Alexandria
26
posts
6
likes
You gotta stay who you are, not who you were.
|
Post by Beth Greene on Oct 31, 2016 21:39:19 GMT
October 5, 2004 Beth stood outside on the sidewalk looking at the house and sighed. It was a really nice house. Pristine. Surreal.
Those had been Beth's first thoughts when she set foot inside the Alexandria house she had been assigned to with Maggie and Glenn for the first time. She felt too dirty for the place. It was somewhat surreal that she was even inside a house that clean. Beth didn't really feel she belonged. She had too many scars, both physically and emotionally, and this place was like a bubble ready pop. She didn't know how to act around these people, how to tell them that nothing could remain untouched for long. It was a matter of time until the world outside caught up with them.
Beth's first impressions of Alexandria and its people still lingered, but she had been here for a couple of months now. She still didn't feel like she belonged but it became home somehow. She had grown to like some of the citizens. Aaron and Eric most of all and suddenly Alexandria became the place they would fight for it; the place they would defend until the end. It was always like this with them though. Fight until they couldn't anymore and then move on; try again something else. Beth wasn't sure how long they wold be here but for now Alexandria was their future. Judy could use a future, a yard to play around. Music and picnics. It wasn't a bad illusion. They all could feel normal again even if it was just for a little while.
They had fought the herd not long ago and started to rebuild. They weren't overran this time. It wasn't like the prison. It seemed they were able to change their fate. Beth was thankful for that. They lost people; almost lost Carl. She thought about Carl and her heart ached. How much more could this kid take before it was too much? There was so much strength in him; in all of them. They were all so resilient and for as long as this family were together Beth felt like they could take anything like threw at them including pristine suburban houses in the middle of the end of the world. Alexandria still didn't make a lot of sense to her but it was their safe place right now and she really wanted it to work for them.
We just need a safe place to be. The words echoed in her head and she hoped things would be different this time. Hope? Sometimes she questioned her own sanity. How could she still have any hope left? After the prison, after Grady and everything they all have been gone through? But Beth just had to look at her family and she knew where her hope came from.
The pristine houses and the lawns still freaked her out a little though. Another sight and she pursed her lips. Beth really didn't want to get inside. She had come from from Rick's place after she dropped Judith off. Beth wasn't Judy's official babysitter anymore but she offered to watch over the little girl sometimes. She loved that baby like she was her own, but there were others taking care of the younger Grimes child now and Beth had other duties. After Grady, Beth wasn't comfortable staying locked inside anymore. She just felt restless and she volunteered to be part of the supply run teams. She probably shocked her family with that request, but she didn't want to be locked inside. Beth wanted out, in the woods. As crazy as that probably sound she was the happiest during her time in the woods with Daryl.
That thought made her feel guilty. She had lost her entire family. Her daddy had been murdered and Daryl wasn't exactly the best traveling companion at first, but Beth was happy then. The truth was that if it had been only Daryl and her forever it would be okay. She would've been fine.
Beth pushed those thoughts away. It made no sense to keep dwelling about things she couldn't change and that she wouldn't change. She was happy her family was back together; they were alive and mostly happy and healthy, but she wished Daryl...
Enough.
She spun around and continued down the street ignoring the pretty house with the comfy bed awaiting for her and heading out to the main gate. Maybe she could convince someone to let her out for a few minutes to check the perimeter. Beth had to keep herself busy with something else or she would go insane trying to understand why things were back to normal and she felt like she was missing something...someone. She also needed to talk to Glenn or Heath about a supply run. She needed to get out of the gates for a while.
|
|
Administrator
69
posts
12
likes
I have nothing to say.
|
Post by Daryl Dixon on Nov 1, 2016 0:34:49 GMT
Daryl stared blatantly down at the plate of red tinged cookies. His brow grew stern Beets? In cookies? What in the world was Carol thinking? That was at last two things he would ever imagine putting into one sentence. He picked one up and smelt it. It didn’t really smell like anything. Dropping it back down on the rest of the pile on the plate he stood up from the barstool he had been perched on and stretched. For once in what it felt like a long time, Daryl was actually bored. It was an odd feeling to have, honestly, he thought he would never feel boredom again. Yet here it was, knocking on his door, hypothetically of course. He hard footsteps walk across the floor above him, Carol was cleaning or something. Her entire persona had changed since Alexandria, it was like she went back to playing housewife, playing mom. Daryl frowned again. He really needed to get out from under her roof, it was almost as if she needed someone to take care of and Daryl was her target. Daryl didn’t need anyone taking care of him.
