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 catching the mistakes I missed! : )

...

Beth and Maggie had been traveling at a quick pace. It had taken quite a bit of persuasion, but the duo had managed to convince Glenn that Rick needed him far more than they would. It was only the trip to the Blazer that they would be alone. Once they reached the vehicle they would be reunited with the rest of the group. Rosita had the semi-automatic rifle that Abraham had given her; Carol had her revolver, not to mention the handgun and rifle Maggie brought along with Beth's weapons.

"So…" Maggie interrupted Beth's thoughts.

"Yeah?" Beth asked.

"What happened to you guys on the roof?" Maggie inquired, turning her head to look at Beth.

Beth glanced at her, swallowing hard, as she came up with the vaguest explanation possible that would satisfy her sister, "We were ambushed. Daryl managed to attract most of the attention. I took care'ah the ones that stayed by me and helped Daryl clear out the guys still standin' when I caught up with him."

"You two got separated?" Maggie's expression was one of disbelief.

"Yeah. His plan worked too. Only a few stayed behind where I was. The majority chased after him," Beth clarified.

"Well I'm glad you took care of each other. If somethin' had happened to you…" Maggie's voice trailed off.

"Daryl got shot," Beth reminded her sister.

There was a brief pause before the ground drew Maggie's attention.

"I know," her sister's voice apologetic, "But Daryl's not one to let a bullet to tha' leg slow him down though. He'll be right as rain in a few days' time."

Beth knew that not long after she and Daryl reunited with Rick and everyone else, they had caught up with Michonne, Glenn, and Maggie. Daryl had spotted them first, hidden in the shadows a few feet from the boxcars, and had motioned to Beth. She in turn signaled to the group below, dropping a few shells, causing them to stop and look up at her. She whispered down that they had reached their destination and caught up with Maggie and the others. Rick requested Daryl and Beth provide cover on the roof. The moment the group on the ground advanced to the rail cars and began busting the locks, all hell broke loose. She and Daryl had begun firing, but were ambushed themselves just a few moments later.

Dwelling on her thoughts and deciding to change the subject, Beth asked, "What exactly happened after we were rushed on the roof?"

"We managed t'get some of the locks off," Maggie started.

When she didn't immediately continue, Beth glanced at her.

"Beth…the people inside there…" Her sister took on a forlorn expression.

"It's okay. You don't have t'say," Beth understood without having to hear the words how poor some of the captives health must have been.

"We had a hard time getting' the locks off the boxcar that was stacked on top," Maggie continued, "Abraham ended up yellin' for everyone to get to the back of the car and started shootin'. After that, the people healthy enough began pourin' out of the rail cars and Michonne escorted everyone back to the armory."

Beth nodded. That would explain where some of the extra muscle that she and Daryl had met came from.

"Then it was just a matter ah' time before we dwindled their numbers down," Maggie finished.

Beth had seen Rick, Abraham, and Glenn keeping the Terminus residents detained. Bob and Maggie had been in the clinic tending to the wounded. That left Tyreese, Sasha, Michonne, and Carl still unaccounted for.

"I didn't see Tyreese or Sasha?" Beth inquired.

"They went back for the sick and elderly who weren't able to get out after we got the locks off," Maggie explained, "I have no idea how many people died in tha' crossfire."

Beth couldn't think about death right now. Death lead to the thought of someone being killed and that in turn took her thoughts to the acts she had committed in the last twenty-four hours.

"Carl and Michonne?" Beth forced herself to ask.

"Michonne got shot," Maggie stated.

Beth's head whipped around to her sister.

"She's fine," Maggie immediately amended, "She got caught in the arm. Bob had her wound cleaned and wrapped in no time. Then her an' Carl went with a group of people to search through Terminus and gather supplies.

Beth's face must have betrayed her thoughts because Maggie gave her a questioning look.

"We don't know any of these people. It's not safe to trust them to help us," Beth murmured.

Maggie looked perplexed. She didn't say anything, but Beth knew that look. She was trying to figure something out and couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"What?" Beth huffed.

"Just trying to figure out where my naïve little sister went. I knew you'd changed, I've said as much, but I'm jus' not used to hearing things like that comin' from you," Maggie answered.

"I told you. I had to change," Beth sighed.

