"Okay so there's a small town over there, it isn't too big and if memory serves me correctly there's a camping store, we'll be able to get some camping supplies there right?" Julius questioned scratching at his arm, as he lazily stared down the road towards the town, they could just see the roofs of houses as well as a few distant walkers, roaming aimlessly around. Merle shrugged slightly tilting his head to get a different look at the town it was small, king country Georgia yup they had traveled pretty far and passed the farm lands without stopping after checking a few of the farms out, there had been hordes and hordes of walkers, one Farm even had what he could have sworn was the RV that the old man in the cops group had traveled in though he didn't see any zombies he recognized a good sign and if it was the right RV then he had to be going the way they had which meant the group were in Georgia but where? Focus on your own survival at the moment Merle thought to himself his attention focusing on his group all standing behind him, leaning against the cars, waiting for his orders. They needed fuel, they needed supplies they needed food and soon they were starting to run out. The makeshift snares he had made had broken long ago, which made hunting a little difficult and the lack of wildlife didn't really help either, Merle sighed shaking his head slightly to clear his thoughts.
"Julius you been here before?"
"Once or twice, can't really remember it though"
"You remember where the stores are?"
"Should do once i see the streets"
"Good, You and Cedric can come with me, Alfred you look after everyone else, stay in the cars and wait here, we shouldn't be long, maybe a few hours or so" Merle explained checking the ammo in his gun and the sharpness off his knife, before grabbing and emptying a bag so he could gather supplies.
"Care" Jen called placing a hand on his arm when he stopped beside her.
"Careful" Merle corrected, she had learned a bit of English over the last few months with Norma teaching her but she was still rough and her accent was really strong. "It's careful"
"Oh careful" Jen repeated looking up at him to see if she had it right, a smile fell on to her lips when he nodded.
"Is it safe for us to wait here?" Norma questioned her eyes focused on the walkers they could see in the distance.
"If ya quiet they shouldn't come this way, they'll be to focused on us" Merle explained.
"No safe you?" Jen questioned tilting her head up at him.
"I-if it's not safe, d-don't go"
"We have to go, we'll be fine" Cedric added giving everyone a grin. "We're strong"
"Either way boys don't take an unnecessary risks, come back to us in one piece" Norma added giving them all a pointed look, they raised there hands in defense nodded back in agreement, with a quick good luck from everyone, Merle, Julius and Cedric headed towards the town by foot, they didn't want to make to much sound they wanted to blend in, get in get out.
"I never like it when they do things like this, I always worry who will go next we've lost so many people already" Mary sighed hugging Annabelle to her.
"It can't be helped love" Alfred replied placing an arm around her and kissing the side of her head.
"I no like, but we need" Jenika added she understood better then she could speak though she still had trouble understanding, she was attempting to talk to the group, she wanted to be able to understand them and talk to them, find out about them without having to have Norma and Noah translate everything for her.
"Mmm mmm" Michael moaned pulling at her skirt, Jenika glanced down at him to see him hiding his face, and her attention snapped to Salem when he growled standing in a stance ready to attack, they had quickly learnt that when he did that there was danger about, Alfred pulled out his knife quickly moving in the direction Salem was growling in when Jenika looked up her eyes landed on two walkers, they looked badly rotted, one's hand even fell off as they moved towards them groaning.
"C-creepy" Noah whispered stepping closer to Jenika, grabbing the back of her shirt Alfred quickly and easily killed them both, wiping his knife on the grass, Merle had made him, Cedric, Julius and Noah quickly step up to the plate when it came to close combat killing, after losing Kyle and Luke, he had wanted them to be able to defend there-selves better, he even taught Jenika, Mary and Norma a few things, though they had yet to need to use the skills thankfully.
"That man is dressed like a police officer does this mean there is a prison nearby?" Jenika questioned shifting Nikolai slightly as he pulled her hair, her eyes on the man in what appeared to be a prison guard uniform, well it looked like a prison guard uniform but she wasn't sure what American uniforms looked like.
"I'm guessing so, actually I do think there is one a state prison, it's a massive thing somewhere over that way its deep in the woods quite well hidden, I remember visiting my daughter there once" Norma nodded holding her mouth in a thinking way, as she stared at the forest, Jenika nodded slightly lifting her gaze to Noah when he tugged her top.
"If there's a prison wouldn't there be a good p-place to bunker down, the high fences would provide good protection" Noah questioned biting at his nails, his stuttering was almost completely gone though he still had to speak at a slow pace.
"I never thought of that" Norma mused aloud
"Thought of what? What are you guys nattering about?" Alfred questioned raising an eyebrow at them.
