Under A Blue Moon

Failed

<Daryl's Pov>
I rushed up to the road looking for Beth. Seeing our bag of cash dissuaded in the road, panic set in. I can't lose her too. I can't be alone. Tail lights flashed down the road and I took off in an instant. Chasing down the black car with the cross on the back. I could see her blonde head bouncing against a head rest.  I ran as hard as I could chasing and chasing. I can't let her go too.
The sun was starting to show and sweat was blurring my vision. Or maybe I've begun to hallucinate. But an arm popped out the side window opposite of Beth as the car made its way further out of my view. The long dark hair spilled out, whipping around in the wind. The frail arm reached and screamed. A last call for hope. And my heart stopped as if a nightmare had just come true as my name poured from what I had hoped was a stranger but knew it wasn't.
The screaming stopped as the outreached hand went limp and the car disappeared out of sight. I kept running. Hallucination or not I need to catch that car. Lil or not Beth needs me.

By the time dusk settled I had already lost pace. As the sun began to set I lost my chance. I feel to my knees at an intersection unsure of which way they could've gone. I'd been chasing them down a highway with no turn offs or exits. A few dirt roads but they weren't there. There's no way of tellin' which way they could've gone. I looked at the pavement each way. Rocks, twigs, tire marks, dirt. Nothing. No indication of which way they went. I sat there frozen.
Everything had happened so fast. Between the prison to the moonshine now loosing Beth. I bowed my head and let my mind wander to Lil', though her smile quickly turned into her limp body to the deafening scream. I could feel the tears building up in my eyes.
"I'm sorry Lil'." I finally sobbed to the nothingness. "I fucked up." Merle told her to trust me. I told her to trust me. And I let them both down. I broke my promise.

The sound of scraping boots brought me back to reality. Too little too late though. By the time I got my crossbow up there were already several weapons pointed at me. Bunch of men that looked like the types Merle and I used to hang with.
Better them then alone, I already felt dead anyways.

"You gonna stay in bed all day, sleepy head?" A soft voice called to me. Dainty fingers traced up my arm. "Best wake up or i-" her voice muffled and faded away. As I had opened my eyes I caught a blurry glimpse of her button nose and rosy cheeks, the sun rising behind her head highlighting her messy hair. I tries to get up with her but my body wouldn't move. I watched her long legs walk out of the room. Swaying and singing as she went, "You need to leave, best start going."
I jerked myself up in an attempt to catch up to her. All it did was drag me from another nearly perfect dream. Or warning.
Immediately I grabbed my things. I need to leave. It's been a week with these men and every night she comes back telling me to go one way or another. Sometimes covered in blood or like this time when she's peaceful. I want to join her in that piece I think to myself. But besides dreams and hallucinations I've heard just how vile they can be. I heard two of them the other night reminiscing about a girl they had caught. What they'd done to her. Made my blood run cold. Now they were hunting a man who'd killed one of their own. It was too much. I'd seen signs bout some refugee camp. Just biding my time to dip and head that way but every morning one of them would be up before I could make my escape. Not even a step away from camp and I hear one if them get up. I may never get away, I thought.

The day had drag by as we walked along the highway through the woods. One of them had caught the track of who they'd been hunting. I noticed that person had two extra people. I purposely slipped to the back of the group. The commotion of it had them distracted from me. I could get away once they'd caught up to the guy.
I could see the flickering of a fire in the distance and from the hustle in the guys' steps they must've too. I drifted behind even more. A small voice in my head pushing me forward though. To go with them. They were already small specs around the fire. I could hear the commotion pick up but couldn't make out any voices.
I kept following, letting curiosity get the best of me. Reasoning with myself to follow them. Lil' would've made it her problem. I was close enough that I could make out the silhouettes of everybody. A woman, a kid.
"Daryl, you made it just in time." He stepped aside and I saw them on their knees. Rick, Carl, Michonne.
"You don't wanna do this man." I hesitated to take a step forward. "These are good people."
"Good people?" He tsked and rubbed his mustache. "Now that's a lie. And that's against the rules."
I had barely even taken a step before I was knocked to the ground. Kicked by the group. I watch one of them pull Carl from the car. Then all I say was red. All of us fighting tooth and nail to get to him. I nearly froze when I noticed the jacket and vest on him.
"Ain't this that girls?" The big guy holding Carl asked. The all around agreement told me everything I needed to know. But it was Rick refusing to look me in the eyes. I choked on the air thinking of what they'd bragged about.
"Oh, so she was the piece you were moaning but in the middle of the night." He got on his knee in front of me. "Well let me tell you something her pushy was sublime but her head could use some-" I rushed him ripping off his ear with my teeth. From there everything was a blur of blood and sweat.

It didn't even click that they were all dead till Michonne and Carl got up into the car. I sat with Rick passing him a rag. "You can't see it but he can." I groaned as I leaned back. I'm getting fuckin' old. We sat in silence for a minute. "Thought she died in this." I squeezed her vest. It was coated in blood.
"Brother," Rick laid his hand on my shoulder but still couldn't look at the ground.
"Wh-" I didn't know what to ask. I already knew the last bit of her time was horrible.
I failed her more than I had thought.