We made our way across the fields towards the woods eventually reaching the trailer park and managed to get across it without meeting any of the infected. At the edge of the woods Daryl turned back to face me and looked out towards the main road which was filling up with a swarm of them.
"It's like a stampede of 'em, probably come from the hospital," he said narrowing his eyes. "We can get around 'em to get to my place, it's off the main road so it'll be fine".
We made our way into the trees crunching through the leaves with Daryl on high alert keeping his crossbow ready and his eyes on everything around us. Once again, even though I was surrounded by imminent danger, I felt completely safe with him by my side with his long muscular arms holding the crossbow deftly and defiantly and his face set into such a fierce look it would terrify even the toughest of men. I couldn't keep my eyes off him the whole time and my heart was pounding, he was so deliciously primal it was tantalising. Eventually we came towards the main road once again which Daryl indicated we would have to cross in order to get to his house. A few infected were shuffling very close to our path and he turned around and spoke to me in hushed tones.
"Stay close to me when we're crossing alright? I'll keep one hand on yuh and one on my 'bow". I nodded my approval back.
We moved forward slowly after the first lot had shuffled by and were met with the sight of several others sloping and moaning towards us. Daryl swung me around behind him, holding me back at arm's length and with his other arm he reached up the crossbow and pulled the trigger at the nearest walker. I felt the power of the shot reverberate through his body as the arrow caught it right in the forehead and it fell with a heavy thud to the ground. He took down several others that were in our path and I watched him in all his glory as he stood straight backed, eyes down the sight picking them off almost effortlessly, never missing a shot. Once the path was clear enough we made a run for it across the other side into the woods once more. He headed diagonally through and we walked a good distance until we came to another small dirt road that cut through the heart of the forest.
"We'll be alright here," he said finally. "Y'alright?"
"Yeah," I panted.
"It's down here," he replied and we headed down the road towards a small wooden house which looked like it had seen better days built just on the side of the road. As we approached it I could see a figure stalking about outside of the wooden porch and as we got nearer it stopped and watched us. As he came into view I suddenly realised who it was: Merle Dixon. My stomach lurched with apprehension at the thought of coming face to face with him, even though Daryl had a fearsome reputation I had already a kinder impression of him from all those years ago when he rescued our dog but Merle was another breed altogether, he had a dangerous aura about him that made me nervous.
"There's my brother," Daryl said as we got nearer.
"Well, well, well little brother what do we have here?" Merle said looking genuinely stunned as his eyes wandered up and down my body and then from my face back to Daryl's. "My, my, my how on earth did y'all fall in together? Where did you get this prom queen from baby brother?"
"I aint no prom queen," I scowled at him, I hated to be tied up with all those other idiots I grew up with even though to Merle I was no different to the rest of them and he would have considered someone with basic hygiene to be putting on airs.
"Whooo! She's got bite! Don't you worry darling I won't go offending you again," he smirked and looked back at his brother with a quizzical look. He was having his fun with me but still was clearly confused as to how we had ended up there together.
"I'll tell you about it later," Daryl said stepping forward and looking back at me briefly. "She's staying with us; the town is crawling with walkers we need to get the hell outta here."
"That's exactly what I was going to suggest, I've been looking for yuh but you musta bin' busy," he grinned and ran his eyes over me once again with a salacious look.
"Give it a rest Merle," Daryl growled threateningly, using that glaring look that he had perfected so well.
"Hey! I need to go to the bathroom," I interrupted feeling like I needed to escape the tense situation and finding an excuse to do so.
"It's upstairs on the right," Daryl replied and the two of them watched me as I walked up to the front porch. I found the bathroom and sat down on the edge of the bath. The window was open and I could hear the two of them talking hurriedly to one another down below. They had clearly been scouting out the situation with the infected from the very beginning and were no fools to the lies the media had initially been spreading. They both knew what was coming and they were well prepared for whatever horrors were in store. The two of them together were a formidable team, dangerous hunters and survivalists, nothing was going to fuck with the Dixon brothers. I was listening sort of half heartedly to their conversation at first but then suddenly it changed direction and I stood up and craned my neck towards the window as I heard them talk about me.
"This girl you've got up there is old John Fontaine's daughter right?"
I couldn't hear Daryl's reply properly but then Merle carried on:
"This is like a dream come true for you aint it little brother?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Well, I can see you've had wanton eyes for that girl for a long time ever since you used to help out old John with that extension he was building. Can't say I blame yuh, pretty young thing and not quite the same as the little snappy bitches you see hanging around that bar. Be careful though little brother, she aint one of us, she may be happy to get her hands dirty with you now that all hell has broken loose but if things were a little brighter would she even give you the time of day?"
"Like I said Merle...give it a rest," Daryl snapped and I heard him stamp over to the porch and go through the front door slamming it behind him.
I could hear sounds of him moving about in the kitchen below and I came out of the bathroom and went down the stairs. He was stood leaning against a counter top and I felt a thrill run through me as I remembered where a kitchen counter top had led us before but his face was thunderous as he watched me walk into the room. His feral eyes glared up at me as I walked over to the table sitting down on one of the creaky wooden chairs. I wanted to reassure him over what Merle had just said, I wanted to admit to him that I had watched him for years too, had always had a tender spot for him but how he had always been such a mystery to me and how I thought he had hated me. I couldn't believe what Merle had said about him having 'wanton eyes' for me, just hearing him say it tied my stomach into a knot. I wanted this ferocious wild hunter more than anything now and I wanted Merle to be gone, I wanted us to be alone again with no one breaking our paradise of isolation. After years of dating false, vapid guys with no real guts here was a real man standing before me and the thought of it was exhilarating.
