It's My Life
Disclaimer: I own nothing except for Charlene.
Chapter 11: Airborne Squirrels
Morales sucked in a breath and gave a grimacing sort of shrug. "Ehhh, Merle had a brother, Rick. I think he's going to be the worst you'll have to deal with."
T-dog shook his head shamefully. Merle was not a good man- but no man deserved to die of dehydration or exposure chained to a roof. It especially didn't sit well with him that it was he himself that caused that man's future suffering- no matter how immoral or terrible a man he was.
"You gotta worry about Char too."
The sheriff turned in his seat slightly, "Wife?"
Andrea scoffed. "Merle is incapable of having a relationship. Char is just friends with the Dixon's. She and Merle, for reason's unknown, were pretty good friends- T's right, you're gonna have to worry about her reaction too. It won't be a happy one."
"Yeah, but Char is capable of reasoning-"
"She pulled a gun on her brother while she was scaring the shit outta Ed." Andrea muttered. Rick tried his best to follow the conversation; he shook his head and held up a hand. "Who's Ed?"
T-dog rested his arms over the top of his arms and leaned his head against the hull of the truck. "Ed is the bastard that beats on his wife and daughter. Charlene jumped him for a fight and kicked and scared the shit of the man. He's like 6'2."
Rick gave a disbelieving chuckle. "Super woman?"
Andrea grinned, "More like Batman. She's a vigilante- has no problem killing people when they've done something wrong. If Carol and Sophia hadn't been there, she would have killed Ed."
Rick shook his head. "So she's a criminal. What has this world come to?"
Morales gave a shrug. "She protects all of us with her life. There is no law anymore and with all that she's done so far- she's alright in my book."
The officer licked his lips and his brow furrowed. "What's her name?"
"Charlene, we all call her Char though." Andrea supplied as she picked at her fingernails laxly. He nodded his head with a gentle hum. "I used to know a Charlene."
Morales smiled, "Doubt it's the same one- Char came here from Texas."
Rick laughed, "Nah- the Charlene I knew grew up with me- we were practically brother and sister, I haven't heard from her since I met my wife." Andrea cleared her throat with a look of pity. "Where's your wife now?"
The sheriff shot her a look of dismay and sorrow. "I don't know."
Silence ensued within the van. A silence that was bred by the world they lived in- sorrow, shame, pity, and absolute fear of what was to come. The van rocked and jerked up the steep hill of the mountainside. The camp came into view- first the RV where Dale waved ever so cheerfully.
Charlene disposed of some guts from the few squirrels she had hunted. She smiled at the arrival of the van- Merle could come and keep her company. Her stomach took a painful wrench at the sight of the disheartened looks of her friends. Morales shook his head and patted her on the shoulder.
One by one, Glenn, Andrea, T-dog all exited the van. Her breath roared in her ears as she saw the fifth figure to exit- a tall, familiar man with a tan colored police uniform and the unmistakable glint of his badge. Rick Grimes. She shot a startled look to Shane and the look she saw was a mixture of dismay, worry, wonderment, relief, and disbelief.
His mouth parted and his eyes blinked rapidly as if the man were a mirage. Carl screamed in absolute joy and leapt into his father's arms, Lori followed close behind. The look of her face mirrored Shane's- and then it contorted into absolute hatred that roared across the woman's face as her eyes connected with Charlene's brother's own conflicted ones.
Rick turned and the ecstasy in his face could not be missed. He embraced Shane, his brother- his eyes flitted to Charlene and shock crossed his features as he realized. His words tumbled from his lips before he could gather his bearings. "Charlene- you're- you were the one that- I'm sorry about Merle."
She rolled her lip between her teeth; her hands went to her hips as her boot scuffed the dirt a bit. Her brows furrowed as she upturned her head with a squint to her eyes. "What happened to him?"
T-dog suddenly spoke up; "I left him on a roof in Atlanta."
