**WARNING: Animal death.
The time was going by so slowly as she lay there, stuck on the couch and trying to peer out the window in the wall a few feet away from her. The mental clock ticked away in her mind, tick, tick, tick, only each beat of the second hand brought with it a flash of Daryl out there alone on the streets, Daryl faced with walkers or wolves, Daryl without her to have his back. The only thing that had stopped Beth from getting up and moving the couch by the window so she could watch out of it more easily had been a rather stern look from Michonne that would have made her laugh if she wasn't so worried.
She knew the woman was right, of course. She was injured, and despite the fact that she was nowhere near as bad off as Glenn it wasn't gonna help her to get up, let alone to try manual labor. But she was worried. Every minute (every second) he was out there without her meant she couldn't be sure that he was okay, and it was like it was eating away at her no matter how much confidence Beth had that Daryl, of all people, would always find his way back to her.
"He said they'd be back in an hour, Beth." Michonne's murmur came from behind her and Beth turned away from the window to give the woman a tight smile.
"I know. It's only been a half hour or so, I think. I just wish…" Her head turned again, gaze peering out the window a few feet from her and studying the sliver she could see of the street below as she murmured, "I just wish I knew where they were and that they were okay…"
...
The streets had seemed clear, but Daryl was being cautious. He couldn't get the snarls of those wolves out of his head, and he figured Maggie couldn't either because she was being just as careful beside him as they'd crept down the street looking for somewhere that might have what they needed.
In the end what they spotted was a small little pharmacy; probably family-owned judging by the look of it. It was a small shop on the main street, with a little green awning and gold lettering on the large window reading: Mertz Pharmacy. Through the smudged and dusty windows he could vaguely make out the shapes of shelves in the dim lighting and he could only hope they were still stocked with some supplies.
"C'mon," he said only a little roughly, pulling Maggie's attention to him from where she'd been peering down the street towards where the others were. He knew the feeling; he felt that same pull back to the others. But it wasn't just that he'd rather be back there with Beth, it was that he wished she was right here with him, too. Maggie was clever and strong and could hold her own, but he was instantly aware of the lack of familiarity with her; the fact that he couldn't just signal silently or nod at the door and have her know what to do in an instant.
But they managed. It took a little more talking than it would've with Beth but eventually they got into the pharmacy and took care of the two walkers roaming around inside. The place looked a little picked clean, but not overly so. Daryl would always be grateful for small towns like this, tucked up in the middle of nowhere and forgotten.
The medicine they needed was of course their main goal, but it was rare these days to find a shop that still had things they might need in stock, so Daryl took the time to detour through the aisles, sliding a couple things into his bag; soap, bandages, antibiotic ointment, gauze, pads and tampons (he'd long since gotten used to the embarrassment of picking those up, it was more than worth the gratitude the women in their group always had when someone brought them back), even a bottle of tylenol that wasn't too far expired.
He assumed that Maggie was doing a search of her own until he rounded the end of an aisle and saw her just standing and staring at one of the shelves. It wasn't until he got close that he realized she was staring at boxes of condoms, of all things. Ignoring the faint burning in the tips of his ears, Daryl cleared his throat and said, "Don't tell me you're too embarrassed t' take 'em with me here, I mean it ain't like y'all are very private about that…" Lord knew they'd all heard her and Glenn going at it more times than he could count.
Daryl regretted the remark as soon as he said it because sure, there was a faint smile on Maggie's lips but it was distant, and when she turned her head to meet his gaze he saw sadness in her eyes. "Shit. Sorry…" He didn't even know fully what he was apologizing for, except that he reckoned it had something to do with the fact that Glenn was injured and possibly at risk of dying and here he was, making jokes about sex.
"No, don't apologize." Maggie gave another one of those sad little smiles. "It's not you, it's just… this." She waved her hand at the condoms, but all Daryl could do was raise his eyebrows in bafflement. He had no damn idea what she was talking about but he really hoped she wasn't gonna cry. He was shit at dealing with crying women, except for Beth of course and even then he was still always worried he'd screw it up.
But after a moment, Maggie drew in a deep breath and explained, "The first time Glenn and I… got together. We were at the pharmacy in town, by the farm. We went on a run together and just… well. And it was all because he picked up a pack of condoms and…" She broke off, chuckling. "Lord, he had no game at all, you know? He had no game at all and he was so damn awkward but he was so sweet and cute, which was so not my type before him anyway and I just- I don't wanna lose him, Daryl. I can't lose him. He's just gotta be okay, he's just gotta."
