Trouvaille (n.) a valuable discovery, or a lucky find; something lovely discovered by chance; a windfall
Chapter 14
"Les' concentrate on gettin' to ma' brothas' place. Once we get there, we can figure out how to get pas' 'Lanta to get you home to ya' people." Merle's gravelly voice combined with his hot breath in her ear made Beth stiffen as she physically held back the unwelcomed shudder her body wanted to produce. She was holding one end of the map, as Merle leaned in next to her tracing his finger along the best possible path to get to Daryl's place in the least amount of time. Tapping his finger on where Daryl's place was circled on the map.
"I'm thinking we need to see if ya' Daddy and Sis are at the farm before we risk going into the city to see if there are any government camp still standing." He scratched at his stubbed cheek in thought. "I don't like the idea of going into a city where so many dead ones are likely to be gathered, especially with Dexy in tow."
Beth glanced down at the boy, then up into his eyes. "I agree. And it would take the farm being completely destroyed to before my Daddy would even consider leaving it...so if they are alive and the farm is still standing that is where they will be."
"Ok, then when we switch places you can take a look and see if you can find some back roads from there to ya' Daddy's place." He told her as he let go of his end of the map.
Beth took it in both hands, pulling it up to get a closer look at circled area. "Your brother lives on Booger Branch Road?" She questioned, her nose wrinkled in disgust even as a smile curled at her lips.
From his place between them Dexy let out a belly laugh, he looked up at Merle his smile growing wider giving Merle a glimpse of the first real unencumbered smile that he had seen on the little boy's face. "Booger Branch, Boooo-ger Branch." he singsonged as he threw back his head and laughed like only a small boy could.
Meeting Beths gaze over the little boys head, Merle couldn't help but think despite the undead out there, that this might be the best family vacation he had ever been on.
"You need a restroom break?" Merle asked a as he saw a gas station appearing like a mirage in the distance. Beth glanced at the dashboard seeing that the line on the fuel indicator was sitting just above half a tank. They either could stop or keep going at this point.
"If you think we can get any gas than lets stop, then we can top off and fill those empty gas cans that you found." She reasoned as she looked at the sleeping boy between them, "I should probably wake Dexy up from his nap and have him use the restroom as well."
She was trying to find a balance somewhere between a hydrated and an uncomfortably full bladder. So she planned on using every halfway decent bathroom they came across, better Merle thinking she had a massive UTI and a tiny-tiny bladder than to ever again having to have him stand guard next to her as she peed on the side of the road.
Once was enough, thank you very much.
They had only been traveling together for a for a few days but Merle already knew that Beth was probably the best travel companion that he could have asked for. She didn't complain or feel the need to talk constantly, what she did do was hum. A lot...and occasionally she would sing random lines from the current song that was running through her head without even seeming to realize that she was doing it. It was a good thing she had an amazingly good voice, or she might have found herself sitting on the side of the road as she watched his taillights disappear. So Instead of finding it annoying like he would've with almost anyone else, it was just another "Beth-thing" that was oddly endearing.
The fact that she was incredibly attentive to the boy without smothering or coddling him, was another thing that he couldn't help but to take note of. He added it to his growing mental list of things that made her so attractive in his mind. She was constantly making sure Dexy was occupied and content, reading softly to him or singing songs to him both at bedtime or when he was getting antsy in the car, something that he could remember his Nana doing for him and for Daryl. And she was always showing him the same effortlessly kind consideration, handing him drinks and snacks every time she got something for herself or the boy without him ever having to ask her for anything.
They pulled into the gas station and Merle made sure the parking lot was "safe" by driving around the whole store before she woke Dexy up. "Ya' all stay close now, ya hear?" He said as they all entered the market section of the store. As they crossed the threshold they both paused, their eyes searching the store before connecting.
"Deja vu." Beth said looking up at him with Dexy on her hip. She couldn't help remembering the first time she had seen Merle standing next to a pair of similar doors.
"Do-over." He said at the same time as they grinned at one another. He couldn't help but showing off a bit by flexing his muscles at her as he raised his massive rifle putting it up to rest on his shoulder.
She couldn't help but to remember just how frightened she had been of the large intimidating man who filled that other doorway. Everything from his size, to the enormous weapon in his hands, and his blood-soaked clothing had silently told her that he was someone to be feared...a predator. She hadn't known that he would take her under his wing and teach her how to be someone that others should fear too, only in a less intimidating and unassuming package. Maybe that was better, it couldn't hurt for people underestimated both her and Dexy.
After cleaning the gas station of the lone geek they found trapped in the storage room, they worked together to gather the remaining usable items that previous looters hadn't found important enough to take. It wasn't much. The store was almost completely depleted. The shelves were bare of all booze, cigarettes, not to mention food and medicine but they had managed to find a few items with Merle's super-duper pirating abilities.
And when Dexy had used his size to wiggle under the fixed counter to retrieve a lone box of Marlboro Reds that both adults had somehow missed. Merle was so happy with his find that he rewarded the boy by tossing him up in the air before placing him upon his shoulders to sit while he opened the pack and pulled one out to enjoy.
Beth thought briefly about the dangers of secondhand smoke, before realizing that was the least of their worries. And both the "boys" looked so happy and content with each others company that she really didn't want to be the one that spoiled their fun.
Before leaving Merle took the time to show her how to siphon gas from the underground holding tank without losing any fingers...a VERY good thing to know considering that was something that she never thought she'd need to do. A few hours later they left with a full tank and four full 5-gallon containers under a tarp next to Merle's motorcycle and the red Marlboro box rolled up in the sleeve of his white tee-shirt.
