Disclaimer: A nod to the genius Robert Kirkman for creating this wonderfully dark, post-apocalyptic world. I do not own or have rights to any of the characters/plot of this series. I'm simply a fan indulging in my post-apocalyptic fantasies.
Thank you Nicole137137 for your always awesome editing! XOXO
A/N: I had a guest reviewer who wasn't happy with certain parts of the last chapter. It saddens me that I can't respond to your review personally, like I do all my other reviewers, but I want to say thank you. I appreciate that you were brave enough to share with me your opinion. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and while I may not agree with your review, I definitely respect you for leaving me feedback!
To all my other guests reviewers! Thank you guys so much! I am so thankful for all the support and wish I could send each of you a reply!
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…
Beth wiped the sweat from her eyes. She had long since adjusted to seeing in the dark, but she was still having trouble aiming in such opaque visibility. So far she had taken out three snipers. The problem she had run into was that the bolts didn't dislodge from a living person's skull the way they did a walker's. She had nearly gagged when she lifted the first bolt up and the person's head followed along with it. She immediately dropped it, a dull 'thud' sounded from the dead man's head hitting the concrete roof. She had glanced at Daryl, who seemed to have no qualms ripping his bolt from a man's eye socket, and forced herself to yank the bolt free.
She would have to deal with the emotional repercussions later. The group was depending on her and Daryl to do what needed to be done. They had to take the lives of these men to ensure that no one she cared about was taken from her. From then on she had been much more careful where she aimed.
Daryl looked over the metal pipe they were using for cover, and then squatted back down beside her, "I see three of 'em. Gonna' be hard to take out all three without tippin' one of 'em off that we're here."
Beth furrowed her brows in thought, "Think we could lure one of 'em over here?"
"You think they'd fall for that shit?" Daryl asked incredulously.
"Worth a shot? Beth shrugged one of her shoulders.
"How we go about it?" Daryl inquired.
Beth stopped her racing mind and a small smile graced her features despite their situation. Any doubts she had felt on Daryl trusting her instincts were mollified by his simple question.
"One of us has to be the bait and the other is gonna' have to take them out," Beth could only conjure up the most classic scenario.
Beth waited for Daryl to weigh in on her suggestion. His jaw muscles bulged several times, but his lips remained in a tight line. She knew he wasn't sold on the idea, but the alternative didn't sound any safer than splitting up. Regardless, Beth decided to throw it out in order to make her first suggestion seem more logical.
"Only other option is to rush them. Try to take out all three before the odd-man-out raises the alarm," Beth stated cynically.
Daryl took a deep breath and exhaled through his nose, "Nah. We go in there guns ah' blazin' and we'll spook 'em. They'll turn tail and run and we'll have this whole god damned community on our ass."
"You're faster at reloading. I'll play bait and you take out the guy we lure away. I'll take the guy on the left and by that time you should have another bolt nocked for the last guy," Beth proposed.
"Sounds reasonable. You go on over to that roof access door. Figure out a way to get one of them suspicious of ya', but don't let 'em see you. I'll wait here and take care of him when he's almost on top of ya'," Daryl added.
"Alright," Beth bobbed her head in agreement.
She quickly checked her crossbow, making sure everything was in order, and leaned forward to begin sneaking back to the shed-like doorway.
A tug on her wrist caused to her pause, following the hand grasping hers up to Daryl's eyes. She raised her eyes brows in silent question, unsure why Daryl would have stopped her.
"If for some reason more than of of 'em head in yer' direction, stay hidden," he emphasized the last two words.
"I'm not leavin' you to-"
"Damnit Beth. I'm tellin' ya'. Stay hidden. I can't take care'ah myself," Daryl cut her off.
Beth stared at him, unwilling to accept the idea of leaving him behind, but she knew arguing with him was wasting valuable time. Instead she pulled her hand away, refusing to acknowledge his statement and snuck to the tin sided roof access.
