A/N: Well, I've been working on this story for near 6 months. I've lost motivation to write, for the most part, and have been working my butt off with work and the such, trying to maintain a little bit of a social life and spend time with the boyfriend. Here's to writing more often and getting things done! Don't forget to read and review, it helps the creative juices flow. Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me and keep reading and reviewing, and following my writing. I appreciate you all.
Thanks as always go to Beyondmythought-s and Texasbelle91 for encouraging me! To gneebee, thank you for posting Moonshine Romance and giving me inspiration and courage to finally post chapter 1!
Chapter 1: This is the House That Doubt Built
Merle was terrified. He'd never been in a situation so hopeless before. He couldn't find a single way he could get out of the predicament he found himself in. Geeks trying to enter the rooftop where he was stuck, handcuffed to pipes, with no key to get himself un-cuffed.
He found himself praying, praying like he hadn't prayed since he was a little boy, waiting for the next clap of his daddy's belt against the skin of his back.
He didn't want to die, not at all. He had to get back to his little brother, keep watching out for him like he had been doing since he was fifteen years old and his mama pushed out a kid.
Merle had always run his mouth, always thought that if he kept on talking he could get his way out of just about anything, even if it was only because people wanted him to shut the hell up. Not many people actually listened to the words that came out of his mouth. He spewed a lot of bullshit, but every now and then he actually gave his words some thought and put his real feelings into it.
That's exactly what he did when he started praying to a God he had mostly given up on. Maybe God would come through for him this time. He needed God and luck on his side.
He looked around, trying to find a way out of this mess that he hadn't seen, hadn't thought of before. He needed something, he wasn't going to leave Daryl behind in this shitty world. He took a moment, feeling hopeless and laid on his back. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to keep himself calm. Panic was setting in, the sounds of the geeks were loud as they tried to get through the door to him. He opened his eyes and looked towards the rooftop door. His eyes fell on the bag of tools that T-Dog kicked over and left behind when he dropped the key down the drain.
All of the tools were out of his reach. He took off his belt and tried to use it to grab anything of the tools, but it wasn't working. He couldn't get the belt to hit the damn things. His frustration and panic grew to an all-time high with each failed attempt at getting himself free.
Just out of the reach of his belt was a saw. If only he could get to it, he could saw through the handcuffs. He scooted as close as he could, putting his body in an excruciatingly painful position to try a dozen more times.
Eventually he gave in to the pain from having his arm contorted in horrible positions and moved to sit up again before just leaning against the pipe and tossing his head back, letting the sun's rays hit his face. He closed his eyes and let the sounds of the geeks fighting to get to him fade out. He wasn't going to focus on his imminent death.
Then the sounds of the geeks changed. They were more agitated, and they weren't as loud. He strained to turn and look and what he saw impressed him. The Asian kid, the officer and the black guy came back. And his brother. They took out the geeks pressed against the door and cut the chains holding the door somewhat closed and gathered round Merle.
"Well, ain't you all a sight for sore eyes," Merle drawled, letting relief wash over him.
"Fucker, ya need ta learn ta keep yer mouth shut, an' ya wouldn't get yerself stuck in these kinds o' situations," His little brother growled at him while the cop took the bolt cutters to the hand cuffs.
"I can't get the cuff itself off you right now, but I'll find a way to do so. For now, at least you aren't chained to a pipe. When we're back at camp we'll figure out a way." The cop said.
"Well ain't you just a friendly ole cop?"
"Somethin' like that," He half smiled at Merle. "Now let's get out of here before more show up. We still gotta get the guns."
"Ya crazy sombitch," Merle laughed. "Ya didn't come back fer ole Merle, ya came back fer yer guns, didn't ya?"
"Nah, Merle. We came back fer yer dumbass an' the guns both. We got ya first, didn' we?"
"Suppose ya did," Merle acknowledged with a grunt. He leaned against the roof's ledge and listened to the four outline their plan to get the guns back without any casualties. He offered advice every here and then but otherwise he just listened. T-Dog and Glenn kept shooting glances his way, confused as to why he wasn't running his mouth and telling them how their plans were wrong.
"Look, I'm the quickest one here. I'll get the guns while you guys watch my back and take care of the geeks," The kid stated.
"Ya like danger, don't ya, China-Man?"
"I'm Korean, dumbass, and I know my strengths."
