Ch.29

It had been two weeks since Beth had decided to try a new attitude, and with every passing day she was getting better. She was starting to take care of Judith on a regular basis, handing her off to someone else if it got to be too much for her. She helped out with cooking and with anything else anybody asked of her. She was smiling more and every morning he would hear her singing as she got changed to come down for breakfast. Things were good.

The brightness in her eyes that had faded was slowly coming back, but there would always be the dull, solemn look in her baby blues. But the solemnness wasn't overpowering anymore; more often than not it was the brightness, the hope, that he saw when he looked at her. She wasn't letting what happened to her ruin her. She was fighting against it, and she was winning the fight.

Everyone was noticing the slight changes in Beth, and these changes were affecting the group. Beth had been their beacon of hope at the prison, the one person that always found something good in all of the bad, but after the prison that had changed. But now that she was getting better, the atmosphere felt lighter, it wasn't as heavy. It was like a weight had been lifted from them.

The day had started like any other. As soon as he woke up he ate a quick breakfast, usually canned fruit or oatmeal if it was ready. He grabbed his crossbow and set out to go hunting. The woods had been quiet, which made it easier to hear the scurrying of squirrels climbing trees. He managed to kill four squirrels and a single rabbit. He considered it a good way to start the day.

Now he was outside in the front yard skinning his kills. Rick and Carl were sitting on the porch cleaning their guns, Michonne laughing softly as she watched them. Maggie and Sasha were talking, most likely gossiping about something. Glenn was next to Maggie, but the conversation didn't seem to be of any interest to him. Carol was standing next to Bob, and he assumed they were talking about what they would be needing whenever somebody went on a run again.

But Beth, Beth was nowhere to be seen. It didn't surprise him, either. Ever since her walk with Michonne, and ever since she decided to put on a new attitude, morning walks had become part of her daily routine. The first few times she went on them Maggie had offered to go with her. Hell, everyone had offered to go with her. Nobody liked the idea of her being out alone. They knew that she wouldn't go far, and they knew that she was getting better. But they still worried that she would crack and have a breakdown, and if that happened somebody needed to be with her. But she had been persistent about going alone. She had told them that it was her time to think; the only time she would allow herself to reflect on what had happened to her.

Daryl was just finishing up skinning the last squirrel when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He ignored it at first, thinking that he was just seeing things. But then hushed voices joined the movements in the woods. He looked in the direction the noise and movement was coming from and he saw shadows in the trees.

He grabbed his crossbow and started walking towards the commotion. Everyone else seemed to have noticed what was going on and were following close behind him. The figures started to emerge from the trees and Daryl's heart dropped; his whole body froze for a moment, and then before he even had time to think, his crossbow was raised, pointing at the one man he hated most in the world.

Daryl's mind was instantly filled with one thing. A few sentences playing on repeat that haunted Daryl every day. "Go ahead, run. I'll find you. And when I do, Beth is going to wish she were dead; I promise you that."

He had kept his promise. Eric had kept his promise that he would find them again, and Daryl only hoped that Beth was nowhere near them right now. He was praying that she had been stupid enough to walk off of the farm. He didn't want to know what would happen if Eric saw her. He knew that this time would be a million times worse than last time. And he didn't want to know what seeing Eric would do to Beth.

He saw it. He saw the flash of recognition on Eric's face when he looked at Daryl. The sly smile on his face made Daryl's skin crawl. He knew that Eric knew he had found them. He remembered him, and by the look on his face, Eric was replaying his time with Beth.

"Well isn't this a pleasant surprise!" Eric said excitedly. "I told ya I'd be back, didn't I?" he asked, looking directly at Daryl.

Daryl kept his crossbow raised, his aim never leaving Eric. He knew that shooting him would be stupid. Eric was with a group, all of whom had guns trained on them. If Daryl shot he would start a war, and people on both sides would die. He had to keep his emotions in check and not react too soon. He couldn't risk dying and leaving Beth to fend for herself.

Eric was still staring at Daryl, never looking away. "Just leave and be on your way," Daryl said.

"Now you know that's not going to happen," Eric said calmly as he scanned the group, looking at each of their faces. "I'm seeing a lot of pretty ladies, but I don't see my girl. Where's Beth?"

Maggie started to step forward, ready to hurt the man who had hurt her sister, but was stopped by Glenn's gentle hand on her shoulder. Eric's eyes lit up as he realized Maggie's reaction to Beth's name.

"Are you the sister? Ah, this is good. Did she tell you what I did to her? Did she tell you how she wiggled beneath me, trying to get free, but I had her pinned down? Did she tell you about her screams that nobody could hear? Did she tell you how rough I was with her? I bet she still has marks." A wicked grin formed on his face as he said this.

Daryl knew what he was doing. Eric was trying to get a rise out of Maggie, and it was working. Maggie was now standing next to Daryl, her knife pulled, her face hard, ready to kill, but her eyes were watery. Maggie was trying to hold back tears.

"You know, I've been with a few more girls since Beth, but nothing compares to her. She was so damn tight, and she put up a good fight at first. I sure had a good time taming her." Eric paused and laughed a little. "Can't wait to do it again. I've been missin' her lately, and I have a lot planned. I was gentle with her last time, but this time…no, this time I'm gonna be rough. I'll take out all of my frustrations on her."

Daryl saw Maggie start to move forward. "Maggie," he growled at her. "Don't be stupid. He's trying ta make ya mad."

Maggie looked at him and nodded, taking a step back.

"First I'm gonna make her watch as we kill each of you. We may keep a few of the women…I'm sure my men would like that. Heck, if we keep the women I can have Beth all to myself. Then, once you're all taken care of, I'll take her into that house there and have my way with her again."

Daryl could feel the anger rising in him. All of the memories of that day came rushing back to him; how he couldn't protect Beth, how he had woken to her screams but wasn't able to get to her. He was trying to control his anger, but he wanted nothing more than to kill Eric, and his finger began pulling lightly on the trigger of his crossbow. He was beat to the punch by a loud bang that radiated through the group, and he watched as Eric fell to the ground, the blood running down his face.

Author's Note: I am so sorry for the delay in updating! My life has gotten pretty hectic. I just got a summer job, and this past week I've had orientation and training. On top of that, my sister was up for last minute wedding plans. I probably won't be doing regular updates for the next three weeks or so...at least until after the wedding. But I am going to do my best to update as soon as possible. I'm thinking maybe an update every week and a half or two weeks. But after the wedding updates will be once a week!

Anyways, I had to do it. I had to have Eric keep his promise. Just as Beth is getting better Eric has to come back. And I'm not going to lie, writing what Eric said made me sick to my stomach...that guy is a creep! So, how do you think this will affect the group? And who do you think killed him? We shall see in Ch.30!

And, if you haven't yet, please check out my newest story "Changed."

Thank you for all of the reviews, favorite, and follows!