What? A new chapter and it only took a week? Man, look at me go.
Daryl jolted awake, and judging by the barely lit sky, it was still over an hour before dawn. He groaned and let his eyes drift back shut until he realized he had a lot more room on the mattress than he remembered. He bolted upright, smacking his head on the underside of the bunk above him, and muttered several choice words. He was still sitting on the edge of the bed, rubbing the sore spot on his head when Beth reappeared, her face immediately showing concern when she saw him. "What happened?" she whispered.
"Smacked my head on the damn bunk," he grumbled. Even in the dim light, he didn't miss Beth's tiny smirk as she sat down next to him.
"Poor baby," she said with a pout that fought with her smile. She reached up and gently guided his head lower so she could plant a kiss, somehow knowing exactly where it smarted the most. "You gonna be okay?"
Daryl scowled half-heartedly at her. "I'm fine," he said as he moved to lay back down.
Beth followed suit, then brushed his shaggy hair away from his already drowsy eyes. "I dunno…maybe I shouldn't let you sleep, in case you have a concussion."
Opening one eye, partially to glare at her, partially to see if she was being serious, he growled out, "Shut up," before wrapping his arm around her back and pulling her into him. He let his arm drift back until his hand was resting on her baby bump between them. "You still doin' okay?" he asked, all teasing and grumping aside. The past day hadn't been easy on anyone, but especially not her, and he knew all that stress couldn't be good for her or the baby.
"Yeah," she smiled, meeting his hand on her belly and moving it to where there was more noticeable movement. "See? We're fine." She shifted a little, bouncing the cot on its weak springs. "Sorry. Haven't been able to get comfy."
"Can't imagine why not," Daryl teased. She laughed softly beside him, her warm breath ghosting over his face and neck. He moved his hand again, tracing random patterns along her belly then moving to her back, letting his fingertips trail up and down in a leisurely rhythm. She readjusted, but there was something different about it this time. Her legs were suddenly restless, rubbing against each other like a cricket in July.
Wait. Was she…?
Not wanting to embarrass her by actually asking, Daryl kept his same relaxing tempo until his hand rested at the nape of her neck and gently pulled her forward to plant a kiss to her plump lips. How had he forgotten how sweet she tasted?
Beth reacted immediately, kissing him back and opening to deepen their kiss like she had been craving it. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and soon they couldn't get enough of each other. Like all the nights they'd been missing each other, the endless moments they'd spent thinking about each other, were all saving up for this long-awaited reunion.
Their hands seemed to move of their own volition, searching, seeking each other, making up for lost time in a frenzied scramble to find one another. When he slid his palm up her side, moving slowly toward her breast, Beth pulled away from their kiss as she arched against him, pushing herself into his hand, and she pressed her thighs together tightly. Her delicate gasp and sigh was music to Daryl's ears. He chanced a gentle squeeze, knowing she'd complained about being sore before. Her whispered moan wordlessly told him to continue. His thumb traced back and forth across her nipple, and he noticed a wetness growing there.
Oh. Oh.
He pulled his hand away quickly, "Shit, Beth, I'm sorry."
She stopped his hand from moving, her very touch calming him. "It's okay. It's been happening more and more. I probably should have warned you, but it felt…so…good," she explained, pressing kisses to his lips between her words.
Daryl wasn't sure what to do next. He wasn't about to lie to himself and say he wasn't the least bit curious to suck on her leaky nipples. Hell, she seemed into it, but he had more important things on his mind at the moment. Instead he ran his hand back down her side, cupping her ass and pulling her toward him, moving her thigh to rest on top of his own.
"Oof!" she exclaimed as quietly as she could manage. They both looked at the bump between them, and she giggled. "Well, that's not going to work."
Daryl scoffed, "Yeah, no kidding." He ran through the different positions they could try given their…limitations…finally deciding on one that would work for both of them in the crowded lower bunk. "Roll over," he said, gently pushing her hip toward the edge of the bed. She followed his instruction, not without giving him a look that said, "What the hell are you doing?" as she did so. Once they were situated, he reached around her, moving his hand under her shirt to cup her breast, carefully this time, not wanting to embarrass her, and curling up to her, pressing himself to her and wrapping his other arm under and around her.
It about threw Daryl for a loop when she arched her back and pressed her ass right against his crotch, knowing full well she could feel how hard he was for her already. His hand roamed along her body, down her side to her hip, back up over her belly, before finally resting between her thighs, cupping her gently. Beth let out a soft sigh and rocked her hips against his hand.
