War Of The Damned - (Daryl & Beth) - The Walking Dead

24. Harley

24. HARLEY

We made it to the neighborhood within two days. Those two days were the hardest. Maggie and I had agreed to alternate between each other to carry baby Judith, not that I had minded. Much. It's just that she felt like she weighed a ton and all that weight had really done my back in. When I wasn't carrying her, I was putting my new crossbow to practice. The arrows I had made with Daryl were truly perfect. That redneck really knew his stuff when it comes to that sort of thing. Like I said, he's a true survivor built for this world.

I tried my luck at helping Rick, Abraham, Glenn and Tyreese carrying Daryl but that was an epic failure. Carrying Daryl was like carrying dead weight. He was a lot heavier than he looked. But I guess, in a way, that's a good thing right? Even in his unconscious state he kept everyone on their toes. I think he would've been smirking at that one. And when the sun had started setting, we returned to the house where Lizzie had did what she did. None of us wanted to - not Glenn or Maggie or Tyreese, especially not Molly - but what choice did we have? We needed to get Daryl to safety.

It was like déjà vu except the roles reversed. We moved Daryl to the bed he and I had shared those nights. I had laid with him the entire time, unashamedly staring at him until the ungodly hours of the morning. I kept whispering to him how much of an idiot he was for staying behind at Terminus because now look at him. Eventually I had fallen asleep, mumbling something like "I miss you Daryl. I just miss talking to you. I miss your voice." Even though he probably couldn't hear me.

An hour before sunrise we had left that house and all the ugly memories behind us. Maggie and Glenn had told everyone what happened with Lizzie. To which Rick gave me a solemn expression, not doubt sympathetic for what I'd had to do to her. Molly had blocked it all out - god bless her. She had hardly spoken since the cottage incident and I was worried for her. And just like me her eyes kept finding their way back to Daryl and then up to the bullets around my neck.

When we finally arrive in the ghost town all of us are exhausted, but we push on. For Daryl. We vigilantly zigzag through the streets, following Rick's lead. Walkers come at us every now and then and I can finally use my crossbow on proper targets. My practice sessions with Daryl pays off and I hit my targets exactly where I want to. Even Michonne put her swords to the test. When I thought that she was lethal with just one I'd realized she was even deadlier with two. She moved like a natural killer.

I'd found it strange that we hadn't come across many walkers during the walk here but that could only be seen as a good thing. Good, but strange. Luckily for us the walkers show up in herds of five and less, that left Michonne, Maggie, Rosita and myself to do all the dirty work so Rick and the others didn't have to.

When the clinic comes into view I feel a little better. That only lasts for a minute though because we are soon stopped in our tracks by the loud moans of walkers inside. "We can't take him in there until all of those walkers are dead." I tell everyone. A series of nods come from them and before they head in to clear the clinic, the boys put Daryl down at the back of the clinic, leaving my sister and me to watch over him and Judith and Molly.

Once they are gone Maggie breaks the silence. "Beth I'm sorry this has to happen to you."

"It's okay." I say quietly. I've no one else to blame but the bastard that shot him.

"How long have you felt like this?"

How long have I loved him? "I don't know."

"He's going to survive this, Beth."

"Yeah. I know. He's tough." I stare down at Daryl and notice his skin is pale, probably from malnutrition. He needs feeding tubes, I think, and some medicines to wake him. Maybe we can give him some adrenalin? I don't know but I'm willing to try just about anything at this stage.