Murphy ripped the bolt out of the walkers head, looking back to where Conner was headed back inside the tiny run down house after throwing the shovel violently threw a window. Glancing to the small, freshly covered over grave, Murphy ignored the tears streaming down his face as he followed Conner inside.
Murphy stood to the side as Conner stomped around, pulling open drawers and cabinets until he found what he was looking for. Murphy watched as Conner pulled out the large Ziploc bag filled to the brim with drugs and paraphernalia.
Murphy crossed the room silently, sitting next to Conner as he divided up the powder.
"whats the plan?" Murphy asked quietly, his Irish drawl thick after crying.
Conner was silent as he picked up a straw.
"honestly brother, I just don't give a fuck." Conner said gruffly as he leaned down and took his hit.
Murphy nodded. "we should head north, get away from the city. Less of those….things there."
Conner snorted as he offered to Murphy, who was silent as he leaned down and snorted a line.
"what's the point?" Conner growled.
Murphy chewed at his nail before responding. "Conner-"
"it's Merle."
Murphy's eyes shot up to his brothers. "we leaving it all behind?"
Conner nodded. "if not for you, I'd have offed meself already brother. Don't make me live my past any longer. With out….without her, it's just not worth it."
Murphy nodded as he looked at Conner "okay Merle."
Conner looked up at Murphy "lead the way Daryl."
TWDBDS
"Merle!" Daryl ran across the room; Rick, Glenn and Tdog close behind.
Merle was slumped against a wall, barely conscious as Daryl came to his side, swearing as he saw the bloodied stump of his brother's arm, still hot from where he had cauterized the stump.
"Jesus Merle, what the fuck?! Ya knew I was comin'!"
Merle chuckled darkly as Tdog handed Daryl some fabric to wrap the stump in.
"I saw her….i thought I saw her."
Daryl went still for a moment before looking up to Merle's eyes.
"I'm sorry but she's gone brother."
TWDBDS
Daryl stood above Merle as Doctor Jenner removed his plastic gloves, glancing back down at his newly-unconscious patient then to the rest of the group around them.
"I'll keep checking his IV, that sedative I gave him will help. He needs to rest as much as possible."
Andrea snorted. "yeah, the addict needs to sleep more."
Daryl growled as he turned to Andrea, but before he could speak the doctor spoke up.
"from what I've seen Ms. Holden, you are not the only person here who has lost someone. Drugs are a common fallback, as well as being a bitch."
Daryl smirked as he continued. "I'd tame your remarks, you don't want to be mistaken for a bitch."
Andrea was stunned as Tdog chuckled behind her.
TWDBDS
Daryl walked quietly to the campsite, Merle having pulled their tent and belongs several hundred yards away from the group. As he approached, Merle looked up from where he was, with some difficulty, sharpening his knife.
"Did they find the old man?"
Daryl nodded as he sat beside his brother. "yeah, at a bar in town."
Merle chuckled. "like I said aye?"
Daryl shrugged. "he's been clean for somethin' like 25 years."
Merle went still before returning to his knife. "25 years, 13 years. What's the difference?"
Daryl shrugged. "Beth tried ta off herself."
Merle stopped for a moment before looking over at Daryl "the blonde girl?"
Daryl nodded. "aye."
Merle sighed. "I'll talk with her."
TWDBDS
Beth leaned over, picking up the eggs from the lower nesting boxes. As she pulled her hand back, the bandage caught on a sliver, pulling the material down, revealing the healing gashes underneath. Beth paused, lightly fingering the edges of the material before a shadow crossed over her.
Beth looked up to see Merle standing in the doorway of the chicken house, leaning on the door frame. Beth didn't know the man well, and she felt the group didn't either. They whispered about his drug use, the fact he cut off his own hand, apparently after seeing things. But Beth wasn't convinced.
She had watched both Merle and Daryl from afar, and it was clear there was something else going on. Merle was practically a walker himself, perfering to spend his days alone as he recovered and learned how to live while missing a hand. Daryl was a flurry of activity, hunting, working on the farm. But it was clear how he was concerned for his brother, consistently checking in, pulling Merle towards the group. Beth wondered what had happened, what had broken the older Dixon brother.
"Heard ya tried ta off ya self. That's pretty damn selfish."
