Minority chapter 3

Author's note: Warning: Flashback ahead. LOL


Two and a Half Months Ago

"Hey look, a walker." Mischa said as she hung half way out the passenger side window of the fridge. She upholstered her gun and took aim. "Bet ten bucks I can bean him."

"Why would I need ten bucks? Where would I spend it?" Peaches asked with a chuckle. She slowed down a little. If Mischa wanted to kill the thing she wasn't going to stop her. Robin was asleep in the back – her bow clutched tightly in her hand as she snored softly. Charles, Wyatt and Katherine were in the food truck behind them. Katherine flashed the high beams at them.

"Yeah I see it." Mischa said as she took the safety off. Picking off walkers on the road had become a game to pass time, but they hadn't seen one for at least a hundred miles now. The further they got from the cities the less there were. When the lights shined on the walker it suddenly jumped and looked over its shoulder. "Quick one, eh?" She took aim and focused.

"Wait. Wait! It's not a walker!" Peaches said. When it saw them it suddenly started waving both arms over its head, its movement too coordinated and smooth to be a jangling, half dead person.

"Hey!" It called out. "Hold up there!"

"Oh shit, it's alive!" Mischa said as she put her safety back on. "I mean…"

"Yeah I get it." Peaches said as she honked the horn of the fridge. She slowed to a stop – the food truck squeaking behind her. She turned the truck so the lights shined directly on the man and got out slowly. Robin was behind her already – taking an arrow from the quiver she always had on her back.

"God damn, bright as hell." The man said as he shielded his eyes. "Who's there?"

"We're alive. No of us are bitten." Katherine said. "That's all you need to know. Who are you?"

"I ain't answering to no skirt. Where's the man in charge?" he asked. Charles just chuckled when Katherine glanced at him.

"Well I'm all you're getting." Katherine said before Wyatt could say it was him. He'd take up the mantle if it meant moving things along. "Where are you going?"

"Fort Benning." He answered. He frowned when they all laughed.

"Sorry to tell you this buddy but you're heading in the wrong direction." Katherine said. He cursed a blue streak until he bent over gasping. He was exhausted – shaky and barely on his feet. Despite the cool night air he was drenched in sweat.

"We're headed somewhat close to there. You want a ride?" Peaches offered as she approached him slowly. He looked at her – squinting to focus. He then glanced at Katherine, Robin, Mischa and Charles. His gaze stayed on Wyatt for a second – his peachy complexion making him the odd man out.

"What is this? The goddamn coon patrol? I'd rather walk than ride with a bunch of cotton picking, tar baby—" His sentence was cut off when Peaches suddenly head butted him. He went down like a ton of bricks and groaned as he clutched his bloody nose.

"Damn it, Peaches." Katherine said as they all approached the man.

"That'll learn him some manners." Peaches said before she kicked his leg. Wyatt gave her an annoyed look.

"He's alive and he's alone. We can't just leave him here. Grab an arm." Charles said. Peaches did and jumped back when she discovered he was missing his hand. The stump where it should be was burned, lumpy and swollen. Charles took a minute to check his temperature. "He's cold." Peaches let out a sigh before she grabbed his arm again.

"Get your…spear chucking hands… off me." Merle mumbled as they dragged him to the food truck. Peaches kneed him in the crotch and he groaned. They tossed him in the back and he curled up on his side. Katherine took over driving the fridge and Robin took her turn behind the wheel of the food truck as Charles and Peaches looked after their newest member.


"Country bumpkin." Peaches chuckled after their 'highway man' introduced himself as Merle Dixon. "That explains the Nazi-talk." They had stopped for the night in an abandoned house. Using the vehicles to block the entrances. The back loading doors were left open should they need to get into them. Katherine, Mischa and Robin were busy cooking dinner in the food truck – from the smell of it they were boiling potatoes and green beans. Wyatt was keeping watch out in the large bay window in the living room. He was relieved that they had found another Caucasian. Maybe now he could attempt to get some order to the group.