"We ever gonna' talk about what happened? When you were alone?" Maggie broached her cautiously.

Beth scanned their surroundings. She was paying attention to what Maggie was saying, but she also made sure not to get too caught up in the conversation like last time. She had chastised herself and Daryl had given her enough hell about it that the combination would ensure she never made that mistake again.

"Beth?" Her sister prodded.

She wasn't sure how to answer Maggie. There were things that she had had to do in order to survive that she didn't want to relive. She didn't want to share her experience with anyone. She didn't want anyone to know so they could keep thinking of her as the innocent person she no longer was. She didn't want anyone to think differently of her. It may have been a stupid notion, but she almost relished in the idea that she could still be 'Beth from the prison.'

"Maybe someday Maggie," she finally replied.

Beth could feel the tension between them. Maggie wanted to pry. She wanted to interrogate her and ask a million questions like she had when Beth was in high school, but life was different now. With the utter lack of privacy, as safety in numbers took priority, the only solitude a person was left with was in their thoughts.

"That bad huh?" Maggie settled for asking, looking at her sister with concern.

"Yeah…it was," Beth answered vaguely.

The conversation came to an end and she walked in semi-comfortable silence for a while. Beth mulled over her memories of last winter. The nights she'd spent tied to the trunk of a tree, hiding up in the branches off of the ground, because there was no safe place to sleep. The times she'd had to go days without food because she wasn't able to properly set a trap. The times she'd had to hide and watch a larger gang slaughter innocent groups for their possessions. All anyone was doing was trying to survive.

The Theory of Natural Selection at its finest.

…

Her eyes scanned the trees. They had been walking for several hours, catching up on this and that, but the farther down the tracks they traveled the more Beth felt on edge. Maggie seemed to be oblivious or was much better at hiding her tension. They hadn't come across any walker's yet and Beth wasn't sure what exactly she was expecting, but she sure wasn't anticipating an easy trip.

"So..." Maggie once again broke Beth's train of thought.

"Hmm?" Beth hummed.

"You and Daryl got out together," Maggie said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah. It was just me and him for a while," Beth replied smoothly.

"You two seem close," Maggie acknowledge.

"I've gotten pretty good at readin' him," Beth agreed.

"He teach you how to use that?" Maggie pointed to the crossbow strapped to her back.

"Uh huh. I wanted to learn how to track, hunt, and get better at defending myself. He taught me the basics before we got separated. I just took everything he taught me and got better through learnin' from my mistakes," Beth explained thoughtfully.

"Daryl's a good man," Maggie announced.

Beth looked over at her sister, not sure of the reason for Maggie's sudden declaration. Maggie met her gaze with a smile and Beth felt the corner of her lips creeping upward.

"He is," Beth concurred.

"Who'da thought?" Maggie teased.

Beth laughed, "He's definitely changed a lot, but I think tha' goodness was always there. He just didn't know it."

"Daddy respected him. He's partly responsible for the reason you're still here. That's enough for me," Maggie's statement struck a chord with Beth.

Daryl had become a very important person to Beth. It didn't really make any difference what Maggie thought, but hearing her speak so highly of Daryl made Beth feel a sense of pride. She was the type that looked for the good in everyone, Maggie had always been more leery of people, so for Maggie to compliment Daryl the way she had meant a lot to Beth.

"I'm glad you found Glenn," Beth reciprocated the direction of Maggie's conversation.

She had meant it in both the literal and metaphoric way. She was glad Maggie had found someone who made her so happy, that balanced her temper with rationalization, but also that they had been able to find each other after the prison fell. It would have been so easy to assume that one or the other were dead, but neither one of them had stopped looking. They wouldn't have stopped looking until they had proof in the form of a walking corpse that the other was no longer among them.

"Is it ironic that I found my happiness in an apocalypse?" Maggie snickered.

Beth giggled, "Daddy always said God worked in mysterious ways."

"Daddy said a lot of things," Maggie's features took on a far off look.

"Daddy was a great man," Beth said softly.

"The best," Maggie agreed.

…

They were still a good half a mile away when the first gunshots rang through the air. Beth's breath caught in her throat and she turned her gaze to Maggie, whose wild expression mirrored her own. Maggie's eyes narrowed and Beth nodded her head. Without saying a word the two began running in the direction of the vehicle.