Once there, she situated herself to the left of the door, and took stock of what she had to work with in order to gain the attention of one of their targets. She couldn't chance making too much noise, but she had to find a happy medium that would at least cause enough concern to investigate her hiding place. They were closer to the center of Terminus and she could only imagine how many snipers would be along the roofs of the inner buildings. Things were going to get hectic before they leveled out.
Shifting in her search, her crossbow tapped against the side of the tin building making a scratching noise as it moved while she turned. Beth froze. Then she repeated the action, intentionally scraping the stock of her weapon against the metal siding.
She could hear voices in the distance. She smiled, knowing she had their attention. She decided to wait, continuing to make the noise until they were a few feet away, and then slip around to the back side of the roof exit.
Her blood ran cold when she heard more than one set of footsteps coming in her direction.
"I can't believe you're too much of a pussy to come check this out by yourself," one man said.
"Well things do actually go bump in the night now. No way in hell am I going anywhere by myself anymore," the second man retorted.
"Yeah, yeah. It's probably just a coon or somethin'," the first man replied.
"They ain't much better than 'ah roamer. They'll tear your face off jus' the same," the other voice countered.
"Such a fuckin' whiney baby," the first man sighed.
Shit.
There were two of them. Her mind raced. Daryl was going to reveal himself and either get himself caught…or killed. She had already decided she wasn't going to follow his request, but she didn't honestly think two men would abandon their post to check on a noise.
Shit.
Panic began seeping into her consciousness. She guessed the men were approximately twenty yards away, but didn't have any idea where the third man would be located, as she was unsure which two were advancing upon her. She had her crossbow, three bolts in the quiver and one nocked, her knife, and the fact that she was still hidden.
Beth mentally cursed. It would be so much easier if they were walkers. She could just stab one of them in the head and…she had an epiphany. With a walker, unless they were freshly turned, the matter around their skulls gave more so than she supposed a living being's would. However, the only difference between a human and a walker, besides the insatiable urge that drove them to eat human flesh, was a heartbeat and the amount of decomposition. The people of Terminus seemed to share more in common with walkers than even Joe and his gang had, assuming they were in fact slaughtering people to grill for supper.
Daddy…please give me strength.
Beth unfastened the clip that held her seven inch blade in place. Pulling the knife out, she steadied her nerves, and attempted to shut down her brain. She needed to act on impulse. If she thought too much about what she was about to do, she wouldn't be able to follow through. She had hardened her heart to the world they lived in, but she would never be a stone cold killer.
"You see anything?" The voices were much closer.
"I don't know. Doesn't look like-"
Beth lunged. She jammed the knife into the upper left portion of his chest, praying that she pierced his heart and he would die quickly. Just as the second man opened his mouth to yell, a bolt entered his skull. Without thinking, Beth stood and pulled up her crossbow. The third man, having heard the ruckus, was standing directly in front of her, an estimated forty-five yards. Beth fired before he had the chance to run.
Gasping and gurgling drew her attention. Looking down, resting between her feet, was a still very much alive man. Beth stumbled back. The world suddenly felt very warm and her head pounded. Leaning against the door to the roof, Beth turned away to empty the meager contents still residing in her stomach.
A squelching noise, followed by a gasp of pain, and Beth retched harder. She stayed bent over, heaving for air, until the groans behind her stopped. She struggled to stand and warm hands wrapped around her torso. She leaned into a warm embrace, resting against the solidity that encompassed Daryl.
"I told you t'stay hidden," Daryl whispered.
Beth couldn't form a coherent response. The image of her knife plunging into the man's chest and the ease at which she was able to do so were burned into her memory. The scene was replaying like a broken record. It was becoming harder to breath. The more she tried to take a deep breath, the less air she seemed to inhale.
"Beth," Daryl's voice was firm.
She was light headed. Her sight was becoming blurry, but she wasn't sure if it was from lack of oxygen or her tears.
"Beth," Daryl repeated.
She was panting, desperately trying to fill her lungs, but unable to suck in any air. Her mouth went dry and she clutched at her chest in pain.
