Before You Go: Part 2 (Bethyl Fanfic)

Chapter 1

Beth:

"One."

"Two."

"Three." 

"Wait! Beth, stop!" I dropped the gun, jerking my head left to look at Daryl through tear-filled eyes. He had already dropped his gun also. I looked down, shaking my head.

"Why?"

"We can get out of this. We can't just give up this easily." My head shot back up as my despair and confusion changed to anger. 

"How do you expect us to do that? It's impossible! Have you looked out the window?! We're gonna die anyway, so why does it have to be by being ripped limb from limb by cannibalistic dead people!?" He looked at me, pitying me. He felt bad for me. He responded by gesturing for me to get down on the floor so I could no longer be seen. He then placed a finger to his lips, telling me to be quiet as he crouched to the floor below the steering wheel. 

"We're gonna try this. Stay down here until I tell ya' otherwise." I did as he said, thinking over the plan. How would this work? The walkers had already seen and heard us. Maybe they would lose interest? Or hear something else? I decided I would just have to wait and see. 

After a span of six hours that seemed like weeks, my legs had completely locked up and gone numb. Soon after I heard an engine come roaring by, leading the remaining walkers chasing after it. Our lucky break. We should have been long out of luck by now. Daryl began to rise, looked out the window, then looked over and motioned me up with a huge grin. "It worked. Most of 'em are gone, but the herd behind us is almost here, so we gotta go. . . now." He hopped into the driver's seat as I got up into my seat, rubbing my tingling legs. We lurched forward after struggling over the walkers we had already crushed beneath the tires, and sped off. The walkers had mostly gone to the sides, toward the woods, leaving the majority of the main road through Atlanta clear. We shot straight forward through the city and toward the mountains. Almost as if in unison, the mass of undead bodies swiveled around to swell back into the road behind us and follow out vehicle. We now had double the herd hot on our trail. I figited nervously in my seat as we drove. Daryl noticed and placed a hand on my leg. "We'll be alright." I did my best to nod without giving away how much I was shaking, even though I was pretty sure Daryl could feel it in my leg. As if reading my thoughts, he squeezed my leg, telling me he knew I was shaking like a leaf. I forced a smile and looked ahead, unwilling to face the undead behind us, chasing us, wanting us for their next meal. 

We traveled well into the night before even reaching the base of what I assumed to be Slaughter Mountain (ironic name, but we needed to be safe). We had been heading in that direction and according to the twenty-year-old map in the glove box, we should have been at the base and about to head up towards the summit. I looked to Daryl, trying  to read his expression. He seemed to be contemplating something. I placed a hand on his arm. "What is it?" He put one foot on a boulder in front of him and looked up the mountain. it was getting dark and even I knew we couldn't stay at the bottom with the herd chasing us.

"We gotta go up. We'll get eaten in our sleep down here." He started walking again and I followed. The incline got steeper and steeper as we traveled upward and the air thinned, making it harder to breath until we adjusted to it. My legs ached and I could barely force the air into my lungs when we finally reached the large ledge that Daryl had pointed out from the foot of the mountain. He said it was high enough that the incline should be too steep for walkers to climb. I collapsed to the grounds, gasping and rolling over onto my back. My eyelids were heavy as I adjusted finally to the thin, frigid air. I was suddenly grateful for the wool-lined jacket I'd pulled from a rack on a run to an abandoned Wal-Mart. We'd opted to head for a smaller town, where not many people would have expected a supermarket like that to be. Luckily, we hit the jackpot. I snatched the jacket on the way out by the door.

Daryl:

"I don't wanna be gutted. I wanna go. Right now. With you beside me." I felt the air in the car get colder and everything' seemed darker. I was in despair. I didn't wanna die n' I knew she didn't either. I tried desperately to search my brain for somethin' to say to change her mind as she raised her gun to her temple. Instead I sat frozen, unable to form the words I needed. I found my own gun rising' to my head, causing me to start to panic. No. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. NO. NO! She looked at me with tears brimmed eyes and began to count. "One. Two. . .Three." The sound of the guns firing in unison deafenin' as Beth went limp in her seat. My gun had fired but I didn't die. Somethin' warm ran down the side of my face and poured into my lap. Blood. I put my hand to the source of the blood. My fingers sank into a large hole just behind my  temple, and as they did, blood gushed out and splattered against the window, ricochetin' back into my face. Panic consumed me a I fumbled for my gun, desperate to end this, but my pistol was gone. I looked back over at Beth's lifeless body, Lyin' simply in the seat. I slammed my face into the steerin' wheel and opened my mouth to scream, but nothin' came out. I stayed that way until everythin faded into black.

I jolted upright in a cold sweat. I flew to my feet, stumblin' around in the dark, lookin' for Beth, expectin' to find her dead on the ground. When I couldn't find her, I panicked more, searchin' faster until I felt my foot leave the ground. I grunted and jumped back, gaspin' as small hands grabbed me from behind and pulled me backward.

"Daryl?..." I continued to thrash against the arms that had now wrapped around my waist. "Daryl! Calm down! It's me." I instantly stopped, hearin' her soft, sweet voice against my ear. I swung my arm behind me, findin' her waist and turnin' around to pull her into a hug.

"You're alive." I sighed a breath of relief as she looked up at me with worry in her eyes. She reached up and cupped her hand over my cheek. 

"Yeah. But you almost died just now. What happened?" I rested my chin on the top of her head as she spoke.

"You were dead, and I. . ." I trailed off. Thinkin' about it killed a little piece of me every time. She hugged me tighter and buried her face in my neck. 

"It's okay, I'm still here. But I wouldn't be if you'd have fallen." I grunted in reply, at a loss for words. She understood my different signals and relies almost as well as Merle had. I didn't need the words I couldn't find. She broke the silence once again. "We need to go back to sleep. We can worry about supplies and everything else tomorrow. We'll find something, and we'll be fine." I nodded and, with her in my arms the whole time, shuffled to the back of the ledge and sat down with my back against the mountain. I knew I wouldn't sleep so I sat there, holdin' Beth in my lap as she drifted back off to sleep in my arms, until mornin' light shone through the trees. I leaned my head down close to her ear as she slept and whispered.

"I love you, Beth Greene." She didn't stir, but even though I thougth she was sleepin', I heard her answer me softly.

"I love you too, Daryl." After that, she actually went back to sleep, with a smile on her lips as I leaned back down and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. 

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Chapter 1 of the second part of "Before You Go" is officially finished! There you go! Thanks to KyleeGreen1 for requesting the continuation of the story. I absolutely LOVE Bethyl (my otp) and really enjoy writing/reading about them. Thanks also to everyone who's read, commented, and/or voted for any of my stories. <3 you all. . . 

~kitkat9g~