Ch.1

"We gotta go, Beth. We gotta go."

She heard the words but they sounded like they were coming from a hundred miles away. She knew that he was right, that they couldn't stay here any longer. But every inch of her being wanted to stay here, wanted to look for Maggie and Glenn and Judith. She wanted to find her father's body. She was frozen in place, and she could feel his eyes boring into her. She knew that if she didn't move soon he would force her to. So reluctantly she turned around and they started running.

She wasn't sure how long they had been running; her mind was racing a million miles an hour, and as much as she tried to push the thoughts away her mind kept thinking of her father. She barely even noticed when Daryl slowed down to a walking pace. She hadn't realized how out of breath she was, and she was now thankful that he decided they had run enough.

They were on a dirt road, which was now mostly overgrown with grass and weeds from the lack of travelers. She wasn't sure where they were, but she assumed this was the same road that led out of the prison, but for all she knew they could be miles away from their former home or just a few hundred yards. Daryl kept up a good pace, but they walked in complete silence, neither of them risking a glance at the other. The silence allowed her mind to wander back to Maggie. Was she with Glenn? Were they on the bus? Did she even make it out alive? And the question that scared her the most, would she ever see Maggie again?

Her chest became tight and she felt as if she had a ton of bricks lying on her. Walking suddenly became hard as her breathing began to waver and she thought of her father and Maggie. She didn't want to cry, she was supposed to be strong, she didn't cry anymore. But despite her efforts to keep her tears at bay, they began streaming down her face, eventually becoming loud sobs wracking her body.

She had stopped walking and Daryl had noticed. He turned around and through the tears Beth could see him looking at her. She hated being so weak when he needed her to be strong. Before she knew it Daryl had walked over to her and pulled her close to his chest, awkwardly wrapping his arms around her. She thought about pushing away from him, but his embrace was comforting.

"Shhh, it's gonna be okay. I promise." His voice was soft, quiet, soothing.

He let her cry into his chest, her tears soaking his shirt. Even though he didn't say much and Daryl wouldn't have been the first person she would have chosen to hold her while she cried, he was all she had right now. Her sobs eventually dwindled to silent tears, but she let him continue holding her.

"You okay now?"

She didn't look at him and didn't speak, she just shook her head yes.

"The sun's going to be setting soon; we need to find someplace to stay for the night. Not on the road, too dangerous."

She looked at him confused. If they weren't staying on the road then where were they going to go? Her heart sank when she realized they were going to be staying in the woods. Sure they had been in the woods before, but she had always hated it. And if the others were to come down this road would they know to look for them in the woods? She cautiously followed behind Daryl as he stepped off of the road into the trees, slowly disappearing into the unknown.

They walked for what she guessed to be about an hour before it became completely dark, the sun replaced by the moon. They hadn't seen any shelter and she was wondering where they would sleep. All that surrounded them were trees, and thankfully they hadn't seen any walkers since leaving the prison.

"We'll stay here tonight. It's as good a place as any," Daryl said, gesturing to the ground around them. "I'll get a fire started, it might get cold tonight. You should get some sleep; been through a lot today, got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

Beth looked around her trying to figure out where to lie. She decided on a spot between two close trees. She curled up in a ball, watching silently as Daryl kneeled down and started to make a fire. She watched the flames dance, the embers floating high into the air and then falling to the ground as ash. Her eyes were heavy and she slowly drifted to sleep, and when the line between reality and dream began to blur, the nightmares began.

Daryl hadn't been sure what to do. He had felt her suddenly stop walking, slowly falling behind until he stopped. When he turned around he saw tears falling down her face, and then she started crying hysterically, her sobs visibly shaking her small frame. He was surprised that she had made it this long; he had expected that she would have broken down as soon as they were out of sight of the prison. His heart sank in his chest for her. He had never been the comforting kind. Sure, he had been there when people broke down, but there had always been someone else to comfort them. Now it was just him, and he knew that he couldn't just let her stand there.

