They walked up to the camp, the Dixon brothers had a dozen or so squirrels on their shoulders, while Amelia had two rabbits.
"Damn, that was a good hunt. I'm starving." The brunette said, while Daryl hummed in agreement. He was the younger, and quieter out of the two brothers, but Merle, well...
"I can offer ya some fine meat, doll face, if ya want." Merle wiggled his eyebrows and had a huge grin on his face. Amelia just grinned back, and sat down on a log in front of their tents.
"I don't know Merle, maybe your dick is too small to satisfy my hunger."
"Tuche brother." Daryl laughed, drawing some strange looks from the others in the camp, it was rare to hear laughter from this side of the camp. The two men didn't have a good reputation in the camp, especially Merle. He was a loud-mouthed redneck, with his sexist and sometimes racist remarks. It was another wonder why a normal woman like Amelia was with them all the time. The three of them had been together for about two or three months, long before they joined this larger group about two and a half weeks ago. The group tolerated the brothers because they brought fresh meat to the camp, and so did Amelia. Some of the other women have tried to befriend her, but her attitude is as bad as her company.
"You wound me, woman." Merle placed his hand dramatically over his heart, then flopped down next to Amelia. They began to skin what they brought back, and Merle offered the other two some cigarettes. It was their routine, go for a hunt, come back, prepare what they hunted while smoking, drinking some beer, and swapping stories. Usually, it was Merle and Amelia who did the story swapping and Daryl just laughed at them.
Amelia stubbed out her cigarette, then finished the rest of her beer and stood up, stretching as she looked at the two men.
"I need a bath, apocalypse or not, dirt and bunny guts don't look good on me."
"Everything looks good on ya." Merle's gaze traveled up and down her body. She grinned, then tossed her hair back.
"I know. But bunny guts? Not really." As she began to move away from the boys, she heard the voice of the elder Dixon brother.
"Now look at that ass, it must feel good to grab at..."
"I hear you, Merle, take a good look at that good ass, 'cause that's all you're gonna do with it." She smiled hearing how Merle cracking up with laughter. Andrea and Lori overheard the whole exchange between them, and shared a look. Dixon was a sexist pig, calling all the other women those names of his, but Amelia just laughed it off and played along with him.
"I don't know how you can tolerate him all the time." Andrea said, and Amelia stopped. She shrugged her shoulders.
"Dixon's all bark, but don't bite. He just wanna annoy the shit out of ya, if you let him. I heading to the lake, you guys wanna come?"
"Yeah, we want to wash some clothes anyway." They started going, then Lori continued their earlier topic. "I still don't get it, you seem so comfortable around them."
She started playing with the dog tags around her neck, then sighed.
"Merle and I served in the army together. We were comrades, at least until he got kicked out for punching a sergeant." She started laughing. "Man, that was the funniest thing that ever happened in the military while I was there. He kicked out the man's front teeth, five of'em, and cost him some jail time. After I served my time in the army, and he was released, we went for a hunting trip with him and his brother, Daryl. Then shit happened, and we sticked together since then. Found this camp, and thought a larger group would be safest."
"You are something else, Argent. But it made sense at least, no wonder you can manage a guy like Merle." Andrea shook her head, while the brunette just grinned.
"Or I just found him funny." The other two looked at her in a funny way, then just shook their heads. One of Amilea's eyebrows went high. "What with the funny looks?"
"Nothing, you're just weird, Argent."
They all went on, doing their own things, and Amelia washed all the dirt down her skin and even washed her hair, but it was cold as fuck. She dressed back quickly, and went back to their tents, and she found the boys exactly as she had left them, but they had finished skinning, and were passing back and forth a cigarette.
"Hey, Merle, you have a shirt or something? All my other stuff is drying off, except the one I'm wearing, but I was hunting in this one."
"Sure, doll. Lemme see." He stood up, and disappeared into his own tent for a few moments, then come back and tossed a gray wife beater into her hands.
"Thanks." She sat down and pulled off her old top. She doesn't wear, just a black sports bra, and now one of Merle's wife beaters. It hung on her figure a little, but it was comfy, and today was hot anyway. He passed the cigarette to her, and took out another one.
