The sun was in the sky, no cloud in sight. Beth had decided to go for a walk with Daryl through the woods while the others played in the lake. Since she still had her cast, swimming was out of the question. That was fine with her because she knew Daryl probably enjoyed the woods over the lake anyway.

"You could always show me how to shoot. Now would be the perfect time, out here," Beth partially joked. She felt like she was slowly becoming her normal self again, less agitated and on guard being away from those who stressed her or Daryl out.

"And what makes you think I have my gun?" Daryl raised an eyebrow at her.

Beth smirked. "You have your knife, which you usually don't carry all too often. I was making the assumption you had your gun too."

"S'in my truck," was all he said in response and dropped the conversation. Beth figured that was fair. After all, she had been the one to say she didn't want to talk about that stuff this weekend. They'd eventually have to bring it up though. She couldn't just keep pushing it away like it never happened—being attacked like that.

After a while, the cabin and the lake were out of sight as they surrounded themselves by nothing but nature. Beth could still make out a few shrieks and laughs from the others but it was distant. It brought a smile to her lips.

It probably didn't help that she was thinking about coming onto Daryl either because, honestly, how often did the chance to have sex out in the woods come along?

Daryl had put his arm out to stop Beth in her tracks and bring her mind back to the present. Sometimes she felt like he could read her mind and she couldn't help but feel a little warm in the face.

Then she had realized why he stopped her.

"What is that? I mean, what happened to it?" Beth squinted her eyes at the ground up ahead in confusion while shuffling a bit behind Daryl.

"Looks like it's been ripped apart and half eaten."

Daryl walked toward the mangled deer on the ground and left Beth with no choice but to follow. She scrunched her face in disgust at all the blood and guts as well as the flies buzzing around insistently.

"What in the world did that?"

Daryl shrugged while partially shaking his head. "I don't know. Don't look normal."

Beth lightly shoved his arm. "Knock it off. It isn't funny. I know what you're doing." She took a couple steps back and folded her arms. "Did Jax set this up?"

Before Daryl could reply, there was a snap of a twig from nearby suggesting that someone was out there with them. Beth swiveled on her feet to look all around them but didn't see anything in sight. When she looked back to Daryl, she noticed he had his hand resting on the hilt of his knife. She was about to yell out to the others to knock it off until then. If it was a joke, Daryl wasn't in on it.

Beth stepped back closer toward Daryl, biting her lip. There was another crack of a twig and rustle of leaves on the ground directing their attention to it. This time there was a man clear in sight. But he was slightly slumped over, grunting and bloodied, hair disheveled and clothes a bit torn and frayed.

"That's not Jax or Jesse…" Beth whispered more to herself than to Daryl as the realization hit her.

Then there was another man similar to the first. And another. And then a woman that looked to be in the same condition. And where they were all coming from and what they were, Beth wasn't sure. What she did know was that they just kept coming.

Beth felt a bit of a push and heard Daryl yell "go". She didn't think twice about running after that, heading in the general direction of the cabin. They walked a straight path for the most part and she was thankful for that. She knew Daryl was somewhere behind her running due to the sound of his rushed footsteps with hers but she didn't dare slow down or look back. She couldn't even remember a time she had ever run like this, ducking and weaving through the trees and branches.

Beth came to an abrupt stop as she ran into something—or rather someone—solid. She screamed and pushed her way back from it as its hands gripped her by the arms but she couldn't escape.

"Hey—what the hell is going on with you two?" Jax's voice hit her then and she stopped struggling long enough to look up and realize it was him who had grabbed her. He released her as she took a step back, panting to regain her breath and looking to Daryl.

"There's—there's zombies or something out there!" Beth panted. She gripped onto Daryl's shirt as a confirmation that he was really still there beside her.

"Zombies?" Jax questioned, eyes narrowed.

"Somethin' ain't right. Wasn't gonna stick around to find out what," Daryl replied.

Suddenly, everything seemed darker. There were storm clouds in the sky and a few drops of rain started to fall. If zombies weren't freaky enough, the weather definitely was.

Maggie's scream pierced the air then, and Beth didn't hesitate to run toward her while yelling her name. Her heart was racing in her chest and as she neared the cabin, she could make out two forms on the ground. Beth froze in place just as a gunshot rang out. One of the two bodies dropped and the rain began to pelt down even harder.

Jax ran forward, pistol in hand, as he helped toss the body off of Maggie and pulled her to her feet. Maggie immediately embraced him all while slowly pushing him away from the dead body.

