AN: alright so here is where I hope I don't lose you...this chapter will either seem ridiculous or you'll see where I am going. Just to make things clear...Daryl and Merle have a television show...it's called The Dixon Brothers; You best Pray I'm Not Dead...I want to make something clear I am writing this as Daryl...not Norman Reedus. Also, the show - if any of my readers are Canadian think Survivorman if it had gotten picked up by discovery channel and promoted like they do with some shows. If you have never heard of Survivorman think Bear Gryllis which I guess would be the closest thing I could compare it too.
Anyway :/ I know this sounds weird but just...bear with me? I don't often beg for reviews but PLEASE let me know what you think And that I haven't lost you :)
I do not own or profit from The Walking Dead
Chapter 2
"I'm Merle Dixon, and remember if you ever get into trouble in the wild ...You best pray I'm not Dead."
Daryl rolled his eyes as Merle spouted the notorious tag line for their show. They were in Churchill, Manitoba Canada supposedly doing a bit about how to survive a polar bear attack.
What a fucking joke, two rednecks from Georgia spouting on about polar bear attacks. All they were fucking doing was freezing their asses off and looking like morons, but he was pretty damn sure the audiences would eat it up.
The audience was loving all the drivel that they had been handed lately, the more ridiculous the better. He was just glad this was the season finale and that they were going home he thought as he started packing up the gear.
It had all started about six years ago when Daryl, Merle and Andrea had been working as backwoods guides for tourists who wanted to hike off the beaten path. They'd had one group of local cable tv executives and Merle had figuratively( and literally for one) charmed the pants off of them.
They'd said Merle and Daryl would be perfect for television a pair of backwoods redneck Bear Gryllis they'd called them. Daryl hadn't been interested but Merle had begged, the executives wanted the two of them, the brother angle Merle said, so Daryl had reluctantly agreed. It started as a cable show, him and Merle out in the woods talking about survival tips. They were quickly noticed by the Discovery channel who loved the concept.
So the budget grew and suddenly they were being dropped in exotic locals all over the world, with only a camera and some water and being forced to survive days at a time. Daryl had hated it then and it was even worse now, the show had been picked up by a network two years ago and it had all become a joke once the network got involved...like rednecks from Georgia trying to teach people about polar bears.
The network had branded their image and merchandised the fuck out of the show too. Dixon Brothers: You Best Pray I'm not Dead was now a household phenomenon.
He hated it all. He hated how people were starting to recognize him wherever he went, and he hated how Merle and Andrea were so obsessed with publicity for the show. Andrea had become their manager, her and Merle had been best friends since they were kids. They'd even lost their virginity to one another, after which Andrea had promptly decided that she liked girls. Merle had been offended at first but then shrugged it off saying she'd made a better wingman than Daryl anyway.
They were constantly arranging interviews, public appearances, magazine shoots, and with each one Daryl felt more and more like he was suffocating.
When Merle and Andrea had realized Daryl had sparked the interest of female fans it only got worse. Suddenly he had to take his shirt off at least once per episode whenever they were someplace warm. That had been the only bright side to the ridiculous polar bear gig.
Merle and Andrea would go out trolling for pussy together whenever they were in any city and they always managed to guilt him into going, the next morning someone would "leak" to the newspaper Daryl's fake exploits with some dumb young blond. Fuck most nights ended with him getting a cab and sneaking back alone to whatever hotel they were at once Merle and Andrea were too smashed to notice.
His mind suddenly drifted back to another night a couple of years ago when he had brought a woman back to his hotel. Carol...that was over four years ago now and he could still picture her face, her smile, the way her eyes were so sad, but beautiful. How blue they were, how they had looked when she'd smiled and said perfect.
He thought about her a lot, where she was, what she was doing, if she was okay. He knew that night, she was running from something, maybe just bad memories, but something.
He'd thought about looking for her, but the odds of finding her were slim. He doubted she was the only blue eyed Carol with red curly hair in Atlanta.
It was just another thing he'd fucked up in his life, rushed in to it, didn't use his fucking mouth and then she was gone. The first and only women to ever light a fire inside him, just looking at her had made everything inside of him scream mine. There had been women since then sure, but only just to scratch the itch, none of them had mattered. None of them had come close to making him feel the same way. He was pretty sure, in true Dixon style, he'd fucked up and missed out on "the one."
"Good show baby brother" Merle said patting him on the back.
"Pfft"
"What? We were providing essential information" Merle said with a grin.
Daryl spun around looking at Merle and Andrea incredulously
"Are you fucking shitting me?...This is the dumbest one yet...who the fuck are we 'providing information' to Merle...to all of these people?" he said swinging his arms around gesturing to the Inuit men they had hired as extra crew "We are Rednecks from Georgia...this was a joke, you know it and I know it...and I am done."
"Don't get your panties in a knot Daryl, we got a hiatus...just need you in Nashville for awhile to do some publicity shit first." Merle said placatingly
Merle had bought a large ranch in Nashville where supposedly the two brothers lived together. Daryl spent as little time there as possible. He had a private isolated house on a large piece of wooded land back home in Georgia. He made a point of staying there as much as possible.
"No...fuck no...I told you, I ain't going to Nashville, I got a ticket I'm going straight home to Georgia..and don't expect me back next season" Daryl said turning and taking off in the direction of the truck.
XxxxxxXxxxxx
Merle and Andrea watched as Daryl got into the truck.
"She called again" Andrea said
Merle rubbed his temples "Fuck...what she say?"
"She said she doesn't want any money from him, she'll sign a confidentiality agreement and waive child support, the kid has cancer, needs a bone marrow transplant, wants Daryl to get tested, see if he's a match." Andrea said with a sigh
"What did you tell her?" Merle answered.
"I told her to get a lawyer"
