Author's Note: Hello! This is my first time publishing anything on FF.N, and my first time writing anything involving The Walking Dead. Here's hoping it goes well!
This is going to be a Merle Dixon/OC story.
I don't own The Walking Dead or anything recognizable, I just own all of the OC's.
Feel free to review if you like, I'd love to hear what you think!
Slam!
I flinch at the sound, glancing around frantically, waiting for the corpses to show up, drawn by the sound. I'm not disappointed, it only takes a few seconds for the staggering figures to start appearing. I grit my teeth and glance over at Deucalion, who is leaning against the tire of the truck we found, coughing. The noise that drew the corpses must have been Duke falling against the truck. I sigh and hurry over to him. As I reach his side, he glances up and sees the bodies behind me. He grimaces and struggles to stand. I wrap a hand around his bicep, steadying him.
"Fucking hell." He mutters. I chuckle and lead him around the truck and over to the passenger side.
"I concur. Get inside, get her started." I instruct the sick man. He frowns at me.
"And what will you be doing?" He asks. I roll my eyes.
"Gonna run inside and grab the last couple of bags. Be back in a moment." I answer, and before he can say anything, I turn and jog towards the small cabin that he and I found and decided to ransack. Surprisingly enough, it had been full of canned foods, packages of bottled water, and tools and weapons. No one had touched the place, so we grabbed everything we could get our hands on. Halfway through loading the truck though, Duke started coughing and began to pale and sweat, and he started having trouble lifting some of the bags. I have no idea what's wrong with him, but I'll figure it out when we're away from the corpses outside.
I quickly run inside and scoop up the last three bags full of various tools and weapons. I grunt at the weight of it all, and begin to regret loading the food first. I lumber over to the door slowly, wanting to avoid falling. Taking a deep breath, I yank the door of the cabin open, and bolt towards the truck. I toss the bags into the bed of the truck and turn around. I come face to face with a corpse, and breath in the smell of rotting flesh. I gasp and stumble backwards, falling against the truck. The corpse lurches forward, but before I get trapped, I throw myself to the side. I scramble up off of the ground and yank a dagger out of the holster wrapped around my shoulders. I dart forward and plunge my blade into the skull of the corpse, and then yank it out and do the same thing over and over to each corpse that comes close enough.
Eventually I edge my way to the driver side of the truck, and I quickly climb in. I shut the door, and right away the corpses fall against it, clawing and scratching. I turn away from them and find Duke watching me, shirtless under his jacket and holding a bundle of cloth against his mouth. I frown and forget the monsters outside for a moment.
"Duke, what's wrong?" I ask, and he looks down and slowly pulls his shirt away. I see that it's stained red, and so are his lips.
"Shit." Is the only thing I think to say. He laughs humorlessly.
"I don't know what's going on. I just started coughing all of a sudden, and it wouldn't stop, and then while you were out there, blood started coming up." He says weakly. I reach over and squeeze his hand, and he looks up.
"We'll figure this out, Duke." I tell him. He yanks his hand away and scoffs.
"Don't lie just to make me feel better, Isabella. Just don't." He growls coldly. I roll my eyes.
"Shut up, Duke." I say just as coldly. He pauses, and I shake my head.
"I didn't say that everything would be okay, or that it was nothing serious. We will figure out what's going on with you. But right now, we need to get out of here. Just sit tight, and tell me if it gets worse." I tell him seriously. Duke nods, and I reach down and grab a water bottle. I hand it to him, and then I glance out the windows. The corpses are still trying to get to us, and then have the cab of the truck surrounded. The back is clear though, so I put the truck in gear and quickly reverse. When I'm clear of the mob of bodies, I switch gears and hightail it away from the cabin.
I turn on the A/C when I see that Duke is still sweating, and it seems to help a little. Eventually, he falls asleep, and I let him, hoping it'll help with whatever's wrong with him. I reach over and press a hand to Duke's forehead, and hiss and how hot to the touch he is. I turn the A/C up and pull a blanket over myself, and then I drive a little faster.
