Daryl raised his brows when Hershel, Carl, and Rick came running into the cell block carrying a mysterious African American woman. He watched as Rick laid her down her by the small barred off area in the common room.
"She's not coming into the cell block," Rick said to his son while Beth brought him a bottle of water. "Hey, here we go." He poured some of the water on the woman as she panted from exhaustion, "Who are you?" He shoved her sword away from his grasp when she began to reach for it, "We're not going to hurt you unless you try something stupid first, alright?"
"Rick," The leader turned his gaze to Daryl. "Who the hell is this?"
"You want to tell us your name?" Rick asked. When the woman continued her silence along with her glaring Rick asked once more, "You want to tell us your name?"
"Y'all come on in here," Daryl said to release the tension in the room. "You're gonna wanna see this."
Rick nodded to Hershel, "Go ahead, Carl get the bag." The boy grabbed the supplies the woman was carrying with her and followed Hershel and Daryl into the cell block. Rick picked up her weapon as Hershel and Carl started making their way further into the block, "We'll keep this safe and sound. The doors are all locked. You'll be safe here. And we can treat your leg."
The woman finally broke her silence, "I didn't ask for your help."
"Doesn't matter," Rick muttered as he walked away. "Can't let you leave."
Daryl slammed the barred door shut behind him and locked the woman in, He then gestured to the cell Beth was standing near and Rick and Carl slowly made their way to the door.
Carl beamed as he caught sight of his friend, "Sophia!"
The little girl sat up in the bed and smiled at Carl and Rick. Carl launched himself at her and hugged her tightly, and she spared a happy look at Rick from over Carl's heaving shoulder.
"Thank God," Rick muttered as hey watched the children's happy reunion. "Thank God."
Sophia pulled away from Carl and moved to wrap her arms around Hershel, "How?"
"Solitary," She whispered. "Airi told me to hide there."
"Poor thing fought her way into a cell," Daryl explained as the child was passed around for more hugs. "Must have passed out. Dehydrated."
Sophia laughed when Eren came rushing up to her on his little feet and she happily pulled him into her arms, "Fia! Fia!"
She loosened her grip on the boy when she noticed Beth carrying a newborn baby. She watched as the teen lowered her arms slightly to give her a better look at the little girl. She turned back to Rick and Carl, but when she caught their sorrowful looks she sniffled at the thought of losing Lori. She gazed around the room and she started to sniffle more when she noticed a few missing faces.
"Where's Airi?"
Daryl tensed and turned his eyes to the ground, "Still lookin' for her."
"Oh," She let out. She suddenly started to sob at the vast feeling of loss and Carl pulled her trembling form back into his arms as he held back his tears.
Rick patted Daryl on the arm and motioned for the other father to join him back with the newcomer. They both moved past their group members and through the doorway once more and Darly noted Hershel had followed after them, "We can tend to that wound for you, give you a little food and water, and then send you on your way." The woman kept her face stoic at the three men facing her. "But you're gonna have to tell us how you found us and why you were carrying formula."
She sighed as she remained eye contact with the leader, "The supplies were dropped by a young Asian guy with a pretty girl."
"What happened?"
Hershel moved closer, "Were they attacked?"
She shook her head, "They were taken."
"Taken? By who?" Daryl pressed.
"By the same son of a bitch who shot me," She snapped back.
Rick leaned down to meet her eye, "Hey, these are our people. You tell us what happened now."
She flailed as Rick gripped her injured leg, "Don't you ever touch me again!"
"You better start talkin'," Daryl advised as he raised his crossbow to her face. "You're gonna have a much bigger problem than a gunshot wound."
She sneered at the hunter, "Find them yourself."
"Shh, shh, shh, put it down," Rick ordered to Daryl. "You came here for a reason."
She rolled her eyes, but relented, "There's a town. Woodbury. About seventy-five survivors. I think they were taken there."
Rick raised his brows, "A whole town?"
She nodded, "It's run by this guy who calls himself the 'Governor'...Pretty boy, charming, Jim Jones type."
"He got muscle?" Daryl asked.
"Paramilitary wannabes," She replied. "They have armed sentries on every wall."
"You know a way in?"
"The place is secure from walkers," She mentioned. "But we could slip our way through."