She was tearing up again and if it had been a year ago he'd probably have just turned and fled. Or growled at her. But he wasn't that man anymore. He'd changed; he knew that, even if he couldn't really remember the process of changing. (Except dimly he knew it was all tied up in big blue eyes and soft blonde hair and the heat of moonshine in his belly and the crackle of flames.) Hesitantly Daryl lifted his hand and squeezed her shoulder for a long moment before he murmured, "He's gonna be okay. We'll find the medicine and he'll be okay. An' you can bring one of these boxes back an' make some joke with him about it, and everything'll be okay. Alright?"
After a moment she gave a sharp little nod and Daryl pulled his hand away, breathing a sigh of relief that he hadn't fucked that up. His thoughts ranged to Beth, wondering if she'd have been proud of him for the way he'd handled that. He had a feeling she would have been. He could just imagine the little smile she'd give him, all pleased and sweet.
"She really does get into your head, doesn't she?" Maggie's voice cut into Daryl's thoughts, and he looked up with his brow furrowed before she went on, "Beth. She's always been like that, even when we were kids. I had, uh, a bit of a temper problem sometimes when we were younger. You know, if someone was being rude I'd always wanna snap at them or whatever? But Beth, she could always diffuse the situation. And if someone was upset she always knew what to say somehow. She always knew whether someone needed a hug, or advice, or a listening ear." Maggie laughed and ran her fingers through her short hair. "At first I was just kinda amused by it, I guess. I didn't even realize she was getting into my head until I'd be in some situation where someone was upset and I'd end up thinking... what would Beth do, you know?"
Yeah. He knew, without a doubt. Daryl hummed and gave a nod of his head, and Maggie just smiled. "See if it was before, like back at the prison or the farm, I'd have expected you to just roll your eyes or grunt at me, I dunno, or just not care." Maggie scrunched up her nose in a way that was surprisingly similar to Beth, enough to have him faintly amused even as she went on, "Not that I'm trying to say she changed you or something, like on purpose."
He was quiet for a moment, turning to look at the boxes on the shelf in front of him so he wouldn't have to look right in Maggie's eyes. "She did, though. Change me. Not on purpose, but she did. Or, uhh…" He shrugged one shoulder and rubbed the back of his hand across his brow for a moment as she struggled to find the right words. "She brought it out of me, or somethin', I dunno." He gave a low chuckle and added, "Didn't make me a poet or nothin', that's for sure."
Maggie's low laughter joined his own as she added, "Now that would be weird."
He had to agree with that. Being around Beth might make him think all sorts of poetic things sometimes, but he'd never say them out loud. He felt them though, like he felt so many things around her. So many good things because it just radiated out of her like the warm rays of the sun. So after a moment of scratching his chin again, he just said simply, "I think she's just good, that's all. She's so good it just… it kinda rubs off on you. You know?"
"Yeah." Maggie's voice was soft again, distant but in a fond sort of way. "Yeah, I know."
They stayed in silence for a moment longer before Daryl cleared his throat and straightened his shoulder. "Anyway. I reckon the medicine is in the back. Should get goin' and see if we can find what we need."
But of course, both of them took the time (with only a little embarrassment) to grab a few boxes of condoms and stick them in their bags. They were, after all, highly sought-after commodities.
...
"Beth," Michonne said warningly, raising an eyebrow as she caught Beth struggling to sit up again and peer out the window.
As she settled back against the couch, Beth replied meekly, "Sorry…" She really did mean it. Even more, she knew she was being silly. It was fine; the town was quiet, they were just doing a quick run… she didn't know why she was so on edge, but she couldn't seem to turn it off and it was really starting to get to her.
Looking up and catching sight of both Michonne and Glenn watching her, Beth struggled to explain, "It's just… I dunno I feel on edge. Like my warning bells are going off-" Glenn raised his eyebrows and Beth gave him a tiny smile, "Sorry, it's something Daryl and I say. It's just… don't you ever get the feeling like something isn't right? Or like it's about to go bad?"
Glenn looked unsure, but Michonne was studying her with a look of complete understanding before she asked, "You feelin' that right now?"
Beth hesitated, teeth worrying at her lower lip as her fingers twisted into her shirt. "Yes. Maybe. I don't know, it's… I feel like I do, but I'm just not quite sure if it's because something might go wrong now, or if I'm all on edge because of the wolves, you know?"
