Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Twilight and the Walking Dead. Those rights are reserved for Stephanie Myer and Robert Kirkman. I do own the original characters created for this storyline. Please support the official release.
Writer's Notes: Thank you everyone for your reviews! I hope everyone is doing well and is up for a double chapter update. Chapter 7 is underway and will be posted up later to make it a triple update day. Some fun things ahead and some not so fun things ahead. We're going to learn more about Bella soon. As always I appreciate all of you! Don't forget to follow, favorite and review!
Merle bent over, leaning in as he tinkered on the engine of an older Chevy truck. It was red but rusting.
Bella drank some water and wiped her brow. Sweating in Georgia was comparable to the middle east. Her side throbbed, letting her know she was shot. Rosita handed Bella jerky and she took it. "Thanks. "
"No problem. So, Army ranger?" Rosita asked.
Bella nodded. "Yeah."
"Seen action?" Rosita asked.
"Yeah. I've been some places. Kuwait, Iraq, South Korea." Bella said and bit the jerky.
Rosita thought that was amazing. She didn't realize that women could be rangers. "How long did it take you to become a ranger?"
"I finished Med school. Became a surgeon. Decided I wanted to do something different after my dad died. Joined the army, was offered up for officer candidate school but decided to fast track Ranger school. So… a year? I bounced around the middle East mostly Kuwait. Didn't see stateside until right before the shit hit the fan with the apocalypse. I joined the 76th Ranger Regiment right before I was 3rd Ranger Battalion previously." Bella explained.
"How long have you been in the Army?"
"A year or more. I don't know. Time flies sometimes." Bella said with a shrug.
Rick heard groaning and it snapped their attention to the few biters heading their way. Bella shifted pulling her throwing knives from her belt and threw them, taking down three walkers before they could advance and before Rick could slice into one.
Bella leaned back against the car as Rick retrieved her knives and brought them to her.
Merle had glanced up to watch Bella. She was one hell of a woman. "Sweetness, you are tangling your vines around my heart. A woman that moves like that." He made a mmm sound.
Bella grinned at Merle and pushed away from the truck to face him. "Well, Merle, I'm talented at other things too. How's the truck coming?"
Daryl turned away, hiding the small glimpse of jealousy. He looked towards the woods seeing movement. He aimed his crossbow and shot, his arrow piercing a opossum. He went and retrieved it silently.
Merle spared his brother a glance but returned his focus to Bella. "Needs gas, but let's start her up." He said and Rick moved with the gas they got from the tanker and put it in the truck.
After a few more moments and some cursing the truck roared to life.
Bella smiled at Merle, kissing his cheek. "You're a mechanical genius. " she said and then looked at the others. "Lets get going."
Daryl hid his look of jealousy again as he climbed up in the bed of the truck. Abraham got in the passengers seat with Rosita in the middle. Rick got behind the wheel and Bella got up in the truck, grabbing Daryl's hand he offeured her to help her up. Merle got up in the back of the truck too. Rick glanced to make sure they were all in the truck and they drove away, leaving Terminus behind them.
Maggie and Eugene rolled up at the house that everyone was at. Glenn was the first outside. Maggie got out and then Eugene. The van they were driving was the one the other group had. The side door slid open and a girl got out. She was young, her dark pixie like hair was a little messy and her dark eyes seemed sad. A man got out, his blonde hair was greying a little in some places. He had a little scruff but not much. His deep blue eyes were also sad. They were splattered with walker blood.
Glenn frowned but he hugged his wife, kissing her. He was happy Maggie made it back safely.
"We don't have a lot of time. There is a herd headed in this direction. This is Eugene. That's Carlisle and that's Alice, his daughter. They are what's left of the group that Eugene was with." Maggie introduced.
Glenn shook his head. "I don't understand. Where's Bella, Rick and Daryl?"
"They went to Terminus to save my other friends." Eugene spoke up.
"Terminus?" Glenn asked, confused.