The leader sniffed, "How'd you know how to get here?"
"They mentioned a prison," She said in reference to Glenn and Maggie. "Said which direction it was in, that it was a straight shot."
"This is Hershel," Ruck introduced the vet. "The father of the girl who was taken. He'll take care of that."
Rick wandered back to the cells with Daryl, leaving the woman alone with the older man to treat her leg wound. Hershel quietly stitched up the graze wound while she kept a close eye on the young boy who was standing by the door with his hand by his gun.
She glanced up at the older man as he finished his stitching, "Thank you."
Carl watched as Hershel packed up his medical supplies and let him back into the block to join the conversation the rest were having.
"How do you know we can trust her?" Oscar wondered.
Beth shook her head, "This is Maggie and Glenn. Why are we even debating?"
"We ain't," Daryl joined in. "I'll go after them."
"Well, this place sounds pretty secure," Rick muttered. "You can't go alone."
"I'll go," Beth said.
Axel stepped forward, "Me too."
"I'm in," Oscar added.
Rick nodded in agreement but caught Beth's arm as she started to move with the rest of the group, "I need you here. You're father and Sophia are still injured. And Eren and the baby need to be looked after." The girl sighed but reluctantly accepted when Rick was suggesting.
He then moved to join Daryl and Oscar as they collected the bags of weapons, motioning to the woman to follow them as they moved out of the cell blocks and to the cars. She rolled her eyes, but rose from her seat and joined them outside.
Daryl opened up the trunk to the green car and tossed the bag in, "I got the flashbangs and I got the tear gas. You never know what you're gonna need." He stepped back from the car and tossed on his angel vest Merle and Airi had given him for his birthday many years ago. He waved his hand at Carl as he helped in loading supplies for the rescue mission, "Hey, don't worry about your old man. I'm gonna keep my eye on him."
Carl smiled at the hunter, "And I'll keep my eye out for Airianna." The two clasped their hands together in a mutual agreement.
The woman eyed the private conversation before she approached the blonde teen as she pushed open the inner gate leading to the fields, "Wasn't this place overrun?"
"It was," Beth agreed.
She snorted, "And you cleared it out all by yourselves? Just the few of you?"
"There were others," The woman glanced away as the girl muttered. She watched the girl move back towards the group leader and collect the small baby girl from his arms. She also watched as the redneck hunter set another young child down next to the younger girl's feet and looked on in disbelief as the boy babbled on about him being his 'dada.'
Rick eyed the mystery woman as he pulled Carl to the side to speak away from listening ears, "What you did for mom-"
"I had to."
"Yeah, I...I know," Rick gently replied. "I know, and I'm sorry. No one should have to go through that."
Carl looked away, "How long will you be gone?"
He shrugged his shoulders, "look if something happens while we're gone-"
"We'll be alright," Carl insisted.
He nodded at his son, "If anything happens, you get everyone locked in the cells, keep them safe."
"I will."
"I know. I know you will," He rubbed his arm. "Take care of your sister, alright?"
Rick started to walk fo, but Carl's voice made him pause, "Daryl's been calling her Ass-kicker."
The leader chuckled, "Ass-kicker? Has he, now?"
"I've been thinking, what should we really call her?"
"Well, what do you think?" Rick asked.
Carl paused, "Remember my third-grade teacher, Mrs. Mueller?" His father absently nodded at the question. "Her first name was Judith. Do you think that's a good name?"
Rick smiled, "I think that's a fine name. Judith it is." He wrapped his arm around Carl's shoulders and walked with him up to the car.
Daryl paused next to Beth and Sophia, "Stay safe Soph."
She smiled, "I will, got Eren to watch my back."
"Damn straight," He jokingly answered.
Daryl hopped into the back of the car as Hershel shared some final words with Rick as he got into the driver's seat. They then drove off, leaving the rest of the group behind so they could save Glenn and Maggie. He stayed quiet in the car next to Oscar as he eyed the mysterious woman in the passenger seat. She pointed to the roads to take and Rick followed her directions carefully, slowing down slightly when they drove past the superstore Glenn and Maggie were snatched from.
"Shouldn't be much longer," The woman muttered.
Daryl nodded his head, "Good."