She looked at Merle. He was tall, with a rugged build, maybe in his mid-forties. His dark hair was clipped short, and had a few gray ends. His face was hard, commonly seen with light facial stubble. Usually wearing a wife beater, like that one he gave her, but this was white, with a khaki cargo pants.
A rowdy Southern redneck, quick-tempered, and racist, his jokes are always sexist. But much like his younger brother, Merle is an expert tracker and hunter. When she first met with Merle Dixon in the military, he called her doll face and went on with his sarcastic remarks. There were just a few women in their units apart from her, but Amelia was the only one who started laughing. She also had a few remarks up her sleeve. Merle was taken aback, but then they started trading barbs, and at the end of the day, they sneaked out, and smoked together. It soon become a routine between training sessions and they were the oddest pair. A loud-mouthed redneck, and a sassy brunette. But it soon became clear, maybe Amelia was more level-headed than Dixon, she had her own temper. No wonder they become friends. She smiled at the memories, and then Merle raised one of his brows.
"What are you look'in at me, and smiling like a damn idiot?"
"I just remembered our time at the army. We were an odd duo, but it was fun."
"Yeah, always sneaking off, breaking the rules."
"Until you were kicked out. It was boring without ya."
"Missed ol'Merle?" He smirked, and she gives him the middle finger.
"Shut up, Dixon."
"You two can't shut up, even if your life depends on it. Like an ol'couple bickering." Daryl said, and the other two shut up immediately, throwing dark glances at the younger Dixon, but he just smirked at them. "Finally. Now pass me a smoke."
Merle scoffed, but gave a smoke to his brother anyway. As if a woman like Amelia would ever want anything from a man like Merle. She was way out of his league. But it doesn't mean he can't flirt with her, and damn, the woman has a big mouth too, a little spitfire. They liked annoying each other, she was probably Merle's only friend. And she happened to be a woman, what the odds? Amelia didn't take his remarks too seriously, knowing that most of them were just jokes.
She was a good head and a half shorter than he was, but her nice figure hid more than just soft curves. She was muscular whereas the other women were soft, her belly flat, and don't have too big breasts, but her ass makes up for it... Her hair was dark brown, brushing the middle of her back, slightly wavy, and her pale skin had a few scars. She was nice to look at.
But it was not just her looks, she was strong, and good at hunting too. Not as much as he and his brother, but she was good. Amelia was a good asset to their group. The others in the camp lived day to day, not a care in the world. Like it was Disneyland or something. A bunch of weak pussys, the woman has more balls than some man at the camp.
"I'll go, take a piss."
"Charming, Dixon, as always." He smirked at Amelia, then go to his own business. It gets dark, and the trio was tired because of the hunting before.
"I take the first watch. You can take the middle, and Darlyna the last watch."
"Fuck off, Merle." Daryl hated that nickname, but his brother was an idiot asshole to begin with, so don't worth his time to argue all the time with him. But his brother was right. No way they spent a night in this camp, and at least one of them not take a watch, while the other two slept.
"Night' boys." Amelia wawed, then went into her tent. She was exhausted, but today was a good day. They managed to get food, she was clean, and Merle's constant teasing was bearable. After her shift in the night, she slept like a log. When someone barked into her tent to get up, she groaned.
"Fuck off."
"Come on, princess, we got shit to do."
"Ain't no princess, shithead." Merle just chuckled, and look into the tent. Amelia was lying on her stomach, wearing only a tank top and black underwear.
"Well, that's a sight we have here doll." She groaned in frustration and pulled her pillow over her head, Amelia was never a morning person. Suddenly a low yelp escaped her mouth, and she sat up instantly as Dixon slapped her ass. "Ya have fifteen minutes, Am. Get up.
" 'm awake... ya are an arse, Dixon."
