BLACK

Episode 2: The Redneck

Another update! Mainly b/c I already had most of this done, and this is the chapter where things pick up a little bit more.

I plan to update this once a week (we'll see how that goes). Kind of like a TV show. Tune in next week on Wednesday night for the next episode of BLACK! Haha that was fun to say. Anyways, thanks for the feedback on the last chapter, hopefully you guys enjoy this one too.

VOTE & COMMENT

______________________

You didn't stop running until you were past the city line and deep in the nearby forest. You leaned against a tree and tried to catch your breath. There were no walkers in sight, but that didn't mean they weren't around. Pain returned as your adrenaline died down. Your shoulder and head were aching and now your feet were killing you. You glanced at them to see a mix of blood and dirt. A small glass shard was stuck in the middle of your foot. It wasn't the only one either. You slowly began pull glass shards out but your vision quickly became blurry. Your headache was back full force and it felt like you were going to throw up.
You tried to get to your feet in hopes that the nausea and pain would pass, but it didn't help. You stumbled a few feet before collapsing in a pile of leaves and grass. Consciousness was slipping from your grasp and the fear of being eaten alive while you slept hit you moments before you passed out.

Your eyes snapped open as your heart pounded in your chest. A nightmare had filled your head, but now that you were awake in the morning time air you couldn't recall a single detail.
You glanced around to see the same quiet woods you had passed out in. Your headache was gone, but your feet and shoulder still burned. The sound of snapping twigs and crouching leaves made you glance around nervously. You pulled off your book bag and began to dig through it, hoping to find anything that could be used as a weapon.
Tangled between your extra clothes was a sort of hunting knife. When you pulled it out you stared at it in surprise. It had a worn wooden handle with a silver curved, serrated-edged blade. Along the blade were symbols carved into the metal.
"What is this?" You murmured as you held it in your hand. It felt familiar. The sounds were back and you got to your feet with the knife in one hand and your bag on your back.
You slowly crept forward as a cold sweat formed on the back of your neck. The cool morning breeze didn't help. You stopped when you spotted a single walker stumbling along the trees. It hadn't noticed you yet, and you didn't plan for it to. Without thinking you twisted the knife around so you were holding it by the blade and then threw it ahead of you.
The knife buried itself into the head of the walker, and as the walker began to fall an arrow clipped the top of its head before embedding itself into a tree behind it. You weren't sure whether to be shocked by the arrow or by the knife. You glanced at your hand as if it didn't even belong to you. Was it normal for an ER doctor in training to be able to throw knives like that?
You rushed forward toward the walker's still body. You hesitantly yanked the knife out of the head and paled at the sickening sound of it slipping out of its head.
"Drop it!" A new voice called out. You let the knife fall from your hands immediately and held them up in surrender. A man pushed his way through the brush to walk up to you.
His brown hair was short and messily brushed the top of his forehead and ears. He had a narrow jaw and light blue eyes that were glaring at your form. Slight stubble along his jawline, chin, and upper lip. He wore a sleeveless olive green button up over dark pants. Your eyes were more focused on the crossbow in his hands aimed at your head though.
"Who the hell are you?" He barked in a solid southern voice.
"I uh my name is uh", for the briefest moment your name slipped your mind. Maybe it was the thought of having an arrow shot at you that made your mind stumble.
"Well?!"
"Aimee." You blurted out, "I'm Aimee and I'd really appreciate it if you didn't shoot me."
He kept the crossbow trained on your form. You noticed the string of dead squirrels around his torso. "Did you throw that knife?!"
"Yeah, yeah I did! It was an accident, sorry!" You blurted again.
His eyes narrowed at you in a manner of disbelief. You couldn't tell if it was for saying you threw it by accident or for apologizing for killing a walker.
"You alone?" His voice was a little calmer, but still held a roughness that you didn't want to test.
"No, yeah- I mean right now I am, but I have a friend in the city. We were- we were attacked yesterday and everything went to hell. I ran and then blacked out, but he could still need my help, he might still be stuck in the city!" You cried.
"Your friend's dead." He lowered his weapon and then walked towards you. You lowered your hands and side stepped away as he pulled the arrow out of the tree and stuck it on the crossbow with the others. Then he turned and began to leave the area.
"What? Wait!" You grabbed the knife and ran after him. He ignored you and continued walking as you followed, "Can you help me? I can't go down there alone, but my friend-"
"Is dead, now get."
"Please you don't understand-"
He stopped and turned around. You jumped in surprise at his hostile glare, "I said get. You're scaring all the game away."
"You're a hunter? I'm a hunter!" You said. The words sounded true on your lips. You couldn't recall ever hunting a deer or rabbit, but the term hunter seemed to define you in some way. It was an identity that your mind hadn't let go, "I mean I think I am. Pretty sure."
"Are you stupid or somethin'?" He scoffed and continued walking. You kept following him.
"No, I just hit my head. It was a car accident and I can't remember anything except waking up in my car and meeting my friend. The guy that needs our help!"
"I ain't helpin' you so get lost." He sighed irritably. You rushed forward and stood in front of him. He stopped and glared at you. Right before he was about to push past you, you began to speak.
"He saved my life and I owe him mine. He's a good guy, a cop. This is his jacket! And I- I can't help him alone. My face is sore and something is wrong with my shoulder, plus I have no freaking shoes." You explained. His eyes darted down to your bare feet before reaching back up to your eyes, "Please. Just please help me."