"Yeah." Michonne turned and walked to the window slowly, her hand on the hilt of her katana as she stared through the smudged glass to the street below. "Tell you what. I'll keep watch, alright? And if those… warning bells of yours get any stronger, you let me know."
It was the best they could do now, and Beth knew it, but she still felt that stirring of not-quite-right in her gut as she settled against the couch and drew in a slow breath.
...
Finding painkillers wasn't too hard; Daryl knew the names of almost all of those thanks to Merle and his drug dealing (not to mention his drug habit). He grabbed a bottle of Vicodin he knew wouldn't be too debilitatingly strong, and also worked his way around the shelves to pick up some antibiotics like Amoxicillin and other medication as well; Beth would appreciate the additions to their medical supplies, which were always too damn low. He did his best to find the ones that hadn't been expired too long though it was getting harder and harder these days. It made him wonder what they would do when it became too dangerous to use expired medication anymore.
"How's it going," he called out lowly to Maggie, who had been tasked with finding the rabies medicine. Even as he asked, he could tell it wasn't going well. Maggie was getting more and more frantic, rushing through the shelves and knocking bottles over and mumbling under her breath as her hands faintly trembled.
"Hey…" Daryl's voice was careful as he came up beside her. "Slow down. This ain't gonna help you find it, Maggie."
"It's not here!" Her voice was tighter and higher than he'd heard it before and he knew she was about to panic. "It's not here, I can't find it, and if I can't find it-"
"Hey. Okay." Without thinking, Daryl reached out again, curling his fingers around her arm to steady her. "It's okay. It might still be here, and if it is, we'll find it. But it ain't the end of the world if it ain't here, alright. There's a good chance those wolves weren't rabid." He could see Beth in his mind, could hear that calm, careful voice she used sometimes and he couldn't help trying to imitate it. "I've seen rabid animals before, an' they didn't run, when y' hurt 'em. They just kept going, kept fightin' like they couldn't stop themselves. All wild and angry. These ones ran, y' know? They were smart."
Maggie was looking right at him, dragging in deep, slow breaths. "But Beth said we needed it…"
"Your sister was being cautious. But it don't mean it's the end of the world, if we can't find it, alright?" He waited until Maggie drew in a deep breath and then exhaled, "Alright. Now let's try and look again."
...
The room was silent, except for Glenn's occasional soft pained noises whenever he'd move the wrong way and jolt his arm. Occasionally Beth's worried gaze would stray to him but mostly, she kept her eyes on the window and the figure standing still in front of it.
Which was how she noticed the moment Michonne moved, the moment she started to lean forward and peer out the window with a faint furrow to her brow.
"What is it?" Beth started to sit up and then stopped herself. "Is it them? Are they coming back?"
Michonne shook her head, but held her finger to her lips. Beth had no idea why until she leaned down and began to carefully open the window just an inch or so, her long dreadlocks swaying with her movements.
And then she heard it. Growls, but not the kind walkers made. The kind interspersed with sharp barks and howls. Wolves.
Across the room, Glenn blanched and went pale as his wide-eyes darted to the window. "Thought we scared them off."
"Don't know," Michonne murmured, her voice low but calm, for the moment anyway, "Can't see them, it sounds like they're on the edges of town, still." She paused to listen to the howls, and added, "Maybe they brought reinforcements."
"Reinforcements?" Worry had crept into Beth's voice and she sat up a little bit more, dragging her bow higher into her lap.
"What, they've come back for revenge?" Glenn's joking voice was weak, and he looked like he knew it.
But it was Beth who answered softly, "No. Well not exactly. What if this is part of their territory, now? They'd want to defend it, right?"
"And they're hungry," Michonne remarked, as all of them thought back to Daryl's explanation of food sources being lower these days thanks to the walkers. "They're hungry, and we're, well… dinner."
"Not us!" Glenn's voice cracked a bit and he clutched his arm before an apparent jolt of pain made him settle again though worry was still etched across his face. "We're safe up here."
"Right." Michonne glanced slowly at Beth, who could read the worry in her eyes before she even finished, "But Maggie and Daryl are out there, and they've gotta come back down that street to get here."
...
It had taken him longer than it should have to get Maggie out of that pharmacy and even now she was lagging behind him, looking back over her shoulder. His patience was wearing thin, and Daryl had just turned to growl over his shoulder for her to hurry up when he heard it. Yips and howls coming from all around them, interspersed by low rough growls far more intimidating than his own.
