"I haven't eaten a bite or slept for three days and nights."
Merle was howling from the back seat, his voice possessing all the qualities of sandpaper and just as pleasant on her ears. Over the last few hours he'd gone through every country song he could think of that mentioned Memphis and she was pretty sure she'd lost her mind somewhere back in Georgia.
"That's how I got to Memphis, that's how I got to Memphis."
Carol and Daryl exchanged a tortured look. She turned to glare at Merle over her shoulder.
"Do you mind?" she snapped when she caught his eye.
He sat up and she heaved a long-suffering sigh when she noticed the predatory gleam in his eye. She hadn't known Merle Dixon for very long but she could tell he was just itching for a fight. It was written all over him.
He leaned forward, right up close to her face. "What, you got something against ol' Tom T?"
"I've got something against your singing," she told him, turning to stare out the window.
Beside her, Daryl snorted.
"Aw, come on, sugar," Merle murmured, settling his chin on her shoulder and crooning softly in her ear, "Thank you for your precious time, forgive me if I start to cry, that's how I got to Memphis…"
Daryl reached back with one hand and shoved Merle roughly back into his seat.
It had been a long day for all of them. The clock said it was only 6:14 but it seemed like they'd been driving for days.
They stopped outside the city to get gas and Carol got out to stretch her legs, noticing the air smelled like rain.
She leaned against the Cherokee, watching Daryl as he crossed the parking lot. He had a nice walk, she thought; it was purposeful but loose-hipped. And then she wanted to kick herself for even noticing.
Merle rolled the window down and peered out at her, following her gaze. "Got your eye on something?"
She ignored him and he tapped her on the shoulder. "Talking to you, sugar. You deaf?"
"Nearly, thanks to you."
He chuckled at that and climbed out of the backseat. She rolled her eyes as he stretched his arms over his head, yawning, and then settled one loosely around her shoulders.
"Now, I don't know what your plans are for my baby brother," he started and she cut him off with a sharp look. He held his hand up to stop her. "Hear me out, woman. I'm just looking out for the both of you."
"I'm sure," she muttered, trying to shrug his arm off.
He just moved his hand to the back of her neck. "It's just that y'all are two different people and I reckon y'all are probably looking for two different things. You follow me?"
She stared up at him, eyes narrowed. "I don't think I do."
"Well then, let me put it this way," he said, looking upwards as if he was searching the sky for the right words. "I reckon you're a woman who likes to cuddle. Am I right?"
She shot him a look of disgust and he continued.
"Now my baby brother, he'll fuck you," Merle smirked. "But I don't think he'll be much on cuddling."
She looked away, cheeks burning furiously. It wasn't the first time she'd heard that but she was still struggling to reconcile the Daryl she knew with the Daryl everyone else seemed to know.
Across the parking lot, she saw him heading their way with a frown on his face.
Merle moved his hand away from her neck and crossed his arms over his chest. "Hell, I might be wrong though. I'm beginning to think you've got him pretty well wrapped."
He waved his pinky at her and she glared back. "I don't know if you've forgotten or if you're just stupid, Merle but my daughter is still missing. That's the only thing I'm concerned with right now."
He winked at her. "Ain't stopped you from looking though, has it?"
She was ready to cuss him up one wall and down another when Daryl interrupted her.
"They only had two hot dogs left," he told them, opening the bag to show them. "Figured we could split 'em."
Merle snagged one of the foil wrapped buns and tore into it before Daryl could finish his sentence.
She saw Daryl glare at his brother and Merle gave him a big smile, his mouth full of food. "What?"
Daryl just shook his head and handed her the other hot dog. "Here."
It was still warm.
"No, that's okay. You eat it. I'm not that hungry."
"Go ahead," he insisted, refusing to take it from her hand.
"Christ almighty," Merle muttered as he rounded the front of the car, already half-finished eating. "You two lovebirds act like that's the last goddamned hot dog on earth. Split it and get something else later. Fuck."
By 7:30, they were hopelessly lost.
They'd driven up and down Walker Street but hadn't even seen a house, much less one with the right number on it.
It was Merle's bright idea to stop at a bar to ask for directions. She was sure he had other motivations for wanting to go in but she and Daryl followed him anyway. There was no reigning in Merle Dixon once he got an idea in his head.
The place was pretty full for 7:30 and country music was already pumping through the sound system.
Carol wasn't in the mood. She lingered by the door, watching Merle and Daryl as they tried to corner the harried bartender.
"Looking good, honey."
She turned to see the words came from a man in a cowboy hat who was suddenly standing much too close to her. He grinned when he saw that he had her attention.
"How 'bout a dance?"
He trailed his fingers down her bare arm and she snatched it away, glaring at him over her shoulder. "Leave me alone."
"Hey, relax, it's just one dance!" he chuckled. "Ain't like I'm asking you for a roll in the hay."
"I don't want to dance," she told him, her tone as cold as ice.
His smile tightened and she turned away again to look for Daryl, figuring the cowboy had gotten the hint.
But then she felt his hands, sweaty and strong around her waist. She yelped as he spun her around and pulled her tight up against him.
"Come on, baby. You'll enjoy yourself," he told her, dragging her out towards the dance floor. "You need to loosen up and lucky for you, I'm just the man for the job."
He grabbed a handful of her ass and she yelped, struggling against his grip. She tried to fight back the instinctive panic that made her want to scream and lash out at him, well aware that doing so would probably only earn her a slap across the face from a guy like him.
"Hey!" a voice barked from behind them, loud enough to make people turn and stare.
Over the cowboy's shoulder she saw Merle and Daryl closing in, shoving their way through the crowd.
Time seemed to slow as she watched Merle catch the man by the collar of his shirt and yank him backwards so hard his hat flew right off his head.
She didn't realize she was shaking until Daryl put his arm around her.
"I got you," he told her, squeezing her tighter as she wrapped her arms around him . "You're alright."
Behind her, she heard Merle and the cowboy arguing and turned to see them squared up toe-to-toe. It didn't look like a fair fight from where she was standing.
"Who the fuck do you think you are putting your goddamned hands on me?"
Merle laughed. "Shit, man, I ain't even put my hands on you yet. When I do, you'll sure as hell know it."
"You think I'm scared of you, asshole?"
Merle shoved him and he shoved back. Daryl stepped in between her and the action, tugging her behind him just as Merle swung on the guy.
The cowboy stumbled backwards, almost falling on his ass. And then she figured he must have realized this was a fight he couldn't win because he hauled back and kicked Merle right in the Dixon family jewels.
Merle doubled over and the cowboy swung around to face them, looking pretty damn proud of himself.
And Daryl knocked him out with one punch.
Merle was still walking funny when they made it outside, having been rather strongly encouraged by the bouncer to leave and never come back.
Daryl stood talking to the bouncer by the door but she kept an eye on Merle, watching him lean back against a car parked at the curb.
She wandered over to him, wrapping her arms around herself.
"You okay?"
He looked over at her and managed to grin. "Why, you wanna kiss it and make it better?"
She stared at him. "No, I might want to kick it though."
He covered himself with both hands and turned his hips away from her. "Don't even joke like that, woman."
"What I was going to say, before you made me threaten you, was thank you. And I'm sorry you got hurt."
He looked at her for a minute and then looked down. "Don't worry about it, sugar. I've had worse."
She felt Daryl behind her then, his hand brushing against hers as he stopped beside her.
"The bouncer said we're on Walker Street but we're probably looking for Walker Avenue," he told them. "He told me to head north on 240 and we'll run right into it. Said it's right by the big cemetery."
"Oh good," Carol said wearily, following the two of them back to the Cherokee. "We're looking for a cemetery."