"And you're such a sophisticated Southern Belle – Peaches." Merle said – his grin spreading as he over pronounced the 'S' at the end of her name. "Keep your mouth shut picaninny-Peaches." She kicked the chair from underneath him and sent him sprawling on the floor.

"Make me, skin head honky." Peaches said. He hopped up fully intent on back handing her but he swung with his severed hand and hit nothing but air. Moving so fast it made his head spin. He hadn't eaten in three days and the water he drank out on the highway had only reminded him how hungry he was. And it had given him the runs until there was nothing left to come out. He walked once the truck ran out of gas only to find out he had been going the wrong direction. He wanted to scream but only pathetic sounding gasps came out.

"I don't make monkeys. I train…" he trailed off as he staggered around. His lips were so dry they nearly stuck together. He let out a rather high-pitched yelp as Peaches' fist connected with his face.

Bitch had a mean right hook. Pain surged through his head and he collapsed to the floor. Bested by a black bitch with a fat ass – this was definitely not his day. "Behave, Merle." She simply said as she held up a granola bar. The sight of the wrapper had him drooling. "You hungry?" She tossed it to him and he tore into it like it was filet mignon. "Let me see your hand…umm wrist." She corrected herself. He eyed her for a second before he eased back into the chair. He held up his stump as he finished the granola bar. She shined a flashlight on it and Charles looked it over.

"Doesn't look or smell gangrenous." Charles said as he poked it with a coffee stirrer. "Does that hurt?"

"No." Merle answered. He flinched when Charles gripped his forearm and gently kneaded his fingers down it.

"Let me know when the feeling stops." He said. Merle sat there for a moment watching until Charles reached when his wrist joint used to be.

"There."

"You didn't damage any nerves in your arm – good, you should be able to still use it."

"Great." Merle said sarcastically.

"What did you cut it off with?" Charles asked as he turned to the black bag that was on the table.

"Hack saw." Merle answered with a sniffle. He was sweating again and Charles had to hold him still so he could see the burn.

"How long have you been detoxing?" He asked – the tell tale signs of withdrawal showing on Merle's already haggard face.

"I don't know! You writing a damn book. What's with all the questions?" Merle growled – he was aggravated all of a sudden. Eating the granola bar so quickly made his stomach churn. Charles cleaned his stub, being careful around a piece of skin that still looked raw and pink. He used a popsicle stick to spread an odd smelling ointment over the scorched skin and wrapped it up in a thin white bandage.

"Can you watch him?" Charles asked as he closed his bag and put it on his shoulder.

"Yeah sure." Peaches answered.

"I'll bring you a plate of—" Merle suddenly bolted from the chair. They thought he was running away until he bent over the sink and threw up. They both twitched at his horrible gagging noises.

"I'll eat later." Peaches assured him before he left. She walked to Merle and put her hand on his back. He swatted her away and was about to tell her off when he heaved. She started rubbing his back and he had to admit it felt good. The back and forth motion taking his mind off his cramping stomach. She moved away for a second and came back with a bottle of water. He looked at it before he glanced up at her.

"Why you being so nice to me?" he asked.

"I head butted you. I feel bad about doing that when you were so messed up." She admitted. "Even though you kind of deserved it." She canted her head to the side before she reached for his neck. He fidgeted when she snagged the chain along his collarbone with her index finger. She pulled his dog tags out and looked at them. "You're a vet. That explains a lot."

"Like what?" he asked before he spit in the sink. He took a sip of water and swished it around in his mouth before spitting it out.

"Your hair. Your build. The drugs. Your ability to cut off your own hand and still put up a fight." She said.

"You a psychic? Like that spook on late night TV?" he asked. She gave him a look before she let go of his dog tags.

"I used to be a counselor for 'shell shockers' at the Camden VFW." She answered. "You?"