A few hours later, it's getting dark, and I know that driving through the woods in the dark is a bad idea, so a few hundred miles away from our camp, I find a small town that our group has already searched. I pull up to a house that I've stayed in before and I turn off the truck. I make sure I have all four daggers in my shoulder holster, and then I reach into the backseat and grab my sword. I buckle it around my waist, grab Duke's shotgun, and then climb out of the truck. I shoulder the gun and glance around, making sure there's no one around. There are corpses in sight, but they're a ways away, and aren't paying any attention to us. I know Duke's gonna be pissed if he wakes up, but he's in no shape to help me clear the house, and he needs all the rest he can get.
I walk quickly over to the front door of the house, and after pulling the door open, I slam my knuckles against the door frame. I wait a minute, and when no corpses come forward, I hold the shotgun out in front of me and enter the house. I quickly walk though each room in the small one story house, making sure there's no one here, living or dead. When I'm done, I head back outside and take my time unloading all of the bags from the trunk into the house. Then, finally, I open the truck door quickly, pointing the gun inside. Duke is still, and he didn't react to the noise, so he isn't a corpse. Not yet, anyways. I lean into the cab and shake Duke awake. He starts coughing right away, and I grab his shirt and catch the blood coming up. It takes him a long moment to get his bearings.
"'sabella? Wha's goin' on?" He slurs sleepily.
"We're stopping for the night. C'mon, we just have to get you inside, and then you can go back to sleep." I answer. He groans and slowly slides out of the truck. He loses his balance as he gets out, and I catch him around the waist and struggle to hold him up. I sling one of his arms around my shoulders, and then we slowly make our way into the house.
I lead Duke into the bedroom of the house and get him into the bed and then I have him kick off his boots and peel off his jacket. He eventually finds the energy to crawl under the covers, and when I'm sure that he's asleep, I walk over to where I placed the bags we packed in case we couldn't make it back to camp tonight. I pull out a couple of extra blankets and cover the windows with them, and then I grab the shotgun again and head to the front room, ready for a long night of keeping watch.
Keeping watch is never interesting until it's dangerous, so naturally, when all is quiet, my mind wanders. I think about Duke, and what could be causing his sickness. He was with me the entire day, so I highly doubt he got bitten. It seems too serious to be a cold, so maybe it's pneumonia or something like that.
I wonder if anybody at the camp is sick, if Duke's brother or his girlfriend are. I hope that my own family is okay, and the rest of my unit.
Every hour or so, I head into the bedroom and check Duke's pulse and temperature. His pulse is strong and steady, but his temperature is still high. I find a kitchen towel and soak it in cold water, and I place it on Duke's forehead after pulling off all the covers but one. When I check on him later, as the sun is rising, he seems to have settled a bit more. I shake him awake again.
"Duke, wake up. Deucalion!" I call out, waiting until he answers with a low grunt. I sigh and grab his arms, pulling him up into a sitting position. I grab a water bottle and open it, and then I tip his head back and slowly help him drink. After the first couple of sips, he drinks more, so I let him finish the bottle. When he's done, I get him to eat a few crackers and then let him sleep.
I spend the day inside, not wanting to leave Duke while he's out of it. I waste time by polishing my sword and daggers, and cleaning the guns Duke brought. When I run out of weapons to distract myself with, I find an empty room and work out, trying to get rid of some pent up energy. I take it slower than I need to, but still, I find myself with free time. I stay on my feet, not wanting to risk getting comfortable and falling asleep. I end up pacing around the small house, practicing drill techniques even though my days in the Army, and the Army itself, are long gone. I remember the day I became aware of the outbreak.
It was in the early days of it, when no one was really very worried about humans suddenly attacking and eating other humans. Everyone thought it was something that would be quickly and easily cured. The day I found out, my Commanding Officer gathered me and my unit and told us what was happening. He told us that various units were being stationed across the U.S., detaining, evacuating and quarantining people when necessary, but that our unit was being stationed in D.C., to escort and protect the scientists who were looking into the problem. I accepted the information my CO gave me, and asked the necessary questions. I was a proud soldier, a damn good one, and my rank and security clearance was high enough that any questions I had were answered honestly.
