Penny is my main character from my novel "Infection". I've changed her age and made her older for the story. Infection is about a zombie apocalypse, so i thought it would be cool to see how she interacts with the characters of the Walking Dead. check back EVERY Sunday for a new episode!
Season 1: Episode 2- Guts
Penny awoke, surprised she was still alive. She couldn't remember much but she knew very well that any sensible person would've and should've gunned her down. How long was she out? She had no idea.
It could've been days or weeks. After losing everything, she was able to gain one friend. Even if that friend was a badass redneck who everyone disliked, he was still her friend; maybe even more than that.
"Hey darlin', you're finally awake." Her friend walked into the tent giving her a humorous smirk.
"What happened?" She questioned as she sat up from the small bed. Immediately feeling dizzy, she clutched her head and winced, not wanting to move any further.
"You passed out and went into a coma, honey." The redneck sat down beside her, her not leaving his watchful gaze.
"How long was I out?" Penny looked at her friend whom she now owed multiple deaths.
"A few days." He replied. "Managed to make our way back to the group."
"What group?" Penny questioned.
"The group me and my brother joined. A few of us are going out for a run and it's best you stay here. Let the women take care of ya." He stood to leave.
"Merle, I'm going with you. I'm fine. I feel fine." Penny insisted.
Penny was tough; Merle liked that about her.
"Darlin' I don't want you giving me any shit, you're stayin' here and wait for my brother to get back." Merle pointed his finger at her. Penny was not one to take orders.
"I don't care what you say, I'm going." Penny got to her feet. She felt shaky and weak, but her toughness hid all of that so Merle Dixon wouldn't see.
"Honey, how many times do I have to save your life to prove to you you're an idiot?"
"Don't flatter yourself. You saved my life one time." Penny snapped.
"Wrong darlin'. I saved your ass twice. Dale, Shane and Andrea insisted you were a full on walker and should've been put down. It took a lot of yellin' to make them put their guns down. That's when you went under, five days ago."
Penny looked at him in awe. He went out of his way to save her, more than once. He was her knight in shining armor, her savior, her hero, and her protector.
Merle looked at her as if she made him get into a pissy mood. 99% of the time, Penny deserved a good slap across her pretty face because she was such a bitch.
Losing her family and friends and seeing the world go to hell by the wrath of God made her cold, tough, depressed, and angry. Just like Merle, she was a loose cannon. She admired that they were the same in that way.
Unexpectedly, Penny pulled him into a hug then quickly exited the tent while running her hand through her short black hair. He didn't have to save her life when they first met. He didn't have to save her life five days ago, but he did.
Merle felt like it was his job to protect Penny. She now had an attachment to Merle and was determined to stick to him in case trouble came around again. She could defiantly take care of herself, but you can never be too careful these days. After all, the only one that can kill Merle is Merle.
A gunshot pulled Penny away from her thoughts about that very morning. Looking to her right, she saw Merle firing his gun at walkers down on the road.
"Merle, what are you doing?" Penny insisted.
"Just takin' out some geeks darlin'." Merle replied, his eyes not leaving his aim. "They're crowding around the entire buildin'. We ain't ever gonna get out alive like this!"
"Hey Dixon, you crazy?" Morales shouted. Everyone ran up to the roof, questioning why Merle was wasting bullets. Merle just laughed casually.
"Hey, you outta be more polite to a man with a gun!" Merle joked. He jumped down from the ledge and stood next to Penny. "Only common sense."
"You're wasting bullets we ain't even got man!" T-Dog jumped down, now standing in front of Merle. "You're bringing them down here on our ass!"
Merle stepped closer to him.
"It's enough I got this taco bender on my ass all day, now I have to take orders from you?" Merle started getting up in T-Dogs space, taunting him.
"Merle, stop." Penny spoke behind him, remaining where she was.
"Stay out of this darlin'." Merle quickly turned to face her then turned back to T-Dog. "I don't think so bro. That'll be the day."
"That'll be the day?" T-Dog questioned. "You got something you wanna tell me?"
