A/N: Glad to see more followers and reviews! As promised, I have posted my next chapter! Hope you all enjoy. Also, I may be a little busier as Christmas approaches, so I might not be able to post the next chapter on time. I thought I might warn you all in case you are wondering why I am late. Until then, hope you all have an amazing holiday! On another note, there might be a couple mistakes in here as I didn't do much editing with this chapter. If there are, please excuse them! I'll get them fixed soon. Much love!

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Everything Changes

Enid was moderately confused when Beth asked for her help to climb over the wall. The blonde looked desperate as she stood exasperated and yet also steadfast, her eyes wild with perseverance. Enid didn't waver under Beth's persistence as she dashed towards her residence and snatched her pack that carried short, wooden rods. The pouring rain helped them move quickly, and once they reached the wall, Enid began her usual routine.

Beth paced as she waited, feeling the mud squelch and gurgle beneath her shoes with every step she took. Her mind was racing as she thought about what Aiden said, how Daryl was ignoring her, and the fact that Maggie was the reason behind it all. She recalled back at the moments during the dinner at the Monroe household and how her sister tried to set Noah up with her. Beth now understood why, and it only made her more furious. She watched as Enid carefully slid the rods perfectly through the holes in the rusted steel studs that supported the wall. It only took a minute or so before she reached the top and put in the last bar before cautiously climbing back down.

"You sure you don't want me to come with you?" Enid asked with concern. She had asked a few minutes prior, but the blonde had refused.

"I'm sure," Beth nodded as she snugged the hood of her coat tighter around her head. "This is somethin' I have to do on my own."

"Here," Enid replied as she slid the backpack off of her shoulders. "There's some emergency food inside if you need it. Just in case."

Beth shook her head stubbornly as she proceeded towards the wall and stepped on the first rod. "Thanks, but I won't be gone for long."

The blonde scaled the wall without another word, leaving Enid in her own perplexed thoughts about the whole ordeal. Beth didn't quite understand her own actions, only that she needed to let off some steam. Once her feet touched the ground on the other side, she scanned around the perimeter with an odd sense of relief. Beth took a stride forward, and before she knew it, she began exploring the area around Alexandria. She wielded her bowing knife when she spotted a female walker standing motionless in front of her, unaware of its unexpected company.

The rain continued to teem down violently, soaking Beth's jacket and pants. The temperature in her body continued to drop, but she wasn't concerned about that. Seeing the corpse in front of her, Beth pursed her lips and began to whistle a two syllable jingle, catching its attention instantly. The walker growled as its large, spine-chilling eyes glared at her with the unsated craving for fresh meat. Beth stared right back at it, feeling unafraid as she positioned herself in defense mode, watching the corpse slowly inch its way closer towards her.

"I can do this," Beth whispered to herself, feeling the adrenaline pump inside her. "I'm not weak."

Without waiting another second, the blonde lunged at the walker, grabbing it by its neck as she struggled to aim her blade at the side of its head. The corpse sought to grasp at her arms and shoulders as its jaw snapped at her aggressively, trying to take a bite out of her face. Beth didn't wait another second as she swung the bowing knife, forcefully plunging the cold steel into its mushy brain. The commotion stirred a few other walkers that appeared out from behind several trees, initiating revenge for their fallen comrade as they growled unforgivingly at Beth.

She narrowed her eyes as she steadily counted five of them, and her confidence grew with each passing second. If Daryl could see her right now, he'd probably tell her to stop being so reckless and to get out of there before she regretted what she was doing. Thankfully he wasn't, and at that moment with the fiery rage building inside her, she felt undefeated. Beth first darted behind a tree twenty yards away as she breathed heavily, tightening the grasp of her knife. She quickly picked up a stone the size of her hand and tossed it directly across from the small herd, emanating a loud thump to their right. It caught the attention of two walkers which lazily changed direction towards the sound.

