Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead in any way and by no means profit from writing this fic, Charlotte and her family however are of my creation so in the nicest way possible HANDS OFF!
"Hey!" The thin wiry braches of the smaller trees wiped against the bare skin of my upper arms, stinging like hell and more than likely cutting through to draw blood. "Get back here!" His calls fell on deaf ears as there was only one thing on my mind at present and that was to get back to Ashley as quickly as possible. The trees were beginning to thin out a little so I knew I was close, tapping into the last of my reserves gave my aching legs just that little bit of motivation needed to drive forward faster and in less than I minute I finally burst free from the green prison and out onto the road...right into the path of a rifle wielding madman.
He was the same height as the other guy I had come across and if you looked close enough there was a slight similarity also, the major differences between them being that this one was probably in his fifties as opposed to the other who was mid/late thirties? The rifleman's hair was cropped short -almost a buzz cut- and grey in colour; although the heat was almost unbearable clad in as little as possible this guy didn't seem to care as he was dressed in all black with a heavy leather hunting vest covering his top half. There was a sudden rustle behind me announcing the arrival of mystery man number one, the elder of the two slowly lowered his weapon once the other stepped down onto the empty road stopping close beside me; a slimy smile spread across the gunman's face as he observed both of us with cold emotionless blue eyes.
"Gettin' rusty there brother. You know the worlds endin' when a woman can give you the slip." Brother? You have got to be kidding me, it's like I've stumbled out of a George A Romero flick and right into The Hills Have Eyes. Glancing over to the car I found it exactly as it had been before leaving, obviously the guy hadn't had time to get to close otherwise he would have found the brown haired teen huddled in the front seat. "This your car?" The older one asked after shouldering his rifle.
"Yes." He eyed me a second longer before moving closer to the stationary vehicle. I watched silently -my heart accelerating at an alarming rate- the vibe I got off this guy was different than the one I got from his brother...and not in a good way. With Ashley's safety my primary concern I did something that given the current situation probably wasn't my smartest idea. Dropping the bat to the ground I swiftly reached round to the back of my jeans and pulled out the pistol, immediately levelling it on the man stood opposite. "Stay away from there." He cast me a fleeting look with a smirk clear as day on his weathered face.
"And if I don't?" A metallic click sounded behind me and for the second time in less than half an hour the presence of another body could be felt close to mine. "Looks to me like you ain't in any position to be givin' orders." I swallowed thickly but didn't waver, my blatant act of defiance didn't seem to amuse either brother and that was made undoubtedly clear by the feel of the younger's crossbow digging painfully into my back.
"Drop it." He pushed the bow forward making me stumble. "I don't what to have to shoot you lady, but I will." We remained in a three-way deadlock for a few moments more until finally I gave in and let the gun fall to the floor, where it landed next to the bat with a dull thud.
"Good girl." I glared icily at the greying brother which only made him laugh, he veered off the path towards the car and started over towards me. "See, now we don't have to hurt ya."
"No...but I might have to hurt you." My eyes widened at the surprise addition of another voice. Ashley stood behind the older man with her own pistol in hand the weapon pointing right at him, much like his brother was doing to me; somehow the teen must have managed to quietly sneak out of the back of the car while the boys and I were facing off. "Make him get away from her right now or your dead mister." Nobody moved even the slightest inch making the dark haired girl shuffle nervously on the spot. "I'm serious."
"Don't sound it." I watched -fear bubbling in my gut- as the leather wearing man turned around, his eyes coming to rest on Ashley for the first time. "Well hell, look at you." He let out a low whistle and watched her closely (a little too closely for my liking) before taking a step forward, my feet went to follow but I was held back by a strong hand gripping my shoulder. "If you ain't just the cutest little thing." What transpired next happened in the blink of an eye; before I could try to stop it he had rounded on Ash grabbing a large calloused hand around the slim wrist of her right arm. "Dumb though." A pained scream slipped through her lips when he jerked her hand back roughly causing the gun to be released; I fought against the other mans hold trying with all my might to get over to her but he was just too strong. With a sick smile on his face he twisted my nieces arm around which again drew a loud whimper, causally he moved behind her adding extra pressure to the already bent limb. "Next time turn the safety off before you point it at someone sweetness."
