A/N Written for the TWD Kinkmeme
May contain mild slash.
" Kill them!"
" Make them pay! Kill them!"
Merle surveyed the crowd – fucking vultures the lot of them. Woodbury citizens thought that their town was civilized but when it came down to it they were the worse. They were a collective mob just waiting for the first drop of blood to fall, an excuse to riot and justify it as a cause. It reminded him of the bar fights he used to enjoy initiating, the 'rational' men trying to lay reason but in the end the first to throw a punch.
Glancing at Daryl, Merle's stomach twisted as he saw his baby brother's shoulders rising and falling with sharp gasps, his face turned to the ground. His hands were tightly bound behind his back; Daryl raised his eyes to look at the crowed that seemed to deem him as scum. His eyes caught Merle's before he let out a shaky breath, lowering his eyes.
Merle could hear Andrea trying to reason with the Governor, the cunt was stupid not to see what kind of man he was. But really, that would make him a stupid cunt too because he never thought the Governor would use him like this – an escape goat to quell the fear and panic in the citizens. He knew how dangerous the Governor was, all soft words and charm, but it still hadn't stopped him from lying and saying Michonne had been killed, if only to protect himself at the time. That plan didn't work out well, like most of ol' Merle's plans.
" The people have spoken."
Daryl gasped beside him and let out a low whimper. His shoulders rose and fell with each short breath, chest pulled in and pushed out in a comical exaggeration of movement. Merle knew the signs; he'd seen their daddy push Daryl to this point in the past. It's been years since he's seen his baby brother panic like this and its all Merle can do not to pull his brother close and initiate those breathing exercises that their bitch of a social worker had taught him. Before she deemed the two of them too difficult, requesting for someone else to take their case, only the system forgot about the Dixon's and left them to their old man's heavy hand.
Merle took a step towards Daryl, speaking low in his throat, " Daryl, I need you in your right mind boy." Merle wasn't always the most tactful person, but he tried, even if comforting people wasn't his thing.
Daryl took a slightly deeper breath before glancing at Merle, giving him an incredulous look.
The Governor took a step forward and reached for Daryl, who made an almost gurgled sound as he stepped out of his grasp. He backed into one of the Governor's men and they all laughed as the man held him still. The Governor smirked, reached out and cupped Daryl's face in one hand, squeezing slightly. Merle growled low in his throat taking a step forward but arms came around him holding him in place.
"Easy now Merle, I'm just lookin', hard to imagine this pretty thing is related to you." He chuckled as his men laughed with him. The mob of citizens continued to yell their sentence of execution, but they remained deaf to the words the Governor spoke to his men and prisoners, " Simply killing you two wouldn't be fair to my men, seeing as they have lost a few of their comrades because of your act of… what did I call it… ah yes terrorism."
"I didn' lead them here I swear." Merle growled, " And that nigger bitch was as good as dead in the red zone."
The Governor scoffed, "That's behind us Merle, my people want justice."
"Take them to one of the holding rooms." He commanded before turning to his town spreading his arms wide and declaring, " People of Woodbury you have spoken and justice will be served! Tomorrow we will execute the terrorists."