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Cass climbed through the window, Daryl following closely behind her, as Merle came towards them, a baseball bat in his hand, ready to kick ass and take names.
"What the hell is going on out there?" Merle asked gruffly, his eyes darting back and forth between his brother and Cass.
Daryl lowered the heavy window painfully slowly, intent on not letting any noise out into the night. When it was finally closed, he hit the lock and tried to lift up the window, just to make sure he did lock it. You could never be too sure, nowadays.
There was a time in his life when that click noise you get when you lock a door or window had made him feel safe. When his dad was on drunken angry rampages, all Daryl needed growing up was to hear that noise. Suddenly, that noise didn't seem as reassuring as it used to.
Finally, Daryl turned to face his brother.
"There's fucking walkers out there. A lot of 'em. And they just got their next meal."
Cass couldn't bear to make eye contact with Daryl when he said that. Something about the way he said it, so casually, as if he had been around scenes like that all his life like it was no big deal, sent a shiver down her spine.
"God damn." Merle sighed, rubbing his tired eyes. "I thought it was you, Cass."
Cass smiled faintly, touched that he was worried she had fallen victim to the walkers. She wrapped her arms around herself and shook her head, her voice low as she spoke, a tremble buried in every word. "No, I'm alright, Merle. Thanks."
"Good. Let's say we keep it that way, alright? You're too cute to die." Merle chuckled, patting her head as his eyes fell back to Daryl. The smile faded the moment they made eye contact. Cass saw it and wondered why, but didn't dare question it. It wasn't her place.
"Daryl, a word?"
Daryl nodded and walked past Cass without saying a word or even glancing in her direction. Cass said nothing as she watched them head down the stairs. Instead, she turned around to face the window, her mind wrapped up in her thoughts.
With her arms still wrapped around herself, she stared off into the empty sky, reliving the last few minutes of her life.
That girl was dead. She was here, breathing the air Cass was breathing, and walking down the empty streets as Cass had so many times in the past. She was alive only a few short moments ago. And now she was dead.
It wasn't so much the fact that she was dead that bothered Cass. Everybody died, she wasn't an idiot. It was more of how she died. And how Daryl didn't even bother to help her. How could he have just sat there, not even bothering to try and help that girl? Why didn't he help her, but when he came across Cass, he stopped at nothing to get her out of the situation she was trapped in?
Cass shivered at the mere thought of it. That could've been her out there, getting mauled to death by walkers. She could've felt that excruciating pain, pain she could only imagine. And even then, she didn't want to.
Turning so her back was against the wall, she let herself slide down to the floor. Pulling her knees into her chest, Cass wrapped her tired arms around her legs and rested her chin on her forearm. Closing her eyes, once again, Cass found herself thinking of her sister.
"Daryl, do you remember what we talked about a few weeks back? Or did dad beat you so much as a kid that you can't remember back that far?" Merle sneered, resting his bat down on the kitchen table.
"What the fuck are you talking about, Merle? And don't you dare go bringing him into this."
"I saw you out there, kissing her, you fucking idiot."
Daryl's stomach turned at the anger in his brother's voice. Make no mistake; Daryl was one hell of a strong guy. He had won more than his fair share of drunken bar fights. But there was one person he would never want to fight, one person who kicked his sorry ass every time they got into it. And that would be Merle.
Merle grabbed a hold of Daryl's collar and spun him around, throwing him up against the wall. Daryl let out a startled gasp when his back made contact with the wall. Hard.
"This is my business. She is my business. And she doesn't need some white trash loser messing with her." Merle said through gritted teeth.
The truth was, when Merle and Daryl had first fan into Cass, Merle was ecstatic. It was a blessing, is what it was. The world had gone to shit, everyone he had known, everyone he had passed by on a daily basis was gone. And there she was, a young girl, alone, scared, and willing to go wherever he went.
Merle was never a man who believed in God, but at that moment, he found himself thanking Him.
But as he spent more time with her, he got to understand her more. And any impure thoughts that the man inside him had put in his head took the back burner.
By looking at her, he'd say she couldn't have been more than 25 years old. And she just didn't seem like the kind of girl who had experience under her belt. Or, a whole lot, at least.
And Merle was a man, in every sense of the word. He found himself looking at Cass like a sister more than just a piece of meat. Which was completely unlike him. He had always wanted a little sister, someone he could watch over and take care of. And now, he had her. Unfortunately, it seemed as though his brother did, too.
