Blood Soaked Arrows (On Hold)

(1) The Neighbors

My name was Evelyn Mela, or at least it was until my cheap mother abandoned me to a bunch of men in hazmat suits for pocket change, now the agency just called me Eve. It’s not like I could really blame her though, because I had been too young to remember her at all and the people at the agency had become my family anyway. Of course I never called any of them mother or father just Doctor. They were all my doctors.

Saying that made me feel like I was a terminally ill patient cooped up in a hospital or something but the true of the matter was that I was far from it. In fact, I was a prized procession at the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) for being an Immune. Being an Immune meant that I was immune to all kinds of diseases as well as radiation which ended up being a rare thing. There was only one other person in the whole world that was classified as an immune and his name was Adam.

Unlike me however Adam wasn’t a naturally created Immune but rather adapted into one after undergoing multiple adjustment tests, which meant that the CDC infected him with a disease and his body started to fight it off until he became immune to it.

The research program that he and I were both in was known as the Origin Project. The project’s purpose was to create a perfect human being. A person that couldn’t get sick, hurt, or even die. Adam and I were far from this perfect being however because we could get hurt which meant that we could definitely die. The agency tried to change that though by training our bodies as well as our minds. We both started another kind of program where they taught us how to use weapons, think rationally, and overall survive any kind of situation.

Who would have known that being abandoned to the CDC was the best thing that could have happened to me? Especially after the Zombie apocalypse took over the modern world.

**********

It still felt strange to wake up in what the CDC called a normal bed. I was all used to having a hard mattress with a thin blanket to cover myself with all the while the bed was made of steel and attached to a cement wall. I had slept on that bed until it became my normal and now the CDC had me sleeping in a king sized bed that was so cushioned I felt as if I was literally going to drown in it.

With an aggravated sigh I pushed the thick covers off of my body and rolled out of bed. My feet instantly felt cold once they came in contact with the polished hardwood flooring of my bedroom. That was another thing I wasn’t quite used to. In the CDC they had heated cement flooring so I could walk around bare foot and never get cold but here was obviously a different story.

I ran my hand through my already disheveled hair and yawned before heading to the bathroom that connected with my room. It wasn't as extravagant as the CDC’s bathroom either. Whenever I walked into their bathroom the lights turned on automatically and the shower would already being running hot water. I cursed loudly as I fumbled around the wall for the damn light switch and when my fingers finally brushed against it I felt as if God was cutting me some slack, and then I got into the freezing cold shower and realized that God was fooling around with me.

I easily blamed my current situation on the CDC because they were the ones that decided that I was old enough to have my own home. It all started with Dr. Martha Ridges, she had been the one that decided to act all noble and tell the top dogs at the CDC that it was wrong to keep me there like some lab experiment, and that it was inhuman for them to have me so cut off from the public, and all this other bullshit. Did the head Doctor that ran the facility even think about asking me what I wanted before deciding my fate? No. He just gave right into Dr. Ridges grand scheme and sent me off to live two hours away in some godforsaken forest.

The truth of the matter was that I actually had no problem living in the forest at all I was just mad that after twenty-two years of living in the CDC they suddenly decided to ship me off. That place had become my home and this house in the middle of the forest was definitely not my home. What made the move even more awesome were my next door neighbors. I had only had the pleasure of meeting one of them and let’s just say that it made me never want to venture outside the house ever again. I had gone over there with the intention of being friendly because I was going to be living next to them for the foreseeable future, and I even went out of my way to make them fresh chocolate chip cookies because that it what the Doctor’s at the CDC told me new neighbors did.

That was probably the worst thing they could have told me to do because some forty –some year old man answered the door and only one word popped into my mind at the time. Grizzly. I had tried being sweet and all by introducing myself and telling him that I was new to the neighborhood. When I gestured for him to take a cookie he looked at me like I was crazy and then he got this big ole’ smile on his face and started looking me over. The next thing I knew my cookies were scattered all over the porch and he was dragging me into the house by my wrist.

Then he started going on about how his brother had given him the best birthday present ever and started groping my ass. A bunch of brand new words filled my head after that little touch and without even thinking about it I slammed the heel of boot into his foot and then elbowed him in nose. He was kneeling on the floor in seconds and I was out the door before he had even hit the ground.

That all had happened yesterday though but I was still fuming about it, I mean what human being just drags someone into their home and gropes them like that? I quickly turned off the shower and stepped out. My body was already shaking from the cold water so when the cool bathroom air hit my skin I didn’t think much of it. I dried myself off before throwing on a pair of pants that were tight but not so tight that they would restrict my movements, followed by black tank top and a size to big navy blue sweater.