Daryl glanced out the window at the passing trees, trying to focus on the present instead of his thoughts. The ride didn't last much longer and the woman motioned for them to pull over on the side of the road.
"They have patrols. We're better off on foot," She insisted.
"How far? Night's coming," Rick noted.
She tightened the strap on her sword, "It's a mile, maybe two."
The four clambered from the car and equipped themselves with the items they had. Once they were all set on weapons and distractions they slipped through the brush of the forest to remain undetected.
Rick slowed down to walk next to Daryl, "I know what you did for me, for my baby while I was...Working things out. Thank you."
The Dixon male shrugged, "It's what we do, sides you would do the same if it were me."
The growling of multiple walkers caught their ears and they dropped to the ground, signaling to the other two to drop as well. They attacked as many of the incoming monsters as they could, but when they started to get outnumbered Rick led them through an opening in the dead mass and they sprinted through the woods.
They ran into a clearing and Rick gestured to the lone house in the field, "In there, come on."
The slammed the door open and quickly sealed it shut behind them. Daryl took in the hunting cabin and cringed at the foul odor in the building, "The smell, it's loud." He covered his face with his hand for a second before he sneaked further into the small house. Rick shined a light on a decomposing animal near the fireplace.
"What the hell is that?' Oscar asked.
"It's got to be a fox or what's left of one," Daryl guessed. He stopped when the light came closer to it and revealed a small dog. "I guess Lassie went home."
Daryl jumped when the walkers slammed into the front of the house, but Rick's quiet whistle drew him towards the bed in the room. He motioned Daryl over and the hunter glared at a lump under the covers. Rick flung the bedsheet off and a poorly dressed man jumped from his sleeping area with a loaded gun in his hand, aiming at the leader of the prison group.
"Who the hell are you?"
Rick lowered his weapon slightly, "We don't mean any harm."
The man snapped at Rick, "Get the hell outta my house!"
"Okay, okay, okay," Rick whispered, hoping the man would catch on and lower his volume. "We will, but we can't right now."
"Now!"
The woman glared at the stupid man, "Shut him up."
"Get out right now!" He continued to yell, riling up the walkers more.
Rick shook his head, "There are walkers outside."
The man looked at the group with confusion, "I'll call the cops!"
"I am a cop," Rick hissed. "Now I need you to lower your gun. Don't do anything rash. Everything's fine. Let's just take this nice and slow, okay?"
"Show me your badge," The man ordered as he cocked his rifle at Rick.
"Alright," Rick slowly muttered. "It's in my pocket. It's in my pocket. Now I'm just going to reach down nice and slow." He lowered his hand, but as the man was distracted he swung his other arm and shoved the rifle away as the gun went off. Daryl jumped out of the way of the bullet and watched as Rick wrapped his arms tightly around the crazed man. "Shut up," Rick snapped as the man continued to scream.
The man bit Rick's hand and wiggled free, running to the front door in the hope to escape, "Help! They've found me!" He grasped the door handle and was about to turn it when a blade went through his chest.
The mystery woman pulled her sword from his body and watched him slip to the ground. She stepped over the body and glanced out the window instead of looking at the other survivors in the room.
Daryl joined her in looking out the window and frowned at the number of walkers piled up outside, "Ever heard of the Alamo?" He jokingly asked.
"Here," Rick responded. "Help me with him." Daryl grabbed the body in the room with Rick and hauled the dead man to his feet. The woman picked up on what they were doing and stood by the door with her hand on the doorknob.
"You gotta be kidding," Oscar groaned.
"He's dead, check the back," Rick answered.
Oscar turned to the back door and nodded once he looked out the window, "It's clear."
"Okay. One, two, three!" Rick and Daryl shoved the body forward right as the woman swung open the door and the walkers scrambled to reach their new food source. She quickly shut the door again and followed the men as they snuck out the back of the cabin.
The newcomer led them away from the infested cabin and further through the woods. They began to pass multiple buildings and houses after they reached the edge of the treeline, but paused and pointed ahead of her position. Rick and Daryl peered past the corned they were behind and observed the makeshift wall blocking off a block or so of buildings in this area of the decaying town. The buildings past the wall were obtusely clean and preserved and the wall heavily manned with other survivors. She waved her hand and they followed her tracks as she slipped up close to the wall, stopping behind a dead car.