He was silent a moment before letting out an annoyed sigh, "I'm headin' back to my camp. Maybe you can get one of those idiots to help you. That 'nough?"
"Yes. That's fine!" You beamed.
"Fine. Now keep your trap shut." He breezed by you and started walking through the woods. You followed him closely with the knife tucked into your back waistband, hidden by Rick's jacket which was too big for you.
"So", You spoke and you could see his shoulders tense in annoyance, "Can I get your name?"
He was silent for a minute or so before finally speaking, "Daryl."
You gave him a small smile even though he wasn't looking at you, "Well thanks Daryl. I appreciate it."
The two of you continued walking in silence. You noticed how quiet and measured his steps were so you did the same. Maybe it was because you had no shoes, but you were impressed with your own movements. Maybe you really had been a hunter, although shooting Bambi had no significance to you at the moment.
Every time Daryl paused to look at something or raise his bow you paused as well. He killed two more squirrels which you congratulated him on, he grunted in reply, and eventually found himself on the tracks of a deer. It had been the only time he spoke to you and all he said was, "Found that damn deer. Keep quiet."
While Daryl was focused on tracking this deer you slowly panicked inside. The longer it took for you to get back to the city, the less Rick had a chance of survival. An entire night had already passed, chances were not looking good. The two of you were far from close, but he had saved your life. Besides, it was nice to have a familiar face and you had gotten used to his. You couldn't hold in your thoughts any longer.
"Listen, Daryl, how far is this camp because I really need to get back to the city and help my friend."
"Shh."
You bit your lip as he raised his crossbow and glanced around before walking forward. He let an arrow fly and killed another squirrel. He fetched it, pulled the arrow out, and continued walking.
"Can you at least point me in the direction of your camp??" You threw your arms up. He spun on his heel.
"Listen, I don't even have to show you where the damn camp is. You think I'm just gonna let some injured loud mouth go runnin' 'round the forest? You'd get killed an' your blood'd be on my hands." He replied roughly.
You crossed your arms, "I killed that walker back there just fine."
"Then you nearly lost your mind when I showed up."
"You were pointing a crossbow at me!"
"Can't believe I let you follow me in the first place." Daryl muttered and shook his head.
"Can't believe I followed you!" You retorted. He glared at you.
"Why don't you keep your damn voice down, any louder and you'd be-"
Two shrill screams cut through the air. They sounded young. Your eyes widened in surprise, "Screaming?"
Daryl began to run through the woods ahead of you toward the screams. The screams had stopped and Daryl wasn't waiting up for you. You could see his figure in the distance, but couldn't keep up because every time your foot touched the ground pain shot through you like lightning.
You decided to just walk in a fast pace toward that general direction and hope that Daryl hadn't taken any sudden turns. Daryl disappeared from sight, but you felt close. You could hear his voice talking though you couldn't exactly hear what he was saying.
"-motherless, proxy, bastard!"
You rolled your eyes. That was definitely his voice. You pushed past the tall bushes and let out a small cry of pain she you welled on a sharp rock.
"Come on people, what the hell?" He yelled out again, "It's gotta be the brain. Don't y'all know nothing?"
You pushed out of the bush into a sunny clearing. In the center was a dead deer with its throat ripped out. The perpetrator was laying close beside it. A body without a head and a head with a hole where it's eye should've been. You tore your eyes away in disgust.
"Thanks for ditching me, asshole." You barked and glanced around to see multiple new faces.
"You got here didn' you?" He retorted but your eyes were focused on taking in the details of your surroundings. There were six guys forming a half circle around the area.
The closest to you was a tall, lanky man with a blue jumpsuit on. He wore a gray baseball cap and had a pitchfork in his hand.
Next was an older man wearing a white wife beater, tan pants, and a fishing hat. He had a short white beard and held a hatchet. The guy on the far end of the circle was Asian in descent with a red baseball cap over his black hair. He wore a dark blue shirt with a plaid button up over it and jeans with red tennis shoes. Beside him was a man of Mexican descent wearing a light blue button up.
The last unfamiliar face wore a police shirt with a matching dark brown police cap. He had on dark green cargo pants tucked into his boots and a gun held across his shoulder.
They all stared at you with curiosity except the last guy. It was the only face you recognized. Rick stood between the older man and the Asian with a look of disbelief. He wore a white shirt over a pair of light blue jeans.
"Rick!" You cried and ran forward. Without hesitation you wrapped your arms around him in a hug. It was brief before you pulled back, "I thought you were- I ran into the woods and blacked out! I wanted to go back and see if I could find you but a complete night had passed and I didn't- I couldn't-"
"Hey now, hey. Calm down. Everything's ok." He smiled and cupped your uninjured shoulder. "I can't believe you're here. I wanted to go back into the city to see if I could find you and I needed to..."
His voice trailed off as he glanced over his shoulder back at Daryl who was heading away from the clearing. He glanced back at you and then to the others.
"This is who I was talking about." He explained.
"Oh, the one with amnesia? I told you she'd be better off getting out of the city than we were." The Asian shrugged he offered you is hand, "My name is Glenn."
"I'm uh Aimee." You shook his hand.
