"Never Give Up (On Each Other)"
Author: carmen_085
Disclaimer: I do not own any Walking Dead Characters. I do own all original characters.
Summary: In the months before the beginning of the apocalypse, Daryl finds himself homeless, alone, and with no direction. An adult Beth is struggling to balance her job, sick parents, and the farm. Feeling like the world is suffocating her, will taking a chance on a stranger change everything ? Can these two find what they need in each other before life as they know it ends and they must do anything to survive. AU but eventual ZA with full cast.
Author's Note: Upgrading this to Mature for sexual content. I'm not aiming to write a smut fic but I want to include mature content where appropriate for the storyline.
Chapter Seven
Beth lay in bed enjoying the relative peace of the farmhouse in early morning. Maize was at the bottom of her bed snoring softly, her big body spread out across the mattress without regret. Across the hallway Beth heard the sound of the television as her mama usually fell asleep watching one thing or another. Exhaling she let her eyes drift shut as she felt at peace for a moment. She knew it wouldn't last but still she could savor it for now. Without much prompting or effort, her thoughts immediately began to drift to Daryl. If anyone knew how much she thought about the farmhand, they would probably say that she had problem. But…he wasn't just the farmhand; in the short time that he had been here she would like to think that they had become friends. Maybe it was just her….it was just her…because there was no way he felt the same. He was just being nice entertaining her endless conversations and potluck dinners. But then her mind drifted to the knife on her dresser and the feeling of his hand in her own as her lips spread into a smile. He certainly didn't have to do those things. The knife was a lovely gesture and she was sure that it would come in handy for so many things around here. His hand in her own….yes she did initiate that…but he didn't pull away like she was so sure that he would. No, he laced his fingers though her own and gave her the gentlest, most heart felt squeeze. It made her stomach clench and her heart race. Shameful but true, it also caused a tingle between her legs and a heat deep in her pelvis.
Beth was thirty-one years old and holding a man's hand turned on her. Even alone in her bedroom she could feel her face flush with embarrassing heat. What was wrong with her? That sort of thing was for kids just discovering how their bodies worked not for grown women. And yet in the privacy of her own mind she admitted to herself that she liked it….liked it a lot. There was just something about Daryl that drew her in; the more she was around him the more she wanted to be around him. He had become like some sort of drug to her; every little taste leaving her wanting more. And they weren't even doing anything. They were just together; working, talking, enjoying each other's company. Daryl was a good man, she knew that before anyone else, and of course that attracted her to him but there was something else, something more about him. A vulnerability, a backwardness that made him endearing and honest in a way that she had never found before. With Daryl there was no hidden agenda; no charming, empty actions merely carried out to get her in bed. Beth hadn't had many boyfriends and even less partners in bed. In fact, she could count that pathetic number on two fingers. She wasn't like Maggie or even Rosita; forward and able to put themselves and what they wanted right out there. She was sweet and slow and unsure of herself in so many ways that nobody would ever guess. Her body was average, for the most part, and yet the idea of taking her clothes off for someone made her insides twist uncomfortably. She just wasn't like other girls and she supposed that's why she was thirty-one and still single.
Beth bit down on her lip as she felt a heat begin to build between her legs. It had been so long since a real, living person made her feel like this. Just because she didn't have someone to do this for her, didn't mean that she didn't take care of herself every once in a while. It wasn't often, and she always felt a certain degree of shame afterward, but the release was so very comforting. Quiet mornings like this, when she had no where to go, were a brief moment where she could focus on nothing but herself. Closing her eyes, Beth trailed her fingers up under her t-shirt until she found the tiny mound of her breasts. She was small, so painfully small, with barely enough to palm and knead. Fingers brushing her nipple she felt the pink, pointed tissue swell and harden as a gasp escaped her lips. Daryl had barely even touched her, just held her hand, and yet all she could think about was his rough fingers rubbing and teasing her now hard nipples. That was, of course, provided that he would want to see them at all.