He kissed along her neck and shoulders, her scent and the feel of her in his arms both stimulating and relaxing him simultaneously. He rocked against her, their rhythms matching effortlessly. He slowly pulled his hand from her, only to slide under the waistband of the sweats she'd taken to wearing lately, even despite the growing heat of late spring. He played along the lips of her pussy with his fingers, tracing through the nest of curls that covered them.
After another grind of her hips against him, which he took as a sign that she wanted him to go further, he slipped his middle finger between her lips, feeling the growing wetness there. He rubbed the pad of his finger against her clit, earning him a choked off groan from the beautiful woman in his arms. "Shh," he reminded her, "Gotta stay quiet, sweetheart." He swirled a finger around her swollen nub, and chuckled when she turned her head to groan into their pillow.
He didn't want to tease her for too long, and not just because he could hardly wait to be inside her again. In reality, he wanted to get her off first, feel her cum on his fingers. Really play up the "making up for lost time" without actually saying the words.
Daryl had a fleeting thought about whether or not it was safe to go much further than this, but didn't want to show his ignorance by asking her. He'd seen enough porn in his day to be fairly certain that pregnant women could have sex without being too concerned. Still, he didn't want her to feel obligated to do something if she was uncomfortable in any way. "You okay?" he murmured in her ear.
Beth turned her head, grinning lazily up at him from over her shoulder. "Yeah, I'm good," she whispered before plucking another kiss from his lips. He chased her mouth with his, their teeth clacking together before finding their rhythm again. Daryl pulled his hand out of her pants to reposition her leg until it bent slightly backwards to rest on his. Once he returned his hand to where it had been, he found the desired effect - her pussy was no longer hiding between her thighs, but open for him to plunge his finger into. His kiss swallowed her moan as he curled his finger against her walls, and again when his thumb found her clit again.
"That feel good?" he whispered against her lips. She answered with a nod, biting her bottom lip to hold back another moan of pleasure. "You want more?" he asked, already pulling his finger from her to add another, then resumed stroking her clit with his thumb.
His dick had grown harder than it had been in months…really, since the last time they'd slept together. He wanted nothing more than to bury himself in her, to show her just how much he missed her, how he wanted her - how he always wanted her - but more than that, he wanted to prove himself to her, to show her he didn't want anyone but her.
Still, a man can only hold out so long. His body took over momentarily, and ground himself against her ass, letting her know just how ready he was for her. She let out a whimper, soft as a dove's cry, that had him rocking against her again, seeking that friction he so desperately craved.
"Daryl," she whispered as she reached behind his head to tangle her fingers in his hair, almost pulling it from its roots.
"What, Beth?" He kissed along her neck, her jaw line, until he found her lips again. "Tell me." Whatever she wanted, whatever she needed, he would gladly give to her.
"Wait," she finally managed to get out.
Daryl's blood ran cold. Had he hurt her? Gone too far? Was it something with the baby? He pulled away from her instantly, propping himself up on his elbow to look at her, to see the expression on her face.
Beth looked up at him, almost guiltily. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "All I can think is, 'What if someone walks by?'"
His first thought was to tell anyone who happened to see them to fuck all the way off, but after a half second to let some of his bloodflow return northward, he raced to find a solution. Yeah, he could throw a blanket over her, but something told him she'd want more privacy than that. He wasn't about to drag her out of bed to go traipsing through the dark halls of the prison in search of an office or something.
So. He'd do the next best thing. "Alright," he grunted, unwrapping himself from around her. "Lemme up," he told her, scooting to the foot of the bed. As he stood, he grabbed the pillow and moved it to the foot of the bed. Then he unbuckled his belt and undid his pants, partly to relieve the discomfort of his fly pressing so tightly against his dick, and partly to save time later. He approached her side of the bed, nodding his head to show Beth where he wanted her.
Following his lead, she scooched closer to the wall, and Daryl grabbed a blanket that would be big enough to cover both of them and arranged it on the bed before climbing in, taking her spot. Now if anyone happened to get nosy, they'd only see his back and little else.
Once she was settled and he'd slid his arm around her again, he began nuzzling along her jawline, down her neck, nipping at her collarbone and beyond, while his other hand cupped her cheek gently, tempting and teasing her, savoring every gasp and breathy moan as his hand slid down her delicate throat to her chest. He loved the feel of her under his palm, how she moved against him, always searching for more, so unlike the first time they'd been together.
