This Night

Chapter 207

Author's Note: This chapter did not want to be written. At all! The problem with going off script and adding things, is that, well you have no script to guide you! I know where I want to go and where I need to wind up, just didn't know how to start it. I always planned on finding Joey's brother, but at Grady. I left a big old Easter Egg when Joey and Jes was found. That was the plan, but then my brain started going in a different direction, and now that Jewel needed medicine, my brain went walah! It started with a few other OC's and my brain went NO, and I wanted to get something out to you before I was gone for a week and half, so my brain and I had a discussion and I think I won, for now. Oh, does anyone watch Graceland? I absolutely hate the roll that Bob is in. Review please.

Warning Merle's language

OC:

David London-Brett Dalton

Merle's group POV:

Merle got out of the car and fixed his blade and the gun on his arm. "We know the plan?"

Rosita looked at him. "You didn't do a whole lot of discussing, you just said this was what we were doing. Just like Abraham."

Merle glanced over at her. "Oh sweet cheeks, I'm nothing' like the over grown radish," he said as he used Jewel's nickname for him. "See, I came here with five other people, I plan to return with five other people, otherwise I'm going to have a momma bear kickin' my ass up and down Georgia. She's gonna blame herself if we all don't come back, and I aint puttin' her through that pain. From what I see, Abe only gives a damn about Eugene. He was more worried about this precious car then my sister surviving, so therefore he's got one damn strike in my book."

Rosita looked at him. "Eugene can end this."

Merle turned and looked at her. "Well if my sister dies, then my niece dies and I aint gonna give a shit whether the dead stop risin. Right now, this is the hand we are fuckin' dealt with. I don't live with what if's," he said.

Rosita started to say something before Mar stepped in between them. "Can we please do this another time? Rosita, I know you have a mission, but you volunteered to come with us, so we do it together, we go back together. A whole lot of people in our group depends on Jewel. I'm not prepared to lose her, not my best friend, not a mother to an innocent baby. It was hard enough when Judy was born, behind prison walls, to get her formula after Lori died. Hope doesn't stand a chance in hell without Jewel. And, I'm sorry Rosita, but Eugene saving the world right now isn't as important as that baby and my best friend. Sasha, you got the map?"

Sasha nodded as she spread the map out on the car hood. "The Woman's clinic should be here, a little bit set off from other places. There was a nursery in this shopping center here, along with a clothing store, and a small mom and pop grocery store. If we're lucky, we can find some food," she told them.

Merle gave a small snort. "Luck is hard to come by these days," he told her. "Let's move," he instructed.

"We got lucky, today at Terminus. Shouldn't be alive, but we are," Bob pointed out. "Maybe that luck followed us here, maybe getting out of Terminus, bringing it down, maybe that was luck finally turning our way," he told them.

Joey started to say something as a gun shot rung out.

"Get your asses behind something," Merle told them. "Is this the luck you were talking about Bob? Cause getting shot at, well I don't call that lucky," he told him.

Joey popped his head up from behind the tree. "I don't think they were firing at us."

"Get your ass down here," Merle told him as he pulled him down.

"He's right, that gun shot was from inside, and there hasn't been another one," Mar pointed out.

"Someone could have just taken his or her own life," Rosita said as she stood. "We sure aren't going to get what we need staying out here," she pointed out.

Bob and Joey both turned there heads to the familiar sounds of Walkers. "Gun shot attracted a few guests," Bob pointed out.

"Get your asses in gear, get inside, be alert, stay the hell alive," Merle said. "Joey, Rosita first, Mar and Bob in the middle, Sasha and me take the rear. We'll handle these biters' out here. Stick together," he ordered.

Sasha stood beside Merle. "Any reason you paired me up with you?"

"Simple, don't know Rosita, Joey is good at taking the lead, Mar and Bob know what they need to get so they need to be protected, even though both can take care of themselves, so that leaves you and me, Sugar," Merle said as he put an ax in the head of a walker.

"You did not just call me Sugar," Sasha remarked.

"It's a lot better then he would have called you a while ago, trust me, go with Sugar," Mar said as he joined them. "Where to first?"

"I'd like to find out where that gun shot was, if it was someone ending it, we need to make sure that person did it right," Joey pointed out. "Just our luck that we would get the one person who didn't know how to off himself or herself and get taken out by a walker."

