A Heart Inside the Cave
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Ch2: The Wall
I woke up with a smile, "No bad dreams tonight" and got up, when I faced a problem.
"What the hell am I supposed to wear," I said to no one in particular. There wasn't a phone in the room; I couldn't call anyone for clothes. Then somebody started knocking on the door.
"You in there princess? Wall duty's in 10, I gotta show you how to start off,"
Of all the people I've met it, it has to be Merle knocking at the door. I didn't really have a choice of answering. I needed clothes.
"Princess you in there?" Merle said again as he knocked the door.
"Uh… shit what do I do," I said quietly to myself. But before I could even think of what I would do next, Merle opened the door and let himself in.
"WHAT THE HELL MERLE? CAN'T YOU KNOCK?" I yelled at him, grabbing whatever to cover up. He started snickering and he smiled, looking at me up and down, licking his lips as he said,
"I did knock, princess, but I'd like to knock you," he moved his hips in an extremely sexual way.
"Agh!" My face was surely bright pink as he looked at my body. "They… they didn't give me anything to wear, and my old clothes are pretty bloody." Merle started laughing, then approached my closet.
"Should've checked in 'ere then, they always leave newcomers some'et clothes," He threw me a black tank and some jeans, and I caught them, but dropped what was covering me.
"Mhmmm, I'd like to knock yu up real good, princess. Wha's yer name 'gain? Jame or somethin'?"
"JamIE," I exaggerated the 'ie'.
"Better get changed, I gotta show you how to manage the wall," He said, still examining me.
"Aren't chu gonna go some'et, I gotta change you know,"
"Nah princess, I'll stay right here," The smile on his face was creepy, but a small part of me found it funny.
"Get!" I yelled, and pushed him out the door, slamming it in his face. I heard him laughing outside the door, and I smiled. I guess he was okay, for a creep I mean.
When I finished changing, I opened the door to find Merle looking at his right arm, the stubbed one, which now had an additional knife strapped to it. I walked past him, not wanting to say anything after he just seen me near nude. When I walked right past Merle, his hand came up to my buttom and grabbed it. Usually I'd be furious, but I let it go, just this time.
"Yer got one mighty fine ass you know, one mighty fine ass," He commented,
"Yeah I know it's a fine ass, one fine ass you're not getting," For the first time in a while, I smiled, and started to laugh.
"The position of wall duty is to gun down any walker that comes as a threat to Woodbury, that's purty much that. If any survivor happens to come across, don't ever let them get too close, and tell em to drop any weapons that they got," Merle explained.
"Yeah, think I know your survivor rules," I joked.
"Now the Governor told me to watch you, don't mean he don't trust you, just for caution, know?"
"Got it,"
"Best be nice to the folks here, don't want to worry em." Merle said, walking up to the wall.
"'ere's yer gun, and don't ever leave the post unless you got orders from an official, that means me, Martinez, or the Governor. Clear?"
"As the sky above,"
"Merle we got a walker," Martinez said. We looked around and spotted it coming out of the trees, "And it brought its smelly little friends,"
"Do we shoot?" I asked Merle. He examined the walkers for a moment, and said,
"You got this load, Martinez, back her up if it gets scary," I got down and aimed for the closest walker.
"Give it a headshot, that'll kill it for sure," Martinez tipped.
"Thanks," I said, though I've done this a million times when I was out in the forest. I locked my aim, and pulled the trigger.
"Holy crap you are one hell of a shot aint chu!" said Merle, slapping me on the back. I took down a couple more, then missed one, but Martinez got it for me.
"Think that's all," Martinez said, "but I bet the noise'll 'tract more,"
"Keep a good watch then, the both of yu, I gotta speak with the gov," Merle walked off.
A couple minutes of silence passed between Martinez and I, then I decided to break it with some small talk.
"So do survivors come here much?" I asked
"Nah, not in a while before you came. Sorry bout being a lil rough bout that too,"
"It's all good, it's just your job, right?"
"Yeah. Where'd you come from?" The question was a little confusing, so I asked,
"You mean before the world went to hell?"
"No, after,"
"Came from a group I found outside Atlanta,"
"What? Do you know where they are?"
"Uhhh," I didn't really know what to say, so I just said, "they, urr.. they.. you know, got bit. And turned.. into one of em walker things."
"Oh, sorry,"
"Nothing to be sorry bout, didn't like em anyway. Pain in the ass having to hear them go on about their own lives and how the breakout effected em, they were some selfish old lot,"
"eh, people lose their senses when things like these happen, mess with their heads, turn em mean,"
"You know yourself?"
"My pal put me in front a walker, knew him for 16 years, was best of friends. Got bit himself though when he was out doing his thing,"
"That's harsh,"
"Wasn't the nice type anyway, was the school bully."
