Burn Burn [Daryl Dixon]

Burning [Chapter 22]

Alice woke with a start; something made a loud bang, and she couldn’t recall where she was until she heard Daryl’s voice in a groan. He rolled onto his back, pulling his arm from around her and running his hands through his hair. Alice swung her legs over the edge of the bed, yawning a satisfactory yawn and stretching her arms over her head. She couldn’t recall the last time she had slept the night through that solidly without getting herself blackout drunk.

Looking over her shoulder, she studied Daryl. Both of them had fallen asleep fully clothed, and Alice even had her shoes on. One had fallen to the floor, and she kicked the other off now as she didn’t need it in the house. The sunlight breached through the window, revealing the thick dust in the air. Alice inhaled and realized that she had stayed in Daryl’s room too late in the morning. If by some miracle Merle wasn’t up by now, Alice could slip back onto the couch and pretend that she hadn’t just spent the entire night in Daryl’s arms.

Daryl did not seem phased by this, though Alice wasn’t sure it had crossed his mind yet. His eyes darted to the door when a shout was heard; Merle was up, and he was hung over. The sound of a frying pan smacking against the propane stove was startling, and the grumble of Merle’s voice made Alice think he had burnt either himself or his food.

Daryl got up and changed into some new clothes, and looked at Alice carefully as he neared the door. “Ya comin’?”

“Daryl.” Alice said.

“Ya?”

“Last night.”

Daryl leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest and tucking his hands underneath his biceps. It was a shy action, she could tell; tucking his hands in as if he had to reserve himself from her. But they had been too exposed to one another now, and she was beginning to see through him. It made her smile.

“How come ya never… ya know… spoke up.” She asked.

“’Bout what?”

“Johnny. Me… How ya felt…”

“I just… couldn’t.”

“Okay.”

“He was my friend… or somethin’ like that.” He lowered his head, “I shouldn’t be with ya, Alice.”

“Daryl.” She cautioned.

“I never stopped him. Not once.” Daryl’s voice nearly cracked. “I never…”

Alice rose from the bed and walked up to Daryl, placing a petite, pale hand on his cheek. “Neither could I.”

“I could have…”

“Don’t.” Alice sighed, “Please.”

Daryl looked into her eyes.

“Look at how you’ve changed me.”

“Wasn’t me…”

“Yes.” Alice had never been in the position to make someone feel better about themselves; she was always on the other end. “It was. Now… Let’s get out there… Merle’s gonna find out sooner or later.”

Daryl almost smiled, stepping away from the wall and walking out of his bedroom. Alice closed to door as she exited, following right behind Daryl. She could smell bacon and eggs cooking and it made her stomach churn. Merle turned around and spotted the two of them; a wide grin grew over his pale pink lips. He had not shaved in a few days, and had white-grey hairs growing in from his sideburns and down his chin. It was rare that he didn’t shave, and Alice thought it didn’t suit him.

“Well, well; what do we have here?” Merle’s gravelly voice was filled with mockery. “You been fuckin’ her, little brother?”

Daryl shoved passed him and yanked open the fridge door, pulling out a box of apple juice. He opened the lid and drank straight from the container, his eyes wide open, but trained on the ceiling. When he put the container down, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, putting the juice back in the fridge. Alice grabbed an apple from the bowl of fruit; most of it was starting to go bad, and fruit flies hovered.

Merle walked across the small kitchen and stopped in front of Alice, “Missed ya last night in my bed.”

“Shut up, Merle.” Daryl growled.

“So, it’s true.”

Alice wondered what Daryl wanted; how Merle was reacting was unnerving to Alice. If she confirmed that her and Daryl were in fact more than just friends, Merle would do anything in his power to screw them over, to make their lives miserable. But if she denied the truth, they would have to go back to keeping secrets and sneaking behind his back, which was clearly an impossible task in the small house. Daryl had been honest to her, spilling years of built up secrets, and it was time for Alice to be honest.

“Yes.” She confirmed, watching Daryl carefully.

“Well, you’ll be owin’ me some rent then.”

Alice reached into her back pocket, pulling out the crumpled green bills. “It isn’t much, but it is somethin’. I will have more later.”

“Ain’t you a go-getter.”

“Leave her be, Merle.” Daryl said, “She’s making honest money, unlike you.”

“Fine.” Merle raised his hand in mock surrender. “I expect three hundred a month.”

“Done.” Alice knew she could do that with her tips, and still have enough to clothe and feed herself.

Merle studied her and made a carnal groan, then a shake of his head, “I’m gonna miss that.”

“Fuck off.” Alice grimaced, leaving the kitchen with the apple gripped between her slender fingers. She slipped out the front door and plopped down on the chairs outside, propping her feet up on the chipped railing. She closed her eyes and expected to be greeted by some memory of her past, as they had been awfully frequent lately. They were almost refreshing to her; to be reminded of why she had done all the things she had to do to survive, and yet they brought her down to her weakest point. She had to break down to her weakest point to start fresh, she knew it all too well, and then she could build herself up again.

No matter how hard she thought, no memory raced back this time, and she was almost disappointed. She opened her eyes and sighed, taking in the dull surroundings. A bird raced by, too fast to see what species it was, and Alice bit into the apple. The juices filled her mouth and she felt some dribble down her chin. Wiping it away with her fingertip, she looked up as Daryl came out the front door. He was eating a few strips of black bacon.

“That went… better than I expected.” Alice admitted to him.

“Don’t let your guard down with him.” Daryl warned.

“I won’t.”

“I have to go out today, run some errands, do some work.”

“Okay.”

“You’re okay on your own?”

“Yes.”

“I…” Daryl stopped his sentence and then smiled, “I’ll be back ‘round three.”

So, a lot of people thought Merle would blow a gasket when he found out. I think there is more to Merle than we think. :) As for dedications, I'm just going to dedicate to people who comment, and if I haven't gotten around to you yet, send me a shout, and I will dedicate to you. I didn't write the names down this story, so I am a little unorganized. 

On another note, I have a creative writing group meeting today and I have nothing written. I'm thinking of writing something in an apocalyptic world, not zombies, something a little more like The Road or The 100... It's what I'm good at :P