"Professional country bumpkin." He said. She smiled and he was surprised to find her teeth were straight and clean. "So what's with all you darkies traveling together?"

"Just that, we're traveling together. And if you don't want me to go upside your head I suggest you stop calling us 'darkies'. We have names." She answered as she leaned on the counter next to him. She crinkled her noise at the smell of vomit and strawberry granola. She sat at the table a second later and he stood on the other side – holding himself up with the help of the door frame. He glanced at Wyatt and gave him a nod when Wyatt looked at him.

"What do you want with me?" he asked.

"Nothing." She said with a shrug. "You're welcome to stay with us though." Merle seemed to mull it over - sipping water and looking out into the living room where the others were now eating dinner. The last group he was with had been nothing but trouble. They were the reason he was suddenly left handed. He wanted nothing to do with other people but they had food, water and transportation. He really wasn't in a position to be choosey.

"That tall, red bone bitch ain't the boss of me." He said after a while.

"Her name is Katherine. And she's not the boss of anyone. We don't have a leader and we don't need one." Peaches said as she stood up. "We already got one idiot white boy trying to fill the position and it doesn't even exist. Come on I'll introduce you to everyone."

"Save the love in for later. I'm not sure if I'm staying." He said gruffly as he eyed the ice cream truck at the back door. Peaches just shrugged and went into the living room without him. He stayed near the sink half the night. Around sunrise the water finally started staying down in his stomach. He all but collapsed into the rickety wooden chair at the table and fell asleep on his arms.


Merle hated Peaches. The fruit and the woman. She mouthed off to him. She smacked him whenever he said anything. It might have something to do with the way he referred to them. He got a pinch on his arm when he called Charles 'Ali baba' and a slap on the jaw when he snapped on Robin and called her 'zebra girl'. He had hit her back one time. Just a reflexive backhand when she flicked his ear. And when she straightened up from the hard slap she kicked him in the nuts.

"Don't fuck with me." She warned him.

"Gonna… fucking kill you. Fucking…porch monkey." He growled through grit teeth. She dropped a hunting knife in front of him. His eyes going wide at the sight of it like it was made of gold.

"Why don't you try it?" She egged him on. He grabbed the handle but by the time he got to his feet his desire to slit her throat had passed. His rage ebbing out as the pain in his balls subsided. She just stood there, looking at him with a smug expression on her face. He put the knife through his belt loop and she walked away. Wyatt suddenly snatched her up by the arm and told her to back off.

"Why do aggressive bull dykes like you always got to kick guys around to make yourselves feel better?" he asked.

"First off, don't fucking touch me Wyatt!" She snatched out of his grip and shoved him back. "Second, I'm not gay. Third, fuck you! Forth, you ain't the boss of shit so don't think for a second you can tell me what to do. The last thing I need is some has been, loser car salesmen trying to reinstate slavery. Mind your own fucking business!" She snapped before she pushed past him. "Stupid cracker, I'll do what I want."

"Booshie, black, fucker." Wyatt mumbled but Merle heard him.

After three more nights of potatoes and beans Merle took to the woods with his relatively new knife. Whether they waited for him to come back or not, he really didn't care. He sat on a rock for a while. Listening for anything – walkers, rats, someone from the group. Finally a snake slithered past his feet and he snatched it up. It was a black momba. For a moment he wondered what it was doing there – probably an escaped pet or zoo animal. It could've bitten him and he would've died right there. He cut its head off and hung it on the rock to bleed out. When he turned around there was a rather large hare hopping nearby. The snake had been after that when Merle decided to make him dinner. He crouched low and the rabbit stilled. So long that Merle was able to nail it in the neck with his knife. He let out an excited 'whoop' at the incredibly lucky shot.