"T-Dog, stop. It's not worth it." Penny said, practically defending Merle. "Just back off."
T-Dog refused to back down.
"Merle, just relax." Penny tried to calm things down. She could feel the tension, and she didn't like where this was heading. "Okay? We've got enough trouble."
"You wanna know the day?" Merle asked T-Dog, ignoring Penny completely.
"Yeah." T-Dog insisted. If Merle had something to say, he wanted it said to his face.
"I'll tell you the day "Mr. Yo", is the day I take orders from a nigger."
Penny's mouth gasped open. Penny might be a disrespecting biotch, but she liked T-Dog, and she even thought Merle was out of line right then and there.
T-Dog, offended, lunged at Merle, punching him in the face. Merle used his gun to hit back, knocking him down. Penny could hear Andrea pleading for them to calm down while some stranger intervened.
Merle immediately punched the guy, knocking him down, while T-dog stood up just asking for more. Merle turned his attention back to him, kicking him in his gut, making him hit his head on the metal pipe.
Penny inched closer, and helped the stranger stand. Examining him, she saw he was wearing a police sheriff's uniform. She had never seen him before.
Her attention went back to Merle, who continued to beat T-Dog, and the fight got to the point when Merle pinned him down, pulled out his pistol, and pointed it at his face. Andrea begged Merle not to shoot, but he wasn't listening. Penny walked around and put her hand gently on Merle's shoulder, not saying a word. Merle raised his head, looking at the expressions on everyone's faces, trying to decide if he should listen to his conscience or not.
"Merle." Penny said softly yet firmly, keeping her hand on his shoulder.
Merle spat at T-Dog, deciding not to pull the trigger. He slowly stood up as Penny backed away from him and stood by Andrea.
"Alright. Gonna have ourselves a little pow-wow." Merle stood over T-Dog and looked at everyone. "Talk about who's in charge. I vote me." Merle spoke as Glenn, Andrea, and Penny dragged T-Dog away from Merle.
"Anybody else? Huh? Democracy time ya'll. Show of hands. Huh? All in favor?"
His gaze was more directed at Penny, wanting her to agree with him. As much as she cared for him and vise versa, she knew he was not a suitable leader. She wasn't going to let him use fear to get her to agree with him. She was more pissed at him than she was scared.
"Come on, let's see 'em." Merle insisted.
"Oh come on." Andrea said, not wanting to agree either.
"All in favor?" Merle asked once again. Everyone but T-Dog and Penny raised their hands. "That's good."
He was beginning to get on Penny's last nerve. She stood next to Andrea and pouted, giving him a look of disappointment, and the "you're really pissing me off" look.
"That means I'm the boss right?" Merle continued talking. "Now anybody else?" He looked directly at Penny, but she didn't budge. This angered him to an extent. "Anybody?"
"Yeah." The Sheriff held Merle's rifle and hit him across his head, knocking him to the rooftop floor.
The Sheriff handcuffed Merle's right hand to the metal pipe, restraining him.
"Who the hell are you man?" Merle grunted as the Sheriff lifted him up forcefully.
"Officer friendly." The Sheriff replied. "Look here Merle, things are different now. There are no, "niggers", anymore, no dumb inbred white trash fools either. Only dark meat, and white meat. There's us, and the dead. We survive this by pulling together, not apart."
"Screw you man." Merle replied.
"I can see you making a habit on missing the point." The Sheriff continued.
"Yeah? Well screw you twice." Merle said.
"You outta be more polite to a man with a gun." The Sheriff pointed his gun at Merle's head, using Merle's words against him. "Only common sense."
"You're a cop." Merle spoke, not liking the Sheriff's first impression.
"All I am anymore is a man looking for his wife and son. Anyone who gets in the way of that is gonna lose. I'll give you a moment to think about that."
The Sheriff searched Merle's pocket and pulled out a dose of cocaine. This shocked Penny, she had no idea he did drugs. Like she wasn't pissed at him enough, right?
"You got some on your nose there." The Sheriff spoke sarcastically.
