All We Have

Safe ?

I was shaken awake by rough hands and I immediately jumped to the defensive. I reached for my knife until I heard the voice.

"Git up honeypouch. Were at the damn place" Merle's voice broke through my haze and I looked at the man standing at the door to the truck. He smirked at me and then gestured for me to follow him.

"Ashlyn?" I asked quietly, not seeing her.

"Daryl's got her. Common" Merle answered, not bothering to see if I was behind him or not. He lead me towards a huge building, dead bodies were littered around it. Military tanks and Humvee's were among the bodies as well.

I stared shocked as Merle began to pull me along.

"We aint got all day honeypouch. The doors gon close!"

I began to follow him again, not looking at my surroundings and we soon got inside.

"Good to see your awake" Rick's voice alerted me to his presence just inside the doors. "They let you sleep while Daryl brought everything in."

I just simply nodded my head and stood among the group. Daryl was holding Ashlyn while Brady clung to his leg. I almost smiled at the sight of this man with my siblings but I was soon quickly brought back into my morbid thoughts.

This place will not save us. We will all die. If a little girl can be bit then anyone can. Its almost as if the innocence no longer matters in this world. She was better protected than-

"I need everyone to submit to a blood test. Do you have any infected?" A man asked.

I looked uneasily at Daryl and he stared back into my eyes, his face hard.

"Yes" Lori spoke up, and in that moment I wanted to strangle her. How dare she tell on my sister. He could kill her!

"And who is that?" the man asked.

Ashlyn shyly raised her hand and then shoved her face into the crook of Daryl's neck.

"Well I don't think its very wise-"

"Damnit if you try to shove her back out into that damn shit storm outside, I will kill you right now" I screamed, my voice thick with anger. No one had noticed I had drawn my gun from my waist and I had it pointed at his head. "You will allow her to stay and you will fix her!"

"Ma'am, you must know that I might not be able to-"

"Shut up! You will make her better!" I interrupted him.

He must have sensed my emotional rollercoaster as he simply nodded and turned to have us all follow him.

"Honeypouch, gimme the gun" Merle said.

I shook my head and moved to put it back in my waistband.

"Darlin' ya gotta gimme it. Yer scaring the kids." Merle insisted, sounding almost sincere.

I wanted to avoid argument so I handed him the revolver and followed the others into the room where he would take our blood.

I sat next to Daryl and Ashlyn crawled onto my lap. I held her close to me tightly, trying to have hope about the impending situation. Brady was on Merle's lap and he was telling him something about a squirrel attacking Daryl.

Daryl scowled at his brother but didn't say anything.

"Excuse me Miss, the young ones are next." The scientist's voice rang out.

I stood up with Ashlyn in my arms and walked towards the table.

"Darling everything will be okay. He just wants to get some blood to see what is happening in there alright?" I murmured to her, trying to soothe her scared expression.

She nodded and held her arm out. The same arm that had a ghastly bite taken out of it. The man did nothing but stick a needle into her vein and then patch it right back up. He didn't flinch at the bite or at my accusing glare.

He smiled up at her, "Do you hurt anywhere sweetie?"

She nodded biting her lip.

"I have some medicine that will make you stop hurting."

I took the pills he handed to me for her and sent her back to her chair. I sat down and turned my attention away from the needle he was about to jab into my skin.

"I need you to know I might not be able to save her. But, seeing as she isn't complaining too much about pain and it still standing, it might be a good sign. Maybe she's fighting it off" He whispered to me.

I said nothing, just simply watching the wall. He patted my arm and I got up. Brady was next and then the Dixon's.

As Andrea was done her turn, she stumbled.

"She hasn't eaten in days." Jacquie said Jenner.

He nodded and smiled. "Follow me then."

He showed us to a kitchen fully stocked with food and we ate an amazing meal. He then showed us to our rooms and excused himself to check out everyone's blood.

There were not that many rooms. People had to bunk together and in the end, we bunked with the Dixon brothers. Ashlyn and Brady slept on the couch while Merle claimed one bed and Daryl another. I frowned as I realized I would have to sleep on the floor but I just pushed it to the back of my mind. As long as the twins were safe.

Everyone minus the kids went back to the kitchen to find themselves drinks. Daryl and I were drinking from a bottle of wine. Merle had found some Jack Daniels and we also shared that between the three of us. The others simple drank whatever they found.

Jenner came back in to get a glass of water and smiled at all of us.

"Have you found the rooms to be to your liking?" He asked us and everyone quickly told him that they were amazing. "Just go easy on the hot water"

"What!" I yelped out, immediately excited for a shower.

"That's what the man said." T-dog answered me.

And with that, I took off for my room. I smiled in bliss, seeing the shower in front of me.

"Girly, don't ye dare!" Merle's voice stopped me in my tracks. "Lemme git one first!"

"No! You don't mind being dirty, I do!" I tried to close the bathroom door and he stuck his boot in it.

"We could always shower together" Merle suggested with a twitch of his eyebrow and a smirk.

"Only with Daryl, not you." Oh god had that slipped out? I mentally slapped myself as Merle's smirk grew.

"That can be arranged!" And with that he left.

I closed the door, noticing it didn't have a lock and quickly stripped, hoping I would be done before he got back.

I got under the hot spray and instantly relaxed, the dirt and grim finally revealing clean skin underneath.

The door sprang open and a body was tossed inside. The door slammed shut and I heard a lot of cursing and yelling. I peeked out of the shower door and saw Daryl standing there looking a fool.

"Fuck man, He jus tossed me in 'ere." Daryl said fuming. He was trying to look everywhere but at me.

"There isn't a lock on the door."

"On tha outside" Daryl corrected me.

"Git in tha shower wit her Darylina!" Merle yelled through the door.

I shrugged. "Keep ya hands to yourself and get in here."

Daryl's eyes widened in shock and I was also shocked I had even said that. He slowly began to take his clothes off as I stuck my head back under the spray. I shampooed my hair and then felt a body behind me. I smiled and I washed the shampoo out. His arms slowly snaked around my waist and I froze at his touch.

I thought I said hands to himself?

But I don't mind as much as I should...