Chapter Two

-DARYL'S POV-

I wanted to go back. At this rate, I'll be dead within the next few trips. This was a suicide mission.

"This is a few months later."

Sophia announced, and I found we were back at the Quarry. Everyone looked older and I saw Merle once again.

"Don't."

Carol muttered softly when I took a step forward.

"We have to plan this so it doesn't go like it did last time. What do we do?"

She asked, turning to Sophia.

"Stay calm and don't give anything away. This is the day when Merle leaves with Andrea and their group to get supplies, so Mr. Dixon, this is your chance to say goodbye to your brother. I'll walk with you."

"Wait- say goodbye?"

I scoffed in disbelief.

"I ain't lettin' him go!"

"I understand, but your brother plays a very important role in this. You have to let him go with the governor, and you have to let him die. It's the only way."

"What's him living gunna hurt?!"

I was getting irritated and Carol shot me a look that said, don't talk to my daughter like that. I tried my best to calm down as Sophia says,

"If Merle lives, Rick, Glenn, and Theodore will not have gone back, meaning they'd be here for the attack, and save a lot of people, like Jim and Amy. In order for this timeline to stay intact, we need them to die."

"Why?"

I choked out. How can I just watch Merle drive away into his death sentence? Nobody's that heartless!

"It's just how it is. Too much would change. I know it's hard but, it's just the way it has to be."

I wasn't gunna cry, no way in Hell I would. But I could feel tears in my eyes.

"Don't feel guilty."

Carol said suddenly.

"Merle's death wasn't meaningless. He tried to kill the Governor, and he almost succeeded. Maybe Sophia's right."

"It's like how my daddy needs to die."

She explained.

"Too many things would change if he lived and made it to the CDC. Both of them need to pass on. It's the only way."

She added softly and I swallowed the lump in the throat.

"Just..lemme say goodbye."

She nodded and we began walking with Carol and me to where Merle was sitting with my old self, talking about raiding the camp. Carol froze.

"You were gunna rob us?"

She asked, hurt obvious in her eyes.

"That's another reason he needs to die."

Sophia said.

"If he'd lived you would've taken all their resources and left them to starve."

"...I want to go home."

She muttered and I felt a little pang of guilt in the back of my mind.

"You know how I was. How Merle was,"

I tried and turned to Sophia.

"I get it. And I don't want to say goodbye anymore, it'd hurt too much."

She nodded and took our hands again, and soon we left behind the Quarry, hopefully forever.