Late on a hot summer night in Georgia, Maggie Greene finally vowed to deal with her problem; once and for all.
In that very moment, the brunette lay awake in almost pitch-blackness, staring upwards; listening intently. In that very moment, Maggie was unaware that she would start a chain of events that would change her relationship with her sister forever.
It was happening again and she only wished she knew why. It always began in the same way; her own body caught in the sway of the cot above her own, rocking her awake. Blinking, she watched the offending mattress undulate, the frame of the bunk creaking rhythmically in time. Maggie sighed deeply; it wouldn't be the walkers that kept her awake tonight.
Surprisingly, sleep in the apocalypse sleep came very easily: when your days are a living nightmare rest is a hard won reward. After all, Maggie's imagination, no matter how bad, could not trump the horrors of reality. On an undisturbed night she could simply close her eyes and retreat to the numbing security that only unconsciousness could now bring. For a farmer's daughter turned dead girl walking, life didn't get any better. However, increasingly being able to rest was not so easy.
The bunk bed groaned yet again, it's rusty bars struggling to flex, even when supporting the minimal weight of two girls. The brunette frowned, propping herself on her elbows, a grimace clear in the light of the moon, illuminated through the bars of her cell. Like in most cases, the source of her frustration could easily be found; even in the apocalypse her younger sister-in-laws could still be annoying.
Increasingly Beth remained awake long into the night; while everyone else slept like logs, the 18-year-old girl would gradually begin to toss and turn, muttering in a seemingly semi-conscious haze. Originally, when the group had come across the prison and cleared it, the girls had ended up together, in-spite of several cells remaining vacant. Maggie chose to stick to her sister like glue; nobody slept alone these days. The brunette had hoped her presence in the room would help ease the blonde into sleep, to deal with their frightening day to day. Lately however, it seemed all her presence in the cell meant was that two Greene sisters wouldn't get any sleep, instead of just one.
Turning onto her side beneath the thin, prison issue blanket, the brunette frowned, curling into a ball in an attempt to get more comfortable; At temperatures of over 38 degrees Fahrenheit even in the night, nobody ever got cold and most of the time the Greene girls wore as little as possible to bed. So when Maggie heard her sister's shiver, the bunk shuddering in time, the brunette was left perplexed; could Beth be ill?
......
The next day Maggie emerged into blinding light, the heat of the summer sun beating down on her, eyes struggling to adjust as she searched for the source of her exhaustion. The brunette had elected not to bother the young blonde that night, hoping that they could discuss their sleeping arrangements in the light of day. Upon waking however, Maggie found that her cellmate was nowhere to be seen.
Stomping down the steps Maggie strode across the yard; the brunette scouring the prison for her sister, worn leather boots crunching in loose gravel as she searched the crumbling complex, nodding to Rick and the others she met as she passed.
The brunette had learnt a lot about the world since it had ended. Out in the wilderness she had gained a fiery determination to survive, no matter the cost; Maggie wasn't a traditional girly girl anymore. It was kill or be killed and she had chosen the latter, gladly shirking off her old lifestyle. Disposing with reanimated corpses wasn't anyone's idea of fun, but she had found the process kind of cathartic. No more quiet country daughter; Maggie would do anything to get by.
Beth however, had struggled with this apocalyptic transition, still a kid in so many ways. The blonde could be naïve and sensitive; avoiding the fight whenever possible. No one could afford to be useless in a walker filled world though and so she contributed to the group by maintaining their shelter; while Maggie defended her from anything that would try to take it away from them. For the older sister this meant being ready to do anything. When it came down to it the two were closely bonded; Maggie protected her own.
Coming across the perimeter sheds, she heard a familiar girly grunt coming from within. Ducking into the ramshackle building, she spotted her baby sister bent over the prison's ancient water pump and watched as the girl exerted herself, using all her strength to work the worn out mechanism.
While Beth was still young she certainly wasn't a child anymore, her curves made especially obvious as she bent over the waterspout. The pale girl was lean; hell, everyone in the apocalypse was, but she was also distinctly feminine and pert, like a china doll or a Disney Princess; still so full of youth and warmth. Maggie treasured that, grim times called for bright people.
Maggie whistled, impressed by the girl's determination; at this time of day manual labor was hard work, but her sister kept at it, her tight clothes clinging to her body, now drenched in sweat.
