was sleeping soundly and when I shook her she barely gave me a grunt. After a few failed attempts at keeping her awake, I left her to sleep feeling defeated.

I had wanted to check out a classroom today, and see if there was something I could do with the kids. Remind them about their ABCs or their times tables or even just how to hold a pencil, but I couldn't bear to leave Chloe on her own. So I asked Austin to watch over her while I went to the classrooms and collected what I needed.

The children all sat around me in a circle back in the gym as I made them practice their printing on the lined workbooks I had found. Their hand writing varied from pretty and eloquent, to outright atrocious ─ it was mainly the boys who were atrocious. Even little Winnie made an attempt at writing, drawing circles and squares to represent her letters. After our handwriting lesson I let them draw freestyle and several of them presented me with stick figure images of myself and Daryl.

I took up a workbook and some coloured pencils and knelt by the side of Chloe's bed wondering if some colouring in might lighten her up a little.

"You want to try to draw some pictures." I asked her brushing the hair back from her ice cold brow.

I turned my hand and cupped her cheek in my palm. That was ice cold too. I gripped her chin between my thumb and forefinger and turned her face up to me.

"Chloe."

There was no response from the indigo blue lips. I put my hand to her mouth to see if I could feel any heat or moisture, but there was nothing.

"Chloe!" I called more forcefully feeling my panic rise. The children in the room all stopped what they were doing and watched me as I ripped the blankets and sheets away from Chloe's limp body.

I watched her chest, looking for a rise and fall, but there was nothing. I put my fingers under her jaw to feel the pulse in her artery. Again nothing.

"Chloe!" I wailed. I scooped up her tiny body in my arms and fell to my knees dragging her of the bed and on to my lap.

I wondered how long she had been lost for, and if CPR would bring her back and what the risk would be putting my mouth to hers.

Mix suddenly lifting his haunches and growling towards me with his hackles raised told me it was not the best idea. I placed Chloe gently on the ground and reached in to my boot for my knife.

I did not want to do this. I didn't even like doing it to the walkers who I had never met, and who meant nothing to me. Doing it to a child, who I had known, and cared for was going to be near on impossible.

Where the hell was Daryl! He was strong, he did the tough jobs, he would have taken care of it for me. He had been gone for hours now. I had remembered him going on two day hunting trips before at the prison, but surely he would have made his one today short, leaving me in an unknown place with eleven children.

My hand trembled as I pressed on the catch and released the small blade. I held it to her temple and took in a deep breath and closed my eyes.

Just plunge it in.

I opened an eye and looked at her peaceful face, so angelic and innocent. I took another deep breath.

Just do it. Send her to where she belongs.

Chloe's blue lips began to twitch and her eyes began to flicker, and Mix's growls became more intense as he darted back and forth around us.

Just do it Beth! Do it now!

"I'll do it." Came a strained, youthful voice from behind me. Austin pushed past me with his knife raised and ready to plummet down into Chloe's skull.

"No." I reached out and stilled his hand. "You shouldn't have to."

Austin reluctantly lowered his blade and stepped back. Chloe's pale eyelids flicked open to reveal misty, opaque eyes. I had to be strong, for myself, for Daryl and for the kids. I lifted the blade and slammed it down hard.

Folding that small body tightly up in a sheet was right up there with seeing daddy being killed, being held at knifepoint by Carol, and being attacked by Anton, as one of the hardest things I had ever had to endure in my life. Chloe's tiny body weighed twice as much as a body that size should weigh, and my arms trembled under the heavy burden. I carried her through the cafeteria and outside, with the children following close beside me. Their solemn faces stared down at their tiny feet as they kicked through the wet grass. Once by the gravesite, Austin and I began digging a hole for her, while the other children sat in the damp grass and watched. None of them cried. They were all stronger than I was. Tears were running from my eyes and dripping from my nose and rolling down my chin. I was a blubbering mess. And when I rolled her tiny body into the ditch and heard it land with a thud my body started heaving and shaking with deep sobs.

I wanted Daryl to come back so badly. I needed him here to comfort me and lend me his strength. I glanced up at the darkening sky and wondered when and if he was coming back to us.

"One's coming." I turned my head to Marie who was pointing towards the far side of the track field.

I followed the direction of her finger until my eyes rested on the walker that was stumbling across the overgrown grass towards the school.

