Didn't See That Coming | The Walking Dead(1)

Part 84 (Ten Words)

CJ had been at the quarry for 5 days, and whilst she appreciated the company of her new group, she needed time on her own. She had checked in with Dale when she first woke up, letting him know she was going hunting and would be back before it got dark, and she had spent the last few hours wandering through the woods looking for tracks.

She'd caught a couple of squirrels and had them on a string over her shoulder, but there wasn't much apart from that. That was until she spotted a rabbit burrowing in the dirt at the base of a tree trunk.

She kept very quiet, crouching down and taking her bow off of her shoulder and pulling out an arrow. Keeping her movement slow and subtle, she pulled the arrow back and closed one eye to get a more focussed aim. Once she had a clear shot, she let the arrow go, and it embedded itself into the rabbit's eye.

She got up and headed over to pick it up, only to discover that there was another, smaller arrow stuck in its body.

"Well, well, well," someone chuckled behind her.

She spun on her heel to see a bald, scruffy-looking man stood before her, lazily pointing a handgun at her. She pulled out another arrow and pulled it back to aim at him.

"Woah, there honey," the man said, putting his free hand over his chest. "Merle Dixon. No need for any a' this hostility."

"Then quit pointing the gun at me," she responded bluntly.

"Sure thing," the man shrugged. "We'll just take that cotton tail and be on our way."

"Our?" she questioned.

"Merle!" she heard another voice call out.

Another man appeared from the trees; he was slightly younger and smaller than Merle. His hair was brown and short, and he wore a moss-green tank that exposed his arms. He carried a crossbow, which he raised at the redhead when he saw her pointing an arrow at Merle.

"Put it down, lady," he warned.

"You first," she gritted her teeth, moving to aim at him. "Tell your man to put the gun away."

"Drop the arrow," he shot back. "Then he drops the gun."

"She's tryna' take your rabbit, Daryl," Merle said, glaring at her. "What are we gonna do about that?"

CJ sighed and lowered her bow slightly, but kept the arrow pulled back a bit just in case. "Look, I don't wanna hurt you guys alright?" she tried to diffuse the situation, knowing bickering would get her nowhere. "Let's just cut it in half."

Merle chuckled and shook his head. "You think half a rodent is gonna cut it? I see them squirrels you got there, woman. Hand 'em over, and maybe we'll let you keep the ass-end of the rabbit."

"Merle," Daryl mumbled as he lowered his crossbow, trying to get him to shut up.

He could tell CJ didn't mean any harm. It surprised, almost impressed him, the way she was standing up to Merle. All his life, Merle had been one to intimidate and make people cower away. But this woman seemed immune to his ways. As he watched the way she carried herself, he couldn't deny that she was pretty, which surprised him considering he'd never shown any interest in... well, anyone. But there was something about her. She seemed tough, brave, yet there was a hint of vulnerability underlying her tone.

"Oh, come on," Merle groaned. "What, so some hot chick shows up and you're suddenly willin' to just let her take what's ours? You need to grow a pair, man."

CJ rolled her eyes. "Okay, you know what? I'm bored of this, so I'll give you two options. We can either cut the rabbit in half, or I will shove the entire thing so far up your ass, you'll be choking on its ears. Then no one gets it. So, what's it gonna be?"