Heart of Dixon
Chapter 3: I meet the Redneck of my dreams
Another Chapter rewritten and edited. I don't think there are any added bits, but enjoy.
I do not own the Walking Dead, if I did Robin would be in the show!
When we pulled up to the quarry, everyone jumped out to greet their families. The Hispanic, who I now know as Morales, ran to his wife and two kids. While Andrea ran into the arms of her sister, they held onto each other crying. They were all so happy to have each other again. I don't know who T-Dog, Glenn, and Jacqui went to. Rick and I stayed in the truck, we only had each other now. Rick was my only family since he 'adopted' me as his sister. I wondered how long we would stay here before we continued on his search for his wife and child.
"Hey helicopter boy! Robin, come say hello!" Morales called out.
Rick looked up to me and I could tell he didn't want to get out, I didn't really either. The last thing I wanted was to get out and meet new people. Especially the man who was responsible for my brother's death, what did Merle say his name was…Shane? I didn't know how I was going to react when I met him. Would I punch him? I doubt it. I didn't know how to fight, I'd never fought a day in my life, but I certainly wasn't going to be nice to the man.
"Come on, we might as well." I said. I climbed out first through the back and went around. Rick stayed a little longer. I walked next to Glenn, feeling more comfortable around him. Everyone's eyes were on me and it made me nervous, I hated being the center of attention. I gave them a small wave then turned back to the truck, Please get over here Rick, don't leave me alone with these people.
Rick got out of the truck and immediately froze staring at the man in front of me, he knew him. The man beside me was what some women thought as attractive, I was never in to the type. This man was tall and built like a house, he was mega buff. I didn't like him right away, something in the back of my head told him he was Shane.
I knew it was Shane, the man who killed my brother just because he didn't like that he saved two men. He didn't actually do the killing, but if he hadn't sent my brother out to distract the walkers promising there was a truck with gas when there really wasn't, then my brother would be alive. He was the cause of Jacob's death and I wanted to kill him for it.
"Dad!" A young boy called. He ran straight for Rick with a woman close behind. I gasped in astonishment realizing that Rick had just found his family. However my surprised glee was darkened and a frown replace my smile. I was going to stay with Rick, and he was going to stay with his family, which I doubted his wife would want to leave this safe haven they had. I didn't want to stay with my brother's killer.
I had prayed when we pulled up that we wouldn't be here long and we'd be back on the search for Rick's family, but now I knew we'd be staying here. My brother's killer would always be a few feet away. The urge to kill him came back. I wanted him to suffer greatly like Jacob no doubt did when walkers bit chunks out of him while he was still alive.
"Robin! Robin!" Rick called me, "Meet my family."
I went over with a smile, "Hello." I waved.
"Lori, Carl, this is Robin. She found me in the hospital and helped me survive when I didn't know anything about what had happened. Whenever I felt close to giving me up, she helped me."
Lori and Carl looked at me. Carl ran to me giving me a hug and thanked me over and over. Lori didn't move, she watched me from Rick's arms. I didn't understand the suspicious look she was giving me but thankfully it didn't look hostile.
"She was looking for her brother too, so we decided to look together. Her brother was part of this group." Rick continued to explain.
"Who's your brother?" the suspected Shane asked coming closer.
"His name was Jacob." I spoke barely above a whisper, it was still all so new to me, "He died saving two men here."
"After we found out, I kind of adopted Robin as my little sister." Rick smiled ignoring my sad tone.
"Does that mean I can call you Aunt Robin?" Carl asked beaming up at me.
"If your parents are OK with it, then yeah call me whatever you want." Carl looked at his parents. Rick smiled encouragingly and nodded, Lori remained silent but she didn't seem to have a problem.
"Sweet! I've got me an Aunt Robin." Carl took my hand and swept me and Rick off to show me off to everyone. Everyone was introduced via Carl and he then showed us his favorite parts in camp.
