….

Carl came to groggily and couldn't remember where he was. It was about noon judging from the position of the sun in the sky...They'd all learnt how to tell the time this way since the world went to hell.

'Ya awake, son.' Daryl and Merle's father chuckled and reached over to stroke his cheek with one dirty finger. He jerked away and tried to move his arms before he realised that he couldn't feel them. He was trussed up like a turkey with ropes binding his ankles and hands behind his back.

'Wha...?' His mouth felt dry and had a metallic taste in his mouth. He was thirsty and behind his forehead, a drum-beat of pain started to beat. He winced.

Then he noticed there was a fire cooking something in a pot hung over it from a tripod made of wood. It smelled tasty, whatever it was and his mouth watered.

'Lemme go!'Then he started to kick in panic when he remembered what had happened. They had been attacked in the night...He'd heard the screams and snarls of the Walkers. Carol had left before that with half of the group...He'd been about to crawl out of his tent and help them fight when Daryl's father had come in and knocked him out with something.

Now he woke up here.

Will grinned. 'OK, but only ya legs, mind. We'll eat some rabbit stew then see what we can do.'

'Why...Why are ya doin' this?'

He laughed but the chuckle soon turned into a raucous cough that had him bent over, gasping for breath.

Will recovered and leaned over him, still smiling at him while he untied the binds around his feet. The boy thought there was something creepy about it that he had never noticed before.

'Ah..It's ready. Not that I have much of an appetite...Dyin' of the big C will do that to ya but ya a growin' lad, ain't ya boy?'

'I ain't hungry either. Jus' let me go and I won't tell no-one, I promise.'

Will reached over to trail his fingers over his lips and tug down the lower one with his thumb. Carl squirmed and tried to get away but of course, he couldn't.

'No, ya won't do that son. Ya ain't gonna tell no-one about the special fun we're gonna have with each other.'

'What ya talkin' about?' He wasn't a total innocent, he knew some bad men hurt boys like him. Sometimes they hurt girls too but he was hoping that Will wasn't one of them.

'I'm talkin' about makin' ya Daddy pay.'

Carl gaped.

'Yes, that's right.' Will stroked his hair off his face and he flinched. This annoyed Will immensely because it reminded him of his younger son, how he could never touch him growing up without him reacting in the same way.

'Dad didn't do anythin' to you! He let ya stay, eat our food. Herschel gave ya our medicine!'

'Oh but he did.' Will laid back to watch the pot start to boil. 'He was going to take my sons away from me...Ya see, he was going to kick me out when I'm dyin' anyway. Only got a short time left to spend it with my boys.'

'Daryl says ya a bad man. That ya whipped him and Merle with ya belt. Did ya?' The kid was glaring up at him fearlessly and Will had to respect that.

'I drank a lot back then. Don't remember half the stuff I did.' He answered mildly and shook his shoudlers.

'Are ya gonna whip me too?'

'Oh, no, son. I would never dream of doin' that. 'Cos I something better planned for after dinner.

Carl turned his away and prayed that he wasn't going to torture him.

'Don't worry. Ya'll like it.' The old man spoke as if he was reading his mind. 'It'll be a real treat.'

The boy shuddered.

…

Merle followed behind his brother, admiring the lean form and tight ass as he strutted confidently in front of him.

'How far?'

'We must be nearly there.' Daryl mused and bent down to look at something on the ground.

That was it for Merle. He was feeling like he wanted something a bit more before they went on. But would Daryl go for it?

Without warning, Merle rushed him and shoved him against the tree, spun him around and crushed his lips on top of his. Not touching anything he shouldn't be yet but still...Daryl gasped. His big brother's arms were around him making him feel warm and safe, starting off so many other feelings that he didn't want to admit he ever had for him...

Daryl growled protests but despite himself, his body was responding. He'd gone a long time without – not even using his own hand due to the most recent tragedies. And Merle knew it, the opportunistic bastard.

Hell, he hadn't even had time to grieve for Carol and the others...and he was determined that they wouldn't be grieving for Carl too.

They weren't going to lose another person and Rick wasn't going to lose his son. He thought to himself stubbornly

'Merle, what the fuck?' He shoved his brother off him. 'Carl...

'What about him? He can wait a little longer.' Merle lunged forward again and Daryl drew back his fist to split his lip.

'Ha ha, little brother.' He wiped the blood from his mouth but seemed to think it was funny.

'We find the kid first!' Daryl blurted out without really thinking what he was saying. 'Fuck knows what Dad's doin' to him...'

'Things I want to do to you, baby brother?' Merle chuckled callously, filthily.

'Sick fuck.' He muttered but his brother could see that he was excited too judging by the crotch of his jeans and he'd heard him say 'first'. 'Ya don't give a shit about him, do you? All ya care about is ya dick, ain't that right?'

'Can ya blame me?' Merle leered at him and waggled his tongue.'No, of course, I don't want nothin' bad to happen to the kid...'

'Come on then.' His brother snapped irritably. 'Prove it. Help me find them.'

Merle considered pouncing on him as soon as he turned his back to him, pinning him down to the ground and seducing him. It would have been a challenge but worth it if made could make Daryl beg him to take him and scream his name as he came, meanwhile Rick's brat could go to hell. Why did Daryl care so much about him when they hadn't given a shit about him after they got him back from Woodbury? He could just imagine what had happened – Daryl hadn't said so much in words, his loyalty to these people had him blindfolded – most of them had been embarrassed for his shame, didn't know how to deal with it or heal him, so they hadn't even bothered to try.

