―

chapter four: laundry brawl
― tell it to the frogs

"You just gonna sit there and sulk like a baby, or are you actually gonna talk to me?" Ferne asked, cocking her head to the side as she watched Daryl sit outside his and Merle's tent - which had been placed further away from the centre of the camp than the rest - as he cleaned his arrows. The man said nothing, only letting out a small grunt. Ferne sighed, crouching down next to him, "Look Daryl, it ain't my fault that Merle got left behind so don't try and take your anger out on me, okay? And it ain't Rick or T-Dog's fault either, it was Merle's and you know that."

Daryl paused in his motions glancing up at the blonde girl before turning back to his arrows.

"Look, Rick's a good man. He feels guilty enough and he's going back for your brother." Ferne told him.

"How'd you even know this guy?" Daryl grunted as he stood up, the pair starting a slow walk back to camp.

"Lived down the street from him, Lori and Carl for years," Ferne shrugged, "My Dad and Rick worked together. I was Carl's babysitter. Look, like I said, he's a good guy and he's going back for Merle. That's gotta count for something."

Daryl then suddenly stopped, making Ferne do so as well, the pair standing at the treeline, "Are you coming with me?"

"What?"

"Y' heard."

Ferne sighed, "Daryl."

"You either are, or you ain't."

"I can't, Daryl." Ferne shook her head.

Daryl scoffed, looking away from her.

"What if something happens?" Ferne asked him, "If I go then there's only Shane who actually knows how to shoot to protect everyone. You want that?"

Daryl only shook his head, "You're just like the rest of them." He rolled his eyes, before storming away from her and back to the centre of main camp.

Ferne ran a hand over her face, letting out a sigh.

"Having a little domestic?" A voice teased, making her head snap around, seeing Clay leaning against a tree with a smirk.

Ferne glared at the boy, "Do you mind?"

Clay threw his hands up in false surrender, "Hey. You two decided to have a squabble by my tent."

"Well, whatever you're thinking, stop thinking it." Ferne told him, ducking into his and Parker's tent, sitting on the cot.

"You know why he wants you with him, right?" Clay asked, amused as he followed her in and sat by her side.

"Because he doesn't wanna be alone with Rick." Ferne rolled her eyes, retying the laces of her boots.

Clay let out a small chuckle, "Because he trusts you."

Ferne raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"I know," Clay nodded, "Daryl Dixon trusts you. A terrifying thought, isn't it?"

Ferne only rolled her eyes, "Whatever. Besides Shane and now Rick, I'm the best marksman we've got. I've gotta stay."

"Even though you wanna go with him." Clay smirked, earning a harsh shove to his shoulder before  Ferne left the tent, the boy chuckling.

―

Clay sighed as he walked through camp, Rick on his tail, "You sure you won't come?" The older man asked, "I'd feel more comfortable with you there."

"You've already got Glenn," Clay shook his head, a textbook in his hand, "And besides, Parker doesn't want me to go. I need to be with my sister right now, Rick. I'd hoped you'd get something like that."

Rick sighed, hands resting on his belt as he nodded, "I do."

"Well then, go bring back Merle 'Douchebag' Dickson, Deputy." Clay gave him a nod, before he walked over to where Parker was sitting.

Rick let out a huff, before T-Dog brought him over to Dale, Jim and Artie who were sat in front of the RV.

"Rumour is you have bolt cutters." Rick said to Dale.

The older man raised an eyebrow, "Maybe."

"Yeah, we get to that roof, we'll need to cut that chain and the handcuffs." T-Dog said.

"I never like lending tools. The last time I did - and yes, I am talking about you-" Dale pointed at T-Dog, "Let's just say your bag of guns wasn't the only bag that was dropped. My tools got left behind with Merle."

"And some of mine." Artie piped up, Dale pointing to him with a nod.

"We'll bring your tools back too," Rick told them, "Think of the bolt cutters as an investment."

"Sounds like more of a gamble," Dale grumbled, going over to his toolbox and taking out the bolt cutters, hesitating before he handed them over, "What do I get in return?"

"What do you want?" Rick asked.

"How about one of those guns you bring back?" Dale bargained, "My pick."

"Done." Rick nodded.