"What are ya gonna do? Arrest me?' Merle laughed. "Hey! What are you doin' that's my stuff!" Merle yelled as the Sheriff threw Merle's drugs off the roof.
"If I get loose, you better pray!" Merle yelled. Everyone walked away and ignored him while he threw his tantrum. "You hear me you pig? Your hear me!"
"Yeah, your voice carries." The Sheriff said, barely listening.
Penny couldn't help but chuckle. Despite Merle, she liked this guy, the Sheriff.
The stranger leaned on the ledge as Penny walked up and stood next to him.
"Where you from?' Penny asked him nicely. This was odd, considering she wasn't very nice anymore.
"Up the roadways." The Sheriff responded. Penny chuckled slightly.
"Well officer friendly, from up the roadways, welcome to the big city." Penny turned and looked at him. They both turned to see a herd of the walking dead on the streets below.
"God it's like Times Square down there." She heard Andrea say.
"How's the signal?" Morales asked T-Dog who was leaning against the wall, across from Merle.
"Like Dixon's brain, weak." T-Dog said looking at Merle. Merle turned and looked at him. All Merle had to do was flip him off to get his point across.
"Keep trying." Morales replied.
"Why? There's nothing they can do. Not a damn thing." Andrea turned.
"We got some people outside the city." Penny said to the Sheriff. "We're on our own. It's up to us to find a way out."
"Good luck with that." Merle spoke up. "These streets ain't safe from what I hear." His eyes fell on the beautiful Andrea, whom Penny was jealous of. She was so pretty it made Penny feel insecure. "Ain't that right sugar-tits?" He smiled playfully.
Penny couldn't help but feel extremely jealous. She shouldn't be, her and Merle weren't together.
"Hey, honeybunch." Merle tried getting Andrea's attention. "What say you get me out of these cuffs, we go bump some uglies? Gonna die anyway."
"I'd rather." Andrea replied.
That response made Penny smile. Not only because she refused him, but she liked Andrea. She wanted to be friends with her.
"Rug muncher. I figured as much." Merle said, accepting his rejection.
"The streets aren't safe." Morales said turning the attention away from Merle. "Now there's an understatement."
"What about under the streets?" The Sheriff questioned. "The sewers?"
"Oh man." Morales said. "Hey Glenn, check the alley. You see any manhole covers?"
Glenn stood to check the alley.
"No, must be all out on the streets where the geeks are." Glenn replied after checking.
"Maybe not. Old building like this built in the 20's; big structures often had drainage tunnels into the sewers in case of flooding, down in the subbasements." Jackie spoke up.
"How do you know that?" Glenn asked.
"It's my job-was." She replied. "I worked in the city zoning office."
The group went down to check the sewers while T-Dog, Penny (and obviously Merle) stayed. Penny went and sat next to T-dog as he continued trying to get a signal on the radio.
"Anybody out there?" T-Dog spoke into the radio. "Hello? Anybody read? I'm hoping to hear somebody's voice cause I'm getting sick and tired of hearing mine."
"Yeah well that makes two of us." Merle commented. "Why don't you knock that crap off? You're giving me a headache boy."
Same as Penny, Merle needed a good slap across the face 99% of the time.
"Why don't you pull your head out your ass, maybe your headache will go away." T-Dog commented back.
Penny was getting sick and tired of hearing them fight. All Merle did was laugh.
"Try some positivity for a change, damn." T-Dog said, not wanting to hear Merle talk for another second.
"I'll tell you what, you get me out of these cuffs, and I'll be all "Sammy Sunshine" positive for you." Merle smiled. He turned his focus to Penny. "Hey sweetheart, see that hacksaw over there in that tool bag? Get it for me, hmm? Make it worth your while."
This was the last thing she wanted. She didn't want to say no, but she didn't want to say yes either. He knew she did everything he asked her to.
"What do you say? Get me out of these things." Merle pressured her. She wanted so desperately to say yes and un-cuff him, but she knew she couldn't.