The older man offered you his next, "Dale. We have another Amy here in camp. That might get confusing."
You paused and thought back to the photo, "Oh um then you guys can just call me Aj. I'm pretty sure I used to go by it."
Dale chuckled and motioned toward the lanky man first, "Sounds good. That is Jim over there and Morales by the bush."
"This is Shane." Rick motioned toward the guy with the gun, "He was my partner. My wife and son are here, Aimee."
You gave him a bright smile. It made you feel like you were alone again. Searching for answers by yourself, but you couldn't help but feel happy for him, "That's so great, Rick."
"Merle!" Daryl's voice rang out at the camp nearby. Rick and Shane gave each other a glance. Rick gave your shoulder one pat before turning on his heel and heading back to the camp with Shane at his side. The others followed behind him, but Glenn and Dale walked beside you.
"You don't have any shoes?" Glenn asked as you limped beside him.
"I lost a boot in the car accident, and I was wearing the only back up shoes I had when we got to Atlanta. Of course my back up shoes were flip flops so that didn't exactly end well." You gave a sheepish smile.
"We'll find you some shoes to wear. Get your injuries bandaged up too. Rick said you were an ER doctor?" Dale questioned.
You shrugged, "Maybe. I'm pretty sure I was at least in school to become one."
The group had reached the camp. There was an RV at the top of the hill with a few others cars around it, including a jeep and a fancy red car stripped down for parts.
Standing in front of the RV was a group of women. Two blonde, and one dark haired.
"Merle! Get your ugly ass out here! I got us some squirrel", Daryl set down his crossbow but kept the line of squirrels around his shoulder, "Let's stew 'em up."
Shane began to walk towards Daryl as everyone watched with looks of dread on their faces. Yours was a mask of confusion, "Daryl, just slow up a bit. I need to talk to you."
Glenn lightly took your elbow and pulled you back further away from Daryl, Rick, and Shane. You gave him a look of question, but his eyes were focused on Daryl.
Daryl turned to face Shane, "About what?"
"About Merle. There was a- there was a problem in Atlanta."
Dale leaned over toward you, "Merle was Daryl's older brother."
Your face paled as you expected the worst. The pain of losing family was terrible; you couldn't imagine how he'd take it.
Daryl glanced around the group, "He dead?"
"We're not sure."
Your eyebrows furrowed in more confusion as Daryl yelled out, "He either is or he ain't!"
Rick stepped up this time as Shane took a step back. Daryl was pacing the area, but came to a stop when Rick began to speak, "There's no easy way to say it so I'll just say it."
"Who are you?"
"Rick Grimes."
"Rick Grimes", Daryl's voice took an edge of defensiveness, " You got somethin' you want to tell me?"
Rick took a deep breath, "Your brother was a danger to us all, so I handcuffed him on a roof. Hooked him to a piece of metal."
It was quiet as Daryl took this in. An African American man walked up from the forest carrying an armful of cut wood. He froze and the small smile slipped off his face at the sight of Daryl. A look of guilt grew.
"Hold on. Let me process this." Daryl scoffed, "You're sayin' you handcuffed my brother to a roof, and you left him there?!"
You couldn't imagine Rick leaving a man there on a roof stranded with walkers. It didn't sit right with you. There had to be a definite reason, the guy must have really been a danger. Rick didn't say anything for a brief second, "Yeah."
Daryl stared him down before ripping the squirrels off his back and throwing all of them at Rick. Rick ducked under the line of dead squirrels just as Daryl charged forward. Before he could get far Shane jumped in and tackled Daryl to the ground.
"Hey!" The guy who was carrying the wood yelled. Daryl pulled a hunting knife out and rolled back to his feet, "Watch the knife!"
Daryl took a few swings at Rick with the knife, but Rick expertly dodged them. He then moved forward grabbing Daryl's arm. While Rick pulled the knife out of Daryl's hand Shane came up behind him and put him in a headlock.
"You best let me go!" Daryl yelled as he struggled against the headlock.
"Nah, I think it's better if I don't." Shane replied cooly.
Daryl grunted and cried out again, "Choke hold's illegal!"
"You can file a complaint." Shane retorted as Daryl continued to struggle, "Come on man, I can keep this up all day."
Rick walked up to Daryl as Shane forced him to the ground. He knelt down, "I'd like to have a calm discussion on this topic. Do you think we can manage that?"
Daryl didn't reply and kept his heated glare at the ground as he tried to shake Shane off one last time.
"Do you think we can manage that?" Rick asked again. Daryl stopped struggling but his glare didn't lessen. Shane let go of Daryl and stood back up, leaving him leaning on his slows and back. Daryl slowly sat up but remained seated. Rick began to speak again, "What I did was not on a whim, your brother does not work and play well with others."
"It's not Rick's fault." The same guy who had the wood spoke up.
"That's T-Dog." Glenn said simply to you . You kept your gaze on T-Dog who wore his guilt plain on his face.
"I had the key." T-Dog sighed, "I dropped it."
"You couldn't pick it up?" Daryl yelled from the ground. His heated glare moved toward T-Dog's figure.
"Well, I dropped it in a drain." He finished. Daryl scoffed and glared at the ground beneath his legs.
Daryl slowly moved to all fours and then pushed himself off the ground. He rocked on his heels before storming past T-Dog. As he passed he threw the excess dirt in his hand at T-Dog's feet, "If it's supposed to make me feel better, it don't."