"Daryl couldn't do that on his best day." He said as he collected his prize. He stood there a moment – Daryl hadn't crossed his mind in weeks. Little bastard was probably out there on his own. Living in the woods like nothing had changed. They lived like this before the world ended. Eating snakes and squirrels was nothing new. They worked weekends to buy things they couldn't get out in nature. Beer. Boots. Cocaine. Pussy. For a moment he missed Daryl. His baby brother, his hunting buddy. The only person in this world that accepted him unquestioningly. How would he ever find him? They never had cell phones. Barely had a house phone. Would Daryl even go back home?

He didn't realize he had wandered back to the food truck until he saw Katherine sitting on the back tailgate with Wyatt. "Hey Merle." She said like she was expecting him. Wyatt looked elated that Peaches' latest tirade hadn't made him run away.

"Hey." He said. "Think you can cook this?" he asked as he held up the snake and rabbit. He was too tired to do it himself. His nerves still raw and jittery from what little food he was able to keep down. She made a face at the bloody creatures before she smiled at him.

"Yeah. Can you skin them for me?" She asked as she went into the truck. Merle went to work – doing the rabbit was easy enough. Unfortunately snakes were mostly all skin and it took a little longer to clean all the scales off the meat. He had a short conversation with Wyatt about what they used to do before the world ended. Apparently he ran an entire franchise of Jeep dealerships. It certainly explained why he thought he was such hot shit. He still wore a ridiculous pinky ring with a gaudy red stone in it. Merle gave the animals to Katherine and stood back and watched her cook for a while. Thinking it'd be interesting to learn how to do it a different way – other than throwing it on a grill and charring the hell out of it. She chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Wyatt asked.

"When the Waldorf used to get rabbit they came in these little, pre-seasoned and chopped, meat packs." She answered as she cut it up. "Didn't even look like it used to be a rabbit." She threw it's chopped off head out the back of the truck. "I used to think that hotel was so safe. Badge checks at every service door. Twenty four hour concierge – someone always at the front desk."

"Sounds swank." Merle said as he cleaned his knife. "How'd it go down?"

"They started using it as a survivor camp." She said. He nodded – that explained everything but she continued. "It took one idiot, to spot their boyfriend in a group of infected people outside and…" she trailed off. "He turned while I wasn't in the room. Got out, ate the house keeping lady that opened the door. Bit seven people before I…"

"You had to take him out?" Wyatt asked.

"Nearly became one of those things it took me so long to shoot him." Katherine laughed nervously as she cleaned the meat. Neither one of them could see she was on the verge of tears. "Well after that the military came in and shot everyone. Luckily there was an ambulance outside with a very compassionate, young EMT in it."

"You would've done the same for me if the roles were switched Kathy." Charles assured her from where he was sharpening something in the front seat. She smiled and put the first rabbit thigh in the pan.

"Is that when you decided to stop being so stupid? Stop thinking with your cunt and use your brain meat instead." Merle said. Wyatt laughed. She shot them a glare over her shoulder. Merle lifted his eyebrows when she smiled at him.

"Quite the astute hillbilly – aren't you?"


Merle loved Peaches. The woman, not the fruit. He didn't know when it happened but she had wormed her way into his heart like a parasite. Maybe it happened that night she stayed up with him. He had gone through another fit of withdrawal. She had rubbed his back and wiped the sweat off his face. He was out his mind in pain and begging for a hit of anything. It felt like something had taken a hold of his insides and was trying to pull them out through his throat. And she just stayed there with him – ignoring it when he spat insults at her and never faltering when he pleaded. Most addict recovery nurses would look at him with pity in their eyes when he begged and cried. But her eyes – they gave him a look that told him he was stronger than his addiction. That he could live without it – that he would whether he liked it or not. That he needed to stop being such a pussy. He woke up the next morning feeling like a new man. His face was just a few inches from hers – she had fallen asleep right beside him on the floor. And for a few minutes things were perfect as he looked at her – but then he ended up ruining it when he sneezed right in her face. She woke with a disgusted groan and smacked him.

