Chapter Twenty Four: Carnage
Carnage: the killing of a large number of people.
Day 63
Daisy sighed, one lone curl puffed away from her forehead with her exhale. She glared off to the side as she felt a sharp elbow dig into her side once more. Merle, the absolute child, was, unsurprisingly, a horror to have in the car while travelling. Daisy was stuck between the Dixon brothers, seated precariously in the middle of the front cab of their old, rusted truck, her arms crossed tightly across her chest to preserve some of the extra space between them.
"You are insufferable." She muttered to Merle, there was an immediate warning sound from Daryl, who was the designated driver and already tired of Merle and Daisy's antics. "Well, he is." Daisy mumbled quieter, sharing a glare with Merle.
"Speak for yourself." Merle sneered, rolling down the window and popping open the glove box, rummaging around for some cigarettes.
"I do not care if I have to turn this car around, you two idiots." Daryl grumbled, "It don't matter a goddamn bit to me if we have to leave this group around." He shot them both a warning glare. Daisy sighed and kicked one foot against the floor of the truck, nodding to Daryl reluctantly.
A second later her attention was caught by Merle who had found the pack of cigarettes and placed one between his lips. He was rummaging around in his pocket for a lighter when Daisy grumbled and quickly snatched it out of his mouth as she had earlier with Daryl, promptly flicking it out of the open window. She watched it soar backwards with a satisfied smile.
"What the hell, Girlie." Merle moaned, smacking a hand against the car door with a frustrated groan.
"You are not smoking in the goddamn car, Merle, you savage." Daisy said with indignation, then she twisted in her seat and faced Daryl, "Tell him!" Daryl groaned and tapped his fingers against the steering wheel with annoyance.
"Merle, you can't smoke in the car. Daisy, don't throw Merle's smokes out the window." He grumbled, Daisy embarrassedly retreated her hand from where it had been about to snatch the pack of cigarettes.
"Y'ain't my father, boy!" Merle chuckled hoarsely, but didn't reach down to pull another cigarette from the pack.
Daisy twisted her mouth, trying to discourage her smile from overtaking her face. What assholes, she thought fondly. Daisy stared out of the front windshield and looked at the procession of cars ahead of them; the rest of the group had piled into the other cars, and they were now driving into Atlanta towards the CDC.
Just as the silence had finally settled over the three, the station wagon in front of them slowed to a stop, as did the other cars in the procession, Daisy noted. Ahead of her, she could see that the others were all piling out of their respective cars and onto the road. With a nudge of her elbow, she urged Merle to open the door, he did so with a warning flash of his eyes.
"No need for violence." He muttered to himself as he stepped out of the truck, Daisy followed him with an amused snort. Daisy stepped away from the car and lifted her arms in a stretch, then twisted her torso with a yawn.
"We there?" She called softly up to Glenn who was leaning against the car in front of theirs. He glanced back at her and shook his head.
"Pit stop." Glenn said simply, nodding his head over to the lone gas station across the road. Daisy nodded in understanding and relaxed her arms by her side, pulling her shirt down so that it laid flat again.
"Y'want anything, Curly? Darylina?" Merle called back from where he had walked a few feet toward the gas station. Daisy became thoughtful and shrugged her shoulders.
"Surprise me?" She smiled at Merle hopefully, he chuckled with a worrying amount of ill-intent clouding said chuckle, then looked towards Daryl, who had stopped beside Daisy.
"Darylina? Want anything?" Merle repeated, Daryl just shook his head, waving Merle on. As Merle's back retreated, Daisy turned to Daryl.
"Hey, so...why does he call you Darylina?" She asked, thinking there might be some reason beyond the obvious.
"Psh, cause he's an asshole." Daryl stared at her obviously, Daisy nodded in agreement, it was the obvious, then. The two stood in silence for a moment, before Daisy decided to disrupt it with a snack break. She leant into the open window of the truck and pulled two Slim Jims from where she saw Merle stash them on the inside of the door.
"Here." Daisy passed Daryl one and ripped open her own with a pull of her teeth.
"Whoa, whoa!" Glenn called as he approached them, eyes narrowed suspiciously at them. "Where's mine?" His eyes widened pleadingly, making Daisy laugh.
"Here." She proffered her twice-bitten treat, which he promptly snatched and jogged away out of the reach of her flailing hand. "Goddamn." Daisy cursed to herself as she watched Glenn share his bounty with the gaggle of giggling children who promptly surrounded him.
Daryl wordlessly offered his to her, and she reached for it with a thankful smile, but it too was snatched from their grip. This time, by a gleeful Carl, who had seen his chance and taken it.
"What a-holes." Daisy moaned to Daryl as he glared angrily at Glenn and the kids, who were now ecstatic over their two stolen Slim Jims.
"Don't even like Slim Jims." Daryl grumbled, making Daisy laugh at his obvious lie. She moved around the side of the truck and lowered the tailgate and pulled herself up to sit cross-legged. Daisy patted the bed of the truck beside her and Daryl leant against it, kicking one booted foot against the road.
"Oh, yes!" Daisy exclaimed as she caught sight of Merle, who was returning with his hands full with food from the gas station. She squeaked as he punted a packet of crisps directly at her head, but her smile remained wide. "Thanks, butthole." Daisy mumbled the insult under her breath, gaining an eye roll from Merle and an amused scoff from Daryl.
