Chapter 13
Chapter 13
We get to meet Merle's brother, Daryl. Merle told us during the drive yesterday, "Don't bother with that Mr. Bullshit. We're just Merle and Daryl. Hell, Daryl's only just above drinkin age, or what's legal for it."
"What's drinking age legal?"
"Twenty one is legal," he answered dismissively. "Daryl is twenty three, young an dumb but thankfully smarter than me. He was gonna go ta college, try an make somethin of himself 'cept if it werent one thing it was another."
Daryl, or who I believe to be Daryl by Merle's description, comes stomping over with a string of dead squirrels thrown over one shoulder and a crossbow over the other. He is dirty and clearly exhausted with a permanent scowl, sun-darkened muscular arms, and a tense wary posture. He freezes when he spots Asher and I standing near their tent, throwing us a concerned look before the argument behind him regains his attention.
Mr. Rick and another man were following, and arguing with, Merle and Daryl. Their argument is mostly Mr. Rick trying to justify what they did while Merle mocks and snaps back. The other man, who mr. Rick calls Shane, argues that Merle deserved it. Seeing an approaching fight, Daryl grabs Merle's arm, pulling him away.
"It wasn't right, leaving him behind like that," I tell Mr. Rick who reels back in surprise.
He ignores my comment, instead asking if I'm okay and how did I get here. I tell him how I went searching for supplies while they wasted time arguing. I tell him about finding Mr. Merle trapped on the roof, about the ladder down the side of the building and finding Asher in a garbage bin.
He listens, looking a bit disturbed but when I'm done he turns to point out how he found his family. He calls his son, Carl, over to introduce us. The first thing Carl mentions is how he and 'Sophia' found a 'walker!' eating a deer just outside of camp.
It okay though, it's not like I Mr. Rick and I were friends or anything. We had only been traveling together for half a day at most so... its okay.
Mr. Rick decides to go BACK into the city for GUNS. Really!, guns are noisy and surely there are safer places to go. By Merlin, the man has a death wish, I think, and he manages to convince others to go with him.
Mr. Shane stays behind to 'guard the camp'. I try to talk to him about the walker that got close but he keeps shrugging me off. I try to tell him that they're too loud and they really need some walls or fences but he just snaps that I'm paranoid.
I meet the Beaner family but they don't seem very friendly. At least I think this is the family that mr. Merle meant. They have a little girl and boy so I lead Asher over to them, hoping they can play. For some reason, they don't seem to like us. I was polite so I'm not sure why. Unless...
I lead Asher back to Merles tent and ask him, "Was that really their name because they didn't seem to like it when I called them Mr. and Mrs. Beaner?"
Merle's cackle is answer enough. Even his brother snorts, shaking his head at his brother's antics. "At least ya got some clothes on the midget, kid, an don't worry none, them beaners 'll get over it."
I go back to the family to apologize. I explain that I thought that was their name, because that was the name Merle used. I wasn't aware it was an insult, assuming it is an insult.
"You didn't think 'beaner' was a strange name?" The man asks suspiciously.
"My friend Neville's last name is Longbottom."
"Longbottom!" The girl nearly squeals with laughter while the boy repeats with a giggle, "Bottom."
I smile back, "I also had a teacher named Sprout, and a friend named Weasley, so..."
The group is a little friendlier then but they still watch us closely. It feels to much like Private drive for me to be comfortable but at least Asher gets to play. The little boy shares a couple cars with Asher and they make up a whole game.
The day seems to drag and jump at odd intervals. I get asked why I'm still wearing my packs and the group doesn't like it when I answer, "Because when the dead attack we won't have time to run back for it."
The dark haired woman that mr. Rick introduced as his wife Lori snaps back in to much of a reminiscence of Aunt Petunia, "There are NO dead here to attack us. We are perfectly Safe so quit scaring the kids."
The others seem to agree with her so I give it up as a lost cause. The dead Will attack and when they do, these people will either die or learn to survive. I can't force them to accept that the world is in chaos so I don't try.
That doesn't mean that I don't keep my bags on me the whole time because lets face it, this place is too open.
Afternoon fades to evening. Campfires are high enough that it's difficult to see into the trees surrounding us. The two blonde ladies had gone fishing, coming back with several that were excitedly fried up and eaten, leaving everyone tired and sated.
If only my magic wasn't crackling like white-noise on a bad tele. Something is wrong, I can feel it. So I've hovered over Asher, doing my best to keep watch when the fire makes it near impossible.
I get fussed at a few times by the adults, especially when I pull my crossbow out, load it and keep it in hand. Mr. Shane tries to take it but Merle tells him off, starting a fight that gets too loud. Mrs. Lori starts complaining that I'm scaring the kids and a child shouldn't have a weapon.
In all the commotion, no one noticed the dead until it had already bitten the lady by the RV.
Chaos follows. Bullets and arrows fly as the dead swarm us. Asher hides behind me, ducking below my backpack to kneel behind my legs. Merle shouts for his brother to 'Help the beaner kids!' while he grabs a woman and the girl Sophia, shoving them towards the RV. Mr. Shane already has Mrs. Lori and Carl, shoving them up the steps to safety.
Headlights burst over the hill, illuminating the clearing as more dead swarm out of the forest. Mr. Rick and the others rush out to help and it isn't long before it's over. Women are crying. Merle and his brother are checking the dead, putting knives and arrows into any still twitching.
Asher and I spend the night on top of the RV with Merle and Daryl. They sit back to back, the better to keep watch. The morning comes sluggishly, showing the scene in all its horror.
For some reason, Mr. Rick asks everyone to help clean it all up. I don't bother telling them that they're wasting precious time. We need to be moving now, before more dead come stumbling through.