The Dixon Brothers: The Beginning of the End

The Dixon Brothers: Beginning of the End (Part 2)

The Dixon Brothers: Beginning of the End (Part 2)

A Walking Dead FanFiction

Mountains of Georgia

Coyote Run Hollow

Gannon Shack

Daryl drove his truck to the dead end road that marked the beginning of Gannon's property. No trespassing signs were nailed to trees as where rabbit, deer and squirrel skulls hanging from the branches. For dramatic effect as Billy said.

"He sure was a crazy old man. Surprised he never wore severed rabbit feet around his neck or somthin' like that."

Merle chuckled at that. "The stories said Ol' Billy fought in the war and wore ears around his neck that he cut off'n German soldiers."

The younger man shot an askance look at his brother. "Yeah, right. C'mon, we better get movin'."

= = = =

There was no path leading to Gannon's place and the siblings went on memory, heading roughly northwest. They covered the area the way they'd been hunting since they were kids: Merle on the outside, Daryl on the inside, each moving parallel to one another and switching off on positions at intervals. The movement was automatic and ingrained, bolstered from Merle's service in the Marines and Daryl from constant practice while hunting.

Within an hour, they'd trekked to the outer edge of the ramshackle wooden fence. The structure was bigger than the Dixons', but it was still no more then a hunting shack. Three rooms with a rickety lean-to extension, outhouse out back, storage shed set off to one side. Moving quickly across the clearing the brothers hopped onto the porch and Merle made short work of the door by kicking it in.

Hunting rifles at the ready, the brothers swept the house and found no one inside, either alive or somewhat...alive. There was no television and no computer, only a radio that looked like it may have been around since World War 2.

Placing the rifles within easy reach, Merle fiddled with the old radio while Daryl started methodically ransacking the place for food.

All stations were broadcasting the EBS on a loop or were dead air. They were obviously near enough the border to pick up a faint signal from a Tennessee station with an actual person. Daryl paused from tossing canned goods from the small recessed pantry to stick his head out and listen to the reporter.

"...do not approach the infected. Once bitten, the virus will overtake the person in at least 48 hours..."

Daryl made a rude noise. "It ain't no damn virus, they probably got no ide-"

"Shut up Daryl."

"...aid stations and safe zones have been established..."

The signal cut out, indicating the station had gone off the air.

The elder Dixon Merle was always looking to make money or work a situation to his favor. Daryl sighed inwardly but managed to keep a straight face.

"Whatcha got in mind Merle?"

"You heard on the announcement that we got us some safe zones out there. What say we get ourselves to one and see if we can get into some business?"

Daryl knew his brothers business well as he'd been following Merle around and gotten himself involved in the past ten years or so: Meth dealer, bouncer, protection shake downs and about a half dozen other illegal gigs.

Merle had done time in the juvenile system, arrested dozens of times as an adult. Daryl had managed to avoid a record by living off the grid but the elder Dixon always attracted attention to himself. And it was usually the wrong kind of attention because he went all simple minded. Daryl knew Merle could be smart, but his temper always got the better of him.

Daryl was hot tempered too but wasn't all that keen on tangling with the law.

"What 'bout the cops? You give any thought to the county and state police?"

"You really think the cops give a rat's ass? They ain't dead already they gonna be!" Merle waved a hand and spit on the floor for good measure. "We got dead people up and walking, geeks out there panicking and the cops are the least of our worries."

He walked over to Daryl, placing his hands - the same hands that could beat a man senseless in a bare knuckle brawl - on his shoulders and shook him gently in excitement, his weathered face split in a shit eating grin. "Baby brother, we can make this work for us."

Merle always had the crazy schemes. But what the hell else were they gonna do if the world really had gone to shit? "Fine. You're a crazy-ass bastard you know that Merle? Let's say I'm in. Where are we goin' to?"

A long, slow smile snaked across Merle's face, showing teeth. "Atlanta."