Chapter Text
With a steady inhale through her nose Beth clutched Judith closer in the sling and forced down her panic.
Option one, they could camp out here and wait for the yard to clear. However she knew for a fact that the compound had been breeched elsewhere and that it was only a matter of time before the walkers came trickling through.
Judith could be unpredictable and any small sound might cause the walkers to herd up and trap them inside. It was also likely that the Governor’s people would work their way through to investigate and scavenge sooner rather than later. Beth didn’t want to consider their reactions to discovering her and Judith, based off of their previous encounter she assumed it wouldn’t be good.
Another factor to consider was that with each moment any other members of their family who had managed to survive the attack were drawing further away, and her chances of ever finding them were dwindling.
Again she scanned the yard, eyes catching on the clothesline once more. A whiskey-jack fluttered overhead and led her gaze to Rick’s vegetable patch. Tomato and pea leaves twitched deceptively in the breeze. Next to them she found Daisy’s thumb-tack stable looking on.
No, don’t go there she told herself don’t you dare.
But it was too late, she had already caught the nervous flick of Daisy’s ears perked in their direction. Beth’s heart jumped at the moral dilemma that faced her as she judged the walkers’ concentrated through that section of the yard. Just Beyond the stable she could make out a slim break in the fence. She was surprised that the sturdy mare hadn’t yet broken through her confines and made a run for it, perhaps she would before long.
Daisy’s story was similar to that of many survivors who had trickled through to join their group over the winter.
To hear Daryl tell it the she had been equally if not more confused than he was by the encounter and had proceeded to dumb-foundedly follow him home of her own accord.
Michone of all people had been responsible for bestowing ‘Daisy’ upon her, stating that it was “goddamn perfect” considering she had been found grazing a forest clearing of wildflowers.
Though secretly Beth preferred Daryl’s name for the horse as it provided a just, if forward, nod to their current environment and Daisy’s evident place in it. ‘Hell Bitch’ was also much funner to say, and she was hard pressed not to smile when someone used it.
Largely, Daisy had been given free range of the prison grounds. The stable was more of a joke than anything, due to the fact that Daryl built it in order to prevent the Hell Bitch from shadowing him wherever he went. At first she couldn’t bear to even look in it’s direction however Beth had glacially convinced her that the stable wasn’t such a bad place to be.
Rick never needed to know where half of his carrot crop had disappeared to. After all, the children was as good a scapegoat as any.
Despite their history, Beth couldn’t justify endangering herself and Judith for the sake of a horse. It just wasn’t worth it. But Hell Bitch had proven an intelligent and trustworthy mount on more than one occasion and the fact of her presence was enough to assure her common sense as a fellow survivor.
Beth’s mind raced for another solution as she palmed the blade at her side. Should she cause a distraction to draw the walkers away from that break in the fence, shoot Daisy on the way by to further waylay them, and make a run for it? Or did it make more sense to cause a distraction, let Daisy out, and then make a run for it? What were the odds that Daisy would get trapped within the yard itself soon after being “freed”?
Somewhere in the vicinity she heard an engine start, and something else cause a large crash. Time was up, do or die.
Screw it.
Beth took one final breath and reaffirmed her vice-like grip on Judith, anchoring one hand to the back of the barely sleeping baby’s head. She gave the doorway one last pat with her knife-hand then bolted to the far side of the courtyard.
Beth made quick work of bowling over two barbecues, and a water barrel before moving on to the gazebo. She took out two of its legs before letting the wind take over. Walkers all around took notice immediately and she felt Judith begin to squirm. Beth hopped for a moment and planned their route, she muttered a low shush under her breath despite its futility and bolted towards the stable.
Across the concrete and down the slow grass slope she flew, dodging where she could and slashing where she couldn’t. Up ahead she saw Daisy stretch out her neck and prepare to whinny in greeting as she paced.
Judith was fully awake now, and Beth could feel her sniffling as she began to squirm. Soon those subtle twitches would escalate to wails. She had to get out before then or risk the formation of a herd.
HellBitchdon’tyoufuckingdare Beth mentally screeched. That whinny could doom them all equally to a baby’s cries.
A one-armed walker stepped in her way, and she hastily sunk Daryl’s knife into its temple. She tugged but it didn’t give enough to come free, one more and then she gave up, leaving his knife behind and pulling the gun from her waistband instead. She was forced to shoot the next walker as it reached over her shoulder, and then she was off again.
In her peripheral she caught Daisy recoil at the noise and give up the notion of her whinny, instead spooking and nervously trotting around the edge of her paddock. More walkers became aware of the sudden motion and Beth found her heart in her mouth.
Now or never.
There was no way she was gonna get out of here at the rate things were escalating.
Beth took those last few steps and reached the fence’s gate, refusing to argue with its latch she busted it with the butt of her gun before tucking it muzzle first into the back of her jeans. This was not time for decorum.
With one last prayer she took her arm away, trusting the sling to keep Judith contained, and urgently approached.
Evidently relieved by this human’s arrival and in search of reassurance the horse made to meet her. Beth apologized under her breath for this small betrayal of trust as in one fluid and well practiced motion she took three great strides, grabbed two firm fistfuls of mane, and used the momentum of her weight to vault high then settle squarely astride Daisy’s back.
One split second as Hell Bitch spooked violently was all it took for Beth to decide on leaving one hand firmly knotted with mane while re-clasping the other arm and hand along Judith’s back and head.
Maintaining composure she gripped tightly with her thighs and refused to acknowledge the possibility of being thrown as Hell Bitch deftly bolted through the open gate and tore through the congregated meandering horde. Beth rode it out, trusting Hell Bitch entirely to find them a way through the fence’s breach. Dead hands clutched and grasped at her legs as they thundered past, but none found purchase and they carried on unharmed.