My hair was still dripping wet when I heard a knock at the door. I felt myself frown at the sound. After all I didn’t know anybody outside the CDC and if it was someone from there then they would have called first. Impatiently the person at my front door knocked again only this time it was much louder. I quickly scrambled down the stairs and went directly to the door without even bothering to check the peep hole. I mean I was a human weapon after all and could take care of anything that was behind that door. At least that was what I thought until I opened it.

Standing there in my doorway was a man with dark brown hair and gorgeous Georgia blue eyes. He looked similar to the man I had met yesterday but somehow he was different, younger most definitely, kinder maybe. We ended up staring at each other longer than either of us meant to and when it finally started to boil down into something awkward he was the one to break the silence.

“I suppose it was you that met Merle the other day.” He said with a very thick Georgia accent. I blinked up at him for a moment before letting his words sink in.

I cocked my head slightly sideways with a confused frown forming on my face. “Merle?”

As if my confusion had suddenly angered him he snapped. “Yea’ the man ya hit in the face yesterday.”

I could feel my own anger start to bubble up inside of me at his sudden snap. I didn’t take being yelled at too kindly by anyone and that included the doctors at the CDC as well. I gave the man at my door another look over before coming to the conclusion that this guy and the man I had met yesterday were somehow related.

“Yea’” I grumbled out with my own Georgia drawl before folding my arms over my chest and leaning against the door frame. “What ‘bout it.”

He took a threaten step towards me. “What the hell do ya think you were doing barging into my house and attacking my brother like that?”

I could feel my nails start to dig into my forearms at his tone but managed to keep myself in check. Obviously hitting the man wasn’t going to make him any less anger. Besides, I was taught at the CDC how to control a situation and now would be a perfect time to use that skill.

I took a deep breath in through my nose before rightening myself up and letting my arms fall to my side. “Your brother.” I stated more than asked him and he simply responded with an intimating glare. “Right.” I said on a sigh before taking a step out onto my front porch. “Your so called brother was the one who yanked me into your house and started feelin’ me up so excuse me for givin’ him a little feel of my own. It wasn’t my plan to go over there and have a throw down I was just trying to be friendly since we’re now neighbors and all.”

“Starting a fight with Merle was real friendly of ya’?” he snapped back and for a second he looked like he was going to do something more than snap at me but a familiar voice stopped him.

“Back on off the lady now will ya’ Daryl.” My head snapped over to Merle who was making his way into my yard. I could feel the bile start to build up in the back of my throat at seeing him again and then I caught sight of the double barrel shotgun strapped onto his back and instantly became more defensive.

The floor boards of my front porch creaked under Merle’s weight as he walked up to stand next to his brother. As soon as he was near him he smacked him upside the head. “Now what do ya’ think you are doing coming over here and flirting when I told ya’ to pack your shit in the truck.”

Daryl retailed instantly and shoved his brother back a few steps. “I ain’t no ten year ole’ boy Merle. I don’t need you to tell me what all to do.”

Merle took a step towards his brother. “Well that is a lie because here I am all rearing to go and you’re out here fuckin’ around. We were supposed to leave an hour ago and you don’t even have your damn hunting gear in the fuckin' car.”

My mood quickly flipped. “You’re going hunting?” I asked excitedly which got both of the guys to turn their heads in my direction. They were still frowning but it was more of being surprised than confused.

Merle’s nose was blue and red from when I had elbowed him and it was obviously broken so when he snarled at me it looked more painful then threatening. “What’s it to ya’?”

“Well,” I nodded my head to the shotgun on his back. “You’re not going to shoot shit with that thing.”

Merle glanced over his shoulder to look at his gun he had strapped on. He smiled evilly back at the thing before yanking on the strap and bringing the gun over his shoulders. Once he held the shotgun firmly in his hands he looked back at me and cocked it. It was the click of his gun that made me smile even more. The click had been too loud even for a double barrel meaning only one thing. It wasn’t loaded.

“I’ve got good aim.” Merle smirked.

I rolled my eyes at him before taking a step closer. “You don’t have to have good aim with a shot gun, you can just point and shoot and you’ll hit your target. The problem with a double barrel shotgun is you have to be in close range with your game and the shot from it will most likely scare any other game within a four mile radius out of there. So my question is what the hell are you thinking bringing a gun like that on a hunting trip?”

Merle’s face had dropped half way through my rant and by the time I was done he was looking down at the gun in his hands probably wishing that it had actually been loaded.

“You go hunting?” It had been Daryl that had asked the question, making me snap my head to the side so that I could look at him.

I folded my arms back over my chest before answering, “When the occasion calls for it.”

“So then what do you use?” I could see it in his eyes. He wasn’t asking because he was curious about what my weapon of choice was, oh no, he was testing me to see if I knew what I preached. I was already starting to like this Daryl Dixon.

I didn’t even have to think about my answer I just said. “I would have to say that I like using an Archery Anarchy Compound Bow. Bear has the best one. I mean sure it’s a little pricy for some folks but it is well worth it in the end.”

