Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to The Walking Dead, AMC or any of their affiliates. This is purely for entertainment purposes and is a fan created fiction. This story does not reflect the actual Walking Dead series and doesn't claim to be anything but a fan (me) expressing my appreciation for the characters and the wonder that is The Walking Dead. All OFC's (Original Fictional Characters) are a product of my own imagination. Any resemblance to anyone living or dead is purely coincidental.

Chapter 10

I never had two days fly by so fast in my life. I almost forgot about the job I was doing and the danger I was in. That was until Daryl brought it up.

"You can stay with Heather while we work. She said you can bring those flea bag rats ya call cats."

I gave him a dirty look because he was the one that let the cats have the run of the house and sleep in Merle's room with us. I barely saw the monsters because they both bonded with the Dixon boys so much that every moment Ping was with Jesse and Pong was following Daryl around.

"My cats do not have fleas, unless they got them from you are Jesse." Daryl leaned against the tall dresser in Merle's bedroom. He was fiddling with the end of a pipe. I knew what that was used for but I didn't say anything. Merle liked his drugs, a little too much if you asked me. Daryl had never been caught with drugs but the way he rolled the pipe back and forth made me wonder if that was just luck on his part. Maybe he did recreational drugs now and in the past. A second later it was like he crawled into my head or could read my mind.

He opened the top drawer, swept the pipe into it and slammed the drawer closed. "Stupid asshole leaves this shit out in the open for anyone to see, fucking waste of money. Give me a bottle of Jack any day. You can't go to jail drinking a bottle of JD."

That wasn't entirely accurate and he knew it. There were plenty of ways to go to jail after drinking. Daryl had done a few of them. I let it slide because it was just his way of saying he wasn't like his brother.

.

I folded the last of my clothing and stuffed it into the overnight bag I had brought with me. I sighed as I zipped it closed. "That's everything except the cats." I had something I wanted to tell Daryl and I figured it was best to get this over with now before Daryl made too many plans. "I think I'll go home. With the brotherhood dealing with the death of Nut, I think Animal might have forgotten about me. Nothing's happened since then." I waited to see Daryl's reaction. I hoped maybe he would show some disappointment because I wasn't going to be with him. It was silly of me to think he would beg me to go.

Daryl stood to his full height forgetting about tinkering with Merle's stuff. He gave me a dirty look. His was way better than mine. "Bolt… And are you fucking crazy?"

"What? I said Bolt."

"You did not. You called him Nut. And what the fuck are you thinking? Neely, you can't stay here it's…"

I stood my ground, denying I said Nut when in fact I was pretty sure I did. "No I didn't!" I disagreed because I felt like having an argument. I guess deep down I figured my time with Daryl was too perfect and sooner than later it would all blow up. "Why can't I go home? You just want me to stop looking for your brother. You think if I'm at East Point I'll forget Merle is a wanted man."

Daryl's voice got extremely loud. "You're still after him? I don't fucking believe this shit!" Daryl paced back and forth using his arm to emphasize his words.

I thought for sure a few things were going to go flying, but I never felt I was in danger.

"You want to get yourself killed, fine go ahead." He stopped pacing long enough to point his finger into my face. "But let me tell you one thing, my brother is not your concern. If you want to know me, or be with me you drop this now.I mean right now!"

Daryl didn't wait for my answer he charged out of the room. I heard him thump his way down the stairs followed by the screen door slamming against the porch railing. I could almost see him kicking the door to go out and it flying against the rail. His angry voice came from outside.

"Jesse, get yer ass in the truck. Now!"

.

I looked out of the front window. Daryl was behind the wheel. His muscles were straining in his jaw and the look on his face made me think he could kill someone. Jesse tossed the rest of the gear into one of the tool boxes before hoping into the cab of the truck. Daryl said something to him and then I saw Daryl put a cigarette to his lips and light it with a zippo lighter. In all the time I'd been watching him and staying with him I had never seen Daryl smoke. He took a long drag held it for a while, exhaling in a slow steady stream. He shoved the cigarette back into the corner of his mouth expertly holding it there while slamming his fists on the dash. Jesse looked up at me as Daryl threw the truck in reverse, driving over the grass and sidewalk instead of using the driveway.

.

Daryl was gone for ten minutes or so when my phone vibrated a new message. I don't know if I expected an apology or not, but I did half expect him to be back already and force me to go with him. I had a vision of him running back into the house and carrying me to the truck. I didn't get any of that what I did get was, "Lock the fuckin door on your way out!" In text, no angry voicemail, no raving lunatic rushing the house, nothing but a few words typed on a crap phone. Alright as you wish. I didn't reply instead I argued with my own self. "You started this; I hope you're happy, Neely. I sure hope you are fucking happy!"

I had all the bravery in the world up until I walked through my front door. Even my cats felt like this wasn't home. I had to shake them out of their carriers with the promise of tuna fish. I sure hoped I had a can left. My place seemed in order other than the fact that I knew people had been through every inch of the place, first the killer and then the police. Little things were out of place, stuff only a person who lived there would notice. I straightened a couple of pictures on my coffee table and refolded the blanket on the back of the couch. I was kind of shocked they had cleaned up as well as they had. I went to the kitchen next finding a can of tuna. I spooned some onto a paper plate for the cats and then ate the rest from the can. I don't know why I was eating dry tuna fish. I eat when I get nervous and it was in front of me.

.

By the time I realized the obvious, I couldn't stay here and I should have gone with Daryl, the cats had disappeared from the kitchen. I found Ping in the living room licking himself clean after his fishy treat. I got him into the cat carrier in time to witness Pong take off for the second floor. I couldn't bribe him back downstairs with tuna so I followed him. I caught a glimpse of him darting into my bedroom. My feet just landed on the tops step when Pong bolted past me on the steps like someone had lit his tail on fire. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. I didn't know if I should run down the steps after the cat or go find out what scared him. I made it to the door way before changing my mind about going inside. Something wasn't right in my room, my cat knew it, I knew it and I wasn't hanging around to find out what.

.

With both cats in their carriers once again and the three of us safely in my car I tried to regain my tough girl attitude. My hands were shaking so much I gripped to steering wheel to steady them. I wondered if I should call the police. I decided against it because I really had no desire to go back into the house and I didn't want to wait for the cops either. Had I looked up I would have seen the curtains in my bedroom slide back to position. I hadn't seen the person watching me but I certainly felt it. Goose bumps spread up my arms and a shiver shook my body.

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I drove around for a bit frustrated that I didn't have anywhere to go. That wasn't true I did have a place to go I just was trying to convince myself that I shouldn't. I failed and ended up breaking and entering at the Dixon house. Actually I didn't' have to break anything. The window in the back was already broken all I did was peel back the cardboard and reach inside. That should have bothered me but it didn't oddly I felt safe in Daryl's place. The cats acted like this was home. I crawled into Merle's bed that night wondering what Daryl would think if he knew I was living in his place.