Minority page 12
"Get the hell out!"
"Let go of my hair!"
"Peaches stop it!"
"Get the hell out and don't ever come back! I'll kill you if I ever see you again! You got that you little lying bitch!"
"Somebody help me! She's crazy like her husband!"
"He's crazy!? You nearly took the rest of his arm off. Get your poison snatch the hell out!"
"Peaches wait a minute." She whirled on Rick when he grabbed her shoulder. Her hand still firmly gripping Angel's blond hair. Merle's blood was still all over her palms. "You can't just kick her out on her own."
"Why not? She's the danger you've been so eager to find within the group." Peaches said as she glared at Angel. "Manipulative little cunt."
"Please help me." She begged as she glanced at Carol. The woman was on the verge of tears – too timid to say anything to Peaches.
"You really think she is any match for two trained hunters twice her size?" Maggie tried to be rational – hoping it would calm her down.
"Big ass knife kind of evens the playing field." Daryl muttered. He had managed to get away from T-dog and follow everyone to the gate.
"You tried to rape me!" Angel screamed. Daryl rolled his eyes before he looked at Rick. He knew about his relationship with Glenn – he had witnessed the fight they had when Glenn cheated on him with Maggie and Robin and how it affected him. As gritty as Daryl was he still wasn't the 'cheating–raping' type. He had not even so much as shown any interest in any female since they met. He was the very definition of a homosexual – he liked everything about being manly – including other men.
"She kissed me and I pushed her away." Daryl said.
"Out she goes." Glenn said as he moved to unlock the gate. He held it open and waited for Peaches to push the girl out. Peaches tried not laugh when Glenn showed his possessive side. He didn't care how hypocritical it made him look to be jealous over a simple kiss when he had sex with other people while in a relationship with Daryl.
"He was coming on to me." Angel insisted. Glenn scoffed. Peaches just pulled her towards the entry. "Wait, you're not going to give me any supplies?"
"Why should I?" Peaches asked. "You've done nothing but deceive us since you got here so unless you can 'use' a kick in the ass to ward off walkers then I guess you're screwed."
"Peaches—
"What Carol!? Want me to give her another chance to viciously stab someone and accuse every man that looks at her of rape?"
"If you throw me out it will just happen to me over and over." Angel cried.
"What are you talking about – it didn't happen to you here." Daryl said. "No one touched you. We barely paid attention to you."
"You had a chance to survive and you blew it." Peaches said.
"No! No! Do something! Don't let this stupid bitch throw me out." She screamed. Peaches let go of her only to punch her in the face.
"I'm letting you live. Don't take that for granted." Peaches said as she closed the gate and locked it. Angel just stood there, looking pathetic and small for a few minutes before she walked off into the darkness.
"You know that wasn't really your call." Rick said. She glared at him.
"And whose was it? Last time I checked you ate the dinner Daryl caught and that I cooked and you'll be sleeping in a bed that Merle found. The girl was set on hurting the people you have to thank for your continuing comfort and existence. You don't like it you can hit the bricks with her!" Peaches snapped before she went upstairs to see how Merle was doing. Daryl went back to his look out – frowning a little when Carol burst into tears and ran off to her room. Rick stood by the gate for a while. Alternating between scanning the trees across the street and checking the lock.
The next few days were tense to say the least. Peaches wasn't subtle over her annoyance with Rick and Carol. They still gave her side-glances for throwing a seemingly defenseless girl out to fend for herself. They only stopped when they caught sight of Merle's bound arm. He wasn't wearing his menacing hook – in fact Charles had him in a sling so nothing made the stitches tear. He looked a little sickly from the blood loss and every time Rick saw his stump he was reminded of how Merle had somewhat forgiven him for the whole debacle that led to his amputation. He was practically a different person now. Without his cocaine he was docile – with Peaches he was down right nice. Rick was sure she was the reason Merle hadn't tried to kill him yet. She took care of him, kept him calm. His odd little family made him happy. Angel had targeted the Dixon's for some reason and sought to break them apart. Peaches was unwaveringly loyal to him – Rick admitted to himself that he might be a little jealous. How a jerk like Merle had managed to get such a woman…not only that but also an equally loyal brother and friends seemed a little unfair to him. Before the apocalypse Merle was a horrible human being, still sort of was – Rick had busted his hump to be good and he got a cheating wife, a back stabbing best friend and a group of untrusting people that blamed him for everything.
Rick was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of approaching motorcycles. Glenn took up the binoculars and searched the road for a second. When Rick and Katherine came up beside him he let Rick take a look first. "They're about a mile away…see down by that browning pin tree." The motel had always sat near the top of a hill. From the lookout spot the tops of the trees spread out for at least five miles before another hill blocked the view. Rick saw the flurry of birds that fled from the sound. They nearly collided with another group fluttering from something moving through the forest.