Rick eyed the guards on the wall but cursed under his breath when the woman ran off, "Okay we need to downsize." He and the other two lessened their load to the bare essential weapons.
"We can't check every building, not with all them guards there," Daryl pointed out.
A twig snapped behind them and they swung their weapons around but stalled when the woman returned and motioned for them to follow after her. They followed after her until they reached a thin gap in the side of the wall and snuck in one by one. They kept to the shadows as they moved through the picturesque town before they hid in one of the outer buildings.
They did a quick sweep and relaxed slightly at the absence of humans, "This is where you were held?" Rick asked as he observed the storeroom.
"I was questioned," She corrected.
"Any idea where else they could be?" She shook her head.
Daryl grunted as he looked out the window, "I thought you said there was a curfew."
"The streets are packed during the day," She defended. "Those are stragglers."
"If anyone comes in here, we're sitting ducks," Rick pointed out. "We gotta move."
"They could be in his apartment," She slyly suggested.
"Yeah?" What if they ain't?" The hunter asked.
"Then we'll look somewhere else."
Rick strode up to the woman, "You said you could help us."
"I'm doing what I can," She snapped back.
"Then where the hell are they?" Oscar whispered.
Rick motioned to Oscar and Daryl and pulled them aside while the swordswoman kept a lookout, "If this goes south, we're cutting her loose."
Oscar furrowed his brow, "You think she's leading us into a trap?"
Daryl huffed, "Right now it's the blind leading the blind. Let's split up."
Knocking on the door cut their conversation off and everyone ducked to the floor. The small group quickly hid when a key slipped into the door's lock and it swung open. An older man walked into the building and shut the door behind him, "I know you're in here. I saw you moving from outside," He wandered further into the room, casually peering around. 'Alright now, you're not supposed to be in here and you know it. Who's in here?"
The man was suddenly slammed into the wall by Rick and froze when a gun met his head, "Shut up. Get on your knees. Hands behind your back." The man got shoved to the ground by Daryl, "Zip tie him." The others restrained the Woodbury resident while Rick continued to hold him at gunpoint, "Where are our people?"
"I don't know," He said.
"You are holding some of our people. Where the hell are they?"
He started to shake, "I don't know."
Rick eyed the man, "Open your mouth," He quickly stuffed a rag into the man's mouth as a makeshift gag. He tried to mumble through the gag but was quickly knocked out by Daryl's crossbow. Oscar dragged the unconscious man to the back of the building and hid him under a table. A loud bout of gunshots went off outside and the group heard the rushing of the guards as they ran to investigate the noise.
"We need to go now before more people come looking," Rick ordered. He led the small group out into the town. He and the others slipped through the edge of town until they came across a building unlike the rest of the multiple townhouses. The building resembled a small warehouse and the muffled sound of fighting drew them towards it. Daryl picked the lock to the side door and the tiptoed through the halls, speeding up when they caught the familiar voices of Glenn and Maggie crying out.
Rick stopped at a corner and signaled to Daryl and Oscar as he watched a small group of men drag two prisoners down the other hall. Daryl twisted a cap off of one of the flashbangs and tossed it into the other hall, waiting for it to go off before they swarmed the other men and grabbed maggie and Glenn away from their grasps. The two weakened members of their group smiled through the smoke as they were pulled away to safety.
They slipped back onto the street and kept their heads low as they shuffled past a small group of guards. Rick lifted Glenn higher as he slipped in his grip and motioned to another empty building, "Inside, quick."
Everyone stumbled into the building except the woman, who shut the door behind them to keep them hidden. Glenn fell to the ground and Maggie rushed to his side, "Rick, how did you find us?" Maggie asked.
"How bad are you hurt?" The leader replied back.
Glenn grimaced, "I'll be all right."
Maggie paused when she noticed the missing member, "Where's that woman?"
Rick cursed under his breath, "She was right behind us."
"Want me to go look for her?" Daryl offered.
"No," Rick denied. "We gotta get them out of here. She's on her own."
Maggie shifted Glenn to sit up as she tossed a blanket around his shoulders, "Daryl, this was Merle," Glenn gasped out. "It was. He did this."
"You saw him?" Rick asked.
