"She's scaring the hell our of me every time she raises that thing." Austin spoke to Daryl as Beth approached the walker with his cross bow.
"Yeah, I can tell. You pansy ass." he shoved the side of his head as Beth cried out, falling over when her foot got caught in a trap. Austin hurried forward as Beth shot it in the shoulder.
Daryl took the bow as Austin fell onto his knees next to Beth to see what latched onto her leg. He hit it in the face, turning back to the two as Austin cut the chain free of Beth's foot. "Hit your bone? Can you move it?"
"Yeah." Beth wiggled her foot slightly. "Yeah, yeah, I think so."
"There's probably a place close by, hold up for a little bit." Daryl spoke as Austin helped Beth up, bending down as she jumped onto his back. "You got her?"
"Got her." he confirmed as Daryl got his backpack for him, Beth leaning her head on the side of his, her forehead brushing with the bandana on his head. "Y'all see that?"
They got closer, seeing graves before a large house. "Rich people house."
"Maybe they are still in there." Beth nodded.
"Well, if they are, i'll handle em." Daryl agreed as he walked over the pair.
"There's still good people, Daryl." Beth pointed out as Austin adjusted her on his back, the trio walking through the grave yard.
"I don't think the good ones survive." he said in return.
Austin shook his head. "They don't."
"I don't see no one!" Austin called as he came down stairs, his feet loud against the wood. "It seems empty."
"Same down here." Daryl agreed with him.
"It's so clean too." Beth pointed out as she looked around the house.
"Someone's been tending to it." Daryl agreed as Austin locked the door. "May still be around."
"Look." Austin pointed into the small room down the hall, the three walking in the see a dead man in a casket. "A funeral home, not a rich people house."
"Explains the grave yard." Beth agreed as Daryl looked down.
"They probably have a morgue." Austin looked to the ground. "Something for Beth's ankle in there?"
The trio headed down the stairs, another dead walker on the table as Daryl searched for supplies. "Looks like somebody ran out of dolls to dress up."
"It's beautiful." Beth defended the dressed up walker. "Whoever did this cared. They wanted these people to get a funeral. They remember these things were people before all of this. They didn't let it change them in the end. Don't you think that's beautiful?"
Austin nodded as he rubbed her back. "And sweet."
"Come on." Daryl ignored her, nodding for her to take her shoe off.
"Let me see." Austin took the wrap. "When I wasn't doing robotics, the nurse let me volunteer in her office on my free period."
"You went because you wanted to?" Daryl asked him in disbelief as Austin was gentle with Beth's foot.
"Yeah." he hummed. "Back before it was a requirement to stop bleeding and help people. Back then, I enjoyed it."
"What changed?" Beth looked down.
"Because there were hospitals to take away pain." Austin looked up at her with a shake of his head. "Now, I can help, but it won't stop anyone from suffering."
"Peanut Butter and Jelly, Diet Coke, and Pigs Feet." Daryl opened the cabinets.
"PB&J!" Austin announced loudly, they both shhed him violently and quickly. "I haven't had any since before."
"PB&J for Austin." Beth took the jelly from the cabinet. "It all looks good to me."
"No, hold up." Daryl spoke, ignoring Austin's puppy dog look when he took the jar of peanut butter from him. "Ain't a speck of dust on this."
"So?" Beth shrugged, trying not to gush at Austin's pleading look.
"That means someone just put it here." he spoke up. "This is someone's stash. Maybe they're still alive."
"Well, they aren't here right now..." Austin trialed off as his eyes darted back and forth between the jar of peanut butter and to Daryl.
"All right, we'll take some of it and we'll leave the rest, all right?" Daryl nodded his head, handing him the jar as his face lit up.
"I knew it." Beth grinned.
"Knew that?" he asked. Austin's eyes widened at the two packets of hot coco near the windows, making sure neither of them were looking as he snuck them into his bag.
"It's like I said. There's still good people." Beth pointed out as Daryl stuck his hand into the peanut butter. "Gross."
"Those pigs feet are mine." he pointed out as Austin sighed in relief when getting a spoon full of Peanut Butter.
"Mm, you can keep 'em." Austin waved him off, taking the jelly jar next. "All yours."
"Beth." Austin whispered as he walked into the little room, cutting off her singing and piano music. "Look."
She turned back ad he handed her a mug of the hot colo. "Where did you find it?"
"In the kitchen, don't tell Daryl." he grinned, sitting next to her as they both took a sip. "Good?"
"Good." she nodded, setting it down. "Do you know how to play?"
"The piano?" he laughed slightly. "No."
"It's not so hard." she took his hands, placing one finger on one key. "Hit that one."
A little tune placed as he did so, Beth put his other finger on another key. "And this one."
He did so, another tune. She did it a few more times until a faint, and broken up, melody came. Austin's face lit up. "Okay, let me see if I can do it again."