"Alright, alright, no need ta get defensive,"
"So, we're clear on the plan?" Rick questioned the group to get them back on track. The yes was unanimous and they retreated from the rooftop.
Everything went according to plan, T-Dog and Rick watched Glenn from a side street, Merle from a different side street and Glenn was with Daryl. It wasn't until Glenn was going back to Daryl when shit hit the fan. Yelling could be heard. Rick, T-Dog and Merle ran as quickly as they could to Daryl's location. They converged on him with their weapons drawn. They found Daryl holding the gate shut, turning around to chase after the teenage boy.
"His home-boys took Glenn!" Daryl growled, pulling the kid back to his feet roughly. "I shot one o' his buddies in the ass," Merle and Daryl looked to each other and shared a grin. At least the fuckers didn't get away cleanly.
It didn't take long to get information out of the kid, Merle leaned back and let his little brother take the lead in scaring the boy and then let Rick play the good cop.
They went to the place that Miguel led them to and sent T-dog and Daryl to be sharp shooters and keep an eye on their backs while Rick and Merle exchanged Miguel for Glenn. The exchange wasn't quite what they wanted. They wanted the guns.
The group retreated and talked it over before going back. They would go and do what was necessary to get Glenn back, even if they had to shed blood.
They were fully prepared to do exactly that, until Felipe's grandmother walked out and stood in the middle, begging for Felipe to come and help someone. They followed Guillermo and realized in horror that they were about to fight men that were risking themselves to take care of those left behind in a retirement home. Merle, Rick, Glenn, T-Dog and Daryl retreated to a corner away from everyone after witnessing Felipe help an older man who started to have an asthma attack and Guillermo explained how they came to be there.
"We cain't leave 'em here. He said it himself, they ain't got shit fer supplies." Merle grumbled, looking Rick dead in the eyes. It didn't sit well with Merle, the idea of leaving these people with barely anything.
"What do you suggest, Merle? Give them our guns, our supplies?" Rick questioned.
"Nah. We'll go on a run fer 'em, take a couple o' their guys an' help them get supplies."
"What do you all think?"
"I think Merle is right," Glenn agreed, "They're good people, they're risking themselves to protect their family and the others that were left behind."
"I'm willing," T-Dog agreed as well.
Everyone turned to look at Daryl. Daryl looked from each of them to each of the older people around the room. He nodded slowly. "I ain't riskin' my ass an' gettin' killed, but I'll help."
The others moved away, looking around the room, seeing how things were defended and making notes on ways to help them out. Rick stood next to Merle for a moment, "I didn't expect you to want to help these people,"
"Why not?" Merle asked, turning to look at the cop.
"'Cause you're a dick,"
Merle chuckled, "Jus' 'cause I'm a dick doesn't mean I don't give a shit. I ain't heartless, Officer Friendly,"
"True,"
After the loss of a few members of their group, Merle wasn't willing to stick around at the quarry any longer. He wouldn't risk staying there with his little brother and letting either of them get hurt.
"Me'n Daryl are leavin'. We ain't stayin' here anymore. Y'all are fuckin' dumb if ya don't leave too. Especially without me'n Daryl ta hunt fer y'all."
"Where do you expect us to go? There aren't many options left, if you haven't noticed. 'Cause your right, we won't last long without you two hunting and bringing in food. You're invaluable to this group."
"What 'bout that CDC place ya keep yappin' about? Or Fort Benning, like dickhead keeps talkin' about?"
"The fort is likely to be a lost cause. They would have sent most of their men to Atlanta during the outbreak, it's likely to be overrun like the city is."
"The CDC?" Merle questioned.
"It's more likely to be intact. They're designed for things like this. But it's a risk like going into the city."
"Give the CDC a try, me'n Daryl will stick wit' ya all fer that long at least, then we'll go from there. But this ain't a safe place anymore."
With Merle's insistence it was decided they would give the CDC a try. The group travelled there in a large caravan. It wasn't what they had hoped. The only man standing had given up hope before they arrived, given them shelter for a night, told them news no one wanted to hear and then dropped a bomb that as soon as the power ran out at the CDC the place would self-destruct.
With a lack of anywhere else to go yet, and not willing to leave them to fend for themselves, not with a couple of kids, Merle and Daryl stuck with the group.
