After half a day with the Dixon brothers I had concluded that Merle was essentially the opposite of Daryl. Every time we stopped he talked incessantly, mostly a long string of inappropriate comments about me or insults for Daryl. I was pretty sure he was high, and he seemed to be enjoying every minute of our collective discomfort with his teasing. "Who ya gonna cuddle up with at night sweetheart? Daryl been givin' it to ya good, or do you need Merle to show you how it's done?" "That's a nice tattoo ya got - ya know Daryl's pretty good with a needle and ink himself, he'd prob'ly tattoo whatever ya want if ya flash him those tits."

For his part, Daryl did a good job ignoring his brother and keeping us on the road as much as possible. We explored several wooded areas and made a couple of stops to pee or to look around for a good camping spot but had gone quite a ways before Daryl pulled off onto a dirt road and stopped the truck to talk to his brother. "Been huntin' out here before and it's usually pretty good. Think there's a couple a campsites about a mile down, 'tween here and the highway. Not too close though." Merle didn't seem to care, just nodded and grinned at me through the window, so we pressed on down the bumpy road.

We pulled over when we were close to where Daryl thought the campsites were, and he turned off the truck. "Gonna check it out - wait here. Ya see anythin', just lock the doors and get to the floor." I wasn't used to being sidelined in any decisions, or ordered around, but I realized I needed to keep a low profile around Merle so I bit my tongue and just nodded.

Daryl and Merle walked into the woods, Daryl with his bow and Merle with a gun tucked into his waistband. The woods were quiet and cool compared to the heat we'd come from and I rolled down my window and breathed in the fresh air. After a while I started watching the clock, growing more nervous as the minutes ticked by. It had been over an hour since they left and I hoped that meant they'd been satisfied with the situation and decided to try some hunting, not that they'd run into trouble.

Another 10 minutes went by before I heard voices, and Merle and Daryl walked out of the woods with another man. He was about the same height as Daryl, broad chested in a fitted shirt, and had the look of someone who expects to be in charge. I got out of the truck and he walked over and stuck his hand out. "I'm Shane, and we've got a group of folks at the campsites. You're welcome to join us - there's safety in numbers and we've got other women and children we're protecting."

I wasn't a fan of the implication that all women were as helpless as children and big strong men were needed to take charge, but being around families sounded nice, and might provide a buffer between me and Merle. "It's nice to meet you Shane" I said, shaking his hand firmly. "There's no shortage of alpha males around, but maybe there's strength in numbers. Daryl?" I met his eyes and he nodded, "Yeah, we checked it out. Seems okay. Can stay for the night, anyway."

I looked back at Shane. "Sounds like it's a plan." He smiled, a little tightly, and patted my arm, "you let me know if these two are giving you any trouble" he said in a low voice. I stiffened and pulled back. "They aren't. I'm sure they'll help your group like they've helped me."

He raised his eyebrows but let it go, walking back into the woods. Daryl started up the truck and drove a little further down the road before turning onto a faint path that led up the hill a bit until we finally pulled into a clearing with several campsites. An RV was parked in one, and tents were scattered around a couple of campfire rings. Cars were parked off to the side and Daryl pulled the truck up to a vacant site and hopped out. I could see a couple of kids playing next to one of the cars, and a woman with short grey hair cooking something over a fire.

We unloaded our gear and I set up my tent while Merle and Daryl shifted things around in the bed of the truck, where they planned to sleep. I considered offering to let Daryl sleep in the tent with me, but decided against it. He would feel awkward, Merle would make a big deal over it, and I knew he wouldn't accept anyway. I rolled out my sleeping bag and found my headlamp and other nighttime essentials so I wouldn't be trying to get ready for bed in the dark.

It was dusk before we were done unpacking, and Daryl had built a fire in the ring when I emerged from my tent. He'd opened a bag of sliced bread and some cans of baked beans and thrown the latter in a pot over the fire. He looked up at me as I approached and muttered, "Might want to grab some a this 'fore Merle gets back and eats it all."

I dished myself up a serving, grabbed a couple pieces of bread, and sat down on a log to eat. The day had been a whirlwind and I hadn't yet adjusted to the idea of being stranded in the middle of Georgia, cut off from everything I knew and loved, with two rednecks as my closest allies. A wave of exhaustion washed over me and I finished my dinner and told Daryl I was heading in. He didn't respond, shoveling food into his mouth, so I unzipped my tent and flopped down on my sleeping bag.

I could hear folks talking outside, and Merle rambling on, getting the occasional muttered responses from Daryl. The kids' laughter reminded me of everything I was missing at home and I cried into my pillow until I finally fell asleep.