It had all been up to Merle to do that...even if maybe his methods had been ...well,...a little unorthodox...

…

'Sit up.' Will ordered Carl. 'And I'll feed you.'

He obeyed but not without trying to reason with him. 'Can't ya untie my hands first?'

'Ain't gonna happen.' The old man clapped his merciless eyes on him, with their dark, empty pits. Looking into them was like seeing the abyss and he found it hard to tear his eyes away from them.

'My Dad'll kill ya for this.'

Will slapped his face hard enough to leave a red mark. 'Don't bite the hand that feeds ya.' He snapped. 'Ya ungrateful little shit.'

He turned his back on him to ladle the hot rabbit stew into the pot.

Carl closed his eyes and felt the tears leak from his eyes. But he couldn't wipe them away or stop them.

He wanted his Dad and Carol but she was dead. He wanted Judith, most of all.

'Ah...' Will turned to him with the steaming bowl and spoon and crooned mockingly. 'Didn't mean to make ya cry.'

'I ain't!'

'Come on, now, boy. Eat up.' He held up the spoon to his mouth. 'Remember doin' this for Daryl.' He muttered.

Carl stared at him. 'Said I weren't hungry!' He turned his head away stubbornly.

'Now, now don't be like that.' Will coaxed, his voice soft and grandfatherly but Carl knew better.

Now he did.

'Screw you!' Carl yelled and when he brought the spoon to his mouth, he spat it out all over him.

Will looked at him, eyes dulling with rage.

When the first blow came, Carl was caught off guard and blindsided. He didn't even feel it as he fell on his side.

'What did I say to you, ya little shit?' Will laid into him, kicking him brutally with his heavy hiking boots. Carl didn't know it but he was fortunate that the man was dying and not in his prime.

The sick old man gave him a few more dismissive kicks before he hissed down at him.

'Was gonna ease ya in, nice and gentle like with Merle but don't think I'll bother. Not after ya disrespected me like that.'

Carl groaned with pain. No adult had ever laid hands on him like this... he reflected, or like that, he thought, when he felt his pants being tugged had to admit that up to the apocalypse, he'd had a sheltered childhood. Now he was getting a taste of Daryl's and Merle's and he didn't even have to the strength to resist.

He weren't a Dixon, he was a pussy.

…

'We're goin' round in circles, baby bro! Didn't we jus' go past that tree stump?' Merle complained.

Daryl looked at it, it was the very same one.

'But...but...?' He looked helplessly at him and held out his hands, palms up.

That did it. Merle could never resist him when he looked vulnerable like that. 'Come here.'

This time when he kissed him, Daryl wound his hands in his hair and growled his need in his ear.

'That's it, sweet boy. Ya jus' let ol' Merle take care of ya...'

'But Carl...'

'A few minutes ain't gonna make no difference, tellin' ya.' He was kissing his throat now, grazing his skin with his teeth just like he knew reduced him to a trembling mess.

'But...' Was Daryl's last protest.

'Gonna make ya feel real good, littl' brother. Like ya deserve. They don't appreciate ya.' Merle was tearing off his shirt by now and grinding against him. Daryl's eye-lids fluttered and he knew he was right. They both needed some R & R right away..they were exhausted. Would never find Carl when they couldn't think straight. They'd already missed some vital sign.

Now his brother was praising him and touching him in all the right places and he was allowing it to happen again when he said he never would – that it was a sin (not that there had ever been any Dixon who had believed in God) when Carl needed them!

But Merle was right, he was exhausted, his legs had been feeling like jelly for the last two hours now. He'd wanted to ask him if they could stop and rest but he didn't wanted to seem weak. Or be the first to be seen to give up the search.

'Come here.' His brother growled at him and took him in his mouth just long enough to have him writhing and gasping. Merle had completely buck naked by now, and as the younger brother, it just seemed right to let him take control as he smothered kisses all over him. Yet he couldn't sto himself from hissing 'Bastard' as Merle stopped sucking him and prepared him instead. But he made no moves to stop him.

'Ready?' His brother whispered and he nodded and braced himself for the pain. Neither of them had brought anything with them to make things easier.

'Sorry, it's gonna hurt like a bitch. I'll try and go slow but...'

Merle still wasn't inside him yet! 'Get on with it anyway!' He ordered, panting harshly.

Daryl sensed rather than saw him smirk but he was gentle with him just like he promised.

'Shh...' His older brother shushed him when he couldn't hold back a whimper and Daryl felt him stop moving. For a moment, it had seemed like they were there, touching, violating.

Mocking.

'Don't fuckin' stop, asshole! We gotta find Carl!'

'Fine.' Again, he sensed Merle's lips twist into an ugly leer when he pulled back and then slammed back into him .

He was right, it did hurt like a bitch and Daryl found himself fighting to hold in a pathetic protesting sound of pain but his body soon adjusted and when his brother found that sensitive spot inside him like he always did, he gave into the pleasure of it. Merle tormented him with it, slamming into it with skilful precision and all thoughts of Carl – guilt over him and Carol and all the others he'd failed to save we

If only they could have held back a little longer, persevered a bit more, Carl might have been spared his ordeal.

None of them knew it but he was only a few hundred meters away from them.