General POV:
Daryl pulled open the truck door, his face red with anger. He helped Kali climb into the backseat, then climbed in after her. Merle was already behind the wheel, his foot tapping impatiently on the gas pedal. Daryl muttered something under his breath and shook his head, clearly agitated.
As the truck roared to life, Daryl couldn't help but think about how close they had come to disaster. Merle's reckless ideas had almost gotten them all killed. He knew better than to follow his brother's lead, but he couldn't help the sense of loyalty that still lingered between them. Maybe it was from their childhood, or maybe it was something else entirely.
Daryl glanced over at Merle, who seemed to have little care for Kali's safety in that moment. It made his blood boil. He knew he needed to talk to Merle about his behavior, but he also knew it wouldn't be an easy conversation.
Merle was angry at himself. He knew that he had messed up, and his temper had nearly cost Kali her life. Despite his rough exterior, he did care for her in his own fucked up way. He leaned over Kali to grab his "goody" bag, but Daryl was faster, intercepting him before he could do any more damage. The brothers glared at each other for a moment, but Merle finally relented... this time.
Daryl's attention shifted back to his sister, and he gently tilted her head to assess the damage. He pulled a red bandana from his back pocket and carefully wiped away the blood, hoping against hope that her eardrum hadn't ruptured. Kali tensed up at his touch, but she didn't pull away, and he felt a wave of relief wash over him.
She was staring at him, again, with those big lost eyes, those all too trusting, pleading eyes to be guided on what to do. Thinking and talking felt like too much effort. She knew, deep down, that those men they encountered earlier were dead. The weight of that realization sat heavily on her chest. Fuck, she was exhausted.
"Hey, you did good... In the end, you reacted," Daryl's words broke through her thoughts, his eyes locked onto hers to ensure she was listening. Merle let out a derisive snort, but Kali was too lost in her own thoughts to notice until Daryl sent his brother a warning glance.
Kali simply shrugged in response to Daryl's praise, feeling as though her reaction had been minimal at best. Inwardly, she acknowledged that if it had just been her and Merle in that situation, she would almost certainly be dead. The weight of that thought added to the burden already weighing heavily on her.
Kali leaned heavily into her brother's shoulder, hoping to transfer some of the weight of the day onto him. Her head had finally stopped spinning, which was a small relief, but her left ear was still ringing and muffled, making it difficult to hear clearly. Daryl returned the embrace, although he seemed a bit self-conscious about showing affection in front of Merle. He wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug, anyways. Despite the danger they had just faced, the physical comfort of her brother's embrace made Kali feel safe and protected.
After a few moments, Daryl pulled away, looking at her with a serious expression. "When we get to the Quarry, we're going to teach you some self-defense moves," he said firmly as if there was no room for discussion. "You need to know how to protect yourself, I need to know you're able to do that."
Kali hesitated for a moment, the thought of learning self-defense making her nervous. But she knew deep down that Daryl was right, and that she couldn't rely on him or anyone else to always protect her. Kali nodded her agreement, much to Daryl's relief. He had been worried that she might protest the idea.
She soon fell asleep against his shoulder. He had noticed that she had a tendency to fall asleep better in the truck than anywhere else, which made him grateful for the temporary moment of peace.
However, his thoughts quickly turned to Merle and their current situation. "We gotta smarten up," he whispered to his brother.
"No, she's got to smarten up," Merle replied callously. "It's becoming more of a kill-or-be-killed world out there than it already was, brother."
Daryl felt his frustration growing. "You gotta smarten up," he countered firmly. "No more drug affiliations."
Merle scoffed, his arrogance showing. "You ain't gonna tell me what I can and can't do, little brother."
Daryl let out a deep sigh, feeling defeated. He knew there was no use in arguing with Merle, he learned that a long time ago. The older Dixon brother always seemed to have a justification for his questionable actions.
"Look, if we come across more people, we'll steal from them before they can steal from us," Merle said, cutting Daryl off mid-thought. "Then we'll high-tail it outta there."
