It had always dawned on Tess Dixon that she would end up alone,but being this was the first time that she was actually apart from the group, anxiety and the acceptance of death seemed a lot closer.
Tilting her head back to lean on the tree behind h...
Tess awoke to nagging kicking at the back of her seat, waking with a groan she turned and was met with the smirking grin of her brother Merle.
"Mornin' sweetheart."
Raising her arms behind her neck she attempted to twist the knots out of her neck, she moaned when her neck gave a satisfying click, but couldn't help but let out a loud groan when she saw that they had not moved another inch in this traffic, even though she had been asleep for the past few hours. Bringing her knees up and planting her feet on the chair, she tore her plaid shirt off from her arms, before wrapping it around her waist.
Releasing a quick sigh, she twisted sharply in her seat and swatted at Merle. Each hard slap relentlessly hitting his head and shoulders.
"What - the - fuck - did - you - wake - me - up - for?"
Merle rose his arms to protect his head while laughing loudly.
"C'mon Tess, no beauty sleep gonna make that face any prettier".
At hearing this Tess couldn't help but throw her shirt to the floor and unbuckled her seatbelt, lurching forward so that she could smack his head with her hands. She was flung back to the dashboard when Daryl grasped the back of her cami and pulled her back.
"Will you two shut it. I am sick of your shit."
Tess looked at Daryl and couldn't help but feel guilty, he had black rims under his eyes from the lack of sleep and she could already see his head doing small jolts forward trying to fight the tiredness. Grabbing the door handle she kicked open the door and her boots met the asphalt.
"What the fuck you doin'?"
Merle had wound his window down to talk to her and was leaning out the window with his eyebrows raised. Ignoring her brothers she shut the door.
"Get out Daryl".
Daryl flicked his head towards her, his hair trapping in his eyelashes, his face turned hard.
"Tess, I'm fi-"
Tess rose her hand up to cut him off. "Don't...just get out the truck Daryl".
Giving a stubborn sigh, but not returning a reply Daryl kicked open the truck door with his boot, receiving a loud "Hey" from Merle in the process, and walked round the front passing her, she heard a small thanks as he nudged her side with his arm.
"Awww is Darlina tired?"
Slamming the door behind her she made herself comfortable and glared back at Merle.
"Shut the fuck up Merle".
She grabbed her shirt from across his lap and reclined her seat back, staring at the unrelenting traffic in front of her.
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"TESS! TESS!"
Tess woke as the glass window next to her head vibrated sharply, waking her up from her slumber. She rubbed her eyes and peered out the window, she could just make out Merle behind his large fist pounding at the glass. She waited until he turned fully towards her to press her middle finger against the window.
"Get out the truck Tess."
"What is it with you wakin' me?"
Her middle finger retracted into her hand however when she looked at the expression on Merle's face.. She turned to the passengers seat to find that Daryl was nowhere to be found.
"Get out the truck."
She turned back when she could hear the drivers side door creak open, and Merle grabbed her by her upper arm, pulling her out with one swift moment next to him on the road.
Tess ripped his hand from her arm and swatted his arm away.
"What are you-"
Before Tess could finish her sentence the sky was ablaze with a concoction of colours: burgundy, yellow and oranges. Loud booming sounds could be heard in the distance, and she swung herself onto the truck bed to get a better look. The city of Atlanta was alight, tremors of smoke were making their way through the traffic, Tess put her hand to her mouth as her lungs started to fill with the ashened smoke.
Helicopters flew unceremoniously ahead and made their way towards the city, dropping bombs on it relentlessly. Tess could not believe what was happening, Atlanta was a guaranteed safe zone the army personnel had told them. So why where they blowing it up?
Screams were heard by the roadside and Tess through the smoke could make out figures stumbling through woods.
"Shit," she whispered to herself "Merle! Where's Daryl?".
***
Blinding hysteria, to put it simply that was how she was feeling. Clutching securely onto a serrated hunting knife she attempted to make her way through the throngs of people, who were hysterically running amok through the vehicles. Behind her she could hear the unmistakable sound of Merle's angry yells. Unfocused for a second, a hardened figure smacked into her and caused her to slam into a vehicle's bonnet to the side of her, the breath escaped from her lungs.
"Fuck me" she breathed, blowing the hair from her eyes.
Large hands wrapped themselves around her biceps and initially she looked at those first before following the long arms towards a broadened face, piercing eyes, large nose and dark curly locks.
Her eyes narrowed on seeing a familiar emblem stitched onto the lapels and chest pocket of the man's shirt.
"You alright?" the man's face neared her own, as he gave her a once over.
"I'll be better, once you let me go." Her neck craned to the side patronisingly, as she met his gaze. Sensing that he wasn't expecting her short response, it took the man a while to release his hold, only when she widened her eyes and lifted her eyebrows mockingly did he embarrassingly bring his arms to his side and his fingers latched onto his belt loops.
The man in front of her cleared his throat and threw a look over his shoulder, only now did she realise that he was with company - a tall, petite, brunette woman who was clutching fearfully to the shoulders of a kid.
With annoyance and not expecting an apology from being blindsided, Tess clicked her tongue to the roof of her mouth and squatted to the floor to pick up her knife which had been forgotten in the fray. She didn't miss the man's boots moving closer to the pair behind him either, at this the corner of her mouth upturned into a small smirk. 'Is the big man threatened by lil 'ole me?'
Rising slowly, his eyes did not leave her frame, his own body became tense, the muscles tightening and his hand resting on the handle of his pistol in the holster.
"Tess!"
Not expecting the sudden intrusion, her body jumped reactively. An unmistakable bulky figure rammed into her side to stop the momentum of his running. Not realising the present company, Merle rounded on her.
"Where the fuckin-shit have you been Tess?"
Rolling her eyes, she brushed invisible dirt of herself.
"M'fine Merle." Her short comment, did nothing to stop his flurry of speech.
"-been running through traffic..." his body movements were becoming more flamboyant, his arms flailing around him.
"Merle."
"-running through these dumb fucks, running around like headless chick..."
"Merle!"
"-dunno where Darlina has run off to..."
Signaturely, Tess rolled her eyes again and grabbed Merle's shoulder to stop his persistent pacing, tugging him towards her. Halfway through his rambling, he was displeased to be cut off mid speech and showed it through narrowing his gaze towards her and staring in disbelief at her fingers on his jacket. Indicating with subtle eye movements, she made him aware that they were not alone.
Turning slowly around, Merle took in the small group of three and gave a beaming smile.