With literally anyone else, he'd try his damnedest to keep them at arm's length at least. Daryl Dixon didn't cuddle. He didn't make out. Hell, in his former life before the turn, foreplay was just a means to an end. Get the girl wet enough so it wasn't uncomfortable, and it was off to the races.
But now, with Beth, he finally understood the appeal and found he couldn't get enough. He couldn't wait for the opportunity to take her somewhere private, somewhere safe…somewhere he could take his time finding out each and every way of making her moan and scream in ecstasy. And to do all of that before he even got his dick wet.
Not now, though, he reluctantly reminded himself. Now he was racing against time before someone inevitably woke up and came looking for them. And to give themselves as much time as they could before that happened, he'd have to keep her quiet, all while giving as much pleasure as he possibly could.
But one day…one day.
His hand found its way back between her legs, circling her clit until her legs parted themselves, giving him access to her delicate folds once more. He pushed himself against her hip and slid two fingers inside her, finding her hotter and wetter than even just a moment ago.
As he curled against her innermost walls again, Beth scrambled, stretching herself to seek out his mouth, groaning as she sealed his lips to his, pouring her passion directly into him. She pulled away, gasping for breath, "Dary, please…" Her voice was a throaty whisper. "Please…I want you."
Her whispered confession made his cock throb, beads of precum forming on the tip to stain his underwear. With renewed vigor, he doubled his efforts, scissoring his fingers inside her to make sure she was more than ready for him. "Cum for me, girl," he all but growled against her throat before catching the shell of her ear between his teeth. "Can't wait to hear you scream again…wanna fuck that pussy til you can't walk straight."
He felt her walls begin to flutter around his fingers, and knew it was only a matter of time before he'd feel her fall apart for him. "Ya like that, huh? Like me talkin' dirty to ya?" Beth only nodded, biting down on her bottom lip and pushing her hips against his hand. He unleashed all the thoughts he'd been holding back these past months, unveiling the visions he found in his dreams about her. "Wanna see you bouncin' on my cock, lettin' me suck on those sweet titties."
Any other thoughts in his sex-starved brain were pushed away at the sight of Beth mid-orgasm, her head thrown back, mouth stretched wide in a silent scream, her back arched, pushing her breasts to his greedy gaze. Her strong legs had locked his hand in place between them so tightly he couldn't push or pull anymore, so he milked her orgasm, keeping the same steady rhythm but lightening up on the pressure. He knew she was about through it when her legs finally relaxed, falling apart once again. Daryl wasted no time in removing his hands and bringing his fingers to his mouth, licking her arousal from them. She tasted incredible, and if they'd had more time and privacy, he'd drink right from the source.
One day…one day.
Instead, he leaned over to kiss her, wondering if she could taste herself on his tongue, what she thought. Any other time, he'd be all ears, but at this particular moment, the blood flowing to his brain was in severe decline - it was his other head that was running the show now.
When Beth tried cuddling toward him, wrapping her arms around his neck as they kissed, he gently pushed her back to the mattress. He understood the look of confusion on her face, and certainly couldn't blame her, but words were not exactly forthcoming. He used gentle hands to push her, turn her toward the wall, so he was spooning her. His cock was nestled against the curve of her ass, already seeking entrance. Once Daryl was sure the blanket was securely covering both of them, he reached underneath and quickly found the waistband of her sweatpants, pushing them down past her hips and toward her thighs.
Beth looked back at him over her shoulder, startled and obviously unsure of what his intentions were. He tried giving her a reassuring grin as he continued to work her pants further down her legs. "Don't worry," he whispered as he moved further down the bed to let his cock rest behind her legs instead of her ass. "I ain't tryin' that." He kissed her upper arm and moved his hips from behind her, sliding himself back and forth in the wetness still there between her thighs. "Tell me to stop, and I will."
He palmed himself, giving a few pumps of his hand before lining himself up in the cleft of her pussy, not entering her, not yet, but teasing her, letting her get used to the sensation, the idea, and gauging her reaction. If she showed the slightest bit of discomfort or, god forbid, fear, he'd be up and across the room in a heartbeat.
