Hey everyone! How are you?
I do apologize for the late upload, it just slipped my mind until tonight. Bad FanFiction author.
Anyway, here's the newest chapter, I hope you enjoy.
Chapter Twenty-Six
The day after, Delilah, Merle, and three other boys by the names of Tim, Crowley, and a kid who Delilah only knew his last name. Gargulio. They were sent out to find Michonne, and kill her. Delilah wasn't quite sure why he couldn't come, too, but she kept her questions to herself.
"What the hell is this mess?" Merle asked when they stumbled across a clearing littered with separated walkers. Dead center, the parts spelled something. Delilah couldn't make out what.
"She did this. She had to," Delilah replied, referring to Michonne, the dark-skinned woman who'd left earlier.
"He was right to send us out. Righteous public service we're doing here."
Delilah kept her comments to herself. She wasn't sure why they couldn't just let her go, but again, she kept her comments to herself.
"'Go back'," Gargulio said.
"Excuse me?" she asked, looking over at the curly-haired boy, her arms crossed. She intimidated him, and she was proud of it.
"Th-The arms make a 'G', legs an 'O', and that's a back. It says 'go back'."
Merle laughed.
"This is too good," he said in between chuckles. Delilah rolled her eyes.
"Look at this! She sent us a biter gram, y'all!"
"Oh, good God, can we just move on?" Delilah said, exasperated as the others began to laugh.
"I don't believe this is happening."
"Hey, hey! Knock it off!" Merle hissed, grabbing his shirt and pulling him closer. "Now the Governor chose you because he thought you were ready. I want you to succeed – I do! But if you keep announcin' to the world that you're pissin' your pants... I'm gonna have to smash your teeth in."
"Merle," Delilah said, her tone pointed. The man looked at her. "Come on, leave the kid alone."
Merle rolled his eyes, letting go of the kid's shirt. "Now, how to you say your last name?"
"Gargulio," the kid replied slowly.
"Well, I'm gonna keep calling you Neil, all right?"
They heard rustling. Delilah reached for her gun.
"What's the deal, Michonne? Hmm?" Merle demanded, gun drawn, though awkwardly. "You gonna leap out of the woods, one against four, all of us armed to the teeth, and you with just your little pig-sticker? No, no, no, Michonne."
Leap, she did. She jumped down from from a tree, decapitating one of their men and stabbing another. Delilah shot, missing her head by inches and hitting a tree, and Merle opted to shoot the man on the other end of her Katana. Delilah couldn't say what he was going for.
She ran off, and Delilah aimed again, this time, hitting her leg. The woman, Delilah had to commend her, kept running. Merle ran after her, pushing past Delilah.
"We havin' fun yet?!" she heard him shout.
This was going to be a long day.
They were served cold oatmeal. Joel hardly touched his, but Carrie ate hers. Taste was something she'd learned to set aside long ago. There was nothing but the sound of the plastic spoons hitting the bowls.
"Everybody okay?"
Carrie looked over to see Rick – bloody, sweaty, shaking, but still Rick – standing at the door, which he opened.
"Yeah, we are."
"What about you?"
"I cleared out the boiler block."
"How many were there?"
"I don't know. A dozen, two dozen. I have to get back, I just wanted to check on Carl."
"Rick, we can handle taking out the bodies. You don't have to-"
"No, I do. Everyone have a gun and a knife?"
"Yeah," Daryl, next to Carrie and Joel, replied as Rick walked over. Carrie was surprised he didn't notice her, but she supposed there were other things on his mind. "We're runnin' low on ammo, though."
"Maggie and me were planning on making a run this afternoon. Found a phone book with some places we can hit, formula and bullets."
"Cleared out the generator room. Axel's there tryin' to fix it, in case of emergency. We're gonna sweep the lower levels as well."
"Good, good."
He began to walk away.
"Rick, wait," Carrie finally said before she could stop herself.
Rick stopped, and turned, his eyes landing on her.
"Carrie?"