As I examined the familiar gait, and clothes and the messy dark hair my breaths started to come quick and shallow and my heart started thudding in my ears.

"No." I whimpered.

I stumbled over to the gate on legs I couldn't feel. The children tried to follow me but I demanded they stay where they were, as I fumbled at the latch on the gate.

Once the children were safely secured behind the gate I reached for my blade. It was still flecked with rusty coloured blood from the last time I had to use it on someone I cared about. I glared at the small blade wondering if I could even do it. It was hard enough doing it to Chloe, but to do it to Daryl would be impossible. Maybe I could just throw the blade to the grass and let him have me. Maybe we could stumble around together for all eternity. It would be kind of romantic, but that would mean the kids would be left on their own...Again.

I squeezed my hand around the grip, pushed my eyes shut and said a silent prayer to God to give me strength. When I opened my eyes Daryl was only a few yards away from me, and I could see that God had heard me and given me more than what I asked for.

Daryl was covered from head to toe in blood and flesh and tissue. But there was something about the stumbles, and the way he was gripping the strap across his chest, that told me he was still living. When his intense blue eyes glared at me full of reason and recognition I folded my blade and dashed forward. I threw myself into his chest and listened for the familiar and relieving sound of his steady and strong heartbeat.

"Where the hell have you been?" I cried as I pulled my face away from his blood encrusted vest.

"Huntin'." He replied coolly

I looked at his empty, blood covered hands. Whatever he had been hunting it didn't look as if he had brought it home. He was covered in a thick syrup of brown and red sludge. His hair was matted together with twigs and leaves and white flower petals stained with red. And around his ankle was wrapped a string of what looked like intestine.

"What the hell happened to you?" I asked after I had managed to lift my heavy jaw.

His tired looking blue eyes peered at me through the sea of red.

"It ain't mine."

A wave of relief rushed over my body, and with it a wave of tears flooded to my eyes. I sniffed and rubbed the tears away with my sleeve.

"What's wrong?" He asked with the exhaustion in his eyes giving way to fierce intensity.

"It's Chloe."

Daryl's face went slack as if he knew what I was about to say.

"She's dead." I choked out.

Daryl stared at me for a few moments like he was trying to absorb what I was telling him. The apple of his throat bobbed as he swallowed.

"Is she…did you…take care of it?"

I nodded in reply, looking down to Daryl's gut covered boots.

Daryl reached an arm around me and pulled me into his chest and held me there. He stank of dried blood and rotting flesh, but I didn't care. He was warm and firm and he made me feel safe.

"Shit Beth, I'm sorry I was gone so long. You shouldn't've had to do that."

"No. Nobody should have to. But I did."

Daryl wrapped his hand around mine and began pulling me back towards the school and to the haunted looking faces of the children standing behind the iron bars.

The children all glared at Daryl warily as he entered the gate, taking in his walker like appearance.

"I'm okay kids." He reassured them.

Daryl looked over to the corner of the fence to the burial site and took in the view of the mound of freshly dug earth.

"You bury her?" He asked.

I nodded. "Just now…I need to…cover her."

"I'll do it." Daryl let go of my hand and paced over to the grave scooping up the shovel on his way. He tossed the dirt onto the grave while the children and I watched on.

A tiny cold hand pressed into mine and I looked down to see Winnies large brown eyes staring up at me. I gave her hand a squeeze and she gave me a supportive smile in return. It was supposed to be me taking care of them.

When Daryl was finished covering her, he wiped some of the sweat, dirt and blood from his brow and looked back to me.

"You wanna sing somethin'?" He suggested.

I shook my head and pouted. "No. I don't feel much like singing."

Daryl nodded, threw the shovel to the ground and came over to give me a comforting squeeze.

"Sometimes there just ain't a song for it." He murmured into my ear.

Daryl took a much needed shower while I got the children in to bed. They didn't ask for a book that night. They didn't even ask for any dinner. I said goodnight to each of them, and they pulled the covers up to their ears and pressed their eyes shut.

Daryl emerged wearing a high school sweatsuit that was too short in the legs. The sight of him made me smile. I had never seen him wear anything but flannel, denim and leather. And I had never seen him in something so clean.

"What're you smilin' at." He grumbled.

"Nothin.' I'll wash those for you tomorrow." I pointed down at the pile of bloody clothes he had dropped to the floor in-front of me.

He pulled at the fabric that clung to his skin.

"How I look?"