Merle thought maybe it was how she didn't take his shit. Like when he was chauvinistic or racist or just plain ignorant. She'd give him one of her love taps and tell him to 'watch it'. Merle knew what got him hot was not considered normal but when she put her machete to his throat and told him to 'shut the fuck up' he was sure he'd never been harder in his life. His attraction to her abuse was sick and sad. But it was also so much more than that. He had been raised to believe a woman's place was behind the man not beside him. Peaches not only challenged that way of thinking but she trampled all over it. All of the girls did. They more than proved they deserved to be held in a higher regard. He had witnessed Peaches take a walker's head clean off its shoulders with one swipe of her machete. They had taken out scores of them in their travels. She wasn't afraid – if she was she hid it well. She was brave, bull headed, brutally honest and a downright mouthy bitch. And after two months she had Merle fantasizing about running his hands up her thick thighs.

He tested his new love of dark meat by trying to think of the other girls that way. Robin was just so damn cold that he couldn't. Mischa was cute enough for a Hindu but when he saw her kissing Robin behind the ice cream truck he didn't want to get involved in whatever drama they might be going through. Katherine openly admitted she had become asexual since the end of the world. Plus when it came down to it none of them had bigger tits than Peaches. Not that 'tits' were the only thing that mattered but they were definitely a huge part of his decision making process. It had always been and he wasn't about to change that process now.

Wyatt still hated them all, for different reasons. According to him, Robin refused to realize her feelings for him as did Katherine. He clearly didn't see Robin's homosexuality or the fact that he was nearly old enough to be Katherine's father. Mischa and Peaches were too dark for his tastes, which Merle understood. He used to think like that. Then again Mischa was gay and as far as Wyatt was concerned, Peaches wasn't on the market. Merle was surprised at the spark of jealousy that ignited in him when he thought about another man touching Peaches. Wyatt seemed to be annoyed with Charles the most. He often remarked on how useless the other man was. That Charles refused to help him keep the women in line. Charles knew the same thing that Peaches had beaten into Merle and forced him to come to grips with. It wasn't their place. Not anymore. He could still rant and call them derogatory terms but when it came down to it white men – men period, were not the ones in charge anymore. Not of these girls that they had met randomly, they had not right to tell them what to do with their lives or how to act. Merle realized he was starting to think like a god damn Lincoln Lover.


Merle walked in on Wyatt in a bathroom rest stop and was actually surprised to find the man snorting something off the back of his hand. All at once Merle felt himself drenched in sweat. He bit his bottom lip and stared at Wyatt as he stared right back – like a deer caught in headlights. Wyatt just chuckled.

"Don't look at me like that man. I saw you the first night we found you. I know you 'party'." Wyatt said as he wiped at his nose with his index finger.

"I'm not judging." Merle said as he went to one of the urinals. He relieved himself - not sure why he even bothered with the formality of a urinal, he could've just as easily peed in the bushes outside. He chaulked it up to old habits dying hard and tried to ignore Wyatt as he made several snorting noises behind him. Drug addiction certainly explained Wyatt's often-manic flights of fancy. His enormous ego and his over indulgent way of thinking.

"Wanna 'clear your head' and make them bitches bearable?" he offered.

"Only lasts twenty minutes." Merle said as he zipped up his pants. It had become a bit of an odd task with just one hand. Merle was well aware of the hang time of cocaine. Which is why he used to need so much. A line to wake up. A line after breakfast. Two around lunch time. No drugs around dusk he was usually hunting then. His last line of the day would be before consuming a six pack of Miller and half a pint bottle of Jim Beam. And then it was off to bed.

"I'll take twenty minutes of peace over none at all." Wyatt said. "It's the only thing keeping me from killing these bitches. You sure?" Merle hesitated on his way back to the door. His stomach coiled and he nearly reached for the little vial in Wyatt's hand when there was a loud knock on the door.

"Let's go guys!" Peaches demanded from the other side. It made Merle nearly jump out of his skin. Wyatt quickly pocketed his drugs when he feared she might come in and get them. She eyed Merle when he can out. He was white as a sheet and sweating like a whore in church. "You okay?" she asked.