"If I ain't know already." He left her alone, and she rubbed her eyes. Bloody Dixons, all of 'em, always up in the morning, how do they manage with so little sleep, it was a mystery to Amelia. Daryl wanted to go hunting for a bigger prey, like a deer, while his brother and Amelia wanted to go to Atlanta with the others for a supply run. So maybe Merle actually had a reason to wake her up, he knew her, she was a whiney bitch in the mornings, which always amused the older Dixon.
She put on a pair of cargo pants and a black top, and braided her hair in a simple french braid. She yanked her military boots up and tied them, her dog tags hanging around her neck. She stepped out of her tent and found herself face to face with a grinning Dixon.
"Hello there, sunshine."
"You are a pain in the ass already early in the morning, Dixon."
"What can I say, part of my charm."
"Whatever. 'gimme a smoke. I need one if I want to put up with your bullshit." She grunted, and Merle just chuckled at her attitude, but give her one nonetheless.
It wasn't that early, the camp was already up, so they were just waiting for the others to come out, who also wanted to go to the supply run. It was the first time they going on a raid with this many people, and Amelia has a bad feeling in her gut. She can't explain why.
"I had a bad feeling, Merle. Too many people, too much things can go to shit."
"Ain't worry, doll. Want one?" He held out a pill to her, and Amelia grimaced.
"Ya seriously high, right before we go to the fuckin' raid?" He shrugged and took the pill into his mouth and swallow it.
"Not high enough." She sighed at his comment. She knew that Merle has drug problems, but it was stupid, even from him. He was already impulsive enough and violate towards the others without the stupid drugs, but at least she can handle that. But if he was high, even he and Daryl had a hard time handle Merle.
She focused instead on the others. There was Glenn, an Asian guy in his twenties, he was the one who do the most raid into the city alone. He seemed shy, but quick. Than Morales, a nice man, with his wife and kids. The other two women were Jacqui, a black woman, but Amelia barely spoked with her, and Andrea. She liked Andrea and her sister, Amy but they were not that close. And T-Dog... well, it going to be interesting, because Merle and T-Dog hated each other. It was not that hard hating Merle, his remarks were always racist toward T.
Andrea wawed to her to come over to their truck, but she just wawed back, and shook her head. Merle already waited for her on his bike. He rode a chopped Triumph Bonneville TR6C. The man loved that bike more than the other people. He was always fixing it up, and he used it all the time, saying it used less gas than the other four-wheeled wrecks. If Amelia wanna be honest, she loved that bike too. It was cool.
She hopped on behind Merle and folded her arms around his waist to hold on.
"Hold on tight, doll. Ain't wanna drop ya on the road." She rolled her eyes, Amelia knew he just liked her arms around him because Merle was Merle, a womanizer in his heart. Well, not just in his heart.
The road was easy for the most part, but they had to stop far enough out on the edge of town, they couldn't just dance into town and attract the attention of all the dead.
Glenn's plan was simple, get in and out quickly, the local shopping center wasn't fully cleared out yet. There had to be food, clothes, and other useful stuff. Merle slung his rifle over his shoulder and Amelia did the same. She had a small pistol and two hunting knives around her waist. Merle had his own knife, as did everyone else.
"You ready, doll?"
"As always, Dixon." But they were not prepared for what awaited for them.
-
The whole building was surrounded by the dead, because some idiot started shooting in the streets. Glenn helped that idiot, and now they were all in some deep shit. The new guy was an ex-cop, looking for his family. Good for him, bad for them. She looked around, her eyes searching for Dixon.
"Anybody see Merle?"
"Who's that?" The new guy asked, but before she could answer, there was a gunshot, and then more.
"That son of a bich... I going to kill him. Merle!" They all looked at her, then followed her on the roof. There was Dixon, shooting on the rooftop edge, takin' out some geeks.
"Hey Dixon, you crazy?!" Morales shouted.
"Hey, you outta be more polite to a man with a gun!" Merle joked. He jumped down from the ledge and stood next to Amelia. "Only common sense."
"Polite my ass, you shithead... C'mon, don't waste more ammo, Merle!" Amelia was angry, but Merle just laughed.
"Relax, Am, I'm just clearing out the street from the geeks."