"Get your filthy hands off her."
"Make me." With renewed vigour I began struggling again, hoping that the erratic jerky movements would help to loosen my captors grip enough to break free; my determination only increased when I saw that disgusting pig of a man lean down to nuzzle the side of Ashley's neck causing tears to spill from her eyes.
"Merle."
"What!" He snapped angrily, casting his younger brother an irate look. "You got yours Daryl, s'only fair I get mine." The feeling of complete an utter failure washed over me as he turned back and continued to run his hands over her youthful skin, only increasing the speed of the water running from the girls sad brown orbs.
"Let her go right now you sick bastard!"
"What in God's name is going on here?" My body was turned as Daryl (the younger brother) moved round to face the newcomer who had arrived in just the nick of time; a little further down the abandoned stretch of road stood mine and Ashley's saviours. Ocean blue eyes scanned the trio curiously: in the center of the group was a silver haired man -probably late fifties or possibly early 60's- aside from the rather impressive rifle he carried the guy looked normal enough...but compared to these two hicks who wouldn't, to his left was a bat wielding male with a couple of days worth of stubble on his face and dark hair mostly hidden by a dirty looking cap. Lastly was the sole female of the small team, she had crystal blue eyes and long blonde hair pulled up in a messy ponytail; there was a small pistol gripped tightly in her hand showing folks she's not as innocent as you'd think. Our eyes connected for a brief moment which was all the time needed to convey to her the fear currently flowing though my veins.
"Is everything okay?" Before I could answer her question Merle spoke up for me, his voice clearly showing the anger he felt at being interrupted.
"Everythin's fine." He readjusted the grip he had on Ash's arm making her gasp again in pain. The hushed cry caught the attention of everyone in the new group so the sneering man decided to change the subject in hopes of getting their eyes off her. "What you doin' out here anyways?"
"I saw their car from the RV, when it didn't exit the other side of the road we decided to come and see if they needed any help." The eldest of the three stated his eyes never moving from the scene before him. "Good job too...let the girl go Dixon."
"You gonna make me old timer?"
"Even with your brother here Merle you're clearly out gunned." He removed the rifle from his shoulder and loading it, making it clear he wasn't messing around; both his comrades also readied themselves and their weapons encase in was needed. "Now, just move away from her and don't do something you'll later regret." The area fell so deathly silent that it was a wonder nobody could hear the thumping of my pounding heart, at some point during the last few minutes Daryl had removed his hands from my body but with everything that was happening I hadn't even noticed. Several long, agonising moments passed before the elder Dixon brother finally made a move; after a loud feral growl rumbled up from deep within his chest he pushed Ashley away roughly causing her to fall heavily to the floor.
"Ain't worth the hassle anyway." Merle cast the fallen teenage one last distasteful look before turning and stalking away. I had silently watched the scene play out -anger slowly building up inside- but after witnessing the way that vile man ran his eyes over my nieces crumpled form upon the ground what little composure I had snapped; seeing red I surged forward with every intention of knocking the heartless bastard to the floor and then beating the shit out of him with my bare hands. Slim fingers were an inch away from grasping the back of his filthy vest when a pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around my waist.
"Get off me! He's can't be allowed to get away with treating her like that." I kicked and bucked wildly against the vice grip but only succeeded in getting the owner to tighten their hold; five sets of eyes -including the ones belonging to the man I wanted nothing more than to beat to death- locked in on me as I continued squirming around to get free.
"Let it go." Daryl murmured, his hot breath brushing lightly against my ear. "It won't help...trust me." At the hushed words my body began to still almost of its own accord; Merle watched us from his reclined position against one of the many trees lining the road a sinister smirk firmly set on his lips.
