Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/9928202.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Major_Character_Death, Underage
  Category:
      F/M
  Fandom:
      The_Walking_Dead_(TV)
  Relationship:
      Beth_Greene/Original_Male_Character(s)
  Character:
      Beth_Greene, Rick_Grimes, Daryl_Dixon, Maggie_Greene, Glenn_Rhee, Carol
      Peletier, Bob_Stookey, Sasha_Williams_(Walking_Dead), Tyreese_Williams,
      Zach_(Walking_Dead), Carl_Grimes, Hershel_Greene, Michonne_(Walking
      Dead), Original_Female_Character(s)
  Additional Tags:
      Fluff_and_Angst, Eventual_Smut, Smut, Prison, Older_Man/Younger_Woman
  Stats:
      Published: 2017-02-26 Updated: 2018-03-11 Chapters: 60/? Words: 130334
****** A Warrior, a Songbird and The Undead. ******
by Walker_Dundee
Summary
     Beth Greene believed she would always be seen as a fragile farm girl,
     always needing protection but when a run goes bad, a dashing soldier
     comes into her life and her entire world changes...
***** Chapter 1 *****
She was scared and exhausted but she couldn’t stop, gritting her teeth as
branches hit her face. She could hear the snarls and groans behind her, they
were still following her and would until they finally caught her.
She turned her head and groaned as she saw the number of walkers after her. It
was a dangerous number, far more than her weapon less self could handle. Her
heart hammered in her chest and she forced her self to run faster. A noise from
her left caught her attention and a walker burst from the bushes, almost
grabbing her. she would have screamed but her lungs felt like they were on fire
and screaming would not help her.
Suddenly the ground rushed up to meet her as her foot caught in a tree root and
she sprawled heavily in the dirt. She tried to get up, whipping her head round
to check where the walkers were and a scream escaped from her lips as they
surrounded her and she waited for the end…
 
Beth Greene woke to a warm Georgian morning, spring was ending and a hot summer
lay ahead. She stretched and rolled under her sheet, not wanting get up, she
couldn’t kick the strange feeling she had and wondered what the day had in
store for her. She finally got up, pulled on her jeans and fixed her hair. She
sighed, the feeling still there, she realised she wasn’t happy but she couldn’t
mull on her thoughts as Rick walked into her cell and placed Judith in her
arms.
“Oh, morning Rick” she said a little flatly.
“She’s a bit fussy today” Rick said simply and he walked off before she could
reply.
“Oh, ok” she whispered to herself and walked the mess to get Judith’s formula,
while rocking and humming to the baby girl. She smiled at everyone in the mess
but no one stopped to talk her, only Carol, to see how Judith was. Beth felt
herself invisible and lonely at most time as the adults went about their usual
daily business. She wished she had someone to really talk to, but no one paid
her no mind still treating her as the fragile farm girl. There were a few in
the group round her age but they weren’t her type of people. She did have
Maggie and her father and she was still close to Carl but her father was always
occupied with council business, Maggie had Glenn and Carl was too busy playing
farmer. She sighed, resigned to her fate as just Judith’s baby sitter. She
looked up as Daryl and Rick came through with their gear, preparing for a run.
Maggie also walked in and Beth could tell she just had some alone time with
Glenn. Beth wondered if she would ever find that happiness and sighed again. A
voice pulled her from her thoughts to see Daryl and smiled.
“Hows my little ass kicker?” asked Daryl, Judith cooed and wrapped a finger
around his finger.
“She’s fine now, you guys going on a run?” she asked making conversation.
Daryl merely grunted a yes but more interested in Judith and Beth’s smile
slightly faded. He nodded at her and walked off. Beth decided enough was
enough, she needed to do something. She walked over to Maggie who smiled, her
sister may still treat her like a kid but at least she talked to her.
“Hey Beth what's up?” she asked.
“I need to do somethin’ Maggie” said Beth.
“Huh what do ya mean?” she asked, confused.
“I’m bored Maggie, I don’t wanna be just Judith’s babysitter, I wanna help in
other ways” Beth replied.
“Why you’re so good with her and you are helping” Maggie smiled and patted
Beth’s arm.
“I know that, but I need something else to do, something more” she continued,
trying to get her point across.
“Well, what would you like to do?” asked Maggie.
“I wanna go on the run” Beth replied and Maggie looked up in shock into her
sisters eyes.
“No, not happening” Maggie firmly stated.
By now Daryl and Rick had walked back in the mess and overheard the
conversation, Beth saw them gave each other a look as the exchange between the
two Greene girls fired up, Beth knew the two of them had seen the two at each
others throats many times before and usually the older one would win in the
end, but this time Beth wasn’t backing down.
“Sorry Beth, not happening” repeated Maggie more sharply.
“What’s going on?” Rick asked as the two sisters stared at each other.
Beth bit her lip and looked at the two men while Judith still cooed in her
arms.
“I wanna come on a run with with you guys, I wanna help” Beth explained.
“Might be good for her to get out, train her up a bit” drawled Daryl, looking
at Rick then Maggie.
Beth smiled at Daryl, but still a little pissed he had pretty much ignored her
just before.
“Please I wanna help, I’ll be good, Rick and Daryl will protect me and show me
what to do” she pleaded.
“I don’t know Beth its dangerous out there” counted Rick.
“I know but still want to help, I can help you know” Beth pleaded.
“She’ll stay close us, we wont let anything happen” said Daryl.
Maggie was torn by the look on Beth’s face, Daryl’s reasoning and the need to
keep her sister safe.
“It’s all right Maggie, Beth will be fine with Rick and Daryl” said a soft
voice behind them and Hershel limped into the room.
“Daddy, she is just a kid” Maggie pleaded, and Beth thought her tone was a
little patronising.
“I’m not a kid, you just think I am” Beth squeaked.
“Beth you’re only 17, tell her daddy”
“So?, I’ll be eighteen soon” Beth snapped back.
“I know she is still young but she needs to learn, and we need more people on
runs”
“I don’t know about this daddy” Maggie replied still sounding uneasily.
“Maggie I know you are just looking out for me but I need to to this..please”
she begged, pining her sister with hopeful look.
“Ok Beth, ok” Maggie conceded.
Beth smiled at her sister, she could tell Maggie still didn’t want her to go
but she was outvoted.
“Ok its settled Beth will come on the run, but just this one for now, go
organise your gear, we’ll head out soon” Rick ordered
Beth’s face lit up again and she fought to hold in her excitement as she passed
Judith to Maggie and ran to get her stuff ready.
A hour later and Beth was in a an suv with Rick, Daryl and Ty as they dove
towards the town Rick and the others had chosen to search. Beth smiled as she
felt the wind in her face from the open window and whipping through her hair.
She waved her hand through the wind, she was excited but there was a little
fear as well.
“So what’s the town like?” she asked.
“Nothin’ special, full of walkers last time, but we need the supplies” Daryl
grunted.
“Oh ok” she said softly.
“There is a supermarket and a gun store, if they haven’t been completely picked
clean yet” said Ty.
As soon as they got to the town, they spotted a few walkers but not a dangerous
amount and pulled their cars into the car park of the supermarket. Beth
nervously stepped out, gripped the knife in its sheath on her belt, hoping she
wouldn’t have to use it, she had asked for a gun but Rick had flat out refused.
“Ok guys lets make this quick, grab only what we need” ordered Rick as they
quietly approached the entrance. Daryl stayed watch outside, picking off some
off the walkers that had followed them up the street. Ty smacked his hammer at
the door of the supermarket and after a few moments, no walkers appeared and
they entered.
The inside of the supermarket was dingy and half lit by only the light from the
front windows and from holes in the ceiling.
“Alright pick an aisle, um Beth did you want to get these items?” Rick asked
her handing her a list. It contained a number a feminine products that Rick
obviously didn’t want to deal with.
“Yeah sure Rick” knowing she was only given the list because of her gender.
She found the beauty section and feminine hygiene section, sighed softly and
began throwing what she could find on the list into her pack. She stared at the
some other products and thought back to before the turn when she wouldn’t have
thought twice about buying them, maybe a tube of lip gloss, nail polish or a
compact of make up. Now she had no use for them, no one to pretty herself up
for, well that wasn’t true, there was Zach, but he was a little too cocky for
her liking and she knew he would only be after one thing. Rick came up behind
her and Beth shuffled on quickly, embarrassed.
“Hey Rick I think we better wrap it up there are a lot more walkers coming up
the street, too many to handle.” said Ty coming from the entrance.
“Ok, Beth grab as much as you can and lets get out of here” Rick ordered.
Beth nodded but noticed a closed door with the words ‘store manager’ on it and
her curiosity got the better of her.
She opened the door and gasped in shock as a dozen or so walkers had been
trapped in the room behind the door, now free, proceeded to stumble out, their
rotting arms out stretched. Beth tripped backwards and knocked over a display
case which crashed into a shelf of wine bottles.
“Beth get out of there” yelled Rick firing his pistol and taking out one of
walkers as they piled through the door.
The walkers kept coming, undaunted and hungry for fresh meat. The walkers
divided, some heading for rick but the majority focused on her. There were far
two many to fight and she threw Rick a frightened look as they forced her
towards the back of the store and further away from safety.
“Beth run” Rick yelled, tangled with a walker.
She had no option but to and she ran heading for back of the store. A large
double door with emergency exit written on it loomed ahead and she burst
through and found herself out in the blinding sun on a loading dock behind the
supermarket.
Beth’s heart froze and her breath caught in her chest, the dock was filled with
walkers, who all turned at her appearance.
Several of the walkers close to her lunged at her and more began stumbling in
her direction, while others poured out from the open door she had just ran
through. Beth was starting to panic, she heard gunshots and the sound of an
engine. She weighed her options, she was blocked off from the store and she
couldn’t stay here any longer, so she started running. she dodged walkers and
run for the woods behind the building, hoping to regroup with the others..
***** Chapter 2 *****
The morning sun greeted former Corporal Maxwell Knight as he packed up his
small ‘camp’ he had set up in a picnic area by a river. It hadn’t been first
class but his vehicle had provided more than ample protection for the night
from biters and when Max awoke there wasn’t one in sight. Max rolled up his
sleeping bag, sleeping mat and grabbed his pillow and stacked them on the only
empty seat. He made himself a quick breakfast from his decent stash of freeze
dried food, today it was apple maple cereal with powered milk. It tasted ok
enough but he missed the days of fresh milk. After finishing off his breakfast
he needed to get moving, he cleared up and climbed into the drivers seat of his
massive military vehicle, an Australian built armored personal carrier called a
‘Bushmaster’ He fired up the engine and headed down the road, wondering what he
would find.
After a few hours he came across the out skirts of a town. It looked just the
same as all the other towns he had ‘visited’ in the last few months, the empty
streets and houses full of disrepair and filled with decay. He sighed, wondered
if he would find anyone alive today, he hadn’t seen anyone for weeks and last
ones he had come across hadn’t been friendly.
The last year since the turn had been tough on the thirty year old but he had
survived despite the odds. He had been protecting dignitaries at the Australian
embassy, a cushy job by his standards when the dead starting coming back to
life. His unit tried their best but to no avail, the embassy fell within days.
Taking as many survivors as possibly, Max and his unit bugged out, but unable
to return home they took refuge in the ambassadors house for a few weeks before
it was overrun.
With only Max and three of his unit surviving, they left DC looking for safety.
They found a group of survivors outside the city and a set up with them for
months before his commanding officer decided he would be a better leader of the
group and a vicious fire fight broke out, decimating the camp, leaving Max the
only one alive. With no mission and no one left to protect, he had travelled
south through the southern states, moving from town to town avoiding larger
areas and cities.
He turned down a wooded road and noticed a building with the words Tony’s
repairs painted in large letters. Max pulled his vehicle into its parking lot
and shut down the engine. He grabbed his assault rifle, pulled his 6”2’ frame
out of the cab and stepped to the ground. He scanned for the area for biters
but didn’t detect any dangers, he relaxed but still stayed vigilant. He made
sure a round was chambered in his trusty assault rifle and carefully entered
through the only open roller shutter door. It was dimly lit inside and smelt
strongly of machine oil. He switched on the flash light mounted on his rifles
barrel and quickly swept it through the workshop. The light played across the
almost empty building and nothing reacted to it.
Satisfied, Max returned to the Bushmaster and drove it into the garage, parking
it inside. He rolled the shutter down sealing them inside and began to search
the garage. The business had small break area for its long gone employees,
including two comfy looking couches but the rest of the building yielded not
much else but he did find a drum of gasoline which would prove very useful.
The garage was a far better sanctuary than the last few places, warm and secure
and sure beat sleeping in the Bushmaster, he would chose a couch over the hard
floor of the APC any day.
Max grabbed a bag from the bushmaster and opened the small door leading
outside. The garage would provide ample protection but he needed to make sure
there weren’t any surprises during the night, ensuring a good nights sleep. He
approached the chain link fence that surrounded the building and placed the bag
down by the gate. Opening the bag, he pulled a flash bang grenade and a loop of
wire. He planned to use the grenade as warning system, running a trip wire in
front of the closed gate, so that if someone did come snooping, they would set
off the flash bang and alert Max. He also planned to set a few more for good
measure but before he could he snapped his head up at a sound coming through
the woods.
It was the distinct sound of someone running, and the groans of biters. The
footsteps and groans were getting closer, very close. Max sprang up, his rifle
at the ready, pushed his way through the gate and heading in the direction of
the sounds.
He ran as fast as he could and burst into a small clearing. There lying on the
ground was a teen girl and a dozen biters advancing on her position. The girl
seemed to be in pain and was weapon less. Max acted on instinct, raising his
rifle he quickly took them all down . Max ran up to the girl, who looked at him
in confusion then backed away.
“Whoa easy there” soothed Max, letting his rifle fall against its strap and
held out his hands.
Max could see the fear in her eyes, but this was not the place to gain her
trust, he could hear more biters coming.
“Look I know you are scared, I’m not going to hurt you but we need to get out
of here” he explained to the girl and held out his hand.
The girl nodded and took Max’s offered hand and he pulled her to her feet..
***** Chapter 3 *****
Beth was scared, exhausted and she had been running for hours. The sun would be
setting soon and she knew she had to find a safe place soon. She could still
hear the snarls and groans behind her, they were still following her.
She was incredibly lost, she had planned to hide in the woods but she had found
it full of walkers and had to keep running, every step distancing her self from
the group.
A walker burst from the bushes to her left almost grabbing her. She avoided it
and kept running her lungs felt like they were on fire and her lips were dry
and cracked from thirst. she knew she would have to find a place to stop soon
or she would drop from exhaustion.
She should have paid more attention to where she was going because the ground
suddenly rushed up to meet her as her foot caught in a tree root and she
sprawled heavily in the dirt. She struggled to get to her feet before the
walkers reached her But before they could, several of them collapsed. She spun
to see a tall powerfully built man, clad in a military vest and carrying a
large assault rifle rushed up to her. Beth’s breath caught in her chest and she
backed away from him.
The man stopped in response and held out his hands in surrender, Beth relaxed
slightly, he could be friend but in this new world she knew people were more
dangerous than the walkers.
“Look I know you are scared, I’m not going to hurt you but we need to get out
of here” he said softly in a strange accent she couldn’t place.
Beth nodded and she took his offered hand and she found her self looking into
his dazzling green eyes that seemed to radiate calm and control and let him
pull her to her feet.
“Can you walk?” he asked concerned in his voice.
Her ankle did hurt but it didn’t feel broken or sprained she tested some weight
on it and it seemed fine.
“Yeah um I think so” she stammered her voice horse.
“Ok I have a safe place not far from here”
She nodded and he began heading back the way he came from. They walked quickly
for a few minutes or so until they came to a empty road and tried her best to
keep up with him but her ankle was more bruised than she thought and pain began
shooting up her leg.
“Um I think I need to stop” she said softly.
The man paused and she expected him be annoyed but he just looked concerned and
gave her a reassuring smile that put her strangely at ease.
“It’s ok we are pretty close” he said and pointing to an auto mechanic garage a
little way down the road.
“Think you can make it there?”
She nodded, it wasn’t far and wanted to prove to her self and to him that she
could.
“If not I can carry you if you like” he offered.
Beth was startled by the offer, she didn’t trust him enough for him to touch
her and she shook her violently. She regretted it instantly wondering if she
had offended him but he didn’t seem bothered.
“Ok but offer still stands” he smiled.
She didn’t need it as they quickly reached the garage and slipped through the
gate. The man said something she didn’t quite catch and she looked up to see
him looking at her and for some strange reason she found herself blushing under
his gaze.
“sorry?”
“I said we will be safe here”
“Oh” she replied.
The inside of the building was what she would expect from a mechanics garage,
except for the large imposing looking military vehicle taking up most of the
space.
“How is the ankle?” he asked
“Um ok I think” she replied turning back to him
“Alright how bout we take a look at it?”
He led her into a glassed off area which functioned as an small employee break
area complete with a kitchen and two couches.
“You must be thirsty?”
Beth had forgotten all about that, she actually very dehydrated and at that
point could have drank a river and nodded politely.
He reached into a cooler and retrieved a bottle of water and handed it to her.
She opened it and as the surprisingly cool water hit her lips she began
swigging it down.
“Whoa easy there, slowly just take sips or you’ll make you self sick” he
cautioned.
Beth stopped and did as he said, drinking the cool sweet liquid more slowly and
she didn’t think she had a better drink of water in her life.
He motioned her to one of the empty couches, she sat on it and found it
surprisingly comfy. she began to relax now knowing she was far more safer than
she was half an hour ago.
“So now how bout we properly introduce our selves, hi I’m Maxwell Knight” he
said crouching in front of her and holding out his hand again.
Beth took it and shook it, blushing as she took the moment to study her new
rescuer/companion. He had short brown hair and a small beard encompassing his
boyish face and she guessed he was maybe mid to late twenties. She couldn’t
help notice the muscles underneath his shirt and the muscles in his arms. His
eyes seemed to pierce through her and he was very handsome all together.
“So do you have a name?” he asked with a small smile.
“Oh um yeah I’m Beth, Beth Greene”
***** Chapter 4 *****
Max studied the girl, despite her exhausted and scared condition the girl was
exceptionally pretty. She had long blonde hair pulled into a side ponytail and
the deepest blue eyes, her tank top revealed her smooth pale skin and she stood
maybe a foot shorter than him. Her entire appearance threw Max off, not just
that she was pretty but that she didn’t look like she had been surviving alone,
which meant she most likely had been separated from her group and had a camp or
sanctuary somewhere. But that would have to be sorted out later first he had to
get them back to the garage.
“Can you walk?” he asked, concerned she might not be able to.
“Yeah um I think so” she stammered after testing her ankle.
“Ok I have a safe place not far from here”
He began walking back towards the garage but not to fast, her ankle wouldn’t be
able to take a fast pace. To her credit she kept up with him until she she
needed to stop he gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile and told her
they weren't far.
“If not I can carry you if you like” he offered
She seemed spooked by the idea and shook her head, Max understood, they didn’t
know each other yet and smiled and told her the offer was there if she needed
it but they reached the garage without needing to carry her.
“We’ll be safe here” he said as he held the gate open for her
The girl didn’t reply and she actuality blushed when she looked up at him.
“sorry?” she asked.
“I said we will be safe here” he replied
“Oh” she said softly as Max open the door of the garage.
A small smile appeared lighting up her face, he felt a strange stirring inside
him and tried his best not to stare at the girl but was fighting a losing
battle. The girl was the prettiest thing had seen in a while, and if he was
being honest with himself the most beautiful girl had had ever met. But she
couldn’t be more than sixteen and more than off limits to a man his age and she
certainly didn’t need a guy she had just met under turbulent circumstances
drooling over her. He composed himself, and led her to the garages brake area,
he needed to check her ankle and get her hydrated. It was then he realised he
had know idea what her name was and should find out.
“You must be thirsty?” he asked.
She nodded and Max opened his cooler and pulled out a bottle of water, handing
it to her. She took it gratefully and began immediately gulping it down.
“Whoa easy there, slowly just take sips or you’ll make you self sick”
The girl blushed and drank more slowly and he watched her as she was almost
savoring the water. He waved her to sit down and crouched in front of her as
she did. He introduce himself, she took a moment to answer and he had a strange
feeling it was because she was checking him out.
Her name was Beth, Beth a pretty name for a pretty girl but there was no way he
was going to tell her that. He quickly turned his attention to her ankle before
things got awkward.
“Well Beth how bout we take care of that ankle?”
She nodded and pulled her boot off, wincing in pain as she did
Max carefully took her foot his his hand and examined it, the tell tale signs
of bruising were there but he gathered that’s all it was, seeing as how she was
able to walk back.
“Hmm I think its just bruised, you should be back to normal in the morning”
The girl nodded, and Max grabbed a bandage from his med kit and began to wrap
her ankle.
 
Beth was still a little shaken from what happened, but was relieved that her
new companion had saved her, not wanting to think about if he hadn’t come along
when he did. She knew she shouldn’t have go on the run, she overestimated
herself and was still the little girl everyone thought she was. Maggie is gonna
love this she thought and also wondered what her father would think if she ever
made it back, probably never let her leave the prison again most likely.
“There we go” Max announced as he finished wrapping her ankle.
“Thank you” she said
“No worries happy to do it” he responded.
His accent was maddening her and she needed to know where he was from, she
wanted to know more about this gorgeous stranger she was alone with.
“Um where are you from Max?” she asked.
“Confused about the accent are you? He asked smiling, and she nodded shyly.
“Well I hail from the land down under, a little place called Australia” he
explained
“You’re an Australian?” she asked.
“Yes mam, born and raised” he replied.
“That’s so cool I’ve never met an aussie before, and you’re a soldier?”
“Yep I’m former Australian special air service regiment”
“Oh?” she said confused.
“Its kinda like your navy seals” he explained.
“Oh ok”
There a silence fell between them but Beth felt like they both seemed to be
getting more comfortably in each others company.
“Beth I gathered you haven’t been out there alone have you?” he asked braking
the silence.
“No I was with a group we were gathering supplies at a supermarket and I got
separated from them” she replied
“Gathering supplies? were you moving around or do you have a camp and a bigger
group somewhere?” he asked.
Beth knew she could trust him and decided to tell him about the prison.
“Yeah I’m from a group set up at a prison”
“ A prison really?, Is it far from here?”
“Um I’m not sure, I don’t even known where I am now” she said truthfully, her
voice cracking.
She could feel her self about to cry, would she ever see her family again? She
couldn’t expect him to take her back even if the could locate the prison and
she wiped the tears leaking from her eyes.
“Hey hey it’s ok” he soothed.
“I’m sorry I’m not really cut out for this, I thought a could be stronger I
should have just stayed at the prison, they probably think I’m dead” she cried,
wringing her hands and looking at the floor
“Hey come on that can’t be true”
“I’m not strong like the rest of the group and I wanted to prove that but I
guess I’ll always needed to be saved, another dead girl walking”
Max fixed her with a sympathetic look and lay his hand softly on hers, she
stopped trembling as his touch sent a new feeling through her.
“Beth listen I just met you but you seem plenty strong to me” he said
“You’re just sayin that” she said quietly, not believing him.
“Beth I saw you outrun a pack of biters and then walk back here on a bruised
ankle, even refusing to be carried” he said with conviction in his voice.
Though knowing he was just trying to cheer her up his words struck a chord with
her and found herself smiling at him and really did begin to cheer up.
“You’re really sweet” she told him
“Well I don’t think I’ve been called sweet before but I’ll take it” he grinned
Beth blushed and giggled, her stomach then rumbled and she realised she hadn’t
eaten since that morning which seemed like a life ago.
“Um Max do you have any food?” she asked
“Yeah shit sorry where the fuck are my manners, you must be starving right?” he
said with a slight embarrassed look on his face.
“I’m a little hungry
“Its sorted then lets make some dinner”..
***** Chapter 5 *****
Max finished wrapping her ankle, being very careful not to touch her
inappropriately. She thanked him and then asked him where he was from shyly and
he explained his background.
“You’re an Australian?” she asked interestedly and Max liked the way she said
Australian in her own cute southern accent.
“yes mam, born and raised”
“That’s so cool I’ve never met an aussie before, and you’re a soldier?” she
asked
“Yep I’m former Australian special air service regiment” he replied
“Oh” she said, her nose crinkling up in confusion, obviously never having heard
of the SAS before
“Its kinda like your navy seals” he explained.
“Oh ok” she said her eyes lightning up, understanding.
Max could have stayed here forever talking with this girl and not just because
it was the first real conversation with someone in ages.
“Beth I gathered you haven’t been out there alone have you?” he asked her.
“No I was with a group we were gathering supplies at a supermarket and I got
separated from them” she answered.
“Gathering supplies? Were you moving around or do you have a camp and a bigger
group somewhere?”
“Yeah I’m from a group set up at a prison”
So she did have a group out there and holed up in a prison no less, a prison
meant fences and walls, guaranteed safety.
“ A prison really?, Is it far from here?” he asked
“Um I’m not sure, I don’t even know where I am now” she said, Max heard a
little sob in her voice and tears began to well in her eyes.
“Hey hey it’s ok” he soothed
“I’m sorry I’m not really cut out for this, I thought a could be stronger I
should have just stayed at the prison, they probably think I’m dead” she cried,
wringing her hands and looking at the floor
“Hey come on that can’t be true”
“I’m not strong like the rest of the group and I wanted to prove that but I
guess I’ll always needed to be saved, another dead girl walking”
Max fixed her with a sympathetic look and lay his hand softly on hers, she
seemed to stop trembling. She was just a scared young woman pushed beyond her
limits, separated from the people she trusted.
“Beth listen I just met you but you seem plenty strong to me” he told her.
“You’re just sayin that” she mumbled.
“Beth I saw you outrun a pack of biters and then walk back here on a bruised
ankle, even refusing to be carried” he told her truthfully
“You’re really sweet” she said a smile appearing on her face.
“Well I don’t think I’ve been called sweet before but I’ll take it” he grinned
at her, she let out a small giggle and would he have given anything to hear it
again.
There was then strange sound and he realised it had come from her, from her
stomach.
“Um Max do you have any food?” she asked with hopeful and pleading look.
He suddenly felt like a damn idiot, of course she was hungry, he may have gave
her water but neglected to offer her food.
“Yeah shit sorry where the fuck are my manners you must be starving right?” he
asked sheepishly
“I’m a little hungry” she admitted.
“Its sorted then lets make some dinner” he suggested.
Max grabbed the box containing his cooking gear from the bushmaster and placed
it on the bigger table before returning to retrieve one of his food boxes.
“Is there something I can help with?” Beth asked politely.
“Nah its ok you just rest”
She gave him a little disappointed look and felt like a dick again, it wouldn’t
hurt her to help.
“Ok how bout you choose what we eat?” he asked
He picked the food container and placed it on the coffee table in front of her
and a smile lit up her face as she took of the took off the lid.
 
Beth was amazed as she open the container Max had put in front of her after
asking if she could help. The box was filled with freeze dried meals of all
different varieties.
“You trust me to chose?” she asked teasingly.
“Hmm I guess we’ll find out” he replied as he set up a small camping stove.
Beth couldn’t decide, they all looked and sounded delicious and finally picked
a packet of tomato soup with pasta.
“Tomato soup ok?” she asked.
“Yeah sounds good” he replied
She walked over, only hobbling slightly, her ankle still hurt but was getting
better and handed the packet to him.
“Ok now what?”
“Ahh there are some bowls and cutlery in the box did you wanna get them” he
said, she nodded and quickly retrieved them.
“Hey can you hand me the big water jug in the cooler”
Beth opened the cooler and grabbed the jug and handed it to Max, who poured the
water into a pot he had placed on the camp stove.
The stove had a small gas bottle attached to it and Max turned it on and lit
the stove, a brilliant blue flame bursting from the burner.
“Put the soup in?” she asked and he nodded
Beth ripped the packet open and poured the contents into the water, he handed
her a wooden spoon and she began to happily stir as the smell of tomato soup
began to waft up.
 
Max watched her as she stirred the soup, she looked so happy and peaceful, like
she was cooking any meal at home. Max had already decided to get her back to
her group and was going to make it his mission to do so. While Beth looked
after their dinner he looked around in the small reception area and found
exactly what he was looking for, on a shelf beside some brochures and flyers
was a stack of road maps of Georgia. He grabbed one an slid it into his thigh
pocket.
“Max um I think its done” Beth called
“Give it a taste” he said returning back to her.
She did and her eyes lit up and she nodded in delight.
“Yep its hot and tastes so good”
“Alright lets eat”
He stood up and Beth was pouring their food into the bowls on the table and
handed him a spoon. He sat down opposite her and dipped his spoon in. She was
right it did taste good.
“Well I’m impressed Beth you know how to cook a good soup” he said.
A blush appeared on her face the same colour as the soup and looked down at her
bowl.
“I just stirred it” she said humbly
“Hmm well you did a great job”
“Well thank you Max” she laughed
They quickly finished off the soup, Beth more quickly than him and he smiled as
she used her fingers to get the last bits out of the bowl. Max stood up and
cleared the dishes as Beth beamed at him.
He filled a kettle with water and put it on the stove to boil, once boiled he
took the kettle and the dirty dishes over to the small sink, grabbing a tea
towel on the way.
Beth appeared beside him, pulled the towel off his shoulder and patently waited
for the first dish.
 
The soup tasted divine to Beth as she ate it, best soup she had in years and
not just because she was starving it was also because of the company.
She felt her self blushing hard as he complemented on her ‘cooking’, like she
had made it her self and giggled. Beth polished off the meal quicker than she
would have liked but she had been starving and used her fingers to mop up the
little bits of soup she couldn’t get with her spoon. She smiled at Max as he
cleared the bowls, impressed, back at the prison most of the men didn’t clear
their plates, leaving it to who ever was on dish duty.
He took the dishes and the water he had just boiled over the little sink and
Beth joined him still wanting to help, she pulled the towel from his shoulder,
wanting to brush her hand over the muscles there.
He handed her the first washed bowl and she dried it placing it on the bench
beside her, repeating the process until everything was washed and dried.
By then the sun had set and the garage was becoming darker and darker, Max lit
a lantern and the room was filled with its soft glow.
“I was thinking I get you back to your group” Max announced as they were
sitting back on the couches. He pulled a map out of his pocket and lay it on
the coffee table.
Beth looked at him incredulous, yes she did want to get back to the prison,
back to Maggie and her father but didn’t know how she was going to raise the
subject to him.
“You would do that?” she asked
“Of course I would but first we gotta find your prison on the map”
They poured over the map together, there was a moment as their fingers touched
and could feel a spark cross between them. She felt her face warm and jumped
slightly but Max didn’t seem to notice and kept looking.
“Oh shit this must be it” he announced pointing to place marked ‘West Georgia
Correctional Facility’ and Beth’s heart leapt.
“Yeah that’s it”
“Ok I remember a sign as was coming in today it said Archer’s spring” he said
They both looked over the map, then Beth remembered Rick saying the town was
east of the prison and began tracing east from the point on the map and found
the town.
“Um here it is” she announced.
“Ah nice good spotting Beth, I guess that makes you the navigator, ok it
doesn’t look like we are far, maybe an hours drive” Max mused.
“Are we going tonight?” she asked hopefully.
“Um no, to dangerous at night but I’ll get your first thing tomorrow is that
ok?” he asked
“Yes that’s perfectly fine Max thank you so much”
“Hey no worries Beth I’m happy to do it”
His expression turned serious and Beth froze slightly unable to read it and she
felt a little shiver run down her spine.
“I gotta ask you about your group”
‘Oh ok”
“Do they take in strangers?”
Beth relaxed but then a new feeling took over, he wanted to join the group,
maybe he was tired of being alone but he hadn’t met anyone else just her, so if
he wanted to come and stay at the prison he must be really lonely or she had
made some sort of impression and she really hoped it was the former.
“Max if you bring me back, my father and the others will insist you stay”
“Just like that?” he asked
“Well um they might be a bit suspicious of you but if I can trust you so will
they”
The words hung in the air and Max nodded satisfied with her answer…
 
As they finished with the dishes the light was beginning to fade so Max
retrieved a lantern, lit it and placed it so it could illuminated the room.
He decided he needed find out where this prison of Beth’s was, he pulled the
road map from his pocket and opened it out on the coffee table.
“I was thinking I get you back to your group” he told her.
“You would do that?” she asked.
“Of course I would but first we gotta find your prison on the map”
They both looked over the map together, searching intently for the words prison
as he ran his finger across the map it brushed up against hers and for a moment
wished he could touch her whole hand. He shook himself and focused and then he
found it, a block marked ‘West Georgia Correctional Facility’.
“Oh shit this must be it” he said pointing it out to her.
“Ok I remember a sign as was coming in today it said Archer’s spring” he said.
Beth looked thoughtful then she began tracing her finger east until she stopped
at a point on the map.
“Um here it is”
She was correct and he made some quick calculations in his head, it was going
to be a easy drive from where they were but not counting what they actually
might find on the way
“Ah nice good spotting Beth, I guess that makes you the navigator, ok it
doesn’t look like we are far maybe an hours drive” Max mused.
“Are we going tonight?” she asked.
She had a hopefulness in her voice and on her face, and he almost considered
packing up and taking here then and there but experience taught him things
could go extremely wrong going half cocked and he made it a rule not to venture
out at night.
“Um no, to dangerous at night but I’ll get your first thing tomorrow is that
ok?” he asked.
“Yes that’s perfectly fine Max thank you so much” she smiled.
“Hey no worries Beth I’m happy to do it” he replied feeling his face heat up
under her soft gaze. With a plan now in motion there was something he needed to
know now, it was about the temperament of her group, he couldn’t assume they
were all like her and if they were, would they accept new people into the
group?.
“I gotta ask you about your group” he asked.
‘Oh ok”
“Do they take in strangers?”
“Max if you bring me back, my father and the others will insist you stay” she
assured.
“Just like that?”
“Well um they might be a bit suspicious of you but if I can trust you so will
they”
“Ok its settled then first thing tomorrow we make for the prison”
Beth smiled at him and he was beginning to enjoy them, lighting up her
beautiful face and wished he was a younger man. He cleared his throat, hoping
she hadn’t caught him staring and stood up to hide his embarrassment.
“Hey did you want some dessert?”
“Dessert?” she asked confused
“Yeah you Americans like dessert right?”
She still fixed him with a confused look and he walked over to his pack and
retrieved a small box from it. He opened it and handed the packet inside and
handed it to her, Beth’s eyes widened as she took his last block of chocolate.
“Oh wow I haven’t had chocolate in so long”
“Yeah?”
“Its not a real priority on the supply list” she said a little sadly.
When they had finished the treat it was late and it was time to turn in Max
knew they would need some sleep if they were getting up early and needed to be
refreshed and alert for the journey. He told her to pick a couch and handed her
his sleeping bag in case she needed it.
“Does someone need to stay on watch” she asked, worriedly as she curled into
her couch.
“Nah we’ll be safe in here” he assured her.
“You sure?”
“Doors are locked and secured and I’m a light sleeper” he replied and she
seemed satisfied by his answer.
Max ensured Beth was settled and comfy, he extinguished the lantern and got
himself comfy on his couch, which unfortunately was no where near long enough
to accommodate his body.
“Good night Max and thanks for everything today” he heard Beth say softly
through the darkness.
“No worries Beth” he said back.
There was silence, Max closed his eyes and he was soon fast asleep.
***** Chapter 6 *****
Beth couldn’t fall asleep right away, the days events playing through her head
from the morning to the run, to the escape through the woods to Max to the
dinner and finally to the dessert, she smiled at the thought, the chocolate had
been the ‘treat’ of the evening and she almost giggled at her own little joke.
She found her body begging for sleep and finally her mind gave in and she
drifted off to sleep.
When she awoke, warm sunlight was pouring the high windows, she rolled over to
find Max’s couch empty and she shot up in panic, her mind going wild thinking
maybe she had been abandoned in the night.
“Max?” she called out, panic in her voice.
She looked around and realised she had panicked for nothing, his massive truck
was still there as well as all his stuff was where he left it last night.
The door opened and Max walked through who smiled at her but dropped it as he
saw her expression.
“Hey what’s wrong?”
“I um woke up and you were gone” she said
“Oh fuck sorry Beth I thought I would let you sleep a bit longer” he explained.
“No its ok I just panicked a little” she admitted.
“Sorry I should have woken you before I went outside” he replied.
Beth felt stupid now but she felt a little better that Max was trying to make
it his fault. She swung her legs off the couch and stood up and pleased there
was no pain now.
“Hows the ankle?” he asked.
“Its good, a lot better” she answered with a smile.
“Well good, how bout we have some breakfast”
Breakfast sounded perfect and now that her mild panic attack was over she began
to feel excited, ready for the day, ready to get back to the prison.
“Ok so we have apple maple cereal or apple maple cereal” he said holding up two
identical packets.
“Oh um apple maple cereal sounds nice” she smiled taking one of the packets.
Once breakfast was finished and washed up she helped him pack his gear away
into the back of his vehicle and then walked around to the passenger side.
“You wanna drive do you?” he asked with a grin and a raised eyebrow.
“Huh? what no” she asked confused
He stepped up and the foot step and opened the door to reveal it was actually
the drivers side.
“Australia like Britain drives on the left hand side of the road” he explained
“Oh yeah that’s right” she said
Max led her round to the real passenger side, he opened the door for her and
gave her a boost to climb up inside. She settled into the comfortable seat and
looked around the cab a little overwhelmed by the hardware inside. She watched
Max through the front windshield open the big roller shutter and then climbed
in the drivers side.
“All ready to go?”
Beth nodded and he started up the engine and drove out onto the road.
“So this is a pretty cool truck” she said impressed.
“Yeah bit of a beast, rolls right over the biters”
“We call them walkers”
“Walkers huh? I like that” he said and Beth giggled softly as he mouthed the
word a couple of times trying it out.
Beth glanced out the window as the tree’s flashed by and settled in for the
journey. She wondered what everyone would think when she turned up alive, there
would be tears no doubt on both sides and she hoped that if the group allowed
him, Max would stay.
“So how long has your group been at the prison?” he asked braking the silence.
“Um probably about six months I guess, I lived on my daddies farm before the
outbreak and then we had to leave and we moved from place to place before we
found the prison” she replied, Max nodded, understanding.
“So you’re a farm girl huh?”
“Yeah all my life, my daddy was a veterinarian” she answered
He nodded and looked back out out the window lost in thought.
“So um do you know where to go?” she asked
“Yeah I studied the map but if you want you can navigate so we don’t get lost”
he suggested handing her the map.
She opened it to find he had marked out a route to the prison in black marker.
She traced along the line, learning the route.
“Ok we have to take the next left along route 54”
“Next left, got it boss” he repeated.
They drove, making small talk and playing a short game of eye spy. They didn’t
encounter any dangers, any walkers they came across either were pulverized by
the massive vehicle or shuffled and waved their arms uselessly as they sped by.
An hour later with Beth navigating quite competently, a sign appeared on the
side of the road that read ‘Do not pick up hitch hikers, they could be escaping
prisoners’ and she knew they at the prison.
Beth felt a slight weight release as the drove up to the main gate but her
happiness was shattered suddenly as a gunshot rang out and a bullet pinged off
the window..
***** Chapter 7 *****
Max woke, stretched and rubbed his neck getting the kinks. He looked over at
the other couch to check up on Beth, she was still sleeping peacefully and the
morning sun streaming through the windows made her hair glow. Max found him
self almost stunned by her angelic form and shook him self before she woke and
caught him staring like a creep.
He noticed the road map still open on the coffee table, he grabbed it and
placed it on the bigger table, grabbing a marker, he plotted out what seemed
like the best route. Max needed to take his morning piss he considered waking
Beth but decided to let her sleep a bit longer, grabbed his rifle and made for
the door.
Carefully opening it, he stepped out, nothing greeted him and he breathed in
the morning air. It was going to be another hot day, summer was defiantly on
its way. It didn’t bother Max, having experienced scorching summers all his
life, all over the world. After he had relived himself, Max returned back
inside and smiled as he saw Beth was awake, but it faded as he saw she was
upset.
“Hey what’s wrong?” he asked, concerned.
“I um woke up and you were gone” she said quietly
“Oh fuck sorry Beth, I thought I would let you sleep a bit longer”
“No its ok I know you wouldn’t leave me here” she replied, her voice still
quite.
“Nah I should have woken you before I went outside”
Max felt like an idiot, his good intentions had apparently scared the hell out
of her.
“Hows the ankle?” he asked as she hoped of the couch and tested her ankle.
“Its good, a lot better” she answered with a smile.
“Well good, how bout we have some breakfast” Max suggested.
Max dug through the food box and found the cereal packets and held them up.
“Ok so we have apple maple cereal or apple maple cereal”
“Oh um apple maple cereal sounds nice” she smiled taking one of the packets.
They ate a quick breakfast then she helped him pack everything away in the
Bushmaster ready for the journey. Once everything was secured in the back, she
walked around and reached for the drivers door and Max smirked as he realised
she thought it was the passenger side.
“You wanna drive do you?” he asked with a grin and a raised eyebrow.
“Huh? what no” she asked fixing him with a confused look and Max opened the
door to reveal the drivers side of the vehicle.
“Australia like Britain drives on the left hand side of the road” he explained,
“Oh yeah that’s right” she said
Max led her round to the real passenger side, he opened the door for her and
gave her a boost to climb up inside. He closed the door behind her and opened
the roller shutter before climbing into the Bushmaster.
“All ready to go?”
She nodded, Max fired up the engine and pulled out of the garage.
“So this is a pretty cool truck” she said impressed as they began making their
way down the road.
“Yeah bit of a beast, rolls right over the biters” he smiled.
“We call them walkers” she informed him
“Walkers huh? I like that” he said.
“So how long has your group been at the prison?” he asked a few minutes later.
“Um probably about six months I guess, I lived on my daddies farm before the
outbreak and then we had to leave and we moved from place to place before we
found the prison” she replied
“So you’re a farm girl huh?” he teased.
“Yeah all my life, my daddy was a veterinarian”
“So um do you know where to go?” she asked him.
“Yeah I studied the map but if you want you can navigate so we don’t get lost”
he suggested handing her the map.
“Ok we have to take the next left along route 54” she said after looking over
the map.
“Next left, got it boss” he repeated and she smiled
Max was impressed with Beth’s navigation skills as they drove down the empty
roads never getting them lost or having to stop to check, granted he had marked
out the best route but he knew from experience even the best could get an
entire convoy of soldiers lost in the badlands of a war zone. They made small
talk and even played a game of eye spy a game he hadn’t played since a
teenager. He was glad of the route he had picked out, thankful of no dangers or
any blockages in the roads. They did encounter a small group of walkers
standing in the road but Max mowed them down and continued on. The whole
journey took shorter than he had anticipated as what could only be a prison
came into view. The main gate of the prison appeared to had some heavily
fortified modifications added to it most likely by Beth’s group. He slowed down
slightly as they closed on the gate, not wanting to spook anyone but his
efforts were in vain as a shot rang out and a bullet smacked into the
bushmasters thankfully bulletproof windshield. He slammed on the brakes and
turned to Beth, who seemed to recognised the teenager who was aiming a rifle at
them from the other side of the gate.
“He’s friendly, he just doesn’t recognise the truck”
Beth made to open her door but he grabbed her hand before she could, telling
her to be careful.
“I’ll be fine he knows me” she insisted
She opened her door, stepped out and another shot rang out, smacking into the
door.
Max reached down to flick off the safety on his pistol, ready for anything.
“Carl don’t shot It’s me, Its Beth” Beth screamed as she dropped to the ground
.
He couldn’t hear the kid but he didn’t open fire again and Max could see him
relax his rifle and run to open the gate. The massive iron gates swung open and
Beth ran through the opening, she waved at him to follow as the gates opened
wide enough for him to do so. He drove in slowly and parked just inside and
shut down the engine, but didn’t relax just yet as he noticed a silver suv
speeding down to greet them.
***** Chapter 8 *****
Beth had arrived back at the prison safe and alive and now she was being shot
at by Carl, some welcome she thought.
“Carl don’t shot It’s me, Its Beth” she screamed as she jumped to the ground
and stepped out so Carl could see it was indeed her.
“Beth?” Carl yelled, surprise in his voice.
“Yes it me, don’t shoot me” she yelled.
“Oh shit I’m sorry Beth” Carl yelled back.
Carl opened the gate, she ran through and she motioned for Max to follow, he
did so and parked, turning off the vehicle.
Beth heard the sound of engines and looked up the small hill to see a suv
coming down as well as several people running down on foot, obviously alerted
by the sudden appearance of Max’s truck and Carl’s shots.
They reached the gate in moments and Rick, Daryl, Maggie and Michonne piled out
of the suv, guns at the ready.
“Beth” yelled Maggie as she ran towards Beth.
Beth felt tears of joy flow down her face and fell into her sisters arms.
“Oh my god Beth, you’re ok, what happened?” sobbed Maggie cradling Beth’s head
in her hands, both sisters crying in joy.
“I’m ok Maggie” Beth sobbed through her tears.
“We thought you were dead, Rick said you were just gone”
Their little reunion would have to wait, the others snapped their weapons up as
Max stepped down and Beth could see the look of concern on their faces and
knowing Rick didn’t trust strangers all that well, she had to act fast.
“No don’t shoot him, he saved me, its ok, he saved me” yelled Beth pulling out
of Maggie embrace and stood between them and Max.
“Its ok Beth I get it, can’t be too careful” said Max and pulled his pistol
slowly out, tossed it on the ground and raised his hands.
“That true Beth?” asked Rick still pointing his pistol, but he seemed put off
guard by the quick self disarming.
“Yes, he saved me” Beth repeated.
Beth stood her ground hoping that by shielding Max ,it would be enough to
convince them of his good intentions.
“I saw the girl was in trouble, just wanted to see her back safely” he
explained his hands still up
“Who are you?” asked Rick
“The name is Maxwell Knight, former Australian Special Air service”
“You're an Aussie?” drawled Daryl.
“Yup, was stationed near DC protecting some Australian dignitaries when
everything went to hell” Max answered.
“We appreciate you saving Beth, and bringing her back, she says she trusts you
but I gotta ask you some questions”
“Sure ask away”
“How many walkers have you killed?” Rick asked.
“Today? Or since the beginning?, cus i stopped counting” Max replied
“Ok, how many people have you killed”
“I’m a soldier mate, killing people was kinda of in my job description, but I
never killed anyone who didn’t deserve it”
“Let him in Rick, he’s not dangerous” Beth pleaded to Rick.
“So what’s in the truck?” Rick asked and lowered his pistol, motioning for
Daryl to drop his crossbow.
“Some supplies, some weapons and ammo”.
Beth could see Rick was relaxing she hoped the news of weapons and ammo would
sway the former deputies mind and let Max stay…
 
As Beth’ people jumped out of the SUV and she had a very tearful reunion with a
brunette woman, Max carefully and slowly stepped down out of the bushmaster and
the immediately trained their weapons on him, pistols, a rifle and one of the
men was even carrying a crossbow.
“No don’t shoot him, he saved me, its ok, he saved me” yelled Beth pulling out
her self from the brunette’s arms and put herself between them and himself.
“Its ok Beth I get it, can’t be too careful” said Max
He drew his pistol slowly from his thigh holster, tossed it into the dirt and
held out his hands.
“That true Beth?” asked one of them still pointing his pistol who Max gathered
was the leader of the group.
“Yes, he saved me” Beth repeated.
“I saw the girl was in trouble, just wanted to see her back safely” Max
explained.
“Who are you?” the leader asked again.
“The name is Maxwell Knight, former Australian Special Air service” he
answered.
“You're an Aussie?” drawled the red neck with the crossbow.
“Yup, was stationed near DC protecting some Australian dignitaries when
everything went to hell” Max answered.
“We appreciate you saving Beth, and bringing her back, she says she trusts you
but I gotta ask you some questions” said the first one.
“Sure ask away”
“How many walkers have you killed?” he asked
“Today? Or since the beginning?, cus i stopped counting”
“Ok, how many people have you killed”
Max thought about this for a second, he had killed a lot of people over his
military career and some after the outbreak.
“I’m a soldier mate, killing people was kinda of in my job description, but I
never killed anyone who didn’t deserve it”
The man seemed to accept his answer and Max heard Beth call him Rick. Max bent
down to pick up his pistol and slid it back in his holster.
“So what’s in the truck?” the one called Rick asked and lowered his pistol,
nodding to the red neck who lowered his crossbow.
“Some supplies, some weapons and ammo
“What the hell kind a truck is this anyway?” the red neck asked, impressed.
“Its a Australian Bushmaster APC, designed to hold 8 fully geared commandos
into most land situations” Max rattled of the APC’s specs as they wandered
around it awe.
“Ok how bout we get up to the prison I’m sure Herschel is going to be very
happy to see you Beth”
Max nodded and he proceeded to drive the APC up the short incline and through
the inside gate and parked it on the gravel in front of the main building.
He stepped down a waited for the others to reach him, he nodded greetings as
the prison citizens milled around nervously. No talked and he was about to say
something when Rick and the others jumped out of the sliver SUV.
“Its ok everyone, everything fine” Rick said and most of them walked off and
Max’s suspicions about Rick were confirmed.
Beth and the woman who Max guessed was her sister came to stand next to him and
the strange fluttering feeling reared up again, he was going to have to watch
himself. The girl was off limits and he had no doubt anyone of the men in the
group would have no problems with putting him down if they suspected anything
at all. He knew from experience that groups of survivors didn’t take to kindly
to strangers encroaching on their women. But oblivious to his thoughts, Beth
gave him a smile and flicking a stray hair out her face, she wasn’t going to
make this easy.
“Max this is my sister Maggie” Beth said introducing him to the brunette, he
offered the her his hand.
“Max Knight, pleased to meet you”
“Maggie Greene thanks for saving my sister” she said, Max could tell she didn’t
entirely trust him yet and he took no offense.
“And this my brother in law Glenn and this is Tyreese” she continued with the
introductions, Max shook hands with both of them.
“The surly one with the bow is Daryl, he’s our resident hunter”
The red neck didn’t offer his hand but nodded and Max nodded back, Max pegged
him as the lone wolf type and Max felt a mutual respect for the guy.
“And of course Rick”
Max held out his hand, this is the one he would ultimately have to convince.
Rick took it, and Max could see sense of trust in the other man’s eyes as he
shook it.
“Bethie it that you?” asked a voice as kindly old gentleman with a limp
appeared, and Beth flung herself into his arms.
“Daddy” Beth cried as the man wrapped an arm around her.
“Oh honey I was so worried about you, we feared the worst when Rick and the
others came back without you” he said with tears in his eyes.
“I was ok daddy I was scared at first but then Max saved me, this is him”
Max held out his hand to Hershel who took and shook it warmly.
“Corporal Maxwell Knight, former SAS”
“Hershel Greene, SAS you said? British?” he asked
“No sir, Aussie”
“And you brought my daughter back?”
“yes sir, saw her in trouble and did what any good man would do”
“Well thank you very much, my girls are very precious to me” said Hershel
“Quite a truck son” as said he inspected the Bushmaster.
“Max you said you had weapons and supplies?” Rick asked, interjecting.
“Ahh yeah I did I have..”
“Now Rick I’m sure Max will offer what ever he has, but I’m sure he would like
to relax before we strip him of his things, come on inside Max ” said Hershel
smiled and
Max followed him as he and Beth walked into the prison building.
***** Chapter 9 *****
Beth watched as Max drove his truck up the hill and as the others followed in
the suv. She had wanted to ride with Max but Maggie grabbed her hand, waving
the others off, that they would catch up.
“Uh huh no way Bethie, you’re going to tell me everything” Maggie demanded.
Beth explained how she had been cut off from everyone, how she had run out the
back, how Max had come along just in time, saved her and then spent the night
at the garage.
”He didn’t hurt you did he or try anything?” Maggie asked with suspicion in her
voice.
“No Maggie of course not” Beth replied simply
“So he found you and brought you back here and didn’t want anything in return?”
Maggie asked with her same same tone.
Beth turned to her sister with look of scorn, why wasn’t she believing her
story?, why did she want to write off Max so quickly?
“No Maggie he had he’s way with me first and because I’m so fragile I just let
him and then revealed the prisons location” Beth snapped angrily.
“Geeze Beth ok I get it” Maggie looked down at her shocked.
“Well you weren’t listening to me, like I said, he didn’t even try to hurt me,
he is good person Maggie”
“Ok ok I believe you, ok?”
“Good”
By now they had reached the prison, Beth walked up next to Max, he looked down
at her and she smiled, nervously flicking a hair out of her face.
“Max this is my sister Maggie” Beth said introducing him
“Max Knight, pleased to meet you”
“Maggie Greene thanks for saving my sister” Maggie said and Beth hoped she
would give him the benefit of the doubt.
“And this my brother in law Glenn and this is Tyreese” she continued with the
introductions and Max shook hands with both of them.
“The surly one with the bow is Daryl he’s our resident hunter”
Daryl didn’t shake Max’s hand but instead nodded an acknowledgement and Max
nodded back.
“And of course Rick”
“Bethie it that you?” asked a voice, Beth spun to see her father hobbling up to
them and she ran into his arms.
“Daddy” she cried as he wrapped an arm around her.
“Oh honey I was so worried about you we feared the worst when Rick and the
others came back without you”
“I was ok daddy I was scared at first but then Max saved me, this is Max”
Beth felt a strange feeling as Max held out his hand to her father, she
couldn’t read his expression but he took Max’s hand regardless.
“Corporal Maxwell Knight, former SAS”
“Hershel Greene, SAS you said? British?”
“No sir, Aussie”
“And you saved my daughter out there?”
“yes sir, saw her in trouble and did what any good man would do”
“Well thank you very much, my girls are very precious to me”
Beth smiled at this as her father looked down at her at gave her a squeeze. He
whistled as he looked at Bushmaster.
“Quite a truck son” he said.
“Max you said you had weapons and supplies?” Rick asked, interrupting and Beth
thought he was a bit rude to do so.
“Ahh yeah I did I have..”
“Now Rick I’m sure Max will offer what ever he has, but I’m sure he would like
to relax before we strip him of his things, come on inside Max ” Beth felt her
father prod her and they headed inside They made their way into the prison mess
area where Carol and Sasha were preparing a meal. They looked up when the group
walked in and some gasped as they saw Beth.
“Oh my god Beth” cried Carol rushing over to her and Beth hugged the older
woman.
“Hi Carol”
“How are you back?” Carol asked
“Carol this is Max, I ran into him in the woods, he saved me and brought me
back” Beth said and placed her hand on Max’s arm
“Well it’s a pleasure to meet you Max” as she shook hands with him and Sasha
walked over an introduced herself.
Herschel then asked Max if he was going to stay, like it was even a question
Beth thought but his answer froze her slightly, he didn’t know know if he was
going to stay. Her father seemed to understand and offered him a cell for the
time being.
Maggie pulled him aside and whispered something into his ear, Hershel frowned
slightly, as did Beth because she couldn’t hear what Maggie was saying, but
then he smiled and patted Maggie on the shoulder.
“Maggie has just informed me that D block is filled up, but there is a couple
free in here, as long as you put up with Michonne’s snoring” the older man
chuckled.
Beth almost lost her mind at this information, usually newcomers were housed in
D block, C block was for the founding family but with the rescue of the
surviving Woodbury members D block was all occupied and the rest of the cells
were uninhabitable, there was only C block and yes there was some cells free
and one was just down from hers. The thought of him sleeping so close to her
filled her with a strange joy and she felt her heart beat faster.
“Daddy are you sure?” Maggie cautioned and Beth almost hissed at her before she
stopped herself.
“I think it will be fine Maggie, unless you are planning to murder us in our
sleep Max?”
“no sir I’ll try not to, but If I’m causing any inconvenience..” he replied
trailing off
“Nonsense”
“Its fine with me” pipped up Glenn and Beth could have hugged him
“Well we can’t have you sleeping outside so you have my vote” said Carol
“Then its settled, now upstairs or downstairs Max” asked Hershel and Beth’s
heart stopped, she looked at her cell for a sec and then watched him make his
decision..
***** Chapter 10 *****
Max took in the prison as they walked inside, it was battered but he had
definitely seen worse, in fact it was step up from some of the third world
prisons he had ‘visited’ in his career.
Two woman were busy preparing a meal in a makeshift cooking area, Beth
introduced the older one as Carol after she and Beth hugged. The other
introduced her self as Sasha.
Past them Max could see a larger room that housed the prisoner cells.
“Now Max are you passing through or planning to stay?” asked Hershel.
“To be honest I’m not exactly sure” Max answered truthfully.
“Well how bout we set you up with a cell even if its just few a few night?”
Hershel suggested
Max made to accept but Maggie pulled her father aside and whispered something
into his ear, Hershel frowned slightly, as did Beth, but then Hershel smiled
and patted his daughter on the shoulder.
“Maggie has just informed me that D block is filled up, but there is a couple
free in here, as long as you put up with Michonne’s snoring” the older man
chuckled
“Daddy are you sure?” Maggie cautioned
Max could tell he was intruding on something personal and he gathered it had
something to do with the cell blocks, most likely the people were grouped
together by relationships to each other.
“I think it will be fine Maggie, unless you are planning to murder us in our
sleep Max?”
“No sir I’ll try not to, but If I’m causing any inconvenience..” he trailed
off, implying that he would be happy sleeping anywhere behind walls.
“Nonsense” said Hershel firmly
“Its fine with me” pipped up Glenn
“We can’t have you outside, you have my vote” said Carol
“Then its settled, now upstairs or downstairs Max?” asked Hershel
Max looked around to make a choice, not that it mattered in the end but he
caught Beth’s eye and noticed them flash to the right and that cemented his
decision.
“Down I guess”
“Excellent, there is only one downstairs I believe”
They others excused themselves to attend to other things, Hershel and Beth lead
Max to the empty cell that was to be his.
“Here we go”
Max looked in, the cell was dingy and bare, but it was far better than sleeping
in the Bushmaster.
“Looks good to me”
“Excellent, we’ll get some bedding to you”
“Eh don’t go to too much trouble, I’ve been conditioned to sleep in harsh
places even before the outbreak, though a nice bed does sound good”
Hershel smiled warmly and began leading him back out of the cell .As they
walked back to the mess, Beth paused at a cell, Max glanced inside, it was
filled with nick nacs, the walls were covered in drawings and pictures. The
bunk bed covered in a floral cover subtlety hinted a girl slept there. The
whole room looked warm and inviting, like a typical teenagers room minus the
boy band posters.
‘Um this is mine, its a bit of a mess” she said as she scurried in, attempting
to clean the clutter on her bed
“Nah looks perfect” he blurted out before he could stop himself
Max almost groaned at himself ‘nah looks perfect’, god he sounded like an idiot
he thought but Beth beamed.
“Beth I think its time you get your self cleaned up” said Hershel.
“Ok daddy I’ll see you later Max”
“Yeah, sure”
“And um thanks again for saving me” she said softly and she played with the
bands on her wrist.
Max tried not to stare as she walked off, she had a sway in her hips that was
almost hypnotic. He turned back to Hershel and Max braced him self for the
‘stay away from my daughter’ speech. But the older man only smiled at him and
grasped his shoulder
“So Max how long have you been out there?” he asked
“Too long sir”
“Now, now there is no need for the sirs, you’re going to make me feel old”
Hershel chuckled.
“Sorry, force of habit”
“Well we are all good people here, how bout you bring some of your stuff in and
join us for lunch it should be ready soon”
Max thanked the man and made his way back outside to his vehicle. He gathered
his sleeping bag and his pack from the APC.
“So I guess I’m not the new guy any more” said a voice, Max turned to see a
thin African American man smiling at him.
“Bob Stookey” said the man, holding out a hand.
“Max Knight” said Max shaking Bobs hand.
“You were in the military?” Bob asked, referring to Max’s clothes and the
Bushmaster.
“Yup SAS”
“For real?, I was a medic myself “
“Army?” Max inquired.
“yeah did a few tours” Bob replied
“Did a few as well”
“Well welcome to the prison I was out there by myself for quite a while before
they found me, the scenery might be a bit harsh, but the people and the showers
make up for it”
“showers huh?”
Max couldn’t remember the last time he had a shower, he usually found a river
or stream but mostly a rag and a bucket did the trick.
Sasha appeared and called Bob inside to help, Bob waved and turned back to Max.
“Well looks like I gotta earn my keep, it was nice meeting you Max”
“Likewise”
“Hey where are these showers anyway?” Max asked, Bob smiled again and told him
where to go. Max watched Bob go then grabbed a change of clothes, his toiletry
bag and a towel and headed for the showers.
The showers were simple pumps in a drum of water, hooked up to a battery, it
wasn’t hot but Max didn’t care a cold shower was perfect on a day like this. As
the water ran over him he scrubbed the dirt away. Once showered and changed, he
looked at him self in the mirror and decided to get rid of his beard while he
was at it. He almost didn’t recognise himself when it was gone but liked his
fresh look, he gathered up his things, made his way back the the cell block,
threw his stuff into his cell and stopped short when he saw Beth come out of
another cell with a baby in her arms.
***** Chapter 11 *****
Beth almost panicked when Max looked in her cell, she had left it in a mess as
usual and she hurried in to try and tidy up a bit.
‘Um this is mine, its a bit of a mess” she said quickly.
“Nah looks perfect” Max said
Beth stopped clearing to look at him and she blushed as he looked around her
cell.
“Beth I think its time you get your self cleaned up” said her father.
She felt a little miffed he had suggested it but she was covered in sweat and
dirt and hadn’t showered since the day before.
“Ok daddy I’ll see you later Max”
“No worries”
she grabbed a towel and a change of clothes and after thanking Max once more,
she made her way to the showers to wash off the grit and grime she had
accumulated from her adventure. After cleaning her self up she pulled on her
fresh clothes, a new pair of jeans and a peach coloured top and walked back to
her cell. She wondered if Max would end up staying and if everyone would like
him.
“Beth?”
She snapped back to the real world to see Carl looking at her, holding Judith
in his arms. The little girl was squirming in her brothers hold and when she
saw Beth she held out her arms in greeting.
“How was she?”
“Fine I guess, she cried, i think she missed you”
“Aww did you miss me pumpkin?” Beth asked
Yesterday she was almost dreading taking care of Judith, but now with the air
of change in the prison she was her happy self again and she took the girl into
her arms.
“Sorry about almost shooting you before, are you sure you’re ok?” he asked
concerned
“Yeah I’m fine now, I was pretty scared”
“So he did saved you?” Carl asked, referring to Max.
“Yeah he did” she said
“Well I’m glad you’re safe now, um I gotta help my dad, can you look after her,
I just fed her so she doesn’t need to eat” He explained.
Beth nodded after all she was the most qualified sitter, Carl thanked her and
went off to find his father. Judith babbled and Beth rocked her back and forth.
She walked back to the cell block and sat on the stairs.
“Who is this little thing?” asked a voice.
She looked up to see Max and her breath caught in her chest, he had showered
and changed and shaved, if he was handsome before he was now more so all
cleaned up. Beth felt her face heat up as he stood there, looking at them with
a cute quizzical look on his face.
“This is Rick’s daughter, Judith” she explained.
"She's beautiful"
"Yes she is, her mother died giving birth to her so we all take care of her"
Beth explained but she didn't add that she took care of Judith the most.
"Well you seem to be doing a good job” Max remarked,Beth blushed at the praise,
smiling at him.
“So you going to stay?” she asked, changing the conversation to a subject she
really wanted to know the answer to.
“Yeah I just might you guys do have a great set up here, and it would be nice
to have some real conversations” Max replied
Beth’s heart soared when she heard this and she looked down at Judith hoping
Max wouldn’t see her excitement at his decision by was saved by Carol as she
wandered into the cell block.
“Lunch is ready Beth, would you like to join us Max?”
“If that’s alright?” he asked
“Of course it alright”said Beth smiling at him, thinking it was cute he could
be polite but looked like he could kill a dozen walkers with his bare hands at
the same time.
“Come on lets go eat”…
***** Chapter 12 *****
Max felt like he was intruding as they walked into the mess and everyone turned
to look at the newcomer but the warm smiles everyone gave him quickly changed
his mind. There was maybe twenty people sitting at various tables and Sasha and
Ty were serving them a stew from a pot.
As they passed, Rick stood up from his table, Beth placed Judith in his arms
and he sat back down with Carl, who Max guessed was Rick’s son.
“Over here Beth, Max you too”called Hershel, indicating a table he, Maggie
Glenn were sitting at.
They walked across the room suddenly a little blonde girl, not looking where
she was going, bumped into him and Max caught her before she fell.
“sorr-” she said and fell silent as she looked up at him.
“You ok?” he asked as he released her arm.
“Mika this is Max” said Beth with an amused look on her face.
The girl didn’t reply but blushed and ran to her table, Max heard Beth laugh
and she was not the only one.
“Something I said?” Max asked confused as the girl sat with another girl about
her age.
“She is just shy round new people” Beth explained.
“Ahh I see”
They sat down, Max next to Glenn and Maggie while Beth took a seat opposite him
next to her father.
“Hope you like venison stew Max” as Hershel passed him a bowl.
“Love it, haven’t had it in ages”
“I find it too gamey” said Glenn
“Glenn still misses burgers and nachos” Maggie teased.
“Oh haha so does everyone” said Glenn defensively.
“Hey Max, some stew?” asked Sasha with a ladle of stew from the pot Ty was
holding.
The stew was excellent, the venison had been procured by Daryl and Max polished
it off quickly. He looked up from his finished bowl to find Beth looking at him
and she quickly looked down to her own meal, blushing.
“So Max tell us a little about yourself” asked Herschel.
“Ok what did you want to know?”
“Oh the usual, where are you from? ”
“Well I grew up in a small town on the south east coast just down from Sydney,
joined the military straight after school, I fought in Iraq and Afghanistan
before being assigned a protection detail here in DC just before the outbreak”
max replied between bites.
“So how did you get down here?” Hershel continued.
“Just kinda happened, was with a group for a while, that didn’t pan out then I
was just wandering around”
“Until you met us” said Hershel warmly
”Yes until I met you” Max replied talking to the whole group but looking at
Beth.
If she got the implied meaning Max couldn't really tell but she did give a
bright smile.
They all finished up pretty quickly and Maggie and Beth stood up to clear the
table. Beth walked around to grab his and Glenn’s bowl and as she did she
brushed his arm. The smooth skin of hers against his sent a pleasant jolt up
his arm, he knew she felt it too because she kept her arm there as he handed
her his spoon, before moving off with the bowls and spoons to the wash up sink
on the wall. He gazed at her surreptitiously till she looked back and the bowls
wobbled in her hands.
“So what did you think of the stew?” asked Hershel
“Excellent, best I’ve had in a long time”
“That’s good to hear”
Rick and his boy joined them taking Beth and Maggie’s empty seats. They all
chatted while everyone drifted off elsewhere till it was just him, Hershel,
Rick, Carl and of course Maggie and Beth.
The baby started crying and Beth walked over and picked her up out of Ricks
arms.
“I think its nap time for this one” she said and rocked her until she quieted
down.
“Thanks Beth, Carl help Beth with your sister”
“yes dad” and took his sister from Beth and the two left the room.
“Well I better check on the pigs” Rick announced, standing up from the table.
“Yeah we can’t sit around all day” said Maggie
They all stood up at once and went their separate ways except for Max and
Hershel. For the first time in months, Max was at a loss about what to to next,
everyone at the prison seemed to have jobs to do. He would have to determine
quickly how best to help out.
“Anything I can help with?”
Hershel fixed him a reassuring smile and patted his shoulder.
“No you just settle in for the moment”
“I don’t work well in idle and I’d like to earn my keep”
“Duly noted Max, and you have already earning your keep by bringing my daughter
back to me, just relax, settle in and tomorrow well decide how best you can
help out”
Max accepted this it and Hershel left to attend to his own business. He looked
around then headed outside to gather his things.
 
Beth giggled as Mika ran into Max and almost fell on her arse but her caught
her just in time. Mika ran to her table to sit next to Lizzie and her father.
“Something I said?” Max asked confused
“She’s just shy around new people” Beth replied
They sat down at the table, she almost sat next to Max but decided to sit
across from him next to her father. The meal went smoothly, he talked about
wondering around alone, she gathered he had been alone for a while but her
heart ached for him.
They finished up and as Beth took Max’s bowl, she accidentally brushed his arm
and she felt a rush of electricity pass between them. Max didn’t jerk away and
Beth tried to keep her arm there as long as possible as he handed his cutlery.
She broke away and walked to their little wash up area with butterflies in her
stomach, she looked back to see Max looking at her nonchalantly and she almost
dropped the other bowls.
“Well he is pretty handsome I’ll have to say that” mused Maggie.
"So you trust him?" Beth asked worriedly.
"I didn't say that, but he doesn't seem crazy and he hasn't really given me a
reason not to trust him"
Beth just nodded, its all she wanted to hear and began washing the bowls in the
hot water in the sink, trying her best not to look back at the table.
They were almost done when Judith started crying, she looked around to see Rick
and Carl had moved tables and Rick was now rocking his daughter in vain.
“Go, I got this” said Maggie
Beth nodded, wiped her hands, walked over to the table and Rick placed the
squealing baby in her arms.
“I think its nap time for this one” she said and Judith stopped crying as she
rocked her.
“Thanks Beth, Carl help Beth with your sister” Rick ordered.
“Yes dad” said Carl and took Judith from Beth.
Beth gave a glance at Max but he was deep in conversation with her father, then
she and Carl left to put Judith down for her nap.
Beth placed Judith in the cot in her fathers cell and Carl pulled a blanket up
over her.
“So Max is pretty cool” Carl said
“Yeah he is” Beth replied a little to quickly.
“Is it true he was a soldier?”
“Yes in the Australian military, he said he is like a SEAL”
“That’s awesome”
Beth agreed with him then left him to watch his sister and walked headlong into
Zach, who smiled at her.
“Hi Beth” he said with his trademark cocky smile.
“Oh hi Zach, um can I help you with something?” Beth asked as he moved in front
of her.
“I just wanted to see how you were” Zach explained
“Oh thanks Zach” Beth replied, relaxing slightly.
“So Beth listen I was wondering if you would like have dinner with me
sometime?” he asked
Beth stared at him like a deer in headlights, she knew what he was asking, he
had been sending signals ever since he had arrived at the prison.
“Oh um I don’t know Zach” she replied, trying to let him down easily.
“Are you sure, come its just dinner, you can tell me all about what happened
out there” He pushed, his tone indicating he wasn't going to back down.
“Um maybe”
“Ok I’ll take maybe and I’ll see you later” he said with a smile and walked
off.
He left her bewildered, Zach was going to be a handful and would have try to
convince him more clearly that she wasn’t interested..
***** Chapter 13 *****
Max made his way back outside to the Bushmaster, retrieved his gear and
returned back to his cell. He sat down on the bunk, a far cry from a real bed
but once again he would chose a bed of any kind over sleeping in the
bushmaster.
“Comfy?” asked a voice and Max looked up to see Beth standing in the doorway
with a stack of sheets in her arms.
“Yeah not bad” he admitted
“Good, I um got you some sheets, for the mattress and so you can hang one up
for privacy” she said, holding out the linen.
“Thanks Beth”
“No worries least I could do”
Max was about to reply when a shrill cry filled the block and Max noticed a
look of disappointment fill Beth’s face.
“Dang I hoped she would sleep longer”
She ducked out of the cell, Max threw the sheets on his bunk and followed her.
He caught up to her as she pulled the bawling child from her crib.
“Shh its ok Judith, I’m here hush now” soothed Beth, rocking her.
“She alright?” Max asked, concerned.
“Yeah I think so, she gets like this”
The rocking seemed to be working and the little girl stopped crying.
“Good girl Judith”
“You take care of her all the time?” Max asked.
“Um not all of the time” she replied in unconvincing tone.
Max didn’t want to press the issue, not wanting to embarrass her and also
because he was still very new to the group, he had to watch what he said.
“You’re very good with her”
“Thanks”
Judith had calmed down completely and Beth placed her back into the crib, the
baby closed her eyes and was soon fast asleep.
“Hopefully she’ll stay down for a while, I um better sit with her just in case”
“Yeah no worries I’ll catch you later and thanks for the sheets”
A small blush appeared on her face and she smiled, Max returned to his cell and
began to organize his gear, trying to make it more livable. He had just grabbed
one of the sheets Beth had given him when there was a cough and for the second
time a woman stood at his door, she was a tallish brunette who Max gathered was
round his age and was quite beautiful.
“Hi there I hope I’m not intruding” she said.
“Hey not at all” Max insisted, standing up
“I saw you at lunch and I just wanted to introduce myself I’m Julie” said the
woman holding out her hand.
“Hi Julie I’m Max”
“Yeah I know you’re all everyone's talking about”
“Good things I hope” Max inquired with a raised eyebrow.
“Oh yes of course, not everyday we get a hero arriving at our gates” she said
Max didn’t answer but Julie flashed him a brilliant smile, flicked a stray hair
behind her ear.
“Well I just wanted to say hi and welcome you to the prison and if wanted to
talk or anything I’m you’re girl”
And without a word more she departed, leaving Max a little puzzled he couldn’t
be sure but he was fairly certain he had just been hit on, he was defiantly
going to have to watch himself.
***** Chapter 14 *****
After Zach had left, Beth passed by Max’s newly acquired cell and saw he still
needed some bedding, she went into her cell and grabbed some of her spare
sheets, freshly washed a few days ago. She walked back to Max’s cell intending
to put the sheets on the bed, only to find Max had returned in the short time
she had been gone.
Comfy?” she asked him
“Yeah not bad” he admitted
“Good, I um got you some sheets, for the mattress and so you can hang one up
for privacy” she said.
“Thanks Beth” he said taking the sheets from her.
“No worries least I could do”
Suddenly a familiar cry filled the air and Beth sighed inwardly, the girl had
the worst timing Beth thought
“Dang I hoped she would sleep longer”
Beth left Max’s cell and walked back to Rick’s and picked Judith up from the
crib.
“Shh its ok Judith, I’m here hush now” she soothed, rocking her in her arms,
she turned to see Max had followed her.
“She alright?” Max asked with concern in his voice.
“Yeah I think so, she gets like this” Beth replied.
“Good girl Judith” Beth said to Judith as she quietened down.
“You take care of her all the time?” Max asked.
“Um not all of the time” she said trying to sound convincing but failing to do
so.
She still didn’t want Max to know she was Judith’s primary babysitter, not just
yet anyway.
“You’re very good with her” he said warmly and she knew he meant it
“Thanks”
Judith was again her placid self, Beth carefully placed her back into the crib,
and the little girl went back to sleep.
“Hopefully she’ll stay down for a while, I um better sit with her just in case”
Beth suggested.
“Yeah no worries I’ll catch you later and thanks for the sheets”
He left and Beth sighed again, looking down at the little Grimes.
“You couldn’t let me have one second could you?” Beth said bitterly.
The words coming out of her mouth shocked her and she instantly felt bad, it
wasn’t Judith’s fault.
The girl didn’t stir and Beth decided to risk it, she walked out and found
carol walking down the stairs.
“Hey Beth, she sleeping?” Carol asked kindly.
“I hope so” Beth admitted
“I’ll watch over her you go rest”
“Really?, thanks Carol” said Beth beaming at her.
