When Bethyl Happened

~Beth's POV~

"Beth! Come on. We have to go!" I felt the harsh grasp of Daryl pull me away from the prison. My home, my family's home, all destroyed. For months the prison provided us sanctuary and a false sense that there would be a future for all of us. Now it was all gone, courtesy of that bastard who calls himself the Governor. In the past I might have felt helpless and sad, losing everything. That's not me anymore. The Beth who tried to kill herself is gone. Gone like my home, my daddy, and my sister. I was angry. The only thing I could feel was rage burning within me. The Governor can rot in hell.

I gave the prison one last look and then ran to catch up with Daryl. He looked straight ahead with determination clear in his eyes. Unlike me, he appeared to be keeping a level head. No anger or even sadness was apparent on his face. I wondered if he felt anything at all or was he just good at hiding his feelings.

I tore my eyes away from his face and looked behind me. The familiar grotesque faces of dozen upon dozens of walkers only a couple feet behind us, wasn't a reassuring sight. "Daryl," I said warningly. I only got a grunt in return, but he picked up the pace and we headed into the forest. From my right side a female walker came at me. She reached for me with her mouth ajar and hungry for my flesh. All in one motion I took my knife out of its case and stabbed her brain. Blood spurted out on my clothes and the dead walker fell on me. I was knocked to the ground and pinned beneath her corpse. Daryl ran over to me and pushed the walker off.

"Shit," Daryl sighed and aimed his crossbow at the walkers now too close for comfort. "Keep running Beth!" Daryl shot a few arrows, each shot was perfectly implanted into the brains of a walker. I started to run ahead and Daryl sprinted to catch up with me. More and more walkers came towards us. Thank God they can't run. If only they would get tired and just give up on chasing us. Around every tree and every corner they came for us. To think that all these things were once humans. Now these former humans have turned on their own race and are trying to eat us alive. I won't let them touch me. I will get out of this alive God dammit!

Finally, when I felt like I couldn't run anymore we reached an abandoned wood cabin. The cabin appeared to be in ok shape, although it was no palace. As long as it kept us us safe and out of the walker filled forest I didn't care. Daryl kicked the door open and faced his bow in all directions. With a flick of his wrist he motioned me to come inside.

The minute I stepped in the house a putrid stench reached my nose. Garbage was littered all over the floors and empty bottles of moonshine were scattered around. An old fashioned and worn out couch was the only piece of furniture sitting in what appeared to be a living room. The kitchen had empty potatoe chip bags covering the counters. "Welcome to our five-star hotel," Daryl muttered to himself.

We had made some distance between us and the walkers, so they may not realize we are inside this house. Hoping this was true, I collapsed on the floor. Coughing and still trying to regain my breath, I looked at Daryl. He didn't seem to be in any better shape then I was, yet he remained standing. "The door," Daryl managed to gasp out, "We need to block it. Help me move this sofa." Slowly, I returned to my feet. A wave of dizziness fell over me and I stumbled. I then felt a pair of sturdy arms balance me. "You ok?" Daryl grunted, oblivious to the fact his hands were still on my waist. "U-um yeah. I just got up too quickly that's all." I felt my cheeks warm. This is no time to be blushing of all things! Lucky for me, Daryl probably thought my face was just red from all the running.

After blocking the entrance, Daryl finally sat down. He was leaned up against the far wall and his breathing still hadn't returned to normal. That's what he gets for smoking. I contemplated joining him, but came to the conclusion he would be prefer to be alone. In fact he would be better off alone. I would just get in the way. All I ever did was take care of Judith. I never went on supply runs or really did anything for the benefit of the group. I sat alone in a corner and fought back tears.

Helpless Beth was coming back. The urge to just cut my wrists and join my daddy and probably everyone else at the prison was unbearable. My knife sat just within my grasp. I could get rid of all the pain with just a couple deep slashes. That's it. I am going to do it. Slowly, I reached for the knife. I felt a sharp pair of eyes watching me intently.

He knew what I was up to. In a quick motion I dived for the knife. Daryl was faster and he waved the knife up in the air for me to see. "Daryl, I don't want to live! It will be easier for both of us. You don't need me," I begged with the last part coming out as a whimper.

"I just lost everything. Everything except you. I am not gonna sit here and watch you kill yourself. You are very wrong Beth. I DO need you," he spoke with anger. Did Daryl just say he needed me? Even if he was saying that to keep me alive it made my heart skip a beat. I sprinted into his arms and allowed myself just to cry against his chest. He was so warm and comforting. "Thank you," I whispered in between sobs. Daryl didn't say anything, he just stroked the back of my head. His touch made my whole body shiver. If I had to be with one person in the midst of this shit fest, Daryl would be my number choice.

I pulled away from his embrace and asked him, "Daryl, you won't ever leave me. Right?"

"Naw, we are in this together. I am more worried about you leaving me."

"I promise you, Daryl, I won't ever kill myself and leave you. Everyone else might be dead, but we are not. There has to be a reason for this," I said firmly. Daryl gave me one of his rare and precious smiles. I couldn't help but smile back. That moment was so bittersweet. Somehow even with watching my daddy's horrific death, I was managing to survive. Through the crevices of the boarded up windows we sat there and just watched the sunset. Just like us, the sun hadn't gotten the memo that the world was over. The sun just kept on comin back in the morning and so would I.

The room was bright and it was now morning. Snoring came from beneath me and I realized I was literally lying on Daryl Dixon's chest. My face rested right on his steady beating heart.  We slept like this? My face turned scarlet and my palms got sweaty. I tried to remove myself from him when I felt him push me back into his chest. He was so comfortable and I wasn't going to complain. I shut my eyes and felt myself drifting back to sleep. For the first time in a while, I felt completely happy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Author's Note~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Warning Spoilers!) So this fanfiction takes place right after the group is split and the prison is lost. Instead of Beth being kidnapped and Daryl being reunited with Rick, it is just Beth and Daryl on their owns. This is my first TWD fanfiction so advice is always welcomed! Oh, and my plan is to update weekly on Saturdays. Please vote and comment! Thanks for reading. -Kiki