So I do not own ANY of the walking dead characters. currently only MERLE is in the story but I only own Aurora and Edward. Please leave me some feed back I would like to know how I am doing etc. :D Hope you enjoy!
When she got back to the office she threw her bag down and started to light all of her candles again. "As soon as the sun comes up I am gone." She said still shaken up by the pure rage the man she now knew as Merle harbored. "What the fuck happened? We were having a nice conversation then bam! it all went to shit and he looked like he wanted to kill me." She thought out loud trying to piece everything together. "Whatever it's not like I'm going to be around him anymore after sun rise so I might want to get some sleep." She quietly told herself as she wrapped up in a blanket.
She was almost asleep when a putrid smell hit her nose and wouldn't leave shortly followed by the slight sound of limp feet hitting the hard ground and barely audible snarls and growls. 'Must be passing by the widow.' She thought still a little uneasy about the smell being so strong. Minutes seemed like hours as she heard the moaning and foot steps getting louder and louder. SHe finally got up to check the window so her mind would be put at ease and what she saw almost gave her a heart attack.
There was only one walker by the window but starting at about ten feet away there were dozens of the lifeless corpses walking around mindlessly looking for their next meal. "Holy shit!" She exclaimed as she started packing up all of her things that she really needed. By time she shoved the last thing into her bag there were three walkers busting through the door and one walker in particular made the blonde stop in her tracks and drop to the floor. "NO!" She screamed as she looked at the tall lanky walker snarling and snapping at her. She couldn't find the strength to move and at this point she wasn't sure she wanted to. One of her best friends; her cousin who was much more like a brother stood there in front of her skin decaying eyes so lifeless they bore into her soul. The worst thing was right before everything went to shit that specific cousin was with her sister and seeing him in such a state completely broke her spirit of finding her sister alive. "No no no no." She kept muttering not paying attention to anything but the monster in front of her. "You shouldn't have to suffer like this it's not right." She said grabbing her machete and going towards the shell of her old best friend. She lifted it up and planted it deep in his skull. The cracking of the skull quickly turned her stomach as she yet again dropped to the ground letting loose her only chance of survival. She was clenching her stomach so she wouldn't up chuck everything in it not that there was much. The bile that would follow her throwing up would mostly be the bitter stomach acid that would just cause her to throw up even more eventually dry heaving.
She was quickly snapped out of her pity as a few more walkers busted through and lunged straight at her. She let out one more scream before she accepted the fact that she was done for. There was no escaping this fate and it was bound to happen. She closed her eyes and tried to find self piece before she would be torn apart but it never happened. "What the?" She said slowly opening her eyes to see yet again Merle Dixion had saved her. For a brief moment she had forgotten all about the man standing in front of her yelling for her to get up.
"GOD DAMMIT GIRL!" He said grabbing her arm with his good arm and slinging her over his shoulder holding her in place with his arm which was missing his hand. 'Times like this I wish I would have just waited on that roof.' He said grabbing her machete for protection as he took off the opposite way the walkers were coming.
The stress was too much everything that had happened was to much Aurora couldn't bare it. She was in shock and she knew it but she didn't know if the man who saved her life knew it. They were almost out of the door almost clear from all the monsters he did it he saved her but why? He could have just left her and not worried about the mess this time...She thought as her eyes grew to heavy to bare and she soon was passed out.
Merle heard the young girls breath become steady and low as her body eased a bit. 'She mustn't passed out.' He thought as he continued to trek the empty streets of the lifeless city. "I wonder where all the geeks are?" He thought out loud looking around to see nothing not even a soul. He knew they needed to get out of the city if they were going to survive then he stopped his train of thought and chuckled a bit. 'Look at me with all the "we's". Daryl would be proud that his bastard of a brother was trying to help.' He thought as he found a little store with a second story and a fire escape. "This will have ta do for the night." He said setting Aurora down and opening the door.
