Chapter 9

i.

Merle

I glanced over at him, saw that those damn shakes had returned but also the determination in my taunt baby brother's body and I had to admit that I'd hated seeing him so weak. Crying all the time at nothing like a pussy and if he hadn't been held prisoner and gang-raped for days, I would have been ashamed of a Dixon behaving like that. Nevertheless, I couldn't deny that I hadn't taken pleasure in his need for me to comfort him and make him better and the way he'd clung to me like a child. Painful as it had been to see him like that when he'd been flinching at his own shadow, hardly eating, a shivering, skinny shadow of himself. But he'd been getting better since I came back. Then I understood he wasn't trembling with fear now but with rage and this transformation in him came as a welcome change. With it, I felt that familiar thrill of lust when I saw his biceps literally strumming with fury and the need to deal out righteous revenge.

At least the adrenalin seemed to drive away my throbbing headache from the bootleg booze and I wondered if his hangover was suddenly gone as well. I guess that's what it was but apparently even my dick couldn't forget my baby brother, not even at a time like this when we were facing down our enemies, the sick rapist fucks who had reduced him to that state in the first place.

He motioned me away to hide even though standing back and watching him take them on all by himself was the last thing I wanted to do because I too, needed to kill he bastards. Torture them nice long and slow first, if we ever got the chance for what they did to him. I wouldn't be so merciful to give those sick fucks an easy death.

But didn't that make me a hypocrite? I didn't care – not in that moment. Nevertheless, I did as he told me silently to do because I realised that he needed to be the one to do this, he only wanted me to come in as back-up, if needed.

He sniggered. 'Mendez, told ya I was gonna bite ya bite ya dick in half but maybe I'll settle for jus' killin' ya instead, ya sick fuck. 'Cos ya cock tastes like shit.'

Even though we might be killed, hearing him talk so dirty and defiant was making me unbelievably hard. Was Daryl even aware of the effect he had on me half the time?

The Mexican turned in surprise which slowly turned to horror when he realised who my brother was. It took him time to recognise him, not surprising how many prisoners we'd done it too and they wouldn't even remember a victim so beautiful, strong and completely fuckable as my baby brother.

The bastard opened his mouth in protest, his dick still streaming steaming urine from his open flies onto the woody ground and I had half-expected Daryl to cringe back in fear at the sight, remembering how Mendez had used it to torture him. My brother didn't, a sure sign of how far he'd come and the scumbag only had a chance to stutter 'You...' when Daryl's bolt hit him squarely in the throat, cutting off his voice and his air-supply no doubt as he fell, gurgling and spurting blood from the wound. The idiot was frantically trying to tear it out, didn't he know that this was the sure way to die faster? He fell down, bolt still there as the blood pumped from his artery – the spot Daryl had intended to hit with faultless aim, I knew. Even so, I was thinking that he'd let him die too easy, if it had been the other way round, none of them would have given either of us a quick death.

The others were slow to react, didn't even notice the fall of their buddy they were so intent on stuffing their faces with the squirrels ready to be taken off the spit, breathing in the delicious smell of roasting meat. My mouth watered – after this was over, we would have a feast after all, we hadn't had any breakfast.

The others whipped their heads round, one down, four to go.

ii.

Daryl

I watched Mendez go down for a split second with cold satisfaction. Still, he hadn't been the worst one but bad enough. No sign of booze, no beer bottles – they were sober as a judge apparently and this made my heart glad because when I took them down, I wanted them to recognise me. Know who they'd let ambush them. Although I had my brother covering my back, I wanted to take them all out on my own, if possible.

'Remember me, ya fat fuck?' I called over. Luckily, I had time to reload my crossbow and hit the next target – Louie, the biggest, straight through the heart. He fell heavily like a sack of potatoes.

'What the fuck!' ...'Ya killed them!' The others tried to grab their guns but only Smithy had his on him, I could see their weapons lying, tossed carelessly on the ground. 'Nobody move!' I yelled. But they grinned, they knew I didn't have time to put in another bolt into my crossbow and shoot before Smithy at least, could pull his pistol out of his halter and the others could grab their guns.

Two down, three to go.

But then they hadn't seen Merle, I sensed that otherwise they wouldn't be so cocky if they knew he was behind me, melted back into the natural scenery. We Dixons were good at that – at camouflage, tracking our prey without being seen. Still, I was quietly confident, certain that their arrogance would be their downfall in overestimating me.

So, I did what they expected me least to do. I charged, swinging my crossbow side to side at their heads, zigzagging from side to side and Smithy fell to the ground – he was closest to me and the biggest threat before I rushed at Valentino. He'd been an ugly little rat of a man but one dangerous fuck and vicious with it, I shoved the threatening shudder aside at the memory of him licking my cheek like a dog and tracing my cheekbones with his finger. He'd been particularly enthusiastic with the knife, slashing at my inner thighs while the others fucked me, even more than the Jones.

Three down, two to go.

Valentino was ready and before I knew it I had him and Jones grappling with me but I fought like an alley-cat, no blow too low as I clawed and bit, trying to knee them in the groin.

'Remember us, slut? We're gonna fuck ya to death. Always wanted to know if it was possible...but he wouldn't let us...' Jones was whispering to me while I did my best to ignore him. Valentino just laughed at that while I fought the feeling of panic when I felt their hands all over me again, even though they weren't groping me just yet – still seeking a foothold to pin me down. I was drowning in the memories, the past flickering with the present so I thought I was back there for a split second. Even so, I was determined not to cry out for my brother but suddenly Valentino fell, instantly dead from a shot at the back of his head.

'Shit, Merle! I didn't need ya help! Was takin' care of it!' I yelled over to him in angry frustration.

'Yeah, looked like it.' He retorted sarcastically.

Three down, two to go.

'Merle?' Jones called out in surprise as my brother approached slowly, training his gun on the last bastard left. 'That you, buddy? Do ya know this pretty boy slut we almost fucked to death but didn't get the chance to?' He asked with fake camaraderie as he backed away from me. 'Ya remember all fun we had together, don't ya?'

'He's my baby brother, ya sick fuck.' Merle growled, ignoring the last question, eyes full of murderous fury.

Jones tried to backtrack, knew he had made a careless mistake. Started gabbling, 'We didn't know...ya were already gone by then...If we'd known... would never have touched 'im...I swear...'.

My brother wasn't listening, was narrowing his eyes to take aim.

'Merle!' I yelled out suddenly. I got my crossbow out, drew it too late because Smithy was getting to his feet behind my brother with his gun on us and smirking even while rubbing his bleeding head. Dealing with Jones, both of us had taken our eyes off him, forgotten about him. Totally out of character for a Dixon.

A fatal mistake.