His heavy boots softly thudded across the hardwood kitchen floor as he walked out of the kitchen, across the main hall, foyer, whatever fancy people called it, into the living room. It was odd for Daryl to live somewhere with so much square footage. He wasn’t used to fancy, and the homes in Alexandria were more than what the word implied. Shaking his head, he grabbed his jacket and hunting knife and decided he would go for a walk to clear his mind, but at least he needed some sort of protection on him even if it was safe outside.
Stepping out into the mid day sun, he threw on his jacket because the October chill was still in the air but it wasn’t a bone chilling cold out. Walking down the front walk of Carol’s house he walked to the edge of the street and stopped. He wasn’t sure which way to go so after a moment’s debate, he decided to turn left and go towards the center of Alexandria. There were a few of the community’s survivors out doing chores. Hell, in this non-normal world they lived in, doing chores was the last thing on his mind. Or at least he didn’t think raking leaves and puling weeds were considered chores these days. But people seemed to do them because they made them feel normal.
Daryl was passing the pond area at this point as he dove into his thoughts. Things were rough at the moment and he knew it. Rick had mentioned that they were getting low on food supplies, and the feeling sucked. Daryl and Glenn, and the other runners tried their best when they went out bust the pickings were slim. Daryl had killed and brought in things he could as well, but people were just too hungry. Rick didn’t want the word of the shortage to get out to the rest of the community, but soon enough, people would start catching on if things didn’t change for the best soon.
Daryl was pulled from his thoughts when he realized he was walking towards the Main Gate. He was about to turn around before someone flagged him down to take their post while they went to take a piss or something; but he noticed a particular blonde walking towards the Main Gate and conversing with the person on duty. What was Beth doing? His stomach turned a little at the sight of her, and his concerns heightened as the gate keeper nodded and proceeded to open the gate for her. Daryl acted quickly, speeding up he step he partially jogged over to the Main gate and the pair.
” Hey wait a sec.” calling out to Beth.
|
|
Alexandria
26
posts
6
likes
You gotta stay who you are, not who you were.
|
Post by Beth Greene on Nov 1, 2016 1:18:47 GMT
When Beth reached the main gate she had a few words planned to try and convince the gate keeper to let her out. Thankfully, it didn't take a lot of talking to convince the man to open the gates for her. If it had been someone from her own group Beth would probably have heard a long speech about how it wasn't safe and she shouldn't be out by herself, but Beth had her knife and she was just going to walk around the perimeter for a few minutes. Catch some air. There were people on watch on the walls and she wasn't going far.
There was no big danger out there. The herd had been dealt with and as far as she knew the wolves were gone. She smiled lightly at the man handling the gates and muttered a thank you when he unlocked the gate and began to pull it open for her. She was about to cross over when she heard hurried footsteps coming towards her. Beth glanced over her shoulder and caught the sight of Daryl jogging her way.
She was a little surprised to see him; her doe eyes widened and her face lit up right away; Beth felt her heart starting to race. "Daryl..." she smiled softly at him. "Hi." She muttered shyly and she had no idea why she reacted this way when he was around. This was Daryl and he was a friend. She was used to his company and yet, she felt all warm inside despite the chilly weather.
"You going out too?" she asked him as she stepped through the gate, trying to distract her mind and ease her heart. She could swear he would be able to heart how fast her heart was beating.
|
|
Administrator
69
posts
12
likes
I have nothing to say.
|
Post by Daryl Dixon on Nov 1, 2016 18:35:45 GMT
Daryl hadn't quite planned on what he was going to say next. He had just planned as far as stopping Beth from going outside the gate alone. Here is where his awkward state would most likely kick in. However he somehow managed to stay calm and eventually after a few seconds from Beth asking him if he too was going out he managed to say, "No...well... not really." What the heck was that? his mind screamed at him. Trying to find words to recover he looked away and squinted up at the sun. It wasn't like him to yammer about talking, however it also wasn't like him at all to run after someone to catch their attention either, yet here he was. Looking back at Beth, having to look down since she was shorter than him, he observed her eyes falling on her knife. Ah-ha!