“Well that didn’t take long” said Carol, looking over Beth’s shoulder
“Huh?”
Beth turned and caught sight of Julie’s retreating back as she left Max’s cell
and looked back to carol, confused.
“What do you think she wanted?” Beth asked.
Carol gave her a small smile but didn’t say anything and Beth was sure Carol
knew exactly what Julie had been up to. She was about to press Carol for more
information when Maggie appeared from the mess.
“Beth it our turn to make dinner tonight”
“Ok Maggie I’m coming”
She gave Carol a smile and made a mental note to ask carol what she meant about
Julie later. As she past Max’s cell he gave her a smile, she returned it and
continued into the mess.
“So I’m thinking something simple tonight, how bout vegetable soup?”
Beth nodded it sounded good, the two sisters walked outside to collect the
ingredients from the groups garden, carefully attended to by their father.
After collecting what they needed Beth and Maggie began to make a soup enough
for everyone.
The smell of soup began wafting up from the pot and reminded Beth of the soup
the previous night and smiled to her self.
“What are you smiling at?” Maggie asked
“Nothin” Beth replied, blushing.
“Hmm ok” said Maggie not convinced.
By the time the soup was ready it was dark and people began filling into the
mess, not everyone, some preferred to keep to themselves.
“Mmm that smells good girls” said Hershel as he approached.
“Thanks daddy”
As people took their seats, Max wondered in, grabbing a bowl from the table and
let Beth pour soup into it
“You two made this?” He asked. “Yeah Maggie and I did” Beth replied. “Well I
know I’m going like I already know you make a good soup” He left her with a
smile, she couldn’t but smile back and he took a offered seat next to Rick and
Daryl.
When was everyone served, Beth and Maggie filled their own bowls and joined
Glenn and Hershel. Beth hungry ate her dinner while stealing glances at Max
until Maggie caught her looking and stared down into her bowl, only looking up
when she heard a loud laugh and saw Julie had sat down next to Max…
***** Chapter 15 *****
Max shook his head in wonder after Julie had left, and returned to fixing up
his cell, hanging up one of the sheets on the cell door. As he was doing so
Beth walked past giving him a smile which he returned more than willingly.
He walked back outside to gather more of his things and noticed Daryl tinkering
with a motorcycle. Max wasn’t a bike guy but he knew an impressive machine when
he saw one.
“Nice bike” he announced.
Daryl glanced up from the bike and looked him over before returning to his
work.
“Yup” he said simply.
Max already knew he was a man of few words and Max was still a stranger to him,
he was about to say something more when Rick and Ty appeared.
“Max can we have a moment?” Rick asked.
“Yeah sure what’s up?” Max answered.
“You said before you had guns and supplies?” Rick asked
“Yeah that I did”
“Mind if we see?” Rick asked
“Yeah no worries”
He led them over to the Bushmaster, opened the back and climbed inside. He
grabbed one of the several tactical bags belonging to his former comrades and
passed it out to Rick.
Rick whistled as he opened it, discovering the pistols and assault rifle
inside. Max handed the rest of the bags out to Ty, who lay them on the
concrete.
“You got some impressive hardware here, these all yours?” Rick asked, after he
had gone through them all, revealing the rest of the gear, including shotguns,
sniper rifles, assorted grenades, more assault rifles and pistols, as well as
two bags containing ammo for all the weapons.
“They used belong to members of my unit at the embassy in DC, I’m the last man
standing so I guess I inherited them” Max replied, Rick nodded, understanding.
He helped Ty and Rick carry the bags inside to their armoury, but deciding to
keep his own personal bag in his cell. As he placed the bag on his bunk, the
smell of soup wafted through the block and gathered it was almost dinner time.
He walked into the mess to see several others had the same idea and smiled at
Beth as he spotted her across the room, serving the soup from a large pot.
He crossed the room, took a bowl from a stack and Beth ladled some of the soup.
“You two made this?” He asked her.
“Yeah Maggie and I did” Beth replied with a smile.
“Well I know I’m going like I already know you make a good soup”
He took the soup and Rick waved him over to sit down with him a Daryl, which he
accepted.
Rick thanked him for the weapons and he began telling a story about a bag of
guns he had acquired from his former job at his counties sheriff station,
proceeded to lose in the streets of Atlanta and had to make a deal with some
survivors to get them back.
The soup Beth and Maggie had made was delicious and smashed it down, hoping he
would get to taste more of Beth’s cooking in the future.
“Mind if I sit down gents?” asked a voice.
Max looked up to see Julie smiling down at them, he looked quickly at Rick and
Daryl, who shrugged.
“Ah yeah sure” Max replied.
She took the empty seat next to him, brushing her arm against his as she did.
“So how are you finding things so far?” she asked
“Real good” Max answered
“Well we are all glad to have you aren’t we guys?”
Rick just coughed and Daryl didn’t reply, just stood up and walked away without
a word.
“Oh Daryl such a warm guy isn’t he” Julie laughed, loudly.
Rick just gave a strained smile and Max started get an inkling why, Julie was a
little over the top.
“I um better go check on my children” Rick announced, he stood up and left but
not before he gave a Max a warning look.
“So I guess it just us then” said Julie, the way she said it sounding like she
wanted nothing better.
“Ahh yeah I guess so” replied Max, feeling like he was being forced into a
corner.
“So tell me about your self Max”
Max politely told his story as Julie hung onto every word. She played with her
hair and kept brushing his arm through out the story and Max began to feel like
some sort of prey in her eyes. The flirting irked him and if it was in any
other situation he may have been flattered but he was tired and just wasn’t
interested. She began to tell her story, she was twenty seven divorced from
Atlanta and had wound up at a place called Woodbury and then ended up at the
prison.
Max was about to politely excuse himself when he was saved by the appearance of
Carol.
“Hi you two, Julie mind if I speak to you” she asked with a neutral smile on
her face.
“Oh now Carol?” she asked, her own smile fading.
“Yeah its about the job roster for tomorrow” Carol explained and Julie turned
back to him.
“Go its ok, I’m going to turn in any way” he said, slightly relieved.
Julie gave him a disappointed look but left with Carol regardless. Max got up
and carried his bowl over to the wash up area and handed it to Glenn who was
saddled with washing up.
“Dude I um would watch your self around Julie” Glenn said quietly and Max
raised an eyebrow in response.
“Just trust me dude, she is kinda trouble if you catch me drift” he continued.
“Ok thanks for the warning”
“No worries”
He left Glenn and headed into the cell block, now wanted nothing more than to
get some sleep. He caught sight of Beth who was humming softly to Judith in her
arms, getting her ready for sleep.
Beth gave him a small smile but it didn’t reach her eyes and Max felt strangely
like he had done something wrong.
“Good night Beth” he said
“Good night Max” she replied, but her voice sounded strained and she walked off
before he could ask her about it.
Max decided he would find out tomorrow what was bothering her, he pulled his
cell door closed, undressed, climbed into his bunk and before he knew it he was
fast asleep.
***** Chapter 16 *****
Beth couldn’t sleep, she tossed restlessly, cursing her mind. The scene at
dinner kept playing through her head and she sighed in frustration, wondering
why it bothered her so much. But it did though and she cringed at the image of
Julie’s shameless flirting, with her hands stroking Max’s arm. It wasn’t
jealously was it?, no it couldn’t be but the thought of Julie being interested
in Max made her so mad, would Max succumb to her charms? but even he did its
not like she had any claim on him, she was just being stupid, god she only
seventeen, a teenage girl with a growing crush on an older man.
She sighed again in frustration and rolled over once again, shut her eyes and
hoped she would finally get some sleep.
Beth did fall asleep despite all that was going through her head and when
morning came she stirred, dressed and headed down to mess get some breakfast.
“Hey carol” she said
“Hey sleepyhead, you want some porridge?” teased Carol.
“Mm thanks” said Beth.
As she ate at a table, her father, Glenn, Daryl and Sasha came in, ready for a
council meeting. Hershel noticed her and walked over.
“Morning Bethie” he said.
“Hey daddy” Beth replied in greeting.
Her father nodded, Daryl grunted and the group left for the admin wing for
their council meeting but not before Carol stopped by the table.
“When you’re finish dear, can you get Max and bring him to the meeting?”
“Of course” Beth promised.
“I think he is outside”
Beth quickly finished off her breakfast and washed up the bowl and went to find
Max.
He was indeed outside, standing and looking out through the fence, down onto
the field. She felt a little apprehensive as she approached but he turned as
she got closer and gave her a warm smile.
“Morning”
“Hey” she said simply, a little off guard by the smile.
“sleep ok?”
“Yeah not bad, you?”
“Yeah great actually, a comfy bed behind thick walls and not having to worry
about walkers eating your face of really improves your sleeping habits”
“Yeah I guess it would” she agreed.
There was a little lull as they looked at each other and Beth had to know about
last night, otherwise it would drive her mad all day.
“So I saw you talking to Julie last night” Beth said
“Yeah I couldn’t get away from her, luckily I was rescued by Carol”
Beth’s heart soared at this new information, she felt a smile spread on her
face and suddenly the outlook of the day looked a whole lot brighter.
“She can be a bit much”
“Yeah tell me about it” he laughed
Beth giggled in response, she felt a little bad to be laughing at Julies
expense but she couldn’t help but be glad Max didn’t have an apparent interest
in Julie. Then she remembered why she out there in the first place.
“Oh um Carol sent me to bring you to the council meeting”
“Ok no worries let’s go”
Beth led him to the admin wing in comfortable silence and stopped outside the
room the council used for their meetings, she wanted to say something but
instead just smiled and hurried away.
She came across Maggie with Judith in her arms, the two off them seemed
agitated in each other presence.
“Did you what me to take her?”
“Oh thanks Beth” Maggie said sounding very relieved.
She retrieved some of Judith formula and she and Maggie chatted for a while
until their father walked into the cell block.
“Hey Maggie are you up for a run today?” he asked.
“Sure daddy” Maggie replied
“Good can you help Glenn and Daryl get ready”
“Ok” said Maggie and she left the cell block.
Beth had wondered what job they had assigned Max but it sounded like he was
going to be helping out on runs. This made her a little worried, as she knew
from very recent personal experience that runs could go bad, and at least at
the prison it was safer, behind the fences and brick walls.
“Max is going on the run?” she asked a little to quickly.
“Yes dear he volunteered”
“Oh” she said softly
“Don’t look so worried Bethie, the man is a soldier he can take care of himself
and he keep the others safe as well”
Beth nodded but she didn’t want to reveal she just worried about him not coming
back so she put on a smile to ensure that.
“I know I’m just thinking about yesterday”
“Well this is the life we live now, we can’t be afraid of setbacks”
She knew her father was right but she still felt a little uneasy that that had
put Max on run duty after only being at the prison for a day, but everyone had
a job to do and now this was Max’s.
Maggie appeared from the cell she shared with Glenn in her assault gear and
Beth followed her outside.
Daryl, Glenn, Bob and Max were already outside and she wandered up to Max.
“So um daddy told me you going out on the run today” she said.
“Yeah he said you need more supplies, so I’m going to help out” he replied.
“Oh ok”
“Don’t worry I’m pretty hard to kill, besides I got this puppy to back me up”
Max smiled indicating his rifle clipped to his vest as he slapped in a full
mag.
His smile and cockiness eased the feeling in her stomach, he could handle
himself, she had seen this first hand.
“Good make sure it keeps you and the others safe” she said softly
“Yes mam” max replied with a fake southern drawl and she giggled
The fake accent sounded bad but anything he said with his real accent sent
delightful shivers down her spine.
“Haha well I’ll see when you get back”
“Sure will do” he promised
He said it off hand but she needed him to know she wanted him to come back.
“Make sure you do” she said.
“Huh?”
“make sure you do come back safe ok” she replied looking him in the eye.
“I promise Beth”...
***** Chapter 17 *****
The next morning Max wandered down to the mess, he didn’t see Beth but Carol
gave him a warm smile as he approached.
“Hey there, did you have a good sleep?” she asked as she handed him a bowl of
porridge.
“Thanks, very good sleep, first time in ages actually”
“Glad to hear, when you’re ready the council and I would like to talk to you”
“The council?” Max asked confused.
“Yeah our little governing group we make sure everything runs properly, well
Hershel does anyway”
“Ok yeah sure no worries, just let me know when”
He nodded at carol and headed out side into the warm morning sun spooning the
warm porridge into his mouth.
He wandered over to the inner fence and looked down on the field, taking in the
view, from what he gathered was Rick’s pigsty to the crowd of walkers pressing
against the outer perimeter fence.
He heard footsteps behind him and turned to see Beth walking up to him, and
couldn't help but like the way the sun lit up her hair and smiled. “Morning” he
greeted her.
“Hey” she said replied.
“sleep ok?” he asked.
“Yeah not bad, you?”
“Yeah great actually, a comfy bed behind thick walls and not having to worry
about walkers eating your face of really improves your sleeping habits” he
answered
“Yeah I guess it would”
Max looked at her and was about to ask her what was bothering her last night
but she spoke up before he could.
“So I saw you talking to Julie last night” Beth said.
“Yeah I couldn’t get away from her, luckily I was rescued by Carol”
Suddenly a bright smile appeared on her face and Max could tell she was pleased
by his answer and wondered if it had to do with the night before.
“She can be a bit much” she said
“Yeah tell me about it” he laughed, smirking.
“Oh um Carol sent me to bring you to the council meeting” she said suddenly,
changing the subject.
“Ok no worries let’s go”
Max followed her, liking the way her pony tail flicked as she walked and he
found himself staring at her sway again and her tight arse accentuated by her
jeans. He chastised himself, looking away just in time as the reached the
stairs and he drew level with her.
Beth led him to the prisons admin wing, leaving him at the door and giving him
another brilliant smile as she left. Max opened the door to find Hershel,
Carol, Glenn, Daryl and Sasha sitting around a table.
“Morning Max come sit down” said Hershel, Max nodded and sat down in the empty
chair.
“We just want to officially welcome you to our little community and to thank
you again for your help with Beth” said Carol.
“No worries I was able to help so I did”
“Wat are ya skills?” asked Daryl bluntly.
“Where to start ,mostly military based I guess, I spent the better half of 10
years hunting terrorists, and fighting in hot zones throughout the middle east,
south east Asia and other countries we weren’t supposed to be in before I was
assigned to DC, you put me to work and I won’t let you down”
“Ok far enuff” said Daryl with a smirk.
“Well how bout well put you on some runs then go from there?” suggested Hershel
and Max nodded in agreement, he would do what he could to help.
“We might have to go on one today, maybe back to the same town” said Daryl.
“What about the walkers?” Sasha asked.
“Hopefully they have moved on by now” said Glenn.
“We can take my APC” Max suggested.
“Ok its settled then Max, Glenn and Daryl, take some others and go back today”
said Hershel.
The council excused Max and he returned to his cell, where he snapped on his
gun belt, threw on his tactical vest, grabbed his rifle and pack before heading
out to the bushmaster.
Once there he climbed inside and swung open the roof hatch to check the mounted
M240 machine gun. The weapon was still operational as far as he could tell
without firing it but he would need to find some more ammo for it and climbed
back out of the vehicle
As he felt satisfied the Bushmaster was ready to go Daryl, Bob and Glenn walked
up and proceeded to place their thing in the back. Max saw Beth walking towards
him with Judith in her arms and smiled at her.
“So um daddy told me you going out on the run today” she asked him.
“Yeah he said you need more supplies, so I’m going to help out” he replied.
“Oh ok”
Max noticed a look of concern on her face, could it be that she was worried
about him going out there?.
“Don’t worry I’m pretty hard to kill, besides I got this puppy to back me up”
Max smiled indicating his rifle on his vest.
“Good make sure it keeps you and the others safe”
“Yes mam” Max replied with a fake southern drawl and she giggled.
“Haha well um I better get this one fed, I’ll see you later” she suggested.
“Sure will do”
“Make sure you do” she said.
“Huh?” he asked, confused.
“make sure you do come back safe ok” she replied.
“I promise Beth”
With that she walked back inside leaving him to interpret those last words of
hers.
An hour or so later Max and the crew were entering the outskirts of the town
where Max had come across Beth. The main part of the town was still full of
walkers when they arrived so they decided to check the outlying suburbs
instead, deciding to avoid the town center all together.
Max parked the APC in a quiet suburban street lined with upper class houses and
everyone stepped out weapons ready, but luckily the suburb they had chosen
seemed to be walker free, at least for the time being.
“Ok lets split up, Daryl and I will take this side how bout you three take that
side?” suggested Glenn.
Max agreed, nodded to Maggie and Bob and the three of them walked to the first
house. Bob quietly opened the front door and smacked his machete on the door
frame while Max and Maggie aimed their weapons through the open door. When
nothing came out they entered.
Max clipped his rifle to his vest and entered the kitchen with Maggie while Bob
checked upstairs. He opened the fridge and immediately regretted it as a foul
stench wafted out.
“Oh god what is that?” Maggie asked as Max slammed the fridge shut.
“Don’t know, don’t want to know”
“Never check the fridge, at least the cupboards are pretty full”
She was right, Max checked more cupboards and they were filled with canned
goods, jars of pasta sauce and various other packets of food.
They threw them all into the packs they were carrying, by the time they had
collected everything in the kitchen, Bob met them in the front hall.
“Find anything?” Maggie asked.
“Not much a few meds and a first aid kit in the bathroom, but I did find a
pistol in the bedroom, how bout you guys?”
“Pretty good the kitchen was well stocked, who ever lived here either took
nothing with them or didn’t ever come back”
They checked the rest of the house but didn’t find anything so they threw what
they found in the APC and continued on. It was the same for the next two houses
until the fourth house when they checked the basement.
They cleared the house, it was as empty as the last two but he did find a few
packets of crisps.
“Hey there is a basement” announced Maggie
Max chucked the crisps in his pack and joined her at the door she had just
opened. They peered down into the dark, they heard dripping water and gave each
other a look.
“What do you think?” she asked
“Alright lets check it out”
Max unclipped his rifle, switched on the flash light attached to the barrel and
made his way down the stairs as the flash light illuminated the room.
He reached the bottom and the floor was covered in water dripping from a
cracked pipe, he swung his rifle around the room and the light picked up jars
and jars of preserved food. One of the shelves was knocked over, had split jars
and was blocking off some of the shelves.
“Hey guys get down here I think we just found the mother load” Max called and
Maggie came down with Bob holding their own flash lights.
“Oh shit” said Bob.
“Must have been some of those doomsday preppers” said Max.
“What makes you say that?” asked Maggie.
“Well the food and that” Max replied and ran his light over a large steel gun
cabinet on the far wall.
Max stepped down into the water and it came up past his ankles, the water must
have been dripping for a while. He sloshed his way across the room to the
cabinet while Bob investigated the shelves. Max grasped the handle but it was
locked tight.
“Locked?” asked Maggie
Suddenly Bob yelled and loud groans shot out. Both of them spun to see him
tangled with a walker that was behind the shelf, it had shoved its arm through
and grabbed Bob. He managed to pull himself free but tripped backwards into the
water, and more arms pushed through.
The shelf began to tip as the walkers pushed against it, Bob scuttled back,
splashing through the water. Max ran over and caught the shelf before it fell
on him. He drew his pistol and fired point blank through the shelves. Maggie
rushed up and helped brace the shelf.
“Bob you clear?” Max yelled.
“Yeah I’m good” he called.
“Good, ok, Maggie let the shelf go”
At the same time the two let the shelf fall, smashing into the water and
revealing three walkers that had been trapped between the shelves. With Bob and
Maggie’s flash lights lighting them, Max quickly shot them with his pistol.
He holstered his pistol and held out his hand to Bob, he grabbed it and Max
pulled him to his feet.
“You ok?” he asked.
“Yeah thanks feel like a fool though” he grinned and Max turned his attention
back to the walkers, making sure they were out for good.
“I think these guys killed each other” Max mused.
“Huh?” Maggie asked confused.
“Yeah looks like they killed each other and in the fight one of them must have
knocked this shelf over trapping them when they turned” he explained.
“Hey everyone ok” yelled a voice and Daryl came down the stairs with his
crossbow up, followed by Glenn. As Glenn and Maggie embraced, Max searched the
walker bodies until he found the key to the gun safe. Inside the safe he found
four assault rifles, two shotguns and a hunting rifle.
The group began carting the finds up and into the APC until they had gathered
most of them.
“I think we should call it, we found an awesome stash but we don’t want to push
our luck” suggested Glenn.
Max agreed, the weapons and food they had found would aid the prison greatly,
they still had hours of daylight to search the other houses but they decided to
call it a day not wanting to push their luck.
Max climbed into the drivers seat, Glenn,Daryl and Bob climbed in the back,
while Maggie rode shotgun. Max fired up the engine and they headed back to the
prison.
Once they past the city limits and left the town behind, Max couldn’t wait to
get back, the little commotion in the basement was just another example he
needed to be in a group, that could have easily have been him under that shelf
with no one to save him. Saving Beth and now Bob may have just cemented his
membership in the prison group.
“Hey thanks for that back there, really saved my arse” said Bob braking the
silence in the vehicle.
“Nah no thanks necessary, couldn’t just let you die down there” Max replied
humbly.
“Well thanks any way dude”
Max just nodded to him in the rear view mirror and went back to the road. He
was making headway in the trust area and he was going to make sure that trust
was well placed.
***** Chapter 18 *****
Beth stared out at the prison yard and at the gate. They had only just left and
she knew she couldn’t just wait here for them to get back. She hoped Maggie
would be alright and that they would all return safely, she sighed and fiddled
with her wristbands.
“Something wrong Beth?”
“Huh?” she said dumbly, snapping from her thoughts to see Carol.
“Beth?”
“Oh nothing just a little worried I guess”
“They going to be fine Beth, Maggie and Glenn and the others will come back
you’ll see”
“Yeah I know”
“And don’t worry I’m sure Max is going to come back as well”
Beth quickly looked at her, to see an amused look on carol’s face and blushed
slightly
“What?”
“Just saying he comes across as a pretty capable guy, you know that first hand”
she said
Beth opened her mouth to reply but was saved by the opening of the main gate,
she spun to see Michonne ridding through on her horse with her ever present
sword slung on her back.
“Hey Michonne” Beth called as the woman rode up into the inner yard.
Michonne smiled and dismounted while Beth grabbed the reins and brushed the
horse’s nose. He snorted and she giggled, reminding her of her horse Nelly back
on the farm.
“Any luck out there?” Carol asked Michonne.
“No sign of him” she replied.
Beth listen to the two talk as she pulled the saddle off and let the horse lose
in the yard before sliding the gate closed. Michonne spent most of her time now
looking for the Governor, the thought of the man out there scared Beth a little
but it had been months since his attack and he hadn’t made an appearance.
“So what’s been happening here?” Michonne asked.
“Well funny you should ask, we have a new addition” Carol replied.
“Oh?” asked Michonne
“Yeah the run the day before went south, Beth got her self into a bit of
trouble and a young Australian soldier saved her” Carol explained.
Beth blushed, she didn’t like the story being told, it made her out like a
helpless damsel in distress and because that’s how it went down was even more
frustrating
“An Australian huh?, don’t think I’ve even met an one” said Michonne
“Well he’s a soldier and pretty handsome one too, wouldn’t you agree Beth?”
teased Carol
Beth didn’t say anything but blushed deeply, tried to hide her face and the two
woman laughed.
“Ok now I have to see this man” laughed Michonne.
“Well you’ll just have to wait, he out on a run with Maggie, Glenn Bob and
Daryl”
“Got him working already as well?”
Beth walked beside the older women as the three of them headed inside.
“Are you hungry Michonne? I can make you something” Beth asked.
“I’m fine Beth, besides you shouldn’t have to dote on me I’m sure you have
better things to do” Michonne replied
Beth smiled and left Carol and Michonne to talk. She made her way to the
library to find a new book.
Beth found the the library filled with the children of the group who were,
drawing, talking and reading the few age appropriate books the prison library
had to offer. She caught sight of Carl playing with his sister and smiled at
them.
“Hi Beth” called Mika, waving from where she was drawing.
“Hey Mika” said Beth returning the greeting and walking over to her.
“What are you drawing?” she asked the girl.
“My old house, see there is mum and dad and me and Lizzy” she replied Mika
showing Beth the drawing, a memory of a happy time in Mika’s life.
“That’s really good Mika” praised
“Thank you, so what are you doing Beth?” Mika asked with a smile.
“Well I was hoping to find a book to read” Beth replied
“Are you going to read it with Max?” she asked with a giggle.
Beth blinked in shock at the younger girl and all the children turned to look
her, eager for her answer, even Carl seemed to be listening in.
“Don’t be stupid he’s to old for Beth” said Carl snidely
The comment stung but she knew Carl was right, Max was too old for her and
would in no way see her that way but it still hurt.
“So?, he’s really cute though” retorted Mika.
There was a chorus of giggles and Beth couldn’t help but smile at them, knowing
she wasn’t going to be able to say anything to change their minds.
“But what about Zach? he’s cute too?” added Lizzie and the giggles continued
“Ok everyone settle down I’m sure Beth doesn’t want us talking about who she
likes” said Carl, sounding every bit like his father and Beth was thankful for
his support and she retreated into the book stacks. She began humming softly to
her self as she looked over the books and after about half an hour she decided
on Treasure Island, she had read it once before but would enjoy reading it
again. She picked one of the empty couches and curled up in it and began to
read.
Beth lost track of time as she become lost in the novel and only looked up when
she noticed Zach enter the library. He spotted and his grin widened, making a
bee line for her
“Hey Beth” he greeted her happily.
“Hi Zach” Beth replied cautiously.
“So um Beth can we talk?” he asked.
“Aren’t we talking now?” asked Beth, trying to play coy.
“Well yeah but I was hoping you um thought about what I said yesterday?”
Beth almost sighed, what was she going to say?, she wanted to let him down
easily but also wanted to do it somewhere there wasn’t several eager ears
listening in. She was about to say something, anything when luck shined her way
and Judith started crying.
Beth almost praised the girls timing, she used it as an excuse to escape Zach,
jumped off the couch and walked over to pick her up from where she was sitting
with Carl.
“There, there Judy it all right” she soothed.
Without and glance at Zach, she left the library with Judith in her arms. Beth
wasn’t sure what she was going to do about Zach, he wasn’t going to take a hint
any time soon and she wouldn’t be able to use Judith as an escape forever.
As she wandered back to the cell block Judith stopped crying but she was still
restless and Beth began singing to her. Judith relaxed instantly, closed her
eyes and thankfully, lulled to sleep. Beth kept singing and rocking her gently,
making sure the girl was well and truly asleep before putting her down in her
crib.
As she walked back and forth, she turned and stopped mid chorus as she saw Max
standing in the cell block with a slight smile on his face.
“Oh hey you’re back” she said, happy he was back but a little embarrassed he
had caught her singing.
“Yeah I promised I would”
“Do you run into any trouble?” she asked a little fearfully.
“Well there was a little trouble but nothing we couldn’t handle”
“Oh good, no one hurt?” she asked.
“Nah except maybe Bob’s pride” he replied.
“Why?” she asked confused.
“Well there is more too it but short answer he literally fell on his arse”
“Really?” she said with a raised eyebrow.
“Yeah not exactly funny but no injuries and we did find a good stash of food
and supplies enough to last us a while” he explained.
Beth nodded at the information, she was happy that they managed to find some
supplies but if she wasn’t honest she was more relieved that no one had been
killed or hurt and that Max had kept his promise to return safely.
***** Chapter 19 *****
The drive back to the prison was uneventful and Max relaxed in the drivers seat
as the Bushmaster powered down the road. Glenn and Bob were talking in the
back, crammed in among the boxes, discussing the best parts of the old days.
Max and Maggie exchanged glances, listening to the guys and both smirked.
“Max I don’t think I really thanked you for saving Beth” she said.
“No thanks necessary" Max replied humbly.
“Well thanks anyway, I wasn’t ok when Beth wanted to go on that run, I knew she
wasn’t ready and I was devastated when she didn’t return”
Max didn’t reply, not sure what to say but had a feeling Maggie had more to say
on the subject and stayed silent.
“She shouldn’t be going on runs, she’s not exactly qualified for the job” she
continued. Max sighed internally, Maggie obviously had some issues she needed
to sort out concerning Beth and Max thought she was selling her sister short
but it certainly wasn’t his place to to tell her that. Maggie wrapped up in her
rant, plunged on.
“I mean she is only seventeen for gods sake”
Max let that sink in and didn’t know how exactly to process it. He had gathered
Beth was in her late teens and if he was honest with himself perhaps a little
younger. He felt little disgusted with himself, even though his thoughts
weren’t lustful and would never act on them he still felt uncomfortable
thinking about Beth in anyway that wasn’t acceptable.
“Oh geeze I’m sorry you don’t need me tearin you ear off” she apologising,
looking sheepishly as she saw the expression on his face, but thankfully
misreading it.
“Its ok”
“No you don’t need to listen to me prattle I just worry about her and I don’t
know what I would do if I lost another family member” she said
“Nah it’s fine, you care about your family”
The settled into a comfortable silence only filled with the sounds of Glenn and
Bob trying to get Daryl to talk about what he did before but failing miserably.
“So Max what’s Australia like?” asked Glenn poking his head into the cab.
“Huh?” asked Max put on the spot.
“Glenn don’t be an idiot” scolded Maggie
“What I’ve never been out of the states and now never will, Max is the first
person I’ve met from another country”
“Ok far enough Glenn, what did you want to know?” Max laughed.
“I heard that everything there wants to kill you?”
he asked with all seriousness. “Heh yeah I guess, we have our fair share of
snakes, spiders and crocs but its not like some super dangerous wasteland, well
maybe now it is”
he replied. Glenn seemed to be happy with the answer and returned his seat. Max
began to reminisce in his head about his former home, he hadn’t been back for
years, even before the outbreak. Max wondered if he would ever return, giving
anything to know the situation there. Max shook himself he couldn’t get
sidelined by the impossible and needed to focus on the present. He gripped the
steering wheel and applied a little more gas.
The prison gates soon appeared and Max drove though as the gates opened and
parked up in the courtyard. He stepped out and was greeted by Rick, Ty and a
few others Max hadn’t official met yet.
“How did it go?” Rick asked
“Actually not bad Rick, we found a nice score” said Maggie
“Any trouble?”
“Nah nothing we couldn’t handle” said Daryl with a smirk.
Max offered to help unload the Bushmaster but Rick insisted he and the rest of
the run crew to relax. Maggie grabbed Glenn hand and the disappeared off
somewhere and Daryl headed off to find Carol, so Max wandered to the mess to
grab a snack. Once inside he heard someone singing and was drawn to the angelic
voice and he stopped short when he saw it was Beth.
She was rocking Judith in her arms and singing a song he didn’t recognise, the
whole scene mesmerised him, he found her voice intoxicating and all the
thoughts that had been plaguing him reared up and realised he was fucked. He
shouldn’t have these feelings rising up inside him but he was fighting a losing
battle.
***** Chapter 20 *****
A few hours after Max and the others had returned Beth wandered into the mess
in time for dinner, her father waved her over to his table where he and Carol
were sitting.
“Evening” she said happily as she sat down.
“Hello Bethie” said her father.
Maggie and Glenn joined them and shortly after the dinner crew began to serve
up. She noticed Max had decided to sit at Ty and Sasha’s table she felt a
little disappointed he hadn’t chosen her table but smiled at him anyway as he
looked over.
She tried to sneak looks at him as she ate, barely listening to the
conversations happening around her.
“Your foods going to go cold Beth if you keep staring” said Carol in her ear.
Startled, she dropped her fork into her bowl making a loud clattering sound and
everyone at the table looked at her in surprise.
Beth felt her face heat up and looked down trying to hide her embarrassment as
they all went back to what they were doing.
“Sorry Beth I didn’t mean to scare you” carol whispered.
“I-I wasn’t staring” she tried to explained.
“Don’t worry Beth its ok” she soothed with a smile on her face.
“It is?” she whispered back
“yeah just be more subtly about it” she replied.
“What are you two whispering about?” her father asked from across the table.
“Just a little girls talk Hershel” carol answered, nudging Beth and Beth
couldn’t help but giggle in response.
Dinner was soon over, Beth stood up and started collecting bowls and cutlery
off people, including Max who inquired why she was washing up again and
explained the swap with Glenn.
She had gotten about half of the bowls and cutlery and turned back to get the
rest when Max placed them down on the wash up table next to her.
“Need a hand with these?” he asked her as he put his dishes on the table next
to the ones she had collected.
“Oh its ok, Carol’s meant to help I think” she replied shyly.
“Ahh she.. ” he began but trailed off.
“Yeah I think she may have palmed the job of to me” he said said finally
“Really?” she said with a giggle and Beth had an inkling why and felt her heart
leap a little.
“Yeah I think so” he replied and laughed as well.
“Well ok then, did you want to wash or dry” she asked.
Soon the tub they used to wash up in was filled with hot water and Max began to
wash up the bowls, he handed her the washed her one and their fingers brushed
and she almost let it drop as a spark of energy surged between them.
“So what did you want to do after you finished school?” he asked her suddenly
braking the weird vibe.
“What?” she asked, still confused by the moment and now the question even more
so.
“You know after school, what did you want to be?” he repeated.
The question actually threw her, the was no society any more so no school but
if the outbreak had never happen Beth gathered she would probably have go to
university to study music.
“That’s a weird question, but I guess I wanted to study music” she replied
“Music huh?, well you do have the voice for it”
She blushed at this praise, and she don’t think anyone besides her father or
sister had complemented her singing voice.
“What about you?” she asked changing the subject to hide the blush filling her
cheeks.
“Nah can’t sing to save my life” he joked
“No, I mean did you always want to join the military?”
“I wanted to become a pilot like my dad” he replied.
“Oh cool, and fly around the world?” she asked taking another plate.
“Yeah something like that”
“So do you have family back in Australia? " she asked
“I did" he replied softly.
“Did?” she asked.
she looked up confused, then she understood completely and wished she hadn’t
asked the question.
“Yeah my parents died in my teens, my father was a chopper pilot in the army
and when he retired, he and my mother started up a charter/sightseeing
business, and then bout 6 months after I turned 18 they died in a plane crash"
he said heavily
“Oh I'm sorry” she said softly touching his arm.
"It's alright it happened a long time ago, after they died, I sold the business
and enlisted, and soon I was recruited by the SAS" he explained.
“I know what its like to lose family, I lost my mother and brother” she
revealed.
“Sorry to hear that Beth” he said warmly
“I’m ok now, but it was tough for a while”
The she thought back images of her mother and Shawn stumbling out of the barn
and being cut down by Shane and the others. She reached down to the scar she
had subsequently given her self shortly after.
They returned washing and drying in a comfortable silence she kept looking up
at him to find him looking back until the final dish was washed.
“Um thanks for the help” she said as she placed the bowl in the box they kept
them.
“Hey no worries”
They both looked at each other, their job was finished but she didn’t want to
move from the spot but knew she couldn’t just stand there forever.
“So um I better go see if Judith needs putting to sleep” Beth said finally.
“Ok I’ll catch you later”
She smiled one last time and headed out of the mess her head spinning she had
wanted to stay longer but she didn’t want to end up saying something
embarrassing, so she came out with that true but lame excuse.
Her heart had broke when he told her about his family and she scolded her self
but it had swelled a little when he had said he had no one that might be
waiting for him.
She found Carol on the catwalk, Carol holding Judith and smiled at the older
woman as she talked to the little girl.
“Did you enjoy washing up Beth?” she asked smugly.
“Yes I did actually” she replied, trying to gauge what carol was actually up
to.
“Well good” she said smiling.
She was about to question carol about the whole thing, the staring and why she
told asked Max to help her, when Judith stirred in Carols arms but thankful
didn’t start crying.
“Did you want me to take her?” she asked
“No it ok I’ve got this you go get some sleep Beth”
Beth smiled at Carol, tickled Judith and retired to her bunk. As she undressed
and hopped into bed, the conversation with Max played over in her head and she
wondered how the next few days were going to unfold.
***** Chapter 21 *****
A week had past since he had arrived at the prison and Max found himself
settling in nicely, everyone welcomed him with open arms and he thoroughly
enjoyed having people to talk to again but with all those things there was one
thing that was beginning to bother him and that was his growing attraction to
Beth. She seemed to be everywhere, she just had to smile and he weakened.
He was throwing his pack into the back of the bushmaster, getting ready for a
run that day when she appeared behind him.
“Hey” she said.
It was just a simple greeting but the way she said in that sweet voice of all
gave it more meaning.
“Hey your self” Max replied.
“You going on another run?” she asked.
“Yep sure am”
“Oh good, um I was wondering if you get me something?, if you can't don't
worry” she asked with a hopeful voice.
“Yeah sure”
“I need a new journal, I’ve filled my current one up” she explained.
“You keep a diary?” Max asked, intrigued.
“Yeah when I can” she replied sounding embarrassed.
“That’s cool Beth, I wouldn’t have the patience, ‘dear diary, woke up, worlds
still fucked” Max said and she giggled.
“I mostly just do it to get my thoughts out” she said.
“Nah that’s awesome Beth, yeah I look out for one I promise”
“thanks so much Max” she replied sweetly.
Max was about to reply when the door C block opened and Maggie, Glenn and
Michonne appeared, all geared up.
“Beth?” Maggie asked as she saw Beth.
“Oh I just wanted to wish you guys luck” Beth said and Max wondered why she
lied.
Maggie seemed to see through the lie as well as she raised an raised an eyebrow
but didn’t press any further.
“Ok lets go” Glenn suggested.
With one last look at Beth, Max climbed into the bushmaster, started the engine
and proceeded to drive down to the gate.
A few hours later Max and Michonne were searching through a general store that
had mostly been picked clean grabbing what they could. Max swept down the dimly
lit aisles scanning the near empty shelves, he came to the stationary section
and stopped when he saw it completely full. Not much use for pens and pads in
this world he mused, he threw some crayons and coloured pencils for the kids
into his pack. A blue notebook caught his eye and he picked it up, the front
was covered in little music notes He held it for a moment wondering if he
should get it when Michonne came up beside him.
“Find something?” she asked
“Um yeah got stuff for the kids pencils and shit, guess they need paper as
well” he coughed out
“hmm very thoughtful big man, but you might want to get some plain paper, that
looks too good for the kids” she said.
“Ahh yeah Beth mentioned said needed a new notebook”
Max just stared at her and a grin appeared on her face as she picked up some
plain paper pads putting them in her pack.
“She’ll love it, its perfect” she said giving him a knowing look.
Max opened his mouth to try some damage control but they were interrupted by
Glenn coming into the store.
“Hey guys lets finish up, we should get back” Glenn announced.
Max couldn’t agree more, he slipped the book into his thigh pocket and followed
him outside, wishing Michonne would wipe that smile off her face.
Max, Glenn, Michonne and Maggie climbed into Max’s APC and began the trip back
to the prison
“You guys find anything interesting?” Glenn asked after they had been driving
for a bit
“hmm not really how bout you Max?” Michonne asked as he touched his thigh
pocket.
Max didn’t answer but grunted non committally and tried to focus on driving,
but Michonne wasn’t making it easy plus the note book felt like it was burning
a hole in his leg.
“Ok, yeah we didn’t find much either, we might have to cross this town off”
said Michonne, thankfully changing the subject.
“You checked out the other towns around?” Max asked
“Not all of them we’ll try one of them next run” Michonne explained.
Half an hour later they arrived at the prison gates, Max waited for Carl and
Daryl to open the gate, he drove through, up to the main buildings and shut
down the engine. He stepped down from the APC and stretched, the others
following suit. He began helping them unloading their finds but Michonne
stopped him.
“Don’t worry we got this, don’t you have a gift to give?”
Max gave her a look and felt his face warm but didn’t argue. He left them to
finish up and went to find Beth. As he walked inside he checked his pocket for
the tenth time since he put the notebook there, he found Carol in the mess
helping make dinner.
“Hey Max, you guys are back” she called
“Yeah just now” Max answered
“No trouble I hope?” she asked
“No not this time” Max replied.
“Have you seen Beth?” he asked as normally as he could.
“Yeah I think she’s up in the library” Carol replied with a smile.
Max thanked her and left for the library, glad that she hadn’t asked why he was
asking about the teen girl.
He found Beth in the library like Carol had promised, she was lying on a couch
dressed in a tank top and a small pair of shorts, intently reading a book.The
late afternoon sun pouring through the windows lit up her hair and she was
chewing slightly on her necklace. His mouth went dry as he gazed across her
bare legs that seemed go on forever and an image of them wrapped around him
flashed through his head.
“Max?” she said, noticing him and fixed him with a smile
“Hey” he managed and crossed the room to join her hoping she hadn’t caught him
staring at he. She swung her legs off the couch and he couldn’t help but glance
between them as she did.
“How did the run go?” she asked, giving no indication of what he had done.
“Yeah very good and I found you a note book” he
“Really?” she asked
He pulled the notebook from his pocket and handed it to her. Her eyes lit up as
she took it and smiled brightly.
“Oh wow Max thanks”
“No worries, it was nothing” he replied humbly
“Max it wasn’t nothing its really nice” she said softly and touched his arm.
Her touch was electrifying and wished he could return it. God, he needed to get
a grip he thought.
“Well um I gotta get going promised I would help Daryl with something” he lied
“Ok I’ll catch you later” she said, sounding like she believed it.
Max practicality fled the room and once he was far away enough he rested his
head against the brick wall. He felt despicable, he was lusting after a
seventeen year old girl, a girl that knocked him off his feet without even
trying, he was going to have to solve his problem and fast.
***** Chapter 22 *****
Beth couldn’t believe it had been a week since that fateful run that had
brought Max into her life. She found her self seeking him out even just to
catch a glimpse of him, but tried to do so subtlety, to keep her growing crush
a secret.
She was having a lazy morning with Carol watching Judith and having no
responsibility till later, she was catching up on her journal entries. She
finished off the entry of the day before she realised the notebook was almost
full, with only a few pages left. Beth guessed she could write in or on
anything but she would prefer a actual notebook and sighed, she had already
searched through the admin wing for books and pads to write in months ago.
“Catching up on your diary?” asked a voice.
Beth looked up and smiled at her father came into her cell.
“Yeah I’ve missed a few days” she replied
“Well you’ve had a couple exciting days” he said with a smile
She couldn’t agree more, the few entries she had written were a lot more
interesting than months of ones before them and her growing feelings for Max
had taken most of them, not that she would admit that to her father.
“So are you still planing to help me in the garden?” he asked.
“Of course daddy” she replied.
“Good and I hope Maggie finds some seeds today I want to plant some more, get a
nice variety going”
“There is another run?” she asked.
“Yes Maggie, Glenn, Michonne and Max are heading out now” he explained.
Suddenly Beth had a solution to her problem, she excused her self explaining to
her father that she wanted speak to Maggie before they went and rushed outside
to the courtyard.
She didn’t find Maggie but she did find Max preparing to go and decided to ask
Max instead if he could find her a note book, hoping he would say yes.
To her surprise he said he would and blushed when he liked the idea of her
keeping a journal and even more when she thought about the fact that she was
writing about him. She turned at the appearance of Maggie who asked her why she
was there and Beth suddenly felt like she was doing something wrong and lied
why she was there.
Beth could tell Maggie didn’t believe her but didn’t ask any more and departed
with the others. Beth watched them leave, hoping once again they would stay
safe and come back safe. She walked over to the prison garden and found her
father had already started.
“Ready to get started Bethie?” he called.
She nodded and went to get changed into her work clothes and returned to help
him. Beth worked happily side by side with her father as they pruned some of
the plants and removed the weeds to ensure the plants they wanted ample growing
room.
“Hmm this coming along nicely” he said after a while.
“Yeah I didn’t think we would be growing a garden after everything we have been
through” she said
It was true, after everything thing that had happened at the farm and then the
months moving from place to place, even after finding the prison she never
thought it would last long enough for it feel like home but here they were a
thriving little community and it was becoming more like a home everyday, she
had her own room and she had her family.
“Yes we have been through a lot” he mused but he smiled at her and she grinned
back.
They went back to their work and Beth began humming softly, picking one of her
fathers favourite songs, but she soon stopped and groaned as she saw Zach walk
up, knowing exactly what he was going to ask and hoped her fathers presence
would deter him.
“Hi Beth, hello Mr Greene” he greeted them.
“Hey Zach” said Beth being polite.
“Something we can help you with young man?” her father asked curiously.
“Oh um I was hoping I could talk to you sir” Zach replied, sounding nervous.
Beth fixed her father with a pained look and hoped he would get the message and
send him away or better yet scare him off for good.
“About what exactly?” her father asked.
“I like your daughter Mr Greene and I wish to ask for your permission to date
her sir” Zach blurted out boldly.
Beth almost choked as he said this and felt her face heat up. She wished she
could be anywhere else at that moment, and not here covered in dirt and being
asked out by a boy she didn’t want to date, in front of her father.
“Well that’s hardly up to me, I think my daughter would have to decide that” he
said softly and the two looked at her expectantly.
“Um Zach you are really nice but um I don’t like you that way” she said
finally, trying to let him down as best she could with out hurting his feelings
to much.
“Well son I think you have your answer”
Zach looked crestfallen and slunk wordlessly away. Beth felt bad but Zach had
it coming, she had given him so many hints that she wasn’t interested so it
wasn’t her fault he wouldn’t listen.
“I wouldn’t trust that boy with you anyway” her father muttered.
“Who would you trust daddy?” Beth asked more quickly than she should have.
“There will be no one good enough for you until one is, and who ever that is
would have to be make you happy and protect you and more importantly, love you
without question” he said.
Beth blushed at his words, knowing they came from his heart and brought up
memories of her mother and wondered if he missed her as much as she did.
“Well when I meet him I hope he does all those things” she said.
“I’m sure he will other wise he’ll have your father to deal with” he growled
and she giggled.
The thought of him defending her honour made her love him even more. Then she
had a strange thought of Max asking him for his permission to date her and she
smiled to her self, but knowing that could never happen, her father would never
allow it but it still made her heart flutter.
“Well Bethie how bout we call it a day?” he suggested.
“Ok daddy sounds good”
Beth brushed off her dirty hands on her jeans and headed inside to wash her
hands. She bumped Sasha and the woman stopped her.
“Hey I saw Zach talking to you and Hershel and now he looks like someone died”
Sasha asked.
“Oh um yeah he asked me out and I turned him down” Beth replied, sounding
embarrassed.
“Really he finally asked you out and in front of your father?” Sasha asked
incredulously.
“Yeah”
“Huh how bout that?, well maybe Zach will leave you alone now, he’s not right
for you anyway” said Sasha.
Sasha was now the second person to voice their concerns about her and Zach and
wondered who else felt the same way.
“Well yeah I guess I’m still on the market” she joked.
Sasha gave her a small smile, excused herself and Beth continued onto her cell
to grab her shower bag, towel and a change of clothes and then headed to the
shower block. Once freshly showered and changed she headed up to the library to
finish off Treasure Island.
She was almost done with the final chapter when she looked up to see Max
standing there looking at her and she got the feeling he was checking her out.
“Max?” she called out to him.
“Hey” he replied and walked over to her.
“How did the run go?” she asked him.
“Yeah very good and I found you a note book” he replied
She had almost forgotten she had asked him to look for one, not knowing if he
would even find one or bother to but he had kept yet another promise and her
heart fluttered again.
“Really?” she asked him.
He reached his pocket and pulled out a blue notebook and passed it to her, she
took it and turned it over in her hands. It had little silver music notes on
the front cover and she smiled in delight, she would have been happy with any
note book but this one was more than perfect.
“Oh wow Max thanks” she said.
“No worries, it was nothing” he replied sounding humble.
“Max it wasn’t nothing its really nice” she said softly and reached to touch
his arm wishing she could keep it there longer.
“Well um I gotta get going promised I would help Daryl with something” he said
in a strange tone
“Ok I’ll catch you later” she said.
Beth watched him leave, then clutched the notebook to her chest and found
herself giggling excitedly. She wouldn’t be able to concentrate at all the
finish her book now so made her way back to her cell. She was so lost in her
thoughts she almost ran head long into Maggie outside Beth’s cell.
“Whoa there Beth, look much” she laughed.
“Haha” Beth laughed back, brushing past her and into her cell.
“Hey what’s that?” Maggie asked, indicating the notebook in her hand.
“Nothing” Beth said quickly, trying to hide it.
“Huh?, Beth what is it?” she asked and grabbed it from her.
“Maggie!” Beth exclaimed.
“Hey this is a really nice notebook, why did you try to hide it?” she asked.
Beth didn’t answer and didn’t know why, all she had to say Max got for her but
saying that out loud might sound bad on Max’s part especially to Maggie.
“Beth?” Maggie pressed.
“Max got it for me” Beth answered finally
“Max got it for you?, why would he do that?” Maggie asked, her voice
suspicious.
“Its no big deal Maggie, my current one is filled up so I asked him to get one
if he could” Beth explained beginning to get flustered and snatched the
notebook back.
“Ok Beth I believe you but why did you try to hide it?” Maggie asked.
“I dunno” Beth said and trailed off.
“Wait Beth you like him don’t you?” Maggie asked quietly and realisation
sparked in her eyes.
Beth blushed and looked at her feet, not daring her self to look her sister in
her eyes but knowing it was too late having already betrayed herself.
“Beth you do like don’t you” said Maggie and Beth snapped her eyes up
“I don’t know, maybe?” Beth admitted softly.
“Beth he is too old for you, he is a grown man beside the fact you’ve only
known him a week”
Beth knew she was right but she couldn’t help her feelings for Max and know
idea what to do about it.
“Listen Beth I understand, he saved you and he is cute and fascinating but your
only seventeen”
“I’ll be eighteen soon” she said exasperated.
”Beth that doesn’t matter, he is still too old for you ok, you need to face
facts” Maggie snapped
Beth sighed and felt crushed, she sat down heavily on the bunk.
“Hey, hey Beth hey its ok don’t cry” Maggie soothed and put her arm around her.
“I’m not crying Maggie, I just thought I could have what you have with Glenn”
she said angrily
“And you will, just not with Max, what about Zach huh?, he obviously has a
thing for you” Maggie said in a softer tone.
“Maggie he asked me out today” Beth said simply.
“What? Really? and what did you say?” Maggie asked with a smile.
“I said no I don’t like him at all Maggie even if he is closer to my age” Beth
replied.
“Well maybe think about it” Maggie said smugly.
“Maggie I think I would kinda like to be alone for a bit” Beth asked and lay
down on the bunk and curled up her legs.
“Ok Beth I’ll go. Maggie said sadly.
Maggie left and Beth stared at the wall, sighing heavily. Maggie didn’t
understand, she wasn’t going to settle for Zach because he was age appropriate
and the only other choice. No that wasn’t going to happen, a new energy surged
through her and she decided she was going to wallow in self pity, she was going
to make the best of things. Beth picked up notebook and smiled again, she
couldn’t deny her feelings and why should she?..
***** Chapter 23 *****
Max's mind felt like mud after he left the library, the image of Beth, her legs
and the way she smiled and touched him was burned into his memory. He wondered
if it was a mistake getting her the notebook, it could have sent the wrong
signals and he hoped it wouldn’t bite him in the arse later.
He wandered back outside and saw Rick and Carl feeding their pigs and decided
to join them.
“Hey there Max” Rick said warmly as Max reached them.
“Afternoon guys, how are the pigs today?” he asked.
“Pigs are doing fine thanks for asking, how did the run go?” Rick asked.
“Yeah ok I guess didn’t really find much” Max replied wistfully.
“Can’t win them all I guess, that’s why we have to we need the garden and the
pigs”
Max couldn’t agree more, he couldn’t go back to living out there, moving from
place to place again. Here at least behind the fences there was a far better
chance of survival.
Speaking of the fences , the poles they had set up to strengthen the fences
seemed to be doing their job but a mass of walkers still pressed up against the
fences regardless. Rick noticed him looking and sighed.
“Its almost like they can detect the living” he said.
“Yeah, weird huh?” Max agreed.
Before they could get into a deeper conversation on the nature of the undead
horde at the gates, Sasha walked up needing to discuss something with Rick and
the two left.
“Hey Max can I ask you a favour?” Carl asked.
“Yeah sure Carl” he replied.
“If you out on a run and you see any comic books, could you bring them back?”
Carl asked
“Comic books huh?, what’s your favourite DC or Marvel or do you go for the
independents?” Max asked and Carl gave him a bright look and smiled.
“You know comic books?” Carl asked
“Yeah sure mate I was a kid once, and still like them, my favourite characters
are Batman, Wolverine, and Deadpool”
“I like all those mine are X-men and Spiderman” Carl admitted.
“Alright cool, ok if I see them or any comic books all bring em back” promised
Max.
Carl thanked him and took off saying he needed to go check on his sister and
Max followed after him, passing Julie, who gave him a smile and a wave and Max
returned it.
A few hours later at diner he found himself sitting at the Greene table after
being invited by Hershel and he felt a strange vibe seemed to be radiating
between the two Greens sisters. When ever Beth would try to catch his eye
Maggie would look at her and Beth would quickly look away and he began to
suspect something was up.
He got his answer after dinner had been cleared away, Beth made a motion to
stay longer but Max caught Maggie giving her a stern look and with a quick
glance at Max she excused her self and walked over to Rick’s table to pick up
Judith from his hands, Hershel and Glenn departed as well and then it was just
Maggie and himself at the table.
“Listen Max I know you got Beth that notebook” she said.
“I didn’t mean to cause any trouble” he began.
“I I know that, it's ok really, just next time let me look after my sister” she
said pointedly.
She didn’t have to say it but the message was loud and clear, Maggie wanted him
to stay away from Beth. He had been right, the notebook had bit him in the arse
but it was a wake up call that he had been ignoring. Beth was beyond off limits
and what ever it was he felt for her needed to be squashed.
“You two look like you need a drink” said a voice, braking the tension.
Max looked up into the smiling face of Julie who was holding a half full bottle
of whiskey and some glasses.
“Ehh not for me” said Maggie and stood up to leave.
“How bout you Max?” she asked teasingly.
Max looked at her in a new light, she was indeed a strikingly beautiful woman
obviously interested in him and was way more closer to his age. She was the
complete opposite to Beth and maybe that’s exactly what he needed.
“Yeah why not?” he said and indicated for her to sit down.
An hour later and one drink had turned into many and a drunk Max sat with a
drunker Julie as they proceeded to finish off the bottle between them in the
darkened, empty mess.
“I’m glad you decided to have a drink with me” she giggled softly.
She was almost in his lap and had her arm around him, pressing her large
breasts into him and in his drunken state Max was enjoying it.
“So am I” he whispered back.
He poured the last of the bottle and handed it to her, she took it with a smile
and quickly finished it off.
“Well what are we going to to now?” she asked teasingly.
Max knew exactly what she wanted to do, Max decided to go for it and he lent in
and kissed her.
“I don’t know?, what did you have in mind?” he asked.
Julie looked at him with hunger and lust in her eyes and slipped her hand into
his crotch.
“I want you to take me back to your cell and fuck me” she replied.
Max didn’t need any more convincing and quickly pulled her to her feet and they
stumbled to his cell. Once inside, Julie reached into his pants and grasped his
cock as he groaned in response.
“Mmm I want this in me Max” she whispered.
They quickly undressed and Julie lay back on the bunk spreading her legs and
rubbed her already wet pussy. There was no need for nicety or foreplay, he was
now hard as a rock and needed to be in her. He climbed onto top of her and
thrust his cock into her, groaning as he did.
“Oh my god” she gasped as he bottomed out.
“Like that?” he growled in her ear.
“Oh shit yes, fuck me stud, make me cum on your big cock” she demanded.
Max began to thrust in an out of her tight pussy and watched as her tits
bounced in time with his thrusts. He took one in his mouth, running his tongue
over her nipple and she sighed in delight.
“Yes fuck yeah like, god your cock feels so good” she moaned.
He wasn’t going to last long, due to his inebriated state and the fact she was
the first woman he had fucked since the start of the outbreak, but he kept
going despite this, wanting her to cum before he did. He didn’t have to worry
as Julie seemed to be enjoying herself immensely and soon announced she was
cumming.
Max felt her seize up and a flood of wetness coat his cock and that set himself
off, he pulled out just in time and spilled on her thighs. Julie pulled him
into a kiss and Max collapsed next to her as she used her panties to wipe his
cum off her legs.
“Oh shit that was amazing Max, we are definitely doing this again” she said
happily.
“Yeah you liked it?” he asked.
“Oh god yes, best fuck I’ve had in a while” she exclaimed.
She busied herself with her clothes and Max realised she wasn’t staying but he
wasn’t offended, Julie finished dressing, gave him a deep kiss and left.
Max smiled to himself, and hoped now he would be able to push Beth Greene out
of his head for good, he rolled over and passed out.
***** Chapter 24 *****
Beth fumed in her cell, she had put down Judith to sleep and was readying
herself for bed. She had tried her best to catch Max’s attention during dinner
but every time she did, Maggie had stared her down and Beth ending up leaving,
extremely disappointed. She slipped into her bunk and tossed and turned for a
while before throwing off her sheet in frustration and got up to get a drink of
water.
As she quietly slipped out of her cell, she froze as she caught sight of Julie
stumbling out of Max’s cell, adjusting her clothes.
Beth’s breath caught in her chest and her heart fell, she knew exactly knew
what had just happened, knowing what the adults got up to in the late hours of
the night, living in such close proximity to each other she had heard the moans
and noises constantly.
She backed into her cell and collapsed onto her bunk, her world crashing down
around her. She felt tears leaking down her cheeks and wiped at them angrily.
How could he do that? she thought, Beth knew she a lot younger than Max but
still, how could he pick Julie over her so quickly?, he barely knew her.
Beth’s fantasy’s over the last week eroded away in her mind, now that there was
no way they could come true. She was just a stupid naive girl with a school
girl crush on a older man that would never see her that way.
She cried into her pillow, soaking it with her tears until she could cry no
more and fell into a restless sleep filled nightmares.
Beth woke the next morning feeling completely devastated and felt like she was
going to cry again. She dressed in a daze and walked to the mess but she didn’t
think she had the appetite to eat anything. She was so distracted she almost
didn’t notice Carol talking to her.
“Are you alright Beth?” she asked, sounding concerned.
“Huh?” Beth stammered stupidly, her voice sounding horse.
“Is everything ok?” she asked again.
“Um yeah I’m all good,” she lied
“Well ok” Carol said with a raised eyebrow, not believing her
“Um have you seen Maggie?” she asked changing the subject.
“Yes, she is out side with Glenn” Carol answered.
Beth thanked Carol and walked outside, blinking at the bright morning sun. she
quickly found Maggie sitting with Glenn and walked up to them.
“Beth what’s the matter?” Maggie asked as she saw Beth’s face.
“Can I talk to you?” she asked quietly.
Maggie gave Glenn a look, he excused himself and Maggie patted the bench beside
her.
“Tell me what’s wrong Beth” she asked
“Its about Max” Beth replied
“What about him?” Maggie asked sharply
“You were right ok” Beth replied softly, the words catching in her throat as a
sob fought its way out.
“Beth what happened?” Maggie asked softly.
Beth told her what she had seen the night before and Maggie pulled her into a
warm hug.
“Well I am sorry Beth but it’s for best, you’ll see” Maggie said, kissing the
top of her head.
Beth nodded, once again she knew Maggie was right but it was still hard to
accept.
“I know” she said sadly.
“Listen how bout a make you breakfast and we spend the day together, just the
two of us, like old times huh?” Maggie suggested
Beth perked up and smiled at her sisters attempt to cheer her up, it did sound
good and she was going to need some comfort today.
“Yeah that sounds nice” she agreed
“Ok come on”
Maggie took her hand and led back into the mess, where she made Beth some
breakfast for them and they took a table together and soon they were chatting
away, Maggie telling Beth about her own heartbreaking crushes of her own
including one she had in university, on an older man, her professor.
“Wait you had a crush on your professor?” Beth asked.
“Yeah I did, my first year, he was Professor Mather and was very handsome”
Maggie replied, smiling.
Beth giggled and she felt a little better to know her sister had once been in
the same situation
“But was just a crush Beth, it didn’t go anywhere” she said in a more serous
voice.
“Ok Maggie I get it” said Beth holding up her hands in surrender but still
smiling.
“Well alright then” said Maggie.
Beth was feeling a lot happier now, Max being pushed from her mind but it
didn’t last long as he suddenly walked into the mess. Her face dropped and the
little bit of happiness she had managed to grab faded away.
“Morning” he said, sounding and looking tired.
Maggie returned his greeting but Beth couldn’t, only giving a stare. He didn’t
seem to pick up on it and went to make himself breakfast.
“Come on Beth lets go” Maggie suggested
Beth agreed and the two of them left the mess but not before she gave Max one
last look as he took their vacated table, he gave her a small smile in return
and she fled with Maggie before he could say anything.
***** Chapter 25 *****
Max groaned as he woke, the familiar feeling of a hangover pounding in his
head. He sat up and rubbed his temple as the events of the night before flooded
through his mind, the taste of the whiskey and Julie moaning under him. He had
to admit, the sex had been great but he felt nothing for Julie and knew he
wouldn’t have slept with her if alcohol wasn’t involved. If his plan was going
to work he was going to have to get used to some rough mornings. He sighed and
pulled on some pants and headed to get some breakfast.
He paused as he saw Maggie and Beth sitting at one of tables eating breakfast.
Beth looked beautiful as usual as she laughed and talked with her sister and
once again those feelings stirred up again despite what he did last night to
curb them.
Beth noticed him, her expression changed and her smile disappeared. Max was
thrown by it he needed to get something into his stomach and proceeded to greet
the two Greene sisters.
Max barely heard Maggie’s returned greeting as Beth fixed him with a cold stare
and didn’t say anything. He couldn’t dwell on it as the two got up to leave so
he grabbed something to eat and took their table. Beth and Maggie made their
way outside but not before Beth looked back with a look that looked a lot like
betrayal.
He ate his food in silence, Beth’s parting look plaguing his mind. Max finished
up his breakfast and headed to the armoury to check and clean his weapons
making sure they were in working order for the next run.
After cleaning his personal weapons, his ACR rifle and his Colt 45., Max
proceeded to unzip and go through the tactical bags acquired from his fallen
team mates and began laying the weapons out on the floor.
All up there was a G-36s assault rifle, an m-14 semi auto rifle, two Mossberg
combat shotguns, a H&K UMP SMG, two H&K 9mm handguns, a SAW light machine gun
and finally, a Barrett 50 cal sniper rifle.
He spent the next few hours stripping and cleaning them all before reassembling
them and filled mags for all of them. He had just finished putting the weapons
back in their bags, ready for when they were needed, when Julie appeared at the
door with a smile on her face.
“Well hi there handsome, I’ve been looking all over for you” she said.
“Hey Julie” said Max.
“So I had fun last night” she said smiling
“Yeah me too” he said, not exactly lying but not really the truth either.
“Good, hey its all most lunch time I thought we could eat together”
“Yeah sounds good” he replied politely.
Max walked with Julie to the mess, with her brushing her arm against him
constantly making his shoulder shiver but not in a good way.
The mess was already filled with a dozen or so, who all turned as the two of
them walked in together and Max felt like he was back in high school as they
smirked and whispered, no doubt about to start rumours they were a couple now.
“Over here guys” called Glenn from a table.
He was sitting with Hershel, Maggie and Beth. They all smiled warmly in
greeting except Beth whose just smiled sadly. Max considered refusing but Julie
was already sitting down next to Maggie and he took the empty seat next to
Beth, who looked away as he did.
Lunch was venison chilli, another kill curtsey of Daryl. Max was starving and
dug in, trying to ignore the strange tension radiating off Beth.
“So you two got a bit cosy last night, are you two a couple now?” Maggie asked
with a smirk, referring to Max and Julie.
Max almost choked on his food, completely caught off guard by the question. He
felt trapped as they all looked at him waiting for his answer, including Beth.
“Hmm I don’t know what do you think honey?” Julie asked sweetly.
“Ahh” he began, feeling trapped.
“Oh relax Max I’m just messing with you, I think it might be too early to
answer that” Julie said laughing.
The table joined her and Max felt a weight lift off him and everyone returned
to their lunch and engaged in other conversations.
While the others were distracted he turned to the silent Beth who was picking
at her food and had been all along.
“You alright?” he asked.
She didn’t answer and kept pushing her food around her bowl.
“Hey you mad at me or something?” he asked softly.
She seemed startled by the question and Max swore he saw her eyes water before
she finally answered.
“No, why would I be made at you?” she replied softly, with a hint of anger in
her voice.
“I don’t know you just seem angry and you can hardly look me in the eye”
“I’m not mad at you Max” she said.
He was about about to question more but caught Maggie looking at him out of the
corner of her eye as she talked to Julie and and focused on finishing his food.
Once everything had been cleared, Beth excused herself and walked off. Max
waited a few minutes then excused himself after promising Julie he would see
her later and headed off in the same direction Beth took. He found her sitting
on the steps outside her cell and she looked distressed as he approached her.
“What do want Max?” she asked coldly.
“I just want know what’s really wrong” Max asked.
“I’m fine Max” she snapped and angry look crossed her face.
Max knew better than to continue and decided to make a tactical retreat.
“Ok Beth” he said soothingly and held up his hands in surrender and turned to
leave but as he did he heard her speak up.
“Do you like Julie?” .
The question was said quietly but Max picked up sadness and hurt in her voice.
“Huh?” he asked spinning back to face her.
“Do you like her? are you going to be a couple?” she asked.
Max was frozen to the spot as she looked at him, her bottom lip was quivering
and her eyes were watery. Why was she so concerned if he was going to start a
relationship with Julie? he asked himself, and why did it look like she was
going to cry over it?. The questions spun through his head, then suddenly it
clicked as a revelation shot through him like lightning and everything came
clear.
She liked him!, Beth liked him and not as a friend but in a romantic way. It
explained everything the looks, the way she acted around him and the
conversation he was currently having.
Max didn’t what to do next, his mouth went dry, his tongue felt heavy and his
mind began to shut down.
“I ahh um not sure I didn’t exactly plan last night, it just kinda happened” he
finally answered after what he felt was an eternity.
“Oh?” she asked and her face perked up.
“Yeah” he replied.
“So um will you be seeing her again tonight?” she asked hesitantly with barely
hidden hopefulness in her voice.
Max didn’t want to crush her but he didn’t want to get her hopes up either.
Nothing could happen between them even if they both maybe wanted it, she was
only seventeen and still very off limits.
“Yeah probably not, but don’t tell Julie that” he said.
His answer was like the calm after a storm, the tension in the room evaporated
away and a bright smile appeared on her face.
“I promise I won’t” she said.
“Alright well I better go, stuff to do” he said.
“Ok I’ll catch you later?” she asked, still smiling.
“Yeah”
With that Max left, heading off with no destination particular, his mind in a
haze. He needed fresh air then a drink or two. He looked at his watch and
wondered if drinking so early in the afternoon was a good idea but he was going
to need something to calm his nerves and figure out his next move..
***** Chapter 26 *****
After Beth had retreated from the mess and from Max, she and Maggie were soon
greeted by their father who was tending to the garden.
“Good morning girls” he called and they walked over to him.
“Morning daddy” the two of them said at the same time.
“What’s the matter Bethie?” he asked with concern.
Beth blushed, nothing got past her father and began to quickly think up a lie,
not wanting him to know the real reason she was upset.
“She’s just a little tired daddy” said Maggie and Beth smiled at her.
“Bad dreams?” he asked Beth, concerned.
“Something like that” she replied.
“Well you make sure you get to bed early tonight then” he suggested warmly.
“Ok daddy I’ll try” she promised
“Good, now how bout my two girls help me today?”
Maggie turned to Beth to see what she thought and Beth just shrugged, it would
keep her busy and distracted. And sure enough a few hours had passed as the
Greene’s worked together and Beth hadn’t thought of Max once.
“Well you’ve cheered up” Maggie said as she and Beth planted another new seed.
“Yeah” Beth admitted with a smile.
“Well look who it is” Maggie whispered.
Beth looked and groaned at what she was referring to. Zach was walking across
the courtyard with a few others heading down to begin fence duty, all with
sharpened pipes and poles to easily kill the walkers massing against the
fences.
“Really Maggie?” she whispered back.
“Ok ok I’m sorry just trying to help” Maggie smiled and held up her hands in
surrender.
“Well stop” Beth pleaded.
“What are you two whispering about?” Hershel asked, startling them.
“Nothing” they both said at once.
“Hmm ok you two keep you secrets, well I think its almost time for lunch so how
we finish up?” he suggested and Beth and Maggie agreed.
“Ok girls I’ll see you inside” their father said and walked off.
“So what now?” Maggie asked as she wiped her hands on her jeans.
Beth didn’t get the chance to answer as Julie walked up with a big smile on her
face and Beth was shattered again, the image of Julie walking out of Max’s cell
coming flooding back.
“Have you seen Max?” she asked as she reached them.
“Yeah saw him this morning don’t know where he is now though” Maggie answered.
“Ok thanks” she said and left them.
Beth scowled at her at her departing back, never hating someone more at that
point.
“She’s such a slut” she muttered.
“Beth!” Maggie exclaimed
“Sorry” Beth said, but not feeling sorry at all.
“Look Beth I know you feel hurt but you are going to have to get over it”
Maggie soothed and Beth just sighed.
“Come on lets clean up and head in for lunch I heard carol made chili”
Nothing sounded appealing to Beth but she followed her sister anyway. They
washed their hands in one of the water drums and made their way inside, taking
a table and were joined by Herschel and Glenn.
As the chili Carol had made was served, Max walked in with Julie close by his
side, who was beaming happily. Beth’s heart sunk further and almost considered
just getting up and leaving as Glenn called them over to sit but hesitated too
long.
Beth groaned internally as Max sat next to her, yesterday she would have
welcomed it but now not so much.
“So you two got a bit cosy last night, are you two a couple now?” she heard
Maggie say.
Beth’s breath caught in her chest and jerked her head up from her bowl to throw
Maggie an incredulous look.
“Hmm I don’t know, what do you think honey?” Julie asked with a sickly sweet
voice and Max made a strangled response.
“Oh relax Max I’m just messing with you, I think it might be too early to
answer that” Julie said and laughing.
Beth didn’t join in the laughter that erupted, not finding it funny in the
slightest and looked down as the others began talking among each other.
“You alright?” Beth heard Max ask her.
She ignored him, pushing her chili around her bowl with her fork hoping he
would get the hint she didn’t want to talk.
“Hey you mad at me or something?” he asked.
The question surprised her because he was right, she was mad at him but
couldn’t admit it without revealing why she was mad at him.
“No, why would I be made at you?” she replied quietly.
“I don’t know you just seem angry and you can hardly look me in the eye” he
replied.
“I’m not mad at you Max” she said, hoping he would believe the lie.
He seemed to accept it, returned to his food and they ate in silence until
everyone had finished up. As soon as the wash crew had collected the empty
bowls and cutlery, Beth excused her self and fled the mess.
She sat down on the steps in front of her cell and wanted to scream in
frustration but before she even could, she looked up to see Max had followed
her and she wondered how this day could get any worse.
“What do want Max?” she asked coldly.
“I just want know what’s really wrong” he asked her.
“I’m fine Max” she snapped
“Ok Beth” he said softly, he looked defeated, he held up his hands and turned
to leave.
She felt bad for snapping at him, it wasn’t really his fault she was angry at
him and she knew couldn’t be mad at him forever but she couldn’t just let go of
her feelings for him and she needed to know something before it was too late.
“Do you like Julie?” she asked quietly to his back.
“Huh?” he asked confused, turning around.
“Do you like her? are you going to be a couple?” she asked, feeling her lip
quivering as she waited his answer.
“I ahh um not sure, I didn’t exactly plan last night, it just kinda happened”
he replied after a long pause.
“Oh?” she asked, a little confused but her heart skipped a little.
“Yeah” he replied.
“So um will you be seeing her again tonight?” she asked, not wanting to push
the issue but she still had to know.
“Yeah probably not, but don’t tell Julie that” he said.
Beth’s heart sung and a wave of happiness flooded through her, he wasn’t
interested in Julie romantically and she couldn’t have been more happy by the
information.
“I promise I won’t” she replied.
“Alright well I better go, stuff to do” he said.
“Ok I’ll catch you later?” she asked, still smiling.
“Yeah”
With that he walked off and Beth almost let out a giggle. She ducked into her
cell and leaped onto her bunk as her body shook with excitement. Beth took a
few deep breaths and calmed her self down, it didn’t mean anything yet, it
didn’t mean he felt what he felt for her but she refused to let that bring her
down, wanting and needing to ride out her high.
She noticed the notebook Max had gotten her sitting on her desk and quickly
grabbed it and a pen, wanting the first entry to be about the moment while it
was fresh. Her fingers trembled as she wrote, describing the day in great
detail and giggled softly when she had finished, Beth decided that the notebook
would only be about Max and hoped to fill it with more exciting entries in the
coming days.
***** Chapter 27 *****
Max was lost in his own world as the Bushmaster powered down the road. The
conversation with Beth the previous day still playing through his head, the way
her beautiful blue eyes lit up and the smile that spread across her face when
he told her he wasn’t interested in Julie was burned into his memory.
The girl liked him and had been angry at him for hooking up with Julie. Max
wasn’t sure what to do with the information. It had kept him off guard for the
rest of the day and during dinner. He had decided to sit with Rick, Carl and
Michonne that night, he could tell Julie was unimpressed at his decision but he
didn’t care as he caught the smiles Beth kept throwing him from her table.
Julie hadn’t searched him out afterwards so he was able to keep his promise to
Beth and had slept alone.
“Earth to Max? you in there buddy?” called a voice, bringing back to the
present.
He turned to see Sasha looking at him with an amused look on her face.
“Huh?” he asked and she laughed.
She was riding shotgun while Daryl, Bob and Ty rode in the back while Maggie,
Glenn and Rick were following close behind in an SUV. The council had decided
another run was needed, hoping to find gasoline for the vehicles and more ammo
and supplies, so Max and the others were currently heading for several gas
stations that Daryl and Michonne had scouted out, hoping to find any fuel at
all.
“I was asking if you ever visited the White house, you were stationed in DC
weren’t you?” Sasha asked.
“The White house?, yeah couple of times with the ambassador on official
business” Max replied.
“That’s pretty cool” she said, impressed
“Yeah I guess it was, I didn’t really get to see much though” Max replied.
“Did you ever meet the president?” she asked.
“Nah never did” Max replied
“Well it’s still pretty cool” Sasha said.
“What’s pretty cool” asked Bob from the back
“Max here has been to the white house” Sasha explained
“No shit, really?” Bob asked.
Max just nodded and thought back to his time in Washington, protecting and
escorting the ambassador and other visiting Australian dignitaries had been a
far easier assignment than he had been accustomed to but he was a war fighter
at heart and would have returned to where ever he was really needed if
civilisation hadn’t collapsed.
The first gas station had been a bust, having been drained dry long ago, it was
the same with the second and the group decided if the the third proved
fruitless they would return to the prison.
Max pulled the Bushmaster into the last gas stations parking lot and noticed a
dozen or so walkers crowding around the main building, attracted by something
inside.
Half of the walkers turned and stumbled towards them as Max stopped the
Bushmaster and the others pulled up beside them.