"Fuck! Beth!" Daryl pulled her away from his chest and placed his hands on either side of her face, his fingers threading through her tousled hair, forcing her to look up at him.
"In through your nose," Daryl breathed in deeply.
Beth tried to copy him.
"Out through your mouth," he exhaled slowly.
Beth struggled to do as he asked.
"Keep goin'," Daryl demanded.
Beth stared into his eyes, trying to mimic his breathing, but finding the involuntary action nearly impossible.
"Beth, you gotta' relax," Daryl coaxed her.
After several attempts, their eyes never parting, Beth began calming down. Her lungs burned and she was sure that her ribs would be sore from just breathing, not counting the aches she would feel from her scuffle earlier.
Daryl remained silent, his clear eyes gauging her, and when she had taken her third deep breath, he let his hands drop to her shoulders. Beth leaned forward, pressing her forehead against his collarbone. She felt weak and her muscles burned, but she was grateful for every deep gulp of air she was able to take.
"Is he…" She managed to rasp out.
"Yeah," Daryl answered.
"I just…he…and there were two…" Beth rambled.
Beth felt his fingers dig into her shoulder before he was pushing her way enough to stare down at her. She met his eyes again, but she felt nothing from the glare he was giving her.
"Don't," Daryl hissed, "That's why I told ya' t'stay back."
"I couldn't just let them take you off somewhere! Or worse, kill you!" Beth's argued. She had no delusions as to what would have happened to Daryl had she not done as she had.
"I said I could take care'ah myself," Daryl's glare intensified.
"Well I wasn't just gonna' sit there and watch. I'm done with being sidelined!" Beth raised her voice a little too loud.
They both glanced around; making sure no one had heard them. When no shouts of intruders or curious snipers appeared, Beth brought her gaze back to Daryl. He stared down at her, eyes filled with conflicting emotions, and he let his hands fall from her shoulders.
"I told you I had your back," Beth whispered, "I meant it."
Several heartbeats later, Daryl was the first to turn away. She watched him bend down to pick up his crossbow, peaking at her from under his bangs, and offered her a withdrawn response.
"Come'on. We got more t'do."
…
"I was thinkin' there'd be more snipers toward the center of the community, but none?" Beth questioned in disbelief.
"Somethin' don't feel right," Daryl agreed.
"You think they know we're here?" Beth scanned the courtyard area for signs of people on alert.
"Can't say," Daryl shifted his weight, leaning forward from his crouched position to look over the edge of the roof.
They had only come across two more snipers. They had each grabbed an automatic rifle from their victims, knowing full and well that when the time came, their crossbows would be useless. She pressed the spare clip sticking out of her back pocket further down; the metal case sliding up as she squatted down further to peer over the ledge with Daryl.
"What do ya' think we should do?" Beth asked, not seeing anything below them in the darkness.
"I say we double back. Stay on the roof until we get to where everyone's waitin'. Let them know we cleared out everyone we came across. See what Rick thinks," Daryl suggested.
"'Kay," Beth looked over his profile, "Sounds good to me."
Daryl cut his eyes to her before backing away from the edge. She followed behind him, feeling remorseful that she had made him so tense. She had told herself she would keep her emotions in check until they were done with Terminus and she was alone. That she needed to at least hold up the façade of being numb to the lives they were taking for Daryl's sake. He didn't need her breaking down on him, regardless of whether or not her guilt was already swallowing her whole. He needed to be able to depend on her. He was getting his hands just as dirty as she was and he wasn't letting it show.
Her main source of guilt was when she had been left with no choices, and Daryl's safety had been at stake, she had been able to execute an unimaginable horror. Not only had she taken a man's life in such a personal manner; she had let him suffer.
Her mind replayed the scenario over and over again. She knew the only scenario that would have spared the man any pain was using her crossbow, but then she would have risked allowing the third man to get away and foiling their entire plan and endangering her loved one's lives. She would have to come to terms with what she had done, but that would have to happen later. She needed to get her mind back where it needed to be and focus on helping Daryl handle the rooftops.