Everyone sat around a small fire, Rick was telling everyone about how we met along with how he felt when he woke up. Lori and Carl held tight onto him. I sat beside Dale, I liked the older man so far, he was so nice to me after I was introduced to the rest of the group.
"I can't tell you how grateful I am to you, Shane." Rick said to the man, whom I had suspected as Shane, "I can't begin to express it."
"There goes those words falling short again." Dale smiled, "Paltry things."
"So Robin, we haven't heard much about you, other than you showing up rescuing Rick." Shane spoke up looking right at me. I shrugged him off not really wanting to talk to him.
"I'm a bit curious myself." Rick smiled at me.
"I'm not some kind of mystery." I smiled back, "Before this happened I lived in Mobile, I worked at a Wal-Mart."
"How were you able to survive? Rick said you were alone." Dale asked.
"Because of a book my brother gave me," I showed them the book, "I did whatever the book said. I avoided cities and stayed quiet. I only used my crowbar to kill walkers and I stayed away from groups."
"Why did you stay away from groups?" Carl asked.
"Let's just say, I met one group of men who weren't very nice and since then I stayed away from people." I replied.
About a month after the dead came back, I was walking through Greensville when I came across a large group of men, about eight or nine. I didn't show myself to them, which I'm glad that I hadn't, but I still feel guilty about it even now. I watched them rape two girls while the others forced a man, I'm guessing their father, to watch. I couldn't help them, I was outmatched and they had guns. I didn't even have a crowbar then. I accidentally stepped on a fallen branch catching two of the men's attentions. I ran away and hid in a fallen tree trunk. Since then I avoided groups.
"You walked?" Glenn asked shocked.
"Yup, I didn't start walking immediately. I holed up in a house for several weeks, reading the book and forming a plan. I actually hoped the government would help before I had to start walking. I went place to place scavenging supplies. Then I started my walk, I found a GPS that ran on batteries. It said my trip would take four days, but sometimes I would have to stop as a herd of walkers would come through. I'd hole up in a house or store until they passed through. I was getting supplies when I met Rick."
"I can't believe you were able to do that, all on your own," Shane said, "and just because you read it from a book."
"You can learn all sorts of things from books." I glared but looked away.
Shane didn't remark back to me, he went off and told a man to pull a piece of wood from his fire. The man went on how it was cold but Shane told him to pull it out anyway. We couldn't keep our fires from getting too high as walkers could detect dying embers from miles away. Shane came back and plopped back down by the fire.
"Have you given any thought to Daryl Dixon?" Dale asked. I felt myself perk up, I was wondering about him since we had arrived. No one introduced me to him yet. Doesn't he know about his brother?
"He won't be happy to know his brother was left behind." Dale said. Of course he wouldn't be, that was his brother. Who knows what's happened to Merle. I hoped he was OK, racist redneck or not, it wasn't right he was left there.
"I'll tell him. I dropped the key. It's on me." T-Dog said guilt written all over his face.
"I cuffed him. That makes him mine." Rick said, feeling equally as guilty.
"Guys, it's not a competition. I don't mean to bring race into this, but it might sound better coming from a white guy." Glenn said to T-Dog.
"I did what I did. Hell if I'm gonna hide from him." T-Dog said.
"We could lie." Amy, Andrea's sister suggested. I looked at her shocked. No way in hell was I going to let anyone lie to him.
"Or we could tell the truth." I suggested, "It doesn't matter who does it or how. Daryl deserves to know, and if it comes down to it, I'll tell him the truth. You can't blame him for being mad either, his brother was left. Accident or not, he'll be mad. I would be pissed if it were Jacob, no matter what."
"I agree with Robin, we tell the truth. Merle was out of control. If we didn't do anything, he'd have gotten us all killed. Your husband did the right thing. Merle being left on the roof was only Merle's fault." Andrea told Lori.
"And that's what we tell Daryl? I don't see a rational discussion to be had from that, do you?" Dale asked.
"No matter how we tell him, he won't take it gently. It's his brother." I said, "And I won't blame him for being pissed."
