The Georgia sun was beating down on the rooftop, bouncing off of the metal vents making the area seem even brighter and hotter than it was. Janis shielded her eyes as she looked over the city, or was what once the city she loved.
"Is it gonna be much longer Glenn?" Whining had always been a favourite past time of Janis', Glenn hated it, Janis loved to annoy Glenn.
Shhing came from Glenns direction as he looked at the ground below him.
"I'm sure I heard something" he said, looking through the binoculars hanging around his neck.
"Me dying of boredom."
"Shut up Jay."
"What you seeing Glenn?" T-Dog's voice echoed over the rooftop, louder than Janis' had been, she gave Glenn an annoyed look which he ignored.
"A horse!"
"What?!" Both T-Dog and Janis jumped up, running towards Glenn across the roof.
"A fucking horse! And there's a dude riding it."
Janis couldn't believe what she was seeing. Trotting through the middle of Atlanta City, through broken down cars and dead bodies was a County Sheriff, riding a horse.
"What do we do?" T-Dog was leaning over the roof, attempting to get a better look at the Lone Ranger.
"What can we do? If we go down there we risk all our lives."
"Blondie's right, we ain't 'bout to risk it all for some stupid cop."
"No one asked Merle."
"Ain't no one need to."
"Everybody shut up." Glenn was looking more intently now, focused on the man's path through the city. "Shit...he's gonna meet the group."
The group was what Glenn had been calling the ever increasing gang of Walkers nearing the centre of the city. Every run into the sprawling metropolis they had ventured on, the group had got bigger and bigger, Janis and Glenn had made every effort so far to avoid it.
"We gotta do something." Glenn was running to the very edge of the roof now
"Can't let ya do that." Merle had wandered over, dressed all in black his silver gun gleamed as he twirled it in his hand.
"Merle, shut up." Janis threw him a look which he laughed at, still twirling his gun.
"Jesus Christ." The man had met the horde now, they swarmed on him, making his horse topple, flinging him across the road. The Walkers all crowded around the horse, tearing it open, blood flying everywhere as they ripped its organs out.
Everyone on the roof was silent now, watching the drama below unfold. The man took the opportunity, the Walkers were distracted by the horse. He scrambled under the army tank, abandoned at the side of the road.
"Wha' the fuck is he doin'?" Merle practically shouted, hanging over the side of the building.
"Surviving." Glenn answered, still staring intently at the tank.
A single shot rang through the air, some walkers started to converge on the tank, distracted from the horse by the noise of the gunshot.
"Don't sound like survivin' ta me...sound like he just took tha easy way out."
Glenn was patting his legs, searching all his pockets.
"This?" Janis held out the radio, Glenn grabbed it, practically dropping it on the way to his mouth.
"Hey you. Dumbass."
The whole group waited for a reply. When none came Merle tried to grab the radio from Glenn's hands, he had to run across the side of the roof to keep it. T-Dog held an arm out, bocking Merle from following him. Merle went to push him, his eyes wild as Heather followed Glenn across the rooftop.
"Yeah, you in the tank...Cozy in there?" Glenn adjusted the cap on his head, still watching the tank from his new vantage point on the roof, no movement, discounting the walkers attempts to break in.
Still nothing, Glenn took one more try "Hey, are you alive in there?"
"Hello? Hello?" Glenn practically dropped the radio, quickly bringing it back to his mouth, everyone on the roof was crowded around him, waiting to hear what would crackle through next. Before he replied Glenn looked to Janis who gave him an encouraging look.
"There you are. You had me wondering." Glenn always had a love for being dramatic. Janis was sure it was all the films he watched.
"Where are you? Outside? Can you see me right now?" The voice came through the radio, panicked.
"Yeah, I can see you." Glenn said, walking over to the very side of the roof, getting a better view. "You're surrounded by Walkers." He paused, again Janis could tell for dramatic effect. "That's the bad news."
"There's good news?" The man on the radio didn't sound hopeful.
"No."
"Listen, whoever you are, I don't mind telling you I'm a little concerned in here."
Merle was holding his hand out, making grabbing motions to Glenn who ignored him.
"Oh man. You should see it from over here. You'd be having a major freak-out." T-Dog was smiling and shaking his head while Merle had given up and was now sat down, back against the wall, looking put out.
"Got any advice for me?" The voice came again.
"Yeah, I'd say make a run for it." Glenn was leaning over the side of the roof, stretching as far as he could to check both ways.
"That's it? Make a run for it?"
"My way's not as dumb as it sounds. You've got eyes on the outside here." Glenn gave a nod to the rest of the group which most people reciprocated, with the exception of Merle. "There's one geek still up on the tank but the others have climbed down and joined the feeding frenzy where the horse went down...With me so far?"
"So far." He didn't sound sure at all, but at least he was still listening.
"Okay, the street on the other side of the tank is less crowded. If you move now while they're distracted, you stand a chance...Got ammo?" Glenn was in full swing now, running to the ladder off the side of the roof, hanging from it to get a better view.
"In that duffel bag I dropped out there, and guns."
"Can I get to it?" Janis was in Glenns face, shaking her head before he could move an inch down the ladder.
"Forget the bag, okay? It's not an option." He was smarter than Janis first thought.