When she finally got her thoughts in order she realized that he had stopped creeping forward, and she managed to catch herself a hairsbreadth before they would have collided. If he noticed, he didn't give her any indications, only focusing on the chasm between them and the next roof.
"We're gonna' have to jump," Daryl stated the obvious.
"Great," Beth replied flatly.
Beth could hear Daryl's smirk even though she couldn't see anything but the wings on his back.
"Ain't that far," Daryl said while he lifted the strap of his crossbow over his chest, securing the gun underneath his weapon.
"Says you," Beth leaned over to look at the alleyway beneath them, "and that is a long way down."
In truth; they were only on a two-story building, but it might as well have been a skyscraper. Beth wouldn't say she had a 'fear of heights,' but the idea of jumping from one rooftop to another wasn't on her bucket list.
"Jus' don't look down," Daryl stated as if were the simplest answer in the world.
She watched in mild fascination as he took several steps back and shook his arms, visibly readying himself to jump. As soon as he took the first step, her stomach dropped. She felt wind from his movement as he ran past her. It wasn't until he safely, if not a bit ungracefully, landed on the other side that she felt her shoulders relax.
"You're turn," Daryl waved her over, chest heaving.
He may have appeared calm about jumping over the gap, but from the rise and fall of his chest, Beth wasn't so sure he wasn't just acting brave for her.
"Fine," Beth sighed, adjusting her crossbow over her back, the normal comfort slightly obscured from the rifle resting against her back.
She retraced the steps Daryl had just taken and stared across the space between them. The situation was a metaphor of sorts in Beth's eyes. Here they were, both from different backgrounds, growing up in a starkly contrasted family environment, and they should have been literally worlds apart.
Then Beth ran. She forced her feet to propel her faster and when she reached the end of the roof she jumped.
Even being completely different types of people, the two of them had found each other and formed an unbreakable bond. She had managed to penetrate his defenses; always running to him and never letting him run away. He had given her strength when she had little left of her own. He had made her strong and she had given him hope.
When her feet landed on the concrete, his arms wrapped around her and kept her from falling. She gripped his biceps tightly, trying to steady herself, and when she looked up at him she found the corners of his lips slightly upturned in the smallest of smiles.
Regardless of the fact that their paths would have never crossed before, she would be forever grateful that their fates had changed. She would always run after him and he would always catch her.
Beth wasn't sure what expression she held on her face, but from the look Daryl was giving her, she had displayed all of her thoughts for him like an open book. His grip on her waist was soft, yet strong, and she was suddenly very aware of his fingers against the skin where her shirt had been torn.
They were covered in blood, sweat, and dirt. They had done things tonight that they would never speak of to anyone. Yet she had never felt more equal to anyone in her entire life. Even though she wasn't sure she would ever 'fit' in the world they lived in now, she at least had moments like these. Moments when the world seemed its darkest, light would filter through and rekindle her own hope. Daryl cleared his throat, "Couple of more rooftops and we should be right above everyone."
Beth nodded and let go of his arms. His touch lingered over her waist a few more moments and then they were running again.
…
As they reached the outskirts of Terminus, having successfully navigated the maze of rooftops, Beth's fears were realized. Rick, Carl, Abraham, Bob, Sasha, and Tyreese were all being held at gunpoint by two men. Maggie, Glenn, and Michonne were nowhere in sight and that both comforted and unnerved Beth.
Beth could hear one man giving them instructions, but was unable to make out the words. When everyone began dropping their weapons, Beth knew what their instructions had been. The two men began conversing to themselves and she knew they had to do something quick or their cover would be blown, if it hadn't already.
"See anyone else?" She asked.
"Nuh uh. Looks like they just found 'em," Daryl's eyes were sharp even in the dark.
Pulling her crossbow around , she removed the strap that held it on her shoulder. Whispering quietly she readied herself, "I got the one of the left. You take the one on the right."
