Z

I looked between the men, I could feel the tension rising fast; it was apparent there was some bad blood between them. I watched as Shane, Rick, Daryl and the man he was talking to fidget anxiously, waiting for someone to make the first move.

“Uh, I think there are more important matters at hand right now,” I spoke, hoping to break the tension long enough for us to start planning our next move before the sun went down. From the looks of it, there was only a couple hours left.

“She’s right,” Daryl grunted. “Rose is still stuck in that place and her ex is the one running things.”

“Jake’s in there too?” I asked, looking at the wall that separated us from Woodbury. “small world.”

“We need a plan of action and I think darkness is going to be our best bet. We’ll get in and out for Rose and take what we need while we’re in there.”

I looked at Shane and smiled, but he didn’t return it. His eyes were dark with determination and I sighed before nodding.

“Merle, are you with us or against us?” Rick asked, and everyone seemed to look between him and handless man, Merle. “’cause we could really use your help.”

“We’re not on the same team, Sheriff,” his voice was rough and sounded forced. “but we’re on the same side.”

“What’s the game plan?” Daryl asked, looking at Rick and Merle. I was beginning to think I was being left out on purpose.

“Well, if we wait until night, we can sneak in and get out with Rose without being noticed,”

Merle snorted a laugh and made a joke Rick being dumber than he looked.

Shane frowned. “What do you propose we do then?”

“This place is secured better than the White House,”

“That’s irrelevant.” I mumbled under my breath. It was enough to let the group I was still there and I crossed my arms in annoyance.

“You got a better plan, princess?”

“You and Daryl ain’t coming with us, that’s for starters.” I noticed the surprised look on their faces before continuing. “Shane, Rick and I could walk up and act like we’re passing through; we just need to rest first. If he sees the two of you with us, he’s gonna see us as a threat.”

“Are you crazy?” Merle began but Shane cut him off before he could get any more offensive.

“That actually might work.”

“Besides, we’re only going in to get Rose. We need allies, not enemies.”

“I don’t think he’s gonna let her go that easily,” Daryl said. “He’s got eyes for her.”

I only smiled. “Head back in that direction until you hit the highway. We got some people staying by the car incase this went south. We’ll meet you back at the prison.”

I attached my machete to my hip and tucked my gun into the front side of my waist band. I could tell Daryl and Rick were still unsure about my plan, but it didn’t hurt to try. And if Jake had a soft spot for Rose, the plan was in our favor.

Walking up to the gate was a little nerve-wracking, seeing four people sitting on the top of it with guns ready to be fired. I grabbed Shane’s hand and smiled at him, this time he returned it.

“Who’s there?” Someone from the top asked, and then all four guns were pointed at us. I raised my hands palms up in surrender.

“We’re friendly and we’re not bit. We just need somewhere to stay the night, that’s all.”

I watched as they whispered amongst themselves before turning back to us. “Sorry, we’re all filled up here. Find somewhere else.”

“Please,” Rick begged using his soft voice in hopes to change their mind. “All we’re asking for is one night.”

“Look pal,” another one said. “we don’t have the room for more strangers. Keep it moving.”

I placed my hand on my stomach and rubbed it gently. “I’m pregnant!”

Shane and Rick both turned to me in shock, and I could see the guards starting to think it over. “It’s just one night. I’ll take the blame with the Gov,”

“Damn straight you will,”

The gates started to open and Shane tugged on my arm. “Are you really?”

“We’ll talk about it later, Shane.”

I walked in first, my hands still high in surrender as the guards started patting us down. Since our weapons were in plain sight, they didn’t sense a threat from us. I smiled victoriously, my plan was actually working.

“I’ll call the Governor, stay right here.”

We waited by the front entrance for about ten minutes before a man started to walk towards us.
“I’m Jake,” He offered his hand to me first. “but everyone calls me Gov.”

“I’m Beth, this is Shane and Rick.”

The handshakes were awkward, but the Gov smiled anyways. “We’re about to get ready for dinner, why don’t you and your friends join us?”

“Sounds wonderful, thank you,”

I watched him motion someone over to us, “Martinez will show you to the room you can stay in tonight,” He smiled and Martinez nodded. “See you for dinner,”

I watched him walk away before following Martinez to our room.



