"You know this guy?" the man asked and Merle glared at him.
"This guy is my brother," Merle said with a growl. Daryl saw the fear in the man's eyes as the man backed up and Merle walked behind the chair. Daryl wondered what Merle was doing when he felt the ropes coming loose and Merle lightly pushed Daryl forward. "Get up."
Daryl quickly rose to his feet when he turned to face Merle then he noticed the machete blade connected to the top of the brace covering the stump where Merle's right hand used to be.
"Unless you want somethin' bad happen to those kids. You better stay where you are, Baby Brother," Merle said and Daryl glanced at Sophia.
"Merle…," Rick said as Merle looked at him then Merle laughed.
"No. It can't be," he said as Merle walked to Rick then he pulled the sack off of Rick's head. "It is! Damn! Is it my birthday?!"
"You know him, Boss?" the man asked and Merle glared at Rick.
"Hell yeah. This son of a bitch is the one who left me on a roof to die."
"I left a key," Rick said.
"Oh yeah. You left it with that…"
"Merle!" Daryl warned and Merle rolled his eyes.
"Had to cut my damn hand off," Merle said, showing Rick the machete blade. "Hurt like hell. Nearly bled to death."
"You cauterized the wound," Rick said.
"Wouldn't have had to if you had just let me go!"
"We came back to get you."
"We?!"
"Me, Glenn, T-Dog and Daryl."
"Made him do it," Daryl said with a nod.
"You should have killed him after you found out what he did to me, Dummy!" Merle said.
"My dad isn't a dummy!" Sophia shouted.
Merle walked to her when he removed the sack from her head and Sophia glared at him.
"Hey, I know you. You're the daughter of that fat piggie who kept hittin' that mousey bitch. Thought all of you were dead by now," Merle said. Daryl felt his blood boiling as he growled and Merle turned to look at him. "You got somethin' to say?"
"Leave her be," Daryl grumbled.
Merle felt the man's eyes on him when Merle pointed to the door and the man pushed Daryl toward the door. Daryl stormed out of the room and Merle walked behind him. They headed out of the cement building and Merle pointed to the smaller cement building. Daryl noticed the men were looking at him as Merle lightly pushed Daryl forward and they stopped in front of the door. Merle opened the door when he shoved Daryl inside and Daryl swore the men were smiling.
Merle flipped the switch as the lights flickered on and Daryl scanned the room with his eyes. He saw the small, wooden table, two wooden chairs, a trunk sitting at the foot of a bed and there was a window to his right.
"Sit," Merle said, nodding his head to the chair.
Daryl stood where he was.
"I said sit!"
Daryl just looked at him with anger in his eyes.
Sighing, Merle walked to the trunk when he opened the lid of the trunk as he removed a small bottle of whisky, closed the trunk and he walked to the table. Daryl watched Merle sit down on the chair and Merle placed the bottle of whisky on the table.
"Now will you sit down?"
Daryl looked at him with a blank look on his face and Merle sighed, taking the bottle of whisky in his left hand.
"Thanks."
"Thanks?" Daryl asked, frowning.
"Fer makin' Sheriff Friendly go back fer me."
"You're family."
"Damn right. The only family you're ever gonna have. Which is why I don't get why that little shit was callin' you "Dad"."
Daryl pressed his lips into a thin line and Merle placed the bottle of whisky on the table.
"Look, I get this good solider act. You're Sheriff Friendly's bitch now," Merle said, moving the bottle of whisky in small circles on the table.
"I ain't nobody's bitch," Daryl grumbled.
"I didn't hear that. You ain't what?"
"I ain't nobody's bitch. Not his or yers."
"You sure about that?" he asked, arching his eyebrows up.
"Yeah. Just like I know you ain't nothin', but a messed-up piece of shit."
"Whoa! Whoa! Where is this comin' from!?"
"From years of you not bein' there when I needed you!"
"That ain't true. I was there."