I smiled and nodded to him and pulled him over to our mattresses. His stumbled over, then his legs buckled at the knees and he fell face forward into the mattress looking completely exhausted. I sat down beside him and pulled the blankets over the both of us.

"What happened to you out there?"

Daryl groaned in response.

"You were gone all day and you didn't even bring anythin' back?"

Daryl opened his eyes and looked up at me.

"Why, you hungry?"

"No. Not at all…Just wanted to know what you were doin' that whole time."

"I was…just…." His shoulders heaved as he sighed, and he turned his face towards me. "I was angry... 'cause of everythin' that's happened… to you…and to these kids…I took it out on some walkers…but I'm gonna be okay now. We'll all be okay."

I smiled at him and then curled up beside him.

"I know."

We were woken in the morning by Mix barking and pawing at the gym door. Daryl leapt to his feet, strapped on his knife, grabbed hold of his bow and raced to the door. He pointed a finger at me silently telling me to stay put, before disappearing out the door behind Mix. I ignored him and scooped up the crossbow at my side. I scrambled to my feet, strained on the string until it clicked into place and then followed him out the door.

I found him pacing along the front fence of the school in the pouring rain. There were several wet and rotten walkers with arms stretched between the iron bars, and fingers desperately trying to get hold of Daryl. Daryl was stabbing his knife into their skulls with Mix darting about his feet. His waved white fur stuck together in damp clumps, looking a lot like Daryl's hair.

Daryl caught sight of me mid-swing and stopped what he was doing, glaring at me as water streamed down his face and hung of his chin in droplets.

"Thought I told you to stay put?" He called out.

"You didn't tell me anythin'." I pointed out, as I paced through the mud to meet him.

Daryl scoffed, shook his head, and turned around to finish the last walker.

"Them damn kids were too noisy the other day." He grumbled as he flicked brain matter on to the grass.

"They're kids Daryl. They're gonna be noisy."

Daryl bent down and wiped his blade against the wet grass to remove the last of the blood.

"I think we should get 'em outta that gym. Nothin' but ghosts in there."

He glanced up at me and I nodded in agreement.

"I can clear it out today, and make a play area for 'em in there. It'll be quieter, and warmer than outside. Half o' 'em were up the night snifflin' and drivin' me crazy." He added.

I couldn't help but smile at him. He was so cute when he worried about others.

"I'll have a look around today. Maybe we can move 'em in to the library or somethin'." I suggested.

Daryl looked up to the second level windows.

"You should check out the faculty lounge. Looks real cosy up there and there's a big-ass TV set, maybe we can play some movies for 'em or somethin'."

A movie! The thought of watching a movie had me excited.

"That'll be real nice; a rainy day movie. I never thought it would happen again."

"Never did happen to me…Just don't pick no fairy princess shit."

I smiled to myself as I turned away from him and made my way back up the steps to the school. I would have to check out the library and get the pinkest, girliest, ballerina, horse-riding, fairy princess movie I could find.

After Daryl had helped me move some of the cot beds upstairs to the faculty lounge he got to clearing out the gym with the help of the older boys.

The rest of the children and I tried to make the lounge look like a real children's bedroom, clearing the shelves for their toys and books and making the beds up nice with the colourful covers they had brought from their homes when they first settled in here. The children picked out some of their favourite drawings that they wanted to go up on the wall and I went searching for some moulding tack to stick them up.

I went to the adjoining hallway first; the one that was connected to all the faculty offices. I figured the staff would have some in their drawers. I went to the end of the hall first and checked out the principal's office. It had a huge oak desk in the centre of the room that was still covered with papers and documents from when this place had been run as a school, although now they were covered in dust. I checked in the top drawer to find the tack I was looking for and also a curious small key. I looked it over and then slipped it into my pocket hoping I might find whatever that key was used for later on. I went over to the window behind the desk and pulled down the blind slats to look at the grey and dreary day outside.

From this high position I could see the entire town. I could even see over to the road Daryl and I had left to come here, and it also had a good view of the school yard below. I turned away from the window and examined the office. The walls were lined with bookshelves, paintings, photographs and awards. In one corner of the room was a sofa set surrounding a small coffee table. It was a very comfortable looking room; More comfortable than the warden's office back at the prison. I figured if Daryl and I were going to stay here for a while, we may as well be comfortable.

