Merle's excitement about the underground treasure was palpable. Yes, in the prison, they now had the rest of the cafeteria supplies, but that won't last forever and they will need to restock. This place looked like heaven to him. He was so focused on not tripping over his own legs on their way down he didn't think much about what to expect down here. A small basement maybe? Certainly not a bunker this big. His eyes ran over the metal shelves full of packaged food, cans, water gallons... The metal door at the other end of the room caught his attention again and he briefly wondered what are the chances of that being an armory.

"We are gonna be alright down here till they move on." The girl's voice pulled him out of the musing.

For a second there he forgot he had a company. He turned to her, giving her his full attention. She wasn't far from him. The dagger was now nowhere to be seen. The gun was still in her hand but at least she wasn't pointing it at him. She learned her lesson though because she was standing out of his reach. The light was actually rather dim now that he got used it, but he could still see her face clearly. She still wore the hoodie but she pulled the bandana down from her face and it hung around her neck.

"I'm sure we will." Merle smirked hoping to break the ice. He had plenty of options on mind to help them pass the time. She still had the gun at ready though so he decided to keep it to himself for now.

"First thing's first," she said and took a small step in his direction. She had bright, smart eyes and her mouth was in a thin line, she meant business. "Here's how this is gonna be. There is a sitting area behind that door"— she motioned to the door he spotted moments ago, not an armory then —"you gonna sit there quietly until the fucking zombies move on, and then you leave and never come back," she spoke in strong, almost commanding voice. "I am not a bad person by nature but you try anything, and I mean anything, I will ghost you. You come back at any time in the future and I'll ghost you, you'll tell anybody about this place I'll-"

"Let me guess"— Merle jumped in, rolling his eyes, a smile tugging on his lips —"you'll ghost them, me and whoever we ever spoke t—"

"Shut up!" she yelled and in a few long strides, she was suddenly in front of him. The gun in her hand and the reason she kept her distance momentarily forgotten. The situation was frying her nerves and she had enough. "You find this amusing? You think I'm joking?" With each question, he felt one of her fingers poke his chest. He was aware she wasn't joking, but she looked too damn funny at the moment. "If I have to pick between me and you, or anybody else for that matter, I will always pick me," she trailed off seeing her speech had no effect on him whatsoever. "What are you still grinning about, are you deaf?"

"No," he answered and with a shit-eating grin reached out and tapped the gun in her other hand but didn't try to take it from her. "You just gave me another opening, you gotta be more careful."

Startled by her own mistake she backed off quickly only to crash into one of the racks behind her. The metal shelf rattled and sharp pain in her side made her bent over a little and she cursed under her breath, "motherfucking fuck, damn it!" Though she lost the eye contact only for a moment and he was under her angry gaze soon enough.

"Also, I am pretty sure you are misusing the ghosting expression." If looks could kill... Merle thought, okay, time to cool down the hot head. "Look, I get it. It's the motherfucking apocalypse. I can see how that'd make a pretty gal like yourself a little skittish."

Her eyes narrowed at his jest and she opened her mouth ready to say something but he was quick to continue; his hands moved up in a placating gesture as if on their own accord.

"Seriously! You have nothing to worry about. If it'll make you feel better I'll just sit in that damn sitting area of yours and be all gentleman-like about it."

A million thoughts seemed to run through her mind if the parade of expressions crossing her face was anything to go by. Probably not really sure what to make of his statement or if she should trust it. She straightened up, still rubbing the sore spot where she hit herself before. Her mouth opened and closed several times but no words came out; a frown creased her forehead.

He was right, they were already there and she was not about to shoot him. Not without a provocation. And anyway, what did he really do besides some stupid remarks and grinning a lot, nothing. Once she gave herself a minute to calm down and actually think she realized she probably overreacted a little, just a bit though. She was certainly not about to apologize for it.