“Well looks like we got company” Max announced
He heard the back door open and the guys in the back leap out, Max swung open
his door and jumped down, grabbing his rifle, aimed and fired on the closest
walker.
As it went down, its companions joined it as the rest of the group quickly took
them down and then took on the remaining walkers, now attracted by the
gunshots.
Once the walkers had been completely dispatched, Daryl, Bob and Ty set up a
perimeter. Rick, Maggie and Glenn started to check the pumps and the tanks
while Max and Sasha checked out what the walkers were so interested in.
The gas station store’s glass door windows were covered in grime, cracks and
were almost opaque as Max and Sasha peered through. Max could see the doors had
been jammed closed from the inside.
“Watch your eyes” he warned Sasha.
He lifted the stock of his rifle, smacked the door and it shattered, allowing
them to step through.
Max swung his rifle around the store and stopped when he came across a man
slumped against the service counter, he had a unmoving girl cradled against him
and was aiming a pistol directly at Max and Sasha.
“Easy buddy” Max said softly.
Max eased his finger off his rifle trigger, lowered the rifle and the man
dropped his pistol.
“You need help?” he asked the man.
“Its too late for me” he muttered and pulled at his shirt, revealing a large
bite wound on his shoulder.
“Is the girl alright?” Sasha asked but Max could tell the girl was dead.
“She was” he replied.
Max felt even though the man was on the way out he was no threat, gave Sasha a
look indicating he had this and she went to help the others and then he
carefully approached the dying man.
“You military?, you carry yourself as a military man” he asked Max.
“Yeah, I was Australian special forces” Max replied.
“Really?, I was an Army ranger myself” the man said, pulling his sleeve up to
reveal an army ranger tattoo.
“Ranger huh?, yeah you guys are some tough dudes” Max said, smiling.
The man laughed and then grimaced in pain, Max crouched in front of him,
concerned.
“Don’t worry not dead yet and you have my permission to put a bullet in my head
if I do” he said
“Duly noted”
“John Colter,” the man introduced himself and held out his hand and Max shook
it.
“Max Knight” Max replied.
“Well Max Knight is nice to meet a fellow soldier again” John said and Max sat
down next to him.
“Likewise” Max replied
“So you came looking for gas like me?” John asked.
“Yeah”
“Got here a few hours ago, my daughter and I” he said, referring to the girl.
“I’m sorry about your daughter mate, how old was she?” Max said softly
Tears sprang in John’s eyes and Max wished he hadn’t asked the question.
“She would have been fifteen this year, we were surrounded as soon as we got
here and I couldn’t save her, got this trying to” he explained, pointing at his
bite.
Max gathered John must have dragged his daughter inside, barricaded the door
and prepared for the end.
“I’ve been trying to blow my brains out, just can’t do it” he said angrily.
Max didn’t reply and let the former ranger have has dying words.
“I was an army man all my life, but my best days were the day I married my wife
and the day my daughter was born and I tried my hardest to be the best father
and husband I could be”
He fumbled at his shirt pocket and pulled out a crumpled photograph and handed
it to Max. It showed John standing next to a stunning blonde woman and the
young girl he cradled in his arms.
“That’s them, lost my wife in the outbreak, my daughter and I stayed on the
road for a while till we met up with some other survivors, we are all that’s
left, well I’m all that’s left” he said, sadly correcting himself .
“I’m real sorry mate”
“You got someone Max?” John asked and Max shook his head.
“Well If you find someone, you hold on to them, because war dogs like us need
something to fight for, someone to fight for, other wise we are nothing” he
said
Max nodded in agreement, having spent all those months alone before Beth and
the prison, a soldier needed a mission to feel whole.
He noticed John had gone deathly quiet and turned to see the man’s head down
and he wasn’t moving.
“John?” Max asked.
Max reached out to check his pulse, keeping one hand on his pistol. He was
dead, finally succumb to his wounds, Max drew his knife and stabbed him to
prevent John reanimating.
“A ranger till the end” Max whispered.
“He dead?” asked a voice and Max looked up to see Rick and Sasha standing at
the door.
“Yeah” Max replied sadly.
Rick helped him carry John's body and they buried him along side his daughter
in the ground before the group collected what they could and set off back to
the prison.
Johns last words echoed through Max’s head as he drove and they hit hard. He
did have something and someone to fight for and that was Beth Greene…
***** Chapter 28 *****
Beth smiled as she sat with Judith, laughing as the girl played excitedly with
a stuffed toy duck. It had been a far better day then the previous one, she had
woken refreshed and excited for the day was now happily minding Judith in the
library.
“Do you like the ducky Judith?” Beth asked.
The girl giggled and shoved the toy in her mouth and Beth laughed.
They had been playing for an hour or so since Rick and the others had departed
on a run, as usual Max had gone with them.
Beth smiled to herself as she thought of Max, now knowing he didn’t like Julie
and wouldn’t be seeing her again. At dinner afterwards he had kept his word, he
had sat at Ricks table and Julie hadn’t joined him making Beth even happier.
Beth looked up and smiled as Carol entered the room followed by Mika, Lizzie
and the other children, ready for their daily lessons.
“Well someone is happier today” said Carol.
“Yeah she is” Beth replied.
“Not her, you” said Carol.
Beth blushed and turned back to Judith not wanting to see the expression on
Carol’s face.
“Well children lets get started then” said Carol and they ran to the carpet and
sat down.
Beth decided to take Judith somewhere else not wanting to disturb the lesson
and carried Judith outside into the mid-morning sun.
“Lets go see the pigs” Beth suggested to Judith and began walking down to the
sty.
Beth could make out Carl tending to the pigs, waved and Carl waved back.
“Look Judy it’s your big brother” Beth said, pointing at him and the girl
gurgled.
Carl smiled as the two reached him and gave his sister a little tickle.
“She ok?” Carl asked.
“She’s fine, we just came to check on the pigs” Beth replied.
Judith giggled loudly as Beth held her over the fence to see the animals
running around and squealing.
“Do you want me to take her?” Carl asked.
“Its ok” Beth replied truthfully
“Oh I don’t mind I’m done here and I probably should be doing my brotherly
duties” Carl continued.
Beth nodded and handed Judith to him, who smiled and reached up to touch her
brothers face.
Beth grinned at the scene and left them. She decided go help who ever was on
laundry duty, knowing she needed to wash some of her own clothes.
Doing laundry was far different now, no washing machines or dryers so clothes
had to be washed by hand.
She grabbed the bundle of her dirty clothes and headed to the laundry area. The
group had set out several large metal tubs for washing and they were now
occupied by several people all chatting and laughing as they sloshed wet
clothes around.
They greeted Beth as she approached and she took the last empty tub. Patrick,
who was helping with the laundry duties offered to fill the tub for her and she
got to work.
Once all had been scrubbed and washed, she hung the clothes on the lines Ty and
Rick had strung up, let them dry and began to help the others.
By the time all the clothes and linen had been washed and hung out it was time
for lunch and Beth headed into the mess and joined her father at his table.
“You are looking better today” he said as she sat down.
“Thanks daddy I feel better” she answered.
“Well good” he said smiling.
They talked as they ate and when they finished eating she excused her self,
grabbed a book from her cell and went to read outside till the clothes were all
dried.
It didn’t take long and was mid afternoon as Beth collected her things, folded
them and then helped the others.
Returning inside with her things and some fresh sheets she passed by Max’s
empty cell and wondered if he’s sheets needed changing. She dumped her clothes
and went back to Max’s cell with a clean sheet.
Beth felt like she was intruding but a feeling of excitement replaced it as she
looked over his cell. She dropped the fresh sheet on his mattress and picked up
one of his shirts hung over a chair and smelt it, finding Max’s scent slightly
intoxicating then giggled as she realised what she had just done.
She turned to change his sheet and grabbed the pack sitting on the mattress.
The pack opened and a small stack of photos fell, scattering on the floor. Beth
quickly retrieved them, curiosity got the better of her and she began to look
through them. They were all photos of Max posing with other soldiers in front
of tanks and helicopters smiling and brandishing weapons. She was so engrossed
in the pictures that she jumped in fright as Max walked in. Beth froze as Max
noticed her and knowing she had been caught red handed, she jumped up quickly
with the photos still in her hand.
“Oh I’m sorry um I wasn’t snooping, I wanted to see if you wanted your sheets
changed and they fell to the floor” she gushed, her words all coming out in one
go.
She expected him to be angry maybe even yell but he didn’t just looked at her
curiously.
“Its ok Beth I don’t mind, you can look, they are only photos” he said.
“I am sorry, their your private things and I shouldn’t have looked at them”
Beth replied, now completely embarrassed.
“Hey, hey its fine really” he soothed and sat down next to her.
She was still embarrassed but suddenly being alone with him in his cell made
her heart beat even faster and she felt a warm a fuzzy feeling set over her.
“Did you want to look through the rest?” he asked.
She knew she should just politely decline and leave but she found her self
nodding, she did want to see the rest of the photos but she just wanted to be
close to Max more. Beth flipped to the next photo, which showed a group of
soldiers walking down a bombed out street.
“Was it scary over there?” she asked softly, looking up at him.
“Some times it could get a little unnerving but I had some of the best soldiers
watching my back” he replied.
Beth nodded and went back to the photos and almost sighed as she looked at the
last one. It was an older one of a shirtless Max on a beach, wading in the
surf.
“The ocean looks so blue” she said smiling, trying not to look just at him and
flicked her eyes to the real thing sitting so close her.
“Yeah this was taken way back while I had some leave and spent some time back
home” he explained.
“I’ve never been to the beach” she admitted sadly.
“No?” he asked.
“No I barely left my home town” she replied.
“Well maybe you’ll get to a beach one day” he promised.
Beth fixed him with a smile she knew he was just cheering her up but liked that
he actually wanted to do so and could so easily. She handed the stack of photos
to him and stood up to leave.
“Thanks for showing me them” she said, pausing at the door.
“No worries Beth any time” he said warmly.
“Well um I’ll see you at dinner?” Beth asked, knowing she would but wanted to
ask anyway.
“Yeah save me a spot” he replied with a smile.
She assured him she would and walked off leaving him with a smile, wishing it
was dinner all ready.
***** Chapter 29 *****
The journey back to the prison was without interruption or trouble, there was
no need to check other gas station as Rick had found a several drums of
gasoline that were now stowed in the Bushmaster.
John Colter’s vehicle had provided them with some food and some weapons and
ammo. The group were thankful for the ammo, Max felt wrong about looting from a
fellow soldier but the former ranger no longer needed his things and would have
wanted them to take them.
The group would put good use to the scavenged items but the advice John had
given with his last breath was the most important thing taken that day.
Max still believed nothing could happen between Beth and himself, but it didn’t
mean he couldn’t protect her as a friend.
The prison appeared, Max slowed as he reached the gates and waited as they were
open and drove up to the hill.
The run group and Max unloaded what they had found and stored them away. Max
headed inside and stopped dead when he saw Beth sitting inside his cell,
flicking through the photos he kept in his pack.
Just as he promised himself nothing could happen, here she was in his cell,
looking radiant as ever and suddenly an image of her lying naked on his bed
flashed through his head.
Beth noticed him and jumped up, her face now pale and looking guilty.
“Oh I’m sorry um I wasn’t snooping, I wanted to see if you wanted your sheets
changed and they fell to the floor” she stammered.
Beth did look genuinely sorry but at that moment Max wouldn’t have care if she
had been snooping.
“Its ok Beth I don’t mind, you can look, they are only photos” he said.
“I am sorry, their your private things and I shouldn’t have looked at them” she
said still sounding embarrassed.
Hey, hey its fine really” he said softly and sat down on the bunk next to her.
Max knew he should tell her to leave, having Beth alone in his cell even in the
day time was treading on dangerous ground but he wanted her to stay and heard
him self asking if she wanted to keep looking at the photos that were still in
her hand and she nodded in response.
The next photo was of his former squad before the embassy assignment, taken in
a town just outside of Baghdad, it had been the morning after a massive bombing
run and his squad was combing the streets looking for remaining combatants.
“Was it scary over there?” she asked him.
“Some times it could get a little unnerving but I had some of the best soldiers
watching my back” he replied.
Max’s heart almost stopped as she flipped to the last photo, he had forgotten
it was in there, not that it was inappropriate but it was of him in just shorts
taken on a beach near his home town while on some leave.
“The ocean looks so blue” she said and he caught her eyes flicker from the
photo and over to him.
“Yeah this was taken way back while I had some leave and spent some time back
home” he explained.
“I’ve never been to the beach” she said with a sad voice.
“No?” he asked.
“No I barely left my home town” she replied.
“Well maybe you’ll get to a beach one day” he promised.
The thought of Beth frolicking in the waves in a bikini made him harden
slightly and wished he could just drive her to the coast so she could see the
ocean. She smiled brightly at him as she handed the stack of photos to him and
then stood up to leave.
“Thanks for showing me them” she said as pausing at the door.
“No worries Beth any time” he replied.
“Well um I’ll see you at dinner?” Beth asked, her voice hesitant.
“Yeah save me a spot” he replied with a smile.
She smiled again and walked away. Once again Beth had left Max’s head spinning
and in a turmoil.
He was still reeling as he walked into the mess later on in the evening. He
served himself some food then spotted Beth sitting with her father as usual, he
didn’t know if he should join them but Hershel noticed him and waved him over.
“Come sit down son” he said, Beth gave him a bright smile and he took the empty
seat next to her.
“Hey” she said shyly.
“Hey” he replied.
“I heard you came across someone on the run, a soldier” Hershel said and Beth
looked at him, intrigued
“Yeah guy had been bitten before we got there, he didn’t last long” Max
replied.
“Sorry to hear that” Hershel
Max nodded and he turned to Beth, who gave him a reassuring smile and Max
smiled back.
Glenn then walked in, grabbed a plate of food and walked over but didn’t sit
down
“Maggie’s not feeling well, I’m going to take her some food” he explained.
“She ok?” Hershel asked.
“I think so, I think she’s just tired”
“I’ll come with you” said Hershel and stood to follow.
Max wondered if Beth would go with him but she didn't move and Hershel walked
off leaving the two of them alone. There was a silence between them and Max
knew he should say something but before he could, she spoke up.
“Thanks for showing me those photos today” she said.
“Hey no worries” he replied humbly.
“Did you really mean what you said about visiting a beach one day?” she asked.
“Yeah sure, anything could happen, this whole undead business might blow over
and if not I’ll take you out to the coast myself” he replied, voicing what he
had wanted to do earlier.
“You would do that?” she asked, with a teasing smile.
“Yeah if you ask me nicely” he replied, returning her teasing smile and she
giggled, blushing.
“Max will you take me too see the ocean?” she asked, smiling, placing her hand
on his arm and looked up at him with her eyes wide.
“Sure thing we’ll go tomorrow make sure you pack your bikini” he joked.
As soon as he said it he thought he had crossed a line, but a small smile
played across her lips and he relaxed.
“Well I don’t have a bikini so I hope I can get one there” she said.
They both laughed and then he noticed her slide ever so slightly towards him,
so that their legs were touching. Max pretended not to notice and looked around
the room, tying to act normal. His eyes locked with Zach’s who was sitting
across the room and Zach glared back, a dark expression on his face.
“What the fuck is his problem?” Max muttered to him self.
“Huh?” asked Beth
“Zach, he’s giving me the death stare” Max replied.
As she looked up to see what he was talking about, Zach quickly averted his
eyes.
“Oh he is probably a little jealous you are sitting here” she explained.
“How so?” Max asked, now intrigued and she blushed.
“He um likes me and he asked me out the other day” she replied.
“Really?” Max asked, raising an eyebrow.
“yeah but I turned him down i don’t think he is mature enough for me” she
replied.
She said it offhand and Max knew she wasn’t talking about his personality, was
yet another subtle hint of her crush on him?, he was about to comment when
Carol and Patrick walked over collection dishes.
“Hey guys, finished?” Carol asked with an amused smile on her face.
“Yeah” Max and Beth said at once and they both looked at each other and
laughed.
Carol’s smile widened and Patrick took their empty dishes and took them away.
Beth stood up and made to leave and Max wondered if she was leaving because of
Carol.
“I should probably go check on Maggie but um I had a nice dinner tonight Max ”
she said smiling.
“Yeah same here, I’ll catch you later” Max said.
She turned and left, walking off, pausing before she walked through the door to
look back, blushing as she saw Max was watching her.
“You’re real good to her Max, she needs that” Carol said.
“Just being a good friend” Max said back, feeling his face warm.
“Well regardless, she needs someone like you in her life” Carol said knowingly
and left him with a smile to help Patrick.
Max stared at her trying to interpret what exactly she had meant. He realised
he was staring into space, shook himself and stood up from the empty table and
headed outside to clear his head.
He breathed in the fresh night air and waved in greeting to Ty, who was on
night watch duty up in the guard tower and he waved back.
“Hey stranger” said a voice behind him and he turned to see Julie walking up to
him.
“Evenin’” Max greeted her in return.
“So I was thinking you and me go somewhere private” she suggested seductively.
She ran her hand down his chest and gave him a smile. Max needed to make it
clear to Julie that he wasn’t interested in her and let her down easily without
hurting her feelings to bad.
“Yeah look Julie, the other night was fun but I think it was a one time thing”
he said, taking her hand gently and pushed her away.
“Really?” she asked and a scowl crossed her face.
“Yeah sorry” he replied.
“You got the hots for that little blonde jail bait don’t you?” she sneered.
“Julie lets not do this” Max said calmly, not wanting to ignite the situation.
“I saw how you were looking at her tonight, how do you think her family would
feel if they knew you were lusting after her” she said angrily.
Max just stared her down, what she saying hit home but he wasn’t about to be
bested by this woman.
“Walk away Julie” he said calmly as he could.
Julie gave him one last disgusted look and stormed off. Max shook his head,
took a deep breath and headed off inside to his cell. He had probably just
dodged a bullet and felt a little relived about it, Max didn’t think Julie
would say anything and even if she did, he hadn’t given the group a reason not
to trust him around Beth. He checked to see if Beth was still up but her sheet
was pulled across her door and decided not to intrude. He slipped into his own
cell, switched on his little battery lamp and grabbed the book had been reading
a and settled in to read.
A few hours later, the words on the page began to blur and he knew it was time
to turn in, needing a bookmark, he saw the stack of photos and reached for
them, intending to use them as one. As he grabbed them he quickly flicked
through them, then stopped when he realised one was missing, the one of him on
the beach and knew it could only be one person who took it. Max smiled and
decided he would let Beth keep it for a while before bringing it up. He put the
photos in the book, rolled over and closed his eyes. As Max fell asleep,
theories flooded his mind of why Beth had taken the photo.
***** Chapter 30 *****
Dinner came quicker than expected and Beth smiled excitedly to her self as she
entered the mess, grabbed a plate of food and joined her father at his table.
“Well aren’t you looking happy tonight”
Beth smiled but knew she could never tell her father why she was so happy and
that reason walked in. Beth watched Max get his food then look around the room,
they locked eyes and she smiled at him. Her father called him over and she was
delighted he took the seat next to her.
“Hey” she said to him.
Beth cursed herself, for it was the only thing she could think of to say but he
returned the greeting.
“I heard you came across someone on the run, a soldier” her father said.
Beth looked at Max, this was news to her, he hadn’t mentioned anything before
about the run.
“Yeah guy had been bitten before we got there, he didn’t last long” Max
replied.
“Sorry to hear that” Hershel.
Max looked at her and she gave him a warm smile and wanted to touch his arm to
comfort him.
Glenn then suddenly walked in, he grabbed a plate of food and walked over but
he didn’t sit down.
“Maggie’s not feeling well, I’m going to take her some food” he explained and
Beth grew concerned.
“She ok?” her father asked.
“I think so, I think she’s just tired” Glenn replied and Beth relaxed.
“I’ll come with you” her father said and proceeded to follow Glenn out.
Beth considered following but she gathered Maggie would be alright and besides
she didn’t want to leave Max alone, especially with Julie sitting in the room.
“Thanks for showing me those photos today” she said to Max, braking the small
silence between them.
“Hey no worries” he replied sounding humble.
“Did you really mean what you said about visiting a beach one day?” she asked
him, needing to know if he was serious or not.
“Yeah sure, anything could happen, this whole undead business might blow over
and if not I’ll take you out to the coast myself” he replied.
Beth’s heart leapt at this, if he was willing to risk his life to take her to
the beach what else would he be willing to do?.
“You would do that?” she asked giving him a smile.
“Yeah if you ask me nicely” he replied, returning her teasing smile and she
giggled in return and felt her self blushing.
“Max will you take me too see the ocean?” she asked, smiling, placing her hand
on his arm and looked up at him with her eyes wide.
“Sure thing we’ll go tomorrow make sure you pack your bikini” he joked.
Beth’s heart almost stopped as he said this, he could have said swimsuit or
swimmers but no he said bikini. Was Max imagining her in a bikini?, did he want
to see her in a bikini?. The questions exploded through her mind and she
imagined lying on a deserted beach with Max and smiled shyly.
“Well I don’t have a bikini so I hope I can get one there” she said, playing it
cool and they laughed.
Beth took a breath and slid across the bench, closing the small gap between
them and pressed her leg against his. She knew he could feel her leg against
his but he didn’t jerk away and she kept it there.
She was so engrossed in the moment and wishing she could stay at the table
forever and almost didn’t hear Max mutter something.
“Huh?” she asked him.
“Zach, he’s giving me the death stare” Max replied.
Beth turned her attention to where Zach was sitting to see him look away, and
guessed why he had been staring at Max.
“Oh he is probably a little jealous you are sitting here” she explained.
“How so?” Max asked
“He um likes me and he asked me out the other day” she replied.
“Really?” Max asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah but I turned him down I don’t think he is mature enough for me” she
explained and wondered if Max would pick up on the hint and if it was to
forward if he did.
She didn’t have a chance to dwell on it as Carol and Patrick walked over, both
were on dish duty that night.
“Hey guys, finished?” Carol asked with a smile on her face.
They said yeah at the same time and laughed at the same time. Beth could tell
the dinner was obviously drawing to a close and she wanted it to end on a high
note and stood up.
“I should probably go check on Maggie but um I had a nice dinner tonight Max ”
she said smiling.
“Yeah same here, I’ll catch you later” Max said.
She walked off, pausing at the door to look back, Max was looking at her and
she felt herself blushing once again.
Stepping into the cell block she made her way to Maggie and Glenn’s cell to see
how she was. She found Maggie fast asleep in Glenn’s arms, he was still awake
and waved
Beth waved back, satisfied her sister was ok she decided to go back to the mess
but found Max was gone. Sasha and Ty invited her to sit down but with Zach
sitting at their table she politely declined and headed to her cell.
As Beth passed by Max’s cell she noticed it was empty and a naughty idea came
to her. She looked around to see if anyone was watching and ducked into his
cell. She quickly picked up the stack of photos, flipped through them, grabbed
the one she wanted and ducked back out.
Beth knew it was wrong and she would return the photo before he noticed it
missing but tonight it was all hers. She slipped into her cell and pulled her
privacy sheet, not wanting to be disturbed during what she planned to do.
She pulled off her boots and jeans and climbed into her bunk. She sighed as she
looked at the picture of Max in her hand and brushed a finger over it lovingly.

Beth felt the familiar tingle between her legs and slipped her free hand into
her panties. She had grown to love touching herself, bringing her self off with
just her fingers and had gotten quite good at it.
She moaned softly as she rubbed her fingers across her clit and she began to
moisten in response. Beth imagined it was Max touching her, running his strong
hands across her body and whispering to her in his intoxicating accent. She
dropped the photo and slipped her hand up her shirt to palm one of her breasts
before pulling her shirt off all together. She wondered what Max would think of
her little breasts as she pawed one of them and slipped her hand back into
panties. Beth arched her back and eased a finger then another past her soaking
folds and moaned as they parted to accept the intrusion.
As she thrust her fingers into her little teen pussy, Beth wished it was Max’s
fingers, wished he was there in her bunk, naked like her and ready to make her
a woman. She imagined what his cock looked like and what it would feel like
inside her. The imagery sent her over the edge, she seized up and an orgasm
crashed through her, curling her toes and leaving her panting and breathless.
After the waves of pleasure had subsided, she pulled her fingers from herself
and licked her juices from them, enjoying the taste and giggled softly as she
did.
Beth lay for a while basking in her after glow before slipping her shirt back
on. She picked up the photo of Max and kissed it.
“Goodnight Max” she whispered
Beth decided she needed to make her fantasies come true, but first she had to
find out if he really found her attractive or not. A plan began forming in her
head, a plan she would execute in the morning and hopefully she would then know
if he wanted her just as bad as she wanted him.
***** Chapter 31 *****
She looked so beautiful and her breathy moans sounded like heaven to him as he
kissed his way down her neck towards her naked breasts, she writhed under him
as she ran her fingers through his hair.
“Oh Max I want you so bad, I want you to fuck me” she whispered in his ear.
He groaned and pressed his erect cock against her wet opening, ready to make
her his.
“Yes Max fuck me” she moaned as he plunged into her wet depths.
“Shit” he groaned
“You like my teen body Max? You like my tight teen pussy?” she asked.
“God yes” he answered
“Then come get me Max, I’m waiting” she said.
She started to shimmer and then she was gone and Max shot up in bed, now wide
awake.
Max groaned as he rolled over, his shirt was drenched and he shook his head as
the dream began to ebb from it.
He had dreamed of Beth before but never as vivid or erotic, he looked down at
his erect cock making a tent in his pants and sighed. He would need to take
care of it if he was going to get back to sleep.
Using the dream as inspiration he quickly brought himself off, spilling onto
his stomach. He wiped himself off with a shirt and threw it on the floor. Max
felt dirty and wrong, jerking off to an innocent teenage girl but he couldn’t
help how he felt, even his subconscious couldn’t be swayed.
Max lay his head back on his pillow and managed to fall back to sleep and when
he woke early the next morning he had only a vague recollection of the dream.
He dressed and headed into the mess, no one was up yet and he made him self a
breakfast of tinned fruit and walked outside to enjoy the morning sun.
Beth Greene was dominating his thoughts and he needed a distraction to push her
from his mind and decided a work out was perfect thing, he had been meaning to
smash out a training session for a few days any way.
He started with a run, running the perimeter of the yard several times while
ignoring the walkers snarling through the fence. With each lap he increased his
speed, pushing himself until he was sprinting the last lap.
He stopped to rest, smiling at the familiar burn spreading through his legs and
knew he couldn’t stop now. He picked a spot in the court yard and began a
session of push ups, sit ups and pull ups.
He was in the middle of a set of pull ups, using a steel beam sticking out from
one of the guard towers, when he noticed he had an audience.
Several of the prison woman including Beth, Sasha and Carol were watching him
intently from one of the outside tables, he could hear them whispering amongst
themselves and throwing looks in his direction as they ate breakfast.
Beth smiled brightly at him, the dream come flooding back and Max knew no
matter how much he worked out he couldn’t distract himself forever and decided
to call it a day.
“G’day ladies” he said casually as he walked over to them and there was a
flutter of giggles.
“Enjoying the show?” he teased.
“Oh yes” said Sasha with a laugh and he grinned.
He saw Beth bite her lip and blush as he saw her eyes wander over him.
“Well if anybody needs a training session I’m happy to offer my services” he
said it jokingly but he directed it at Beth.
“Oh we’ll let you know” promised Carol.
“Good to know, well anyway ladies I think I need a shower” he announced.
With a smile at Beth, he headed to his cell, grabbed his towel and fresh shirt
and made his way to the showers.
Max sighed as the cold water ran over his body, refreshing him and washing away
the sweat and he felt like a new man as he stepped out.
He was pulling on his shirt when Beth appeared, clutching her things and Max
had a suspicion she had followed him in on purpose.
“Hey” she said.
“Hey” he replied.
“Good shower?” she asked.
“Yeah just the thing after a workout” he replied.
“You don’t look like you need it” she said quickly.
Max knew she hadn’t really meant to say it and decided to mess with her a
little.
“The shower or the workout?” Max asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Oh” she stammered and a blush filled her cheeks as she covered her mouth with
her hand and she let out a little giggle.
“Wow I’m sorry that came out all wrong” she said.
“So I don’t need a shower or I don’t need a workout?” he asked teasingly.
“Oh um, the workout?” she answered.
“Well good too know I wouldn’t want to let myself go” he laughed and she joined
him.
“No we wouldn’t want that, well I um should take a shower ” she said sill
looking embarrassed.
“No worries I’ll catch you later” he replied.
As she stepped in the shower and pulled the curtain, Max tried to imagine the
sight of her undressing and the water cascading off her naked teen body and
wished her could pull that curtain aside and join her.
Max realised he was just staring at the shower stall and made him self move
before someone caught him. He threw his things back into the cell and decided
to take some of the ammo they had collected yesterday and store it in the
Bushmaster, ready if needed on the next run.
He found the ammo boxes were they had left them, three military ammo boxes
containing assault rifle ammunition that they had found in John Colter’s
vehicle, and carried two of them out to the Bushmaster.
As he was placing them in the shelves built into bushmaster he heard footsteps
and saw Beth standing at the back door and his mind went blank.
She had changed into a short white summer that displayed her petite form, her
hair was down over her shoulders and he couldn’t help but notice the bra she
was wearing made her breasts look bigger. She looked angelic and downright sexy
at the same time, from the hair glowing in the sun to her breasts held up by
the bra, pressing against the thin material of the dress and down to her long
smooth legs in her cowboy boots.
“Wow” he said before he he catch himself.
“Sorry?” Beth asked still with her ever present smile.
“Nothing, um nice dress” he stammered in reply.
“Thank you its such a nice day, I thought I would wear something fitting” she
bubbled happily and did a small spin turn to show the whole outfit and Max
couldn’t help but groan in response.
“Do you need a hand with anything?” she asked, a sweetness in her voice.
He didn’t really have anything planned but he needed to come up with something
fast to keep her in his presence, at least for a little while longer.
“Ahh um I was just finishing up here but I was going to fill all the run
vehicles tanks with the fuel we found yesterday” he answered, rubbing the back
of his neck sheepishly.
“Ok sounds good” Beth said.
He walked over to the fuel shed and grabbed two of the several jerry cans
inside and carried them to the first vehicle, the silver suv.
“Ok can you pop the fuel cap cover?” he asked
He could have done it himself but she needed something to do than just watch
him, she nodded and climbed into the drivers side, popped the cover and he
began to top up the tank, he found it pretty much full and then used they used
the rest of the can on the second vehicle, managing to fill the pick-ups tank.
“Lucky you found all this fuel yesterday” Beth said as he dropped the empty can
on the ground
“Yeah sure is but its going to get harder to find more” he replied.
“I’m certain you’ll find some more” she said flashing him a bright smile.
“Hmm and if not well have to go back to horse and cart” he joked.
Max imagined what runs would be like with just horses and wondered if the
survivors of the new world would slowly become a medieval society, complete
with castles.
“Alright the Bushmaster now” he suggested, shaking off the fantasy.
He picked up the full jerry can and carried it over to the Bushmaster. As he
unscrewed the fuel cap he turned to see Beth bent over the jerry can and Max
just stared at her arse, enjoying the view as she tried to pick up the can but
finding she couldn’t.
“Bit heavy?” he asked teasingly.
“No, I just wanted to see if it was full” she lied unconvincingly.
“Oh and is it?” he asked holding back a laugh.
“Yep” she replied with a smile.
“Well good” he said.
Beth stepped aside and let him pick up the can and watched him pour it into the
Bushmasters fuel tank. He emptied the entire jerry can but with a hundred
gallon tank it would take a couple of cans to fill the tank entirely but
luckily the tank was only half empty.
“Well that’s all the vehicles fueled and ready” Max announced.
“Oh ok” she said and she sounded slightly disappointed but smiled anyway.
“I um have no other jobs to do” he said.
“No worries I should probably go see if Judith needs looking after” Beth said.
“Ok sweet, say hi for me” Max said with a smile.
She flashed him another bright smile and walked off, allowing a view of her
backside again as she walked away. As Beth reached the cell block entrance she
looked back over her shoulder and she caught him still watching her, Max tried
to quickly look away but a teasing smile played on her lips like she wanted him
to watch her.
With her gone Max could relax and process what had happened and considered
taking another cold shower. Beth had chosen that outfit for his benefit that
much he was sure of, perhaps to see what his reaction to it was and he was more
than certain he had given the reaction she was looking for.
He decided to actively avoid her for the rest of the day, not because he didn’t
want to see her but because he did and needed to put a little distance between
them as people would soon make the connection between Beth’s outfit and
himself.
Max managed to avoid her for the rest of the day more easier than he thought as
he helped others out with their jobs and didn’t even catch a glimpse of her,
even when he grabbed some lunch.
As he walked into the mess for an early dinner later that evening and found it
buzzing already, he didn’t see Beth and was about to take a seat with Rick and
Carl when Hershel walked up to him.
“Evening Max, listen ahh before you sit down would you be able to go fetch Beth
from the library I’m afraid she has forgotten all about dinner and is probably
still stuck in a book”
Max looked over to his table to see Maggie and Glenn were already eating and
Max found himself nodding.
“Yeah sure”
“Thanks son, I’ll have two bowls ready for you two”
Max left the mess and headed to the library, shaking his head at his decision
to end his plan to avoid her so easily. As he got closer to the library he
heard a cry and the sound of struggling. Max did what he did best and flew into
action…
***** Chapter 32 *****
Beth woke with a smile and rolled around in her bed before getting up, reliving
the moment from the night before and remembered her plan for that day.
She got up and rummaged through one of her packs, pulling out what she was
looking for, a short summer dress and a padded push-up bra.
Beth wasn’t a big on dresses, not since the world ending anyway, a thin dress
was not really a realistic attire for the apocalypse but she needed something
that would catch Max’s attention and paired with the bra she hoped it would do
the trick.
Beth didn’t put them on, deciding she would wait to later in the day and
dressed in her usual jeans and tank top before heading to breakfast.
As she grabbed herself something, Sasha came in from outside and her eyes lit
up when she saw Beth.
“Come eat outside” said Sasha.
She pulled Beth urgently behind her and Beth wondered was so important about
eating outside. She didn’t have to wonder long as she why, Max was outside
doing pull ups on the side of one of the guard towers.
The whole sight was mesmerising and she allowed her self to be led to one of
the tables and sat down with Carol and a few other of the Woodbury woman.
“Well I have to say that man is fine as hell” Beth heard on of them say.
Beth couldn’t agree more and had known this for a while. She watched him as he
pulled him self over the beam with ease, sighing as his muscles flexed in his
arms and back through his tight shirt
Max stopped as he noticed them, Beth gave him a smile and he began to walk over
to where they were sitting.
“G’day ladies” he said casually.
“Well g’day to you too” said Carol and they all laughed.
“Enjoying the show?” he teased.
“Oh yes” said Sasha with a laugh.
Beth couldn’t help bite her lip as she stared at him, his sweat soaked shirt
clung to his chest and showed off the muscles beneath it and smiled as she knew
exactly what they looked like.
“Well if anybody needs a training session I’m happy to offer my services” Max
offered looking at her.
“Oh we’ll let you know” promised Carol.
“Good to know, well anyway ladies I think I need a shower” he announced, he
gave Beth a parting smile and left for the showers.
while the other woman sighed, watching him depart and Beth turned back to
finish her breakfast.
“Go follow him” said Sasha, nudging her in the side
“What?” Beth stammered.
“Shh go now, go see if you can get a peek” Sasha whispered.
“Sasha..” Beth exclaimed.
“Come on we have all thought of it, go!, go now” she said more forcibly.
Beth just stared at her but let herself be shooed away from the table and ran
back to her cell. She grabbed her towel and made the decision to grab the dress
and the push-up bra and hurried to the showers.
She walked into find Max had just finished showering and was pulling on a fresh
shirt but did manage to catch a glimpse of a toned stomach complete with six
pack and bit her lip once again.
“Hey” she said as he saw her standing there.
“Hey” he replied.
“Good shower?” she asked stupidly.
“Yeah just the thing after a workout” he replied.
“You don’t look like you need it” she blurted out before she could stop
herself.
“The shower or the workout?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Oh” she stammered as she realised what she had just said and her hand flew up
to her mouth and felt her face heat up.
She felt like an idiot and just wanted to run but she saw a smile appeared on
his face and she let out a small nervous giggle.
“Wow I’m sorry that came out all wrong” she said.
“So I don’t need a shower or I don’t need a workout?” he asked teasingly.
“Oh um, the workout?” she answered.
“Well good too know I wouldn’t want to let myself go” he laughed and she joined
him.
“No we wouldn’t want that, well I um should take a shower ” she said, needing
to cool down before she said anything else embarrassing.
“No worries I’ll catch you later” he replied
She stepped into the shower, pulled the curtain and pressed her forehead to the
cool tiles. God she was actually flirting with him, awkwardly but flirting
nevertheless and she could swear he had been flirting back.
Beth turned on the water and let the water pour over her. She washed her self
thoroughly and made sure her legs were shaved, hairy legs in a dress was not a
good look. Satisfied she was ready she pulled on a fresh pair of underwear and
the bra before slipping on the dress and stepped out of the stall.
She decided to leave her hair down, letting it cascade over her shoulders and
looked at her self in the mirror. Beth smiled, she looked killer, the padded
bra upped her cup and the dress showed off her body and legs perfectly without
being slutty. She wished she had some nice heels to top it off but she would
have to settle for her boots, which actually ending up working, giving her a
cowgirl look. She wondered if Max would be able to resist and tried to imagine
the look on his face when he saw her.
She headed out of the showers with no direction in mind, just hoping to run
into Max. The first person she ran into was Rick who had Judith in his arms and
did a classic double take at her appearance.
“Morning Beth, you ahh look nice today” he said and she caught his eyes roaming
over her
“Thanks Rick” she replied happily and tickled Judith’s stomach.
His comment and his gaze fuelled her confidence and she quickly noticed he
wasn’t the only one who had noticed her new outfit. She saw Daryl and Ty
looking in her direction and they quickly busied themselves as she looked at
them.
Beth giggled at the attention, if she could make those men’s jaws drop then Max
would be easy.
“What are you doing?” asked a voice and Beth saw Maggie and Carol standing in
front of her with, Carol was smiling brightly but Maggie had a stern look and
her arms were folded.
“What?” Beth asked
“I asked what you think you are doing?” Maggie asked.
“What?, its just a dress Maggie, I felt like dressing nice today” Beth
answered, trying to sound normal as possible.
“Why?” Maggie pressed.
Beth paled, she was cornered and Maggie would wear her down until she confessed
but she was saved by Carol.
“Oh relax Maggie, let the girl have some fun” Carol spoke up.
“I just want to know why she wearing this” Maggie insisted, not be deterred.
“Like she said it’s just a dress, now go on and leave your sister alone” Carol
replied with a laugh.
Maggie was defeated for now but Beth knew it wouldn’t be the end of this, she
gave Beth a disapproving look and stalked off.
“Thanks” said Beth to Carol.
“No worries, he’s in his truck by the way” Carol replied.
“What?” Beth asked confused.
Carol didn’t reply just smiled and walked off leaving Beth speechless. She
shook her self and walked slowly to where the Bushmaster was parked her heart
pounding in her chest and took a moment to check her appearance in the
reflection of one of the water drums before continuing on.
She rounded the back of the Bushmaster and found Max inside loading metal boxes
into some shelves. He turned and heading back out when he froze as he saw her.
Beth saw his eyes widen and wander over her, taking her all in and she almost
giggled as his jaw visible slackened.
“Wow” he let out, almost too quiet to hear.
“Sorry?” Beth asked, smiling.
“Nothing, um nice dress” he stammered.
“Thank you its such a nice day I thought I would wear something fitting”
Beth did a turn to show the whole outfit and she swore she heard a groan come
from him. Beth smiled to herself the plan was working, he definitely found her
attractive.
“Do you need a hand with anything?” she asked him sweetly, wanting a reason to
hang around.
“Ahh um I was just finishing up here but I was going to fill all the run
vehicles tanks with the fuel we found yesterday” he answered, rubbing the back
of his neck and sounded sheepish.
“Ok sounds good” Beth said, any job with Max would sound good to her.
He led her over to the shed where they kept the fuel and opened it to reveal
several fuel cans. Max grabbed two of them and she followed him to the first
vehicle.
“Ok can you pop the fuel cap cover?”
Beth nodded, opened the drivers door of the suv and quickly found the the latch
to open the the cover. She slipped round to his side to find him pouring fuel
into the now opened tank.
They repeated process on the second vehicle, draining the first can but
managing to fill the pick-ups tank.
“Lucky you found all this fuel yesterday” she said as he dropped the empty can
on the ground
“Yeah sure is but its going to get harder to find more” he replied.
“I’m certain you’ll find some more” she said flashing him a bright smile.
“Hmm and if not well have to go back to horse and cart” he joked.
Beth smiled, they only had one horse, Nelly, and she and Michonne had been gone
for a for few days, Michonne still on her quest to find the Governor.
“Alright the Bushmaster now” Max announced.
This time as he set the fuel can down, he open the fuel cap and wanting to show
off Beth bent down to pick up the can but she found it heavier than she
expected and dropped it in frustration. She turned to see him watching her and
she blushed.
“Bit heavy?” he asked with a teasing grin on his face.
“No, I just wanted to see if it was full” she lied unconvincingly.
“Oh and is it?” he asked holding back a laugh.
“Yep” she replied with a smile.
“Well good” he said.
Beth stepped aside and let him pick up the can and watched him pour it into the
Bushmasters fuel tank. As she did she realised it was the last tank to fill so
her excuse to hang him around was ending and her heart sunk a little.
“Well that’s all the vehicles fuelled and ready” Max announced
“Oh ok” she said and tried her best to sound happy
“I um have no other jobs to do” he said and he sounded disappoint as he did and
Beth perked up at this, he wanted her to stay as well.
“No worries I should probably go see if Judith needs looking after” Beth
suggested.
“Ok sweet, say hi for me” he said.
She flashed him a bright smile and walked away heading towards the cell block,
as she reached the door she looked back and saw him still watching her and her
heart fluttered again and smiled.
Beth found Judith with Rick, who looked a little stressed and was happy for
Beth to take his daughter of his hands for a few hours.
She took Judith to the library and began reading some of the children’s books
the group had brought back to the prison. The little girl was gurgling happily
as Beth read her a book of famous nursery rhymes when Mika and Lizzie entered.
“Hi Beth” greeted Lizzie
“Wow Beth you look really nice” said Mika
“Thanks Mika”
The two girls joined her and the three of them spent most of day laughing and
talking. The girls didn’t mention Max but Beth wouldn’t have minded if they did
as her mind was filled with thoughts of him.
Beth had gotten her answer, he was attracted to her and now she wasn’t sure
what to do next. It wasn’t like they were going to hook up instantly and would
have to wait to see what happened next and decided she wouldn’t seek him out
for the rest of the day and see if he sought her out.
As the girls left to get some lunch, promising to bring her and Judith
something back, Beth began to lose heart in her plan but she had to stay
strong.
The girls didn’t return but Carl appeared with a bowl of deer jerky and some
fruit.
“Hey Beth um the girls are doing something with their father but they made me
promise to bring you some lunch” he mumbled as he looked over her, obviously
not used to her in a dress.
“Oh thanks” Beth said taking the food
“Do you want me take her?” he asked, referring to Judith.
“Oh yeah sure” Beth answered, not wanting to deny Carl time with his sister.
Carl picked Judith up and with a nod to Beth carried her from the room, leaving
Beth alone and once again she considered going and looking for Max.
She didn’t, instead eating the food Carl had brought her, picked a book to read
and curled up to read it.
Beth was so engrossed in the book and had been reading for a few hours when
Zach walked into the room. She smiled politely at him, she hadn’t spoken to him
since the day he asked her out and wondered how he was holding up. He smiled
back but it wasn’t a nice smile and Beth felt a shiver run down her spine as
his eyes travelled over her body.
“Hi Beth” he said.
“Hi Zach” Beth replied.
She stood up and a little voice told her to leave as Zach continued to check
her out like she was some kind of prey.
“Um Beth can we talk?” he asked, blocking her way slightly.
“About what Zach?” she asked warily.
“Listen I know what you said the other day but I was hoping you would
reconsider” he replied.
“Zach look you are really sweet but I still think we should just stay friends”
she told him keeping her voice neutral.
Zach face dropped then his expression grew angry and Beth began to feel a lot
more uncomfortable being alone with him.
“Why because you have the hots for that Max guy?” he said.
“What?” she spluttered.
“I’ve seen how you act around him and now you’ve slutted all up for him today”
he said with a sneer.
“Ok Zach I’m just going to go” she stammered, she needed to get out of there
right away.
She made to leave again but he blocked he way again this time more forcibly and
Beth felt a rush of fear wash though her.
“Come on Beth, do you really think its going to happen?, he’s like thirty ” he
growled
“Zach it’s none of your business, now I’m leaving” she snapped angrily and once
again attempted to leave
“No Beth, I’ve waited to long for you to come to your senses” he said.
He suddenly grabbed her by the throat, hard and kissed her forcibly, pushing
her into the book shelf, causing some books to fall to the ground. Beth was
shocked and disgusted, she pushed him away and slapped him across the face.
“Don’t touch me” she yelled.
Zach backed away, rubbing his face with his hand as a red imprint of her hand
appeared on his cheek. He snarled and before she could react he struck her,
backhanding her across her face.
Beth crashed back against the bookshelf, stunned, she tasted blood and a
ringing echoed through her ears. She reached her hand out to steady her self
but failed and she fell to the floor. Tears of pain filled her eyes and she
struggled to get up, she needed to escape and find help.
"Zach please no" she cried weakly as Zach grabbed her arm.
He didn’t listen and struck her again, this time with his fist and she crashed
back to the floor, her eye throbbing with pain where he had hit her.
The punch to her face had almost knocked her out and she sat slumped against
the book shelf, disorientated. Zach loomed over her, he grabbed her legs and
pulled them apart.
“Please don’t Zach” she begged her voice ragged as she realised what he planned
to do and pushed at him but her strength was fading.
“Relax Beth and you might enjoy this” he growled with an evil grin on his face.
Zach ripped at her dress, revealing her panties, he grabbed at them and ripped
them off and began to unzip his jeans.
Beth couldn’t stop it, he was going to rape her, she was going to be raped in
the library with help so close. She needed to fight but he was too strong, her
strength was gone and she was pretty sure she had a concussion. Her vision
blurred and she hoped someone would find them before Zach raped her and if not,
she prayed she would pass out so she wouldn’t have to experience it.
Beth closed her eyes, waiting for it to be over, when suddenly Zach was
wrenched violently off her. She snapped open her good eye to see an enraged Max
standing over Zach and realised she had been saved.
“I’m going to fuck you up mate” she heard Max growl.
Beth watched as Zach tried to crawl away but Max slammed his boot heavily on
his leg, Zach wailed in pain and Beth knew Max had just broken his leg.
Zach held his arm out and Beth heard him beg Max to stop but Max obviously
wasn’t going to as he picked him up by the shirt and drove a punch into his
nose. Zach let out a scream as his nose broke and Max dropped him to the floor
where he lay slumped, not moving.
Max with blood dripping from his knuckles, turned back to her and looked at her
with deep concern.
“Beth?” he said softly, crouching in front of her.
He didn’t get any closer, Beth felt weak and pathetic but extremely relieved he
had saved her. She realised she was completely exposed and snapped her legs
together but his eyes never left hers.
“Beth you’re safe now, he's never going to hurt you again” he soothed.
Beth found energy she didn’t know she still had and flung her self into him,
wrapped her arms around his neck and began sobbing hysterically into his chest.
She felt his arms tighten around her, he didn’t say anything and just held her
until she could cry no more.
***** Chapter 33 *****
Max pounded along the corridor and burst through the door. What he saw inside
filled him with a rage like no other. Beth was pressed up against a bookshelf,
her face bruised and bloody with Zach forcing himself on her.
Without a word he crossed the room, grabbed Zach, pulled him off Beth and
delivered a powerful punch to Zach’s chest. The kid dropped instantly coughing
and spluttering.
“I’m going to fuck you up mate” Max growled at Zach.
He tried to crawl away but Max slammed his foot down on his leg, just below the
knee and Zach screamed in pain as his leg broke.
“Please” Zach pleaded through gasps, holding his hand up.
But Max had no mercy for him, he grabbed Zach by the shirt, lifting him easily
and punched him hard in the nose. He heard the familiar crunch as it shattered,
Zach screamed in pain, his head slumped back and he passed out. Max let him
dropped heavily to the floor and turned his attention back to Beth.
The sight of her made his blood boil, she was still slumped on the floor, blood
dripped from her cut lip, staining her ripped white dress, her eye was already
swelling shut and Max almost considered just snapping Zach’s neck then and
there. She was still shaking and seemed to be in a daze.
“Beth?” he said softly, crouching in front of her,
He noticed her ripped panties lying next to her and quickly focused on her
face, not wanting to look anywhere else. He didn’t try to touch her or get any
closer to her and just waited. She blinked her good eye and then focused on
him.
“Beth you’re safe now, he’s never going to hurt you again” he soothed.
Beth then moved so quickly that he almost wasn’t ready for it. She flung her
self into him, wrapped her arms around his neck and began crying hysterically.
Max held her tight as she cried,her whole body shook as she did, and he didn’t
let go until the cries turned to silent sobs.
“It’s ok Beth I got you” he whispered softly.
“H-h-he wouldn’t stop, I told him no but he wouldn’t listen” she sobbed
hoarsely.
“He wont hurt you again, I won’t let anyone hurt you again” he promised
She pulled away from him and she looked at him, her bottom lip trembling and
Max could see bruises darkening on her throat from where Zach had grabbed her.
She looked so defeated and broken and Max wanted to hold her again.
“You promise?” she asked.
“You have my word Beth” he promised.
A silence settled between them and Max knew he had to get her somewhere safe.
“I should get you out of here” he suggested.
“Ok” she agreed softly.
She still look shaken and Max doubted if she was able to stand let alone walk.
“I’m going to carry you, is that alright?” he asked gently.
She nodded and he slipped his hands under her knees and her back and picked her
up.
She felt so tiny in his arms and weighed practically nothing, Beth didn’t say a
word and just looked at him like he was some hero out of a romance novel before
she rolled into him and lent her head against his chest, closing her eyes.
Max carried her out of the library and hoped the mess would be empty by now,
hoping to avoid everyone for Beth’s sake, knowing it would be best for her to
not have to deal with the attention so quickly.
They had made it outside and Max was heading for the cell block when a voice
called from the darkness.
“Wat the fuck happened?” asked Daryl as he appeared.
“She was attacked by Zach, caught him trying to rape her” Max explained but not
stopping.
“That little fucker, where is he?” Daryl asked.
“He’s in the library, he won’t be going anywhere for a while, get the door for
me we need to get her into her bed” Max ordered, Daryl nodded and wrenched open
the door.
The mess was still full of people eating and talking and silence filled the
room as they turned to see him holding a bruised and bloody Beth in his arms.
Maggie was the first one to scream, she jumped from where she was sitting and
rushed over.
“Oh my god” she yelled.
“Maggie?” Beth groaned weakly as she stirred.
“Oh Bethie what happened?” Maggie cried, stroking her head.
“Max what happened?”
“Who attacked you Beth?”
The questions exploded from all sides as now everyone was now out of their
seats and all talking at once. Max ignored them all and began pushing his way
through the crowd, this was not the time or place for this.
“Ok everyone calm down, I’ll explain everything but Beth needs rest and
privacy” he ordered loudly over the noise.
They all stopped talking and parted, allowing Max through to the cell block. As
Hershel and Maggie followed he carried Beth to her cell and placed her as
carefully as he could into her bed. Maggie quickly sat beside her and cradled
Beth’s head gently. Max could tell they both wanted answers and he was willing
to give them but Beth needed tending to first.
Max made to leave and let Hershel and Maggie tend to her but Beth’s hand shot
out and grabbed his, holding it tightly and gave him a terrified look.
“Please don’t go” she begged, her voice wavering.
“It’s ok I’ll just be outside Beth” he said.
“No stay here, please?” she asked again still not letting go of his hand.
Max looked at Hershel, he nodded in response and Max sat down gently on her
bed, while Hershel looked on gravely.
“Alright I’ll stay” he said softly and a relieved expression filled her face.
Carol appeared with a bowl of hot water and a clean cloth, Maggie took the bowl
and cloth and began to gentle clean the blood off Beth’s battered face, who
winced in pain as she did.
“Max, who did this to my daughter?” Hershel asked.
“It was Zach daddy, h-he tried to rape me” Beth answered before Max could and
Hershel looked at him while Maggie and Carol gasped.
“Yeah I found him in the library trying to force himself on her” he explained
reluctantly, not wanting Beth to have to keep reliving what happened.
“But Max saved me” Beth continued, her voice sounding weaker and sounded like
she was about to cry again.
“That arsehole, I’m going to kill him” Maggie said angrily.
“I almost did” Max told them.
Beth let out a wince as Maggie touched her lip to hard Max knew she would need
something for the pain.
“Carol in the black bag in my cell is a red medical bag, can you get it?” Max
asked Carol, turning his attention away from Beth.
The older woman nodded, ducked away and quickly returned with it, handing it to
him. He opened it and pulled out a syringe filled with a clear fluid.
“What is that Max?” Hershel asked.
“This is a fast acting pain med, akin to morphine, designed for the battle
field, this is going to help you sleep Beth” he explained, turning to her.
Beth looked a little apprehensive but held out her arm, Max looked at Hershel
for permission, he nodded and Max carefully stuck the needle in her arm and
injected the contents.
The effects were almost instantaneous, she visible relaxed and lay her head
further back into her pillow. Max held her hand until her good eye fluttered
closed and her grip slackened.
Once Max satisfied she was sleeping soundly, he stood up and left the cell,
leaving Hershel and Maggie to watch over her.
He returned to the mess to find everyone still talking and they all fell silent
as they saw him.
“Is it true?, Daryl said that it was Zach who attacked Beth” asked Sasha.
Max sat heavily at one of the empty tables and stared down at the dried blood
on his knuckles and Beth’s blood on his shirt.
“Max?” asked Rick.
He looked back up at the expectant faces all waiting for him to speak. He just
wanted the night to be over, he was tired and believed he had failed Beth. She
had been attacked by one of their own, where she should have been safe.
“Yeah” he answered finally.
“What exactly happened?” Rick asked, his cop background becoming evident.
Carol sat next to him with another bowl of water, took his hand and began to
wash the blood off it.
“Hershel asked me to retrieve Beth for dinner and I found Zach on top of her,
so I beat the shit out him” he replied as Carol finished cleaning his hand.
Suddenly the door opened and Daryl and Ty walked in dragging a sobbing and
terrified Zach between them, dumping him in front of everyone. Max jumped up
but Rick stopped him.
“Ok everyone out now” he ordered.
There was a shuffling and all most everyone left the mess, leaving only Rick,
Carol, Sasha, Ty, Daryl, Glenn and Max.
“Ok Zach time to come clean” Rick ordered.
“I d-didn’t do anything, he tried to kill me” he cried, pointing at Max
“Shut up” yelled Daryl.
“Why did you do it son?” asked a soft voice and Hershel appeared.
Zach looked down at the floor and didn’t speak, just let out painful sobs.
“Answer the man or I’ll break your other leg” Max ordered and Zach looked at
him.
“I-I wanted her so much, I wanted her from the moment I laid eyes on her and
when she turned me down I was devastated” he cried out.
“Beth wasn’t into you so you tried to rape her?” Sasha asked sounding
disgusted.
“I saw her today in that dress and how she was talking to Max and I got so mad”
he replied.
This information shocked Max but managed not to react. So Zach forced himself
Beth out of spite because not only had she turned him down but because she
wanted someone else, him.
“I say we just kill him now” suggested Daryl.
“No, we don’t kill people” snapped Hershel.
“He just tried to rape Beth” Daryl argued.
“We don’t kill people Daryl” Hershel repeated.
Max was all for killing Zach, just putting a bullet in his head and be done
with it, but he wasn’t the one to make that decision.
“So what do with him Hershel?” asked Rick.
“We lock him up and deal with him once he is healed” Hershel answered.
Daryl snorted and stormed out angrily and Max didn’t blame him but he also
respected Hershel judgement.
Rick and Ty picked up Zach and carried him off somewhere and the others slowly
filed out of the room , leaving Hershel and Max.
“I want to thank you Max” he said and Max could hear a crack in the man’s
voice.
“I was just in the right place at the right time, I just wish I had been
faster” Max replied.
“You saved her Max that’s all that matters” Hershel said.
“It shouldn’t have happened” Max said heavily
“Don’t blame your self Max, this is not your fault, no one is blaming you”
Hershel said soothingly and fixed Max with a warm knowing look.
Hershel patted him on the shoulder and left Max alone in the mess. He followed
him into the cell block, he needed sleep but went to check on Beth before he
turned in.
Maggie was still sitting with her as he paused outside the cell, she smiled and
Max nodded before moving on, heading back to his cell.
He climbed into bed and fell into a restless sleep, filled with nightmares of
him not saving Beth in time over and over.
***** Chapter 34 *****
Beth woke to a pounding headache and a wicked sore throat, at first she didn’t
know what was happening and sat up in her bunk to see Maggie jump up from her
chair.
Beth felt woozy and her whole head hurt and she could only see out of one eye
as the other was swollen shut. She winced in pain as the previous night’s
incident came flooding back, though fragmented. She remembered Zach trying to
rape her and Max saving her in time, she remembered being carried in his arms
and feeling so safe, she remembered the shouts and Maggie’s scream as Max
carried her into the mess and to her bed. The last thing Beth remembered was
Max holding her hand as she fell asleep.
“Shh Beth it’s ok” Maggie said softly, reaching out to take her hand gently.
Beth tried to speak but nothing came out, her good eye widened in panic and her
hands flew to her throat, she winced as her fingers touched the bruises there.
“Beth don’t strain your self, your throat is very bruised you might not be able
to talk till it heals” she explained.
She wanted to cry but knew she had to be brave. Her father appeared and sat on
the bunk with a grave look on his face and Beth felt weak.
“How are you feeling Bethie?” he asked and Beth looked Maggie
“She can’t talk daddy” Maggie explained.
Hershel reached out and softly touched her neck but quickly withdrew as she
winced in pain.
“Ok it doesn’t look to bad you’ll might be without a voice for a few days
though” he told her. Beth nodded in defeat, she felt tears leak down her face
and wiped them away furiously, not wanting her father to see her cry but he
pulled her into a hug and she did anyway
When her sobs had subsided he let her go and gave her a loving fatherly look,
he gave Maggie a look and stood up.
“Now I want to stay in bed Beth, you need plenty of bed rest” he ordered.
Beth cringed a little, the last time she had needed plenty of bed rest had been
back at the farm when she had become catatonic, then depressed and sequentially
tried to kill herself. Beth pushed the painful memories away back where they
belonged, to be replaced by the new fresher ones.
“And I’ll go get you some breakfast” said Maggie.
Beth nodded and they both left. As they did she felt a stab of fear being left
alone but she also had no desire to leave the cell, now scared of what lay out
there.
As she dwelt on these thoughts, Glenn and Rick appeared at the door and she
stared at them in fright. Beth knew deep down they would never hurt her but the
memory of last night, the memory of a member of the group she thought she could
trust trying to harm her flared in her head and she recoiled in her bunk.
“Whoa Beth it’s just us” said Glenn alarmed and stepped further into the room.
Beth felt panic now, though irrational, she still felt scared of them and
pushed herself against the wall.
Rick seemed to understand, put his hand on Glenn’s shoulder and pulled him
away.
“Its ok Beth, we are going” Rick soothed as he pulled a very confused Glenn
with him
When they both had left she relaxed and her heart beat returned to normal. God
she was a mess she thought but any man was going to make her jumpy, anyone she
knew was now capable of harm.
There was a cough and she looked to see Max standing at the door just like Rick
and Glenn just before but this time she felt no panic instead a sense of relief
wash over her.
“You ok?” he asked from the door and she nodded.
“Can I come in?”he asked.
She nodded again and he entered, sitting down in one of her chairs.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
She pointed to her throat, shook her her and pointed to a notebook and pen on
the desk beside him. He handed them to her and she scribbled down and answer.
‘Head hurts, throat hurts, can’t talk’
“Shit I’m sorry Beth” he said
‘Not your fault’
“I should have been faster” he confessed.
‘You saved me, that’s all that matters’
“Yeah but still..” he muttered looking down at his hands
She reached out and softly placed her hand over his. He looked up at her and
the defeated look almost broke her heart.
“So um I just wanted to see if you were ok, I’ll leave you to rest” he said.
Beth knew she did need the rest but she didn’t want to be alone and he was the
only person, besides her sister and father that she wanted near her. She
grabbed her note book and scribbled.
‘Stay?’
Max nodded, she pulled her knees up and patted the bed beside her, he picked
himself from the chair and sat next to her.
‘Are you alright?’
“I’m ok Beth you don’t need to worry about me” he answered and looked at the
wall.
His answer irked her a little, she wanted to worry about him, she wanted to
know if he was was really alright. She reached out and touched his shoulder and
he turned back.
“Ok I’m not alright I’m just angry at myself and at Zach, that cunt should
never have touched you, should have never done that to your face” he confessed.
His hash language didn’t bother her but the mention of her face did. She had no
idea what her face looked like, but as she could only see out of one eye and
her entire face hurt she imagined it was terrible.
‘Does it look bad?’
She saw his face darken and she hung her head slightly and he reached out to
touch her knee.
“You are going to heal Beth and you’ll be back to your normal self” he said.
‘You really think so?’
“Yeah I do” he answered.
There was a noise, she looked up fearfully, her hand reached out and grabbed
his hand but it was only Maggie. Beth pulled her hand away like she had been
burned, not wanting Maggie to see but cringed as she did, but Max didn’t seem
to notice or mind.
“Hello Max” she said suspiciously and gave him a look.
“Morning, I was just checking in on Beth” replied Max.
“Here’s you breakfast Beth” said Maggie handed the tray she was carrying, on it
was a bowl of wild berries and some peaches from a can.
“I should go let you eat and rest” Max said and stood up.
Once again she reached for his hand, preventing him from leaving and fixed him
with a pleading look.
“Beth you really need to eat and rest” Maggie said pointedly and Beth knew
Maggie meant she really wanted Max to leave.
Beth knew Maggie was just being protective, Beth had been assaulted by a member
of the group and she wouldn’t be doing her job as a sister if she wasn’t
suspicious of everyone now. Beth could she tell Max sensed that as well and
obviously didn’t want to overstep any bounds, but she really wanted him to stay
longer. Beth turned her pleading look at Maggie and she relented.
“Ok you can stay Max but I want you to eat your breakfast Beth” she said
ordered but her voice soft.
Beth nodded and left but not before giving Max a powerful stare.
“You have a great sister there” he informed her as he took a seat again, but
this time back in one of the chairs. Beth was a little disappointed but
understood his seat choice.
Beth dug into her breakfast and realised she was starving, having missed
dinner. She sighed as the fruit soothed her throat as she ate, especially the
peaches.
Max didn’t speak as she ate but she didn’t mind as she couldn’t write and eat
at the same time.
“Good?” he asked as she finished off the last piece of fruit.
She nodded in agreement, he took the bowl from her hands and placed it on the
bench.
There was a silence as they both stared at each other, she knew he wanted to
say something but before he could her father appeared at the door with a glass
of water in his hand.
Max shot up from his chair, stumbling to his feet and Beth couldn’t help but
smile and she heard her father give a small chuckle.
“Relax Max, Maggie informed me you were here, the council and I need to talk to
you”
“Yeah no worries” said Max.
“And how are feeling now Bethie?” her father asked her.
She didn’t want to admit it but the pain in her head was still killing her and
she had been ignoring so as not to worry Max, so just shrugged and her father
raised on eyebrow.
“Hmm ok I want you to take theses they will ease the pain” he said and handed
her a bottle of pills.
“You only have take these for a few days, just to help you rest and sleep
better” he explained as she made a face.
She nodded and swallowed the pills, washing them down with the glass of water
he handed her.
“Ok now you rest and I’ll back later to check up on you” her father said
warmly.
He left and Max followed him but he paused at the door to look back.
“I’ll um catch you later Beth” he promised.
She smiled as brightly as her face would let her, knowing he would keep his
promise. As he walked off she felt drowsy, the pain meds were kicking in and
she lay her head down and drifted off to sleep, hoping to see Max when she woke
up.
***** Chapter 35 *****
Max yawned as he grabbed himself something for breakfast, ignoring the looks
and the hushed whispers. He felt exhausted and angry with himself, still
thinking he had failed Beth.
“Hi Max” said Carol as he sat down at one of the empty tables.
“Hey Carol” he replied.
He soon grew tired of the looks and left the mess, pausing as he saw Rick and
Glenn standing outside Beth’s cell.
Max hadn’t dared to check on her when he woke, not wanting to scare her or piss
off her family but a protective desire sparked up in him as he saw Rick and
Glenn.
Glenn tried to step inside but Rick pulled him away and the two of them walked
away, heading towards him.
“I wasn’t going to hurt her, I would never do that Rick” Glenn stammered.
“She knows that Glenn but she was just attacked last night we need to give her
time to heal” Rick soothed.
“She alright?” Max asked.
“She’s pretty beat up and still frightened but she’s ok” Rick answered.
Max nodded, Rick and Glenn walked off into the mess and Max made the decision
to check up on Beth for himself.
He coughed to alert her to his presence and his anger fired up again as she
looked up at him. Her eye was now swollen shut, red bruises lined her throat
and she was pale all over.
“You ok?” he asked her.
Beth nodded and he asked he if could come in and she nodded again. He stepped
in and took a seat in one of her empty chairs.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
Beth pointed to her throat, shook her her head, indicating she couldn’t talk
and Max wasn’t surprised with the bruises on her throat. Max would have given
anything to hear her sweet voice at the moment and cursed Zach once again for
hurting her.
Beth pointed to a notebook and pen on the desk beside him, he grabbed them and
passed them to her. She began writing in it and then showed him.
‘Head hurts, throat hurts, can’t talk’
“Shit I’m sorry Beth” he said
‘Not your fault’
“I should have been faster” he confessed.
‘You saved me, that’s all that matters’
“Yeah but still..” he muttered looking down at his hands.
He knew he had to stop beating himself up, she didn’t blame him and he did save
her before Zach could do any lasting damage. He felt her hand on his and he
looked up at her and realised he should probably let her rest.
“So um I just wanted to see if you were ok, I’ll leave you to rest” he said.
She asked him to stay, pulling her knees up and patting the bed beside her. Max
got up from the chair and sat beside her.
‘Are you alright?’
“I’m ok Beth you don’t need to worry about me” he answered and looked at the
wall. Beth reached out and touched his shoulder and he turned back to look at
her.
“Ok I’m not alright I’m just angry at myself and at Zach, that cunt should
never have touched you, should have never done that to your face” he confessed.
Beth asked him her face looked bad and she lowered her head when she saw the
expression on his face.
“You are going to heal Beth and you’ll be back to your normal self” he said as
he reached out to touch her knee gently.
‘You really think so?’
“Yeah I do” he replied.
Someone made a noise outside the cell, Beth’s hand reached out and grabbed his
hand but it turned out to be only Maggie. Beth pulled her hand away quickly but
Max pretended not to noticed and didn’t mind in the slightest.
“Hello Max” she said suspiciously, fixing him with protective look.
“Morning, I was just checking in on Beth” he replied truthfully.
“Here’s you breakfast Beth” said Maggie handed the tray she was carrying, and
Max could see it was the same breakfast he had. He decided it was a little too
crowed in the cell and stood up to leave.
“I should go let you eat and rest” he said, Beth reached for his hand,
preventing him from leaving and fixed him with a pleading look.
“Beth you really need to eat and rest” Maggie suggested.
Max could hear the edge in her voice and could tell it was directed at him, she
really wasn’t cool with him being there and Max couldn’t blame her. Max saw
Beth give her sister a pleading look and he was surprised when she relented.
Maggie said he could stay and left but gave him a hard look before she did.
“You have a great sister there” he told her and sat down, but in one of the
chairs again.
Max watched her as she ate, smiling as she carefully speared the fruit she
wanted with her fork and brought it to her lips. She seemed to enjoy the meal
and finished it off quickly.
“Good?” he asked as she finished up.
She nodded in agreement, he took the bowl from her hands and placed it on the
bench.
There was a small silence as he stared at her and she stared back, he wanted to
say something but before he could her father appeared at the door with a glass
of water in his hand.
Max felt like a caught thief and stumbled to his feet and wondered what he
would say about him being in his daughters cell alone, but Hershel just let out
a small chuckle.
“Relax Max, Maggie informed me you were here, the council and I need to talk to
you”
“Yeah no worries” he replied, knowing exactly what they wanted to talk about.
“And how are feeling now Bethie?” Hershel asked Beth and she just shrugged.
“Hmm ok I want you to take theses they will ease the pain” he said and handed
her a bottle of pills.
Beth gave him displeased look but nodded and swallowed the pills, washing them
down with the glass of water he handed her.
“Ok now you rest you and I’ll back later to check up on you” Hershel said
He turned and left the cell and Max followed him but he paused at the door to
look back.
“I’ll um catch you later Beth” he promised and a bright smile appeared on her
face.
He found Hershel just outside Beth’s cell, the older man didn’t speak and the
two of them walked to the admin block in silence, to find the rest of the
council already waiting.
“Ahh Hershel, Max just in time” said Carol.
Max and Hershel took the two empty seats and the meeting began.
“We called this meeting because of what happened last night” said Hershel after
clearing his throat.
“I still say we should kill him” said Daryl.
“We’ve been through this Daryl” said Hershel.
“Well we have to do something” pleaded Glenn.
Max just stayed quite as they argued among themselves, he wasn’t really sure
why he needed to be there at all, he had never been a management type,
preferring to stay close to the action.
“What do you think Max?” Carol asked and they all looked at him.
“Yes Max it would be good to get your thoughts” Hershel asked.
“Yeah I’m really not sure what you want me to say here guys I’m not talk it out
kinda guy, it wasn’t a requirement in my line of work, kill him or don’t” he
responded.
The group probably thought he would cast a deciding decision and all seemed
disappointed with his answer.
“Maybe we should exile him?” suggested Sasha.
“Exile him?” Daryl snorted.
“Yeah, when he is healed we send him on his way” Sasha explained.
Max sighed quietly as they began arguing again, Beth was lying battered and
bruised in her bed and they were bickering how best to deal with her attacker.
Max didn’t have patience for this even on his better days. He had seen a number
of atrocities committed because higher ups couldn’t decide to take out those
committing them.
“Guys no offence but make a decision, I really don’t want to sit here and wait”
he said curtly
“Max please, this is a difficult decision to make” Hershel pleaded.
“Then leave me out of it” Max snapped and they all looked at him in shock.
“Ok everyone's tempers are frayed, lets return to this when we are far more
calmer” Hershel suggested.
The others agreed and all filed out, heading to their other duties but Hershel
stopped Max before he could leave.
“Max can we talk?” he asked.
“Yeah look I’m sorry I snapped” Max apologised.
“Oh don’t worry about that, everyone is angry, I want to talk to you about
Beth”
Max waited for Hershel to speak his mind, gathering he was going to tell Max to
keep his distance from Beth in the wake of Zach’s attack.
“I noticed she seemed to improve in your presence today” he said.
“Yeah I was just checking in, she asked me to stay” Max explained.
“Well anyway I think you might have a good influence on her while she heals”
Max just stared at him, not believing what he had just heard, he actually
wanted him to spend time with Beth.
“I’m not really a good influence Hershel” he said truthfully
“Don’t sell yourself short Max, Beth trusts you Max and I trust you, she needs
people she can trust in her life, Beth has had it tough, like all of us have
but Beth is different, she still young and innocent and hasn’t fully adapted to
this new world”
“I’m not sure what you’re asking Hershel” Max asked
“When she is fully healed I would like you to train her” asked Hershel.
“You want me to train her to fight?” Max asked with a raised eyebrow.
“I just want you to teach her enough to defend herself” Hershel replied.
“I don’t know, wouldn’t you be more comfortable if Rick does it?” Max
suggested.
“I believe you might be more qualified and I think Beth would rather you teach
her, would you do it Max?”
Max found himself caving under the other man’s gaze, he wanted the chance to
get closer to Beth and it was being handed to him.
“Yeah I’ll do it” he promised.
“Excellent Max, don’t tell her yet, I’ll inform her when she is ready” Hershel
asked.
“Yeah no worries” Max agreed.
Hershel patted him on the arm and excused himself, leaving Max alone in the
room.
So Hershel wanted him to train Beth up, he had never been on the teaching end
and he guessed that he couldn’t really draw from his own training so he would
have to devise easier lessons.
He gathered himself, there was no run scheduled so Max needed something to
occupy his mind and process what Hershel had asked.
He found himself wandering out into the courtyard and took in the warm sun,
savouring it for a moment.
“Hi Max” said a voice.
Max opened his eyes to see Julie standing in front of him.
“Hey Julie” Max replied cautiously.
“Relax I’m not here to make trouble” she said holding up her hands.
“Ok?” Max asked.
“Listen after what happened last night, what you did for Beth, I won’t tell
anyone how you feel about her” she replied.
“How I feel about her?” Max asked with an edge to his voice.
“Max I said I wasn’t going to make trouble and I meant it, I’m not that petty
and besides I knew you weren’t that in to me” she replied.
Max couldn’t help but let a small smile play across his lips and Julie laughed.
“So friends Max?” she asked.
“Yeah” Max replied
“Good” she said, still smiling
She walked off and Max felt slightly relieved, Julie was now one less problem
he had to deal with, the day might improve after all..
***** Chapter 36 *****
When Beth woke again it was dark and she realised she had slept most of the
day. Her head no longer hurt as much but she was famished and had a wicked
thirst.
Someone had left her a bottle of water on her desk, she grabbed it and gulped
some down. With her thirst quenched she tested her voice but only a squeak come
out and sighed.
Beth wondered if she should venture out to get some food but world outside her
cell was now terrifying to her and she silently hoped that someone would
discover she was awake, someone like her father, Maggie or Max. She didn’t have
to wait long as Maggie walked by and stopped as she saw that Beth was awake.
“Oh you’re awake, how do you feel?” Maggie asked.
Beth shrugged and moved her hand in a ‘so so’ motion and gave a weak smile.
“Well you look better, you got to be hungry, you woke just in time dinner is
ready I’ll go get you some” she said.
She walked off and returned shortly with a tray of food and smiled as the smell
of pasta filled the cell. Maggie placed the tray on the bed and handed Beth a
fork.
“Careful it’s hot” Maggie warned as Beth gathered some on the fork
Beth paused as she was about eat, raised an eyebrow and gave Maggie a
questioning look and Maggie just smiled.
“Sorry, I’ll just let you eat” she said.
Beth did so, the pasta tasted wonderful and thought back to last time she had
it, the day she met Max and smiled at the memory. She quickly finished off the
pasta and felt more than satisfied.
“Want more?” Maggie asked and Beth shook her head.
“Well ok, good” she said, contented Beth was full.
Maggie picked up the bowl and the fork and took them away. Beth expected her to
return right away but her father returned in her place.
“Maggie said you were awake, how are you feeling?” he asked as he sat on the
bunk.