Maggie sighed. "It's a long story but we have to move. I brought gas. So let's fill up and head out. The others will meet us about 2 miles east from the train depot." She explained.
Glenn didn't want to waste time. He had to trust that Bella and the others were okay. He just nodded, kissing her again before bringing the others inside to help pack and leave.
Rick came to a stop smiling when he saw Glenn and the others safe and where Bella said they would be. The stop was more abrupt than intended and Bella fell against Merle. Her hands had automatically caught herself against his chest. Merles hand went to her waist when she fell against him to steady her. But he grinned down at her with his Merle charm.
Glenn and Michonne moved to the truck first. "You guys are okay. Maggie told her everything." He said when Rick got out of the truck. The two embraced, clear they they shared a deep bond.
Daryl stood, ignoring the way his brother looked at Bella and reached a hand down and Bella took it, leaving Merle to stand. Her side sent a sharp pain through her and she flinched, her body's natural response to pain. Daryl frowned, his hands steadying her. "You good?"
Bella nodded. "Yeah. Just sat too long." She said and then she was hopping down out of the truck. She saw Michonne and they fist bumped without a word.
Abraham and Rosita reunited with Eugene and Rosita hugged Eugene. It was clear that everyone was happy to see one another. Alice and Rosita were hugging then.
Bella smiled and looked at Maggie. The two hugged too. "You got to their group."
"It was only Carlisle and his daughter Alice. They were stuck on the roof with walkers all around. I got to the van and then drove through the walkers and got them to jump down on the roof and I drove away far enough so they could get inside. There were no other survivors." Maggie explained lowly.
Bella hated that. It was hard to survive anywhere in this world now.
"Now where do we go?" Carol asked, her arms hugged her body. Sophia and Carl were in the van sleeping now.
Sasha, Bob and Tyrese stood together ready to do whatever they needed to do. They didn't have any particular attachments to the area.
Bella looked at Rick. "Well, we can't go back to the city. That's not a good idea but we can keep move north. I had some friends that lived around the DC area. One of them was a end of the world prepper. He didn't have a bunker but he had a ton of resources." She offered. "I'm just here to support the group. I'll go wherever you all want to go."
Rick nodded and looked at Glenn. "DC?"
Abraham and Rosita felt like déjà vu. When Abraham first met Eugene, the whole story was that he was a scientist and needed to get to DC for the cure for this thing. They realized later he was just scared of dying and found the strongest person he could find to help keep him alive. That person was Abraham. They moved past it eventually but Eugene was certain DC was the area to go for long term survival. He had calculated it.
Bella nodded. "Alright. Let's ditch the vehicles we don't need. Siphon gas into the ones we do. Set our course. It's going to be a long journey."
[South Carolina]
The group was stopped now. Dark was falling down on them like a dark curtain. Everyone was tired to say the least but they stayed in the vehicles. They didn't have a choice. Camping on the road wasn't ideal but it's what they had for now. Bella got down out of the old truck and she walked around, surveying the other empty cars. Glenn was already siphoning gas from some of them.
Merle stopped behind her, close to her body as she bent to look in a car. "Lets sat me and you have a moment alone."
Bella smiled and straightened. She turned and looked at Merle. "Hmmm. Something tells me it's been a long time since you've been with a woman."
Merle leaned in close, his face close to hers. The dimming sun in the sky created a orange glow as it gave way to the night moon. "Its been a real long time sugar."
Bella found Merle interesting. He was older than Daryl. The attractive quality of Merle was his eyes. He was strong looking and the slight tan was proof of Merle's time spent outdoors. The way he smiled sent small crinkles at his eyes. "Well, Merle. We're trying to survive to get to DC."
Merle nodded. He knew that. "If I tell you something, you don't tell my baby brother."
Bella nodded, her smile faltering hearing the serious tone of Merle's voice.
"I should have died a year ago. I found out before all this happened, that I had 3rd stage lung cancer." Merle said, his voice low. "I've been living my life a day at a time. It's amazing I'm alive still."