Beth could taste Daisy’s terror mingling with her own as the gap drew nearer. Judith’s wails broke through the clammer of Beth’s own heart. This scared their mount further and pushed her on at a fevered pace, though walkers continued to condense in their path.
Beth clenched her eyes shut as they slipped through the fence’s gap and opened them on the other side as Hell Bitch leapt the creek.
Beth almost lost her perch though regained it through instinct afforded by years of experience. Heels down chin up. They soared over, stunning Judith’s wails for a moment before fuelling them doubly upon impact.
Branches nipped and scratched at Beth’s bare arms. She was often forced to duck under low hanging boughs though didn’t hold it against Daisy. There was nothing to do but hold on as their surroundings whipped past, weaving and dodging through the brush.
Once again her heart was in her throat as they dropped down a sheer bank to land running on a pitted dirt road. Though time had become undefined to her it felt as if they’d been running for a while now. Daisy’s flank was lathered with sweat and she snorted frequently while her eyes continued to roll in panic.
Beth hadn’t noticed any walkers recently, though she had been decidedly preoccupied with remaining astride Daisy’s unsaddled back. She petted Judith’s head and hummed soothingly. She could only hope that that most of the walkers had been drawn to the prison and left far behind.
Before long the horse began to tire and with it her gait slowed to a trot before further reducing to a nervous walk. Beth appreciated this and took her chance to resettle Judith who had by now succumbed to stuttered whimpers punctuated by the odd squeak.
Daisy’s energy was still nervous and she knew it wouldn’t take much to jar her back to a gallop, which she equally anticipated and prayed against. With one hand ready to re-knit itself in the glossy cinnamon mane she resettled the sling and continued humming calmly. Ever the prudent mother hen she checked Judy for scratches despite her arms and legs being tucked snugly within the sling and layers of clothing.
Her eyes again scanned their surroundings. The leaves flittered tranquilly and birds exchanged between them. She was struck by how similar this day felt to any other, before or after the turn.
With that thought a flood of others related to deceased loved ones and summer picnics threatened to well.
No, no, no, not now, put it away, you have other priorities.
She glanced down at Judith again and chanced a reassuring if timid smile. "What now my dear?"
They had enough supplies to keep them going for a while, though no rope with which to guide Daisy once they got off, which would be a necessity before long.
Judith’s diaper would need changing and she had to decide on a rout by which to search for their family. For that she would need a map and a plan.
Beth ran through the inventory she had packed. Nothing she could effectively use as a halter or lead. It was likely that Daisy would follow them as she had Daryl, though she didn’t want to risk it, today being what it was.
She hoped Daryl was out here somewhere, as with the rest of her family. She’d give anything to have someone else with her right now. Keeping a baby alive in this world was difficult, even with an adept group of tried survivors. Let alone Beth and her minimal experience, Hell Bitch aside.
Ahead she spotted a sprawling hydrangea bush.
"That might do" she mulled and calmly, despite her anxiety, reached back to find the spare knife she had stowed in her pack.
Almost dropping the pistol she had tucked into her jeans she then began to unthreaded her belt and secured the gun in the folds of Judith’s sling instead. The sheath of Daryl’s lost knife soon followed.
Loop by loop it came free until she grasped its length. She worked a new hole into the leather and smoothly leant as far up the horse’s neck as she could while clucking reassurance.
With a flick of her thumb she fastened the belt into a collar resting just behind the horse's ears.
Beth released a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding and returned to her seat. With trembling fingers she regained the sheath of Daryl’s knife and slipped her blade safely into it before tucking them awkwardly into her pocket.
With a peck to the crown Judith’s fretful head she sunk both hands into Daisy’s mane and smoothly disembarked. The horse shied and halted as Beth’s weight shifted, though she quickly caught the tail of her belt to prevent Hell Bitch from shying further.
Her thighs smarted as her knees protested at being straightened after their rigid stance. Beth almost stumbled but caught herself against the horse.
She patted her side “Thank you darlin’, don’t know if I could’a done it with out you.” Numbly, she stumbled towards the hydrangea, blade palmed in one hand and her belt in the other. Daisy followed willingly enough, if hesitant at first.
Awkwardly and with one hand Beth began shaving at a length of vine. Her ears pricked as a squirrel skipped through last winter’s leaves.Though she quickly returned to her task, fearing how things would go if a walker or person were to sneak up on them now. Undoubtedly she would loose Daisy and be forced to flee on foot if she could.
It probably would make more sense to turn Daisy loose at this point, though for some reason Beth was reluctant to do so. Perhaps it was sentimentality, or that the mare provided some form of companionship.
With a final shove the vine came loose and she walked backwards to untangle it, which confused Daisy momentarily.
About six feet up she began to shave at it again, then looped part of it through the collar she had made. With deft hands leaves and crawling sprouts were plucked away to reveal the vine’s length. Beth tied loop in the slighter end and twisted it over Daisy's nose, she then fed the loose end up behind her ears and down to meet the first loop under her jaw.here she tied it off to function as a halter.
Satisfied, Beth looped the vine’s remaining length over the horse’s neck and tied it in a secure bowline under her chin to serve as reins. She only hoped the vine would hold.
She unfastened her belt and returned it to her waist, feeding the knife onto it as she did so, then unslung her pack and reloaded the gun before wedged into her waistband.
With a sigh Beth took a moment and wiped Judy’s worried cheeks with a warm smile. They made it out. They were alive. That was all she could ask for now.