Beth didn't know much about cars. Both her father and Daryl had tried to give her some pointers here and there. When she and Daryl had picked out her "new to her" used car he had opened the hood, poked around and tried to point out a thing or two to her. Beth, however, had been distracted by Daryl bending near her, his voice softer and closer than it had ever been and she found her thoughts drifting into other territory and not paying attention at all to the auto care advice he thought he was passing on to her.
But Beth was a smart and resourceful woman. That Wednesday Daryl did not meet her at the diner but instead sat outside she knew it was time for her to take things into her own hands—literally.
And so she found herself peering under the hood of her car looking for just the right thing…..
She poked around for a moment…and then, fuck it, she grabbed a handful of wires attached to what she thought was the battery and yanked with all her might. Satisified when she felt a significant shifting of things and certainly heard a pop she closed the hood and went to start the car.
The car choked, tried to turn over and died immediately.
Beth smiled.
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"Look in here for the keys." Merle began tearing through the desk in the corner. "I know he kept some good shit in here."
"I'm gonna go get some of the camp stuff from the front, and food too—don't need your kind of shit". Daryl turned to go back into the other room.
"You think people won't pay a high price to escape the end of the world, even if its just in their head? Ah here's some of it." Merle pulled a bag of blue crystals out of a filing cabinet and tucked it inside his coat. "Mark my words brother this mess continues much longer and cash won't mean fuck all, but this shit will be worth gold."
Daryl sorted and turned and pointed at Merle's face "You're not bringing any of that near my kid, hear me?"
"Darlena, this is what's gonna FEED your kid and don't you forget it."
Suddenly behind them came a low growling noise. Both men whipped around to see Clem up on his feet lunging for them, teeth bared.
"Jesus Christ!" Merle yelled as Clem grabbed Daryl roughly by the arm. Daryl body slammed him back away before his teeth could come down on him.
Merle hesitated, but only a moment, this was, after all the first person they knew who had become one of those things. He raised his gun and shot Clem straight on in the head. Clem fell with a growl to the floor and then he was still.
Both brothers were silent as they stared and the two bodies now laying at their feet. Finally Daryl spoke softly. "Ya get bit by one you become one…"
Merle whistled under his breath. "Looks like…"
Suddenly Daryl was all movement. "Let's go, can't leave Beth in that shack. Can't believe I left her in the first place." He was becoming frantic, pushing to get out of the store.
"Wait Daryl! We made it here, we need to get what we came for. We need to get MORE than we came for. Stop and think!" Merle's command did make Daryl stop and listen. "We need food, we need fuel, we need camping supplies, whatever we can find we need to get. This is bad Daryl. This ain't no week in the woods and then back to normal. We don't take it the next person will." It was coherent and sensible and what Daryl needed to hear.
Daryl breathed heavily in and made a resolved grunt in his throat. "5 Minutes—we dump whatever we can in the truck bed for 5 minutes then I leave with you or without you. I ain't leaving them again after this." He stormed out to back up the truck closer to the door.
Merle shook his head and wondered for a moment what magic that woman had have such a hold on his brother. Then he started grabbing camping gear and tools off of the store shelves.