Daryl refused to let me see his surprise in my reply, instead he kept his eyes steady and masked his expression perfectly before turning to his brother who had decided to let his mouth gap open at my answer. “Why don’t you shut your mouth already Merle? It’s bad enough that I have to live with your nasty smell already I don’t wanna have to deal with your bad breath as well.”

Merle snapped his mouth shut with a click and then dropped one hand off his gun and turned to slug his brother in the shoulder. Daryl hadn’t been expecting it at all and ended up taking a few steps backwards to try and righten himself. When Merle looked back at me I was surprised to see him actually looking friendly and almost pleading.

“Were ya’ speaking the truth about your bow?” He asked.

I tapped a finger against my upper arm at his question. I knew that if I were to tell him the truth in that I did actually have the bow then he would most definitely become some kind of companion to me, and if I were to lie and tell him that I didn’t then he would probably never speak to me again.

I took another moment to really think about my situation. I was out in the middle of nowhere with no friends and nothing to keep me occupied besides moving things around in my new house and now this man, who had harassed me just yesterday, was trying to become my friend. The question was, do I accept it?

With no better option for me to choose I nodded my head and sighed. “Yea,”

Daryl, who had made it back over to his brother’s side after being hit was suddenly pulled under Merle’s arm in a loose kind of chokehold. “Well then miss, let me jus’ say that I don’t normally treat people other than my brother right but I’ll make an exception for ya’ seeing as how you are my kind of gal. So I’ll tell ya what. We’ll just pretend that what happened yesterday never happened.”

My left eyebrow rose up at what he was saying and with a confused nod I said. “Okay?”

“Good girl.” He smiled kindly. “Well then let me introduce myself properly. Name’s Merle Dixon and this here,” He brought the butt of the shotgun down on Daryl’s head making Daryl let out a stream of choice words. “Is my brother Daryl.”

“I won’t be for much longer if you don’t get your filthy chops off of me.” Daryl yelled at him before shoving himself away. Merle took no offensive to his brother while he slung his shotgun back around his shoulder. Once the gun was in place Merle nodded his head in my direction before turning around and walking off of my front porch without so much as asking for my name.

I couldn’t help but smile at Merle and even though I hadn’t known his for very long I knew that even if I told him what my name was he probably wouldn’t use it. He looked like the kind of backwards hick that would refer to someone of high standards as a girl or a gal even if I was far from either.

I looked over at Daryl to see him staring at me. It was normal for me to get the feeling that someone was watching me because I was always observed at the CDC but with Daryl it didn’t feel like I was being watched. It felt as if he was picking over every piece of my being and examining it closely. It sent a warm sort of thrill up my spine.

“So are you going to tell me it or not?” He said before bring his arms up to cross over his broad chest.

“Tell ya what?” I asked wondering if he had asked me a question while I was preoccupied with Merle.

Daryl switched his weight from one foot and onto the other before saying. “Your name.”

“Are you going to use it?” I asked with a light smile forming on my lips.

He shrugged his shoulders. “Only if you don’t like being called gal.”

I laughed lightly at him before taking a step forward and outstretching my hand to him. I waited patiently for him to grab ahold of my hand but when he refused to do so I ended up from at him. His blue eyes were focused on my hand but his didn’t move from his chest. I could feel the air around us suddenly become uncomfortable as I let my hand slowly fall back to my side.

It was Merle who ended up breaking the awkward silence. “Are you going to flirt with the gal all day or are we going hunting?”

Daryl and I looked over to see Merle in a grey pickup truck with a bunch of hunting gear loaded in the back. Daryl looked back at me for a moment longer before nodding his head and then turning around and walking down the steps of my porch.

He was halfway off of my property by the time I realized that he still didn’t know my name. I didn’t know why I felt as if it was so important that he knew my name but suddenly I found myself running across my porch. I stopped right at the edge of it and leaned against the wooden railing.

“Evelyn.” I shouted loud enough to make even Merle turn his head in my direction but I was to focused on Daryl to even care. He stopped walking and turned to look at me. I thought it meant that he didn’t hear me so I shouted my name again. “My name, it’s Evelyn.”

He nodded before shouting back. “I heard ya the first time Evelyn.”

Hearing my name with his heavy Georgia accent had my heart racing inside of my chest. I was so happy in that moment that I ended up laughing. It was the kind of laugh that made me want to jump over the railing of my porch and jump around.

I watched as Daryl gave me another nod before heading to the truck where his brother was. Merle reeved the old thing up making me laugh even more before driving down the dirt road. I leaned against one of the beams on my porch and watched them leave. I stayed there even after the old pick up was out of sight and the dust settled because in my mind I was still looking at Daryl Dixon’s Georgia blue eyes.