Beth reached for the note book she had been using to communicate with Max and
wrote ‘I feel a little better now’.
“That’s good to hear, but I still want you to rest” he said
‘No worries I will’
“That’s my girl” he said, then his face darkened.
‘What’s wrong?’
“That boy should have never have gotten his hands on you” he answered.
‘I’m ok daddy really’
“I know but its a fathers job to protect his daughter” he said.
‘You had no idea he was going to do this daddy’
Beth gave her father a reassuring smile and slipped her hand into his. He
smiled back and squeezed it.
“I did have a bad feeling about him and I’m so grateful Max was able to save
you when he did’
Beth was grateful as well, not knowing how she would be now if Zach had managed
to finish.
‘Daddy what are you going to do about Zach?’
“You shouldn’t be worrying about that Bethie” he replied.
She gave him a look but he wouldn’t budge on his stance. He gave her another
hug and then ordered her to take some more of the pain pills and get some more
sleep. Beth promised she would and he left her alone.
She looked at the pills, she knew she should take them but she didn’t feel
tired having just slept most of the day but her father knew best. She was about
to take them when Maggie returned and sat down on the bunk.
Beth could feel some tension coming off her and asked if she was alright.
Maggie smiled sadly as she read the question and sighed heavily.
“Beth I want you to know you can talk to me, you went through something and
don’t want you to bury it”
‘Ok I won’t’
‘Good, you’re my sister and want you to be safe but I also want you to be
happy, that night with the governor, what he did to me, I shut myself away and
refused help so I just want you to know I’m here Beth” she continued and Beth
could see tears welling in her eyes.
‘I know Maggie and I love you for that’
The two sisters smiled at each other as the emotions rose up in Beth and they
embraced each other.
They broke the hug and Beth wiped her eye as Maggie did the same and then they
both laughed.
“Now were both a mess” said Maggie and Beth fixed her with a look.
“Ok sorry just a little joke, I probably should let you rest, take those pills
and I’ll check up on you in the morning.
Beth nodded, she swallowed the pills and Maggie tucked her in and left her to
fall asleep.
As she let the pills kick in Beth mulled over what Maggie had said and decided
she wasn’t going to let her self disappear like she did back at the farm, she
was going to live, otherwise her fear would own her.
Beth woke to sunlight streaming into her cell and winced as she opened her
eyes, her bruised eye was no longer as swollen and she could see through it but
the light hurt her.
She blinked repetitively as tears flowed from it and turned away from the light
“Ow” she said and was very surprised.
It came out hoarse but was clear and she couldn’t help but smile, and started
saying random words.
“They say talking to yourself is the first sign of madness you know” said a
voice and she looked up to see Max standing outside her cell.
“Max I can talk again” she said excitedly, it still hurt to talk above a
whisper but she was happy to be getting her voice back.
“So I hear, you’re healing fast” he told her.
“Thanks I’ll feel a lot better but the light hurts my eyes” she said
“Yeah It probably would, but some light will be good for them especially the
bruised one” he explained.
Beth nodded, she knew is was right but the sun still stung her eyes, she wanted
to be strong in front of Max but couldn’t do that with her eyes all watery.
“You gotta be starving, how about some breakfast?” he asked, changing the
subject.
“Breakfast does sounds good” she admitted.
“Ok want me to bring you some? or do you feel like braving it out here?” he
asked gently.
“I don’t know” she replied.
She wasn’t really ready to leave her cell, she would be safe with Max that
wasn’t the issue, she didn’t want to face everyone in her state, having to
endure their looks and questions.
“It’s ok Beth, no one is going to pressure you if you’re not ready yet” he
soothed.
This sparked something in her, if that’s what people believed about her she was
going to prove them wrong, remembering the promise she made to herself the
night before.
“No I can’t sit in here all day I need to get out, get some fresh air but um my
eyes” she said.
Beth hoped he would think she was just talking about the light and not how she
looked, not wanting him to know she was worried about how everyone would look
at her.
“Ok I have something that might help.” he said and ducked away.
He quickly returned and held out what he had retrieved. In his hand was a pair
of wrap round sunglasses with mirrored lenses.
“They’ll protect your eyes from the light and um cover..” he trailed off and
sounded embarrassed.
“Thank you Max they are perfect” she said and put them on.
They were a little big on her face, obviously made for a bigger male head but
they helped instantly, the sunlight becoming far more manageable and she felt
more confidant with them on.
Beth looked down at her clothes and realised she was wearing just a tank top
and thin sleep shorts, Maggie had changed her while she passed out after the
attack. It wasn’t really appropriate attire, she would need to change and most
likely need a shower as well.
“Um I might need to change” she hinted.
“Oh shit yeah sorry” he said sheepishly.
He stepped from the cell and pulled her sheet across as he did, she could see
his shadow through the sheet, standing guard and smiled.
Beth quickly changed, pulling on some jeans, a fresh top and her boots before
stepping out of the cell.
“Ready?” Max asked.
“As I’ll ever be” she replied.
They made for the mess and Beth’s nervousness grew and paused at the door as
she saw the people inside. Beth froze to the spot and she considered just
running back to her bed and hiding but then she felt Max’s hand on her back,
urging her forward.
“It’s alright Beth, you’re safe here” he murmured.
“Oh Beth you’re up” said a surprised Maggie from where she was sitting.
The room all turned and Beth felt self concious and touched her sunglasses
nervously. Max touched her arm and they walked over to Maggie’s table where she
was sitting with Glenn.
“I was just about to check up on you, sit down I’ll get you some food” Maggie
said and stood up to make Beth some breakfast.
“Sorry I scared you yesterday Beth” Glenn said, sounding ashamed.
“Its ok Glenn” she replied.
Beth sat down but Max didn’t and turned to leave. A wave of fear crashed
through her and she grabbed his hand.
“Don’t go” she whispered.
“You’ll be fine Beth” he said.
“Please don’t go” she pleaded.
Max seemed conflicted but finally nodded and sat down next to her. Beth smiled
gratefully at him as her pulse slowed to normal.
“Here you go” said Maggie as she returned.
She placed a bowl in front of her and Beth tucked in, once again starving.
“Where’s daddy?” she asked between mouthfuls.
“I think he outside helping Rick, do you want me to go get him?” Maggie asked.
“No its alright I’ll go see him in a bit” Beth replied.
“Beth do you really need the glasses?” Maggie asked.
Beth looked at her, startled and she touched the sunglasses involuntary.
“Beth’s its ok nobody is going to think differently of you” Maggie said gently
“I know, I want to keep them on” Beth.
“She also needs to let her eye adjust to the light” explained Max, speaking up
and Beth smiled at the support.
“Ok, ok “ said Maggie accepting defeat and held up her hands.
There was an uncomfortable silence as no one spoke. Beth knew Maggie was just
trying to help and after their conversation last night she really did want it.
“Do you want more breakfast?” Maggie asked finally breaking the silence as Beth
emptied her bowl.
“No I think I’ll be ok” Beth replied, now full
“Alright, is there anything you want to do now?” Maggie asked her.
“Um I think I might need a shower and then go see daddy” Beth suggested
“Ok, do you need some help?” she asked.
“Maggie I’m seventeen almost eighteen I think I can shower myself” Beth said a
little exasperated.
“Well ok then” Maggie replied sounding hurt and Beth felt bad.
“Sorry Maggie I appreciate the offer” she said sincerely.
“No I’m sorry Beth you’re right” Maggie replied.
Maggie smiled warmly at Beth then stood up and took her bowl, Glenn gathered up
the rest of the bowls and joined Maggie at the wash table leaving Beth and Max
alone.
“Thanks for that before and for staying” she said to him.
“No worries I’m happy to do it but no one is going to hurt you Beth” he said
“Well I did think that before” she said sadly and her voice wavered.
“Did you want me to stay with you for the rest of the day?” he asked.
Beth looked up at him to see a sincere expression on his face and her she felt
a flutter and her pulse quickened again but this time not from fear.
“You would do that?” she asked shyly.
“Sure, I was a bodyguard back in DC” Max replied.
“And you’ll be my bodyguard?” Beth asked.
He stood up and offered his hand, she took it and he gently pulled her to her
feet.
“Of course Miss Greene, I’m at your service, where to first?” he asked.
Beth let out a little giggle as he stood to attention, waiting for her answer.
“Um shower I guess” she suggested.
Maggie looked over from the wash table and threw her a concerned look but Beth
just gave her a reassuring smile and headed for her cell with her dashing new
bodyguard in tow..
***** Chapter 37 *****
The rest of the day after the conversation with Julie went smoothly and Max
began to feel more relaxed. He was still a little pissed at the council’s
indecisions but once again it wasn’t his place to protest.
The looks people gave him stopped over the course of the day and Max had an
inkling Hershel had a hand in telling people to leave him alone.
Max was eating lunch when Carl walked over to his table and asked to sit down.
He nodded and Carl sat and looked slightly distressed.
“Something on your mind?” Max asked.
“Yeah um listen, I there is something I need to tell you” Carl said sounding
sheepish.
“What is it Carl?” Max asked.
“I heard Zach talking about Beth a few days ago and I should have said
something about it” Carl replied.
“What did he say?” Max asked.
“It wasn’t nice things” Carl replied cryptically.
Max didn’t need to know the details of the conversation Carl had overheard and
could probably guess what Zach had been saying about Beth.
“Hmm yeah I think I might already know” Max growled.
“If I had know he would hurt her I would have told dad immediately” Carl said
apolitically.
“Its ok Carl it’s not your fault” Max soothed.
“Still its pretty fucked what he did” Carl replied angrily.
“Shouldn’t use that language Carl but you’re right” said Max.
Carl nodded and stood to leave but Max stopped him before he could walk away
“Carl if you hear something don’t hesitate to tell someone alright” he asked.
“Yeah no worries, will do” Carl promised.
After Carl left, a few more people thanked him for what he had done and Max
felt a little a strange receiving praise. As a special forces soldier he had
successfully completed so many black ops missions that the public had now
knowledge of and had never received so much as a medal, but he had never been
it it for the praise or glory, he did it because he could.
“Mind if we join you?” asked Sasha as she and Ty approached his table.
“Yeah sure” Max replied warmly.
“Max can we talk?” Sasha asked as the siblings sat down.
“Sasha let the man eat” Ty warned.
“Listen I know it’s still to soon and after this morning I don’t blame you but
we need to decide what we are going to do with Zach” Sasha said.
Max sighed softly and pinched his nose, he couldn’t escape this and for the
hundredth time wished he had just killed Zach.
“You need to decide his fate” he answered.
“But we can’t just kill him, Dr S is certain Zach’s leg will heal and then we
should exile him, take him somewhere he can’t return” Sasha pushed
“Sasha just stop girl, the man’s made up his mind so just let it go” Ty said
softly.
Max silently thanked the older Williams and Sasha fell silent but Max could
tell she wasn’t defeated just yet.
Max finished up his food and excused himself. He washed up his plate and headed
out the mess.
He stopped by Beth’s cell, someone, most likely Maggie had pulled Beth’s
privacy sheet and Max didn’t want to disturb her and quickly moved on.
The rest of the day went quickly, he didn’t see Beth but was just relieved she
was safe in her cell and after a quick dinner he had a far better sleep than
the night before.
He stretched and rolled in his bed as morning greeted him and slowly got up. He
dressed and decided to check on Beth before he did anything.
As he approached her cell her heard whispering, he peeked into to see her alone
and realised it was just her talking, she was getting her voice back. Her face
looked slightly better, her damaged eye had opened slightly but it was still
badly bruised and would be for a few more days.
“They say talking to yourself is the first sign of madness you know” he joked,
announcing his presence and she looked at him.
“Max I can talk again” she said sounding happy.
“So I hear, you’re healing fast” he told her.
“Thanks I’ll feel a lot better but the light hurts my eyes” she said
“Yeah It probably would, but some light will be good for them especially the
bruised one” he explained and she nodded.
“You gotta be starving, how about some breakfast?” he asked, changing the
subject.
“Breakfast does sounds good” Beth admitted.
“Ok want me to bring you some? or do you feel like braving it out here?” he
asked gently.
“I don’t know” she replied.
“It’s ok Beth, no one is going to pressure you if you’re not ready yet” he
soothed.
“No I can’t sit in here all day I need to get out, get some fresh air but um my
eyes” she said.
She looked embarrassed then Max realised he had some sunglasses that would
assist her.
“Ok I have something that might help.” he said and ducked away.
He rummaged quickly through his pack and grabbed the sunglasses he had won from
a force recon marine in a card game, they were custom made and had strengthened
mirrored lenses and returned with them to Beth’s cell, handing them to her.
“They’ll protect your eyes from the light and um cover..” he trailed off and
tried not to refer to her black eye.
“Thank you Max they are perfect” she said and put them on.
She looked a little big on her but she didn’t seem to mind and appeared ready
to leave but looked down at what she was wearing.
“Um I might need to change” she hinted.
“Oh shit yeah sorry” he said realising what she meant.
He quickly stepped from the cell and pulled her sheet across behind him and
waited till she was ready.
It didn’t take long and she stepped out, dressed in jeans and a fresh top.
“Ready?” Max asked her
“As I’ll ever be” she replied.
They walked to the mess, there were a dozen or so people inside eating
breakfast and he sensed Beth tense up beside him. He could tell she was scared
and he couldn’t blame her and he gently placed his hand on her back to calm
her.
“It’s alright Beth, you’re safe here” he said softly
“Oh Beth you’re up” said Maggie from across the room.
Max felt Beth tense again as the room all turned and noticed her nervously
touch her sunglasses. Max lightly brushed her arm and the two of them made
their way over to Maggie’s table where she was sitting with Glenn.
“I was just about to check up on you, sit down I’ll get you some food” Maggie
said.
Max nodded at Glenn but he didn’t return the gesture instead more focused on
Beth.
“Sorry I scared you yesterday Beth” Glenn said to her.
“Its ok Glenn” she replied.
Max stayed standing as Beth sat down, he didn’t know if Maggie wanted him
sitting with Beth and turned to see the older sister watching them. He made to
leave but Beth’s hand grabbed his, stopping him.
“Don’t go” she whispered to him
“You’ll be fine Beth” he said, placating her.
“Please don’t go” she pleaded, more firmly.
Max looked at Glenn who smiled weakly and then to decided to comply with Beth’s
wishes. He took the empty seat beside her and she smiled at him.
“Here you go” said Maggie as she returned and put a bowl in front of Beth, who
began eating immediately
“Where’s daddy?” Beth asked as she ate.
“I think he outside helping Rick, do you want me to go get him?” Maggie
replied.
“No its alright I’ll go see him in a bit” said Beth.
“Beth do you really need the glasses?” Maggie asked.
Max gave her a look and noticed Beth hand fly up to the glasses. Beth didn’t
‘really’ need the glasses but they would help her recover much faster without
them.
“Beth’s its ok nobody is going to think differently of you” Maggie said gently.
“I know, I want to keep them on” Beth replied.
“She also needs to let her eye adjust to the light” explained Max, speaking up
and Beth smiled him.
“Ok, ok “ said Maggie accepting defeat and held up her hands.
No one spoke and a slight tension fell on the table, Max knew not to say
anything and he could tell Glenn sure as hell wasn’t going to either.
“Do you want more breakfast?” Maggie asked finally breaking the silence as Beth
finished her food.
“No I think I’ll be ok” Beth replied.
“Alright, is there anything you want to do now?” Maggie asked her.
“Um I think I might need a shower and then go see daddy” Beth suggested.
“Ok, do you need some help?” Maggie asked and Max raised an eyebrow at the
question.
“Maggie I’m seventeen almost eighteen I think I can shower myself” Beth said,
sounding a little exasperated.
“Well ok then” Maggie replied, hurt evident in her voice.
“Sorry Maggie I appreciate the offer” Beth said.
“No I’m sorry Beth you’re right” Maggie replied.
Maggie and Glenn then gathered up the tables bowls and took them to the wash
table leaving him and Beth alone.
“Thanks for that before and for staying” she said softly.
“No worries I’m happy to do it but no one is going to hurt you Beth” he said
“Well I did think that before” she said sadly and her voice wavered.
Max wasn’t sure if she was going to cry and wondered if she was going to hold
up. He didn’t want her to cry and decided he would help her feel as safe as he
possible could.
“Did you want me to stay with you for the rest of the day?” he asked her.
“You would do that?” Beth asked shyly, looking up at him.
“Sure, I was a bodyguard back in DC” Max replied.
“And you’ll be my bodyguard?” Beth asked.
He stood up and offered his hand, she took it and he gently pulled her to her
feet.
“Of course Miss Greene, I’m at your service, where to first?” he asked.
Beth let out a little giggle as he stood to attention, waiting for her answer.
“Um shower I guess” she suggested.
Max nodded in agreement and they began to exit the mess but not before Maggie
threw a troubled look their way. Beth didn’t mention it and they made their way
back to her cell.
“Oh you didn’t have any breakfast Max” she said suddenly as she paused in front
of her cell.
“Don’t worry, I sometimes skip breakfast” he replied.
“Really? you sure you don’t want to get something?” she pressed.
“Nah I’m ok besides I wouldn’t be a very good bodyguard if we deviated from the
schedule” he replied.
“No I guess not” she said, a teasing smile on her face.
“Now Miss Greene if you would kindly gather you things, I can escort you to the
showers” Max said in professional manner.
“Of course” she said in a posh tone.
She stepped into her cell and brought out a towel and her shower gear,
indicating she was ready.
“Please step this way Miss Greene” he asked, trying his best not to smile.
He thought back to his days back in DC when he actually had to be professional,
driving and guarding the ambassador to and at various parties, meetings and
engagements. It was easy work but also tiring having to be present but
invisible at the same time as the ambassador met with various other foreign
dignitaries. The Australian ambassador wasn’t exactly a target, especially in
DC but Max still had to stay alert, particularly when meeting with dignitaries
who were.
They reached the showers, Max held up his hand to stop her and checked inside,
finding it empty.
“Alright its clear” he announced.
“No threats Corporal?” she asked, smirking.
“No Miss Greene” he replied.
She brushed past him and walked in into a stall, pulling the curtain closed
behind her. Max waited patiently as she showered, thankful no one came to use
the showers and found him just standing there.
After a short while he heard the water stop and then heard her call out with
fear in her voice.
“Max are you still there?”
“Yeah I’m still here” he answered.
“Oh good” she replied sounding relieved.
The curtain opened and she stepped out freshly showered and looking more
lively. She blushed as she rubbed her damp hair with her towel and gave him a
shy smile.
“Sorry, I panicked a little” she said softly, sounding embarrassed.
“Its ok Beth I wasn’t going to leave you”
Beth nodded, she walked over to the sink and her face dropped as she saw her
self in the mirror.
“Oh” was all she could manage and Max stayed silent as she examined her self,
carefully touching the bruising under her eye, wincing as she did.
“D-do you think it will heal properly?” she asked, her voice wavering.
“You’ll have it for a while but yes it will go away completely” he replied.
Beth seemed to be happy with this but she put the sunglasses back on.
“Um shall we go find my father?” she asked.
“You’re running the show Beth, I’ll go where you go” he replied, giving her a
reassuring smile.
“Ok, Maggie said he was outside, maybe in the garden?, lets try there first”
she suggested, her voice confident.
The two of them made their outside and sure enough, they found Hershel tending
to the prison garden and he smiled as he saw them approaching.
“Well good morning Bethie, its good to see you up and about” he said warmly.
“Hi daddy” Beth said as the two hugged.
“And good morning to you as well Max” Hershel said, smiling at Max.
“Hershel” said Max, returning the greeting.
“How are you feeling Beth?” Hershel asked his daughter
“I feel much better, I’m getting my voice back and my eye is better” she
replied.
“Let me see” he asked.
Beth took off the glasses and Max saw her blink painfully as the bright
sunlight hit her eye.
“Hmm yes, still bruised though” he mused.
“Max said it will heal back to normal daddy” she said.
Max felt a little awkward that she revealed that to Hershel but the man just
smiled.
“Of course it will” he said and Beth beamed at him.
“Thanks daddy” she replied happily.
“Now what did you want to do today?” Hershel asked her.
“I’m not sure” she admitted.
“Well you should relax, take in some sun and enjoy the day” Hershel suggested,
Beth agreed and Max and her left Hershel to his garden.
“So where to now Max?” Beth asked.
She sounded unsure of herself again and Max needed her to stay confident. He
spotted Carol in the outer yard watching Mika and Lizzie and the other children
play and wondered if maybe Beth would benefit from talking to the kids.
“Well your dad said to get some sun, so let’s do just that and we can go see
the kids, I’m sure they will be happy to see you” he suggested.
Beth looked apprehensive at first then she nodded.
“Ok sounds good, as long as you come with me” she said.
“Of course Miss Greene, shall we?” Max replied.
He indicated for her to start walking and they headed down towards to Carol and
the others, hoping his plan wouldn’t backfire.
***** Chapter 38 *****
Beth smiled happily to her self as she and Max left the mess and walked to her
cell, she then realised something and paused.
“Oh you didn’t have any breakfast Max” she said.
“Don’t worry, I sometimes skip breakfast” he replied.
“Really? you sure you don’t want to get something?” she pressed.
“Nah I’m ok besides I wouldn’t be a very good bodyguard if we deviated from the
schedule” he replied.
“No I guess not” she said, a smiled at him.
“Now Miss Greene if you would kindly gather you things, I can escort you to the
showers” Max said in professional manner.
“Of course” she said in similar tone.
She ducked into her cell and gathered her things, her towel and her shower gear
and stepped back out .
“Please step this way Miss Greene” he asked and Beth could see a hint of a
smile on his face.
Beth walked with him to the showers and when the reached the door to the shower
room, Max held up his hand to stop her and looked inside.
“All right its clear” he announced.
“No threats, Corporal?” she asked.
“No Miss Greene” he replied.
Beth smiled at him and wondered what he would have done if there had been some
else in the room. She pushed that thought aside and walked into one of the
empty stalls. She undressed, turned on the water and stepped under the spray,
gasping slightly as the cool water hit her body. She showered quickly not
waiting to keep Max waiting but long enough that she thoroughly cleansed
herself.
As she turned off the water all she could hear was the soft dripping of water
echoing through the room and a rush of fear shot through her.
“Max are you still there?” she called out.
“Yeah I’m still here” she heard him answer.
Beth breathed a sigh of relief, she knew she was being irrational, but it would
be a while before the anxiety went away completely.
She dressed and pulled the curtain and saw Max was indeed still waiting for her
and gave him a small smile as she dried her hair.
“Sorry, I panicked a little” she said to him.
“Its ok Beth I wasn’t going to leave you” he replied.
Beth nodded, she walked over to the sink and her face dropped as she saw her
self in the mirror. She looked terrible, her whole face was pale and her
bruised eye and cut lip looked dreadful.
“Oh” she whispered to her self, touching the bruising under her eye and winced
in pain as she did.
“D-do you think it will heal properly?” she asked Max, her voice wavering.
“You’ll have it for a while but yes it will go away completely” he replied.
Beth accepted his answer, knowing he was right but she still put the sunglasses
back on. With her shower complete it was time to see her father.
“Um shall we go find my father?” she asked Max.
“You’re running the show Beth, I’ll go where you go” he replied, giving her a
reassuring smile.
“Ok, Maggie said he was outside, maybe in the garden?, lets try there first”
Beth suggested, her voice sounding more confident.
They left the showers and found her father in his garden and he smiled as he
saw them approaching.
“Well good morning Bethie, its good to see you up and about” he said warmly.
“Hi daddy” Beth said as the two hugged.
“And good morning to you as well Max” her father said, smiling at Max.
“Hershel” said Max, returning the greeting.
“How are you feeling Beth?” her father asked
“I feel much better, I’m getting my voice back and my eye is better” Beth
replied.
“Let me see” he asked.
She eased off the glasses and blinked painfully as the sun hit her eye.
“Hmm yes, still bruised though” he mused.
“Max said it will heal back to normal daddy” she said.
“Of course it will” he said.
“Thanks daddy” she replied happily.
“Now what did you want to do today?” her father asked her.
The question stumped her, she actually didn’t know what she wanted to do and
fretted a little.
“I’m not sure” she finally admitted.
“Well you should relax, take in some sun and enjoy the day” he suggested and
she agreed, sounding better than anything she could come up with and the two of
them left her father to his garden.
“So where to now Max?” Beth asked.
“Well your dad said to get some sun, so let’s do just that and we can go see
the kids, I’m sure they will be happy to see you” he suggested.
Beth looked down into the yard where the kids were playing under the watchful
eye of Carol. Beth was unsure at first, not wanting to deal with the children’s
attention and inevitable questions but she was being irrational again and
decided maybe it would be nice to see the them.
“Ok sounds good, as long as you come with me” she said.
“Of course Miss Greene, shall we?” Max replied.
They walked through the gate and started down the hill towards the group. Carol
saw her and waved and Beth waved shyly back.
“Beth!” yelled Mika, spotting her.
The kids stopped their playing and crowed round Beth and Max as they reached
the group.
“Ok ok settle down, give her some space” ordered Carol.
The kids backed off and Beth silently thanked Carol with a smile.
“Sorry Beth” said Mika softly.
“Its ok Mika” Beth replied.
“Alright back to play, for another ten minutes then back inside” Carol ordered.
The kids returned to their game of tag and Carol walked over to stand next to
Max and Beth.
“How are you feeling today?” Carol asked kindly.
“Yeah I’m ok” she replied.
“Well that’s good news, and how bout you Max?” Carol asked.
“All good Carol” he replied and Carol nodded
“Max is my bodyguard today” Beth revealed, before she realised she probably
didn’t need to tell Carol that.
“Oh really?, well I hope you don’t consider me a threat Max” Carol joked.
“Don’t worry your on the cleared list” Max replied smiling and Beth giggled.
Beth wondered who Max actually considered a threat and what he would do if she
felt threatened by them. She didn’t have time to pondered over this as Carol
suddenly called out to the kids.
“Ok play times up, lesson time”
The children grumbled a little but began following Carol back up to prison as
she headed that way, Mika paused and seemed like she wanted to ask Beth
something.
“What is it Mika?” Beth asked gently.
“Is it all right if I give you a hug?” she asked shyly.
Beth smiled at the younger girl and nodded, a hug sounded perfect.
“I would love a hug Mika” she admitted.
Mika gave Beth a warm hug and then sprinted off after the others, not wanting
to be left behind, leaving Max and Beth alone.
“That was nice” said Max.
“Yeah it was” Beth agreed.
“Do you want to hang out here or was there something else you wanted to do?”
Max asked.
“Oh um it is a nice day and daddy said I should get some sun, so lets just stay
here for a bit”
They sat on the ground and Beth nervously picked at the grass, racking her
brain as she tried come up with something to talk about.
“So um did you enjoy being a bodyguard back in DC?, was it better than being a
soldier?” she asked finally.
“Well its was different for sure, easier but could get boring and tedious at
times”
“Oh” she said, looking down and wondered if he was bored at that moment.
“I’m not bored Beth” he said and Beth blushed.
“So did you meet anyone famous?” she asked, changing the subject.
“In a sense, I was assigned to the ambassadors detail, so I escorted him to
meetings with foreign dignitaries and a couple of times to the white house”
“Really?, did you meet the president?” she asked.
“I was in a room with him once but never formally introduced” he replied.
“The only famous person I met was the mayor of our town when his visited our
school once” she said.
“The mayor huh?, that’s pretty cool” Max teased.
“Haha very funny” Beth growled and threw a clump of dirt and grass at him.
Max laughed as he brushed the dirt off his shirt, he held up his hands and Beth
giggled.
“I surrender Miss Greene” he said, still laughing.
“Well good, I don’t like to be teased Max” she told him, trying her hardest not
to smile but failing miserably.
“Duly noted” Max promised.
Beth couldn’t keep the smile off her face, she felt more relaxed and
comfortable than she had in the last two days and it was due to Max. Beth hoped
the feeling would last as long as possible, but it wasn’t to be as Max looked
past her and frowned.
“Hmm what’s this?” Max mused.
Beth looked over her shoulder to see what he was talking about and saw Bob, Dr
S and Patrick walking in their direction and Beth hoped they weren’t coming
over to them. Her heart raced as they got closer and she placed her hand on
Max’s arm and he nodded in understanding.
“Hey Beth, hey Max” called Bob.
“Mind if we join you?” Dr S asked.
“We just wanted to see how you were Beth” Bob explained.
Beth didn’t answer,she really didn’t know theses three and didn’t know if she
could begin to trust them just yet and she didn’t really feel like getting to
know them either, especially not today.
“Guys, not a good time” Max said, his tone making it clear it wasn’t a
suggestion.
The men looked crestfallen but left regardless, giving Beth sympathetic looks.
“Thanks” Beth said to Max after they were gone.
“No worries Beth” he replied.
Beth felt disappointed that the good feeling was gone, but she knew what had
happened to her couldn’t be ignored forever.
“Max?” she asked nervously.
“Yeah?” he replied.
“What’s going to happen to Zach?” she asked.
She expected Max to brush the question off and change the subject, thinking she
wasn’t ready to deal with it.
“I’m not sure Beth, the council is still undecided on what to do with him” he
answered, surprising her.
“Oh ok” she said softly.
“What did you want done with him?” he asked.
“Huh?” she stammered.
“Well some want to kill him the others want to exile him when he can walk, what
do want done with him” Max asked.
The question perplexed her, yes she wanted justice for what he did but she
couldn’t ask for his death it wasn’t in her nature so she guessed exiling him
was the only option, she didn’t think she could handle living with her
attempted rapist even with Max looking out for her.
“Its ok Beth you don’t have to make a decision but you do have more than a say
in the matter” Max said gently.
Beth nodded but didn’t answer and went back to picking at the grass.
There was a silence between them, Beth wanted to end it but didn’t what to say
but was saved by the appearance of Maggie.
“Well here you two are” she said cheerfully.
“Hi Maggie”
“I was wondering where you got to, what are you doing out here?” she asked.
“Just enjoying the sun Maggie” Beth answered.
“Well ok just don’t spend to much time out here, you know you burn easy” Maggie
warned.
Beth gave her an exasperated look and was disgruntled that Maggie was correct,
she would get a sunburn soon if she didn’t get to some shade.
“Ok maybe we should go in” Beth said reluctantly.
“I didn’t mean to rush you Beth” said Maggie, sounding apologetic.
“No its ok” Beth replied and stood up, brushing dirt from her jeans.
Max got to his feet as well, gave Beth a reassuring smile, a smile that Beth
had began to love and the three of them began to walk back up the cell blocks.
***** Chapter 39 *****
Max’s plan worked out better than expected, the kids had left Beth with a smile
and little Mika had even given Beth a hug. Max sat with her in the grass and
talked about his former life as a bodyguard and even a light teasing didn’t
deter her improving mood, that was until Bob, Patrick and Dr S. wandered over.
Max had felt Beth tense up and firmly suggested the men keep walking. Beth was
indeed getting better but her fear of others would take a while to be
extinguished…
After Bob and the other had left Beth asked him about Zach and Max realised
nobody had told her about him, he briefly considered changing the subject but
Beth didn’t deserve that and informed her that the council hadn’t decided what
to do with Zach and asked her what justice she wanted. Beth had seemed troubled
by the question and Max didn’t expect an answer and he vowed to begin her
training as soon as she was ready.
There was a silence between them, not awkward but not entirely comfortable
either, Max wasn’t sure what to say and was slightly relieved when Maggie
appeared.
“Well here you two are” she said cheerfully.
“Hi Maggie” said Beth
“I was wondering where you got to, what are you doing out here?” Maggie asked
and Max picked up on the suspicious tone in her voice.
“Just enjoying the sun Maggie” Beth answered.
“Well ok just don’t spend to much time out here, you know you burn easy” Maggie
warned.
Max wondered if that was true, Beth was on the pale side and he had known girls
back home who could burn easily without sunscreen. He believed him self to be
correct when he saw Beth gave Maggie an exasperated look, still effective
through the sunglasses and thought maybe they should find some shade, not
wanting a painful sunburn to add to her ailments.
“Ok maybe we should go in” Beth said reluctantly.
“I didn’t mean to rush you Beth” said Maggie, sounding apologetic.
“No its ok” Beth replied and stood up, brushing dirt from her jeans.
Max got to his feet as well and the three of them began to walk back up the
small hill.
“Are you hungry Beth?” Maggie asked as they walked across the courtyard.
“I’m ok but Max skipped breakfast, did you want to eat?” Beth asked him.
Max wasn’t starving but he could eat, and thought he probably should keep his
strength up.
“Ahh yeah sure, sounds good” he replied.
“Ok then”
They entered the mess to find it empty as it was too early for lunch yet Max
and Beth took a seat while Maggie made him and Beth a snack. Beth seemed
relaxed again and she actually took off the sunglasses. Max grew a little
enraged at the sight of her bruised eye again but forced it back down so he
wouldn’t make her uncomfortable.
Maggie quickly returned with the food, Max thanked her but she just gave him a
look. He wolfed down the food and found he was actually quite famished. As he
finished the last bite he looked up to see Beth smiling at him.
“What?” he asked.
“Hungry?” she asked and laughed.
“Yeah a little” he admitted
“Well don’t skip breakfast next time” she suggested.
“Yes mam I’ll keep that in mind” he replied and smiled as a little blush filled
her cheeks.
“So I’m guessing you two have had fun today?” Maggie asked, with suspicion
still in her voice.
“Yeah we have” Beth answered truthfully.
“Hmm ok” Maggie replied.
Max could sense hostility coming of Maggie and he gathered up the empty dishes
and took them over to the wash up area. As he washed the dishes he heard Maggie
and Beth whispering harshly and tried his best not eavesdrop as he heard his
name mentioned. He finished up, they stopped whispering and Beth gave Maggie a
withering stare. They both gave him smiles as he walked back to the table,
Maggie’s was fake and Beth’s was strained.
Max pretended not to notice and sat back down in his seat, but the tension
between the two sisters was thick. It was Beth who spoke first braking the
silence.
“Was there anything you needed to do today Max?” she asked in a forced normal
tone.
He didn’t really have anything pressing to do but he picked up on the stress in
her voice and knew she was really asking him to give her an excuse to leave the
mess. He gathered he it wouldn’t hurt to clean his weapons again and it would
be a good jump start on her training.
“I was thinking of cleaning some of my weapons later” he suggested to her.
“Ok sounds like fun” she replied.
She stood up, gave Maggie another look, put her sunglasses back on and began
walking out of the mess. Max quickly followed not daring to look back at
Maggie.
“So to the armoury?” she asked, looking back.
Her voiced sounded neutral but Max could tell she was pissed, he wondered what
she and Maggie had been whispering about, he gathered he had something to do
with it but didn’t think he should bring it up.
“Yeah sure” he said and followed her as she walked towards the armoury
“Beth do you want to talk about what happened back there with Maggie?” he asked
as they reached it and paused outside.
“No not really” she replied, giving him a sad look and took the sunglasses off.
“I’m ok Max” she continued as Max raised an eyebrow.
Max decided to take her word for it, she would talk when she was ready and
entered the armoury.
“Well ok before we start I gotta ask do you have an experience with guns?” he
asked her.
“A little, Rick gave us some shooting lessons back on the farm and I’ve handled
a pistol a couple of times since” she replied.
“Well all right then, you a good shot?” he asked, smiling and hoping it would
cheer her up.
“No not really” she answered.
“Hmm maybe we can change that” he replied, trying not to give too much away.
Max began to lay weapons on the armoury table and noticed her eyes widen as he
pulled the Barrett from its bag.
“What kind of gun is that?” she asked in awe
“This here is a Barrett M82A1, 50 caliber anti material rifle” Max explained
with a smile
The rifle had belonged to one of his former squad mates at the embassy, it
wasn’t exactly a requirement but the former sniper had kept it and Max had
acquired it after his death.
“Anti material?” Beth asked, confused.
“Well it’s a sniper rifle but its classified as anti material because it fires
theses” he replied and pulled out one of the 50 cal. rounds and handed it her.
Her eyes widened again as she held the large bullet, turned it over curiously
in her hand and an smile appeared on her face.
“Can we shoot it?” she asked.
Max looked at her in surprise as she gave him an excited and hopeful look.
“I don’t know Beth” he replied.
“Please?” she asked, her eyes wide and pleading.
Max guessed it couldn’t hurt to make sure the rifle was in working condition
but he also couldn’t just go firing off weapons without warning, he would have
to make sure everyone knew what he was doing.
“You want to see it in action?” he asked.
She nodded and handed the bullet back to him, Max returned it and the Barrett
back to the bag and picked it up.
As they walked outside, they saw a small group including Rick, Glenn and Daryl
standing around the outdoor cooking area.
“Hey guys, what’s in the bag?” asked Rick as the reached them.
“I was thinking of test firing some of my weapons, need to make sure they still
work” Max explained.
“Little target practice?” Rick asked with a smile
“Yeah something like that” Max replied.
“Max is going to show me the anti-material rifle” offered Beth happily.
The smirks from the other men almost made Max cringe and he coughed awkwardly.
“Well ok lets ahh go down over there, we’re going to need some space” Max
suggested, pointing to the field.
Max began walking, Beth followed and so did the others, now interested. He
picked a spot and asked Glenn and Daryl to set up a target. They stacked some
drums and ran back.
“Is that a 50 cal?” Rick asked as Max set up the Barrett, unfolding the bi-pod
attached to the barrel and lay it on the ground.
Max nodded and began adjusting the scope, satisfied it was sighted in, he
inserted the ten round magazine and pulled back the bolt, loading the first
round.
“Ok everyone, this going to be loud” he warned.
He aimed for the top drum, flicked the safety off and carefully squeezed the
trigger. The shot was almost deafening and reverberated throughout the prison,
the bullet tore through the target drum, knocking it off its companions and
ploughed through several walkers clawing at the perimeter fence.
“Holy shit” exclaimed Glenn.
“Wow” said Beth
“And that is the devastating power of a 50 calibre rifle” said Max with a
smirk.
The other men demanded a go and soon a crowd gathered as several more shots
rang out.
“Wanna go?” Max asked Beth as Glenn had his turn.
“No I’m ok” she replied, sounding scared at the suggestion.
Max nodded, not wanting to push her, he would get her shooting during her
training and besides a 50 cal rifle was probably not the best choice for her to
begin on.
“What’s going on here?” yelled Maggie as she walked towards them with Hershel
close behind her.
“Its ok Maggie we’re just having some target practice” said Rick.
“Maggie you gotta try this, its awesome” exclaimed Glenn excitedly.
“Do you think its wise firing off guns and attracting more walkers” Maggie
snapped angrily.
“Maggie relax we’re just having some fun” said Glenn but he sounded a little
ashamed under his wife’s gaze.
“Now, now Maggie, there has been no harm done” soothed Hershel, placing his
hand on her arm.
“That’s not the point daddy” Maggie continued.
“Maggie just chill already” Beth snapped.
Max and everyone turned to Beth staring angrily at her sister, with her fists
bunched at her sides. Max hadn’t seen her this angry and looked like a true
force of nature.
“Ok how bout we all just settle down” suggested Rick, placing himself between
the sisters.
“You and I are going to have a talk” said Maggie, stepping past Rick and
grabbed Beth’s hand.
“Maggie” Beth protested and looked at Max for help.
“Whoa easy Maggie” said Max as Maggie began pulling Beth away.
“Don’t you think you’ve done enough today” she said angrily.
Max just stared at her and made a tactical decision to stay silent, not wanting
to ignite the situation further and gave Beth a helpless look as she was
dragged away, followed by Glenn.
The was an awkward moment and Max began packing up the Barrett as they others
shuffled around.
“Well that was tense” said Rick, braking the silence and Daryl snorted.
“I’ve seen my daughters fight for days but they always make up, Maggie is just
worried about Beth” said Hershel.
Max gathered Maggie was angry Beth was spending too much time with him or
perhaps it had to do with something else but hoped Beth and Maggie worked it
out.
Rick and the others left for other duties, leaving Max and Hershel alone, Max
smiled weakly at the older man and he returned a warm one back.
“Relax son, don’t worry about Beth, she and Maggie will work things out, you’ll
see” said Hershel and patted Max on the back.
Max just nodded, picked up the Barrett’s bag and began following Hershel as he
walked back up to the prison, wondering if he was correct about his daughters
and also wondered if Maggie would explode when she found out Hershel wanted Max
to train Beth, thus spending far more time together..
***** Chapter 40 *****
Beth was no longer frighten and weary, she was furious and Maggie was the
reason. She wished Maggie would just let her be but here she was, checking up
on her, making sure she was fed, even though she had just eaten and now was
voicing her displeasure about Beth hanging out with Max. Beth knew Maggie was
only trying to help but she was going about in all wrong.
Max had excused himself to wash up their plates when Maggie lent in and kept
her voice low.
“Beth, what are you doing?” she asked.
“Huh?” Beth whispered back.
“What are you doing with Max?” she asked
“He’s just making sure I’m safe, we are just hanging out” Beth replied.
“Well ok but I think you should stay here and not hanging out with Max” Maggie
said firmly
Beth fixed Maggie with an incredulous look, not believing what she was hearing,
why was she so quick to assume Max was anything but honourable?.
“I’m not going to stay here and I’m going to keep hanging out with Max” Beth
whispered harshly.
“Beth..” Maggie began but trailed off as Max walked back to the table.
Beth gave him a strained smile, trying to appear like everything was happy and
normal but she wanted to get away and asked Max what he had planned to do
today, hoping he would pick up on her hint, continue his bodyguard duties and
help her.
Max to his credit seemed to pick up on what she wanted and said he had been
planning on cleaning his weapons.
The suggestion sounding perfect to Beth, in fact any activity with Max would be
perfect and it would allow her to escape Maggie.
She stood up, gave Maggie a stare, daring her to stop her, put her sunglasses
back on and began walking out of the mess. Max followed her without a word
“So to the armoury?” she asked, looking back at him.
“Yeah sure” he replied and she began walking to the armoury.
“Beth do you want to talk about what happened back there with Maggie?” he asked
her as they reached it and paused outside.
“No not really” she replied, giving him a sad look and took the sunglasses off.
“I’m ok Max” she continued as Max raised an eyebrow.
“Well ok before we start I gotta ask do you have an experience with guns?” he
asked her.
“A little, Rick gave us some shooting lessons back on the farm and I’ve handled
a pistol a couple of times since” she replied.
She thought back to the lesson Rick and Shane had given them back on the farm,
it was so long ago and only could only remember a few of the basics.
“Well all right then, you a good shot?” he asked.
The lesson had only been brief over all and she had never been any good despite
trying hard.
“No not really” she answered.
“Hmm maybe we can change that” he replied.
He began pulling weapons out of bags and placing them on the table table and
looked in awe as he placed a massive rifle down.
“What kind of gun is that?” she asked him.
“This here is a Barrett M82A1, 50 calibre anti material rifle” he explained.
“Anti material?” Beth asked, confused by the word.
“Well it’s a sniper rifle but its classified as anti material because it fires
theses” he replied.
He handed her a bullet that was easily six inches in length and probably the
biggest bullet she had ever seen, she turned it over curiously in her hand and
smiled as an idea appeared in her head.
“Can we shoot it?” she asked.
“I don’t know Beth” he replied.
“Please?” she pleaded.
“You want to see it in action?” he asked.
She nodded and handed the bullet back to him, Max returned it and the Barrett
back to the bag and picked it up.
Beth followed him excitedly as the made their way outside, she wasn’t usually
so excited over guns but the fact she would be seeing Max in action was
changing her mind.
As they as reached the courtyard they saw Rick, Glenn and Daryl standing around
the outdoor cooking area and the two headed for them
“Hey guys, what’s in the bag?” asked Rick.
“I was thinking of test firing some of my weapons, need to make sure they still
work” Max explained.
“Little target practice?” Rick asked with a smile.
“Yeah something like that” Max replied.
“Max is going to show me the anti-material rifle” offered Beth happily.
“Well ok lets ahh go down over there, we’re going to need some space” Max
suggested, pointing to the field.
Beth and the others followed Max as he walked to a spot in the field. She
waited as Glenn and Daryl to set up a target of stacked drums and returned to
the little group.
She watched in fascination as Max set up the Barrett, unfolding the metal legs
attached to the barrel and lay it on the ground. He looked through the scope
then pulled back in the side of the rifle which Beth could only assume loaded
the rifle.
“Ok everyone, this going to be loud” he warned.
Beth clamped her hands over her ears and stood back a little just as Max pulled
the trigger. It was loud, crazy loud and she jumped in fright, despite Max’s
warning. The bullet Max had shot knocked off the top drum and had kept going,
hitting some walkers on the other side of the fence.
“Holy shit” exclaimed Glenn
“Wow” said Beth
“And that is the devastating power of a 50 calibre rifle” said Max with a
smirk.
The other men demanded a go and soon a crowd gathered as several more shots
rang out.
“Wanna go?” Max asked Beth as Glenn had his turn.
The question startled her, she was happy to just watch beside she didn’t think
she was ready to shoot something so powerful.
“No I’m ok” she replied and he nodded as if understanding
“What’s going on here?” Beth heard Maggie yell as she walked towards them with
daddy behind her.
Beth groaned inwardly, Maggie sounded and looked pissed which couldn’t be good,
she look ready to fight and it probably had something to do with how she and
Beth and just left things.
“Its ok Maggie we’re just having some target practice” said Rick.
“Maggie you gotta try this, its awesome” exclaimed Glenn excitedly.
“Do you think its wise firing off guns and attracting more walkers” Maggie
snapped angrily.
“Maggie relax we’re just having some fun” said Glenn
Beth knew Glenn was fighting a losing battle and would pay for later and grew
angry at the fact that Maggie could just roll in and start throwing her weight
around, expecting everyone to accommodate her.
“Now, now Maggie, there has been no harm done” said her father trying to sooth
her, placing his hand on her arm.
“That’s not the point daddy” Maggie continued.
“Maggie just chill already” Beth snapped.
Everyone turned to her but she didn’t yield, just stared at Maggie with the
anger she was feeling, her fists bunched up.
“Ok how bout we all just settle down” suggested Rick, placing himself between
the sisters.
“You and I are going to have a talk” said Maggie, stepping past Rick and
grabbed Beth’s hand.
“Maggie” Beth protested and looked at Max for help.
“Whoa easy Maggie” said Max as Maggie began pulling Beth away.
“Don’t you think you’ve done enough today” she said angrily.
Max backed off but gave Beth a helpless look and Maggie began leading Beth away
and up to the cell blocks as Glenn followed like a kicked puppy.
“Maggie let go, what the hell is your problem?” Beth snapped as the walked
through the empty mess and pulled her hand from Maggie’s grip.
“My problem?, my problem is the fact that my seventeen year old sister, who has
just survived an attempted rape, is preferring the company of a man almost
twice her age instead of her family” replied Maggie.
Maggie’s words stung Beth and she looked at Maggie in shock while Glenn just
shuffled his feet.
“Is that what you think?, you think I should be hiding in my bed, hiding from
the world, expecting my family to protect me from everything?, huh? is that
what you want?” Beth asked angrily and it was Maggie’s turn to be shocked as
her eyes widened. Glenn coughed awkwardly and retreated away and Beth couldn’t
blame him.
“No, no at all I just don’t understand why you’re spending so much time with
Max and avoiding me” Maggie asked.
“I’m not avoiding you Maggie, I just want to move on from what Zach did to me,
you and everyone else look at me like I’m about to break at any moment but Max
doesn’t” Beth replied
“I just want you to be safe” Maggie protested.
“I know you do Maggie but you need to trust me and you need to trust Max” Beth
said, getting more frustrated.
“Now girls lets just calm down now, I did hope you two would be able to work
things out” interrupted their father as he walked into the mess.
Beth just stared daggers at Maggie but didn’t answer him, he sighed heavily and
indicated for them to sit down.
“You know I don’t like my girls fighting” he said as they took a seat at one of
the tables.
“We know daddy but Beth is being unreasonable” said Maggie.
“I am not” Beth snapped.
“Enough” roared their father.
Beth cringed and looked down at her hands, Her father had always been a quite
man but when he raised his voice they knew he was angry.
“Sorry daddy” said Beth softly.
“That’s better, now Maggie I understand you just want to keep Beth safe but she
is safe and she is getting better and remarkable fast I might add” he said.
Maggie opened her mouth, ready to argue more but closed it as her father raised
an eyebrow and Beth couldn’t help but smile.
“And you Bethie you need to cut your sister some slack, she is just trying to
help” he growled in response.
“Yes daddy” she said, apologetic.
Beth was still pissed at Maggie but the anger was fading due to her fathers
reasoning and gave Maggie a weak smile, who returned it.
“There that’s better now there is something else I need to discuss with both of
you”
“What is it daddy?” Maggie asked.
“Well it concerns Beth and before you voice your opinion Maggie I have thought
this through” he replied.
“Thought what through?” Maggie asked sharply.
“I think it would be a good idea if Max trains Beth, teach her how to properly
defend herself” he answered.
Beth looked at her father in shock, and almost didn’t believe what she had just
heard, did he really want her to trained by Max? she asked herself and a new
excitement grew in her.
“Do you really mean that daddy?” she asked.
“Yes and Max has agreed to begin as soon as you are ready” he replied.
Beth could tell Maggie wanted to add something but was once again swiftly
silenced by their father before she could and she stood up and walked out.
“Don’t worry about her, I’m not done with her yet and she’ll come around” he
reassured.
She nodded and allowed a smile to cross her face and he smiled warmly back
before he stood up and walked off in the direction Maggie took.
Beth sat alone for a while, lost in thoughts she decided she would try her best
to patch things up with Maggie but then became far more interested in when Max
would begin training her, and giggled excitedly to her self and hoped it would
be soon..
***** Chapter 41 *****
The warehouse was almost pitch-black and foreboding and Max’s flash light
barely cut through the darkness as he swept his rifle around. He had an uneasy
feeling since they had found the building and the feeling was only growing…
It was the day after Beth and Maggie’s confrontation and Max was glad to be
away from the prison, at least for a short while. After the Greene sisters
little spat, Max had made him self scarce, eating dinner alone not wanting to
cause any trouble between the two and when Sasha asked if he wanted to join on
a run he accepted gladly.
The run crew consisting of himself, Sasha, Ty and Daryl, had set out early in
the morning, hoping to find something of use.
Max had be worried Glenn or Maggie would have joined them but neither had opted
to come along and so it was just the four of them in the Bushmaster.
They didn’t find anything of value until the early afternoon when they had come
across a large facility that had once served as a distribution centre for a
chain of supermarkets.
Max had assumed they wouldn’t find much, thinking a place like this would have
been raided long ago but the group decided to investigate anyway.
The grounds of the facility was filled with walkers as Max and the others
approached the gates, stumbling about and were thankfully trapped behind the
fences for the time being.
“So where do we start?” asked Sasha as they climbed from the Bushmaster.
They peered through the fence of the main gate, deciding what to do as the
alerted walkers piled against the chain link wire, desperately trying get at
their food.
Daryl pointed out a semi trailer inside the grounds that was parked up against
the building and if they could get to it they could climb into an open window.
Max didn’t want to risk the bushmaster too much but it was the best option to
reach the truck so they piled back in and prepared to drive through the gate.
“Brace yourselves” he said.
The Bushmaster roared to life again and Max aimed it at the gate, smashing
through it like tissue paper and mowed down the walkers behind it, their
decaying bodies crushed harmlessly under the APC’s heavy wheels.
Max drove the Bushmaster towards the truck and reached it with no drama, the
walkers no match for the vehicle. He parked alongside the semi and he and the
others climbed out through the roof hatch and jumped across to roof of the semi
trailer.
Once on the roof, they climbed through the open window and into the building.
Max noticed the window was smashed from the outside and the truck had been
parked in just the right position to reach the window and he became more alert.
Inside they found themselves on a metal walkway in a darkened warehouse filled
with tall aisles filled with shelves.
“All right everyone stay sharp we might not be alone in here” he said quietly
as he flicked on his rifle flash light and Daryl pulled a flash light of his
own from his pocket.
The others nodded and they made their way down to the ground floor, where they
decided to split up, Daryl and Ty and Sasha with Max.
The warehouse seemed to go on forever and the shelves were lined with food and
others goods.
“Wow we found a gold mine here” whispered Sasha.
Max agreed but couldn’t shake the feeling he was getting, all this food and
supplies still here and untouched and he’s suspicions were confirmed as a
gunshot rang out and several bottles of soda next to him exploded.
Another shot rang out, Max felt the bullet whip past his head and dove for
cover, pulling Sasha with him.
“Don’t shoot, we aren’t looking for trouble” yelled Sasha, but there was no
response.
Max groaned and kicked himself mentally, the warehouse wasn’t empty at all and
now they were at the mercy of unknown number of enemies.
He sensed movement behind him and swung his rifle to face the threat. Max heard
a loud yell of pain and he realised his flash light had just saved his life as
the woman in front of him dropped her weapon to rip a pair of night vision
goggles off her head. Max didn’t hesitate and grabbed the woman, quickly
incapacitating her.
He picked up the now unconsciousness woman goggles and put them on, the dark
warehouse turning an illuminated brilliant green.
“Now this is much better” Max whispered to himself and switched off his flash
light.
More gunshots rang out and Max whipped his head up to see two men on a catwalk
aiming at something below them. He raised his rifle and took them out before
they could fire again, both of them falling off the walkway and landing heavily
on the ground.
Max rushed up to them and quickly retrieved the goggles they were also wearing
and handed one to Sasha.
“Sasha?” whispered a concerned voice.
Max and whipped around to see Daryl and Ty in the next aisle crouching behind
some boxes of cans.
“You guys ok?” he whispered.
“Yeah all good, can’t see shit, how they get the drop on us?” asked Daryl,
loading a fresh bolt in his crossbow.
“They’re using night vision goggles, we need to get out of here now, there is
no doubt more of them in here” Max explained.
Just as he said it, rapid gun fire erupted and bullets began hitting the
shelves and boxes around them.
Max and the others dove back for cover, he peeked around the stack of boxes he
was hiding behind and picked up several figures running down the aisle towards
them.
“We need to move now” yelled Max as he fired off a burst in their direction,
forcing them to take cover.
Max and the others began retreating back the way they came as bullets whipped
by them. They rushed up the stairs with Max in the rear, providing covering
fire. He counted maybe six or seven, too many to try and take on but they
seemed inexperienced as all of their shots missed, they weren’t military, just
people defending what they had found.
They reached the window they had came through and burst out into the sun, Max
pulling off the goggles before he did. They jumped off the semi and down into
the Bushmaster, Max slamming the roof turret hatch behind him as bullets
sparked off the roof.
“What do say we get the fuck out of here huh?” Max inquired as he jumped into
the drivers seat.
Max didn’t wait for an answer, fired up the engine, jammed the Bushmaster into
gear and roared off, away from the warehouse and back out towards the gate.
Bullets continued to ping off the Bushmaster but nothing short of a tank round
or a missile could penetrate the APC’s armour.
Once clear of the gate, Max drove at full speed, intending to put some distance
between them and ensuring they weren’t followed and didn’t slow down until the
warehouse was far behind them.
“Everyone all right?” he asked, once he believed they were safe and he pulled
off the road.
“Yeah all good” replied Sasha with a shaky smile.
“Fuck that was close” growled Daryl.
“So what now?, go back to the prison or keep looking?” Ty asked.
“Well I don’t know about everyone else but I think I’ve had enough excitement
for today” admitted Sasha.
Everyone agreed and Max started the Bushmaster back up and headed back towards
the prison.
Max gripped the steering wheel as he drove and realised how close he had come
to biting the dust. He began to think what would happen if someone decided to
take the prison and couldn’t blame the people for defending themselves. Max
imagined a group just like his coming across the prison and he imagined them
attacking it like they had just done to the warehouse. Beth’s face suddenly
face flooded his mind and a horrible image of her being killed by a faceless
enemy made him shudder and he gritted his teeth, he would never let that happen
and would make good on his promise to Hershel to train Beth as soon a possible.
After an hour or so the prison came into view and the group relaxed as Max
slowed down to let Bob open the gate.
As he drove through, Max began evaluating the prison’s defences and began
making mental notes to bring up with Hershel and the council later, hoping any
strengthening could prevent a disaster.
After parking the Bushmaster, Max climbed down and stowed his vest and rifle in
the back while the others headed inside. He began following them and noticed
Beth sitting on one of the prison yard benches with a bright smile on her face,
as if she had been waiting for him. She wasn’t wearing the sunglasses and Max
could see her eye was getting better.
“Hey” she called, jumping up and walking over.
“Hey” he said back and her smile faded as she noticed his demeanour.
“You ok?, did something happen?” she asked, fear and concern in her voice.
Max didn’t want her to worry but he didn’t want to lie to her either and
decided to tell her exactly what had happen. As he entailed her what had gone
down on the run and her face paled.
“That sounds scary but everyone’s ok though” she asked.
“Yeah everyone’s ok” he repeated.
“That’s good” she said, sounding extremely relieved.
Beth smiled but shuffled nervously and Max gathered there was something else on
her mind.
“So um I didn’t see you at dinner last night and you were gone so early this
morning that I didn’t get a chance to wish you luck” she said softly.
“Yeah look sorry about that” Max said.
“You’re not avoiding me are you?” she asked, hurt in her voice.
“No of course not” he replied.
“Oh ok I just thought after what happened yesterday and when I didn’t see you
after, you might have decided to avoid me” she said, sounding worried.
“Well I did decide to keep my distance but only because I didn’t want to cause
any more grief between you and Maggie, I would never straight up avoid you
Beth” he answered and her bright smile reappeared on her face.
“Well that’s good to hear” she said, relief in her voice
“So no trouble here?” Max asked, looking around the peaceful prison.
“No nothing of note” she replied.
They two began walking towards the cell block and into the mess, it was busy
with people getting ready for an early dinner.
“Ahh you’re back” said Hershel from where he was sitting with Maggie.
“Yeah” Max said simply.
“Everything go well?” Hershel asked.
“No not really, everyone is fine but we ran into some trouble” Max replied.
Hershel nodded but didn’t press any further, Max guessed he would ask Sasha and
Daryl about the run later. He indicated the empty seats opposite him and
Maggie, Beth sat down but Max hesitated. Maggie noticed him still standing and
gave him a surprisingly warm smile.
“It’s ok Max, take a seat” she said.
Max nodded and did so, not questioning her apparent change of attitude towards
him and gathered she and Beth must have worked things out between them.
Carol appeared with a large pot and began serving up dinner with the help of
Glenn, who placed some bowls and cutlery on the table before moving to the next
table.
“Thanks Carol” said Max as she ladled the stew into his bowl.
It smelt and tasted delicious, he realised he hadn’t eaten since the quick
lunch they had had before they had come across the warehouse.
“Good?” Beth asked.
“Sure is” he replied giving her a smile.
“So um daddy said you agreed to train me” she said shyly.
“Yeah if you’re ok with that” Max replied.
Beth smiled and blushed and Max could tell she was very ok with him training
her.
“When do we start?” she asked.
“Well that’s up to you” he answered.
“Tomorrow?” she asked with barely hidden hopefulness and Max chuckled.
“Hmm are you sure you’re up for it?” he teased.
“Of course” she replied confidently.
“Well all right then” Max laughed and Beth let out a little giggle.
Their laughs caught the attention of Hershel and Maggie who had been talking
quietly with each other but Max assumed they had been listening in the entire
time.
“So training begins tomorrow then?” Hershel asked.
“It would seem so” Max replied, smiling.
“How do yo plan to start?” Maggie asked.
Max hadn’t really given it much thought but he figured he would start off easy,
get her into shape, build up some muscle tone before moving on to some self
defence, he didn’t need to turn Beth into a ninja, he just need to teach her
enough to get her out of trouble.
He explained his plan and Hershel and Maggie nodded in agreement, happy with
his decision.
Dinner was finished off, Hershel excused him to speak with Sasha and Daryl and
Maggie, who was on clean up duty, started clearing.
“So what time are we going to begin tomorrow?” Beth asked.
“Not sure how bout dawn?” Max suggested dead panned and Beth face dropped.
Max couldn’t keep a straight face for long and Beth hit his arm playfully as
she realised he was joking.
“Haha very funny” she said with a laugh.
“Sorry couldn’t resist, no with all serious, probably after breakfast” he
suggested.
“Ok sounds like a plan” she said.
They both laughed, there was a warm vibe between them and Max was glad he had
survived the day.
Maggie came back to the table and sat down, he could feel no tension coming off
her but Max excused himself anyway. Beth gave him a disappointed look but it
replaced by a smile after he promised he would see her in the morning for her
training.
Max left the mess and headed to his cell, it was still early but after the days
events he was exhausted and needed sleep. He quickly undressed and dropped
heavily onto his bunk and soon fell into a deep sleep.
***** Chapter 42 *****
Beth was feeling conflicted as she left the mess, she was very excited to learn
that she would be training with Max but she also wondered how she would mend
her relationship with Maggie if their father failed to convince her.
She walked into her cell and began to restlessly tidy, something she used to do
back on the farm to take her mind off things.
Beth began with her desk and as she picked the notebook Max had given her,
something fell out and Beth realised it was the photo she had stolen from him,
having forgotten all about it. Beth smiled as picked it up, she considered
returning it right away but chickened out, not wanting Max to know she had
taken it just yet.
Just as she placed it back in the notebook, there was a cough and Beth turned
to see Maggie standing at her door with an apologetic look on her face.
“Hey” she said softly
“Hi” Beth replied in the same tone.
“Truce?” Maggie asked, holding her hands up in surrender.
Beth nodded and Maggie sat down on the bunk and Beth joined her.
“Look Beth I just want to say I’m sorry for the way I acted today, it was
uncalled for, my need to protect you made me act insane”
“Did daddy tell to say that?” Beth asked, not quite ready to forgive just yet.
“No he didn’t, I really am sorry Beth, I just got so caught up with trying to
keep you safe that I didn’t stop to realise that you actually were safe” she
replied.
Beth let Maggie’s words sink in and gave her sister a warm smile, reaching out
to touch Maggie’s hand.
“So you’ll be ok with me being around Max and him training me?” Beth asked.
There was a flash of hesitance of Maggie’s face but it was replaced by a smile.
“I will be, he does seem to have your best interest at heart” Maggie replied.
“He does Maggie” Beth confirmed.
“I know, I know I’m agreeing with you Beth” Maggie said, smiling.
“Sorry” said Beth.
“So sisters again?” Maggie asked
Beth nodded and the two hugged and both laughing as they broke their embrace.
“Well I guess I better go find my husband and make amends there as well” said
Maggie gave her another hug and went in search of Glenn, leaving Beth in a much
happier state than she had been a few moments ago.
She didn’t bother to finish off tiding, as there was no need for it now and
went to find Max. She couldn’t find him anywhere and she began to worry
slightly when he didn’t make an appearance at dinner.
Her father noticed her constant looks at the door, as she hoped Max would
wander through at any moment.
“Max grabbed some food just before Beth” he explained
“Oh ok” Beth answered and he didn’t elaborate further.
“Now I’m happy to hear you two made up” her father said, changing the subject
and directing his comment to both Beth and Maggie.
“Thanks daddy” said Maggie as she and Beth smiled at each other.
Beth was glad she had made up with Maggie but she now wondered if maybe Maggie
had scared off Max.
The rest of the dinner went quickly and Beth decided to turn in, she past by
Max’s cell but couldn’t bring her self to see if he was inside, deciding to
talk to him in the morning.
As she readied her self for bed her father appeared and Beth’s smile faded
slightly as she saw the familiar bottle of pain pills in his hand.
“Daddy..” she began.
“Don’t worry I don’t think you need them any more, I want you to have them on
hand just in case” he soothed.
Beth nodded and he wished her good night, leaving the pills on her desk. She
looked at them for a moment before slipping into bed and falling asleep.
When Beth woke and opened her eyes she was elated to find her eye no longer
hurt. She dressed and was determined to find Max straight away, checking his
cell first but found it empty.
“Looking for Max” asked Glenn, yawning and heading for the mess.
“Yeah” Beth answered shyly.
“I think he’s gone on a run with Daryl and some others” Glenn answered and
continued on his way.
Beth wondered why Max hadn’t told her he was going and a small bolt of fear
shot through her, suddenly the safety she had been building up eroded slightly
as she realised Max wasn’t there to be her bodyguard.
She knew she didn’t need it, she was safe, she had a massive argument with
Maggie over the fact but she couldn’t help feel a little uneasy knowing Max
wasn’t around.
Beth took a deep breath and decided to take a shower before breakfast and
gathered her things from her cell.
There was only one empty stall and she took it before it too was taken. Once
showered and redressed she stepped out to see Julie waiting for a free stall.
“Morning Beth” she said.
“Hi” said Beth back as she began to dry her hair.
Beth hadn’t talked to her and even given her much though since Max had sworn he
and Julie weren’t an item but she still felt a little jealous of the older
woman.
“Feeling better today?” Julie asked
“Yes much better” Beth replied, being polite
“Well you look a lot better” she pointed out.
“Thanks” said Beth.
Julie smiled again then took Beth’s vacated shower stall and Beth left the
room.
Beth continued drying her hair as she walked from the showers, heading back to
her cell. Once she dumped off her things in her cell, she made her way to the
mess to get some breakfast.
Beth grabbed her self some canned fruit and picked an empty table to sit at. As
she ate, not paying much attention to her food, Carol walked up with Judith in
her arms, snapping Beth from her mood.
“Good morning Beth” said Carol
“Morning Carol” Beth replied with a small smile.
Judith cooed and held her arms out to Beth as the little Grimes girl saw her.
Beth hesitated and recoiled away from the girl, not wanting the Judith to be
scared by her eye and not sure if she was ready to babysit again.
“She misses you Beth” said Carol softly.
Before Beth could answer she held out Judith and Beth had no choice to take her
from Carol’s arms.
“Hey there pumpkin” Beth said, rocking Judith.
Beth expected her to cry but Judith smiled, let out a little giggle and Beth
laughed back, relaxing completely.
“So missed me did you?” Beth asked, ticking Judith’s stomach.
The girl giggled again, her laugh echoing off the walls and causing those in
the mess to look over and smile.
“I was about to feed her, want to do the honours?” said Carol holding up a jar
of baby food.
“Yeah sure” Beth answered.
Carol placed the open jar on the table in front of Beth and handed her a spoon.
Beth began feeding Judith the food, who accepted it hungrily.
“Carol?, did you see Max this morning?” Beth asked, casually as she could.
“I did actually, just before he and the others set off, why do you ask?” Carol
replied.
“Oh no reason” Beth answered quickly and turned her attention back to Judith.
Beth saw Carol smile knowingly and hoped she wouldn’t ask any more questions.
She thankfully didn’t and Beth finished off feeding Judith.
Carol took Judith from Beth and gave her a reassuring look as did and Beth
looked at her, confused.
“Everything is going to be fine Beth, now Judy let’s go find your father, say
goodbye to Beth” said carol
Beth smiled and waved goodbye to the girl as Carol walked off with her, looking
for Rick. Beth quickly finished off her forgotten breakfast with new found
vigour and decided to go look for her own father.
She found him after a short search and should have guessed straight away where
he was. Her father was once again in the garden, this time he was surrounded by
the groups children as he gave them a lesson in how to plant seeds properly.
“Well good morning Bethie” her father called as he noticed her walking over.
“Morning daddy” she replied.
“Hi Beth” said Mika happily.
“Hi everyone” Beth said, addressing them all.
Carl gave her a warm smile and Beth returned it, she was surprised he was here
all but she suspected Rick had made him attend the lesson.
“Ok everyone grab a seed and plant it like I instructed”
The children all scrambled to pick a seed from the packet he had open in his
hand and they began digging small holes in the dirt to plant them.
“Something on your mind Beth?” her father asked, noticing her look.
“Daddy um where did Max and the others go today?” she asked nonchalantly.
“Oh well not exactly sure, Sasha and Daryl planned to just wing it” he
answered.
“Did Max asked to go along?” Beth asked, again trying to sound as casual as
possible.
“No I think they didn’t expect him to come but when Sasha asked he accepted” he
replied.
“Oh” she said softly.
Beth wasn’t sure what to think but couldn’t dwell on it as Mika walked up and
held out a bright yellow tube.
“Beth did you want some of our sunscreen?” Mika asked cheerfully.
Beth stared at her for a moment before taking the tube and her father let out a
deep chuckle.
“Maggie was out here before, don’t worry it’s not just about you, she’s just
making sure all the kids don’t get sunburns” he reassured as Beth gave him and
exasperated look.
She sighed but applied the cream to her face and arms and thanked Mika as she
handed the tube back to her.
Beth spent the majority of the morning helping the kids plant different types
of plants, she worked diligently but Max still plagued her mind. She hoped he
would be ok out there on the run, but she also fretted about what would happen
when he came back, was he still going to train her or was he going to keep his
distance?, had Maggie scared him away?, and why did he leave without saying
goodbye?. The questions swirled through her brain, making her angry.
“You ok Beth?” asked Carl, who was working beside her, making her jump.
“Huh?”
“You’ve just planting the same seed for a while now” he replied, sounding
concerned.
Beth looked down at her hands and saw he was correct, she blushed and he gave
her a smile.
“Oh yeah” she replied sounding embarrassed.
“A lot on your mind?” he asked.
“Yeah something like that” Beth admitted.
Carl gave her another small smile but went back to his work, Beth wasn’t
offended, he didn’t need to listen to her teen girl drama. She decided she had
enough of planting and stood up to dust the dirt of her hands.
She said goodbye to everyone and made her way back inside, relishing the cooler
air. Beth wasn’t sure what to do next, she didn’t have any chores as everyone
wanted her to recuperate instead. She considered reading but then remembered
the book she was currently reading had been left in the library.
A cold feeling washed over her as fragmented memories came flooding back. She
still hadn’t been able to remember the whole event and was grateful but the
parts she could were still vivid and terrifying. It was another reason she
missed and needed Max’s company, he quelled all her fears.
“Beth?”
She turned to see Maggie looking concerned and Beth kicked herself, it was the
second time she had spaced out in a matter of minutes but for two completely
different reasons.
“Oh hi Maggie” Beth answered.
“You ok?” she asked.
“Yeah fine I was um going to read for a bit but my book is..” she trailed off
Maggie looked confused then her eyes lit up with understanding.
“Say no more I’ll go get it for you” Maggie promised.
Beth smiled gratefully at her sister and waited in cell for Maggie to return.
She didn’t have wait long and Maggie returned with the book and a couple of
others she though Beth might enjoy.
Beth thanked her and Maggie left her to read, Beth settled in, reading until
Maggie returned again bringing her some lunch which they ate together.
It was late afternoon when Beth realised Max and the others had still not
returned and she began to worry. She couldn’t concentrate on her book and shut
it in frustration, throwing it down on the bed. Getting up, she wandered into
the mess and found it busy with the dinner crew, getting ready for dinner.
Beth noticed Maggie and their father had already chosen a table and they both
smiled as she joined them.
“I was just about to come get you” Maggie announced.
“Any word from Max and the others” Beth asked them, trying not to sound to
worried.
“No Bethie I’m afraid not, but I’m sure they are perfectly fine” replied her
father.
Suddenly the Carl burst into the room with a bright smile on his face.
“Hey the others are back” said Carl to the room.
Beth looked up in surprise and rushed to see for herself, running outside as
fast as she could. She saw the Bushmaster driving through the main gates and a
weight lifted off her.
She took a seat on one of the benches, waiting for them to reach the prison and
couldn’t help but smile as Max stepped from the drivers side.
They were ok, she was glad Daryl, Ty and Sasha were safe but she was over joyed
Max had returned safely.
He noticed her and she walked over to join him. Max looked tired and exhausted,
her heart froze slightly and she wondered what was wrong.
“You ok?, did something happen?” she asked.
Max told her what had happened that day, they had been attacked and had barely
escaped with their lives.
“That sounds scary but everyone’s ok though?” she asked despite knowing the
answer all ready.
“Yeah everyone’s ok” he confirmed.
“That’s good” she said, smiling at him
Beth was didn’t want to bother him more, especially after what he had been
through but there was something she needed to know, something that had been
bugging her all day.
“So um I didn’t see you at dinner last night and you were gone so early this
morning that I didn’t get a chance to wish you luck” she said softly.
“Yeah look sorry about that” Max said.
“You’re not avoiding me are you?” Beth asked.
“No of course not” he replied.
“Oh ok I just thought after what happened yesterday and when I didn’t see you
after, you might have decided to avoid me” she said.
“Well I did decide to keep my distance but only because I didn’t want to cause
any more grief between you and Maggie, I would never straight up avoid you
Beth” he answered.
“Well that’s good to hear” she said now feeling more relived.
“So no trouble here?” Max asked, looking around the peaceful prison.
It had been a boring day compared to his and had nothing really to report.
“No nothing of note” she replied.
Beth began walking back toward the cell block, with Max alongside her and they
entered the mess. Beth’s father greeted Max and asked how the run went, but Max
declined to go into detail.
Beth sat down at the table and noticed Max didn’t. She watched him and Maggie
look at each other and Beth began to suspect her theories were correct but
Maggie gave him smile and invited him to sit. Beth let out a breath she didn’t
know she was holding and relaxed again.
Carol walked up with Glenn and began serving the rabbit stew she had made that
day. Beth watched Max attack his stew hungrily and smiled as he looked up.
“Good?” Beth asked.
“Sure is” he replied giving her a smile.
There was a relaxed air between them and Beth decided to find out something
else she wanted to know.
“So um daddy said you agreed to train me” she said shyly.
“Yeah if you’re ok with that” Max replied and she felt her self blush, of
course she was ok with that.
.“When do we start?” she asked.
“Well that’s up to you” he answered.
“Tomorrow?” she asked, trying not to sound to hopeful.
“Hmm are you sure you’re up for it?” he teased.
“Of course” she replied confidently.
“Well all right then” replied Max and they both laughed.
Their laughs caught the attention of her father and Maggie who had been talking
quietly with each other and he asked if her training would beginning the next
day, Max confirmed this and Maggie asked how he would begin to which Max
answered he would start off easy, a getting Beth into shape and the like. Beth
wasn’t exactly sure what that meant but was excited to begin regardless.
Dinner was finished off, her father excused him to speak with Sasha and Daryl
and Maggie, who was on clean up duty, started clearing.
“So what time are we going to begin tomorrow?” she asked Max once they were
alone.
“Not sure how bout dawn?” Max suggested
Beth thought he was being serious but she noticed a smile creep wider on his
face and realised he was messing with her. She gave him a look and hit him in
the arm
“Haha very funny” she said, laughing.
“Sorry couldn’t resist, no with all serious, probably after breakfast” he
suggested.
“Ok sounds like a plan” she replied.
Maggie returned and Max excused himself, Beth was a little disappointed but he
was tired and she would see him in the morning.
“Well I guess you better get a good nights sleep as well Beth, don’t want to be
to tired for tomorrow” Maggie teased.
Beth agreed with her and retired to her cell, she was too excited to sleep just
yet and lay staring until sleep finally took her and gave her vivid dreams of
what the next day might hold..
***** Chapter 43 *****
“Ok Beth just give me five more and you can stop” Max asked.
He saw Beth grit her teeth but she complied, finished her set of sit ups and
stopped to catch her breath.
They had started her training after breakfast, just like he promised. Beth had
met him in the mess, ready and eager to go, dressed in one of her tank tops and
a pair of shorts and her whole outfit almost took his breath away.