Annoyed, Daryl pushed his brother off of him, shoving him back a step. "Fuck you, Merle. You don't know what the hell you're talking about."
Merle opened his mouth to snap back at his brother, but froze in his place when he heard Cass call out for them.
"Merle! Daryl! Come up here! Quick!" Her voice was panicked. Both brothers could hear the fear that lurked in it. Neither wasted another moment and sprinted up the stairs towards her.
"Cass, what's wrong? Merle asked, running up to her.
Without saying a word, Cass merely pointed out the window. Daryl and Merle took a step forward, practically pressing their noses up against the glass. That was when they saw it. And, holy shit, did they ever see it.
There were walkers everywhere. Wandering around aimlessly, their stomachs still growling, desperate for another meal. Or three other meals, Daryl thought, glancing at the two who stood by his side.
"What are we going to do?" Cass asked, her voice as low as a whisper.
"There's nothing we can do. There's too many of 'em out there to do anything but wait in here." Merle informed the younger girl, his eyes peeled forward as he spoke.
Cass pulled herself away from the window and looked at him with nothing but horror in her eyes. "But what if they figure out we're in here? What if they break through our barriers? We can't just sithere and wait!"
"No, that's exactly what we're going to do." Merle told her.
"I don't think we should. Think about it. We're running out of supplies, here. And now they're lurking everywhere outside. How long do you think it's going to take until they manage to get in here, Merle? And then what?" Daryl pushed, not sold on the idea of the three of them waiting it out inside the house.
Something about the situation they were in made Daryl feel uneasy. All of those walkers roaming around outside didn't sit well in his stomach.
"No. We'll wait them out."
Cass and Daryl turned to look at Merle, their eyes wide with surprise. Was he serious?
"But, Merle-" Cass began.
Merle cut her off, finishing his thought. "Look around, both of you. We have a house here, security. We've boarded up the windows; those babies aren't giving in anytime soon. And we'll secure them a little more, just to be sure. We have shelter here, in an area that doesn't normally have any walkers."
"Merle's right." Daryl agreed, letting out a small sigh. Even though he was talking to Cass, he didn't bother glancing in her direction. Instead, he continued to stare off into the wave of walkers. "It'd be stupid for us to just pack up and leave. Chances are we'll never find another house like this again. We'll wait them out in here. They're only out there because they followed that girl. Once they realize that's the only meal waiting for them out here, they'll scatter like flies. We just have to wait for it."
But Cass wasn't buying it. "And if they don't? Then what?" She wasn't as nearly as convinced as the guys apparently were. She knew better.
"Then, we'll figure something out. In the meantime, no one leaves for anything, even to keep watch on the roof. The last thing we need is for one of those bastards to spot us and try and get in here." Merle told her. Finally, tearing his eyes away from the window, Merle turned to his brother. "Come downstairs. Help me secure the place a little more."
Cass followed them downstairs, her eyes silently watching the Dixon brothers as they reinforced their windows. They moved to the front door, securing it with more thick plies of wood.
Her stomach turned, twisting into a tight knot of pure anxiety with every bang of the hammer. Wouldn't the walkers hear it and follow the noise?
Cass swallowed the knot in her throat at the realization that their next meal could very well be her. She shook the thought from her head and stepped forward to help the guys. Might as well make herself useful rather than just standing around.
"Here, I can help you guys." She offered, knowing they were going to resist her help regardless. But hey, what's the harm in trying, right?
"It's alright, Cass. We're almost done here." As soon as Merle spoke those words, someone clawed on the other end of the door.
Cass jumped back, Daryl and Merle's entire bodies tensing at the sound. The brothers took a step back, both of them reaching a hand back towards Cass.
She understood their unspoken motions, and without wasting another second, Cass ran into the kitchen to grab Merle's bat. She handed it over to him and watched him brace himself for the walkers to burst through the front door.
"Do you want your crossbow, Daryl? I can go grab it from upstairs."
He just glanced back at her and shook his head without saying a word. Another loud bang on the door caught his attention, turning back to it and taking another step back. Instinctively, Daryl held his arm out to the side, separating Cass from the walkers on the other end of the wooden door. He was intent on keeping her safe. He already let one person die tonight. He was going to be damned if he was going to let it happen again. Not Cass. Not if he had anything to say about it, at least.
