The Walking Dead - Dixon Bloodfall (A Walking Dead ff)

Mini Chapter - Family

She had opted to sleep in the hallways but Rick said no, saying they were getting walkers in the crypts and didn’t want to risk anything. She didn’t want to sleep near any of them still but the farthest cell from the group was taken by Daryl. He had spoken to Carol and then vanished into his cell, and judging by the general census that Merle was disliked, she must have told him to stay away from him. That made her even more upset, that anybody could see Merle as this monster, this evil when he was the complete opposite.

 So instead she lay in in Merle’s “cell”, the common room turned personal prison. He had made a makeshift bed out of old crates and half of a broken lunch table, and it looked pretty comfortable from the looks of it. There were no sheets or blankets or pillows, but she didn’t expect Woodbury quality in the middle of a prison in the apocalypse, so she didn’t complain, and instead like a dog, circled around several lunch tables before choosing the one closest to Merle, under which she crawled and curled herself into the tightest fetal position possible. A few minutes had passed and sleep was beginning to twist it’s icy fingers around her when Merle startled her.

 “Th’ hell you doin’ under the damn table?” His voice was soft, presumably because the rest of the people dwelling inside the walls were asleep in their moonlit prison cells, but it was loud enough to give her a shake.

 “This marvelous thing called sleep.” She hissed, lifting her head up off of the concrete to look at him.

 “Come over here.” He whispered.

 “Merle -”

 “You’re gonna wake up these people now, quit fussin’ and get over ‘ere.” So she did, groggily at best, slipping on the cold floor beneath her. Merle was sitting up on his makeshift cot, peering through the darkness to see her. When their eyes met he patted the space besides him and so she sat there, to which he stood up and then sat down on the floor besides it.

 “I feel like an asshole now.” She whispered, nonetheless laying down and nestling into the scrap fabric he made into a pillow. Merle laughed and disappeared into the blackness of her closed eyes, though his steady breath made for a constant and relaxing reminder of his presence.

 Then, a bit of warmth on her forehead. It took a few moments to register that it was a kiss, more so a kiss goodnight. Her eyes fluttered open and saw Merle, still sitting up against the wall that shared her cot with his eyes closed. Honored, embarrassed, and the happiest she’s felt in months, she falls asleep rather quickly.