Well, here's the next chapter. Things are going to get kind of exciting! I also want to thank all of you who are reading this and reviewing! I love you guys and I hope you all enjoy this chapter! :)
This chapter has been written!
Chapter Ten
Buck lumbered slowly back to the cell he shared with Ed and went straight for his bunk on the bottom. Ed had retreated to the cell earlier in the day and was now lying on the top bunk, staring at the ceiling with arms behind his head.
"Just talked with one of the guards," Buck said. "He said some crazy shit has been goin' on to the south of us. People are dyin' from some unknown disease, I guess." He shrugged his shoulders.
"Huh," Ed grunted, not caring. All he wanted to do was get the hell out of this cell and kick Daryl Dixon's ass. He was the reason why he was in here in the first place. A smug smile spread across his lips. And now, he had someone who could lead him straight to Dixon.
"He told me that if we start feelin' sick or some shit like that, we better get our asses to the infirmary," Buck continued. "Whatever the hell is goin' on out there better not make it in here. That's all I have to say."
Ed wasn't paying attention to the older man. Plans were formulating in his head. Revenge plans. He did the same thing every night. Others may think he was crazy for obsessing over it for five years, but it was because of that damn redneck and his bitch, Carol that he was here now. If it wasn't for them, he would have been in the NFL making millions and having his pick of women.
Hell, he probably could have had Carol, Once she saw how successful and rich he was, she would leave Daryl in a heartbeat and jump in his bed. Ed's smile grew at the thought. That would have been the perfect revenge on Daryl, to take his woman.
Carol would regret everything she had done to him in high school. She would regret not going out with him.
Carol woke up the next morning when the sun shone through the window. Daryl lay curled into her side and when she looked at the clock, she saw that it was early. Too early. However, sleep wouldn't come to her. Her nights had been plagued with nightmares. Charlie covered in blood and coming after Daryl with gnashing teeth. Daryl's look of fear when Charlie lunged at him. Daryl...dying.
No. She couldn't watch that anymore and had jerked herself awake. Luckily, the move hadn't woken Daryl. He had had a tough night and needed his rest. She wondered if his sleep was plagued with nightmares, as well. She hoped not. Yesterday, he had lived one.
As quietly as she could, Carol maneuvered her body from Daryl's and slipped from the bed. The phone on her night table was blinking with a new message and Carol grabbed it on her way out of the room. Looking down, she saw that it was a message from her dad and she breathed a sigh of relief.
They were alright. Thank God. It was too early to call them back, so she set the phone down on the kitchen counter and started to make a pot of coffee. Daryl would want some once he got up and he would want it black.
When the coffee was ready, Carol took her steaming cup to the living room and decided to see if there was any more information on the news with what was going on in Florida. Hopefully things were settling down. But what the hell was happening here? People didn't just get white eyes and try to attack one another. As much as she hated what had happened to Charlie, she hoped he was the only one.
She pressed the power button at the top of the remote and watched the TV screen come to life. The channel was already on the news from when Daryl had been watching it the day before. Carol settled into the couch deeper with her coffee and waited for the commercial to be over.
"Good morning, everyone." A blonde male anchor said with a wide, bright smile. "If you're just joining us on channel 8, we'll recap what is going on to the south of us in Florida. Tammy has been our correspondent there for the past few days. To you, Tammy."
The screen split in half and on the side Tammy was supposed to appear, the screen was fuzzy.
"Uh, Tammy. You there?"
The image cleared only slightly to show Tammy with a look of fear in her eyes and a death grip on her microphone. Carol couldn't tell what was going on in the background, but she thought she could hear screams.
"John!" She even sounded frightened.
"Tammy, can you tell us what's going on down there?"
The image didn't clear and the sound kept fading in and out. "Something horrible... Sarasota...Hospital. The dying aren't...dead. They've...eating... They're...walking dead!" Then, with an abrupt scream, Tammy's side of the screen went black.
Carol watched with wide-eyed horror as the blonde anchor, John, shot to his feet and looked frantically around the studio. "Tammy?! What the hell is going on?" He pointed to something off screen. "Try and get her back on, dammit! What the hell is going on at that hospital?"
The screen cut off, then and a commercial for car insurance was being shone. Carol's hands shook. They were talking about Sarasota Hospital. Oh God. She shot to her feet and dropped her coffee to the ground, not caring that it would stain the carpet. Her dad and Sharon were at that hospital!