"Pissed is an understatement." Glenn mumbled.
"Words to the wise, we're going to have our hands full when he gets back from his hunt." Dale advised.
"I was scared and I ran. I'm not ashamed of it." T-Dog said.
"We were all scared. We all ran, what's your point?" Andrea asked.
"I stopped long enough to chain the door. Staircase is narrow. Maybe half a dozen geeks can squeeze against it at any one time. It's not enough to break through that chain, not that padlock. My point-Dixon's alive. He's still there, handcuffed on that roof. That's on us." T-Dog explained then got up and walked away.
I felt a bit of hope spark, we could go and get Merle and everything should be fine. Should be, keyword. He was going to be mega pissed when he got back. He would probably try to kill T-Dog or Rick but we'd cross that bridge when we got there I guess.
I got up too and walked to the tent I'd be sharing with Jacqui. I'd grown close with her since our first meeting, she's been so sweet and mothering. When the question of where I'd sleep popped up, she told everyone, matter of fact, that I'd be sleeping in her tent. She didn't allow any room for argument as she took my backpack off my back and set it down in her tent.
"Goodnight sweetheart." She said crawling into her sleeping bag.
"Goodnight." I mumbled. I crawled into mine but I wasn't sleepy. I was thinking about Daryl and Merle. My brother died for them so I felt closer to them. Especially Daryl who wanted to go back for Jake.
My sleep was plagued with nightmares again. Since the dead came back, I never had a peaceful night's sleep. That night it started out the same dream as always, I'm running from a large herd of walkers. I know that they're going to get me because they always do, but I keep running. After a while, I run into the same dead end alleyway. I knew what was going to happen next, walkers would come pouring in to take a bite out of me. This time though, instead of a herd of walkers, it was Jacob. In a panic I forced myself awake.
I woke to the sound of people talking outside my tent and several other camp noises as well. I crawled out of my sleeping bag, I felt grummy. I had slept in the clothes I wore from yesterday and let's just say after my tank adventure they really stank. Someone must have had the same thought because a pile of clothes lay at the foot of my sleeping bag. I was beginning to change when I thought of the quarry. I could get washed up before I put on my clean new clothes.
I stepped out seeing Dale and Jim talking by the RV. They were stripping the fancy red car Glenn rode up in yesterday much to the Asian's displeasure, "Hey Dale!"
"Good morning!" He smiled and waved.
Walking over I asked, "Is it alright if I bathe in the quarry?"
"Of course it is." Dale said. He looked down from the cliff with a pair of binoculars, "No one's down there so you'll have privacy, make it quick though, someone is always heading down there."
"Gotcha, thanks." Dale handed me shampoo and a towel.
I went down to the quarry quickly. I wanted to get my bath over with. The last thing I wanted was for someone to show up mid-bath. I undressed nervously because I felt the strange feeling of being watched. There wasn't any place someone could find nearby to hide behind, or at least I didn't think anyone could. I didn't see anyone. I doubt anyone would stare from above the cliff. I shrugged, leaving it to paranoia.
I just shook away the feeling and stepped into the water. Immediately I regretted it, the water was freezing! Goosebumps covered my naked body as I went chest deep, but after a few minutes it got a little better, only a little. My teeth still shattered as I lathered my hair and body. I was just popping out of the water when I heard a terrible scream.
I leaped out of the water, and not even taking the time to dry off, threw on my clothes. I had my crowbar with me, my Zombie Guide always said to keep a silent weapon on hand. I ran up the path back into camp but no one seemed to be panicking and there were no dead around, so who screamed and why?
"You alright, dear?" Carol asked. Her daughter Sophia was tucked under her arm, the sweet thing was holding onto her mother tight. Carol was kind to me from the every start. After Rick and I were introduced to the group, she came right up to me and starting to make sure I felt welcome until her domineering husband called her and made her start cooking for him. I didn't like her husband from the instant I saw him or when I saw the bruises on Carol's shoulder.
"I heard a scream." I said.
