Arrowhead ➳ Daryl Dixon

t h i r t y - t h r e e

"Hey girl." She cooed, standing in front of the mare and doing her best to hold her still as Beth climbed on. The mount wasn't graceful, but surprisingly, the mare didn't seem to mind. She simply flicked her ear and sidestepped once Beth was positioned right, and Presley stepped away. "You sure I shouldn't get Maggie? Or Michonne?"

"I'm alright." Beth insisted, getting positioned. Presley chuckled as the horse started at a steady walk, tossing her head when a fly buzzed past her eye. After a few practice rounds around the small pen, Beth managed to urge the horse into a trot, and then pointed at the fence. Without another word needed, Presley untethered the gate and swung it open, watching as Beth brought the horse out of the small pen. Within just a few moments of the newfound freedom, Beth had the horse cantering through the prison. Zeva cowered beside Presley, watching the horse with wide brown eyes. "Oh don't be a wuss." She laughed, patting the dog on the head as she continued to watch Beth and the horse.

Beth was young, just as Carl was, but somehow she seemed to be more oblivious to the world. She held onto hope with a deathgrip, while the rest of the group had already let go for the most part. While they believed that the world would never be the same, she had this false hope that some day, it would all go back to the way it was. When gold mattered instead of guns and knives, when highschool drama was the only thing a sixteen year old had to worry about.

Presley? It was hard to say what she believed in. She believed in today. Not tomorrow, not yesterday. While the others scrambled to figure out next week, she was perfectly content with remaining just as she was, surviving the day and hoping for a tomorrow.

"Where's the saddle?" A masculine voice asked. She turned her head, offering a small smile. He didn't seem angry, simply worried.

"The girl grew up on a farm, Rick." She noted, looking back to Beth. The smile on her face was radiant. "I doubt this even compares to half the things they did out there." She leaned against the fence. "Let the girl have a little fun, just this once. We need an escape from reality, and we can't rely on our dreams anymore, for they're only nightmares."

Rick looked at Presley with a confused glare. She smirked, but didn't look at him. "You speak in riddles and puzzles." He commented.

She simply shrugged. "Life is a riddle and a puzzle, just a really, really big one." Rick chuckled, ruffling Presley's hair. The peace was lovely, but too short.

Oh, how it was too short.

Gunfire rang out through the prison yard, startling everybody. Without thinking, Presley shoved herself into Rick, pushing him into the ground. She rolled onto her back, pulling out her pistol and checking herself for ammo. Full, as always. "You got a gun?" She asked him, heart racing a million miles an hour. He looked pale as a ghost. "Rick, snap out of it!" She hissed, roughly shoving his shoulder. He shook his head, pushing his hair back.

"Yeah, yeah I got one." He said, reaching for his revolver. Presley didn't watch any more. She rolled onto her stomach, sprinting towards the prison. She remained low, but she knew that she had been spotted, due to the gunfire that stirred the dirt behind her. She ducked behind the building, looking out to Beth. She was still on the horse, hanging on for dear life as the mare reared out of fright.

She cursed to herself, raising her gun and peering around the edge of the building. The Governor had already invaded their gates. Presley slipped through the gate, grabbing two guns without really looking at what they were. Within moments, she was sprinting back to Beth. The mare had thrown her, so she now laid out on the ground.

Presley slid to the ground, nearly colliding with Beth in the meantime. She gave one of the two guns to the blonde, taking a look at her own and checking the ammo once again. "Beth, Beth look at me." Presley coaxed. The hysterical girl looked at Presley, tears streaming down her face. The girl was looking past Presley, screaming incoherent words. Confused, Presley turned, freezing at the sight.