"Karma's a bitch aint she"
"Sure is, hold up, walker 'lert, you got it?"
"Yeah," I gunned it down, easy.
"So when'd you come here?" I asked, bringing back conversation.
"Couple months 'go, found Merle and got helped him get his, uh, arm fixed."
"How'd it, you know, how'd it happen?"
"Told us this sheriff called Rick cuffed him to a roof and left him there for dead, so he had to cut it off," I fell silent for a while.
"Still with me? You know this Rick?"
"Never heard of him, just didn't think people could turn to be that cruel,"
"People change, there's no limit to what they change to,"
"Guess so. Somethin' else happen to Merle? There's nothing off bout him, it feels like something happened to him."
"Yeah, he's got a brother, probably separated from him, but he's convinced that he's still alive. Name's Daryl I think."
"Hope he is, seems to me like Merle's empty without him, they must be real close,"
"Been told they were, like best buds of somethin,"
I took the risk and asked Martinez,
"Merle's got a girl or something?"
He started laughing, I smiled.
"Jamie are you getting jealous?"
"Non ya business," I joked
"Naw, Merle's tough, a one night stand kinda guy. He's the kinda guy who won' get off 'is ass, but wants to get sum of it." We sat there laughing for a while, then Merle came back and said,
"Wha's so funny? Chu supposed to be on watch,"
"Just having some conversation with Martinez, that's all," I said, still laughing at Martinez's joke.
"Iz getting lil dark, you tired princess?"
"Not a wink,"
"We got another crew for night duty, so get chur self some'en to eat,"
"Where would I eat?" I asked, the town didn't seem to have a cuisine.
"I'll take you somewhere how bout that,"
"'lright Merle, seeya Martinez" I said goodbye to him, he gave me a wink.
Merle took me over to a pasta place a little north on the road Woodbury was built on.
"Pablo's Pasta, he calls it. It's not a business, but it's where most of us eat." Merle said, showing me a small building with outside seating.
"Merle! Ah, I see you've brought a lady tonight, let me get you a seat for two, eh?" A chubby man that came up to us said to Merle.
"Pablo, this here's Jamie,"
"Ahhhh Jamie, you are new?" Pablo said. He had a thick Italian accent, with one of them mustaches that Italian people are portrayed with.
"Yeah, came round here yesterday. Pleasure to meet, Pablo."
"Ahhhh I see why Merle has taken a liking to you, very pretty, eh?" Merle gave a small laugh, and said,
"Pablo likes to joke don't he,"
"Joke? Oh no joke my friend; if you do not want this lovely Jamie, I would take her myself! But she seems to have made her mind already, look at her smile when she's seen with you, the way she wants to impress you, catch your attention. You are a lucky man ol' Merle!"
"Oh no it's not like that," I said shyly, but I was blushing—very much.
"See? Ehhh you hold her close, Merle old friend." Pablo led us to a table and he smiled. I didn't think people could be this happy in these times anymore.
"I am guessing you will pick for the lady tonight, she does not know the best?"
"The usual then, Pablo." Merle said, smiling at me. I don't think my cheeks were ever as red at then.
"Your boyfriend here has a good taste, in women and in food!" Pablo said in a hearty voice.
"Oh, he's not, urm, then I am lucky to be with him!" I said in such a hearty tone that made Merle smile. I didn't know what I was doing, but as cheesy as this will sound, my heart led me to it.
After Pablo went to tell his chefs, Merle looked at me and said,
"I knew my sugar talk would get to you, look who's getting his mighty fine ass tonight!"
"Only said that for Pablo," I was joking of course, how could I not resist the smile he had on his face when I was with him.
"Right, only for Pablo, why don't chu come back to my 'partment tonight, i'll show you what Merle can do with mighty fine ass," I knew I was walking right into a load of trouble on my turf, but I went with it.
"You've brought me with you this far, so I'd love to see what Merle can do with mighty fine ass,"
The pasta arrived only minutes ago but I was half way done with it.
"You sure can eat, princess! What an appetite!"
"I'm hungry, and this is mighty fine pasta,"
"Best in Woodbury, but it sure ain't just the pasta the people like!" He made a toast and the others eating around us joined in,
"To Pablo! The biggest and heartiest man in Woodbury!"
After the biggest dinner I've had since the breakout, I didn't think anything would ruin my night, and nothing did. Merle took me up to his apartment and showed me around. You'd think that there'd be nothing to do when all the electricity's down, but the townspeople showed me different. Everyone in Merle's apartment had gathered in the lobby to play games and share stories. It was like one of those campfires that people would have when they went out camping. It made me forget what the world had gone to for the whole night, and when everyone finally went to sleep with happy cheers and hopeful voices, Merle had me in his arms the whole night at his use. I'd never been happier in my life.
But that was all going to change in the next weeks to come.