"I did it." I breathed. Those words being the only that came to mind.I turned to Daryl, seeing that he had lowered his crossbow. He looked at the corpse on the ground.
"I did it." I smiled, out of breath. I pulled out some hair that had gotten in my mouth.
"Oh my God." I hunched over now, trying to push down the nauseating feeling I had. "I think I'm gonna throw up."
"Do it if you gotta." Daryl said, his eyes on me now.
I did that one technique-- where you hum to stop yourself from throwing up. I hummed quietly for a few seconds and it seemed to work except I could feel some bile come up my throat.
Daryl gave me a strange look when I came back up. He probably thinks I'm weird now.
"Humming stops you from throwing up." I explained, turning around to look for my knife.
I saw it was still stuck in the dead walkers skull. I bent down and grasped the knife, pulling it out of its head. Fresh blood dripped along the black blade. I grimaced.
"Gross."
I shook as much blood off as I could from the knife, but it was still covered. I wiped it on the ground. Putting the now bloody-- dirt covered knife back into its sheath.
I got up now, walking towards Daryl. "I told you I could do it."
"Took long enough." Daryl said, slinging his crossbow over his back. "Sun's coming down soon."
I frowned, looking up at the warm toned sky. Had it really taken me that long to take down one walker?
"Whatever." I flatly said, heading back to the house.
Daryl walked behind me again. The only sounds being the crunching leaves and chirping birds.
It was a quiet walk back.
-
Once we had emerged from the forest, Daryl went into his tent without saying anything to me. I walked towards the house. I wanted to see how Beth was doing.
I walked up the steps that led to the front door of the house. I heard voices inside. Not just normal conversation, more like arguing.
Curiously, I opened the door, stepping inside.
"--Go in there and tell that little girl that everything's gonna be okay, just like it is for you." I heard a voice. Andrea's. She was talking in more of a louder tone, but to who?
"She'll get a husband, a son, a baby, boyfriend."
I slowly walked in, I don't think they heard me. Things went quiet after Andrea said that.
I was starting to get worried now. I stalked towards the kitchen, no one said anything yet.
"She just has to look on the bright side." Andrea finally said. I was closer to the kitchen now. Andrea left, walking right past me. I entered the kitchen to see it was Lori she was arguing with.
"What's going on?" I quietly asked. Lori leaned against the counter. A devoid expression covering her face.
She looked to me, noticing I was there and that I had been speaking to her.
"Nothin'." She said, looking down at her shoes.
I licked my lips nervously. "Is Beth okay?"
"Yeah— yeah. She's doin' better. Finally responding to us."
"That's good." I said. An awkward tension was still in the air.
"What did— Andrea mean?" I hesitantly asked Lori. She took a deep breath, still not looking at me.
"Beth wants to kill herself." Lori said, quickly changing the subject.
What?
"What? What do you mean?" I asked, panicked. Forgetting the last question I had just asked.
"She was hiding a knife." Lori looked at me now. "Andrea thinks she has a choice. Suicide or living." She pinched her nose bridge and shook her head.
"Well-- where's Beth now?" I asked.
"Maggie's talking with her." Lori said, sighing. "Andrea wants us to just sit back and let Beth make a choice."
I shook my head, sighing. I didn't know what else to say.
"Do you need help?" I asked Lori. She had been preparing dinner.
"No sweetie— that's okay."
"It's really no problem—" I insisted.
"It's fine." Lori said. I guess that was that.
I didn't know what else to say. So I left.
I sat on the couch in the living room. I had taken out my ponytail and was now brushing out the tangles in my hair with my fingers. Lori was still in the kitchen. I wish she would let me help her, she seems stressed.
I heard thumping coming from Beth's room, followed by Maggie's voice calling for Beth. I looked in the direction of the room to see Lori running that way.
I quickly got up— something bad must've happened. I spent no time redoing my ponytail and rushed to Beth's room.
I was right behind Lori now. "Maggie?" She asked, opening the door. I could see Maggie pounding on the bathroom door.
"She's in there— I heard glass." Maggie said, trying to open the door.
Lori and I moved closer and I could hear Beth's sobs on the other side.
"Beth, you alright?" Lori questioned as she got closer to the door.
"Beth— don't do this. Open up, please!" Maggie pleaded, in a more worried manner than Lori. Beth continued to sob.
"God, I left her with Andrea." Maggie stated, backing away from the door.
"Well is there a key or something?" I asked from behind Lori.
"I don't know where it is." Maggie panicked, rummaging through drawers.
"Beth, honey, please open the door." Maggie continued to plead and try to open the door. Lori walked to the middle of the room, taking hold of something.
"I'm not mad. I'm not mad, Beth." Maggie continued to try to open the door as Lori walked over with a rod of some sort.
"Maggie— hang on." Lori said as she began to pry at the doorknob.
We waited as Lori put in all her strength to break the door knob— causing the door to fly open.
And there Beth was. Holding her wrist as blood dripped down her arms. The mirror behind her was broken and glass shards were scattered on the floor.
"I'm sorry." She rasped out. Maggie immediately went to her, taking Beth in her arms.
"Okay— it's okay." Maggie held onto Beth's wrist as she led her outside of the room.
Lori and I sighed, following them.
-
I sat across from Beth and Hershel as she stitched her wrist. Maggie and Lori had gone outside. I could hear them talking to Andrea.
It was quiet. Nobody said a word as Hershel continued to stitch Beth's wrist.
YOU ARE READING
That Valley Girl || Daryl Dixon
FanfictionAfter living in the San Fernando Valley her entire life, Reagan Martinez finds herself in Georgia during the midst of a strange outbreak, where the dead have begun to walk the streets. Reagan always had an easy life. Born to an upper-middle class f...