"Well The prison there's one nearby isn't there? The state prison, well Noah reminded me of the high fences it had it was an impossible prison to break in to"
"So maybe we'd be safe there" Mary finished with a gasp looking at Alfred as if asking if it was true, Alfred paused seeming to think it over in his head before he shrugged.
"It's a good idea but what about the prisoners and guards, I'm sure there all dead, i doubt they'd have been evacuated I don't know, we should talk it over with Merle, I mean it sounds good but I don't know"
They nodded in agreement glancing around them for more walkers, it was a habit they had grown used to always be alert. They'd talk the prison over with Merle when he came back if he thought it was a good idea then they'd do it if he didn't then they'd do whatever he suggested Merle had become the unofficial group leader of their small group, they trusted his judgment and followed him without question.
"Not as many as I thought there would be" Julius whispered as crouch ran through the streets and back alleys unnoticed by the walkers and those who did notice they killed silently and quickly, they didn't want any walkers to alert more because from experience all it took was one walker to notice then with in seconds a horde had found you.
"Looks like most of them were already taken out or moved on for food" Cedric added as they stopped at the corner of a building glancing around it for walkers, when they didn't see any they ran on, the camping store was insight, they ran over to the glass doors Cedric and Julius keeping look out as Merle picked the lock with the credit card he had picked up with a light click the lock opened and Merle pulled open the door reaching a hand in to grab the bell before it rang, he entered first pulling the bell off and placing it on the ground by the door, Julius and Cedric entering with a glance around making sure no walkers saw them. They gently closed the door glancing around the store they couldn't see or hear any walkers but that didn't mean there wasn't any.
"Cedric tents, blankets sleeping shit Julius get the cooking shit, matches, pans and pots any useful shit, I'll get the hunting stuff" Merle ordered slipping off down the aisle without complaint the men nodded moving to aisles they needed. Merle roamed the hunting equipment the store had been scavenged the guns were gone as well as the ammo and a few knifes and other equipment but virtually all the hunting equipment was still there. People obviously didn't see the importance of hunting. Fools. Taking the bag off his back, Merle began picking up items packs of knifes, wires to make snares, he moved through the aisle grabbing all he needed, including another larger bag, which he used for boots, four pairs in his size and slightly smaller, a pair for him, Alfred, Julius and Cedric, a smaller pair for Noah and three women pairs for Norma, Mary and Jen it would be easier for them to travel with boots meant for the wilderness, he grabbed a child's pair for Michael and by miracle there was a smaller pair for Nikolai he snorted slightly but put them in his bag, it weighed down on his back as he put it on but they needed the stuff, he grabbed another large bag, moving through the coats and outer clothes, grabbing some in everyone's sizes well the sizes he guessed they'd be, he made sure to grab doubles of each filling the bag to the brim, and putting that over his shoulder. Satisfied he had everything he moved over to Julius's aisle seeing a walker on the ground, a hole in its head, and Julius tying up the strings on his bag. Hearing the footsteps Julius looked up with a snap his hand moving to his knife at his side though he lowered it when he saw Merle.
"Clean up on aisle err cooking please?" Julius waved throwing the bag on his back as he stared at the walker. "Little fucker snuck up on me I had to kill him with a frying pan stuck the handle through his skull, never loved a frying pan so much"
Merle chuckled noticing the blacken blood on the frying pan next to the walker. "You're in a Disney movie?"
"Apparently so, shame I don't have long flowing golden locks huh?"
"Pretty sure that magic hair would be useful these days" Merle nodded leading the way to Cedric's aisle.
"So if I had magic hair would you sing to me?"
"Maybe if you play your cards right" Merle chuckled stopping beside Cedric who eyed them both wearily three large bags as his feet.
"What are you doing to him if he plays his cards right?"
"Singing to me"
"Do I get serenaded to?"
"You don't have magic hair" Julius cut in with a grin flicking his hair dramatically. Merle chuckled, picking up one of the bags and handing it to Julius, Cedric had defiantly loaded them up.
"Ooph! What is in here? it weighs almost as much as I do" Julius complained jolting the bag slightly as he placed it over his shoulder with the other bag on his back.
"Tents and extra tents, and blankets, I grabbed as many as I could and extra, never knew when you'll need them" Cedric shrugged throwing his bags over his shoulder.
"Let's get out of here before we all start wielding frying pans" Merle muttered heading towards the doors, the other two following him.
"Why do I need to carry this bag again?" Julius whispered as he got caught on the door handled when they went to exit the store, Merle chuckled, soundlessly pulling him off of the door as Cedric killed the two walkers who had appeared in front of the store.
"Work for your song rapunzel"
"Better be a damn good song" Julius muttered as they slowly picked up speed running back the way they had come.