"A walker herd." Katherine deduced when she scanned the woods. " They are gonna run right into them outside the gate."
"If we're lucky—" Rick began but was interrupted by the screech of tires. One of the bikers swerved just as he reached the end of the property. What looked like a walker was hanging on to the back of him. He laid the bike down hard and skidded right through their chain link gate. The walker still clinging to him as he rolled around screaming. The other bikes rode into the parking lot and dismounted to help him. The noise of their bikes drawing the herd right to them.
"God damn it!" Merle cursed as he took aim with his rifle. He and Daryl took out a few – trying not to hit the bikers and the members of their group that were down on the ground with their knives and machetes. One of the bikers elbowed Peaches in the face by mistake and she took a swing at him.
"Watch it asshole!" She barked at him and female biker pushed her. They both looked up when an arrow whizzed by them.
"Whoops." Daryl chuckled as he reloaded quickly. They were nearly on the ropes – running up the stairs so the walkers were forced into a bottleneck where they could be easily dismissed. When the numbers started to dwindle T-dog ran to the gate and sealed it with a chain and a new lock. They took out the straggling walkers inside their enclosure and the ones outside lost interest when things quieted down. Now that all the living were covered in old blood and rotted guts, the walkers lost their scent. When the dust settled everyone came down into the parking lot to sort things out.
"Aw shit – rancid motherfucker got me good." One of the bikers groaned as he touched his neck. He was skinny and obviously younger than the others. They ended up in a Mexican stand off when Rick pointed his python at the kid's head.
"You've been bitten. You're going to turn." Rick said loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Then let him do it if he wants." Another man said. "Put your gun down there, hoss."
"This is our place. You put yours down." Peaches said.
"Fuck you bitch." The woman said and gave her the finger.
"I'll do it with this, slut." Peaches said as she brandished her machete. "Now put it down." When they didn't budge Merle cocked his rifle.
"You wanna die today. After making it this long seems like a shitty way to go." He said. The largest man stared at him before he finally relented and swung his shotgun around his back on the strap. The others stood down and Rick lowered his gun.
"If you're staying here – we'll hold on to your weapons."
"The hell you will." The bitten man said.
"We're getting off on the wrong foot here." Katherine interjected. "You don't seem to realize that we just helped save you after you let a bunch of walkers in. I believe a 'thank you' is in order – then you can introduce yourselves. And if you can't be civil…then this is going to go badly for you. Comprende?" The largest biker glared at her before he hawked a logy at the ground.
"Well…" He started with a cheeky grin. "Thank you. People call me Bruce Banner." Glenn tried not to roll his eyes at the joke – the guy was really big. As tall as Merle with wide shoulders and a grizzly beard that made him even more intimidating. "This is Kevin—" He hiked his thumb behind him at an equally burly man behind him. His only real difference from Bruce was that he was black. He waved a little at Katherine and she took a step back. "Skinny punks are Jo and Bobby… might not what to get used to ol' Bob."
"Fuck you." Bobby said as he dabbed at his neck wound. Jo just took off his helmet to reveal a faded and partially grown out Mohawk.
"His bitch Lily." The girl behind him waved and smiled. "And my old lady, Lucy Law-less." He wrapped it up by playfully shoving the woman that had yelled at Peaches.
"Straight out of Sturgis, huh?" Merle asked sarcastically. Bruce gave him a look, like he was sizing up Merle. Taking in his drawl, leather vest, stance and lifting an eyebrow at his wrapped up arm.
"Something like that." He said. "And who might y'all be?"
"The God damn 'Multi-culture' pals." Lucy said. They all laughed at the group. Peaches smirked – it was actually pretty funny. They did have every major race in their little group. Well except Hispanic but she was pretty sure Katherine was mixed with that somewhere in her bloodline.
"Katherine, Charles, Herschel – his daughters Beth and Maggie." Merle said as he pointed them out. "Carol, Rick Lori their kid Carl. T-dog, Glenn, Daryl – Peaches." Lucy snorted and Peaches ignored her. "I'm Merle."
"You in charge here?" Bruce asked – almost hopeful.
"No." Katherine, Peaches and Daryl said nearly in unison. He glared at them but let it go when Peaches patted his back.
"Well now – ain't we all chummy now." Jo said. "Wanna give us a place to bed down or are we gonna spend all night out here." Katherine noticed Rick's glance at her. She shrugged before she looked at Peaches. She was so much better at decisions like this.