"That's it brother...show the bitch whose boss." I scowled at the man but he just blew me a mocking kiss in reply before pulling out a packet of wrinkled cigarettes; the trio had silently moved closer and were now standing only a little ways off to the side of us. Since I had given up trying to escape the younger Dixon must have decided that it was safe to let me free, he slowly removed his arms from around my midsection and then proceeded to walk over towards the elder sibling who was currently puffing away on a death stick (or maybe something less legal) without a care in the world. A quiet sniffle came from the ground and my ocean blue eyes immediately shot to the teen curled up against the front bumper, she was looking up at me with dark watery eyes and it was plain to see (and understandably so) that the young girl was terrified. Moving forward quickly I dropped to my knees beside her, glancing down my observant orbs zeroed in on the wrist the hillbilly had manhandled and noticed the already bruising skin; there was also slight swelling and since the incident had happened only a little while ago it was clear by the damage just how violent he had been.
"Ashley?" She didn't reply and just continued to look at me with thin shiny tracks lining her cheeks. "Ash?" Suddenly a loud sob escaped the young girl and she collapsed into my open arms, her face burrowed into the side of my neck muffling the heartbreaking sound; I wrapped the shaking teen in a strong embrace and softly began stroking the messy brown hair atop her head in hope of soothing the rasping crys. "I'm sorry honey...I'm so, so sorry." The only sound that could be heard for the next few minutes was that of Ash's weeping, it took a good while before she finally calmed enough to speek.
"It wasn't your fault." She whispered into my shoulder once her tears had slowed. "You did everything you could."
"Not enough." I gritted out, eyes flaming once finding their target. "If he touches you again I swear to god I'll kill him." Her breath hitched slightly at the mention of that pig and I instantly regretted voicing my promise. A low cough sounded from behind us, I tore my gaze from the smug prick opposite and turned towards the direction of the noise; the eldest of the three was the the one who had cleared his throat and after gaining my attention a small kind smile spread across his lips.
"Are you two ladies alright?" A sarcastic comment was on the tip of my tongue but it was quickly swallowed down; the blonde woman stood to his right rolled her blue eyes and cast him a disbelieving look.
"What do you think Dale? They've just been assaulted and held at gunpoint by a couple of mindless cavemen." She slipped her gun into the green messenger bag hung over her shoulder before looking back at the older man. "I knew something was going to happen, we should never have let them go out alone."
"They may not be the easiest people to get along with but they know what they're doing." Dale briefly glanced over to the pair in question. "We need food Andrea...and those two know how to get it." Ashley (who had quietened considerably and stopped shaking) and I slowly got to our feet while the pair talked but once upright again the group returned their attention to us. "I'm sorry for the way you both were treated...Daryl and Merle can be-"
"Assholes." My snide remark gained a laugh from Andrea, a slight lip quirk from the dark haired man and a smile from the older guy.
"I was going to say difficult, but that works too." He chuckled softly while wiping a hand across his brow; the silver haired gentleman shared a silent look with the still nameless man before speaking. "It seems your having a little car trouble, do you want us to take a look and see if there's anything we can do."
"Please, it's not going anywhere otherwise."
"Then it's just as well I brought a mechanic with me." I kept an arm securely wrapped around the teens shoulders as the two men moved forward to look under the hood of the station wagon; the younger of the duo stepped up to the front and lifted the wood panelled cover with a grating creak to expose the mass of machinery underneath. Ashley and I shuffled over a little more to allow the pair some extra working space, she huddled right into my side her hands tightly fisting the fabric of my top.
"Here, you dropped these." Looking up I found Andrea stood before us holding out my pistol in one hand and the baseball bat in the other, she smiled softly which I politely returned before reaching out for the firearm.
"Thank you." After returning the handgun to its rightful place in the waistband of my jeans I took the bat from her and handed it to dark haired girl beside me, Ash released the death grip she had on my shirt and grasped the metal club between her hands. I slipped past the teen quickly to grab the weapon which still lay on the road, once safely tucked behind me next to its friend I crossed the short distance back to my niece who was silently eyeing the blonde.
"My names Andrea." She stated, smiling kindly at Ash. "That's Dale and the one in the hat is Jim." Both men looked up momentarily at the mention of their names and gave slight nods in greeting once they noticed us looking.
"I'm Charlotte...and this is Ashley." The younger girl remained silent beside me but I could see that she was still watching Andrea closely.
