I wasn't going to post a chapter today but I wont be able to update again until Monday so I thought I would post this chapter. It's a filler but it's pretty funny. If any of you are interested I posted a one shot this morning. The idea hit me and had me crawling out of bed at an ungodly hour and I didn't stop writing until it was done. So far it has been a success! Thank you all for reviewing! I don't get back to everyone all the time but remember that I appreciate you ALL and without you there would really be no point in writing! Have a safe weekend!

Chapter Seventy Two

The group was silent as they made their way through the streets of the town. It was much larger than the one they had stayed in when they had left the quarry, but it was still small by most peoples standards. It was eerily silent. The rest of the group had picked up a thing or two from the Dixon's, one being how to walk silently, they literally ghosted from one building to the next until they discovered a large shopping center.

Unsurprisingly the doors were locked, but they all decided that this was a good thing. A very good thing. If they were still locked then that meant that maybe no one else had scavenged here, leaving them with all of the food they could take, not counting supplies.

Carol kept a close eye on Merle and Daryl as they went through a few of the abandoned cars in the parking lot, finally producing a tire iron. Between the two of them they had the door opened pretty quickly. They all hurried inside, going in low and watching and listening for the telltale signs of Walkers inside the store. The windows in the place were pretty big and the light reached far into the store. Everyone had a knife in their hands. Even Sophia and Carol didn't have to worry about her that much because she had seen Merle and Daryl teaching the kids how to use them.

As quietly as they all could they pushed a large display rack in front of the, now unlocked, doors. When that was done they crept further in, keeping close. No one split up. At least not until they knew the store was clear. Daryl kept his fingers twined with hers. He wasn't worried about Merle making a fuss over what he had previously deemed 'pussy stuff', because Merle was always attached to Maggie in one form or another. Either keeping the girl tucked into his side or holding her hand.

Every now and then he would glance down at her and smile. It had been so long since he had done that that it nearly made her want to cry. She had been worried about him. Every day he would regress back further and further until he was that same bitter man at the quarry, before his brother had turned up missing. He held them all on his shoulders and she knew that. Not just her and Sophia but all of them. Even Randal, who at first had trouble finding his spot in the group but eventually proved himself valuable the first time he risked his own neck to save Milton from a Walker. Ever since that day he was one of them, and even Daryl treated him so. Merle on the other hand watched him suspiciously but she figured that was just Merle.

They ran into quite a few Walkers, all of them looked to be former employees judging by their matching clothes and name tags. They were all taken out silently. This group was turning into a Walker killing machine.

When they found the food isle it was hard to keep themselves quiet. They hadn't eaten much in three whole days since Daryl had been unable to find even a few scrawny squirrels to sustain them. It was all untouched and even the putrid smell of rotted meat from the coolers not far away was able to rid them of their apatite. They all began grabbing food right off the shelves, ripping bags open and eating with their fingers the first edible things they could grab. Cereal, crackers, cookies, chips. It was a junk food junkies paradise. She had no doubt that they were going to be one sick group by the time they were all finished.

"You gonna eat somethin'?" Daryl whispered as she watched the others.

She nodded but didn't go to grab anything. Instead she grabbed him by the hand and led him a few isles over where she found a case of bottled water.

"Do ya ever stop?" He asked as he carried the water back to the others.

"Stop what?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

He smirked. "Takin' care of everybody else before ya take care of yourself."

"Do you?" She countered.

He snorted and then tore open the plastic, handing out the bottles and then grabbing himself a box of some sort of snack crackers.

"How we gonna get all this crap to the car?" Duane asked around a mouth full of dry cereal. His manners had slipped since he had been with them but he was still a great kid as far as kids went. And his mouth wasn't near as bad as Sophia's had been the last month.

She was happy to hear them talking at all. She had worried about them. They weren't even like children anymore. They were so focused on staying alive that there was no enjoyment. It was okay for the rest of them to have to live like that but she hated it for the kids.

Rick looked hopeful for the first time in weeks. "The town looks pretty bare as far as Walkers go. I think it would be safe to bring the vehicles. We could get tents and sleeping bags. Load as much food as we can. We've really hit a goldmine here. Hopefully we can fill up all our cars."