He didn't have time to pause let alone to dart into an alley or a building and hide. Before he could the wolves were slinking out around him from alleys and the sides of buildings, just like they had earlier… except now there were a lot more of them. Seven by his count; including the one Michonne had cut with her blade, it's wound matted now with blood.
Maggie instinctively moved close to him, turning so her back was to his as she drew her gun and raised it. Behind her, Daryl lifted his loaded crossbow just as one of the wolves darted in with a growl and a snap of it's jaws. It was close but not quite close enough to get him and he knew why. They were playing with them, like cats played with a cornered mouse. Like any predators might toy with their trapped prey. Seven wolves to two humans; they had them surrounded. The wolves were confident, as confident as he'd have been if his family had come upon two shambling walkers.
Of course, he and Maggie weren't the walking dead. They weren't so easy to kill.
He hoped, anyway. Because there were a lot of ways he'd imagined his life might end, but it definitely hadn't been as wolf dinner.
...
"Shit." Michonne's fingers curled tightly around her sword as the other pressed to the window frame. Her nails dug into the wood for a moment as she hissed, "It's too late to warn them. The wolves have them surrounded. Seven, it looks like. Including the one I got… must not have cut him deep enough."
"We can't let them just fight it out on their own!" There was urgency in Beth's voice as she brought herself up fully into a sitting position, going slow because she felt just the tiniest bit light headed and the injury on her temple was throbbing faintly. "We need a distraction or a way to help them."
"Well I can't exactly do much with this from up here," Michonne replied as she fingered the handle of her blade again. "Using guns might just call walkers to us, make it even worse."
"I know." Beth's gaze held Michonne's as she pointedly lifted her crossbow up and into her lap.
Michonne took one look at it and shook her head. "No. Dixon'll kill me, if he finds out I let you off that couch. You shouldn't be sitting up as it is."
Her heart gave a clenching ache but she forced herself to bite out the words, "He won't be able to kill you if those wolves kill him first, Michonne." Her eyes fixed on the other woman's, boring into them, pleading with her silently not to make her beg out loud. Though she would, for him. She'd do just about anything for Daryl. She'd do just about anything to banish the image in her mind right now of him being torn into by a pack of wild, hungry wolves.
For a second she thought Michonne was going to protest again. But instead, the woman came towards her, reaching down to help her to her feet. "Fine," she said lowly, "But I'm helping. And I'm using you as a shield when Dixon comes back, if he gets mad. Got it?"
Despite her worry, Beth smiled and even managed a soft chuckle. "Deal."
Besides it wasn't like she was entirely weak. Sure there was an aching throb in her head and she was the tiniest bit light-headed, but she still wasn't slurring her speech and she didn't feel queasy and those were both good signs. It didn't take much for Michonne to get her standing by the window, and as the other woman opened it further for her Beth got a bolt into her bow and slowly cranked it back.
Through the window she could see him and Maggie back to back in the middle of the street. Daryl had his crossbow raised just like her own and he was sighting down it as the wolves growled and circled and darted at them before slinking back. Her stomach lurched and her chest tightened, but she didn't give into it. In fact, as she settled the weight of her bow into her arms she felt a calmness steal over her the way she always did in moments like this. In the back of her mind she could almost hear Daryl's voice whispering for her to breathe in and out, to focus, to feel the shots.Keep steady, girl. Pick your shots nice and careful, y'hear?
"What's the plan?" Michonne murmured, her voice low and right in Beth's ear as they peered out the window to the pack of wolves stalking and toying with the two figures below.
"Scare them off, hopefully," Beth murmured as she drew in a deep breath and raised her bow to sight it through the window to the wolves below. "Or at least give Daryl and Maggie the help they need."
...
It felt as if they were at a standstill, only an incredible tense one. They were teetering on the edge and a single move from either side would send them tumbling over. One serious lunge from the pack leader and all of the wolves would attack, leaving him and Maggie to fend them off- if they could. The same went for either of them; Daryl knew if he or Maggie took a shot they might take out one or even two of the wolves but the rest would be on them in an instant all snapping teeth and sharp claws.
So it was a stand-off. Either they made the first move or the wolves did and either way it would bring the beasts down in them in a rush of fur and teeth. In Daryl's mind, he'd rather make the first move; at least he'd probably be guaranteed to take a few of them out in the process.
