Venice

We walked back across the way to the double doors. Daryl had gagged the kid and tied his hands behind his back. He also had the barrel of a rifle pointed at his back, just to make sure the kid didn't do anything stupid. When we arrived at the doors they opened. Daryl pushed the kid inside first, then followed, gun ready, then followed Rick, T-dog and I, guns also ready.

"I see my guns, but they're not all in the bag," said a man I recognized to be G. He had two men flanking him and men surrounding us.

"That's because they're not yours. I thought I mentioned that." Rick had his gun trained on G.

"Let's just shoot these fools right now, ese. Alright? Unload on their asses ese," said the man to G's left.

"I don't think you fully appreciate the gravity of the situation," said G. He sure had a lot of confidence for being so small.

"No, I'm pretty clear." Rick cut the fabric we used to tie the kids hands together and pushed him forward. "You have your man. I want mine."

"I'm gonna chop up your boy. I'm gonna feed him to my dogs. They're the evilest, nastiest man-eating bitches you ever saw. I picked them up from Satan at a yard sale. I told you how it has to be. Are you woefully deaf?" G asked.

"Who are you? Shakespeare?" I asked him.

"No, my hearin's fine. You said come locked and loaded." Rick cocked his shotgun, then Daryl, T-dog and I followed suit. The men around us also cocked their various types of guns. "Okay then, we're here." Rick pointed his shotgun straight at G's forehead. Then there was a soft, elderly voice calling through the factory.

"Felipe! Felipe!" said the voice. T-dog twisted his body to the noise.

"Abuela, go back with the others, now!" said the man who wanted to shoot us.

"Get that old lady out of the line of fire," warned Daryl. I lowered my gun. Knowing that since this old woman had come in she was not going to let anything happen.

"Abuela, listen to your mijo, okay? This is not the place for you right now," G told her. She now stood next to who I'm guessing is Felipe.

"Mr. Gilbert is having trouble breathing," she told him. "He needs his asthma stuff. Carlito didn't find it," she said, her voice distressed. "He needs his medicine."

"Felipe, go take care of it, okay?" G told him. "And take your grandmother with you!" Felipe turns to her and asks her something in Spanish. She ignores him and pushes past him to see the four of us better.

"Who are those men?" she asked. Felipe says something else to her in Spanish. She ignores him again. "Don't you take him!" she tells Rick.

"Ma'am?" Rick asks while lowering his gun.

"Felipe's a good boy. He have his trouble but he pull himself together." Her voice was thick with a Spanish accent. "We need him here," she pleaded with Rick.

"Ma'am, I'm not here to arrest your grandson."

"Then, what do you want him for?" she asked.

"He's... helping us find a missing person. A fella named Glenn," he told her.

"The Asian boy?" she asked. "He's with Mr. Gilbert. Come. Come, I show you," she said softly. "He needs his medicine," she said again. She took Rick's hand and led us out of the factory and up a flight of stairs. We were taken into a courtyard. It was very peaceful and open. She led us through another set of double doors and we all realized it was an old folk's home. Felipe came up next to Rick.

"Abuela, por favor, take me to him." Rick removed his hat and we followed Felipe and his grandmother down a hallway. When we stopped we saw a man in a wheelchair. Felipe was helping him use an inhaler. Glenn was standing there too, trying to help in anyway he could.

"What the hell is this?" I asked Glenn.

"An asthma attack," he said without looking away from the man. "He couldn't get his breath all of a sudden." T-dog got slightly angry.

"I thought you were being eaten by dogs, man!" Glenn turned his head to look at a small dog bed with three tiny Chihuahuas on it. One barked at us a few times. I couldn't help but chuckle. Yeah, they were ferocious alright. Ferociously adorable and fluffy. Rick asked to talk to G and they walked away, negotiating most likely.

"He said I was being eaten by dogs?" Glenn asked.

"Yeah," I said while laughing some more. Daryl looked at me and glared. I glared right back, my laughter dying instantly. "Daryl can I speak to you, privately?"

"Why would ya wanna do that?" he asked. I rolled my eyes and grabbed his arm and dragged him away from the group. He pulled his arm out of my grip. "Keep your hands offa me."

"You got a problem with me or something? All you do is glare at me, and frankly I'm pretty done with it."

"You expect me to trust you or something?" he asked as he stood up straighter and puffed out his chest.

"I expect some level of civility. I helped your brother escape and he fucked me over! So why do you keep lookin at me like it's my fault he's gone?!" I hissed at him. My voice was dripping venom.

"You ain't needed in our group, bitch."

"I don't wanna be in your damn group, fuck face."

"Then why're you here?"

"I want the shit your brother stole from me; I figured sticking with you guys would improve that chance. So get over yourself, asswipe." I stomped out of the room and was stopped by an elderly woman. She put her frail hand around my wrist.

"What's the matter?" she asked sweetly.

"Gettin' blamed for something I didn't do."

"Don't worry sweetheart, he'll come around in time. Your love won't be severed by anything."

"Love? No, I think you're mistaken. I just met him only hours ago. There is no love to be had," I told her as I kneeled in front of her.

"Yet," was all she said. I just looked at her, the confusion etched into my face.