"Maybe this will", T-Dog spoke up. Daryl paused in his step as turned to face him, "Look, I chained the door to the roof so the geeks couldn't get at him. With a padlock."
"It's gotta count for something." Rick added.
Daryl glanced back at him before turning away and wiping his face with the back of his hand. He threw his arm out, "Hell with all y'all! Just tell me where he is so's I can go get him."
The dark haired women spoke up for the first time and all eyes turned to her, "He'll show you. Isn't that right?"
She had her eyes locked onto Rick who stared right back. If you had to make a guess, you'd say she was his wife. The one he was searching for, but it was strange to already see such tension between them. Didn't he just pretty much come back from the dead? You shifted your weight trying to keep pressure off your feet. You've only been here for around ten minutes and the drama was already suffocating.
Rick glanced around. His eyes caught sight of yours for a brief moment before he faced Daryl again, "I'm going back. I had already planned on it for..."
His wife turned and entered the RV without another word. Daryl stormed by him without another word. You watched as Shane lightly shook his head at Rick.
Rick turned and took a few steps toward you, "Listen I have to- you need to get your wounds cleaned, and stay off your feet."
"I got her." Glenn nodded. Rick clapped his shoulder before leaving the area.
"I have a first aid kit in the RV." Dale said. The two of you followed him toward the large white vehicle. You paused outside never the two blondes.
"Hey, I'm Amy and this is my sister Andrea." The first blonde introduced. Her straight hair was fell around her shoulders. She wore a white shirt with covered in stars. Her sister had wavy hair tied back in a messy bun and wore a white T-shirt with a blue button up over it. Andrea gave you a small wave.
"I'm Aimee too, but you can call me Aj." You nodded. Glenn motioned for you to enter the RV. Two kids were sitting at a table with Rick's wife.
"I'm gonna find you some shoes." Glenn brushed his hand against your back before leaving the RV. Dale was digging around the front looking for the first aid kit.
"Hi, sorry about what just happened." She spoke up, "I'm Lori and this is my son, Carl. That's Carol's daughter Sophia."
The two kids waved at you. The little girl wore purple shirt and had a cheerful face. Carl had short brown hair and blue eyes.
"Nice to meet you, I'm uh Aj. You're Rick's wife and son, right?"
Lori nodded, "Yes, and you're the girl he saved off the side of the road?"
The way she said girl made it sound like she saw you as a child. You straightened your back and nodded, "Yeah I am."
"Found it!" Dale came back with a medium sized box.
"Is there somewhere I can wash up? I can do this bandage thing myself."
"Are you sure? I can help with your wounds." Dale offered. You gave him a smile as took the box from him.
"It's fine."
"Alright well let me show you to the lake at least." He left the RV and you went I follow. Lori stopped you at last minute though.
"Can I have my husband's jacket?"
You paused not knowing what to say, mainly because it took you by surprise. The look in her eye immediately told you she was dead serious.
"Sure. Of course." You slipped off your bag and then handed her the jacket, "Sorry about any blood stains."
She nodded and folded the jacket in her lap. You turned and stood next to Dale who was waiting for you talking to Andrea and her sister.
"Wow, your shoulder looks bad." He commentated. You glanced at your left shoulder to see a large blood stain cover the top of your shirt and your back. You couldn't see the gash but you could feel it. That was probably why you passed out yesterday. Blood loss.
"We'll take her Dale, don't worry." Amy chirped. He nodded as the sisters began to lead you down the hill, through the camp.
"I told Glenn to grab my boots from in front of my tent for you. I don't wear them anymore." Amy smiled. "Oh there he is. Glenn!"
Glenn stopped and changed direction to meet up with the three of you. He handed the boots to you, "There you go."
"Thanks." You replied and took them in your empty hand. They were low cut ankle boots, dark brown in color. There was a small heel, and they seemed more designed for fashion than survival.
Glenn nodded and headed back up the hill. Andrea glanced at you, "So you and Rick met up on the side of the road?"
"I was in a crash", You nodded, "He pulled me out of the debris and kind of explained what was going on. I couldn't remember anything, still can't really."
"That must be awful." Amy frowned, "Not to remember anything."
You shrugged, "I remember a few things here and there."
"What about family?" Andrea asked.
You shook your head, "Nothing. Rick thought maybe I was heading to Atlanta to find them. Just like he was heading there to find Lori and Carl. He's had pretty good luck, so maybe I will too."
Andrea chuckled, "Yeah, we saw Lori take that jacket from you."
"She's a little defensive of her man huh?" Amy joked to her sister.
"Which is pretty ironic if you ask me." Andrea scoffed.
You, however, were thoroughly confused. You glanced at each of them before deciding not to pry. As the three of you walked down the hill you met some more people. You met Carol, a frail looking women with super short dark gray hair. She was the mother of Sophia who you saw earlier. Her husband was sitting in the tent alone, and Andrea and Amy didn't take the time to introduce him. Then you met Jacqui, an African American women with pretty short hair. You also met the rest of Morales's family. His wife and two kids, a girl and a boy.
"And there's the lake." Amy threw her hands forward. It was gorgeous. A large clear water area with rocky shores and high canyons surrounding it.
"Wow." You murmured.