A million thoughts ran through Beth's head. She knew the shots came from the Blazer. They were too close to their destination for it to be anyone else and that fact made Beth push herself to run faster. If they were firing, it would attract walkers, and if it was walkers they were already dealing with then it would only bring more of the undead to their vicinity. There was also the chance that it wasn't walkers causing whoever it was to resort to using their gun. That thought scared Beth even more.

"What do ya' think it is?" Maggie said between breaths.

"I dunno' know. Could be walkers. Could be raiders. Whatever it is, it's bad," Beth raised her voice to speak over the pounding of her heartbeat in her ears.

She could see the Blazer in the distance. The distance between them seemed to keep getting farther away the faster she tried to run. She could make out dozens of bodies around the vehicle and was almost certain of what she was seeing.

"Beth," Maggie's voice sounded distressed.

"I see," Beth's voice wasn't much different, "I have to nock my crossbow."

Beth abruptly stopped, slinging her weapons off her shoulder. Maggie stopped a few paces ahead and waited for her. She nocked her crossbow as quickly as possible, threw her rifle back over her shoulder, and began running once more.

The closer they came to the Blazer, the more walkers Beth could see. It was a smaller group than they'd come across before, but it was a herd nonetheless. There was a figure standing on top of the vehicle, shooting down walkers, but more took their place.

"It's Rosita," Maggie too had seen the person atop of the Blazer.

Beth didn't bother responding. She ran to the closest walker to her and swung the stock of her crossbow as hard as she could, effectively bashing in the back of the walker's head. She was careful to keep her distance from the vehicle. She couldn't help them if she got surrounded and needed help herself.

"There's too many," Beth said under her breath.

She swung her crossbow again, knocking another walker back, and repeated the action to kill the undead abomination. More walkers were abandoning their mission and instead coming for the easier meal; Maggie and Beth.

Beth lurched when she heard Rosita scream her sister's name. Maggie was oblivious to the walker approaching her from behind, within arm's reach of grabbing her, and Beth reacted on instinct. She pulled up her crossbow and fired a bolt through the creatures head. When the walker dropped, removing the barrier it created between her and her sister, Beth was given a clear view of Maggie's awestruck gaze.

Beth could have laughed if it weren't for the bloodthirsty monsters surrounding them. It was a bit of a boost to her ego that her sister was shocked by her marksmanship. She didn't carry the weapon around for its ornamental value. Then again, she realized that this was the first time Maggie had ever seen her actually use her crossbow.

Snapping out of her reverie, Beth pulled out her knife and slung the crossbow back over her shoulder. She had one bolt left and no time to nock it. Rosita continued to shoot down the walker's that were getting too close to the windows, but she would soon run out of ammo. She and Maggie had their guns, but the more shots they fired, the more walkers they attracted. While a majority had turned in their direction, several more still attacked the Blazer.

Beth felt utterly helpless. Her Judith, Carol, a man Abraham was risking his life for, the woman protecting him, and the younger woman who had helped reunite Glenn and Maggie were all trapped within the small confines of a metal frame. If they didn't do something drastic, the walkers were going to get to them and there would be nothing Beth could do about it.

Beth stabbed another walker in the head, holding firm to the handle of her blade, and placing her boot squarely in its chest to shove it off. Panic began seeping in as her eyes darted every which way in the hopes that she could come up with a plan. She just felt like screaming. So she did. Beth began screaming and yelling. Doing everything she could to get the walker's attention.

"Beth!" Maggie hissed between screams, "What in tha' hell are you doin'?"

"We've got to draw them away from the vehicle," Beth yelled to her.

Beth could see the wheels turning in Maggie's head.

"Look," Beth pointed to the vehicle, "Rosita shot out the windshield. That's how she was able to get on top of the Blazer. If we can give them enough time to get out, you can get them back."

"Okay we can…wait," Maggie backtracked while pulling her knife from a walker's eye socket, "What do you mean I can get them back."

"Someone has to keep them occupied," Beth answered, narrowly avoiding a walker's grasp.

"No! No way!" Maggie vehemently denied, "We're all going back to Terminus. Together."

"Look around us Maggie!" Beth yelled, thrusting her blade upward through the underside of a walker's jaw and into its brain, "We don't have any other options."

