Default - The Walking Dead

.3

"Where's Marley?" Beth asked Daryl, who had his legs propped on the table. "You can't be seriously."

Beth quickly turned down the hall and called out for Marley.

"Look outside." Beth told Daryl and limped down the hall. Dust still seemed to dance around in the air, getting in Beth's way. She waved it away and coughed calling for Marley once again. "Marley!"

Beth had her reasons for not going into the back room. But unless she ran, that's was the only place she could be in this funeral home. Beth held her breath raising her knife and opened the door. But nothing was there. Just Marley who fell asleep on the ground. She was pale, sickly looking.

"Daryl!" Beth shouted before she bent down to Marley. "Marley?"

"Yeah?" Marley squinted up at Beth.

"Are you okay?" Beth asked. Marley didn't answer, just looked up at Beth and Daryl who came up behind her. Marley held her breath as Daryl scooped Marley into his arms.

-

Just a child. Dehydrated, poor little child that hadn't ate in a couple days. Just a sad little girl wishing she wasn't stuck here with a man she didn't know or trust. Just a girl who wished Beth could turn into one of her mother's. Macie preferably.

"No." Marley mumbled when Daryl tried to lay her down. The only place he could lay her was in the coffin. Beth took out the bedding and lied it on the ground. Then, that's where the girl was lied.

Marley didn't sleep. She couldn't. Just couldn't do much else. So, she lied there. Drank, ate. Until she wasn't dizzy. Then she sat on the bedding and tried to listen to Beth's and Daryl's conversation. She was hesitant to enter the kitchen but Beth smiled brightly and Daryl didn't wear any expression Marley could read.

"Can I have some, um-" Marley struggled to speak.

"You need it." Daryl mumbled. Marley moved her eyes to Daryl and took a deep breath and looked over at Beth. She quickly grabbed the grape jam from the table and walked out of the kitchen.

"Thank you." Marley mumbled walking back to the bedding. The casket wasn't as uncomfortable to be in the same room with when it was bare. Like the bedding being torn out, somehow made it seem like a forgotten idea. Now it was just a wood box, not a coffin.

Marley ate the jam with her crackers, and slurped down what was left of the jam. She was so hungry, she scrapped the bottle with her fingers until there was nothing left in the jar. She sat it down and poured water over her sticky hands. Marley didn't feel the slightest bit of guilt. You need it. That was winning verdict.

Night came quicker than Marley wanted it. Beth and Daryl still sat in the kitchen. Beth checked on Marley from time to time, but Marley pretended to sleep. It was Daryl shouting and moanings of deads that made Marley jump to her feet.

"Go out through the window, get your shit!" Daryl shouted. Deads already came into Marley's room. She dashed to edge of the wall and pushed the piano in front of the deads and herself as she wedged herself in between the piano and the window. She heard Daryl and Beth shout but hardly understood a thing.

"Go!" Daryl shouted at Marley after an arrow went throw a deads head. Marley quickly pulled out the arrow and pushed the dead into the others. She bent down, and was able to open the window to crawl out.

Deads still crawled out the window after Marley and followed her to the back of the funeral home. Helpless as she could be she ran into the woods behind the home and ran until she didn't hear the moans. She stopped to take a quick breath before running in a circle back to the funeral home that left no deads and no one.

"Beth!" Marley screamed coming to front of the home. She could hardly see the street. "Daryl!"

They weren't there. They left her. Marley bit her lip holding her sobs in. Unwilling to believe it, she spun in circles.

   "Daryl!" Marley screamed. Loud, high. Where they could hear her. Marley held her breath trying to hold her cries. It's a waste of time. Marley followed left of the road. "Beth!"

   Marley gripped onto the arrow. The only protection she had against the deads. After sleeping most of the day. Marley had enough energy to travel through the night, screaming their names until her voice gave out. By morning she found a ware house and went to highest level. She sat in the corner holding the arrow tight.

-

Daryl followed the car until he couldn't see it anymore but still ran down the road until he couldn't stand anymore. It was morning then, and it hadn't dawned on him until then that he left Marley.

"Shit." Daryl mumbled jumping to his feet turning down the street. A faint scream was still in his memories.
He didn't stop. He left her. To fend for herself. To venture the woods. To die. 

   Helpless Daryl drop down to his knees. He took a deep breath staring down at the pavement. He crossed his legs and stared down. He failed them. He failed them both.

A/n: Y'all. Do y'all still say y'all or is just a Kentucky thing now?