"You're wasting bullets we ain't even got man!" T-Dog jumped down, now standing in front of Merle. "You're bringing them down here on our ass!"
Merle stepped closer to him.
"It's enough I got this taco bender on my ass all day, now I have to take orders from you?" Merle started getting up in T-Dogs space, taunting him. "I don't think so, bro. That'll be the day."
"That'll be the day?" T-Dog questioned. "You got something you wanna tell me?"
"T-Dog, stop. It's not worth it." Morales, who Merle referred to as "taco bender", stepped in. "Just back off."
T-Dog refused to back down.
"You wanna know the day?" Merle asked T-Dog, ignoring the others completely.
"Yeah." T-Dog insisted. If Merle had something to say, he wanted it said to his face.
"I'll tell you the day "Mr. Yo", is the day I take orders from a nigger."
T-Dog lunged at Merle, punching him in the face. Merle used his gun to hit back, knocking him down. Andrea pleaded for them to calm down, while the new guy intervened. Merle immediately punched the guy, knocking him down, while T-dog stood up just asking for more. Merle turned his attention back to him, kicking him in his gut, and making him hit his head on the metal pipe.
Merle continued to beat T-Dog, and the fight got to the point when Merle pinned him down, pulled out his pistol, and pointed it at his face. Andrea begged Merle not to shoot, but he wasn't listening. That was when Amelia lost her own shit. She took Merle by the back of his neck in a vice-like grip, and spoke in a frighteningly calm voice.
"If you shoot him, I'm done with ya and your shit." Everyone remained quiet, and don't dare to speak a word. Merle's body was tense, but he loosened his grip on the pistol and not pointing at T-Dog anymore.
"Whatever, Am." She scoffed and let go of him, but Merle was not done yet. "Alright. Gonna have ourselves a little pow-wow." Merle stood over T-Dog and looked at everyone. "Talk about who's in charge. I vote me!" Merle spoke as Glenn, Andrea, and Jacqui, dragged T-Dog away from him.
"Anybody else? Huh? Democracy time ya'll. Show of hands. Huh? All in favor? Come on, let's see 'em." Merle insisted.
"All in favor?" Merle asked once again. Only Andrea and Glenn raised their hands. "That's good. That means I'm the boss, right?" Merle continued talking. "Now anybody else?"
"You lost your shit, Merle, and you high. If we ever make it back to the camp, I kicking your ass."
"C'mon doll, ya can be my right-hand man."
"Dixon, put the damn gun down." But before Merle or Amelia could say anything else the new guy held Merle's rifle and hit him across his head, knocking him to the rooftop floor, and handcuffed Merle's hand to the metal pipe.
"Who the hell are you, man?" Merle grunted as the Sheriff lifted him up forcefully.
"Officer Friendly." He replied. "Look here, Merle, things are different now. There are no, "niggers", anymore, no dumb inbred white trash fools either. Only dark meat, and white meat. There's us, and the dead. We survive this by pulling together, not apart."
"Screw you, man."
"I can see you make a habit on missing the point." The new guy continued.
"Yeah? Well, screw you twice." Merle said.
"You outta be more polite to a man with a gun." The ex-sheriff pointed his gun at Merle's head, using Merle's words against him. "Only common sense."
"You're a cop?" Merle spoke, not liking the Sheriff's first impression.
"All I am anymore is a man looking for his wife and son. Anyone who gets in the way of that is gonna lose. I'll give you a moment to think about that."
The Sheriff searched Merle's pocket and pulled out a dose of drugs. Amelia just sighed.
"You got some on your nose there." The Sheriff spoke sarcastically.
"What are ya gonna do? Arrest me?" Merle laughed. "Hey! What are you doin' that's my stuff!" Merle yelled as the Sheriff threw the drugs off the roof.
"If I get loose, you better pray!" Merle yelled. Everyone walked away and ignored him while he threw his tantrum. "You hear me, you pig? You hear me!"
"Yeah, your voice carries." The Sheriff said, barely listening.
"God it's like Times Square down there." She heard Andrea say.
"How's the signal?" Morales asked T-Dog who was leaning against the wall, across from Merle.