Merle hadn't been around children a whole lot, sure he had dated a few ladies that had kids of their own. But he never stuck around enough to really get to know any of them, in fact it was something that he actively tried to avoid. If he knew that a chick he was going to see had kids at home, 9 times out of 10 they had been asleep for hours by the time he would arrive. Daryl was the last kid he had spent any quality time with, but he that really didn't count because Daryl had been born middle-aged and had just gotten older every damn year.
By age three his baby brother had been mostly independent, and had no issues with being left to his own devices while Merle was at school or playing hooky with his "friends". On an average day Pops would be normally working whatever job he had until he would be eventually fired for drinking or fighting, but more often he would be out drinking from the time he got up until long after bedtime. It was Merle's opinion that this being left alone in the home was better for the small boy instead of having the old man being there and beating on him. And Ma who had never made Daryl much of a priority, would be spending most of her time up in her room with her bottle and her bruises leaving also the boy to his own devices.
There had been times that Merle would look at Daryl and PopPop and think that they were almost the same person. That the tender age of three Daryl had more in common with a seventy year old man that he did with kids his own age or even his much older brother. It had been a sad fact that his baby brother had to grow up so quickly and so thoroughly, but still, he couldn't help be happy that Daryl seemed to have an innate knowledge of how to keep himself alive in such a volatile environment that was the Dixon home.
And yes, Dexy had reminded him of Daryl from the first time he had laid eyes on him. As the days went on, he could see that the boy had a lot of other qualities that reminded him of his baby brother. Dexy was naturally a quiet and shy kid, just like Baby Brother had been. He also had the kind of personality that just took him awhile to warm up to others. Introverted, he thought it was called. The little guy was also hyper-observant, just like Daryl had been and still was.
It had taken a few days for the boy to warm up to him, and now Merle was embarrassingly pleased that Dexy genuinely seemed to like and trust him. Not only that, the kid was becoming quite the chatterbox when the mood struck him. Surprisingly Merle found himself enjoying their odd little conversations. He thought that the boy was a fuckin' hoot, and was always asking him the funniest shit.
Yesterday for example, while Beth napped in the passenger seat, their conversation had kept him entertained and amused not to mention on his toes for hours. The boy sat contentedly in the booster seat that they had found for him in the back of an abandoned car, chatting away happily about all manner of subjects. He came up with this doozy:
"Merle...do you 'fink that the dead peoples can th'mell you or are they like the T-Rex, and are...are..." the little boy frowned as he searched his brain for the right words. "are they mo'thion activated?"
They had a surprisingly in depth debate about dinosaurs in general and the Tyrannosaurus-Rex in particular. Merle, he really didn't give a flying fuck how they had found their food, but the boy seemed to care, so he humored him. As long as dinosaurs didn't show up next and try to put him on their menu too, than he still really didn't care all that much. He told the boy that they obviously they weren't any good at hunting, because they were all long gone. He had been surprised that the conversation was quite long considering Dexy was only four and Merle really never had much interest in dinosaurs.
After they were done with that question, Dexys wanted to know "Do you 'fink that the dead have th'onar like a bat or a dolphin?"
Then quickly before Merle could even formulate an answer, he continued, "If the dead people have th'onar, would that mean that we have it too? Maybe we don't know how to use it 'cause we got too much th'i…" he had glanced over at a sleeping Beth before quickly changing his words, "th'uff in our heads to make it work?"
Then there was the big question, the one that made him take his eyes off the road to stare at the boy for so long that he had almost twisted the truck around an abandoned Semi.
"Are you my new Daddy? Do I have to call you that...Daddy?" He asked, his small voice full of worry.
He looked at Dexy trying to come up with a good answers...for both of them, when the kid had to go and add, "Joe made me call him Daddy, but I didn't like it...jus' like he made me call Beth-thy, Mamma."
Fortunately, Merle returned his eyes to the road just in time to avoid what would have been a fatal car crash. "Fuckin' shit!" He cursed loudly as he swerved around the jackknifed semi truck that was sitting abandoned in his lane and across more than half of the other. Thankfully there was no oncoming traffic other than the 5 or 6 walkers that had been listlessly standing in the middle of the road. It was fatal for them, because he mowed them down as the truck slid into them sideways on two wheels. Good thing he felt no remorse and hadn't tried to avoid hitting them or everyone in the car would be dead right now.
"Wha, what happened?" Beth asked blearily, sitting up as the truck came to a to a rocking stop, the dust that the truck kicked up momentary making the sunny day seem gray and stormy. She rubbed sleepily at her eyes while clumsily trying to loosen up the seatbelt that had suddenly grown tight, confused only to find Merles arm blocking her way.
"We're good...everything is good, had to swerve to avoid a truck...we're good." He all but growled the reassurance at her. He had kept his left hand on the wheel and thrown his right arm out and to pin both her and Dexy in place. In a panic his brain must have thought that his arm alone could somehow keep them both from being ejected from the front window of the truck.
Beth must have been beyond tired, because she just nodded, patting his arm and repeating his words back to him, "We're good….okay, glad we're all good." Before her head dropped back on the headrest and she quickly went back to sleep. He, stared at her peaceful face in disbelief, but he was beyond happy that she hadn't stayed awake and started questioning him.
Still trying to calm his racing heart he checked Dexy over to see if he was okay. The boy was looking out the window his eyes wide and his eyebrows almost disappearing into his bangs. Seeing as how Beth had just trimmed them up, that was saying a lot. His small hands were gripping white knuckled at Merles elbow where it was still pressed against his chest. "
"You okay there kid?" Merle demanded as he tried to pry the boys short nails out of his arm.
Dexy slowly turned and looked at him and Merle could see that his wide blue eyes were filled with excitement, not fear. "Fuckin' th'it! Do it again! Do it again!" He breathed rapturously in a hushed tone.