He had seen people do it on TV, and had seen boyfriends do it when their girlfriends began to cry, so he figured it must be the proper thing to do. He walked over to her and dragged her to his chest, feeling her tense under his unsuspecting touch. He could feel as the tears began to soak through his shirt, but he would take a tear spattered t-shirt if it meant it would make her feel better.

When he felt her body relax and heard her sobs subside he talked again. "You okay now?" She didn't respond, but shook her head yes. "The sun's going to be setting soon; we need to find someplace to stay for the night. Not on the road, too dangerous."

He saw her blood-shot eyes widen at mention of the woods. He knew she hated the woods, they scared her, but he couldn't risk staying out in the open on the road. He didn't know if any of The Governor's loyalists were still alive, but if they were he didn't want to run into them, so the woods were his best option. Besides, he liked the woods more, they were like a second home to him, and he knew that he could keep them alive if they were in the woods. If any of their group walked on the road he would be able to track them, so he wasn't worried of missing them pass by.

He had hoped that they would be able to find a little cabin or shed, someplace they could take shelter, but he knew it wasn't likely. So when the sun had finally set he decided that where they were was the best they were going to get. He looked over and saw Beth, dark circles starting to form beneath her eyes. She looked exhausted, both physically and emotionally; she needed sleep.

"We'll stay here tonight. It's as good a place as any. I'll get a fire started, it might get cold tonight. You should get some sleep; been through a lot today, got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

Daryl went and gathered a few sticks. He was thankful that he still had a lighter on him; it would make it a lot easier to start a fire. He knew that night would bring colder temperatures, and they only had the clothes on their backs. As he meticulously began to start a fire he felt the onset of hunger; they would need to find some food tomorrow. When he was satisfied that the fire would last through the night he took a spot just across from Beth, his back leaning against a tree.

He decided to watch Beth instead of their surroundings. He saw her eyes follow the orange embers as they fell to the ground. He watched as her eyes grew heavy as she fought off sleep. Then he saw them close and saw as the rising of her chest slowed, and he knew that she was finally asleep.

After an hour or two, piercing screams jolted him. He looked over and saw Beth. Fearing that a walker had gotten her he rushed to her side, surprised to find her eyes sealed shut. She was screaming in her sleep. He knew that the loud noise would draw in any nearby walkers, but he wasn't sure how to wake her. Slowly he took his hand and placed it over her mouth; he was startled when her big blue eyes shot open, looking straight into his. Her breathing became ragged, and she was still trying to scream.

"Beth, Beth. It's me, it's Daryl. You're alright, you were dreamin'. You're alright." He tried to keep his voice calm, not wanting to scare her anymore than she already was.

He saw as recognition registered in her eyes and he removed his hand from her mouth. Her breathing began to become regular again, but she was still scared. Her eyes were brimming with tears and he could almost make out her pulse beneath her skin. She didn't take her eyes off of him; it was like they were glued on him. Without thinking he pulled her in, just like he had done earlier that day, and the tears began to fall.

"It was just a dream, Beth, nothing that can hurt ya'." He knew what he was saying wasn't true. He had a pretty good idea what she had been dreaming about. Seeing her father die was surely imprinted in her memory for the rest of her life, and he could only imagine that she saw it on an endless loop every time she closed her eyes. "You want to talk about it?"

He felt her nod her head no. They stayed like that the rest of the night, Daryl's arms wrapped around Beth, holding her close. And while the tears stopped, she never fell back asleep; she simply traced circles on his pant leg.

Author's Note: I am not positive if I am going to continue this story. This chapter can be considered as testing the waters, a way for me to see if you guys like it or not, and whether or not I should continue. As I mentioned in the Ch.12 Author's Note of "A Fighting Chance," "Ruined" is going to be dark and twisted. It is going to deal with some pretty heavy and emotional subjects, and will follow Daryl and Beth on their journey. So, please leave a review and tell me what you think!