One more step

Lessons....

Merle was digging through the house, gathering whatever supplies he could find. He had already grabbed all the weapons there including the rifle that belonged to her great grandfather that hung above the old mantle. She didn't even think it would shoot and even thought it took muskets shots. She didn't say anything though. She just stood there staring out the window knowing her father would pull up any minute. Daryl could see it in her eyes. That diminishing hope that her father would be there soon. He stood watch while Merle carried stuff out to the truck. The cell towers were down. She had tried countless times. Merle reentered the cabin and whistled at his brother quietly. Daryl nodded in agreement with him. They had given him an almost two hours. Daryl knew that they needed to head to high ground now. Daryl went to say something when he saw movement outside. The being moved abnormally in the darkness, he grabbed her arm and pulled her back from the window. There were more emerging from the woods. Merle grabbed the pistol from his waist line and moved forward, "We gotta go." his voice was not a suggestion but a command. Elli was too in shock to question him. Daryl turned her to face him his crossbow in hand. "You stay a step behind Merle to the truck, don't fall behind." She nodded robotically. Merle quietly exited the cabin ducking in the shadows. She copied his movements. He was impressed with how light her footsteps sounded. She stayed right on his heels. They made it to the truck not drawing attention until they opened the doors. Merle jumped in the drivers seat and made the truck roar to life as Daryl quickly pushed her into the seat and jumped in behind her. Merle sped off and headed towards Atlanta. The radio kept saying that was where refuge was. She stared at the digital clock in the dashboard as the radio carried news about the outbreak. The three remained silent. Daryl was leaned up against the window with his eyes closed. Merle was trained on the road ahead with a determined look. Elli sat there staring at her hands. She was ringing her hands, trying to clear her head of the thoughts that her family was probably dead. That she was sitting in a truck with two men she didn't know. Merle must have sensed her tension. He leaned forward and hit CD on the dash. Rock music began to play. He grabbed his cigarettes off the dash and without saying a word or looking at her flicked the pack open in front of her. The movement made her jump just a bit, but she took one. He got one himself the offered her a light. "We are gonna be fine, only thing that can kill a Dixon is a Dixon." She scrunched up her nose. He popped out the ashtray in the old truck. She leaned forward and ashed in it. The silence made her uncomfortable. She noticed the tattoo on his bicep. "Were you a soldier?" He looked at her questioningly then noticed her looking at the tattoo. "What the tat?" She nodded, "that and your so calm, you didn't even flinch you just knew what to do when those things came out." His eyes traveled back to the road, "yeah...went in when I was 18." She nodded looking back at her cigarette and drawing off it once more. Merle slowly brought the truck to a stop, her eyes widened expecting some disaster before them but the road was clear. "Reach in the glove box and hand me that map sweetcheeks." She looked over and leaned over Daryl's knee and grabbed the map. Merle spread it across the steering wheel and switched on the light. He traced the map with his finger. She was completely lost on their location. She hadn't seen street signs anywhere on these back roads, but Merle seemed to know exactly where they were. Merle folded up the map and handed it back to her. In the light he could see her eyes for the first time in hours. They were puffy and red, looking like small dams trying to hold back a flooding river. "You need to go to sleep." She shook her head putting the map back in the glove box, "I'm fine." Merle's voice was a harsh growl, "look baby girl, I don't care if you wanna tag along, but you don't take care of yourself and you'll become a danger. Don't think I won't leave dead weight behind." She studied his eyes closely, "I'm not dead weight." Merle looked forward and put the truck back in drive. "Says the girl who has only made it this far because we dragged her." She wanted to say something smartass back to him but was interrupted by a gruff voice to her right, "Jesus Merle leave er lone! shut up I'm trying to sleep." Daryl's eyes were cracked, piercing daggers aimed at his brother. As the truck moved forward her eyes became heavy and she started nodding off, jumping awake everytime her head would drop. A mixture of the moonshine, shock, and exhaustion completely taking over her. She propped her head in her hands leaned on her knees. When her elbows slipped off her knees again two hands grabbed her shoulders and pulled her to the right. Her shocked tired eyes widened as Daryl turned a bit and leaned her over resting on his shoulder and chest, "Jesus girl I ain't gonna bite you. Your gonna fucking knock yourself out on the dashboard!" She didn't fight him, she couldn't, she was exhausted and unconsciousness was consuming her.

