Born 2 Be Wild-A Merle Dixon love story

Chapter 30

  Two days after we left the CDC we decided to try for Fort Benning. Daryl left his truck in Atlanta so we're on Merle's motorcycle now. It's a little scarier to be out in the open, but it uses less gas. We also left two other vehicles behind. Since there's less of us now it wouldn't matter. Jacqui decided to stay behind at the CDC. I respect her decision but I wish she wouldn't have. I really liked her.

We were well on our way to Fort Benning when we came to a major roadblock. Cars were abandoned everywhere. Daryl and I could have made it through easily, but everyone else couldn't. It'll be a while before we can get out of here, if we don't just turn this party around. We were working on weaving through the parked cars when the radiator hose on Dale's RV blew.

Everyone got out of our vehicles and went to the RV. Daryl and I got there as Dale was speaking.

"Just a small manner of being stuck in the middle of nowhere with no hope of... okay, that was dumb."

"If you can't find a radiator hose here..." Shane told him.

"There's a bunch of stuff we can find." Daryl said, looking through the back of a car.

"I can siphon more gas from these cars." T-Dog offered.

"Maybe some water." Carol said.

"Or food." Glenn added.

"This is a graveyard." Lori spoke somberly. "I don't know how I feel about this."

Everyone of course ignored her and walked off to check out cars. Sometimes you've got to do what you gotta do. These people won't need this stuff anymore. It would be ridiculous to die out here because you don't want to look through a deceased person's car.

I picked a random car and started looking through it. I found a half eaten bag of chips, but that was it. I was headed to another car when I saw a walker. I crouched down behind the car and watched it's feet pass. One walker isn't bad for a place like this.

I stood up and was about to head on when I saw the rest of them. What looked like a group of over 20 was headed right for us. I dropped back down and crawled under the car, trying to be as quiet as possible.

Flat on my stomach I tried to count the pairs of feet as they clumsily walked past. I lost count around 37 and gave up. Tons more came through. It was like a fucking zombie parade.

Just a minute under the car felt like an eternity. I looked around me underneath the other vehicles and saw Lori, Carol, Carl, Sophia, and Rick also underneath cars. Daryl was nowhere to be seen.

After an eternity feet stopped shuffling past. But I stayed put until I heard screaming. It sounded like Sophia. I crawled out from under the car and looked around. Sophia took off to the woods with two walkers right behind her. Rick tore out, running after Sophia and the walkers.

I walked around looking for Daryl and finally found him with T-Dog. T-Dog's shirt was covered in blood and he was holding his arm. He moved his hand so that I could see and it started gushing blood. There was a deep gash in his arm, thankfully he hadn't been bitten. I helped him to the RV to sit down while Daryl joined the other's.

"Your boy saved my life back there." He told me.

"My boy?" I asked.

"Daryl."

"Oh, yeah. He's saved my ass a few times. How did you manage to do that to your arm?"

"I cut it on a car door somehow."

I nodded and stepped over him into the RV to get some towels. I folded one over and held it on his arm tightly.

"The towel will help but you still need to apply pressure. I know it hurts like a son of a bitch but that's the only way the bleeding will slow."

I took his arm and held it above his head.

"How do you know all this?"

"Well I'm not a doctor or anything but Merle would come in with all kinds of wounds after he'd been out drinking or getting high."

Daryl came running towards us.

"Rick came back but Sophia didn't. He wants me to go out there with him and track her. He ok?"

"Yeah, for now I think. Do you need me?"

"No. Shane and Glenn are coming too so you need to stay here."

"Alright. Be careful, okay?"

"Yes ma'am." He said, snickering.

I watched him walk off towards the others.

"So when did you two decide to get together?" T-Dog asked.

"Huh?" I asked, confused.

"You aren't with Daryl?"

"No. Why would you think that?"

"You two just fit together I guess. Hell I don't know."

I laughed and nodded my head.

"You are definitely not the first person to ask me that though."

"I can see why."

"That's all I've ever heard. 'Are you and Daryl dating?' Even though I was with Merle for 20 years and Daryl had a steady girlfriend. Every time I went somwhere with Daryl I'd get asked that by people that knew us. I guess they couldn't figure out why I was with Merle to begin with."

"That's a question I've asked myself."

"My own mother held her hopes up til the day she died that I'd leave Merle for Daryl. Like my only options in the world are between two brothers."

"Well I'm not saying that. It's just Merle was mean as hell."

"He wasn't to me. When Merle and I were behind closed doors he was a different person. Sober anyway. Crystal made him an asshole. He did things he normally wouldn't. The Merle Dixon that ya'll had to deal with isn't the same one I met all those years ago."

"I'm sorry I dropped the key."

"You don't have to apologize. I know you didn't mean to. I'm sorry you two got in a fight on the roof and for how he acted. I'm sure he said some awful things." I sighed. "After a while he started to be an asshole off the drugs. Nothing awful, he never hit me or anything. He was no Ed. But it was like he was mad at the world."

Before T-Dog could respond I heard Shane's voice.

"You feel like you can walk?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Let's go see what he wants."