"Jesus Kid, you must have something glitched up in your head. What are you some sort of thrill seeker?" Merle muttered, thrown off guard.
When he started to drive again he was relieved that the boy was content to sit still wide eyed and breathing hard, but quiet next to him giving him time to calm down and think about what had been said.
'She ain't his Mamma. She lied to him?' He felt an immediate surge of anger and betrayal at the thought of Beth being deceitful.
But after thinking about it, he really couldn't remember her ever actually telling him that the boy was hers. Maybe she had alluded to it, or maybe he had just thought she was. After all the boy was calling her "Mamma", what else was he supposed to think? But she sure as shit never corrected his assumptions, in fact he was sure that she had encouraged him in that line of thought. He did remember that she had told him that Dexy was her "responsibility" and that she would "do anything to protect him".
Did Beth think that she needed to protect the boy and herself from him?
He could see why she would have felt that way, at least at first. But did she still feel like he was a danger to them in some form or another? Because she still didn't seem to be in any hurry to correct him, not that he could fault her thinking. He had the feeling that the girl was naturally perceptive, might could be that Joe had shaken her confidence in listening to her own gut feelings. And he was the first to admit that he was dangerous, less aware people had crossed the street to avoid him in the past.
The fact of the matter was that he actually admired, especially her for her dedication to the boy. What he would have given to have a Beth Greene as a protector in his and Daryl's childhood. He had only known her for a short time, and already knew that she was one of the rare people who meant it when they told you they would "die to protect a child." And for all intents and purposes, she was now that boy's Mamma, and God forbid anyone try to harm a hair on his little blond head. Beth would kill or be killed to protect that boy...and he had to admit that he probably would do almost anything to keep them both safe and keep her from sacrificing herself if he could.
The best he could do was try to make sure that he didn't get himself killed in the process. The one thing that anyone that really knew him could've told her, was that Merle Dixon was a selfish son of a bitch. He didn't give free handouts, and he didn't play fair...he always looked out for number one. Still, he would do his best to keep her alive. Being that she was such a good traveling companion and all.
He was not going soft, he told himself. Of course he needed to protect them, if only to buy him enough time to get her to come around to his way of thinking. Afterall he couldn't convince Beth that fucking him was something that she couldn't live without if she wasn't actually living now could he?
Pulling back from that thoughty, he broke the heavy silence and told the boy, "Nah, ya ain't gotta call me "Daddy."
Dexy turned his body toward him, looking up at him searchingling. Still too unnerved after that close call to look away from the road Merle settled on watching the boy from the corner of his eye.
"Good, I didn't wanna to call you Daddy." Dexy stated boldly with a firm nod of his head.
OUCH, Merle winced involuntarily, for some reason that fuckin' stung worse than being shot in the ass with rock salt.
The boy shoved his thumb into his mouth, something that Merle just realized that he hadn't seen him do in days. He could hear the sound of the boy sucking intently on it. He remembered how even as a small child Daryl had sucked his, that was until unmerciful teasing from Pops and himself put an end to it. After that whenever Daryl was nervous he would just chew on his thumb cuticle until it bled...much, much more manly.
Dexy removed his thumb with a "POP" adding, "Joe tol' us that it was better if people thought we was family...might not take us, an' hurt us. Said there are men badder than Bad Len or Bad Dan and maybe they would f'ink twice before tryin' anything if they knew that we was his." Merle glanced over at him, and the little boy looked back at him worriedly, before asking anxiously, "What happens if more bad men find us?"
Reaching over he patted Dexys knee, trying to be reassuring. "Ain't nobody gunna fuck wit' us. You, me and ya' Mamma...we're fuckin badasses." When Dexy didn't laugh he added, "If we meet people you can call me whatever you want, Uncle Merle would probably work jus' fine."
Dexy sat, with his brow crinkled in thought, "I didn't like calling Joe "Daddy" 'cause that's my Daddy's name. But I didn't call Beth Mommy's name, I call her "Mamma" instead...it's not the same. So, maybe I could call you Uncle Merle or Papa if I needed to, right?" He asked, the worry still lingering in his voice.
"You can call me whatever you want to...but do me a favor, don't ever call me Pops." Merle told him in a rough voice.
"Why not? Why not, Pop-th?"Dexy questioned.
"Because it sounds like my Pops was a lot like your Bad Len. I wouldn't like to be called by the same name as he was, anymore than you liked calling Joe "Daddy".
Dexy nodded sagely, "Okay, I prom-th, I won't ever do that...call you Pop'th. I'm sorry he was bad like Len. I'm glad you got away from him, just like we got away from Joe, Len and Dan." He paused to suck his thumb for a moment.
And then he pulled his thumb out again and asked in a voice full of horror, "Does your Bad Pop'th still have Baby Brother? We on our way to go re'thcue him?"
Merle laughed, "Nah, my Pops is dead and Baby Brother started taking care of himself when he was knee high to a grasshopper. But I do want to get to him as soon as I can. Family needs to stick together, especially in times like these."
"Good, then I'm glad that your mean Ol' Pop'th is dead." Dexy declared, adding "Mama said that family is the ones that you love and protect. That we love and protect each other, so we ARE family. And I love you, and you protect me, so I think that makes us family too." He added before putting that thumb back in his mouth.
"Yeah kid, I like you just fine. Don't worry 'cause I got your back." He told him quietly. They drove in silence for awhile as Merle processed everything Dexy had told him as the boy sat daydreaming next to him.
How in the hell had he gotten so lucky? Sure Beth and Dexy might need him, but he thought that maybe it was possible that he might need them back...just a little. And he couldn't remember anyone besides his Nana ever telling him that they loved him. It made him feel a warm glow of contentment and just a little bit like he might vomit.
