Escaping Death (TWD Fanfic book 3)

Chapter 9~Beth

Jade's POV
        We have two of Dawn's officers and we're heading to the hospital. Noah is giving us directions on how to get there. I'm so scared, yet I'm thrilled. I want to get in on some action, but more than anything I just want to get Beth back. "Turn left here" Noah instructs me. "Pull into this parking area back here, it's a safe place to park so they don't take your vehicle and it provides easy enough access so you can get here in a hurry if necessary" he says, I smile at him, "Thank-you" I say. 

Maggie's POV

    I wake up early in the morning and it's time to leave, we have to get back to the church. I wake everyone up, "Come on guys! It's time to get a move on it" I say and gather up my stuff quickly. Everyone packs up their stuff and it's time to go. We all walk outside, I start checking the cars in the town, to my luck one of them starts and I nearly scream in joy. We all pile in and I start to drive.

Jade's POV

We head inside, I hear feet walking down the hall. "They already know we're here" I whisper as we continue to walk down the hallways. A bunch of police officers are standing at the other end of the hallway. Rick and I grab the two guards and push them in front of us as we all walk up, Daryl is directly behind me with his bow locked and loaded. One of the police officers, which I'm assuming has to be Dawn pushes Beth and Carol down the hall. Rick releases his guard and Dawn releases Carol. Now it's me and the guard I have and Dawn and Beth. I stand there for a moment glaring at Dawn. Dawn pushes Beth forward and I push the guard, Beth walks down the hall, as she gets closer I see she's got cuts on her face and she's all bruised up. Rick asks her if she's OK and she nods. We all turn to walk away, "Glad we could work things out" Dawn says, "Yeah" Rick replies. "Now I just need Noah" she adds, Rick stops walking and I turn around. "And then you can leave" she says.

"That wasn't part of the deal" Rick says, "Noah was my ward. Beth took his place and I'm losing her so I need him back" she says. "Ma'am, please. It's not-" Dawn cuts the girl off, "Shepherd" she snaps. "My officers put their lives on the line to find him. One of them died" she says, "He ain't stayin" Daryl says, "He's one of mine. You have no claim on him" she argues, "The boy wants to go home, so you have no claim on him" Rick says. "Well then we don't have a deal" Dawn says, "The deal is done" Rick warns, "It-It's ok" Noah offers, "No. No" Rick says putting his hand up to stop him. "I gotta do it" he says handing Rick his gun, "It's not ok" Beth says, "It's settled" Dawn says, "No. Wait" Beth says walking over to Noah and hugging him.

"It's ok" Noah says to her, "I knew you'd be back" Dawn says, I walk forward with a feeling in my gut that this isn't going to end well. I stand beside Beth, she pulls away from Noah with such this deathly look of hatred, she walks over to Dawn. "I get it now" she says and before I can even predict what happens Beth stabs Dawn in the shoulder and a bullet fires. I push Noah out of the way and blood splatters across my face, "NO!" I scream and tears start pouring down my face. Beth falls limp to the ground, everyone looks at Dawn in shock. Everything starts to move in slow motion, "I-I didn't mean to" Dawn pleads. Daryl pulls out his gun and shoots Dawn right in the forehead. She falls to the floor and everyone draws their weapons, "No! Hold your fire! It's over! It was just about her. Stand down" one of the officers says.

Daryl walks forward, gun still in hand, he looks pissed and unbelievably hurt. I fall to my knees, "No, no, no, no, no" I sob over and over again. "You're gonna be ok. Beth, oh God no. Please" I sob cradling her in my arms. Carol grabs Daryl's shoulder, we're all in tears. Daryl starts to cry and stare down at us. "Please, no. Please" I sob. This isn't real. "You can stay" one of them offers, "We're surviving here. Better than out there" Noah offers, "No. And I'm taking anyone back there that wants to leave" Rick says. I stare down at Beth's face, blood starts making it's way across the floor. Daryl crouches down and stares at Beth, "No, Beth. Wake up" I say shaking her. "If you want to come with us, step forward now" Rick says. A few people step forward. 

 Daryl takes Beth from me and I've become numb now. I walk out of the hospital behind everyone else, I can't even think right now. I walk out in front of everyone, I see Maggie smile and my heart breaks. She doesn't know Beth is dead. Glenn walks forward, Maggie following right behind. Her face drops, she drops her gun and her face contorts into a heartbreaking expression. "No!" she hits the ground with a loud cry, Glenn crouches beside her. Her cries for her sister ring through my ears, I watch as Daryl cries for Beth as he carries her lifeless body out to the truck. I throw myself in the back with everyone else, I don't even care about anything anymore. I just lost my best friend, the one little girl that looked up to me is now dead because I didn't stop anything when I could've. I could've just pulled Noah, Beth and Carol right out of there and we'd all be alive and ok. And the worst part of that is we brought a few of the people with us, they're only gonna serve as a constant reminder of what happened.

I sit there, my mind blank the entire ride to the church. Once the car stops I jump off and grab a shovel and start digging a hole out of anger. I dig the hole 6 feet deep and climb out before walking into the woods. I walk about a mile in and just fall to my knees sobbing, "Why?" I ask to nobody in particular, "Of all people, why Beth?" I ask, I lay on the ground with this excruciating twisting in my stomach and a heart that feels like solid coal. It's so dark and heavy. I lay there and just cry until night falls. I lay there and shiver until the night consumes me.