Beth blinked. "excuse me?"
Merle snorted as he walked into the chicken house. "ya think you is the only one hurtin' right now? fuck its gotta be somethin' like 90% of the worlds population is the walkin' dead. Any of us left alive, we all hurtin' sugar."
Beth gulped, not sure how to respond.
Merle raised an eyebrow at Beth "so I guess ya don't give a fuck about ya dad do ya?"
Beth sputtered. "Wh-how can you say that?! I love my father!"
Merle snorted. "don't look like it to me. Doin' that shit to him, down right terrible thing ta do to ya family."
Beth glared at Merle "you don't know how I feel!"
Merle met Beth's glare. "really? Ya think I don't feel like puttin' a bullet in my head every other second? And that's only because half the time I want to bleed myself that way I feel every damn moment of pain. I want to die, just as much if not more then you sugar."
Beth searched for something to say back. "then why don't you?"
Merle smirked. "because I actually give a shit about my family. Ya see, Daryl and I, all we got now is each other. And unlike you I love my sibling. I kill myself, I'd be hurtin' him. You want to go ahead and kill ya self, I'll even loan you the fuckin' gun. But before ya do, consider what ya would be doin' to Maggie and Hershel, cause ya won't be around to say ya sorry."
With that, Merle stalked out of the chicken house, brushing past Maggie as she came in. Maggie looked out as Merle walked away, before hurrying to Beth's side.
"what was that about? What did he say? If he hurt you I swear to god-"
"Maggie!"
Maggie stopped as Beth held up a hand to shush her sister.
"he didn't hurt me. In fact, I think he saved my life."
TWDBDS
Beth screamed as walkers grabbed at her and Patricia as they ran, before shots rang out close. Patrica grabbed Beth close as walkers fell around them, before Beth felt an iron grip encircle her arm.
Beth screamed before she realized who had grabbed her arm: Merle
"Come on! We gotta go!"
Merle pushed Beth and Patricia into his truck, before running to the other side and throwing the truck into drive and barreling down across a field. Beth turned to ask why he wasn't heading off the farm before she saw what Merle was headed towards.
Carol stood in a field, surrounded by downed walkers, Daryl beside her expertly emptying clips as he cleared a circle around the two of them. as Merle pulled up beside them, Daryl picked Carol up onto his shoulder and jumped in the bed of the truck before Merle sped off, leaving the forsaken farm behind.
TWDBDS
Carol shivered as she wrapped her jacket tighter around her body as she sat beside Beth in the three months since the farm, she and Beth had grown close. mostly due to their shared attraction to the brothers.
Carol looked over to where Merle was assisting Daryl in breaking down the large deer Daryl had brought down. The brothers were an interesting pair, quiet and obviously haunted. Carol wished Daryl would let her in, let her closer. But every time she got so much as a smile or a flirtatious comment from Daryl, the next second that door slammed shut, and once again she was left on the outside.
Carol couldn't help but feel sorry for Beth the young girl knew she liked Merle, but she was hampered by both her inexperience, and by Merle himself. Beth had told Carol of the conversation between her and the one handed man after she had attempted suicide. They both thought that something had happened, that the brothers had lost someone close to them. but when asked, Merle would stomp off, and Daryl would growl "mind ya own damn business!"
"headlights!"
Carol was pulled from her mental reverie as Carl's warning came out. Rick and Glenn had gone on a run, leaving the rest of the group behind at an abandoned camp ground while they hunted for food, winter clothes and sleeping bags.
Carol stood along with the rest of the group, before Carl called out again.
"there's another car with them!"
Rick pulled the SUV up, a black truck parking behind them. Glenn hopped out, running over to the group.
"we found a man and his granddaughter in town. Well, actually he saved our asses. We got trapped by a small herd, if it wasn't for him, we'd be dead. This guy is crazy good, like military or special ops. And his granddaughter is Carl's age, but she shoots just like him. These two saved our lives."
Merle snorted as he walked across the camp to rinse his knife off.
"Rick bringin' back more strays? That worked so well last-"
"Daddy!?"
Merle went still before turning around as the group turned to see a young girl with long fire red curly hair climb out of the truck. Merle was silent before he dropped his knife and ran towards the girl.
"Shiloh!"