Tears sprang to Carol's eyes as she raced to the kitchen where she had left her phone. Please be alright, please be alright, she silently begged. She didn't even see Daryl sitting at the kitchen table as she made a mad dash to her phone.
"Carol!" He was on feet in seconds when he saw her tears. "What's wrong?"
"My dad," she sobbed. "There's something really wrong where they are. I-I think people are...eating other people."
His face darkened. "You mean, like what happened to Charlie?"
She nodded and placed the phone to her after she dialed her dad's number.
"Fuck!" Daryl gripped his hair and started to pace the room. "What the hell is goin' on? I gotta call Merle and tell him to get his and Maggie's asses over here. Somethin' tells me that shit is goin' to happen here, too."
Carol wasn't listening to him, she was too focused on the ringing in her ear. "Come on, dad," she whispered. "Pick up the phone. Please."
Daryl left the room in a sprint and went to retrieve his own phone. He was surprised to hear it ringing before he grabbed it. "Hello?" He answered.
"What the fuck is goin' on, little brother? There's fuckin' people risin' from the dead and eatin' other people!"
"So, you've been watchin' the news, too?"
"Hell yeah, I am. It ain't just in Florida. It's started to spread to other states, even here."
"Fuck. I knew it. You need to get over here, now. Bring Maggie, too and whatever shit you need. I gotta... there's somethin' I need to tell you and I don't want to over the phone."
"When you say get whatever shit we need, you-"
"Everything! Clothes, food, weapons. Something is happenin' and I want all of us to stick together and our house is more secluded than yours."
There was a pause on the other line as Merle thought about what Daryl was telling him. "Alright, bro," he finally said. "Give us an hour and we'll be there." With that, he hung up. When Daryl returned to the kitchen, Carol was on the floor back against the wall and knees pulled up to her chest as she sobbed.
"Sweetheart," he was at her side in an instant. "What's wrong?"
"They're dead, Daryl!" She cried and threw herself into his arms. "I just know they are. No one answered the phone and I called them multiple times. They said they were going to that hospital today, Daryl and that's where all the bad stuff is happening." She buried her face in his neck. "They're gone."
He pulled her into his lap. "You don't know that for sure. Your dad is smart and I'm sure they're somewhere safe."
"I even called Sharon's parent's home and no one answered." She looked up at him with watery blue eyes. "There's people out there eating other people, Daryl. What's going on? What are we going to do?"
"I don't know." He tightened his grip on her, unwilling to let her go. "But whatever is going on, I'm goin' to keep you safe. I promise."
Merle barreled into their house with Maggie close behind forty-five minutes later. Their eyes were wide and Maggie looked frightened. "Maggie and I saw one of them things on the way here. It was a woman, from what we could tell."
Carol felt a weight of dread settle into her stomach. If people were getting sick before turning into some snarling beast... "Did you get a good look at her?"
"Not really," Maggie answered. "She had really long black hair and was still in her pajamas. All she was doing was walking aimlessly around and when we drove past, she stumbled after the truck for awhile before we lost her."
Tracy had long black hair, it was her most prized possession. All the little girls loved it and constantly asked if they could braid it. Carol had even been a little envious of it. On the last day of school, Tracy had gone home sick. It could be... No, she wouldn't believe it was her friend unless she saw it for herself.
"Okay," Daryl spoke up. "Merle, you and me are goin' to head over to Charlie's a-"
"Good idea," Merle interrupted. "If anyone knows how to survive this shit, it'll be him. Let's get the hell over there." He moved toward the door but paused when he saw that Daryl wasn't following. In fact, his brother was quiet. Too quiet. Carol looked over at Maggie and sadly shook her head. The other woman understood and reached for Merle's hand.
"What's wrong?" He asked his wife.
"Charlie's dead," Daryl finally said, looking down. Carol moved to stand next to him.
"What? When did that happen?"
"Yesterday. I...I was the one who killed him."
"Why would you-?" Understanding dawned on Merle's face and his fists clenched. "Fuck. He was...one of those things?"
Daryl nodded.
"And did he try to...eat you?"
Another nod. This time,Carol placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. Recapping what had happened the day before was hard for Daryl.
"Shit." Merle ran a hand down his face. "That old man was supposed to outlive us all. Jesus fuckin' Christ," he roared and kicked at one of the kitchen chairs. "What the hell is goin' on?" It looked like he wanted to tear more stuff, but since it was not his house, he didn't. For that, Carol was grateful.