"Like when we were kids?! Who left who back then?!"
"I had my reasons."
"Fuck this," Daryl said. He turned to leave as he headed for the door and he heard the chair scraping then quick footsteps. He reached for the door handle when he felt a hand on the back of his shirt. Out of reflex, Daryl pulled to get free when he heard a soft ripping sound and the cool air on his back.
Merle looked at the scars on his little brother's back after he had let go of Daryl's shirt and his eyes bugged out slightly. Daryl tried to get the pieces of his shirt closed while Merle backed up and he swallowed the lump in his throat.
"I… I didn't know," Merle said and Daryl turned back to look at him.
"Yeah, you did. He did the same to you. You just fergot. That's why you left," Daryl said.
"I had to. I would have killed him."
"Walker did that," Daryl whispered with a shake of his head.
"Look…," Merle said, walking to him and Daryl headed backwards until his bare back touched the door. "What's up with you? You know I ain't gonna hurt you."
Daryl just looked at him and Merle sighed, lowering his head. Daryl blinked his eyes a few times then he moved closer and Merle lifted his head.
"You didn't say why she calls you "Dad". She ain't yers," Merle said.
"She is now," Daryl said.
"Are you tellin' me you married that little mouse of a mom of hers?"
"Yeah."
"What about her husband?"
"Walker got him."
Merle snorted a laugh as he shook his head then he looked at Daryl.
"Wanna know somethin'? I knew you had a thing fer that little mouse. Was waitin' fer you to make yer move."
"What are you gonna do to Rick?"
"What do you think?" Merle asked with a cold look on his face.
"I ain't gonna let you do that."
"Yeah, I get that. He's yer brother now," Merle said with a nod. "But I'll bet a penny an' a fiddle of gold he ain't gonna like it when I tell him about you an' me plannin' on robbin' the group back at the quarry."
"Didn't happen."
"Because I wasn't there to help you do it."
"What about before he showed up?"
"What about it?"
"There were plenty of times when we could've done it. Wanna know why we didn't?"
"Alright, Smart Ass. Tell me. Why didn't we?"
"Home."
"What?!"
"Think about it. Yeah, they didn't like us at first. But we started fittin' in. You knew how to get in an' out of shit an' could find what we needed. Me? I was the one who knew how to hunt, track an' survive."
"So?"
"So, we finally had a home. A real one. With people who didn't give a shit about who we were, where we came from or our past. Real friends," Daryl said then he paused. "People who love us fer who we really are."
"You talkin' about you, that little girl an' her mom?"
Daryl nodded.
Merle sighed as his shoulders slumped down and he shook his head.
"Shit," Merle whispered. Before Daryl could move, Merle punched him in the face and Daryl fell unconscious onto the ground. Merle opened the door after he moved Daryl then Merle made a loud whistle and two men stopped to look at him. "Take him back to the others."
Daryl grunted as the men picked him up and Merle watched them drag Daryl to the cement building.
The Greene Farm
Carol held the baby in her arms as she looked toward the gate and she frowned. Something was telling her Daryl was in trouble. She rocked Henry while the screen door opened and Hershel walked out onto the porch.
"Still no sign of them?" Hershel asked.
"No," Carol said with a shake of her head. Hershel saw the worried look on her face as he placed his hands on the railing and she watched him lower his head. "It's not your fault."
"How can it not be my fault? All of you came here looking for help and now you will be leaving because of the foolish thing I did."
"It wasn't foolish."
"My wife… She once told me if she was evet critically injured or ill and there was no hope of her waking up, she wanted me to tell the doctors not to bring her back if she died. She did die. Instead of keeping my promise, I let her turn into… Into one of those things instead of putting her out of her misery."
Carol stayed silent while Hershel looked toward the barn and he sighed.
"I have put all of us in danger."
Henry became fussy as Carol hushed him and Hershel looked at the baby.