He quickly took out the three walkers that was standing around with the machete he had gotten from the young sleeping girl. "I like this thing." He said wiping it off and checking the store once again for anything he missed before dragging the sleeping body in. He set Aurora down against the wall that he was the furthest away from the door and then barricaded them in so he could go check the upstairs without a walker attacking her. "Brought you this far not gonna let you die now I guess." He said as he threw his jacket on her for warmth. 'Can't get that dirty.' He thought to himself quickly making an excuse for covering the young woman once he made a good argument with himself he quickly headed to the upper half of the store to see if there were any supplies or walkers. "Well I will be damned" There was no walker but a man who looked scared shitless.
"Who...who are you?" The man stuttered as he looked at the big muscular man who was not only missing one hand but wielding a machete in the other.
"That's not the right question to be asking." He said his voice scaring the guy even more. "Who the hell are you?"
"My name is Edward. I promise I pose no threat to you...I am just trying to live sir." 'Edward' was dressed in a once nice pair of jeans and a polo. Merle scoffed at the city boy. Just by his look you could see that he most likely came from money.
"Right. What 'qupitment is here?" He asked scanning the room looking for anything of use then he spotted two cots. "Alright Ed. if you want to live I expect you to do everything I say. Any funny business and I will not hesitate to kill you. Now I am going to go down stairs and grab my stuff. Don't lock that door or you will die son." Merle said looking the young man square in the eye not blinking once. Edward was stricken with fear to the point he couldn't move let alone think about defying the obviously bigger man than him. He wondered if the man had been to jail before. Most likely; people like that were always in and out of jail.
"Hey girl can you wake up?" He asked Aurora shaking her lightly as if afraid he would hurt her. He got her to flutter her eyes open and they looked tired. "We are safe we are in a building that has an upstairs that locks. You can rest up there I was wonderin' if you were able to walk right now." He said his voice softer than usual and she tried to get up but fell right back down.
When she fell she grew even more upset as she felt her eyes fill with tears and she shook her head no. She knew that the nights of not sleeping and days of not eating would catch up with her but she didn't know it would be this bad. "Hey...hey don't cry." Merle grew uneasy as he always was around crying. "It's alright I will just carry you is that alright?" He asked as she looked away and shook her head yes. He picked her and her bag up as he started for the stairs. She was light and even with a missing hand she was easy to lift.
When Edward saw the man appear with a young woman in his arms he just looked at her. She had her eyes closed and a few tears falling from her eye lashes. "Hey! She wasn't bit was she?!" He said immediately on edge even more at the thought of someone turning right in front of him. Merle narrowed his eyes at the city man as he sat her down.
"I suggest you stop talkin' before you piss me off boy." He said his voice grew cold once again as he took out his cigarettes. At that Edward gulped the lump in his throat and went back to staring at the window. Merle covered Aurora in his jacket once again before pulling the other cot in front of another window and sat on it himself. "before you starting thinking you can take me in my sleep you should probably stop. I don't need ta sleep." He said as Edward quickly looked down.
Aurora was asleep again finally getting the must need rest she had denied her body. It was a dreamless sleep all she knew was she was safe and that was enough for her. Hours passed as the sun began to rise and she stirred in her sleep causing Merle to open his half closed eyes and look at her. He was hoping she was okay he didn't know why but he cared for this girl. Maybe it was that she seemed like a hope in this time of darkness. Somehow holding onto her innocence and light in a world that had gone to shit. It was a new feeling for him but he wanted to protect her and it was even more strange since he had a feeling of an older brother and he had just met her.
"Hey." She said her voice small. "How long have I been sleeping?" She questioned looking at him. The man looked exhausted and she was ashamed. She had been sleeping this whole time while he watched over them protecting them.
"All night." He said pointing out the window at the rising sun.
"I'm sorry." She said looking even more guilty. He shook his head as to tell her not to worry about it as he lit a cigarette. "My bag?" She asked noticing it wasn't around her anymore and he pointed to the side of the cot she was sleeping in. She silently thanked god it was with her as she grabbed it and grabbed a cigarette of her own out. "I have more packs in here if you run out." She mentioned lighting it and sitting back on the cot.
