Okay, I know you hate me. I completely abandoned this story and disappeared off the face of the planet for months. I really didn't mean to, it just sort of happened. I graduated high school and then started working three jobs, so I guess I just got busy. I can't promise anything but I will do my best to be a reliable uploader from now on.
So mostly what I am doing is with these reuploads is fixing grammar, spelling mistakes, and adding in more detail. I feel like I rushed through writing this and didn't give it my best. I also have improved a lot as a writer since I started this.
(In my version I chose to change up a few things.) The first time they got out of the city by using the sewers and coming out on the city limits and walked back to camp. They use the sewers to go back for Merle but find them filling up rapidly with walkers and realize they can't go back that way. When T-Dog left Merle handcuffed on the roof he left him an uploaded gun and a handful of bullets to protect himself from the walkers. But he left it unloaded so he could get away and not be shot by an angry Merle. When Rick, Glenn, T-Dog, and Daryl got back to the rooftop the blood from where Merle chopped off his hand was dry so around a day had passed. They are in the building Merle was chained to. We come in just after they realize he cauterized his wound. Now on with the story
The rest of the group had already started down the stairs heading for the ground floor. Daryl, reluctant to leave the last known whereabouts of his brother, continued to wander the room looking for clues as to where Merle may have gone. He could hear the new guy, Rick, brainstorming with the rest of them on how to leave the city. Daryl was pissed. He wanted to stay and look for his brother and these guys had only searched one building and were already packing it in. Daryl leaned on a nearby window frame, enjoying the cool breeze blowing in.
That's when he saw her for the first time. Across the street in a three-story apartment building, a young girl with wavy brown hair and stormy grey eyes was staring back at him. She bit her lip leaning out her window, and looked down into the street. Two or three dozen walkers wandered aimlessly around below. She motioned for him to go downstairs and disappeared from his sight.
Daryl hurried down the stairs to the ground floor. "How the hell does she think she's gonna make it through all them walkers?" he mused arriving at the front window of the boutique. Several members of his group gave him a funny look as he ran up to the front window. "Daryl, did you see somethin'?" Rick asked, looking past him out into the street. A few dozen Walkers stumbled by the shop front; one seeing them in the window stepped up to the glass. Others, hearing its hungry growls, started turning towards the shop. "Daryl, what's going on? You're just getting them all riled up standing there." Rick warned. Daryl just held up a finger, signalling him to wait. It was in that moment the girl slipped from her building and started darting and weaving through the walkers. She threw lit firecrackers over her shoulder as she ran away from the boutique. "What the fuck is she doing?" Daryl said aloud, opening the now clear front door to see her just a bit down the street running in circles trying to distract the zombies.
Then out of the same building she had exited, a toddler peered out. He looked up and down the street trying to see if the coast was clear. Daryl could see him taking a deep breath. Then the kid started to run towards Daryl. Only a few walkers remained in the area; one missing its left arm lurched towards the child. The boy, seeing his way cut off, tried to turn and run back but tripped and landed hard on the pavement. Scared and A little hurt he started to wail. Raising his crossbow Daryl quickly dispatched the walker going after the child. When she heard the child cry, the girl turned to run back to him, only to be knocked to the ground herself by a walker. "I got him, look after yourself." Daryl yelled at the girl, rushing forward to grab the child.
Scooping the young boy up under his arm Daryl booked it back to the open door of the boutique where the rest of the group had gathered. He looked back in time to see the girl drive a hunting knife into the skull of her assailant before jumping up and running towards the group in the boutique.
The new girl locked the door behind her before following the group to the back of the shop. The walkers were excited and banging on the glass. It wouldn't take much to shatter it. Reaching out she took the boy from Daryl. "Umm thanks for that. I'm Rose and this is Milo." She said, shifting Milo's weight onto her hip. Rose subconsciously spun a strand of her hair around her finger. "Was nothin'." Daryl said, shrugging.