"I am so sorry," Hershel said and he was surprised when she gave him a sideways hug before she turned and she walked to the screen door. He watched her go inside then he looked at the gate and Hershel frowned.
The camp
Glenn, T-Dog and Andrea hid in the tall grass as they watched the men moving by the gate and Glenn looked at the brick wall which surrounded the camp.
"How didn't we know about this place?" he whispered.
"We need to go get Otis, Hershel, Dale and Jimmy," T-Dog whispered.
"And leave the farm unprotected?" Andrea whispered.
"No, he's right. We need all the help we can get," Glenn whispered. He turned to go back to the SUV when he saw two men pointing rifles at them and he sighed.
"Place your weapons on the ground," the first man said.
Nodding, Glenn, T-Dog and Andrea placed their weapons on the ground then they slowly stood and held their hands up in surrender.
"Move," the second man said while the first man picked up their weapons. They headed through the grass while they headed for the gate and the second man nodded to the guard in front of gate. The guard opened the gate as they walked by him then he closed the gate.
Glenn looked at the cement buildings, the vehicles and the men moving by when he noticed one of the men had Daryl's crossbow strapped to his back and Glenn frowned. They headed for the cement building when the first man headed for the smaller cement building and the second man opened the door. He pushed Glenn forward as they went inside and Glenn saw the small, wooden table, two wooden chairs, a trunk sitting at the foot of a bed and someone was sitting at the table.
"Hey, Boss. Looks like we have company," made the man sitting at the desk turn in the chair and the man slowly rose to his feet.
"Well, lookie here," Merle said with a grin.
"Merle?!" Glenn asked with wide eyes and T-Dog felt a cold chill move through him.
"You're dead," T-Dog said.
"Where is Rick, Carl, Sophia and Daryl?" Andrea asked.
"They're safe," Merle said, but Andrea didn't like the cold look in his eyes. "Lemme guess. You're here to rescue them."
"Damn right, we are," Glenn said.
"How did you find us?"
"One of your men gave us a map," Andrea explained.
"There ain't no way one of them would do that. Unless you killed him an' took it."
Andrea kept a blank face as Merle sighed and he lightly shook his head.
"Well, seein' how you came all this way, you can have the brats. But my little brother an' Sheriff Friendly stay here."
"No way," Glenn said.
"Are you talkin' back to me, Boy?"
"Where are they?!" Andrea demanded.
"You wanna see them so badly?" Merle asked as he looked at the men and the men headed for Glenn, T-Dog and Andrea.
"Move," the first man said as he pushed Glenn forward and Merle watched them leave the room.
"Where are you taking us?" Glenn asked.
"You'll see," the first man said.
They headed for the small cement building as the first man opened the door and they went inside. The first man closed the door when Glenn, T-Dog and Andrea saw Rick, Carl, Daryl and Sophia tied to the chairs and T-Dog growled.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Rick asked.
"We're… We're here to rescue you," Glenn said.
The men pushed Glenn, Andrea and T-Dog toward the chairs then the men pushed them onto the chair and Rick growled. The men tied Glenn, Andrea and T-Dog's hands behind their backs then the men headed for the door, opened the door and left the room. Rick looked at Glenn while Glenn looked down at his feet and Andrea frowned.
"What do you think Merle will do to us?" Carl asked.
"Not sure about you, Sophia, Daryl, Glenn and Andrea, but I think he is going to kill me and T-Dog," Rick said.
"That ain't gonna happen," Daryl grumbled as he relaxed his arm muscles. The roped fell to the floor as he shook the feeling back into his hands then he bent down, untied the ropes around his ankles then he stood up. He untied the ropes around Sophia's wrists and ankles and she smiled at him. She stood up then he gave her a hug and she placed her head against him. He let go of her when he went to untie Carl, Glenn, T-Dog, Andrea and Rick and they looked at the door. Rick walked to the door when he looked through the gap in the door and he barely saw some men walking by.