"Oh, it's alright. Sophia and Carl were playing when they saw a walker, but the men killed it." She said then went off with Sophia.
I sighed with relief then shivered. My clothes were slightly damp and my hair was dripping, but I still had the towel Dale gave me. I started toweling my hair mid-walk to my tent when a man walked in front of me and stopped a few feet ahead. I didn't know the man, but from the look he gave me, he must have known me. I turned my head, maybe he was looking at someone behind me, but no one was there.
He was still giving me this look when I turned back to him. He was shocked like he'd seen a ghost. Did I know him? I ran his face through my memory. I didn't recognize his blue eyes or the little mole above his lips. He was a tall man, I'd say about a foot taller than me. He looked a lot older too, maybe late thirties? Nope, nothing came to me, except instant attraction. I shook that thought away mentally, now's not the time to be looking for boyfriends, Robby.
But he was certainly attractive in a rough sort of way. He looked like he someone you didn't want to piss off, don't get me wrong, I wasn't scared of him. He just looked like a fighter and not the touchy-feely type. He's was a man's man who could work all day in the heat and not even complain. I could tell he wasn't afraid to get dirty. I blushed at the thought of him dirty. Why did women find dirty men so hot?
He stopped gawking at me and began looking around for someone, "Merle! Get your ugly ass out here!"
Oh no, he was Daryl. No one told him yet. Why didn't anyone tell him yet? They were lining up to be the one to do it so what changed? I guess I would have to be the one who did it.
"I got us some squirrel. Let's stew them up." He called. He went over to the fire pit not far from where I was standing. Every so often he would look up at me, like Merle did when we met, but Daryl looked nervous.
"Daryl, just slow down a bit. I need to talk to you." Shane said coming up. Good, someone was going to tell him, but I didn't want it to be Shane. Rick seemed to be the best one, in my opinion.
"About what?" Daryl's eyes went over to me then back to Shane.
"About Merle." Shane replied. Oh, don't be so freaking cryptic about it and tell him!
"There was a-problem in Atlanta." Shane said. I noticed everyone except the men started to inch away farther and farther away but still watched like damned vultures. I stayed a few feet away from Daryl even as Glenn and Rick motioned for me to walk away.
I saw whatever light or hope in Daryl's eyes fade, "He dead?" He asked. His jaw tightened with emotion but that was all. No one would have been able to see whatever emotion he felt but I knew.
"We're not sure." Shane spoke.
Daryl's eyes narrowed, "He either is or he ain't!" He circled Shane a bit almost coming close to me.
"There is no easy way to say this, so I'll just say it." Rick said, I felt a little relieved. Rick would be gentle about it.
"Who are you?" Daryl asked, mistrust written all over his face. His body tensed and he took a defensive pose. I could tell something happened to him, who knows when, to make him naturally distrust anyone he didn't know. I had read a bit about body language and knew a little about psychology.
"Rick Grimes."
"Well, Rick Grimes, you got something you want to tell me?" Daryl spat out in an almost mocking tone.
"Your brother was a danger to us all, so I handcuffed him on a roof, hooked him to a piece of metal. He's still there." Rick said with no emotion. Way to break it to him easy, I thought.
I face palmed myself, maybe I should have been the one to tell him myself. I could see the anger boiling in Daryl's eyes and I couldn't blame him one bit. I knew I'd be the same way if Jacob was in Merle's place.
"Hold on. Let me process this." Daryl turned away and wiped at his face, his voice breaking up. I considered walking over to comfort him but the distrust in his eyes stopped me before I took a step.
"You handcuffed my brother to a roof, and you left him there!" Daryl yelled.
"Yea." Not a second after Rick answered, with a yell Daryl threw his rope of dead squirrels at Rick. Rick ducked in time and Daryl was taken down by Shane. T-Dog who was bringing firewood, dropped it, and ran right over to help. Daryl, on the ground, pulled out a knife he lashed out at Rick, but Rick was too fast. Both Rick and Shane were able to take Daryl down. Shane held Daryl in a chokehold.