"You take them back. I'll distract the herd," Maggie suggested, kicking a walker back that had gotten too close.

"We both know that if I came back without you, Glenn would come out here looking for you. Probably get himself killed in the process," Beth argued, ripping the hem of her shirt further as she pulled away from a walker, "And I will come back. Just after you guys get away and the herd moves on."

"Beth-" Maggie began again.

"I survived. I'm a survivor too Maggie. I'll make it back. You just have to have a little faith," Beth repeated their father's words.

Maggie looked to Beth. She knew it was a low blow to bring a phrase their father had told them since childhood, but they didn't have time to argue. Beth had found herself in a similar situation many a time when she was on her own.

Maggie pulled an extra clip from her pocket and tossed it to Beth, "I don't like this, but I trust you."

Beth caught the clip and smiled. More walkers were closing in on them, but they had a plan now. She didn't feel the same desperation she had a moment ago. Her only concern was to attract as many walkers as she could so she put the clip in her back pocket, having one already tucked inside the other, and brought up her rifle.

"Go off into the woods and loop around behind the vehicle," Beth directed, "I'll stay here and draw them to me. When I see you start getting everyone out, I'll lead them into the woods. It'll be easier for me to lose them there."

"Okay," Maggie exhaled, "Be careful Bethy. I know I didn't do right by you last time we were separated, but I'm gonna' come lookin' for you this time. I swear it."

"Get them back safely Maggie. I'll see you in a bit," Beth reached over and grabbed the hand her sister had extended to her. She gently squeezed twice, code for I love you, and then let go and began taking down the walkers closest to them.

The moment Maggie yelled to Rosita what their plan was before taking off into the woods, Beth's sole focus became luring the walkers away. She burned through two clips before she was close enough to the vehicle to get the corpses attention. One by one they turned away from the Blazer and started in her direction. Maggie came up from behind the vehicle and took out the few remaining and then jumped up on the hood of the vehicle and started getting everyone out.

The look Carol sent Beth was filled with understanding and maybe even a hint of respect. Tara was yelling that they needed to help her, Eugene stood next to the distraught woman counting the walkers, and Rosita looked to Maggie. Beth's gazed drifted to Judith resting against Carol's hip and Beth felt a burden lift from her shoulders. Even if she didn't make it back to Terminus, if she died out in the woods and fell prey to the hands of the walkers, the smile on Judith's face was enough. She had kept her promise.

She had absolutely no intention of dying, for she had also given her word to Daryl that she would be back, but seeing everyone safely climbing down from the hood of the Blazer as she led the walkers into the woods was all that mattered. Once they were passed the herd, she would switch her gears into survival mode.

She had at least twenty walkers following her. They had taken out several dozen already. While the odds weren't in her favor, she knew she could lose them in the woods. They were aware of her presence, but if she could put enough space between her and them, she could climb a tree and wait them out. She'd done it before. The only problem would be if they caught whiff of her and huddled around the base of the tree. That had happened several times too.

She was careful as she jogged backwards, making sure she didn't trip over any roots or tree stumps that could lead to an untimely demise, watching as everyone became smaller and smaller in the distance. As soon as she lost sight of Maggie and the rest of the group, she turned and began running.

She was on her own and that was okay. She would make it back before sundown. She had another promise to keep.

…

The sun, which had been high over their head when they had reached the Blazer, now exhibited a rusted-orange color. Her body, sore and fatigued from going on twenty-four hours with no sleep, was beginning to shut down on her.

She hadn't been able to lose all of the walkers in the woods like she had planned. Several continued to stagger behind her no matter how many turns she made and she knew that at the pace she was going, she wasn't going to be able to keep running forever. She had one clip left, which she was saving for an emergency situation, and one bolt; her second still protruding from the back of the walker's head that had been gunning for Maggie.

Struggling to nock her crossbow, her muscles fighting to muster any strength, she loaded the bolt and took aim. The bolt landed cleanly into a walker's forehead and Beth dropped the weapon in favor of pulling her knife. Three walkers remained, each within a few feet of the other. She had to work quickly to finish them off or she risked her body giving out on her.

She rushed the first walker, stabbing it through the temple, and pulling out the blade with relative ease. She then turned to the second walker, and maneuvered away from its reach, and repeated the action. This time, however, the handle followed the blade into the walker's head and stopped where Beth's hand held the weapon.