"Okay," she agreed in the end. "Let's go then, I'll show you around." She made a half turn and just as Merle made a move to follow she turned abruptly back and said in a much calmer manner. "You make a move though, just one and I—"

"Ghost me, gotcha." He winked and gave her finger guns.

She rolled her eyes, pretty sure he didn't take her seriously at all. On one hand, this careless, relaxed way about him could mean he really meant no harm. On the other hand, it could mean he knew he had the upper hand and therefore didn't need to be worried. Damn it. Not really sure what to say she muttered, "Just, just don't break anything," facepalming herself internally as soon as she spoke the words.

Merle grinned like a cat who ate a canary. "I'll be careful, don't you worry."

She bit her lip to stay quiet, there was no winning this. She led the way to the metal door. She opened it, reached in to switch the lights on and motioned for him to go in first.

He did but stopped in the threshold to inspect the room first. This part of the bunker was nice enough. It was a small space but clean, with all the other basics they would need. A small table with two chairs served as a dining area, and there was even an electric burner to heat up food on the tiny counter. On the opposite side of the room were a bed hanging from chains. It looked quite fun to fuck in. And hey, then the girl could call him an asshole in the morning too. He grinned to himself and moved to sit on one of the chairs and looked at her expectantly as if waiting for praise or at least a pat on the back

She let out a very unladylike snort. Not commenting on his theatrics. She entered the room too. Her movements were automatic, showing she has been there long enough to settle in a routine. Though she kept a watchful eye on him while doing her thing.

With just a fraction of hesitation, she placed the gun on a small folding table next to the bed. Then she turned on the ventilation and the little burner in the tiny kitchen-like area. Then pulled out a pot, opened the cupboard and turned fully to him with a can in each hand. "What are you in a mood for? Today, it's beans or ratatouille."

"Rata-what?" he asked, squinting trying to make up what was on the label from the distance.

She thrusted the can in front of his face. "It's lots of veggies in a sauce. You know what? I'm gonna make it, then you can decide if you like it." She turned back to the cupboard with a brief glance to where the gun was laying.

"Girl, have you been outside? I am not picky, whatever you feed me I'll be a happy man." He folded his arms behind his head.

She only nodded and proceeded to open the can, dumped it in the pot and put it on the burner. The hoodie came off after that and there behind her belt was the dagger, she laid it next to the gun and toss the hoodie on the ground next to the table. She had another long sleeved shirt underneath, to Merle's disappointment.

"What the hell are you wearing? It's like a hundred degrees out there," he asked, actually curious.

She looked down at herself and then at him as if he was stupid. "Nobody knows what a scratch would do from one of those things, I want as little of their blood on my skin as possible."

"Fair enough," he rasped with a nod.

She busied herself with stirring the food. Still feeling rather nervous she needed to do something with her hands. Soon enough a steaming bowl landed in front of Merle.

"Girl, now a service like this is something I could get used to." He flashed her a smile and dug in.

"Would you stop that?"

His spoon froze on its way to his mouth. "Stop what? I ain't fucking doing anything."

"Calling me girl," she clarified in an annoyed tone. "I'm no girl."

"If you say so." His eyes started to roam and his lips slowly turned into a smile. "So what's your name, beautiful?"

She rolled her eyes. "It's Miri."

"Miri?" He tasted the name, giving her a doubtful look. "Is that short for something?"

"No!" she answered way too quickly, too forcefully.

It widened his smile some more. "Alright, don't tell me." He shoved the spoon in his mouth. That Rata-whatever was actually pretty good. "I'm Merle," he said over the food.

A little smile twitched the corners of her mouth. "Merle, huh? Is that short for something?"

There was a moment of absolute silence between them. "What was that? You better keep yourself in check, doll, that almost sounded like a joke."

"I just told you my name! Would you stop with the pet names?" she huffed, annoyed.

He flashed her a bright smile. "No, you didn't. You gave me some nickname. I'll call you by your name once you tell me what it really is."

"Whatever." She went back to eating, choosing to ignore him for the rest of the meal.

