Chapter 52: Hell on Wheels

Thanks for reading. Well, Daryl got a break from Dad but not for long!

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Daryl

I shrugged my shoulders while he gazed longingly at me over breakfast. 'I know it's not been a month yest but I might go and check if Merle's back. And maybe change my clothes and stuff.'

'OK.' His grin was easy-going on the surface but I could tell he didn't like it every time I mentioned my brother and he didn't want to let me go.

I left after breakfast. He didn't try to stop me but he reminded me that I had exams next week – the last week of school.

Today was Saturday.

I don't know why, I just had this gut feeling that my brother was coming back today and I really missed him. I didn't plan to risk staying with my father unless he was but Rogers wasn't to know that but maybe I would change my mind. After all, even when my brother was in his bedroom next door, it didn't stop Dad doing what he wanted with me. Mostly because Merle was snoring like a hog and was out of it. I believed that it only turned him on the more.

'Be careful, son!' were my teacher's last words to me before I left.

I walked as quickly as I could home. It seemed to take forever, I was so full of excitement. I was sure I was right and my brother was there. I nearly jumped up and screamed in joy when I recognised his old truck. With perfect timing, I ran up to it just as he was about to get out.

'Merle! Ya back!' I flung my arms around him.

'Sure am, little bro. You miss me?' He hugged me back tightly. 'You're looking good, cared for even. Ain't covered in bruises like usual. Has the old man been behavin' himself?'

I merely shrugged.

'Where ya been?' I asked wonderingly when we parted. Neither of us seemed to want the embrace to end.

He evaded the question of course. 'Nowhere. But I got a present for you. Check out the back.' He jerked his head behind us.

I ran excitedly white truck and flung open its back. I was so gobsmacked, I covered my mouth and took a few steps backward, hardly able to believe my eyes.

He came up to me and laughed. He put his arms around my shoulders. 'Like what you see, bro? The black one's yours.'

It was a brand new Harley Davidson all shiny and new.

'Merle...' I looked up at him awe. 'How did ya afford this? Must have cost ya hundreds...?'

He chuckled and squeezed me tighter to him. 'That's not for you to worry about. See my one behind it.'

I spied the bright red one of the same model.

'Thanks, Merle! You're the best!' To my great mortification, I found myself kissing him all over his face in gratitude. I stopped in horror – what the fuck had I just done? But he didn't even seem to notice let alone mind. He was beaming, in fact.

'Go on, get it out. It's yours. Take it for a spin. Might have to give you a few lessons first though.' He gave me a gentle shove.

I could hardly contain my joy as I took it out carefully. 'Merle!' I gushed.

'What's that racket?' Our mood darkened as our father came out, whiskey in hand of course even at 10 am in the morning. His voice was a little slurry as he squinted at me like the bright sunlight was too much for him. Probably was – he rarely went out these days. Well, not when the sun was up, anyway.

'That you, Daryl? Where the fuck ya been, boy? It's been over 2 weeks. You OK?'

'Like you care.' I muttered as he approached. I was pissed off that he had come out at all to spoil things.

My brother immediately slung his arm around me protectively. 'What do you mean?' He asked our father. 'You ran away?' He turned to me in shock.

Dad didn't reply but looked over our bikes and snorted. 'What did ya have to do to buy 'em, boy?' He asked my brother.

'What do you care as long as I bring back dough with me - enough to keep you in ya drink and smokes?'

Dad nodded. 'Well, show me what else ya got, then.'

Merle looked between us, no doubt to test our father's mood and make sure he wasn't about to attack me before he let me go with that same curious hesitation.

Dad raised his eyebrows at that. Nothing escaped the old bastard.

I shivered. Just being in his presence even though I felt relatively safe with my brother there was enough to make me feel nauseous.

'Here.' He tossed over a large brown paper packet. Dad's eyes gleamed with a different kind of lust as he opened it up and took out the hundred dollar bills.

'What ya gone and done, Merle? Ya robbed a bank or somethin'?'