"Those things are going to kill you two." A voice said as she jumped looking in the direction of it. There was a man who looked to be a few years older than her wearing a polo and pair of jeans.
"Who the fuck are you?" She said slowing her heart down.
"My name is Edward and sorry I didn't mean to scare such a beautiful flower as you." He said eyeing her as Merle rolled his eyes. "You're body-guard kind of over took my place last night." He said pointing to Merle. Merle smirked as she looked at him she could tell that he enjoyed scaring the younger man a lot.
"I just suggest you listen to him he can get mean." She muttered taking a puff of her menthol. "Merle you need sleep and now that you have saved me probably more than once last night I am going to clean your wound. No pity or charity case just helping the man who saved me." She said not taking no for an answer this time no matter if he screamed or choked her again. She knew he wouldn't be much of a fight now since he was half asleep from exhaustion. She grabbed a few bandages and some alcohol and quietly made her way to his cot sitting on the side of him taking his arm into her lap.
Merle saw that the woman who not even 24 short hours earlier was deathly afraid of him took his arm into her lap and began to peel off the make shift bandage out of an old plaid shirt. He winced at the pain knowing he needed to get it clean and he was really to tried to object. "This may hurt a bit." she muttered as she poured alcohol over his whole stump. "GOT DAMMIT MUTHER FUCKIN' SHIT EATEN PIG FUCKIN' HELL!" He screamed as the stump felt like it was on fire in the depths of hell. Edward jumped and Aurora stifled a laugh from seeing the big bad redneck in front of her. "Christ girl! Be careful I somehow think that was payback for when we first met." He said as she stifled another laugh.
"Quit being a baby." She said enjoying the fact that she had the urge to laugh. 'just means I'm still here mentally and physically.' She thought to herself as she gently cleaned the dead skin from the wound then wrapped it again. "Now take these" she motioned him to take the pills from her hands "and get some rest; I'll keep watch." She said grabbing the machete as he swallowed the handful of pills.
"I don't need rest and how are you supposed to keep us safe" He said his eyes looking at Edward and she quickly understood.
"Well You see you are a light sleeper and if anything happens I know you will hear it and spring into action." She said looking at him sternly. "I slept last night now you need to sleep." She said almost pleading him to get some rest.
"Alright but I am a VERY light sleeper." He said putting an emphasis on very looking at Edward who swallowed the lump in his throat. Merle then layed down against his better judgement putting his trust in someone. He hadn't done that in years for anyone but his little brother.
Soon Merle was knocked out and Aurora was staring out the windows watching the empty streets. 'Never thought Atlanta would be deserted.' She thought laughing as she remembered her sister and she used to visit this populated city every year to visit their cousin...the cousin who she just found. This past year "Rora" the name her cousin used to call her had to work so she couldn't get the time off leaving her sister to visit him alone. While they were gone the world ended and she knew she had to come here to find them. Then they would live out their days surviving off the land working as a team. Jake her cousin was ex military so he would protect them; Janey worked for a national park system and also knew how to trap hunt and forge so she would feed them; and Aurora had medical training and knew how to free run so she would fix wounds and have an easier time going to abandoned towns to scavenged. It seemed funny then but they always joked about the world ending and how they would be the perfect team. Many hours were spent talking about their plan and the last words Aurora heard her sister speak to her was to meet at their secret spot. She knew that the secret spot her sister was talking about was the quarry they had found by accident while getting lost in the woods just outside of Atlanta and she knew that is where she would find her sister.
"So how did a pretty little thing like yourself end up with a man like that?" Edward said breaking the silence and startling her.
"Chance." She simply said as she played with her lighter.
"Well I think us meeting was fate." He said moving a little closer to her. "You know we should take everything and leave him. I'm guessing by the look of your neck you two didn't agree when you got together and well I will never hurt you...unless you like it that way." He said brushing his fingers along her bruised neck and she looked at him in disgust.