Andrea nodded, "I'll help you patch your shoulder. Amy, why don't you go get her something to eat."
Amy nodded and left while you shook your head, "You don't have too."
"There is no way you'll reach that gash on your shoulder alone." Andrea argued, "Now go ahead and wash up. Call me when you're done."
You dropped your belongings on the shore by where she sat down and then walked a little down toward where a large group of rocks were half in and half out of the water. You stripped of everything except your undergarments and waded into the lake.
The cool water felt heavenly. You ducked your head under and stayed there a moment in the calm and peacefulness. After you resurfaced you began to scrub away the crusted blood and dirt.
Your feet weren't as bad as you thought. They were still sore, but they were more bruised than cut up.
After you felt you had cleaned up as much as you could, you grabbed your dirty clothes and walked out toward where Andrea was. She still sat there, but now she had a towel and some food.
"Amy grabbed you one of our towels too." She handed it over to you. You wrapped it around your body and began to dry off quickly. "Here, eat while I wrap up your shoulder."
You nodded and sat down. The towel was dropped from your shoulders but still around your lower half. You grabbed the can of green beans and began to scarf them down. You didn't realize you were this hungry until now. Andrea opened the first aid kit and glanced at your wound. You could feel her fingers brush against your skin.
"Ow." You jumped as her finger touched a sensitive area.
"Sorry." She sighed, "This is uh this is an old wound."
"What?"
"It looks like you got stabbed. With a knife. You ripped all the stitches open though."
"That's...", You began but didn't know how to finish. You had been stabbed before the accident? You took a deep breath, "Is it healed at all? Can you describe it to me?"
"It's about three inches long, but I can't tell how deep."
"Just um pour some alcohol on it and bandage it over." You replied and continued to eat. She grabbed a few alcohol swipes and wiped the area. You held back a hiss of pain as she began to place a bandage over it.
"You're an ER doctor or something right?"
"I was in school to be one."
She finished and stood up, "You have a tattoo you know."
"I do?" You spun your head around trying to take a look at it. You could see the tip of black ink on your right shoulder, but not enough to see it all.
"Yeah, it's an outline of a black sun, with a black star in the middle." Andrea replied, "Anyways, I'm gonna head back up. Find me if you need anything."
She left the area so you were alone. You finished up the can of green beans and began to bandage the cuts on your foot. You slipped on a pair of fresh jeans in your bag, and then put on socks and your new boots. You dug through your bag looking for a shirt but stopped when you found a mirror.
A smile came to your lips as you used it to bandage the wound above your eye. Your fingers worked professionally and quick. There was nothing you could do about the bruising around your left eye or your busted lip. You put the mirror away and continued searching for a shirt. The only shirt you had was a white T-shirt that obviously didn't belong to you. It was too big for you and on the tag were someone's initials, 'DW'.
"Hey."
You pulled the shirt on and turned around. Shane was at the forest line staring at you in question. You tucked your belongings into your bag and slung it over your shoulder, and then grabbed Dale's first aid kit and the empty can.
"Hiya. Shane, right?"
He motioned for you to follow him. You did so curiously. As the two of you walked he spoke.
"I'm taking care of this group, and I don't let in strangers lightly. You kind of snuck in while we fought with Daryl, and I know Rick seems to trust you, but I'm not so sure."
"I understand." You nodded, "Gotta look out for your group."
He glanced at you, "You look really familiar. Ever been to King's County?"
"Not that I recall, but then again I don't recall much." You replied simply. Shane gave you a look of annoyance, "Sorry. I don't know, honestly. I think I might've been coming from Texas, but maybe I stopped by that place and you caught sight of me or something."
Shane shook his head, "I'm gonna drop this for now because I have bigger fish to fry, but if you do anything to hurt anybody here-"
"Shoot me." You shrugged, "I give you permission to shoot me yourself if I put anyone in harm's way."
The two of you were at the top of the hill again by the RV. He turned and walked away leaving you standing there. You watched as Shane walked over to where Rick was buttoning up his police shirt. They argued quietly.
You took a seat beside the fire pit where Daryl was messing with his gear and Carol was ironing. Amy and Andrea were hanging clothes on a line. Lori and Carl were even there. The argument got louder quickly.
"I don't know that, man. So look could just- could you just throw me a bone here?" Shane cried as Rick walked past you toward the RV. He turned to face Shane who stood by your feet. "Why would you go out and risk your life for a douchebag like Merle Dixon?"
Daryl stood up, "Hey! Choose your words more carefully."
"No, I did. Douchebag's what I meant." Shane rounded off at him bitterly. "Merle Dixon. The guy wouldn't give you a glass of water if you were dying of thirst."
Rick shrugged, "What he would or wouldn't do doesn't interest me. I can't let a man die of thirst--me. Thirst and exposure. We left him like an animal caught in a trap. That's no way for anything to die, let alone a human being."
Shane clenched his jaw as Rick turned on his heel. You smiled to yourself at his words. Your judgment on character seemed pretty spot on so far.
"So you and Daryl? That's your big plan?" Lori scoffed. She sat a few seats down from you beside her son and closer to Amy.
Rick turned around to face Glenn who was leaning against the red car. Glenn sighed and turned his head, "Oh, come on."
"You know the way. You've been there before. In and out, no problem. You said so yourself." Rick noted. Glenn took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair before slipping it back on. "It's not fair of me to ask-- I now that. But I'd feel a lot better with you along. I know Lori would too."
