I Made It. ~ a Beth Greene survival story.

Chapter 22: The Last Stand

     "Okay, one more time." Walt said to me. "We roll up to the gates, let my group ramble on about wanting the place, we back away, and you give the command."

     "Right." I replied. "Think it'll work?" I asked.

     "If it's executed correctly.....then yeah." He smiled at me.

     I returned the smile, and made my way towards the window. The morning light still rushed through the window.  We had more than enough time before nightfall to get this over with. The thought of being in my own bed tonight made me smile even larger.

     "Beth...." I heard Walt say from behind me. "You understand why I was such a dick at the church, right?"

     "For your son." I turned to him. "I get it." I reassured him.

     He stood up and walked towards me. I felt his palms run down my arms, and he leaned in for a kiss. I didn't move away, but I didn't return the favor. The kiss was awkward, but I didn't hate it.

     "That was unexpected." I admitted.

     "And awkward..." Walt added.

     We stared at eachother for a moment, still feeling awkward about what happened, and I pulled him into a hug. It felt good to be cared for, but I didn't know if I had feelings for him. I barely knew this man, and I didn't want to cause any more drama than there already was. Regardless of what just happened, I was excited to return home with him. After a minute, he backed away from the hug.

     "We should head back." Walt said. "The others are probably wondering where we went to."

     "Walt, if this is about-"

     "Call me Walter." He cut me off, "Only those idiots downstairs call me Walt, and I'm done with it." He laughed.

     I returned the laugh and walked over to the large wooden desk that sat in the office. I hopped on top and let my feet hang towards the ground.

     "We don't have to go yet." I said aloud, hoping he didn't take it the way it sounded.

     "Why is that?" He smiled at me.

     "The thought of being locked in room for another hour doesn't sound very nice." I smiled back.

     We stayed in the office for another hour, not caring what the men below would think. It felt good to have someone to talk to about the past, especially someone who wasn't there when it happened. To Walter, I was just a normal girl, not some girl who constantly got herself into trouble. I told him about life since everything started. I talked about the farm, the prison, the hospital, and Alexandria.  I had only been at Alexandria for a week before I hopped the fence, but it was a nice place. I told Walter about all the people we've lost, and he continued to listen. When I was done rambling on about myself, Walter told me his story. He and his wife were from D.C. , and they barely escaped when things went down. After a few weeks on the road, they met up with a larger group of survivors. Together, they built a small community and thrived for almost six months until things went haywire.

     "How did you find these guys?" I asked him.

     "When they found me, they almost killed me." He started. "After a little convincing, they accepted me into their group. From that moment on, I was stuck being their puppet."

     "Not for long." I smiled at him.

     "Not for long..." He repeated.

     I hopped off the desk and walked over to him. I gave him a small peck on the cheek, and I headed towards the door.