Jim cleared his throat, "Dale, let's sweeten the deal a bit," He said, making Rick raised an eyebrow, "Now that cube van of yours."

"What about it?" Rick wondered.

"The RV's radiator hose is shot," Jim said, nodding to the vehicle behind him, "That's a problem if we need to get somewhere and wanna get very far. And the hose on that van is just about a perfect match. Well, enough that I can make it fit."

"I'll tell you what we get back, you can strip that van down to the bare metal." Rick told them, when the truck's horn went off, Daryl being the cause of it.

"Come on, let's go!" The redneck cried.

Rick nodded at Dale as he was handed the bolt cutters, "Thank you," He turned to Artie, "Anything you need from me?"

Artie shook his head, "I'm good, thanks."

Meanwhile, Ferne walked over to the truck, leaning against the open back of it as she glanced up at Daryl, "Still mad at me?"

"Still staying?" Daryl asked.

Ferne only gave the man a look, causing him to scoff and walk further into the back of the truck. Ferne sighed, walking away and patting Rick's shoulder as she walked past him, "Just bring 'em home, Rick. All of them."

Rick nodded, "I'll try my best."

"And if I could have one of those rifles, that'd be great."

The ex-cop chuckled, "Sure thing." He told her, patting her arm before Shane pulled him aside for a conversation.

Ferne turned her attention to Clay and Parker as she made her way over to where the siblings were sat, Parker reading out of the textbook in her lap.

"Oh, wow, school is in session, huh?" The blonde smirked, standing over them with her hands on her hips.

"Well, it's this or doing the laundry," Parker shrugged, "And I hate doing laundry."

"Yeah, but I did it last time, so you're not getting out of this one squirt." Clay said, ruffling his sister's hair, making Parker grow.

"Yeah, but at least you'll be able to analyse a Shakespeare sonnet whilst doing it." Ferne smirked, chuckling as she backed away from Clay hitting her in the leg with the textbook.

―

Parker cringed as she rang the water out of one of Clay's T-shirts, "What's even on this thing?" She groaned, examining the stain on the shirt.

Andrea leaned over, inspecting the shirt, "That would be part of the walker from this morning." She commented, Parker immediately dropping the item of clothing into her bucket.

"Gross." The girl muttered.

"At least you're not stuck washing Daryl's clothes." Artie told her from the rock he was sitting on in the water, further away from the others.

"Gross." Amy muttered.

Parker raised an eyebrow, picking up one of Artie's many button up shirts, "How many of these things did you pack?" She asked the man, who only shrugged with a small smile.

"I'm beginning to question the division of labour here." Jacqui hummed, eyeing Shane and Carl - who were splashing about in the water further along the quarry.

"Hey, I'm here." Artie shrugged.

"Can someone explain to me how the women wound up doing all the Hattie McDaniel work?" Jacqui asked, ignoring the boy.

"The world ended. Didn't you get the memo?" Amy commented.

Carol glanced over at her husband, who was keeping a watchful eye on the girls and Artie, "It's just the way it is." She shrugged.

Parker sighed, scrubbing Clay's shirt on the washboard, "Yeah, but would it be so bad for some of the men to put their guns down for a moment and join us in getting all 'Little House on the Prairie' with us?"

"I have to say, I do miss my Maytag." Carol said.

"I miss my Benz," Andrea sighed, "My sat nav."

"I miss my coffeemaker with that dual-drip filter and built-in grinder, honey." Jacqui groaned, ringing out a shirt.

"Oh, don't," Artie muttered, "I could really go for a cup of tea, right now."

"My computer," Amy said, "And texting."

"I miss my skateboard." Parker frowned.

A small smirk came over Andrea's lips, "I miss my vibrator." She shrugged.

"Oh!" Jacqui chuckled.

"Oh my God!" Amy cringed at the thought, Parker and Artie both turning red at the eldest sister's comment.

Carol glanced around nervously, "Me too." She quietly admitted, gaining shocked gasps and growing laughter.

"What's so funny?" Ed called out, sauntering over to them with a cigarette in his hand.

"Just swapping war stories, Ed." Andrea sighed, the laughter immediately dying out.

"Yeah." Carol muttered quietly.

