A/N: Thank you for the kind words about the first chapter. I'm really sorry it took so long to put up another chapter. I'm also sorry they're so short, but one-shots kinda always are. I'm gonna try to keep up with this. I've started so many little chapters between these two, and it's hard to make them into something meaningful. Needless to say, my heart is currently broken and this set of little stories might be very therapeutic for me.

He watched out the window with a gun in his hand. He felt his heart beating all the way into his throat, but kept as quiet as he could. The man stumbled slowly, running his body into the car parked near the door of the trailer.

"Hey!" The man stopped and turned to him. Daryl froze at the sight of him, but tried to remain confident. "Get the fuck out of here, alright? I don't know what you've got but you need to leave. Nobody here can help you." He heard the man moan as he walked to the window Daryl was looking out of. "Hey- Back the fuck up!" The man pounded his hands against the wall outside and Daryl felt his heart drop. The man's face was sunken in and gray. His eyes were clouded over, and stared at Daryl blankly as he tried biting his way through the window. Daryl pointed the gun at him and the phone rang. He locked the door and picked it up. "What?!"

"I'm on my way home." He looked back at the man, who was pounding on the window.

"Hey! Get the fuck back or I'll fucking shoot you!"

"Is someone there?"

"Merle?! What do you mean you're on your way home? You're locked up-"

"Daryl, kill anyone who comes near you, I'm about five miles away-"

"What the fuck do you mean kill- They're sick I'm not killing anyone-"

"They're not fucking sick, Daryl, they're zombies." Daryl closed his eyes and sat down on the tattered couch.

"Jesus, Merle, what are you on?"

"I'm not on anything. They're evacuating the entire city! They released everyone in lockdown and sent us home, we're on our own we have to get the fuck out of here." Daryl looked at the door as the man moved to it.

"I was watching the news, they said it was an epidemic-"

"It's not a fucking epidemic it's the god damned apocalypse. Pack the guns, food, clothes- everything. Kill whatever the fuck is outside, get the truck started, and be ready when I get there."

"What?"

"LISTEN! I swear to god, Daryl if you don't listen to me I will fucking kill you myself. You have everything- and I mean everything- packed when I get home or I'll fucking kill you." Daryl could tell his brother was scared, which was something he was in no way used to, especially since they'd been adults. "There's someone outside, you fucking shoot them, don't hesitate. They get near you, you're as good as dead."

"I gotta go." Before another word could be said, Merle hung up. Daryl put the phone down and stood up, staring at the door. He ran into his bedroom and grabbed a duffel bag, pulling Merle's decorative hunting knives off the wall and throwing them in. He went into the drawers and pulled out every weapon he could find, ending up with three handguns, along with ammo. After that, he took four shotguns out of the closet and threw them on the bed. He took out old backpacks and began stuffing them with clothes, focusing on underwear and socks. Once the clothes and weapons were packed, he ran to the kitchen and began filling trash bags up with whatever he had in the cupboards. He filled a cooler with ice and threw things from the fridge inside. He stood for a second, looking around and wondering what else to grab before running into the bathroom and emptying the medicine cabinets. He felt a shock go through his body that was so strong it hurt when the sound of a gunshot rang from outside. He ran to the window and saw his brother jump over the lifeless body of the man he'd previously been yelling at. Merle pounded on the door.

"Let me in!" Daryl ran to the front door and opened it. Merle burst through and didn't say a word before grabbing the packed bags that sat on the couch.

"Merle- Where'd you get the gun-"

"Move!" Merle yelled, throwing one of the bags at Daryl. He grabbed two more and ran out the door, throwing them into the back of Daryl's truck. Daryl followed, partially afraid of what his brother would do if he didn't get his ass in gear fast. It took less than five minutes for the two of them to load the most important belongings they owned into the truck, and a couple more for Merle to make another quick sweep of the trailer. Daryl mentally kicked himself for forgetting a few of the things Merle found and grabbed. "C'mon!" He followed his big brother outside and helped him load the rake and other gardening tools into the truck, following him as he grabbed a shovel and ran to the back of the trailer. He watched as Merle began digging a hole, confused as to what was happening.

"What are you digging for?" Merle took a gun from the back of his pants and handed it to Daryl.

"You see anyone- dead or alive- you gun 'em down. Don't hesitate. Watch my back." And he continued digging.

"Dead? Merle, this zombie bullshit has to end. I know you've been locked up for a while, and I'm glad you're back but you gotta get your head on straight-" Merle stood up and punched Daryl in the face, knocking him down. He got on top of the younger man and grabbed his throat. Daryl dropped the gun and grabbed Merle's wrist.

"Now's not the time to question me, do you understand? You're gonna listen, and you're gonna obey me. You're gonna do it blindly, because that's what you need to do right now to survive, okay, Derlene?" Daryl struggled, but Merle had always been bigger and stronger. "Answer me!" Merle yelled. Daryl stopped struggling, put his hands up in defeat, and nodded.

"Okay. Alright I'll listen." He said calmly. Merle let go quickly and continued digging as Daryl got back to his feet, grabbed the gun, and did as he was told, taking his eye of the horizon only to see Merle grab a gallon sized Ziplock bag full of pill bottles and blue tinted crystals out of the ground.

"We're done, let's go." Daryl followed him to the truck and they got in silently. Neither spoke for several miles as Merle drove, way over the speed limit, and Daryl stared out the window, in shock at the sight of dead bodies torn apart lining the streets. He kept himself calm by breathing hard and slow. The sound of it caught Merle's attention and he took his eyes from the road. "You did good." He looked at Merle, blinking fast to make sure no tears were forming. "Packing. You missed some shit, but for the most part, you got a lot of useful shit." Daryl nodded and looked away. Merle kept quiet for another minute before nodding. "We're gonna be alright." Daryl looked at him again. "We're gonna be fine, alright? We just gotta stick together. Take care of each other." Daryl stared at him, knowing him long enough to see beyond Merle's confidence to the fear in his eyes. "We're gonna be fine."