His hand reached back, planning to signal Maggie to take her shot when he did, but before he could everything shifted. With his senses on alert Daryl heard the whizz of a bolt slicing through the air and the thunk of it slamming into flesh and with a yelp and a whine one of the wolves fell over, a crossbow bolt protruding from it's chest. If money had mattered anymore, he'd have met good hard cash that the bolt had gone right through it's heart in a clean shot.
Beth. He knew that like he knew breathing, but he only had a second to look up and see her framed in the window, her pale hair like a beacon trying to guide him home as she sighted down her crossbow and fired again. Creating a distraction. Giving him a chance.
Because that was exactly what she was giving him. The attack coming from behind and above had the wolves snarling in confusion and spinning around to try and face the new foe; giving Maggie and Daryl the opening they needed. "Go!" He growled to his companion, seconds before firing off his own bolt and sending it clean through the heart of the wolf off to his right.
A gunshot rang out behind him and then Maggie was at his side and together they darted through the gap in the circle of snarling fur. He didn't have time to draw another bolt so he slung his crossbow over his back as he ran, pulling his own handgun from his belt. He knew the gunshots were a risk, but there wasn't much else they could do. If it called walkers to them, hopefully it wouldn't be until they'd gotten to shelter just up ahead.
The wolves were refocusing behind them, he could hear the growls and snaps of teeth just at his feet but his gaze was fixed ahead on Beth up in that window, grimacing as she cranked back her bow again to notch another bolt. She looked up, but her eyes shifted past him and widened as she cried out, "Maggie!"
...
The gunshot was still echoing through the buildings around them as Beth cranked her crossbow, desperately trying to notch another bolt in it. Her fingers trembled and fumbled with the bow before she drew in a deep breath and calmed herself, mentally shoving back the tension that tightened her lungs. In one mostly-smooth motion she lifted the bow again, sighted down it… and then gasped.
"Maggie!"
Her sister had stumbled and a wolf was right on her heels, leaping like Beth could only assume one had leapt at her in the first earlier attack. But as she watched Daryl whirled in one smooth motion, lifting his gun and taking one breathless second to steady before taking the shot. The wolf went down in a blur of fur and a yelp of pain, but Beth only had one second of relief before everything went to hell all over again.
From the left came another flash of red fur as a wolf launched itself out from the side of the building, flying at Daryl and knocking him to the ground as Beth bit back a scream of panic and fear.
...
One minute his hands were vibrating from the recoil of his pistol and the next something heavy was slamming into him side and sending him tumbling to the ground. His reaction was entirely instinctive as he twisted instantly, putting his back to the ground and shoving his hands up right against the thick fur of the snarling beast above him. It's muzzle was inches from his face, teeth bared and hot breath ghosting over his skin as he grunted and struggled to hold it at bay. His gun had been knocked from his hands to go skittering across the pavement and his knife was still sheathed at his waist. He couldn't reach it without moving a hand and risking the wolf having enough strength to use it's teeth to rip him open.
His head turned to the left in what felt like slow motion and for one moment he saw her just beyond his outstretched arm. That beacon in the window, holding her crossbow as their eyes met.
It was only a second, but in it Daryl felt every single thing he'd ever felt for her swelling up inside of inside of him, fit to burst out of his heart and he wanted to gasp out the words I love you (one last time) even though he knew she wouldn't be able to hear from here.
And then suddenly a weight slammed into the creature above him and as it went limp on top of him. As he shoved it roughly off and scrambled from beneath the weight he saw a knife protruding from it's back, and then Maggie reached down and yanked it free.
"You've got my back, I've got yours. Even?" She held out her hand to him and he only hesitated a second before grabbing it, hand gripping hers tightly as he let her help him pull her to his feet with a firm nod.
Then he was bending over to scoop up the gun he'd almost lost and this time drawing his knife from his sheath as well. Another bolt went whizzing past him from above and he only dimly registered another wolf going down behind him. His gaze went up to find that beacon once more, to let those blue eyes draw him back to safety, knowing the relief in them was matched in his own.
Daryl forced himself to tear his gaze away from Beth as they ran down the street, full-out pounding their feet against the pavement as they raced to the door with the last wolf at their backs. A few more steps and he was there, pulling the door open and shoving Maggie inside before he slipped in after her.
He only had a moment to peer through the gap in the door as he pulled it closed. A moment to see the last of the wolves running towards them with it's teeth bared in a snarl… and a moment to hear, in the distance, the first groans and moans of the dead summoned from whatever long-gone memories they had been haunting in their former homes to follow the sounds of gunfire instead.
