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Chapter 13

Gwen woke up in the back of the truck feeling like she had slept forever. The sun beamed on the front cab of the truck and was so bright she couldn't even see out of it. She looked around and didn't see Merle.

She cautiously opened one of the back doors and peered out. She could hear someone talking and figuring it was just Merle talking to himself, she stepped out and started to head towards the voice. As soon as turned the corner of the truck she froze in her tracks. Two men were standing next to the driver's door peering into the front but quickly diverted their attention to Gwen.

One of the men was short and burly looking. He grinned a toothless grin at her. He looked as if he hadn't bathed in months and even with the distance that was between them the stench coming from him confirmed it as well. The man had a large hunting knife in his hand as he turned and slowly started to walk towards her.

The other man was taller and lean, he had dark circles under his eyes and his head was shaved. He too shared the same dental routine with the other man as Gwen noticed one of his front teeth missing. He carried a shotgun in his hands.

"Well….well…well….what do we have here?" The burly man stated as he stepped closer towards her.

"My husband's just takin' a piss in the woods….he'll be right back…you two better high tail it outta here or he'll be none too happy when he finds ya…." Gwen stated praying her voice wouldn't crack. There was no question in her mind only bad things would come from her being left alone with these men.

Before they even had a chance to respond, Gwen took off running into the woods, weaving in and out of the trees as fast as she could. She realized she didn't have a weapon on her as branches and bushes scraped across her arms and legs, sometimes a few scratching across her cheek. She glanced over her shoulder and saw both men gaining on her but as she started to look back ahead; she tripped over a tree root and found herself crashing to the ground. She scrambled back to her feet and tried to continue running but one of the men grabbed her by the wrist and jerked her back hard.

Gwen felt her shoulder pop as it separated from the joint. She couldn't help but scream from the pain as she fell back towards the ground.

"Damn bitch! We got you now!" One of the men exclaimed.

As soon as Gwen felt the hands on her legs she began kicking both as hard as she could, her foot making contact to the tall man's jaw. Gwen heard a crack knowing full well she broke it as the man yelled and stumbled back, falling on his hip as he dropped his shotgun on the ground. The burly man grabbed her by her hair and started to drag her closer towards him. Gwen kicked and clawed at him as hard as she could, her right arm almost useless from being dislocated and the pain that shot through her right shoulder. Nevertheless, she fought the man with all her might as she continued to scream.

The burly man punched her hard twice, once in the face and once in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her.

"That should shut you up you fuckin' whore…gonna bring a whole heard of walkers down on us with screamin' like that."

Gwen gasped for air as she writhed in pain on the ground.

The burly man laughed as he helped up the tall man and shoved his shot gun against his chest. Gwen could hear the man attempt to speak all of which sounded like mumbled garbage as he spit out blood from his mouth.

"Damn girl got you good Larry…..gotta watch yourself next time…that's alright though….they'll be plenty of time to get even with her.

Gwen struggled to get back on her feet as she watched the tall man step closer to her but before she stabilized her footing enough to defend herself, he cracked her hard against her skull with the butt of the shotgun. Gwen was out before she even managed to hit the ground.

.

Merle walked back up to the back of the truck and noticed one of the doors open on the back. He stopped and looked around but didn't see Gwen or anyone else for that matter. Cautiously he approached the back and looked in noticing it was empty. Confused, he started to close the door back as he heard a scream come from the woods on his left.

"GWENNY?...GWEN?" Merle called out to her and stepped into the woods. He heard her scream again as he began to run towards the sound.

Merle's blood began to boil…damn bitch….I'm gone for just a bit and you've already managed to get yourself into trouble…Merle didn't have time to play the hero with her but he couldn't ignore her in need either. When he got his hands on her, he was going to have a tough talking to her.

Merle followed the sound of her screams but abruptly she fell silent. Merle stopped running for a moment and listened. He wanted to call out to her again but he had a feeling deep down in the pit of his stomach that this wasn't just Gwen fighting with walkers. Merle crept closer towards the direction he thought her screams were coming from until he saw two male figures standing next to each other.

Merle moved silently through the woods. All his years of hunting with Daryl were proving more and more beneficial in the new world they all found themselves in. Merle observed one of the men with a shotgun as he watched them rip Gwen's shirt and bra off. Both men laughed as they roughly groped at her breasts, although one kept one hand secured against his jaw. The man with the hurt jaw stood up and backed off as he fumbled with his belt buckle. Merle chuckled to himself knowing full well it was easier said than done with one hand as he crept closer. The burly man yanked her pants and underwear off and tossed them aside.

"Alright Larry….you can go first….give it to her good and teach her a lesson for what she done to ya…." The man said as he turned towards the tall man just in time to see Merle grabbing the man in a headlock with his handless arm, pulling back enough to reveal his neck. The man watched in shock and horror as Merle dragged the blade of his knife across his throat. Blood spilled out quickly as the life faded from the tall man's face and he fell like a rag doll to the ground.

The man drew his knife from the sheath on his belt and charged at Merle. Both men fought vigorously with one another. The man shoved his knife blade into Merle's left arm, causing Merle to drop his own knife. The man smiled thinking he had the upper hand on Merle but Merle head butted him hard, sending him stumbling back as he lost his footing and fell to the ground. Merle jumped on top of him, pinning his arms with his knees, grabbing the knife from his hand. To the man's surprise, instead of stabbing him with it, he tossed it further from them. Merle punched the man hard in the face over and over again. Finally, before the man lost consciousness, Merle grabbed him by the throat and leaned in close to his face. Through the blood and spit, the man begged Merle not to kill him.

"So you like to rape women do ya?...Did they beg you like you're beggin me right now? Beg you not to hurt them? I bet they did….and tell me…what mercy did you show them? Huh? TELL ME!" Merle yelled as he tightened his grip.

"Please…" The man managed to whisper

Merle loosened his grip to allow him to speak more clearly.

"I won't hurt 'em no more I promise….I'm sorry…I'm sorry…" The man pleaded with Merle.

"You know…people may say many things about me, how mean I am, all the bad things I've done but one thing for sure I ain't never had to do is force a woman….guess the ladies have just always loved Merle…." Merle laughed a little before he continued. "But you know what….you're right….you ain't gonna hurt no one again….cause I'm gonna squeeze every last ounce of breath out of ya!"

The man's eyes widened with fear as Merle squeezed his throat as hard as he could until he did exactly what he set out to do and the man lay there lifeless…

Merle shoved him one last time as he climbed off of him and lied down on his back on the ground. Merle took a few deep breaths trying to calm the adrenaline that seared through his body. Anger had been boiling in Merle ever since he climbed half dead off that roof in Atlanta but this was the first time he felt a sense of peace. The anger was still there from what happened to him, how he was forced to mutilate himself, not knowing where his brother was, if he was even still alive…..but things suddenly seemed much clearer to him. His own plan for revenge was finally beginning to take a clearer shape.

Merle sat up and looked over at Gwen's naked body. Still covered in dirt from the day of digging before. She lay so still Merle wondered if she was in fact dead. He crawled over to her and rested his head on her chest. Her heart was still beating. Merle looked around for her shirt but quickly realized it was now a worthless rag. Merle struggled to take off his own shirt and draped it across her. Scooping her up in his arms, he carried her back towards the truck…