Merle came bursting through the door and broke the silence of the room. He looked from one to the other of us and Daryl shifted from his position moving over to a chair and slumping down into it, fixing his eyes on the table.
"I'm going down to the gas station in the opposite direction, see if I can't get some fresh gas before our ride."
"It aint safe on your own," Daryl replied.
"I'll be fine baby brother, you know me. Besides, you'll be needed here," he said flashing me a look quickly before nodding at Daryl and heading out.
"Is he gonna be alright?" I asked remembering the swarms of infected.
"Merle can take care of himself, besides he's going in a different direction," he replied getting up out of his seat and leaning back against the counter again with his arms stretched out either side of him propping him up.
I could see there was a barrier drawn up between us once again after what Merle had said to him outside and I wanted desperately to get rid of it. I considered my options but realised that the only way to get closer to him again was to admit I'd heard the conversation.
"Listen, don't mind none of what your brother said to you earlier." At this his head snapped up from staring at the ground and he eyed me curiously. "I've kinda always had a thing for you I guess, though I always thought you hated my guts...but now I know that's not exactly the case." I flushed a little after admitting something so candid and his eyes didn't leave mine the whole time.
After a long silence where he seemed to be weighing something up in his mind he finally spoke.
"My brother's right, you shouldn't bother with me, I aint your sort," he replied and shifted uncomfortably moving away from the counter top and beginning to pace the room. "I'll take care of yuh through whatever the hell it is we're going through, I'll keep yuh safe but perhaps this aint such a good idea." He said indicating the two of us with his hand. I could feel the flood of disappointment and anger coursing through me as I sat their listening to him dumbfounded and desperate to make him change his mind.
"So that kiss earlier? What the hell was that then Dixon? You just trying me on for size? Jesus Christ! Fuck you! Who the hell are you to tell me who is and isn't my sort? What is my sort anyway? Just because I didn't grow up in a trailer park doesn't mean we have to be segregated. I'm sick of what everyone considers to be my sort anyway, I'm sick of those plastic boys who are all expensive cologne, designer jackets and no substance. I've finally managed to break away from all that and here's someone who's real and that kiss was fucking awesome I loved it, I finally felt something so raw and exciting like I've never done before but fine...fine. Do what you like, once this is done you can drop me somewhere I belong!" I pushed back from the table and the chair rattled across the floor behind me, I could feel my anger boiling over and in the heat of the moment I picked up the chair from the floor and flung it towards the door in a rage and what must have looked to him like a tantrum. I glanced briefly at him and saw him looking stunned at the chair which now lay on the floor slightly mangled before his eyes snapped back up to mine. I turned and went to head out of the room still flushed with frenzy but as I did he moved swiftly around the table and grabbed my arm. I fired up even more at this and turned towards him trying to wriggle out of his grasp.
"Get the fuck off me!" I shouted and began to hit at his arms and his chest with my free fist. I could smell his earthy tone and his face was right up close to mine once again his eyes burning with an emotion I couldn't register in my frantic state of mind. He pushed me up against the wall and I continued to bash at him unsuccessfully as he restrained my other hand holding them both up on his chest. I grabbed a handful of his vest, burying my nails into his chest. I heard him take a slight intake of breath and then smile deliciously at me. My whole body suddenly ached with desire as I realised the proximity of him, I could feel his heat against me and could smell him with that wonderful earthy tone mingled with the salt of his sweat. He moved his face in closer to mine and I tipped my mouth up to meet his. He parted my mouth with his tongue and I groaned with delight as we kissed hungrily as we had done before in the woods but this time there was anger behind it which made it rough and frantic. He let go of my hands and cupped his underneath by ass lifting me up and wrapping my legs around his waist holding me against the wall. I moved up my arms around his shoulders and gouged his back with my nails. He gasped and drew back from me looking down into my eyes.
"You naughty girl," he purred as he had done before and I laughed. He grinned and carried me over to the counter top and pushed me into a seating position. I pushed him away from me and he looked at me astounded.
"What the hell happened to 'perhaps this aint such a good idea'", I said raising my eyebrows.
He moved back in between my legs and kissed me softly on the neck slowly brushing his lips up towards my jaw line where he kissed me again.
"You're beautiful and I want you more than I have done any other girl for a long time. I have done for a while, long before we met in the woods, I didn't need much of an excuse to change my mind earlier. You just give the green light and I'm yours."
The sight of his ropey chiseled arms surrounding me and his smell enveloping me was overwhelming and I felt suddenly incredibly nervous. I wasn't entirely sure if I could handle this kind of real man. I was both terrified and tantalised at the same time but I didn't want things to rush too quickly out of control.
"Well, there's no harm in keeping you waiting a little longer," I said pushing him away once again and sliding down off the counter. He grinned and shook his head.
"Now you're just being a tease."
"You know what, I'm thirsty, why don't you grab me a beer?" I grinned and watched him shake his head as he yanked open the fridge door.
"Women!" He muttered exasperated, looking over his shoulder and smirking scandalously at me.