"Like Dixon's brain, weak." T-Dog said looking at Merle. Merle turned and looked at him, and showed him his middle finger
"Keep trying." Morales replied. Amelia stood in front of Merle, blocking his view. She rubbed her face angrily, looking at Dixon.
"No more drugs, it makes ya stupid, Merle. Don't wanna lose ya on a raid, because ya too high and get yourself killed."
"Look around, doll. The world went shit. It doesn't matter." She bent down to get eye level with him, and said quietly.
"It matters to me. Ya and your ugly ass matter to me, and to Daryl." He looked at her intensely, his eyes were just as blue as Amelia's, then looked away. She sighed, yeah, she was angry, but Amelia liked this shithead nonetheless.
"I'd rather." Andrea replied.
"Rug muncher. I figured as much." Merle said, accepting his rejection, and Amelia started laughing.
"Jesus, at least that talk works sometimes? Work a little harder on your pick-up lines, Dixon."
"What about ya, doll, it's working on ya?" Merle smirked at her.
"Of course, I'm already throwing myself at you." She fluttered her eyelashes, then burst out laughing, clutching her stomach.
" 'm just messing with ya, Am." Merle said now grinning, and their friendship was good as new. The others watched their bickering, not quite understanding why Amelia was this friendly with Dixon after what he has done.
"But hey, you can looking at my ass. Ya can't complain about the view." She turned her back to Merle and began to wiggle her bottom. It was fun, and she really needed a little fun.
"Ya right about that." They continued their little bickering, and Amelia let the others come up with a plan.
"What about under the streets?" The Sheriff questioned. "The sewers?"
"Oh man." Morales said. "Hey Glenn, check the alley. You see any manhole covers?"
Glenn replied after checking, "No, must be all out on the streets where the geeks are."
"Maybe not. An old building like this was built in the 20's; big structures often had drainage tunnels into the sewers in case of flooding, down in the subbasements." Jacqui spoke up.
"How do you know that?" Glenn asked.
"It's my job-was." She replied. "I worked in the city zoning office."
"Okay," The Sheriff said, "Come on. Let's find our way out of here."
The group went down to check the sewers while T-Dog, Amelia, and Merle, stayed. T-dog continued trying to get a signal on the radio. For a while, there was no other conversation other than T-Dog talking into the radio, only the signal was so bad he couldn't get a reply.
"Anybody out there?" T-Dog spoke into the radio once again. "Hello? Anybody read? I'm hoping to hear somebody's voice 'cause I'm getting sick and tired of hearing mine."
"Yeah well, that makes two of us." Merle commented. "Why don't you knock that crap off? You're giving me a headache, boy."
"Why don't you pull your head out of your ass, maybe your headache will go away." T-Dog commented back. "Try some positivity for a change, damn."
"I'll tell you what, you get me out of these cuffs, and I'll be all "Sammy Sunshine" positive for you." Merle smiled.
"So you can beat my ass again? Or call me nigger some more?"
"Come on now, it wasn't personal." Merle replied. "It's just, that your kind and my kind ain't meant to mix, that's all. It doesn't mean we all can't work together, parley, as long as there's some kind of mutual gain involved."
"So you can take that rifle and shoot the cop when he comes back up, huh?" T-Dog snapped at him, but Amelia had enough too.
"God, you two just shut the fuck up." She took a deep breath, then looking at T-Dog. "T, c'mon, at least give me the key, I know the new guy gave it to you. I won't release him until we can get the fuck out of here, but he stops the whining if I've got the key."
"No, you are buddies with that piece of shit. Are you hooking up with him, or what? Because if ya have, you have very low standards..."
"Another word, and I kill ya when I'm free. She's not some whore." T-Dog was taken aback when Merle went all serious. All those comments about her ass, and all that remarks, and now he's defending her. Merle fucking Dixon defending a woman.
"Thanks, but I'm a big girl." She smiled at Merle, then glanced back at T-Dog. "No, but he's my friend. We were comrades at the army back then, before this shit happened, and we lived in the same neighborhood. I knew Merle and Daryl for some years now."