Bee stings; that was her college boyfriend Zach had called them. She warned him, practically begged him, but he wouldn't listen saying that she was beautiful no matter what. Another shameless line just to get her in bed. She still remembered that Friday night so clear; sitting there on his shitty frat house bed practically trembling waiting for whatever he was about to say. He could have made her feel so loved in that moment of vulnerability but instead he laughed. Laughed at her pathetic little breasts and asked if she was sure that she was actually nineteen. Shirts and padded bras hid so much and she swore to herself that she would never be exposed like that in front of a man ever again. They had sex a few times, not that night of course as she stormed out of there with hot tears streaming down her face. But after that, after he apologized and said he was drunk and she was still the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Sure they had sex, but Beth never took her shirt off and he never touched her there, not even once.
After that, Beth thought they were something to be ashamed of and pretended they didn't exist for so very long. Until Rosita went into excruciating detail about how Abraham made her climax with nothing but breast stimulation. Beth could hardly look her in the eye; ashamed that her own pathetic little breasts were something of a joke, unworthy of ever being touched like that. She didn't believe it, didn't want to believe it could be possible but eventually curiosity got the better of her. So, in the safety of her own hands, she began to explore her body in a way she never dared before. Yes, her breasts were small and there was barely anything there, but still they were so, so sensitive. Continuing to flick her nipple side to side she varied the pressure causing tingling shocks to roll down her spine and into the space between her legs. She knew she shouldn't be thinking of Daryl right now…really knew she shouldn't….but she couldn't stop herself. She didn't want to stop herself. When she saw him later she was sure that her face would flush and her lip would quiver but she didn't care right now. She varied the stimulation between her fingers and the palm of her hand feeling equally turned on by each. Her mind unraveled in its control as she imagined Daryl's rough hand stroked and kneading, his tongue on her nipple, his teeth pinching and teasing. A whimper escaped her lips; she was close which was pathetic for so many reasons but in this moment she didn't really care. It just felt so good.
Before that first time she didn't think it possible that this part of her could produce so much sensation. And normally it took a little more than just this but unlike times before Beth had an actual, living person in mind. And that…that made all the difference. Her ministrations became frantic and uncoordinated as she felt the first sparks of her release. Slamming her eyes shut she squeezed her legs together; her right hand continued to pinch and squeeze searching for that last bit of sensation while her left drifted downward needing just a little more to push her over the edge. Her head pulsed with pressure as her ears buzzed; she was almost there. Carefully she slid her hand between her clenched thighs jamming the heel of her palm against her most sensitive, most uncharted area. The extra pressure was all she needed as she felt the heat in her pelvis overflow outward.
"Ohhhh…uhhh." The guttural moan rolled out of her before she could stop it as pleasure radiated to every point her body. Her legs trembled as she clutched her own breast milking every last ounce of sensation from her now softening nipples. She wanted this to last forever. Yes, it had been a while since she found enough time for this, but that wasn't why this particular release was so euphoric. For the first time in a long time, an actual living man had made her feel turned on enough to want to touch herself. To palm and knead her breasts until the center of body was dripping and begging for friction. To take her to a climax that left her trembling just at the thought of him. Her underwear soaked, Beth lay boneless on the mattress her mind blissfully blank. Euphoria raked over her as the shaking in her legs slowly dissipated to nothing more than a fine tremble. She closed her eyes feeling sleepy and content wanting to curl up and dream this all over again.
But then slowly, just as everything else in her life was reality began to set in. She had just gotten herself off to the idea of Daryl Dixon. Let's be honest, she hadn't just gotten herself off; she had came harder than she could ever remember. To make matters worse she had barely even touched herself down there. Like almost not at all. Shit. That had just been the best and and worst thing she had ever done. Best because it felt so damn good; worst because now she was going to have to face him and act completely normal. Because he would definitely….DEFINITELY…know if something wasn't right, Daryl was the keenest, most perceptive person she had ever met. To make matters worse, she had no guile whatsoever; if her life depended on telling a lie she would never be able to do it. In a rather ironic choice of words; she was screwed.