"Hey," Beth grunted in her adorable southern drawl, glancing up from her work briefly as her sister joined her at the pump, only stopping to wipe beads of sweat from her forehead before she returned to flexing the handle up and down: "I thought y'all were on fence duty this morning?"
"I know," Maggie responded, somewhat defensively, "I just wanted to check on you before I went, seemed like you had trouble sleeping last night?"
Beth paused, dropping the bucket and twisting on her knee to look up at her sister. Maggie raised an eyebrow, surprised by her little sister's sudden attention. The blonde responded carefully, avoiding her eye:
"So you, you heard me?..."
"Well, yeah.." Maggie replied, looking the nervous girl up and down:
"Sounded like you had a fever or somethin', you kept fidgeting all night. Are you alright?"
Beth seemed to lower her guard, nodding slowly in her response: "Ohh, yeah... I'm just, restless is all."
"Restless?" Maggie responded pointedly: "this place is practically a work camp! You must be exhausted!"
Beth looked down at her feet, twisting her toe in the dirt, her pale face turning red. Maggie just watched the young girl quizzically; she was acting like she had when they were kids, forever the naughty farm girl.
"I thought you were ill or somethin'," Maggie proposed, eying her sister tenderly: "Ya know if your sick you should tell me, I can help you."
Beth turned back to the pump, grabbing the handle once more, looking away from her sister: "I'm just fine, don't worry yourself alright?"
Maggie, blinked, a little hurt; Beth seemed off, not her usual chirpy self, more like how she became during her lowest times, back near the end of their time at the farm. So she continued to pry:
"Your not fine Beth. Your always shivering at night and I can't catch a wink of sleep! Just take some medicine somethin' or get some rest. You'd be doing us both a favor!"
Beth countered sharply "I'm not sick Maggie, just drop it already!"
Maggie crossed her arms over her chest, becoming frustrated once more: "No! Your being difficult and I need to know why. This is about what's best for all of us, what bothers you bothers me!"
Beth whipped around, glaring at her older sister: "You caught me masturbatin', okay? I'm not sick, I'm just... horny."
Maggie's jaw dropped, her own response dying in her throat. Her sweet little sister... In heat?
"Your, your..." Maggie gulped, her stance loosening, stepping back awkwardly.
Beth stood up, finally looking at her older sister properly:
"I'm going stir crazy in this place," Beth responded, her own eyes now becoming wide and desperate, "You and daddy treatin' me like a kid, actin' like I'm all sweetness and inno-cence. But I'm nearly nineteen Maggie!" The Blonde paused brushing hair from her eyes before continuing bravely:
"Before the apocalypse you drove away all my boyfriends and now I haven't seen an eligible living guy in months! Your always so, smotherin'... So now nothin's twixted my nethers that weren't run on batteries... An they ran out weeks ago!"
This time it was Maggie's turn to blush, shocked by her sister's tirade: "Oh god Beth! I can't know that!"
Beth rolled her eyes, exasperated:
"Why not?! It's your fault! Every other night you go over to Glenn's cell to get your fill and I'm left to deal with a baby. Treatin' me like a goddam china doll while you guys rut like animals! Your such a hypocrite."
The blonde stopped for breath, her full anger and hurt finally spilling out uncontrollably:
"Do you know what it's like to be so defenseless in this place, while you lot go out and relieve your frustration everyday?! Sex, killin' walkers, those are the only ways to deal with life like this and I can't do either."
Beth finally ebbed out, practically breathless, while Maggie stared back at her young sister-in-law, now also speechless. Had she actually stopped her sister from gaining the relief she so often sought from Glenn? It was true that since all this started she had actively sought out sex, pouncing on the first eligible guy she found, even killing just to release her pent up frustration.
"I-I, I'm sorry Beth..." Maggie stuttered back slowly, just as the blonde cut her off:
"Look, I've got other stuff to do, so if you want to help me just fill the bucket and leave it in the canteen."
Beth closed her eyes, taking another deep breath, attempting to steady herself:
"I can take care of myself Maggie, get off my back, okay? And maybe... Just give me some time to take care of myself every now and again."
Maggie nodded slowly and watched, stunned as her baby sister trudged out into the bright light. The brunette raised shaky hands to her face, running long fingers through her short grimy hair; that had been an unfortunate eye opener.
Looking back up, Maggie set her jaw and eyed the space where the young woman had exited: