Cherokee Rose (The Walking Dead)

Chapter 1: Nobody Coming

Daryl

"Brother ain't nobody coming for us" my brother Merle said as he started grabbing things like drugs and more drugs. I stood by the door with my crossbow in hand waiting for these assholes to attack again. I heard a sniffing sound and looked to my left at Merle taking a hit of white powder. He straightened himself up and threw his head back and laughed wheezily.

"Jackass" I said under my breath. I went back to focusing on the outside. I closed one eye as I looked around tracing my arrow through the air. I saw the women come out from behind the trees, about 30s, dirty blonde hair and fresh dark red blood down her clothing and around her face. I pointed my arrow straight at her head, I waited for her to get closer, "c'mon you son of a bitch" I said to myself. I took the shot and the arrow ripped through the air and straight into her head. I watched as her body stopped and she slammed against the floor lying still. A hand tapped me on the back, "nice shot" a wide eyed Merle said. I stared at the walker I just killed, the arrow was still stuck in it's head.

"Brother c'mon" he said picking his shotgun up. I followed him outside keeping my crossbow infront of me ready to fire. I walked to the corpse and yanked my arrow from it's head and wiped the blood on the grass.

"Always be ready" Merle called over. It was weird how Merle made more sense to me when he's high, I guess I was just use to it now. He grabbed his motorcycle and wheeled it up to the open truck. I kept watch again, he was right always ready. I heard the bike slam against the ground as he struggled to load it onto the back of the truck.

"FUCK!" He shouted giving the bike a kick. He leaned back against the truck and rubbed his nose.

"Damn Merle!" I complained. I walked over to him and threw my crossbow into his hands.

"Ill do it my damn self" I snapped. He didn't try and stop me, he just rested himself against the truck and occasionally wiping his nose across his arm. I aggressively pushed the bike onto the back of the truck and layed it down. I jumped down off the truck and locked the back end up so the bike wouldn't fall off. I snatched my crossbow back off Merle as I walked past him and to the drivers seat.

"Are ya coming or what!" I spat at him. I climbed in and slammed the door shut and so did Merle. I threw my crossbow onto the floor on his side of the car.

"Baby brother y'all should... should try some of this" he said shaking the see through bag Infront of my eyes. I smacked it out of his hand and it fell to the floor, "what was that for?" He complained. He bent over to pick it up as I started the truck up, "I got enough to deal with, without having to save your sorry ass aswell". I continued to drive down the road running into more cars of panicked people desperately trying to get out of this place.

"You ain't gotta save no sorry ass... I can save my own ass" Merle mumbled and stopped when he started to confuse himself. I kept driving until I was queuing behind a shit load of cars. The line of cars went on for miles.

"Damn stupid bastards. They ain't getting outta here, we'd be better on foot" Merle said.

"Lets hang still for a moment and see what the hells going on".

He was right tho. There was no help coming, half of these people wont make it because there weak. We stayed parked in the same spot for hours. Merle he wasn't a patient man and lost his temper, he started smashing the hell outta the horn.

"YA BUNCH OF PUSSY-ASS..." he started to shout but I pushed him away angrily.

"ASSHOLE!" I shouted at him. People had began to look at us, I didn't give shit what people thought of us. I noticed a woman with short greying hair standing by her car infront of us.

"WHATCHA LOOKING AT DARLIN' " Merle shouted at her from the car window. She jumped and nervously walked away and back to the front of her car

"Y'all want some of Merle do ya! Hey Bitch... Ya want me" a delirious Merle shouted.

"YOU GONNA GET US KILLED! SHUT THE FUCK UP JACKASS!" I spat at him. I had seen her husband and he didn't look like friendly Guy. He began to laugh hysterically, "I'm gonna get you killed. Brother your worthless ass is gonna get me killed" he continued to laugh loudly.

I had enough of his drug humour I opened up the car door and jumped out, "oh come on darlina" he joked. I slammed the car door shut in his face. It was dark now, i walked around to the front of the truck and leaned against it. I used the headlights to help me light a cigarette. I listened to the shouts and moans of a dozen people. A child said to a women, "mum I'm hungry". She stroked his forehead, "I know baby we all are". The boy looked around 9 maybe 10, he had short brown hair the same shade as his mothers. His mother was tall and thin with long hair trailing down her back. The boy looked at me as i smoked my cigarette. He'd be dead soon, I shouldn't think that but I already knew. He was a weak, defenseless kid. I turned away from the boy no longer wanting look at his innocent face.

"Errm ... excuse me" A shaken voice said from behind me. I slowly turned around and eyed the woman. It was the same women, short greying hair, small figure and shaking like mad.

"I ermm... we need some help ... with the truck" she said, her eyes stared at the ground the whole time occasionally glancing up at me. I couldn't tell whether it was me she feared or someone else but she looked so afraid. I stared straight at this women not saying a word.

"I'm Carol... Carol Peletier. That's my daughter Sophia" she said pointing to a little blonde girl who was hiding behind the car.

"My husband Ed is over there... please" she begged. I couldn't walk away from this woman or her little girl. I finished my cigarette and stubbed it out on the ground.

"Okay"

Relief washed over her face and she gave me a small smile but the look of worry did not disappear. I made sure my knife was in my pocket as I followed her around the car.