"Bethy…I need help to the bathroom." Her mama's voice called from across the hall as Maize's ears perked up. Snapping her eyes back open Beth threw the covers back grateful for the sudden interruption in her clear spiral of anxiety. Quickly discarding her clothes, and the only embarrassing evidence of what she had just done, on the floor she felt her face flush with heat as she pulled on a clean pair of underwear and shorts. That was stupid, really stupid. Throwing the door open she padded across the hallway into her mama's room as she tried to control the tightness in her chest and the drumming of her heart. She desperately needed to forget what she had just done.
Annette had thrown the covers back and underneath her Beth could see a circle of wetness. Seems her mama had already gone to the bathroom. Exhaling softly she knew that she would need to add stripping the bed to her list of chores today; thank God she had bought a non-permeable mattress cover or else she would be cleaning that too. She wanted her mama to lay on the bed pads they used in the hospital; cotton with a leakproof backing, they had saved her changing the entire bed numerous times. But as per usual, Annette refused; taking one look at the thing and insisting that she didn't need it. Helping her mama up, Beth made sure she was steady before Annette began to shuffle into the bathroom. The walker scraped over the wood floor noisily as Beth followed behind always afraid that Annette would trip over the threshold and go flying into the toilet or sink.
A head bleed. That was how Beth was convinced her mama was going to go one day. Despite its insidious nature, MS rarely killed anyone. Falls, infections, pneumonia; that's how most patients actually died. Over the last few months Annette had gotten weaker and weaker; partially due to the disease and partially due not eating enough. She barely had the strength to walk ten feet and even that was pushing it some days. Still, sitting on your ass 24/7 came with its own problems and risks and even though it worried her Beth didn't want her mama to become completely immobile. Holding on to the back of Annette shirt as she made the step over the threshold, Beth sighed softly as her mama bobbled before safely making the move into the bathroom. Sitting her down on the toilet, Beth moved the walker aside so that she could stand in front of her.
"We need to get these clothes off and get you washed up." Pulling the nightshirt over Annette's head, Beth pulled her lips together the way she always did when she was deep in thought.
"I'm tired, I want to go back to bed." Pulling her mama's saturated underwear off, Beth shook her head.
"The bed is wet, I need to change it." Annette shook her head squinting at her daughter as if she was crazy.
"It's not wet. Just let me go lay down." Beth sighed not even entertaining this argument any further. Her mother wasn't going to go lay back down on pissed up, wet sheets. Turning the shower on, she stood watching the water as her mother scowled at her from toilet. "Why are you so red ? Did you get sunburnt or something ?"
Beth felt her heart skip a beat. Eyes darting to her mama she felt her face burn hotter, if possible. If Annette could see that something was up; she could only imagine what Daryl would think. Beth's chest squeezed painfully with anxiety as she imagined him getting so freaked out that he packed what few things he had and took off; back into the woods and far away from her. What she had done was stupid…so, so stupid.
"Yeah mama, just got too much sun." Turning her gaze back toward the water she felt her lip quiver slightly. What had she done. Testing the water she wanted to get her mama into the shower and get the hell out of there…she needed some air. "Come on let's get you onto your shower chair." With a moderate amount of protest and grumbling, Annette allowed Beth to help her back up to standing taking a few unsteady steps into the shower stall. They used to have a tub in the master bath but once the MS had progressed it became apparent that a simple shower stall would be safer. Shawn and her daddy had done all the work themselves. That was last spring before everything happened…obviously.
"The water's too cold." Her mama only had a few fingers under the spray as Beth sighed yet again.
"I don't want you to get burnt." Leaning over she turned the knob toward hot just a little. "How about now ?" Annette was silent and that was good enough for Beth as she stood her mama up and carefully guided her over the low lip into the shower. Once on the shower chair there really wasn't anywhere Annette could go so Beth was comfortable leaving her in there alone to wash herself. It was a small dignity that she could still safely afford her. In chronic illness, dignity was usually the first thing to go. Closing the bathroom door, Beth slammed her eyes shut for a moment; sure that her own dignity would be shattered in a matter of hours. For Christ's sake, even her mama could see that something was up.