Still silent, Daryl kept his eyes peeled on the door, just waiting for them to break through their reinforced barrier. The three survivors were so focused on the door that they had forgotten about the windows on either side of them.
A loud shatter let out into the air to the right of them. All three heads shot to the window, watching in absolute horror as hands reached through the broken window.
"Shit. Merle, help me move the bookshelf." Daryl said, rushing to the other side of the living room.
Merle helped his brother push the bookshelf towards the window, the dozens and dozens of books making it a harder feat than either brother would've liked to admit.
Cass's heart was beating so fast, she was scared she was about to throw up right then and there. She watched the brothers move the bookshelf, her eyes focused on them until she heard a shatter to her left. More hungry hands broke through the wooden plies, clawing for her desperately.
Without saying a word, Cass ran to try and push the other bookshelf towards the window. Standing at 5'3" and now weighing less than nothing, it came as no surprise to her when it wouldn't even budge, despite her best efforts.
She let out a startled scream when more of the wood let go. She backed away from the bookshelf, unsure of what to do, but fully aware of the space that had to be put between herself and the walkers.
"Damnit, Merle. We can't stay here. We have to go. Now." Daryl shouted. Their time was running out. And fast. This shelter and security blanket was no longer theirs. They had to leave, now, if they wanted to live to see tomorrow.
Daryl made his way over to Cass and pulled her closer to him and away from the walker's hands that reached through the broken window. This was going to hell real fast.
For a split second, the Dixon brothers had thought that securing all the exits again had been a brilliant idea. Now, it seemed like anything but. In their attempt to secure the perimeter and add an extra lay of safety to their hideout, they had unknowingly alerted the entire horde of walkers outside that there was fresh meat inside the house.
Without saying a word, Merle darted up the stairs, his loud footsteps ringing out into the eerie silence of the house. Not even a moment later, he came running down the stairs with Daryl's crossbow held tightly in his hands. He tossed it over to his brother and stared at him, his face completely cold.
"Daryl, take Cass and get on my bike. Get the hell away from here."
"What? And go where, exactly?" Cass asked. She tried to calm her voice, but both of the brothers could hear the trembling. It had taken her a moment for her to realize that the older Dixon brother wasn't even in that plan. "Wait. What about you?"
"I'll be right behind you guys. I want both of you out of here right now. Daryl, push further out of the city. Take the road west and don't stop until you're in the middle of fucking nowhere. I'll meet you guys out there."
"No, Merle, come with us. Why the hell would you stay here?" Cass asked desperately. She didn't understand any of this. Was he seriously expecting to sacrifice himself? Further more, was he actually expecting Cass and Daryl to just walk away and leave him there?
Apparently, he was. Daryl tossed his crossbow over to Cass, who caught it with wide, confused eyes.
"Put it on your back. We're leaving." Daryl ordered.
Merle left the house first, opening the back door painfully slow. He stuck his head out, his baseball bad held tightly in his hands as he opened it further. Cocking his head towards the bike that was parked just a few feet away, he watched as Daryl and Cass passed by him.
There were no walkers in the backyard, leaving the coast clear. For now. Daryl took Cass by her wrist and yanked her towards the motorcycle. At this point, he didn't care if he hurt her in the process. Dislocating her shoulder but living to see another day was just a sacrifice he was going to have to make.
He knew Cass. He might've only known her for a few weeks, but damnit, he still knew her. He knew damn well that Cass was not going to leave Merle to fend for himself with endless walkers outside. This was the only way to get her out of harms way.
She couldn't get another word through her dry lips as Daryl practically threw her onto the back of Merle's motorcycle. He jumped on in front of her, oh,which is why he gave me his beloved crossbow, and started the bike up.
Cass glanced back at Merle one last time, tears swelling in her eyes as he shot her a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry, kid. You'll see me again." He told her before closing the door shut. She heard him lock it and reinforce the other side of the door before she heard Daryl's stern voice.
"Holy on tight."
She did as she was told and held onto the younger brother for dear life.
Just a few minutes ago, she had been enjoying the cool summer night. She had been having a cold beer and had gotten the first kiss that actually sent shivers down her spine and gave her butterflies.
And now, she was helpless to protect one of the only two men she'd ever trusted with her life.
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