Daryl and Merle spent the next few days driving back roads in an attempt to disappear. They didn't know what spooked them so bad a few days ago, but they were back in high spirits. Setting out on the road again, they noticed the black clouds up ahead and realized they were going to get snow.
"Great." Daryl muttered, eyeing the wind picking up the dust on the road and tossing it around.
"We gonna have ourselves a blizzard." Merle said, looking up at the sky.
"Damn store back in Mason City was empty. We gotta find a place ta get clothes or we're gonna freeze." Daryl said, grabbing the map from beside his seat.
"Sidney's gonna be the closest place with a store of some sort." Merle said, pointing at the location so Daryl could keep his eyes on the road.
"We're not far from it but that means we're back on the interstate again." Daryl said, watching the tumbleweed blow across the road in front of him.
"Yeah." Merle agreed, falling quiet at the prospect of dealing with Breed and his boys again.
Watching for the exit sign, Daryl noticed a large building up ahead off by itself. It looked like a store of sorts but he couldn't read the sign until they got closer.
Cabelas.
"Hot Damn!" Merle hooted excitedly. "We're in luck!"
Daryl smiled.
Turning off at the exit, Daryl cut across the field, coming out on the side road that led to it. Pulling into the parking lot, he barely got the truck parked before Merle was jumping out of it.
"Merle! Be careful you idiot! Make sure there's no walkers first! Damn!" Daryl called after him, shaking his head at his brother who was acting like a five year old.
Grabbing his crossbow, gun and knives, he strapped them on as he walked to the entrance. It only took a second to realize the place had been ransacked but since they were after clothes, anything extra would just be a bonus.
Merle and Daryl headed straight for the clothes, grabbing warm shirts, socks, and coats, right away. Throwing them into a cart, they grabbed a few other items like clean underwear, boots, and two arctic sleeping bags with blankets. They filled up on anything they could find that would make life easier on them before moving onto the weapons and ammo aisles.
Daryl saw the crossbows lining the top racks as models and got excited. Turning the corner, however, he came face to face with three walkers and scrambled backwards.
"Shit!" He yelled, grabbing his crossbow and firing a bolt into the first one. Reaching for another bolt, he nearly tripped over some boxes laying on the floor.
Merle came around the corner just in time, planting his machete in the head of the next one before cutting the head off of the one beside it.
"Thanks." Daryl muttered, kicking the offending boxes to the side. Grabbing his arrow from the walker, he moved to the counter where the ammo was stored.
It was obvious it had been raided but there was still some to be found; especially crossbow bolts. Grabbing as many as he could find, Daryl found a nice quiver and shoved them into it while Merle grabbed ammo. Emptying the counter of anything worthwhile, they decided that they had plenty of space for supplies and started loading up on anything they could find that would be helpful for survival. Knowing they planned on hooking back up with the group once they found them, they added extras just in case.
Backing up the truck to the entrance, Daryl noticed that the snow was officially blowing now and shook his head. He'd never get used to the cold.
Merle came out with the carts of equipment. Daryl hopped into the bed and helped him load stuff in. Packing everything in duffle bags and boxes, they used cables to tie everything down, then threw a tarp over the top, securing everything beneath it.
"You're worse than a woman." Merle muttered, looking at all the shit they'd taken.
"Never know when you'll need it. You'll be thanking me later on when you're freezin'." Daryl slugged Merle on the arm, the two started wrestling playfully.
Merle had Daryl pinned on the ground when Daryl swore he caught something out of the corner of his eye and he froze.
"You see that?" Daryl asked in hushed tones.
"I ain't fallin' for that." Merle said, pushing his head down to pin him.
"I ain't kiddin'. I saw somethin'." Daryl stated, shoving Merle off of him.
Merle stood up, letting go of Daryl and turned to search the area.
"I don't see nothin'." Merle said, shrugging it off.
Daryl was sure he'd seen something.
"All right. Let's get out of here. If Breed and his boys are on the road, they'd stop at a place like this easy." Merle said, swinging himself into the cab of the truck.
Daryl looked around one last time and climbed into the truck. Starting the engine, he pulled out of the driveway and back onto the road.
"Get the map out." Daryl told Merle once they were back on the road.
Peeking over at it, he knew that Rick and the others would head up through Kansas and pointed at a highway connecting to the interstate going south.
"That highway. That's where we need to go." Daryl said.
Merle looked at the map and nodded.
"385. The exit's right up there. Breed won't think we'd just turn south all of a sudden so it's a good route." Merle confirmed, folding up the map.
"Good." Daryl said, pulling out a package of elk jerky they'd gotten at Cabelas.
"I'mma nap." Merle said, adjusting himself to lean against the window.
"There's a pillow behind the seat." Daryl said.
Merle laughed.
"You're such a sissy boy." Merle stated, shaking his head at his brother.
"Fine. Suit yourself." Daryl shrugged.
About 3 miles later, Merle reached behind the seat and pulled the pillow out.
Daryl snorted.
"I'm a sissy?" He teased, laughing at his brother.
"The winda's cold." Merle made an excuse.
"Whatever." Daryl snorted, turning his attention back to the road while Merle snuggled up to his pillow.
##############################################################################
"How is she?" Katelyn asked, walking over to Sasha to offer a drink of the Rum they'd found beneath the kitchen counter.
"She'll be fine. Just grazed her." Hershel said as he finished wrapping her arm.
"I found these." Maggie said, handing Hershel a bottle of Percocet she'd found in the bathroom closet.
"Let me know if you need some." Hershel said, patting Sasha on the shoulder.
"It stings, but I'll be okay." Sasha said, stretching her arm.
Maggie smiled at her and nodded.
"We gotta go people. The cars are loaded and ready." Rick said, calling out to everyone in the house.
Carol and Katelyn carried the bedrolls and pillows down while Carl hefted the heavier things. Rick took the sleeping bags from Katelyn and smiled reassuringly at her.
"How you feelin'?" He asked gently, looking down at the small bulge of her stomach.
"Happy to be alive." She said, smiling back at him as she passed by.
Rick watched as everyone loaded up, thinking to himself that they'd just made an enemy and they were lucky to be alive.
He needed to find a place to hide them for a while and he thought of the campground.