"You kidding." T-Dog was stunned, and Amelia just grinned. She loved the other's reactions when they realized that they were actually friends. It was always hilarious.
"Nope, 'm all serious."
"Oh yeah, she is." Then the three of them were silent, and Amelia just sat next to Merle, who would occasionally tug on the handcuffs and then growl in frustration, probably directing various insults at the new guy and T-Dog. She didn't say, but she was getting nervous. They really need that damn key. The others had finally made their way back onto the roof, still having no plan of escape, the sewers were a dead end.
"That construction site, those trucks-they always keep keys on hand." The Sheriff said, handing Morales the binoculars.
"You'll never make it past the walkers." Morales warned him.
"You got me out of the tank down there." The Sheriff looked at Glenn.
"Yeah, but they were feeding. They were distracted." Glenn replied.
"Can we distract them again?" The Sheriff asked. "They're drawn by the sound, right?"
"Right, like dogs-they hear a sound, they come running." Glenn replied.
"What else?"
"Aside from they hear you?" Morales said. "They see you, smell you, and if they catch you, they eat you."
"They can tell us by smell?" The Sheriff asked in disbelief.
"Can't you?" Glenn asked sarcastically.
"They smell dead, we don't. It's pretty distinct." Andrea spoke up.
"There is one thing that might work," The new guy was crazy, just like his plan. Glenn and the Sheriff were going to cover themselves in zombie guts, so they could get to the truck that could fit everyone inside. After about fifteen minutes, everyone except Glenn and Sheriff came back up to the roof to get all of their stuff and monitor what was going on out on the street.
"Hey, what's happening man?" Merle asked anxiously. He couldn't take being handcuffed there any longer, he wanted out. Amelia also stood up next to him.
"Guys, say something!"
"Hey T-Dog, try that C.B." Morales said as they ran.
"Hey, come on, talk to me ya'll." Merle said getting nervous.
"Base camp, this is T-Dog. Anybody hear me?" T-Dog spoke into the radio. "Can anybody out there hear me?"
Next thing they knew, the radio static faded and a broken signal came in. T-Dog could've sworn he heard a voice asking him to repeat himself.
"Shane is that you?" T-Dog asked, "We're trapped in the department store on the roof, there are geeks everywhere. We're surrounded! Can you hear me?"
And just like that, the signal was gone and all he heard was the same static. Whatever voice they thought they heard was gone.
"Damn it." Amelia was frustrated and angry. "Ya'll keep pointing your fingers at Merle, but Officer Friendly was who brought this on us."
"And now he risking his life to get us all out of here!" Andrea snapped.
"Fuck fuck! I knew it was a stupid idea joining to this group. When it was just the three of us, we were just fine. No need these stupid raids, just hunt something, drink a beer, and life was as nice as it can be in the fucking apocalypse."
"Calm down, doll. Come 'er." Without hesitation, she sat down next to Merle and buried her face in his shoulder. She doesn't wanted to die here. Nobody said a word. Amelia was always a little odd, had her temper, and don't really get along with the other women. She had a younger brother, and two older, her mother died when her little brother borned. Her dad was in the military too, but they went on a hunting trip every summer. It was their family vacation. So yeah, she learned how to handle mans. That's why she liked the Dixon brothers. Her dad died not much after the break, just like his little brother. Her older siblings were together, but she don't have a clue if they were alive, or dead. She was alone, except for the Dixon brothers. Merle was an asshole, but her asshole, damn it.
After a few minutes rain started falling. This was not a good thing for the Sheriff and Glenn down below.
"Oh man." Morales said, feeling just as worried as everyone else. The thunder got louder. "It's just a cloud burst, we get them all the time. It'll pass real quick."
"How fast is real quick? They don't have time, the smell will wash off." Jacqui said wirriedly.
The group watched as the two just managed to make it over the gate to the truck.
"They're leaving us!" Andrea panicked.
"What? What the fuck?" Merle asked, and Amelia stood up.
"No, no, come back." Andrea begged. Another few minutes passed until Glenn's voice finally appeared on the radio.