"Stop it!" I yelled. Rick stopped me from getting involved.
"Back away, Robin. I don't want him to hurt you." Rick said. I could only look at Daryl, his eyes were a constant battle between narrowing in warning and then begging. Somehow I knew that this man maybe be rough around the edges, but it wasn't in him to hurt a woman.
"You'd best let me go!" Daryl roared. I tried to get to him again only to be pushed back by Rick.
"Nah, I think it's better if I don't." Shane said. I wanted to hit Shane right then, well I've been wanting to hit Shane since Merle told me about him.
Daryl was trying to fight Shane off but Shane had the upper hand, "Choke hold's illegal!" Really Daryl, that's your comeback?
"You can file a complaint." Shane replied.
"Come on Rick, make him stop." I pleaded.
"Not until he calms down." Rick said loud enough for Daryl to hear.
"Come on man, we can keep this up all day." Shane said.
"Stop it, you're going to get hurt." Pleading with Rick wasn't going to work so maybe Daryl would be better.
Daryl looked up at me, the battle still raged between whether or not to trust me. Though I noticed he stopped fighting as hard, but it could've been from exhaustion.
"Please stop." I begged.
Rick knelt in front of Daryl blocking his view of me, "I'd like to have a calm discussion on this topic. Do you think we could manage that?"
Shane let go of him and tossed Daryl to the ground like he was nothing before jumping away. I went to Daryl's side, about a foot away and knelt beside him. He looked so defeated that it broke my heart.
"What I did was not a whim. Your brother does not work or play well with others." Rick got closer to the heaving Daryl.
"It's not Rick's fault." T-Dog spoke up now, "I had the key. I dropped it."
"You couldn't pick it up!?" Daryl growled out.
"Well, I dropped it in a drain." T-Dog looked so guilty right now.
Daryl choked back emotion, his body shaking. He pushed himself up, giving me a look before turning back to T-Dog, "If that's supposed to make me feel better, it don't."
"Well, maybe this will. Look I chained the door to the roof-so the geeks couldn't get him-with a padlock."
"It's got to count for something." I said quietly. Daryl spun on me looking me up and down. Emotion swelled in his face breaking my heart again. His lips quivered and he wiped violently at his face. I took a step towards him and held my out hand to comfort him just to be stopped by his suspicious look.
"To hell with all ya'll! Just tell me where he is so I can go get him." He yelled.
"He'll show you." Lori said standing in the RV, "Isn't that right?"
Rick nodded, out of breath, and said, "I'm going back."
Daryl took this opportunity to leave, everyone rushing to get out of his way. They were all afraid of him. I felt bad for him even more. It must be terribly lonely to have everyone scared of you and not want to be around you. I don't think Daryl wanted them to be afraid, but he still wouldn't let anyone get close. Something awful had happened to him that made him not trust anyone.
Daryl POV
I never thought this day would happened, I just thought I'd drag the deer back and everything would be normal, well as normal as it could get in this world. Merle would be back and probably high as a fucking kite. The only reason he joined the supply run was to find more drugs for his stash. Merle would then tell him again about his plan to run off with all the group's supplies. I was trying to delay it, there were kids after all. Say what you want about me, but I ain't heartless.
I didn't expect to see her…
I rummaged through my pack in my tent until I found the book. It was in Jake's stuff, Shane wanted to just throw it out but something in the back of my mind told me to keep it. In it was a large book, Jules Verne's Adventures, with letters and pictures of Jake and a girl, the girl. Robin.
Merle and I thought she was Jake's girl from before the world turned to shit, but then I started reading the letters. Jake was off doing charity stuff in Africa and his little sister wrote him several letters-about how their parents were driving her insane and all kinds of high school drama. Several dozens of letters were stuck in the book, I read all of them.
I liked reading them, I don't know why. I guess I felt like I connected with her, she always felt out of place. She didn't really like talking to people and she didn't fit in. She wanted to be accepted but she didn't know how so she eventually just gave up.