The early morning sunlight was now streaming through the bedrooms as Beth ripped the comforter, sheets and mattress pad off. The TV, which was nearly always on, only added unnecessary noise to her already anxious mind. Aiming the controller at the screen she barely registered the words "Special Report" before the display went black. She hated the news; always so depressing, not to mention that she had enough to worry about just under this roof, forget the world at large.
Beth pulled a fresh set of sheets and a clean mattress protector out of the hallway closet. She had doubles of everything having learned that the hard way the first time this happened. Her mama standing there staring at her, asking her where the hell she expected her to sit for the next four hours. She would wash the sheets and have them back in the closet before dinner. Not something she wanted to do today just something that had to be done.
It was Sunday and normally she spent the day cooking or sitting with her mama on the porch. She tried to go to church as much as she could with her work schedule but it wasn't always possible. Admittedly after all that happened, Beth wasn't quite as close with the Lord as she had been before. The night of the accident she began to doubt everything she had ever believed. It eventually came back; piece by piece, but never completely. This Sunday was special, though, Daryl had promised to show her a thing or two in the woods and she was beyond excited. Thankfully he would be pre-occupied for most of the day. It gave her plenty of time to get whatever had gotten into her straightened out and put away, far away. At least she hoped.
Daryl sat in the open doorway of the hayloft looking out over the fields. The sun had just come up as it cast a sparkle on the soft dew. It was Sunday and normally this was his day to take a long walk in the woods. Whatever Beth found at church he found walking in the quiet sanctum of nature. He enjoyed being out there alone, in fact, he couldn't imagine it any other way. But after he gave Beth that knife and she beamed up at him asking if he would show her how to use it, the words just fell out of his mouth. Of course he would…would show her this morning if she wanted. Of course she wanted….and in the privacy of the hayloft he could admit that he wanted that too. Really wanted that.
As Daryl lay down on his make shift bed last night he thought his hand might still be tingling from where Beth had taken it in her own. Closing his eyes he saw her bright smiling face and her milky white thighs; the thighs that she had asked him to look at. Well, she didn't exactly ask him to look at that but she did ask him to look. And look he did, like he hadn't seen another woman in his entire life. Like he was some damn teenager just figuring out how his body worked. She touched him, though, and her skin was just as soft as he assumed it would be. Which led him to wonder how soft those thighs would be and how they might feel underneath his fingertips.
In the darkness of the barn, he felt his body respond to his mind in a way that he had long forgotten was even possible. In fact, he thought that part of him was completely gone. Like a piece of his body that had first gotten numb, then turned black, and eventually had fallen off all together. Fallen off without him even knowing. But last night proved, that part of him was still very much alive and as the first sparks of arousal began to settle below his waist Daryl felt a wave a panic begin to build inside of him. This COULD NOT happen. Beth was his employer, the very roof over his head was dependent on this job and he was not about to let something as trivial as his dick get in the way of that. Climbing down out of the hayloft, Daryl began to pace on the dirt floor. His feet were bare as he as clad in just a pair of boxers and t-shirt; it was hot tonight and if his pride could bear it he would sleep without a shirt but he just couldn't take that risk. In his shorts he could feel himself half hard bouncing around as a whimper of disgust escaped his lips. He needed to get control of himself right now, this was not going to happen. No way on earth Beth thought of him as more than the hired help; maybe she considered him a friend, she sure did like talking to him, but that was it…it HAD to be it. She was fucking beautiful and successful, and smart as a whip; women like her did NOT want men like him. Applying high school principles to this situation, she was the cheerleader, he was the smelly kid who barely showed up. That's who they were, and who they were always gonna be, and getting a hard on…even a half hard on….from nothing more than holding pretty Beth Greene's hand, at the age of thirty six no less, was going to get him no where. Nothing good would come of this and he had to put a stop to it right now.