After regaining his composure, Max made sure that Beth had a proper breakfast
then took her outside to begin. He had started out with a few easy laps around
the perimeter of the yard then a set push ups then the set of sit ups she had
just completed.
Max was already impressed with Beth’s effort and knew she was going to be a
excellent student. He handed her a water bottle and she took it gratefully,
gulping a mouthful down.
“Easy sips remember” Max warned.
“I remember” she said and gave him a smile.
“Well good”
Beth took another sip but this time slower and then sprayed her face to cool
herself off. The water ran down her face and throat and Max reluctantly averted
his eyes as the water soaked the front of her thin top.
“So what now?” she asked and Max coughed, hoping she hadn’t caught him staring.
He decided to repeat the training routine but added a set of chin ups at the
end. Beth struggled with them and was only able to manage two properly before
giving up. She made a frustrated noise and blushed in embarrassment when she
turned to look at him.
“It’s ok Beth, don’t feel discouraged” Max reassured her.
Beth nodded but Max could tell she was embarrassed with herself and decided it
good idea to take a break, he didn’t want Beth to get frustrated and
disheartened so quickly.
A small, grateful smile appeared on her face and they walked back the mess to
get some lunch.
“So how do you think I’m doing so far?” she asked as they walked.
“You’re doing great” he answered truthfully.
“You really mean that?” she asked, sounding unsure.
“Of course” he replied.
Beth smiled, another blush filled her cheeks and Max notice a spring in her
step and once again found himself trying his best not to look at her legs.
The mess was full, they quickly grabbed some food and sat at a table with Rick
and Carl before the empty seats were taken.
“How goes the training?” Rick asked.
“Yeah really good actually” Max answered, giving Beth a smile.
Rick nodded slightly and Max got the impression Rick didn’t believe him or
didn’t have faith in Beth’s abilities, either way it put Max a little on edge.
“So about what happened yesterday, do you think its feasible to return, from
what Daryl said the rewards outweigh the risks” said Rick.
“Yeah the warehouse was pretty stocked but it would be too dangerous to go
back, we don’t how many there were or how they will respond, they would have
strengthened their defences by now” offered Max, after sensing Beth tense up
beside him.
“We could make a deal with them” Rick suggested.
“I guess we could but it would most likely be met with high suspicion” Max
replied.
“Still we can’t let such an opportunity slip by” Rick pressed.
Max felt Beth tense up again and she was moving her food around her plate. He
could tell she was listening intently to the conversation, as was Carl but
while Carl seemed to agree with his father, Beth gave off the impression going
back to the warehouse was a terrible idea and Max agreed with her.
“That maybe so but I would only go back with solid detailed info, numbers,
layout, that sort of stuff, I’m not looking to go through yesterday any time
soon ” he said with finality in his tone.
Rick seemed to be disappointed with Max’s answer but thankfully dropped the
subject and they all finished off their lunch.
“Was it scary yesterday?” Beth asked as Rick and Carl excused themselves to
wash up their plates.
“Well I wouldn’t say I was scared but I don’t like to be surprised and a
certainly don’t like to be shot at” Max replied.
“I don’t know what I would have done, I would have been terrified” Beth said,
looking down at her hands.
“We are going to change that Beth” Max said to her and she looked back up at
him.
“Well what’s next then?” she asked with regained confidence.
“Another work out session” Max replied.
Beth nodded with a smile, they cleaned up the remains of their lunch and headed
back outside.
The session went better than expected and though he would never admit it, he
was actually proud of Beth as she competed her second session, even when she
failed the chin ups again.
“Max?” Beth asked as she rested, taking a swig from her water bottle.
“Yeah?” he answered, taking a seat beside her.
“I was just wondering what exactly else we will be doing?, with my training I
mean?” she asked.
“We will just be sticking with the workouts for now, gotta build up your
strength and endurance more and then we’ll move on to some self defence
techniques” Max answered.
“Will my workouts really help?” she asked.
“With your ability to defend your self?” he replied.
“Sorry, stupid question” Beth replied, playing with her bracelets and looked
embarrassed.
“Nah it’s a valid one Beth, yes getting into shape, building up some muscle
will give you a nice advantage when it comes to defending yourself” he replied.
Her embarrassed look faded and was replaced by a happier one
“Was your training like this?” she asked.
“Huh?”
“You know when you joined the army?” she asked.
“Oh yeah but a lot more strenuous, physical and a lot more yelling” Max
answered.
Basic training had been a bitch and had almost destroyed him but he had
prevailed and had become a model soldier despite the events leading up to his
enlistment.
“So just like in the films, where they have to climb ropes and climb under
wires and stuff?” she asked.
“Yeah something like that” Max replied.
Max looked at her in a new light, he didn’t think Beth was the type to watch
war films but then again he had no idea what type of films she watched and
decided to find out sometime.
“Max um I know you said you wanted to be a pilot but what made you join the
army?, was it because of your dad?” she asked shyly.
Max averted his eyes and didn’t answer, it wasn’t something that he talked
about or brought up and was actually a dark chapter in his life.
“Oh I’m sorry I didn’t mean to pry, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want
to” Beth said.
“No it’s ok Beth, its kinda complicated, my plan in high school had always been
the same, go to flight school then join my parents business” he explained.
He saw Beth listening intently, her eyes wide and Max pushed on.
“After their deaths I kinda fell of the rails, I stopped going to school and I
started hanging out with a less than reputable crowd and things just spiralled
out from there, I ended up stealing a car and getting caught”
“Oh Max” Beth whispered and Max looked away from her.
“Yeah the judge wanted to make an example of me but luckily a family friend who
was a serving general in the army managed to work out a deal and gave me a
choice, join the military or serve time”
“And you picked the army” Beth stated obvious answer.
“Yeah” he replied lowly, rubbing at the back of his neck
Max wondered how Beth would process this information about him and still didn’t
dare to look back her. He felt her hand on his arm and turned to see a sad
expression on her face but he could see no fear or judgement in her eyes and he
relaxed.
“Well enough memory lane talk, too much of a downer” Max said, changing the
subject.
“Max?” she asked softly.
“Yeah?”
“If um you ever need to talk about anything I’m here” she replied.
“I’ll keep that in mind but you have to promise not to slack off on your
training” he asked, giving her a warm smile.
“Don’t worry I wouldn’t dream of it” she promised with a smirk, they both
laughed and the heavy mood was lifted.
“Ok how bout we call it a day on the training, can’t keep you here all day” he
suggested.
“I don’t mind” she replied with a smile.
“Taking a break?’ called a voice, surprising both of them.
They turned to see Hershel walking over to them with a warm smile on his face.
“Hi daddy” said Beth and getting up to greet him.
“Hows the training going?” he asked, his question subtly aimed at Max.
“Beth is doing great” Max replied and Beth beamed at him.
“Excellent, just what a wanted to hear” said Hershel, giving Beth a hug.
“Did you need something daddy?” Beth asked Hershel politely.
“Ahh yes” he replied suddenly sounding sheepish.
“Daddy?” Beth pressed.
“Would you mind watching Judith?, Carol isn’t feeling to well” he asked.
Max saw a flicker of hesitance and maybe disappointment but Beth smiled and
nodded.
“Oh sure ok, I’ll um go take a shower first” she replied.
“Thank you Beth”
“I’ll talk to you later Max?” Beth asked him, giving him a longing look, like
she wanted to talk more.
“Of course” he promised
Beth and Hershel left, heading for the cell blocks and leaving Max to his
thoughts. His conversation with Beth had brought up some painful memories and
he hadn’t revealed the entire story.
Max had been shattered after his parent’s crash and the people he kept company
with after were criminals, drug dealers and car thieves. Max had started
smoking weed as a way to cope with his parents death and an old friend soon
introduced him to the towns underworld. Max began dealing, going back to school
just to sell to his fellow students, a decision that still haunted him. His
life as drug dealer only ended when one night he stole a car as an initiation
test. But the police had been lying in wait and caught him and when they did,
not only was he in a stolen car but he also had his stash of illicit goods on
him. The rest of the story was the same, his fathers friend, General Steven
Walsh had learned of Max’s plight and set up the deal which led Max to escape
his prison sentence and Max was still grateful for the General’s rescue.
Max snapped himself from his memories and made his way to the cell block,
deciding a shower would be great idea, help him refocus.
He walked into the cell block and grabbed his shower gear and headed to the
showers. He didn’t see Beth inside the room and no one else was showering,
assumed she was already done and quickly took his shower.
Once freshly cleaned he returned to the cell block to find Beth sitting on the
steps bouncing Judith happily on her knee.
“Hey” she said as she saw him.
Max smiled back at Beth and Judith made a cooing noise, holding out her hand
towards him.
“Well hello Judith” Max said, ticking her stomach and the girl giggled.
Beth smiled then her face grew serious and Max waited for her to speak her
mind.
“Max I meant what I said before, I know I’m young and not as experienced as
others here and I don’t want to risk you not training me but I’m willing to
listen if you need to talk” she said.
Her eyes were wide and shimmering and Max could tell she wanted Max to take her
words seriously. Max wasn’t just ready for Beth to know all of his secrets just
yet, she didn’t deserve the burden of knowing them but her offer meant a lot.
“I wouldn’t stop training you Beth and I do appreciate the offer” he said,
trying to sooth her fears.
Max didn’t have to worry as a deep blush appeared on her face followed by a
smile before she looked down at Judith.
“Well I better go feed this little one before she gets cranky” Beth said
changing the subject, her voice overjoyed, but not at the idea of feeding the
girl.
She stood up, cradling Judith in her arms and began walking to the mess,
stopping before she did.
“Save you a seat at dinner?” she asked.
“Yeah sounds good” Max replied.
He watched her leave and and couldn’t help but smile. Max wondered what would
happen if he did open himself up to her and if she would she still see him the
same way once he did…
***** Chapter 44 *****
Beth had woken early, unable to sleep any longer due to her excitement dressed,
choosing an outfit that was practical and hoped would catch Max's eye before
applying some sunscreen, wishing she had Max's gorgeous tanned skin.
Beth had found Max waiting for her in the mess and was delighted to find he
most definitely noticed what she was wearing.
Beth enjoyed the workout session, it wasn’t too strenuous for her and she
guessed Max was starting out easy. She was a little disappointed in her self
over the chin ups but Max encouraged her regardless.
The lunch after had been a slightly tense affair as they sat with Rick and
Carl. Rick wanted to know about the warehouse and about going back. Beth was
worried Rick may have convinced Max to return but her worries were unfounded.
The rest of the afternoon went great, Beth still enjoying herself and learning
what she could from Max but it was after the workout, when he had revealed a
little of his past, a dark secret he had been hiding that she took most from
the session..
As she showered, washing off her accumulated sweat, Max’s confession was
playing through her head. She never would have imagined Max anything other than
than a hero but everyone wasn’t perfect and it wouldn’t change how she saw him,
in fact it made him more mysterious. Beth hoped he would take her up on her
offer to listen, needing to know more about him,
The thought of him revealing his secrets to her made her smile and she began to
hum happily and before she realised, began to sing.
She finished up, dried, dressed and pulled the shower curtain to see Maggie
washing her hands.
“Well it’s good to hear you singing again” said Maggie happily.
“It’s been a good day” Beth explained with a smile.
“Hmm I can tell, your training went well I assume?” Maggie asked.
Beth was glad Maggie had gotten over her distrust of Max but she wasn’t going
to tell Maggie exactly why she was so happy.
“Yeah it did actually” Beth replied.
They walked from the shower room to the cell block, Maggie excused her self and
Beth continued onto Rick’s cell, where her father had informed her Carol was
with Judith.
As promised Carol was sitting with Judith and gave Beth a small smile as she
saw her.
“Hi Carol”
“Hey Beth”
“Daddy said you needed me to take care of Judith?” Beth asked.
“Yes, thanks for this Beth” Carol answered.
“No worries Carol, are you ok though?” Beth asked her.
“Just a little under the weather I think” Carol replied.
Carol gave her another thankful smile and left, stating she would go have a
nap. Beth turned to Judith who was sitting in her crib, playing with her toys.
“Hey Judy” said Beth, picking her up.
The girl giggled and reached for Beth’s necklace once again, gripping it in her
little hand. Beth carried her out of the cell and sat down on the stairs. She
began bouncing Judith gently on her knee, who giggled happily in response.
Beth looked up to see Max walk into the block, he was freshly showered as well
and she smiled at him.
“Hey” she said
Max smiled in response and Judith made a cooing noise as she saw him.
“Well hello Judith” Max said, ticking her stomach and the girl giggled.
Beth smiled at him, liking how he was with the girl and couldn’t believe the
man standing before her was once the boy he had described. Beth wondered what
else had changed Max into what he was today and decided to remind him of her
offer.
“Max I meant what I said before, I know I’m young and not as experienced as
others here and I don’t want to risk you not training me but I’m willing to
listen if you need to talk” she said.
“I wouldn’t stop training you Beth and I do appreciate the offer” he replied.
Beth’s heart sang, Max had given her the answer she had wanted to hear and felt
her self blushing. She looked down at Judith to hide her face and came up with
an excuse that she needed to feed Judith, which probably wasn’t far from the
truth and walked to the mess but not before promising him she would save him a
seat at dinner.
The mess was empty except for Karen, Bob and Sasha who were busy preparing
dinner for the group.
“Hi everyone” she announced.
Beth was greeted with smiles and hellos, she returned them and sat down at one
of the tables, placing Judith on her lap.
“So how was the training?” Sasha asked.
Everyone seemed to be interested in her training and she wasn’t used to the
attention, she used to being in the background just being Beth. Now, after her
attack and beginning her training she was the centre of attention.
“It was good” Beth answered.
“I bet it was” said Sasha with a grin, causing Beth to blush.
Beth stayed in the mess, playing with Judith, feeding her while the others
cooked and talked. She noticed with interest the looks Bob was giving Sasha and
the playful banter between them and smiled to herself. Its seemed, even in the
end times, love found a way to work its magic.
It soon grew dark and people began filling in for dinner, Carl came over and
took Judith off her hands as her family sat at her table, Glenn went to sit
next to her but she stopped him.
“Oh um sorry Glenn that’s for Max” she explained.
He nodded and sat at the other empty seat next to Maggie, while she smiled and
her father chuckled. Beth averted their eyes and looked over to see Max enter
the mess. She felt that rush again as they locked eyes and he made a beeline
for the table, taking his reserved seat.
“Evening” he said
The all greeted him in turn as the dinner crew served up dinner.
Dinner went quickly as light hearted conversation bounced around the table and
Max even made a joke causing Beth to splutter into her food as she giggled.
When the meal was cleared away, Maggie and Glenn disappeared and her father
went to chat with Rick once again.
Max made to leave as well, Beth wondered where he was going and decided to ask
him.
“So what are you doing now?” she asked, hoping she didn’t sound too interested.
“Not sure, still early, might hang out under the stars” he replied.
“Really?” she asked, the idea sounding somewhat romantic in her mind.
“Yeah you know, relax ,take the night in” he answered.
“Can I join you?” she asked, trying to keep her hopefulness out of her voice.
Beth expected him to say no, maybe he wanted to be alone, she saw his eyes
flicker across the room then returned to her.
“Sure, know your constellations?” he asked.
Beth shook her head and wrinkled her noise at the question, she had learnt
simple astronomy at school but had hated science class, preferring music and
art classes.
“Well let’s teach you them” he suggested.
Beth smiled at him, they stood up and walked out into the cool night air. It
was a cloudless sky, perfect night to see the stars.
They headed to the suv and Beth was a little confused as he began to climb on
the hood, but caught on as he lay back on the wind shield and she quickly
climbed up as well.
She lay next to him, careful to keep a nice but reluctant gap, wishing she
could just tuck her self into him.
As they stared up at the night sky, he began pointing out some constellations
and how they got their names, Beth listened intently and inched her body
closer, hoping he wouldn’t notice too much.
“How do you know all this” she asked.
“Well when I was recruited into the SAS, needed to learn them as a requirement”
he replied.
“Why?”
“I had to learn how to navigate with out maps and GPS and the like” he
answered.
“Oh ok”
They sat in silence together, the quiet night air only pierced but the groans
of walkers on the fences. The silence was comfortable but Beth’s mind was
racing, she wanted to know more about him but she couldn’t just ask him could
she?, he had already revealed a deep secret today, it would be selfish to ask
more from him.
He seemed to sense what she was thinking and turned to her with a inquiring
look on his face.
“You ok Beth?” he asked
“Oh um yeah all good” she lied.
“Beth?” he pressed, obviously not believing her.
“I was just thinking about what you said early today” she replied.
“Yeah I hope I didn’t freak you out to much” he said, sounding worried.
“No its ok, you didn’t”
“Yeah?” he asked.
Beth took a deep breath if she wanted to get know him better she also needed to
open her self up to him as well, if he was able to tell her a secret then she
should tell him one of her own.
“What you did wasn’t that bad, I um did something worse when my mother and
brother died” she said softly.
Beth looked up at her to see him looking at her interest, urging her to
continue. She took another breath and dove into her story.
“It was back at the farm just after the outbreak, my mother and brother had
become infected and daddy locked them up with others in the barn” she said and
Max raised his eyebrow at this.
“Daddy thought the virus could be cured” she explained.
Beth really had believed her father, even though she had been scared to death
and hid in the house when he and Otis wrangled a walker into the barn, she had
faith her family could be saved. She didn’t blame her father for being so
misguided, he had no idea what the walkers really were.
“Rick and his group arrived on the farm some time later and daddy let them
stay, provided they didn’t cause any trouble but they soon learnt of the
walkers in the barn and let them out to kill them, including my mother and
brother” she continued on.
Max still hadn’t said a word but was still listening, letting her tell her tale
without interruption.
“I saw my mother lying in the dirt, I went to her but she attacked, nearly
killing me, afterwards I was a ghost and I later collapsed and went into into a
kinda state, I was unresponsive and when I came out if it all I was deeply
depressed, I didn’t want to live any more, Lori tried to help me but I didn’t
want it and I tried to kill my self”
Beth let those words hang in the air. He didn’t say anything, she looked into
his eyes maybe expecting to see pity but only understanding radiating from
them.
“I so wanted to do it, I locked myself in the bathroom, smashed a mirror and
cut my wrist”
Beth pulled back her bracelets and showed him the scar on her wrist, he reached
out and ran his thumb across it, sending shivers down her spine.
“As soon as I did it, I regretted it instantly, the pain and the blood dripping
down my arm made me want to live, I wanted to survive” she said, reluctantly
taking her wrist from his grasp.
Beth fell silent and tears stung in her eyes. She took a deep breath and braced
herself for whatever Max was going to say, would he think she was weak?, and
how would it affect her training and the way he saw her?.
“That must have been painful for you Beth and must be tough to talk about” he
said quietly.
“Yeah it is” she asked softly, her voice now trembling.
He surprised her as he reached out to wipe a tear running down her cheek and
she closed her eyes briefly at the touch, her breath catching in her chest. She
opened them to see Max looking at her with concern and she gave him an
embarrassed smile.
“I guess we both have painful pasts” she said.
“Yeah I guess we do” he added, giving her a warm smile.
Beth wiped away her remaining tears and let out a nervous giggle. She felt off
balance, her story had exhausted her but Max touching her face filled her with
a fuzzy feeling.
She wished she could stay there all night but that wasn’t possible, besides she
would need her sleep for the next day’s training. She sat up, cleared her
throat nervously and fiddled with her necklace.
“Well I should probably go before Maggie sends out a search party” she
announced giving Max another little smile.
“Yeah we should avoid that” he agreed.
She slid off the hood onto the ground and turned back to look at him, tugging
at her shirt.
“I um enjoyed tonight Max, I enjoyed everything about today in fact” she said.
“I did too Beth” he replied.
“So see you tomorrow?” she asked, knowing the answer all ready.
“Bright and early” he promised.
She bit her lip and hoped he couldn’t see her blushing and turned away just in
case and made her way into the cell block unable to shake the happily feeling
rushing through her and wondered what the next day would hold.
***** Chapter 45 *****
Max wandered into the mess, he headed over to the water tank first and filled
some water bottles and placed them in a pack before making some breakfast. He
poured some cereal in two bowls, mixed some powered milk with some water in a
jug and waited for Beth to arrive.
The night before had been something else, his offer to teach her the northern
star constellations had ended with a surprising reveal from Beth.
Max had listened attentively as Beth told her story and when she had finished,
with tears in her eyes he had just wanted to hold her but he settled on wiping
a tear from her cheek, an act he probably should have refrained from.
She had tried to kill her self, the revelation echoed through his head. Beth
hadn’t struck him as the suicidal type, giving no indication to the contrary.
He didn’t think he needed to worry though, gathering it had been a one time
attempt only.
“Hello Max” said Mika as she and Lizzie walked over, snapping him from his
thoughts.
“Morning girls, how are we today?” he asked.
“We’re good, how bout you?” Lizzie answered.
“Yeah not bad” Max replied.
“So are you going to be training Beth again today?” Mika asked with great
interest.
“That’s the plan” Max replied.
The two girls looked at each and they both let out a girlish giggle and Max
felt his face heat up. He was about to ask them what was so funny, even though
he was pretty sure he new exactly what they were giggling about when their
father called them over to eat their breakfast.
“Ok coming daddy, bye Max” said Mika and the sisters joined him at his table,
letting Max return to his thoughts.
“Morning” said a shy voice and Max turned to see Beth had snuck up on him.
Beth looked beautiful as usual despite her almost healed lip and eye, was
dressed in her shorts from yesterday and her hair pulled into her signature
side pony tale. She seemed nervous and he saw her brush her bracelets quickly.
“Morning, good sleep?” he asked.
Beth nodded and smiled happily, taking the seat next to him and he slid one of
the bowls to her. She took it and Max poured in some milk.
“So more workouts first?” she asked as dipped her spoon in her cereal.
“Yep a then we’ll begin a little self defence lessons” he replied.
“Ok sounds good”
They finished off their breakfast and made their way outside to begin the day.
As they walked past the Samuels table, the girls whispered to each other and
giggled softly while their father gave them a confused look, as did Beth.
“What was that about?” she asked.
Max was about to answer when he realised she was talking to her self and held
his tongue but gave her a smile.
“What?” she asked.
“Nothin” he lied.
Beth gave him a look like she didn’t believe him but thankfully didn’t push the
matter, which suited him just fine, not wanting to explain why the two girls
found the two of them training so funny.
They headed into the front field and stretched before beginning their run,
while the walkers against the outer fence looked on like spectators.
As they ran, Max was impressed as she kept pace with him, even when he
increased his speed.
The girl could run, there was no doubt about that, she had the physique for it,
her petite body and long toned legs were a definite bonus.
They did a few laps before stopping to rest, both of them collapsing onto the
soft grass and Max handed her a water bottle from the pack where they had left
it.
He drank down his own water and was about suggest they begin a second workout
when a whistle rang out. They turned to see Michonne riding up to the gate on
her horse, Max and Beth were the closest to the gate and hurried over to open
it.
“Hey guys” she said as she rode through and dismounted.
“Hey Michonne” Beth replied.
“Hows every-” Michonne began but trailed off as she lay eyes on Beth.
Max saw Beth tense up and she looked down at the ground and Max scowled, no
matter how much distractions it took, Zach would always come back to haunt
them.
“What happened?” Michonne asked, concerned.
“Yeah it’s a long story Michonne, you might want to ask Hershel about it” Max
replied curtly.
“No it’s ok Max, um a couple of nights ago Zach attacked me and almost raped
me” Beth explained heavily and Michonne’s jaw dropped as she looked at both of
them in shock.
“He did what?” she asked.
Max looked at Beth, she nodded and he quickly recounted the events of that
night as an angry expression formed on Michonne’s face.
“Where is he now?” she asked.
“Not sure exactly, haven’t cared to ask” Max replied.
It was the truth, after the council’s decision he had put Zach out of his mind,
not caring where he was as long as he was far away from Beth.
“Well I’m sorry that happened to you Beth”
“Its all right I’m ok now, any luck with finding the governor?” Beth replied,
changing the subject.
Max’s interest perked up, he had heard the governor mentioned several times
since he had arrived at the prison and what he had gathered he was a dangerous
enemy, though defeated he could still posed a threat.
“No I didn’t” Michonne answered disappointedly.
Michonne let the horse wander off to graze and she excused herself, walking off
up to the prison leaving Max and Beth alone again.
“I hope he never comes back” Beth said softly, looking out through the fence as
if the man was out there looking back.
“It sounds like he is gone Beth, he won’t be coming back ” Max reassured her.
“He might Max, you don’t know what it was like, he had a whole town of people
and wanted to wipe us out, he killed Daryl’s brother, Andrea and others, he was
crazy Max” she said.
Beth sounded generally afraid of the man and the stories he had heard, the
group had gone through a rough time, rescuing Maggie and Glenn and fending off
his multiple attacks, Max couldn’t really blame her.
“Well if he does we’ll be ready for him” he promised.
Beth seemed to be happy with his answer and she smiled at him.
“I hope so, so another workout?” she asked.
Max considered it but in light of the governor maybe it was time to jump ahead
in her training.
“No more workouts for today I think we should start on a little self defence”
“Really?, gonna teach me how to fight?” she asked teasingly and her eyes lit
up.
“Sure am but I’m only going to teach how to defend yourself ok ” he replied and
Beth nodded, understanding but the sparkle in her eyes didn’t dim nor did the
smile.
They walked back over to where they had left his pack and their water bottles.
Max decided it was a good a place as anywhere and decided to begin.
“Ok Beth I want you to punch me” he asked.
“What?” Beth asked with a shocked expression.
“You heard me” he replied.
He took her hands and showed her the proper way to make a fist and held them up
into front off her, boxer style.
“Ok lets see what you got, aim for my hands” he said, holding his palms up.
Beth looked unsure but she drew back one of her arms and lightly punched his
palm, it was a weak punch but he didn’t expect her to be heavyweight boxer or
even a lightweight.
“All right good start but I’m going to need you punch harder Beth, use your
shoulders that’s where the power come from” he said.
“I don’t want to hurt you” she said, sounding embarrassed.
Max almost chucked but held it back, knowing it wouldn’t help the situation
instead he gave her calm look and held out his palms again.
“You’re not going to hurt me Beth, I need to know how hard you can punch” he
explained.
Beth nodded and swung another punch, smacking into his hand. The punch was
harder than the first but Max believed she had more in her.
“Harder Beth, harder, you are still holding back, I need you to punch” he
ordered, with an edge to his voice.
He heard Beth huff in frustration and she punched his hand again but it was the
same strength as before. Beth wasn’t giving it her all and Max needed to push
her, get her angry to get her adrenaline pumping.
“Come Beth you can do better than that, show me you can punch Beth, punch!” Max
yelled angrily.
She looked shocked at first and recoiled slightly but then began punching, with
both hands over and over, slamming her fists into his palms with surprising
strength. It didn’t take long for her to tire out and let out a yell as she
threw her last punch. She wobbled slightly and Max quickly caught her as she
stumbled.
“Easy now it’s ok, that was perfect Beth well done” he soothed.
She gave him a weak smile and looked up at him as he held her, she was
breathing rapidly and he knew it was time for a break. He let her go but she
didn’t step away, instead took one of his hands in hers.
“I didn’t hurt you did I?” she asked worriedly and ran her hand over one of his
palms, sending a jolt through his body.
“No I’ll be fine Beth” he replied.
“Ok good” she said, sounding relived.
“Sorry I yelled at you” he said, hoping he hadn’t scared her anything.
“No don’t apologise I needed to be pushed, you are trying to train me” she
replied.
Max nodded and they both sat down in the grass, and gulped greedily from their
water bottles.
“Did you want to call it a day?” he asked and she shook her head.
“No, I’m ready to learn more” she said.
“You sure?” he asked.
Determination shone in her eyes and Max smiled at her energy as she stood up,
ready to begin.
“Well all right then” he said, joining her.
“Ok so being able to punch is all well and good, but when and if the day comes
you are not going to be in a fair fight, whoever it may be is going to want to
do you harm” he explained, Beth nodded, taking in everything he was saying and
Max continued on.
“Unfortunately Beth, everyone you go up against is going to be bigger and
stronger than you, so have to be faster and smarter”
“Ok so how do I that?” she asked.
“If you can’t get away or if they grab you, you’re going to have to fight dirty
Beth, use your size to your advantage, all they’ll see is a young helpless girl
and you’re going to use that, don’t hold back, your life could and will depend
on it, scratch, bite, punch and kick, go for their weak points, their eyes,
throat, knees and of course the groin”
Beth blushed as he said this and looked down embarrassed.
“Don’t be shy Beth, if a man has you, kick him in the balls, I’ve seen grown
men turn into whimpering babies after being punched or kicked in the groin” he
said.
Beth still looked unsure, it was a lot to take in and Max didn’t blame her if
she was still apprehensive about it all.
“Look I know it sounds daunting, but it may never happen, this training is only
so you will ready if it does and only if you find your self in trouble that you
can’t run from” he cautioned.
“So don’t go don’t go looking for fights?” she asked.
“Exactly, ok lets start” he replied.
Before she could respond, Max moved quickly, grabbing her round the waist,
twisting her and pulling her into his chest. Beth was shocked at first and
struggled in his arms but was unable to free herself from his grasp.
“Ok, Beth what are you going to do now?” he asked as she craned her neck
backwards to look at him.
“Remember what I said Beth, think, how are you going to get away?” he asked.
Beth stopped struggling and went slack and Max waited for her to get out of his
grip. Then she surprised him and she quickly slammed her foot down on his foot.
Pain shot through his foot and he let go of her slightly, she then elbowed him
in the stomach and pulled herself completely from his arms and stepped a safe
distance from him.
“Wow Beth where did that come from?” Max asked, rubbing his stomach.
He hadn’t expected it from her at all at least not for a for more lessons and
was actually quite impressed with her technique.
“I don’t know I just thought about the governor coming back and the night Zach
attacked me and just acted” she replied sounding surprised with herself.
“Well whatever it was use it, you actually caught me off guard there which is
good, really good” he said.
“Really?” she asked, tilting her head
“Yeah and putting some distance as soon as you got away was smart” he replied
and Beth absolutely beamed under the praise, blushing slightly.
“Well you told me I needed to be fast and smart” she said.
“Yeah I did didn’t I”
“Are you ok though I tried not hit you so hard” she asked, worry in her voice
again.
“Well I don’t know I think I might have a bit of a limp now and might throw up”
he replied sombrely
He made over exaggerated groaning noises and pretended every step he made
caused him pain as he held his stomach.
“Oh haha very funny” she laughed, not deceived at all.
She pushed him playfully and Max groaned in pain again, doubling over and fell
to his knees and held up his hands in mock surrender.
“No more I give up” he said laughing.
“Well good” she said, unable to hold back her own laughter.
She held out her hand but instead out letting her help him up, he pulled her
down to him, she let out a squeal and fell on top of him.
The laughter stopped instantly as their faces were now inches apart. Max’s mind
went blank as he stared up into her eyes and was more than aware of her body
pressed up against his and that his hand was on her hip, touching her warm
skin. Her lips were trembling and a strand of her hair was tickling his cheek.
He wanted to kiss her, to know what her lips tasting like but he needed to get
her off her before she felt the stirring that was building up below.
Suddenly a horse neigh shattered the moment and they both looked over startled.
Beth jumped off him and stood up quickly, her face burned red and didn’t speak.
Max wasn’t sure what to say as well, not sure what would have happened if they
hadn’t been interrupted, Beth had made no attempt to get off him and he
certainly didn’t either.
They both stared at each other not speaking, the horse neighed again and Beth
let out a little giggle, Max relaxed and laughed as well.
“So um lunch time?” she asked, now acting like nothing had happened.
“Yeah sounds good” Max replied, going along with it.
They began walking up to the prison, several people were milling about the
courtyard and a worried thought shot through him, had anyone seen what had
happened?, but here were no suspicious looks, no one confronted them and he
relaxed again. Max began to wonder what was going through Beth’s mind, he
noticed she was sneaking glances at him and giving him little nervous smiles
before looking away. Max knew he would have to address what had happened, but
all he could think of was the feeling of her on top of him and the maddening
desire to kiss her and knew the up coming lessons were going to be very
interesting…
***** Chapter 46 *****
Beth’s mind was spinning as it tried to process what had happened in the field.
The whole morning had been perfect, she had thought after revealing her suicide
attempt to him, there might have be some weirdness between them but he had
greeted her with a warm smile and had begun her training.
Beth had never really thrown a punch, her attack was evidence enough and had
been a little apprehensive when Max began to teach her how and had surprised
herself when he had forced them out of her. Beth had surprised her self more
when he schooled her on the best ways to defend herself, and had admit it felt
good to have Max’s arm around her, feeling the muscles in his chest pressed up
against her back.
The joking around and falling on top of him was what took her breath away,
staring into his sharp green eyes, Beth swore the two of them would have kissed
but she couldn’t be certain, chalking it up to her heightened state and
imagination.
As they walked to mess she kept glancing at him to judge his mood, trying to
guess what he was thinking. They walked into the cooler air of the mess and
Beth was so caught up in her thoughts she barely noticed where she was going
and bumped into Daryl, she apologised and she caught a brief scowl that quickly
disappeared when he saw Max with her and he nodded at them.
“Beth, Max come sit down” called her father.
She sat down and was a little off put when Max took the seat opposite her but
quickly brushed it off. Maggie and Glenn joined them as the lunch crew came
round and served up the food they had prepared and Beth smiled her thanks at
them as she was handed a bowl of stew.
“So did you two have fun out there today?” her father asked when everyone at
the table had been served.
Beth almost choked on her mouthful of food and and looked down at her bowl then
glanced up to see Max and her father looking at her. Her father had a curious
look, while Max gave her a reassuring smile.
“Yeah it was a good lesson, Beth’s a quick learner” Max stated nonchalantly.
“Well Beth’s always has been able to pick up new skills pretty fast” her father
said proudly.
“Hmm you’re telling me, she kinda kicked me arse out there” Max replied.
“Really?” Maggie asked, fixing Beth with a teasing grin and Beth blushed.
“It just sorta came out” Beth replied humbly.
“Well if she keeps it up, she’ll be all trained up in no time” Max said.
That thought froze her, would their lessons reach a point we she no longer
needed them?, what would happen then?. Beth pushed the troubling though aside,
it was to soon to think about that.
The continued eating, she kept sneaking her glances at Max until her father
noticed and she stopped, intently focusing on her food instead.
“So where did you go last night Beth, after dinner?, I came to your room and
you weren’t there” her father then asked her, with curiosity in his voice.
Beth looked up startled and quickly darted her eyes at Max for some sort of
guidance, but he didn’t respond.
“Oh um Max was teaching me some star constellations” she replied as casually as
she could.
It was the truth, except they were out under the stars, alone and incredible
close together, not something her father would want to hear.
“Star constellations?” Glenn asked, confused.
“Yeah um Max thought it would be a good idea, you know in case I got lost I
could navigate by the stars” Beth answered quickly.
Again, it wasn’t exactly a lie but the night hadn’t set out that way and it
certainly didn’t end that way either.
Her father raised an eyebrow at Max, who looked slightly uncomfortable and Beth
held her breath waiting for what her father would say but he smiled and Beth
exhaled, relived.
“You know your stars son?” he asked, sounding impressed.
“Yeah had to learn them” Max replied.
“That’s pretty cool, I think I only know the north star but I can’t be sure, do
you know them all?” asked Glenn.
“Most of them” Max replied.
“Hmm still cool though, so Max do you think there is life out there, you know
on other planets?” he asked.
“Oh no Glenn not this again” grumbled Maggie and Beth giggled.
“What?, it’s a valid theory” Glenn protested.
“Glenn is firm believer that there are aliens out there in the universe” Maggie
explained to Max.
“Actually I’ve always thought that myself, there must be right? I’ve always
believed aliens exist since I was a kid especially after seeing Star Wars” he
said and Glenn grinned at him as did Beth.
“You like Star Wars?” she asked him teasingly.
“Well of course I do, Star Wars is one of my favourite movies and I am a fan of
all things sci fi” he replied.
“No way, what other movies do you like?” Glenn asked excitedly.
“Oh here we go, shall we leave the boys to talk about aliens and spaceships?”
Maggie asked Beth.
Beth knew Maggie was only joking but Beth wasn’t going to leave the table even
if she wasn’t, she was learning something new about Max everyday.
“So not a fan of sci fi I take it” Max asked.
“Hmm not me I liked my rom coms and dramas, while Beth here loved her Disney
movies” Maggie answered, giving her a teasing smile.
Beth felt her face heat up and nudged Maggie in the side and threw her a dirty
look. Just another thing to make her look younger in Max’s eyes Beth thought
angrily.
“Now, now Maggie don’t tease your sister, I remember a certain girl who loved
those movies as well” said their father
“Thank you daddy” said Beth and poked her tongue out at Maggie
“Well you still love them” Maggie shot back, poking her own tongue out.
Beth had loved watching Disney movies, growing up on the farm between chores
and school there wasn’t a lot of time to sit down and watch movies but on the
days she was sick, her mother would let her watch them all day.
“So what’s was your favourite?” Max asked sounding generally interested.
“Oh um, The little Mermaid, I must have watched that like a hundred times” she
answered.
“Under the sea huh?” he said, putting on a terrible Jamaican accent, imitating
Sebastian the crab and everyone laughed.
“You know The Little Mermaid?” Beth asked with disbelief.
“Sure, I know my Disney movies, Lion King, Aladdin and The jungle book, all
great films” he replied.
“So what’s your favourite then?” she asked.
“Ahh the Toy Story series probably or maybe The lion King” he answered.
Beth almost laughed again, she never would have guessed this side of him,
especially after he had told her his painful painful but she couldn’t help but
find this new knowledge delighting.
“Aww that’s so sweet Max, I can’t really picture you watching any Disney
movies” Maggie laughed, voicing what Beth was thinking.
“Well I was a kid once, and I liked to watch movies in my down time on whatever
base I was stationed at” he replied.
“Hmm well give me an old western any day” said her father and everyone laughed
again.
The group finished off their lunch and their dishes and cutlery were cleared
away as Sasha stopped to talk.
“Hi Sasha” Beth said as she handed her a stack of bowls.
“Hey Beth, good training today?” Sasha asked with a smile and Beth nodded.
“Well good to hear, listen Beth is it all right if I put you back on the
cooking roster, starting tonight?” Sasha asked.
Beth looked over to Max who was now deep in conversation with Glenn, talking
about other movies and then turned back to Sasha.
“No worries Sasha” she replied cheerfully.
“Excellent thanks Beth, you’ll be with Patrick and Karen” said Sasha
Sasha left to attend to her duties and Hershel stood up to join her. Maggie and
Glenn also excused themselves and before Beth could ask Max if they were going
to continue their training, Carol passed with the kids in tow, on their way to
their own lessons.
“Hi Beth, Hi Max” she said Mika happily, giving them a wave.
“Hello Mika” Beth said back.
“Come along now Mika” Carol asked, pausing.
“Ok coming Carol”
They were alone again and Beth looked at Max nervously, who gave her a look she
couldn’t read and didn’t know what it meant.
“So um are we going to continue training today?” she asked quietly.
“If you still want to” he replied.
Beth nodded and they walked back out side and down into the field. They stood
apart from each other for a moment before he stepped in and wrapped his arm
around her chest, pulling her into him.
“Ok just like before, try and get out of my grip” he asked.
She wanted to do what he asked but she couldn’t concentrate, feeling his body
pressed up against her again sent flutters though her stomach and sent her
pulse running wild.
“Beth?” he asked.
He slackened his arm when she didn’t answer and let it fall, brushing his hand
across her stomach before stepping away
“Do you want to stop?” he asked.
Beth bit her lip and nodded, she felt like she couldn’t breath and her entire
body was tingling. They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity.
Beth didn’t want their training to stop but it was only going to get harder to
hide her feelings for him.
“Beth?” he questioned.
“I um better go um Judith probably needs looking after” Beth lied, coming up
with any plausible excuse.
“Ok Beth I’ll catch you later” he said softly and Beth could hear the hurt and
disappointment in his voice.
Beth fled from the field as fast as she could, not daring to look back. She
wondered what she was going to do about her predicament, she couldn’t avoid Max
but she couldn’t be around him, wanting him so much.
She walked into the mess in a daze and saw Karen organising food for dinner,
she looked over and smiled but it dropped as she saw Beth’s expression.
“Beth what’s wrong? she asked, concerned.
Beth didn’t answer, she liked Karen but she didn’t think she was the person to
help her. Karen walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Beth you’re trembling, did something happen?, do you want me to find your
father or Maggie?” Karen asked, now slightly alarmed.
“No no please don’t, it’s nothing bad, really” Beth said quickly, Karen relaxed
slightly but still looked concerned.
“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked kindly.
Beth decided it might be good to get it off her chest, she couldn’t talk to
Maggie or her father, so Karen would be the next best thing and nodded.
“Ok good, sit down, I‘ll make us some tea” Karen said
Beth sat down and Karen quickly made them some tea. Beth took the hot cup
gratefully and Karen sat down next to her
“Now tell what’s bothering you” she asked.
Beth sipped the tea, letting it calm her and began to tell Karen everything.
“I um have feelings for Max, I don’t know what to do about them, I know I’m too
young for him but I can’t help how I feel about him” she explained.
“Well I’m not surprised at all Beth, you two have been spending a lot of time
together and he is very handsome” said Karen with a smile and Beth blushed.
“Its not that he’s handsome, it’s more than that, I feel so safe around him,
think about him all the time and he makes me feel good, like really good and
there was a moment this morning where we almost kissed” she said and blushed as
Karen’s smile widened
“Almost kissed?” she asked.
“Yeah I think so” Beth replied.
“You should tell him how you feel Beth” Karen suggested and Beth shook her head
“I can’t do that Karen ” she said.
“Why not?” Karen asked.
“What if doesn’t feel the same way, and if he does then what?, its not like we
can have any sort of relationship” Beth asked worriedly.
“Well you won’t know until you talk to him Beth” Karen replied.
“Ok I’ll think about” Beth promised.
Beth was glad she had decided to talk to Karen. A little weight had been lifted
off her but she still wasn’t convinced that it was the right idea to talk to
Max.
“Ok enough girl talk for now, how bout we get started on dinner?” Karen said,
getting up.
Beth nodded at her and they began preparing the food Karen had begun to
organise. Patrick soon arrived to help and the trio threw themselves into the
cooking.
As they finished cooking, people began drifting into the mess, drawn by the
smell of food and Karen and Beth quickly distributed plates and cutlery around.
Beth froze as Max walked in and Karen touched her arm.
“Be strong Beth, go talk to him” she said.
Max took a seat with Bob, Ty and Sasha. Beth walked over to the table and
handed them plates. She almost lost it as she and Max locked eyes and she took
a deep breath.
“Um Max can we talk after dinner?” she asked, hoping the others at the table
wouldn’t be too interested.
“Of course Beth” he said quickly, their was no anger in his voice and Beth
smiled.
Beth ate her dinner with her father, Maggie and Glenn. She kept quiet
throughout and was grateful her family didn’t ask her anything, while she snuck
glances at Max.
Once dinner was finished and the wash crew had began clearing everything away
she noticed Max get up from his table and walked outside.
Beth quickly excused herself and followed him out, finding him waiting for her
by the Bushmaster.
“You wanted to talk?” he said as she reached him.
“Yeah um I wanted to say I’m sorry about this afternoon” she replied.
“Beth you don’t need to apologise” he said.
“Max I um..” she began, struggling to find words.
“Beth what is it?, you can tell me anything you know that” he said stepping
closer to her.
“Even if it could jeopardise our friendship?” she asked worriedly.
“Beth nothing you could say would end our friendship” he promised.
“Ok, I like you Max, I um have feelings for you” she said quickly, the words
coming out all at once.
Beth held her breath and waited for response, she didn’t know what to expect,
was he going be angry?, would he laughed it off?, but he didn’t do any of those
and Beth swore his face heated up instead.
“I know” he replied finally, rubbing the back of his neck.
“You know?” Beth asked surprised.
“I’ve known for a while now” he said, like it was common knowledge and Beth
just stared at him
“Oh” she said softly.
“I kinda figured it out, the conversation about Julie, that dress and other
factors” he replied.
“You probably think I’m just a girl with a stupid crush don’t you” Beth said
embarrassed.
“No Beth not at all” he said softly
“Really?, so you’re still going to train me, it won’t be awkward now?” she
asked
“Of course not”
Beth didn’t believe him how could it not be, they were going to spending time
together with both of them knowing she had feelings for him, he might be able
to handle it but she wouldn’t be able to and there was the matter of what
happened in the morning. Beth had to know, she had to know if there was the
slightest chance he might want her too.
“Max this morning would have happened if we weren’t interrupted?” she asked.
Max averted his eyes and rubbed the back of his neck, and coughed.
“Nothing Beth” he answered, but Beth didn’t believe him and stepped closer to
him.
“Max I was there, you were going to kiss me” she stated.
Beth was inches from him now and stared up at him, he looked down at her with a
pained look on his face.
“Beth I..” he said
It was Max’s turn to struggle for words and her heart began to beat faster as
she hoped his answer was what she wanted to hear.
“Were you going to kiss me Max?” she pressed.
He didn’t answer, looking spooked and averting his eyes again.
“Yeah” he answered finally, barely above a whisper and Beth’s heart almost
stopped.
“Do you have feelings for me as well?” she asked.
Once again the stared at each other and he nodded and Beth felt like singing as
a flutters pulsed through her stomach .
“Yeah I do, I tried to hold them back I really did, but today got the better of
me” he said.
“So what do we do now?” Beth asked.
“I don’t know Beth I hadn’t planned for this to happen” he replied.
Beth was about to say more when she heard Maggie calling Beth’s name. She
turned to see Maggie standing on the steps to the mess, looking out.
“Beth you out here?” she called before spotting them.
“Yes Maggie” Beth yelled back.
“Oh good, daddy is looking for you” Maggie shouted.
“Ok Maggie I’m coming” Beth called back, a little exasperated.
Beth looked up at Max, gave him a shy smile and twisted her foot nervously.
“So I better go” she said.
“Yeah I guess you better” he replied, but his tone and voice suggesting he
wanted her to stay.
This was her moment and if she didn’t take it, it would gone. She looked around
to see if Maggie or anyone was watching but there was no one, she stepped into
him, lifted herself on her toes, placed her hands on his chest to steady
herself and kissed him quickly before dropping back to the ground.
“See you soon Max” she said
Before he could say anything she walked off but she did stop to look back and
she giggled as she saw him looking a little shocked, but in a good way and
continued walking. Beth’s heart felt like it was going to burst out of her
chest and her entire body was trembling again. Her mind raced as scenarios
played out through her head of what her and Max’s next meeting would be like
and couldn’t wait for that encounter…
***** Chapter 47 *****
Max had been in a daze after Beth had kissed him, it had been quick but very
memorable and thrown him off guard. He had walked the fence for a while to
clear his head, planing what his next move would be and then retired early
without seeing Beth.
Despite getting to bed early, the kiss had kept him up and he woke tired and
off balance. He still wasn’t sure what he was going to do about Beth, they both
knew they wanted each other but what did Beth really want?, was she looking for
a relationship of sorts?. If that was true was it something that could work in
the long run?. He was more than certain the rest of the group wouldn’t accept
it at all and if he wasn’t careful he might end up looking down the wrong end
of a barrel.
Max yawned, dressed and wandered into the mess, he saw Hershel eating breakfast
and immediately considered just walking back out but he noticed Max and waved
him over.
“Good morning Max” said Hershel warmly.
“Morning” Max managed.
“You all right there Max?, something on your mind?” he asked.
If only he knew the truth, yeah your seventeen daughter kissed me last night
because she has feelings for me, oh and by the way I have feelings for her as
well, not to mention the less than honourable thoughts I have about her, yeah
that would go down great thought Max.
“Nah not really, I’m all good” Max lied.
Hershel nodded and Max proceeded to make his own breakfast. He was returning
back to the table when Beth walked in.
“Morning” she said cheerfully, grabbing some cereal and joining Max and Hershel
at the table.
“Well good morning Bethie” said Hershel.
She smiled at him and then looked to Max, her smile widened and her eyes
sparkled.
“Morning Max” she said teasingly.
“Morning Beth” he answered back, keeping his voice neutral.
“So more training today?” Hershel asked.
“I don’t know?, are we training today?” Beth asked.
Her eyes locked on his and her mouth teased up into a smile again. Hershel also
looked at him, awaiting his answer.
“Ahh yeah of course” he replied quickly.
“Well good, now if you two will excuse me I have a council meeting to attend ”
Hershel said stood up and left Max and Beth alone.
“So I suppose we should discuss what happened last night?” Beth suggested
quietly as soon as her father left the room.
Max looked around, there was a few people in the mess, eating breakfast and
talking. No one was looking in their direction but Max couldn’t risk anyone
hearing their conversation.
“Not here Beth” he replied.
Beth nodded, understanding and they finished off their food in silence.
After they had washed up their plates, the two of them walked out into the warm
morning sun and Max walked them to where they could not be over heard.
“You’re not mad that I kissed you are you?” she asked worriedly, looking up at
him, trying to guess what he was thinking.
“No Beth, I was just a little surprised” he replied.
“Good surprised?” she asked.
“Yeah, good surprised” he answered.
Her worried expression faded and a nervous little smile appeared on her face.
“So what do we do now?” she asked.
It was a loaded question and needed to choose his answer carefully, what ever
happened next would change their friendship forever.
“What do you want to happen Beth?” he asked.
“I don’t know Max, I just know how I feel about you” she replied softly.
She stepped closer to him and took his hand in hers. Her touch was soft and
gentle as she brushed her fingers across the back of his hand, she looked up at
him and Max knew in that moment he wanted everything she wanted.
“Beth, if we do this, we take it slow and keep it quiet understand?” he said,
Beth’s smiled widened and she nodded happily.
“Ok” she agreed
She let go of his hand and they both stared at each other for what felt like
forever and then she let out a giggle and Max laughed as well.
“Well we better start some training, we can’t stand here all day” he suggested.
“I guess not” she replied.
They began with a run but it didn’t last long, both of them obviously weren’t
able to focus and Max decided to call it. He also decided to skip the self
defence training as well, he didn’t think he would be able to control himself
if he put his hands on her.
Max suggested they get some water, Beth agreed and they made made their way
back up to the prison.
As they walked, Beth walked close to him and causally brushed her hand against
his and Max wanted nothing better than to slip his hand into hers.
Max and Beth walked towards the mess but as they stopped dead as they saw
someone coming out of the door.
It was Zach in crutches, being helped by Dr S. down the stairs with his broken
leg was in a splint.
“What the fuck?” Max yelled and Zach and the doctor looked up in fright.
“Wait Max, just calm down” the doctor pleaded calmly.
“Don’t tell me to calm down fuckwit, get him out of here now” Max ordered and
stepped towards them.
“Look I’m sorry, I didn’t think Beth would be here, I assumed you and her would
be still training down in the field, he just wanted some sun.” he explained as
he put him self between Max and Zach.
“I don’t give a fuck what you assumed, you get him out of here and lock him
back up in whatever hole he was rotting in” Max growled.
Max turned to Beth, she was standing frozen, her face was pale and was staring
at Zach. The tension was palpable and time almost stood still. There was no
else close enough and the good doctor had no chance of stopping Max if he just
snapped Zach’s neck. Max sensed Beth move and he turned to see her flee towards
the cell block. He started after her but stopped and turned back to Dr S. and
Zach.
“If I see him again I’ll break his other leg and make you watch, understand?”
he barked.
He didn’t wait for an answer and went after Beth, seeing her disappear through
the mess and into the cells block and quickly followed her. He found her
standing in her cell, she was shaking and glanced at him as he stood in her
doorway.
“Sorry I ran away” she whispered.
“Beth you don’t need apologise” he said.
“I thought I was getting stronger, but I saw him and all I could do was run”
she said sadly.
She looked so broken, just like before and Max just wanted to hold her but it
was far to risky. He needed to do something before she began to doubt herself
again and everything they had done over the last few days was for nothing.
“Come on” he said, indicating she follow.
“We are we going?” she asked.
He didn’t answer and kept walking, finally stopping outside the door to the
library.
“What are we doing here Max?” she asked, confusion and worry in her voice.
“You are strong Beth, we both know it and I’m not going to let that arsehole
make you think anything less” he answered and opened the door.
She looked apprehensive but stepped inside with him into the empty room.
“Its strange being in here again, I thought I would never set foot in here
again” she said softly.
He noticed her eyes travel to the bookshelf that Zach had her against and her
face clouded over. Max slipped his hand into hers and squeezed it gently.
“You’re not going to be afraid of this room, or Zach or anyone else any more,
ok” he said and she nodded.
He went to let her hand go but she didn’t let go of his and looked up at him,
her eyes shimmering.
“You make me feel so safe Max” she whispered.
“I’m here for you Beth, always” he said.
Max cupped her face, brushing his thumb across her cheek and she ran a hand
over his chest.
“Kiss me Max” she whispered.
He didn’t need to be asked twice, he lifted her chin with his finger, leant
into her and placed his lips on hers.
The kiss was soft at first but Beth moaned, pressing her self against him and
then it was like a dam had burst. Max kissed her more forcibly, she grabbed a
fist full of his shirt and kissed him back just as hard.
“Oh Max” she whispered.
Acting on primal instinct, he picked her up and sat her down on the table next
to them. Their kissing intensified and he moved from her lips to her neck. Beth
let out a low moan and ran her fingers through his hair.
Max felt him self harden as pressed himself into her crotch and he began to
move his hand up her shirt but she grabbed it.
“Max, w-we have to stop” she whispered, her voice out of breath.
Max stopped instantly and pulled away from her, she wasn’t scared or
uncomfortable, just looked flustered and Max kicked himself for letting it get
out of hand.
“Sorry I got a little carried away” he said bashfully.
“No its ok Max, I liked it a lot, it’s just not the best place to do it” she
giggled.
She adjusted her clothes and Max couldn’t help notice her nipples straining
through the flimsy top she was wearing.
“Damm you’re so beautiful Beth” he blurted out, she blushed and let out another
giggle.
“You really think so?” she asked with a smile.
“Yeah, without a doubt” he replied.
“I bet you say that to all the girls” she teased.
“Nope, just you miss Greene” he shot back.
They suddenly heard footsteps and they jumped apart from each other just as
Maggie and Hershel walked into the room.
“Beth there you are” said Maggie with relief in her voice.
“I’m ok Maggie” said Beth, trying to sound normal.
“Dr S. told us what happened, are you ok?” Hershel asked.
“I was a little shaken but I’m ok now” Beth answered.
“Why did you come here?” Maggie asked suspiciously.
“Max thought it would good for me, face my fears” Beth replied.
Hershel turned to Max, smiling warmly at him and Max felt a little bad that was
just making out with the man’s teenage daughter.
“Are you sure you’re ok Beth, your face is all flushed” Maggie asked.
Max almost choked and he saw Beth’s eyes flashed towards him in panic but she
managed to keep her composure.
“I’m all right Maggie, really” Beth assured her
“Ok but lets get you some fresh air” Maggie suggested.
The four of them walked out of the library, Maggie and Beth in front while Max
hung back with Hershel.
“I’m not happy with that doctor, he ensured me he would keep that boy locked
up” Hershel said quietly.
“You decided what to do with him yet?” Max asked, referring to Zach.
“Unfortunately no” Hershel replied.
Max didn’t comment and just looked ahead, not wanting to get into it again.
“I want to thank you Max, you seemed to be in the right place in the right time
when it concerns my daughter” Hershel said.
“Just doing my job” Max replied and Hershel nodded in response.
Beth glanced back and smiled at Max but quickly looked back as Hershel looked
at her. Max couldn't be certain but he believed Hershel didn’t suspect
anything. Max planned to be far more cautious from that point on if Beth and
himself were to have a relationship but he also had a growing feeling
everything was going to be fine.
***** Chapter 48 *****
Beth shielded her face from the mid morning sun as she looked through the fence
and hoped Max would be ok. He and several others had departed on a run that
morning, once again looking for supplies. Beth had been worried they were going
back to that warehouse but her father had confirmed that they weren’t.
Beth sighed and turned away from the fence and became lost in her thoughts.
Seeing Zach the day before had shocked her, she hadn’t really thought about
what she would do if she ever saw him again and had run away in response. She
remembered just standing in her cell and shaking in anger. Beth wished she had
punched him, hurt him like he had her and made him pay for what he did. She
wasn’t surprised when Max had followed her but was surprised when he had taken
her the library. Beth thought she would never return to the room but when Max
had kissed her he had changed the room forever, it was no longer the place she
was attacked, it was now the room she and Max had their first real intimate
moment.
A cry pulled her from her thoughts and she turned to see Carl holding Judith in
his arms, who wasn’t exactly happy.
“Need some help?” Beth asked Carl and he gave her a grateful smile.
“I don’t know what’s wrong, I’ve fed her and she doesn’t need changing” he
answered.
“What’s the matter Judy?” Beth asked soothingly.
Beth took Judith from his arms and began rocked her gently but she kept crying.
Beth patted the girl on the back a couple of times and Judith let out a burp.
She stopped crying instantly, gurgled happily and Beth could only smile.
“Better now?” she asked her.
“How do you do that?” Carl asked, impressed and Beth just shrugged.
It came naturally to her, even from the start when Judith had been born when
Beth was the one taking care of her she had excelled at the task.
“You’ll make a great mum some day” Carl said.
Beth blushed and smiled at Carl, she had always wanted a baby of her own, a
little boy or girl to raise. It was just a fantasy though, something that
wouldn’t happen any time soon.
“Thanks Carl” said Beth.
Carl was about to say something else when Carol appeared with the children
following her.
“Carl time for your lessons” called Carol.
Beth heard Carl sigh and she laughed, she knew Carl would like nothing better
than to skip the lessons but Rick had insisted he attend them regularly.
“Go on, I’ll watch Judith” she said to him.
Carl nodded and joined Carol and the others and they disappeared inside.
“So Judy, what are you and I going to do today?” Beth asked.
Beth decided to take her for a walk but grabbed Judith a hat first, not wanting
her to burn in the sun.
When the two of them were applied in some sunscreen and with Judith sporting a
cute cloth hat, Beth walked with her down into the field and sat down in the
grass. They watched the fence crew go about their duty of killing the horde of
walkers that amassed along the fences each day.
Beth smiled as she saw Karen with Tyreese’s arm wrapped around her and smiled
at them. Karen saw her and waved. Beth waved back, they made a nice couple and
wondered if she and Max could ever have that. Beth wasn’t exactly sure what she
and Max were yet or what they were even doing, all she knew was how it felt
when Max had kissed her. Would Max ever consider being her boyfriend even if
what they were doing was just in secret?.
Judith made a noise and handed Beth a handful of grass, Beth laughed and took
it from her.
“Oh is this for me?” she asked.
Beth played with the grass Judith had handed to her and looked over to see
Karen and Tyreese kissing and laughing and she sighed.
She thought back her experiences with Jimmy when the two of them had found time
to be alone. Beth had never would have admitted it but she had never enjoyed
kissing him, Jimmy had always been clumsy, awkward and unsatisfying. But
kissing Max was very different, he knew what he was doing and in that brief
moment it was far better than any make out session with Jimmy.
Beth smiled to her self as that moment in library played through her head
again, his lips on hers and on her neck and his hands burning against her skin
as he pressed himself into her.
She blushed at that memory, remembering the tingles it sent through her and
wondered if he would take it further next time they found themselves alone.
Beth knew they couldn’t sit around all day, even if she was watching Judith and
decided to do some of the chores she had been neglecting over the last couple
of days.
She decided to wash some clothes first, she was almost running out of clean
ones and she didn’t want to have to wear dirty clothes around Max. It was a
irrational thought given the world they now lived in but she didn’t want to
smell around him.
Beth juggled her pile of dirty clothes and Judith and walked out the washing
area. Some others were already there and they smiled at her as she joined them.
Beth smiled back, she placed Judith on the ground in a patch of shade and some
of the Woodbury women began to fawn over her. Beth chose one of the empty tubs
and one of the men helped her fill it. She thanked him, poured in some washing
liquid and began washing her clothes, while keeping an eye on Judith, who was
busy playing with some pegs.
Once her clothes were washed and hung them out, Beth carried Judith inside for
some lunch. She grabbed Judith’s food and something for herself. As she sat
down at a table she was soon joined by her father.
“How is she today?” he asked.
“Real good, she is growing up so fast” Beth replied.
“I know that feeling, it feels like just yesterday you were that size and now
look at you” he said wistfully and Beth smiled lovingly at her father.
“Oh daddy I’m still your little girl” she promised.
“But becoming a woman too” he said softly.
Beth blushed at the compliment and wondered if he really knew how much of a
woman she was becoming. She wondered what he would think about what had
happened between her and Max but pushed it out of her mind, not wanting to
imagine the outcome.
After lunch Beth put Judith down for a nap and Carl offered to her watch over
her so Beth wandered outside.
As she did, she heard the sudden roar of a familiar engine and her pulse raced
as she looked through the fence to see the Bushmaster drive though the main
gate. Beth almost couldn’t contain herself as she watched the APC drive up to
the prison and waited excitedly till the vehicle came to a stop.
Beth smiled warmly at Max as he jumped down from the drivers seat, alive and
safe, he smiled back it took all of her strength not to rush into his arms.
“How did it go?” she asked casually as she walked over to him.
“Not bad, no trouble” he replied.
The back opened and the others stepped out carrying some boxes of supplies they
had found and Beth smiled happily at Maggie, glad she had made it back safely
as well.
“Find anything interesting?” Beth asked.
“No not really, just some essentials” Maggie answered.
Beth nodded and Maggie walked past, carrying her box inside with everyone else
leaving just Max and Beth and Rick by the Bushmaster.
“No trouble here?, Judith and Carl ok?” Rick asked.
“Nothing happened, Judith’s taking a nap and Carl’s watching her” Beth
answered.
Rick smiled, relived and went to go find his children. It was then just the two
of them, standing close together, the energy between them almost unbearable.
“Come here” Max said softly, holding out his hand.
Beth looked around quickly, there was no one about and allowed herself to
pulled behind the Bushmaster, where Max pressed her against the vehicle and
placed kiss on her lips that left her breathless.
“Been waiting to do that all day” he said.
“Me too” Beth said with a giggle
She smiled up at him happily as he held her and wished she could just kiss him
all day.
“I brought you back something” he said suddenly.
“You did?” Beth asked.
He grabbed a pack on the seat in the Bushmaster and pulled out a small plastic
case, handing it to her.
Beth took it and looked inside it to see several little bottles and her eyes
lit up.
“You got me nail polish?” she asked.
“Yeah um when we were in the store Maggie mentioned you used to use it, so I
grabbed you some ” he said sounding sheepish and rubbed the back of his neck.
Beth held the gift to her chest and grinned. Back before the outbreak, she had
enjoyed putting on nail polish, trying different colours and swapping with
friends.
“I love it” she said.
“Yeah?” he asked, sounding relieved.
“Yeah, I do” she replied.
“Anything else you want, just let me know” he said.
“Just you for the moment” she answered, letting out a little laugh and Max just
grinned at her.
“Sorry that sounds really cheesy” she said.
“Well maybe a little” he agreed.
Beth punched him playfully in the arm and gave him a fake pout.
“Ow, easy miss Greene” he winced and rubbed his, still grinning at her.
“Well don’t make fun me” she said threateningly but unable to keep her own
smile off her face.
“Yes mam” he replied.
They heard footsteps and the two of them shifted quickly apart just as Glenn
appeared to collect the last of the boxes.
Glenn didn’t seem to suspect anything and just smiled brightly at them as Max
handed him one of the boxes.
“Hey Max we are going to make some late lunch if you’re interested” Glenn said.
“Yeah sounds good mate” Max replied.
Beth and Max followed Glenn into the mess where Beth saw Maggie, Sasha and
Daryl standing around the food cage fixing themselves a meal and Beth quickly
hid the case of nail polish behind her back, hoping Maggie wouldn’t see it
“That the last of it?” Maggie asked and Max nodded as he placed his box down.
Beth was relived when Maggie didn’t see what she was holding but didn’t press
her luck and quickly excused herself to hide the case in her cell.
When she returned to the mess, the run group were all sitting round a table,
chatting and eating. Beth didn’t feel like intruding but she caught Max’s eyes
and his slight head movement, indicating the free seat beside him and she
joined the table.
“So anything exciting happen today?” Maggie asked her.
“Not not really” Beth replied.
She pressed her leg against Max’s to assure him she was lying and almost jumped
as he squeezed her knee, sending little waves of pleasure though her body.
The group talked for a bit before they excused themselves to attend to other
duties including Max and Beth helped Maggie put away the supplies.
Once that was completed Beth collected her clothes and was folding them when
Karen wandered over.
“Hi Beth” she said
“Hey Karen” replied Beth, smiling at the older woman.
“I heard about yesterday, you ok?” Karen asked, concerned.
“I’m fine it was a little unsettling seeing Zach again but I am ok now” Beth
admitted.
Karen nodded and didn’t press the subject and started helping Beth with her
folding.
“And how did things go with Max?” Karen asked.
Beth blushed and busied her self with the shirt in her hands but let a little
smile play across her lips.
“That good huh?” Karen asked teasingly.
Beth considered lying, the less people that knew about them the better but
Karen had been the one to convince her to tell Max how she felt and she didn’t
deserve to be lied to.
“I told him and kissed him” Beth replied and Karen smiled at her, squeezing her
shoulder softly.
“Listen I know I said to tell him how you felt and you have now but just be
careful ok” Karen said with seriousness in her voice
“I know, we are taking it slow” Beth assured her.
Karen gave her another smile and the two of them finished up the folding in
comfortable silence
Beth wondered if Karen would say anything but Beth had good feeling that she
would stay quite about what she knew.
After Beth put her freshly folded clothes away, she picked up the little case
of nail polish she had hidden under her pillow and began laying the bottles out
on the bed.
“Pink would look good on you or the blue” said Max, making her jump and turned
to see him standing at the door.
“What about the black?” she teased as he stepped into the cell.
“Thinking of going goth?” he asked.
Beth laughed and shook her head, never in a million years she thought. There
had only been a couple of goths at her high school and never saw the appeal.
“No I think I’ll go with the cheerful colours” she said and Max smiled at her.
Beth then realised they were alone together in her cell for the first time
since they had declared their feelings for each other and began to feel a
little nervous. She imagined him pushing her back on her bed, kissing her and
running his hands over her body and she bit her lip at the image.
“Beth?” Max asked.
She looked up at him to seem him looking back at her and he probably was
wondering why she had gone all quite. It was to risky to ask him to kiss her,
it was the middle of the afternoon and anybody could walk by but she wanted
some actual alone time with him.
“Max can we do something later, you know together?” she asked shyly, giving him
a hopeful look.
The question sounded stupid as she said it out loud but he just smiled and she
relaxed.
“Yeah sure, how bout some more astronomy lessons after dinner?” he suggested.
It sounded perfect to Beth and she nodded in agreement. Max excused himself
promising to see her later at dinner and Beth sighed happily, laying back on
her bunk and imagined what would happen later.
At dinner time Beth sat next to Max again and quickly began wolfing down her
food, the sooner she finished, the sooner she and Max could start their
‘astronomy lesson’.
“Hungry Beth?” her father asked.
“Huh?” she asked mid bite.
She looked up to see the table looking at her with curious smiles and she put
her fork down, blushing.
“Or somewhere you need to be?” her father asked, smiling.
Beth shook her head and thankfully he didn’t ask any follow up questions,
sparing her any more embarrassment.
“So Max any more astronomy lessons planned?” Maggie asked, changing the subject
Beth snapped her head up to look at Maggie, the timing of the question couldn’t
be worse and wondered if Maggie suspected anything.
“Ahh actually yeah, thought I might continue tonight” Max replied.
“Oh cool, mind if I tag along?, it might be cool to learn the constellations”
asked Glenn, sounding interested.
Beth couldn’t believe what she was hearing and her heart sunk. She tried her
best not look phased by Glenn’s question, hoping Max would be able to turn him
down.
“Hey yeah it might actually came in handy” said Maggie.
Beth almost groaned, her little plan to get Max to herself was crumbling down,
Max might be able to dissuade Glenn but Maggie wouldn’t be so easy and would
look suspicious if he tried.
“Yeah ok, after dinner then” Beth heard Max say.
When dinner was finished, Beth, Max, Maggie, Glenn and a few others made their
way outside. Beth walked in silence along side Max as they walked ahead.
“Sorry Beth” Max said softly.
“Its ok” she replied.
The little group set themselves down on the grass and Beth couldn’t help but
let a little jealous anger seep into her as Maggie and Glen cuddled into each
other.
Max pointed out the constellations and asked Beth to name them and to her
credit she managed to remember most of them which cheered her up considerably.
After a while the group decided call it a night. Beth hung back hoping the
group would just go and leave her and Max but Maggie looked at her expectantly
and she reluctantly followed her and Glenn back inside.
Beth retired to her cell, fuming and frustrated, she tried to sleep but
couldn’t and just rolled in her bed. She needed to cool off and decided to take
a shower, hoping it would help.
The prison was now silent as she made her way to the showers, she didn’t run
into anyone and found the shower room empty. She picked one of the stalls,
undressed and sighed softly as the cool water cascaded over her body.
The shower did help a bit but she was still angry about what had happened. She
turned off the water, sighed and began drying herself off.
She was pulling on her underwear and her tank top and was about to put on her
jeans when she heard footsteps. Beth peeked her head out to see who it was and
was pleasantly surprised to see it was Max. He stopped, smiled at her and she
smiled very happily back.
“Evening miss Greene” he said as he put his shower bag on one of the sinks.
“Evening” she replied.
“Can’t sleep?” he asked, coyness in his voice.
“You could say that” she answered.
He just grinned at her and crossed his arms across his chest that was hidden
behind a tight tank top. Beth’s eyes drifted over the rest of his body and Beth
bit her lip at the sight of his toned muscled legs, and the small pair of
shorts he was wearing, very much liking the look.
Beth realised she had what she wanted, she had Max alone and stepped out of the
stall. She saw his eyes widen as she stood before him in just her panties and
thin shirt and waited for him to say something.
Beth saw a look of lust flicker across his face, her pulse quickened, her
breath caught in her chest as he stepped towards her and knew whatever happened
next would change their relationship forever..
***** Chapter 49 *****
Max needed a shower, to cool off and to wash away the days sweat. He grabbed
his things and headed to the showers.
The day had been a good one, the run had gone well, without any problems. Max
had been a little hesitant to join the run, not liking the idea of leaving Beth
at the prison after what had happened with Zach, even with trusted others
staying back but he wouldn’t haven’t been able to explain why he didn’t want to
go, even if it was continue Beth’s training.
When the group had got back he found Beth waiting and Max was relived to see
her safe and sound. He had also been a little worried if Beth would like the
gift he had managed to smuggle back but she loved it nevertheless.
At dinner Max had tried his best to ensure the alone time he had promised Beth
but Glenn made that all but impossible. He had sensed Beth’s disappointment
during the group star gazing lesson but was quite proud when she managed to
remember most of the constellations he had taught her.
Max had followed Beth, Glenn and Maggie back inside, keeping a small distance.
He wanted nothing better than to pull Beth back but he would have to bide his
time.
So now, needing to clear his mind and come up with a better plan he decided to
take a shower. As he entered the shower room he found the room already occupied
and a smile appeared on his face when Beth peeked her head out the stall.
“Evening miss Greene” he said, placing his bag down.
“Evening” she replied.
“Can’t sleep?” he asked.
“You could say that” she answered back
He had no idea how he was going to get her alone next but here they were in the
deserted shower room, alone together with a great chance of not being
disturbed.
Beth stepped out of the shower stall and Max’s mouth went dry as he saw she
dressed only in a thin top and a pair of white cotton panties. Her top hugged
her petite frame, showing off her breasts and Max could see the outline of her
teen pussy through her panties.
She looked like a goddess, sexy and completely innocent at the same time and
Max had her all to himself. A primal urge rose in him, he wanted her and
stepped towards her.
“Max?” she asked.
Her voice broke him from his daze and he saw her giving him a nervous smile and
stopped dead in his tracks.
“God you look so beautiful Beth ” he said, finding his voice.
Beth blushed, biting her lip again and she let out a little giggle,
reverberating clearly in the empty room.
“You like what you see Max?” she asked softly.
“I think that’s understatement” he replied.
She giggled again but it was a nervous one and Max couldn’t blame her. She was
probably trying to guess what was going to happen next and that was all up to
him. The primal urge to take her right there and then rose up inside him again
but he forced it back down. This needed to be handled right, he gathered she
was a virgin but he couldn’t be certain and he needed to find out before
anything happened.
“Beth how far have you gone?” he asked.
Her smile disappeared, replaced by a shy look, betraying her innocence.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“Beth you know what I mean” he replied.
She looked at the ground, not looking at him and played with a pool of water
with her foot. He knew this was hard for her but he needed to know.
“Beth?” he pressed and she looked back up at him.
“I’ve only had one boyfriend, his name was Jimmy and we met at school just
before the outbreak” she revealed, pain evident in her voice
Max wasn't exactly surprised by the information nor was he bothered by it and
let her continue on.
“We dated for a while and then the outbreak began, his parents were killed and
he stayed with us until he died the night we lost the farm” she said.
“So you and he never?..” he trailed off.
“No we only reached the kissing stage and wasn’t exactly an adventurous
boyfriend, besides he was terrified of my father” she replied.
Max had his answer, she was more inexperienced than he thought but that
innocence only turned him on more.
“You’re not disappointed are you?” she asked.
“Why would I be disappointed Beth? Max asked back in reply.
“I don’t know, you’re older and more experienced and I don’t want to give you
another reason to think I was too young for you” she answered.
“I would never be disappointed in anything about you Beth and your age doesn’t
bother me” he assured her.
She stepped into him and pressed her body against him. She craned her neck and
Max leant down to kiss her softly. She smelt amazing, a mixture of coconut and
honey, most likely her shampoo.
“I wish I was taller, so I can kiss you properly” she said wistfully as she
broke away from their kiss.
“I think I can fix that” Max suggested.
Before she could respond, he picked her up and placed her down on one of the
metal sinks. She gasped slightly as her bare arse touched the cold metal but
she didn’t complain.
“Better?” he asked as she was now pretty much level with him.
“Much better” she replied
She straddled the sink, her legs spread wide and put her hands on either side
of her to steady herself, pressing her back against the mirror behind her.
Max moved into her, her knees pressed into his side and he crushed his lips
against hers.
Beth moaned softly in his mouth and could not doubt feel the bulge pressing
against her crotch. Max could feel the heat radiating off her and the wetness
soaking the thin materials they were both wearing.
Their kissing intensified, Beth began tugging at his shirt, Max broke away so
she could pull it up his chest and up over his head. She dropped the shirt to
the floor and then gasped softly as she noticed the battle scars and bullet
wounds adorning his bare chest.
“Oh Max” she whispered softly.
The scars were numerous, collected during his career, some had almost been
fatal, like the bullet wound above his heart and the wound from some shrapnel
that had pierced his lung.
“Do they hurt?” she asked, worry in her voice and Max saw her eyes mist over.
“They hurt like hell at the time, but not any more” he replied.
