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I Will Follow You Into The Dark

Chapter 25

~Author's Note: Hey guys, here's your new chapter. We get to see the Daryl/Beth dynamic around new people, see how they operate in a group situation. Sorry, there's no fluff in this chapter, but fear not, there is fluff to follow. This chapter is a little longer than usual. I wanted to establish a bunch of stuff in this chapter, so it is a bit lengthy and slow, please bear with me. As always, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!~
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Once all the testosterone had simmered down to a normal level, the two strangers calmed down enough to realize she and Daryl weren't a threat and didn't want to steal their deer either. Daryl had reached her side, nodding for her to lower her weapons, but she still kept her guns in hand and Daryl his crossbow.

"You'll wanna gut that buck and skin it here before you take it back to wherever your goin'. Maybe even start a small fire and burn the guts so you won't bring nothin' down on your camp," Daryl offered.

He touched her on the upper arm and signaled her back to the car.

"Come on Lil' Bit. Need to hit the road..."

Beth couldn't help feel angry at the ingratitude these people were showing. They'd drawn on Daryl and threatened him when he'd just brought their deer down. She looked back at them, now crouched close to the carcass; it seemed like they had no idea what they were doing.

"Hey wait...we're sorry...we just couldn't let you take our deer. Our people...our group...the supplies ran out a couple of days ago, and we haven't had much to eat," the fat man apologized, standing, followed by his hunting buddy.

"Do we look like we need your stupid deer? Does it look like I can't take care of us?" Daryl spat out. It seemed like Daryl had reverted to his feral nature. Or maybe that was just the way he was always going to be around other people.

"No...no, that's not what we meant. We're just hungry," the nerdy guy apologized.

"'Cause it sounds like y'all are callin' me a thief!"

Why was he so angry?

"Come on Daryl, lets just go..." Beth said softly, and to her surprise, he moved to listen.

"Wait...why don't you and the girl come back to our camp. You can eat with us...you killed the deer after all...and if you want, well, you can stay the night...safety in numbers 'n all," the fat one offered hesitantly.

Daryl hesitated, but Beth wanted to keep their options open. If she was as tired as she was, Daryl was past exhaustion.

"Where's your camp?" Beth questioned.

"About a half-mile through the woods that way," the tall man with glasses pointed to the tree line on the opposite side of the road from which they had emerged. "We were on our way back to camp with nothing when we saw the deer...but if you wanna take the road, go down about a mile and there's a sign for a campground turn off. Down that road, it's another 3/4 mile or so, but you can't miss us."

"It ain't even noon, and you were givin' up huntin' for the day? You ain't much of providers are you...let your people go hungry 'cause you ain't shot somethin'...there's plenty of daylight left!" Daryl was beyond pissed.

Not everything had to be a confrontation...but Daryl was spent...and to be honest, they hadn't been around other people in a really long time...

They didn't have a reply for Daryl.

"Pfft...thanks for the invite!" Daryl replied in an belligerent but dismissive manner and directed her to the car. He didn't seem to keen on company.

Once they were safely pulling around the dead deer, Beth turned in her seat to face Daryl.

"Why are you so mad? I know they drew on you, but they hardly seemed like a threat?"

"No...they weren't no threat...I just ain't got no time for idiots." Daryl's voice was starting to lose it's angry edge.

"We're not going to stop at their camp, are we?" Not that she particularly wanted to stop. But they were so tired, and what if they didn't find a better option...

"Naw Beth, they're just walker bait. Ain't nothin' there for us but people you might get attached to and lose. If those two douche bags where their best and brightest..." Daryl didn't finish his thought.

"Daryl...we need to sleep...if only for a few hours...I'm so tired." She would make it about herself, make him feel like he was doing it for her, even if it made her look weak, because he needed it too.

They had just passed the turn off sign, and it didn't seem like Daryl was convinced...until he slowed down and turned the car around.

"By the way...you looked pretty badass when you brought those bastards to their knees. I couldn't keep myself from lookin'." Daryl glanced her way with one of this little smirks.
Is he flirting or just complimenting? Either would be awesome. She even sensed a little bit of pride.

"Yeah...I was having a bit of a Lara Croft moment. And that man drew on you!" If he could protect her, Beth felt obligated to do the same for him if she was capable.

"You're pretty good at bringing me to my knees..." Daryl's voice went all soft and raspy. He was full of compliments today. Beth blushed and looked down. Everything had changed...everything was...more...

"Have you ever shot left handed?" He went serious again, looking over to gauge her reaction.

She shook her head "no". That shouldn't really be surprising since she had never held a gun before the turn.

"We'll eventually need to fix that incase someone tries to call your bluff so it won't be a bluff."
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Daryl made it clear to Beth that they weren't gonna get all cozy with this group as they drove down the bumpy gravel road. They might stay the night 'cause the sky was starting to cloud over, maybe another night if it rained all the way through, but it wasn't gonna be permanent. He despised weak men, and if he'd met the groups alpha males, he sure in the hell wasn't gonna like the rest of 'em. He also told Beth that there was no reason to go tellin' everyone all the details about their life. The more strangers knew about you, the more they had to use against you.