Shane told us that Rick and Daryl are on Sophia's trail. In the meantime we need to try to clear the way and look through cars. So that's what we did. It was boring work but it kept our minds off of things. Which I'm sure is excatly what they wanted. I scavenged what I could from cars but there wasn't a whole lot out there. I wish we needed more cars. There's a beautiful Mustang just sitting here waiting on someone to take it.

I heard Carl yell and ran to see what happened. He was laying on the pavement with a bundle in his arms, looking up at a dead guy hanging out of a truck.

"You okay kid?"

"Yeah. Look what I found!"

"I see that. Go give it to Shane." I said, helping him up. "Next time you need help with something just holler."

"Alright." He said and headed off to find Shane.

When I couldn't handle searching one more car I decided to check on Carol. She stood on the side of the interstate, just watching the woods.

"They're gonna find her Carol. Daryl's the best tracker I've ever met."

"I hope they find her soon."

"They will. Just give them some time." I squeezed her shoulder reassuringly and searched through more cars.

When the sun was starting to set we gathered up all the supplies we'd found. So far all I'd gotten were some canned goods and a pistol. The pistol only had one round in it but I stuck it in my back pocket anyway. I walked up at an inoppurtune time, like always. Dale and Andrea were arguing about her gun.

"That's what the rest of ya'll need is proper training. But until that time I think it's best if Dale keeps them all accounted for." Shane was telling Andrea.

"Guns? I found a pistol but it just has one round." I said, handing it to Dale. "Maybe we'll find ammo for it someplace else. If you want Andrea, I can teach you to shoot one day."

"Because you're a trained professional?" She said snarkily.

"Well I've been shooting since I was oh, I don't know 10. So I'd say after 28 years, yeah." I replied smiling at her.

She scoffed, rolled her eyes, and walked away.

"Mind telling me what that's about?" Shane asked Dale after she'd gotten out of hearing distance.

Before Dale could answer Glenn spoke.

"Oh God. They're back."

I turned around to see Rick and Daryl coming out of the woods. Without Sophia.

"You didn't find her?" Carol asked, in tears.

"Her trail went cold. We'll pick it up again at first light." Rick answered.

"You can't leave my daughter out there on her own to spend the night alone in the woods." Carol told him.

"Out in the dark's no good. We'd just be tripping over ourselves. More people'd get lost." Daryl said.

"But she's 12. She can't be out there on her own. You didn't find anything?" Carol asked, starting to panic.

"I know this is hard. But I'm asking you not to panic. We know she was out there." Rick assured her.

"And we tracked her for a while." Daryl added.

"We have to make this an organized effort. Daryl and Jess know the woods better than anybody. I've asked Daryl if they'd oversee this." Rick announced.

"Is that blood?" Carol asked Daryl, looking at his clothes.

"We took down a walker." Rick told her.

"Walker? Oh, my God." Carol said, panicking.

"There was no sign it was anywhere near Sophia." Rick assured her.

"How can you know that?" Andrea asked.

"We cut the son of a bitch open, made sure." Daryl said.

"Oh God." Carol sighed, looking faint. She sat down on the railing "How could you just leave her out there to begin with?" She asked Rick accusingly. "How could you just leave her?"

"Those two walkers were on us. I had to draw them off. It was her best chance." Rick explained.

"Sounds like he didn't have a choice, Carol." Shane said.

"How was she supposed to find her way back on her own?" Carol asked. "She's just a child. She's just a child." She said sobbing.

Rick crouched down to look her in her face. "It was my only option. The only choice I could make."

"I'm sure nobody doubts that." Shane said.

"My little girl got left in the woods." Carol said.

Rick didn't answer this time. He just nodded and stood up. He walked off away from us, not looking back. He made a tough decision. Anyone else can say they would do it differently. But in the moment who knows what they really would do?

Daryl walked away shortly after Rick did. I left after trying to console Carol. I was never any good with that sort of thing. The good intentions are there but the words never come out right. It didn't take too long to find him. He was sitting in the road on a sleeping bag next to Merle's motorcycle. Which I guess is his now. Merle would have wanted him to have it. I took a seat next to him.

"We'll find her tomorrow Daryl."

"I know. With more of us looking it won't be as difficult. I'm sorry I volunteered you."

"It's fine. I would have volunteered regardless. Sophia is a sweet girl."

"I've never been around her much."

"I haven't a whole lot, but from what time I have been I picked up on a few things."

"Yeah. Carol told me you told her about your dad."

"Oh yeah?"

"That was real nice of you Jess."

"Well if my pain can help someone else." I said then shrugged. "Wanna hear something funny?"

"Yeah, I could use a laugh."

"T-Dog told me earlier that he thought we were together."

"What'd you tell him?"

"That we aren't."

Daryl nodded his head. "Listen, Jess, about what happened at CDC."

"No need to explain. I understand completely."

"Well let me just say this, I didn't plan for that to happen."

"I know. It just... happened."

"Alright. Sleeping bags are in the RV."

I nodded and went to the RV to get my own.

The next morning everyone was getting melee weapons from the bundle that Carl found. I didn't to take one because I still have my axes. Of course Andrea had to whine and complain because they weren't handing out guns and ammo. Although she can't shoot worth a damn and barely knows how to use a gun.