"Get your damn hand off of me." She said standing up and realizing she was shorter than the man who stood before her. "I wouldn't go with a man like you even if you were the last man on earth. I haven't even known you for a day and I can tell you're no good."
"Well that's not nice but your guard dog is sleeping and I don't think he is as light of a sleeper as you two claim he is." He said inching closer to the girl.
She swallowed the lump in her throat before pushing away any negative thoughts. "You really want to test that?" She said cocky.
"Maybe I will...it's been a few months since I have even seen a girl." At that point she went to scream and he quickly grabbed her and held her mouth shut. 'Dammit.' She thought as she tried to thrash her body making any noise to wake the man sleeping besides her but it was no use the man who held her body down was too strong. She then realized...she didn't even know if the man besides her was a light sleeper either. 'Oh god please wake up.' She thought silently as the big man was kissing her neck and his one hand was wandering her body. Once he shifted himself to unbuckle her belt her knee was able to make contact with this man parts and then she ran for the sleeping figure across the room.
"Merle!" She cried out and he shot up wondering what the hell was going on he then saw the girl he had worked so hard to protect laying on the ground in a slump and it looked as if she was crying...sobbing actually. He could hear her uneven breathing as he scanned the room and saw the other man holding his junk rocking back and forth. "Dammit girl are you okay?" He said going over to her and bending down. "What happened?" He asked not sure if he even wanted to know the answer.
Aurora couldn't say anything her sobs replaced any words she thought she was able to form as she looked up at the older redneck and he looked at her his stone eyes scanning her face for any explanation. When he saw she couldn't talk he got up and went over to the other man in the room. "What the fuck did you do to her?" He said knocking the city boy down as he tried to get up.
"Nothing that bitch just kicked me for no reason and went running to you." He said as Merle's fist landed on the side of Edwards face.
"I don't really care much fer liars boy now tell me what did you do to her?" The younger mans eyes scanned the room looking for anything that would be able to help him but when he saw nothing he knew he was in trouble. Fear filled his body and he soon found himself not able to move an inch as Merle grabbed him by his throat. "I think you tried to take her against her will and well I ain't a saint but where I come from you ever touch a woman without her wanting you too. Come on we're gonna go for a little walk." He said dragging the younger man out the door and down the stairs making sure to barricade the still sobbing girl in the room.
The girl wanted to scream and tell Merle not to leave her but she knew she couldn't. All she saw was him grab her attacker and leave with him. She was alone and she knew she had to pull herself together. She knew she had to be strong no matter what in a world like this she wasn't able to just break down not again.
The door slowly creaked open as it startled her. Since Merle left she had managed to pull herself on the cot and smoke four cigarettes it was a bit much but for the circumstance she didn't care. Merle opened the door and he was alone the other man he left with was no where in sight and all though she knew what most likely happened she didn't care. He looked at her and instantly felt sorry; he had gotten the answers he wanted out of the younger man but he didn't know how he could help the young woman in front of him now. For a strange reason his heart was heavy as he knew she had been hurt by that man all because he had went to sleep. Normally it wouldn't bother him this much but it was something about that girl that made him want to protect her and he couldn't figure it out. "You k?" He asked sitting on his own cot after bringing it closer to hers.
Aurora sat in front of the closest thing she had to a friend now and knew he wasn't the emotional type. As much as she wanted to say no I'm not okay and break down she knew he wouldn't know what to do and she wasn't even sure he could take it. She shook her head yes hiding any emotion behind her green eyes so the world couldn't see it. Merle noticed the young girls eyes harden almost to a mossy stone. He wanted to help but he knew he couldn't he wouldn't even know how to begin. 'I guess the most I can do is just be here for her.' he thought as he grabbed his jacket for her once again. "Here cover up and get some rest. We're barricaded in and we both need sleep. We're leaving Atlanta tomorrow." They both laid on their cots only three feet apart in case something happened. Merle knew that he could have prevented the events that had unfold that night if only he had not fallen asleep. He blamed himself and he knew he didn't want to go to sleep yet if; in case anything were to happen he wanted to protect her now and he still had no idea why.