One by one the others introduced themselves to the newest additions to their group. "So umm… You guys staying here? Wouldn't suggest it myself; the city's completely full of those ugly mother fuckers." She said shuffling her feet; her discomfort at being surrounded by strangers clearly evident. Milo reached up and put his hand over her mouth. Rose laughed out loud "Sorry 'bout that baby. Kid scolds me for swearing, but can't say a word himself." Rose looked around the group. "So why are y'all here?" "We were looking for someone." Rick explained. "Aren't we all?" Rose replied with a sigh and a sad smile.
"No offence but how the hell did you survive all on your own while caring for a child in this god forsaken city?" T-Dog questioned. "Up until last night I had two others with me helping to protect little Milo here. We didn't see the need for guns, caused way to much noise. But God last night I could have used one. Some dickwad hick broke through our barriers firing off his gun demanding our remaining supplies. Was good as ringing a dinner bell; the walkers were on us in minutes. Bastard's the reason I lost two of my people. Mother fuckers gonna get it if I ever see him again." The pain and hatred written across Rose's face was clear.
"Merle." Daryl said under his breath staring down at the floor. The others shifted uncomfortably, looking anywhere but at Rose. "That's the guy you came looking for isn't it." She said running her fingers through her hair. "The one I just threatened." Shaking her head and swearing softly she shifted her grip on Milo. "Well hope you find your guy." Turning to leave Rose was stopped by Daryl stepping in front of her. "You're right he's a dickwad and I guess you could call him a hick too, but he's also my brother. What he did was fucked up. And I'm sorry he did that to you. But if you go back out there on your own with the kid, you're not going to last very long. We are both looking for people we care about. Might benefit from a little help so you might as well just stick with us."
Glenn and T-Dog stared at Daryl in shock. In the last months they had known him he had never done anything so kind before to their knowledge. Rose bit her lip looking around at the different members of the group. Turning her head to glance back out at the street already filling back up with walkers, she nodded slightly. "Do you think we even have a chance of finding our loved ones in this god forsaken hell hole?" a bitter tone to her voice. "I don't know… but what I do know is we can't stay here. The suns going down and we can't search for them until we have somewhere safe for Milo." Daryl replied softly. "I don't wanna leave my brother either, but if we stay here those fuckers are eventually gonna bust their way in here and it won't matter if our people come looking for us."
"So where's your guys' transportation?" Rose asked looking from person to person waiting to see who would have the answer. Scuffing his shoe across the floor Glenn spoke up. "Well, we walked in here and barely made it. The walkers have taken to the sewers. We need to find a different way out." Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath Rose stood in silence for a second; opening her eyes a smile playing across her lips. "I think I can help you with that."
"I lived across the street for two years before this shit all broke out; I came to know the routines of all the people nearby. Kathy worked here in the boutique, she caught her dad sleeping with the neighbor so he bought her a car to keep quiet and not tell her mother. Saw Kathy's body when we came in over by the register. My guess is her cars in the underground parking lot beneath us." Moving back to the front of the store Rose searched the body of a young woman. "Aha there's the little bastard." She jingled the key triumphantly.
"I can draw them away but it's gonna be your job to get your asses across the street to the bakery truck a little ways down the road. The drivers still in there, zombiefied though so watch yourself when you pull him out. But that should mean the keys are still in the truck." She ordered. It was decided that Glenn would go with Rose in the bait car while the rest made a run for the bakery truck. Kissing Milo on the top of the head Rose passed him to Daryl. "Take care of him for me… and if anything- well you know…" Nodding his head Daryl pulled the kid against his chest and took his knife out of its holster.
Down in the parking lot Glenn got his first look at the bait car. "Wow a Dodge Challenger nice." Snorting Rose shook her head. "It's just a car. Let's just hope it's fast enough." Climbing in the driver's seat Rose revved the engine and rolled up in front of the garage doors. A beep sounded and the doors rolled up. "Here we go."