Follow You Down - Bethyl Fanfiction

The Expansion

The darkness of the prison depths was like stepping into an oil slick. It was heavy and clung to the walls, relentless despite the daylight's attempt to penetrate it's realm. The sounds of the dead were distant and quiet, but they were there. Daryl's silent footsteps fell in synch with Rick's as they walked side by side through the abandoned hall. Torches flickered on behind them, lighting the humid space. At times it was hard to tell if the prison was in a bad state because of the end of the world, or just because it was a prison. It was hard to imagine people remembering to care for a place where they sent people to be forgotten.

Rick directed for the group to split and check the office rooms that lined the hallway, each group working like they had done this many times before. Daryl and Rick continued forwards, eyes ahead, seeking out any threats. The hallway was surprisingly quiet in regards to walkers, only about four in could be found in any of the offices. Following the dust covered signage, they headed towards the large doors that should take them to the large room they had envisioned for the animals. 

-

The ground was only a little warm on Beth's bare feet as she and Carl walked out into the courtyard. They made it to one of the tables and sat down, Beth taking Judith from him and cuddling her into her chest, propping up her blanket to keep the sun off the baby's face. There was a quiet that hovered over those who stayed behind, the absence of those working on The Expansion lowering the volume of those who remained. Beth watched a few Woodbury people working on the fence while her dad gave advice to them from the other side instead of tending to the animals. She smiled at the image of her father, being the leader in his own way, with kindness and patience. Just how he had raised his girls. Beth gently bounced Judith to sleep, breathing in the clear air, much better than the musty humid air inside. Looking beyond the fences, the trees stood tall and protective, guarding any outsiders from their sanctuary. The bright greens of the leaves against the bright blue of the sky was beautiful and peaceful. There were no walkers to be seen.

 If Beth tried really hard, she could pretend life was sort of normal. In the old world, she could be holding Maggie's baby, looking out over the farm on a late summers day. Her mum would be bringing her a lemonade and would sit with her on the deck of the house, joking that Beth would be next to have a baby. Beth would laugh and shake her head, smiling at her beautiful mother. She thought of looking out and seeing Glenn and Daryl working on the engine of their tractor together for her daddy. Daryl would look up at her mothers comment and give Beth a look of panic. But Beth's vision wasn't real, it couldn't be. Her mother was gone. The farm was gone. Daryl and Glenn would never have been at the from if it wasn't for the end of the world. What a bitter thing. 

-

It had been hours of slow progress, and discovering one of the buildings had an enormous hole in it that lead all the way through the fences didn't help. Once the building had been secured and sealed off as a lost cause, the group reformed and worked out just how much they had done. The new space would make a huge difference. There were more bathrooms, the offices would make great bedrooms and there was another kitchen and dining area for prison staff. The big hall could be used for so many things, any ones ideas sounded great by that point. Everyone was tired but pleased with their efforts. Rick couldn't speak higher of them all. He said that anyone who wanted a room would have to put in a request and they would be given out based on a case by case basis. 

They had also found an armoury and a contraband room as well as what must have been a wellness room. Similar to the library, this room lined with bookshelves, but these had creative things on them. Art supplies, crafting tools and even musical instruments. It all looked practically new. A few of the group started to collect items from each room and take the back to the main bit of the prison. 

With portable lights and windows roughly wiped, the potential was clear. The effort had been a success. No deaths, only one person had an injury - a sprained knee - and what felt like endless space. Rick decided that they would leave the new area for the rest of the afternoon and night before working out who gets what in the morning. Rick patted Daryl's shoulder and they made their way back to the main cells.

- 

Beth became aware of the expansion group by the cheers of the people in the dining room. She had brought Judith inside to keep her out the sun. The infant was sleeping peacefully, despite the noise of the reunion. Beth greeted Maggie and Glenn with warm smiles and half hugs, trying to listen to everyone at once, each person describing a different part of the new space and things they found there. Beth's eyes scanned the crowd and found Daryl at the edge of the room, the only person from the venture to not be speaking. He looked like he was smiling from where she stood. His eyes caught hers and he nodded to her. She couldn't help the grin that spread over the face.

To Beth's delight, the expansion brought so much news, people stopped looking at her like a lost puppy. She had felt so guilty for days, but seeing everyone so happy brought her some peace. She hobbled over to Rick, who was talking to Carl and passed him Judith, who he took a little awkwardly from her, relaxing after a few seconds. Beth then moved towards Daryl. The moment he saw her approaching on her tip toes, he pushed away from the wall and closed the gap so she wouldn't have to walk too far. Without hesitation, his hand wrapped around her upper arm, ready to take her weight if he needed to. Beth just looked up and smiled at him.

"Sound's like y'all had quite the run." She said, looking into his light blue eyes through his messy dark hair. He gave a soft grunt and smirked.
"You ain't gonna believe what we found in there Greene. You're gonna love it."