"You can't just go out there with that." There, concern for someone was normal. Daryl looked away from Beth. He wasn't scolding her at all, if anything his voice had shown a hint of concern which he hoped went unnoticed since that wasn't himself at all. Alexandria had made him soft. "If you want I can come with you." Well that came out of no where, but he looked back at Beth. Hell maybe even if she didn't want his company he would still go along with her because he had already decided on it. She had come a long way since first meeting her on her father's farm. Beth had been so fragile back then, but there was a certain toughness about her now, especially since being kidnapped and taken to Grady. He knew deep down that she didn't need protection anymore, but Daryl wanted to feel needed still.
After the fall of the Prison, when the pair ended up being stuck with each other, Daryl and Beth had opened up to each other and he had gained a whole new respect for her. Daryl was pained suddenly from the memory. When the two had been playing some foolish game Beth had wanted to play, Daryl learned that she had assumed he had been in jail before. At that moment in time, Daryl had slightly turned into his father, slamming things around and whatnot. Part of him knew it had been the effects of the moonshine they had been drinking, but he also knew deep down that he had been hurt by her assumption. Daryl had to realize tho that he had seemed very rough around the edges so it could have been easily assumed. Yet still the hurt did linger. He snapped away from his thoughts and looked from Beth to the guard on duty. The young man was someone new that Daryl hadn't really ever learned his name. He had to get better at that. Normally he would just wave the names and backstories of people beside since he figured they would be gone eventually. However he needed that to change. They were making Alexandria safe, and therefore people were going to survive. The young man's eyes met Daryl's for a split second before looking away. He then walked away from Beth and Daryl, probably assuming it wasn't his business of listening in on the pair.
"So, shall we?" He motioned Beth to lead the way, not really giving her anytime to debate whether or not he was coming with her, that had already been decided on his part.
|
|
Alexandria
26
posts
6
likes
You gotta stay who you are, not who you were.
|
Post by Beth Greene on Nov 1, 2016 19:03:56 GMT
"No...well... not really."
Beth's brow furrowed slightly. "No?" She mouthed a little confused why he came running towards her then but it became clear when he glanced at her knife. Beth let out a soft chuckle. "Why not? It's a good knife," she stated as she eyed him closely. Was he worried about her well being? That would be typical Daryl. He cared about his family and she was part of the family. It wouldn't surprised her if he was just concerned in general.
'You are not especial Beth Greene!' Beth told herself.
Daryl offered to come with her and Beth's felt her heart skip a beat. It was silly of her. He probably just wanted to make sure she didn't get into any trouble and Beth was torn. In a way, she was happy he cared enough to get out of his way and offer her his company but it also meant he didn't think she could handle being on her own.
She remembered their time together when he was teaching her to track and use his crossbow. 'Pretty soon I won't need you at all.' That was such a lie. Perhaps she didn't need him as much to fight for her, but he mattered and she would always need him to fight beside her; more importantly and maybe what confused her the most it was that she wanted him there by her side. All the time.
The last thing she needed was a crush on Daryl Dixon. That wouldn't end well. Beth figured he cared about her but he wouldn't ever want someone like. She just had to look at Michonne, Maggie and Carol. They were all brave and strong and no one doubt they could hold their own. Beth? She was still perceived as the weak link and the one people needed to take care of. Beth was glad her family loved her enough to worry about her, but she wasn't a kid anymore. She had survived Grady and the long road from Atlanta to Virginia just like the rest of them. She wasn't a burden, but it didn't matter. She wasn't like the others and that was what it made her want prove her strength every day.
As for Daryl Dixon...he wouldn't look at her like THAT anyway. If whatever he made her feel was a crush Beth had to keep it buried and forget about it. They were friends and that should be enough. Beth sighed inwardly and before she could say anything about his offer Daryl was leading the way and she just shook her head lightly. It wasn't like she was gonna say no to his company anyway.
"So you want to be my chaperone, Mr. Dixon?" Beth asked with a teasing tone, beaming at him as she walked beside him.
|
|
Administrator
69
posts
12
likes
I have nothing to say.
|
Post by Daryl Dixon on Nov 2, 2016 2:15:44 GMT
"So you want to be my chaperone, Mr. Dixon?"
