Well, being we are expected to have up to 15 inches of rain this weekend because of the hurricane off the east coast here, I'm am going to go ahead and post this chapter. Not sure if we'll loose power, but...then again, I'm in bfe and if a squirrel farts wrong ours sometimes goes out. So...here you go!

Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. I wasn't sure what type of response I'd get from this story, but I'm so happy you're liking it so far!

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own any of The Walking Dead characters and I'm NOT making any money off of them! I only claim the OC characters I created for this story.

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CARYL ON!

Carol and Rosita had parked the car to the side of the small grocery store, out of site behind a large SUV. They had been up since sunrise, gathering all they could from the house before leaving it behind to move on. They had agreed to hit the small grocery store first and then the few other stores there on the main drag before heading to what they hoped would be their final destination.

Finding the front window busted out and the front door unlocked, they went inside, checking the store for any unwanted guests. They had found a few corpses, more then likely taken down by whoever had hit the store before them. Most of the shelves looked untouched, but a few they could tell had been looted already. There were no batteries to be found though which was something they desperately needed for their flashlights.

They wouldn't be able to fit a lot into the car, but they would take all they could carry with them. Knowing proteins needed to be at the top of there list, they went to the aisle that housed the canned meats and started loading up their cart with all they could first. Once they had it cleared, they moved then to the next aisle finding it lined with breakfast items.

Rosita suggested getting all the oatmeal being it would be an easy item to fix, especially if they ended up having to go on runs or travel on foot anywhere. It would be lite to carry and provide them with the energy they would need. She also loaded up the cart with boxes of breakfast and snack bars as well. Once the cart was full, they pushed it out to the car and unloaded it before heading back inside to hit the medicine's and personal hygiene products. Even though Carol had a hysterectomy years after her daughter was born, that didn't mean her traveling companion or any other female they ran across wouldn't need them.

While Rosita filled the cart with what she needed, Carol grabbed a few tubes of toothpaste, a few toothbrushes and also the three brushes that hung on the peg. Placing them into the cart, she then got them bars of soap and a couple bottles of shampoo. She had just put the items in when voices coming from the front of the store reached both women. They stood stock still, listening as two male voices and then laughter could be heard.

Carol's eyes widened as she looked to Rosita for what they should do. The other woman put her finger to her lips, and then pulled her gun from the front of her pants before motioning Carol to follow her. Carol reached for her machete that had been inside the child seat of the cart and followed Rosita. There was no place in the store they could really hide, their only options either to try to sneak out unnoticed or to fight there way out. Carol hoped they would be able to get out unnoticed though.

The clanging sound of buggies being pulled caused both women to stop in their tracks and listen closely to which direction they might be heading. Rosita peeked out from around the end cap of the aisle trying to see if she could see them and then pulled back suddenly as one of the carts came into view at the other end. Looking at Carol, she shook her head, glancing back around and seeing it was clear again.

Carol took it upon herself to check her side, turning her body slightly and peeking out around her corner of the aisle. Seeing a man standing at the other end and looking at the canned goods before him, she ducked back, her heart racing in her chest. Without knowing who these people were, Carol didn't feel as if it was safe to make their presence known to them. Looking back at Rosita, she motioned her to the next aisle to check to see if it was clear and if they might be able to make a run for the front of the store.

Daryl looked over the canned vegetables in front of him, pulling what he knew him and his brother would eat from the shelf and dropping them into the cart. He had gotten up before Merle, heading out and setting a few snares around the cabin to catch them some more meat. When he had returned, they had headed back into town to stock up on more food from the store they had found the day before. Everything seemed as they had left it and both men went their own way, trying to make short work of hauling out what they could.

Turning down the hygiene aisle to get them a few things, Merle stopped, noticing a buggy in the middle of the aisle that hadn't been there the day before. Leaving his own, he looked around and then walked over to the other cart, looking down at the items it held. Most were products for females but there was also other items that looked like a female would try to stock up on.

Narrowing his eyes, Merle pulled his gun and called out to his brother, "Daryl...where ya at?"

Tossing in cans of beans, Daryl heard his brothers voice carry through the store and called out to him, "Gettin' us some food. Why?"

The next thing Daryl heard was one of his brothers bird calls that they used when there trouble around. Moving from the buggy, Daryl brought his crossbow around, readying it incase they ran into any trouble in the store or even outside. He wasn't exactly sure where Merle was or what he had seen or heard, but Merle wasn't one to joke around when it came to any sort of danger. Moving slowly and carefully, Daryl's eyes watched the end of the aisle for any movement and his ears strained to hear anything out of the ordinary.

