I tested the ground with the stick but it gave way again. I watched the chunk of dirt and rocks fall. Half this ledge is loose dirt. I don't even know how the tree(twig) I'm holdin' on to grew 'ere.

I tested some more ground before lookin' at the stick in my hand. This thing isn't gettin' me anywhere anymore. I tossed it off, lettin' it roll down the steep drop with the rest of the dirt.

I panted, looking up. I jumped, trying to reach the next tree but came up short and slid back to my less than stable spot on the cliffside.

My side pulled again and I winced, groaning.

"Aw come on. You done half. Stop bein' such a pussy"

I psyched myself up with a few quick breaths, brought my leg up and tried again.

I swung over and grabbed the tree but my fingers slid off and I ended up right back where I was before. Only the tree I had in my grip loosened and started to pull out of the dirt.

The ledge under me started to crumble and I tried to hold on to the trees; looking for anything I could grab hold of but the ground disappeared from underneath me, and that falling sensation hit me right before my back hit the ground.

The world spun and I landed on my side over and over before finally hitting the ground on the side my bolt was stuck through.

I rolled off it, gasping and grit my teeth against the endless waves of pain shooting spikes up and down my side, as I laid back on the ground.

My vision blurred and something warm ran down the side of my face before everything went dark.

My face scrunched as I forced open heavy eyelids.

Blue. Sky's still blue. I stared at the sky before green caught my attention. Everything's...blurry, and it smells like mud and wood rot.

I grunted, trying to turn my head, stop it from spinning.

Black?

That a person?

I squinted at the fuzzy blob of a person stopping above me.

Who's—…

A face came into focus as the figure crouched next to me. "Why don'cha pull that arrow out, dummy. You could bind your wound better."

"Merle" I felt a smile pull across my face.

"What's goin' on here?" his eyes drew to my side. "You takin' a siesta or somethin?"

"Shitty day, bro" I groaned, trying to turn my head back to him after it began to lull to one side.

"Mm, would you like me to get ya a pillow? Maybe rub your feet"

"Screw you" I grumbled.

"Huh-uh" he shook his head. "You're the one screwed, from the looks of it. All them years I spent tryna make a man of you. Dis what I get."

My eyelids almost drifted shut but I forced them back open and to focus on Merle.

"Look at ya. Lyin' in the dirt like a used rubber."

"You gonna die out here, little brother. And for what?"

"A girl" I swallowed, tryna get the sore lump outta my throat. "They lost a little girl"

"So you gotta thing for little girls now?"

"Shut up"

"Cause I noticed you ain't out lookin' for ol' Merle no more."

"Tried like Hell to find you, bro" My mouth tastes like dirt.

"Like Hell you did. You split, man. Lit out first chance you got."

"You lit out. All you had to do was wait. We went back for ya. Rick, Eve, and I." I grunted. "We did right by ya"

"This the same Rick that cuffed me to the rooftop in the first place? Forced me ta cuff off my own hand?"

My vision blurred again and I blinked hard, looking at his hand, trying to refocus.

"This him we're talkin' bout here? You his bitch now?"

"I ain't nobody's bitch"

"You're a joke is what ya are. Playin' errand boy to a bunch a pansy-asses, niggers, and democrats" Merle chuckled.

"Watch your mouth, douchebag." Another blurry figure came up behind Merle.

"You're nothing but a freak to them. Redneck trash" Merle's voice is as condescending as always.

"Careful Merle. You know every time someone lies an angel falls from heaven. They ain't gonna be too happy when they get down here." I blinked hard, and the long dark hair came into focus. "Pants don't catch on fire for no reason."

"Nahh, they're laughing at you behind your back." Merle ignored her. "You know that don't you?"

Eve crouched next to me, glaring at Merle who finally looked, glaring right back.

Never thought I'd see the day someone out-glares ma brother.

"Well I gotta little news for ya, son. One a these days, they gonna scrape you off their heel like you was dog shit." Merle pressed

"Now that's shit." Eve countered. "Just cause nobody ever liked it when you were around, doesn't mean we don't like Daryl."

"Oh I get it now. It ain't the little girl yer after now." Merle laughed. "It's the chatterbox, here. Ain't it?"

Everything started going fuzzy and my eyes started closing.

"Daryl. You've gotta stay awake." What I think is Eve's hand, touched my shoulder.

"Hey" Merle smacked me in the chest, bringing my vision back into focus. "They ain't your kin. Your blood."

"You don't need to be blood to care 'bout someone, Merle. Why d'you think war vets are so close?" Eve glared at him again.

"Hell if you had any damn nuts in that sack of yours you'd go back there and shoot your pal Rick in the face for me. Now you listen to me." Merle grabbed my jaw, forcing me to look at him.

"Ain't nobody ever gonna care about you except me, little brother. Ain't nobody ever will."

"That's already not true, and you know it."

Eve stood and looked over her shoulder before running. I watched her run until she was out of sight but something didn't feel right.

"Come on. Get up...before I have to kick your teeth in." Merle pat me roughly before he stood up and started kicking my foot, pulling on my boot.

"Let's go"

I blinked and he was gone.

I looked down at what's pullin' on my leg and jerked back. A surge of adrenaline shooting through me.

A walker chewed on my boot and it became very real when it looked at me.

I kicked it in the face with my other foot and spotted my crossbow just feet from me.

I reached for it but the walker was on top of me before I could grab it, clawing at my shirt.

I pushed on it's chest, going for my knife with the other hand and stabbed it in the shoulder.

I punched it, knocking it off me and pinned it to the ground; trying to pull my knife out of it's shoulder.

It grabbed my hair and I rolled, hitting it again until it let go.

I got up, spotting another walker headed this way, and went for the stick next to me(the same one I'd tossed earlier) instead of my bow.

The walker got up and came at me, and I swung at it's knees.

Something in it's leg crunched and it dropped to ground but started to get back up. I lunged at it, using the stick as a bar to pin it before I it above my head and slammed it across the walker's nose.

I slammed it down again on it's nose, and again on it's forehead, but it still wasn't dead.

I flipped the stick and stabbed it down right through the center of it's face.

I glanced up at the other walker comin' towards me, and went for my crossbow.

Where's my bolts?

With a split second idea, I fell backwards and grabbed hold of the one in my side. Don't think just—

I pulled it from my side, biting back what tried to rip free of my throat until my jaw hurt, I ripped the bolt from side with a painful grunt and grabbed the crossbow.

I held it in place with my boot, putting the bolt between my teeth and grabbed the line. I pulled it back, biting down on the bolt; putting my shoulders and arms into the pull as much as I could to take the pressure off my sides.

It finally locked and as fast as I could, I put the bolt in place and fell back as the walker came up fast.

I barely had it trained before I pulled the trigger and the bolt pierced straight through it's forehead.

The walker dropped dead on it's stomach next to me; the bolt pushing further into it's head, coming out the top of the skull.

I panted, laying my head back against the sandy dirt.

That was too close.

My crossbow lulled against my heaving chest, almost hitting me in the chin and I moved it down to rest on my stomach while I recovered.