Coming into the camp, it looked like everyone was set up for a damn 4th of July campout. The small campground had a ring of campsites surrounding a central circular picnic area. Each campsite was occupied by an R.V. or small clusters of tents with their own fires. There was no organization, no defensive perimeter, no passive perimeter, no one on watch...no security at all. Daryl didn't like it, but at least the people didn't pose a threat. They all stopped what they were doing and moved towards the car as he stopped. There were probably a little better than twenty people present, an equal number of incapable looking men and women, three or so bratty looking teenage boys and two girls, and some smaller children, all just waiting around to be a walker buffet. At least he didn't immediately have a bad feeling in his gut. If he had, he would have turned around and driven off...so he decided it was safe to get out of the car and Beth followed. He had his crossbow in hand and Beth still palmed one of their handguns; the people stopped at a respectable distance.

Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum who they'd met earlier parted the crowd, apparently eager to introduce them.

"Everybody, this is the man who brought down our deer so we can thank him for dinner," the fat one announced, looking at him, waiting for something. He supposed they wanted to know his name.

"I'm Daryl and this is Beth," Daryl offered gruffly.

Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum turned out to be Kent and Justin who then felt the need to introduce every other member of their group. Like he really wanted to remember their names. Just more dead meat. Daryl observed the group dynamic and watched two of the teenage boys push to the front of the crowd closer to Beth. Nope...this wasn't gonna happen! One of the boys looked at her a little to long for his liking, and flashed her a cocky half-smile. Beth was uncomfortable, and Daryl was resolved to curb this boy's death wish before he had a chance to grant it.

"Hey you, Short Stack!" Daryl directed towards the boy who immediately recognized Daryl meant him and looked away from Beth. "What's his name-the little punk ass with the brown hair?" Daryl questioned their "host".

"Um...that's Tyler...he didn't mean anything..."

"Hey Tyler!" The boy wasn't even man enough to look him in the eye. "You better keep your eyes to yourself if you wanna keep your eyes!" Daryl spat. "Otherwise take a good long look 'cause she's gonna be the last thing you see."

"Whoa, it's okay...no harm done..." Beer-gut Kent put a hand on his shoulder, and Daryl was about to snap.

"Get your fucking hand off me if you don't wanna lose it!" Daryl jerked his shoulder away sharply. Nobody had a right to put their hands on him!

Except her...Daryl felt Beth's hand gripping his upper arm, attempting to calm him, but she didn't say anything to diminish his control of the situation.

"Let's just set this straight...you invited us here, not the other way 'round. It seems to me that we paid or rent for the night with that deer. But let's be clear, what's mine is mine. You don't need to touch what's mine; you don't even need to be lookin' at what's mine. Got it?" If Daryl needed to lay down the law, he would.

There seemed to be a silent consensus among the group. Well, at least nobody vocally disagreed.

"Good...good..." Beer-gut Kent seemed happy the situation was diffused. "We have an empty R.V. where you can stay. It used to be our leader's, and we've kinda been leaving it vacant until we can make a decision about a new leader, so you can set up in there," he gestured to a vehicle close to the other exit point of the campground. At least it was strategically placed.

"Fine...come on Beth, get in the car." Daryl wanted to get out of the center of attention as soon as possible.

And at this point, he just need a bed to fall into.

"About the deer..." Geek Justin hesitated before Daryl could retreat.

"What about it?" Daryl really had not patience left.

Geek Justin pointed to the center of the picnic area where the deer was laying.

"What the Hell! I told you to gut and skin that thing out on the road!" He was furious. These people were literally too stupid to live! No wonder their leader left them or was dead. There was one thing for certain, he wasn't gonna be staying for long!

"We didn't...we don't really know how...we were hoping you could help us," Beer-gut Kent stammered.

"Whatever the fuck-get me some buckets for the guts, and get those punk ass kids and your men by the deer. You're gonna learn!"
_________________________________________________________________________

Daryl cleared the R.V. before he let her in to see what they had to work with.

"I gotta go handle the deer..." Daryl told her, offering her a hand up into their temporary home. "Bring the guns and ammo in, maybe a little of the food, but the other supplies, lock 'em in the car and keep it locked."

"Okay...what do you want me to do then?" Beth was sure she could make herself useful in some way...these people seemed pretty lost.

"Stay here. I'll come back as soon as I'm done." He was pretty concrete about her staying put. "Beth, we don't know these people, and were not gonna get to know them. Be ready to move if I say." He passed her the car keys then brought his hand to gently touch her face.

Beth leaned into his hand. The comforting gesture from such a strong figure was everything she needed...reassurance that somehow everything would turn out alright.

"I'll be back soon..." Daryl reached and pulled the knife from the sheath on her belt and offered her his in return. "I can skin faster with yours...maybe not as clean, but faster.