Turning Daryl did the only thing he knew how. Winding up, he punched the wall as hard as he could. Pain instantly seared his knuckles as warm, sticky blood filled the space between his fingers. All the warmth inside of him flickered before going out, being replaced with a more familiar feeling. Self-loathing. He was a dirty red neck thinking of her like that, looking at her like that, and let's not forget reacting to her like that. Thankfully, Daryl felt his dick soften and deflate as all the wonderful feelings she filled him with tonight washed away.
He hoped he wasn't being too presumptuous to assume that Beth Greene was his friend; only friend for that matter. To assume that she talked to him because she wanted to and not because she felt sorry for him or was obligated. If it was true that they were indeed friends, he would be the luckiest man on earth and he promised himself in the darkness of the barn that that alone would be enough. That no matter how much his body reacted he wouldn't follow suite and try to find something more. If she was his friend that was the best he could hope for and that was where this would end. It had to end there because if it went any further he surely ran the risk of not having her at all. And that was something he found he could not live with. He could leave the barn and crawl back under his leaky tarp, he could go back to eating mud snake and drinking creek water, but he couldn't bear the thought of not seeing her smiling at him ever again. Even if he just had to look at her from afar that would be enough for him.
Running a finger over his upper lip Daryl stared out at the farm through hooded eyes. He barely slept last night after his meltdown but still he found he couldn't wait for this morning. Daryl was a pro at packing away his feelings. He had spent his entire childhood hiding what he really felt and much of his adult life had been no different. He was going to put this away and forget about it because he couldn't mess this up. He just couldn't. This farm and his job and pretty Beth Greene smiling up at him everyday, well it was the best his life had ever been. And any urges that might destroy what took him a lifetime to find had to go. Shoved down so deep inside him they would never, ever see the light of day.
Beth had set her mama up with fresh sheets and a new quilt before descending the stairs to make her breakfast. Scrambled eggs and cut tomatoes were the usual and today was no different. On the side of the tray she included a cup of lukewarm water; anything too hot or cold would set off he neuralgia and her pills for the morning. Beth had baked fresh biscuits for herself and her daddy and she placed a small, warm biscuit on Annette's tray hoping that her mama would at least try it. She'd slathered it with butter and homemade strawberry jam, her mama's favorite. And yet she still wasn't overly hopeful. Food had become something of an obsession for Annette as her neuralgia progressed; as she worried endlessly about what could set the mind numbing pain off into yet another flare. More often than not she rejected most of what Beth presented to her; causing more than a little frustration in her daughter.
Ascending the stairs with her mom's tray, Beth just had to pull her boots on and go having already dressed and pulled her hair into a braid. Jeans and a cotton shirt that cuffed at the elbow seemed appropriate for a walk in the woods along with a pair of hiking boots she had for ages.
"Mama, here's your breakfast." Propped up on a mountain of pillows in bed Annette turned her eyes from the TV, which was of course back on, and looked the food over grimacing as she set eyes on the biscuit.
"You know I won't be able to chew that biscuit." Beth sighed as she set the tray down in front of her.
"At least try, mama. You can pick the soft parts out, right?" Annette eyed it bit didn't say a word taking a bite of the eggs with her plastic fork. Always plastic, never real silverware, hitting a heavy dinner fork off the wrong part of her mouth could also set off a wave of pain.
"These eggs are a bit tough. Did you remember to add milk?" Beth tried not to be insulted as she reminded herself that her mama wasn't herself anymore.
"Yes mama. Maybe I just cooked them a bit too long." It was often times easier to agree than start another useless fight. Biting her lip she looked at the clock; she told Daryl she would meet him at eight am sharp by the barn. It wasn't a formal appointment or anything but Beth also didn't want to disrespect his time by showing up whenever she felt like it. He was doing her a favor after all. In her mind she weighed re-making the eggs versus making Daryl wait. She watched her mama push them side to side not really eating much and her mind was made up. She would hurry and re make the eggs and hope that Daryl the plate away she mumbled as she walked back out of the bedroom. "I'll make you new ones." For her part Annette didn't protest as Beth felt a stupid shred of disappointment. She hoped her mama would say they were all right and not to worry about it. But her mama hadn't thought of her daughter before herself in a very long time, and Beth knew that…she knew it in her bones. Still… part of her hoped everyday that something would change. That she would have a mama again.