Merle's face paled. 'Somethin' like that.' He muttered.

'I don't give a shit how ya got it. Ya a good boy, Merle, to ya old Dad.'

My brother's expression brightened at this rare praise. It made me sad to see that he still craved our father's approval even at the age of 22. I badly wanted him to know the truth but wasn't sure I'd have the guts even now to tell him once we were alone. I wanted him to know that he didn't need that evil asshole to be proud of him – that his approval didn't mean shit.

'Have you come home back for good, Merle? What about you, Daryl? I missed you, son.'

I shivered and felt like I wanted to be sick at his loving father act but I found that I couldn't speak when it was clear as day that my brother was falling for it. Snatching at the little snippets of praise our father chose to drop him.

'You boys wanna come in? I got some cold beers in the fridge.'

I stared at him for his unusual hospitality. A trick no doubt to get me back with him. He'd keep me prisoner for sure after this.

I tried to send a telepathic message to Merle to tell him that I didn't want to go back in that house – ever – and to my surprise, he actually seemed to get it. He looked at me and frowned, especially when I unconsciously backed away from our father closer to him.

'No, it's OK, Dad. I'm jus' gonna show Daryl how to ride his new bike then I'm outta here for business. Shouldn't have really come back so soon as it is.'

My heart sank into my boots to hear this but on the other hand I was relieved that Merle had refused Dad's offer.

'OK, son. I understand.' But I could tell he was disappointed. 'You do what you have to do. When do you think ya comin' back for good, Merle?'

'Not sure, Dad. Things are still a little crazy and I better stay under the radar. In about another 2 weeks, give or take after I take care of business.'

'After Merle's gone, ya come straight home, Daryl. I want words with you! You run away again and there'll be hell to pay.'

'Hey – don't you threaten him!' My brother roared, approaching him with his fists raised. 'Anyway, what the hell did you do to make him run away in the first place?'

'Nothin'. Calm the fuck down, son. I only want to talk to him – find out where he's been and who's he's been with.' Dad downed the rest of the glass – well, most of it in one long gulp.

I suddenly found my voice. 'No, you don't! You jus' wanna punish me some more.

'That right?' Merle glowered at him.

Dad glared at me and raised one eyebrow. ' Look at him – no marks or bruises on him – I ain't touched him.' He addressed me with a softer voice. 'I swear I ain't gonna hit ya or do anythin' else to hurt ya.' His words were belied by the lascivious glint in his eye that went completely over the head of my brother, of course. Was he already gettin an erection down there?

I turned my head away in disgust. Fuck. I knew what he really meant when he said he missed me. Merle!

'Let's go, Merle.' I suggested, turning my back on Dad and giving my brother a significant look. I want to get the hell out of here and away from Dad!

'You park that bike right where it belongs when you come back, son!' Dad barked at me before he went back in, clutching his money packet greedily like if he didn't, it would run away all by itself. No doubt he needed another drink.

'Piss off.' We both muttered at the same time but only after he disappeared back into the house. Then we laughed before the mood turned serious again and Merle suddenly grabbed me to eyeball me.

'You better tell me what the fuck is going on, Darlena. Why you ran away and where you ran to, for a start.'

'Aw, Merle. I'll tell ya later. Can you show me how to ride my bike first?' I gave him my best innocent little brother expression and his face softened and he let me go.

'Yeah, alright. Let's have some fun first but I will get the truth out of you before I leave.'

'Fine.' I shrugged.

Merle

The felt the grin on my face become wider and increasingly amused as I watched him mount his Harley Davidson. I knew he had just been dying to try it but was waiting for our father to go inside. He was a fast learner – I didn't really have to spend a long time teaching him how the brakes and the gears worked. I'd been nervous at first. He was just like me, a speed-junkie but he demonstrated his driving skills pretty quickly and showed that he was perfectly able to handle it despite the size and heaviness of it.