Beth joined them now and Maggie had left Jax long enough to hug her. "Are you okay?" She noticed there was some blood splattered on her face and shirt from Jax's shot but otherwise seemed unscathed.

Maggie nodded. "I'm fine."

"Let's get inside! Now!" Jax yelled over the pouring rain and thunder.

Beth released her sister and took hold of Daryl's hand as the four made their way to the back door of the cabin and let themselves in. They were drenched just from the short time they had been outside and it had decided to storm, everyone's hair slicked to their heads.

Daryl and Jax took a quick scan of the cabin before walking around and checking the rooms. Beth and Maggie moved a little more towards the living room area, Beth taking a hold of Maggie's hand now. She wanted to be able to find comfort in all of this but somehow things had just taken a drastic turn. And it didn't seem like it was going to make a change for the better.

"Where are the others?" Jax and Daryl stepped back into the room, concern clearly evident on both of their faces.

"They're not in here?" Beth glanced around like somehow she would magically spot them.

"I'll go find 'em. They gotta be out there somewhere close by," Daryl immediately offered.

"No—" Beth protested.

Jax nodded. "She's right. No way. At least not alone."

"Won't be gone long." Daryl refused to listen and headed for the front door. "I'll grab my gun. You stay here and make sure nothin' happens."

"Daryl—" Beth tried again but he left without another word, the door shutting behind him.

"He'll be fine," Jax assured her. He released the clip to his pistol and seemed to count his bullets before it clicked back into place. "Here, take this. It at least leaves you armed. Better than nothing." He pulled his knife from the sheath attached to his belt and passed it off to Maggie.

"And where are you going?" Maggie questioned, gripping the blade like her life counted on it.

"Nowhere. Staying put. At least for now…"

Silence took over the room shortly after that. Maggie had taken a seat on the couch while Jax slightly paced around the entire cabin. Beth tried to hum various songs to ease her nerves but it wasn't helping. She walked toward the nearest window and cupped her hands around her face to see out. A flash of lightning lit the sky momentarily, allowing Beth to see what was out there. She didn't really see anything other than the typical storm brewing.

Just as Beth was about to back away from the window, a bloody hand smacked against it, causing her to almost fall backward and scream. Her eyes were locked onto the piece of glass as the blood trailed down the window. She suddenly felt a firm grip on her arms again but when she turned around, there was no one there. Maggie was gone. Jax was gone.

The window busted out as glass shattered into the cabin and the shards splayed across Beth's back and over her head. She threw her arms over top her head in defense.

The next thing she knew, she was sitting up on a bed, drenched in sweat. She quickly noticed Daryl was beside her, his hands resting on her arms. Beth wiped at her eyes and fell into him, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. It was all just a dream.

The door to their room burst open then, further startling her. She glanced over to see Jax and Maggie in the doorway, first and foremost, followed by Jesse and Haley in the background. Jax had his jeans on while Maggie wore his shirt, her pants missing entirely. It was strange how Beth could go from a terrible dream to an embarrassing wake up call.

Jax sighed. "We heard you scream."

"…It was just a bad dream." Beth's face flushed. At what expense—the dream, the fact that she must have screamed aloud, or everyone's appearance—she wasn't sure.

Everyone dispersed from the doorway and the door was pulled shut.

"You alright?"

"Yeah… Sorry. It was just… it felt so real. We were all here. And there were zombies."

"Anybody get eaten?"

Beth turned to Daryl and noticed the slightest smirk. "No. Well, not that I know of." She playfully shoved him. "You're making fun of me!"

Daryl chuckled. "No more scary movies for you."

They both lay back down and Beth nuzzled into him. It wasn't quite morning yet so they could get a little more shuteye.

Beth lay there restless after her dream and thinking about what Haley had said. She knew it was absurd but she wondered if zombies truly did exist, or if they could. She figured she was lucky if they did because Daryl would protect her. He could teach her to defend herself.

She was getting way too far ahead of herself. Hell, she still had the SAMCRO business and her family's opinion of Daryl to worry about. And that was more important than focusing on fictional creatures.

I'm terrible at endings but uh, this is all I really got for this story. It has gone on far longer than I ever could have anticipated. Especially considering I originally planned to end it way back with Beth's birthday. But there is always an opportunity for a sequel down the road. Or the companion fic; if you'd like to see more of this story or characters, shoot me some requests. Just let me know.

I just want to say thank you so much to all of you who have stuck with me the whole way through, for the follows, favorites, and reviews. It's been a pleasure and I'm gonna miss y'all. xoxo