Things were alright, in Merle's book, he and his brother were together and relatively safe. He wasn't a fool. He knew there was safety in numbers.
Things went up in smoke one day when the little girl went missing while they were on the road. Daryl and Merle split up, taking a group each to search for the little girl. Merle was insistent they would find her, one way or another, before anything bad could happen. He was pissed as hell that once again Lori and Carol let their kids wander away, not within arms-reach like he's insisted they stay, time and time again. That was Merle's biggest fear next to losing his brother somehow, it was that something would happen to one of the kids.
This all could have been prevented, Merle thought. If the mothers had just kept their children in their sight and by their sides, nothing would have happened. They wouldn't be trekking through the woods looking for a little girl.
Merle figured, when young Carl asked his dad if he could go with and help to find his friend, that at least the boy would be where he could see him and keep an eye on him, so he didn't protest that looking for the girl was nowhere for the boy to be, especially if they found her and she wasn't okay.
He never saw the hunter, didn't realize until it was too late that the deer the little boy was looking at was about to become someone's prey and the little boy was accidentally in the way.
He watched the little boy go down in slow motion, blood seeping from his bullet wound. He wanted to kill the fucker who shot the innocent. When he stepped out from the bushes, repeating over and over that it was an accident he barely kept himself from giving in to the red he was seeing. He had to keep his temper, keep his head, Officer Friendly- the boy's father, wasn't going to be in any condition to talk rationally and get the kid help.
"There's a farm, it's not far. The guy who owns it can help your boy. I'm so sorry. I didn't see him."
"Take us there. Now!" Merle growled, not wasting time on any words as he looked at the little boy's ashen face and his father's tear stained face. He knelt down and carefully lifted the boy into his arms, slow running after the man to this farm. He didn't look at all to make sure Officer Friendly was with them. He knew he would be. If it were his child he would be matching him pace for pace. He focused on the young life in his arms.
They arrived at the farm quicker than Merle expected. An older man with white hair met them on the porch, ushering them inside, questioning what happened. The man, Otis, who shot the kid, explained everything breathlessly.
As they got the boy situated and the old man started to look him over, Merle looked at Rick and Otis. "We need to get back to the others, tell yer wife about yer boy."
"My oldest daughter can go. She can take one of our horses and get the boy's mother quicker than you can on foot. I assume it's not too far away, where your people are, but she'll be quicker." The old man stated without looking up from Carl.
Merle realized that Rick wasn't listening, too intent on the now of what's happening with his son. He took matters into his own hands and agreed.
"Otis, get Maggie, Beth, and Patricia, bring them here. I'm going to need Patricia's and Beth's help."
He was amazed at how quickly the big man moved. Within moments three females entered the room, all varying widely in age.
"Maggie, take one of the horses. I need you to go get the boy's mother. This man will tell you where to find her. Beth, Patricia, I'm going to need your help."
Maggie and Merle moved away from the others a little so their voices wouldn't overlap that of the patriarch of the family working diligently to save Carl. Merle was quick in giving directions to where the rest of their group was and explaining that most of the group was in search of a little girl. The boy's mother would be with the main group, on the highway. He gave her the names of the kid's mother and of himself, his brother and Rick, telling her to tell them he sent her.
He pulled Rick from the room when the man started to lose his shit when his son cried out in pain. He knew it wouldn't do any good if he lost it while they were trying to help his son. He'd done the same thing a few times when his little brother had to go to the hospital when they were kids. Merle took Rick outside to the porch.
"You want to be in there wit' yer boy, I get it. But yer gettin' in the way. Ya need ta find somethin' to distract yerself."
"Like what? My little boy is in there dying,"
"He ain't going to die," Merle growled fiercely.
"How do ya know?" Rick questioned, his eyes filling with unshed tears and his face a mask of anguish.
"'Cause yer kid is as stubborn as your dumbass. And that man in there is gonna do everything to save that kid. I saw it in his eyes."
Rick was about to respond when the older woman walked outside to check on the men. "I'm Patricia, Otis' wife. How are you holding up?"
"He's losin' his fuckin' mind," Merle answered for Rick. "You got any wood needed chopped or somethin' physical he can do till he's under control an' can be by his boys side again?"
Patricia nodded her head in understanding, "There is wood to chop," She motioned to where it was located and went back inside to leave them to it. Merle led Rick to the wood and told him to get to it.