Beth waited by the tree until the first walker shuffled past her, unmindful of where she was hidden. Her heart was pumping rapidly as she jumped onto the corpse from behind and it lost its balance, falling helplessly to the ground. Another walker came in for a surprise attack and grabbed her sides, causing her to swiftly clutch its fingers and pry its grasp off of her. She spun around and gouged the walker in its jaw, carving it off in a fleshy, gory mess. Beth finished it off with another stab in its temple just as the walker that had fallen to the muddy ground got back up on its feet and tried to seize her once again. She barely dodged its attack as the third corpse appeared; its ribcage was visible with its organs and intestines hanging out of its belly.

Beth stared at it in a brief moment of disgust, but quickly came to as its deep growl awoke her concentration. She held her feet firmly to the ground as it came in for a deathly embrace, but she instantly swung her blade and sliced it across its neck. Its thick, dark blood spewed out, almost splattering on her face but she was able to spin on her heels in the nick of time. Beth felt the liquid splatter onto her coat as she dashed away, but quickly bounced back and pierced it in the brain before it had a chance to bite her arm. She was already feeling out of breath as the first walker caught up to her, its body and clothes covered in mud. Peering behind its shoulder in the distance, the other two corpses were already inching their way over, no longer fooled by the previous distraction.

"Come and get me!" Beth yelled mockingly as she walked backwards against a tree.

The first walker eyed her with blood-lust, its teeth chattering, craving the taste of her tender flesh. As its arms reached out and it fumbled forward, Beth quickly moved away from its hands, causing the walker's body to lose its balance and hit the tree. She swiftly moved behind it and stabbed it in the back of the head. The blade was pulled out just as fast as it went in, with blood gushing onto Beth's hand. She had momentarily forgotten about the other two walkers as she briefly caught her breath.

The duo both grabbed her, causing her to yell in distress. One of them tried to bury its teeth in her shoulder but lost its grasp as she pulled away. At that moment, Beth wanted to just run. Her cold, exhausted body was shutting down as she became weaker. However, she was stubborn. She wanted to prove to herself that she could do it, that she was just as strong and useful as everyone else in her group.

Beth veered around for the last time, facing the two male walkers as their faces twitched with bitter irritation. Instead of waiting, she darted towards them, sidestepping around one of the walkers and piercing her blade up into the lower part of its skull. During that fleeting moment of commotion, the last corpse gripped her torso and she stumbled backwards. Her foot slipped on some mud, causing her to plummet into the wet grass. The walker had fallen down with her, its body collapsed against hers when they met the ground.

Its jaw snapped viciously as it attempted to rip her face apart with its teeth, hoping to masticate every part of her warm meat in its mouth. Beth had her left hand against its neck, putting all of her strength in forcing it away from her. She unfortunately dropped her knife as she tumbled, and it landed just barely out of arms reach. Her hand searched for it hastily as her eyes remained on the walker on top of her. When she finally felt the handle of her blade, she grasped onto it tightly just as her other arm gave in. The walker seized its moment as its mouth opened wide; its rotten teeth dove straight for her neck just as Beth took one last life altering swing with her blade. She pierced it in the temple just as its mouth was an inch away from tearing out her esophagus.

With blood and bodies all around her, it looked like a horrifying murder scene. She lay still on her back with her eyes closed after she pushed the walker off of her, taking in deep breaths as the rain hit her face. Beth's hair and clothes were wet, covered with reddish mud. She was exhausted and relieved, and she began to chuckle quietly to herself in a fit of unbelievable triumph, proud that she was able to overcome such an accomplishment. It only lasted for so long, however, as her thoughts retraced back to Maggie and what she did.

Beth had fortunately calmed down significantly, and her anger had disappeared—for now. All she was left with was the sadness and the ever-growing feeling of betrayal. After she slowly lifted herself of the ground, she began to make her trek back to Alexandria. Beth was about a 10 minute walk away, but her body was sore throughout, especially her back caused from her struggle with the walkers.

She hadn't quite realized how long she was gone for until the sun began to set in the far horizon, with Rosita standing at the gate with widened eyes after she spotted Beth. She was wearing a heavy coat to shield her from the rain and cold, which was a smart move on her end. Beth had departed with a thin, dark green rain jacket and blue jeans, but came back looking like she had fallen in a lake and then crawled through the mire to get out.

Rosita scanned her up and down with one eyebrow raised, regarding the mess on her clothes and the disarray of Beth's hair. "What happened to you?" She asked shockingly after opening the gate.