She backed off, he thought hard as his fingers hit the keys, having it down until the final one when a deep tune sounded. "Wrong one."
"Close." she pointed to the one two spaces over. "That's one."
He started again, this time remembering that key as Beth smiled with a back rub. "You got it."
"Place is nailed up right." Daryl walked in. "Only way in is through the front door."
They turned to watch him jump up in a casket. Beth gapped as Austin laughed. "What are you doing?"
"This is the comfiest bed i've had in years." he admitted while laying back.
"Really?" Beth rose her eyebrows.
"I ain't kidding." he shook his head. "Why don't you go ahead and play some more? Not Austin though."
"I'm a beginner." he defended himself.
"A crappy one." he pointed out as Beth smiled, rubbing Austin's back to show her apologies.
"You see something?" Austin peaked around the corner when Daryl opened the door.
"It's just a damn dog!" he called.
"A dog?" Austin ran his way as the dog yelped, taking off as Austin got sight of its white fur. "Come back, man!"
"He had just one eye." Daryl stood up.
"He wouldn't come in?" Beth came around the corner next.
"I told you to stay back." he pointed at her.
"Yeah, but, Daryl, you said there was a dog." she grinned widened.
"With just one eye." Austin held up his index finger, showing off his teeth in a smile.
"Maybe he'll come back around. Come on." he head the two back toward the kitchen.
"I'm gonna leave a thank you note." Beth spoke as they sat back down at the table.
"Why?" Daryl asked, looking past Austin, who was tearing into some more PB&J.
"For when they come back." she said in return. "If they come back. Even if they're not coming back, I still want to say thanks."
"Maybe an apology note too." Austin took around at the mess they made.
"You're right." Beth laughed slightly.
"Maybe you don't have to leave neither." Daryl said in return. "Maybe we stick around here a while. They come back, we'll just make it work. They may be nuts, but maybe it'll be all right."
"I'll be back." Austin stood up, Daryl's words not sitting right with him as he walked away. They watched him go, allowing him to have a minute before Beth followed.
She found him sitting on the stairs, the darkness over shadowing him. "Hey."
He moved over as she sat down. "What's the matter?"
"I don't wanna give up looking for everyone." Austin frowned his eyebrows as he looked over ar her. "Why would we stay? They won't know we're here."
"Maybe just to get back on our feet?" she shrugged. "Doesn't mean we're gonna stop looking."
"I know but..." he trailed off, because he didn't want to make the whole thing about him "-but Carl and Judith need me."
A dog barked from outside, the cans rattling. Daryl walked past the two. "I'll get it."
As he opened the door, they all panicked at the hoard of walkers just outside of the door. Austin pulled his knife out as Daryl leaned on the door. "Y'all run!"
"I can help!" Austin yelled to him.
"No, run!" Daryl shouted at him again, moving out of the way as he shot a few walkers, moving through the house as Austin and Beth did the same. "Pry open a window. Get your shit!"
"We're not gonna leave you!" Beth called as Austin stabbed a walker, but there had been so many he couldn't take the chances of lingering too long as he followed the blonde.
"Go out to the road!" Daryl shouted.
"Go, I promise i'll meet you there ." Austin turned to her quickly. "I gotta help him, there's too many."
Beth looked hesitant. "I can't just leave you here."
"Yes, you can." he kissed her on the lips. "I'll meet you there. I promise. You gotta go."
She did, nodding quickly as she hurried. Austin stabbed the walkers, yanking his gun out and having to take the chances of attracting more as he shot the ones he could with the little ammo he still had. He knocked the other walkers on the head with the gun "There's too many!"
"Come on!" Daryl said, yanking him by the collar as they ran down the stairs again. Walkers followed as him and Austin pulled a table infront of them, stabbing the ones that were leaning on the tables to try and grab at them. "Shove on my que and make a run for it!"
"Okay!" Austin yelped.
"Now!" Daryl announced, the pair shoving the table, taking off up the stairs with one final kill to one final walker.
"Beth's waiting, we gotta go!" Austin called, taking the lead out the door as he dodged the remaining walkers, Daryl doing the same as Austin's legs burned when running to the road. The closer they got, the quieter it was.
His heart stopped.
"Beth?" Austin whispered as he looked around at the quiet road, his eyes darting around the dark area. The screeching of tires made their head turn, seeing a car drive off. "Beth! Hey! Beth!"
"Austin!" Daryl called as he ran after the car.
But a boy on two legs was nothing compared to the car that carried his girlfriend.
•
kylie speaks
i think i spoiled y'all a
little too much with my every
day updates bc y'all went silent!! SO STOP GHOSTING ME SO I CAN FEED AND SPOIL YALL AGAIN!!
if y'all go back and see what his last words to lori were... it makes this so much more painful