Sure, I loved that bike but I loved my brother more and knew all too well what a bad fall could do if you were going too fast - courtesy of a friend who was still in intensive-care with a serious head injury 2 weeks after his accident. But they said he was likely to make a full recovery.

Now he really was 'Hell on Wheels' as he whooped and even let go of the handles as we accelerated on the narrow country roads near where we lived. We didn't have to go far either. All he needed was a Hell's Angels leather jacket of his own swinging chains and he'd be perfect.

'Daryl, be careful!' I didn't want to sound like our father and be a killjoy but he was pushing the motorbike beyond its limits. I needn't have worried though.

'Merle!' He whooped over his shoulder. 'Thanks! This is the best present ever!'

'Still – slow the fuck down!' My grin grew even wider after he deliberately drove closer to me, eased up on the acceleration just like a little pro so we could talk better. I had to stifle a laugh when he said: 'Ain't happenin'!'

I especially liked his disrespectful and sarcastic tone when he talked back at our father. Was it my imagination or was there an undertone of contempt in his voice that hadn't been there before? I wasn't surprised. Lord knows he had every reason to hate him. Even when he wasn't beating the living crap out of him which wasn't often, he was a downright bastard to him for no reason that I could think of.

Whatever had changed between them had got a hell of a lot worse. But I was glad that he wasn't beaten up for once because no matter how much I warned the asshole off him, Dad usually didn't listen.

Anyway, I enjoyed watching him like this, he and that black bike belonged to each other. He literally ran circles around me before he sped off into the distance, waving confidently behind him without looking back.

I hated to spoil his fun but I had to be back on the road that very day, especially if I wanted to avoid trouble and I wanted to treat him to lunch. So, I told him that we had to go and park it where Dad told us to.

He was very reluctant to go back to say the least and I sensed it wasn't only because he wanted to carry on playing with his new toy. This made me even more concerned about what had been going on at home while I wasn't there, bad enough to make him run away for weeks on end. It made me more determined to get it out of him where he was staying and why before I had to be on the road again. But he perked up when I promised him a beer and burger in town after I explained my situation.

Unfortunately, as soon as we approached home, Dad came out to meet us like he'd been watching out for us. Probably, his keen hunter's ears already knew the sounds of our motorbikes. From the corner of my eye I saw Daryl hang back and immediately grow quiet. I knew he would have clung to my arm like he used to when he was younger if could have done.

'Daryl, get off that thing, NOW!' Dad barked at him.

'Just another go, Dad!' He revved the engine and was roaring away before either of us could stop him.

'Little shit.' Our father spat out on the ground near me with a scowl on his face: 'Look what you've done now! What if something happens to him!'

'Come on, you saw him, he knows what he's doing.'

'No, he doesn't. He don't know how to drive motorbikes like you do. He ain't ever had one before.'

'He drove well enough on this rocky road, didn't he? He'll be fine, he ain't far away.'

'I know he ain't. Could hear both ya bikes miles away.'

'Don't stress – jus' let him have some fun.'

I turned to him then and tried to keep the accusation out of my voice and keep my tone light. 'Hey, Dad – did somethin' happen between the two of you to make him run away?'

Dad's face grew pale and I swear on my life, for the first time my father looked scared. He opened his mouth to stutter out an answer but then my brother conveniently came back into view.

'Daryl, that's enough! Get off before ya hurt yaself!' He yelled at him

'I'm fine, Dad. Take it easy!'

I saw Dad clench his fists and I knew he would have flattened my brother to the ground if I hadn't been there.

Daryl had clearly learned to maneuver as I followed his progress, spewing gravel and dust from the tires. He slowed down on his way back, and cruised right next to us with a huge smile on his face and that was a mistake. I should've known better than expect Dad to let him have fun because what came next happened so fast that I barely had time to react. It wouldn't have made any difference anyway, not that I would've been able to catch my brother in time or the bike as it fell down and slid on its side with a deafening sound.