"Had a run in with some walkers, but I gottem," the blonde explained as she walked inside.

"Are you alright?" Rosita questioned bewilderingly, noticing that she wasn't carrying a gun.

Beth nodded as she used her hand to put pressure on her lower back. "Yeah, I'm just tired."

"I can see that," Rosita chuckled slightly as she shut the gate, impressed at the blonde more than anything. "You better go find Maggie; she's been looking for you. I think she might be worried."

"I will," Beth replied. The tone in her voice hardened when she thought about her sister. "Thanks for lettin' me in," she said appreciatively as she began staggering up the road.

"Don't mention it."

Although Beth craved having a hot shower followed by laying down in her warm, cozy bed and sleeping for the rest of the evening, she couldn't end the day without having a talk with her sister first. As she lazily walked up the street, she began to think of things to say in order to protect Glenn from Maggie, though she just couldn't work around it. She was relieved when the rain had finally tapered off until it eventually stopped all together.

Just before Beth reached the house, she spotted her sister pacing on the balcony with Glenn beside her, attempting to calm the brunette down as best he could. That was until he suddenly spotted Beth and outstretched his arm, pointing in her direction. The blonde was close enough to hear Glenn say 'over there,' and Beth drew out an immense sigh as she watched Maggie run towards her in a frantic haste.

"Where were you?!"The brunette asked agitatedly once she was two feet away from her sister. She placed her hands on Beth's shoulders and then on her cheeks. "I got worried when Enid finally told us you went over the wall. Are you hurt?"

"It's none of your business where I went," Beth replied angrily as she pushed her sister's questions aside and took a couple paces backwards.

Maggie hesitated for a moment, not expecting such a response. She frowned. "What?"

"You don't have any business in what I do—and while we're on the subject, its also not your business to ruin relationships with who I like," Beth explained, and she began to spew out words like a fast paced freight train. Maggie paused for a moment in utter shock, clouded by a dark, ominous feeling in the pit of her stomach when she heard the words her sister spoke. "I found out that you talked to Daryl, and whatever you told him has now caused him to avoid me!"

"H-how?" Maggie stammered, but realized that wasn't important at that moment. "Look, I only did it because I wanted the best for you—"

"You don't get to decide that!" Beth yelled hysterically. Her voice carried through the air as she interrupted her instantly. "Nothin' is wrong with Daryl, and even if there was, you're supposed to let me experience things on my own. How am I supposed to learn from my mistakes if you try n' build a bubble around me?"

"I know daddy wouldn't have liked it either," Maggie retorted, but her argument was shut down as the blonde continued to fight.

"At least daddy wouldn't have done anythin' behind my back! He woulda told me up front and given me advice. What you did was cruel and deceitful. I don't know if I can trust you again…" her words lingered in delicate silence as her sister frowned.

"Beth, please…" Maggie implored, her voice grew quiet. "You're right, I made a mistake…I'm sorry. I should've let things be."

Beth examined the ground, seeming far away at first until she shook her head sternly. "No, you don't get off that easy. The damage has been done!" The blonde had an intense feeling of wanting to slap her sister hard across the face, but she clenched her fists tightly as she held back. Violence was not going to solve anything, and Beth knew that.

Maggie wanted to make a counter, but her sister was undoubtedly right. She still held firmly to her beliefs, though she was sorry for having to hurt Beth in the way she handled it. Maggie knew straight from the beginning that she was wrong, but she feared that, even with giving Beth advice, she wouldn't have listened. She observed the blonde with a furrowed brow, eyeing the dirtiness of her clothes and skin. "What can I do to set things right between us?"

Beth shrugged sharply, knowing that there was nothing that could help mend what happened, except for perhaps time. "Yeah, jus' leave me alone."

The blonde left towards the house without another word, leaving Maggie to stand alone in the middle of the street. Beth gave Glenn an apologetic look as she passed him, and in return he gave a nod and a weak smile before stepping down the stairs towards Maggie. Beth was relieved when she finally made it up the stairs and into the bathroom. When she slithered out of her clothes, she felt like she was shedding out of her old skin. Beth studied herself in the mirror—damp and bare, though patches of crusted mud covered her arms, neck, hair and parts of her face. At that moment, she felt like she was staring at someone who was not herself; someone wild and powerful, ready to take on anything the world could throw at her.