He wondered if that might mean that he possibly loved the kid back.
Unaware of the inner turmoil he just caused Dexy asked, "Hey, do the dead still poop? Do they poop in their pants like babies? Is that why they smell so bad?"
All in all a very smooth change of subjects for a 3 year old Merle though as they both laughed at the thought of zombies pooping in their pants.
They stopped well before dark, just like they had the past two nights. Traveling was slow going anyways so there was no point in pushing further if they didn't have to. Besides it was better to have a secure location to spend the night if at all possible, the last thing they wanted to do was have to backtrack or spend the night in place that was undefendable.
Luckily they found a small barn sometime before four o'clock that afternoon, so they decided it would be a good time to stop. The barn was big enough to pull the truck into and still shut the doors behind them and Merle secured them with bungee cords. After dinner he took the empty cans and tied them to the door, making a crude but effective early warning alarm.
They shifted boxes around, clearing the back seat so that he and Dexy could stretch out to sleep. Leaving Beth who had had an unusually long nap the front seat where she could relax while she stayed up for first watch.
They had just got settled, when Dexy lifted his head from Merles chest and asked Beth to sing for them.
Leaning over the backseat so she could run her fingers through his blond hair, brought her face up close to Merles, It was a good thing that she was so focused on Dexy because he couldn't seem to pull his eyes away from her. He found himself having to clench his fists to keep himself from reaching out to stroke her face.
Her voice was so loving, so soothing that it was making it hard for him not to reach out for her the way he wanted to do. But he knew that if he made a move towards her, she would react like a frightened bunny rabbit and mentally turn tail and zig-zag away as fast as she could doing her best to shake him from her trail...so for now he would just take what he could. If it was just getting her attention second hand, well then he would take it greedily and without complaint...for now. He closed his eyes and inhaled her scent and let her voice sooth him.
Dragon tales and the Water is wide
Pirates sail and Lost Boys fly
Fish bite moonbeams every night
And I love you
Godspeed little man
Sweet Dreams little man
Oh, my love will fly to you each night on Angel's wings
Godspeed, Sweet Dreams
The Rocket Racers all tuckered out
Superman's in pajamas on the couch
Goodnight moon we'll find the mouse
And I love you
Godspeed little man
Sweet Dreams little man
Oh, my love will fly to you each night on Angel's wings
Godspeed, Sweet Dreams
God bless Mommy and matchbox cars
God bless Dad and thanks for the stars
God hears "Amen" wherever you are
And I love you
Godspeed little man
Sweet Dreams little man
Oh, my love will fly to you each night on Angel's wings
Godspeed, Godspeed, Godspeed
Sweet Dreams
Merle fell asleep somewhere after the second song with Dexys warm little body tucked in against his side and the sound of his thumb sucking deafening in his ear.
Adding to Merles growing frustrations, they found themselves having to backtrack several times that day, a few times to avoid the unpassable traffic jams, and a few larger towns that they had not willing to deal with the possibility of being overrun by the dead. So the fact that they were going through this particular small town was purely random. It was only a few streets in either direction, in fact it was so small that it wasn't hardly even a blip on the map they were using.
They had stopped the gas station that was one of the first business that they came to on that end of town stopping to fill up the gas tank. Inside had a surprisingly untouched small "grocery" area, making them decide to take the time to search the other stores in hopes of finding some more canned goods, and Beth was on a mission to find vitamins for them all to take, even after Merle informed her, in a disgusted tone, "Never took a damn vitamin in my whole life, ain't plannin' on starting now." She just gave him a look letting him know she was probably going to crush them up and hide them in his food if he didn't just take them willingly.
They had swept the area around the store fairly quickly having to kill only a small number of the dead.
"Small town, they probably got together at the end...maybe at a church or town hall...we should avoid both ah' them places. No telling how many will be inside, because they sure ain't out here." Merle said as they walked down the abandoned street.
The last house they stopped at was filled with items they could use. And Beth stood looking at the small white house with yellow shutters with the overgrown rose covered gate and gave a happy sigh. The had found a small garden that had been being watered by a cracked rain barrel. She had searched it and managed to add some fresh produce that was starting to grow wild outside the bounds of the small retaining wall...it looked like the local squirrels had found it too, so she was happy with what the ones with no bites missing.
"This house is almost like the one I've always imagined I would have someday." She told Merle wistfully.
He stood back and took it it, it was cute but it sure was tiny. He would have thought that a girl like Beth would have wanted one of those fancy McMansions that were popping up everywhere.
"A girl like me?" She laughed when he told her that "The thing I would make different about it, is I would have it built on the farm. That way Daddy could stay in the farm house and I would have a little place near the woods. Not too big, I would want my family close to me...everyone seems to get lost in those big houses. I'm sure I wouldn't like living in one at all."
Well Hell, the girl was just about perfect.
They were more than satisfied with what they had found in the small stores on Main Street and the homes just behind them. Merle had found luggage with wheels at the little white house and shoved everything inside to haul them back to the truck parked behind the house just across the street from the gas station.
Dexy had a paper in his hands that he had picked up on the small table by the front door on the way out of that last home. As they were trudging back he was trying to read it. "Look! C-A-N-D-Y that spells CANDY! I know that word!" He yelled bouncing up and down waving the flyer in front of Beth.
She reached out and took the flyer from his hand. "Opening soon! Mom & Popcorns old fashioned pharmacy and soda fountain. Come in and see our selection of specialty candy and flavored popcorn! Old fashioned malts, milkshakes and ice cream sundaes! Get a free meal when you switch your current prescriptions to our store!" Beth read out loud.
"Ice Cream!" Dexy hollered excitedly.