She awoke that way. She was laying across the Daryl's chest. Her feet curled up in the middle of the bench. She didn't move. Her eyes darted over to Merle, he was snoring against the window of the drivers door. She hadn't been left like she feared. Merle's words had hit her hard, she had no idea where she was. If they left her she would be completely lost. Daryl grunted, "you awake yet girl? I gotta take a piss." she lifted her face to meet his squinted blue eyes and nodded against his chest, she pulled her feet tighter to her so as not to disturb Merle and sat up. Daryl shifted and opened the door climbing out. She slowly followed him out and arched her back as he stalked off to the edge of the woods. The morning air was crisp, it was helping the pounding in her head.

Daryl lit a cigarette walking back to the truck and dug a pack out of the back of the truck. He opened it and tossed a water bottle and a box of goodys powder at her. "Don't mix that, dump the powder on your tongue and swallow. It knocks the hangover out quicker." she did as she was told. She almost choked on the white powder. It tasted awful, she took a gulp of water and finished choking it down. Daryl threw the bag back in the truck. He grabbed another and sat down on a fallen tree near her. He held out some jerky to her. She took it and sat on the ground. She began nibbling on it. Daryl bit down on his own piece of jerky. "You know he was just being a dick right?" Her gaze snapped from the ground to his eyes. "No he wasn't, I get it. Why in the hell would y'all keep dead weight around?" Daryl growled, "that what you think?" She shook her head, "No, that's what I know. I'm not your blood. I'm just some girl who y'all felt sorry for. My dad is dead. That's the only reason he would have not showed. I'm not like y'all. I froze, when that...that thing bit Mac. I didn't know what to do." Daryl grunted taking another bite of his jerky. "A girl who takes down a prize buck like you did ain't dead weight. You just ain't had to live like us." she noted that statement. "I'm not that good, I only hunted with my dad. I've never had to fight for my life or anything. Deer don't normal try to eat you before you shoot them."

"Well how'd you learn to hunt?"

"My dad, he and Shane have taken me since I was 4. He would take me to the cabin in the off season and set up cans for me to practice shooting."

"So ya capable of learning?"

She shifted at his question, "you offering a lesson?" He squinted at her, he stood up and walked towards her "Get up." she stood. She was suddenly pinned on the ground trying to catch her breath. Her eyes were wide and worried, his gruff voice shook her "you didn't have your guard up." he stood and held a hand out for her, she didn't take it backing up untrusting that it wasn't another test. "Didn't think you were gonna do that." he dropped his hand as she stood on her own. "attackers don't want you to think that they will."

He slowly stepped towards her again and she stepped back and was grabbed and shoved against the truck. Merle staring at her with a devilish smirk, "lesson one girl. Never assume there's only one."

She stumbled back and grabbed her left ribs that had collided with the door handle. Merle took a step forward but Daryl growled at him, "Enough playing around we need to hit the road." Merle smirked "Damn, it was just getting fun." Daryl threw the pack into the back of the truck and opened the passenger door and then looked at the girl clinging to the side of the truck still staring down Merle. "Get in, I said we gotta go!" Elli climbed in slowly never taking her eyes off of Daryl. he climbed in after her. She tensed when Merle climbed in the drivers seat. "Oh your not mad at me now are you darling?" She didn't answer just staring ahead. Merle shifted to look at her better and leaned in close to her ear, his breath hit her neck, "You wanna learn something girl you ask an experienced man." He readjusted in his seat and turned the truck on and threw it in drive. Daryl watched as the girl sat hard as stone, he waited for her to flinch, he noticed Merle was waiting for it too. She didn't though and Daryl smirked at her stubbornness. There was hope for her after all.