Rick's Unknown Daughter (A Walking Dead Love Story)

Chapter Six: The Run

About a month, after Merle came and stayed at the prison, Dad sends Dixon, Merle, and I out on a run. Dad said that if Merle was going to stay here he needs to pull his own weight. So once the car is loaded up with what we needed for the run. We all get in, Merle in the back and Dixon and me in the front. Dad didn't want me to go but I refuse to let Dixon go alone with only Merle. We drive for almost 4 hours to a town where there are no walkers. Merle, Dixon and I split up. Merle starts at one end of the street and Dixon and I start at the other we are going to meet in the middle.

The first house that we come to must have belonged to a family of 5 because there is a master bedroom with men and women's clothing and then there are three little girls bedrooms, one has a crib so I grab toys and other things for Judith. I feel arms wrap around my waist as I feel his breath on my neck. He gently kisses my neck as I relax in his arms. Dixon smiles as he continues to kiss my neck. I think I've loved him since I had come to the prison which has been about two months. I think Dixon has loved me too. After about an hour, we are laying in the master bedroom breathing heavily.

"Come on Grimes, we should go," Dixon says as he sits up putting his clothes on as I do the same. As we walk downstairs, that's when we hear the groaning from outside. Dixon pushes me behind him protectively as he looks out the window. "There's a lot out there," Dixon says, "We have to wait until they leave." I sit on the couch until all the walkers have left. We start to work on the other houses. We walk into the one we are going to meet Merle, to see him lying on the ground dead with about three walkers around him also dead. Dixon falls to his knees crying, I've never seen him cry not once.

I quickly go into action putting the bags into our car before running up the stairs into a bedroom, I grab the sheets off the king size bed. I lay them down beside Merle. I pull out my knife out of my pocket, I am getting ready to stab Merle in the head when a hand goes around the knife. I look up at Dixon as he nods, I let go and he stabs Merle in the head. We then wrap Merle in the sheets.

"We'll bury him the rest of the fallen," I say as I help Daryl put Merle in the trunk. I pull Dixon into a hug as he cries. "I'll drive us back Dixon," I say as I take the keys from him.

"Help me," I hear a male's voice yell from behind us as we are getting into the car. I turn to see a man holding his stomach. I start to walk towards him with Dixon behind me with his crossbow ready.

"Are you bit?" I ask the injured man who is about two feet in front of me now.

"Stabbed. Not bit. Please help me," the man pleads. I notice, he is in an army uniform. I help him into the backseat of the car. Then I turn towards Dixon.

"We can't just leave him here. He'll die." I say, "If he makes it after Hershel works on him. We'll ask him the questions," Dixon ended up agreeing. I keep him awake by asking him questions like his name, where he's from, and about his past. His name is Derek, he's from Atlanta Georgia, and he was in the army before the world went to hell and his parents are dead. Dixon stays quiet through the drive back. I understand completely. I lost three people, I loved and cared about since the apocalypse started, Josh, Chanel, and Lori. Dad is pissed at Dixon and me for bringing Derek back but he'll get over it soon. Dad and Glenn bury Merle. Hershel works on Derek. I turn to Dixon, "let's go lay down in my room and this isn't your fault Dixon not at all," I say. We go to my room and lay down. He soon falls asleep which I'm grateful for. The boy Derek lived, Dad and Glenn asked him the questions.