She took the knife, and Daryl smiled briefly before he left to his task.

Beth brought in a bit from the car, the weapons and ammo, some clothes to sleep in, a bit of food for the morning, but she didn't linger long outside, not wanting to draw any unwanted conversation. Daryl said they weren't going to give away too many personal details, but he hadn't exactly hammered out what they were and weren't going to say. And if the plan was that they weren't going to stay long, she didn't want to get friendly with anybody. She agreed with Daryl, there was no reason to risk their lives and stay with these people; they weren't their family.

After bringing in their stuff, Beth watched briefly at the window as Daryl began his tutorial on deer gutting and skinning. He had no patience with incompetence, and he really didn't play well with others, least of all, useless strangers. She could hear Daryl barking at the group that had gathered to "learn" (watch) and couldn't help smiling to herself at his fierceness. Beth probably wouldn't be smiling if she was on the receiving end though...she'd been in that position when Daryl gave her her first crossbow "lesson". She'd initially be scared when he snapped, but that was their breakthrough, his breakdown...their real turning point. And she knew deep down even in that moment that Daryl would never hurt her.

Beth had jobs to do other than staring out the window at Daryl...her...what was he? Did Daryl have a label? Did she have a label to Daryl. Well...there was no time to think on it now. Did relationships now even have labels? She left her thoughts behind and went about planning all the alternate escape routes. All the windows were functional, and they could probably make it through the skylight if things got really bad. Once the safety issue was checked off her list, Beth went to the "bedroom" to check out the sleeping situation. It looked pleasant enough, and she was lucky to find a fresh set of linens in the cabinet above the bed...little miracles...right? Clean sheets were a luxury they absolutely deserved. Wherever the group's leader had disappeared to, Beth was thankful he had cleanliness standards, standards she couldn't even say that she clung to anymore. After stripping the sheets off, Beth went to flip the mattress...

What is that?

Beth pushed the mattress off the platform revealing a hidden door. A makeshift hiding place? A hidden escape hatch? It would make sense given the situation. But the reality was even better...

Good God!

She let the door shut and latched it, struggling to pull the mattress back in place and making up the bed calmly as not to draw any attention from the outside. She would need to confer with Daryl on this find.

Beth watched out the window again to find Daryl at the water pump washing the blood from his hands and arms then running some water through his hair. He returned to her with a bucket of water.

"Here Lil' Bit. It's cold, but I haven't had a chance to start a fire. Thought you might wanna clean up better than we did at the stream."

For that she was grateful. But she wanted to share what she found with Daryl before anything.

"Fuck me!" Daryl spat out, looking out the window before she could interject.

"What...what's wrong?" Daryl didn't usually cuss that much in front of her. Beth moved to Daryl's side at the window and saw what caused his outburst.

The group of men and boys Daryl had left with the deer were using an axe to cut it apart.
"I asked them if they thought they could handle cuttin' up the meat and there they are literally hackin' it to pieces!" Daryl just shook his head and turned away.

"How have they survived this long?" Beth asked, unable to turn away from the bloody massacre of the deer carcass when once in her life she would've never been able to bear such a sight.

"Guess their leaders did all the heaving lifting. Don't see them 'round anymore...either dead or struck out on their own. I sure don't blame 'em if the left," Daryl was disgusted. "Here's your knife back," he traded her again. "Did you find anything good?"

"Umm-hmm...well, I guess that depends on how you look at it..." Beth lead Daryl into the bedroom area where she had drawn all the curtains for privacy.

"Holy Shit!" Daryl realized they were sitting on a gold mine.

"It's a pretty big gun collection," Beth responded. It really could mean the difference between life and death.

"It ain't a collection, it's a guns and ammo cache..." Daryl went in for closer inspection.

"But Daryl, they're not ours." Beth wasn't really trying to be convincing in her assessment. She really wanted Daryl to assure her of the exact opposite. In this case, her need for their own survival overrode any thought of sharing her find with this group.

"Ain't theirs neither. All this stuff belonged to their leader, and they don't even seem to know what's here." Daryl gave her exactly what she was looking for...was she becoming too cold and uncaring? "And I doubt anyone of these idiots has ever shot a gun before anyway..."

Notes

Comments

@Smokey85
Awww...thank you so much for coming back to read! You are amazing. I truly appreciate it!

Aireabella Aireabella
3/30/19

I am so happy you are back! I love your stories and always look forward to your updates! Thank you for sharing your work :)

Smokey85 Smokey85
3/26/19

@McDrogoInaNewWorld
So glad that you enjoyed it! It always makes my day when I can make people happy by doing what I love! Thank you so much!

Aireabella Aireabella
6/14/18

Yay!!! Another great chapter on the books, can’t wait to see what happens next!!

@blesdirishangel
Thank you so much for coming back to my fic and for your comment! I am glad that you love the update. You are amazing!

Aireabella Aireabella
6/7/18