"Face to face. He threw a walker at me. He was gonna execute us."
The hunter froze at the mention of his older brother, "S-so my brother's this governor?"
Maggie shook her head, "No, it's somebody else. Your brother's his lieutenant or something."
"Does he know we're still with you?" He pressed.
"He does now," Glenn shamefully muttered. "Rick, I'm sorry. We told him where the prison was. We couldn't hold out."
"Don't. No need to apologize," Rick insisted. He moved back to the window and peeked his head through the curtain.
"They're gonna be looking for us," Maggie noted.
Rick nodded in agreement, "We have to get back. Can you walk? We got a car a few miles out." Glenn nodded and slowly got to his feet, groaning as he did so.
"Hey, if Merle's around, I need to see him," Daryl stated.
"Not now," Rick hissed. "We're in hostile territory."
"He's my brother. I ain't-"
"Look at what he did!" Rick snapped. "Look, we gotta get out of here now."
Daryl shook his head, "Maybe I can talk to him. Maybe I can work something out."
"No, no, no. You're not thinking straight. Look no matter what they say, they're hurt. Glenn can barely walk. How are we gonna make it out if we get overrun by walkers and this governor catches up to us? I need you," He watched as the hunter sighed. "Are you with me?" Daryl nodded his head but refused to meet Rick's eye.
Rick grabbed two of the flashbangs and tossed them out the door, waiting until the smoke offered enough cover before he ran out to layout some cover fire so the rest of the group could leave the building. He aimed at the guards on the wall as they ran towards it, keeping Maggie and Glenn in the middle of the group to protect them.
"Behind you!" Daryl yelled as he fired at some of the men coming up behind them.
"Get cover!" Rick yelled as they jumped into brick doorways to avoid the bullets. "How many?"
"I didn't see!" Oscar yelled back.
Daryl reloaded his gun, "Don't matter. There's gonna be more of 'em. We need to move."
Rick looked around the area, "Any grenades left?" Daryl nodded. "Get them ready. We gotta make a run for the wall."
Daryl passed the grenades to Rick, "You guys go ahead. I'm gonna lay down some cover fire."
"No, we gotta stay together," Maggie argued.
He shook his head as he cocked his gun, "Too hairy. I'll be right behind you. Ready?" He tossed another canister of flashbangs out into the street before he started to shoot at the line of men hiding behind park benches and other doorways.
The others ran while firing on the Woodbury group and once they reached a bus against the wall Oscar jumped up to help get Glenn over the wall. Rick and Maggie continued to fire at the smoke, hoping to keep the other men at bay so Daryl could safely cross the area. A bullet landed in Oscar's shoulder and he fell off the bus. Glenn yelled for him, but Maggie continued to yell at him to climb the wall as she ran to Oscar's fallen form.
"Rick! Rick!" Maggie yelled for their leader as she tried to keep the bullet wound from bleeding, but her attempt was in vain. She put a bullet in Oscar's head to end his pain and started to climb the bus to reach where Glenn was at the top of the wall.
Rick ran after Maggie and started to climb the bus, "Daryl!"
"Go!" The Dixon man yelled back as he continued to fire on the smoke covered crowd.
Rick reluctantly jumped the wall and landed on the other side near Maggie and Glenn, taking off towards the car hoping Daryl would be right behind him. They ran away from the town and only slowed once the sound of gunshots had left their ears and the sounds of the woods had taken its place. Rick then backtracked them to the broken car near where they first entered Woodbury, pausing to let the injured couple breathe as they waited for their final group member.
"Come on, Daryl," Rick whispered as he watched the new guards on the wall scope the area outside the wall in a weak attempt to search for them. He heard rustling behind them and turned, but frowned when the mystery woman slipped past the treeline and up to where they were hiding. "Where the hell were you?" Rick pressed. "Put your hands up," She raised her arms at the sight of Rick's gun in her face. "Turn around. Turn around." She turned and allowed the man to pull her sword from its sheath.
She relaxed when he lowered his weapon, "Where are the rest of your people?"
"They got Oscar," Glenn hissed.
"Daryl is missing. You didn't see him?" Maggie asked.
"If anything happens to him-" Rick threatened.
"I brought you here to save them," She said as she motioned to the other two people.