Her teasing words hit his ears and he stopped and looked at her. "Someone's gotta keep you out of trouble." He waved his hand in the general direction they were walking in. "There's too much that can happen, and well that wouldn't be good." He said and then turned from her and kept walking.He knew Beth knew he cared about her well being. Perhaps though he was caring a little too much? Was that a problem? He wasn't sure and he felt confused. His boots crunched on the dead fall leaves as they walked along the black asphalt road way that led to the Main gate. Passing by the burnt houses he wondered what had happened to them. His eyes remained forward. not daring to look over at Beth because he was wanting to shell up again and let her have her walk while he just made sure she was ok. But this proved to be a harder task than he thought as he glanced over at her wondering what she was thinking
Daryl led them into the lighter trees of the surrounding brush forrest. The trees were more sparser here so a lot of light made the surrounding forrest visible. Watch had hardly seen any Walkers within this part of the woods. Hopefully the pair wouldn’t run into any while out. Then again, they always seemed to come when one least expected it but also when one least wanted a Walker to come mingle.
Daryl struggled to find words to say to her to break the silence between them. But he didn’t want to sound awkward or dumb. All he could think about saying was the usual stuff. But he knew she knew that he was a man of a few words. So instead he just bit his tongue and kept on the look out of their surroundings while the walked. After a few moments Daryl’s ears picked up on rustling in nearby bushes. He stopped for a moment, placing a hand on Beth’s shoulder to stop her since she had been walking a little ahead of him by this point. He motioned for her to wait there while he went to investigate.
Walking stealth-like towards the noise he kept his eyes and ears peeled since the brush and trees were beginning to get thicker. Peering around a tree he laid eyes on not a Walker, but a wild pig. Shaking his head he turned around and went back to where Beth was. Taking his knife out when he reached her he looked at her and said, ”Do you feel like Bacon?” For once Daryl actually smiled.
|
|
Alexandria
26
posts
6
likes
You gotta stay who you are, not who you were.
|
Post by Beth Greene on Nov 2, 2016 20:18:36 GMT
"Someone's gotta keep you out of trouble."
Beth's jaw dropped slightly at the implication and she let out a soft annoyed puff. She didn't get in trouble. As a matter of fact she was probably the one person in this family who got in trouble the least given the fact that she was very sheltered for a long time. Beth knew, deep down, that he was teasing her and that made her tingle inside for some reason. Daryl Dixon wasn't the type to tease people for no reason.
"I think you just like saving me or having me around," Beth mentioned with a hint of humor but there was also affection in her words. She glanced at him with a warm smile, blushing slightly and then fell into pace next to him as they walked down the black road avoiding his eyes for the time being.
They walked in silence for a few moments and it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. Beth enjoyed Daryl's company. He was never very chatty leaving to her to fill the space with random conversations and subjects when they were alone together, but Beth never felt like their talks were one sided. She could always take something from a look or a grunt he gave her. After Grady, she felt like she had to find her place in his life again. Would they be friends like after the prison fell? Would they go back to their prison interactions? Beth felt like they were back to that prison relationship where she was just another dead girl in his eyes, but there were times, times like this when he came jogging to keep her company without any prompt from her, that Beth wondered if he didn't miss when it was just the two of them like she missed.
Letting out a sigh, Beth tried to focus on her surroundings and not the man walking next to her. Her friend. That was all there was to this relationship. He could be in love with Carol for all she knew. That hadn't crossed her mind before but it was a possibility. They were very close and everybody knew how much they cared for one another. Beth always thought their relationship was familial, platonic but maybe she was wrong. Maybe she was crushing on someone who had someone else in his life. Beth loved Carol, she was family and she wouldn't want to get in the middle of their relationship.
Beth felt deflated suddenly. What if he was in love with Carol? She had to bury this crush or whatever this was that Daryl made her feel just by existing. Focus in someone else. The walkers. She could kill some walkers. That would be a good distraction. Beth looked at trees and watched the perimeter. This walk was meant to help her feel less trapped and to clear her mind. All this mess of conflicting feelings wasn't being helpful.
She was distracted looking at the road ahead when she felt Daryl's hand on her shoulder. That was enough to make her stomach flutter and her breath's hitched as she turned to look at her. Realizing he wanted to check something in the woods Beth drew her knife and nodded her head in acknowledgment. She would watch his back.