To his surprise, and relief, he felt her moving against him, ever so slightly as she found her rhythm, arching her ass toward his hips and lifting her top leg to allow him to slide without resistance. He slid his hand along her thigh, over her hip to her ribcage, relishing in the feel of her body against his, making sure to keep his rhythm slow and steady. Her hand found his and brought it over her hip to find her center once again. "You ready?" he asked before making one more move.
"Yeah," she whispered. "Just…go slow, okay?"
He nodded against her back, grabbing the base of his cock and lining himself up with her entrance, sliding the tip in. Daryl felt her move at the sensation, but she immediately relaxed, which he took as a sign to go further. She was impossibly tight, despite his ministrations from earlier, but she didn't seem to be in any kind of discomfort as he pushed into her, filling her, stretching her. He kissed the nape of her neck as he bottomed out inside her, his hips fitting snugly against her ass. Trailing kisses across her shoulder, his hand wandered up and down her body, enjoying the changes that motherhood had brought to her body as he rocked slowly with shallow thrusts. "Shit, Beth," he murmured against her skin, "you feel so fuckin' good."
The sound of his name riding along her soft moans made him want to let loose, to stop holding back. He'd promised he'd go slow, and by God he was going to keep that promise if it killed him. "You're so big…I…God, Daryl, I feel so full," she whimpered out. Daryl started to pull away from her, but she quickly reached back to hold him in place, her hand landing on his lower back. "Don't you dare stop," she scolded him in a husky voice.
Not daring to disobey, he kept his slow pace, knowing it wouldn't take long for him to finish and he just didn't want this to end, not so soon. "Wouldn't dream of it," he grunted.
His name became her whispered litany among the soft moans he pushed and pulled from her. He kept his hand on her hip, moving them together, guiding her as if they were performing a practiced dance. Beth's hand found his, their fingers threading between each other, squeezing as they each chased their own pleasure. She was panting heavily, no room for words, when she pulled on his hand to reach between her thighs, showing him exactly how to play with her clit.
"Daryl," she squeaked out, "Please…more."
Sweet merciful Jesus, finally, he thought to himself as his hips picked up their pace, giving Beth what she needed, what they both needed. It was damn near impossible to keep quiet as he growled against her back, feeling her inner walls began to quiver. "You gonna cum for me, huh?" he grunted, fucking harder into her, chasing his own release. "Give it to me, girl. Lemme feel that pussy squeeze my dick."
After a few more staggered thrusts, he felt her clamp down around him, pulling his own orgasm from him, their cell filling with choked moans and sighs. He felt a wetness growing between them, but considering the sheer volume he just poured inside her and how hard she had just come, he wasn't too alarmed. He was sure there were extra sheets somewhere. In fact, he was pretty proud of himself - pretty sure he'd just made his woman squirt, even if it was just enough to wet the sheets.
He pulled out of her as slowly as he could, and felt her gasp and wince as he did. Exhaustion washed over him, but a different kind than he'd been experiencing these last several months. Being on the road had run everyone ragged. And now? Now Daryl was pretty well fucked out. Now was a time to catch their breath and let the afterglow claim them. He moved back up toward the pillow, kissing along Beth's spine as he moved, until she was snug in his arms again, his hand roving over her belly in leisurely patterns.
Maybe it was their rekindled closeness. Maybe it was the stress of the past months…hell, even the past several hours…that were melting away. Maybe it was being so close, yet not facing each other in the still dim light of predawn. Whatever the cause, Beth started speaking to him in hushed tones. "I missed this so much, Daryl. I miss having your hands on me, being together like this. I miss having your arms around me. You don't know how much I missed you."
Daryl's heart squeezed with guilt, pausing his movements but most assuredly not pulling away. "I…I had to," he tried to explain.
Beth turned herself enough to be able to see him, resting her palm on his stubbled cheek. "I know you did," she whispered before pulling him in for a kiss. "And even though it hurt to be so alone, to feel like you were leaving me behind, I still love you for doing it, for keeping us safe."
He blinked at her stupidly. He remembered, shortly after their attack at the campground, her saying those three fateful words, but they'd both been through so much, and they were both half asleep (at least he thought), that he didn't know if she'd meant it, if she'd meant to really say it, and sure as hell wasn't about to ask her about it, especially not while sharing a car with the Grimes family.
But she'd said it again, and they were definitely both coherent this time. Well, they were both still riding their orgasm highs, but he could hardly ignore the fact that Beth was telling him, once again, that she loved him.
All he could do was stare at her. He didn't want to be the asshole that runs away, but he didn't really know what to say or do. So he just…froze.