"Thanks for the help," Rick muttered sarcastically.
"You'll need help to get them back to the prison," She pointed out. "Or to go back in there for Daryl. Either way, you need me."
He glared but relented and passed her weapon back to her. She nodded and waited for his call. Rick turned back to Glenn and Maggie, "We're going back in, but Glenn you have to go to the car and wait. And you are going with him," The swordswoman nodded her head.
"Hell no, Rick," He growled.
"You can barely stand. This is not a suggestion," Glenn groaned and started to make his way back to the car with the female hot on his tail.
Maggie followed Rick as he snuck back into the gap in the wall. The duo snuck through the town as they followed the ground words of one of the townspeople giving a speech. As they got closer to an area that resembled an arena of sorts they saw Merle and Daryl back to back in the middle surrounded by walkers. They lined up near the side as they watched the pair of brothers fight the circle of walkers while the town members jeered and laughed at the spectacle.
Rick aimed his weapon at one of the people pushing the walkers closer and fired, killing them instantly with a headshot. Maggie joined him in firing on the walkers and their handlers as the townspeople screamed and started to run from the area, creating a bigger distraction for Daryl to escape. They tossed tear gas at the crowd and shot at the lights to distract them, and Rick waved down Daryl with his flashlight as the man knocked out of one of the town members to steal back his crossbow.
Daryl ran up to the small group with Merle and Rick patted him on the shoulder, "Let's go."
"Come on, they're all still at the arena," Merle called out.
Rick shook his head, "You are not coming with us."
"You really gonna argue about this now?" Daryl hissed as he kept his eyes peeled for any people behind them. "Rick, come on. We gotta go," Rick groaned but allowed Merle to continue escaping with them.
They all tightened up and ran from the arena to the wall of the town, which was now empty due to the panic they created in the stadium. They easily hopped the wall and took off sprinting for the car. They took out the walkers that strayed to close to them and slowed down their running when the sun started to rise over the horizon. Passed by the cabin they hid in the previous afternoon and Rick slowed his running when he saw Glenn and the car through the trees. Maggie rushed to her boyfriend and wrapped her arms tightly around him.
"Glenn," Rick called to the man.
"Rick, oh thank God," He muttered as he pulled away from Maggie.
"Now we got a problem here. I need you to back up," Glenn and the mystery woman both glared at the older Dixon brother as he came into their line of sight.
"What the hell is he doing here?" Glenn screamed as he took out his gun.
Rick put his hands up to block the angry man, "Hey, hey, hey! Put it down!"
Maggie jumped in front of the woman to keep her from attacking Merle while the two brothers hung back slightly, "He tried to kill me!"
"If it wasn't for him Maggie could've-"
"He helped us get out of there," Daryl snapped.
"Right after he beat the shit out of you," Rick reminded.
Merle snickered at the situation, "Hey, we both took our licks, man."
Daryl scoffed, "Jackass."
"Hey, shut up," Merle yelled back.
"Enough!" But the screaming persisted as the woman refused to drop her blade, "Put that down now!" The leader ordered as he kept his gun on her.
Daryl glared at Glenn who still tried to aim his gun at Merle, "Get that thing out of my face!"
They arguing quieted and the older Dixon chuckled at the chaos that he caused, "Man, look like you've gone native, brother."
Daryl swung around to face him, "No more than you hanging out with that psycho back there."
"Oh yeah, man. He is a charmer, I got to tell you that," Merle laughed as he glanced to the black woman. "Been putting the wood to your girlfriend Andrea big time, baby."
"What?" Glenn gasped. "Andrea's in Woodbury?"
Daryl nodded, "Right next to the Governor."
The woman sneered at Merle and tried to charge him, but Rick once more jumped in the way, "I told you to drop that! You know Andrea?" She lowered her sword but chose to stay in silence. "Hey, do you know Andrea?"
"Yep, she does," Merle confirmed. "Her and Blondie spent all winter cuddling up in the forest. Mmmm, yeah. My Nubian queen here had two pet walkers. No arms, cut off the jaws, kept them in chains. Kind of ironic now that I think about it."
"Shut up, bro."
Merle raised his hand and prosthetic up in the air, "Hey, man, we snagged them out of the woods. Andrea was close to dying."
