three.

The early morning sunrise painted the sky with orange and pink. I sighed, smiling softly while I admired it as I approached the convenience store I sadly had to return to. Even though I took a few wrong turns along the way I was able to find it. I was proud of myself especially since I'm out here to fend for myself for the first time in my whole life.

I hopped over the curb, stepping on the weeds that sprung out of the cracks in the parking lot pavement. I pushed through the door, my stomach twisting with uncertainty after what happened inside yesterday. I pulled out the yellow crumpled up list that Milton had handed me before I left. I only recognized a few of the medicine names on there, but other than that it was like a foreign language to me; I had no clue what the hell any of these things were. I sauntered over to the medicine aisle and snagged a few bottles of ibuprofen, stuffing them into the beat-up blue backpack I'd brought along with me. Just like yesterday, I filled my backpack to the brim but this time with the things on the list.

As I zipped up my backpack and threw it over my shoulder, a dark figure out of the corner of my eye startled me. I quickly turned my head towards it, my heart leaping once I realized I was now staring down the barrel of a gun. A boy, maybe a few years younger than me, aimed it; a sheriff's hat sat on his head. Another figure darted out from the next aisle over, hustling up to the boy's side. The man aimed his gun at me too. I felt my legs begin to shake. I was gonna be sick; I knew something bad was gonna happen out here while I was by myself.

"Put everything on the ground," the man ordered. I obeyed him, putting my backpack back down on the ground, my sword following it. I quickly put my hands up in surrender. I had nothing left and I needed them to know that. My heart raced faster and faster by the minute, all the things that could possibly happen to me racing through my mind. "Is anyone else in here or outside that we should know about?"

"N-no, no one's here it's just me," I stammered. "Take everything, please," I nodded towards my backpack. "My stuff is yours."

"If someone ambushes us we won't hesitate to kill you where you stand," the man lowered his voice to a growl. My eyes grew wide with fear.

"I'm alone, I swear," my voice cracked, my breathing quickening. "I swear!"

"You're picking up a pretty hefty amount of medicine... tells me you got people." The man tilted his head at me, the boy tucking his gun away. "Where are they?" I swallowed nervously.

"U-up the road a ways, like 10 minutes," I admitted, hoping for this interrogation to end soon so I could run back home and hide in my room. "About 70 of us; a lot of them are families. You can come if you want. We have plenty, lots, of room for the both of you, I promise." The man was quick to shoot me a glare in response. His eyes shifted to look behind me. My heart sank. Was someone there? I slowly turned around, immediately meeting the tip of an arrow that had been aimed at the back of my head. The man lowered his crossbow a few inches, a shadow covering almost half of his face so I couldn't see him that well. He moved a step forward, scanning me with his eyes; the light finally hit his face. He was rugged: broad shoulders, messy brown hair, tattered clothing, blue eyes that glowed as the sun hit them; I felt like they were staring into my green ones for forever. My face began to grow hot.

"Go," he directed me in a mumble. I spun around, concealing my pink face as I clumsily picked up my things. I hustled past the boy and the other man, pushing through the doors of the convenience store and out onto the street. I made my way back home faster than usual in fear they were following me, more so the man with the crossbow was following me. He had been so quiet. If he was behind me now, I would've never even known he was there.

△

I peered down at the barricade through my window, making out Merle's silhouette perched on top through the darkness. I quickly headed out to his post, breaking the rule that I wasn't allowed outside at this time of night.

"Merle," I whispered rather loudly when I reached him. He jumped in surprise, swiveling his head around to look at me as I climbed up the ladder.

"Red, you should be sleepin'," he sighed in relief once he realized it was me.

"I've been trying and I can't," I admitted.

"Why not," Merle asked with curiosity. "What's goin' on in that fiery head of yours?"

"This morning when I was at the store, these people held me at gunpoint and asked where I was from. I know that's what happens, but there was something different... someone was behind me, pointing a crossbow at the back of my head. He could've killed me if I did anything he didn't like." I shivered at the thought.

"A crossbow?" Merle said with suspicion, trying to get more information outta me.

"Yeah, why?" I answered.

"You see his face?"

"Yeah," I whispered, thinking back to our staring contest. "He had blue eyes... his hair was brown, kinda long. He was probably about as tall as you..." I trailed off, my cheeks feeling hot again. Merle studied my face.

"What's yer cheeks all red for?"

"What?" I quickly covered them with my hands. "What do you mean?" His lips pulled up into a smirk.

"You don't think my baby brother is good lookin', now, do ya?" Merle instigated.

"Brother?" I questioned, my heart beginning to beat faster.

"Daryl always uses a crossbow. Don't know many people who use one either." He observed me as my mind made the staggering connection. "He's got blue eyes, brown hair... trust me, I know what my own damn brother looks like." My stomach dropped. "You into pansy ass boys, girl," he paused to think. "I can go out, find 'im, bring 'im back here for you so you can get what ya want," Merle began to chuckle. I stayed silent. "C'mon! Ya want 'im, you can have 'im! Brother's blessin'."

"No way," I muttered, shifting nervously in my spot. "No thank you." How could that have been Merle's brother? How could he have looked like... that? I was beyond confused by the whole situation. I absentmindedly rubbed the burn on my arm that my dad gave me a few weeks back. Merle's demeanor quickly changed from playful and crude to quiet and caring.

"That was 'im, wasn't it?" Merle asked, motioning to my arm. I quickly pulled down my sleeve to hide it.

"Uh, yeah..." I sheepishly admitted.

"Daryl almost shot our old man in his sleep," he revealed. "He was tired of it all, every single thing he done to us," he paused. "I can see my daddy in yours. I gotta restrain myself from shootin' that bastard almost every damn day."

"He's got people that'd kill you back if you did it. He's too strong and his army's too big." I stared out into the darkness of the night. "I've actually thought about his death almost every day, but I don't think I'll live to see it," I sighed. "If I do though, it might just be the happiest day of my life."

"You should get back to bed before someone snitches on us," Merle suggested, changing the subject. I nodded, turning around and climbing down the ladder.

"Goodnight," I whispered up to him.

"Night, Red," he whispered back down to me.