The only sounds being made now was the sound of dripping water as Ed stayed hovering over them - more specifically, his wife.

Andrea raised an eyebrow at the man, "Problem, Ed?"

"Nothin' that concerns you," Ed glared at her, his eyes flicking over to Carol, "And you ought to focus on your work. This ain't no comedy club." He said, making Andrea let out a huff of annoyance.

For the next couple of minutes, Ed continued to loiter around the small group, letting out smalkl grunts whenever he thought one of them weren't doing their job properly.

Andrea rolled her eyes, standing up and walking towards the man, "Ed, tell you what. You don't like how your laundry is done, you are welcome to pitch in and do it yourself. Here." She said, throwing Ed's wet shirt at him, only for him to quickly grab it and chuck back at her, the wet material smacking her in the face.

"Ain't my job, missy." Ed drawled as Andrea growled at him.

Amy and Parker stood up quickly, the blonde gently holding her sister's arm, "Andrea, don't."

"What is your job, Ed?" Andrea egged the man on, taking a step closer to him, "Sitting on your ass
smoking cigarettes?"

"Andrea." Artie called out in slight warning from his spot further out in the water.

"Well, it sure as hell ain't listening to some uppity smart-mouthed bitch. Tell you what," Ed glared at the woman, before turning to his wife, "Come on. Let's go." He told her, the woman timidly standing up.

"I don't think she needs to go anywhere with you, Ed." Andrea told him sharply.

"And I say it's none of your business," Ed growled, looking over at Carol, "Come on now. You heard me."

Parker swallowed thickly, before boldly standing in front of Ed, looking up at him, "If she wants to stay, then let her stay." She said, only gaining a mocking tilt of the head from the man in front of her.

"Andrea, Parker, please. It doesn't matter." Carol quietly begged them as the woman and teenager tried to get her to stay.

"Hey, don't think I won't knock you on your ass just 'cause you're some college-educated cooze, or a little girl. Alright?" He said, making Andrea gape, "Now you come on now or you gonna regret it later." Ed glared at his wife.

"So she can show up with fresh bruises later, Ed?" Jacqui spoke up, Artie glancing between all of the people in the scene in front of him, tightly clutching the wet shirt in his hands, "Yeah, we've seen them."

Ed chuckled, "Stay out of this. Now come on!" He tried to reach for Carol's arm, only for Parker and Andrea to block his way, "You know what? This ain't none of y'all's business. You don't want to keep prodding the bull here, okay? Now I am done talking. Come on."

"No no. Carol, you don't have to."

"Carol just stay."

"Carol."

The girls all trued saying things to make her stay when Ed painfully grabbed Carol's arm.

"You don't tell me what! I tell you what!" The man yelled, before landing a hard slap on Carol's face.

"What the hell?!" Parker cried as the girls all started to push at him, Amy bring Carol back and into Artie's arm.

Ed only batted the girls off, his arm flying out into Parker's face, sending her to the hard ground, her head hitting the corner of a rock, the girl wincing in pain.

"Parker!" Artie cried out, leaving Amy and Carol's side and wading through the water to get to her.

Having seen the commotion, Shane had stalked over to the fighting group, taking Ed by the collar of his shirt and dragging him away from everyone before he began to continuously beat the other man. Carol only sobbed from where she stood, the women all yelling at Shane to stop, seeing how it was affecting their friend, trying to comfort their friend.

"Shane!" Artie yelled from where he was knelt down by Parker, the girl leaning on him for support, fresh blood trickling down from her left temple and a bruise starting to appear on her right cheek, "I think he's learnt his lesson."

Shane only growled, once again taking Ed by the collar of his shirt and nringing him closer to his face, "You put your hands on your wife, your little girl, Parker or anybody else in this camp one more time, I will not stop next time.
Do you hear me? Do you hear me?!" Shane cried in a frenzy.

Ed only slurred, "Yes."

"I'll beat you to death, Ed," Shane warned him over Carol's wailing, "I'll beat you to death!"

Shane sent one more harsh kick to Ed's side, before backing up, Carol rushing to her husband's side, sobbing and apologising. Shane only glanced back over everyone before making his way back up to camp.

"Come on," Artie said, gently helping Parker up, "Let's go get you an icepack."