"So you can beat my ass again?" T-Dog intervened, letting Penny breathe. That was his way of saying, "don't worry, I got you." "Or call me nigger some more?"
"Come on now, it wasn't personal." Merle replied. "It's just that your kind and my kind ain't meant to mix, that's all." It seemed like he was trying to get more on Penny's good side than T-Dog's. "It don't mean we can't work together, parley, as long as there's some kind of mutual gain involved." He looked at Penny again. "So-about that hacksaw."
"I guess you want me to get that rifle over there too so you can shoot that cop when he comes back up, huh?" Penny snapped at him. She knew him too well, and could predict his intentions.
"Darlin', come sit by me." Merle offered to Penny.
She stood and went to sit by her friend.
"You ain't never said no to me before darlin'. Why the sudden change of heart?" He smirked her.
"The last thing I need is to be yelled at by everyone for un-cuffing you and you starting your one-man riot again." She stated, looking away from him.
"Now, now honey, don't take it so hard, I was just tryin' to show them who's boss." He chuckled. "I'm all calm and fragile now."
"Yeah, you sure showed them who's boss." Penny said sarcastically, gesturing the handcuffs.
"You know I've always liked you right?" Merle said looking at her.
"Are you just saying that so I'll un-cuff you?" She asked bluntly.
"Oh no, I'm being 100% honest with ya." Merle replied. "Besides, I got my responsibility to protect ya. How am I supposed to do that when I'm handcuffed to a pipe?
Penny smiled. Before she could respond any feelings she had for him, the group came back up the stairs.
"That construction site, those trucks-they always keep keys on hand." The Sheriff said, handing Morales the binoculars.
"You'll never make it past the walkers." Morales warned him.
"You got me out of the tank." The Sheriff looked at Glenn.
"Yeah, but they were feeding. They were distracted." Glenn replied.
"Can we distract them again?" The Sheriff asked.
"Right. Listen to him. He's onto something." Merle spoke up, trying to get on Sheriff's good side. "A diversion, like on "Hogan's Heroes.""
"God. Give it a rest." Jackie snapped at him. Penny felt like she had every right to punch her in the face.
"They're drawn by sound, right?" The Sheriff questioned.
"Right, like dogs-they hear a sound, they come running." Glenn replied.
"What else?" The Sheriff asked.
"Aside from they hear you?" Penny asked. "They see you, smell you, and if they catch you, they eat you."
Penny hated the walkers with a firing passion.
"They can tell us by smell?" The Sheriff asked in disbelief.
"Can't you?" Glenn asked sarcastically.
"They smell dead, we don't. It's pretty distinct." Penny spoke up.
The Sheriff thought of an idea and told Penny to stay and keep an eye on Merle while everyone else went to put the plan into motion. Glenn and the Sheriff were going to cover themselves in zombie guts so they could get to the truck. After about fifteen minutes, everyone except Glenn and Sheriff came back up to the roof to get everything.
"Hey, what happening man?" Merle asked anxiously. He couldn't take being handcuffed there any longer, he wanted out.
"Hey T-Dog, try that C.B." Morales said as they ran.
"Hey, come one, talk to me ya'll." Merle said getting nervous.
Penny wanted answers just as much as he did.
"Base camp, this is T-Dog. Anybody hear me?" T-Dog spoke into the radio. "Can anybody out there hear me?"
"There." Morales pointed spotting Sheriff and Glenn on the street. Thunder began to rumble.
"That asshole is out on the street with the handcuff keys?" Merle asked, getting angry.
"Are you serious?" Penny got just as mad.
T-Dog gave the two a look then showed he had the key to un-cuff him. Merle looked at him with rage.
"T-Dog, what are you doing? Un-cuff him already!" Penny stood, getting angry.
"Not yet." T-Dog replied, not feeling intimidated by her.
After a few minutes rain started falling. This was not a good thing.
"Oh man." Morales said, feeling just as worried with everyone else. The thunder got louder. "It's just a cloud burst, We get them all the time. It'll pass real quick."