Daryl stood outside the barn with the cross bow over his back. Fiddling with the strap he tried not to stare at the farmhouse waiting for her. At Walmart he'd bought himself a cheap digital wrist watch; he hadn't had one since his job in construction the last time Merle was locked up. Didn't really need to keep track of time when Merle was around; prick actually thought time revolved around him. Daryl wasn't sure he needed to keep time now either, where the sun set in the sky was usually good enough for him. But Beth…she was very much into time and being punctual; it was something she could control he supposed. She told him on more than one occasion to meet her at a certain time not knowing that he had no way to tell what time it actually was. So now he had a watch and as he looked down he saw the black numbers; 8:05. Maybe she'd changed her mind, maybe she forgot; maybe he shouldn't have been so wrapped up in this morning thinking somewhere in the recesses of his mind that it was a date. NO…no he wasn't thinking of that right now. Kicking his toe into the tree stump he felt a jolt of pain as he exhaled a shaky breath.
Beth felt her heart surge as the farm house door slammed behind her. Daryl was standing there by tree stump like always when they were meeting for one thing or another, crossbow on his back, eyes trained on the ground. Beth hurried across the dirt driveway coming to stand before him. She opened her mouth and the only thing that came out was a nervous giggle. In the cool, early morning air Beth felt her face burn with embarrassment. Her eyes wandered to Daryl's hands as she felt a tingle in her breasts. WHAT?!…..Inhaling sharply she shook her head as if the motion itself would empty the God forsaken idea from her brain entirely.
"Ready?" Daryl felt his face flush as his eyes involuntarily went to her legs. Thank God she had pants on…thank God. Biting down on his lip hard he turned on his heel before she could say or do anything else. He needed to look at anything other than her right now. Beth was grateful that Daryl couldn't see her anymore as she chewed the inside of her lip.
"Ready." It was soft and barely above a whisper as Beth's hand came to rest on the knife hanging from her belt. Following Daryl across her daddy's pasture Beth bit her quivering lip as they disappeared into the forest.
Tiredly Beth trudged up the stairs not able to wait until she could collapse into bed. It had been such a long day and her legs ached from following Daryl through the forest. The man walked like a cat; silent and steady over any sort of terrain. Beth on the other hand was not so lucky suffering at least one twisted ankle and a few bruises to her pride. Thankfully she had been so interested in what he was showing her that she hadn't had much time to let her mind wander.
Undoing the knife from her belt she sat it on the dresser with a thud. Her lips spread into a small smile as she ran her fingers over the grooved handle.
"Knife's got a lot of uses aside from self defense." Holding his hand out Daryl pointed to the blade swinging from her hip. Without question she unbuckled the catch and handed it over. Bending down he hacked at a little sapling. "Can make kindling for fire wood." Driving it into the ground he worked around a small fern-like plant, "Can dig somethin' up and transplant it back into your garden." Beth's lips twitched into a smile. She was enjoying this too much to do anything that would make Daryl want to stop talking. Snatching a narrow but very straight stick from the ground, Daryl squatted down as Beth followed suite; the green earth beneath them stretching out like an emerald carpet into all directions. "Can whittle a stick and make it sharp…real sharp…enough to use as an arrow." Beth nodded like this would be something she could do on her own after a five second demo.
"What if I have to defend myself though?" Daryl stood up as he met her gaze for the first time today. A serious, almost deadly look came over his face as his mouth moved before he could realize what he was saying.