Thankfully, Beth sent out a life line. She turned in his arms to face him in the growing light just before dawn, just enough to be able to see that she was looking directly into his eyes. "It's okay," she said softly. "I didn't say it just to hear you say it back. But I do, Daryl." She gave a small smile, rested her palm against his stubbled cheek, and said it again, "I love you."
He was still dumbstruck, but at least she wasn't expecting an answer, so he could just let his mind spiral without having to think of a response. He didn't know if what he felt for her was really love. He'd never been close to any kind of loving relationship in his life.
Apparently he had a lot to think about, to work through in his mind. Because all he had to offer this girl, the mother of his child, was his bull-headed, redneck self. And she loved him anyway.
His heart gave a flutter at the thought. It wasn't an unpleasant sensation.
As his mind did its best to work through everything, he felt Beth's breath against his skin start to even out as she found sleep again. She looked so damn peaceful, so beautiful. He found he couldn't resist pressing a kiss to her forehead, and didn't miss when, even in slumber, she turned her face toward his.
There went his heart again. Maybe he had a medical condition.
Bullshit. He'd been feeling this strange…feeling…for a while, but never had a word to put to it.
Well, there was no getting back to sleep for him. All traces of exhaustion from just moments before had suddenly vanished. Daryl moved as carefully as he could so as not to disturb her, got himself dressed, shouldered his crossbow after shoving his feet into his boots, and found his way outside. It wasn't that he wanted to be away from Beth - far from it, actually. He just needed some fucking air.
When he was with her, he felt calmer, lighter. She made him feel like he was worth a damn, the way she looked at him and smiled at him. Gave a shit about him. Not just because he could hunt and provide protection, like he felt from most of the group. She genuinely cared about him.
And then she went and told him she loved him. No one had ever said those words to him, not even his own mother. But now the most beautiful girl, inside and out, with eyes and smiles that could out-shine the sun…thought she loved him. And had no expectations from him to reciprocate, apparently. What the hell was he supposed to do with that?
God, he wanted a cigarette. Instead he breathed in a lungful of the damp Georgia morning air, trying to sort through his thoughts.
He'd be stupid to push her away. Beth Greene was far too good for him. Hell, he couldn't walk away from her if his life depended on it. She had become his new drug, and damn if he was already addicted. Even now, in the middle of this emotional crisis, he was sorely tempted to head back inside and curl himself around her in their bed.
So what the hell was he waiting for? If she said it was okay if he didn't…say it back…why was he out here dealing with thought and emotions when he could just be wrapped up in her instead of his own head?
But there was something…in his head or in his heart…that kept him from going back inside. Was this what it was like to listen to his conscience? He could certainly do without that mess, thank you very much.
He almost felt like he owed her to say it back, just because it was the very least that she deserved. It wasn't fair to let her keep dangling on that line. He just needed to say the words, even if he wasn't sure he meant them the way she did. After everything she'd been through because of him, he owed it to her.
Even as the thought crossed his mind, he knew, he felt, just how wrong that was. He may not have a shit ton of experience with it, but it seemed to him that love shouldn't…couldn't be an obligation. If that were even remotely true, his ma and his old man would have treated him and Merle - hell, they'd have treated each other - a whole helluva lot better.
Beth didn't need lip service from anyone, but especially not from him. She'd probably just call him out on his bullshit anyway.
He sighed heavily, knowing there was far too much to be done rather than trying to figure all of this out all at once.
Daryl took a lap within the fences, especially checking the far corner where the cut chain link was being held together with a wire dog lead. By the time he'd made it back to C Block, he found most of the group was up and moving, heading to the mess hall area where Carol was putting together a simple breakfast for everyone. Beth was waddling slower than usual, both of her hands supporting her lower back. He crossed over to her, heard her puff out a breath before turning a smile toward him as he joined her. "Good morning," she said, her voice a little breathy with the effort of simply walking down the corridor.
"Mornin'" he answered. "You doin' alright?" Now that he was closer to her, he'd swear she looked a little flushed, with tiny beads of perspiration gathering at her hair line. He probably looked the same, but he'd been outside walking around for the better part of an hour.
"Oh, yeah," she waved him off with a dismissive hand before returning it to the small of her back. "Just been a little achy." Daryl wanted to call bullshit, but he was pretty sure arguing with a pregnant woman about how she feels would be a death sentence.