”Do you feel like Bacon?”
Daryl was smiling and it was such a beautiful sight. It was contagious and Beth was beaming at him. He had spotted a wild pig. "I could eat some bacon," she told him, keeping her voice low. She stepped closer to him, her arm brushing his as she stared at the woods. "How do we go about catching it though?" Beth was familiar with snares and how to hunt mud-snakes and possum or squirrels but she wasn't sure they had covered wild pigs in their time together.
|
|
Administrator
69
posts
12
likes
I have nothing to say.
|
Post by Daryl Dixon on Nov 2, 2016 21:40:16 GMT
The response he received back from Beth was a pretty sight. She had a nice smile, and there were times when her smile had pulled others from their darkest moments even. Everyone had had their role within their family unit of survivors. Rick the absolute leader, Carol the sensible one, himself well whatever the heck he was considered for the group, and Beth. She was the one that could shine light in any dark moment the group had had. There was just something about her that Daryl couldn’t pinpoint, but he liked it.
Her arm brushed against his and he looked down briefly at the connection. Hearing her question made him snap out of his thoughts. How would they go about catching the pig? He had left his crossbow at home, which would have made catching it a whole lot easier. Looking down at his knife ready in his hand he thought for a moment, thinking back to a time long before the virus broke out and he and Merle had been in a slightly similar situation. Granted they had been hunting a young stag they had come across i the backwoods of their Georgia home they shared with their Alcoholic father. The memory sparked an idea in his mind. It hadn’t been successful for the brothers, but they had been attempting to catch a stag, not a pig. Two completely different prey in Daryl’s eyes.
”Ok here’s what we’ll do.” He squatted down an made a rough sketch in the soft ground, putting an acorn that was laying nearby as the pig. ”You’re gong to wait here while I circle around this way, " he traced a line with his finger as he explained it to her. ”You should still be able to see me fairly well in the brush so just wait until I’m here to scare it and flush it into my direction.”
It made sense, pigs weren’t as smart and usually ran in the exact opposite direction, so as long as they worked together it would be a simple task. When the pair had been isolated from the rest of the group after the prison, they had managed to make a decent hunting team, so Daryl hoped that energy was still alive between the two of them. He looked up at her from his position, meeting her gaze for a moment, trying to decipher her thoughts. Yet this moment passed as he looked away quickly and stood up brushing off is hands.
”Ready?” She seemed ready enough. Daryl then turned from their location and quietly dove into he brush surrounding the pig, heading towards his position with quiet and particular footing he was just skilled with after a whole life of hunting and tracking. Finally he reached his position directly opposite of Beth and waved at her, letting her know he was ready. The pig hadn’t barley changed it’s mannerisms, it was still kneeling through the forrest floor, unaware what was about to happen to it.
|
|
Alexandria
26
posts
6
likes
You gotta stay who you are, not who you were.
|
Post by Beth Greene on Nov 3, 2016 0:03:15 GMT
Beth could always count on Daryl to come up with a plan to get them food. He was very resourceful but that came as no surprise. Daryl had been their main provider for as long as Beth could remember and he seemed to always know how to hunt anything. His plan involved Beth chasing after the pig through the woods somehow hording the animals to its slaughter: Daryl Dixon's more than capable hands.
It could work and even if it didn't it sounded fun. They could use fun. Everything was so serious and dangerous these days. People didn't stop to enjoy the small things like a walk in the woods. Beth wasn't naive to thing it was all flowers and everything was okay but they could just enjoy a moment with a friend without thinking the worst was about to come around a corner.
Biting her lip, Beth knelt down beside Daryl and watched as he drew his plan on the ground. She looked between Daryl and the sketch with intent eyes and nodded along to show him she was understanding. When he was done talking Beth felt his gaze on her and she lifted her eyes to him Daryl had already looked away. "You and me ...like old times, uh?" she said sweetly mimicking and raising to her feet.
She flashed him a genuine smile and assented when he asked if she was ready. Beth watched quietly as Daryl took position and waited for his signal to dart off after the pig. The animal's reaction was the expected one. it took off squealing loudly and for a moment Beth worried their little hunt would drawn too much unwanted attention, but she was having fun. She felt so much freedom chasing the animals through woods.