Maggie reached for her husband and cupped his face gently. "Merle, honey," she said softly. "I am so sorry for your loss. I know how much he meant to you." She looked at Daryl over her shoulder. "To the both of you." She pulled Merle into a hug and he buried his face into her shoulder.
"He was like a dad to us," he mumbled into her skin.
The room fell silent as the brothers mourned their loss and the two women who loved them comforted them.
"Alright." Daryl was the first one to speak. "We have to go now. Maggie, can you help Carol gather all the food you can?"
Maggie nodded. "We brought some with us, too. It's all in the truck."
"I'll help you unload," Carol said and stepped to her friend's side.
"Before you go out there," Daryl spoke before disappearing from the kitchen to return seconds later with something in his hands. "I want you to have this on you." He shoved a handgun into Carol's hands. "If one of those things comes at you out there, aim for the head. That's the only way to stop them, okay?"
"Okay." The last thing Carol wanted to do was shoot another human being, but if it meant it would save her and Maggie's lives then she would do it and without hesitation.
"We'll be back as soon as we can, okay? Then, we have to sit down and discuss everythin'." Daryl quickly kissed Carol and together, he and Merle walked out of the house.
Maggie smiled over at her friend. "Daryl seems like he could be a real good leader if it came down to it."
"I'd think he'd make a fine leader," Carol agreed.
"So, why are we goin' to Charlie's house? What's there that we need?" Merle asked as Daryl sped down the road. He wasn't paying any attention to the speed limits and he supposed if the dead were walking around, the police had more important things to worry about than someone speeding down a back country road.
"He's got guns," Daryl answered. "About seven or eight of them in that house. We're goin' to need them."
"Damn," Merle whistled. "You've really put some thought into this." He grabbed on to the Jesus handle above his head as Daryl took a sharp turn.
"Hell yeah, I have. I have to protect Carol and Charlie doesn't have any use for them, anymore. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if we took them."
"He'd want us to take them, if it meant we were protectin' our families," Merle agreed. "Ain't we lucky he liked guns?"
When they reached Charlie's driveway, Daryl parked and grabbed his crossbow before hopping out of the truck. Merle did the same, but with a gun. "We have to make this quick," he called to his brother. "I don't like leaving Carol and Maggie alone."
"Neither do I. Just tell me where they are and we'll grab them."
"They're in his room." Daryl opened the front door and led Merle to Charlie's old bedroom in the back of the house. "There's one under the mattress, too." He pointed to the bed and Merle went to it as he went for the gun cabinet. He grabbed the six rifles there and turned to Merle, who had one more in his hand.
"Are there any more?" Merle asked.
Daryl nodded his head toward the closest. "Check there. He may have one more squirreled away in there."
Merle disappeared into the closest and came back out with another gun in his hand. This one a handgun.
"I think that's all."
"Ammo?" Merle asked.
"Shit. Yeah, here in the cabinet. Grab all of it."
The two Dixons cleaned their old friend's house of every weapon and canned good they could find. In total, there were eight rifles, two handguns and ammo for them all. They had certainly hit the jackpot.
"I think we're set, bro. We got everythin' we need to keep our ladies safe."
Daryl agreed and hopped back in the truck. As he pulled out, he gave a silent thank you to his deceased friend.
Maggie and Carol stacked all of the canned food they had on the kitchen counters and table. With smiles, they were relieved that they seemed to have enough food for a while. "I think, if things continue to happen as they are, we'll be losing electricity and things like that, so we should cook all the perishables first and save the rest for later."
"Good idea," Carol agreed and went to the refrigerator. "Let's start with the leftovers. I have spaghetti and some fried chicken."
"Sounds good. Let's heat them up and have it ready for when our boys come home." She took the containers from Carol and moved to the microwave. "They'll probably be starving."
Ten minutes later, Merle and Daryl walked into the kitchen, arms weighted down with various guns, ammo and more canned goods. They decided they would store the weapons in Carol's office.
"That was a lot of guns," Maggie said as she handed Merle a bowl of spaghetti before taking a seat next to him on the couch.
"And you're each goin' to get one. Maybe two," Daryl said from where he sat on the floor besides Carol's legs.
"So, do we know exactly what's going on?" Despite everything, they hadn't turned on the TV to watch the news.
Merle spoke up, after swallowing a mouthful of noodles and sauce, "If I had to guess, I would say its the damn zombie apocalypse."
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