Kali POV:
Getting to the Quarry was taking much longer than it needed to, needless to say. Merle had insisted on making a stop at a town two over, claiming that there would be a warehouse with non-perishable food items that we could check out. But I was fairly sure he was lying. It seemed like, these last couple of days, whatever Merle said, Daryl didn't dispute as long as we were away from meant we were further from the Quarry, further from Atlanta, and further from getting to my mother. I was giving both of the boys the cold shoulder for that.
As we drove, I was surprised that places were looking more and more abandoned as the days passed. Gas stations with no fuel, restaurants with broken windows, and stores with empty shelves. It seemed like everyone had fled to Atlanta in search of safety. The fact that Atlanta was a safe zone was the only thing giving me relief about not going to my mother. I turned on the radio to see if we could get any news about the situation, but Daryl quickly shut it off. I let out a sigh of frustration, feeling the boredom of the long drive.
"Can I drive?" I asked, hoping to break the monotony.
"Talking to me now, are ya?" Daryl replied, his irritation palpable. I think we'd all been on edge lately, cooped up in rundown motels and the truck for days on end.
"No," I snapped, crossing my arms. "Why are we even going where Merle wants to go?"
"We need the supplies," he said, parroting Merle's words.
I rolled my eyes."But if we went to the Quarry like you said, you could hunt and we could fish. We wouldn't have to waste time going wherever Merle thinks is a good idea," I pointed out.
He seemed to hesitate before responding. "We'll get there eventually, Kali. But for now, we need to get what we can while we can."
I couldn't help but wonder if Daryl was just going along with Merle's plans out of loyalty or if he genuinely believed it was the best course of action. Honestly, sometimes I think that Daryl didn't have a backbone to say no to Merle, but maybe I was just being bitter.
After thirty minutes of driving, we finally arrived at the outskirts of Birkensville, Georgia. Merle had insisted on bringing his motorcycle along for the ride, but it was now taking up valuable space in the truck's cab, leaving me squished in the middle seat. As Merle directed Daryl where to go, I couldn't help but notice the increasing number of walkers roaming the town streets compared to the other places.
"Why are we even here?" I asked, my frustration clear in my turned to me with a smirk, "Relax, darlin'. We're just getting some supplies."
"I got that but why here?" I stressed.
"You'll see," he said as we pulled up to what looked like a generic convenient store and pharmacy.
"We did not come here for a freakin' pharmacy," I groaned in pure annoyance at Merle while giving Daryl a 'really?' look.
"Oh, but we did and you'll thank me later for it too." He said like he was hiding a surprise.
I couldn't help but roll my eyes at Merle's cryptic response. "What the hell does that even mean?" I muttered under my breath.
As the boys opened the truck door to get out, I started to slide over to join them. But before I could even make a move, Daryl turned to me with a stern expression.
"Yea, yea, stay in the truck," I sighed before he could tell me, I wasn't going to argue considering what happened last time, I didn't want to encounter any walkers.
Daryl walked back to the cab of the truck and grabbed his crossbow and a silver pistol from his hunting bag. He then approached me and handed me the pistol, causing me to look at him in bewilderment.
"You see one of those walkers, you shoot it in the head," he instructed, his tone serious.
"I don't know..." I hesitated. While I had shot guns before, it had only been at inanimate objects like empty beer cans for fun.
"Whatever happens, don't get out of the truck. We shouldn't be long," he emphasized, his gaze unwavering. I nodded, not meeting his eyes.
"Kali... Promise me you'll stay in here," he pleaded with a sense of urgency.
"I promise," I reassured him, feeling a sudden urge to hug him but holding back. "Just don't take forever."
"Hurry up Darlina," Merle's voice called out.
"Darlina," I thought to myself, rolling my eyes at Merle's nickname for Daryl. As they headed into the building, Daryl gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze, making me feel a little better about staying behind. I watched them disappear inside, feeling a bit bored and anxious as I waited in the truck.
To pass the time, I decided to pop in my headphones and turn on my music. I tried to distract myself with the lyrics, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
With a sigh, I leaned back against the seat and glanced out the window. It was strange how just half an hour ago there were walkers everywhere, and now there wasn't a single one in sight. But I didn't dwell on it too much. Instead, I kicked my feet up on the dashboard and wait, music blaring in my ears.