"That's just great. Now you're gonna risk three men." Shane scoffed from the side.
You bit your lip in thought. You wanted to go. Mainly to see if there were any clues left in that dead city that would lead you to answers. That, and a part of you wanted to find a car and drive away. This group seemed great, and everyone seemed nice, but now that Rick found his family his mind would be more set on survival than looking for yours.
"Four." Your head snapped around to see T-Dog nodding.
Daryl rolled his eyes as he cleaned his arrows, "My day just gets better and better, don't it?"
"You see anybody else here stepping up to save your brother's cracker ass?" T-Dog asked him.
"Why you?" Daryl didn't look at him.
"You wouldn't even begin to understand." T-Dog shook his head, "You don't speak my language."
"That's four." Dale spoke up as Rick put his hands on his waist.
You stood and raised your hand, "Five?"
All eyes were on you. Shane looked weary of your actions while Rick just shook his head, "No you're still injured. You need to stay here and rest."
"I'm fine. I don't need my shoulder to run from walkers, and my feet aren't actually as bad as I thought. I can defend myself, ask Daryl. I can, apparently, throw knives." You crossed your arms. The knife was in your bag beneath your dirty clothes.
"It's too dangerous." Rick replied, "There's four of us."
You sighed and turned towards Daryl resorting to a new tactic, "Daryl wants me to go."
"Why the hell would I want that?" He scoffed, "I got 'nuff of you in the woods."
"Because I'm a doctor." You replied with confidence.
"You're a doctor?"
You nodded, "Your brother has been up there since yesterday afternoon. It's hot and he could be dehydrated. In fact he probably is. Plus no doubt he's been pulling on that handcuff around his wrist. Bet he's injured, in fact he might need stitches if it's bad enough. Wouldn't you want a trained medic professional there immediately?"
Daryl seemed to consider this while Rick lightly glared at you. He nodded, "The doc's comin' with. What was your name?"
"Aj." You replied, skipping over the Aimee part completely. Aj sounded more familiar to you than Aimee, but still there was no recognition.
"Fine. Five." Rick turned back toward Shane.
"It's not just five", Shane scoffed, "You're putting every single one of us at risk. Just know that, Rick. Come on, you saw that walker! It was here, it was in camp! We need every able body here. We need them to protect camp."
Rick's lips twitched up slightly. You could tell he had an ace up his sleeve, "Seems to me like what you really need is more guns."
Glenn, who was standing still with his hands in his back pocket, chuckled in realization, "Right. The guns."
"Wait, what guns?" Shane asked.
"Six shotguns, two high-powered rifles, over a dozen handguns. I cleaned out the cage back at the station before I left." Rick replied, "I dropped the bag in Atlanta when Aimee and I got swarmed. It's just sitting there on the street, waiting to be picked up."
"Ammo?"
"700 rounds. Assorted."
Shane took a step back as he actually began I consider it. It was a lot of guns. Even you hadn't realized Rick had been hanging onto that many. Lori's voice cut through your thoughts.
"You went through hell to find us. You even risked your life for a girl you found on the street." She motioned toward you. The way she said girl again made you clench your jaw in annoyance, "You just got here and you're gonna turn around and leave?"
"Dad, I don't want you to go." Carl spoke up from beside his mother. It was the first time you really heard him speak. You could see the pain on Rick's face at his son's words. He let out a breath and glanced around.
"To hell with the guns. Shane is right. Merle Dixon", She emphasized his name with distaste, "He's not worth one of your lives, even with guns thrown in."
Rick walked toward her and Lori rose from her seat with pleading words, "Tell me. Make me understand."
Rick stopped in front of her, "I owe a debt to a man I met and his little boy."
You could see Lori growing angrier. You scooted down away from the two them closer toward Shane. He glanced at you then took a seat against the front of the jeep near you before returning his gaze to the fighting couple.
"Lori, if they hadn't taken me in, I'd have died. It's because of them I made it back to you at all. They said they'd follow me to Atlanta. They'll walk into the same trap I did if I don't warn him."
"What's stopping you?"
"The walkie-talkie, the one in the bag I dropped." Rick licked his lower lip, "He's got the other one. Our plan was to connect when they got closer."
"These are our walkies?" Shane asked while rubbing the stubble along his chin with one hand.
Rick nodded, "Yeah."
Andrea spoke up this time. You glanced over at her to see she had pulled her wavy hair out of the bun, "So use the C.B.. What's wrong with that?"
Shane rolled his shoulders, "The C.B.'s fine. It's the walkies that suck to crap. Date back to the '70s, don't match any other bandwidth-- not even the scanners in our cars."
You glanced over at Lori and Rick to see they had been staring at each other this whole time. Rick sighed, "I need that bag."
Lori shrugged and stepped aside. Rick passed her and crouched down in front of his son. He spoke to his son softly, asking if Carl was alright with it. The small boy nodded his head with a sad smile. Rick ran a hand through Carl's hair.
The group began to slowly go back to what they were doing before. Glenn grabbed the keys to a medium sized moving truck with the plan of backing it in for ease. You pulled the knife out of your bag and stuck it in your boot. The handle stuck out enough so you could grab it and the shoe was tight enough that the knife wouldn't fall out.
