Merle pulled from his shirt pocket a pack of smokes and offered them out to his two siblings, keeping his other hand on the steering wheel. Angel took out two crumpled cigarettes and offered one up to her other brother. Daryl in turn got out his lighter from his back pocket and lit his and Angels cigarettes.
"Did you pack any food?" She asked, realising she hadn't had anything to eat since before her shift at the strip club. Merle shook his head. "But don't you worry baby girl. Thought we'd make a stop somewhere and fill up." "What, you loaded now?" She asked, flicking the ash from he cigarette onto the floor of the truck.
Merle snorted and waved his free hand in front of her. "All we need is this." "Really? We're gonna go rob a place?" Angel asked indignantly. "You saw how it was Cub. Ain't no rules no more." Daryl chimed in.
This wouldn't be the first time the three of them had gone out stealing. When they were kids they always stuck together, one distracting the shop clerk while the other two filled their pockets. They'd loiter on the corner of streets and shout obscenities as people walked by, sometimes throwing things at passing cars. Their dad never cared enough to watch them, so they took care of each other. People in their neighbourhood knew the Dixon children. They used to say they were like a group of feral dogs roaming the streets. But they preferred to think of themselves as a pack of wolves, and with Angel being the youngest and the smallest she'd ended up being nicknamed 'Cub' by her brothers. Even after they had grown up and her brothers had moved away the nickname still stuck.
The truck swung in front a large convenience store. Slamming to a stop the three of them surveyed the debris of shattered glass and random items that had been forgotten about. They could make out the shapes and shadows of people inside. Daryl got out of the passenger side door and as Merle leant forward to climb out of his side Angel spotted a gun tucked in the waistband of his pants.
"I'm comin' in this time." She demanded, stopping her eldest brother from the slamming the car door by propping it open with her exposed leg. "You put your pants on and I'll think 'bout it." Merle chuckled. Daryl had already thought of this and had rummaged through the bag he had packed for Angel. He came round the front and handed her a pair of denim shorts, which she snatched from his hand and wiggled herself into.
"Ya happy now?" She asked the pair of them. She stood bare foot on the hot Tarmac of the parking lot. Her denim shorts barely covered her ass but it was better than the G-string she had been sporting. She still wore Daryls flannel shirt unbuttoned to reveal her black and pink bra. Both Daryl and Merle still looked her over disapprovingly, they felt real concern about how much skin she was showing considering they were about to enter a building they knew had strange people inside.
"Lemme get ya a top." Daryl said, but before he could go back to the van and look through her backpack Angel snapped at him. "I don't want a goddamn top I want food. Now!" She threw the end of her cigarette onto the floor and marched towards the convenience store, her two brothers following close behind her.
Angel stepped around the chunks of glass and stopped at the entrance of the store. The lights were broken and dangling from the ceiling. The cash register had been thrown to the floor and was now completely empty. Merle moved past her and walked further into the store, his eyes flickering between the remaining goods on the shelves and the few people that were in the shop. Daryl stayed behind his sister, checking to see if there were any people loitering around outside.
Merle let out a shrill whistle and knocked a tin of something onto the floor, causing the unsuspecting strangers to jump and spin to look at the company they had. "Well, well, looks like you fine people got some good pickin's. Why not share the wealth there?" The three people had their arms loaded with food. It looked like they were related, and they were huddling together in intimidation.
Angel stepped into the store, her arms crossed over her chest, completely ignoring her older brother taunting the terrified people. She grabbed the last remaining bottles of water and moved over to what was once an aisle of candy. Daryl was now next to his brother, keeping an eye on both of his siblings.
"Please, we're just trying to survive. This is the only food we have." One of the people spoke up. "Merle would ya stop interferin' with somethin' that ain't botherin' you none." Angel sighed. Her eldest brother just laughed. "Don't get yer knickers in a bunch there Ang'. These fine folks and I are just talking." She rolled her eyes and started stuffing candy bars into her shorts pockets.
Daryl walked around the cashiers counter and started raiding the cigarette cabinet. Merle approached the family with his arms raised and palms exposed, trying to give an impression that he was harmless, but his face was menacing. "Now, you drop some of them canned goods and be on your merry way and ol' Merle here will forget we even met. How's that sounds to ya?" He dropped one of his arms and pushed aside his shirt, giving the strangers a flash of the gun he was carrying.
The older man of the group slowly knelt down and placed all the food he had onto the ground. With his hands now free he raised them in surrender and stood back up. Merle nodded his head but he looked like he still wasn't finished with them.
"Ya best get to gettin' then." Daryl hollered from the other side of the shop. He knew how hot headed his brother was and he really didn't want any trouble breaking out. He was offering this family a quick escape and they scuttled away from Merle and out the store. Angel gave a small chuckle as she watched them scurry away.
"Never did know how to have a good time, did ya baby brother?" Merle asked, shooting daggers at Daryl for breaking up his fun. "Come get these would ya?" Merle pointed down at the cans and while Daryl came and collected them, Merle moved to the far back of the store where there was a small pharmacy. There used to be a shutter here to keep people from getting into the pharmacy out of hours but it was torn down.
Daryl walked past his sister with his arms laden with food and she placed the bottles of water on top. He exited the store and dumped everything in the truck. Angel had opened up a candy bar and was busy snacking on it, still perusing the remaining food items.
"Ang', come here a sec." Merle shouted from the back. When she noticed that her brother was leaning against the counter of the pharmacy she sighed and padded over to him. "Mind getting yer brother some of those good drugs ya used to nab for me. The ones that make ya feel like yer floatin' on a sea of fat ladies titties." He chuckled to himself, making a lewd gesture with his hands. Angel rolled her eyes, the candy bar hanging out of her mouth while she surveyed the shelves of medication. She stopped a little way into the dispensary, reached up into the shelf, grabbed a blue box of Tramadol and tossed it over to Merle.
She removed the chocolate bar from her mouth and walked back into the shop. Merle followed behind throwing the box up and down. "Now how 'bout gettin' something useful?" She asked him, grabbing another chocolate bar.
"Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker." Merle joked and made his way to an aisle with bottles of alcohol.
Daryl was back in the entrance of the store "Man you almost done?! We're losin' light!" Angel went over to him and Daryl draped his arm over her shoulder. He looked down at her, her head only coming up to his shoulder. He gave her a quick smile and then rested his chin against the top of her head.
Merle had his hands and arms full with cans of beer. "I'm happier than a pig in shit right now." Merle laughed. Angel gave him half a grin."Stop." She said and the three of them headed back to the truck, Daryl still had his arm over her shoulders and he pulled her into his side and gave her a squeeze.