A couple of months into my new assignment, I was told that the outbreak was more serious than anyone thought. I broke protocol and called my younger brother, who still lived in Texas with the rest of my family. I didn't tell him anything he didn't already know, I just made sure he understood how dangerous this thing was. I should've gotten in trouble, but at that point, anyone who knew what was going on had already warned their families. A couple of months after that, shit had really hit the fan. Communication had already gone down, electricity was scarce, and stepping outside, you were more likely to come across a few dozen walking corpses than a single living person.
At that point, the head scientist pulled files, and he sent the people with families through the door. Of course, he gave every soldier a choice, but the majority of the soldiers with no family decided to stay and keep looking for an answer, a cure. As for me, the second he called my name for release, I was packing my bags and speeding all the way to Texas. The rest of my 6 person unit had families as well, so we said our goodbyes in D.C.
It took me just over a week to reach the city I grew up in, because the main roads were filled with empty cars, and the back roads were narrow and occasionally dangerous. When I made it home, I headed to my grandparents house, figuring that any time my family got together, that's where we did, so that's where they'd be. I was right, but I wasn't prepared for what I would find.
When I got to the house, I knocked, and got a gun in my face as the answer. It was my Uncle Mason, making sure I wasn't some stranger trying to ransack the place. When he saw that it was me, he let me in, and then he disappeared without a word. I thought that was strange, but then so was my uncle. I found my brother, Eric, in the kitchen, sitting with our two cousins. When he saw me, he jumped out of his seat and threw his arms around me. I'd never been happier to see anyone in my life, and I didn't let go of him for a while. When we finally sat down with our cousins, I knew something was wrong. I asked where everyone else was, and I was informed that what I saw was what I got.
My mom had been killed trying to go back to the apartment that her and my brother lived in to get some of her things. She didn't take a weapon, she went alone, and she went at night.
My Aunt Joanna had been killed while working a shift at the hospital as an RN. At the time, people thought that if they got the corpses to the hospital, something could be done.
Her husband, my Uncle Kellan, had been killed while he was out getting more food. Not by corpses, but by people. It's people that are the real danger. I'll take corpses over people any day.
My grandparents had been killed months ago, near the start of it all. They were out shopping and they got attacked by a corpse before anyone really knew the danger.
All that was left of my family was my uncle, my cousins, and my brother. And I was just so grateful that at least the four of them had survived. We stayed there, in that house, for weeks. My uncle and I would take turns going out and getting food and supplies, and for a while, we were okay. But eventually, my uncle got cocky, and that cost him his life. We moved on after that.
We left the town we grew up in, and kept moving around. Eventually, we ran into James and Theo, two members of my old unit. Theo was with his girlfriend and her brother, and James was alone. We all decided to stick together, and that's the way the group started. A few months after that, James and I were out scavenging and we found Liam and William holed up in a cabin in the middle of nowhere. A couple of months later, we decided to check out one of the bases we'd been stationed at, and we found Tori there, with a girl named Samantha and a man named Ian. They were looking for Ian's brother, who was also Samantha's boyfriend. And that turned out to be Deucalion. I found him a couple of days after meeting Sam and Ian, bleeding and blacking out in a tree.
Samantha was young, only 19, while Ian was 36, and Duke was 43. A couple of members of our group thought that it was strange, that Sam was traveling with two men who were older than her, and dating one as well. But I didn't care. As long as it's consensual and they're happy, what they do is their business. Besides, one of the many things Sam and I have in common is preferring older men. Sue us. Sam is one of the youngest members of our group, but she definitely pulls her weight.
Meeting Sam, Ian and Duke happened about a year ago. Since then, our group has expanded. It now contains myself, my brother Eric, our cousins Chris and Jennifer, my old Army unit mates James, Theo, Tori, Liam and William, Theo's girlfriend Shay and her brother Ben, Sam, Ian and Duke, a girl named Natalie who Liam found by herself on the road, and a pair of twins, Joseph and Joshua. We don't ever stay in one place for very long. After trying a few times and eventually getting overrun every time, we've learned our lesson. Nowhere is safe anymore.
