Red ~ TWD (Daryl Dixon)

Just Another Day

Daryl stomped around the corner, muttering under his breath, crossbow dangling from his hand. Merle and I eyed each other, watching the upset redneck approach warily.

"What's got yur nickers in a knot Darlina?"

Daryl's lip curled in response to his brother's nickname as he handed me the crossbow. "Assholes were usin' walkers as scarecrows again. Done told 'em twice to cut that shit out."

"Ya should know better than to trust 'em lil' brother. They're worse than an egg suckin' dog."

Wait, what? Dogs sucked eggs or anything else for that matter?

"Jesus Red," my husband snorted, throwing an arm over my shoulder. "I think I'm gonna have to give up hope you ever understand southern expressions."

"Southern expression?" I shrugged his arm off, glaring at Merle who wasn't even trying to hide his amusement. "Saying that nonsense is southern is like calling Panda Express Chinese food."

"Hot damn I miss Panda Express. I'm partial to the Kung Pao Chicken myself," Merle remarked fondly.

"I like them chicken eggrolls," Daryl added, the brothers wistfully reminiscing.

"I hate you both."

Daryl snorted, looking around. "Ya ain't bringin' the wife?"

Merle sobered instantly, swallowing hard. "Nah." He turned in a slow circle, discreetly making sure his new wife wasn't lurking around the corner. "Told her I'm the head of this family and she ain't goin' without my say so."

I pressed my lips together to stop myself from laughing while Daryl made a noncommittal sound in the back of his throat.

"She was none too pleased at first, but I showed her who was boss."

"Who'd it turn out to be?" I asked, unable to hold back my smile any longer.

The red blush coloring my brother-in-law's cheeks told me all I needed to know on that front. Translation, Francine was the boss and Merle was going to pay dearly for benching her.

"We're still figurin' it out." I tipped my head back laughing. Merle huffed, waving his hand in exasperation. "Shut up and let's get this shitshow on the road."

I slung the crossbow across my back, climbing onto the back of Daryl's motorcycle. He tied a bandanna over his nose and mouth, squeezing my thigh briefly before starting the bike. I wrapped my arms around him, hugging him as he gentle accelerated towards the gate.

The roads leading to D.C. were eerily quiet and deserted considering it was once one of the most populated cities in America. The foliage on either side of the road was encroaching on the dilapidated highway adding to the disrepair. With no one to conduct road maintenance it wouldn't be long before many highways were impassable.

Merle held his arm out to signal his brother, the two slowing in unison as we approached the bridge with six bright, orange cones marking off a crumbled, missing section in the middle. Jerry trotted up to us and I leaned away from the horse which made my husband laugh.

"Clear to the rally point, dude. See you on the flip."

Daryl's only response was a curt nod. He twisted the throttle and we shot down the street. He turned slightly, yelling over the wind. "It's just a horse."

"It looked like it wanted to bite me," I yelled back.

"That happened one time."

We relied on horses for any manner of support, transportation and farming chief among them. In anticipation of the day I'd have to ride one Daryl decided to show me the ropes a few weeks ago. Daryl was like a superhero, during the day he was a hot, crossbow wielding redneck and night he turned into the horse whisperer. Even with his combined powers hard at work my introduction to the realm of all things equine had not gone well. It wasn't that horses didn't like me. It was that they hated me.