"He's fine, you nagging hag." Wyatt snapped as he sauntered by. Merle chuckled and ignored Peaches' glare as they headed back to the trucks. God, his stomach hurt.


After another night of driving they came to an outlet mall. The cracked sign proudly welcoming them to 'Tangiers Outlet Mall'. There were tons of stores and not a lot of cars around so they decided to stop and go foraging. They paired off and went in search of supplies. Peaches ended up with Merle and Wyatt because of the odd number of people in their group. Robin and Katherine had stayed with the trucks to keep watch and Charles and Mischa headed to the south end of the mall. Wyatt sucked his teeth when Peaches told him not to use his gun unless he had to. It was a general rule when dealing with areas where there might be walkers. But coming from her made him want to do it all the more. Merle could tell he was high again – briefly wondering if he had been so obvious when he was on drugs. It was like watching himself in a different body.

'God, I'm an asshole.' He thought as he watched Wyatt hump a manikin and laugh. He joked about taking her hand and making it his girlfriend. Merle suddenly understood the phrase 'ignorance is bliss'. Wyatt didn't care that they might be in danger at the moment. He just kept up his hijinks and ignored the glare Peaches was shooting at the back of his head.

"Hey Merle, check this out." Peaches called from out on the strip. He walked to her and she smiled at him before looking at the store in front of her. The white letters on the window read 'Tangiers Prosthetic Paradise!'. He grinned and went for the door. It was locked. "Damn."

"Let me help you with that." Wyatt said. They jumped back when he threw a brick through the glass door. The noise normally wouldn't have been a problem but with everything around them so quiet it was likely to attract walkers. Peaches rolled her eyes at him before she reached through the broken glass and unlocked the door from the inside. "You're welcome." He snorted.

"Since you made the noise, you can keep watch." She said. Wyatt just made a face. Merle and Peaches entered the store warily. Checking behind the counter and the isles in the small stock room. The store looked like it had been closed since before the start of the epidemic. All the shelves stocked and untouched. They looked around – the front seemed to be mostly legs and whole arms. The back housing individual parts. Feet, toes, fingers, penises. They both stopped and looked at the last one.

"They even have pee holes." Merle chuckled when he noticed that was prominent selling point for the appendage.

"And balls to match." Peaches said as she pointed to the basket of oblong shaped, saline filled sacks. They both laughed before moving along. Merle picked up a metal hand and chuckled.

"Check it out. Just like that robot movie." He said as he toyed with the fingers.

"And just as creepy." Peaches said as she picked up a fake-flesh one. She took Merle's hand and held them side by side to see if they matched.

"Nah, need a size up." He said as he helped her search for it. They found one and it was a near match.

"For once you're lucky the world ended. Those start at two thousand dollars." She said as she looked at the pricing flyer on the shelf. "That one in particular has custom, intricate vein and bone underlay and real, enamel, veneer nails."

"The closest I'll ever come to a manicure." He said as he looked at the straight, shiny nails. He looked at the stem sticking out the bottom and frowned.

"You need a cuff." She said – already searching for one. She picked up a leather one and he brought his wrist up. She put it on – the sleeve attached to it reaching half way up his forearm with another piece that buckled around his bicep. She tied the straps around the sleeve – tightening them until he said 'when'. He watched as she stuck the prosthetic into the cuff and twisted it until she heard a click.

"Jesus." He said when he held it up to look at it. He flexed his arm – turning it over so he could see front and back. He didn't realize until that moment just what exactly he had done to himself. Seeing the pale fake hand made him tear up. "Jesus." He repeated. For the first time Peaches gave him that look of pity. But as soon as it came it was gone. She spotted something to her left and bent down.

"Maybe this instead." She offered. He looked at the large pincher hook in her hand and smiled wide.