We remain in the safe house for another night, and the next morning, Duke looks a hell of a lot better. He's still pale and a little warm, but he's no longer coughing, and he can actually stay awake for longer than a few minutes. Duke and I rush outside and kill the few corpses lurking near the house and truck, and then we load the truck up with the bags from the cabin. We're quick about it, since we'd both like to get back to our families as soon as possible. I do a last sweep of the safe house, and then head out. The sound of the door shutting resonates in my head.
Duke offers to drive since I've been awake for two days, but I wave him off. He's still not well, and I'd rather he use the time to get some more sleep. When I tell him that, he laughs and says he can't possibly sleep any more, but it only takes him about half an hour to pass out. I drive as fast as I dare to, knowing that everyone at the camp will be worried sick. We shouldn't have even been gone a day, and instead we were gone two. The trip back only takes a couple of hours, and soon, I'm slowing down and parking the truck next to the rest of the camp's vehicles. One by one, everyone comes running, glad that Duke and I didn't get killed or turned. Eric finds me right away and gives me a tight hug, and then he smacks me on the back of the head.
"Do you two enjoy scaring the shit out of all of us? We thought you were dead." He admonishes. I sigh.
"Didn't mean to scare you. We're fine, Eric, calm down." I reply. He opens him mouth, to yell at me I'm sure, but James steps forward before Eric can say anything.
"What happened? You two look like shit." James notes. I roll my eyes.
"Well thanks for that. We got overrun at the cabin and took a different road to get out of there than before. By the time we reached the town a few hours away, it was already dark, so we stayed at the safe house." I answer. James raises an eyebrow, and I shake my head. I know he'll be questioning me later, but I don't have the energy to deal with that now.
The truck is unloaded and everything is counted, and then the food is put away in one of the bigger vehicles. The weapons are handed out between everyone, and then James grabs my arm and drags me away from everyone else.
"What aren't you telling? What happened?" He asks in a low voice. I sigh and rub my hands over my face, wishing I wasn't so exhausted.
"Duke got sick. It was bad for a while, but he's much better now. You should still get Theo to look him over, but I think he'll be fine." I answer. Our whole unit had medic training, but Theo was the actual medic, and his training has come in handy more times than I can count. James frowns at me.
"And why do you look like you're about to drop?" He asks. I shrug.
"Duke was unconscious for most of the past couple of days. Someone had to keep watch." I reply. James shakes his head.
"Christ, Bella. There's no way you're taking the bike today. Load it up, or I'll take it, or something. You need to sleep." He orders me. I nod, too tired to argue.
"How long until we hit the road?" I ask.
"As soon as everyone's ready. That means you too." He says, squeezing my shoulder before striding away. I turn and head over to Joshua, who usually drives the truck Duke and I were using. He grins as I walk up.
"Hey Izzy. You look like death." He greets me. I laugh.
"I feel like it too." I reply. He chuckles.
"What's up?" He asks. I nod at the black and dark red motorcycle parked next to a dark red muscle car.
"Would you mind if I load up my bike in the bed? I need to catch up on two days of sleep, and James'll have my head if I ride my bike while exhausted." I explain. Josh nods.
"Go ahead Izzy. After all we can't lose our second in command to a motorcycle accident, we need you too much." He agrees. I roll my eyes.
"Kiss ass." I mutter, walking over to my bike.
I throw my leg over it and take a seat on the dark leather seat, and then I start it up and smile at the roar of the engine. Aside from Roxanne, my red 1969 Mustang Boss 429, this bike is my baby. I've had the bike since before the outbreak, and she's been good to me. I was lucky enough to find my favorite muscle car ever a few months ago, when we were passing through Louisiana. I drive the bike over to Joshua's truck, and then I turn it off and stand up. Josh and his brother Joseph load up the bike for me, and after thanking them and making sure she's secure for the drive, I walk over to where Eric is standing with Chris and Jennifer. Jen throws her arms around me when I'm close enough, and I chuckle and hug her back.