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Many hours and even more unsuccessful conversation attempts from Merle later; he was bored out of his mind. Miri moved to the bed and was reading some magazine, or at least she tried to make it seem like it. Every now and then, she would go to the first room, always taking the gun and the knife with her, to check on the cameras installed in the station above them. So far no luck and the walkers were still lingering around.

She was coming back from one of those checks, only shaking her head when she saw his questioning, almost hopeful gaze.

His face dropped. He never suffered claustrophobia, but then again, he never had to sit for hours locked in a bunker either. It was way past midnight and they were both tired. Neither of them wanted to risk falling asleep though. Before Miri moved to the bed again he called for her, "Hey doll, we could pass the time doing something more fun. How about we bump uglies? What do you say?"

Her hold on the gun tightened. "No."

"Come on, I'll make it worth your while." He shot her a lusty smile which didn't help his cause any.

"I don't think so, just drop it." She moved back to her spot on the bed since Merle didn't look like he was about to pounce on her.

Though he didn't stop talking either. "Believe me, if there is one thing I know how to do, it's how to fuck. Come on, it can't be worse than sitting here, boring ourselves to death."

"I'm not bored, I'm reading." She shoved him the magazine with a -didn't you notice- look.

"No, you are not," he bit back in incredulous tone. "You've been staring at that thing for hours now."

"Just drop it, will you? I'm not having sex with you! Get it through that thick skull of yours."

"Ugh, you're no fun." He shifted in his seat, with no luck trying to find a more comfortable position. "You wouldn't have any booze here, huh?" He tried something else.

She laughed through a snort. "Yeah, like that's gonna happen," she muttered.

"What?" he asked as if he didn't know what she was talking about.

"Do you think I'm stupid or something? I'm not handing alcohol over to some stranger who's mindtrack seems to go in one direction only. Thank you very much."

"Now that's not fair. I've been trying to talk to you for hours and-"

"Oh yeah, I've noticed. Excuse me if I don't feel like talking about; how many layers I'm wearing or if I can do massages." She rolled her eyes.

"Give me a break, I was joking." He wasn't, his back started to hurt from sitting on the small metal chair for this long, but that was none of her business. "Seriously, I am up to anything. I'll play fucking monopoly." He rubbed the short hair on his head and then rose to his feet with a quiet "Fuck it."

The sudden move startled Miri and she scrambled for her gun.

"Jesus, calm your tits, I just gotta stretch my legs."

She gave him a weary look. "Just keep stretching where you are." There was a warning in her tone but she left the gun where it was and sat back.

"You sure are a skittish mouse," he commented while moving around to get the blood in his tired limbs pumping. Then something crossed his mind. He remembered what she asked him when she had him at gunpoint in the store above. "Hey, who did you think I was when you first saw me?"

She tilted her head, looking confused about the question. So he continued.

"Upstairs, you asked about my buddies, what group did you think I belonged to? Is there one nearby?"

"Believe me, you don't want to meet them."

"You don't seem to be worried much, living here all alone and all."

"They don't know I live here."

"But you've met them."

"Yes, I have."

"Care to elaborate?"

"Nope," she said half-hearted and he gave her a look. "Alright, I guess you better know this. They're this bunch of assholes living in this town. I've been watching them for a while and I'm telling you, they are up to nothing good. They might look like an ordinary town, but I've seen what they are doing outside those walls. They kill, and take, and if you know what's good for you, you stay out of their way."

"If they are so bad, why are you lurking around then."

"I have my reasons."

He gave her another look, expecting her to elaborate but she didn't. "Okay then." He let it go. "I'm gonna check on those biters upstairs."

"I just did like five minutes ago." She looked at him as if he was stupid with an underlying suspicion.

"It wasn't five minutes and whatever, if you don't wanna do nothing I'll at least stretch my legs some more.

He moved to the next room. She didn't follow and for the first time since they got down there she didn't have her eyes on him. Something about it felt like he won a battle.