"Shit," Rick whispered. He went to check the room for a way out when the door handle moved and they went to sit on the chairs. They placed their hands behind their backs and the door opened. Merle and two men walked in the room when one of the men closed the door and Merle walked to the chair near the door.
"Now…," Merle said as he brought over the chair and he sat the chair down in front of the chair where Rick was sitting. He sat down as he placed his forearms over the top of the chair and he locked eyes with Rick. "Here is how it's gonna go down. I will let the kids an' those two go free, but you, Daryl an' T-Dog stay here."
"No way," Daryl said with a shake of his head.
"Do you think you can stop me?"
Merle got up then he headed for the chair where Daryl was sitting, placed his left hand on the back of the chair and they locked eyes. Merle glanced down at Daryl's feet when he noticed the ropes on the ground and Merle pushed off the chair.
"New plan!" Merle said, raising the machete blade up as he spun around to look at the men. "I'll let everyone go if you survive a little hunting trip."
"What the hell are you talking about?!" Rick demanded.
"He…," Merle said as he pointed the machete blade at Daryl. "He will be taken out into the woods. Once he's ready, my boys an' I will go huntin' fer him. If he kills all of us, all of you can go. If not then we get to kill you."
"Are you insane?!" Andrea asked with wide eyes.
"Well, Sheriff Friendly, what do you say?" Merle asked, ignoring Andrea. Merle noticed how tense Rick looked and how much he wanted to get up and Merle smiled. "Clock's tickin'."
Rick looked over at Daryl. Rick then locked eyes with Merle as Merle walked closer, leaned over and Merle placed his left hand on the back of the chair.
"Better let him do it or we're all screwed," Merle said in a low voice. Rick titled his head to one side with a confused look on his face then he noticed the looks the men were giving Merle.
"If you want it to be a fair fight, you need to give him back his crossbow," Rick said.
"Wait! You're really going to let them hunt Daryl?!" Andrea asked with wide eyes.
"We have no choice."
"Yeah, we do. We can fight them," Glenn said.
"With what? None of you have any weapons," Merle said, looking at Glenn.
"Hey, Boss. Why do we only have to hunt him? Why don't we just hunt all of them?" one of the men asked and Merle turned to look at him.
"Because I'm in charge. That's why," Merle said.
"But you said he's your brother. How do we know he won't cheat?"
"Yeah. For all we know, you'll help him find us," the other man said.
With a soft growl, Merle walked to one of the men when he quickly grabbed the man's gun and he pointed the gun into the man's face.
"One…" Merle said, arming the gun.
"Merle, what the hell are you doin'?!" Daryl said.
"Two…"
"Oh shit," T-Dog said.
Merle saw the fear in the man's eyes when Merle smiled, cupped the gun in his left hand then looked at the other man.
"Tell the others we're goin' huntin'," Merle said, going nose-to-nose with the man and the man nodded. Merle noticed the man had peed himself and Merle snorted a laugh. "Go change yer pants first."
The men ran out of the room as Merle went to close the door after checking to see if anyone was watching then he walked to Rick.
"Get up," Merle said.
"We're tied to the chair, Asshole," Glenn said.
"Then why's the rope lyin' on the floor?"
Glenn looked down at the rope by his feet as he sighed and Merle rolled his eyes.
"I should pound you," Daryl said, standing up. He held Sophia when Merle walked closer and Sophia buried her face in Daryl's chest. Daryl could see the sadness in his brother's eyes as Daryl tapped the side of Sophia's head and she looked at him. He pointed to Merle as she turned her head to look at Merle and Merle held out his left hand. After Daryl nodded, she walked to Merle and Merle took hold of her hand before he knelt down on his haunches.
"You really are a tough, you know that?" Merle asked with a smile.
"No, I'm not," Sophia said with a shake of her head.