“Can I touch them?” she asked, hesitantly and he nodded.
Beth reached her hand out and traced a finger along one of the bigger scars. He
let her touch until her hand drifted further down and Max took her hand.
“Later Beth” he warned.
She gave him a nervous smile and wrapped her hand around his and pulled him
back into her. They began kissing again, Max moved from her lips to her neck
and began to slip his hand up her top.
“This ok Beth?” he whispered in her ear.
“Yes I want you to touch me Max” she said, her voice strong and unwavering
He continued upwards and palmed one of her breasts softly in his hand. Beth let
out a little moan as his fingers brushed across her nipple and Max couldn’t
help but smile.
“That feels so good Max” she whispered.
“Yeah?” he asked.
“Yes” she answered and Max moved his hand to the other side.
“Do you want to see them?” she asked.
He pulled his hand out and before he could say anything, Beth quickly pulled
her top off, revealing her breasts to him.
Max took in a sharp breath as he viewed them, he had never been bothered by
breast size and Beth was no exception, they looked beautiful to him.
“Do you like them?” she asked, nervousness in her voice again.
“They’re perfect Beth” he replied.
“They’re small though” she said
“Not to me” he assured her.
She gave him a relived smile and Max realised he was now standing before a half
naked Beth Greene with only a small piece of underwear separating her from
being completely naked. He wanted nothing better than to rip the drenched
panties off her and see her hidden treasure. His cock ached and needed release
but he still needed to control himself not matter how much he wanted her.
“What do you want to do now?” she asked in a small voice.
Max couldn’t find his, he wanted to tell her exactly what he wanted but just
seeing her displayed like she was made him tongue tied.
“D-do you want to touch me again?” she asked.
Max was drawn like a moth to a flame, he reached down and placed his hand
against her, rubbing the material of panties against her mound.
“Damm you’re so wet” he growled.
Beth didn’t answer and just let out a low moan as she arched her back, pushing
herself against his hand. He took her response as invitation to continue and
slipped his hand inside her panties.
His fingers passed though her soft curls and his hand slotted against her
nicely.
“Oh my god” she moaned as he pressed his thumb against her clit.
“Like that?” Max asked
Her saw Beth bite her lip and nod, she was gushing now and Max eased a finger
passed her slick folds and inched inside her. Beth’s tight pussy gripped his
probing finger and he pushed in further, her whole body jolted and she let out
a loud moan, echoing around the room.
“Shh Beth gotta be quiet” he warned.
“Sorry, please don’t stop” she whispered.
“Wouldn’t dream of it” he replied.
She was tight, so tight and Max wondered what it would feel like wrapped around
his cock but that was an experience for another time and continued to move his
finger in. He found her barrier and stopped, she was indeed a virgin. He didn’t
want to bust it with his finger and instead began to slide his finger in and
out, brushing across her clit as he did.
Her juices were now flowing down her thigh and her breaths were coming in
little pants, she wasn’t going to last much longer and Max pressed on.
“Oh shit Max I’m going to cum, don’t stop, please yes just like that” she
begged, her words almost incoherent.
Max took his other hand and placed it on one of her breasts, sending her over
the edge. Her legs clamped around his hand, her body seized up and an obvious
orgasm shot through her.
Max continued his assault, not letting up until she grabbed his hand, begging
him to stop, the pleasure was just too much for her. He pulled his hand from
her and she collapsed against him, her body quivering.
“Oh my god Max that was amazing” she said, her face buried in his chest.
“Glad you liked it” he said, holding her tightly.
“Liked it?, I loved it, you just gave me the best orgasm of my life” she said,
looking up at him.
Hearing this was like music to his ears and planned to give her a lot more
whenever he could.
She was still trembling slightly and he picked her up gently off the sink. She
stood, wobbly at first and smiled up at him as she pulled her top down,
covering up her breasts.
“Do you um want me to take care of you?" she asked, her eyes fixing on his
crotch. As much he wanted her soft hands around his cock, they had spent far
too much time without anyone finding them and he wouldn't last very long
anyway.
“Not tonight Beth” he said and she gave him a confused look.
“Why not?” she asked.
“We can save that for another time” he replied.
She looked disappointed at first but her eyes then lit up as she realised what
he meant.
“Are we going to do this again?” she asked.
“If you want” he replied with a grin.
“Are we going to have sex?” she asked.
“We’ll work our way to that” he answered
Max let that information sink in and Beth gave him sly smile. The two of them
stood looking at each other before she let out a little giggle and Max joined
her.
“I’ve imagined you touching me for so long Max” she said.
“Better than expected?” he asked
“Oh much better” she replied.
Beth quickly wiped herself then gathered up her jeans and pulled them on, she
gave him a look like she didn’t want to leave but they had taken such a risk
already and it was a miracle they hadn’t been discovered. She gave him a long
parting kiss and walked to the door, pausing before she walked through it and
looked back.
“Max?, am I your girlfriend?” she asked.
“Yes miss Greene I think you just might be” he replied.
She gave him a brilliant smile and disappeared out the door. Max stripped off
his shorts and stepped in one of the showers and quickly brought himself off,
spilling onto the floor.
After cleaning off under the cool water and redressing, he made his way back to
his cell where he fell into a deep sleep filled with images of Beth and
couldn’t wait to get her alone again.
***** Chapter 50 *****
Beth woke in a ecstatic mood and smiled to her self as the night before flooded
her memory. The feeling of Max’s hands on her body, on her breasts and between
her legs had been an incredible experience and wanted to feel it all again. She
had been a little disappointed that she didn’t get to return the favour and
vowed she would the next time.
She got up, fixed her hair and picked out an outfit she hoped Max would like
and made her way to the mess, humming happily to herself.
Beth spotted Maggie and Glenn eating breakfast and grabbed her own, joining
them at their table.
“Well you’re cheerful today” said Maggie as Beth sat down next to her.
“Yep” Beth agreed.
“Good sleep?” Maggie asked.
It had been a good sleep, she had been wiped out after she left the showers and
had fallen asleep as soon as her head had hit the pillow but she couldn’t tell
Maggie the real reason why she was in such a good mood.
“Yeah really good” she answered.
Beth was almost finished her bowl of cereal when Max walked in. As soon as she
saw him, her heart began to race and she flashed him a smile, which he
returned.
“Morning Max” said Glenn as Max joined them with a bowl in his hand
“Morning” Max said, returning the greeting.
Beth almost couldn’t contain herself as he sat across from her and she had to
pretend everything was normal.
“You look like you had a good sleep as well” Maggie noticed.
“Yeah, not bad” he said and flicked his eye on Beth.
She did her best not to smile too much and continued eating her breakfast as
Max started on his.
“So you and Beth going to be training again today?” Glenn asked.
He sounded a little too interested and Beth began to worry he might want to
join them, like he had invited himself the night before.
“Yeah, need to catch up” Max replied.
Glenn only nodded and Beth relaxed. Maggie and Glenn soon finished off their
food and excused themselves, leaving Max and Beth together.
“So last night was fun” she said casually.
“Enjoyed it did you?” Max asked with a grin.
“Most definitely, you really knew what you were doing” she replied.
Max didn’t say anything but just gave her another smile and she grinned back.
“So did you really mean everything you said last night?” she asked.
“Every word” he assured her and Beth’s heart sung.
“So more training today huh?” she then asked.
“Yeah, another workout session than I think we might start a little bit of
weapon training” he suggested.
Beth nodded and her excitement grew, she wished she could just kiss him but was
happily to be spending any time with him.
Beth waited until Max finished his breakfast and the two of them washed up
their things and headed outside.
They began with as usual with a run then moved onto her workout session. Beth
pushed herself, wanting to impress Max as he watched and even managed to do
three chin ups before dropping to the ground.
“Excellent Beth” he said.
Beth beamed at the praise and sat down to catch her breath. She wiped the sweat
from her forehead and took a deep swig of water.
“Ok want to workout some more or move on to some more self defence?” Max asked
her after resting for a bit.
“Oh um self defence?” she replied, it coming out more of a question.
“All right then” he said.
They got up and stood apart from each other and Beth looked at him, ready to
begin
“All right, now I’m going to grab you and you’re going to try and evade” Max
said.
Beth nodded, understanding and he pounced. Beth dodged his arm, quickly moving
her body away. She was too busy being impressed with herself that she wasn’t
ready for Max’s next move and he grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her into
him.
“Ok not bad, but don’t let your guard down” he said.
Beth nodded as wrapped his arm around her but the feeling of his hand on her
body and the feeling his chest pushing into her back sent tingles through her
body and her mind went blank. She let out a little sigh and went slack,
enjoying the moment.
“Beth I need you to focus” Max said, bursting the bubble.
“Do I have to?” she asked.
“Yes Beth” he replied.
She pressed back further into him and felt him harden against her and smiled in
response.
“Beth please” he begged.
“I’m not doing anything Max” she said innocently.
“Beth you know exactly what you’re doing, as much as I want it as well, we are
out here so I can train you” he explained.
Beth knew he was right, there would be time pleasure later, cleared her mind
and focused, like she was told, on the task at hand.
Max let her go and began to instruct her more ways to escape from an attackers
grip, continuing on from their first lesson and after an hour or so she had
managed to break free from him several times.
“Excellent Beth, getting better and better” he said, impressed.
Beth beamed at the praise once again, but it still only was practice and she
wondered how she would handle in a real situation and hoped she would never
have to find out.
She was exhausted now and they sat down in the grass to rest, taking sips from
their water bottles.
“Well hello you two, how is the training going?” asked her father, walking over
to them.
“Good daddy it’s going really well” Beth answered happily.
Her father looked at Max for conformation and he nodded in agreement.
“Well that’s good news, now how bout you two come have some lunch also I do
believe you are on clean up duty today Bethie”
Beth nodded, she had completely forgotten and they headed inside. The mess was
bustling with people and the three of them took a table.
When lunch was finished she and Patrick began clearing while Karen began to
wash up. Once everything was collected they began to dry the dishes Karen had
washed.
As Beth dried a plate Karen had handed her, Max got up from the table and
walked over.
“Come meet me in the armoury when you’re done” he asked.
Beth nodded quickly and he left, heading out of the mess. Beth turned back to
see Karen giving her a wide smile.
“Hows the training going?” Karen asked causally and Beth knew she wasn’t asking
about the training
Beth wanted to tell her exactly how it was going but couldn’t in front of
Patrick and just said it was going well. Karen nodded and the trio continued
their task.
Once everything had been washed, dried and put away Beth met Max like promised
in the armoury. She saw on the table next him was a row of pistols and she
looked a little apprehensively at the collection but relaxed when he gave her a
warm smile.
“Now Beth I know you told me you had some gun training but I think it might be
best if we begin with the basics again” he suggested.
“Ok sounds good” she said.
She thought back to the few times she had handled a weapon, Rick and Shane had
taught her the basics but she wanted learn everything again from Max.
“You gonna teach me how to shoot?” she asked softly.
“No we won’t be firing them today, I just want you to handle them, to get a
feel for them” he replied.
Beth nodded and ran her hand over the pistols, inspecting them. She picked one
up and turned it over in her hand.
“That there is a American classic, a Colt 1911, .45 variant, trusted and
reliable” he explained.
Beth nodded, the names and numbers meant nothing to her but she took the
information in regardless. The gun felt heavy in her hand and placed it down,
picking up another one.
“Ok now that’s a Glock 17, 9mm, Austrian made and also very reliable” he
explained.
The gun felt lighter in her hand than the Colt. She placed it down and picked
up another which looked identical, just smaller and she glanced at Max.
“Another Glock 9mm just a smaller version” he said
It fit snugly in her hand and she liked the weight of it. She put it down and
continued down the row.
“All right that’s a .38 special, a very old type of gun, revolvers don’t jam
but you sacrifice ammo capacity” he said as she picked up the next pistol.
Beth nodded again, soaking in the information and her hand drifted back to the
smaller Glock again.
“Like that one?” Max asked.
“Yeah, is it a good choice?” she asked.
“Beth I’m not going to tell you which is the one to chose, a gun is a gun and
all of these will do the job when needed” he replied.
With all the pistols inspected Max went through them all again and instructed
her how to load them, showing her the different ammo types. When she had
learned how each one was loaded, he instructed her how to strip each one down
and rebuild it.
Beth struggled a little with this, all the pieces were a bit confusing to put
in the right place but Max never got frustrated with her, just guided her hands
when she made a mistake.
“Good Beth” he said after she had successfully stripped and rebuilt one of the
pistols, the smaller Glock.
“It’s like a puzzle” Beth pointed out.
“Yeah I guess it is” he said with a smile.
She was still far from skilled at the process but she was going to learn to be
be.
“Ok I think that might do for today” he suggested.
Beth nodded and she handed the pistol back to him. Max took it and retrieved a
holster from a bag. He placed the Glock in a holster and handed back to her it
to her, Beth looked at him in confusion as she took it.
“It’s yours Beth, your personal weapon, I want you to learn this gun back to
front, strip it down and rebuild it until you can do it in your sleep” he
explained.
Beth held the pistol in her hands and gazed at for a moment.
“You ok Beth?” Max asked softly.
“Yeah just a lot to take in you know” she replied
He took her hand and she smiled shyly up at him.
“I know, sorry if I this is all a bit much” he said.
“Its not that, I’m just worried about the day I have to use this “ she
explained.
Max looked down up her and reached out to brush his thumb across her cheek,
sending tingles through her.
“I promise you, whenever that day comes that you, I will be by your side, but
if I’m not I need to know you can take care of yourself” he said.
“OK” she said.
“Enough heavy shit, how bout we do something fun?” he suggested, changing the
subject.
Beth’s eyes lit up and she fixed him with playful smile.
“No, not that” he said in response.
“No?” she teased, giving him a pout, running her fingers softly up his arm.
“It’s too risky Beth” he said.
“Tonight?” she asked hopefully.
He gave her a look then nodded and she grinned happily at him, raising her self
up so she could kiss him before dropping back down.
They packed away the pistols and left the armoury together. As they passed
through the mess Beth noticed Carol with Judith and smiled. Carol smiled back
but it looked strained and Beth walked over to see what the matter was.
“You ok Carol?” she asked.
“Oh Beth do you mind watching her for a moment, I have to go attend the council
meeting and I’m not sure where Rick is” Carol asked.
Beth smiled and took Judith from Carol, who smiled her thanks and left for the
admin block.
“So I guess we are babysitting?” Max asked.
“Yeah I can handle it if you don’t want to” Beth said, hoping he would still
stick around.
“We’ll can’t say no to the company of two beautiful girls” he replied with a
teasing smile.
He reached out his hand and gently tickled Judith’s stomach, who giggled in
response.
“Well ok then, how bout we go outside?” Beth suggested.
Max nodded and the three of them walked outside into the sun. Beth had a
strange feeling as they walked, they could easily be a family. Beth wondered if
she would ever hold her and Max’s child and smiled at the thought.
“What’s so funny?” Max asked.
“Nothin” Beth answered quickly.
She looked away quickly to hide her embarrassment and set her eyes on Rick and
Carl tending to the pigs.
“Come on Judy lets go say hi to your dad and brother” she said.
Beth set off down the path with Max walking beside her and they quickly reached
the pig pen. Rick and Carl smiled in greeting and Rick took his daughter from
Beth’s arms.
“So how goes the training?” Rick asked.
“Yeah really good, we started some pistol training today” Beth explained, a
bright smile on her face.
Beth saw a concerned look flash across Ricks face and his eyes flickered
between her and Max.
“Well good, ahh Max mind if we have a word?” he said.
Beth turned to Max, who was giving Rick a questioning look and Beth had a
suspicion about what Rick wanted to talk about.
“Yeah sure Rick” Max.
The two men walked off leaving Judith with Beth. Carl gave Beth a shrug and the
two walked up to the prison block. Carl disappeared and Beth decided to feed
Judith. Sasha and Tyreese were eating as well and she joined them. She just
about to spoon Judith her first mouthful when Max walked into the mess.
“Well hi big man” said Sasha cheerfully.
“Hey” Max said simply
There was clearly something bothering him about what Rick wanted to talk about
and desperately wanted to know what it was but couldn’t ask him in front of
Sasha and Tyreese.
“So I heard Daryl bagged another deer so we got venison to look forward to
tonight” said Sasha cheerfully.
Max nodded politely and fiddled with the strap of his watch distractedly. Beth
finished feeding Judith and suggested Judith needed a nap. It was exactly a
lie, the girl was showing signs of fatigue and would soon need a nap. Beth
excused her self and was pleased when Max followed her.
“What did Rick say?” she asked when they were out of earshot.
Max looked like he was going to answer but then let out a frustrated breath.
“He doesn’t exactly agree with you being trained so I basically told him to get
fucked” Max replied and Beth’s eyes widened.
“You told him that?” she asked.
“Well no, but I told he no say in the matter and if he had a problem he should
consult your father” he answered.
“Why does he have a problem?” Beth asked.
“Not sure Beth but I’ll talk to your dad about it” he answered.
Beth nodded but still couldn’t understand why Rick had a problem with Max
training her, did he suspect something?, did he know what they were really
doing? she asked herself fearfully.
“Its going to be ok Beth, nothing has changed” he assured and she picked up on
what he meant.
“Ok” she said and gave him a happy smile.
He left to attended to other duties and Beth took Judith to her crib in Rick’s
room. Carl who was reading in his promised to watch over her.
Beth retired to her own cell and proceeded to jot out her thoughts in her
journal, detailing everything about the day. She was midway through a sentence
when Maggie popped her head in.
“Dinners almost ready Bethie” she announced.
Beth nodded and followed her into the mess for, taking her usual seat next to
Max. Daryl’s kill was served up, they all tucked in and soon the sound of
eating and talking filled the room.
Beth was a little worried Rick had already spoken to her father but he made no
indication to the fact and Beth relaxed and ate her food.
“So what made you join the military Max?” he father asked, making conversation
at their table.
Beth flashed a look at Max, already knowing the story and wondered if he was
going to tell it again. She saw him hesitate for a moment and she was about to
change the subject when he spoke up.
“Yeah it was a bit complicated actually, after my parents death I got into some
trouble with the law and faced some prison time but I was offered the choice of
joining the army instead and took it”
Everyone at the table took a moment to process the new information, Max went
back to his food, obviously embarrassed and Beth took his hand in hers under
the table, squeezing it in support.
“Sorry Max, I shouldn’t have asked” her father said gently
“Nah it’s all right not one of my finer moments, but I don’t regret choosing
the army, it straightened me out, saved me actually” he replied.
“What did you do?” Glenn blurted out.
Beth glared at him before she could stop her self but she wasn’t the only one
as Maggie stared at him.
“Glenn, you can’t ask that” she said.
“Sorry” Glenn mumbled.
“You don’t have to tell us Max, it doesn’t change who you are now” Maggie said
softly.
Beth smiled at Maggie and couldn’t agree with her sister more even though she
knew the full story.
Maggie changed the subject and the awkward moment faded away as they began to
talk about other topics.
After their dishes had been cleared away Beth excused her self, rushed to her
cell and grabbed her little note. She ripped out a page and wrote ‘library
tonight?’ before folding it and returning to the mess. She took her seat and
was glad no one asked where she had gone.
Beth passed Max the note under the table and felt him take it. She watched Max
read it and then give her a small nod.
When the majority of the room had turned in, Beth announced she was going to as
well, she kissed her father goodnight and made her way to her cell. She waited
for what seemed like ages in her cell until she heard her father shuffle past
her cell and then sprung into action. Peeking her head out she saw the coast
was clear and quickly made her way to the library. As she reached it and looked
in, Max wasn’t there yet but she was relieved to find it empty.
Beth looked around the darkened library and realised it was the first she had
been there alone since the attack. Painful memories flashed through her mind
but she pushed them away.
Beth began to fret as she waited in the library for Max, starting to fear he
wasn’t coming but she relaxed when he saw him slip through the door and her
heart pulse began to beat wildly again as he walked across the room to her.
“I almost thought you weren’t coming” she said.
“Yeah sorry had to loose Glenn and Tyreese, they wanted to play some poker” he
explained.
“Oh really?” she asked.
“Yep but I managed to turn them down, I’d much rather be here with you any day”
he said wrapping his arm around her and she giggled.
“That mean you want to kiss me Max?” she teased, running her fingers across his
chest.
It was going better than expected Beth thought, she had feared that Rick had
made Max second guess their relationship but she had been mistaken.
“I think so miss Greene” he growled, sending tingles throughout her body.
“Well good cus kissing is fun” she said.
“It sure is” he agreed.
He pressed her gently against a book shelf and lent down to crush his lips to
his hers, Beth melted into him and sighed happily.
“Lets take this to the couch” she then suggested
Beth took his hand and led him to one of the comfy couches in the room,. she
pushed him into it and straddled him as they resumed kissing. Beth felt one of
his hands on hip and the other begin to roam across her back under her shirt.
The familiar tingle between her legs began to grow and she moaned softly into
his mouth. Beth wanted to feel his hands on her again, to feel his fingers
inside her again but there something she wanted first.
“Max, I want to touch you” she whispered in his ear and slipped her hand down
to his crotch. She could feel the bulge there and smiled.
“Beth, not tonight” Max said brushing her hand away.
Beth pulled away like she had been doused with a bucket of cold water and gave
him a confused look.
“Why not?, did I do something wrong?” she asked, hurt in her voice.
“No Beth of course not , we still need to take thinks slow ok, we took a big
step last night and I think we just need to cool it a bit” he explained.
“Is it because of what Rick said today” she asked fearfully.
“No of course not, I said that hasn’t changed anything” he replied.
“Oh ok” Beth said softly.
Beth was disappointed, she was still so unexperienced about the whole matter
and still wondered if she had done something wrong.
“Hey, come here” Max said gently.
Beth resisted for a second but then then allowed her self to be pulled back
into him.
“I still want you Beth, I still want us, that won’t change I just don’t want to
mess things up by pushing you to fast” he said and Beth gave him a shocked
look.
“You’re not messing things up Max, I really enjoyed last night, I loved you
touching me and I wanted to touch you tonight” she assured him.
“I know you did Beth but I need you to know I don’t expect that from you, I’m
not going to pressure you in anyway” he said.
Beth relaxed and a pleasant energy between them returned. She smiled lovingly
at him, cupping his face in her hands and kissed him softly.
“You’re so sweet Maxwell Knight” she said.
“And you’re so beautiful Beth Greene” he shot back.
Beth blushed, he had said that a couple of times now but it took her breath
away when he did.
“Well you’re pretty hot too Max” she giggled.
“Yeah?” he teased.
“You’re the hottest guy in the group and you’re all mine” she replied, giggling
again.
“That I am” he agreed.
“So you think you’re hot do you?” she teased.
"Well that and I am all yours Beth" he said laughing.
Beth giggled again she slipped off his lap to sit beside him. She lay her head
on his chest and sighed happily as he wrapped his arm around her.
“I so glad you rescued me that day, I don’t what I’d do without you in my life”
she said softly, brushing her hand over his arm.
“Same here” he said.
They didn’t speak for a while, just happy in each others company and Beth just
wanted to fall asleep in Max’s arms but she knew couldn’t.
“I should probably go” she said, breaking the silence.
“Ok Beth I’ll see you in the morning” he said promised.
She gave him a long kiss goodnight and reluctantly left him behind. She smiled
to herself as she walked back to her cell, she felt like singing and knew deep
in her heart she was falling in love with Maxwell Knight.
***** Chapter 51 *****
Max yawned as he walked into the mess for breakfast and was surprised to see
Beth was already up. She was currently occupied with the disassembled pistol in
front of her and hadn’t noticed him, so he took a moment to watch her.
Beth had been practising stripping and reassembling the Glock in every spare
moment since he had given it to her two days before and she was getting quite
good at it.
“Hey” she said as she looked up to see him watching her.
“Morning” he grinned.
“I’m getting better” she announced proudly.
“I can see that” he said, impressed.
He fixed himself some breakfast and for the thousandth time wished had could
make some toast and vegemite but with no bread and a serious lack of vegemite
in the states, it was never going to happen.
He carried his breakfast and sat down next to her, giving her knee a quick
squeeze under the table, causing her to jump.
“Careful now” she warned teasingly.
“Yes mam” he said.
He wanted to kiss her but several others were eating breakfast and he would
have to wait. They hadn’t had met up since the night in the library, expect for
a few brief stolen moments when they were able.
The two of them were still trying to take things slow but it was getting harder
and harder to keep that promise, she only had to smile and he wanted to whisk
her somewhere private.
“Are you going to teach me how to shoot it soon?” Beth asked, pulling him from
his thoughts.
“Yeah that’s the ultimate plan, I just need to figure out the best way” he
replied.
Beth nodded happily and finished putting the Glock together, slamming the empty
magazine home and placed the pistol down with a flourish.
“Very nice” he said and she beamed.
He finished off his breakfast and Beth went to put away the Glock. When she
returned they walked outside for their daily training.
Max watched as she stretched, unable to take his eyes off her bare legs and the
hint of midriff and still couldn’t believe he could call this exquisite
creature his girlfriend.
“I think you’re meant to be stretching as well Max” she said teasingly as she
caught him staring.
“Hmm maybe” he grinned.
“Well you’re lucky I like you watching me” she said.
Max could only laugh and they proceeded to run a couple of laps around the
field. They stopped to catch their breath before moving onto a quick workout
then some self defence.
Once that had all been completed, Beth said she had promised to help her father
in the garden so while she did that, Max decided to come up with a way to start
her weapon training.
He would need some sort of firing range for Beth to practise. The easiest way
would be to just use the field but firing off dozens of rounds out in the open
would only attract unwanted attention and add to the crowd of walkers at the
fences.
Max noticed Glenn sitting at the outdoor cooking area and walked over to him to
enlist his help.
“Hey Glenn I need your help” he said.
“Yeah sure man, what did you need?” Glenn asked.
“I need a place I can set up a firing range, preferably inside” he explained.
Glenn nodded and looked liked he was thinking it over then an idea came to him.
“You know I might have just the place” he said.
Max followed Glenn inside and up into the admin block. Glenn opened a door
revealing a locker room that had been once used by the prison guards.
“Will this do?” Glenn asked.
Max looked around, the room was rectangular in shape with lockers on the walls
and two rows of lockers in the middle of the room. If they removed the lockers
it would work perfectly.
“Yeah, this will work” Max said.
“So we do we need to do?” Glenn asked.
Max explained they would need to remove the lockers and perhaps make the room
somewhat soundproof. Glenn suggested they use unused mattresses and Max agreed,
liking the idea.
“We should probably tell the others before we begin” said Glenn.
Max nodded and they sought out the other members of the council. They came
across Hershel first who was still in the garden. Beth gave him a bright smile
as she knelt in the dirt beside her father and Max couldn’t help but smile
back.
“Hey” she said in greeting.
Max now felt a little strange, if not nervous, talking to her when she was in
the company of her father, wondering if one of them was going to slip up.
Max had also been concerned since his conversation with Rick but Hershel had
made no indication Rick had spoken to him so Max hadn’t brought up the
conversation yet either.
“Well hello gentlemen, something on your mind?” Hershel asked.
“Yeah, Max has a plan to turn the locker room into a firing range” Glenn
replied.
As he said this Beth flashed a look at Max, probably thinking her weapon
training would be a while off.
“Not much space in there” Hershel said.
“We’ll have to take some of the lockers out” Max explained.
“Hmm yes that could work and it would give a place for others to practice as
well” Hershel mused.
Max had assumed that, he hadn’t planned for it to be just for himself and Beth
and he nodded in agreement.
He then detailed a plan for the locker room, taking out the lockers and putting
up mattresses to muffle the sounds of gunfire.
“Sounds very doable, when do you plan on starting?” Hershel asked.
“Today if possible” Max replied.
“You’ll need help” Hershel said.
“I can help and we can see if anyone else wants to as well” Glenn offered.
“I’ll help” piped up Beth
“I thought you were going to help me today” said Hershel.
Beth gave him a embarrassed smile and he let out a chuckle. Beth shot Max a
glance and he gave her a quick smile in return.
Max and Glenn then excused themselves and headed up to the main buildings. They
came across Tyreese, Bob and Patrick in the mess and they all agreed to help.
The men made their way to the locker room and judged just how much work was
needed to be done.
The lockers were in sets of three and bolted to the floor on the inside, so
each locker had to be busted open to access the bolts.
Once each locker had been broken open, Max and the guys got to work on the
bolts. They were tough and hadn’t been touched in years but soon gave way after
some coercion.
When they had half the lockers ready to be removed, Beth and Karen then
wandered into the room, they were holding a tray of drinks which the men
accepted gratefully.
Beth handed Max him a cup and sat down next to him as the others stopped to
rest and drink.
“So this going to be our shooting range huh?” she asked.
“Yep, sure is” he replied and she gave him an excited look.
Karen began collecting the empty cups when everyone was done and left the
locker room but Beth stayed.
“Anything I can help with?” she asked hopefully.
“You finished helping your dad?” he asked her.
“Yeah, I’m all yours” she replied.
Her face went pink as she realised what she had just said but no one else in
the room made the connection.
“Well ok how bout you collect all the guard’s stuff out of the lockers” he
suggested.
Beth nodded and went to find some boxes and the guys started back on the
lockers. Beth soon returned with some plastic containers and began to remove
the belongings left by the guards.
When all the lockers were unbolted and Beth had gathered everything, Glenn and
Bob began to move one of the lockers, causing it came crashing to the floor
with a bang.
Everyone to jumped at the sound and Beth who was standing next to Max, grabbed
his arm tightly in her hand.
“Damm, theses are heavy” said Bob.
Beth let go of Max and stepped away from him before anyone noticed, giving him
a sheepish look but everyone else was distracted and hadn’t caught the moment.
Max gave Beth a little smirk and she blushed.
While Beth began carrying the containers of belongings out, Max and the others
began to remove the lockers. The task was slower than Max had expected and
after carrying a few of them out into the yard, they decided to leave the rest
for the next day, stopping for some lunch.
After lunch Max went to the room and was gathering up all the tools when Beth
returned for the last box and her face lit up when she saw he was alone.
She closed the door behind her and stepped over to him. Max knew what she
wanted, it was still risky but he decided to threw caution to the wind.
He grabbed her as she got near and pressed her gently against one of the
lockers before grasping her by the arse and lifting her up.
“So strong” she giggled as she placed her arms around his neck.
Max didn’t answer and kissed her, she moaned in his mouth and held herself
tighter against him. He moved from her mouth to her neck and she wrapped her
legs around his waist, letting out another little moan.
“Oh Max” she whispered breathlessly.
Max became lost in the moment, forgetting where they were and the risk they
were taking. He carried her over to a table in the room and sat her down on it.
Beth reached for his shirt and he allowed her to pull it off, he saw her eyes
roam across his scars again but she smiled in delight despite them.
Max returned his lips to hers, kissing her hungrily and eased her back into the
table. He was hard as steel, Beth pressed herself into it and Max let out a
groan as he felt the warmth through her tight shorts.
“I want to touch it Max” she whispered.
And just like that the moment was shattered, the world came into focus and he
pulled away from her. Max would be lying to himself if he said he didn’t want
to feel her hands on him then and there but he needed to pick a better time and
place.
“Ok Beth but not now” he said
She adjusted her clothes and gave him a disappointed scowl.
“When then?” she asked coldly, looking away from him.
“Tonight” he answered.
His quick answer surprised her and she looked back at him.
“Tonight Beth, I promise and we can do whatever you want” he said.
She seemed happy with this and a smile appeared on her face again.
“Anything?” she asked teasingly.
“Anything” he promised and she giggled.
Max put his shirt back on and Beth fixed her hair in a mirror in one of the
remaining lockers. Once they were both presentable, Beth left first and Max
soon followed.
He wandered outside and noticed Hershel approach him from the garden. Max would
have picked a conversation with anyone else after what he had just done with
Beth but he couldn’t avoid him every time that happened.
“Ahh just the man I wanted to see” Hershel said as he reached him.
“Hershel” Max said evenly.
“I might have another need for your services Max” Hershel said.
“Sure what do you need?” Max replied.
“I need some fertilizer for the garden, the soil is adequate but it was never
meant to grow crops and if we wish to grow long term we are going to need
richer soil” Hershel answered.
Max never guessed he would be sent out to retrieve fertilizer, it wasn’t
exactly on the required list but he would do anything to keep the group going
and especially anything for Beth’s father.
“No worries I’ll take a team out tomorrow” Max promised.
“Speak to Rick or Daryl they might know a place to get some” Hershel suggested.
Max nodded, deciding to ask Daryl and left to find him. He was working on his
bike and smirked when Max walked up.
“Afternoon Dundee” he said.
Max laughed at the reference, surprised Daryl had even seen the movie. He
didn’t strike Max as a man who watched movies, let alone Australian classics.
“Hey mate Hershel needs some fertilizer for the garden, he said you might know
where to find some” Max said.
“Like a garden place or some shit?” Daryl asked.
“Yeah something like that” Max replied.
“Could know a place, you thinkin of heading out tomorrow?” Daryl asked.
“Yeah” Max answered.
“I’ll ride with ya” Daryl promised.
Max nodded his thanks and left the hunter to his work. He ran into Sasha next,
she promised to join the run as well and to recruit some others. Max thanked
her as well and then decided to retire to his cell to relax.
When it was time for dinner, he walked into the mess and headed for the
Greene’s usual table. It was already occupied by Hershel and his daughters and
he took a seat next to Beth.
She gave his hand a quick squeeze and smiled at him. Max knew she must be
excited about their rendezvous and her face certainly showed it.
“So daddy told me about the fertilizer, do you need anyone else for the run?”
Maggie asked as the food was served.
Beth shot him a worried look but he ignored it as he took held out his bowl.
“Ahh yeah, Sasha said she was going to get some people to come, so more the
merrier” he replied.
“Fertilizer daddy?” Beth asked confused.
“Yes, I noticed when we were in the garden today some of the plants weren’t
looking to healthy so I think we might some extra help” Hershel explained.
“Oh ok” Beth said, understanding.
Everyone began eating and talking about life before the outbreak, Glenn telling
some funny moments of his time as a pizza delivery driver and Maggie some
college stories.
Max listened as everyone told a story but stayed silent and so did Beth, both
of them happy just to listen.
When dinner had been finished and cleared away, Hershel joined Carol and Rick’s
table. Glenn whispered something in Maggie's ear, who flashed him a grin and
the two them rushed out together
“No guesses what they are going to do” said Beth with a glint in her eye.
Max just threw her a grin and she smiled back, mostly likely wanting to do what
her sister was about to do as well.
“Are we still on for tonight?” she asked quietly, her excitement barely
contained.
Max couldn’t make her wait for any longer and he wanted to continue what that
had started that day just as badly as she did.
“Yeah let’s meet the library again.” he answered.
“I can’t wait” she said happily.
She stood up and walked over to her father to kiss him on the cheek, under the
pretence of turning in and walked out of the mess.
Max waited a few moments and wandered up to the library. It was empty and
moonlight poured through the barred windows, illuminating the room perfectly.
He browsed the shelves as he waited, coming across books he might read later.
“Max?” he heard Beth call out.
“I’m here” he answered and she peeked her head round into the aisle he was in.
“There you are” she said happily.
He grinned at her, loving the way the moonlight lit up her hair and took her
hand, leading her to the same couch as their last evening meeting.
As they sat down, Max went to kiss her but she held her hand up to stop him and
shook her head.
“You said anything I wanted tonight, remember” she said teasingly.
“I did, didn’t I” Max agreed.
She smiled seductively, placing her hand on his crotch and began to rub softly
over it. He let out a little groan and she gave him a satisfied look, moving
her hand to his belt.
Max didn’t say a word and just watched as she undid his belt with trembling
fingers and unzipped his pants.
Beth reached into his underwear and curled her hand gently around his already
hardening cock. Max let out a hiss and Beth pulled her hand away and gave him a
worried look.
“Did I hurt you?” she asked.
“No Beth, just the opposite” he answered.
She nodded and pulled his underwear down so she could free his cock from its
confines. As it sprang free, she just stared at it for a moment with her eyes
wide in wonder.
“It’s so big Max” she whispered.
Max almost laughed, he was over average and it would be big to her.
“What do I do now?” she asked shyly.
Her seductiveness had disappeared, now replaced by her normal shy self.
“Whatever you are comfortably with Beth” he said gently.
“Max” she said, needing instructions.
“Just grip it and stroke your hand up and down” he answered.
“Like this?” she asked.
She wrapped her hand around his shaft and he let out another groan.
“Yeah fuck, just like that” he hissed.
Beth’s hand on his cock felt amazing and even though she was inexperienced,
just her touch was going to make him cum in no time. She gripped a little
tighter and started stoking, like instructed and she locked eyes with him, a
big smile on her face.
“Yeah beth keep that up” he moaned.
“You like this Max?” she asked.
Her nervousness had gone, now knowing she was doing a good job.
“You like me touching you Max?” she asked.
“Yeah Beth I do” he gasped.
“Yeah?, you like me stroking your big cock” she asked.
The words coming from her mouth only made him harder and almost didn’t believe
it was Beth saying them.
“Yeah without a doubt” he managed and she giggled with delight.
Beth continued and Max began to feel the familiar pressure build up and knew he
was close.
“I’m gonna cum Beth, don’t let up” he warned.
Beth increased her speed, sending him over the edge and he exploded, spilling
everywhere. He fell back into the couch, now spent and he heard Beth let out a
little giggle.
He focused back on her as she scooped up some of the cum running down his
wilting cock on her finger and brought it to her mouth.
“Not bad I guess” she said, tasting it.
“Yeah?” he asked.
“It’s a little salty but not unpleasant” she answered.
“Shit Beth that’s fuckin hot” he said and she giggled again.
“So I did good?” she then asked.
“Oh hell yeah you did” he replied and she looked very relieved.
“Well good” she said.
“So did you get everything you wanted miss Greene” he asked as he tucked
himself back into his pants.
“Almost” she replied.
“Almost?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I want to orgasm all over your hand again” she replied.
“Oh I think might be able to manage that” Max promised with a growl.
He pushed her back on the couch and pressed his lips to hers, running his hand
over her body. He cupped one of her breasts through her top and brushed a thumb
over her nipple.
“Mm that feels nice” she whispered.
He grinned and continued his hand down her body, pausing to tickle her stomach
to tease her.
“Max, please” she begged.
Max chuckled, unsnapped the button of her shorts and slipped his hand inside.
As his hand eased into her already drenched panties, he was surprised to find
her smooth and hairless.
“When did you shave Beth?” he asked.
“Last night, do you like it?” she answered.
It didn’t bother him either way but he had to admit he did like the feeling of
her shaved.
“Yeah I do” he replied.
He began to rub softly, a little moan escaped her lips and he eased one of his
fingers gently inside her.
“Oh god Max” she moaned.
Her pussy sucked at his finger, trying to draw more in and coated it with
juices. Max pulled his hand from her and she let out a frustrated moan. He
ignored her, brought his fingers to his mouth and licked them.
He was instantly addicted to the taste and wanting to drink from the source.
Max saw her looking at him and he grinned
“Do I taste good?” she asked, giggling
“Oh yes you do miss Greene” he replied.
He returned his fingers to her, she closed her eyes and moaned loudly. Max
quickly crushed his lips to hers to muffle her and began to kiss her
ravenously.
Max’s hand was soon absolute soaked and he decided to ease a second finger
inside her. Beth’s eyes flew open and she let out a gasp.
“Oh” she whispered.
“Like that huh?” he asked as he twisted his fingers.
“Yes please don’t stop Max” she pleaded, her voice sounding strangled
.Max could tell she was close, her breathing was now erratic and her pussy was
gripping his plunging fingers like a vice.
“Oh it feels so good, so good oh Max I’m going to…” she moaned, trailing off.
Beth’s back arched up, her mouth opened in a silent scream and a massive orgasm
crashed through her body.
She collapsed back on the couch, lying still and Max could tell she had
fainted. He pulled his fingers from her, her eyes flicked open and gave him a
smile.
“Oh god that was amazing once again Max“ she whispered happily.
“Yeah you seemed to be enjoying it, fainted and everything” he said and she
blushed.
“I’ve never fainted from an orgasm before, I’ve never fainted when I do it” she
said.
“You touch yourself Beth?” Max asked with great interest.
“Almost every night now” she replied.
The image of her lying in her bunk, running her hands over her naked body and
between her legs was something he most definitely wanted to see.
“In fact I took care of myself this afternoon” she said with a smile
“Really?” he asked.
“You kinda left me a little worked up” she answered.
“Yeah sorry about that” he said.
“No it’s ok, I get it and it’s more than all right now” she assured him.
She moved into a sitting position, tucked herself into him and sighed happily
as she lay her head against him. Max took one of her hands in his and kissed
it.
“I wish we could say up here all night” she said.
“I know, me too” he agreed and gave her a soft kiss.
She looked like she about to say something but then changed her mind.
“Ok we better go, before some notices my empty bed” she said reluctantly.
The two of them smoothed their clothes and Beth did the best she could with her
hair.
“Tonight was amazing Max, I can’t wait to do this again” she said.
“We will” he promised.
They kissed each other good night, both not wanting to leave one another but
did so reluctantly.
They left the library separately and Max made his way back to his cell. He
collapsed into his bunk without undressing and fell into a vivid dream filled
sleep.
He woke the next morning, well rested and ready for the day. He collected his
weapons and gear then headed into the mess.
Max didn’t see Beth as he entered, it was still early but he gathered she was
most likely sleeping in after the night before.
He grabbed himself some quick breakfast and waited for the others. He didn’t
have to wait long as they trickled in for their own breakfasts.
The run team ended up consisting of himself, Sasha, Daryl, Maggie, Glenn and
Tyreese.
“Everyone ready?” Sasha asked when everyone had eaten.
Everyone was and they headed out to the run vehicles, Max made to follow them
but paused as he saw Beth walk into the mess.
“You heading out?” she asked.
“Yeah” he confirmed.
She gave him a worried look and Max wanted to give her comforting kiss before
he left.
“Just be careful and come back safe ok” she said.
Max nodded and headed out to the Bushmaster. As he climbed into the APC and
fired up the engine, he promised himself he would return to Beth no matter
what.
The group headed to the nearest town, coming across a garden and plant centre
where they found dozens of bags of fertilizer sitting untouched and loaded up
the pick up.
With the fertilizer found Max and the others decided to head back. They were
driving through the outskirts of the town when Max saw sign for a gun store.
“What’s up?” Maggie asked from the passenger side as he pulled the Bushmaster
over.
“I’m just going to check in there” he explained.
“We raided it months ago” Maggie said.
“Not for what I’m looking for” he replied
He jumped down and quickly scanned the street, the were two walkers about block
or so away so there was no danger
“What’s going on?” Daryl asked as he pulled his bike up next to him.
“I’m going to see if they have some paper shooting targets” he explained,
pointing to the gun store.
Daryl nodded and stepped off the bike, pulling his crossbow from his back. The
two of them approached the store while Tyreese and Glenn followed.
Max and Daryl aimed their weapons at the open door while Tyreese banged his
hammer on it and when nothing responded to the noise, they entered cautiously.
The store had been raided like Maggie had said, with no weapons or ammo in
sight but Max found stacks of different types of paper targets in cupboard and
took them all. He also found some protective ear muffs and grabbed them too.
The group continued on their way back to the prison and reached it with no
trouble. Max drove through the gates and tried not to smile too much when he
saw Beth waiting for them, standing beside her father.
“That didn’t take you long” Hershel said Max stepped out.
“Nah not at, found some pretty easily actually” Max said with a smile.
Hershel walked over to inspect the bags in the back of the pick up and looked
impressed with what they had found.
Max turned his attention to Beth and instantly could tell something was off,
she looked nervous and was fiddling with her bracelets.
“Beth what’s wrong” he asked.
She began to answer but shut her mouth quickly as Maggie walked up.
“Hey Bethie” she said, not picking up on Beth’s strange behaviour.
“Hi Maggie, I was just asking Max how it went” Beth lied.
“It went well, didn’t it Max?” Maggie replied and Max nodded.
Maggie began walking inside and took Beth with her. Beth shot a look over her
back at him and Max could only watch as she walked away.
Something was definitely was up and he needed to get Beth alone as soon a
possible to find out what was wrong, hoping it didn’t spell trouble..
***** Chapter 52 *****
Beth rolled around in her bed when she woke, smiling and giggling softly to
herself as the events of the previous evening played through her mind.
The night had been better than the one in the shower room and touching Max’s
cock had fascinated her, amazed by it’s size and how it felt it her hand. She
had been overjoyed when she was able to make him cum and was going to get her
hands on him again soon.
Beth felt a little tingle between her legs, remembering Max sliding his hand
into her shorts and smiling when he found she had shaved. She considered
bringing herself off but decided to save it for later, much preferring an
orgasm from Max.
Beth giggled to herself at the thought and decided to get up, wanting to see
the Max right away.
She dressed and walked into the mess, stopping when she saw Max in his tactical
vest and with his rifle. Beth had forgotten all about the run and her plans to
spend the day with him were dashed .
“You heading out?” she asked.
“Yeah” he replied.
“Just be careful and come back safe ok” she said.
Max gave her a quick nod and headed outside. Beth watched him go and proceeded
to make herself some breakfast.
Beth was a little worried about Max, Maggie and the others out there but they
would come back, they always did and began humming softly as she ate her
breakfast.
“Morning Beth” said Carol as she came into the room with Judith.
“Morning Carol, morning Judith” said Beth happily.
Carol went about feeding Judith and Beth continued eating. Once she had
finished up, she cleaned away her things and then decided to continue her
pistol training.
Beth made her way to the armoury and then returned back to the mess with her
pistol in hand. She was about to get started when she noticed Rick walk in.
“Morning Beth” he said, walking over to her.
“Oh Morning Rick” she said.
She was cautious when talking to Rick since she and Max had become a couple and
even more so since the conversation Max and Rick had the other day.
He took a seat at her table and she saw his smile fade slightly as he looked at
the pistol on the table.
“So I hear you’re getting quite good” he said.
“Yeah Max’s a great teacher” she said.
“And he’s building a firing range” he continued.
“Um yeah Max is going to teach me how to shoot” Beth answered.
Beth realised how that sounded, as Rick had already given her weapon training
but it was the truth and the training on the farm had been so long ago. Rick
just nodded and didn’t appeared to be offended but Beth could tell there was
something else on his mind.
“I’ve noticed you two have become quite close” he said.
“Yeah he’s a really good friend” she replied, keeping her voice steady.
“And there is nothing going on between you two?” he asked.
Beth was startled by the question and her breath caught in her chest. She
wondered if he knew or if he just suspected. She had to chose her answer
carefully as not confirm his suspicions or arouse them any further.
“What?, no of course not Rick, we are just friends” she scoffed, trying to
sound offended.
“I’ve seen how he looks at you Beth and the way you act around each other so I
just needed to ask” he explained.
“No Rick there is nothing going on between me and Max, we’re just friends” she
lied, hoping Rick would be satisfied with her answer and drop the subject.
“Well ok Beth that’s good to hear, I just needed to make sure” he said.
He gave her a smile but Beth knew that he hadn’t bought her lies. She started
to panic and her heart began to beat faster but Rick didn’t say anything else
and stood up to leave.
Rick walked out of the mess, leaving her alone and Beth just sat frozen, her
happy mood now completely vanished, replaced by anxiety and worry.
What was Rick was going to do?, would he tell her father?, would Rick confront
Max?. Her thoughts swamped her mind and Beth felt like she couldn’t breathe.
“Beth are you ok?” asked a voice.
Beth blinked and turned to see Carol looking at her with a concerned look on
her face.
“Oh um yeah” she managed to get out.
Before Carol could ask more, Beth picked up her pistol and fled the room. She
retreated back to her cell and flung herself onto her bed.
Beth let out a scream into her pillow and then pounded it with her fists. What
was she going to do?, she asked herself, how was she going to fix this?. Beth
screamed into her pillow again and was now a complete mess .
She wanted to hide in her bed all day but she needed to pull herself together
or it would confirm what Rick suspected and she couldn’t let him know he had
got her.
Beth took a deep breath, collected herself and walked outside. The warm sun and
fresh air on her face made her feel a little better.
She heard laughing and noticed some of the children drawing on the concrete
with chalk. Mika waved in greeting and Beth waved back.
“Hi Beth” she called.
Beth smiled at her and the others and walked over to them.
“Wanna come draw with us?” Mika asked, holding out a stick of chalk.
Beth considered turning her down, but then decided maybe hanging with the
children would be a great distraction and accepted the chalk.
“What are you going to draw?” Mika asked.
“I don’t know, what are you drawing?” Beth asked.
“Some unicorns, want to help?” Mika replied.
Beth nodded and began to help the girl draw, relaxing in the children’s company
as they laughed and talked.
Beth was helping Mika shade in one her unicorns when she heard the sound of
vehicles and looked to see the Bushmaster and the other run vehicles drive
through the main gate. She leaped up and saw her father come out from the cell
blocks.
“Well they’re back early, hope nothing has happened” he father said as she
walked up to him.
A new fear filled her as she watched the vehicles drive up the hill but she
breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Max, Maggie and the others had all
retuned.
“That didn’t take you long” her father said as Max stepped down.
“Nah not at, found some pretty easily actually” Max said with a smile.
As her father checked out the bags, Beth tried to act as normal as possible but
Max noticed.
“Beth what’s wrong” he asked.
Beth tried to answer but Maggie walked up, preventing her from speaking.
“Hey Bethie” she said with a smile.
“Hi Maggie, I was just asking Max how it went” Beth lied.
“It went well, didn’t it Max?” Maggie replied and Max nodded.
Maggie began to walk inside and Beth had no choice but to walk inside with her.
She shot Max a look over her shoulder, hoping he would understand.
“Ahh you’re back, how did it go?” Carol asked as Beth and Maggie walked into
the mess.
“Very good, found daddy his fertilizer and Max found some paper targets for his
range” Maggie replied.
Beth looked up at this information and her worry came back once again, would
Rick try and stop her training as well?. She needed to talk to Max as soon a
possible and excused herself from Carol and Maggie, to look for him.
As she returned back outside she saw Max by the pick up, about to grab a bag of
fertilizer. He noticed her and walked over to her.
“Max we need to talk” she said.
He nodded and walked over to the Bushmaster, where he retrieved a stack of
paper that had targets printed on them and then the two of them walked to the
locker room.
“Ok Beth what’s going on?” he asked as he shut the door behind them.
She gave him a nervous look, not knowing how best to tell him but decided to
just come out and say it.
“I’m pretty sure Rick knows about us Max” she said.
“He does?” he asked sharply, his eyes becoming alert.
“He was asking questions about us this morning, I told him nothing was going on
but I don’t think he was convinced” she replied.
“What did he say exactly?” he asked.
“He asked if anything was going on between us and that he had noticed how we
act around each other” Beth replied.
“Ok so he just suspects” he said.
“But he suspects Max, what are we going to do?” Beth asked.
“look I already said I’m not afraid of Rick, so he suspects, let him suspect”
he growled.
“But what if he tells my father?” she asked.
Beth could tell this bothered him and she could see him weighing the options in
his mind.
“Then I will come clean to your father” Max said simply.
“No you can’t tell him, he won’t accept us and he’ll make you leave” Beth said
fearfully.
Her father would never agree to let them be together and she would rather have
Max in secret than not in her life at all.
“Beth we can’t keep us a secret forever, soon or later someone is bound to find
out” he reasoned.
“I know but they’ll stop us seeing each other or they’ll make you leave, I
wouldn’t be able to survive without you either way, I need you Max, I need us”
she cried.
She was close to crying now, her body trembling, he pulled her into him and she
buried her face into his chest.
“We’ll work this out Beth, I promise” he soothed.
Beth didn’t question how and just let him hold her, pressing herself tighter
into him.
Suddenly they heard footsteps and the two of them jumped apart just as Glenn
and Tyreese walked in.
Max and Beth looked at each other but the two men didn’t pick up of the
strangeness between them.
“Hey we thought we would finish off these lockers” Glenn said.
“Ahh yeah sure” said Max.
Beth couldn’t help with anything so left the men to work and went to find
something else to distract herself. She found herself in the library and stayed
there for the rest of the day, even skipping lunch. No one bothered her, Max
didn’t come find her but she was glad considering everything.
As it got dark Beth put down her book and headed down for dinner. She found
Maggie and Glenn as she walked into the mess already seated and joined them.
“Hey Beth where have you been?” Maggie asked.
“Oh just doing some reading” Beth answered truthfully.
Beth saw Max come in, he caught her gaze but he didn’t walk over and she
understood. Beth was disappointed but she knew is was for the best. Max began
to sit at another table but her father clasped him on the shoulder and led him
over to their table.
Beth gave him a quick smile as he sat down but didn’t dare to touch him, no
matter how badly she wanted to slip her hand into his under the table.
She sensed he was as tense as she was but couldn’t do anything, they would just
have to get through it. Beth noticed Rick looking over from his table and felt
a cold shiver ran down her back as she locked eyes with him.
Dinner was served but Beth now had no appetite and as everyone else ate and
talked, she barely ate her food and just kept moving it around her plate.
“Something wrong Bethie?” asked her father, startling her.
“Huh?” she asked.
“You’ve barely said a word all night and haven't even touched your dinner” he
said, concerned
“Oh um just not hungry I guess” she lied, forcing a smile.
“You sure?” he asked, she just nodded and made a non committal noise.
Her father didn’t press the subject and Beth forced herself to eat, knowing she
hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast.
She managed to get everything down and when everything had been cleared away,
she excused herself, not being able to stand being there any longer and retired
to her cell.
Beth lay in her bunk for hours, not being able to sleep as various horrifying
scenarios played through her head. Images of Max being forced to leave or being
shot by Rick, formed tears in her eyes which ran down her cheeks. She wiped
them away but they were quickly replaced.
She stared up at the ceiling and let out a frustrated noise, cursing Rick under
her breath. It was his fault this was happening and wished the man would just
mind his own business.
But he wasn’t going to and it was only a matter of time before he confronted
Max and everything would come crashing down.
Beth had to do something and then it came to her clearly and was only thing to
do, she had to tell Maggie.
She would be angry but maybe Beth would be able to convince her to help and she
did, it would be good to have Maggie on her side.
Beth got out of bed and look out into the dim cell block. The coat was clear
and she crept to Maggie and Glenn’s cell and looked in. They were both asleep
and she tip toed in, shaking Maggie’s arm gently.
“Maggie” Beth whispered.
“Beth?” Maggie asked, groggily.
“Huh?, what’s going on?” muttered Glenn, waking up as well.
“Maggie can I talk to you?” Beth whispered.
“Now?, can it wait till the morning?” Maggie asked, still not moving.
“No, can we talk, please?” Beth pleaded.
“Ok Beth” Maggie grumbled.
Maggie got up slowly, pulled on some pants and stumbled after Beth as she
walked into the now empty mess. Beth lit one of the lanterns and the darkened
room was bathed in light.
“All right Beth what is so important that couldn’t wait till the morning”
Maggie asked, yawning.
She looked sleepy but her grumpy expression changed when she saw Beth’s tear
stained face.
“Beth what’s wrong?, have you been crying?” she asked, now concerned.
Beth looked at her sister, took a deep breath and sat down.
“Maggie I need tell you something but you have to promise not to get mad ok?”
she said as Maggie joined her.
“Beth what’s going on?” Maggie asked.
“Maggie, promise” Beth pleaded.
“I promise Beth, tell me what’s going on” Maggie assured.
It was now or never Beth thought, hoping what she said next wouldn’t make the
situation even worse.
“Max and I are um seeing each other” Beth said quickly.
Beth waited for her to explode, she looked confused at first and Beth thought
she would have to clarify but then realisation filled Maggie’s face.
“You’re what?” she asked sharply, her eyes wide.
“Maggie you promised” begged Beth, hushing her.
“What do you mean you’re seeing each other?” she asked.
“We’re a couple Maggie” Beth replied.
“No, oh no you’re not Beth, this isn’t happening” snapped Maggie and stood up,
her eyes flashing angrily.
Beth could only guess Maggie was about to confront Max and most likely wake up
the entire prison in the process.
“Maggie please don’t, please stop, I love him and I want to be with him” Beth
cried as quietly as she could.
Beth grabbed Maggie’s arm to prevent her from leaving and Maggie just stared at
her but she didn’t move.
“You love him?” Maggie asked as Beth released her arm.
“Yes Maggie, I love him, I’ve never felt this way before and I don’t know what
I’d do without him” Beth said.
Maggie’s expression was still livid, not doubt angry to learn Max was taking
advantage of her sister and wanting to deal with him but it began to softened
as Beth’s confession had it’s effect.
She sat back down and Beth could breathe again but her heart still felt like it
was going to beat out of her chest. They just looked at each other for what
felt like ages as Beth waited for Maggie to process.
“When did it start?” Maggie asked softly.
“Not that long ago and I started it Maggie” Beth replied.
“Does daddy know?” Maggie asked.
“No and he wouldn’t accept us” Beth replied and Maggie nodded in agreement
“How long were you going to keep it a secret?” she asked.
“I’m not sure, we couldn’t exactly go public” Beth replied.
“So why are you telling me now?” Maggie asked.
Beth wondered if Maggie would ask this question, not sure how she was going to
bring the subject of Rick up, the whole reason they were having this
conversation.
“Um Rick suspects us” Beth relied softly and Maggie raised an eyebrow.
“And you’re worried his going to tell daddy?” she asked.
“Yes but I’m more worried Rick might just kill Max” Beth replied fearfully.
“Yeah I guess you could expect that from Rick” Maggie said in agreement.
“See, that’s why I’m so worried” Beth said.
Maggie’s featured soften as she looked into Beth’s anxiety filled face and Beth
heard heard her sigh.
“Well I can’t say I’m exactly happy about this Beth but I can’t keep you two
apart if you feel this strongly about him” Maggie said
“You really mean that?” Beth asked and Maggie gave her a warm smile.
“Yeah, we both know you could do a lot worse” she replied.
“Are you going to tell daddy?” Beth asked.
“No Beth I’m not going to tell him” she replied and Beth beamed at her.
Beth felt a surge of joy and was so glad she had decided to tell Maggie, even
though it had almost quickly derailed. Beth was also happy that Maggie was
going to let her and Max be together but there was still the matter of Rick.
“What about Rick though?” Beth asked.
“You leave Rick to me, I’ll handle it” Maggie promised.
Beth nodded and then threw her hands around Maggie, giving her an enormous hug.
“Thank you Maggie” she whispered.
“You’re my sister Beth and if being with Max makes you happy then I’ll help you
stay together” she said, hugging her back.
Beth smiled happily at her and broke their hug, wiping a tear from her eye and
then the two of then laughed.
“So you and Max huh?, I want you to tell me everything” Maggie asked with a
smile.
“What did you want to know?” Beth asked.
“Have you and Max?..” Maggie asked, trailing off.
Beth blushed and looked down at the table but a smiled crossed her lips.
“No but we’ve done other stuff” she answered.
“Oh my god Beth, what have you done?” Maggie asked, her eyes wide.
“Maggie, I’m not going tell you” exclaimed Beth, sounding embarrassed.
Beth certainly wasn’t going to tell her sister exactly what they had done, she
didn’t ask her about what she did with Glenn.
“Beth” Maggie pressed.
“Ok, we’ve um touched each other” Beth answered, her face burning red again.
“Really?, did you like it?” Maggie asked.
Beth just nodded, a big smile appeared on Maggie’s face and they both giggled.
“My baby sister is growing up” Maggie said.
They both laughed again and Beth couldn’t believe the night had ended this way.
Beth now felt relaxed and was ready for sleep. Maggie yawned and the two of
them decided to go back to bed, promising to continue their conversation in the
morning.
Beth hugged her sister again and she slipped into her cell where she fell into
a deep sleep as soon as her head touched the pillow..
***** Chapter 53 *****
Max felt like a marked man as he cautiously walked into the mess for breakfast.
He had barely slept during the night, fully expecting to be dragged from his
bed for a fatal meeting with a bullet. He had survived but he knew he was still
living on borrowed time.
The day before had been tense from the moment Beth had revealed Rick’s
suspicions. It hadn’t exactly been a surprise, Max had his own suspicions but
only that he thought Rick didn’t trust him around Beth. He had been alert for
the rest of the day and well into the night, trying to anticipate how and when
Rick would make his move and felt like he had been back behind enemy lines
again.
Max caught sight of Beth and Maggie at one of the tables in the mess and was
about to retreat before they saw him but he wasn’t quick enough, Maggie noticed
him and she gave him smile.
“Come join us Max” she called.
He made his way over and sat down, flashing a questioning look at Beth who just
gave him a little smile. There was a strange energy radiating off the two
sisters and their smiles put him off guard even more.
“Ok what’s going on?” he asked.
The two sisters looked at each other and smiled before turning back to him.
“I told Maggie about us last night” Beth answered.
Max just looked at Beth in surprise and almost didn’t believe what she had
said, especially after Beth had begged him not to tell Hershel. He turned his
attention to Maggie, if Beth had told Maggie about them last night and he was
still breathing, was she ok with the whole situation?.
“Its ok” soothed Maggie, as if reading his mind.
“It is?” asked Max.
“Maggie is fine with us being together Max” said Beth, a bright smile still on
her face.
Max was pretty sure he was dreaming or at least delusional and just looked at
them confused.
“Max it really is all right” Maggie assured.
He nodded and relaxed and Beth kept smiling like christmas had come early.
“What about your father?” he asked.
“Well we’ll have to keep it a secret from him for the time being” answered
Maggie.
Both sisters thought alike Max gathered and if they thought it would be better
if Hershel didn’t know then he would have to agree. He then grabbed himself
some breakfast and retuned to the table.
“So, training as usual?” he asked, between bites and Beth nodded.
“Do you want join us?” Beth asked Maggie.
“Yeah sure why not?” Maggie replied.
Maggie went to get changed into some workout clothes, leaving Beth and Max
alone.
“Ok I know I told you not to tell anyone, but I couldn’t sleep last night and
decided to tell her” Beth began.
“Took a bit of a risk telling Maggie” said Max.
“I know and it almost blew up in my face but it turned out all good in the end”
she replied, smiling.
Maggie returned and the three of them headed outside. Beth acted like a star
pupil, proudly showing off to Maggie as they worked out.
“Come on Maggie” Beth teased as they proceeded through some sit ups.
“Shh I’m doin it” Maggie shot back.
Max couldn’t help but laugh as he watched them. Maggie had more strength but
Beth was more used to the routine.
“What’s so funny Max?, does he usually just watch?” Maggie asked Beth
“Yeah, he likes to watch me” Beth answered with giggle.
“Oh I bet he does” Maggie teased.
Max felt his face heat up under the sisters gaze as they looked up at him.
“I don’t always watch and besides the instructor doesn’t need to participate”
he protested.
“Yes sir” Maggie said with a smile.
Max gave them a grin then dropped to the ground and quickly smashed out a set
of push ups, ending the last few one handed which delighted Beth and Maggie.
“Damm” said Maggie sounding impressed.
They finished off the workout together but the girls ended up just watching him
and Max kinda liked the audience, feeling more and more relaxed.
“So how bout you show me what else you have learnt” Maggie suggested after they
had taken a short break.
“Sure” said Beth.
Beth and Maggie stood up, Maggie then stepped towards Beth in a threatening
manner, grabbing her wrist. Beth responded and twisting her body so that she
pulled Maggie into her. She swept her foot behind Maggie's leg and sent her
sprawling onto the grass.
“Wow Beth” said Maggie impressed as she looked up at Beth with surprise.
Beth beamed proudly and helped Maggie to her feet. Maggie brushed off her hands
and gave them both a smile.
“Can you teach me how to do that?” she asked Max.
“Of course” said Beth, answering for him.
They spent the next hour going over the basics, like he had with Beth and the
two sisters began to practice.
“Ok Beth you’re going down this time” Maggie threatened as the two squared off.
“Don’t bet on it” Beth shot back with a smile.
Maggie lunged and Beth nimbly dodged her attack but Maggie wasn’t defeated so
easily, tackling Beth and the two of them crashed to the ground.
Max thought maybe one of them might be hurt, he rushed forward but he heard
them both giggling and they began to play wrestle, rolling around in the grass
and laughing loudly.
“Ok ahh ok stop I give up” cried Beth, laughing as the older sister pinned her
to the ground.
Maggie let her go and Max pulled them both off the ground and they continued to
push each other playfully.
“I need a shower” said Beth, now all sweaty and dirty.
“Hmm yeah me two, how bout you go get our things” suggested Maggie.
Beth looked confused and then understood, as did Max, Maggie wanted to talk
privately to him.
“Ok, I won’t be long” Beth warned.
Beth took off for the cell blocks while Max and Maggie began to slowly follow
her. Max wondered what Maggie was going to say first.
“You know, I never would have dreamt you two ending up together ” she said.
“Yeah I never really set out to pursue her, it just kinda happened” Max said
softly.
“It’s ok Max, I know, she told me she kissed you first” she said.
“Yeah she did” said Max, rubbing the back of his neck.
“She has fallen hard for you Max, I knew she had crush on you but I never
though it would go any further than that” said Maggie
Max could only nod, he had never been one to discuss his feeling, with Beth he
felt he could open up to her and tell her anything but anyone else was a
different story and it felt a little strange talking about their relationship
with Maggie.
“I wouldn’t dream of hurting her” Max assured.
“I know you wouldn’t, I believe you but she is still so young and innocent and
she’s only had one boyfriend before” said Maggie.
“She told me about Jimmy” Max said.
“He was a nice kid, eager to please especially our father but ultimately very
wet behind the ears, Beth adored him but it was nothing like it is with you”
Maggie explained.
Max wasn’t sure what to say but Maggie didn’t look like she was expecting an
answer, she just wanted to speak her mind and he let her continue.
“Beth has always been delicate, always seeing the brighter side of things and
wanting to see the best in people” she explained.
“She’s not that delicate” Max said.
“Well maybe not now, but there was a moment back on the farm we almost lost
her” she revealed.
“Yeah she told me about her suicide attempt” Max said.
“So she told you about that and it didn’t make you think any different” Maggie
asked.
“Not in the slightest” he assured and bright smile appeared on her face
“She is lucky to have you in her life, you seem to bring out the best in her
and you have all ready proved you will protect her” she said softly
“And I will with my life” he promised.
“I have no doubt you will Max” she replied.
There was comfortable silence between them but there were still matters that
needed to be addressed.
“When should I tell your father?” he asked.
“You really do want to tell him don’t you?” Maggie asked.
“This is going to come out eventually, I want your father to find out from me
before that happens and besides Beth doesn’t deserve to have to keep everything
in the dark ” he replied.
“That’s noble of you but I’m not sure how daddy will react Max” said Maggie.
Max just nodded, he sighed heavily and Maggie gave him a warm smile.
“Look if Rick does tell him, we will just deny it if it angers daddy, it will
be our word against Ricks” Maggie suggested.
“That might work” Max agreed, hoping it would never have to come to that.
“Ok here comes Beth, don’t tell her anything she will only just worry” said
Maggie as they spotted Beth coming back outside and Max agreed.
“I grabbed yours as well” she said to him as she handed Maggie her shower bag..
Max hadn’t planned on taking a shower but decided one would be good and took
his bag from her.
“So what did you guys talk about?” Beth asked worriedly.
“That’s between Max and I” Maggie answered but smiled reassuringly.
Beth looked a little apprehensive but didn’t push the subject and the three of
them headed to the showers
The room was empty and they each chose a stall. The shower was a great choice
and Max felt refreshed and ready for the rest of the day. He stepped out of his
stall, shirtless and dying his hair with his towel and Maggie froze like deer
in headlights as she saw his bare chest.
“Holy shit” she said.
Max saw Maggie run her eyes over his battle scars like Beth did the first time
she had saw them. Max wasn’t embarrassed by them at all, they were his badges
of what he had survived.
“Maggie you are staring” Beth warned.
“Shit, sorry” she mumbled.
Maggie turned away Max put his shirt back on and Beth gave him a little smile.
Maggie turned back, still looking embarrassed. There was a awkward silence as
Maggie tried to compose herself.
“They’re only scars Maggie” said Beth.
“Yeah sorry, just so many..” Maggie said, trailing off.
“I saw a lot of action and survived a ton of shit the enemy threw at me” Max
explained.
Maggie nodded and Max smiled reassuringly at her, showing her he wasn’t
bothered and she smiled weakly back.
“Ok how bout we get some lunch?”Beth suggested, changing the subject.
Max and Maggie agreed and made their way to the mess to see most of the group
already there
“Ahh, there you are” called Hershel from where he was sitting with Glenn.
Max wasn’t sure he should sit with them but Beth touched his arm, urging him
forward and Maggie flashed him assuring look, so he took a seat next to Beth.
“So I hear you have a new student Max” Hershel asked with a smile.
“Yeah it would seem so” Max confirmed, letting himself relax in Hershel’s calm
manner.
“Well good to hear, maybe you can train more people?” Hershel suggested.
Max hadn’t considered training others, he had only agreed to train Beth for
Hershel and as an excuse to get closer to her.
“Um yeah could do” Max replied.
“No pressure, only if you want to” assured Hershel.
Max nodded and promised he would think about it. He wasn’t sure if could commit
to training a group, even if most of the people at the prison could use some
training but if it came to it he would do whatever was required of him.
“So Max I was thinking we should finish off the firing range after lunch” Glenn
suggested.
“Yeah no worries mate” Max replied.
Lunch was finished off quickly and cleared away. Maggie, Hershel and Beth went
to tend to the garden, Hershel wanted to spread the newly acquired fertilizer.
Glenn and Max made their way to the locker room and several others joined them
to help.
With all the lockers now removed they could start to bring in the mattresses to
soundproof the room. They found a stack of unused ones in a storeroom and began
to carry them back. After several trips they had collected all the mattresses
needed and started attaching them to the the walls.
The finished product was far from fancy but it was functional and the guys
congratulated themselves on the job.
“Damm this deserves a beer” said Tyreese.
“You’re buyin” growled Daryl jokingly.
“I’ll start up a tab” Tyreese promised.
They all began walk out to attend to other things and Max was about to follow
them when Beth walked in. Her eyes lit up as she looked around the room, seeing
what they had done.
“It’s finished?” she asked.
“Pretty much, we can begin training tomorrow” he replied.
“Why not now?” she asked hopefully.
“Hmm, itching to get started are we?” he asked teasingly, stepping closer to
her.
“Its just been a really good day and I want it to keep going” she replied.
“It has been a good day hasn’t it” Max agreed and she smiled happily up at him.

“So can we start today?” she asked.
“No but we’ll have the whole day tomorrow” he replied.
“Good I can’t wait” she said happily.
They stood looking at each other in silence for a few minutes Max wanted to
kiss her and he guessed she wanted him to as well but they would have to be
extra careful now even if Maggie knew, there was still the threat of being
caught.
Beth smiled gently, seeming to read his mind and she left the room without
making him feel like he was disappointing her.
Max collecting himself and decided to put some finishing touches on the room.
He was about to tape some targets to the far wall when Rick walked in, like a
spectre of death drawn to the moment between Beth and Max.
“Rick” said Max in greeting.
“Thought I would come check out the progress” Rick explained.
He actually sounded sincere but Max didn’t relax and stayed alert.
“Yeah were pretty much done in here, going to start training Beth tomorrow” Max
said.
A concerned look crossed Ricks face at the mention of Beth’s name and Max
guessed the moment he had been anticipating was about to go down. The two men
were weapon less and Max would have to go hand to hand if Rick decided to try
anything.
“Listen about Beth, I have to ask for her sake, there is nothing going on with
you two is there?” he asked.
Like I’m was going to admit it to you Max thought. He decided to play it cool
and bluff his way out of the situation.
“Nah of course not mate” he replied calmly.
“You sure?, I’ve seen how you are together” Rick pressed.
“You’re fucking kidding right, Rick she’s just a girl” Max said, sounding
disgusted.
Rick raised an eyebrow and Max decided to now go on the offensive, a tactic he
hoped would convince Rick to back off.
“You think I touch young girls Rick” Max asked angrily and stepped towards him.
Rick was surprised at his enraged tone, taking a step backwards and Max
gathered Rick wasn’t expecting to be challenged so aggressively.
“No no not at all, look, I just needed to know if anything was happening” he
said calmly.
“Well now you know, haven’t touched her Rick, it’s not like that” Max spat out.
“Ok I believe you” Rick said.
“So we good here then Rick, something else you want to accuse me of” Max asked.
“All right Max just relax” Rick said calmly, holding up his hands.
“I am relaxed Rick, just don’t like to be accused of shit” Max replied.
“Yeah ok, look maybe I read the whole situation wrong” Rick admitted.
Rick held out his hand, Max’s little performance had seemed to have convinced
him and Max accepted the handshake.
Rick left the room without any more drama and Max let out a breath once he was
alone. Max hoped he had got Rick off his back for the time being and with the
potential threat neutralised, he could relax somewhat.
He kept to himself for the rest of the day and headed into the mess when it was
time for dinner. Beth wasn’t there yet and he saw Maggie at her table and sat
down across from her.
“You ok?” she asked.
“Yeah I had a run in with Rick today” he explained.
“Something we need to be concerned about?” she asked.
Max quickly told her what had happened and she listened intently.
“So he was satisfied?” she answered.
“Yeah I think I sold it” Max replied.
Max expected Maggie to be more concerned by she just smiled.
“Well you’re in the clear then” she said.
Max wasn’t so convinced but couldn’t help but be uplifted by Maggie’s optimism
and smiled as well.
“What are you two smiling about?” asked Beth as she walked over to them.
“Nothing” Max and Maggie said together.
“Oh ok, keep your secrets then” Beth pouted as she sat down.
“I’ll tell you later on ok” Max promised her quietly and she nodded in
understanding.
The room began to fill up and dinner was served. As Beth handed him a fork Max
noticed her nails were a brilliant pink.
Beth saw him looking at her hand and smiled. Max wanted to compliment her on
the colour but didn’t want to draw attention. Hershel soon noticed her nails as
well though.
“Did you paint your nails Beth?” Hershel asked.
“Oh um yeah” she mumbled.
“Where did you find nail polish?” he asked.
Max shifted uncomfortably in his seat and Beth flashed a look in his direction.
Max wasn’t sure how Beth was going to answer the question but then Maggie spoke
up.
“I found some on the last run” she said and Hershel nodded.
“Well your nails look nice Bethie” he said warmly.
“Thank you daddy”
Max relaxed, the table went about eating and Beth gave his hand her usual
supportive squeeze under the table.
As she did, Max flashed a look to Rick’s table but the man was deep in
conversation with Michonne and Carl as he fed Judith and didn’t seemed
concerned about anything else.
Dinner was finished off and Max stacked their empty plates and handed them to
Bob and the others on the wash crew. As he sat back down, the table was
suddenly surrounded by the eager faces of the children.
“Hey guys” he said as they all looked at him with bright smiles.
“Hey Max” said Mika.
“Something I can help you with?” he asked.
“Yeah, um we heard you are training Maggie now and we were wondering if we
could join you tomorrow as well?” Mika asked.
Max just looked at them and caught the amused smiles everyone else at the table
was giving him, even others in the room turned to listen in on the
conversation.
“Hmm I don’t know, are you up for it?” he asked.
“Yeah of course” said Lizzie and the others nodded enthusiastically.