Merle didn't expect to see any changes, but when his eyes landed on the monitor he saw the walkers leaving. "Hey girl!" he called out staining his neck to see if she's coming. When she appeared in the door he pointed to the picture. "It looks like they are moving on." He actually felt relieved.

She moved to his side. "Really, that's strange. It usually takes them longer than that. I wonder what made them move."

And just like that the relieved feeling from before evaporated. Hopefully whatever trouble made them leave the station was far enough for him to get back to the prison without meeting trouble.

Miri watched the dead bodies on the monitor moving away. Her eyes flicked between them and Merle for a few times before she asked, "How far is the place you are staying at?"

"Why are you asking?" He narrowed his eyes momentarily before breaking into a smile. "You wanna join me?"

"Yeah, right- that's a no if you were wondering." She made an annoyed face. "I was just thinking if I should pack you something

"Aww, I'm hurt. The biters there aren't even gone and you are kicking me out already."

"A simple thank you would be enough," she muttered and turned to the shelves to make a pack for him. He might be kinda asshole, but hey, people were few and far between these days and he's at least a tolerable asshole. "And I am not kicking you out. You should wait till the morning to be safe."

Merle watched her work systematically. He was debating if he should ask her to join them, to share this but he decided now is not the time. He could always come back later, take Daryl with him- no Lumen. If he took her it could make the gal more acceptable. But did he wanna put Lumen in potential danger just for the food? She was safe and sound in the prison now.

In the end, he decided to just leave the decision for later.

They waited for the dawn came before going out. This time in much more comfortable silence. There were a few lingering walkers around but otherwise, the horde was gone and outside they now saw what got them moving. On the sky, there was a column of smoke. It meant a really big fire, an explosion maybe.

"Can it be your place?" She peered up at Merle who didn't look worried and that answered her question before he did.

"No, no. I'm not staying that way." He rubbed his hands together. "So, are any of these beauties working?" He motioned to the cars scattered around the station.

She nodded. There were several working and she had no need for all of them. So she showed him which one he could use.

Merle watched her relaxed posture. The fact they were not trapped anymore seemed to do wonders for her confidence. He decided to chance a question. "Hey, there wouldn't happen to be a pump working here with that generator of yours."

"The tank is full, don't worry." Her mouth twitched, a shadow of a smile let itself known.

"That's great to hear, though we need a little more than that. We've got a generator on our own and not enough fuel to make it work."

"Oh." A frown emerged on her forehead. She thought her answer over carefully. Her body started to go rigid again. For some reason it didn't occur to her, he could easily just come back to rob her. Stupid, she thought, so stupid! Though maybe if she offered some freely?-

"Jeez girl, I'm not asking you to marry me." He laughed. "Even though it is a yes or no question."

"There is a pump working." She made up her mind. "I'm not sure how much of the fuel is left and I don't have anything to put it in. As everywhere people went crazy here at one point. All the canisters are gone."

"But you wouldn't mind sharing?" Now that made him happy.

"I guess, just don't go around telling people I'm here." She looked to the side, getting nervous about the agreement.

"My lips are sealed." He made a gesture as if he was locking his mouth like a little girl. A smile worked its way to her face.

"I'll be back then." He gave her a wink, opened the rusty door and threw his bag in before making a move to get in himself but stopped midway.

"Hey girl, the town you were talking about, what's its name?"

"They call it Woodbury."

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The moment he saw the fence his mood went south. Even though he was glad to be 'home', he immediately missed the somewhat easy going atmosphere in the bunker where he could push all this aside and just relax for a few hours.

Suddenly he didn't feel like coming back to all the sad faces, to the grieving. An image of Amy sitting on the couch staring at nothing flashed through his mind, Lumen's worried expression, angry Daryl, itching to go and reduce the population of the prison. And all the assholes who were so quick to assume the worse of him but didn't keep an eye on their own anyway. And now she's dead.

The last thought made him step on the gas. Not him. He'll look after his family.