Beth giggled breathless hording the pig towards Daryl's location. She was so into what she was doing and having so much fun that she didn't notice the uneven terrain and her foot was caught in the hole on the ground. The foot twisted on a weird angle and she let out a loud wince, coming down with a thud and hitting her head on a fallen branch.
"Damn it!" she cursed, inwardly apologizing her father for swearing. She brought a hand to her forehead and noticed the warm blood running down her face. She felt dizzy and lost her bearing for a few seconds. This was all that took for a walker to come out from behind a tree and launched at her; the walker was dragging one leg and ended up missing its step and falling down as well not too far from her legs.
It crawled towards Beth, opening its mouth ready to bite anything it came in contact with. Beth struggled to pull her trapped foot from the hole and she used her other leg to try and kick the walker as she went for her knife on her belt. "No!" Beth cried when the walker took hold of her booted foot and tried to drag her to him. She wanted to yell for Daryl's help but she had no idea how many more walkers were nearby and she wouldn't risk attracting a larger number of walkers that they could handle it.
|
|
Administrator
69
posts
12
likes
I have nothing to say.
|
Post by Daryl Dixon on Nov 3, 2016 18:23:09 GMT
Daryl watched Beth come in and out of his sight as she chased after the pig. He chuckled slightly. It was a nice sight to see, her bright persona allowing his mind to drift off an believe that they were not any longer in a messed up world. Daryl lay in waiting for the pig to come his direction. Beth and the animal dove out of sight again and then suddenly the pig came into Daryl’s reach. He had to jump off to his left a little in order to catch the pig, but he managed, falling into the forest floor, the pig struggled in his arms, letting out a squeal before Daryl managed to get his knife up to his neck and perform the fatal blow. He had to turn away in order to not be sprayed in the face with its blood.
He let the pigs now lifeless body fall to the side him as he stood up, his hand coming up to the side of his head. ”Damn.” He had pig blood in his hair. Well at least the good news was they could take hot showers in Alexandria, something he still wasn’t quite used to. Daryl looked around. Where was Beth? She hadn’t come back into view yet and Daryl’s stomach turned a little. Suddenly he heard her cry out. It had been faint, but he could still hear it off from behind the lower brush. Every ounce of Daryl sprung into action. He didn’t think, only acted. Running towards her cry.
Coming around the brush, Daryl froze for a split second at the sight he saw. Beth was on the ground ,bleeding from her head and a Walker was at her feet, grasping at her. Everything seemed to slow down for Daryl in that moment. His gut wrenched, had she been bitten? Why was she bleeding. He couldn’t bear the thought of it. Daryl came back to his senses, none of it mattered, she needed his help. Daryl then continued to run towards her and the Walker. ”Beth!”
Daryl jumped over a fallen tree and in two steps he was at the Walkers fallen disgusting body. He kicked it with all the force he could muster and it rolled away from Beth. Now on its back it grasped up and snarled a the sky. And then Daryl was on top of it. Straddling the Walker, knife ready in his hand he brought it down, almost giving the fatal blow to it’s head, yet the Walker in that instant grabbed his arm, trying to bit it.
Daryl grunted from the effort. It took half of his strength to hold his arm away from the Walkers biting rotten teeth. So Daryl reacted in almost natural instinct. He punched the Walker. However this wasn’t some bar fight between two grown men. One punch wouldn’t knock it out. Daryl thought for a second. What he had to do would be risky, yet he was always a risk taker. Keeping his strength up in his arm the Walker had a hold of, he dropped his knife from that hand. He then shifted his body slightly, bringing his arm dangerously close and across he Walker’s mouth in order to reach the dropped knife. It took a couple seconds, too long in his opinion, but finally he grabbed the knife. Giving a sigh of relief he brought it up and plunged it down into the Walkers skull. It then fell limp, lifeless at last. Daryl wrestled his arm out of its grasp. Normally he would have just lain there panting from exhaustion, but he was up in a heart bet inspecting Beth.
Looking over every bit of her body, he looked for signs she had been bitten, expecting the worst. But he soon came to realize she was ok and before he knew it he was hugging her tightly from relief. He was angry with himself for leaving her alone, un protected. Soon he came to his senses and remembered he was covered in pigs blood and released her. ”Sorry” he mumbled under his breath. Looking down at her foot which was caught in the earth’s grasp. She appeared to have twisted her ankle.
|
|