"Four rooms on the bottom level are still unused." Peaches said. "114 – 118. Keys in the office. Dinners in 121 in about thirty minutes. Wheel your bikes around back near the shed – don't block the doors. You'll understand if we keep an eye on you."
"Yes ma'am." Kevin said as he nodded at her. Bruce gave him a bit of a look before they went about their business.
Dinner was tense to say the least. Everyone ate in silence as they tried to take in the new comers. Merle was right – they looked like they came straight from a motorcycle rally. The guys were all clad in leather and denim. The women looking just as rough in their cut off t-shirts and boots. Glenn knew Bruce and Lucy had earned their names – Lucy was eyeing everything that wasn't nailed down. When Daryl walked by she looked him up and down before grabbing his butt.
"Hands to yourself." He growled.
"Easy, virgin-mary. Just trying to ease the tension." She chuckled. Lori turned her attention to Carl and tried to keep him from taking in the rude woman. Glenn couldn't hold in his laugh as Daryl blushed and hid his face behind his plate. "Maybe that should be your nick name, china-doll." Merle let out a hoot and slapped his knee. He didn't have the heart to tell her she was wasting her time flirting with them.
"So… where are you all traveling from?" Carol asked, curiously.
"All over." Jo answered. "I'm from Dallas." Carol's eyes went a little wide hearing how far he had come on his bike. "Followed rumors to Kansas where I met Bobby and Lily."
"Met up with a larger group in Tennessee but some asshole got bit and took out half the camp." Kevin said. We ran into Bruce and Lucy on the way out."
"People in the Tennessee camp came from all over. One guy made it all the way from Canada. They thought it started up there but the cold made the walkers head further south and it just kept spreading." Lily said.
"We met a scientist at the Atlanta CDC…" Rick started. "It went global a while ago." Everyone looked at him – expecting him to tell the new group that it didn't matter how they died – everyone turned. But their attention was suddenly on Bobby when he let out a string of hacking coughs. After which he looked sweaty and pale. "You sure you don't want a bullet? I've seen the slow transition – it's painful."
"I can handle it." Bobby said. "Wanna hang on just incase I'm immune." They all tried to smile at his optimism but they all knew the truth. No one was immune. He'd be like Jim in a couple of hours. Hacking up his liquefying organs and delirious with fever. But it was his choice.
After dinner everyone headed to bed, except Peaches who stayed to wash dishes and Rick who took up first watch. Peaches was a little uneasy. Tomorrow would be a long day of cleaning up the bodies and trying to get used to their new acquaintances. Things would be tense for a long time – she still wasn't fully accustomed to having Rick's group around. They'd have to venture back to the farm and see if they could inhabit it again or the motel would get really small, really quickly. She heard someone walk in and sighed. "Here for a midnight snack? Leftovers are still probably warm—" She turned around when she heard the distinctive growl of a walker. Peaches reached for her machete but she had taken it off her belt to cook dinner. She looked back to see where she had left it in the kitchen and the walker lounged for her.
Merle ran out of his room and nearly flew down the stairs. Peaches' scream ripped through the quiet night and he was down stairs before anyone else even made it out of their rooms. Pushing a slightly confused Bruce out of his way to get to the kitchen. He got to the open door just in time to see the walker bite into Peaches fingers. She screamed again and tried to fight it off. Merle grabbed it and nearly ripped it's head clean off. He tossed it to the side but the bastard tried to stand up. Merle stomped his head and in two strikes he was blood paste. He then grabbed Peaches' machete and rushed to her. She was sobbing on the ground, clutching her wrist and looking at her mangled fingers. Charles reached her first and was looking through his bag for something to help her but he didn't have anything that would save her from the infection. Without hesitation Merle grabbed her hand and singled out the damaged digits.
"It's just the ring and the pinky, baby. You'll be okay." He said.
"No I'm infected. I'm gonna turn!" Peaches screamed. She heard the familiar click of Rick's gun and froze. She could see the newcomers behind him, also at the ready.
"No you're not." Merle insisted. "Charlie – hold her steady." He instructed. Charles took her wrist and held her hand without asking what Merle intended to do. Everyone gasped when he used her machete to chop off her infected fingers. All the way down to the knuckle. She screamed and tried to get away from them but Charles just squeezed her hand to slow the sudden bleeding. "I got it." he assured Charles as he dropped the knife and gripped Peaches' hand – he held it up and tried to calm her. Charles turned to find something to wrap her hand with.
"There's too much blood. We need to cauterize it." Charles said. Before anyone else could Daryl ran to the stove and turned it on. He heated the bottom of a pot until it started to smoke and moved to them. As soon as the pot touched her Peaches lost consciousness.