"Not again," she moaned.

Not wasting any more time trying to pry the blade free, Beth stepped away from the twice dead body, and rounded on the last walker. She still had her gun strapped to her back, but didn't want to risk firing and attracting more walkers. Bringing the weapon in front of her, she yanked the strap free of her person, and quickly ran through her options. The gun felt heavier than it should and Beth knew she was working on borrowed time.

Narrowing her eyes, she held the gun firmly, and aimed for the walker's eye. Plunging the barrel forward as if it were a bayonet, Beth removed a mass of rotting flesh from the side of the walker's face, missing its eye socket. Unfazed, the walker kept approaching, and Beth stumbled right into its chest from the momentum of her swing.

Death filled her nostril and caused her eyes to water. She gagged at the putrid smell and the only thing keeping the walker from taking a chunk out of her was the gun shoved in its face. Trying to break free of its grasp was impossible in her current state. Its hands held her shoulder firmly, digging into the fabric that covered her, and it craned its neck unnaturally in an attempt to devour her.

"You…are not…" She took a few steps forward, "going to…make me a liar!"

Beth shoved the walker backwards, causing the creature to trip over the body of the second walker she had killed. As soon as it fell to the ground, Beth stood over top of it and began pounding the stock of her gun mercilessly into its face. Blood and brain matter splattered onto her with every thrust, but she didn't stop. She was angry, she was drained, and she just wanted to lie down and sleep.

Tears blurred her vision as her frustration got the best of her. Quiet sobs escaped her lips and she collapsed onto her knees, unable to hold herself up any longer. She leaned on her gun and let herself cry for the first time since her breakdown at the golf club. She hated the world, hated what she had had to do, hated that people could be so evil, and hated that she felt so much hatred.

Tears spilled down her cheeks, dripped from her chin, and dotted her tattered shirt. She grieved over the lives she had taken. No matter how many times she told herself it was necessary, it didn't ease the guilt. She had so many pent up emotions flowing through her, kept in place by willpower alone, but she was too tired to hold them back any longer. She was alone, she was exhausted, and this was probably the most privacy she would ever get.

After several minutes, her tears dried, leaving only the shuttering breaths that followed. She wiped her face with the back of her hand and sniffled. Taking several calming breaths, she used her gun as a sort of cane and forced herself to stand. She still had several miles to cover and the sun was getting dangerously close to setting.

She staggered over and after several tugs, was able to free her knife from the walker's dead grasp. She then collected her crossbow and bolt, nocking the weapon and keeping it in front of her, and began the long trek back to Terminus.

…

She kept a slow, steady stride; not having the energy to cover the distance at any other pace. The sun was more than halfway below the horizon and while Beth would usually find the twilight breathtaking, it only made her anxious.

She was in familiar territory, recognizing that she was almost to the place where Rick had suggested they cut through the woods on their first visit to Terminus, and she pushed herself to keep moving. Her body ached and every step she took felt like she was pulling a thousand pounds behind her.

When the chain link fence came into view, Beth felt her apprehension rise. She had left Terminus the moment things were beginning to settle down, but she had no idea what to expect upon her return. She knew that everyone she cared about was inside those brick walls and she wasn't sure she could endure losing everyone again if things had taken a turn for the worse while she had been away.

Opening the first gate and shutting it behind her and re-securing the chain, Beth understood what Glenn meant by how open the entrance was. She and Maggie had exited through this exact gate, but she had been so focused on getting to the Blazer that she hadn't paid much mind to the space between the fence and the doorway.

Reaching the second gate, she rested her forehead against the cool metal. Taking a deep breath she pushed the gate open. With her crossbow raised, she cautiously walked around the corner of the building into the courtyard. It was empty now, save a few people bustling around, and Beth wasn't sure what to think.

"Beth?" A voice called out to her.

She looked to see Michonne approaching her. She didn't have the energy to answer. She was too ridiculously exhausted. Instead all she managed was a small smile and formed a single thought.

Daryl is going to be so pissed.

A/N: For those who didn't catch my reference, the Theory of Natural Selection was devised by Charles Darwin. The phrase "survival of the fittest" stems from this theory.

Some good sister bonding time! This chapter was fun to write! Let me know what you guys think! XOXO