Hope Lost: A Daryl Dixon Story (The Walking Dead/ Bethyl )

16- Missing

Maggie sat next to Glenn’s body and stroked his jet black hair. His body had a tiny bit of warmth left to it. Maggie blamed Daryl for this –there was no other way around it. Whoever that unconscious maniac was and why he wasn’t dead yet was Daryl’s fault. Maggie had never felt a hate like this before. Maggie now learnt that survivors were the bigger threat and she hated them. She and Glenn should have parted ways with what was left of the prison group a long time ago. Instead they stayed under some imaginary silver lining they kept hoping for. They truly believed the whole group would be reunited soon enough and things would go on, as they usually do.

Maggie cackled under her breath and the sound grew louder, drawing Daryl’s attention. Maggie cackled even louder, sounding a bit deranged, while thinking of how damn stupid she was. She should have never let Glenn go in alone, first of all. But most importantly, Maggie should have never hoped for a better ending for her and Glenn. She was really caught up in their little fairy tale. Sometimes she would imagine them making it out to old age and dying together, peacefully.

“Fuckin’ stupid!” she yelled.

Daryl watched her drown in her thoughts. He inhaled deeply in an effort to regain composure. Glenn Rhee was dead. That was it. He was dead just like Hershel, Lori and Andrea. He was dead just like Merle. Daryl asked himself how he managed to push pass those losses in the past and the thought seemed impossible now. He looked over at Ted and saw him breathing unsteadily. A small part of Daryl wished he never stopped punching earlier and that the motherfucker was dead. Daryl blew through his teeth and stood up. He wondered how to approach Maggie.

“Beth’s with me.”  He whispered.

Maggie didn’t answer for a while.

“Is she dead too?” Maggie asked without emotion.

Daryl shook his head no. 

Maggie cackled again. “One would think so, cause’ it mighty seems like ya can’t look after anyone.”

Daryl ignored her. In no way was this his fault. Ted belonged in an asylum and Daryl couldn’t have predicted Glenn just happening to come this way.

“Where y’all held up?” Daryl asked as he scratched his chin.

“Daddy’s farm,” she responded but added quickly, “We cleared the place out of the five or six walkers left. It looks like a ghost town but it does the job.”

Well shit, back at Hershell’s farm. Daryl wondered what the old man would have thought about that. Daryl quickly told Maggie about how he and Beth ended up in a group with Ted, Tara and Robin. He left out the parts of him and Beth and him and Robin. He told Maggie they should go fetch his group and then make way to the farm. Maggie reluctantly agreed. If it wasn’t for Beth being there, she would have returned to the farm without Daryl. Daryl cable tied Ted’s hands together and threw Ted over his shoulder. He chucked him into the back seat of the Hyundai. He suggested to Maggie that they put Glenn’s body in the boot of her car, to give him a proper burial. The thought of dragging her husband’s body around was disturbing enough, but leaving him to rot made her cringe. She allowed Daryl to load Glenn’s body in her boot. Maggie slid into her car and rolled down the window.

“How far is your camp from here?”

“Not far,” Daryl spat on the ground next to him. “I’ll guide ya.”

Maggie curtly rolled up her window and started the engine. She just wished the radio worked so that she didn’t have to hear her husband’s body rolling around in the boot.

Beth was in deep shit.

As she turned to head back home a good few hours ago, she turned straight into a herd of about ten walkers. They weren’t doing anything, just casually standing and minding their own business. The wind direction changed and they smelt her. The snarls began and Beth cursed under her breath. She didn’t want to use her gun, just in case there were other herds close by. So she carefully moved back and pulled a machete out her bag. She suspected it was Tara’s but didn’t care. The first two walkers approached her, snarling and spitting. She sliced off the first ones head and kicked the other one down. She plunged her blade into the fallen walkers head and quickly pulled it out. Shit, Beth thought to herself. Shit, shit, shit. There were about seven left. She hesitated before pulling her handgun out. She shot the closest five each in the head and they fell limp. She stabbed the remaining one in its head and backed away, panting.  Beth started to understand the helpfulness of numbers. She breathed in deeply to calm herself down and trekked back to the camp. It would be about two hours walk before sunset and she calculated that she might make it back just before if she moved quickly. The next hour dragged past as Beth managed to move quietly but swiftly. She abruptly came to a halt when she heard a rustle behind her. She breathed in and listened to the quiet forest. She shrugged and was about to carry on walking when a hand grasped her shoulder. Beth screamed and leapt to the side. A damn ugly looking walker with no teeth had reached out for her. But what Beth didn’t know was that she’d side stepped into nothing. The ground beside her had suddenly sloped downwards into a ‘valley’. There was a small puddle of water at the bottom. Beth fell the metre and a half and landed straight on her ankle. She heard a bone snap and she cried out in pain. She yelped and winced some more when she saw the bone sticking out.

Beth was in deep shit.

Daryl pulled up at their camp just before sunset and heard Maggie turn off her engine behind him. He got out the car and called for Robin. Maggie forced herself out of the car, but for her sister’s sake only. She didn’t care about the rest of Daryl’s new group.

“Robin!” Daryl called out again, irritated. Really, Daryl thought, she couldn’t be that far.

Robin stepped out of Tara’s tent and ran to Daryl. She threw her arms around his neck and lightly kissed his cheek. Daryl hugged her back, but quickly. Maggie stood and watched in awe. She had never seen Daryl let any woman touch him like that. She was quite confused at the moment.  Daryl groaned as he knew Maggie would be watching this whole scene in shock. He gently removed himself from Robin’s grip and sighed.

“This is Maggie.” Daryl said as he pointed towards her. “She was part of my old group, Beth’s sister too.”

Maggie snorted when Daryl said ‘old group’.

Robin looked over at the attractive woman and then at Daryl, with big eyes.

“Daryl…” Robin started.

“Look, I’m gon’ back with her. Back to my home.”

“Daryl, its-”

“Y’all can come with, except Ted. Your pretty boy is layin’ half dead in the back seat and he best be grateful ‘bout that.”

Robin stopped short. “What happened?” she eyed Maggie and then Daryl, searching for answers. 

“He killed my husband.” Maggie said in the most monotonous voice known to man.

Robin’s heart sank. A look of terror crossed her face; Ted had reached rock bottom. Daryl stared at Robin with hard eyes.

“I mean it, Ted ain’t comin’ with.” 

There was a short silence. “Oh boo hoo, where’s Beth?” Maggie called out.

Her question was met with more silence. Tara cleared her throat.

“She’s gone.”

Maggie’s head snapped towards her. “Who the hell are you?” she spat.

“Hell you mean she’s gone?” Daryl raised his voice. Tara replied in stutters.

“Dumb bitch!” Daryl yelled.

He reached out and firmly gripped Robin’s shoulders. “What the hell is Tara talkin’ bout?”

Robin bit her lip. “She must have left before y’all went to town. Her stuff is gone. I’m sorry, Daryl.”

At that precise moment five gunshots were heard not too far from where Daryl stood.

“Oh, shit! Beth!” Daryl was gone into the woods with his crossbow before Robin could say anything else. Maggie’s face went cold as she ran after Daryl.

Robin was left to stand alone.

Robin was alone.

Ted had killed someone earlier.

Robin was alone.