After I had stuck the kid's pictures up on the walls, I led the children into the library to look for a video. There was a limited selection to choose from; mainly movies that had been adapted from books, but there were also fairy tale conversions in the form of Disney movies. One of them stood right out for me.

"The little mermaid." I said excitedly as I pulled it off the shelf.

It had been Maggie's favourite movie as a kid. She used to watch it over and over again, and drive my mom and dad crazy. When she got too old for it, her love of it transferred to me and I would watch it over and over again and drive my whole family crazy singing the songs from it.

I presented it to Winnie who was standing at my side and she screwed her nose up at me. I guess she wouldn't even know what this movie was. In fact she had probably never even seen a movie in her whole, short life.

"I love that movie." Marie squealed excitedly as she snatched it out of my hand.

"Good. Daryl will too." I smirked to myself devilishly.

After I had got the movie into the player and checked there was enough power to run the TV, I went downstairs to collect the boys and Daryl.

As I walked towards the corridor that led to the gym I could hear a faint shushing sound. I rounded the corner to find that Daryl was using spray paint to cover over the writing on the doors to the gym. It looked like he was covering it with the image of white fluffy clouds. When I got to his side I could see it wasn't clouds at all, but angel wings.

I tapped him on his shoulder and he jumped, startled by my touch. He must have been in the zone. I eyed over the art work he had created. The wings leapt off the doors and looked as if they could take flight at any moment. The way he painted them made it looks as if the golden sun was shining over them and casting silver shadows on the edges. I couldn't understand how he had managed to make the wings look so lifelike and colourful using only three different coloured cans.

"It's amazing." I breathed, completely astonished at how talented he was. "Did you do graffiti before?"

Daryl added a few more sprays to his dazzling art work.

"Urban art." He corrected. "I messed about a bit when I was in middle school, but I got bored real quick."

I reached out to put my hands on his masterpiece and drew it back when I realised it would still be wet. "This was a really good idea."

"God ain't forgivin' no-one what they did. The kids don't need to be reminded of it e'ry time they come down 'ere."

I nodded in agreement.

"It's just so beautiful…so perfect." I turned towards him and gripped his hairy chin between my fingers and pulled his jaw down so I could stand on my tip toes and kiss him. "Just like you." I murmured against his lips.

Daryl was not impressed with my movie choice, but he sat down among the kids, Mix and I and watched it anyway. I had a huge smile pasted on my face throughout the movie, I even managed to smile through the bits that reminded me of daddy. Marie and I giggled and clapped our hands together like we were both school girls, when our favourite song came on.

Look at this stuff
Isn't it neat?
Wouldn't you think my collection's complete?
Wouldn't you think I'm the girl
The girl who has everything?

Marie and I started dancing, flinging our hair around and rolling around on the floor, mimicking the movements on screen. The other girls joined in with us, rolling and giggling on the floor and the boys laughed at our performance. Daryl screwed his face up and tried to hide his smirk.

When it got to my favourite part I rolled across the floor to him, and propped myself up on my arms and leaned into his body.

When's it my turn?
Wouldn't I love, love to explore that shore up above?
Out of the sea
Wish I could be
Part of your world

I batted my eye lids playfully, doing my best to make him uncomfortable. He tried to resist at first, turning his blushing face away from mine and pressing his lips together to stop himself smiling. I continued rubbing my shoulder into him and fluttering my lashes, and his lips curled into a sideways smile. He turned suddenly towards me and gripped the sides of my face with his rough, calloused hands.

"You're fuckin' beautiful , you know that?" He took my lips in his and pressed down on them, and I felt a stirring between my legs that I never thought I would feel again.

"Language." Was all I could manage to murmur against his lips.

I was nervous about going to bed that night. It was obvious we had both felt something after that kiss we had shared during the movie, and I knew when our bodies were together in bed, the topic of being intimate was going to… come up. We had moved the coffee table and pushed the two sofas together to form a makeshift bed, and tossed on a pile of blankets and pillows. I had chosen to wear a school sweater to bed over my underwear. It was quite warm on the second level, and I thought with Daryl's body heat I wouldn't need much more than that.

I lay on one of the sofas stock-still, watching him by the moonlight that filtered between the blinds, while he pulled his sweat shirt ─which matched the one I was wearing ─ over his head and tossed it to the ground. Daryl had insisted on washing his own clothes for some reason, and they were still hanging over the low wall in the change room shower, drying. He looked real cute in those too-short sweat pants. He looked even cuter sauntering over to me shirtless with his muscled body spotted with scars and tattoos. He climbed over the arms of the sofa and slipped in beside me and pulled the blankets around us, and I waited for what would come next.