The minutes ticked by slowly, and I found myself growing increasingly restless. I leaned against the door, my feet propped up on the dashboard, trying to find some way to occupy myself. Should I take a nap? No, I had to stay alert.
Suddenly, movement caught my eye. Another vehicle had pulled into the lot. It was a big black Ford truck, and I could see two men, a woman, and a child around eight years old. They looked like a family.
I reached for the gun that Daryl had given me, feeling unsure. The two men got out of the truck and went inside the building where my brothers were. The woman and the boy got out to stretch their legs. Shit, we hadn't planned for this. What should I do? I wasn't supposed to leave the car, but I couldn't just sit here and do nothing. What if those people were dangerous? Maybe they weren't? Who am I kidding? My brothers wouldn't take that chance and neither will I. I learned a long time ago people who seemed friendly could be not so friendly.
The sound of gunshots made me drop my headphones, and I raised my head just in time to see one of the strangers pointing his gun at Merle. They were after his bag, but where was Daryl? I couldn't see him anywhere. Okay, don't freeze, think. Think. A distraction, but how? I scanned the area. Then the truck, and now this might be a stupid idea but it should work.
I disregarded my gun, climbed into the driver's seat, and kept my head low. I saw the other stranger come out of the building pointing Daryl's own crossbow at him, he was bleeding from the head.
I took a deep breath and slammed my foot on the gas pedal, aiming my truck straight at the black Ford being sure to avoid the woman and child. Ramming into it with full force. The sound of metal crashing echoed through the lot. I could see the shock on the strangers' faces as they stumbled back, giving Merle and Daryl to attack their kidnappers and hop into the truck with me.
As soon as Merle and Daryl jumped into the truck, I slammed my foot on the gas pedal again and reversed quickly. The sound of crunching glass and metal filled the air as I sped away. As we sped away, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt for leaving the family behind, but my priority was to protect my own.
The streets were now teeming with walkers, and I had to swerve to avoid them as we made our way out of town. Merle and Daryl were frantically grabbing their weapons and gear from their bags, and I could see the relief on their faces as they realized we had made it out alive.
But as I stole a glance at them in the rearview mirror, I couldn't shake the feeling that I made the wrong choice, leaving the family to fend for themselves. If they died that was on me, but I was trying to get away because they clearly attacked my brothers but they had a kid with them. I felt conflicted.
The truck drove in silence as we left the town behind. I was consumed with guilt and couldn't bring myself to talk to my brothers, even though I knew they were trying to get my attention. I was lost in my own thoughts and the weight of what had just happened. I was convinced the people we encountered were defiantly dead after that.
Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and pulled over to the side of the road. Merle was squeezed out of the middle seat also getting out, but I didn't care. I needed some space to process everything that had just happened.
As I stepped out of the truck, I took a deep breath of fresh air, trying to clear my mind. I could feel my brothers' eyes on me, but I couldn't bring myself to look at them just yet.
"You did good back there kiddo," Merle said being his nonchalant self, not one fuck given.
The moment I heard him speak though I snapped, "Are you kidding me?!" I all but screamed getting in his face. I wanted to push him but that wasn't in my nature. "Was me having to save your ass worth letting those people probably die!" I felt borderline hysteric, I had no doubt that whatever happened was because Merle provoked it. Dixon's don't cry.
We had a stare-down before he threw something at my feet. I looked down at it and picked it up. Now, I felt even more guilty though this time it was for yelling at Merle. It was an epi-pen, I didn't have any and they were hard to come by sometimes.
"I know you think I'm an asshole, and I am, but trust me when I say I watch out for the family, and you're lucky you're family, otherwise I'd leave you on the side of the street right now." He all but spat back in my face.
Merle climbed into the driver's seat, and I felt tears welling up in my eyes. I knew crying wasn't something a Dixon was supposed to do, so I quickly tried to blink them away. I glanced over at Daryl, who had been silent the entire time. I noticed that he had cleaned up the blood from his head, and it didn't look as bad as before. We didn't exchange any words, he was probably tired of the arguing. I wonder if he'd want to get rid of me too, if I wasn't family, probably. I bit the inside of my lip and watched as Daryl nodded his head, indicating that we should get back in the truck. I climbed back into the middle seat, stuck between my two brothers, and closed my eyes, pretending to sleep. I just wanted to escape the awkward silence and avoid any more arguments with Merle.