"Wheels up." Daisy heard a voice shout, the gathered group began slowly piling back into their respective cars. She dropped down from the tailgate with a groan, ripping open her packet of crisps in one motion.
"In the truck, children." Daryl called over to them as he cracked open the door.
"Yeah, in the truck, child." Merle clicked his fingers by Daisy's ear, making her cringe and slap the hand away.
"He meant you too, Merle." Daisy muttered softly, slinking off to slide into the truck, Merle getting in after her.
Sometime after their untimely pit stop, the procession of cars slowed once more. Daisy leant forward and looked around Merle and out the window at the CDC. They all piled out once more, Daisy passed Merle and went to the back of the truck, standing on her tiptoes to bring her backpack closer to her. She rummaged around inside, until she spotted her knife and took it from the pack. Daisy zipped her bag up and shoved it aside, then stepped away from the truck and onto the sidewalk.
"Shit, you haven't had that on you this whole time?" Merle's incredulous voice asked from behind her, Daisy turned to look at him with confusion.
"What, no, why?"
"Idiot. Keep it on you at all times." Merle gripped the brim of her hat and pulled it down over her face, Daisy recoiled and slapped it back so that it sat on her head correctly.
"Ugh, fine..." Daisy grumbled, walking forward to follow Merle and Daryl as they walked towards the rest of the group. She wrinkled her nose and frowned as she came to a stop, piled on the streets surrounding the CDC was dozens of bodies, blood and guts were strewn everywhere over blockades, the buzzing of countless flies filled the air as they circled around the carnage.
"What a shitshow." She muttered distractedly, furrowing her brow in shock. Daisy heard an annoyed grunt and glanced to the side to see Lori staring at her in reprimand, she smiled apologetically at her and Carl who stared in a similar shocked silence at the sight in front of them. For some reason, she didn't think Carl would be too concerned with her swearing.
Rick circled the group and led them as they inched towards the entrance to the CDC, shotgun raised in caution. Daisy similarly raised her knife, though she couldn't help but feel she was inadequate in her ability to protect herself and the group, especially in the presence of Merle and Daryl, who were wielding their respective weapons with their custom grimaces.
Daisy covered her mouth with her sleeve as they passed the bodies, eyes fluttering at the pungency of the stench. They came upon a collection of roller doors which all looked irrevocably shut, Daisy felt a sense of trepidation creeping up on her as they gathered around. The air grew thick with panic as Rick and Shane unsuccessfully tried to lift open the closest door.
"There's nobody here." T-Dog said with certainty, Daisy exhaled nervously and twisted her grip on the knife in her hands.
"Then why are these shutters down?" Rick questioned, tone nearing desperation.
"Walkers!" Daryl suddenly called, the group turned to see a few dead ambling towards them; Carl and Sophia cried out in fright, and Daisy had half a mind to join them. Daryl promptly loosed a bolt and the walker fell. "You led us into a graveyard!" He yelled, pacing in anger.
"He made a call!"
"It was the wrong damn call!"
"Just shut up." Shane stopped Daryl in his tracks with a hit to his chest, "You hear me? Just shut up!" Shane left Daryl and walked away, "Rick, this is a dead end."
"Where are we gonna go?" Carol moaned, Daisy's fingers were turning white as they tightened on her knife, she looked up towards Merle for guidance, but he was standing, silently staring sullenly at Rick who was examining the closed door.
"Do you hear me? No blame."
"She's right. We can't be here, this close to the city after dark."
"Fort Benning, Rick. Still an option."
"That's 125 miles, we don't have the fuel." Glenn argued lightly, eyes narrowed with frustration.
"Forget Fort Benning! We need answers tonight, now." Lori stressed, Carl was crying beside her.
"We'll think of something." Rick said desperately, hand raised in an effort to calm the hysteric group.
"Everybody back to the cars." Shane began ushering the others towards the way that they had come, Daisy was pulled backward by a hand, she stared with her wide eyes in panic at Rick who continued to watch the door.
"The camera it moved!" He shouted, waving them back.
"You imagined it." Dale supposed.
"It moved." Rick repeated quietly.
"Rick, it's dead, man." Shane tried to reason with him, he tried to pull him back but Rick broke free of his grip and started towards the door. Daisy flinched with each clash as Rick banged on the door.
"Rick, there's nobody here!" Lori screamed for her husband.
"I know you're in there...We have women, children, no food, hardly any gas left," Rick pleaded with the camera, "You're killing us! You're killing us!" He screamed as Shane hauled him bodily away from the door.
Suddenly, there was a deafening screech and the door rose quickly, a bright white light flooded out and blinded each and every one of them. They stood still, as if in shock, then the bright light clicked off with a shutter and they all moved forward in a warily enthusiastic formation.
"Hello?" Their breaths echoed loudly in the large, high-ceilinged entrance, Daisy's boots squelched against the tile floor. The group gathered in the middle of the room, their wide eyes darting around in search of their saviour.
"Hello?" An unknown voice suddenly called, guns cocked and pointed to where the voice had come from. A man stood, pointing a gun at them in turn, "Anybody infected?"