"It's nice to meet you both, putting aside the circumstances of course." Her bright blue orbs shot momentarily over to the two brothers before moving back to Ash and I; at finding us looking she once again smiled warmly in hopes of reassurance. The day's events were finally starting to hit me and exhaustion was quickly beginning to set in, all I want is to get back on the road and to Greenville as soon as possible so that then we can find a relatively safe place to stay and hopefully get some sleep before starting the cycle again tomorrow at sunup. "So where are you headed, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Camp Blanding."
"Florida?"
"Yeah, my brother Jason is a Major in the army. He took his wife and son there before things got really bad, somehow he managed to get a call out telling us to head to the base where we'd be safe." I paused for a second to clear my throat and grab a steadying breath before continuing. "That was a couple of weeks ago...we haven't heard anything since."
"And your still going?" She asked softly.
"We have to, they're the only family Ashley and I have left." Our gazes locked and I could clearly see in that moment that she too still had people she cared greatly for lost out there in the cruel world we now lived in. Just when I was about to speak again Jim walked over, wiping his grease covered hands on the back of his equally dirty jeans; Dale followed close behind and wore a solemn look on his face making it pretty obvious that whatever I was about to hear wouldn't be good. "Everything okay?" Ash stepped closer to me as the men neared so I wrapped an arm around her once more to show her she was safe.
"Not especially." He replied while adjusting the cap shading his head from the sun. "There were a couple of loose wires which I managed to fix and that finally got it started again...but the engines a mess, it needs a complete rebuild if you plan to keep travelling in it." A low frustrated groan escaped me as his words slowly sank in. This is great, just when I thought my day couldn't get any worst.
"Will it get us to Greenville at least?" I asked hopefully. Jim shared a look with the other two members of his group before ultimately shaking his head.
"You'd be lucky to get a couple of miles as is, there's no way it could make it that far." My heart dropped down into my stomach at this revelation and I began to find it hard to breathe. What do we do now? How will we get to Jason? Ashley must have sensed my panic because she slowly started rubbing circles on my back while whispering words of reassurance. This isn't right I'm supposed to be the strong one, I'm supposed to be looking after her not the other way around; this beautiful young girl shouldn't have to be coddling me like some newborn baby. I sucked in a large ragged breath which gained the attention of all those around; Ash's dark eyes instantly found mine and you could easily see she was worried after my little freak out so I gave the teen a small smile and a shoulder squeeze before returning my attention to the trio of survivors.
"Is there no way to jerry-rig it so that we could make it to the next town?" Jim shook his head silently as both Dale and Andrea sent me looks of sympathy. "God dammit!" I released Ashley suddenly and spun around, it took no time at all to cross the small distance between me and the car and once close enough I slammed fisted hands down onto the hood creating a loud bang. "Useless piece of crap." I managed to strike down hard a couple more time -which helped lessen my pent up aggression considerably- before Dale decided to intervene.
"I don't want to be rude Miss, but that's not going to help the situation."
"I know...but it makes me feel better." My little fit had once again gained a crowd but to be perfectly honest I couldn't give a shit. Ash watched me with a stunned expression plastered across her youthful face, sighing softly I looked down at the now dented car hood for a split second (deep regret rising thanks to the sudden public outburst of anger) before turning around with arms held out offering my niece the hug that she looked so desperate for. "Come here." Ashley didn't need asking twice and ran forward right away.
"Where are we going to go?" She whispered shakily.
"I don't know honey." I tightened my hold around the young girl, bringing her that tiny bit closer. "But whatever happens we'll be together no matter what." She nodded silently and I leant down to press a kiss atop her head before moving to rest my cheek against it. As we stood there holding each other the question she had posed continued to run through my mind...where would we go? We've got no transportation, meagre supplies that wouldn't last more than a few weeks and over three hundred and fifty miles still to travel; it had been a long shot in the beginning but now...it was next to impossible.