Beth stopped and held the flyer closed to her face, "Merle!" She said, her voice as excited as Dexys had been. "The grand opening...it wasn't scheduled until after the dead started walking…" She handed him the flyer. "Do you think…"
Merle stood studying the paper, his eyes narrowed in thought, "Well let's not make any assumptions." He picked up Dexy and tossed him high "Ain't gunna find no ice cream little man, but if you're lucky might could be some candy left for you to choose from."
Dexy was giggling… "Again, throw me high, again!"
Merle tossed him again before placing him up on his shoulders "Come on ya' little thrill seeker, let's go see if we can find ya' some sugar."
It didn't take long to find the small grocery store on the last street on the edge of the small town. Unfortunately it was also where they found the missing town folk...walking dead town folk. They could see about 40 or so milling around the front of the store, and a few could be seen through the glass window. Merle pointed out that the bottom of the door had been broken, allowing some of the more observant and flexible ones to crawl in.
"Merle, look. What do you make of that?" She asked him, pointing out the boys bike by the door. It had been set up almost vertical in the bike rack and then someone had taken the time to push trash and and benches around it forming a barricade. Whoever had done it had also also attached playing cards to the spokes, so as its front wheel spun around crazily every once in awhile it make a "thuth, thuth, thuth" noise. When caught with a good wind, the wheel started spinning it would attract the attention of the dead that were milling around the front of the building pulling them away from the door, It was a great idea to lure them away so that someone could escape the store with them distracted with the bike, or it was until one of the dead stuck inside would bang against the window making an even louder sound that drew them all right back to the closed doors.
"Might not be worth it, no telling how many have figured out how to get in." Merle mused, as they sat observing the store from an alley across the street. We might could go back to the last house we were in and spend the night, maybe come up with a plan to try in the morning." He reasoned.
"I wouldn't mind putting it off until tomorrow, a quiet dinner and a good nights sleep in a real bed would be nice." Beth agreed as Merle slowly pulled the car away from the alley
Dexy was leaning over as far as his carseat would allow, staring at the store as Merle silently drove passed. As they turned the corner, Dexy started laughing. "What's so funny, silly boy?" Beth asked unable to stop her smile at Dexys contagious laughter.
"That boy, Mamma! Look at the boy! A real live boy...not a walking dead boy! He sure looks sweaty just sitting out in the sun like that. Is he playing dress up? Do you think he will let me play with him?" Dexy asked not taking his eyes off the building.
Both Merle and Beth whipped their heads around looking for a boy, but Dexy was looking up and pointing a chubby little finger towards the roof. There sat that "real live boy", he was wearing a sheriff's hat, and had a gun in each hand, he wasn't pointing the guns rather he was just holding them in his lap. He looked surprised to see them, if his expression was anything to go by. A grocery bag sitting on either side of him as he was perched on the edge of the porch roof with his feet hanging over just out of reach of the crowd of undead standing under him. His blue T-shirt was torn and he had a red friction burn around his neck, making Beth think he had almost hadn't made it out of the store window despite his calm demeanor. The undead standing on the sidewalk below were desperately trying to grab those dangling feet. Just behind him, clawing uselessly against each of the two closed windows, there were at least six of the dead effectively trapping him on the roof.
The boy, Beth guessed was somewhere between 13 and 16 had obviously been sitting there without any shade for some time judging from his glistening face and the size of the sweat stains under his armpits. He was watching her warily, but not in any way threatening and was making no attempts to point his weapons at them.
While Merle and Beth were distracted by the sight of the unexpected boy, Dexy had undone his seatbelt and standing up he poked his head out the window, "Hi! He yelled excited, "What'ca doin' up there?" At the sound of his voice the dead turned and start moving towards the truck.
"I'm stuck." The teen said matter-of-factly, "Just sitting here waiting for an idea to come to me." He yelled over the groaning, causing half the group to turn back to him. Coming to his senses Merle grabbed Dexy by the seat of his pants and yanked him back down before any of the dead could get close enough to reach him, and forced the little boy back into his car seat as Beth rolled up the window.
Looking over at Merle, Beth implored. "We can't leave him, he's just a boy! I don't think he will last much longer in this heat." When Merle just sat looking up at the boy without replying, she implored, "Please Merle.'
After a minute he grunted, "Fine. But if that little shit tries anything, and I mean ANYTHING, I will kill him." He told her. Waiting a second until she nodded at him. He drove forward making the dead that were pushing against the side of the truck follow as he expertly spun the steering wheel and making the truck execute a moving u-turn, rolling down his window he yelled at the kid, "Hol' on, we'll be right back." He raced out of the parking lot with about half the group of the dead that had been standing under the boy following the truck down the road. Then watched them in the rearview mirror as the turned back towards the store as the truck outdistanced them quickly.
"We can't just leave him!" Beth said trying desperately to get a last glimpse of the boy on the roof as they rounded a corner.
"Got an idea." Merle said he drove down a few more streets to make sure he had lost all the dead before stopping. "I'm going to take the bike," he said gesturing behind them. and I'll drive by the store revving the engine, My baby, she's a loud one. That should get most of them following me. Grab the map." He told Beth as he got out of the car, and started to unhook the bike. Beth following behind him with the map in her hand, and Dexy on her hip.
"You make sure to stay in that alleyway across the street. I'll come from the other direction, grab the ones in the front of the store first and take them around the side to try and grab the ones on the side, I'll go slow enough to keep them interested and following behind me. Once the last of the geeks are gone, you drive up onto the sidewalk and get the kid to jump down onto the top of the truck."
Beth was nodding her head, as Merle traced a finger along the roads, "I'll lead them out of town along this road, once I get about here," he tapped a spot on the map "I'll speed up and loop back around...here." He tapped the map, I'll come back into town from the other side, should have lost them all by then. Meet me at that last house we was in...the white one with the yellow shutters, the one ya' liked so much. There ain't no lock on the gate," She nodded, "You get Dexy inside, have the kid stay by the gate and be ready to let me in."