"Shit. Maggie we need to block this door, now!"
...
For a moment she had thought her heart was going to leap right out of her chest and out the window to shatter against the pavement at the sight of Daryl pinned beneath that wolf and fighting to hold it off. And then Maggie; thank the lord for Maggie right there, saving his life by slamming her blade down into it's back. She was so damn grateful for her sister in that moment, even though she knew it wasn't over, not until the two of them darted inside and she heard the sound of the door closing beneath her feet.
A tiny part of her wanted to give in to relief and the trembling of her knees, but Beth fought it, fought to stay standing. As she did, dragging in a deep and ragged breath, she looked out the window… and froze. Because the carcasses of the wolves they'd shot were no longer alone on the street. From open doors and side-streets came walkers, shambling into the center of the road. Some of them dropped to their knees by the wolves and began to tear into them and even as a part of her mind whispered better them than us, she had to shudder and turn away.
It hurt, more than it should. Those wolves had just been trying to stay alive, trying to survive. Like them. All they were was hungry wild things trying to adapt to a changed world.
It was a low noise from Michonne beside her that had Beth looking down again to see more of the walkers heading towards the front of the building drawn, she assumed, by Daryl and Maggie. Beneath her she could hear the groans and scrapes of moving furniture and she could only hope and pray that they were taking care of it and barricading the door so nothing could get in.
The minutes that followed seemed endless. She turned to face the door still holding her crossbow and beside her, Michonne had half-drawn her sword in anticipation. Just in case, somehow…
But when the empty doorway was suddenly filled, it wasn't by walkers. It was by Maggie, who hesitated only a moment before rushing to Glenn's side and then, behind her, Daryl.
It was at the sight of him that her knees finally gave weak but he didn't give her a chance to fall. He closed the gap between them in two long strides, tugged her crossbow from her hands to set it aside, and then wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug.
He held her so tightly that he lifted her up off the ground until her feet dangled and his arms locked around her so snugly she almost couldn't breathe but the truth was, she didn't care. All that mattered was the heat of his body against hers and the feeling of his heart pounding away in his chest to match the rhythm of her own. Alive, alive, alive.
"You okay?" Daryl breathed out the words against her temple as his hands spanned her slender back.
"Kinda can't breathe," she whispered against his ear with a smile and a hoarse little laugh. "But you're here so yeah. I'm more than okay." Her eyes were stinging but she didn't cry, not even with relief as she whispered in a choked up voice, "Told you we always find our way back to each other.Always."
And then his lips were on hers and she didn't care that they weren't alone, didn't care that Michonne and Maggie and Glenn were just a few feet away. All she cared about were his fingers clutching her back and her hands tangled in his hair and his lips easing over hers in a hungry kiss until finally he pulled back and whispered into her mouth, "Love you."
She smiled against him, relief making her go weak in his arms still as she whispered right back. "Love you, too."
When they pulled apart a few moments later, it wasn't far. Daryl kept his arm around her and brought her right back to the couch, sitting her down next to him and keeping one arm behind her back as he lifted his bag into his lap.
"Did you get it?" Beth asked, worry furrowing her brow as she stayed fitted against his side. "Did you get what we need?"
She didn't fail to notice the way his eyes found Maggie's, or the way her sister was on her knees by the couch, clutching Glenn's hands in her own as tightly as Daryl had gripped Beth a moment before.
Daryl reached into his bag and drew out bottle after bottle, murmuring lowly, "Amoxicillin, Vicodin, aspirin, found some Tamiflu, too…" With winter coming, they all knew what that could bring. Flu season, and Beth had no trouble remembering the last time something like flu had affected their group.
But that was the last bottle he set on the counter and when he lowered his bag back into his lap and turned to look at her, Beth felt a cold chill settling low into her belly and she knew.
They hadn't found the rabies vaccine.
**A/N: I'm sorry for the delay in writing this and the fact that I'm worried the quality might not be what you all expect. Unfortunately I've been having a hard time writing this fic lately, since the return of TWD. The direction the show has taken is really getting to me emotionally and though I've decided to stop watching, it is still manifesting when I work on this fic for whatever reason. I may take longer to update it in favor of fics that I'm not currently having trouble with, but I promise I will not abandon it. Thank you all so much for your continual support, I love how much you all love this fic. I hope this chapter isn't a disappointment, quality wise.