shutup dixon | d.d

1.1

"You haven't mentioned her." Beth said picturing her brunette friend in her mind.

"Don't mean I don't think about her." Daryl answered semi-defensively.

A moment of silence passed before she spoke up. "What's it like?"

"What?"

"What you have with Katy and Maggie has with Glenn. I didn't have it with Jimmy or Zach." She clarified.

Daryl's body wanted to shrug but his mind wanted to tell the girl the answer that she deserved. "It just makes all this shit worth it." 

After eating, they explored the house more; Beth sat down happily at a grand piano in one of the rooms and began to play it, singing a song that her father had always loved her to sing. Daryl walked in once he heard the melody, she halted her actions as he made his way to an empty coffin that lay in the side of the room and he climbed into it.

"Comfiest bed I've had in years." He told her seeing her shocked face. "Keep singing."

"I thought my singing annoyed you."

Beth's singing had used to annoy Daryl, any slight sign of optimism had used to annoy Daryl because he couldn't understand it but falling in love and getting stuck with the happiest girl in the world had made him more patient and open to the idea that maybe hope was a good thing.

"There ain't no jukebox."

➳ 

"So, you do think there are still good people around?" Beth smiled toothily. "What changed your mind?"

It had been Beth mostly that had made Daryl's outlook on the world change but he couldn't tell her that because he didn't understand how he had changed so quickly and how he now actually considered the girl as a friend. He also hated the fact that he wasn't doing more to look for Katy because he was trying to look after Beth too.

He shrugged and grunted.

"Don't do that." She recognised his way to distract her. "What changed your mind?"

The two kept eye contact until the alarm they had set up outside of the door went off, Daryl went towards it casually expecting it to be the Dog that had previously been outside the door but had run away before he could bring it into show Beth. However, when the door swung open Daryl quickly realised that it was not the innocent Dog, it was a herd of walkers.

"Beth!"

Upon hearing Daryl's yell she knew that something was wrong and frantically grabbed his crossbow, throwing it to him as he stood with his back against the door trying to block the monsters.

"Climb out the window! Get your shit!" He ordered her as they both started running through the house.

"I'm not gonna leave you!"

"Get to the road. I'll meet you there."

Beth decided to follow Daryl's instructions figuring that she wouldn't be able to much anyway, even running was hurting her ankle that was already injured. Daryl moved throughout the house so that the walkers would chase him; using different objects to block himself and kill them, he eventually made the whole house safe.

The man left himself no time to rest once the house was safe opting instead to sprint towards what should have been the meeting place.

Beth wasn't there.

The road was empty apart from a car which had already begun to drive away -- Daryl could sense how wrong the situation was and began to chase after the vehicle. He ran for as long as he could but the car was faster and he had to stop once he had run himself to exhaustion.

When he collapsed onto the road he was tired, panicked and full of sadness; she was only young and he should have protected her better than he had. He didn't believe that he could keep anybody safe. He had nothing left in him and maybe that's why he allowed himself to go with the men who eventually surrounded him despite the bad feelings they sent through his body.

➳

It was obvious that the six people walking along the rail tracks were two different groups that had been forced together; Glenn and Katy walked alongside each other talking at a low volume, Tara floated behind them still nervous to get involved and Abraham, Rosita and Eugene were quite a bit behind.

"Do you think we'll find them?" Katy asked Glenn in a severe moment of desperation, where their mutual feeling of emptiness was spearing Glenn on, it weighed Katy down.

"We have to." He said simply before looking at her more seriously. "I'm worried about you."

"Why?"

"I know you don't sleep. I hear you crying." He tried to speak carefully but he had to mention it to her.

"Every time I close my eyes I can see everything and feel it." She admitted with glossy eyes. "I can't help it."

The conversation would have continued if something miraculous hadn't caught their eyes: a sign that had painted words on it, a message directed to Glenn and signed off by Maggie. It was the best thing that could have happened, it showed safety and hope.

They were directed towards a place called Terminus, Glenn and Katy felt a physical ache to get there but the other group travelling with them wanted to stop. Arguments continued until they all reached a tunnel with another sign next to it, it was the quickest way to travel but definitely had walkers in it -- Katy and Glenn were willing to risk it. That was when the two groups split up with Glenn, Katy and Tara disappearing into the tunnel.

Inside the tunnel, there was a massive pile of walkers that had fallen through the caving roof and got stuck. They began to climb over the walkers which was a dangerous act; Tara's foot got caught and the other two could not get her free despite their heavy efforts. Pressure began to build up in the small space because more walkers were approaching and it felt like death was close too.  Tara wanted them to leave but that was never going to happen. They would die together or not at all.

Tara was screaming.

Glenn was pulling her arm to try and get her out.

Katy was shooting as many walkers as she could.

A blinding flash of light emerged in the tunnel along with extra gunshots that didn't sound from Katy's gun; many walkers began to fall down dead and Glenn surged forwards to see what was going on.

Maggie, Bob and Sasha stood alongside Abraham, Rosita and Eugene -- the rescued three could not believe it.

Glenna and Maggie moved towards each other like oppositely charged magnets, just the sight of it made everybody smile from the happiness that was so clear on their faces but with that happiness came a melancholy feeling because she couldn't help but wish it was her with the man that she loved.

➳

A sanctuary for all, a community for all.

Terminus was a large building with much space that could really be used to make a home if it was done in the right way, the group didn't realise as they walked in that it hadn't been done in the right way at all.

The main gate was surrounded with sunflowers that fooled people into thinking that it was accommodating and the people sitting around eating real food and chatting happily made it seem homely. The old lady standing at the barbeque smiled up at the group when she saw them walking in.

"Welcome to Terminus."

• Edited •