Daryl's only response was pulling his crossbow up and taking aim.
Beth swallowed and fell into the natural pose that Daryl had taught her. She looked into the sight mounted on the crossbow and took aim at the man standing to the left. Holding the crossbow solid and steady, she took a long, deep breath in. She had to hit the mark. If she was even an inch or two off, she risked hitting Rick. On the exhale, she squeezed the trigger with her index finger and let the bolt fly.
The two men dropped simultaneously, the neon green fletching of their bolts shining in the moonlight. As soon as the men fell, Rick motioned to everyone, each of them snatching up their guns and racing back to the alley way under her and Daryl.
"Boy, am I glad to see you two," relief evident in Rick's smile.
"Where's Maggie and Glenn?" Beth blurted out.
"They went ahead to scout with Michonne. We were afraid something might have happened to you two," Rick answered truthfully.
"We ran into some trouble. We handled it," Daryl kept the statement vague.
Rick glanced between the two of them from where he stood below, seeming to understand, and didn't press the matter, "The rooftops clear then?"
"Far as we can tell," Daryl replied.
"We didn't see any on the roofs near the center of town," Beth added.
Rick's hand slide through his hair, "What do ya' think Daryl?"
Daryl fiddled with his crossbow, his teeth anxiously gnawing at his bottom lip. He took a deep breath and Beth knew whatever he was about to say wasn't going to be in their favor, "They probably know we're here. May not know where we're at specifically, but they know they got intruders lurkin' around. That's my guess."
"Damn it," Rick cursed.
"So what do we do?" Abraham spoke up.
"We definitely can't stay here. Those guys snuck up on us, but we got lucky with you two showing up when you did. If they found us, more guys will eventually come this way," Sasha added.
"I agree," Bob said, now holding onto one of the automatic rifles Michonne had taken from the armory.
"Alright. Here's how it's gonna' go. Daryl and Beth, you two stay on the rooftops. We'll leave two buildings between us. Keep an eye out ahead of us and take care of any more snipers you come across. Anyone got an idea for what we can use as a signal?" Rick finished.
They couldn't yell, or whistle, or even clap. It had to be a quiet, barely audible signal that only those below would hear.
"Daryl, give me that second clip you picked up," Beth requested.
He pulled one of the two extra clips he had taken and handed it to her. Beth repositioned her crossbow over her shoulder and grabbed the clip from him. Holding the clip with one hand, she gently pushed the bullets out with her thumb.
"Can we toss a few of these down?" Beth asked, holding the stray bullets she had removed in her hand.
Daryl took two and tossed them over the edge. A few, short chimes rang as the bullets bounced on the ground, "Ain't the safest with the primer still attached, but I think it'll work."
"It's loud enough for us to hear, but it shouldn't alert anyone," Carl agreed.
"It'll do," Rick affirmed.
"We'll lead the way to the boxcars. We'll let ya' know when to turn. Place is a fuckin' maze," Daryl groused.
"Hopefully we'll run into Michonne, Maggie, and Glenn. They shouldn't be too far ahead of us," Tyreese disclosed.
"Then let's get a move on," Abraham held his gun against his shoulder.
Daryl turned to Beth, "You ready?"
Beth narrowed her eyes, handing him the last of the bullets she had removed from the clip, and took a steadying breath. She had felt a rollercoaster of emotions during their excursion, most of which she would feel the repercussions of bearing down on her soul for years to come, but she was still alive; still breathing. As long as she was able, she would do the right thing, regardless of what moral consequences she would have to face later.
"Let's go free those people," Beth answered somberly.
Then they were moving, running in the direction of the rail cars they had passed by several days before. This time they weren't defenseless and knew exactly what kind of people they were dealing with. Tonight Terminus' scheme would come to an end.
Daddy…I need your help just a little while longer.
A/N: Had to do a little researching on how to "properly" shoot a crossbow. I've toyed with a compound bow so I knew the gist of it, but I'm giving ehow credit for helping me word everything properly! : )
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