When she stepped in the shower, she savored it like a first kiss, or someone's first sip of wine. The steaming water cascaded over her body, washing away the dirt and blood as it trickled down her skin and into the pool past her feet, until it eventually entered into the drain. Her cold, shivering body had now warmed up like drinking a fresh cup of coffee or hot chocolate, and it calmed her nerves from the previous argument she had with her sister.

After washing her body and jumping out of the tub, Beth wrapped a towel around herself and disposed her dirty clothes in the laundry room. Once in her room, she put on some clean, dry clothes and relished the familiar feeling of cleanliness. She took a glimpse at the door, imagining Daryl standing on the other side before building up the courage to knock on it…just like he did a week ago. Beth sighed, feeling girlish at the notion as she sat on her bed, beginning to think more seriously about the idea that he may never talk to her again. She wanted to cry, but this time she stopped herself. Beth was going to try and be strong from here on out.

. . .

The next day, Beth had kept her distance from everyone as she kept herself busy in the garden until early afternoon. After another dull conversation with Olivia (who she was unable to avoid) she left towards the gazebo by the pond to read. Throughout the day, she had been feeling nauseous and had started a horrible cough since she woke up. Beth decided to try reading as another pass time during moments like this, to keep her mind off of what was bothering her. However, she wasn't alone for very long when someone who she least expected walked up and greeted her.

"It's awesome to see us having nice weather for once, though it smells like snow is coming."

Beth looked up from her book after hearing an unfamiliar, melodic female voice. Seeing the black hair wave around the edges of the female's face, she realized it came from Madelyn. "Oh, yes…it is."

"Sorry for interrupting you. You're Beth, right? I'm Madelyn," she introduced herself as she placed her arm across her flat belly and held on to the fabric of her coat.

"It's fine, you just startled me is all," Beth smiled slightly as she closed her book after memorizing her page. "Yeah, the sun is refreshin'."

"I, uh…couldn't help but overhear you and the other woman arguing. Is she your sister?"

Beth frowned, feeling a little embarrassed and regretful that their argument last night happened to be in the middle of the street. "Unfortunately, yes."

Madelyn scrunched up her face. "That's shitty. I never got along with my sister…before she, well," she stopped herself as she took a few steps closer to the blonde. "Anyway, I thought I would come over and introduce myself. Besides Enid, I'm pretty sure you're the closest to my age group who doesn't have a ball sack and facial hair. Early twenties, right?"

Beth nodded slowly, unable to hold back a cough before she spoke. "Yeah," she croaked. "I just turned twenty a few months ago."

Madelyn smiled slightly. "I'm twenty-two."

Beth widened her eyes with surprise. "Really? I thought you'd be—"

"Older?" Madelyn chuckled as she brushed back her hair when the blonde nodded. "I get that a lot."

"I'm sorry…"

Madelyn shrugged as she leaned against one of the wooden pillars. "Don't be, it's totally fine. Hey, I thought that maybe we could try and be friends? I know it'll take some time, but, I feel like you may be the only one in this community that I could relate to."

Beth contemplated her offer, but came to the same conclusion as Madelyn. It wouldn't be all that bad having a friend close to her age, even though she felt instant jealousy towards her the other day. Perhaps she wasn't as threatening as she first believed. "I'd like that," she smiled, happy to have run into this unexpected acquaintance.

"Good!" Madelyn cheered excitedly, though the blonde could see the tiredness in her eyes. "Also, I thought you might be interested to know that, what's his name? Daryl? He is totally into you, so I wouldn't worry."

Beth sat up abruptly, her attention now completely taken over by their new conversation. "What?"

"Well," Madelyn began to clarify nonchalantly. "That's what you were worried about when you were arguing with your sister last night, right? I know it's not my business, but from one girl to another, you definitely don't need to be concerned about Daryl."

Beth furrowed her brow as her heart leaped out of her chest. "How? How do you know?"