As he went by us and was preparing to brake, Dad had grabbed him by the waist and lifted him right off the seat and then thrown him down hard onto the ground on his back as hard as he could. The dull sound of the impact made me wince not only for the new bike I'd bought him. Not surprisingly, he was left grimacing in pain and shock and struggling to get his breath back.

'You should know better by now than to disobey me, boy!'

I charged at him and pushed him away before hauling my brother to his feet.
'You could've really done him some damage, you bastard! His head was only a few millimeters from that jagged rock there!'

'Ya think I didn't notice it?'

My brother stayed close to me and was gently shaking his head as if trying to clear it and not really paying us any attention.

I was too wired up to care whether that was true or not as I continued: 'Not to mention the damage you did to my bike!'

'I can fix that you know I can.' He replied guiltily. I could tell now that he regretted his fit of temper.

'It'll be expensive, and how you going to pay for it? You gonna use the money I brought in? It's still scratched!'

'Careful now, son.' He warned me in deadly earnest.

Daryl just looked down at it, crestfallen. His shoulders were slumped. I never wanted to beat the shit out of our old man so much as I did then.

'Don't worry. I'll get it fixed.' I took my brother by his shoulders and walked towards my truck but then I decided to his bike as well as mine.

'Get your bike.' I told my brother.

'I told you to park his there!' Dad ran towards us – he was still fit and strong but we were younger and faster.

We shoved the bikes in the back in satisfaction before we turned around and screamed 'Fuck you' in unison at him before we got in the front.

Daryl

'I can see why you can't stand living with him anymore. He's turned into a real bitter old bastard.' My brother announced to me before he put the key in the ignition. 'Why the hell did he do that? Can't stand seeing you enjoying yaself?'

Oh, you don't know the half of it, Merle. I answered but only in my head. Would I be able to tell him the truth over dinner? Or ever?

Meanwhile, Dad had reached us and was banging on the windows, ordering us to come back and leave my bike there.

As if. We both just ignored him and it was a good feeling to see him not get his way because he couldn't control us anymore. But we were guffawing as soon as he was out of sight but then the atmosphere turned sombre when we realised that he'd wrecked my bike.

'Where ya staying, bro?' He asked me.

'Uh…With a friend.'

'Who? Can't be Eric – unless he came home early from Italy.' He narrowed his eyes at me with an intense look. I looked away.

'Uh…no-one you know.' I tried to control my nervous fidgeting.

He noticed even as I tried to still my hands and looked at me suspiciously from the corner of his eye.

'Better not be that perve, Rogers.'

I was close to full-blown panic because I knew Merle would show him no mercy, just like when he'd killed Mike. And if he knew what we were doing to each other now… He wouldn't believe that Carl didn't force me! Not with our history!

I put on a face full of revulsion. 'Yuk. Fuck no – that old perve? Gross!'

'Ya sure? How about I drop you off at your 'friend's before I leave?'

'Yeah, OK. Thanks.'

There followed a comfortable silence between us as we drew closer to our destination.

'I'm real sorry about ya bike. Bastard didn't have to do that. Your back not hurtin'?'

I sighed in disappointment. 'No, it's fine.' I lied. It hurt like a bitch but then again, I was used to hiding my injuries from him.

'Don't worry about it, Merle. Maybe I should have just got off when he told me to…Then ya know probably none of it would've happened.'

'Don't make excuses for that piece of shit! It's jus' I ain't got time to get it fixed before I go. He's ruined it! Such a beautiful bike! Wasn't gonna trust him with it after that no matter what he said.'

'I'll do it myself if I have to. You taught me how, remember?'

'But what about all the dents and scratches on it?'

I shrugged. 'Don't matter as long as it works, right?'

'OK. I'll give you the money before I go.'

'Thanks, Merle.' I beamed up at him and he ruffled my hair.

But what the fuck was I going to do? He wanted to drop me off after dinner where I was staying! With Carl! And he knew where he lived! He already half-suspected the truth!

I couldn't let that happen!