He looked up, his face concerned, "You keep your gun out and your wits about you, understand?" She looked into his eyes and nodded, "Ya gotta remember Beth, just because he looks like a kid, doesn't mean he is one...especially now. A boy his age should be almost considered a man, so don't ya' make the mistake of underestimating him." He told her sternly. Looking at the boy on her hip, he reached over and took his small knife out of the holder on his belt and handed it to him. "You keep your knife hidden, ya' hear me?"
Dexy nodded, his little face serious, "Yes, sir. I'm jus'th little tho' so the boy is gonna be worried about you and Mamma...not me." He repeated back Merles words from previous lessons.
"That's right, he won't expect that you would be able to use the knife the way you do. If he tries anything, you don't hesitate...I mean it...anything don't look right, don't feel right, you make sure not to let him have the upper hand."
"Okay, I'll take care of Mamma 'til you get back." He said proudly puffing his chest out.
"You do that son, I know that you are the man for this here job." Thinking about it a second and added, "put your thumb in your mouth...makes you look younger...even less threatening." Merle advised him, cuffing him gently on the chin before he hopped on his bike and started it with a loud roar of the motor and headed back in the direction of the store.
Beth was a street behind him before turning where she knew the street would take them to the alley. She had barely gotten into place before Merle came around the corner and past their hiding spot. As he past them, he looked over his shoulder and grinned giving her a salute with his chin. Revved his engine and had to pay attention to the dead that started to amble toward him.
When the last of the dead had disappeared around the corner, Beth pulled the truck silently from the alley and pulled it around the corner. She could still see Dead roaming from behind the glass windows, but felt safe enough to let the truck sit and idle a few more moments before pulling around in front to the store and up onto the sidewalk. A street down she could see the last of the walkers turning the corner as the followed Merle.
A few of the less ambulatory walkers were still under the boy, keeping him from just jumping down and disappearing on them. Beth ran over one of the walkers that seemed to be missing his lower legs, and positioned the truck under the teeager. After a moment she heard his feet as they connected with the roof of the truck, and then watched as he slid down to passenger side and opened the door and hopped in.
She noted that he still held the guns in his hand, but he didn't seem to be threatening so she held out her hand…"Just until I know you ain't planning on shooting one of us...your guns...please." She sat still while the dead man outside the car behind her did his best to break the window with his hands.
The boy grimaced but handed her the gun in his left hand which she put in the pocket in the drivers door. He handed her the next gun a little more slowly, but first he switched the safety on "There is one bullet left in this one...I was saving it...just in case." He stated boldly as he handed it to her. She eyes were understanding as she took it and put it next to the first one. Then she pulled the truck off the sidewalk and started heading back to the house that they were going to meet Merle at.
The boy closed the door and quickly locked it putting his back against it so he could face them. His eyes were on Beth until Dexy shifted his body and greeted him enthusiastically. "HI! I'm Dexy...I'm 4! How old are you? Are you playing Dress-up? Can I play too?" Dexy all but yelled in his excitement.
The boy looked at Dexy and even though his brow remaned wrinkled in worry, he couldn't seem to hold back the small grin that curled at the corners of his mouth. "Hi Dexy, I'm Carl I'm 14...or maybe 15 by now, I'm not sure. This is my Dad's hat, he gave it to me so I could have something of his. He and my step dad both work with the Sheriff's department...well, not the same one...not anymore."
"What was you doin up on the roof? Dontcha know you could get hurt up there?" Dexy asked the boy.
"Well...yeah. But I was more in danger of getting hurt if I stayed inside the store." He said matter of factly. "I went in to get somethings and didn't realized that so many people went into that store to hide before they died. I was thinking that because they hadn't opened that I should be safe enough."
Beth looked over at him, "We were thinking the same thing. Merle just wanted to drive by it tonight so we could get a good look at it and spend some time tonight coming up with a plan."
Carl smiled at her, "I'm sure glad that you didn't wait until tomorrow, I was going to make a break for it soon, so I could have a little bit of sunlight left to make my way to a place to sleep. I was hoping to make it back to my family by late tomorrow."
He signed "I was out on that roof most of yesterday….I had to sleep up there last night, it was really uncomfortable, and I really didn't get much sleep because I was afraid I would roll off. I just ran out of water about an hour before you found me, so I was going to have to make a move pretty soon, but I was still weighing my options. I'm glad you showed up...I was kinda waiting to see if my Dad or Shane showed up." The boy said.
"Ma'am, do you think you can drive me back to my folks place?" He asked Beth "Its about a two hour drive from here." He added.
"I don't think that will be a problem, but we need to met up with Merle first. We may need to stay the night. We already found a place that we were planning on sleeping tonight. And we need to make sure that we don't get stuck anyplace that would be unsafe especially for my son."
"Yes Ma'am, I do understand. I've got a little sister not much older that your boy, so I get it." He said softly.
When they pulled up to the back of the house, Beth instructed the boy to jump out and open the gate so she could drive through. After parking she jumped out and helped Dexy out. Opening the back door and rummaging inside before they walked over to the teenager and handed him a bottle of water "You stay here and let Merle in when you hear him pull up on his motorcycle, make sure to secure the gate after he is in. Dexy and I are going to check and make sure the house is still secure. Then before we make any decisions we can have something to eat and let you rest up a bit. I think that we all will feel better able to come up with a plan on full stomachs.
Merle and Carl walked in just as Beth was going through their rations and picking out something for them to eat. She looked over at the teen and held up some cans, "Do you prefer Spaghetti-O's or Hormel Chili? She asked him,
"I'll have the chili if it's ok ma'am." he replied smiling at her.