You pulled the bag onto your back when Carol tapped your shoulder, "If you want you can leave your belongings here. We'll watch them for you."
It was a kind offer, but you really didn't plan on coming back. You shook your head with a smile, "Thanks but it's fine. It's all I have, and I like to keep it with me."
"I understand." Carol smiled then grabbed some clothes and headed back towards the tent. You walked forward and hopped into the back of the open moving truck where Daryl already stood. You caught the end of a conversation between Dale, Rick, T-Dog, and Jim.
"Consider the bolt cutters as an investment." Rick said.
Dale sighed and headed toward the toolbox nearby, "Sounds more like a gamble."
He dug through the box and pulled out a large pair of bolt cutters. You assumed it was to get through the door T-Dog chained and the handcuffs. T-Dog opened his hand to take it but Dale walked by him to Rick.
"What do I get in return?"
"What do you want?"
"How about one of the guns you bring back. My pick."
"Done." Rick nodded.
They continued to talk when Jim asked to sweeten the deal, but you zoned out. You turned and gave Daryl a smile.
"Think he'll let me have a gun?" You joked.
Daryl ignored you and stomped over to the front of the van where he leaned his foot over Glenn's shoulder and pushed on the horn multiple times before coming back, "Come on! Let's go!"
The two of them grabbed the bolt cutters and walked back. Shane stopped Rick with a black bag in his hand, "You got any more rounds in the python?"
"No." Rick sighed.
"Last time we were in the gun range, I'm sure I wound up with a few loose rounds of yours." Shane began to dig through the bag as you took a seat against the wall of the van.
"You and that bag- like the bottom of an old lady's purse." Rick chuckled.
"I hate that you're doing this man, but if you're gonna go you're gonna take bullets."
Shane handed him four bullets and wished Rick luck before glancing over at you. Rick hopped into the back and sat beside you. You watched as Shane raised his eyebrow at you. You knew he was reminding you of the talk earlier.
T-Dog sat in the front beside Glenn who drove while Daryl sat across from you and Rick beside you. Daryl shut the back door of van as Glenn began to drive. You watched Rick pull out his gun and place the four bullets in with steady hands.
"So what's the real reason why you're coming?" Rick asked quietly so it was known that the conversation was meant between you and him.
"Are you questioning my actions of helping nurse a stranger back to health?"
Rick didn't drop his gaze. You sighed, "Well mostly I want to see if there are any clues of who I am there. Maybe if my family was down there they left me something to let me know where they were going. I don't know..."
"Mostly? As in there's more?"
You glanced at Daryl to see him toying with his crossbow. T-Dog and Glenn were in their own conversation up front. You leaned closer to Rick, "I'm gonna leave, Rick. I came to find a car that I can drive out with."
He seemed taken aback, "What? Why?"
"You found your family. Now, I need to find mine. I can't do that here, I can't find out anything about myself here."
"Your memories could come back at any time. Like they did with your friend Marie. It's safer with a group."
"I know, but your main goal now is to keep Lori and Carl safe. To survive. You might forget about me and my-"
"I won't. I'm still on your side. I'll help you figure all this out." Rick said firmly with a glint of determination in his eyes. "Please stay. Don't leave."
"Why do you care so much, Rick? I'm not asking to sound rude or anything. I'm genuinely curious."
Rick shrugged and leaned his head against the truck wall, "When I took you under my wing on that highway, that made you my responsibility. I told you to trust me, and that I'd help you. I'm just following through."
You nodded, "Thank you."
It was quiet between the two of you for a moment before he spoke up again, "You get tired of that jacket?"
"Oh", You chuckled, "Lori wanted it, so I handed it off to her."
He nodded and continued, "And now you can throw knives?"
"Hey, I'm pretty good." You beamed. You heard Daryl's scoff, but ignored it.
The rest of the ride was smooth as Glenn pulled the truck to the outskirts of Atlanta. He parked the car on the abandoned railroad tracks.
"He better be ok. It's my only word on the matter." Daryl barked as he stood. Everyone began to pile out of the truck.
T-Dog shut his door, "I told you the geeks can't get at him. Only thing that's gonna get through that door is us."
"Merle first or guns?" Rick asked as the group began to walk down the tracks toward the city.
"Merle!" Daryl yelled, "We ain't even havin' this conversation!"
"We are." Rick said empathically before letting you crawl through a hole in the fence after Glenn then following behind you. His next statement was directed at the Asian, "You know the geography, it's your call."
"Merle's closest. The guns would mean doubling back. Merle first." Glenn answered with a nod.
The five of you quietly made your way into the city. You kept your eyes open for anything that might seem familiar, but you knew the chances were slim. The thought of it was exciting, but the feeling of coming up empty handed would most likely be your fate.
Glenn lead the group with Rick only a few steps behind him. Rick made sure you stayed on his heel while T-Dog and Daryl covered the back. You noticed they had formed pretty much a circle around you, but you didn't complain. It was flattering if anything, but if trouble truly did show it's ugly, rotting face you wouldn't let them risk their lives for you. It wasn't right.
Glenn led the group into a tall building through a back alley door. The first floor was a sort of department store with clothing racks and a glass jewelry desk. You glanced at the eerie mannequins and tried to focus on what was happening.