"Oh yeah." He said – tears gone and forgotten when he laid eyes on it. He unsnapped the hand and she twisted the hook in place. "Yes." He laughed. He smiled at Peaches and she smiled back until she felt something on her chest. She looked down to find he had placed the fake hand on her breast and was mockingly rubbing it. She snatched the hand from him and used it to hit him in the arm.

"You ruin moments." She said as she continued to look around.

"Couldn't pass up the chance." He chuckled. Despite her annoyance he noticed she stashed the fake hand in her bag. He had been doing not so subtle things like that for about a week now. Given his affinity for ethnic slurs she shrugged it off as him being an asshole. Toying with her so if she actually fell for his flirting he could drop her and make her feel like a fool. "Who said I ruined it anyway – I thought I was starting one."

"Oh please." She scoffed.

"Come on I'm being serious here. Look at me." He demanded. She titled her head back and stared at him annoyed. "Give me a reason, a real reason – why not."

"Not that I really have to but look around. The zombie apocalypse is not really the place to play last ditch, interracial, Romeo and Juliet." She said. "Catching feelings can get you killed. Hell, if you're careless while using the bathroom it could get you killing."

"Well from what I've seen of you, you can handle yourself. I can handle myself. We're not stupid." He blocked her way when she moved for the front door. She snorted.

"No see this right here is stupid." She pointed out. "We couldn't be anymore wrong for one another."

"In a sane world…probably." He said as he let his eyes wander down to her breasts. He wondered if he should just motorboat her right now and risk being punched for it. A little voice inside told him to let her talk first.

"Look, I get being desperate. It has been literally years since my last time and I was at my wits end before the world ended. Now I know my chances are slim to none that I'll meet another man willing to put up with me." She rambled on.

"And yet, here you stand. Turning down 'a man willing to put up with you'." He countered.

"This is crazy." She sighed.

"But it'll feel really good."

Peaches let out a long, exasperated sigh and looked at the ground. For a second Merle thought she was going to push past him and leave the store. If she did he wasn't entirely sure he wouldn't beat up Wyatt for his stash and stick the whole thing up his nose to dull the sting of her rejection. All thoughts of cocaine ceased when Peaches grabbed the front of his shirt. She pulled him down by it. When their lips connected the world, as Merle knew it shattered into a million pieces. Her lips were so plump that they completely covered his until he parted them and shoved his tongue in her mouth. Part of her expected it. Merle wasn't a gentle man by any definition. Taking it slow and tentative wasn't on her list of priorities either. As soon as she gave him the green light his hand shot straight to her ass. She hooked her arms under his and clung to the back of his biker vest. He looped his other arm around her back and pulled her closer – making sure she could feel him through his jeans. She suddenly jerked out of the kiss and lifted her eyebrows at him.

"Oh yeah girl – it's a monster." He said. He leaned into kiss her again but she pushed against his chest.

"We're not doing this here." She said. He growled at her – no words coming out just a deep, aggravated grunt that rumbled up from his chest. She'd never admit to anyone that she liked it.

"Woman, you are killing me." He finally said as he let her go. She was right – the store was too open to attack. And it wouldn't exactly be private with Wyatt lurking right outside. Merle liked his fair share of kinky shit but being watched wasn't one of them. It might be a while until they had the privacy he wanted. "Shit…shit." He repeated. "Alright… we'll just have to wait." She didn't look too thrilled at the idea either. She was about to say something when Robin's blood curdling scream ripped through the quiet air. Peaches sprinted out of the store only to be grabbed and forced to the ground.

"Merle!" she shrieked. Merle put a boot in the face of the person holding Peaches and cracked another in the head with a baseball bat.

"They're not walkers." Peaches said as she watched the man get up quickly.

"God damn it!" Merle cursed when three of them grabbed his arms. He went limp when he was struck in the back of the head. Peaches struggled against the men holding her until pain surged through her head and her world went dark.


Author's note: Cliffhanger :P