"I handcuffed him up there- you can't take the whole blame." The woman felt the air rush from her body. Merle- racist, asshole of a man, Merle was on a roof in Atlanta and may or may not be being chewed on as they spoke.
"If I hadn't dropped the key down that drain-" The man stopped, his breath was labored and pained in thought. Charlene swallowed slowly as the campsite tensed. Her fists flexed wildly as her thoughts sped through her mind. "Well, let's go get him."
Her old friend stopped slowly, staring at her with a hint of distrust. "You don't want to know why?"
Charlene gave him a torn smile. "Don't forget that all three of us grew up together, Rick. I know you well enough that wouldn't ever do anything without a purpose. Merle was probably being a royal dickhead and needed to be sat down, am I right?"
No one responded and the shameful silence answered her question. Charlene adjusted her stance and turned her gaze towards the direction of the city. "We need to go and get em'."
"You can't do that! I just got my husband back- Merle isn't worth the risk."
The dark looked that crossed the ex-Marine's face stilled the woman. She glared as viciously as a simple housewife could. Charlene took a step forward, a low snarl started at the base of her throat. Her words sliced through the air. "Who are you to decide what a person's life is worth?"
Shane started, "Char-"
Charlene whirled around. "Merle ain't a good man- but no man deserves that kinda fate. If y'all won't come with me, I'll go by myself. I won't leave a friend like that."
Rick started slowly, "You're right."
"Rick!" Lori hissed with a reprimanding vice.
"No, Lori. She's right- we can't do that to a human being."
Charlene bit into her lip aggressively. Dale started up, "What about Daryl?" The woman laughed and placed her hands on top of her head. "Another very good reason to go and retrieve that man's brother. You think I'm bad when I get aggressive? Merle is all Daryl has left in this world. Just let that sink in."
Everyone turned at the sound of the self-disgust in T-dog's tone. "I chained the door shut- no geeks are gettin' to Merle."
Charlene shrugged her sarcastic irritation dripped off her words, "Great! So he'll die of exposure before anything."
At the disheartened look that crossed the large man's face, the woman quieted. His shoulders slumped. Shane cut in. "No one is going anywhere. It isn't sensible to run off with the camp after one single man."
Charlene dropped onto the hood of a car with a dismayed sigh. Of course he was right. "Daryl's gonna wanna go get 'em."
"We'll deal with him when the time comes."
Rick's face was contorted in deep thought; he squinted through the sun's glare. "What do you think we can expect?" Charlene crossed her arms; her gaze was focused on the ground before she looked up to her old friend.
"From Daryl? Hard to tell- bastard's really unpredictable, but if I know him correctly he's gonna come back from his little huntin' trip with a load of squirrels that he'll just love to introduce to your head."
No man left behind.
"FUCK!" The building to her left exploded and rained bricks down on the Staff Sergeant. Charlene leapt over the debris, ducking and diving each slam of rock to the sandy floor of the Middle East. The fire's glowed in the dark of the night- the smoke rose threateningly into the sky and concealed the stars and moon from sight.
Charlene could hear the repeated chugging of mortars and it's scream as it raced through the air. Her people yelled all around her as they were blown to bits and silenced in the blur of war. She should have left twenty minutes ago- that nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach wouldn't allow her to abandon her post though.
She directed everyone to abandon the base and head south towards the city and take refuge there until help would come. Charlene wasn't sure they made it, but at least they were out of this particular pit of hell.
The heat from the fire was stifling- she wrenched her balaclava up over his mouth and nose while her eyes burned to tears. Her legs pumped furiously as she sprinted through the base from building to building. The SEALs had been obligated to defend the base whilst everyone else escaped.
Charlene was never one to follow orders though. It didn't sit right with her that her brothers in arms were forced to take all the risk. She wouldn't leave without them by her side- no life was more important than another. If they risked their lives for the base, then she sure as hell would too.
Charlene's breath was labored and rough. Her back slammed against one of the few buildings left standing. She swallowed heavily before leaning her weakened and exhausted body around the corner. Bullets ricocheted off the side and sprayed rocks into her face.