"What do you have on you?"
"Hang on..."
"Yeah." His breathy voice came through the radio again.
"Yeah?"
"I've got a Beretta with one clip...15 rounds."
"Make 'em count." Glenn said, shuffling down the ladder as Janis followed him. "Jump off the right side of the tank, keep going in that direction. There's an alley up the street, maybe 50 yards. Be there."
"Hey, what's your name?"
"Have you been listening? You're running out of time." Glenn had no time for pleasantries.
"Right."
Glenn dropped to the roof further down, looking up at Janis he shook his head.
"Stay here, no point scaring him, or getting all three of us killed." she nodded, Glenn ran off, jumping across the roof.
Janis dragged herself back on to the roof, not keen on the idea of spending alone time with Merle.
She dropped herself on the floor next to T-Dog, stretching herself out in the sun.
"Why not come lie down over here Jay?" Merle was rubbing the gravel next to him, raising one eye brow.
"How many times do I gotta tell you to fuck off Dixon?" He chucked hard, pushing himself up to look over the side of the roof.
"Can't fuckin' see nothin'" he said, pacing the roof to see more of the street below.
"Glenn said to wait, he'll be back."
"Don' care what the fuckin' china man said."
"His name is Glenn."
"We should go, ain't no point hangin' round if they're dead." He was hanging over the side of the building again, aiming his gun at walkers and pretending to fire. "Reckon I can hit her from 'ere?"
"Merle don't...what happened to a quick in and out trip?"
"Ya boyfriend ruined that."
"Glenn isn't my boyfriend."
"Then why won't ya give Merle a little sugar huh?"
"Just sit down Dixon." T-Dog was getting tired of him as well.
"Ain't tellin' me wha' ta do." He said, aiming his gun again "Now, how much you got on me getting' a head shot of that slut acorss the road, the one in the short skirt." Janis and T-Dog ignored him, knowing that entertaining him was the worst plan.
That's when he started shooting.
"Merle! Merle stop shooting."
He just laughed, and carried on firing, each shot hitting its target.
"Hey, Dixon, are you crazy?!" Andrea called from the door, Glenn and the Sheriff behind her.
Merle turned to them, laughing harder now.
"Oh Jeez." Glenn sighed, looking to Janis who just shook her head.
"Hey! Y'all be more polite to a man with a gun! Huh? Ah! Only common sense." He waved the gun above his head now, gesticulating madly around the roof.
"Man, you wasting bullets we ain't even got!" T-Dopg was shouting over Merle who's laughing was just getting louder and louder "And you're bringing even more of them down on our ass! Man, just chill." Janis stood behind him trying to back him up without standing in Dixons way.
"Bad enough I've got this taco-bender on my ass all day." Merle waved his gun in the direction of Morales standing in the doorway. "Now I'm gonna take orders from you? I don't think so, bro.
That'll be the day." his raspy voice echoed around the roof, everyone but T-Dog stood still, trying to guage how badly Merle was reacting.
"That'll be the day"? You got something - you want to tell me?" His chest was practically bumping Merles now.
"Hey, T-Dog man, just leave it." Janis tried to grab his shirt from behind as he proceeded to push against Merle.
"No."
"All right? It ain't worth it." Janis managed to get in between the two, she switched between the two of them , trying to stop the fight. "Now Merle, just relax, okay? We've got enough trouble."
"You want to know the day?" There was no stopping him.
"Yeah." Or T-Dog.
"I'll tell you the day, . It's the day I take orders from a nigger."
"Shit" Janis whispered under her breath, anything T-Dog did now was fair game.
Everyone was shouting over each other now, as Dixon launched himself a T-Dog, both of their fists flying as Janis, Glenn and Andrea tried to pull them apart.
Merle had kicked T-Dog to the ground, as he straddled him he aimed his gun at T-Dogs head. His eyes were darting around the roof, daring everyone to step closer "Yeah! All right! We're gonna have ourselves a little pow-wow, huh? Talk about who's in charge...I vote me." No one said a word as he paced the roof "Anybody else, huh? Democracy time y'all. Show of hands, huh? All in favor? Huh? Come on. Let's see 'em. Oh, come on. All in favor? Yeah. That's good."
He was rambling now, his face was getting redder as he danced around the roof.
"Now that means I'm the boss, right? Yeah. Anybody else? Hmm? Anybody?"
"Yeah." The sheriff spoke up, his gun was aimed at Merles head now.
"Who the hell are you, man?! Officer fuckin' friendly?"
"Look here, Merle. Things are different now. There are no niggers anymore. No dumb-as-shit, inbred white-trash fools either. Only dark meat and white meat. There's us and the dead. We survive this by pulling together, not apart." It was a good speech.
"Screw you, man." Merle didn't agree.
"I can see you make a habit of missing the point." He was calm, which was goading Merle more.
"Yeah? Well, screw you twice." He practically spat in the officers face.
Janis had officially had enough, walking past Glenn He held out his hand to stop her.
"Where you going?"
"Don't really fancy watching the gun show."
"We're surrounded down there...need a way of getting out. Think of anything?"
"I'll see what I can do." She walked past Andrea, affording her a smile which was reciprocated. She just heard Rick cocking his gun before she closed the roof door behind her.