I really liked her pictures. She wasn't the type of beautiful you see in magazines covered in half-naked skinny bitches. She was a different kind. She had a round face and kinda cute round nose. Robin had those lips, what'd Merle call them? Oh right, DSL (dick sucking lips). I didn't think about her that way until Merle said something. I started having dreams about her, probably because I would study her face every night before I went to bed. But I ain't in love with her or nothing, so don't be thinking that!
Now she was here, just like in her pictures, well her purple dye long faded out, but pretty much the same. She was alive. I'd been wishing she was here, and now she was, but at the cost of my brother. Was this the price I had to pay to have the girl that I'd been dreaming of? I had to give up my brother? I clenched my fist. It wasn't a worthy trade I thought. Merle was my blood and she was… She was just a little thing to help me fall asleep, that's all. I was fine with just looking at her. She was most likely a whiny little bitch anyhow. I'll keep my brother, thank you, even if he was a druggy idiot.
"Daryl?" I froze. Turning my head, I saw her walking over to my tent. I put her pictures away fast, I didn't want her to see them and think the wrong thing, not that her opinion mattered.
"What do you want?" I snapped coming out of the tent. I got up close to her staring at her with narrowed eyes. None of the others liked it when I did that, she'd just scurry away like a frightened little bunny rabbit. But she didn't, she didn't even flinch when I yelled at her. She didn't look at me like I was scum either.
"I want to help you get Merle back." She spoke quietly fidgeting with her damp hair.
"Why? Why do you care? You don't even know us. You ain't our blood."
"Do I have to be related, or know you, to help you get your brother back?" She asked brows knit together. The face she was making made me angry, it was like I'd said something stupid. I hated when people treated me like I was stupid.
"No one just does the right thing unless they want something. So whatcha want? You want Merle and me to keep ya safe? Is that it? You can't 'fend for yourself so you want our help, you want us to be your muscle?"
"No, I want to help." She looked insulted now. I grinned on the inside, that's right girlie, get mad and walk away nothing ever good comes from a Dixon.
"My brother died to save you. Your brother told me, he said you tried to go back to warn him. You made sure he wouldn't come back as a…" She stopped. I wasn't expecting her to bring it up. I felt guilty for saying some of what I did to her now seeing her sad face.
"I don't care what you think about me, but I don't want someone to feel the pain I felt when I was told my brother was dead. I don't want you to go through that. It's horrible, like having your heart ripped out. You shouldn't have to lose your brother. It doesn't matter if the others hate him, he's your brother and a person. Also no one deserves to suffer through that." She forced out, a few tears falling down her face.
I couldn't say anything. She didn't want to see me hurt? No one ever cared about me like that. Heck, no one ever talked to me like that. Merle and I never talked about our feelings. I'm sure if I brought it up he would call me a pussy.
Robin began to turn away, but I stopped her by grabbing her arm. She looked at me with tear filled eyes that made me feel like someone had shoved a knife in my chest. I didn't want to see her sad. I guess it was from seeing her face in pictures and reading her letters. Yea, that's why she got to me.
"You need to stay here." I grumbled.
"But I want to-." She said before I interrupted.
"I know you want to help, but if you're there, I'm going to get distracted and worry about you bringing walkers down on us. I got to find my brother and get back alive and it would be better if I didn't have to worry about getting you back alive too. So just stay here where it's safe."
She seemed to think about it, "Fine, I'll stay, but you better get back here with Merle."
I fought back a smile, "Don't worry about us, we ain't no pussies."
She smiled and sniffled, "I know that, but walkers aren't exactly fluffy bunnies either. One isn't bad, but a city filled with them is another thing. So watch your butt and stay quiet."
"Woman, I know how to survive!" I didn't want to admit it, but I kinda liked that she worried about me.
"Now I best get going, got to make sure the law man does what he says." I walked off without letting her get another word in, but she followed behind me. When I looked back, she gave me a wide grin. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad to have her around.