As they ate, Rick was going over the plan for the day, moving vehicles and securing more of the prison. Lori, Beth and Carl would stay with Hershel while the rest would be working outside. As they assessed what all needed to be done, Carol noticed that two able bodies were definitely absent. Rick said something about Glenn taking a shift to keep watch last night.
Come to think of it, Daryl hadn't seen Maggie that morning, either. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out just where and how to find them. He called toward the guard tower. Sure enough, Glenn poked his head out of the doorway, shirtless and buckling his pants closed. A little of the famous Dixon style of crude humor at their expense had the rest of the group smiling and snickering.
Work seemed to go much faster than usual that morning. It was as if things were starting to look up for them all, and they could all loosen up a little knowing they were relatively safe within the fences and brick walls.
That lasted until they noticed Oscar and Axel slowly coming around the corner of their own cell block out into the yard. They asked - hell, Axel practically begged - to be able to stay in C Block with the rest of the group, wanting to get away from the so-called ghosts of their former fellow prisoners.
Rick called for a quick meeting out of earshot with the rest of their group. T-Dog was all for welcoming them into the fold, but the others were less accepting of the two men. Daryl probably understood them better than the rest. Hell, most of the people he ran with, Merle and himself included, could have easily ended up behind bars with them. They were degenerates, but not psychos. Just guys after their next high, their next fix, whatever their vice may be.
Did that mean he was willing to let these two come one step closer to where Beth was being kept safe? Hell no. Let them take their chances on the road like their group had done for the past eight months.
Once it was decided, Carol, Glenn and Maggie put together a box of food rations for the week, led them to the next section of fencing, and locked a chain in place with Oscar and Axel on the other side.
Daryl, Rick, and Glenn had gone into the woods surrounding the rear facing side of the prison in hopes of finding some game to hunt and bring back for dinner, but none of them were too keen on being that far from those they cared about for that long. Instead, they set a few traps and collected arm loads of firewood. At least they could provide a warm meal, even if it still came from a can.
As they squeezed their way back through the hole in the fence that they'd cut the other day, Daryl noticed movement coming from the door leading to C Block. Someone had found Hershel a pair of crutches, and he was giving them a test run, accompanied by Carl, Lori, and Beth.
Even from across the prison yard, Daryl could see Beth's smile stretching across her face despite the obvious discomfort she was in that day. Despite the rift in their relationship from months ago, it was clear how much she loved her father, and how relieved she was to have him on the mend. No matter the distance, he was constantly reminded of how beautiful she was, inside and out.
Glenn yelled out a cheer of encouragement to Hershel, which Daryl had to cut short, reminding the younger man to keep quiet as he motioned at the small group of walkers making their way out of the tree line and toward the fence. He thought it was odd that so many had gathered all of a sudden when they hadn't come across any in the time they'd spent in the woods, but decided not to worry too much about it, not when they were bearing witness to a win as incredible as Hershel's speedy recovery.
The three men watched a moment longer as a peaceful feeling settled over all of them.
They should have known it wouldn't last.
A sudden commotion broke out in the prison yard, causing the three with Hershel to turn and start firing what weapons they had and scattering to the doors leading back inside. Daryl moved without seeing what the threat was, taking off at an instant sprint. A quick glance their way revealed several walkers ambling from a door in E Block. A spike of terror caused a rush of adrenaline, helping him to run faster than he'd ever been able to before. As he ran, he saw Maggie, T-Dog and Carol rushing to help, which should have given at least some relief, except for the voice in his brain chanting in time with each hurried footfall, "It should be me…gotta get to Beth."
Halfway to the end of the perimeter walkway, Rick yelled for Glenn to throw the keys. After a rushed relay, Rick had them in hand, frantically working to unlock the padlock separating them from their families.
As he worked, Daryl looked to see where Beth was. He watched, helpless, as Hershel pushed a walker away with one of his crutches and Beth held a door for her father to follow her inside to the safety of the prison. Okay. Good. They were both smart enough and capable enough to find somewhere to hunker down. Meanwhile, Daryl grew more impatient, hating this helpless feeling as he watched the chaos ahead of him. If Rick took too much longer, he was ready to climb the chainlink to get to Beth, barbed wire be damned.
Once they were through that gate, they rushed toward the next, where Oscar and Axel were standing. Rick pushed through them, hurrying to open the last barrier separating him from his family. Finally the padlock snapped open, and the three of them took off without explaining to the two prisoners what was going on.