A moan could be heard from up ahead making your blood run cold. Rick motioned with his hands toward a line walked pacing the back women's clothing section. Daryl snuck past you silently with his crossbow in hand.
It used to be female. Its face was leathery and void of color. Black stringy hair fell around its face, and its jaw was broken so it hung open. There were holes in its clothes and on its body. The walker noticed Daryl and turned. It took a few staggered steps toward him.
"Damn, you are one ugly skank." Daryl noted before raising his bow and firing a single arrow into its skull.
The arrow went through its eye and out the back. It fell back with a thud, and everything was quiet again. Daryl walked forward and pulled the arrow out before the group continued to move forward. All five of you raced up the stars to get to the top floor.
Once you were there you could see the door that T-Dog had chained. It looked like no one had even tried to mess with it. T-Dog leaned over you and used the bolt cutter to break the chain. Daryl, who was beside you, lifted his leg and kicked the door open.
It swung out with a loud crash as Daryl rushed onto the roof, "Merle! Merle!"
You swung your bag around ready to grab the first aid kit just in case. As you unzipped your bag you heard Daryl let out a God-awful scream.
"No! No!"
Everyone felt the blow at the sight of a missing Merle. You pushed past Rick to see a single hand lying beside a bloody saw under a pair of swinging hand cuffs. Your face paled.
Daryl fell to his knees as he yelled in anguish, "No! No! No!"
The pain in his voice felt like a stab to your heart. To hear that amount of agony was terrible. You glanced back to see a look of regret on Rick's face and guilt eating away at T-Dog. Even Glenn seemed discouraged.
T-Dog had been right. The geeks couldn't get to Daryl's older brother, but that didn't stop him from hurting himself.

_____________zoom result________

STUCK WAITING

An empty street.
Broken windows, dead bodies, and trash floating on the wind.
There was a warm breeze that carried the scent of decaying bodies through the small town. Main Street was a war zone with gutted out buildings and abandoned cars. The population of walking dead was higher than that of humans still alive.
68 walkers and 2 humans.
A man with shaggy light brown hair stood in the shadows of what used to be a pharmacy. He was tall, around 6'4, and built like a quarterback with broad shoulders, toned abs, and a lean waist. His eyes were a light green with accents of amber and brown. They gazed across the empty street and focused on the two geeks aimlessly walking around. He wore a tan jacket over a blue plaid shirt and jeans. In his hands was a shotgun and on his belt was a machete.
What was he before the apocalypse? That was a hard question because he wouldn't know which apocalypse was being asked about. As a child he grew up with his older brother, who he saw as a hero, and a mostly absent father. Traveling around the country and finding out that there truly was a monster under his bed.
He gave it up and went to college. He would've been a lawyer, a very good one at that, but the thing about darkness and monsters is that they'll always pull you back.
So what would be the true answer to this question? A man who continually loses all the things in life that he cares about. A scarred soul.
"She should be here by now, Sam." The man's brother stormed in through the back door. This man was shorter than his younger brother, but still fairly tall at 6'0 even. His hair was the same shade but short and naturally styled up in messy spikes near the front. A square face with green hazel eyes and lips at a downcast frown. He wore a gray-blue jacket over a white shirt and jeans. He held a hunting knife in his hand, but there was a handgun tucked away in reach.
Now him? He is much simpler, yet at the same time vastly more complicated. His entire life he was a soldier. Always obeying the orders of his father and fighting against forces most people didn't know about. He protected the same people that would just as quickly arrest him and throw him away for life. He was a hero, a criminal, an older brother, and a friend. Though most of the friends he cared about died. He was a war hero that never got the rest he deserved.
"She'll be here, Dean." The taller replied and glanced out the window again.
Dean grabbed his duffel bag and began to dig through it. He pulled out his phone only to glare at it angrily before throwing it aside. It wasn't worth much these days.
"We never should have let her go to Texas alone." Dean sighed and pushed his bag away from him. He walked over quietly to stand by his brother.
"It was her friend's funeral." Sam sighed, "She wanted to go alone."
"But we should've known better."
They watched the walkers with pained expressions. A third one limped toward the group. Its ankle was twisted at an odd angle and it was missing both its lower forearms.
"This is our fault isn't it?" Sam asked.
Dean shook his head, "No. You know it wasn't. We tried everything we could to stop this."
"Not enough though. The world is dead. Even if we do figure out a way to reverse it, it won't change the fact that half the population is gone."
"This isn't our fault, Sammy. Not this time." Dean spoke a little louder, "We tried to get that tablet back."
The walkers heard the sound and their heads snapped in the direction of the pharmacy. The two brothers leaned back on their heels but their muscles tensed in anticipation.
"We should go. Go out and find her. Like you said, the world's not gonna magically reverse to normal so she is our number one priority." Dean glanced from Sam to the walkers who were drawing closer, "We know what road she'd be coming up on."
"Yeah." Sam nodded.
The two of them turned and left out the back door. Behind the building was an old '67 impala. It was sleek and black, but didn't have the shine it used to. As much as Dean loved his car, he couldn't bring himself to risk his or his brother's life trying to find the right tools to put her back in flawless condition.
It was hard enough to find enough gas for her.
Dean slid into the driver's seat, tossing his bag in the back, while Sam sat in the passenger seat. The car roared to life and the wheels spun against the worn asphalt as the Winchester brothers sped out of town looking for their friend.