2 Hours Later at the Quarry Nearing Sunset:
As Merle pulled the truck into the quarry, Daryl couldn't help but feel uneasy seeing the multitude of tents and an RV scattered throughout the area. It was a far cry from the isolated refuge they were hoping for. Merle let out a low whistle as he parked the truck, "Looks like a damn refugee camp."
Daryl ignored his brother's insensitive comment but didn't say anything as he turned to wake Kali who was sound asleep on the passenger seat. He gently shook her awake, not wanting to startle her. She rubbed her eyes and looked around realizing they finally made it to their destination. A small smile spread across her face as her gaze fell on the families with children and the tents set up all around. She couldn't help but hope they were good people. They had to be, right? She still had some hope in her that not everything could be bad. She had to hope for that otherwise what was the point?
They all got out of the truck and Merle couldn't resist making another snarky comment under his breath, "Probably a bunch of lazy-ass freeloaders." Kali rolled her eyes but said nothing, knowing that arguing with Merle would only make things worse. Plus she was ignoring him.
They were greeted by a tall man with broad shoulders and big ears, followed by a thin lady with wavy brown hair. Kali looked at the man uneasily, her guard immediately going up. She subconsciously took a step closer to Daryl, feeling safer with him nearby.
"Hey there, I'm Officer Shane Walsh," the tall man introduced himself, his voice tinged with skepticism as he looked at the two brothers and the teenage girl. There was slight tension as the Dixons didn't trust cops.
Daryl decided to break the silence, introducing himself curtly, "Daryl, Merle, Kali." The tension in the air was palpable, their guarded nature reflecting their lack of trust in authority figures. Kali, still groggy from just waking up, blinked heavily, trying to shake off her sleepiness and remain alert. "Just gonna settle in for the night."
Officer Walsh let out a thoughtful "hmm," his gaze shifting between them, clearly assessing the situation. It was clear that he had reservations about their presence and wanted to know more. "So, where are you folks coming from? And where are you headed?"
Kali couldn't help but inwardly roll her eyes at Officer Walsh's probing questions. She hoped Daryl would keep the conversation brief, avoiding unnecessary details.
"Headed to Atlanta," Daryl replied, his tone curt as he aimed to wrap up the conversation swiftly. He had no interest in engaging in further dialogue and hoped to prevent Merle from adding his own commentary.
Shane's gaze faltered at the mention of Atlanta, his skepticism momentarily replaced by surprise. A tense silence hung in the air as if the gravity of their destination had shifted the dynamics of the conversation.
"What, no more questions from Officer Smartass?" Merle interjected with a breathy laugh, finding his own remark amusing. Both Kali and Daryl shot him a glare, silently urging him to show some restraint. Now was not the time for his provocative comments.
The newcomers, too, regarded Merle with disapproving glares. In response, Shane answered bluntly, "Atlanta was bombed."
As the words "Atlanta was bombed" left Shane's lips, Kali's initial disbelief morphed into a disgruntled noise of protest that escaped her lips unintentionally. It couldn't be true, she thought. Atlanta was supposed to be a safe zone, a place of refuge. No, she refused to believe it. Her mom- no she wasn't going to go there.
Seeking reassurance, Kali turned to Daryl, her eyes searching his face for any sign of additional information, hoping that he had picked up on any hint of deception from the cop. After all, they had learned not to trust law enforcement. But to her disappointment, she found no additional expression on Daryl's face. There was no indication that Shane was lying. They don't trust cops after all. But she found none. Daryl had a good bullshit radar and as much as he wanted to he didn't detect any.
Sensing the surprise and distress in their expressions, Shane decided it was best to let them process the information and settle in. He could see the turmoil in Kali's eyes and understood that this revelation had shaken them.
"We can continue this conversation in the morning," the brunette woman from Officer Walsh's side offered speaking up for the first time, her tone soft now. "You all must be tired. Find a spot and get some rest."
AN: Short chapter, struggled with how they met the Quarry group. Ah well, on with the story!