They all looked so excited and Max would crush them if he said no, he wouldn’t
train them to fight but there was no harm in them getting a little exercise and
it would allow him to convince Rick and any others there was nothing going on
between him and Beth.
“Well ok but you gotta get your parents permission first” he said.
The children all looked at him excitedly and ran to their respective parents.
They all returned with permission and Max promised they would start bright and
early.
“That was sweet of you” Maggie said laughing as the kids all raced back to
their tables.
Max could only smile in response, he turned to Beth to see if was ok with it
and she gave him a bright smile.
The room soon began to empty as people headed off to bed, Hershel turned in and
Maggie stood up saying she was ready for bed as well, dragging Glenn with her.
“I guess we better turn in, got a big day tomorrow” Beth said with a smile.
“Hmm I guess we do” Max agreed.
They walked into the cell block together and as he paused by her cell to say
goodnight, she pulled him inside.
“Beth” he pleaded.
“Shh just kiss me” she whispered.
He knew it was risky after everything that had happened that day but he found
himself kissing her anyway. It was quick and then she pushed him away, smiling
teasingly up at him.
“I’ll see you in the morning Max” she said.
“Yes you will” he promised.
He stepped out of her cell, thankfully no one was in sight and he ducked into
his cell where he fell into a much needed and restful sleep.
***** Chapter 54 *****
Beth moaned as Max as kissed his way down her neck and her naked body.
“Oh Max” she whimpered.
She trembled with delight as he ran his hand up her thigh and began to caresses
her waiting pussy.
“So wet Beth” he growled, his voice delighting her more.
Beth felt his fingers begin to probe inside her and let out anther loud moan,
not caring who heard.
“Like this Beth?” he asked and she could only nod in answer.
“Then cum for me miss Greene” he said.
His words pounded through her head and before she could comply, she suddenly
she found herself tangled in her bedsheets all alone. Beth huffed in
frustration as she realised it had all been a dream and was now wide awake and
all worked up.
Morning would be a little while off and if she was going to get back to sleep,
she would have to take care of her little situation. She quickly pulled off her
sleepwear and sighed as the cool night air caressed her naked body. Beth ached
for Max’s touch but would have to settle for her own and began rubbing her
fingers across her already wet pussy.
Her dream had gotten her more than excited and it wouldn’t take much to get
off. She worked her hand furiously and forced herself not to moan as the
pleasure built up.
Beth quickly reached her peak and shoved her face into her pillow as her climax
crested through her. She lay panting as her orgasm ebbed away and pulled her
hand reluctantly from her legs, letting out a soft giggle.
Beth didn’t bother redressing and just pulled her sheet over her. As she
drifted happily back to sleep, she promised herself her next orgasm would be
from Max.
She woke again to the sun streaming into her cell, signalling another hot day.
She yawned and stretched, letting the sheet fall off her. Beth laughed as she
realised she was still naked and quickly got dressed before heading into the
mess for breakfast.
As Beth entered the room she smiled as she saw all the kids waiting, looking
excited and eager for the day.
“Morning Beth” called Mika.
“Morning everyone, are we ready for today?” Beth asked.
They all nodded excitedly and Beth smiled at their enthusiasm.
“Well good, its going to be fun” she promised.
Beth left them to their breakfast and and joined Maggie at her table.
“Sleep well?” Maggie asked as Beth sat next to her.
“Yeah really good” Beth replied with a smile
“No midnight meetings?” Maggie asked teasingly.
Beth blushed as she remembered her dream and really wished it had been a real
midnight meeting.
“No unfortunate not” Beth then replied seriously and sighed.
Maggie didn’t say anything, just gave her a sympathetic smile and got up to
make them both some breakfast. They ate their food and as they were both
finishing up, Max entered the mess dressed in his army camo pants and a tight
green shirt, looking every part the soldier he was.
Beth sighed again, very attracted to the look and wished she could just grab
him and take him back to her cell where she could make her dream a reality.
“Morning everyone” he announced.
“Morning” the children all said together
“All right ,have we all had breakfast?” he asked and they all nodded.
“Very well then, everybody outside” he ordered.
Beth, Maggie and the children followed him outside into the courtyard.
“Ok everybody line up” he barked.
The children quickly jumped to form a straight line while Beth and Maggie just
watched laughing as Max began to pace up and down like a general inspecting his
troops
“Waiting for an personal invitation ladies?” he asked them.
Beth and Maggie looked at each other and then joined the line.
“So you want to train with me do you?” Max asked, putting on a over the top
authoritarian voice.
No one answered but fits giggles and laughter could be heard from the children
and Beth found his whole act just as hilarious, which is what she gathered Max
was going for.
“This is no laughing matter and I’ll ask you again, do you want to train with
me?” he asked and everybody shouted yes.
“Yes what?” he asked.
The children all looked at each other confused by the question as Max waited
expectantly for an answer.
“Yes sir” shouted Beth, trying her best not to laugh.
“Outstanding miss Greene, gold star, now this won’t be some sunday picnic
ladies and gentleman, oh no I expect the best if you wish to train with me, is
that clear?” he said.
“Yes sir!” everyone shouted this time.
“Excellent, well let’s start with some stretches” he suggested.
The group all began stretching as Max continued pacing until he was satisfied
they were all ready.
“All right nice job guys, now give me a lap around the field” he ordered.
The kids all took off running, Beth and Maggie didn’t move and just watched
them.
“Something wrong with your legs ladies” Max growled, giving them a grin.
Beth was going to make him pay for it later but she and Maggie took off and
soon made it to the front of the pack. They completed the lap and caught their
breath as Max look on proudly before instructing them to begin some sit ups.
They all dropped to the ground and began to do sit ups like he asked. Beth took
it seriously but the children were were struggling and started laughing.
“Ok guys nice start, looks like we need to work on those, all right how bout
some push ups” he suggested.
The kids all complied but struggled even harder at them and Beth couldn’t help
but laugh as they collapsed to the ground, refusing to do any more.
“What’s this?, giving up all ready?” Max asked.
“Come on guys, show him you won’t give up” urged Beth.
The children tried again, Max dropped his gruff act and began to give them all
helpful advice.
“Good Lizzie, use those arms, see yeah there we go” he said as she paused by
her.
Beth smiled at him as he continued down the line giving them all tips.
“Nice form there Beth” he said, with a little smirk when he reached her and she
blushed at the compliment.
“Ok guys good work, lets take a break” Max suggested.
The children all rested gratefully but didn’t seem tired out and looked ready
for more.
“What else are we going to do Max?” Mika asked, confirming what Beth had
thought.
“Can you do a chin up?” he asked in reply and Mika shook her head.
“That’s ok, let’s try one anyway” he said.
They all stood up and lined up under the bar he and Beth had been using in
their sessions and Max lifted them up one by one to attempted a chin up.
The children all failed, each of them dropping to the ground in frustration and
Max assured they would all get better.
When they all had a go, Max looked at Beth and Maggie and they just shook their
heads.
“Nope, you know I can’t do them either” Beth said.
“And I’m not going to embarrass myself” offered Maggie.
Max laughed, so did everyone else and he suggested they run another lap. This
time he joined them, quickly running ahead with everyone chasing after him.
Beth and Maggie managed to get along side him and he sprinted harder leaving
them all behind. Beth chased after him until he stopped back at the courtyard
and she doubled over, out of breath
“You ok?” he asked, concerned.
Her breath was still ragged but she smiled and nodded. Maggie and the children
ran up and sat on the ground all out of breath as well and Carol appeared with
a large jug of water and some cups. She began to hand out the water and
everyone accepted one appreciatively.
“Did we have fun kids?” she asked as they gulped down their water and they
nodded.
“Well good that’s good to hear but unfortunately it’s time for your other
lessons” announced Carol.
The kids all grumbled a little but all thanked Max and began following Carol
inside.
“This was really fun Max, same time tomorrow?” Mika asked, pausing to ask her
question.
“Of course” Max promised.
Mika smiled happily and ran after the others, leaving him, Beth and Maggie
alone. Beth kinda wished Maggie would go as well but she knew Maggie wanted to
learn some self defence and Beth would get Max to herself later anyway.
“Ok ladies shall we begin?” he asked.
They spent the next hour practising under Max’s tutelage and Beth managed to
get Maggie on the ground several times which impressed both Max and Maggie
greatly.
They were soon both exhausted and the three of them decided to call it a day,
headed inside for lunch.
“Well hello you three, how did the training go?” her father asked as they sat
at his table.
“Real good daddy” Beth answered.
“Well excellent and Max, you’ll be starting Beth’s weapon training today as
well?” he asked.
“Yes after lunch” Max replied.
Beth grew excited again, not just because of the next step in her training but
that she would be hopefully be all alone with Max.
Lunch was a quick affair and Beth soon followed Max to the armoury. She had
been worried someone would ask to join them, perhaps Maggie or worse Rick but
no one did and the two of them had the room to themselves.
Beth took in the completed room from the targets set up on the far wall to the
table separating most of the room that had her pistol and several boxes of
ammo.
“Ready to start?” Max asked as he closed the door behind him.
Beth nodded and he handed her a pair of ear muffs. She put them on, fitting
snugly on her head and over her ears
“Fit ok?” he asked.
“What?” she said jokingly.
“You trying to be funny miss Greene?” he asked with a smile
“Can’t let you just be the funny one today” she replied.
“I guess not” he grinned.
Beth giggled and Max handed her pistol to her. She took it and loaded the full
clip he then handed to her and looked at him.
“Ready when you are” he said.
She nodded, pulled back the slide to load the first round and flipped off the
safety just like Max had taught her. She waited until Max had placed his own
pair of earmuffs on, aimed the pistol and pulled the trigger.
The pistol bucked in her hand and the bullet hit the wall, missing the target
she had aimed for. Beth knew she wasn’t going to be great but she still felt a
little disappointed. She gave Max an embarrassed look but Max just smiled.
“Hmm good start, place your feet a little further apart, aim a bit higher and
just squeeze the trigger lightly, don’t pull” he instructed.
She aimed like he said, squeezed the trigger and the bullet hit the target just
slightly inside the outer ring .
“Not bad, not bad at all” remarked Max.
“Really?” she asked, unsure of her self.
“Of course, people are rarely natural, it takes practice” he replied.
“Were you a natural?” she asked.
“Me?, nah not even close, I was terrible when I first began in basic training
but I picked it up quickly” Max answered.
“So are you saying I could get as good as you?” she asked teasingly.
“With practice you might” he replied.
“Well I guess we’ll have to practice everyday then” she said smiling.
“I guess we will” he replied.
“Well then, how bout you show me how good I can get” she suggested, handing him
the pistol.
Max took the pistol from her and fired off a quick succession of shots,
everyone one hitting the bullseye.
Beth looked at him in awe, there was no way she was going to get as that good,
he had years of experience but she was going try regardless.
She continued her shooting, getting used to how the pistol operated and Max
said she would get better which increased her confidence.
Beth was now in an extremely good mood and really wanted him to kiss her or do
something more to her. She placed her pistol down, careful to flip the safety
on and hoisted her self up into the table, smiling seductively at him as she
spread her legs and beckoned him closer.
“I think you might need to kiss me now Max” she suggested.
Beth looked at with all the innocence she could muster but Max didn’t move and
a pained look appeared on his face and she felt her heart sink.
“Beth we can’t” he said gently.
“Why?” she asked.
“Beth, I want to, I really do but we need still need to be careful, more than
ever now” he replied.
“So what are we going to do Max?” she asked.
“I think need to dial our affections back during the day" he explained.
“Ok” said.
Beth didn’t really like the idea, but he if still wanted to be with her then
she would make that sacrifice.
“So we just keep pretending we are friends during the day and at night….?” she
asked.
“Well at night is when we have our fun” he answered.
Beth giggled and her face lit up, that part of the plan sounded perfect and she
couldn’t wait.
“Hmm sounds good” she said.
“Yeah?” he asked.
“Really good” she replied and the both laughed.
Beth tried to practice her shooting some more but she was too excited to focus
and her shots kept missing. Max just seemed amused and suggested they call it
and pick it up the next day.
Beth agreed and they made their way to the armoury to return her pistol and the
remaining ammo. Max began to stow their gear away, promising to catch up with
her later and Beth decided to take a shower.
When she had showered and changed, she was walking to her cell and saw Carl
with Judith in his arms.
“Hey Beth” Carl greeted her.
“Hey Carl, how is she today?” Beth asked and tickled Judith’s stomach.
“She’s ok, a bit fussy though” Carl replied, looking a little tired.
“Did you want me to watch her?” Beth asked.
“Um yeah sure I actually need to help my dad” he replied.
Beth took Judith from Carl and he went to search for Rick. Judith cooed happily
in Beth’s arm and she just laughed at the little Grimes.
Beth watched Judith in her cell while she relaxed and wrote an entry in her
diary, smiling to herself as she wrote down her morning dream in vivid detail.
It when it grew dark, Beth carried Judith into the mess as everyone gathered
for dinner. She deposited Judith in Ricks lap and joined Max and her family at
their table.
Beth sat next to Max as usual and smiled brightly at everyone. Dinner was
served and conversation was flowing at the table and around the room but Beth
was barely listening to what everyone was saying.
She felt Max press something into her lap and realised it was a scrap of paper.
She quickly unfolded it to read the words: library, after dinner. Beth
scrunched up the note and nodded quickly before anyone noticed but she caught a
smile from Maggie and blushed.
When dinner was finished was cleared away, Beth couldn’t hold in her excitement
so she excused herself and made her way up to the library to wait.
The moonlit room was empty, people rarely used the library at night and she
hoped it stayed that way. Beth didn’t have to wait long and heard footsteps,
turning to see Max enter the room.
He walked over to her and pulled her into a deep kiss that left her breathless
and wanting more.
“Mmm that was nice” she giggled.
“Been waiting to do that all day” he said.
“Me too” she said back.
Beth quickly pulled him to one of the couches where she straddled him and began
to kiss him hungrily. She sighed happily as moved his mouth her neck and felt
his hands roam across her body. His hands burned against her skin and she felt
herself begin to dampen.
Max began to slid his hand up her stomach, inching towards her breasts but she
stopped him, she had another idea
“Do you want to see them again?” she asked and he nodded
She carefully unbutton her blouse while he watched and let it hang open to
reveal her naked breasts. Max smiled lustfully, reaching out to cup one of them
and Beth moaned softly as her nipples hardened under his touch.
“Oh Max” she whispered.
“So beautiful” he said softly as he continued to caress her breasts.
“You really do like them don’t you” Beth asked.
“I do Beth, I really do” he replied and Beth smiled lovingly at him.
Beth could tell Max was as now just as turned on as she was, feeling his
erection pressing into her. She rubbed her crotch over it, eliciting a groan
and she smiled in delight.
“Want me to take of this for you Max?” she asked.
Before he could answer, she slid back on his knees so she could undo his pants
and free his cock. Beth giggled as it sprang free and wrapped her hand gently
around it.
“Fuck Beth” Max hissed and closed his eyes.
Beth was amazed how hard and soft it was at the same time and began to stroke
her hand up and down his thick shaft.
“Mmm so big Max” she whispered.
“Yeah?” he asked with a grin.
“Oh yes” she replied.
Beth didn’t really have anything to compare to, she had only seen pictures on
the internet during sleepovers when she was back in school but she didn’t need
those to know he was big and once again wondered how he was going to feel
inside her.
“Fuck that feels good Beth” Max moaned.
Beth just grinned and gripped her hand a little tighter around his cock as he
lay back and watched her work.
Beth locked eyes with him as she stroked him and soon felt his cock twitch in
her hand. He let out another groan and cum ruptured from his tip, hitting her
chest.
“Shit sorry Beth” he said.
Beth didn’t mind one bit and wiped the cum off with a handkerchief pulled from
her pocket.
“Wow Beth that was great” Max said as he tucked himself back into his pants.
“Glad you liked it” Beth said
“Oh hell yes I did and now I’m going to return the favour” he grinned.
Beth slipped off his lap and lay herself on the couch next to him. There was
not a lot of space on the couch but Max lay next to her and began to caress her
breasts again.
It felt really good but it wasn’t where she wanted his hand and placed hers
over it to guided it down her body.
“This what you want?” Max asked as he unzipped her jeans and plunged his hand
inside.
Beth gasped with delight as his fingers slipped into the front of her panties
and he began to rub softly.
“So wet” he murmured and she let out a giggle, remembering he had said that in
her dream.
She was about to tell him about it but he eased his fingers inside her and her
mind went blank. She looked up at him lustfully and crushed his lips to hers as
he began to work his magic.
Beth began to tremble as Max slid his fingers inside her, his fingers felt
amazing and it wouldn’t be long before he brought her to the edge.
“Oh Max feels sooo good” she whispered between moans.
Max increased his speed, twisting his fingers and pressing his thumb against
her clit. The pleasure pulsing through her became too much and her orgasm
exploded through her.
Beth smiled and closed her eyes as she basked in her afterglow, letting her
breathing return to normal. She felt Max pull his fingers from her and begin to
gently kiss her neck.
“Still with me Beth?” she heard him ask.
She opened her eyes and grinned at him, pulling his lips back hers and kissed
him passionately
“I’ll take that as a yes” he said and she giggled.
Beth smiled as Max held her in his arms and sighed blissfully. She felt so
happy and not just because Max had just given her an orgasm but because she was
so deeply in love with him and it felt so good be be held by him.
“I love you Max” she blurted out before she could stop herself.
Beth looked up at him and waited for him to respond, fearing the worst. His
face was unreadable for a second then a bright smile spread across it.
“I love you too Beth” he said.
“You do?” she asked.
“Beth you are the best thing that has ever happened to me and I would be crazy
not to love you” he replied.
Beth’s heart sang and if she was happy just before now she was ecstatic.
“You really mean that?” she asked, feeling her eyes mist up.
“Yes, I love everything about you” he replied.
“Oh Max” she cried and kissed him again.
She settled back into his arms and could have lay there all night but she was
going to have to leave at some point.
“All right I should probably go” she said reluctantly after a while.
“Ok Beth” he said.
She gave him a long parting kiss and and longing look before leaving him. She
hummed softly as she made her way back to the cell block and couldn’t stop
smiling. Max loved her, he was in love with her, he loved her, the words
tumbling through her head, making her want to sing.
She reached her cell without running into anyone and slipped inside. As she
sleep took her, it was filled with dreams of Max again but this time they were
dreams of a life she could have with him and hoped they would come true…
***** Chapter 55 *****
Max smiled at Beth as she hit the target once again and felt a little pride.
The last couple of days since they had started her weapon training had been a
success and Beth had gotten quite adept at using her pistol.
“I’m getting good at this” she said a little smugly.
“That you are” Max agreed.
“Pretty soon I won’t need you at all” she said teasingly, her eyes sparkling.
“Is that so miss Greene?” Max growled.
“Yep” she said failing miserably to keep the smile off her face.
Max just grinned back at her and she let out a little giggle. Beth seemed to
enjoy teasing him and Max had to admit he liked being at the blonde’s mercy,
only making him love her more.
Their little plan to hide their relationship had worked well so far, the two of
them had managed to get together every night and it turned out there was plenty
of private places they could use without being discovered.
They hadn't had sex yet, Beth hadn't brought it up and Max didn’t want to push
her. He wanted their first time together to be special, he didn’t want it to be
some quick fuck, pressed up against a wall or even on the couch in the library.
But that didn’t mean he didn’t think about it, every time they were together he
craved to know what it would feel like to slide his cock into her, to make Beth
his completely and hoped the right moment and place would present itself soon.
“What you thinking about?” Beth asked, pulling him from his thoughts.
“Nothing” he assured her.
“Hmm ok” she said.
They continued on with the training until Bob and Sasha came in to use the
room. A majority of the group had begun to use the room regularly, so much that
sessions had to be scheduled and now Bob and Sasha were there for theirs.
Max and Beth left the two to their own training and made their way to the mess
for a late afternoon snack. They grabbed a table with their food and were
joined by Maggie.
“Hey guys how was training today?”she asked.
“Not bad” Beth answered, giving Max a smile.
They talked happily as they ate their food until Beth excused herself to go
take care of Judith.
Beth had begun minding Judith more, Max thought she might have some
apprehension looking after the Grimes girl after everything with Rick but she
seemed happy to do it.
“So how is she really doing?” Maggie asked when Beth had gone.
“She’s doing great” Max told her.
“Enough to keep her alive if it comes to it?” she asked.
Max didn’t answer and averted his gaze.
“Max?” Maggie pressed and Max looked back to her.
“Look she is doing great in the range but she’s only been practising on static
targets I’m not so sure how she going to fare against moving ones” he
explained.
“So she needs some practical training, is that what you’re saying” Maggie
asked.
“Yeah something like that” Max replied.
“What do you suggest?” she asked.
“Not sure, I haven’t given it much thought yet” Max said with a sigh.
“What if she comes along on the run tomorrow?” Maggie asked and Max looked at
her, surprised she of all people would suggest it.
“You think that’s a good idea?” Max asked.
He could think of plenty of reasons why Beth shouldn’t go, anything could
happen, as it often did and Max couldn’t put her in that kind of danger.
“It’s a risk yes but like you said she needs to practice what she has learnt
and better she do it now than being thrown in the deep end” she explained.
Max knew she was right, Beth did need the experience and he would sleep better
knowing she would be able to take care of herself when the time came.
“You think your dad will agree?” Max asked.
“Probably not, but if we both make a solid argument we should be able to
convince him” Maggie replied.
They decided to plead their case to Hershel and found him in his usual spot
tending to the garden.
“Hi daddy” Maggie said as they reached him.
“Well hello dear, hello Max” he said warmly.
“Listen daddy we need to talk to you about something” said Maggie.
“Of course what is it?” he asked, standing up and brushing the dirt off his
hands.
“Listen we were thinking it might a good idea for Beth to join the run
tomorrow” Maggie said
A concerned look crossed the man’s face and Max fully expected him to flat out
refuse.
“Do you think she is ready?” Hershel asked softly, looking at Max.
“Well there is no way to be completely sure but yeah I think she is ready” Max
assured him.
Hershel nodded but still looked unsure and Max gathered he was going to need
more convincing.
“Look Hershel I know the risk is great but I think it would be beneficial for
Beth to come along” Max explained
“And she’ll be with us the whole time, I won’t let anything happen to her”
Maggie promised her father.
“Well if you two think it’s for the best then she can go but only if Beth
agrees” Hershel said
“Of course” promised Max.
“And only this one, I don’t want her thinking she is going on regular runs” he
added.
“Yeah no worries” Max agreed.
Max left Maggie and Hershel in the garden and went to tell Beth the news. He
wanted to be the one to tell her, hoping she wouldn’t say no. He found her
sitting on her bunk bed with Judith, who was happily playing with a toy duck.
Beth was busy painting her nails looking like a normal teenage girl, so
innocent and happy.
“Hey” Beth said as she noticed him standing at her door.
“Hey” he said in return.
“What’s up?” she asked, giving him a smile.
He didn’t enter and just lent against the cell door as began to explain why he
was there.
“Yeah listen Maggie and I think you should come on the run tomorrow” he said.
Her smile disappeared and she gave him a look of disbelief, surprised by his
words.
“Really?” she asked.
“Yeah we talked it over and we think you’re ready” he replied.
“Daddy won’t let me go though” she said sadly
“I already spoke to your dad and he’s ok with the idea but its up to you if you
want to go” he explained.
“Do you really think I’m ready?” she asked nervously.
“I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t think you weren't” he assured and Beth smiled
brightly at him.
“You tell her?” asked a voice and Maggie appeared beside him.
“Yeah I did” He replied.
“So what do you think Beth, want to come along tomorrow?” Maggie asked.
Beth looked from him to Maggie and then nodded.
“Yeah I want to go” she said firmly.
Max left Maggie and Beth to talk about the run and went to make sure the
Bushmaster and the other run vehicles were fuelled and ready to go for the next
day.
When he finished checking and refuelling the last vehicle it was time for
dinner and made his way into the mess. He took his seat next to Beth and the
food was soon served.
“So Max asked you about going on the run tomorrow?” Hershel asked Beth.
“Yes he did” she replied.
“And do you want to go?” Hershel asked her.
“I do” she said firmly.
“Well all right then” said Hershel.
Beth gave everyone at the table a bright smile but Max could see the
nervousness behind it and he reached under the table and gave her knee a
comforting squeeze. She placed her hand over his and squeezed it back, giving
him a thankful smile.
The group finished up their dinner and it was cleared away. People drifted soon
off to bed, especially the run crew, wanting a good nights rest and Maggie
suggested Beth do the same. Beth gave Max a knowing look, most likely wanting
to know if they were going to meet up and he gave her a quick shake of the
head. Beth looked disappointed but didn’t make a fuss and retired to her cell.
Max soon followed suit and climbed into his bed.
A few hours later he was woken to the sound of someone creeping into his cell
and bolted upright to see the silhouette of Beth.
“Beth?” he whispered
“Shh” she whispered back.
“Beth what are you doing?” he asked as she climbed into the bed next to him.
“I couldn’t sleep and I wanted to see you” she whispered.
He knew he should just tell her to go but her body pressed up against his
changed his mind.
“Still nervous about tomorrow?” he asked as she placed her head on his chest.
“A little” she admitted.
“You going to be fine Beth”
“I know, you keep telling me that but I keep thinking the worst” she whispered.
“Beth I can’t promise nothing will happen but what I can promise is that I’ll
be by your side to keep you safe” he assured her.
Max heard her sigh happily and knew his words had relaxed her considerably. She
began to stroke his chest gently and Max really wished he could just let her
stay the night but unfortunately he couldn’t.
“Beth you have to go” he said gently.
“Do I have to?” she asked.
“Beth I would love for you to stay but you gotta go ok” he pressed.
“Ok” she said sadly
He could hear the disappointment her voice but she got off the bed without any
more complaint.
“I’ll see you in the morning Max” she whispered from the door.
“Yes you will, bright and early” he whispered back and then she was gone.
When he woke again it was morning and quickly dressed before gathering his
weapons and gear and heading into the mess
The run crew ate their breakfast and then gathered up their gear to meet round
the run vehicles. Max was doing last minute checks on the Bushmaster when Beth
walked up, ready to go.
“All set?” he asked and Beth gave him a nervous smile, nodding,
“Got your pistol?” he asked.
“Yep” she said, touching the pistol on her hip.
“Spare clips?” he asked
“Right here” she said and showed the pouches holding her extra clips.
“Excellent and your knife?” he asked.
Beth patted the the combat knife in its sheath opposite her pistol.
“Well then looks like you’re all ready to go” Max said with a satisfied smile.
The others all walked up with their own gear and began to get into the
vehicles. Max saw Beth hesitate as she watched everyone get into their chosen
vehicles and he opened the passenger door of the Bushmaster.
“You’re riding shotgun” he said to her.
A grateful smile appeared on her face and she climbed in. Max closed the door
once she was safely inside and was about to climb into the drivers side when
Hershel walked up.
“Bring Beth back to me safely” he asked softly.
“I will Hershel” Max promised.
“I know you will Max, I want you to know I trust you with my daughter” Hershel
said.
Max wasn’t sure how to respond but as he tried it come up something Hershel
just nodded at him and walked off.
Max was a little stunned by Hershel words, wondering exactly what the man meant
but he couldn’t dwell on them and pushed them to the back of his mind before
climbing into the Bushmaster. Max fired up the engine and began following the
lead vehicle down towards the gates. He turned to Beth as they waited for the
gates to open, she still looked nervous and Max needed to give her the
opportunity back out.
“Last chance Beth” he said.
“Huh?” she asked.
“Last chance to if you don’t want to go” he replied.
“No, I want to go” she assured.
“Ok good”
Max smiled at her but as he drove through the opening gates he hoped his
decision to bring her along wouldn’t end in disaster…
***** Chapter 56 *****
Beth was bubbling with nervous energy as the run crew powered down the empty
road. She watched the scenery flash by and once again hoped nothing bad would
happen.
She had been extremely surprised when she had found out she would be joining
the run, not expecting that her father would have let her go at all but here
she was sitting next to Max as they travelled to their destination.
They were heading to large mall a few hours drive away that Michonne had come
across while on her never ending hunt for the governor. She hadn’t explored the
mall, needing more people and so now Beth and the others were going to see what
it had to offer.
Beth looked over at Max, who was looking intently through the wind shield as he
drove. He must have sensed her gaze and turned to her.
“All good?” he asked.
“Yeah” she replied with a smile.
“How are our passengers?” he asked.
She looked into the back where Maggie, Glenn, Sasha and Tyreese were sitting.
The rest of the run group was split between the other vehicle ahead of them.
Maggie gave her a smile which Beth quickly returned.
“All good” she answered, turning back to Max.
“Excellent” he said.
“Is it always this quiet on a run?” Beth asked curiously, noting the lack of
conversation.
“Ehh yeah kinda, everyone just stays focused on the job” he replied.
It sounded depressing but Beth knew the runs weren’t a fun trip to the store
for supplies, every time the run crew left the safety of the prison they were
risking their lives.
“Bit gloomy huh?” Max asked.
“A little yeah” Beth admitted.
“Hmm how bout we change that” he suggested.
He began rummaging through compartments in the dash until he found what he was
looking for, pulling out a battered ipod.
“wanna put some music on?” he asked.
“Oh um I don’t know” Beth said softly.
“It’s going to be a long drive and it’ll go quicker with some music” he
insisted.
Beth smiled, convinced and decided music might be nice. It had been ages since
she had heard music in any form and took the device from him.
Max plugged it into the vehicles sound system and she began to scroll through
the music playlists, finally settling on one appropriately labelled ‘road trip
songs’ and pressed play.
Tom Cochrane’s ‘Life is a highway’ began to play through the speakers, Beth
knew the song well and was one of Maggie favourites. Beth twisted in her seat
and looked back again at Maggie and they smiled brightly at each other.
“Nice choice” Max said.
“Yeah?” Beth asked.
“Yeah, it’s a great song” he replied.
Max began singing badly on purpose and Beth couldn’t help but laugh. She joined
in and he stopped his terrible singing to let her sing out the rest of the
song.
The music made the drive better and even though Beth felt a little strange
singing out loud to the songs she knew with the others in the vehicle, no one
told her to stop and she felt a lot more calmer and optimistic about the day.
The group reached the mall by late morning and drove through the empty car park
to reach the building. Beth stared up at it as Max brought the Bushmaster to a
stop and felt a little apprehension creep in again.
Everyone got out of the vehicles and cautiously looked around for any sign of
danger but nothing was alerted to their presence, alive or dead. Beth stepped
down from the bushmaster and she was assaulted by a strong breeze and shivered
in the cold air.
“Looks like a storm is brewing” said Max as he handed her a small hiking pack.
.
As she put on the pack and looked where Max was looking, she saw dark clouds on
the horizon and was an ominous sight.
“Looks bad” said Glenn.
Everyone else also looked in the storms direction and there was a muttering of
concern. Beth noticed Rick didn’t seem that fazed by the storm and as he saw
her looking at him, Beth got a strong impression he was more bothered by her
being on the run. Beth began to feel a little uncomfortable under his gaze but
met it, not wanting to give him any reason or satisfaction to doubt her.
Maggie then came up beside her and Rick looked way, clearing his throat to get
the groups attention.
“Ok everyone, lets find a way inside” he suggested.
They walked up to the main entrance and Beth looked up at a large tattered
banner hanging over it with the words ‘Grand opening this saturday’.
“Guess that never happened” Beth said quietly.
“Guess not” Max agreed.
The main doors were locked tight behind steel security shutters and with no way
to get through them, the group had to find another way in.
They made their way down the side of the building, finding every entrance
locked with same shutters and continued searching until came to a large loading
dock. The large roller shutters that were used to receive deliveries were were
secured as well but Daryl pointed out a normal door next to the loading dock.
It too was locked tight but after a short search, Tyreese found a crow bar in
one of the abandoned trucks and he and Rick wrenched open the door. They
entered and found themselves in darkness. Beth didn’t have a flash light so she
stayed close to Max, who had one attached to his rifle and placed her hand on
his arm so she wouldn’t stumble over anything.
Max and the others played their flash light beams around, revealing a small
break room that had most likely been used by the people who worked the loading
dock. They passed through the room and out onto the dock.
Beth’s eyes adjusted to the darkness and saw the dock was filled with boxes of
goods. The group looked at the boxes but found nothing of real use and they
moved on.
Daryl and Bob found a corridor leading to the main part of the mall and the
group followed it until they came out onto the ground floor of the mall and
back into sunlight, which was streaming down from the large glass roof above.
The group paused as they all looked around the empty mall. It was pristine and
untouched, with all the stores ready and waiting to open their doors and
receive customers.
“It doesn’t look like anyone has been here” said Beth.
“That maybe so but keep alert” said Rick curtly.
They fanned out and began peering into windows and up at the other floor. It
was all a little surreal to Beth as she looked in the windows of the stores,
with all their wares out on display and wondered if there would be a day when
the mall would ever be used again.
The group continued exploring until they reached a set of escalators and Rick
decided to split the group up to cover more ground.
“Ok Beth you come with me and Daryl, Bob and Michonne, we’ll take the bottom
floor and the rest take the second floor”Rick suggested.
Beth flashed a look at Max and Maggie, she didn’t want to speak up but she
didn’t want to be away from Max and Maggie and she certainly didn’t want to be
forced search the mall with Rick.
“Beth stays with me” said Maggie firmly and Beth gave her a thankful look.
“Ok fine” Rick said.
Rick and his half of the group started to explore the ground floor and Beth and
the rest began climbing the escalators to the second floor.
The empty building was eerily silent, the only sound was the sound of their
footsteps and Beth felt a shiver run down her spine.
“You ok?” Max asked.
She nodded and then gave him a small smile.
“All good, it’s just kinda creepy in here” she replied.
“Yeah it is a bit, like the whole place is just waiting for people” Max said.
“I was thinking that as well” she said.
As they walked side by side, Beth imagined that they could be like a normal
couple, spending an afternoon hanging out and wished she could slip her hand
into his.
They came across a large food court and Max and Beth stood guard while the
others searched the food outlets for any thing to scavenge.
“So what would you go for?” Max asked.
“Huh?” she asked, confused.
“If this back in the day before anything had happened, what would you have
chosen to eat?” he asked.
“Oh um depends on what I was in the mood for” she replied.
“Ok say lets say you and me are hanging out and we are getting lunch” he
suggested.
“Like a date?” she asked teasingly, smiling brightly at him.
“Like a date” he repeated.
Beth giggled then blushed and took another look at all the options she could
have chosen from.
“Hmm well then, maybe a burger and a milkshake” she said.
“Nice” he said, grinning.
“Yeah?, you don’t think it’s a little cliché?’ she asked.
“Nah of course not, I love a good burger and milkshake” he replied.
They both laughed and Beth imagined their fantasy date, eating in a crowded
mall and enjoying each others company.
The image made Beth smile and she sat on one of the tables, beckoning him in
and inviting him to kiss her. He grinned at her and leant in to kiss her
gently. Beth let out a satisfied sigh and didn’t mind that the spare rifle
magazines on his vest were poking her.
He ran his fingers gently through her hair and Beth wished they could they
could do more but the others could return at any time and reluctantly pushed
him away.
Max gave her an understanding look but there was a hunger in his eyes and Beth
blushed, imagining what he was thinking. She was about to ask him but heard the
sound of footsteps and voices and Maggie and the others returned carrying
boxes.
As they reached Beth and Max, she could see the boxes contained various foods
and drinks. Maggie opened one of the boxes and threw Beth a bag of corn chips.
She open it and grabbed a handful of chips. They were past their use by date
but still tasted good and offered the bag to Max. Maggie and the others had
found the mother load and they all began tearing into boxes, grabbing packets
of food with glee.
They sat down with their snacks and Glenn handed out cans of soda. Beth opened
her can and took a sip. It was warm and flat but she didn’t care and drank the
contents happily.
Everyone else was enjoying their drinks as well and Beth watched Max gulped
down his before slamming down the empty can and burping loudly.
“Eww gross Max” Beth scolded.
“Sorry, my bad” he said and everyone laughed.
“This is so good” said Glenn as open a second packet of corn chips.
Beth giggled, Maggie just gave him a disapproving look and he put the packet
down with a bashful look.
When their little feast was over, they stuffed what they could in their packs
before leaving the rest and they continued exploring. As the others walked
ahead, Maggie sidled along side Beth, giving her a little smile.
“So how are things going with Max?” she asked quietly.
She and Maggie hadn’t talked about Max in a couple of days and now was a good
time as any for a sisterly chat.
“Good, really good” Beth answered smiling happily.
“Have you two had sex yet?” Maggie asked.
“Maggie!” said Beth in a hushed voice, throwing a look at Max.
“What I’m curious, can’t I know about my sister’s love life?” she asked.
“No, I don’t ask you about yours” Beth replied.
“Ok fair enough but come on Beth” Maggie pressed.
Maggie gave her a pleading look and Beth knew Maggie would only wear her down.
Beth sighed, glancing at Max once more before answering.
“No not yet” Beth replied, blushing.
“He isn’t pressuring you is he?” Maggie asked.
There was no accusation in her voice, only sisterly concern.
“No, we are still taking things slow” Beth answered.
“Do you want to have sex with him?” Maggie asked gently.
“Yeah, I do” she answered, blushing again.
The two of them giggled loudly, causing the others to pause and look back at
them.
“What so funny ladies?” Max asked.
“None of your business” Maggie replied.
Beth gave him a teasing smile and he turned back to his conversation with
Sasha.
They came across a lingerie store and Maggie, Beth and Sasha all gave each
other grins as they peered through the window.
“What do you say ladies, shall we do some shopping?” Sasha suggested.
“Well I don’t know about you but I’m all stocked on bras and panties so I think
I’m gonna check out that sporting store” said Max, pointing to a store
opposite.
Beth giggled and Maggie and Sasha just snorted, shaking their heads. While he
and the guys checked out the sporting store, the girls explored the lingerie
store.
“Bout time I got some new underwear” said Sasha with a smile as they perused
the racks.
“Looking to impress someone Sasha?” Maggie teased.
Sasha didn’t answer but Beth saw her smile, Beth and Maggie looked at each and
laughed.
“Haha you two, what about you Maggie?, need to spice it up a bit with Glenn”
Sasha asked.
The three of them laughed and continued to look around the store and grabbing
appropriate underwear for the rest of the group.
Beth paused in front of a blue lace and satin baby-doll with matching panties,
smiling to herself as she ran her hand over the fabric.
“You should get it” whispered Maggie, coming up behind her.
“Oh I don’t know” Beth said, blushing.
“Max will love it Beth” Maggie assured.
“Yeah?, you think so?” Beth asked, unsure.
“Of course” Maggie replied.
Before Beth could say anything, Maggie took one baby-dolls off the rack and
shoved it in Beth’s pack.
“You two set?” Sasha asked as she came up to them.
“Yeah” said Beth and Maggie together.
The three of them then met up with the boys and continued on.
“Find anything good?” Beth asked Max as they walked side by side.
“Yeah some hunting knives and some bolts for Daryl” he replied.
He opened his pack and showed her a bundle of multi coloured crossbow bolts.
“How bout you, find anything nice?” he asked.
“Maybe” she teased.
Max raised his eyebrow in response and she giggled, giving him a bright smile.
“Oh really?” he questioned.
“You’ll just have to find out” she teased.
Max didn’t press her further and Beth just kept giving him playful looks as
they walked.
They suddenly heard footsteps coming from around a corner. Max whipped up his
rifle, and held out his hand for them to stop. As the others aimed their
weapons, Beth fumbled at her pistol, drawing it from it’s holster.
With their weapons drawn, Max gave them all a look to get ready. The footsteps
got closer and closer and then Rick and the others appeared, finding themselves
at gun point.
“Whoa, don’t shoot” said Rick, holding up his hands.
The two groups quickly lowered their weapons and smiled at each other
“How did you guys go?” Rick asked.
Maggie told him what they had found but thankfully leaving out the stop at the
lingerie store. Rick informed them that’s his group had come across a large
supermarket, completely untouched.
The reunited group made their way downstairs to the aforementioned supermarket.
There was no light in the store but the others had already gathered every flash
light they could find and soon Beth and Max were pushing a shopping cart down
an aisle and throwing things into it. They quickly filled it and met everyone
else back at the entrance.
“We can’t take this all back can we?” Beth asked, looking at all overflowing
carts.
“Maybe we can use one of those delivery trucks?” suggested Sasha.
Everyone agreed and she and Daryl went to see if any of the trucks worked. When
they returned they had concerned looks on their faces.
“What’s wrong?” Rick asked.
“Well we found keys to one of the trucks and it works but it’s about the storm,
it’s just about on us and it looks bad” Sasha replied.
The group exchanged looks and began to discuss what to do.
“Ok how bout we take what we got and come back tomorrow” said Rick.
“It’s bad Rick, I don’t think we should risk it” said Sasha.
Beth silently agreed with her and from the look on Max’s face, he did too.
“We have no idea how long the storm will last, we should head back” suggested
Rick.
“It’s gonna get dangerous out there Rick, I think we should wait here till it
passes” Max reasoned.
After some debate the group decided to head back to the prison despite Max’s
misgivings and they began to wheel their carts back to the loading dock.
As they walked back into the main part of the mall, it was dark and everyone
looked up to see the glass roof filled with dark clouds. There was a flash of
lightning and Beth jumped at the following thunder.
She gave Max a concerned look, trying her best not to look to rattled. He threw
her a reassuring look but saw a hint of anger in his eyes, obviously not liking
the idea of driving back in the storm.
They made their way back to the loading dock and Beth saw that Daryl and Sasha
had opened one of the roller shutters and parked the delivery truck up against
the dock.
A fierce wind was blowing into the dock and Beth shivered, wishing she had
grabbed a jacket. The group began loading up the truck and Sasha and Tyreese
offered to drive it back to the prison.
By the time they had finished loading, the storm was well and truly upon them
and was now raining heavily.
The group had to run back to the run vehicles and Beth was instantly soaked
through. She shivered as the cold water chilled her to the core and climbed
quickly into the bushmaster, almost slipping on the footstep.
Max started up the engine, making sure everyone was seated and took the rear of
their little convoy. He still looked angry and Beth heard him muttering curses
as he ground through the gears.
A little down the road, the rain became torrential and they could barely see
the road in front of them.
“This is fucking stupid” said Max angrily as he peered through the window.
Beth was beginning to loose her calm a bit more and gave Max a frightened look
but he was too focused on driving.
“We’re going to need to find some shelter or stop until this fucking storm
passes” said Max.
“We can’t make back home?” Beth asked, panic evident in her voice
“No, this storm is getting worse by the minute” he replied.
“So what are we going to do?” she asked.
She looked back at Maggie and Glenn and they had the same grave expressions on
their faces, agreeing with Max.
There was no where to stop so they kept driving, following the dim tail lights
ahead of them. They entered a forested section of the highway and Beth could
see the large trees on the side of the road swaying dangerously in the wind.
Beth wondered if the Bushmaster could survive being hit by one of them and
adjusted her seatbelt nervously.
They continued down the road, Beth’s heart began to beat faster as the wind
pounded the trees around them and then her fears became a reality.
One of the swaying trees suddenly crashed heavily to the ground right in front
of them, narrowly missing the vehicle in front of them. Beth let out a scream,
Max jammed on the brakes and Bushmaster skidded on the wet road, slamming into
the fallen tree.
“Oh my god” yelled Beth, glad she was wearing her seatbelt.
“Everyone ok?” Max asked, looking around.
“Yeah we’re ok back here” said Glenn.
“Beth?” Max asked her.
“Yeah I’m all right” she said.
She wasn’t though, she was cold and scared, wanting to be somewhere safe and
out of the storm.
“Ok I’m making the call, we are getting out of this storm now” said Max.
He threw the Bushmaster into reverse and wrenched it out of the tree before
quickly turning the vehicle around and heading back the way they came.
Beth fretted as they sped down the road, hoping no other trees fell and wrapped
her arms around her as she shivered for the umpteenth time.
Beth then began to worry they wouldn’t find any shelter, thinking they might
have to wait out the storm in the Bushmaster but she saw a mailbox on the side
of the road and a driveway leading off.
“Max look” she said, grabbing Max’s arm.
Max slammed on the brakes and looked where she was pointing.
“There could be a house” she suggested.
Max nodded and they began driving up the muddy road until a large farmhouse
came into view.
“Fucking A” said Max and gave her a smile.
He pulled the bushmaster to a stop in front of the house and they all looked at
it.
“Ok we’ll stay here and meet up with the others when it’s safe” suggested Max.
Beth couldn’t agree more and they jumped out into the storm. The tiny bit of
drying she had gotten was stripped away as the rain soaked her completely again
and she ran to the relative safety of the porch.
“Anyone here?” Max yelled loudly as he banged his rifle against the front door.
Max and Glenn aimed their weapons and Max tried the handle, finding the door
unlocked. The four of them burst into the house and Max slammed the door behind
them.
The house was dark, smelled a little mouldy and made groaning noises as it
weathered the storm but it was dry and safe.
“Ok lets make sure we are not alone” said Max.
Glenn started to climb the stairs, Maggie headed to the kitchen, Max to the
lounge room Beth headed to the dining room.
She pushed open the door and froze as she saw three walkers in the room. They
turned as they noticed her and stumbled towards her. Beth drew her pistol and
fired on the first one, hitting it in the temple and dropping it. She fired on
the second but she only got it in the throat and it grabbed her, forcing her to
the ground.
Beth screamed as it fell on top of her, it’s teeth snapping at her throat but
she didn’t panic and quickly shot it through the head, spraying blood on her
face.
She aimed the pistol at the third walker before it could fall on her too but a
shot rang out and it collapsed to the floor. Beth pushed the dead walker she
had killed off her and Max rushed up her, his rifle in hand.
“You ok?” he asked, deep concern in his voice.
“Yeah I’m all right” she assured him.
“Not bit?” he asked, brushing his hand across her face.
“No it didn’t get me, it’s not my blood” she assured him.
“What happened” asked Maggie as she appeared and saw the dead walkers.
“Beth found the former inhabitants, took two of them down as well” Max
answered.
“You all right Beth?” Maggie asked.
Beth just nodded but she was definitely shook up.
“Let’s get you cleaned up” said Maggie softly.
They found a bathroom and Beth went in, insisting Maggie stay outside. Beth
wiped the blood from her face with a towel and looked at herself in the mirror.
She was still trembling, mostly from her wet clothes but also from the
adrenaline of the past hour.
“Beth can I come in?” she heard Max ask though the door.
She reached for the door handle and let him in. She gave him a weak smile and
he returned it.
“You sure you’re ok?” he asked.
She nodded and he wrapped her arms around her. She pressed her cheek to his
chest, not caring that his shirt was soaking wet as well. He felt so warm
despite his wet clothes and she didn’t want to let go
“Come on lets get you warmed up” he said gently.
“Ok” she agreed.
He lead her back to the lounge room and proceeded to light a fire in the
fireplace. If Beth wasn’t so cold and exhausted she would have been impressed
how quickly and well he made it and promised to tell him later.
Soon the room was filled with sound of a crackling fire and Beth sighed happily
as it began to radiate heat.
“I found some clothes guys” announced Maggie, coming into the room with an
armful of clothes.
Beth looked at what she had found, choosing a pair sweatpants and a hoddie. She
took the clothes back into the bathroom and stripped out of her wet clothes.
She towelled off her body and pulled the dry clothes on. They smelt a little
musty and she wished she had dry underwear as well but she was happy out of her
wet clothes.
She returned to the lounge room to find the fire now roaring and a freshly
changed Max, placing another log on it.
“Hey” she said.
“Hey there” he said, giving her a warm smile.
The front door suddenly flew open and Glenn stumbled back in, carrying their
packs in his hands.
“I got our packs guys” he said loudly as he closed the door again, with a huge
grin on his face.
“My hero, come on big man lets get you changed” said Maggie, laughing.
“Yes mam” said Glenn.
The two of them disappeared, Beth flashed Max a look and they both laughed. She
walked over to him and sat next to him on the couch.
“You did well today and not just with those walkers but the whole day” he said,
taking her hand.
“Yeah?” she asked, a little unsure.
“Of course, you did good today Beth” he replied.
She was about to lean over and kiss him but stopped and jumped back when she
heard voices and Glenn and Maggie returned. Beth gave Max a frustrated look and
he gave her a sympathetic one in return.
Beth couldn’t be mad at him, it wasn’t his fault and she gave him a small
smile. Her frustration was with Glenn and wished he wasn’t here with them. It
was a horrible thought and Beth felt bad but she just wanted to wrap herself in
Max. Beth considered talking to Maggie about telling Glenn but there was no way
of knowing how he would react and just pushed the thought away.
The storm continued to rage outside and Beth was grateful to be safe inside the
house but still jumped every time as thunder rocked the house. She pulled her
knees up to her chest as she gazed at the fire, fascinated by the dancing
shapes the flames made and loved the way the fire warmed her completely.
Soon night began to fall and with no end in sight for the storm, the four
decided to stay the night. Beth felt a little uneasy staying the night in a
strange house but she walked upstairs to pick a room.
It didn’t really matter what room she chose but as she looked in the second
one, she had a strange wave of familiarly. It instantly reminded her of her
room back on the farm and smiled. She put her pack on the bed and went to look
out the window, looking out at the almost pitch black world. Rain pelted
against the glass, she saw another bolt of lightning streak across the sky and
jumped as the thunder rocked the house.
Beth jumped again as Max suddenly came up behind her and wrapped his arms
around her.
“Max, you scared me” she scolded.
“Sorry couldn’t resist” he said.
Beth just smiled at him and let him hold her tightly, looking back out the
window.
“Do you think the others will be ok?” she asked.
“Yeah they’ll be just fine Beth, I’m sure they would have gotten to some
shelter like us” he assured and Beth nodded.
“You going to sleep here tonight?” he asked, looking at her pack.
“Yeah, where are you sleeping?” she asked.
Beth realised what she had just asked and blushed as Max gave her a teasing
smile.
“Haven’t decided yet” he answered
“Oh?” she asked.
Max just smiled again and Beth giggled loudly. Her imagination ran wild as she
pictured her and Max in the same bed, his lips on hers as he ran his hands over
her body and made her his.
“Beth?” she heard him ask
She looked up at him to see him staring back at her with a amused smile on her
face and she blushed again.
“W-we um should go see what the others are doing” she stammered.
“Ok miss Greene lead the way” he said, still amused.
They walked downstairs and found Glenn and Maggie in the kitchen.
“Oh hey you two, we should probably think about something for dinner” said
Maggie.
Beth nodded and she and Maggie decided to see what they could rustle up. They
scoured the kitchen cupboards and found several tins of chicken noodle soup
that were still good. While Maggie poured the soup into a saucepan, Beth lit
the gas stove, thankful there was still gas to use.
As the soup heated up and Beth stirred it, she looked into the lounge room and
locked eyes with Max, who smiled back at her. Beth grinned at the man she
loved, bit her lip and turned her attention to Maggie, who was cleaning bowls
and spoons for them to use.
“Maggie what was your first time like?” she asked Maggie in a low voice.
She glanced at the lounge room and she gave Beth a little smile.
“Been thinking about you and Max have you?” she asked.
“Yeah” Beth answered, telling what had happened upstairs and Maggie gave her
another smile.
“Well my first time was with Ben Driscoll, remember him?” she asked.
Of course Beth remembered Ben, he had been one of Maggie’s boyfriends in high
school and Beth had liked him the best out of Maggie’s ex boyfriends.
“It was the night of the senior prom and Ben and I decided to have sex after
the dance” Maggie explained.
“How was it?” Beth asked.
“It was ok, Ben was sweet but it was awkward for both of us and it didn’t last
long” she replied.
“Oh” Beth said softly and looked down.
“But that doesn’t mean it will be for you, we both had no idea what we were
doing and I’m certain Max doesn’t have that problem” Maggie assured her.
“No but I won’t know what to expect or do” Beth said.
Maggie gave her a warm smile and lay her hand softly on Beth’s shoulder.
“Don’t think too much about it Beth, when it happens, it happens and when it
does it’s going to be great” Maggie assured her.
Her words resonated deeply with Beth and she gave Maggie a bright smile.
The chicken noodle soup began to boil and Beth dished it out into the bowls
while Maggie placed the spoons on the small kitchen table.
“Dinners up boys” called Maggie.
Max and Glenn came into the kitchen and sat at the table. Beth passed them each
a bowl and then took her seat next to Max.
“Tastes great” said Max as he ate a spoonful.
“Oh it was nothing, I opened the cans and poured the soup into a saucepan” said
Maggie.
“And I lit the stove and stirred the soup” said Beth with a giggle
“Well you’ve outdone yourselves ladies” Max said and they all laughed.
They were all starving and and quickly smashed down their dinner.
“Wished we had some dessert” said Beth wistfully as she pushed her empty bowl
away.
“Like some ice cream” suggested Max
“Mmm yeah or maybe cupcakes” said Beth.
“Cupcakes?” Max asked.
“Yeah I really like cupcakes” Beth answered.
“Oh she does, she used to make them all the time” said Maggie, proudly.
Beth smiled at Maggie and thought back to the times in the kitchen back on the
farm, mixing the cupcake ingredients, watching them bake, smearing the icing on
and then being overjoyed when she presented them to the family.
Max and Glenn offered to clear away everything and then the four of them sat in
the lounge room, relaxing in front of the roaring fire.
Maggie looked under the coffee table and then began to pull boxes from it.
“Any one up for a board game?” she suggested.
Beth glanced at Max and he gave her a ‘sure why not?’ look and she turned back
to Maggie and nodded.
They decided on a fun trivial game and set it up on the coffee table. They
split up in teams, Beth and Max against Maggie and Glenn. Max and Beth went
first and he picked up the first question card.
“What is the name of Peter Pan’s flying companion?” he asked, reading the card.
“Oh Tinkerbell” she said quickly.
“Correct” he said, sounding impressed.
“Of course you would know that” said Maggie.
They all looked at her and she gave Beth a smile, causing her to blush.
“Beth audition for the school play and that play was Peter Pan” Maggie
explained.
“Hey that’s awesome, what part were you going for?” said Max.
“Tinkerbell” she answered and blushed again as they all laughed good naturedly.
“Tinkerbell huh?, bet you would have made a great Tinkerbell” said Max.
Beth gave him a bright smile and desperately wanted to kiss him.
They continued on with the game, everyone shouting out answers they knew
excitedly and one could think it was a normal family game night on a normal
night.
It got late but Beth had no intention of going to bed, she wanted to spend as
much time with Max as possible, hopefully alone. She began throwing looks at
Maggie and she finally got the hint.
“Ok babe time for bed” she said to Glenn, patting his knee.
He grumbled in protest but got to his feet. He looked at Max and Beth like he
expected them to turn in as well.
“Don’t look at me mate, it ain’t my bed time” said Max with a laugh.
“Come on Mr Rhee” Maggie said, giving him a prod.
Glenn started to walk off and Maggie followed him, pausing to smile at the two
of them.
“Well goodnight guys” she said
“Goodnight” said Beth, trying her best to keep the excitement out of her voice.
Maggie gave Beth one last longing look and walked off after Glenn. Beth and Max
stared at each other as they waited for what felt like forever to make sure
Maggie and Glenn were safely upstairs.
“Come here miss Greene” Max growled.
Beth practically flung herself into him and crushed her lips to his, letting
out a satisfied moan.
“I thought they would never leave” Beth whispered.
Max smiled and kissed her gently, running his hands through her hair. There was
no urge to get hot and heavy, both just seemed to want to enjoy each others
company first.
Beth then snuggled into him, he wrapped his arm around her and they both smiled
happily at each other before turning their attention to the fire
“So did you really audition for Tinkerbell?” he asked her.
“Yeah I really did” she replied.
“Why Tinkerbell?” he asked.
“I liked the idea of playing a fairy” she replied.
“Well I think you would have made a cute fairy” he said.
Beth smiled, the comment was a little cheesy but coming from Max it sounded so
sweet.
“So fairy or mermaid?” he then asked.
“Huh?” she asked, confused.
“I know you like mermaids and now I know you like fairies, so what would you
chose to be?” he asked.
“Oh um if I really had to choose, probably mermaid” she answered.
“Yeah?, swimming away in the ocean” he said.
“Yeah just like Ariel” she agreed with a giggle
“Well Ariel did have it going on, being a princess and with that sexy red hair
and that shell bikini of hers” he said.
“Yeah, you liked her shell bikini?” she asked teasingly.
“Yeah I did and I think you would look really good in a shell bikini as well”
he said with a smile.
“Yeah you think so?, well you did offer to take me to the beach, so maybe you
just might one day ” she said.
He smiled at her and she saw his eyes wander over her chest and wondered if he
was imagining her clad in a shell bikini like Ariel’s. Beth noticed the lust in
his eyes and she felt the same, she wanted him, and to give herself to him.
She bit her lip and looked him directly in the eyes and took a deep breath as
the question she wanted to ask formed in her head.
“Max um do you want to sleep in my room tonight, with me I mean?” she asked,
trying not to sound so nervous.
The question hung in the air and Beth studied his face as she waited for his
answer.
“Are you sure?” he asked softly.
“Yes Max, will you make love to me tonight?” she answered firmly.
Max gave her a warm smile and cupped her face gently, brushing his thumb across
her cheek.
“Yes Beth I will make love to you” he promised.
Beth felt herself blush and she stared into his eyes, seeing nothing but love
there and knew deep in her heart she was making the right decision.
“Do you want go upstairs then?” she asked with a nervous smile and he nodded
“I just need to check if everything is secure, you go and I’ll be right up” he
said gently.
Beth nodded, she gave him another nervous look then made her way quickly up the
stairs and into the bedroom. She lit some candles and smiled as the room became
bathed in their warm romantic light, setting the mood.
Beth quickly stripped off her borrowed clothes and then pulled the baby-doll
and panties from her pack, slipping them on her body. Beth examined herself in
the mirror as she let her hair down, satisfied with how she looked and hoped
Max would like it too.
A little spark of fear rose in her as she realised she was about to lose her
virginity and her heart began racing but she calmed herself, yes she was about
to lose her virginity but she was giving it to a man she loved, who loved her
back.
She took another deep breath and then smiled with delight as she heard Max
knock softly on the door..
***** Chapter 57 *****
Max never would have guessed the day unfolding the way it did when they had set
out that morning. He had been quite impressed with how Beth handled everything,
the mall, the storm fiasco and even more so when she had taken down the two
walkers.
Max had been more than annoyed with Rick’s decision to drive back through the
storm and was going to make sure Rick got an earful when he saw the man next.
He would have been far more annoyed if they hadn’t come across the farmhouse.
The Bushmaster would have provided adequate protection but the farmhouse had
been great for moral and the four of them actually had a pleasant evening
despite the storm outside. So pleasant in fact that now Max and Beth were about
to take that next step in their relationship…
The storm was still raging as Max checked all the doors and windows were locked
and secure. He highly doubted anyone alive or dead would come across the house
but he was going to make sure they would be safe regardless.
Once he was certain all the doors were secure and made sure the dwindling fire
wouldn’t burn the house down during the night, he began to climb the stairs to
the room Beth had chosen. His knocked softly and heard Beth say to come in.
As he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. He saw Beth was
standing by the bed, lighting a candle and the sight of her took his breath
away.
She was wearing a little blue satin and lace lingerie dress, her hair was
cascading down over her shoulders and she looked simply stunning.
“Wow” was all he could say.
Beth turned to face him and he saw her blush in the candle light and give him a
little smile.
“Yeah?, you like it?” she asked, uncertainty nervousness in her voice.
“You look amazing Beth” he assured her.
A brighter smile filled her face, she giggled softly and then did a little spin
before turning back to face him.
Time seemed to slow down as they stared at each other until another thunder
clap shook the house and they both laughed as the spell was broken.
“Well are going to stand over there all night?” she asked.
Max grinned and walked over to the bed, laying his rifle against the bed frame
before unsnapping his gun belt, placing it and his pistol on the bedside table
Beth slid onto the bed and gave him a seductive look, patting the mattress
beside her. She looked so innocent and sexy at the same time but that slight
nervousness was still evident on her face and Max had to make sure she was
really ready for this.
“Beth I need to know if you really want this” he asked softly.
Beth gave him a smile and took his hand in hers, pulling him down next to her.
“Yes Max I want this, I really do” she assured him.
“Well all right then” he said with a smile and she giggled.
Max knew has going to need to be careful and have to take things slow, this
wasn’t something to be rushed, this was her night and it was all about her.
Max lay her gently back on the bed and began to kiss her softly. Beth kissed
him back and moaned as he pushed his tongue into her mouth. Their kissing
heated up and Beth tugged at his shirt, trying her best to pull it off him.
He broke away and quickly ripped his shirt off. Beth’s eyes sparkled as she ran
her hand over his bare chest, tracing her fingers down one of his scars.
“You’re going to have to tell me how you got some of these” she said.
“Well I’m afraid how I got some of these is still highly classified” he said
with a grin.
“Oh really?” she asked teasingly.
“Yeah, but I guess I can make an exception” he said.
Beth giggled and continued to run her hand down his stomach and paused as she
reached his pants. She looked up at him innocently and bit her lip, needing to
urged on.
“Go ahead Beth” he said.
She unzipped him and smiled with delight as his cock sprang free. Beth pulled
his pants off and Max groaned as she wrapped her fingers around him. He looked
at her with lust as she held his hardening manhood and she gazed back at him.
“Do you want me suck you Max?” she asked softly.
Her eyes were wide and nervous and as much as Max wanted to feel Beth’s lips
wrapped around his cock, he didn’t think she knew exactly what she was
offering.
“Not tonight Beth” he said.
“but I want to make you feel good” she said.
“Beth trust me, you’re making me feel good, we don’t need to do that tonight”
he assured her.
Her expression was a mixture of relived and disappointment but then she smiled.
“So you’ll teach me how to suck you?” she asked and Max chuckled.
“Will I teach you how to suck my cock?, yeah I think we can manage that” he
replied.
Beth giggled loudly, liking the idea and then pulled him back down on the bed
so she could kiss him.
Their kissing heated up again as they became lost in the moment and Max ran his
hands over her body.
Beth moaned softly in his ear as he began to kiss her neck and took one of his
hands and placed it on her breast. Max palmed it and rubbed her nipple through
the slippery material of her dress.
“Oh Max” she whispered.
She looked so fucking good in the dress but it had to come off. He took the hem
in his fingers and gently slid the dress up her body. Beth lifted her arms and
let him pull it off completely.
Beth smiled up at him as she lay in just her little panties and he gazed
lustfully at her soft small breasts. Before she could say anything, he lowered
his head and took one of them in his mouth, running his tongue around her
nipple.
“Mm that feels nice” she said.
As he hungrily sucked on her nipple, she put her hand on the back of his head
and stroked it through his hair. He switched his attention to her other breast
and she let out another soft moan from her lips.
“Like this?” he asked.
“Oh yes Max I like it all so much” she replied.
He could have suckled her breasts all night but there were other more important
areas that needed his attention. He drifted his hand down her stomach to rub
the front of her drenched panties and she let out a moan. She smiled lustfully
at him and then spread her legs further.
“Take them off” she whispered.
Max didn’t wait to be asked again, he hooked his fingers into the waistband of
her panties and gently eased down her thighs and past her ankles.
A completely naked Beth now lay before him and he took a moment to drink in the
sight as she opened her thighs wider, displaying her beautiful perfect pussy
for him. It glisten with her juices and begged to be tended to with his fingers
and tongue.
“So beautiful” he whispered in awe.
“Touch me Max, please I need you to touch me” she begged.
Max chuckled and brushed his thumb gently across her dripping mound. He spread
her with his fingers and revealed her bright pink insides. He needed to taste
her and lowered his head between her thighs
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Trust me, you’ll like this” he assured.
Max put his mouth on her pussy and she jumped, letting out a gasp.
“Oh my god” she whimpered.
Max began to lick gently over her slick folds, she tasted divine and Max was
going to go down on her every chance he got. He looked up at her and she was
watching him, her eyes wide. He grinned and continued to lap, sliding his
tongue inside her.
Beth lay her head back, she put one hand on his head, the other gripped the
sheets beside her and she began to moan softly.
“Oh Max, oh yes, please don’t stop” she whispered.
“Told ya you’ll enjoy this” Max said with a chuckle.
“Mmm yes oh soo good” she moaned.
Max continued his oral assault, lapping up the juices flowing from her and was
spurred on by the sounds she was making.
She was getting closer and closer to her first orgasm of the night and focused
on her clit to bring her off more quickly.
It did the trick, her legs clamped around his head, her body arched up and her
orgasm crashed through her. Beth fell back to the bed and Max pried his head
from her thighs.
“Oh wow Max that was amazing” she said with awe as she lay panting.
“Glad you liked it” he said with a grin as he loomed over her again.
“Liked it? oh god I loved it” she said.
She grabbed him, pulled him down towards her and kissed his mouth hungrily,
licking at her juices on his chin.
As they kissed, Max felt her hand travel down and he hissed as she wrapped it
around his cock. She smiled with delight when he groaned as she squeezed it
gently.
Her hand on him again felt amazing but he need more, he needed to be inside
her. He looked at her and she nodded, wanting the same thing.
“I’m ready Max” she said.
Max knew he wasn’t going to get a better invitation than that. He better
positioned himself and pressed his cock against her. He gently rubbed his shaft
across her wet entrance, ensuring it was coated in her juices and eased
slightly inside.
“Ow” she whimpered and Max felt her tense up.
“Sorry Beth this may hurt a little but I promise it will pass” he said.
Beth looked at him with wide eyes and nodded for him to continue. He thrust
into her and she let out a sharp gasp and her eyes misted with tears.
Max hated to cause her any pain and lent down to kiss her softly as he slid his
hand down and rubbed his thumb on her clit to ease her discomfort. It soothed
her considerably, her face and body relaxed and he eased further in.
Beth let out a little whimper as her teen pussy stretched to accommodate him,
she had the tightest pussy he had ever had the pleasure of being inside of and
Max groaned as it began to grip his cock.
“Oh Max you feel so big inside me” she whispered.
Max could only smile, he was only about three quarters in and gently eased the
last of his length inside her. He paused as he bottomed and let her get use to
him.
“You ok Beth?” he asked.
Her eyes were still wide and misty but she nodded, urging him on. Max eased her
legs wider and began to move with slow, shallow thrusts, paying close attention
to her responses.
Beth’s little whimpers soon turned to soft moans of pleasure and he knew the
pain was gone.
“Good now?” he asked.
“Oh yes oh it feels so strange, I feel so full and so good all at the same
time” she replied.
Max just grinned at her as she looked up at him with a mixture of love and lust
and Max almost couldn’t believe he was making love to the beautiful teenager.
She ran her hands over his chest and he started to thrust harder and deeper.
Beth moaned loudly and dug her fingernails into his side as she took his entire
length. Max barely noticed, far more focused on the pleasure.
“Oh Max oh you feel so good inside me” Beth moaned.
“You’re so fuckin tight Beth” he grunted.
Her pussy was like a wet velvet vice and Max groaned as it clench around him .
He wasn’t going to last much longer, the pleasure of fucking this goddess was
almost too much but he was going to make sure she came before he did. He began
to fuck her with swift strong strokes and Beth’s body responded accordingly,
bucking her hips in time as he thrust deeply into her.
Beth’s moans began to get louder, her breaths became more rapid, she had her
eyes closed and Max could sense she was getting close.
“Oh god, oh yes oh don’t stop oh I’m going to cum Max ” she moaned loudly.
Max could feel his own familiar build up and knew he was reaching his limit as
well.
“Fuck, me too” he said.
Max knew he should pull out, a pregnant Beth wasn’t exactly an option but he
couldn’t bring himself to, wanting nothing more than to finish inside her.
“Oh god Max oh oh yes oh I’m cumming” she shouted, her body shaking as her
biggest orgasm yet rocked through her. Max groaned just as loud as her gushing
pussy spasmed around him and he exploded, flooding her to the brim.
He collapsed against her as they rode out their respective climaxes. Beth
kissed his neck and stroked his back as they held each other.
“I’m yours now Max” she whispered happily.
“Yes you are” Max agreed, giving her a soft kiss.
They lay together, not moving, just staring into each others eyes before Max
reluctantly slipped his drooping cock from her, watching his cum spill from her
now deflowered pussy.
“Sorry I probably shouldn’t have done that” he said, now remorseful.
“It’s all right Max. I wanted you to ” she replied.
“Yeah?” he asked.
“Yeah, it felt really nice” she replied and giggled.
Max laughed as well and kissed her before rolling off her and laying on the bed
beside her.
“Oh my god I can’t believe we just had sex” she said.
“Believe it Beth” he assured.
She gave a little giggle and was suddenly back to her normal shy innocent self.
“Was I ok?” she asked, nervous concern in her voice.
“Huh?” Max replied, not understanding the question and she blushed, averting
her eyes
“you know, was I um, good?” she asked.
“Oh god Beth you were amazing” he assured her.
“You really mean that?” she asked.
“Of course I do Beth” he assured.
Her face relaxed and was filled with a bright smile.
“So you’ll want to do this again?” she asked, running her fingers across his
chest.
“Oh I think we’ll be doing this a lot miss Greene” he replied with a chuckle.
“Mmm can’t wait” she said happily and giggled again.
They lay naked on the bed as they gazed happily at each other and just listened
in silence to the rain pelting against the window. Max had almost forgotten
about the storm outside and didn’t want to be anywhere else in the world but
lying next to Beth.
Sleep beckoned both of them and Max heard Beth yawn and then she snuggled into
him, pressing her warm body tightly against him.
“I love you so much Max” she whispered happily.
“I love you too Beth Greene” he said back, giving her a kiss.
He pulled one of the discarded sheets over them, gave her one last kiss
goodnight and and they soon both drifted off in each others arms.
Max woke to sunlight streaming through the cracks in the curtains, the storm
had past some time in the night and now all was calm. He pulled the sheet
covering them and took a moment to gaze at the still naked teen beauty sleeping
at his side.
His eyes wandered over her body, enthralled by the way the warm morning sun
made her skin and hair seem to glow. He shifted his arm to brush some hair from
her face and her eyes fluttered open.
“Morning” she said, smiling and made no attempt to cover up.
“Morning” Max replied.
“Enjoying the view?” she asked, giggling
“Can you blame me?” he growled giving her a soft kiss.
“I guess not” she replied with another giggle.
They lay staring at each other with their fingers entwined, neither wanted to
move but they heard a loud cough and they suddenly both realised the precarious
situation they were in.
They leapt of the bed and quickly got dressed, Beth couldn’t help laughing at
him as Max danced around putting his boots on.
They crept down the stairs and were relieved to find Maggie and Glenn hadn’t
got up yet. Max’s stomach grumbled and Beth giggled as she heard it.
“Hungry?” she asked teasingly.
“A little yeah, might need some breakfast” he suggested.
“Hmm thought you skipped breakfast” she teased.
“Well after what we did last night I’ve got a bit of an appetite” he said with
a grin and Beth giggled again.
They then heard Maggie and Glenn’s voices and footsteps on the stairs, soon
appearing in the kitchen.
“Morning” said Beth brightly.
“Morning, sleep ok?” Maggie asked with an amused smile, her eyes shifting
between Max and Beth.
“Yeah not bad” said Max causally and Beth nodded.
“How bout you?” Beth asked.
“Good, despite the storm and it was amazing to sleep in a proper bed again”
Maggie answered.
Max couldn’t have agreed more and it was far more amazing to share a proper bed
with a beautiful teenage girl.
The girls checked on the clothes they had left in front of the fire, finding
them now dry and they all changed back into their own clothes
“What have we got for breakfast?” Glenn asked when they met back at the
kitchen.
“Not sure all we have is what we got from the food court” said Maggie.
“Junk food for breakfast?” said Beth, making a face.
“Fraid so” replied Maggie.
After a very unhealthily breakfast, the four of them ventured outside. Huge
puddles of water covered the yard and there was debris and rubbish strewn
everywhere.
“We should probably try and find the others and head back” suggested Glenn.
They all agreed and Max and Glenn walked over to check the Bushmaster for any
damage. Max could see nothing wrong but as he walked to the front of the
vehicle he saw branch was lodged in the front grill of the Bushmaster from when
they had crashed into the tree.
“What do you think they’re talking about?” Glenn asked curiously, looking back
at Beth and Maggie.
Max looked over to where they were were sitting on the pouch, deep in
conversation with bright smiles on their faces. He knew exactly what the Greene
sisters were talking about but he wasn’t about to let Glenn in on the secret.
“No idea mate, give us a hand with this branch” replied Max, deflecting the
question.
Max was concerned it had pierced the radiator but after he and Glenn pulled the
branch out, there was no damage done.
“Ok looks like are good to go” said Max.
“All right we should get going” suggested Glenn.
The four of them headed back inside to collect their things and they were then
on the road and heading back to the prison, hoping they would find the others
along the way.
They soon came to the fallen tree from the night before and used the
Bushmasters winch to pull it back far enough to drive around it. Several more
downed trees across the road along the way caused them some delay, having to
stop each time to move them.
As they came around a bend in the road, Max spotted yet another tree fallen
ahead but this one had crushed a vehicle.
“Oh my god Max” said Beth.
It was the delivery truck Tyreese and Sasha had commandeered from the mall and
was now stopped in the middle of the road with a fallen tree smashed through
it.
Max stopped, they all got out and ran up to the truck. The vehicle was empty
and the tree had missed the cab by a foot, severing the truck almost in half.
“You think they are alright?” Beth asked worriedly.
Both doors were open and Max couldn’t see any signs of blood so he guessed
Tyreese and Sasha had gotten out alive.
“I’d say they are fine” he assured Beth.
They salvaged what they could from the truck and continued on, finding no other
evidence of the other half of the group.
Beth seemed a little tense as they drove on, probably wondering what had
happened to the others and Max knew he needed to ease her mind.
He pulled out the ipod again and waved it suggestively in front of Beth. Her
face lit up and she took it from him. Beth looked through the music like the
day before but instead of choosing something she passed the ipod back to him.
“You put something on” she said.
“Yeah?” he asked.
“Yes I wanna know what you like to listen to” she said.
“Ok and what if I like Russian folk music or K-pop?” Max asked jokingly.
Beth rolled her eyes and and shook her head before laughing.
“I’m being serious Max” she pleaded.
Max took the ipod from her and while keeping one eye on the road, he began
looking through the music.
It wasn’t his ipod so he wasn’t exactly sure was on it, except for the songs
they had listen to the day before. It had belonged to one of his team mates
back at the embassy and had the same taste in music as he did. He scrolled
through the music and he chose a band he thought she might know and like. He
pressed play and Beth eyes and face lit up as Snow Patrol’s ‘Just say yes’
began to play.
“Oh I love this song” she said, giving him a smile.
She began to sing, looking over at him with pure joy on her face and Max
couldn’t help but smile at her as the lyrics spilled from her in her beautiful
voice.
The song ended sooner than Max would have liked and he scrambled to choose
another. He couldn’t keep finding single songs so he decided on a playlist of
assorted hits from the decades.
The Eagles ‘Hotel California’ came on first and Max smiled. It was a favourite
of his and knew all of the words but that didn’t mean he was going to sing them
just yet.
He looked over at Beth, she didn’t look like she knew the song but seemed to
enjoy it.