"How are you three? Anything happen while I was gone?" I ask her quietly, knowing the boys don't like me worrying about them. Jen shrugs.
"We're fine. Nothing exciting happened." She answers. I nod, and then we turn to our brothers. Chris gives me a quick smile, and I smile back. Eric still doesn't look happy with me, but I expected that.
"Are you guys ready to get going?" I ask. Chris nods, Eric rolls his eyes, and Jen laughs.
"We're always ready. After over a year of this shit, we're pretty good at it." She declares. I grin and nod.
"Can't argue with that. How are you guys riding?" I ask.
"I'm riding with Chris." Eric announces right away. I nod and look and Jen. She grins widely.
"Do I get to drive Roxanne!?" She asks excitedly. I chuckle and nod.
"Just be careful with my baby, alright?" I ask. She nods happily.
"I will, now let's go!" She exclaims, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards my car. I turn to look at the boys, and Chris my car. I turn to look at the boys, and Chris waves his hand.
"We'll be fine, Iz. Go get some sleep." He tells me before I can say anything. I nod, and then turn and climb into the passenger seat of my car.
"Well this is strange." I comment. Jen laughs, rubbing her hands across the steering wheel.
We sit in the car for a few minutes while everyone loads their cars and gets situated, and then James directs his huge, black truck to the right. I gesture forward.
"Go on. Roxanne always leads or flanks Black Beauty." I tell Jen. She scoffs as she drives forward, taking her place as second in the caravan.
"You two are so dumb." She says with a laugh. I smirk.
"But Roxanne! You don't have to put on the red light!" I belt out the lyrics to the song that is my cars namesake. Jen giggles and sings along.
"Those days are over, you don't have to sell your body to the night! Roxanne! You don't have to wear that dress tonight!" We belt out, laughing loudly afterwards.
"Get some rest Bella, I'll wake you if we stop or if anything happens." Jen says. I nod and reach into the backseat, pulling out two thick blankets. I pass one to Jen and pull the other one over my body, and then I lean back and allow my body to relax.
I jolt awake and sit up quickly, trying to figure out what's going on. I'm still in my Mustang, and Jen is still driving, following James.
"Bella? Isabella!" I hear Jen say, and I turn to look at her. She has her eyes on the road, but every few seconds, she shoots me a worried look. I try to smile, but it probably comes off as a grimace.
"Are you alright?" She asks. I nod and try to settle back down. I won't be getting back to sleep anytime soon.
"I'm fine. Sorry if I scared you." I apologize. Jen shakes her head.
"I don't give a shit about that. You were fine one minute, and the next, you were jolting forward like you were being attacked. What happened?" She asks. I shrug.
"I don't know. I just can't sleep very long." I reply. I glance out the window and see that it's still daylight.
"How long was I out?" I ask curiously.
"Four or five hours I think." She tells me. I nod.
"Honk twice, will you?" I request. She raises an eyebrow but does as I ask. James honks back, and then starts to slow down. When everyone's come to a stop, I open my door and jog over to meet James. He's standing by his truck with his hands on his hips.
"What's wrong?" He asks. I shake my head.
"Nothing. Just wanted to know where we're headed." I explain. He shrugs.
"Hadn't really picked anywhere specific. We're headed East right now, but where we go is up to you." He states. I nod and stay silent for a moment, thinking.
"We'll keep going east. There's nothing for us south except the water and the border, and I don't think we'll chance that. Winter is coming, so north would be a bad idea, since we're all used to southern heat. If going east doesn't work, we'll turn around and go west." I decide. James nods.
"East it is. You wanna take the lead?" He asks. I shrug.
"Alright." I agree. I head back to the Mustang and switch seats with Jen.
"Where are we going?" She asks curiously.
"For now, just east. We'll figure it out from there." I inform her as I pull ahead of James. Jen nods and curls up in her seat, deciding to take a nap. As we drive past the Welcome to Alabama sign, I settle in for days of driving.