"Those roll-up doors at the front of the store facing the street, meet us there and be ready." Glenn ordered. And just like that, everyone gathered their stuff in a hurry and began running for the staircase.
"Come on! Let's go, let's go!" Morales shouted.
"Hey, you can't leave me here!" Merle shouted. "I'm not fooling man! Morales! Hey, man! Don't do this!""
"C'mon, you guys can't leave him here like this!" Amelia shouted, her voice just as panicked as Merle's.
"Hey, that's my gun, Morales! You can't leave me!" Merle continued as the group left down the staircase one by one. T-Dog freeze near the door, not sure of what to do.
"Don't leave me here, you guys!" Merle cried. Andrea called for Morales to hurry.
"We gotta go." Morales said to T-Dog and Amelia, leaving them on the roof.
"Morales! You can't leave me like this man!" Merle shouted.
"Hey, T-Dog. No man. You can't leave me man!" Merle pleaded to T-Dog. "You can't leave me here, not like this. You can't man, it's not human! Come on, don't do this!" Merle begged.
"T, come on! Give me the damn key!" Amelia now was really panicked.
T-Dog groaned and began running over to them with key in his hand and knocking a tool box over in the process. As he ran over, he tripped and the key flew from T-Dog's hand. The key bounced a few times on a rim, then fell down a drain.
"You son of a bitch!" Merle shouted at T-Dog. "You did that on purpose!
"Fuck! How can you drop the damn key?!" Amelia was frantic, while T-Dog shouted back.
"It was an accident!" He picked himself up and ran to the door as Merle continued to shout at him that he was going to rot in hell. He looked back at the brunette. "Amelia, come on, or they leaving us here!"
"What? I don't leave Merle behind!"
"We don't have time for this!" T-Dog turned his back, but before sprinting down the stairs, he decided to chain the door shut with a padlock, so the two wouldn't be attacked by the incoming herd of dead. He ran down the steps, desperately screaming for the group not to leave him, the same thing Merle was continuing to scream at the rooftop above, while he heard Amelia shouting coward over and over again.
Amelia just stood there, too stunned to even move. They left the two of them behind.
"Am, don't leave me here you too!" She looked at Merle, and then fell to her knees next to him, hugging him tightly.
"I won't leave ya, asshole." She tried joking, but it soon turned into a ragged sob. She felt Merle's fingers in her hair as he clumsily tried to comfort her, but that was never the older Dixon strong suit. At the sudden growl, both of them jerked their heads toward the door. A few dead tried to get past, but the space through the chained door was too small.
She wiped her eyes and face with the back of her hand, then looked at Merle.
"What are we going to do? Maybe they come back, or Daryl..." She shook her head. It was pointless.
"Daryl maybe, but they can simple tell him that we died. Fucking cunts!"
"Yeah. I know ya not a saint, but Oficcer Frienldy started all that shooting on the street, not you. And you were high, so... fine, they can take your gun, or kick your ass, but handcuffing you to a fucking pipe in a fucking roof while we all tried escape here?"
"Ya don't hate me? It's my fault you trapped here too."
"Nah. But why you always has to be so damn racist? Whatever. Let's see that stupid handcuff." Merle watched as Amelia looked at the handcuffs. The girl could have easily left him behind and he can't even blamed her for it. He never understood why Amelia give a shit about him. He understood Daryl, they were the same blood, but the girl? But he was glad she was here with him. He scoffed inwardly, ya gettin' soft, Dixon.
"We can try to break your thumb and maybe then you win enough space to free your hand."
Merle sighed and scrubbed his face.
"Fuck, ya can do it?"
"Yeah."
Merle just nodded, closed his eyes, then the next moment he heard his finger break. He then tried to pull his hand through the handcuffs, but nothing. It was too tight. He grunted and leaned against the pipe.
"Son of a bitch!" Merle cursed, and Amelia just knelt beside him, looking as disappointed as Merle.
"Ya think we can rest a little? We trapped here anyway, and we both slept very little the other night."