Madelyn sat down beside Beth and spoke her next words in a quieter tone. "When I was with Daryl and Aaron, you know, after they took me in, I was trying to fall asleep when Aaron brought up your name. They didn't realize I was awake, but the dude told Daryl about how you wanted to join them on their recruitment runs," she stopped for a moment in thought, recalling the events from before. "Something about how you changed your mind and didn't want to do it anymore. Anyway, the way Daryl's eyes lit up—well, I could just tell. His voice softened when he told Aaron that it was probably for the best, that he just wanted you to be safe. If he is avoiding you like you said he is, it won't last long, I guarantee it."

Beth's smile turned into a grin, feeling much better than she did in the past few days, and it was all because of a stranger. "Thank you, I needed to hear that."

"Don't worry about it," Madelyn smiled back, but it quickly turned into a frown when the blonde began to start an uncontrollable cough into her arm. "Hey, are you O.K? That cough doesn't sound too good…"

"I'm fine," Beth disputed as she caught her breath. "I think I'm just catching a cold'." Before she could say another word, her coughing started again, and she pressed her hand onto her chest in unbearable pain. She could feel a coating of phlegm build up in her throat, and it made her gag in repulsion.

"Dude," Madelyn said troublingly as she noticed the paleness in Beth's face. "You should go to the infirmary; it could be something more serious than a cold."

Beth stood up on her feet, followed by Madelyn right after. "Yeah, that might be a good idea. This chest pain doesn't feel normal…"

"Let's go, I'll come with you."

The two of them eventually arrived at the infirmary and met up with Denise who instantly took Beth's chest pain as a concern. She sat her down at the examination table and asked for symptoms. Afterwards, Denise began a physical exam and used a stethoscope to listen to Beth's breathing. Almost immediately, she heard crackling sounds when the blonde inhaled, and decided to take the examination further with a chest X-ray. Once she was finished and had scanned the results, Denise's mouth curved into a frown.

"I see that your chest has an infection," she explained to Beth softly.

"So, what does that mean?" The blonde asked upsettingly, finding it difficult to breathe as her head began to burn up.

Denise turned around and walked over to Beth, giving her a stare through her spectacles. "You have pneumonia, though I don't know what type or how severe. I'll have to do a blood test so we know how to treat it, and to make sure it isn't in your blood stream. "

"Will…will I be O.K?" Beth asked cautiously as she looked to Madelyn and then back at Denise.

"I'm positive you will be. It just so happens we have the supplies here to cure the pneumonia, no matter which type it is," Denise clarified with a comforting smile. "Let's start on that blood test."

Denise began her complete blood count (CBC) test to distinguish the pneumonia between a bacterial and viral infection. Once she extracted the blood and studied the results, she was able to recognize that Beth had Streptococcus pneumonia, which was the leading cause of bacterial pneumonia. Denise explained all of this to Beth as gently as she could. "I have the antibiotics that will fight the specific bacterium causing your infection, but in the meantime I think its best that you stay in bed and rest as you are also showing signs of a fever. We also carry medication to reduce your temperature as well."

"I do feel pretty tired…" Beth admitted as she tried her hardest to hold in her cough.

"I think its best that you stay here instead of going back home until you get better, that way I can watch over you and make sure you get the best treatment possible," Denise said as she walked over to the sink and poured a glass of water. Beth nodded in agreement.

Not much time had passed when the blonde eventually fell asleep in one of the infirmary beds with a cool towel spread across her forehead. Her health was declining quite rapidly, but luckily the antibiotics would soon kick in. An hour passed this way, with two thick blankets covering her body to keep her warm, until eventually Daryl made his way to her and sat down beside her. He didn't hesitate to go to Beth when he heard the surprising news from Madelyn. Daryl wasn't quite sure why she of all people knew about it, but that question erased from his mind once he saw the blonde sleeping innocently under the blankets. He stared at the paleness of her face, yet her beauty still hadn't waned even from her sickness. Daryl stretched out his arm and softly stroked her hair, treating her like she was a pair of fragile butterfly wings.

Denise smiled warmly at his gesture when she noticed him beside her. "She'll get better, just you wait."

"Mmm," Daryl muttered under his breath, unable to part his eyes from Beth as he slowly grabbed her hand and held it gently in his.