"Is that why she's with him?" Maggie pondered.
Merle nodded, "Yeah, snug at two little bugs. So what you gonna do now, Sheriff, huh? Surrounded by a bunch of liars, thugs, and cowards."
"Shut up!" Rick yelled at the man.
"Oh, man, look at this. Pathetic. All these guns and no bullets in them."
Daryl shoved his brother, "Merle, shut up!"
"Shut up yourself! Bunch of pussies you roll-" His yelling was cut off when Rick hit him across the head with the butt of his gun and he fell to the ground knocked out.
"Asshole."
The group rested for a moment while Daryl waited for his brother to reawaken. Once he was up and moving again, Daryl insisted he stay a few feet away while the group talked. He hoped it would avoid further fighting. He looked over to Rick, but the leader immediately shook his head when he caught the look in Daryl's eye.
"It won't work."
"It's gotta."
Rick glanced over at Merle, "It'll stir things up."
"Look, the Governor is probably on the way to the prison right now," Daryl reasoned. "Merle knows how he thinks and we could use the muscle."
"I'm not having him at the prison," Maggie muttered.
Glenn raised his brow, "Do you really want him sleeping in the same cell block as Sophia or Beth?"
Daryl glared at the Korean, "He ain't a rapist."
"Well, his buddy is."
"They ain't buddies no more. Not after last night," Daryl observed.
"There's no way Merle's gonna live there without putting everyone at each other's throats," Rick continued.
"So you're gonna cut Merle loose but bring the last samurai home with us?" The hunter asked as he gestured to the woman leaning against the car.
Rick shook his head, "She's not coming back."
"She's not in a state to be on her own," Maggie defended.
Glenn sighed, "She did bring you guys to us."
"And then ditched us," The leader reminded him.
"At least let my dad stitch her up?" Maggie offered as a compromise.
"She's too unpredictable."
"That's right, we don't know who she is," Daryl agreed. "But Merle, Merle's blood."
"No, Merle is your blood," Glenn pressed. "My blood, my family is standing right here and waiting for us back at the prison."
"And you're part of that family," Rick chimed in. "But he's not. He's not."
Daryl huffed, "Man, y'all don't know," He paused and waited for a response from the group, but frowned when he got none. "Fine. We'll fend for ourselves."
"That's not what I was saying," Glenn said.
"No him, no me."
"You can't do that Daryl," Rick hissed. "You have responsibilities."
"Yeah, like what?"
Maggie cut in, "Sophia, for one. She adores you. But most importantly your son, Daryl He just lost his mother he can't lose you too."
"Don't you dare talk like that about Airianna!" Daryl snapped. Merle walked closer to the group at the mention of his sister-in-law.
"So you would leave, just like that?" Glenn asked. "What would you want us to tell Sophia and Eren?"
"They'll understand."
"No, they won't," Rick argued. "I know how your feeling, Daryl. Believe me, I do. But you can't run away from the fact that your wife is gone and your son needs you, not his screw-up of an uncle." He glared at the man before storming towards where Merle was waiting. Maggie and Glenn called out to him as Rick followed after him, "Hey, there's got to be another way."
"No Rick, there ain't," Daryl denied. "As long as Eren will be safe with you I have nothing to go back to at the prison. Christ, every time I looked at him I'd see her. And she's the only thing that made me a good dad, so no." He glanced away. " Don't ask me to leave him, I already did that once."
Rick followed as he stopped at the car and pulled a small backpack from the trunk, "We started something last night, you know that."
Daryl shrugged his shoulders, "No him, no me. That's all I can say. I ain't leaving any part of my family alone and unprotected, never again Rick," He tossed the bag over his shoulder and slammed the trunk closed. "Tale care of yourself. Take care of little Ass-kicker...And Eren please."
Rick dumbly nodded as he watched his friend wander off towards Merle, who wore a smug smile on his face, "Daryl!" The man ignored his yelling and wrapped his arm around his brother's shoulders. He motioned the rest of the group members into the car as the Dixon brothers walked away. He caught the arm of the swordswoman before she could open one of the doors, "We patch you up and then you are gone."
She nodded and they hopped into the car and raced back to the prison, hoping the rest of their group would still be safe when they arrived.