The Gov personally came to walk us to the dining hall, and I could see Rose sitting over at the table in the middle of the room. Once we made eye contact, she made a move to get up and walk over, but I quickly shook my head no. Confused, she took her seat again just as the Gov walked over to her.

“Everyone,” he shouted, and once he had everyone’s attention he spoke with a smile. “This is Rose, she was a very dear friend of mine before the world turned to shit.” The room erupted into ‘aww’s’ and different greetings before it quieted down enough for him to continue. “We have a couple more new guests joining us tonight,”

After the focus was back on the Gov, he said a little prayer before the people in the room began to eat their dinner. Watching everyone eating, talking to one another like the world wasn’t ending outside Woodbury’s gates was an odd sight for me. No matter how comfortable the farm had gotten, I was always aware of what was going on. I longed for the feeling of normalcy more than anything now, and watching these people taking advantage of it caused a sting in my chest.

I watched as Rose excused herself to the bathrooms and I followed her lead. I gave a short nod to Rick and Shane before making my way after her.

Walking into the bathroom, there was three stalls and a wall length mirror and a counter with three sinks. It was nice, and the urge to stay in this town was growing.

“Beth!” I turned to see Rose waiting for me, and I engulfed her with my arms.

“Rose, I missed you so much. I thought something happened to you! Are you okay?”

“I’m fine!” She smiled when she pulled away. “Except, I woke up this morning to find Daryl and his brother, Merle missing. Jake said they went hunting, but I know Daryl wouldn’t leave me without saying anything. We got to find him before we leave.”

“Daryl’s fine, he’s back at our new camp.”

Rose took another step back in confusion. “Why’d he leave me here?”

“I hate to be the one to tell you this, but Daryl couldn’t come back without getting us all killed.”

She turned and faced the mirror, propping her weight on the counter. “I don’t understand.”

“When we were coming up on Woodbury, we found Daryl and his brother tied up. Some of Jake’s men were about to kill them. The only way we could get in was if Daryl wasn’t with us.”

“N-no,” she shook her head in disbelief. “That can’t be right,”

“We need to leave tonight, before the sun comes up. You’ll like the new place we found, it’s in a prison off of highway 75,” I caringly placed a hand on her shoulder. “Let’s go before someone comes looking for you,”

She looked at me, her eyes filling with tears and nodded. It wasn’t until I saw her reaction that I realized how close she came to loosing Daryl. I walked out first, giving her a minute to collect herself. I took my seat next to Shane and leaned in to kiss his cheek.

“We need to talk,” He whispered in my ear and I nodded.

“When we get back to the prison,”



“Did you hear that?” I asked, causing Rick and Shane to stop in their tracks. Rose turned around, causing her to readjust Daryl’s cross-bow that had slid off of her shoulder. “I thought I heard something.”

“It’s just walkers, come on.” Rick dismissed the idea. “we’re almost there, I can see it through the clearing.”

When the prison came into view, the sun was just coming up over the trees, making the sky a beautiful orange and pink color. I noticed Daryl first, as he was making his way towards us at a jog. He brought Rose into a tight embrace and I kept walking to give them a minute.

I had this weight lifted off of my chest as I quickly looked back to see Daryl and Rose. They were back where they belonged. I knew I would never have the sense of home again, but if I was with the people I cared most about, it didn’t matter.

Shane and I walked back towards our cell block and he turned to me when we were finally alone.
“Are you really…” He gazed down to my stomach before meeting my eye once more. “pregnant?”

“No, I’m not. I just used it as an excuse to get us inside Woodbury. I’m sorry if I gave you false hope.”

He rubbed the back of his neck with a sigh. “I’m not disappointed.”

I furrowed my eyebrows. “Oh, I see.”

“It’s not like that,” He swore, stepping closer to me to hold my shoulders. “You are what I picture my future looking like when I close my eyes. Having a family with you would be the best thing that could ever happen to me, but not now; not like this.” He motioned towards the outside. “If it’s something you find yourself wanting, we’ll talk about it to make sure it’s something we both can handle.”

“Deal,”