“Do you know the words Max?” Beth asked, teasingly.
Max turned to her and realised he must have been mouthing the words and
chuckled.
“Maybe” he replied.
“Sing” she said.
“Maybe next time” he promised, hoping she wouldn’t ask him again.
Beth seemed a little disappointed but she smiled brightly at him and let the
song play out.
They continued to listen to the playlist as they drove down the road,
thankfully empty of any obstacles or threats and Max found himself glancing
longer and longer at Beth.
The songs she knew and liked brought new life to Max as he watched her close
her eyes and either hum or sang along to the music and Max couldn’t help but be
hopelessly in love with her.
Max knew their relationship had changed now, sex always did and he would have
to figure out how best to go forward when they got back to the prison.
Being with Beth now and in that farmhouse, being separated from the rest of the
group and away from the prison was like being in a bubble and when they
returned that bubble would burst.
He knew he was going to need to tell Hershel about the relationship sooner now
despite what the man would do. It wasn’t that he wanted to have sex with Beth
again it was more than that, he didn’t want to hide any more and he didn’t want
Beth to have to either.
“Max?” said Beth, pulling from his thoughts.
He tuned to see her looking at him with concern.
“You alright?” she asked.
“Yeah I’m good” lied.
“Ok” she said.
He wished he could tell her what he was thinking but with Glenn in the vehicle
that was impossible and would have to discuss it with her later and pushed it
all to the back of his mind.
They found no evidence of the other half of the group as the drove on which
either meant they had taken other route or they stayed on course and had made
it back safely.
They reached familiar territory and Max knew they were close to the prison. He
looked at Beth and she had a concerned look on her face. She was no longer
enjoying the music and Max tuned it down slightly. She looked at him as he did
and gave him a little smile but it was a nervous one and Max wondered what she
was thinking.
The prison soon came into view and as the drove through the main gates, they
surveyed the damage the storm had wrecked on their home.
It had done a number on the prison, parts of perimeter fence was bent at a
slight angle, not enough to cause any immediate danger but enough that it would
have to be repaired. The outside cooking area’s roof had been demolished and
Hershel’s garden was almost destroyed.
Max parked the Bushmaster and as they stepped down they were greeted by Hershel
and several others and to Max and the others relief, Rick and Tyreese.
“Well there you all are, we were beginning to worry” said Hershel as Beth and
Maggie rushed into his arms.
Drawn by the sound of Max and his groups arrival, the other half of the run
group came out into the courtyard. They all looked exhausted but gave warm
smiles.
“Was wondering where you four got to” said Michonne, giving Maggie a hug.
“Yeah almost got hit by a tree, so we turned around and found a house to ride
out the storm” said Maggie.
Rick then explained what happened to him and the others, after Tyreese and
Sasha had almost been crushed, the group took shelter in a roadside gas
station, forced to spend the night trapped in the building and had travelled
back to the prison in the early morning.
Max felt an anger grow in him as Rick talked, even though everyone had survived
the night and the storm, they shouldn’t have been put in the situation in the
first place.
Rick must have noticed and gave him a sheepish look and pulled Max aside to
talk privately.
“Look you were right yesterday, we shouldn’t have gone out in the storm” he
said softly.
“Damm straight we shouldn’t have, you could have gotten everyone killed Rick”
said Max curtly.
Rick raised an eyebrow at Max’s tone, probably expecting his apology to make up
for his mistake but Max wasn’t going to forgive so easily.
“Ok I so made a bad decision” said Rick admittedly.
“No Rick you made a colossally bad decision” Max growled.
A scowl crossed Rick face and Max saw his jaw clench. The others now drawn by
the heating argument stepped closer.
“Ok guys let’s just cool it” said Maggie gently stepping between the two men.
Max and Rick glowered at each other, Max wanted to tear Rick a new one but he
saw Beth’s frightened face and calmed down. He wasn’t done with Rick but for
the good of the group, he held out his hand. Rick reluctantly took it and the
two of them shook.
“So we good?” Maggie asked, sounding like a teacher scolding two schoolboys.
“Yeah we’re good” said Max and Rick nodded.
“Good” said Maggie.
Rick walked off and the rest of the crowded drifted off away, leaving Max,
Hershel and Beth together.
“So how about you tell me all about your run” said Hershel to Beth.
Max saw Beth blush and her eyes darted to him before she turned back to her
father.
“Oh nothing special happened” said Beth, sounding guilty
“Well I want to know everything, you two Max” said Hershel
At that moment Max wanted to be anywhere else but he followed Hershel and Beth
inside.
As they sat in the mess Beth told her father what had happened, the mall, the
storm and the farmhouse. Max saw Hershel’s face light up when Beth described
the house and gathered it must have been similar to the Greene household. His
face darkened though when Beth told him of the walkers but was impressed she
had taken out two of them by herself.
Beth skilfully left out the most important parts of the story for obvious
reasons. Hershel didn’t seem to detect his daughter was lying to him and just
seemed grateful his daughters had gotten back safely.
“Well sounds like you had an eventful run” he said.
“Yeah you could say that” Max said in return and they laughed.
Beth and Hershel began talking about the similarities of the farmhouse and Max
wished he could have seen where Beth had grown up. Max then heard Beth’s
stomach grumble and she glanced at him and blushed, both remembering the moment
in the kitchen that morning.
“Hungry” Max asked.
“Yeah a little” she admitted.
Beth got up to find them some food and Hershel gave Max a warm smile.
“Thank you for keeping your promise Max” he said gently.
Max felt his face heat up but he managed to keep his composure and gave the man
a humble look.
“Well it wasn’t all me, Glenn and Maggie were there as well” Max said.
“You know what I mean Max, you kept Beth safe and brought her back to me”
Hershel said.
“Just doing what anybody here would do” Max said softly.
“That maybe true but I know you have never failed to protect her Max and I’m
glad to have a man like you in my daughters life, any father would be” Hershel
said warmly.
Hershel's words cut him to the core and Max just stared at him as he tried to
decipher his words. Did he mean as friends or did he mean more?, was there a
blessing there or was the man just grateful?.
Max wanted to tell him everything then and there, he wanted to tell him he was
in love with his daughter and would protect Beth for the rest of his life. The
words formed in his mind, he wanted to say them but had to stop himself, it
just wasn’t the time.
Max saw Hershel raise an eyebrow and Max knew he was going to need to say
something soon but was saved but Beth returning with two bowls of food.
“I didn’t know if you were hungry daddy, but I can make you something if you
like” she said as she sat down.
“No I’m ok, I just ate and besides with Glenn back we must have council meeting
to discuss repairs”
“Ok daddy” said Beth.
Hershel stood up and clasped Max shoulder gently before he left. Beth smiled at
Max and he managed to smile back. His head was in a turmoil but he didn’t want
Beth to catch on and for the second time that day, pushed the problem to the
back of his mind.
“Food ok?” Beth asked.
She had opened some tinned fruit, a simple meal but it was far more satisfying
than the breakfast of corn chips that they had that morning.
“Yeah perfect” he said, giving her a smile.
They then heard the a sound of laughing and Max and Beth turned to see the
children came into the mess. Carol was with them and smiled when she saw Max
and Beth.
“Oh hey you guys are back” exclaimed Mika.
She rushed up to them with an excited expression on her face.
“Hey Mika” said Beth
“Did you guys get caught in the storm as well?, it was crazy here I thought we
were going to blow away” said Mika excitedly.
Max and Beth and looked at each other with amused smiles and Mika launched into
an energised story of what happen during the storm at the prison.
“Wow Mika sounds scary” said Beth.
“Yeah it was, were you out in the storm?” Mika asked.
“No we found a house” Beth replied.
“Oh good” said Mika, sounding relived.
“Mika don’t bother them, let them be” ordered Carol from across the room.
“Ok Carol, sorry guys” said Mika, now bashful.
“It’s all right Mika, go now, we’ll talk later” Beth promised.
The girl smiled happily and went to join the others. Max and Beth finished off
their food and cleared away their bowls and utensils.
“So what now?” she asked.
There was the subtlest hint of a teasing smile on her lips and look of
hopefulness on her face. He knew exactly what she wanted to do and so did he
but Hershel's words pounded through his head and knew they couldn’t.
“Ahh how bout we bring in the stuff we salvaged from the truck” he suggested.
She looked disappointed with his answer but then an understanding look replaced
it and they walked outside to the Bushmaster.
Bob and Tyreese looking over the damage outside offered to help and the soon
had all the saved food stored the mess.
Max knew Beth wanted to spend the rest of the day with him and was about to
suggest they spend a few hours in the firing range when Karen appeared. It was
Beth’s group to cook dinner that night and Karen wanted to get started early.
While Beth helped Karen with dinner, Max retired to his cell. As he lay on his
bunk he imagined what would be like with Beth beside him and wondered if that
day would ever happen.
The rest of the afternoon went quickly and as night fell, Max returned to the
mess for dinner. Beth and the dinner crew served up and then took her seat
beside Max.
She pressed her leg up against his and held it there, smiling brightly at him
when he glanced at her. He knew it was risky especially in her fathers company
but he slipped his hand down and caressed up and down her thigh. No one noticed
what he was doing and Beth revealed nothing, expect to squeak a little as he
fingers brushed up against her crotch.
Max reluctantly pulled his hand from between her thigh and continued eating
dinner like nothing had happened, joining in the conversations.
Dinner was cleared away and everyone began to retire to bed, wanting a better
nights sleep after the night before. Beth still had her leg up against his and
flashed him a little smile. Max thought he may have sent the wrong idea during
dinner but Beth stood up and excused herself.
“Goodnight everyone” she said to the table
“Goodnight Bethie” said Hershel.
Beth flashed Max one last look and headed off to her cell. Max soon followed,
excusing himself as well.
He sat down on his bunk and was about to pull off his boots when Beth quickly
ducked into his cell.
“Geeze Beth” said Max surprised but happy to see her.
“Shh” she whispered.
“Beth you..” he began
“I know I’m not staying I just needed to kiss you goodnight” she explained,
cutting him off.
She leant down, cupped his face and placed a soft kiss on his lips. Max wanted
to grab her and spend another night together but that would have to wait.
“Good night Max I’ll be thinking about you in my bunk” she said teasingly and
Max almost groaned as he realised what she meant.
Before he could respond, she giggled softly and was gone. Max smiled to himself
as he lay back in his bunk and knew the coming days were going to be very
interesting…
***** Chapter 58 *****
Beth grinned to herself as she woke and was filled with an excited happiness.
She wanted to seek Max out as soon as possible and spend the entire day with
him.
She felt different now, somehow older now that she had lost her virginity and
smiled again as the night in the farmhouse played through her head. Beth had
already written everything down in vivid detail in her diary but she was never
going to forget the best night of her life and wondered when she and Max would
have sex again, hoping it would be soon
It was going to be a hot day so she slipped on a tank top that showed a hint of
midriff and a small pair of shorts, which would keep her cool but also show off
her legs.
She walked into the mess and smiled happily when she saw Max sitting by
himself. She fixed herself some breakfast and joined him, smiling good morning
to the others in the room.
“Morning ” she said to Max as she sat down, flashing him a bright smile.
“Morning Tinkerbell” he said teasingly.
Beth giggled, giving him another another smile and wondered if that was his new
nickname for her now. She slid herself closer to him, pressing her leg against
his and hoped he would touch her again like he had the night before.
“Get a good sleep?” she asked.
“Yeah pretty good actually, how bout you?” he replied.
“Yeah real good” she answered.
She flashed him another teasing smile and tapped her knee against his leg
suggestively. Max got the hint and slipped his hand down, placing it on her
bare leg. Beth bit her lip and almost moaned as he gave her thigh a quick
squeeze.
“So did you think of me last night?’ he asked softly.
Beth blushed, quickly looking around before nodding and his grin got bigger.
Beth smiled back at him and wanted tell him exactly how she had ‘thought’ of
him the night before.
“So what are we going to do today?” she asked, keeping things causal.
A brief teasing smile flashed across his face and she mirrored it.
“Hmm not sure, how bout we’ll continue on with your training?” he suggested.
“What kind of training?” Beth asked, innocently.
Max just grinned at her and she giggled loudly. Several people in the room
looked over at them, she blushed again and looked down at her bowl. She looked
up again to see her father walk in and gave him a smile as made his way to the
table.
“Morning daddy” Beth said to him as he sat down.
“Well good morning you two” he said warmly.
Beth reluctantly slid away from Max and hoped her father wouldn’t notice. He
didn’t seem to sense anything and began to eat his breakfast. Maggie and Glenn
soon joined the table and Beth smiled happily at Maggie as they sat down.
“So what are we doing today daddy?” Maggie asked, between bites of food.
“We need to begin repairs to the prison as soon as possible, everybody is going
to need to help” replied their father.
Beth’s mood damped slightly, she had hoped to get some time with Max but the
prison would have to come first.
“What needs to be done daddy?” she asked.
“We need to fix the fence, repair the garden, clear all the rubbish and rebuild
the outdoor kitchen” he replied.
“No worries, what to you want to start on first?” Max asked.
“Well we should get the fence repaired first, Rick has offered to start on
that, why don’t you help him?” Hershel suggested.
Beth sensed Max tense up at the mention of Ricks name and then Maggie whispered
something in their fathers ear. Beth picked up the words ‘Max’, ‘Rick’ and
‘tension’, guessing Maggie was referring to what had happen the day before and
Beth wondered if things between Max and Rick might escalate.
“Hmm yes ok ahh Max how good are you with a hammer?” her father then asked.
“Yeah pretty good, I’ve hammered a few nails in my lifetime” Max answered.
“Good, then would you be able to fix the outdoor kitchen?” he suggested.
“No worries” said Max.
“What about me daddy?” Beth asked, wanting a job and hoped he would suggest she
help Max.
“Why don’t you help Maggie and I in the garden?” he replied.
Beth was admittedly disappointed with the answer but nodded. They all finished
off their breakfast and headed outside to attend to their newly assigned
duties. Beth gave Max a fleeting look and then followed Maggie and their father
to the garden.
They passed Michonne and Karen who were leading Flame out into the field to
graze. The horse looked a little skittish but seemed happy to be outside.
“How is he today?” Hershel asked as he stoked the horse’s nose.
“He’s still recovering from the storm but I’ll think he’s going to be just
fine” Karen answered.
Beth patted Flame’s flank and smiled when he let out a loud snort. She
considered taking him for a ride, even if it was just round the field and filed
that thought away for another time.
Maggie and Beth and their father continued to the garden and surveyed the
damage done by the storm.
“Wow it’s a mess” said Beth.
“Yeah we have some work to do” agreed her father.
He instructed them where to start first and they got to work. They were soon
joined by several others including Karen, who took a spot beside Beth and
Maggie, giving them a warm smile.
Beth grinned back, realising she hadn’t talked to the woman in a while and
probably wanted to know what was happening between her and Max.
“So ladies how are we today?” asked Karen as they worked.
“Yeah really good” Beth answered.
They continued on with their work and Beth looked over to where Max was
working. He was carrying a tool box to the demolished remains of the outdoor
kitchen and Beth paused to watch him. He, Glenn, Tyreese and some others had
already cleared away the broken timber and were beginning the rebuild of the
roof.
Beth bit her lip and sighed softly as she watched Max, wishing she could walk
over to watch him up close.
“Careful Beth you’re staring” said a voice in her ear, making her jump.
She turned to see Maggie smirking at her and she blushed.
“Was I that obvious?” she asked softly.
Maggie laughed and Beth just stared at her.
“What’s so funny you two?” Karen asked.
Maggie gave her a look, obviously not wanting to reveal their little secret but
Beth explained to her that Karen knew and was the first person she had confided
in. Maggie looked a little hurt but Beth knew Maggie understood why she hadn’t
came to her first.
“So how are things between you two then?” Karen asked quietly.
“Things are great” Beth replied smiling.
“Oh?” Karen asked, interestedly.
Beth looked over at her father who was busy at the opposite end of the garden,
glanced at Maggie then back at Karen.
“Max and I had sex” she said and Karen’s smiled widened even further.
“While you were on the run?” she asked and Beth nodded.
“So how was it?” Karen asked.
Beth blushed and looked down at the ground, she had already spoken to Maggie
about the night but only in very little detail.
“It was good” Beth finally replied.
“Oh come Beth, you can tell us” pressed Maggie.
“All right, it was amazing” Beth admitted.
The smiles on the two older women only got bigger and Beth blushed again.
“Ok, now you have to tell us everything” Karen urged.
So she did, Beth told them everything that had happened that night and the two
women listened to every word.
“Damm I wished I had lost my virginity to him” said Karen when Beth had
finished.
They all giggled loudly and caught the attention of Hershel, who came over.
“What are we talking about over here ladies?” he asked.
Beth’s face burned red under her fathers gaze, unable to come up with a quick
enough lie but Maggie came to the rescue.
“Just ladies talk daddy” explained Maggie.
He just smiled, shook his head and the three girls laughed. He walked off and
they got back to their work but Beth’s attention keep wavering over in Max’s
direction.
“Go help them, we got it handled here” said Maggie, noticing Beth’s distracted
look.
“What about daddy?” Beth asked, throwing a look at him.
“He won’t mind, go” Maggie replied.
Beth smiled her thanks, got up and quickly walked over to Max and the others.
As she reached them, Max was hammering in nails into a beam as Glenn held it
steady.
“Need some help?” she asked.
The others looked at her briefly then quickly dismissed her but Max smiled
warmly.
“Yeah sure, wanna hand me those nails?” Max asked, pointing to a box on the
ground.
Beth nodded and quickly retrieved the box. She began handing him nails and he
quickly hammered them in with speed and precision.
“You do know how to use a hammer” Beth remarked, impressed.
“Well I wasn’t always on battlefields and fighting, sometimes, especially when
I was in the regular army, we were sent in to help countries rebuild after wars
and natural disasters so I’ve spent a lot of time rebuilding houses, schools
and hospitals” he explained.
Beth smiled at the heart warming tale, picturing him helping people in need and
was yet another reason to love him. She then began to imagine him shirtless as
he worked alongside his fellow soldiers and it sent tingles through her.
“Beth?” Max asked.
She blinked and saw Max grinning at her, holding out his hand for another nail.
Beth blushed, embarrassed and fumbled for nail but only managed to drop the box
to the ground, spilling nails everywhere.
“Sorry” she stammered, kneeling to pick them up.
“Hey it’s ok they’re only nails” he assured her.
She still felt embarrassed but he just grinned at her. They both reached for
the same nail, their hands touched and Beth just wanted to kiss him and have
him run his hands over her body. They picked up all the nails and Max finished
off the beam he had been working on.
“Wanna go?” he then asked, holding out the hammer.
“Oh I don’t think I should” she said.
“Why?, can’t be worse than Glenn over here” he said.
“Hey I was a pizza delivery driver, I never learnt to use a hammer” retorted
Glenn.
“What?, not even in woodwork class?” Max asked with a laugh.
“Nah I kinda cut that class I lot” Glenn replied with a grin.
“Yeah it shows” said Max.
Beth couldn’t help giggling and then decided she would have go with the hammer.
She took the tool from Max and gave him a grin
“So I’m probably going to be terrible, so you’re going to have to teach me” she
said innocently but teased him with smile.
“Don’t worry miss Greene, it’s child play” he assured.
He picked up a nail, pressed it into the wood and stood back. Beth stepped up
to the beam, raised the hammer and then tried her best to hit the nail. She hit
it but only bent it.
Beth let out a frustrated noise and then gave Max an embarrassed look, who had
was trying his best not to laugh.
“Don’t laugh” she said warned, pretending to threaten him with the hammer.
The smile didn’t leave his face and held his hands up in surrender.
“I wouldn’t dare laugh at you Beth” he said.
“Good” she said, grinning at him.
“Want some pointers?” he asked.
Beth nodded and stepped up behind her, wrapping his arm around her. He took her
wrist in his hand and Beth let out an involuntary squeak. She managed to
compose herself and Max showed her how to use the hammer correctly.
To anyone watching it would have looked like he was doing just that, innocent
enough. But not to Beth, her pulse quickened and tingles began running through
body. Her face flushed and she began to feel herself dampen.
Max then stepped away from her and she instantly missed the sensation of his
body against hers but it did make it easier to concentrate.
She began hammering in the nails Max placed and squealed happily when she
managed to get them all in.
“Damm girl, you’ll be building whole houses in no time” said Max, impressed.
“Hmm maybe” she said beaming at him.
Max grinned back and the tingles returned, she bit her lip and once again just
wished she could wrap herself in those strong arms of his and kiss him till
cows came home.
“So we just going to stand around or we gonna get this roof up?” asked Glenn.
Beth blushed and she handed the hammer back to Max. He took it with another
grin, sliding it into a loop in his belt. Beth stood back and watched the guys
as they worked, she wanted to help more but she would only get in the way. She
had to admit though she was far more contented to just watch, as the tingles
increased through her body.
The tingles soon reached a point where Beth could no longer ignore them and
needed to excuse herself. Beth came up with an excuse saying she wanted to cool
off with a shower. The other men didn’t care but Max gave her a little smile
and she left.
Beth grabbed her shower gear and practically ran to the shower room. She found
it empty, slipped into the first stall and quickly undressed. She turned the
water on and sighed as the water cooled her body.
The shower helped but the ache between her legs hadn’t dissipated and the
craving was still there, a craving that only Max could satisfy.
Beth dried, redressed and returned her shower things to her cell before leaving
to join everyone in the mess for lunch. She bumped into Maggie as she did and
her sister gave her a teasing smile.
“You look a little worked up there little sister” she said.
“What?, no I’m not ” said Beth quickly, averting her eyes.
“Hmm ok, sure whatever you say” said Maggie, smiling coyly.
She didn’t press any further and Beth was thankful. The two sisters headed into
the mess and sat down. Everyone was starving and lunch was quickly finished
off, with little to no talking done.
“Back to it then” said Glenn as everything was cleared away.
They all stood up but Maggie stopped Max before he could leave. He gave her a
confused look and she just smiled in return
“I think maybe Beth should keep up with her training” suggested Maggie.
Beth threw her a confused look as well but then realised what Maggie was
getting at and her excitement grew again. She gave Max a hopeful smile as he
still looked confused, his eyes darting from her and Maggie. He must have
picked up on what Maggie was really suggesting and then nodded.
“Ahh yeah we could knock out some weapon training then get back to the repairs”
suggested Max, looking at her father.
Beth glanced at her father and expected him to refuse but he nodded.
“Yes good idea, Beth should keep up with her training” he agreed.
Beth almost couldn’t believe what was happening as she watched everyone else
head back outside. Her heart was almost pounding out of her chest as she and
Max grabbed her pistol, some ammo and headed to the firing range.
Beth placed her gear down on the table in the room and looked back expectantly
at Max as he closed the door. They both just stared at each other, Beth
trembled with excitement and they both knew their little plan to curb their
affections during the day was about to be shattered.
Max stepped towards her, grabbing her arm and pulled her into him. He wrapped
his arms around her and she let out a sigh as he leant down to kiss her.
“Oh Max” she whispered, the kiss leaving her breathless.
“Been waiting to do that all day” he said.
He kissed her again and Beth felt herself go weak at the knees.
“Oh god Max me too” she whispered.
“It was almost torture being around you today, especially with you in these
shorts” he said
“Like the shorts do you?” she asked teasing.
“Well that but more the legs in the shorts” he replied.
Beth giggled and smiled up at him teasingly.
“Just my legs?” she asked.
“Ok maybe your butt as well” he admitted and Beth giggled again.
“You like my butt do you Max?” she asked.
“Well it’s such a cute tight little butt” he said, giving her a grin.
Beth felt his hand slip down her back and give her backside a squeeze, causing
her to gasp.
“Max” she scolded him, playfully hitting his chest.
“Sorry couldn’t resist” he said and she could only laugh.
Max laughed back and she felt his other hand clasp her other butt cheek and she
let out a little moan.
“Like that huh?” he asked.
She could only nod and looked up to see a mixture of love and lust in his eyes.
“What else do like?” he asked.
Before she could answer, he turned her around, wrapping one arm around her
chest and placed his other hand against the exposed skin of her stomach. Beth
felt her pulse quicken and the maddening tingle between her legs increased.
“Oh Max” she whispered.
“This what you like?” he asked, kissing neck and edged his hand towards the
waistband of her shorts.
“Yes Max” she mewled.
“Tell me what else you like” he ordered.
She wanted it all but couldn’t find the words and just looked up at him.
“Tell me what you want Beth” Max whispered in her ear.
His voice made her body tremble and she bit her lip lustfully.
“Touch me” she whispered.
Max didn’t hesitate and quickly slid his hand into her shorts. Beth let out a
soft satisfied moan as he slipped into the front of her panties and began to
rub her.
“Fuck Beth, you’re already soaked” he said as his fingers slid across her
mound.
Beth didn’t answer and clasped her hand over his. He eased his fingers inside
her and if he hadn’t been holding her she would have collapsed to the floor as
her knees really gave out.
“Oh god Max” she moaned, her voice strained.
She began to buck hips against the probing fingers in her pussy and felt Max’s
other hand slid up under her tank top and palm one of her breasts. He rubbed
his fingers over her nipple and Beth’s body arched, a low moan escaping from
her lips
“Oh Max this feels so good, please don’t stop” she begged.
She felt Max’s mouth on her neck and she completely surrendered to him as he
brought her closer and closer to the orgasm she so desperately wanted.
It didn’t take too long, Max’s fingers in her pussy, the feeling of his
erection pressing into her back and his hand on her breasts felt too good. She
came hard on his fingers and Max held her tightly as her body trembled. Beth
moaned so loudly that Max had to wrap his hand around her mouth to muffle her
as her orgasm crested through her.
“Gotta be quite girl” he warned.
She nodded and he removed his hand from her mouth and she lay against him
panting.
“Oh god Max I really needed that” she said as he pulled his hand from her legs.
“You’re telling me, you got pretty vocal there Beth” he said.
Beth giggled, pulling herself from his arms and looked down at the bulge in his
pants. She wondered if it hurt his cock to be restrained like that and reached
for his belt to free it.
“Your turn” she said happily.
“Yes mam” he said, with no protest.
Beth giggled, undid his belt and pulled his pants down to reveal his underwear.
She ran her hand gently over his cock through the material and smiled when he
groaned in pleasure. Beth pulled his underwear down and his erect cock sprang
free.
She wrapped her hand around his shaft, lust filled her again and she wanted to
feel him inside her again.
“I want this inside me Max, I need to feel you inside me again” she said.
“God Beth I want that too” he whispered.
Beth giggled and quickly tugged her shorts down over her hips, wiggling them to
make her shorts slide down her legs. She quickly pulled her boots off and
stepped out of her shorts as they fell around her ankles, standing in her
drenched panties.
Max just gazed lustfully at her and then pulled his pants completely off. He
pounced on her and she yelped as he picked up. Beth wrapped her arms around his
neck and kissed him hungrily, pressing her body into him. Max carried her over
to the table behind them and gently set her down on it.
He quickly reached down and ripped her panties off, throwing them to the floor.
Beth spread her legs allowing him access to her wet waiting pussy.
“Ready?” he asked as he lined himself up.
“Yes Max put it in me” she pleaded.
He thrust into her and Beth let out moan as her pussy parted to accept his cock
for the second time in her life. He kept sliding in and she just watched as his
entire length disappear into her. She almost came just from the feeling of his
thick cock filling her but managed to hold it off.
“Feel good?” he asked pausing to kiss her
She kissed him back, looking at him with fiery lust and could only nod. He
began to move in and out of her slowly and Beth closed her eyes as her pussy
gripped his shaft. Beth moaned softly, entranced by the feeling of his cock
inside her and was never going to tire of the feeling and planned to experience
it a lot.
“Damm Beth how are you so tight” she heard him whisper as he paused inside her
momentarily
Beth eyes flew back open and she smiled lustfully at him.
“You like my tight pussy Max?” she asked
“I love your tight pussy Beth” he growled.
“Oh god Max that’s so hot and I love your big cock in my tight little pussy”
she said.
“Yeah you like me fucking you Beth?” he asked as he began to move again.
“Yes Max fuck me,I want you to fuck me” Beth begged.
Beth almost couldn’t believe the words coming from her mouth and Max just
grinned at her, obviously enjoying what she was saying
“Yes mam” he promised.
Max picked up the pace, thrusting deeper and harder into her just like she
wanted.
“Oh god oh yes like that” she moaned, gazing up at him.
Beth’s legs rose up to wrap around his waist and she placed her hands on his
shoulders. His hand slipped up her top and pawed at her breast and she pulled
the tank top up for better access. Max lent down and began sucking hungrily on
her breasts and she ran her fingers through his hair. Beth started to pant as
Max continued to fuck her, her pulse raced and she tried to keep her moans down
as the pleasure built up inside.
“Oh Max oh god” she uttered softly.
“You close?” he asked.
“Oh yes, so close, don’t stop” she whispered.
“You going to cum all over my cock Beth?” he growled.
“Yes Max oh yes, you’re going to make me cum so hard” she replied.
“Let’s cum together” he suggested.
The suggestion sent her over the edge and a huge burst of pleasure rippled
through her as a massive orgasm rocked her. A loud moan from the depths of her
escaped her lips and Max crushed his lips to hers to silence her.
Beth moaned in Max’s mouth as her orgasm flooded through her and she felt Max’s
cock twitch inside her. She fully expected him to finish in her but instead,
she felt his cock slide from her and her eyes flew open to see him spill on her
thigh.
Beth smiled happily at him as the warm liquid ran down her thigh and let out a
satisfied sigh.
“That was amazing Max” she said.
Max grinned at her and kissed her gently.
“Enjoyed it did you?” he asked
“Enjoyed it?, oh I think I more than enjoyed it” she replied with a giggle.
He chuckled and then picked up his pants to put them back on. Beth didn’t want
leave and played with the cooling cum on her leg.
“Do we have to go?” she asked.
“Want to go again do you?” he asked with a grin.
Beth giggled, that sounded perfect but they couldn’t risk being discovered,
they had already tempted fate. She went to stand up but she stumbled forward.
“Whoa easy there” Max chuckled as he caught her
She was absolutely wiped out, her legs felt like jelly and she could barely
walk.
“You going to be ok?” he asked.
She smiled at him and nodded, leaning back on the table for support. She was
going to need a bit to recover and Max retrieved her panties to wipe the cum
off her leg.
Max then grabbed her boots and shorts and held them out for her. She giggled,
holding onto him for support and stepping into them. He slid her shorts up her
legs and the gave her stomach a little kiss before standing up.
“Good to go?” he asked, slipping her ruined panties into her pocket.
Beth nodded and they grabbed their unused gear and headed out of the room. Her
gait was still a little wobbly but quickly faded and she could walk normally.
The two of them made their way back outside and into the warm afternoon sun.
Everybody was still going about repairs and with one final look at each other,
Max and Beth parted ways. Max back to repairing the outdoor kitchen and Beth
wandered over to the garden.
Her father noticed her as she approached and smiled at her in greeting. Beth
smiled back and waved.
“How was the training?” he asked when she reached him.
“It was great” she answered, trying her best to act normal.
“Well good, hmm you look a little flushed there, you feeling ok?” he asked,
concerned.
Beth’s mind spun, could he tell she had just had sex?, she asked herself and
fretted about what to say next.
“Um yeah, just excited from the training I guess” she answered lamely.
He seemed satisfied with her answer, giving her a warm smile and she breathed a
sigh of relief.
“Ok well how bout you give me a hand” he suggested.
Beth nodded and began to dig small holes in the dirt for her father. She became
engrossed in their work but was happy when he decided to finish up and continue
the next day.
Beth stood up, brushing of her hands and snuck a look at Max but he wasn’t
there any more. She didn’t dwell on where he might be and wandered inside. She
passed through the mess, dinner was a little while off so she grabbed a drink
of water and the decided to take another shower.
Once showered and in her cell, lying on her bunk, she opened her diary and
smiled at the stolen photo of Max she still had. As she began to jot down the
day’s events, her fingers trembled as she got to most important part and
couldn’t help smiling and giggling.
Her second time had been just as amazing as her first time, if not better and
she couldn’t wait to write down her next time with Max. She wished though that
Max could have finished in her but they really couldn’t risk her getting
pregnant and made a mental note to acquire some condoms.
Beth then heard a cough and jumped, looking up to see Carol standing at her
cell door with Judith in her arms.
“Hi Carol” said Beth, quickly shutting her diary, hoping Carol hadn’t seen the
photo.
“Afternoon” said Carol with a smile.
Beth got up and tickled Judith’s stomach, who gurgled happily in response.
“Want me to look after her?” Beth asked.
“Only if you want to” said Carol.
Beth just smiled and took Judith from her arms. Carol walked off and Beth
placed Judith on the bed.
“So Judith, what have you been up to?” Beth asked.
Judith just grinned and Beth couldn’t help but laughing. She gave Judith a
little stuffed bear to play with and finished off her diary entry.
When night began to fall and drawn by the smell of cooking, Beth carried Judith
into the mess for dinner. As they entered the room, Carl came up to them and
Beth placed placed Judith in his arms.
She then saw Max and her father were already sitting at the usual table and as
she filled a water glass up, Beth took a moment to watch the two most important
men in her life talk.
They were deep in discussion but Max soon noticed her and she walked over to
join them.
“Evening” Max said lightly as she sat down.
“Hey” she said in return in the same tone.
“Max was just telling me how much you progressed today” remarked her father,
sounding impressed.
Beth threw Max a look and she picked the little teasing smile on his face and
wondered exactly what Max had been telling her father.
“Um yeah I’m getting better, aren’t I Max?” she said.
“Yeah real good, almost a pro” he replied.
“Excellent that’s my girl” said her father.
Beth smiled at her father but she wondered if he would still be proud if he
knew what she was really becoming a pro at. She giggled inwardly at the thought
and then looked up to see Maggie and Glenn joining them them.
Dinner was soon served and Beth slid as close as she could to Max as they ate.
She listened as everyone talked and responded when someone asked her a question
but she was happily contented to be sitting beside Max all night in silence.
Dinner was soon finished up and their plates were cleared away. People began to
drift off and before long only Beth, Max and Glenn were left in the room.
Glenn and Max were still talking and Beth started to grow a little restless,
she wasn’t really interested in what they where talking about but she didn’t
want to leave.
She pressed her leg against Max’s and made a small yawning noise. Max got the
hint and said he was going to turn in and Beth quickly jumped up, stating she
was going to turn in as well.
Glenn gave them both a strange look but then said he should probably follow
suit before Maggie came to find him.
He walked off towards the cell block and Max and Beth grinned at each other,
happy to be alone again.
“So what are we going to do now?” she asked teasingly.
She wasn’t expecting anything and was actually kinda tired but it was still fun
to ask. Max was about to answer when they heard footsteps and Rick walked back
in, giving them a suspicious look.
The tension between Max and Rick still hadn’t been resolved and Beth’s heart
raced as the two men looked at each other.
“You still up Beth?” Rick asked her.
Beth felt like she was being scolded like a child and just wanted to him her
being still up wasn’t any of his concern.
“Um yeah I was just about to head off to bed, I just wanted to ask Max about
our training tomorrow” she explained.
“Ok, but it’s late I’ll walk you to your cell” said Rick.
Again Beth felt like she was being treated like a child, now being sent to her
room and a slight scowl crossed her face but she couldn’t refuse him without
causing any more suspicion and gave Max one last quick look as Rick led her out
of the room.
He didn’t say anything on the short walk into the cell block and Beth wished
the man would just mind his own business. He left her in front of her cell and
walked off. Beth glared at his back in the darkness and then flipped him off.
Beth considered walking back to the mess but she decided against it and entered
her cell. She undressed and crawled into bed, fuming. Beth wondered if Rick
suspected them again or if he never stopped and she knew couldn’t live like
this for much longer, she wanted to kiss Max whenever she wanted and have sex
without the constant fear of being discovered.
Beth knew it was a cage of her own making but maybe just maybe her father would
understand and she decided to talk to Maggie about it . She lay her head on her
pillow and despite her mood, drifted off to sleep and began to dream of an
accepted life with Max..
***** Chapter 59 *****
Max scowled at Rick's back as he escorted Beth from the room and really wished
he had told the man to fuck off and mind his own business. It had been a great
day up until then, Max had enjoyed helping with the repairs and the sex with
Beth had been awesome but now once again, Rick had managed to sour things.
Max turned off the remaining lanterns and turned in like everybody else. He
passed by Beth's cell, her door was open and he glimpsed her sleeping form
inside. She looked so peaceful and Max really wished he could just slip in
beside her. He realised he was staring and moved on quickly, slipping into his
own cell.
Max woke tired and irritated the next morning. He knew it was going to be a
long hot day and sensed trouble ahead. He dressed and walked into the mess for
some breakfast, groaning inwardly as he saw Rick.
He was talking with Glenn and the two of them looked in Max’s direction. Max
nodded at them in greeting but they didn’t return the gesture and looked at him
suspiciously before returning back to their conversation.
Max suspected what they were talking about couldn’t be good and his suspicions
about trouble brewing only became stronger. He made himself some breakfast and
sat down at an empty table furthest away from Rick and Glenn. As he began to
eat, Hershel and Beth soon joined him with their own breakfast.
“Morning Max” said Hershel as they sat down.
“Morning” said Max in return.
Beth sat next to him and slid herself into him. Max gave her a quick smile, she
smiled back but he could see worry in her eyes and he wanted to be able to
comfort her.
They all quickly finished their food and Beth offered to wash up. She returned
shortly and gave him a little smile.
“Are we going to do any training today?” she asked softly.
There was now a hopeful look on her face, though nothing like the teasing looks
she had given him the day before and most likely just wanted to be alone with
him.
“Um I don’t know, you still need me to help with the repairs Hershel?” Max
asked, turning to him.
“Hmm well yes but you should get some training done as well, why don’t you do
that first and then continue on with the repairs” he suggested.
“Ok sounds good, Beth go grab your pistol and I’ll meet you in the range” he
said to Beth.
Beth nodded, got up quickly and hurried out of the room to retrieve her things.
Max stood up to follow after her and as he passed Rick and Glenn, they gave him
the same looks as before. Max ignored them and continued on to the range,
finding Beth waiting for him.
“Hey” she said.
“Hey” he said back.
Max wanted to kiss her and he sensed she wanted to kiss him too but neither of
them moved and the tension in the room grew as they didn’t speak.
“Um shall we get to it” said Beth, breaking the silence.
“Yeah” he answered.
Beth loaded her pistol and when they both had their ear protection on she began
firing. Her first couple of shots didn’t hit the target. Beth made a frustrated
noise and her face grew angry.
Max could tell she was clearly distracted and not in the right mind set for
training so Max decided to stop.
“Hey why don’t we take a break” he suggested gently as he took the pistol from
her.
“Don’t know what’s wrong with me today” she said.
“I think I might know, does it have anything to do with Rick last night?” he
asked.
“Yeah” she replied softly.
Max really wanted to tell her not to worry and that everything was going to be
fine but he didn’t want to lie to her.
“Listen Beth I think we might have a problem with Rick again” he said
reluctantly.
“What?” she exclaimed.
Max then explained what had happened in the mess with Rick and Glenn and the
vibe he had gotten off them. Beth’s face paled and her bottom lip began to
tremble.
“Do you think they’ll tell daddy?” she asked.
“Beth to be honest I don’t really know, we can’t be certain what Rick and Glenn
know or what they plan to do” he answered.
Beth was trembling now and was almost on the verge of tears. Max pulled her
into him and hugged her tightly.
“What are we going to do Max?” she asked as she buried her face into his chest.
Max didn’t have an answer for her, if Rick and Glenn knew about them then there
was a good chance they would tell Hershel. He looked down at her and saw that
she was deep in thought. She noticed him looking at her and then she gave him a
strange look.
“Um Max what if we....” she trailed off and averted her eyes.
“What if we what Beth?” he asked.
“What if we tell daddy about us?” she blurted out and Max looked at her with
surprise.
“Yeah?” he asked.
“Well um I was thinking about it last night and I um, I know daddy probably
won’t like it but maybe if we tell him it might be ok” she replied.
Max’s head was spinning, never thinking she would ever suggest telling her
father about them especially after she had been so adamant it would only be a
disaster if they did. Max thought it over and it seemed like the best course of
action, considering their options.
“Ok Beth we’ll tell him” he said.
“Really?” she asked.
“Yeah I think we probably should, we are going to have to tell him some time”
he replied.
“So when do we tell him?” she asked.
“Soon Beth, we tell him soon” Max promised.
Beth smiled happily in agreement and suddenly it was like a weight had been
lifted. The was still the looming threat of how Hershel was going to react but
for now the two of them were happy again.
Beth picked up her pistol again and they proceeded with her training until
there was a knock on the door and Sasha and Bob entered. Beth and Max let them
have the room and after returning Beth’s pistol, they headed outside.
“So um what now?” Beth asked as they walked out into the courtyard.
“Let’s just see how things play out for the moment” he replied.
Beth nodded and they parted ways. Max went to help with the outdoor kitchen
roof and found the guys were almost done.
“Hey there you are” said Tyreese as he handed Max a hammer.
Max helped them finish off, completing it just in time for lunch. Max and the
guys walked into the mess and took seats at their respective eating tables.
Beth was already seated with her father and Max took his usual seat next to
her. They were quickly joined by Glenn and Maggie and Max instantly sensed the
tension radiating off both of them.
Max shot a look at Maggie but she didn’t respond and Glenn just glared at him.
Max wanted to ask him what his problem was but it wasn’t the time or place.
Lunch was a stressful one and no one spoke, only to answer Hershel’s questions
and Max was glad when it was over. He pulled Maggie aside afterwards and asked
her what was wrong. She sighed and looked around before answering.
“Glenn knows about you and Beth” she explained.
“What?, how?” Max asked.
“Well he kinda pieced it together, he said he saw you two flirting yesterday
and he had a conversation with Rick, who only convinced him more, so he
confronted me about it and I had to tell him” she replied.
“You what?” Max asked.
“Sorry Max I had to, he was going to go to daddy, I needed to convince him not
to” she said
Max mind spun and felt like the walls were closing in around him, expecting his
firing squad to jump out and drag him off to his execution.
“What’s going on?” asked a voice.
Max and Maggie spun to see Beth with a fearful look on her face.
“Glenn knows” Maggie answered and Beth’s face paled.
“What’s Glenn going to do?” Max asked.
“Not sure but I got the impression he didn’t agree with what you and Beth are
doing” said Maggie.
“Should we tell daddy about us Maggie?” Beth asked.
Maggie gave her a surprised look and Beth quickly explained what they had
discussed just before.
“Well maybe its time then” said Maggie.
The three of them agreed and went to find Hershel. They spotted him working
alone in the garden and Beth gave Max a nervous smile.
“So now?” she asked.
“Yeah now” Max replied firmly.
“Ok” she said.
She was anxious again but this needed to be done and they began walking over to
Hershel. He smiled warmly as the three of them reached him.
“Well hello you three” he said.
“Daddy can we to talk to you?” said Maggie.
Hershel looked up at them and his eyes wandered between them.
“Of course, what about?’ he asked.
Beth glanced at Max for support but Max didn’t know what to say, how do you
tell a father you have been messing around with his teenage daughter and fallen
in love with her?. Beth looked back at Hershel who was waiting patiently for
one of them to talk.
“Um daddy Max and I have..” began Beth but trailed off.
“Have you two come to ask for my blessing?” Hershel asked and Beth,Max and
Maggie all looked at each other in surprise .
“You know about us daddy?” exclaimed Beth.
“Bethie dear I may be old but I’m not blind, do you really think I wouldn’t
know what my daughter was up to?” he asked and he smiled as her jaw dropped.
“How long have you known daddy?” Maggie asked.
“Well perhaps not as long as you Maggie but I’ve been waiting for these two to
come clean for a little while now” explained Hershel.
“You have?” Beth asked.
“I noticed the change in you Beth and how you two acted around each other, I’m
happy that you two found each other and I have no problem with you being
together” he said gently.
“Oh daddy, really?” Beth asked.
“Yes Bethie I really mean it, I am happy for you” he replied.
“Oh daddy thank you” Beth cried and flung herself into him.
“Ok, ok” he chuckled as he hugged her back.
“Now I just need to have a conversation with Max, alone” he then said, in a
serious tone
A worried look appeared on Beth face but she nodded and with a bright smile at
Max, she and Maggie walked off.
Max was almost certain he had some sort of stroke and was now in a dream world
as a result. He heard Hershel chuckle and saw the man smiling at him.
“It really is ok Max” Hershel said warmly, guessing what he was thinking.
“To be honest Hershel I really wasn’t expecting you to be so accepting”
admitted Max.
“hmm I guess you couldn’t be blamed for thinking that” said Hershel”
“Hershel I just want you to know, I didn’t set out to pursue Beth, it just
happened” said Max.
“I know you didn’t Max, I know what kind of man you are and that’s one of the
reasons why you and Beth need to be together” said Hershel.
“Need?” asked Max, now confused.
“Max I won’t be around forever and I need to know my daughters will be
protected, Maggie has Glenn and now Beth has you” he said.
Max nodded and Hershel went onto explain that he knew Beth would need a
protector in her life, he wasn’t doubting Beth abilities but it was just a
fact, especially after her suicide attempt and Zach’s attempted rape. It was
after Zach’s attack and watching Beth heal under Max’s care and training that
Hershel knew that Max was the man to protect his daughter and was happy when a
romance had blossomed.
“So what about the rest of the group?” Max asked when Hershel had finished.
“You let me worry about them, we’ll let them know tonight” said Hershel.
Max was happy with this plan and with that the men had no more to say. Max
began to leave but Hershel stopped him before he did.
“Oh and Max, one more thing, if you break my daughter’s heart I’ll kill you” he
warned.
“Hershel if I hurt Beth I’ll hand you the gun myself” Max promised.
Hershel nodded, happy with his response and Max left him to his things and went
to look for Beth.He didn't have to look long, finding her in the library and
she flung herself happily into his arms as he came into the room.
“Oh Max” she squealed happily.
“Hey beautiful” said Max picking her up.
Beth wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately
“Oh my god Max, I never thought this would ever happen” she said, her eyes
sparkling.
“Me too but here we are” he said.
He dropped her to the floor, she took his hand in hers and led him over to one
of the couches. They sat down and Beth practically climbed on top of him and
kissed him.
“We don’t have to hide any more Max” she said happily.
“No we don’t” Max agreed.
“We can kiss any time we want now” she said.
“Yes we can” Max said with a smile
“And we can have sex any time we want now too” she said in a matter of factly
way.
“Hmm I suppose we can” he said.
“Any time” she repeated and ran her fingers down his chest suggestively.
“Any time huh?” he asked and she nodded excitedly.
“Yep, so I hope you’re up for that Maxwell Knight” she said.
“Oh trust me miss Greene I’m up for it all” he promised and she giggled in
delight
“I still can’t believe this is actually happening Max” she said.
“Yeah it’s a little surreal, didn’t think your dad would let me have a
relationship with his teen daughter” said Max.
“Well I am almost eighteen” she said
“I guess so, say when do you turn eighteen?” he asked for interest sake.
“What’s the date today?” she asked.
Max looked at his watch, a hardened tactical timepiece, designed and built just
for the SAS. It was a digital analogy hybrid with an extremely long lasting
battery.
“It's almost the end of June” he answered, reading the digital readout.
“Well I’ll turn eighteen in August” she said.
“August huh?” Max asked, smiling at her.
“Yeah why?” she asked.
“My birthday is August as well” he revealed.
Her eyes lit up and a brilliant smile spread across her face.
“No way, really?” she asked.
“Yeah August twenty first” he replied.
“I’m August fifteenth” she said excitedly.
“Hmm so we’ll celebrating our birthdays together than huh?”
“Yeah I guess we will” she said with a giggle.
Max just stared lovingly into her eyes and kissed her. She kissed him back and
he began to roam his hands across her body, causing her to moan softly.
They soon became so wrapped in each other that they failed to notice Rick and
Glenn had walked into the room.
“Beth get away from him” Rick ordered, startling both of them.
Beth leapt off Max and looked at the two men in fear as Max stood up.
“Rick what are you doing?” Beth asked fearfully.
“Beth get away from him, now!” said Rick more forcibly.
Max quickly assessed the situation, both were armed, had intense looks on their
faces and weren’t there for a friendly chat.
“Beth I think it might be best if you went and got your father” he said to
Beth.
Beth looked at him and then at Rick and Glenn. Max could tell she didn’t want
to leave him alone but with one last terrified look she hurried from the room.
“So what happens now Rick?” Max asked calmly.
“Haven’t decided yet, but this stops now, this thing between you and Beth stops
now” said Rick
“Fraid that’s not going to happen Rick” said Max simply and Rick's scowl
deepened.
“Dude it’s not right, she’s like sixteen” piped up Glenn.
Max raised an eyebrow at Glenn, getting Beth’s age wrong kinda irked him. Max
knew Glenn was only trying to do the right thing but by not consulting Hershel
first, he was going about all the wrong way.
“Guys you need to understand that you’re making a big mistake here” Max
explained, still keeping calm.
“Oh I don’t think we are” said Rick angrily.
Rick drew his pistol, aiming it at Max’s head and in that moment Max knew he
was going to have to fight his way out of the situation.
He didn’t need to kill them, he just needed to incapacitate them quickly. Glenn
was no threat but Rick might prove a slight challenge and would need to be
dealt with accordingly.
Rick stepped closer and Max struck, snapping his hand around the barrel of
Rick’s pistol, tearing it from his hand and tossing across the room. He quickly
brought his other hand up and slammed it into Rick’s chest, sending the man
sprawling.
Glenn rushed in but Max anticipated the move, punching him quickly in the
throat. Glenn collapsed to the ground gasping and Max quickly slammed his fist
into the side of Glenn’s head, knocking him unconscious .
With Glenn dealt with, Max turned his attention to Rick, who was picking
himself up of the ground.
“Stay down Rick” Max ordered.
Rick ignored him and stood up, glaring at Max and drew his knife from his belt.
“I’m going to kill you” he snarled.
“Rick just stop mate” said Max.
Rick lunged, attempting to stab him. Max deftly avoided him, grabbed him by his
knife wrist and twisted hard, causing Rick to drop the knife in pain. Max
kicked the knife away and landed a devastating uppercut to Rick’s jaw. Rick
flew backwards, knocked off his feet.
“Had enough Rick?” Max asked.
Rick wasn’t done yet, picked himself up and tackled Max around the waist,
smashing him into the bookshelf behind him. Max roared in pain and drove his
elbow into Rick’s back while slamming his knee into Rick’s stomach. Rick let
out a strangled groan and slumped to the floor.
Max was about to finish him off but was distracted by the sudden reappearance
of Beth and several others as they burst into the room.
It was over and Max began to relax but then he saw a horrified look appear on
Beth’s face and heard the sound of a pistol slide. Max looked back at Rick to
see he had pulled Glenn’s pistol from his belt and was now aiming it directly
at Max.
“Rick what are you doing?” asked Daryl.
“Rick put the gun down” yelled Maggie.
Rick ignored them and then Beth’s terrified scream filled the room as he pulled
the trigger…
***** Chapter 60 *****
Beth’s heart raced and her breath burned in her lungs as she ran from the
library, needing to find help and fast.
She burst outside and saw Maggie, Daryl, Michonne and a couple of others
sitting in the sun. Beth screamed out to Maggie and everyone outside in the
courtyard turned to look.
“Beth what’s wrong?” yelled Maggie.
“Maggie they are going to kill him, please you have to help me” she begged.
Everyone looked confused but Maggie jumped up, running over to her as the rest
followed.
“Is it Rick?” asked Maggie.
“Yes and Glenn please we have to stop them ” Beth replied frantically.
Beth began to run back to the library as Maggie and the rest followed.
“What’s going on?” asked Daryl
Beth ignored him and kept running, hoping they weren’t too late. They made back
to the library and as Beth burst through the door first she was extremely
relieved to see Max was still alive. Glenn was lying on the ground unmoving and
then she saw Rick pull a pistol from Glenn’s belt and aim it at Max.
“Rick what are you doing?” asked Daryl.
“Rick put the gun down” yelled Maggie.
Rick pulled the trigger and Beth screamed as the gun went off. Max roared in
pain, clutched his left shoulder and stumbled backwards.
“Oh son of a fucking bitch” yelled Max.
“Max, oh my god” Beth cried as she rushed over to him.
Blood was pouring from a wound in his shoulder where Rick’s bullet had struck
him and Beth feared the worst.
“Max are you ok?” Beth asked frantically.
He nodded with a grimace and she helped him into a chair. She pulled off her
blouse, thankful she was wearing an under top that day and pressed it against
his shoulder in an effort to stop the bleeding.
“Beth get away from him” ordered Rick, who had now gotten to his feet and was
still aiming the pistol at Max.
“You shot him, he needs help” Beth screamed at Rick.
“Rick please put the gun down” pleaded Michonne.
“Rick just put the gun down man” said Daryl.
Beth glared at Rick as he ignored everyone and saw Maggie step behind him and
quickly strike him on the head with his own pistol, retrieved from the floor.
Rick dropped like a stone, knocked out.
“What is going on here?, we heard a gunshot” demanded a voice as Beth’s father,
Carol and Sasha walked into the room.
“Daddy, Rick shot Max” said Beth frantically.
“What?” he asked, looking at Rick’s unconscious body.
“He shot him daddy, look” said Beth, pulling her now blood stained shirt away.
Her father walked over to examine Max’s wound and Max winced as he touched it.
“Is it bad Max?” her father asked.
“Don’t think so but the bullet is still in there and it hurts like hell” Max
replied with a grimace.
“Ok we need to get you patched up, Carol would you please retrieve Caleb and
Bob, I’m going to need their help here” he asked and Carol nodded and ducked
out the door.
“Will someone please explain what’s going on, why did Rick just shoot you Max?”
asked Michonne.
Max didn’t answer and Beth was too preoccupied to care to answer and it was
Maggie who spoke up.
“Max and Beth are in a relationship, in secret for a while now and Rick and
Glenn found out” Maggie explained.
Most of the group looked surprised, but Sasha actually smiled slightly and
Daryl just looked indifferent.
“So Rick and Glenn decided to take matters into their own hands?” asked
Michonne.
“It would seem so” answered Maggie.
Daryl and Tyreese dragged Glenn and Rick over to separate couches, though Beth
would have preferred to have just left them on the floor.
Carol soon reappeared with Dr S.(Caleb) and Bob and the two men looked around
the room confused.
“Over here gentlemen” said Hershel.
“What happened?” Dr S. asked as he put down his medical kit.
“later, we need to deal with this first” her father answered.
Dr S. nodded and pulled out a pair of scissors and began to cut Max's shirt
off. Beth saw everyone’s eyes widen as they saw the multiple scars and healed
wounds on his body.
“Holy shit” blurted out Bob
“Yeah yeah, I know, can we get this fucking bullet out of me now?” Max snapped
angrily.
“Ok everyone how bout we give Max some privacy?” suggested Hershel and Beth
looked at her father gratefully.
Everyone but Maggie, Beth, Bob, Hershel, Dr S and Max left, taking the still
unconscious Rick and Glenn with them.
“Beth you don’t need to be here” said Maggie gently.
“No I’m staying” said Beth firmly and Maggie nodded.
Dr S began rummaging through the prison medical kit, pulling out bandages,
antiseptic wipes and a pair of surgical pilers.
After disinfecting the wound, Dr S. carefully inserted the pilers and tried to
grasp the bullet but he must have hit a nerve because Max roared in pain.
“Watch it fuckhead” he snapped angrily.
Even though she had wanted to stay, Beth buried her face into Maggie’s chest,
unable to see Max in pain.
“Sorry I’m doing my best” Dr S. pleaded.
“Max, I know you are in pain and angry but we need you to let us help you”
pleaded her father calmly.
“Yeah sorry, just get it done” said Max, more calmly.
Dr S nodded and tried again. He was able to pull the bullet from Max’s shoulder
and held up the red stained bullet.
“There we go, and it’s still intact” said the doctor.
“Is that good?” Beth asked.
“Yes very good” he replied.
Dr S. and Bob began to patch Max up and Beth just wanted to comfort him.
“Ok you’ll all good to go but I suggest you take it easy, lots of rest”
suggested Dr S. when they had finished.
“Yeah I know the drill” said Max.
“Yes I supposed you do” said Dr S.
“Come let’s get you to bed” suggested Beth.
As soon as she said it, she blushed, realising what she had just said. No one
seemed too concerned about what she had said but Maggie did give her a little
smile.
Max was able to walk under his own power and they headed to the cell blocks.
Beth slipped her hand into his and squeezed it gently. As entered the mess, it
was in an uproar and everyone was talking all at once. The room hushed as they
all saw Max’s bloody chest and then the room exploded with questions.
“Everyone just calm down, I’ll explain everything shortly” said Hershel.
They continued through into the cell block and into Max’s cell. Max let out a
little groan as he lay down and Beth made sure he was comfy, taking his boots
off and propping his back up with pillows.
“You ok?” she asked.
“Yeah I’m good” he assured her.
Maggie then came into the cell with a bowl of warm water and a cloth.
“Let’s get you cleaned up Max” said Maggie gently.
Max nodded and she and Beth began to wash the dying blood from Max’s chest,
careful not to touch his bandage. When he was cleaned up Beth and Maggie
carefully helped him into a clean shirt.
“Can I get you anything?” Beth asked when Maggie left with the bloody cloths
and water but Max just shook his head.
“Are you sure?” Beth pressed, her voice breaking
Her eyes began to well with tears and Max reached out to wipe them away before
stroking her cheek.
“Hey, hey, I’m fine and I’m going to be fine Beth, Dr S. got the bullet out and
he and Bob patched me up pretty damm good actually” he said gently.
Beth nodded but wasn’t completely convinced yet and Max must have sensed that.
“Beth, I’ve been shot before and trust me this is nothing” he assured her.
“Ok, ok” she said.
She was convinced now, though was a little disconcerted that the only reason
Max knew he was going to be fine was that he had been shot so many times but
she wiped the tears still leaking down her face and gave him a little smile.
“There we go, there’s that smile I love” he said.
Beth’s smile widened despite herself and Max took her hand in his, interlocking
their fingers.
“We’ll get past this Beth, we have your dad’s blessing and the rest of the
group will accept it” he assured firmly.
Beth nodded and began to cheer up considerably, believing his words. Her smile
got brighter still and she lent over to kiss him gently.
“mm I think I might a lot of those to help me heal” he said teasingly
“Well I better kiss you a lot then in that case” she said back.
She kissed him again and lay down down next to him. Max took up most of the
bunk but she was able to fit her small frame on the bed comfortably.
Beth was about to lay her head on his chest when she heard loud voices coming
from the mess, Beth recognised Rick voice and she was filled with anger.
“Beth don’t” said Max gently as she jumped up from the bed.
She walked out the cell, ignoring Max’s call for her to come back, her need to
confront Rick was the only thing on her mind now.
She stopped just before walking in mess and saw the entire group, minus the
children were all watching Rick as he paced around the room.
“Rick you need to calm down” her father pleaded.
“.Hershel he was touching her, he has been for a while” Rick said angrily.
“I’m well aware of the situation Rick” said her father.
“You know?” Rick asked.
“Yes Rick and if you had come to me first I would have told you that I’m fine
with Beth and Max being together” her father calmly explained.
“Hershel you really can’t be all right with this” said Rick.
“I just said that I am Rick but that’s not the point, you and Glenn took on
yourselves to confront Max, we have rules Rick, rules you agreed to when you
stopped being in charge” said Hershel
Rick make a frustrated noise, shaking his head and Beth had enough of him. She
marched angrily into the room and stood in front of Rick, shaking with rage.
Before anybody could react, she struck him with all her strength across the
face. The slap echoed through the hushed room and Rick stumbled back holding
his cheek. Beth attempted to hit him again but was pulled back by Maggie.
“Let me go” she yelled angrily.
“Bethie honey, calm down” Maggie said gently.
“I won’t calm down he tried to kill Max and your stupid husband helped him”
Beth yelled.
“Beth I..” began Rick softly.
“Shut up, shut up” Beth screamed at him.
Maggie tried to drag her away but Beth was too worked up and stepped up to Rick
again, fixing him with a furious stare.
“He wasn’t hurting me or taking advantage of me Rick, I wanted to be with him”
she spat out.
Rick looked around the room for support but found none and Beth continued on.
“You had no right, you’re not my father, you’re not a cop any more and you’re
not in charge here Rick so you certainly have no say in who I spend my time
with” she said.
Rick just stared at her speechless, his eye wide in shock and without another
word, Beth turned on her heels and marched back out of the mess.
She was shaking now and doubled over, almost throwing up. Her father came up
behind her, pulling her into his arms and she melted into his hug
“I hate him daddy, I hate him so much” she whispered angrily.
“Shh I know dear it’s ok” he hushed her and stroked her back.
She wiped the tears of rage from her eyes and looked up at him.
“What are you going to do about him and Glenn?” she asked.
“I don’t know yet” he answered and she gave him a look.
“Bethie I understand you are angry but this is a complicated matter” he
reasoned.
Beth nodded, she didn’t really understand but she trusted her father and his
judgement.
“Ok how bout we check on Max?” he suggested.
She knew he was just changing the subject but she nodded again and they walked
back into Max’s cell.
“How are you feeling now?” Hershel asked Max.
“Yeah all good” Max replied, sitting up slightly.
“Well good, you tell me if anything changes” he asked
“Will do” Max promised.
He nodded and walked off, leaving Beth and Max alone. She was still angry and
just stood at the door.
“Hey, come here’ Max said gently.
She walked in and lay down next to him.
“I heard what you said to Rick” he revealed.
“Oh” said Beth softly and blushed.
“Yeah the whole prison and the surrounding suburbs probably heard you” he said.
“Well he deserved it, this was supposed to be a happy day Max and he almost
ruined everything” said Beth.
“Yeah he kinda did didn’t he” agreed Max
“What are you going to do about him?” she asked.
“I don’t know” he replied.
Beth looked at him with surprise, it was the same answer he father had given
and wondered why they were unwilling to make a decision.
“He tried to kill you Max” said Beth incredulously.
“Beth I’m not saying he did was right or that I would have done the same and
yeah sure I’m fucking pissed at him but what your father said was right, this
is complicated”
“You heard that as well?” she asked and he nodded.
“Yeah and if I take my revenge on Rick, that makes me no better” he explained.
Beth knew he was right, as was her father but it was still frustrating.
“Ok” she relented.
She was exhausted now, the excitement of the day had taken it out of her and
she lay her head down on Max’s chest and before she knew it, was fast asleep.
She woke again to find her father shaking her gently. She looked to see Max was
asleep as well.
“Come get some dinner Beth” whispered her father
Beth went to wake Max but her father stopped her.
“Let him sleep” he said
Beth nodded and walked into the mess. The room was hushed and the talking was
minimal. Everyone looked up as she walked in and Beth felt very self concious
under their gaze. She bowed her head and followed her father to a table where
Maggie and Carol were sitting.
Maggie slid her a bowl of stew and Beth began eating, trying to ignore the
looks being thrown her way. Beth finished up her food quickly and excused
herself.
Max was still asleep when she returned to his cell and she slipped back into
the bunk beside him again.
“You should let Max sleep Beth” said her fathers voice from the cell door,
startling her.
“I know, I want to stay here though” said Beth.
Her father gave her a look but she wouldn’t budge.
“Please daddy?” she begged.
He relented, nodded and he kissed her goodnight. Beth pulled off her boots and
pants before slipping back in the bunk. She lay her head gently on Max’s chest
and was soon lulled back to sleep by Max’s steady heat beat.
When she woke the next morning she at first confused where she was but when she
felt Max move it all came back to her. Max jerked awake and he smiled at her
when he found her in the bunk with him.
“Morning” he said.
“How are you feeling?” she asked him.
“Well the shoulder still stings a little but other than that I’m good” he
replied.
“Ok good, you hungry?, you missed dinner, you should eat” Beth suggested.
“Yeah breakfast sounds good” he agreed.
He began to get up but she stopped him, pushing him back.
“No, you still need to rest I’ll go get us some breakfast” she said firmly.
He looked like he was going to protest but then settled back into the bunk.
Beth pulled on her jeans and boots on and walked cautiously into the mess, not
really wanting to talk to anyone. She saw Carol and Karen talking and they gave
her warm smiles. Beth returned a weak one and continued over to the food prep
table.
She decide to make some tea first and lit the little stove to boil some water.
As she filled the first mug, some water splashed out and hit her hand causing
her to yelp in pain. The ceramic mug smashed on the ground. She bent down to
pick up the pieces but Carol and Karen stopped her.
“Hey Beth it’s ok we got this” Karen said gently.
“Thanks I um was going to make Max some breakfast” she said
“Ok we’ll help you” promised Carol, giving Beth a smile.
Beth nodded and let the two women help her. Karen swept up the broken mug and
Carol began opening a can of fruit.
“How is he this morning?” Carol asked.
“He’s ok” was all Beth managed to answer.
Carol nodded and poured the fruit into some bowls.
“You know I kinda thought you two would get together” said Carol.
“You did?” asked Beth in surprise
“Yeah it was a only a matter of time especially with you two spending so much
time together” she replied.
Beth smiled and felt her spirits being lifted but she looked around the room
with concern.
“So you don’t think I’m too young for Max?” she asked worriedly.
“Well I guess your age and the age gap between you would be a voice of concern
before but it’s a new world now Beth it’s not like there are many suitable guys
for you to date now days” Carol reasoned.
“Thanks Carol” said Beth, smiling at her.
Carol smiled back and then the two of them carried the breakfast to Max.
“Well morning there” said Carol as the walked into the cell.
“Carol” said Max in greeting
“All comfy in here, need more pillows?” Carol ask.
“Nah all good, thanks though” he replied.
Carol smiled, nodded and left Beth and Max to their breakfast.
“So miss Greene, what do you want to do today?” he asked when they had finished
eating
“Well you aren’t leaving this bed, so I guess we’ll hang out here” Beth replied
firmly.
“Yes mam” he said without protest.
“Well you two look rested” said a voice, and they both looked to see Maggie and
Hershel standing at the door.
“Hows the shoulder?” Hershel asked Max.
“Yeah getting better, hows Glenn?” he asked.
Beth scowled at Glenn’s name, he hadn’t been in the mess the day before or at
dinner so she didn’t get the chance to confront him like she did Rick. Maggie
saw Beth’s scowl and gave her a sheepish look.
“He’s fine, woke up last night with a headache” Maggie answered.
“Yeah sorry I had to do that” said Max
“Don’t be, he deserved it” she replied.
A serious look then appeared on Maggie's face and her father looked directly at
Beth.
“Bethie why don’t you got take a shower, get yourself cleaned up” he suggested.
Beth gave them a look but realised they wanted to speak to Max alone and
reluctantly relented.
“Ok but I’ll be back soon” she warned.
Beth grabbed her things from her cell and went to take a shower. Afterwards on
the way back from the shower room, Beth noticed Carl sitting with Judith and
she walked up to them.
“Hi Beth” said Carl nervously.
“Hi Carl” said Beth.
Judith gurgled happily and held out her arms. Beth picked her up and giggled as
Beth tickled her.
“I’m sorry what my dad did yesterday” said Carl.
Beth nodded, she couldn’t be mad at them, especially Judith and it wasn’t their
fault what their father did.
“It’s ok Carl, I don’t blame you” she assured him and a relived smile appeared
on his face.
“Is Max all right?” he asked.
“Yeah but he’s going to have to rest for a while” she replied.
Carl nodded and then looked thoughtful before ducking away and quickly
returning with a stack of comic books.
“Um Max said he liked comics, maybe he’d like these” he said.
He held them out, Beth handed Judith back to him and she took the comics.
“Thanks Carl, Max will love them” said Beth.
Carl looked embarrassed now and Beth couldn’t help smiling at him
“Yeah um sorry again” he said sheepishly and then walked off Judith.
Beth watched them go and threw her things into her cell before retuning to
Max’s cell with Carl’s comics in hand.
She found Maggie and her father had left and now Dr S. was changing Max’s
bandage.
“Well it looks good Max, no sign of infection” said Dr S.
“Sounds great doc” said Max.
“Now remember, plenty of rest” said Dr S.
“Will do” Max promised.
Dr S gathered up his things and with a nod to them both, left the cell.
“What you got there?” Max asked.
“Oh Carl thought you might want to read theses” said Beth, handing him the
comics
“Oh cool” he said.
Beth smiled at him and his face lit up as he looked through him.
“Tell him thanks” asked Max.
“I will, so um what did Maggie and daddy have to say?” she asked.
“Ahh they just wanted to make sure I wasn’t thinking about getting revenge on
Rick and Glenn” he replied.
“Oh ok” she said.
Beth was still mad at Glenn and Rick for what they did but she needed to put it
behind her, she still had Max and the two of them could still be together so
she decided to be very grateful for that.
Beth gave him a little smile and slipped back onto the bed side him, gently
touching his fresh bandage
“It’s good what Dr S. said” she said softly.
“Yeah it is, I’ll be back to normal in no time” he said.
Beth was cheered up more by this information and couldn’t help but smiling
brightly at him. Max grinned back and then picked up the stack of comic books.
“So wanna read some comics with me?” he asked.
“I’m not much of a comic reader” Beth admitted.
“Oh?, never would have guessed that” said Max teasingly.
Beth’s eyes widen and she looked at him with mock outrage and playfully punched
his arm.
“Well I’m sorry I’m not a big geek like yourself” she said with a teasing
smile.
Max just laughed and Beth giggled as well.
“So you don’t want to read comic with me?” he then asked.
“Ok but you gotta explain all the characters and what’s happening” she asked
“Deal” he promised.
That settled in and began reading the first comic he chose. Beth had never read
a comic in her life and never thought she would, but laying next to Max as
explained the world in the book she would read them with him everyday.
“So he gets bitten by a spider and gets spider powers?” Beth asked in disbelief
after they had been reading for a while.
“Well yeah but it was a radioactive spider” he replied.
“Oh I guess that makes a lot more sense” she said teasingly
“Hey babe it’s the comics, doesn’t have to make sense” Max reasoned.
“hmm ok” Beth said back and Max just laughed at her.
They continued reading, Maggie and Carol brought them some lunch and as Beth
came back from returning their empty dishes she found Max getting up.
“What are you doing?” she asked
“Just going to take a shower and I want to get some sun and fresh air” he
answered
“Max you need to rest” she said.
“Beth I’m not disagreeing, I’m just going to take a shower that’s all” he said.
Beth nodded, relenting and realised she was being too protective and smiled
embarrassedly.
“Ok just be careful” she warned
“Will do, wanna help me shower?” he asked
Beth’s jaw dropped as he grinned at her, she then blushed and giggled.
“Hmm maybe next time, besides I already showered today” she replied
“Shame” he said
“Come on mister, lets get you showered” she said, rolling her eyes.
Max laughed, gathered his shower gear, some clean clothes and they headed to
the shower room together
Beth became nervous as they walked together and wondered what everyone was
thinking as they looked in their direction
“Ignore them Beth” said Max.
Beth nodded and they continued on to the shower room. Max quickly showered and
then the two decided to sit in the sun, picking a spot on the hill in the
grass.
Beth noticed Sasha, Tyreese, Bob and some others walking towards them and she
eyed them wearily.
“Hey you two” said Sasha as the group reached them.
Beth looked at them worriedly but Sasha was smiling and she relaxed.
“Hows the shoulder Max?” Tyreese asked.
“Yeah all good mate, healing nicely” he replied.
“Good” said Tyreese.
“So what’s up guys?” Max asked.
The little group looked at each other and then Sasha spoke up again.
“So listen we just wanted to say that we have no problem with you two being a
couple” said Sasha and Beth smiled brightly at them.
“Thanks guys” she said happily.
“And we really think Rick and Glenn overstepped their bounds and Max we don’t
blame you for what you did” said Sasha.
“Thanks guys and just for the record I was never going to kill them” said Max.
“Good to know Max” said Tyreese.
Beth was in an ecstatic mood, happy now that the group was going to accept them
and that they disagreed with Rick and Glenn’s actions.
Sasha and the group left Beth and Max alone and Beth couldn’t stop smiling.
“Well you look happy” Max said.
Beth nodded and Max lent into to kiss her. She let out a little sigh and Max
lay her back into the grass. He began to kiss her hungrily and she felt his
hand on her hip.
“Oh Max” she moaned
It was strange being able to kiss out in the open like this, without worrying
that they would be caught and Beth lost herself in the moment.
She felt his hand slide down her thigh and Beth let out another little moan.
She wanted him badly to take things further but they couldn’t and pushed him
away.
“Not here ” she whispered, giving him a smile.
“Yes mam” he said.
The two of them then lay in the grass for a little while, looking up at the
clouds and pointing out the shapes they made until they decided to head back
inside get a drink.
As they walked into the mess, Beth froze when she saw her father talking to
Rick and sensed Max tense beside her.
Beth knew this confrontation was bound to happen but she wasn’t prepared for it
to happen so soon.
“Gentleman lets all stay calm here” said Beth’s father as Max and Rick glared
at each other.
Daryl and Tyreese got up from their table and readied for a fight. Beth looked
at Rick with a mixture of fear and anger, wondering what he was going to do.
“I’m cool Hershel” said Max calmly, holding out his hands.
“Rick?” asked her father.
Rick nodded but walked out of the mess and Beth scowled angrily as he left,
though relaxing somewhat. She looked at Max but he was looking at her father
questioningly.
“Hershel?” said Max
“He’s not going to do anything, just give him some time” he replied.
“Yeah?, well as long as he doesn’t fucking shoot me again I don’t give a fuck
what he does” said Max.
Beth took his hand a squeezed it gently and he gave her a reassuring look.
“Come on lets go, you still need to be resting” she suggested gently.
Max nodded and with nods to everyone else in the room, Beth and Max walked back
to his cell.
“You ok Max?” Beth asked worriedly as he crawled into his bunk.
“Yeah I’m good Beth” he assured her.
Beth nodded and got into the bunk with him again. They spent the rest of the
day reading and talking until Carol came to get them for dinner.
Beth was once again apprehensive but as they walked into the mess, Rick wasn’t
present and she relaxed. They sat with Maggie and her father at their usual
table and dinner was soon served.
Glenn came up and gave everyone a sheepish look. Beth glared daggers at him
wanting to snap at him like she had with Rick but she held back.
He began to sit down but Beth’s father cleared his throat and Maggie shook her
head.
“Might be best if you sit somewhere else for the time being son” suggested
Beth’s father.
Glenn’s face fell, he looked like he was going to protest but Maggie threw him
a look and he shuffled off, defeated.
The mood at the table was a little tense and Beth knew her sister and Glenn
were going to have work through it but Beth wasn’t going to forgive him any
time soon.
Dinner was finished off and Max and Beth retired back to his cell and Beth
decided she was sleeping right beside him again.
“Can I sleep here again?” she asked.
“Yeah come here” he said, patting the bunk beside him.
Beth grinned and quickly stripped off her boots and jeans. She slipped into the
bunk and snuggled into him. Max wrapped his arm around her and she sighed
happily as he kissed her goodnight.
She thought about maybe continuing what they had started in the field but with
Max’s shoulder she decided against it, besides they would be plenty of other
nights for that.
They soon both drifted off to sleep and Beth couldn’t wait to wake up next to
him in the morning and everyday after.
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