Fighting to Survive: The 3rd installment to Daring to Feel

Chapter 9: Out

I hear people talking by me. I move my head, my eyes not willing to open just yet. Soon, there's a hand holding onto mine, "I'm here, Sadie." A girl's voice says.

Memories of Daryl, Carol and I searching for her come back to me and I say her name, "Beth". It comes out in a horse whisper, my throat dry.

She squeezes my hand, "you're gonna be okay."

"Was I hit by a car?" I ask her, wanting to make sure I understood what happened to me. I'm able to open my eyes now, her blonde hair being the first thing I see. She nods when our eyes meet, "what, what happened to you?" I ask noticing the stitches across her cheek and forehead.

She shrugs, "nothin' I couldn't handle" she responds, "hey, I'm really glad you're here." She changes the subject.

"It's not just me, I was with Daryl, Carol-- your friend Noah told us you were alright." I get out in my scratchy voice.

"That's good, but I'm glad it's you here right now." She says again, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"mmm." I say back closing my eyes.

"You really helped me at the farm that day. After-- yanno." She references the time she tried to kill herself, "I felt I could really trust you and I haven't had that in a long time, besides Maggie" she continues, "and then after the prison when I was out there with Daryl I got to know him too and I felt like I could trust him, I knew he'd be the one to come out lookin' for me" I can hear the smile in her voice. I don't know if she could tell the tension it caused me but she tells me something important afterwards, "he was worried about you Sadie. He wouldn't tell me but I could tell."

"tell what?" I ask her.

"that he was scared, scared of losing you." She answers without hesitation.

"Thanks Beth" I smile to her, "it'll be nice to have you back with us. Maggie will be so happy to see you." I find her hand again on the bed and squeeze it lightly. She smiles back and leaves the room quietly. She comes back in a day later, "what is it?" I ask her as she scrambles around the room.

"They're coming to get us!" She says happily, "come on." She pulls a wheelchair in from the hall way. I don't know how long I've been out for but if she knows there coming to get us then that means Daryl figured something out, maybe even got Rick and the others too.

"Let's go home" I say as she helps me into the wheelchair. She pushes me out into the hallway and we wait there for the women in charge to get us.

She comes over to us, "alright Beth, Sadie, let's go" she utters before walking on. Three other people dressed in uniform follow her and Beth pushes me behind.

"That's Dawn" she whispers into my ear as we go down then hallway.

We round a corner and I can see Rick behind a door, a few heads behind his. I smile with glee, ready to get away from the city and back to the church, "holster your weapons." Dawn says through the radio. Dawn and her people do and I can see Rick moving behind the door. I grab hold of Beth's hand, waiting for this to be over.

They all enter in the door. Two officers with their hands behind their back being traded for us, "they haven't been harmed." Rick informs Dawn.

Dawn asks, "where's Lamson?"

The women police officer answers her, "rotters got him."

The other hostage backs her up, "we saw it go down."

Dawn doesn't answer right away, but when she does it sounds insincere and rehearsed, "Oh. I'm sorry to hear that. He was one of the good guys." Silence follows her words until she continues, "one of yours for one of mine."

"All right." Rick agrees nodding his head.

Daryl grunts, "move" to the man in front of him and they walk forward. Another office in front of me grabs the wheel chair from Beth's grip and starts to push me forward. Daryl waits for me in the middle, his arm out eagerly to pull me back into the group. He grabs the bag from the man and takes over the handles of the chair. He pushes me towards our group, my family, and as soon as we are behind Rick he leans down, "you alright?" He puts a hand on my cheek.

"I'm okay" I urge him with a nod as well. He kisses me on the forehead. Rick and Dawn are now in the middle with Beth and the women officer. They trade, Rick hugging Beth as she reaches him.

Dawn comments, "glad we could work things out." As we all begin to head back out the door. Rick mumbles something inaudible to me back to her, "now I just need Noah." She throws out one more demand before we can get out, "and then you can leave."

"That wasn't part of the deal." Rick walks back towards her angrily.

"Noah was my ward." She tells him, "Beth took his place and I'm losing her, so I need him back."

"Ma'am, please, it's not..." A women behind her tries to step in.

"Shepherd!" she interrupts her, "my officers put their lives on the line to find him. One of them died." she goes on.

Daryl leaves me, walking up behind Rick, "no, he ain't staying."

"He's one of mine. You have no claim on him." She snarls towards us.

Rick quips back quickly, "the boy wants to go home, so you have no claim on him."

She utters, "well, then we don't have a deal."

Rick's body language changes, his arms tensing and his back straightening up, "the deal is done."

"It's okay." Noah steps next to Rick, to take his place back with Dawn.

"No. No." Daryl argues him.

"I got to do it." Noah tells him. He removes a gun from his back pocket, handing it to Rick.

"It's not okay." Beth says from behind the three of them.

Dawn comments, "it's settled."

Beth jogs towards Noah, "wait!"

She hugs him, and he hugs her back, "it's okay." I hear him tell her.

Dawn smugly snarks to Noah, "I knew you'd be back."

It's Beth's body language that changes now. She steps closer to Dawn, telling her, "I get it now." and before I know it her arm is moving towards her and a gun shot goes off.

I step out of my chair, gasping as she falls to the ground. I hear Dawn plead, but it's too late. Daryl raises his gun and shoots her in the head. The women falls to the ground next to Beth, their blood starting to pool close together.

"No! Hold your fire!" The other women officer from before shouts, "it's over. It was just about her." She tells her men, she tells us, "stand down." She demands. The police officers listen and they all lower their weapons. Our people begin to as well, except Daryl.

I stumble towards him, his tears audible from where I am. I put my hand on his shoulder, willing him to lower his gun. He shakes, but lowers it to his side. I grab it from his hand and he leans into my shoulder. I try and contain my own tears, wanting to be the strong one for him for once.

"You can stay." I hear the women say to us. I keep my eyes on the floor, on Beth as Daryl holds on to me with his life, "we're surviving here. It's better than out there."

"No." Rick answers quickly, "and I'm taking anyone back there who wants to leave. If you want to come with us, just step forward now."

He turns to leave, everyone letting him lead the way. Daryl wipes his eyes with his arm and moves down to the ground, scooping Beth into his arms. Carol comes to my side, helping me walk out of the hospital. When we get outside the light blinds me. I can't see it happen but I hear it. I hear the wailing of Beth's sister as she see's what happened to her. Pain wells inside of me, knowing what it's like to lose that baby sister, not being able to stop the pain. Daryl goes over to her, dropping to his knee's with Beth in his arms and we stand there, together as a family, mourning our lost loved one.

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Such a hard chapter to write! Poor Beth!

Xoxo