daryl : you were there . and then you were not . t'was just me .
something within her chest trembles . cracks with a devious sound that rings in her ears . she remembers that night more than she would like . more than she would prefer . how different would things have been if it had all played out differently ? if the door had not gone opened / if she hadn't been chased off by his order / if she had paid better attention to her surroundings .
i . a dog . there && then gone before she could feel its fur beneath callused fingertips .
ii . a sound at the door . undead hands mimic the sound of canine paws frighteningly well [ ... ] they hadn't thought anything of it until the wave of walking corpses pushed their way into the funeral home .
iii . crisp night air in her lungs . they'll say she was found unconscious with walkers sizing up small frame but she remembers a sharp pain to the back of her head .
( iv . white walls . blood . anger && assault . a bullet to the brain . )
beth , taking a step closer : d ----- daryl [ ... ]
she was afraid in a way that does not fit . there is no threat , no reason for a stone to be weighing down her belly . another step forward , a tumultuous motion that has knees knocking into each other ----- hands lift , stutter , palms burning . unsure on what to do , she lets them hover in the space between them , caught between touching his face && burying fingers in the fabric of his shirt . wants to let their body heat melt into each other in reassurance for them both , but cannot make a decision with the screaming between her temples .
( her tongue is still gummy . her head still doesn't quite work right at times . )
beth : daryl , i'm ----- i'm sorry . i never should have left you .
feat @deathlyquiet , daryl dixon