"To bad there's so many windows. It would be nice to just live here." Sophia said longingly. Carl and Duane nodded glumly and Carol felt herself frown. She wished they could too. Living on the road was really wearing them all down.

"Mom?" Sophia said suddenly, her voice filled with worry. "What happened to your neck?"

Many eyes went to her and she could feel the blood rushing to her face. Merle slapped his leg and laughed, too loudly before he closed his mouth quickly. "Jesus, baby brother! Was you hungry?"

Now there were several others laughing, mostly the women. Even Lori was covering her mouth and giving her a sympathetic look.

"Goddamn you, Merle." Daryl grumbled as he ducked his head and continued eating.

"Well?" Sophia studied her and then bit back a grin herself. "Oh, that's so gross!"

"Oh my God." Carol ducked her own head but not before glaring at Daryl who had just glanced up at her, looking as embarrasses as she felt.

"Do ya'll think maybe we can stay in a house here in town? Like you said you did when you first had to leave your camp? Back before you found us?" Beth asked quietly. It was the first time Carol had heard her speak since they had left the farm, although she was sure the girl had spoken to her father and her sister.

Everyone focused on Rick then, which Carol was grateful for. He looked around and then shrugged. "I don't see why not. It would be nice to be fed and get to sleep in an actual bed. Maybe we can bunker down here for a few days. Daryl?"

Daryl glanced up. "Wouldn't hurt to get rested up a bit. As long as we put people on watch."

Carol's mood soared. How long had it been since they had been able to sleep with a roof over their heads? She grinned and she couldn't stop, even when she tried. She glanced around and realized that she wasn't the only one. Everyone seemed to be in a great mood now. There was more hope on their faces than she had seen in weeks.

~H~

Merle knew that everyone was hesitant to leave the store. They were all afraid of going hungry again. Hell, even he had gotten worried there for a while. Him and Daryl were barely eating anything at all. Every time Sophia would turn her head while they were eating their meager meals he would put half of his on her plate. Daryl did the same thing with Carol. A few bites a day sometimes was all either of them would get into them. But if that was all they could do for them then that was what they were going to do. He wasn't about to sit next to that little girl and watch her starve. Daryl was the only one that knew that he was doing it, which was a good thing. He didn't need all of them fussing over him. If it wasn't Sophia then he wouldn't have done it at all. Even Duane, who had taken an unexpected liking too was on his own, eating his share. But that boy was different. He was strong.

Before leaving they all decided to go through the rest of the store to see what all it had to offer before going to get the cars.

"I'm gonna go with Beth and Daddy. I'll see ya back here in a few." Maggie said as she pulled her hand out of his and reached up, catching his lips with her own. She grinned and backed away to catch up with her family. He watched her go and then glanced around to make sure no one was paying him any attention before he took off to find the one thing that he needed the most.

He scanned each isle quickly as he tried to find what he was looking for before someone came looking for him. He was already breaking Rick and Daryl's stupid ass rule about going off alone. But it wasn't like he was in the woods. He was in a store and he needed something and they could both kiss his ass if they didn't like it.

Finally he came to the end of the feminine hygiene products, and found what he was looking for. He had gotten his jacket back from Carol just for this purpose. He started filling up all the pockets, which there were plenty, with boxes of condoms. He didn't even look at what he grabbed. He just grabbed as many as he could as quick as he could. After he thought he had enough to last him a while he got to looking at some of the other stuff they had on display. Other forms of birth control that he'd never even heard of.

"Spermicidal lubricant?" He muttered out loud. He shrugged and then started filling his pockets with that too.

"Jesus Christ, Merle."

Merle's head snapped up and he glared at his brother. "How long you been standin' there ya asshole?"

"Long enough to know that you got a problem. You just go from one addiction to the next don't ya?" Daryl leaned against the shelf and smirked.

"You wouldn't know what it's like, little brother. The girl is drivin' me fuckin' crazy and I can't touch her. Well, I touch her plenty..." He shook his head, "But I got needs goddamn it. I never thought me, Merle Dixon, would ever say he was sick of gittin' blowjobs. But I am. So I'm gonna remedy that."