Hearing the low whistle, Rosita looked at Carol from her spot, her eyes wide and mouthed the word run. Separated with an aisle between them, Carol took off running down the one they had been on, hoping to get out before they were spotted by whoever was there with them. As she came to the end a man stepped out in front of her and she ran right into him, their bodies colliding.

Merle felt his body slammed into before he knew what was happening and he was knocked back a few steps. His eyes landed on the woman that had ran into him, literally, as her body hit the floor and the machete she'd been holding slid across the hard tile. She was quick to recover, getting back to her feet, her eyes wide with fear and something else he hadn't seen in a women for a very long time. She went for her machete, bring the blade up in front of her and he lifted his gun, pointing it at her.

"Easy there, sugar tits," he drawled out, his eyes piercing her. "Best be puttin' that there blade down now 'fore ya go and hurt yourself."

Daryl came around the other end of the aisle, seeing his brother at the opposite end with someone in front of him. The woman's back was to Daryl and he hurried down to back up his brother, "Best do like he says."

Carol glanced over her shoulder, seeing she was trapped between the two armed men with no place to go. She didn't know if Rosita had made it out safe, but if she had, Carol would gladly sacrifice herself to make sure the other woman was safe. Holding tight to the machete, Carol breathed out, "Get out of my way."

Merle smirked some, his eyes staying on her and sucked his teeth before speaking, "Get out of your way, huh? Look's ta me like you ran into me there, darlin."

"Merle," Daryl growled in warning, not wanting any trouble.

Merle snickered some, his eyes flashing at Daryl and then right back at the woman, "As I see it..."

Before Merle could say anything else the woman swung the blade at his head and he ducked down as her body spun slightly to the left. Reaching for her, his left arm went around her, holding her left arm against her body and his right hand grabbed the wrist of her right hand and holding the machete at bay. She struggled against him and he growled out, "Just calm your britches there, woman."

Rosita heard the commotion on the other side of the aisle and came around behind the man, her gun raised and pointed to the back of his head. Taking a shooters stance, she breathed out, "Let her go, asshole!"

Daryl heard the other voice before he stepped to the side and saw the smaller woman behind Merle with her gun aimed at his head. Clenching his jaw, he moved his sights to the other woman, lining her up, "Drop your gun first."

The four were at a stand off. Merle had dropped his own gun to the floor when the woman had went for him with the blade but he held firm to her. No one said anything as the tension wafted off each of them. It was Daryl though that finally broke the silence between them.

"Merle...let her go," Daryl said, glancing at his brother.

"And have this bitch give me a haircut? Fuck that shit..."

"Merle...now," Daryl growled, tired of his brother's shit.

Scowling, Merle let the woman go, but pushed her away from him and raised his hands to show he wasn't going to hurt her. Slowly, he turned his body as he moved, coming to Daryl's side and facing the two women. Licking his lips, he asked, "You two rug munchers alone?"

Pursing her lips and cocking a brow, Rosita countered, "You two cocksuckers alone?"

Merle chuckled some to himself and then lifted his chin somewhat, "What the hell y'all doin' in our store?"

"Your store? I didn't see see where it said Redneck-R-Us. We were here first..."

"Now see here, that's where you're wrong, darlin'. We were here yesterday...this here is our stash. Best be goin' and findin' your own somewhere else," Merle replied, the smile leaving his face.

Frowning some, Daryl shook his head and then lowered his crossbow some, "Plenty here, numb nuts...ain't nothin' around for miles. Let them get what they need."

Merle shot Daryl a look before he sucked his teeth once more, "You two alone?"

"If we are?" Carol asked cautiously.

Shrugging, Merle caught movement outside the store windows and his body tensed slightly. Daryl saw the same movement and moved to get by the women but the younger of the two pointed her gun at him again, "Unless ya wantin' ta get ate, ya best move."

Daryl pushed past the women followed by Merle who grabbed his gun off the floor and took off just behind him. Heading out the door, both men started taking out the small herd of corpses that had walked up on them while they had been inside.

Following their movements, Rosita and Carol watched as the men began to fight off the dead. Not one to back down from a fight, Rosita glanced at Carol before pulling her knife out and ran out the door, taking out one that was going for the older of the two men from behind. Carol gripped her machete, unsure of how much use she would be but wanting to pull her own weight. She had taken down a few of the corpses but with more practice, she'd be able to handle them the same as Rosita.

