You thought death could keep me from you? // A Bethyl fanfiction

Chapter III - Land isn't always the way

It had been two days since Terminus. She should have been much further ahead, but her body was no longer used to the harsh conditions of being outside, so walking twelve hours a day had become impossible. 
She sacrificed a day to rest up and for the most part hunt  the dwindling number of animals left.
It was nearing midday when she spotted a small city full of monochromatic bricked houses.
Deciding it was a safe bet to scavenge for some more supplies, she entered the city, passing a worn-down sign indicating its name: Gray, Georgia.
It looked like a ghost town save for the distant groans of the walking dead that echoed throughout the city.

Only half an hour later, she had cleared out a small pharmacy and found a couple of canned goods in long since abandoned houses. 
Having wasted enough time, she was about to exit Gray when the cold barrel of a gun knocked gently on the back of her head. 
"Don't move." Hissed a woman's voice from behind her. 
Beth carefully raised her hands and slowly turned to face her attacker; she was only slightly older than her, perhaps in her early twenties, with yellowish blonde hair pulled up in a tight ponytail. Her eyes struck Beth the most; her right eye was a washed out sea colour, but her left one was a pale brown. Those magnificent eyes glared at Beth, but she felt no fear towards this menacing woman. She wasn't going to shoot her, if she did, Beth would be lying on the ground with a second bullet wound in her head. 
As if on cue, the woman's eye widened, only slightly, as she stared at a point on Beth's forehead; she brushed her hair out of the way with the tip of the gun, exposing her healing wound. 
"You survived that?" She asked, her bitter tone was softer round the edges, like honey in green tea. 
"Raegan, put the gun down." A man said as he stepped into view. He looked exactly like her; thin face, almost platinum hair, tinted with sunflower yellow, but his eyes were green, and his voice was soft. 
She hesitantly pulled the gun away from Beth's forehead and returned it to its holster. 
"Sorry about her." Said the man, he stuck his hand out for her to shake, "I'm Simon. Simon Landon. And you are?"
She shook his hand, "Beth Greene." 
"Nice to meet you Beth." He smiled.
"Come on. I think you should meet the boss-man." Simon added after a small pause. And then he turned on his heels and started walking down the street. 
"Don't just stand there." Spat Raegan after Beth failed to move. 
Pulling on her bag straps, Beth followed them to the heart of the city for a reason unbeknownst to her. 

Boss-man was a middle aged guy with short brown hair curling towards the sides and a warm smile. His name was Julian Michaels. 
Simon and Raegan  had brought her to a small house with reddish bricks, that stood out from the rest of the white and grey houses. They were currently upstairs sipping lukewarm tea and exchanging small talk. 
Julian was the leader of a small group that had split up in order to search for supplies. The best fighters had ventured all the way to Georgia to find supplies while the others stayed by the coast in Savannah prepping a boat to Washington. 
"Why Washington?" Asked Beth, mouth full of week-old bread that Simon had offered her.
"Good question." Muttered Raegan from the bookshelf across the room. 
Julian shot her a look that she ignored. "Well, I have a friend, Evan, he set up camp in New Jersey when things went to shit. But I ran into him a couple months back. As it turns out there is a sanctuary in Washington. A place where everybody is welcome, as long as they pull their own weight." 
Beth couldn't help but scoff, "Sanctuary for all, yeah cause that always turns out to be just peachy." 
Raegan chuckled quietly, turning towards Beth and Julian who were sitting on opposite sofas in the middle of the room, "You know what, I'm starting to like you."
Julian's mouth settled in a fine line.
"Apparently," He continued his story, as if Beth hadn't said anything, "There's a king there, and he rides a giant beast, chopping off the dead's head." 
"Yeah, and apparently he rides lightening and can control the weather." Said a new voice, soft and lighthearted. Beth turned towards the set of double doors to find the source of the mocking voice. It belonged to a small Asian girl, with short black hair, falling just below her ears. Her right arm was covered in a large black tattoo; flames and flowers surrounded a dragon that coiled all the way down to her wrist. 
She smiled at Beth and sat down next to her, pulling out a cloth and cleaning walker blood off a sharpened staff. 
"I'm Hoshi." She glanced at Beth, not stopping her vigorous cleaning. 
"Beth." She replied with a smile.
Simon got up from his seat on the window-ledge: "Julian, supply check. We're gonna have to get going soon." 
"Right." Sighed the leader, his joints popping as he rose from the sofa and left the room.
"Don't listen to Boss-man's delusions." Said Raegan once the men had left. "Julian might be a smart man, and a good leader but he's foolish."
"Then why are you going to Washington?"
"I know people up there. I don't believe in miracles, but they might still be alive, and if they are, I need to find them." And with that, she left the room. 

Twenty minutes later, they had packed up and were standing outside the red brick house. 
"You know Beth," Said Hoshi breaking the silence, "You could come with us, to Savannah."
She looked around at the others, but none of them interjected, they all seemed to agree with her, as if they had already discussed the matter, even Raegan appeared to be on board.
"I would, but..." She paused, unsure of her next words, "I'm looking for my fam- my group, I think they went to Richmond, in Virginia."
"You think?" Asked Raegan
"Yeah, I've kinda been chasing breadcrumbs since Atlanta. They left a while back you see."
"Shit. Tough luck kid." Julian sighed, patting Beth on the shoulder.

They quietly said their goodbyes, and started walking in opposite directions, Beth went North, they went East. When suddenly Simon yelled back at her: "Beth. We'll take you there." 
And so Beth changed routes, a new green line traced on her map, this time going through the sea. 

Author's note

Sup, 

Not much happened this chapter, but hey, sometimes you need a little chill time to spend with characters.

I'm really excited as to where this is going, I have the next few chapters planned out, so hopefully they will be A+. 

Hope you enjoyed, see you tomorrow for chapter 4! x