"You tellin' me that you ain't even hit it yet?" Daryl cocked an eyebrow at him and his smirk grew bigger. "Merle, that ain't like you at all." He shook his head like he was ashamed of him.

Merle knew Daryl was messing with him but he couldn't even get pissed off about it. Hell, he was ashamed of himself, he never expected his own little awkward ass brother to be getting laid more than him.

"You really think you're gonna use all those?" Daryl asked with a laugh.

"Fuck yeah I am. I'll be out by the end of the week. I gotta make up for lost time. Don't be standin' there passin' judgment little brother, we all heard you two at the farm. Bout drove the goddamn headboard through the wall! I ain't got to do a damn thing. But I plan too."

"Well, just keep your head straight out there. We ain't in the clear yet. Just cause the town seems quiet don't mean that it actually is."

Merle scowled at him. "Are you really sayin' this to me right now? I know what the two of you was doin'. Right there in the road in front of God and everybody."

"Shut up, dumbass. There wasn't anybody there." Daryl grumbled.

Merle almost laughed when he saw the flush running up his brothers neck, but he kept his mouth shut. At least he was talking again and he wasn't brooding about shit. Merle was glad he had gotten himself some. Saved the rest of them from having to deal with his bad moods. Not that he thought that had much to do with the boys bad mood. He knew how he was feeling. Daryl tried to hold everybody up and it wasn't working. And that was really the thing that bothered him the most. Failing Carol and that girl. But he wasn't going to get into all that with him right now.

"You ready?" Daryl asked, impatiently.

"I was born ready." Merle grinned and then threw a heavy arm over Daryl's shoulders. "Hey, I been meanin' to ask. Why the hell ain't you usin' these? You tryin' to make your big brother an uncle or somethin'?"

Daryl scoffed. "She can't have anymore kids. Or else me and you would be fightin' in the middle of the floor for them things."

Merle frowned. "You lucky little fucker."

~H~

Sophia frowned at the racks of clothes. She knew what she was suppose to grab for herself. Stuff for survival. Things that were heavy and would keep her from freezing. Thermals and flannels and cargo pants so she would have plenty of places for her to carry more ammo and even an extra gun if she wanted. Merle had called her a soldier and soldiers didn't have time to look at cute stuff that didn't serve a purpose. She ran a hand down a shirt that she liked a lot, one she would have to leave without, and then turned to fill up on more supplies.

She found Duane sticking spare flashlights and batteries into his own bag. They were in the sporting goods department, along with most of the others.

"Where the hell is Carl?" She asked softly. Her and Carl barely spoke anymore. They both talked to Duane but not really to one another. It had been like that since the first day on the road. She hated things being that way between them, especially after he started really stepping up in the group. She was proud of him and couldn't even tell him. She missed him badly and even though he was always right there he was still to far away to talk too.

He looked up and gave her a shrug. "Haven't seen him for a few minutes. I don't even know which way he went."

"Damn it." She grumbled as she turned around to go look for him. She ended up running right into him then.

"What are you cussing about now?" He asked with a small smirk on his face.

"You were suppose to stay with Duane. We aren't suppose to be alone." She said as she took a step away.

"You were alone." he deadpanned.

She narrowed her eyes. He had a point so she kept her mouth shut. She didn't try to argue with him about anything anymore. it wasn't worth the fall out afterwords. This was actually the most he had spoken to her all week. Not that she blamed him. She had been a real shit head that day.

She started grabbing anything that looked useful and shoving it into her bag. She wanted to hurry up and get out of the store, find a real house to sleep in for the night and get some actual rest. She never slept well anymore. She stayed warm enough during the night but that was only because she slept smashed between her mom and Daryl and when it was Daryl's turn to go on watch Merle would take his place. The three of them treated her like such a little kid and no matter how many times she told them that she would be okay they never listened to her.

At least now they had more blankets and sleeping bags, even tents, so she wouldn't have to be such a pain in their ass. And she knew she was. It was annoying.

"You okay?" Duane asked as he studied her face.

"I'm fine." She muttered as she zipped the bag and stormed off, knowing they would follow her.