A Heart Inside the Cave

Ch4: Reunited

"Well well! Pleasure to see you out 'ere 'gain, princess." Merle said, with that unbearably hot and wicked smile of his.

"Ain't such a pleasure to me, dickface," I spat at him, "Who's your friend here? Maybe you could ask him to not stick an arrow in my face?"

"Aw such a lady shouldn't be using harsh words like those now, maybe if you be a bit kinder to yer ol' Merle buddie I might even be obliged to ask my bro here to stand down,"

"This is your lil bro? No way," This guy was way too hot to be related to that dick.

"You'd better believe he's my baby brother. Daryl! Why don't chu put the bow down, don't want my sweetheart 'ere to have an arrow sticking out her head now do I," Merle joked. Daryl lowered the bow, and said

"You're a beauty, aren't chu,"

"Beautiful is my middle name, pretty-boy. Now get, I'm on a hunt,"

"Aw sweetheart don't leave me here 'lone with my bro! I haven't had some sugar since Woodbury!" Merle said to me, and blocked my way after pushing Daryl to the side.

"Oh yeah I should give you some sugar even when you left me in bed, now I totally wanna get it on with you 'gain. Get outta my way I'm looking for someone." Sarcasm was a favourite of mine, even when I was angry.

"Aw honey don't tell me yer looking for that Glenn kid, he ain't even a pretty boy like Daryl here," said Merle, but how'd he know I was looking for Glenn.

"I said, get! I gotta find my brother!"

"Oh he's yer brother? Oh my, well. How bout this, I bet chu looking for that prison they call home, eh? Lil Daryl here was just mentioning how he misses them friends so much, how bout chu come 'long with me and we'll bring yu to yer brother 'gain. Then we'll all have a nice family reunion, won' we?" I didn't like what Merle offered, but I didn't have a choice. Either be a tag-along with them or hit the road, walking in circles 'gain.

"Don't think this means we gett'n back together after you made me a one night stand," I snarled at Merle.

"Oh darling I know you'll change your mind sooner or later! Nobody can resist ol' Merle,"

"Oh I'll try my best then"

We kept walking for another hour, til we finally hit a clearing.

"It's just up ahead, see? You can see it alrea-" Daryl paused, squinted at something I couldn't see, then jumped, "JESUS RICK! C'MON! WE GOTTA HELP HIM!" I didn't know what or who he was talking about, then I remembered 'Rick', Ain't he the fella that made dickface cut his hand off? , but Daryl was already speeding off towards the gates of the prison. We were just about 10 feet away from a crowd of walkers when I realized that this Rick was trapped. I saw Daryl grab his bow and shoot the head of a walker that was too close for comfort for Rick. When I got a look at Rick, he was smiling like he'd finally found his lost puppy.

"Daryl!" He said, while Merle and I were getting the other walkers, "Thought you left us for good!"

"I couldn't leave my family 'ere, and this tag-along here just had to come with us," Daryl said. Rick led us into the prison and gave us a cell.

"Thanks…" I said.

"Never got your name, what do I call you?" Rick asked me.

"Jamie."

"Alright Jamie. Get yourself rested, Daryl will tell you when dinner is."

"K thanks."

The cell wasn't much, just a bunk bed and a table and chair. I had to share with Merle since this was their spare cell.

"I'm getting bottom." I said before Merle even took a step into the cell.

"Aw naw sweetheart how you expect me to get up there?" He joked. He looked at me with his wicked smile on his face.

"Wipe that smile off your face, I know what you're thinking."

"You do, now," He still had that irritating smile on his face, irritating but irresistible, "You know you want me, you always did first time you got a look of Merle." He started taking step toward me until I was backed up into the corner. His figure shadowed over me and I felt his hand run down my side to my hips. I couldn't stop myself from looking at his blue, blue eyes. I flung my arms around his neck and raised myself to the tip of my toes and kissed him. I couldn't stop kissing him and he didn't try to stop me from it either. Once I finally pulled back, he was smiling like he'd finally gotten what he wanted.

"I hate you so much…" I said, and then smiled from how obvious my lie was. He pushed me against the wall and leaned in to kiss me, except this time it was longer. We could've gone on forever, but we were interrupted when we heard Daryl snickering from the cell door.

"Dinner time, thought you oughtta know," he said, trying not to laugh.

"We'll be down," I said.

I didn't think so many people could be survivors when I saw how many were gathered in the cell hall eating dinner.

"Guys this is Jamie, she came with Daryl and Merle."

I looked around the lot of 'em, looking for Glenn. He wasn't within the group. I didn't ask about him, not yet. But within the first couple minutes I learned the names of all of them. There was Beth, Carl, Maggie, Michonne, Carol, Hershal, and little baby Judith. We ate silently, until Carl asked me,

"So where'd you come from before you found Daryl?"

"I was on my own for a while, about a month I believe. But… I came from a small town I guess."

"Small town?" Carl asked, I felt that he was suspicious of me and said,

"Yeah. Woodbury. I ran though… Um… yeah." A couple of them gasped, I could see why. They escaped from there just a while ago.

"Jamie, could I talk to you.. alone for a while." Rick asked. I got up and said

"yeah." Rick walked into the neighboring cell, and looked at me.

"I'm getting a sense you aren't telling us the whole truth of why you're here,"

"I'm not telling the whole truth then. Not to all of you. But I'm getting a sense that you're the leader here, so I'm going to ask you, where is my brother."

He paused, then said,

"We don't have you're brother. But if you tell us the whole truth, then maybe we could help you with that problem."

"I know you have my brother. You had him when you were in Woodbury."

He paused again, and said,

"How do you know we were in Woodbury,"

"I was there too. I saw you haul my brother away. You said that you had to get back to the prison. Where is Glenn?" I demanded.

"You were shooting at us!"

"I was told to! But then I followed you guys over the wall! I had to break ranks and follow you, then I lost your group when you ran into the dark. Why was my brother in Woodbury?"

"HE WAS IN WOODBURY, BECAUSE YOUR BOYFRIEND MERLE HERE WAS BEATING THE SHIT OUT OF HIS FACE!" He yelled in my face.

"… What…?" I said, weakly.

"Merle took Glenn and Maggie to the Governor, and beat your bro's face to a pulp. That's why we were in Woodbury. We were on a rescue mission for him and Maggie."

"He… no.. Merle he wouldn't do that…"

"Oh yes he would. Sweetheart you don't know what kind of man Merle is. Best you be careful with him." I was so confused, then so angry at Merle.

"Where is he now." I demanded, hate and anger filling my voice.

"Up in the guard tower."

"Where."

"I'll show you."

Rick took me outside the prison, and pointed it out. I ran.