"Yeah, you are. An' you know what? All that shit I just said, it's just talk. I ain't gonna let anyone hurt you or yer daddy. Know why? Because you're family. An' no one treats my family like shit."
"What about them?" she asked, looking at Carl, Rick, Andrea, Glenn and T-Dog.
"Ain't gonna hurt them either," Merle said as he stood up then he walked to Rick. "Though I do think I need a little payback."
"If you want to hit someone, go ahead," T-Dog said. "It was my fault."
"Yeah, you got butterfingers," Merle said with a snorted laugh. "But I got over that."
Rick titled his head when he sighed then he locked eyes with Merle.
"Go ahead, but use your left hand," Rick said.
"Aw, now you are takin' all the fun outta it," Merle said.
"Merle….," Daryl warned.
"Fine."
Merle balled up his left hand when he punched Rick hard enough in the stomach to make Rick fall to his knees and Rick vomited. Andrea ran to Rick as she knelt down next to him and Merle shook the pain out his hand.
"We…even?" Rick asked as he panted.
"Yeah," Merle said as the door opened and he turned to look at the men standing in the doorway. "Everyone ready?"
"Yeah," the man said.
"Let's go."
Andrea helped Rick to his feet as they headed for the door and Merle led them outside. Rick saw the men standing in a small group when one of the men walked to Merle and the man handed Merle Daryl's crossbow.
"Hey," Merle said when he turned and he looked at Carl. "Go get yer dad's gun."
"Why?" Carl asked.
"Decided we're gonna hunt him, too."
Carl looked at Rick as Rick nodded his head and Carl followed the man into the small cement building. A few seconds later, Carl walked to Rick when he handed Rick the Colt Python and Rick placed the gun in the holster.
"Move out," Merle said when the men placed the sacks over Rick, Carl, Daryl, Sophia, Glenn, T-Dog and Andrea's heads and they headed for the woods.
A short time later, Merle stopped when he looked around and he saw the crate sitting on the ground near a tree. He knew the crate was loaded with guns and rifles as well as ammunition and he smiled.
"Right. Spread out," Merle said as the men started to head for the trees when a low gurgling and growling sound filled the air and he saw the horde of Walkers moving by the tree. "Or not."
"This day keeps gettin' better an' better," Daryl grumbled, pulling Sophia to his side.
"Just don't stand there! Move!"
Rick watched the men starting to attack the Walkers when he took aim and he fired the Colt.
"We need weapons!" Glenn shouted.
"There's some in that crate over there! If you don't get bit, you can use whatever you want!" Merle shouted, slicing off the head of a female Walker with the machete blade.
"Move!" Rick shouted and Glenn, T-Dog and Andrea ran for the crate. They opened the crate while Rick fired the Colt and he kept Carl close to him.
Glenn, Andrea and T-Dog fired the guns and rifle at the Walkers as the Walkers heads exploded and Daryl fired the crossbow while Sophia hid behind him.
Rick watched Merle's men attacking the Walkers while Merle fought near Daryl and Sophia and the screams from the men who were being taken down by the Walkers filled the air. The Walkers moved toward them as Merle sighed and he shook his head.
"Run!" Merle shouted. Daryl placed the crossbow on his back when he took hold of Sophia's right hand and Rick picked up Carl.
"You heard him! Run!" Rick shouted.
"Don't have to tell me twice," Glenn said.
The screams of the men and the growling of the Walkers caused them to run faster and Merle looked at Sophia. He knew she was getting tired as he signaled for them to stop and Daryl looked at Merle, wondering what he was up to.
"Hop on," Merle said after he knelt down and Sophia looked at Daryl. Nodding, Daryl pointed to Merle and she got onto Merle's back. With a small grunt and carefully holding onto her, Merle stood then ran and Sophia held onto Merle's shoulders. "Used to give yer daddy piggyback rides. You're a lot lighter than he was."
"Shut it and run!" Daryl said as Merle and Sophia smiled at each other and they ran faster.