"Come with us." My head snapped up at Andrea's words. "We're camped not too far from here in an abandoned quarry, your car might not be able to drive all the way to Greenville but it could definitely make it back to our camp...right?" For confirmation the blonde turned to look at Jim. The quiet mechanic didn't answer straight away, obviously trying to mentally figure out if my rust bucket of an automobile could handle the trip; after a few minutes he finally nodded. "There are only a handful of us so room for the both of you won't be a problem...and honestly the more people we have the better, especially with the likes of Merle Dixon around." Her blue eyes flicked over to said man for about a millisecond before returning to me. The offer of a place to stay was extremely welcome and I for one could definitely use a good night's rest, the only thing holding me back from expecting her offer however was the matter of safety...both from the living and the dead.
"What about walkers? Is it safe?"
"We've only been there for about a week, but haven't seen any so far." Nodding wordlessly, the internal battle continued to wage; a look of intense concentration was written across my face which must have caught the eldest of the groups attention.
"They seem to be keeping near to the city." Dale added.
"Sticking close to the major food source." I sighed softly before moving position so that Ashley was now at my side instead of hugged to my chest. "Maybe they're not as stupid as people think."
"Those stinkin' lumps of flesh ain't no smarter than a stray mutt looking for some chow." My guard was instantly back up and on high alert at the sound of the elder Dixon's gravelly voice. I turned slightly and watched with barely veiled disgust as Merle threw the remainder of the cigarette he had been smoking to the floor, stubbing out the still smouldering tab with the heel of his worn boot.
"That a fact?" I asked, fixing the rough redneck with a challenging look.
"Damn straight."
"Guess that puts them just a little higher than you in an IQ table then doesn't it." That shit eating grin he'd been wearing since our first meeting was well and truly wiped off at my comment and replaced with an cold scowl; due to his sudden change in demeanour I shifted Ashley around so that she was now behind me and shielded from view.
"Better watch your mouth there girly, before it starts getting you in trouble." He ran his eyes over me crudely before making a show of adjusted the rifle hung over his shoulder; Daryl watched silently from the shadows but you could see by the tenseness of his muscles that he was ready for action if things turned bad.
"That a threat?"
"It's a promise." I glared warningly at the smirking man and had to fight hard to rein in the urge to reach around for my gun. The anger must have been apparent my face as Merle's grin widened and a cruel laugh ripped from his chest, that was the final straw and just when I was about to move a small hand lightly touched my arm; looking back my eyes locked with those of the frightened teen. Ashley must have realised what I was about to do because the young girls dark orbs flicked to the pistol briefly before returning to my face; silently she shook her head and then slowly lowered her hand.
"Alright that's enough." Dale had finally hit breaking point as he suddenly stepped into the small stretch of road separating Merle and I, partially blocking the smug hick from my line of sight in the process. "I understand that the two of you didn't get off to the best start-," I scoffed indignantly at this but the older man was undeterred and continued on. "-but we don't have the luxury to pick and choose our friends and allies anymore. The world we once knew is gone and those of us that have managed to survive need to stick together...for humanities survival if not just our own." His soulful eyes bore straight into mine and down to my aching heart; there was something in those dark brown depths that spoke to me on a kindred level, causing the anger that Merle had helped create fade away. This man had battled heartache and pain that most could have never imagined until this infection arrived...he had fought through that earlier struggle and won, this could clearly be seen if you ever got the chance to look deep into his eyes like I was doing now. Dale wasn't going to let the disease currently reaping the earth beat him and neither was I, if safety from this meant rooming near an unstable individual then so be it...Merle had just better be ready to face the barrel of a shotgun if he even so much as thinks of trying any of that shit again.
"We better get moving then, before it gets dark." Casting a discreet look around the group I noted the slight hitch to the elder mans lips at my answer, obviously pleased with the outcome his little speech had produced. Dale must have felt my curious gaze because he glanced up and gave me a slight nod before gesturing to the others to start towards the car; turning slowly I slipped an arm around Ashley's shoulders and followed behind the trio who had now reached the old station wagon. "Since I don't know the way it might be better if one of you drives." Jim stepped up to the task and moved over to the driver side door.
