We went into a sort of office building and I followed the blood trail into a reception room. I'm not even sure if this is Merle's blood but it's better than chasing a ghost, right?
Oh forget it, this whole search is about chasing a ghost. The odds here are not in our favor, not by long shot. I've never been overly fond of giving in to the odds though. I'm stubborn like that.
I stepped in something sticky and froze. I hadn't noticed that I was about to walk on a corpse. Two dead walkers laid on the ground.
"Had enough in him to take out these two sumbitches. One handed." Daryl spoke from behind me as he reloaded his crossbow.
What's that smell?
I crinkled my nose and went to the other side of the room, looking down the hall.
"Toughest asshole I ever met, my brother. Feed him a hammer, he'd crap out nails." Daryl's voice carried from back by the others. Somehow I don't doubt that.
I followed my nose down the hall, with my knife ready.
"Merle!" Daryl called out again.
I turned around and softly whistled, catching their attention. I motioned for them to catch up, before going into a small kitchen-like room. Probably the break room, if I had to guess.
The smells definitely coming from in here. There's an open flame on the stove, charred grit next to it, and a lot a blood.
The others caught up with me not ten seconds after my entrance, with the same reactions I had in varying degree.
"What's that burned stuff?" Glenn naively asked.
"Skin…he cauterized the stump." Rick answered grimly.
"Told ya he was tough. Nobody can kill Merle, but Merle." Daryl stated.
Ain't that the truth. He probably killed himself by cutting off that very useful and perfectly functioning appendage. Gotta admit though, he is one tough thick-headed asshat.
Merle's got willpower like I've never seen.
"Don't take that on faith. He's lost a lot of blood." Rick was quick to keep us aware he's not superhuman, despite the evidence around us.
"Yeah? Didn't stop him from bustin' outta this death trap." Daryl moved past me, to a broken window on the far side of the room.
"He left the building? Why the Hell would he do that?" Glenn trepidatiously panicked.
"Why wouldn't he? He's out there alone, as far as he knows. Doing what he's gotta do. Survivin'" Daryl puts a lot of stock in his brother. I hope it's not misplaced, for your sake, Daryl.
"You call that survivin? Just wandering out on the streets maybe passing out? What are his odds out there?" T-Dog— no offense but that could have been put more tactfully.
"No worse than being handcuffed and left to rot, by you sorry pricks." Daryl spat, rightfully leaving no room for a retort, and filled the following minute with silence.
"You couldn't kill him." Daryl turned to Rick.
Damnit, he's looking to start a fight. It was foolish of me to hope this could be prevented. It was bound to happen sooner or later.
"Ain't so worried about some dumb dead bastard."
...I'm not entirely sure if that's supposed to be a threat or not.
"What about a thousand dumb dead bastards? Different story?" Rick retorted. Hmph, not bad, Officer.
"Why don't you take a tally. Do what you want. I'm gonna go get 'im." Daryl moved towards the window
"Daryl, wait—" Rick put his hand out, stopping him.
"Get your hands off me! You can't stop me." Daryl spat loudly, moving back out of Rick's reach. I flinched and looked towards the door, making sure we weren't attracting any unwanted attention.
"He's family, I get that. I went through Hell to find mine. I know exactly how you feel." Damn, Rick.
You've got a silver enough tongue to kill a werewolf, mon ami. I've never seen anyone able to talk down a Dixon. Granted I've only known them for a couple weeks give or take. Still, I'm impressed.
"He can't get far with that injury. We could help you check a few blocks around but only if we keep a level head."
Daryl chewed on his bottom lip for a moment before reluctantly giving in. "I could do that."
Rick nodded and glanced at the rest of us.
"Only if we get those guns first. I'm not strolling the streets of Atlanta with just my good intentions okay?" T-Dog put his foot down.
Glenn made the plan and usually I'm on board with his crazy ideas but this…this is a little extreme— even for us, and more than risky.
"You're not doing this alone." Rick stated.
"Even I think it's a bad idea and I don't even like you much." Daryl spoke his mind.
"It's a good idea, okay? Just hear me out." Glenn pressed.
"If we go out there in a group, we're slow; drawing attention. If we're alone, we can move fast." Glenn reasoned.
"Look, that's the tank and that's the bag of guns." Glenn explained using office supplies and a Sharpie drawn map on the tile. "That's the alley where I dragged you when we first met."
"That's where Daryl, Eve, and I will go."
"Why us?" Daryl asked.
"Your crossbow is quieter than his gun and if she wasn't a ninja before this, she should'a been. She's my protection out on the street." Glenn explained.
Ninja, eh? I like the sound of that.
"While Daryl waits here in the alley. I'll run up the street with Eve, and grab the bag. We run into trouble, she takes care of it without so much as a sound." You say that like it's as simple as taking out the garbage, Glenn. Do you know how difficult this is gonna be?
"You got us elsewhere?" Rick asked, bewildered.
"Right. You'll be here, in this alley." Glenn moved an eraser on the marker drawn map.
"Two blocks away? Why?" Rick glanced at me as if I'd tell him.
"We may not be able to come back the same way. Walkers might cut us off. If that happens, we won't go back to Daryl. We'll go forward instead. All the way around to that alley. Whichever direction we go, we got you in both places to cover us." Glenn elaborated.
"Hey kid. What'd you do before all this?" Daryl asked. You know, he's a lot more openly curious without Merle around.
"Delivered pizzas...Why?" Glenn answered.
Yeah, I remember saving your ass outside my building.
Your luck never ceases to amaze me, pizza boy. You just happened to be delivering to my building when this went down, and I happened to choose then to walk out my door.
Great, now I'm picturing ninja turtles eating pizza.