"Please, call me Beth. Ma'am makes me feel so old." She scolded him. "She held up a cucumber and a small tomato...and look we are going to have salad! No lettuce...but I'm still going to call it a salad!" she told them excitedly.
"Yes ma'...Beth." He stumbled over his words at her stern look.
"You were certainly raised with manners", Beth told him, then looking over his shoulder she asked, "Merle, Dexy, what do you want?"
The boy Carl, he wanted to leave as soon as they were done eating, but Merle convinced him that if they sat tight overnight it would give the large herd that was following him a chance to disperse, lessening the chance of being overwhelmed.
"I've been watching 'em, think most of will give up and wander back to the store. Not sure if it's like some sort of muscle memory or if the sounds of the dead stuck inside the store will draw them back there. But at the moment since we don't know where they' at, bes' if we let them settle down before we go back out there." Merle shoveled his last bite of chili into his mouth, then added "By the time I lost them, had picked up about 20 or 30 more. Think the group is up to about 80 or so...almost the whole darn town if I had to guess."
They sat at the dinner table, Dexy was asleep with Spaghetti-O's sauce around his mouth. His head leaning up against Beth's shoulder.
"So tell me what the heck you were doin' up on that roof." Merle asked as soon as everyone was finished eating.
"My Mom, she got sick...fever real bad...my little sister too. Kept on getting worse, nothing I gave them seemed to touched it. Gave them everything in the house until we had almost nothing left. I got tired of waiting for my Dad and Shane to get back so I rode my bike into town about 3 days ago to see if I could find anyone still alive or at least some medicines that I could take back to them."
"Where did the men go?" Beth inquired.
"Went hunting, we were getting really low on food and the last time Shane went into town he almost didn't make it back. They thought that they might have a better chance together than just one of them on their own." He frowned, "I told them that one of them should stay and I should get to go...but the wouldn't listen to me."
His shoulders slumped "I don't know if any of them are still alive anymore. My Dad and Shane should have already been back, and Mom and Jude were so sick for a bit I didn't think that they would make it. Dad and Shane were gone a day before my little sister got sick and a few days later my Mom came down with it."
He straightened his back and looked at the two adults, "I told my sister to stay away from Mom at night, just to be safe...to lock the door to the bedroom if she thought that Mom was getting worse, or if she needed to sleep. Judith is pretty smart, and i know that she can take care of herself for a few days...but I need to get back to her because they are going to run out of food soon. I left them both with some gatorade and crackers, but that was about all that was left other than water from the well."
The boy got up and began to pace, "I told Jude that I would be as fast as I could, but to give me a least 4 or five nights...because I didn't know how long it would take me to ride my bike into town." He stopped and looked from Beth to Merle "I need to get back first thing...there is still the chance that my Mom...that Jude could still alive."
"Okay boy, we will head out at first light. But in the meantime, as long as we're here, why don't you tell me about that store." Merle told Carl as he stood up and took Dexy from Beths side. "first let me put Superman to bed."
"Daddy?" The little boy said sleepy as he wrapped his arms around the big man's neck and snuggled into him. "I got ya' Dexy-Boy, I got ya'." the man said into the little boys hair as he walked across the room to the master bedroom where Carl had seen the big man put the twin mattress from the other downstairs bedroom for the boy to sleep in so he would be closer to them.
There was a small attic room at the top of the stairs, it was set up more like a media den with a large comfy couch where Beth told him he was going to sleep. She had left him pillows and blankets that she had pulled from one of the closets. He guessed that they didn't want to sleep next to him anymore than he wanted to sleep next to them. And strangely that made him feel better about the whole situation.
That left the master bedroom for Merle and Beth to share with their son. Carl wondered how old Beth was...he thought that she seemed kinda young to be married to someone as old as Merle. But maybe she was just one of those people that his mom would complain never seemed to age as she looked critically into the mirror at her laugh lines.
Beth was watching too, but with different eyes, and she couldn't help but think that
something was off with Merle...had been all day. But couldn't think of anything that stood out to her that had happened that could be bothering him. Maybe it was Daryl again? When his mind was on Daryl he could get a little melancholy.
She watched him as he returned to the room and as as he spoke to Carl, trying desperately to put her finger on what it was that was bothering her.
When had it started? Was it just today...had he been that way yesterday?
She had caught him staring at her more than once today, not that him watching her was anything new. But she was used to him watching her lustfully, shrewdly and even at times tenderly...the look he was giving her seemed more...expectant or maybe disappointed...but for what reason? What was he expecting? Why would he be disappointed in her? Because she hadn't taken him up on any of his offers to help her "relieve her built up tension"?
Sure she had lost it for a little bit, was he still worried that she might go off the deep end?
She tried to force herself to pay attention to the conversation in front of her, but they were so deep into the layout of the store that she just couldn't find it in herself to care. So she stood with a yawn and a stretch and said goodnight as she went to the bedroom, shutting the door behind her so she could put on her pajamas.
She would worry about it tomorrow, for now she would lay down until Merle came to bed, then she would take first watch. And surprisingly despite the good nights sleep and the nap she had in the truck, and the worry of having someone she didn't know sleeping under the same roof as them, she fell asleep almost immediately.
Carl was just going up to bed, when Merles voice stopped him, "Boy, best not to come down those stairs until morning. We aint used to other people around anymore...I would hate for Beth to accidentally shoot you. Know what I mean?" Merle said as Carl's foot came to rest on the first stair step.
Carl noticed he had not included himself in that...was that indicating that if Merle shot him it wouldn't be an accident?