He didn't do anything that I had expected him to. He just slipped his arm around my waist, kissed me on the cheek and closed his eyes.

I held my body tense thinking about the warmth and smell and firmness of him pressed against me. There was a part deep inside of me that desperately wanted to make love to Daryl, but there was another part that was terrified even of the thought.

"It was an okay day today." I whispered trying to start up a conversation to shake my tension away.

Daryl opened his eyes and looked at me through the dim light.

"Yeah it was."

"It won't be so bad stayin' here…until we can find a car for all these kids."

"Yeah. I'll need to go huntin' tomorrow, but after that I'll have a look in town." Daryl closed his eyes again, and I stared nervously at the ceiling.

"Umm…so…do you miss the others?" I tried to use a casual tone that would cover my anxiety.

Daryl opened his eyes again and propped himself up on his elbow.

"Yeah I do…you?"

"Yeah. I miss Judy most of all…but I know she's safe." I started twiddling my thumbs, and then my foot started twitching too.

Daryl looked to the dancing blanket at our feet and then to the hands resting on his arm, and then to my face. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I chewed on my bottom lip. "Just…you know…thinkin'…'bout stuff."

Daryl smirked and then ran his hand down along my sweater. He edged his fingers under the hem of it and then crept them slowly up underneath it.

"This kind of stuff?" He murmured.

His warm touch against my skin sent tingles through my body and clouded my mind. I held myself still as I tried to pinpoint the emotion I was feeling, and then I nodded.

Daryl climbed on top of me and pushed my trembling thighs apart with his knees, and lowered himself gently on top of me. His chest was pressed against my breasts, and I could feel his erection pressing against me through the fleece of his pants and the cotton of my underpants. I drew in a deep breath in an effort to settle my turning stomach.

He lowered his lips on to mine and taking my bottom lip in between his he ran his tongue along it ever so slightly. I drew in a quick breath, and he did the same as he pulled his face away from mine.

"You sure you're ready? It's only been a few days."

My entire body was shaking in apprehension. I didn't know if I was ready, but I did want to be. So I nodded.

His hands traced along my waist to my hip and then up along my side and then rested against the fleshy side of my breast. His mouth moved from my mouth, to my chin, along my jaw and to my ear. He breathed against it and I was immediately reminded of the sickening sound Anton had made into my ear when he was on top of me.

I held my breath and tried to push the image away. I looked at the familiar muscle tone and collection of scars on Daryl's broad shoulders and tried to remind myself that it was Daryl and not Anton who was on top of me.

Daryl slipped his hand under my arm and to my shoulder blade and pulled me against his chest as he ground his hips into mine, pushing his erection in firmer between my legs. I swallowed as I tried to hold back vomit.

It's Daryl. It's Daryl. It's Daryl.

My Mantra was no use, I was a trembling, twisting, panicking mess.

"No. Stop!" I cried.

He stopped immediately and raised his head looking at me with questioning eyes.

"I…I don't think I'm ready." I swallowed down the bile again. "Please, get off."

Daryl wriggled around while he tried to clamour off me. All I could feel was him moving between my legs and pressing against my sensitive spots.

"Get off!" I squealed as my vision filled with the image of Anton again.

Daryl threw himself to the side and stared at me as I panted and puffed and tried to catch my breathe.

"I'm sorry." I gasped. "I thought it might be okay…but…"

Daryl moved his hand to my chin.

"It's okay, I don't expect nothin'."

I nodded my head. "I just…I need a little more time."

Daryl wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me in to his chest.

"Take all the time you need. I ain't goin' nowhere."

AN:That was a little tease at whats to come. Beth is just not ready yet.

Seems like we've discovered Daryl has a bit of talent as an artist. Completely Norman inspired, and he will inspire some other events in this part too.

I'm going to add a few more chapters to Part 1 'An Unexpected Journey.' Most likely with next update. It irritates me that it was only 9 chapters when Part 2 is 12 and this will probably be 12 too. I'm OCD like that. It'll be two new chapters at the start, and the current first chapter split into two to make up for it. So it may be confusing as the chapters will jump forward by three. Hopefully it'll be worth it...