When the last of the dead was down, the four looked around at each other before the younger of the two men spoke up, "I'm Daryl...that jackass there's my brother Merle."

"Rosita," Rosita breathed out, squinting in the bright morning sun and then motioning to Carol, "That's Carol"

"Where you girls headin'?" Merle asked as he cleaned off his knife on the shirt of one of the bodies.

"Don't really know," Carol said quickly, and then glanced at Rosita.

Merle didn't miss the look the women gave each other and nodded as he looked at Daryl. Sheathing his knife, he then stood back up fully, eyeing them, "Ain't much around here. Hell, we thought we were the only two alive at this point."

"So did we," Carol replied, still cautious of the two men.

"Y'all heard any news on the radio or anything?" Daryl asked, curious if maybe they might know more of what was going on.

Shaking her head, Rosita shrugged, "Nothing. Just static is all."

"The last reports were telling people to stay put or get to a refugee center if they had too leave their homes," Carol added.

Daryl nodded and glanced at Merle before looking back at the older of the two woman, "We heard similar 'fore we left out to go huntin'. Thought it'd be handled by the time we got back though."

"It's everywhere," Rosita said, shifting her weight from one foot to another. "The military was calling everyone back that was on leave or that just came out of basic. I was trying to get back but they shut everything down."

"You military, taco bender?" Merle asked with a smirk.

Frowning at the name, Rosita then raised her chin slightly, "Army medic."

"We don't have time to be standing around talking," Carol said then before Merle could interject. "We'll just get our things and leave."

The two women walked past them and Daryl's eyes stayed on them as he moved over closer to Merle, "Maybe we should help them."

Frowning, Merle turned to face Daryl, "You goin' soft, baby brother? Those two crazy ass dyke's can take care of themselves for all I'm concerned."

"Or they could run into trouble and then end up dead too." Meeting Merle's eyes he added, "That cabin is plenty big for us and them. Until this shit passes we could at least help each other out."

Merle smirked then and scratched at his stubbled chin, "Or maybe even scratch an itch? Taco Belle there ain't got a bad lookin' ass..."

"Wasn't what I was talkin' 'bout, asswipe." Shaking his head, Daryl headed back inside, leaving Merle where he was standing to go catch up with the women. When he entered he found them heading towards him with the cart they had filled, "We got a cabin not to far from here. It's remote...haven't seen any biters up around there. Place is plenty big if'n y'all need a place ta stay 'til things get back ta normal."

Looking at each other, Carol then looked back at the younger of the two brothers, "What's in it for you guys?"

Daryl shook his head, frowning, "Nothin'. Just being...nice. Ain't too much around these parts. Y'all will find that out pretty quick." Shouldering his crossbow as Merle finally came back inside, Daryl looked at the older women, "We got some fresh meat...fireplace ta cook on...can even have one of the bedrooms if'n ya want."

Carol looked to Rosita and then back at Daryl, "Give us a minute."

Daryl nodded and then backed off, giving them some space to talk privately. Coming to rest next to Merle at one of the checkouts, he took a seat up on the conveyor and pulled out a smoke from his pocket.

"What do you think? Think we can trust them?" Carol asked Rosita in a hushed tone.

Looking over at them, Rosita turned her nose up slightly and then looked back at her, "The younger one seems okay. This brother though is a dog. Reminds me of some of the assholes back home in basic." Putting her hands on her hips, she sighed, "It might not hurt to at least give it a try though. They seem to know how to fight and if we run into more of the dead..."

"Yeah..." Carol breathed out softly, knowing exactly where Rosita was going. Taking in a breath and blowing it out, she whispered, "Okay, so...we go with them. But what if they aren't alone? What if there's more of them? They could be lying..."

"Carol, you and I both know how to fight and take care of ourselves against the living. It's the dead that worries me right now. We can go...follow them to their cabin. And if it looks safe we give it a try, if not...we haul ass."

Carol debated with herself for a few moments longer before she finally nodded in agreement and then pushed the cart over to there Daryl and Merle were waiting. "Okay, we'll go with you."

"'Kay," Daryl said jumping down off the conveyor and heading back towards the aisle he'd been on, "Grab what y'all can and we'll haul it back with us."

"Our car's almost full," Rosita said as she reached over, snagging some gum.

"We got a truck outside. Put what ya need in there if'n ya want," Merle said as he walked away from them. "Jus' remember y'all gonna help unload the shit too."

Rolling her eyes, Rosita then shook her head as she and Carol headed out to empty their cart into the car once more.

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