The boy looked over his shoulder and swallowed hard, "Yes sir...I'd appreciate it if no one came up the stairs for the same reason." He caught Merles eye "Sometimes I have a hard time waking up...don't know what is real and not for a little bit." he finished two spots of color brightening his cheeks.
"You ain't the only one boy, you aint the only one." He said as he watched the boy walk up the stairs.
Going into the bedroom he saw that Dexy had at some point crawled into bed with Beth and they were both out cold. He wasn't really all that tired, so he might as well let her sleep a little while longer. Wanting them close, he found himself kicking off his boots and crawling into bed next tothem. He propped himself up on the pillows and pulled out the copy of Motorcycles Monthly that he had found at the store today and put his gun down next to him within easy reach.
He was still looking at the magazine when Beth turned in her sleep, fitting herself into his side, sliding her arm around his waist. She rubbed her nose against his chest and inhaling deeply and smiled into his shirt before settling back down into sleep.
Damn she felt good tucked up next to him...he wondered if he had ever just laid down and held a woman like this before.
A few moments later Dexy sat up and rubbed his eyes sleepy and looked around to find out where his heat source had gone and smiled widely at Merle as he clambered clumsily over Beth snuggling into Merles other side.
"Where's Carl? The little boy asked in a worried sleepy voice.
"Hes sleeping, just like you need should be." He told the boy.
"But we never got to play!" Dexy whined, "I never get to play with kids anymore...and I like him. Carl is nice, I want to be his friend. Can I please be friends with him?" He asked.
"Of course you can be friends with him. It's good to have friends...but you know that not all people are good. Even if they are closer to your age, you have to keep an eye on them and make sure that they have good intentions. Ya understand?" Merle asked not unkindly.
"Yeha" Dexy yawned "Do we? Do we have good intentions?" He asked.
"Hell yeah...we got good intentions. We will help the boy get back to his family tomorrow. Maybe if they are good people we can spend the night, but then we got to be on our way."
"To go get Baby Brother?" He probed.
"Yeah, to go get Baby Brother." He confirmed.
"You think we are going to find him? You think he is where he is supposed to be...or do you think he is out there looking for us?" Dexy asked forgetting that as intrigued as he was about this Baby Brother...Baby Brother didn't know anything about him."
"Nah, Baby Brother will wait for us where he is as long as he can. If he had to leave...then I have a few guesses where he might go." Merle reassured him.
"Song?" he whispered sleepy around his thumb. And Merle sang.
Carl lay on the couch in the den. He had been waiting for the right time, thinking that maybe he might need to sneak out. He liked Dexy and he liked Beth too. But Merle, was a little bit scary and he had the feeling that the man really didn't want him there with them in the first place.
So with that in mind, he thought he could just slip out one of the back windows and shimmy down the drain. But he couldn't do that until the man went into the front room, If he tried to leave now, Merle would be sure to hear him from the room at the bottom of the stairs.
Everything was so still he could hear their whispered words float up the stairs and it was like the conversation was being held right next to him.
He now knew a few things, Merle might be a scary man...but he loved his son, and they had another baby out there somewhere that they needed to get to. And in spite of this they were going to take the time to get him back to his family before they moved on. That alone said something about their character.
And what if they were gone...his whole family? Mom, Dad, Shane...Judith? What if he was all on his own now...or if it was just him and Judith? Could he really take care of his little sister without his parents? How long could he manage to keep her alive if he had to do it all alone?
No, he was going to stay. Let Merle and Beth help him get back home. If everyone was gone or if it was just him and Jude...than maybe Beth and Merle would let them tag along. He was smart, and he could shoot really well thanks to his Dad and Shane. He could be a big help to them if they let him stay, he would just needed to convince them of that.
He was almost sure that Beth wouldn't leave him and his little sister to survive out there on their own...Dexy might not want to leave them either. And if Beth and Dexy wanted something, he was almost sure that Merle Dixon would give it to them as long as he felt it was a safe thing to do.
So, he needed to show Merle Dixon that he wasn't a threat to his family, but that he could be a threat to anyone that tried to hurt them. That would be a tricky thing to managed, like walking a greased tight rope.
At the very least, he could help Merle and Beth take the grocery store. He hoped that would be enough to convince Merle that he could be a help and not just another mouth to feed. He of course would be the one to care for Jude...he just needed a little bit of help...maybe he could prove to them that he could also take care of Dexy so they could make runs.
And if he had no one, not even Jude...then would it really matter?
He was pretty sure that he could make it on his own, but would he want to go on without anyone to fight for, or someone who was willing to fight for him? He relaxed into the couch allowing himself to fall asleep, confident enough in the knowledge that Merle wouldn't come slit his throat in the middle of the night, at least not on this night.
Notes:
"Godspeed (Sweet Dreams) is by the Dixie Chicks
As always thank you to Athlete Girl for everything you do to make this story what it is, without her you would probably have stopped reading by the second chapter.
I don't have Beth scheduled to tell Merle about her relationship with Dexy for at least the next 5 chapters...I never intended for it to come out this soon...but it just somehow popped out of Dexy's mouth! I decided to just leave it there and deal with any fallout later.
As you all know Dexy is based on my son...but every once and a while my daughter gets tired of being ignored and jumps into the spotlight. The scene where Merle almost flips the truck and Dexy's response was based on my daughters first rollercoaster ride she took with her crusty ol' Grandpa...she was just around the age of three and the roller coaster wasn't a big one...but not a little baby one either. We have a photo of them, she is clinging to his arm for dear life her face frozen in terrified delight, her eyes are so big they seem to take up half her face. Poor ol' Grandpa almost laughed himself into an aneurysm at our "sweet baby girls" very expressive vocabulary. And he spent the rest of the day as her exclusive ride partner because he didn't want to miss the "color commentary."