"Long as I'm around that's never going to happen." Beth felt her chest squeeze and her stomach flip. Warmth flooded her entire body as she clasped her hands together; otherwise she might be liable to throw her arms around Daryl's neck and hug him to death. Nobody had ever said anything like that to her and actually meant it. She didn't wonder for a second; she knew if it came out of Daryl's mouth that he meant it. He didn't just talk to make noise. He held her gaze as Beth swallowed so hard she heard a click in her throat. After what seemed like forever he looked away. Flipping the knife over in his hand he brought the blade up to a tree coming in from the side. "If ya gotta, though, come in from the slide and slash." He demonstrated on the bark of the tree as Beth struggled to pay attention; her eyes inevitably wandering to his strong, capable hands. "You're not as big or as strong as some other people but that don't mean nothin'. Just gotta figure out another way to come at em'. Slash them, come in low, jam it in and take off." Daryl turned to look at her, Beth's lips slightly gapped apart. "Don't gotta kill 'em, just gotta buy yourself enough time to get away," He met her big blue eyes with an earnest expression of his own. "Gotta do whatever it takes to survive."
A soft smile spread across Beth's face as she pulled off her jeans and slipped on her pjs. Catching a glimpse of her face in the mirror, she saw a certain glow that she was sure hadn't been there before. She wasn't sure when that appeared; although she reasoned it was probably around the time Daryl said he would always keep her safe. Well he didn't say it exactly like that but it was what he meant. Flicking the light off, Beth collapsed into bed with a contented sigh. She was exhausted in the best possible way. Allowing her eyes to slip closed she was nearly asleep when a noise across the hallway jerked her back awake. Blinking her eyes Beth stared at the dark ceiling. It was the TV, her mama had fallen asleep with it on again. Pushing up to her elbows, Beth's ears picked up an unusual sound. Instead of the soft voices of Dateline or Law and Order; it was the sound of a newscaster. Curiosity piqued, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and tip toed across the hallway, careful not to wake her mama up. Standing in the doorway of the bedroom Beth's eyes came to rest on the TV screen.
"This is an NBC News Special Report…" The banner across the bottom of the screen flashed red and white as a grim looking Brian Williams stared at the monitor. "Earlier today we brought you the case a man in China; affected with some kind of flu that has never been documented before, a previously undiscovered strain. What began as a fever has now progressed to some….some sort of psychosis." He paused to look directly into the camera. "What you are about to see maybe inappropriate for some viewers…" The picture flipped to very rough video footage from what looked to be a rather primitive hospital in China; metal beds, dirty sheets, blue paint chipped walls. A shirtless man rolled and groaned in bed before sitting straight up; his eyes grey and lifeless, his lip curled up in an unnatural way. He shuffled to standing appearing to not have much awareness before abruptly turning toward one of the nurses. She was wearing white, so Beth assumed that's what she was although by the looks of things it might not be wise to assume. In a split second he lunged at her, sinking his teeth into her arm as she screamed yelling at him in Chinese. The other people in the room rushed to her aide, beating the patient with anything the could find but it didn't seem to have much effect. More screaming, the video became choppy and jostled, and then cut out all together. Beth gasped as the picture cut back to Brian Williams who stared on speechless.
On a quiet Sunday while she had been walking in the woods with Daryl the world had changed. In that moment she couldn't know how much but she soon would….they all would.
TBC….
I struggled for this update. Not sure why, guess it's a bit of a bridge between the beginning of the story and the meat of it. I want to spend most of this story telling the first days of the apocalypse because that's not something we got to see on TWD. I realize that Fear TWD portrayed the beginning as a simultaneous event that struck all over but I wanted to start this more like a virus that spread slowly all over the world; a tidal wave everyone is seeing and no one can stop. Inching closer and closer to our most loved couple. So humor me on that one and stick around to see where this goes !
In the last chapter I talked about how emotionally and sexually immature Daryl is and how this has to be slow because anything else would be non-canon for his character. A reader brought up that Beth is much the same and I liked that so I decided to highlight that in the beginning of this chapter. I hope everyone found it beneficial for the plot.
As always please review !