"These aren't the kind of weapons we need. What about the guns?"

"We've talked about that. Daryl, Jess, Rick, and I are carrying. We can't have people popping off rounds every time a tree rustles." Shane told her.

"It's not the trees I'm worried about." She told him.

"Say somebody fires at the wrong moment, a herd happens to be passing by. See, then it's game over for all of us. So you need to get over it." Shane replied.

That made me smile.

"The idea is to take the creek up about five miles, turn around and come back down the other side. Chances are she'll be by the creek. It's her only landmark." Daryl told everyone.

I wish we were back in Blue Ridge at our creek. That entire place is probably overrun by now.

"Stay quiet and stay sharp. Keep space between you but always stay within sight of each other." Rick said.

"Everyone assemble your packs." Shane ordered.

I packed a back pack with water and other assorted goods then stood next to Daryl while he loaded his crossbow.

"Something bothering you Jess?"

"If I have to deal with that" I said gesturing to Andrea trying to bully Dale into giving her a gun. "today, I'm going to scream."

Daryl chuckled. "Well hopefully we'll find Sophia quickly and then you can get away from her again."

"I'm going to kick her ass before this is over with."

"This?"

"The world in general."

"Well just make sure I'm there to witness it. I haven't seen you fight since that drunken bar brawl ten years ago."

"I'm sure it'll be mostly one sided but I'll let you know."

He smiled at me and slung his crossbow over his back.

When Andrea and Dale were done squabbling we headed out to the woods. Everyone but Dale and T-Dog were going out on the search. Man, it felt good to be back in the woods again.

We trekked through the woods until we came to a tent. Thinking she may be in there Daryl, Shane, and Rick went forward to check it out. After a few minutes they called Carol over. The rest of us watched as she quietly called out for Sophia. But no one came out of the tent.

Daryl came out of the tent a few minutes after he went inside. "It ain't her." He announced.

"What's in there?" Andrea asked him.

"A guy. Did what Jenner said. Opted out." He replied. "Ain't that what he called it?"

Just then we heard church bells ringing. We all took off, rushing towards the sound. After a few minutes we found a church.

"That can't be it. It's got no steeple, no bells." Shane noted.

Rick went on ahead anyway. He's a no stone unturned kinda guy. We all followed him to the church. Rick opened the door but Sophia wasn't there. Just three walkers that looked like they'd been there since before the end of the world. Oh and a giant crucified Jesus.

Daryl walked up to the giant Jesus. "Yo, JC, you taking requests?"

I stood outside the church doors and waited to see where we were headed next.

"I'm telling you, it's the wrong church. It's got no steeple Rick." Shane was telling him.

No sooner than the words were out of his mouth that the bells started ringing again. Only this time they were much louder. We ran outside to try to find the source of the racket.

There was a speaker on the side of the church connected to a power box. When Glenn flipped the switch inside the ringing stopped. So there was no one ringing the bells after all.

"A timer. It's on a timer." Daryl said, out of breath.

"I'm gonna go back in for a bit." Carol said.

I wandered around the grounds of the church while Carol went inside. I was never big on churches or Jesus. He's never answered any of my prayers but if that's what you believe in then you have every right to do so.

I joined the group as Shane was going over the newest plan.

"Ya'll gonna follow the creek bed back. Daryl, you're in charge. Me and Rick are gonna hang back and search the area another hour or so."

"You're splitting us up. Are you sure?" Daryl asked.

"Yeah. We'll catch up to you." Shane assured him.

"I want to stay too." Carl said. "I'm her friend."

His parents looked back and forth at each other for a few minutes until Lori relented.

"Just be careful okay?"

"I will." He told her.

"When did you start growing up?" She asked him, giving him a hug.

As we were splitting up Rick tried to give Lori his gun. She refused since it would have left Rick unarmed so Daryl gave her a spare he picked up.

We were on our way back to camp when Carol sat down on a fallen tree for a rest.

"This is the whole plan?"

"I guess the plan is to whittle us down into smaller and smaller groups." Daryl said.

"Carrying knives and pointy sticks." Andrea added.

I took a deep breath and just glared at her.

"I see you have a gun." Andrea said to Lori.

She was probably speaking to me also but I counted to three and told myself that she wasn't.

"Why, you want it? Here, take it." She handed Andrea the gun. "I'm sick of the looks you're giving me. All of you." She sat down and looked at Carol. "Honey, I can't imagine what you're going through. And I would do anything to stop it. But you have got to stop blaming Rick. It is in your face every time you look at him. When Sophia ran he didn't hesitate, did he? Not for a second. I don't know that any of us would have gone after her the way he did or made the hard decisions he had to make or that anybody could have done it differently. Anybody?" She asked, looking around at us. "Ya'll look to him and then you blame him when he's not perfect. If you think you can do this without him, go right ahead. Nobody is stopping you."

Everyone was left stunned. Her speech was definitely needed. Andrea actually handed the pistol back to her and stopped whining.

"We need to keep moving." Andrea told Lori.

So we did. We started off walking again in the direction of camp.