By the time they'd made it to the concrete yard, over a dozen bodies were laid out on the ground, none of them belonging to anyone in their group, thank God. Everyone had apparently made it inside safely, and the doors had been shut, keeping all of the walkers out, but keeping the three of them out as well. Glenn noticed that the chains around the gates had been cut, leading Rick to question Oscar and Axel about how this could have happened.
Before he had much of a chance to get answers, a klaxon alarm sounded, catching them all off guard. Rick and Glenn immediately started shooting out the speakers fixed to the prison walls above them, but there were just too many places the deafening noise was coming from. Rick whirled around to find Oscar, demanding to know why the alarms would go off. Oscar explained that there was a back-up generator, that it must be the source of power for the alarms. He'd only worked on it a few times, but he remembered how to get to it, and might be able to figure out how to turn it off.
Once they finally found their way inside, Rick called out for the five men to split into teams, either to find the rest of their people or to find the generator and shut it down. Daryl followed Rick and Oscar through several dark corridors until they made it to the room with the generator, a swarm of walkers hot on their heels. Rick made his way through the room, scanning for whoever might have caused all of this, while Daryl and Oscar blocked the door.
Rick called for Oscar, leaving Daryl on his own to keep the walkers at bay. He heard shouting, sounds of a struggle amid the blaring alarm and the raspy screams of the walkers trying to get in. He pushed against the door with all his might, but felt his shoes slipping on the smooth concrete floor. The door didn't have a latch, and he couldn't hold it closed long enough to lock the deadbolt so he could deal with whatever was happening on the other side of the room.
In a rush of action, Daryl let the undead push the door open, only to take down the first one through with his crossbow, the second with his hunting knife. He pushed the last one back into the hall, buying himself just enough time to engage the deadbolt and make his way to help Rick. All he could hear was someone shouting to "Shoot him!"
A gunshot rang out, and Daryl's blood ran cold. He peered around the corner to see Oscar holding Rick's pistol. A quick glance further around the row of metal cabinets splitting the room in two showed Rick still standing, his hand outstretched toward Oscar, silently asking him to lower his weapon. Daryl was posed and ready to take him out, and was relieved when Oscar turned the handle of the gun toward Rick for him to take his weapon back.
Andrew, the prisoner who had tried to attack them along with Tomas, had been the one to cause all of this chaos. A look at the generator showed significant damage, which Daryl assumed was from the ax laying on the floor.
Shit. Well, there was that.
Rick flipped the switches to turn off the alarm. Now the only thing left to do was to fight their way back into the hall, and find the rest of their people.
They wound their way back through the prison, meeting up with Glenn and Axel again, then pausing only when they found a pair of walkers consuming a fresh body. A wave of emotion washed over him when he realized it was T-Dog, or at least what was left of him. Laying on the ground was the scarf Carol had been wearing around her head earlier that morning, but she was nowhere to be found. Chances were that she'd made it through the rest of the corridors and was back with the rest of the group.
They all finally made it back outside and ran to the place where this had all begun, only to find the same bodies on the ground, but none of their people. Rick turned to face them, ready to give another order, when a baby's cry pierced the air. They all turned, stunned, to see Maggie carrying an infant in a denim shirt, both of them covered in blood. Carl followed stoically behind her, his eyes downcast, unable to meet his father's.
Daryl's heart froze, his stomach somewhere in his throat, as he watched Rick put the pieces together, coming to the realization that his wife was gone, leaving him with a brand new baby to care for. Rick collapsed to the ground, openly sobbing as his grief coursed through him.
Glenn moved to Maggie's side, holding her as she held the baby to her chest. "I had to," she cried. "Lori begged me to…to…she knew she wouldn't make it, but she wanted me to anyway."
Daryl watched, heavy hearted, as Glenn comforted her, pressing a kiss to her temple, whispering something meant only for Maggie, but she shook her head angrily. "No, it was my fault. If Daddy had been there, Lori would still…"
The rest of her words were lost on Daryl's ears. Hershel. Where was Hershel?
More importantly…where the fuck was Beth?
I'm sorry!
Except I'm not actually, because the next chapter already has about 1,000 words written already, so...there's that. (Though I feel I need to add that tomorrow is my first day back to teach, so I may not be posting next week, but it'll be soon, I promise. I'm too excited about this chapter!
You can yell at me in the comments...