"How fast is real quick?" Penny spoke up, still standing next to Merle. "They don't have time, the smell will wash off."
The group watched as the two just managed to make it over the gate to the truck. The group had no time.
"They're leaving us." Andrea panicked.
"What? What?" Merle asked, confused.
"No, no, come back." Andrea begged.
"Those roll-up doors at the front of the store facing the street-meet us there and be ready." Glenn's voice said on the radio.
"Come on! Let's go, let's go!" Morales shouted. Everyone gathered their stuff in a hurry and began running for the staircase.
"Hey, you can't leave me here!" Merle shouted. "I'm not fooling man! Morales!"
"Morales!" Penny shouted, kneeling by the cuffs.
She wasn't leaving Merle's side; not on her life.
"Hey, man! Don't do this!" Merle pleaded as everyone left one by one.
"Hey, that's my gun, you can't leave me!" Merle continued.
T-Dog froze, not sure of what to do.
"T-Dog! You have the key! Please! Let him go, you can't leave him here, please!" Penny shouted, clutching the cuffs in her hands.
"Don't leave me here you guys!" Merle cried. Andrea called for Morales.
"We gotta go." Morales said to T-Dog leaving the scene.
"Morales! You can't leave me like this man!" Merle shouted.
"T-Dog!" Penny shouted, panicking, seeing T-Dog still standing there.
"Hey, T-Dog. No man. You can't leave me man!" Merle pleaded to T-Dog. "You can't leave me here, not like this. You can't man, it's not human!" Merle begged so hard, he could've cried.
Penny started crying, pulling on the cuffs anxiously.
"Come on, don't do this!" Merle sounded like he was tearing up.
"T-Dog! Will you quit standing there! Help, please!" Penny cried at the top of her lungs. She couldn't understand why he was taking so long to help.
T-Dog groaned and began running over to Merle and Penny, key in his hand; he knocked the tool box over in the process. As he ran over, he tripped and the key flew from his hand. The key bounced a few times, then fell down a drain.
"No!" Penny screeched, running for the drain. It went so far down, there was no way she could reach it.
"Son of a bitch! You did that on purpose!" Merle yelled.
"I didn't mean to!" T-Dog yelled back.
"You lie! You did it on purpose!"
"It was an accident!" T-Dog yelled.
"Don't leave me man!" Merle begged.
"T-Dog! Please don't!" Penny cried in desperation.
T-Dog acting quickly, grabbed his bag, ran over and threw Penny over his shoulder.
"No! T-Dog! We can't just leave him!" Penny cried, kicked, punched and screamed as T-Dog ran to the door.
"I'm sorry!" T-Dog yelled.
"Damn you all! Don't leave me!" Merle shouted. He kept repeating, "don't leave me."
T-Dog put down Penny who continued to cry.
"T-Dog, no! We can't leave him!" Penny begged.
T-Dog turned around and shut the door completely, and put a lock and chain on it while Penny could hear Merle yell, "You're gonna rot in hell!" repeatedly.
"Don't leave us!" T-Dog yelled running down the stairs while pulling a struggling Penny along down the stairs.
T-Dog and Penny ran and saw the glass shatter as more walkers flooded in.
"Hey! Wait for us!" T-Dog yelled as they sprinted down the hall.
"They're here! Let's go! They're in here!" Penny shouted. She could hear the walkers getting closer.
They lifted the garage door and the Sheriff helped load the stuff into the truck. Everyone jumped in and the Sheriff took off just as the geeks were about to grab one of them.
Morales pulled the back of the truck down as the Sheriff floored it. Once everyone knew they were safe, everyone began to relax. Penny didn't take her eyes off of T-Dog. She wanted to shoot him so badly. Nothing could describe the hurt, anger, and pain and guilt she felt.
"What happened?" Morales asked anyone who would answer.
"I dropped the damn key." T-Dog said after a moment of silence.
Penny gave him a look saying, 'I will punch you in the face'. After another moment of silence, Andrea spoke up.
"Where's Glenn?"