The yelp never left her throat as she jerked back around the corner. Her breath came quicker and harder. Charlene sucked the air in through her nose and let it creep from between her chapped lips. She clutched her gun as she calmed her body's anxiety and fear.
Now or never.
The woman leapt around the corner. Her gun jerked from head to head, a bullet piercing the skull of her enemies rapidly as she advanced down the alleyway. Charlene heard the distant sound of a dog barking. The first peaceful thought of that day crossed her mind at her dog being safe. Maya. She was a trained war dog and Jack was her handler.
Technically Maya belonged to the SEALs, but ever since her arrival, she and the dog had taken to each other. Maya was a German Shepard with titanium steel teeth and an issued bulletproof vest. The American Government treated their war animals nearly as well as their people- these dogs served their people and America's freedom- they deserved every ounce of respect they got.
Maya was just about the sweetest dog you could ever meet, until you sent her after a target. Those silver teeth would flash brightly in the haze of blood and skin as she tore into them. Charlene loved that dog with all her heart and it warmed her to a near blissful happiness that the animal yet lived.
Charlene exited the alleyway and ducked to a building across the clearing of sand. Her eyes caught sight of five men on their knees before several men armed with AK-47's. They slid bags over their heads and they were promptly dragged to a vehicle. Charlene's mind roared in frustration- her men were captured and being dragged off to God knows where.
She wanted to scream and cry and kill every one of those terrorist bastards. As the truck drove away, Charlene was faintly aware of that familiar whistling sound of a mortar. The sand blew up around her body in a blazing whirl of needles. She felt herself go weightless and strike the side of that very building she had taken cover against.
Everything went black.
Charlene ducked as a load of squirrels flew by her head. They pounded the dirt and by the time she had whirled around to face the scene, Shane had had Daryl in a bind. The hunter grunted, "Chokehold's illegal."
Shane's face held a hint of amusement as he dropped the man to his ass. Rick knelt by him and began speaking lowly. Charlene couldn't quite hear as she headed to her tent. She ducked inside and slung her bow across her body along with her arrows. She clipped the black belt with the many sheaths for her melee weapons.
Her hands tapped her six throwing knives, kabar in the back, and her hatchet on her hip. The woman tightened her laces on her combat boots and strode from her tent. The silver of her bow and arrows glinted against her black tank top and jeans. The camp was tense as the four men headed towards the van.
Charlene nodded her head to Rick, "Ready to head out?"
Daryl laughed cruelly. "I don't need no woman comin' to fuck everything up. Trouble has a knack of findin' ya." He brushed past her shoulder menacingly. Charlene snarled, "Do you really need two Walsh's kicking your ass in one day?"
Daryl whipped around to face her. Humiliation crept onto his face as he closed in on her. "Ya' threatin' me, princess?"
Charlene shoved his shoulder back- Daryl's body jerked from the power of her arm. "I'm fuckin' promising you. Shut the fuck up and accept the help." The absolute rage wafted from Daryl's body. How could that little girl nearly sit him on his ass? The fact he had even allowed her to lay a hand on him infuriated Daryl to no end.
His eyes flicked to meet Rick's and Shane's. He snarled angrily, "The fuck you waitin' for?"
Rick gave a final look to Shane. His lips were pursed thin; he nodded one last time before jumping in the van. It began to rattle and jerk as it made a slow process down the side of the mountain. Glenn gave a wry smile, "Never gone on a trip with you, Char. This should be good, huh?"
Daryl looked up from his spot against the wall of the van. He growled over Charlene's smile. "If she doesn't get us all killed."
Next chapter will really take off Season 1! I'm hoping to finish this season before I leave. What'd y'all think of this chapter? Hope y'all liked it!
What could possibly happen next chapter? Hmmmm. Anything y'all would like to see in particular?
Thanks for reading and reviewing! I love hearing y'alls thoughts :)