Bella instantly straightened, her eyes serious. "What kind of cancer in your lungs?"
"Tumors. A lot of them. The docs took some out but they didn't get them all." Merle explained.
Bella nodded. "Carcinoid tumors are slow growing. They'll come back. How has your breathing been?"
"Hard sometimes. I know I'm no spring chicken. You might not find me… attractive but I like you. You've got a spark. I wanted to explore you."
Bella was quiet a moment. "Merle. I don't want sex to mean anything… I don't do relationships or attachments."
Merle grinned a little. "Coincidence. I don't either."
Bella smiled at him. She nodded. "The woods." She said and she left the road, moving towards the trees her machete drawn to take out a walker.
Merle followed glancing around quickly before he went after Bella. His hands grabbed her from behind and pulled her against him. Feeling a woman in his arms was a feeling he nearly forgotten. His hands went to her belt, unfastening it while she leaned her back against his chest. She felt his rough hands against her skin. His mouth kissed her shoulder and then her neck. He moved her to a large tree, spinning her to pin her there. His mouth moved to hers, kissing her. Her lips were plump and warm. Her hands pulled his belt loose, freeing his cock before he lifted her slightly and pushed his cock inside. He groaned at the entrance. Her tight cunt squeezing him hard as he thrust inside her a few times.
Bella gasped and moaned as he drove into her. She clung to him as he pushed faster and faster. Images flashed in her head, bad memories from when she younger. But she pushed it away. Her body begged for a release but she denied it.
Merle groaned as he neared his peak. He pulled out of her, his cock spurting against the bark of the tree. He was panting, winded a little. He let Bella down to her feet before he adjusted himself and fastened his belt back.
Bella fixed herself too, her breathing calming down. Her side oozed a little. She popped her stitches.
Merle frowned his hand going to her side."I'm sorry."
"Its fine." She said and smiled at Merle. "Come on." She said and walked back towards the road. Merle followed her.
Daryl walked back towards the vehicles carrying stuff he got from other cars. He watched Bella walk back up, his brother right behind her. His brother was concerned it seemed. He watched his brother stop Bella and lift her shirt to look at her side. It made Daryl frown. He sat the stuff down to go see what happened.
"Merle I told you it's fine. I'll just clean it and restitch it." Bella said her voice calm.
Merle shook his head. "You didn't say anything during. I didn't hurt you… right?"
"You didn't. This isn't the first time I've been shot. I promise it's good." Bella said and then looked at Daryl when he walked up.
"You okay? What happened?" Daryl asked, concerned.
"Popped a stitch." Bella said and then reached in the bed of the truck and grabbed her pack and pulled her suture kit out. Carlisle made his way over to Bella.
"Let me. I'm a doctor." Carlisle said. His voice was smooth, a hint of some sort of elegance was there.
Bella looked at Carlisle. "I am too." She said but she handed him the sutures.
Daryl shook his head. "How did you pop your stitches?"
Merle sighed. "Its my fault. Next time I'll be easier sweetness."
Bella rolled her eyes. "Not my idea of fun."
"Oh, so you like it rough?" Merle was back to teasing now.
Rick walked over seeing Carlisle fix up Bella's side. "I'll take first watch with Glenn and Bob. You guys get rest. Especially you Bella."
Daryl realized what Merle was talking about. Him and Bella had disappeared to fuck and her stitches popped. He felt the pang in his gut but he shoved it away. He just ignored it and looked at Rick. "I'll stay up too. Hunt the wildlife that come out at night." He said and Rick nodded.
Bella nodded too. She wasn't stupid. She knew she needed to rest or she wouldn't be any use for the group. When Carlisle finished stitching her side she got up in the bed of the truck and tossed her pack down to use as a pillow. Tyrese got up in the truck too with her so he could spread out easier. Merle got up in the truck too, feeling a bit fatigued himself.
Before long night fell and everyone was resting except the ones on watch.