"Fine." At his reply, Amelia leaned against Merle's shoulder and closed her eyes. She woke up to Merle tugging on the handcuffs, his eyes were desperate, and his wrist bloody from the constant tugging. She looked through her backpack, and take out a bottle of water. It was not much, but...
"We need to drink, the weather is getting more heated." She dranked, then held the bottle out to Merle. He dranked too, then yanked the handcuff again.
"What about that toolbox? It belongs to that guy in the hat, Dale." Amelia's eyes widened at Merle's suggestion.
"You are a genius, Dixon, I could kiss ya."
" 'm not holding ya back." Merle smirked, and Amelia smacked him in the chest. She looked around, and found the toolbox. The hacksaw was already dull, but it's worth a try. They tried cutting through the cuffs several times, but nothing, it didn't working.
"I try it on the pipe." She tried her hardest, but the damn blade was too dull. She let out an angry scream.
"Jesus, please!" Merle cried. "I know I didn't behave. I know I'm being punished. I know... I deserve it. I deserve it. I've been bad! Show me the way, help me. Tell me, tell me, please. God!"
Amelia just watched how Merle become more and more panicked. She never heard him beg. Never heard him this desperate.
"Fuck it, I never begged to ya, ain't getting now." He looked at Amelia. "Can you help wrap my belt around my arm, doll?"
"What are ya wanna do, Merle?" Of course she knew what he wanted to do, she just didn't wanted to believe it. "Merle..."
"I knew! I don't wanna lose my fucking hand, but I don't wanna die here either. Ya are in danger too while you stay here with me."
"Oh god, damn it!" She angrily wiped her tears away, and started unbuckling Merle's belt. He started laughing weakly.
"Ya know, in another situation, it would be sexy."
"Asshole, but you're right." Amelia then glanced at Merle's hand, and laced their fingers together. His hand was big, and rough compared to hers, but it was warm.
"What are ya doing, doll?"
"Nothing, it's silly... I just wanted you to feel something nice last time with your hand." He laughed, but let Amelia play with his fingers a little longer. It was really nice, her touch. Fuck. A few moments later she warped his belt around his wrist and pulled it tightly. His other hand was shaking, when he grabbed the hacksaw and held it above his wrist. He sobbed, and was ashamed because not even his own brother had seen him this vulnerable, but Amelia saw. Suddenly he felt her hand on his, and his eyes met hers.
"Together?" He just nodded, then Amelia counted to three and then felt only pain. Merle cried from the pain, and Amelia sobbed too because the pain he was going through, she couldn't even imagine. The smell of blood riled up the deads at the door even more. Then it was over, and she just watched his hand on the floor, but she soon pulled herself together seeing how pale Merle turned. She wanted to grab the belt, but Merle grabbed it and hold onto the tourniquet.
They needed to move quickly. There was a door on the opposite side of the roof, which led them into a kitchen. Amelia thinked fast, and pulled Merle next to a gas stove. The stove still worked, and they burned the stump so they can cauterize it. The smell was awful.
They soon went further, but Amelia went ahead and use her knife on two dead, and Merle killed the other two. Even in this state, they were a good team.
They broke a window and climbed down the fire escape. They risked the streets, at least in the open they had more chance of getting out of the city. They found an abandoned house not too far from the city, where they could stay for the night.
Amelia searched the whole damn house, but found nothing. No food, no medication. She looked at Merle. He was still very pale, and his forehead beaded with sweat. He leaned against a wall, but his eyes were open. She knelt beside him, and took out from her bag a spare top, then gently began to wrap it around his hand. Merle flinched, but gave no other sign of his pain.
"We need meds, or it will become infected."
"Tomorrow." She nodded in agreement, then watched Merle's little smirk. "We alive, but fuck those cunts, I can't even ride my bike like this."
"You're impossible, Merle Dixon." They both layed down next to each other, and the exhaustion soon take over Merle, so Amelia remained awake, and just watched the sleeping man in front of her, and a strangely pleasant feeling took over her. She stroked his face gently and hoped they found some medication tomorrow. She didn't wanted to lose this loud-mouthed asshole.
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