Back: A Bethyl Survival Story

To Peace and Wish Thinking

To Peace and Wish Thinking

Waking up, I feel energized and happy. It's been a while since I've been both. Looking over at Beth my heart skips a beat. She's so beautiful and lovely, I wish I had a camera to capture this moment. Getting out of bed, I can, for once, feel the warm of the house around me. My whole life has been nothing up to this point. Useless with no meaning at all. But now being here, with her, hell even Bentley and Sarg and Dr. I feel like a whole new me.

I hate leaving her this morning, but I feel we already hit 10 o'clock, so someone should shake a leg and get up. I pull on my clothes and head downstairs. I notice Dr. in the garden and head outside. Surprisingly, Bentley is also up and sitting on a swing near the garden conversing with Dr. while Sarg keeps watch.

"Morning, Daryl." He didn't have to turn around to know it was me. Do I smell that bad? Damn.

"Morning Dr. Morning Bentley. Sarg."

"Morning Dad!" I'm taken aback by the sound of it. I never imagined having kids, and I don't, but having Bentley here calling me dad like it's real... well it makes me feel warm inside.

"How early did you get up this morning Champ?"

"About 8:00! Dr. and I have been gardening and he's making us breakfast today! Pancakes and Eggs!" Bentley jumps off the swing and runs up hugging me around my waist and then rushes inside passing Beth on the way out.

"Morning." Getting closer she kisses my cheek. "Why didn't you wake me?"

"I thought you could use some extra sleep and apparently I thought so too." I kiss her lips, loving the fact that we have an excuse to do so.

"Anything we can help you with Dr.? " Beth clings to my side and Dr. sits up on his knees for a moment thinking.

"I'm afraid I'm already done here. Sorta my morning ritual. But inside you could make me coffe if you know how. I'm terrible at making coffee, it's like acid running down yer throat." We laugh and he gets up. "And Daryl, you could help me reenforce my wall."

I have yet to notice the 7 ft brick wall around the backyard, which housed a garden, chickens, pigs, goats, a tool shed, a small clump of trees, a fire pit, swing set, and other various things you'd find in a backyard. The wall in most areas is painted like a scenery of the countryside. Very well done, almost looking like an actual photograph. Except for a few blocks around the back. I've noticed that a few in a small clump, are not painted.

Walking around the wall we look at it with great detail. It's about three or four feet thick, having four bricks and mortar running across the top making it a very thick and sturdy wall, almost as if it was a sky scraper building. When we get to spots where clumps are unpainted, I can't help but let curiosity run free from my mouth.

"Why are the clumps of bricks not painted?"

"They're removable, so I can see outside and see what's on the other side instead of standing on the second floor of my house or using a ladder. Also, I have found that, if I use my silencer gun and see a deer or a crowd of biters get too bad, I can take em out no problem. They never notice me, becAuse every so often after I kill a build up, I smear their blood on the lower half of the wall so try stay away. It's not a lovely job and I haven't had to do it in months, but it's what keeps me safe. They seem to only come from the south side of the house, so my front yard doesn't have to be walked up. For now."

"I see. And you built this wall all by yerself?"

"I built it before this happened, but it wasn't this tall. It used to be only four to keep my dog in, but then this al started happening and they got my dog... so I built it up and now they can't see in and try to attack, and I can see them... unless I want to." Dr. seems a little remorseful in the wall. What once used to keep the dog in, was now used to keep terror out. I can't imagine how he felt that day losing his dog.