Title: The Monster Under the Bed
Summary: Life is scary. Scarier still when the dead rise and try to eat you. Yet it's Man that is to be feared. Because the undead aren't the only ones who'll eat you alive.
Warnings: DARK. Dark, dark, dark. Mentions m/m non/con (no details, but the aftermath).
Notes: This is set in an AU where the Dixon brothers never met up with the Atlanta survivors. Cut to some distant future when some of the group come across The Dixons.
1.
"Here."
Merle reached out and took the blanket, nodding gratefully to her as he quickly threw it over the sleeping former next to him. Daryl couldn't have been tucked up any closer to his brother in his attempt to feel some sense of safety.
Michonne crouched down beside Merle, looking at the man curled up beside him for a moment, fascinated with the care the elder brother took making sure the blanket covered Daryl.
"The old man, Hershel, he has medical knowledge. You should let him take a look at your brother while he's out of it."
She could see how conflicted Merle was about it. After what she'd seen Daryl had been through she understood.
She's watched him shovel 3 or 4 sleeping pills down Daryl's throat in his desperate attempt to calm him down. And he'd not stirred since falling to sleep.
"You need anything?" She asked him, standing up.
Merle shook his head. Right now, the only thing he cared about was having Daryl beside him again.
Michonne made her way over to the others.
"We staying here?" She asked Rick.
He nodded. "Just for the night. It was an unexpected detour and this place will give us protection while we figure out what to do."
"What about them?" Andrea asked motioning over to the brothers.
Michonne shrugged. She had no idea what they'd do and doubted that they did either.
"We don't need anyone else to feed," Carl reminded them. "Foods hard enough to come by."
Hershel nodded. "He's right. But we can't just leave them. Especially not here."
"Maybe they want a lift somewhere?" Carol suggested.
Andrea frowned deeply and shook her head. "That guy we just rescued, we cut him loose with just his brother and they'll both be dead in days. I don't want their blood on my hands."
"What if they don't want to stay with us?" Carol argued.
"Then that's their decision. If it cuts into our food a little, so be it. They deserve a chance."
Rick looked to the others and no one argued Andrea's point. He nodded his head at her before heading over to the other men, beckoning Hershel to follow him.
Merle could feel Daryl's breath on his arm. It was warm and comforting and he realised he needed to feel his brother beside him as much as Daryl had needed that contact.
He didn't like the fact that Daryl would wake up still in the same building he'd been held in for almost a week now but it seemed the others were camping here for the night and he really didn't want to jostle Daryl about.
He wasn't aware of the two men approaching until they were stood in front of him.
The younger man crouched down in front of him, much like the woman had earlier.
"Rick Grimes," he said holding out his hand. It was crazy to think all that had passed through the last day and they'd never exchanged names.
"Merle." Nodding down to the man next to him. "That's Daryl." He'd probably already told them Daryl's name while they talked about how they'd rescue him from the hell he'd been in but it was too much of a blur to remember.
"This is Hershel. Want him to take a look at Daryl?"
Merle's heart constricted in his chest and fuck, it hurt. Because he didn't want anyone to look or touch Daryl again as long as he was alive. But he knew he was hurt. Knew it might be worse if he didn't let him.
Slowly he nodded. "Yea', okay, do whatcha gotta do but I can't... I can't sit there with ya."
He carefully pushed Daryl off of him and missed his brothers warmth against him and then stood up. "You need him moved?" He asked.
Hershel looked around the room they were in. It had nowhere discreet for him to check over the man. The other rooms he knew of were no better.
The only room that wasn't disgusting was the room that now held the very dead bodies of the men who held Daryl here. Beside that, there was a disgusting bedroom of sorts which was no more than some mattresses thrown on the floor which stank of sweat, sex and decay. There was an old kitchen which was of no use, along with the bathroom and the only other room was where they'd held Daryl.
Hershel didn't think it was likely he'd wake up, but the idea of having Merle move his brother back to that room just felt wrong.
"I'll do it here. But some privacy would be nice."
Rick nodded. "We could do with looking at the food for tonight. Checking supplies." Rick suggested to the others. "Let us know when you're finished?" Rick requested and Hershel nodded.