She smiled. "I'm back."
He nodded, tucking his hands in his pockets.
"I thought you were dead."
"Yeah, that's what everyone says. Um, this is Joel, he's a... friend. He'll be staying with me. And if he leaves, I do."
Again, Rick nodded. He muttered something about it was nice seeing her, then he left.
Carrie wasn't hungry anymore.
Gargulio began to throw up. Delilah was making sure he was okay when Merle entered the clearing again.
"Let's go, Princess hit her!"
"Tim and Crowley-"
"Slowed her down! We're close to the red zone! Them shots just pulled every biter in the area this way. Let's go, get up!"
"Come on, he's right, we have to go," Delilah said.
"Neil!" Merle said, kicking him. Gargulio fell and looked up at him, wide eyed as Merle stepped on his chest.
"Now you are gonna rise to the occasion son! Some serious shit's goin' down! I need you here, you read me, amigo?!"
"Merle, get off of him," Delilah said, her tone warning.
"I don't want you to die!" Merle continued, ignoring her.
"Yeah..." he said.
"Now, get up," Merle urged, stepping back. Delilah held out a hand, which he took, and she helped him stand. She patted his shoulder, her eyes reassuring.
"Now, you know we don't let our own turn," Merle reminded him. "Never."
While staring at the boy, he pushed his blade into the skull of Tim.
"Come on, just do it!"
Gargulio nodded, taking out his knife and stabbing the decapitated skull of Crowley.
"Atta boy!"
"We need to get out of here," Delilah reminded them.
"Princess is right, she's not running, she's hunting. So are we."
Gargulio stood, and they left the clearing.
Through the forest, they ran. Following small sounds – a rustle here, a break of a branch there. Finally, they stopped, surrounded by trees with narrow trunks and few leaves. The three circled, trying to hear something – anything.
Suddenly, Merle turned around, and stared at something behind Delilah.
"Move!" he bellowed, pushing her and Gargulio out of the way. Delilah felt a sharp pain in her ribcage before she fell to the ground, landing on her right shoulder.
On the ground, she withered in pain, her left hand staunching the blood pooling from her body.
Suddenly, Delilah heard the sound of walkers, and she looked up. Three walkers lurking towards them, one going for Michonne, one for Merle, one for her. Pushing the pain aside, she stood, but Gargulio was quicker. He took out the walker, Merle took out his, and Michonne took one out before running off.
"You rose to the occasion, kid. When we get back, I'm gonna get you a beer," Merle promised him.
"Well, come on, she couldn't have gone far!"
"No, no, no, no, we're done. We're gonna grab a car and haul ass home."
"Thank God," Delilah said, still trying to stop the bleeding.
"It's been a good days work."
"But she... she killed Tim and Crowley!"
"Yep, but we messed her up pretty bad."
"She's gonna die out here, that's revenge enough," Delilah replied. "Let's just go home."
"What do we tell the Governor?"
"What the hell do you think we tell him?" Merle demanded. "Tell him we killed her. Like I said – she's as good as dead."
"I'm gonna keep going."
"She's not worth your life," Delilah argued. "Or your time. She's heading straight for the red zone, she's gonna die out there. Come on, come back with us."
"This is some serious shit, that's what you two said! I'm not gonna lie to the Governor about it."
"You're right," Merle said, turning around. Delilah's heart began to race, what was he gonna do?
"We can't cut corners on this one. You've come along pretty quick, there, kid. How do you say your name again?"
"Gargulio," he said. Delilah could tell he was getting irritated.
"Gargulio," Merle repeated, and he nodded. "Hear that bird?"
Gargulio looked to his left, and that's when Merle pulled out his pistol and shot him.
Delilah watched, unfazed, as he picked up Gargulio's gun, adding it to his own collection.
"Let's go, Princess."
I hope you'll let me know what you thought in a review, 'cause I'd love to hear it.
I hope you have a great day, and I'll talk to you next time. Thanks for reading!
-SparrowEyedGirl