"Bout damn time. Thought I was gonna start plantin' roots if either of you started up your jabberin' again." I inwardly groaned at the sound of Merle's voice, he had somehow managed to keep his trap shut while Dale spoke but it seemed that little miracle had come to an end. The elder Dixon roughly brushed past Ash and I on his way to the still stationary vehicle making me stumble somewhat; Daryl trailed close behind his brother and upon seeing me wobble an arm quickly (and subtly) reached out to steady me, once stable he moved on without so much as glancing down. "Move it, I'm drivin'."
"Like hell. You're not getting in my car." The words flew from my mouth before I could stop them. All eyes were on me thanks to the outburst and it was clear by the look on his face that Merle wasn't happy; honestly I couldn't care less how he felt because it was one thing to reluctantly agree to living in the same place as that sick pervert but for me to willingly force my frail and freighted teenage niece into being confined to such a tiny space with the man who tried to molest her so close to when it had actually happened was just unacceptable.
"Really?" Merle rounded swiftly so that now he was right in front of me. After shielding the dark haired girl behind me once again I straightened up fully to show that his macho, tough guy bullshit didn't scare me...even though it may have done just a little. "And why's that?"
"You know perfectly well why." Cold blue eyes flicked down and over my shoulder to Ashley's partially hidden form; white hot anger returned with a vengeance and the fingers of my right hand began to twitch involuntary as they ached to curl up and repeatedly slam into his smug face until it was unrecognisable. "I'd rather give myself over to a horde of starving walkers then let you anywhere near her again you revolting waste of space." Merle's eyes narrowed momentarily at the insult but after a minute or so that chilling grin returned to his face, making me feel increasingly nervous.
"It can be arranged." Taking a small step forward the tall man bent down so that his stubble ridden face was level with mine. "Now that..was a threat." A stench which could rival that of a decaying corpse wafted up my nostrils as the hick spoke and it took a lot to keep the grimace off my features. The others continued to wordlessly watch, their eyes locked on the more volatile of the duo; like before we stayed in a silent standoff but unlike previously it was Daryl that broke it not Dale.
"Come on Merle, you said so yourself they ain't worth the hassle." The younger Dixon moved up next to his brother, showing that he was still very much on his side even though he was trying to defuse the situation. "Let's just walk back, it ain't far...and anyway it's still light out and we got dinner to catch."
"No." A deep frown appeared across Daryl's brow as he looked at his brother in confusion. "I left a rabbit hung in tree a little ways back, it should do us for tonight." The older hunter finally removed his gaze from Ashley and I before making a move to turn back towards the woods from which he originally came. "They can starve." And with those words he cast the group one last disdainful look before disappearing into the trees. The tense atmosphere around us immediately lessened due to the elder Dixons departure and for the first time since finding these new survivors I could breath easily; my tired blue orbs strayed away from the point in the shrubbery where Merle had gone and trailed over to the still visible form of Daryl who had yet to follow his sibling into the undergrowth. Our eyes met once more -mirroring the way they had at the first meeting- we stayed like that for several moments before the sandy haired man broke the intense gaze by clearing his throat and looking at the ground.
"You should go." He stated this to the whole group but I caught him glance at me briefly while doing so. "We'll be back by sundown." Daryl adjusted his crossbow quickly and darted into the woods without another word; a slight rustling of leaves and few snapping twigs could be heard for a minute or so before the area was silent once again. I continued to watch the space he had vanished through as my mind slowly began to process what happened over the last hour: Ash and I had gone from women with a plan to damsels in distress in one afternoon, our whole reason from being here was finished as there was no way of progressing further without becoming lunch for the hungry undead; we were completely screwed and stranded miles away from our destination and to top it off the group of survivors we happened to have lucked upon unfortunately travelled with a mean gun toting hillbilly who I could officially say was already an enemy...really, could life get any worse.
Authors Note: Firstly I would like to give a huge thanks you to those that reviewed it really does mean a lot. Secondly I thought I'd quickly tell you about my updating, so far I have a couple more chapters written but after they have been posted uploading new material will probably be a weekly or sometimes fortnightly event depending on how quickly I get stuff done...if things take longer don't worry it just means that my brain is running a little slower than usual.