"Luck doesn't always have to be good," Sasha pointed out as she playfully hit Bob's shoulder.

"Think they're right, plus we can make sure no biters' are around, give the town a good once over, then we can go in pairs and go to the important places," Rosita answered.

"May have to think about staying overnight, it's getting dark," Joey pointed out.

"Then we need to hurry this little tea party along don't we? Cause staying the night, aint gonna happen," Merle told them tersely.

"We'll discuss the best options for all of us when the time comes," Mar told them. She knew that arguing with Merle when he was in this state was no use. She nodded to the others to go ahead and stayed in the back with him. "You thinking about using?"

"Aint done it in a while, plus don't have anything if I did," Merle answered.

Mar nodded. "What if you found something?" she asked. "Look, I'm not accusing you of anything, Merle. But, you are an addict, just like Jewel is an alcoholic, just like Jane was. You're my brother now Merle, you've come a long way and I'd hate for you to take a step back. I'm just worried about you, just like you are about Jewel."

"I'm clean," Merle answered as Joey stopped. "You hear something kid?" he asked.

"Saw something, through that window," Joey answered as he nodded toward the building that was once a gas station.

Rosita held up her gun, starting to go through the window before Joey grabbed her arm and pulled her back. He knocked on the window and waited.

Bob looked around. "Are you sure you saw something?"

"I know I did," Joey answered. "I just don't know if it was alive or a Walker," he told them.

Mar looked around. "It's eerily quiet. Besides those few walkers' outside we haven't encountered any."

"Mar, don't jinx us," Bob told her.

"So we gonna stand out here all day and yap or we gonna go inside and take care of whatever it was that the kid says he saw," Merle said.

Rosita stepped up to the door. She looked at them all and shrugged. "What? I'm paired up with Joey, so I'm supposed to watch his back. This is me watching his back, because I know for a fact that he isn't gonna drop it and like hell I'm going to let him go alone. I wouldn't want to explain to Jewel why we didn't all come back."

Sasha gave a small laugh. "That wouldn't be the female Dixon that you'd have to worry about in Joey's case."

"Just break down the damn door already," Merle told them.

Joey looked at her. "You ready?" he asked Rosita.

"Ready," she said as she tried the door and held out her gun as it swung open.

Joey went in first. "Hello? I know someone is in here."

"Haven't you ever heard of the element of surprise?" Rosita asked as she looked around.

Neither one of them heard a sound or saw the movement as the figure jumped from the counter where the cash register had been and right down on Joey.

Rosita pointed her gun ready to fire but was hesitant because of hitting Joey. "Guys! Some help would be nice!" she yelled.

Joey threw a punch and pushed the unknown man away. "Who the hell are you? Are you from Terminus?" he asked as he picked up his weapon.

The man looked up. "Kill me."

Merle came in. "Well if the man insists," he said.

"Back off," Joey said as he moved closer. "I know…him," he said as he put down his weapon.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? Are you fuckin' insane? Pick up the gun," Merle told him.

Mar put her hand on Merle's shoulder. "Joey who is this? Who do you think this is?" she asked as Bob moved behind the counter and looked into the back room.

"I found a body, head shot, looks like she was bit," Bob told them.

The man stood up quickly. "Don't touch her!"

Joey looked at the disheveled man then at Mar. "My brother. Hey David, no one is going to touch her. Alright? Is that Carley? Is that who you shot?"

The man looked at him with hatred in his eyes. "How the hell do you know about Carley?"

"Davey, it's me Joey, your brother. The one that you used to give wedgies to, or put in headlocks? You used to call me the pain in the ass trouble maker because I was the 'bad boy' and was ruining the London name you set up in school. You were mr. perfect 4.0 and high school football star. You met Carley your Senior year, she was a freshman, the two of you were inseparable, even when you went off to college. She followed you as soon as she graduated. She tried to set me up with her sister….Abby, to get me on the straight and narrow. I'm your brother, that's how I know about Carley. David, are you bit or scratched?"

The man shook his head. "Carley…didn't make it out of Atlanta," he said as he looked up. "Dad told me to go to Atlanta that he would meet us there! That you would meet us there," he said as he launched himself again at Joey.

Joey raised his hand for everyone to put down the guns and grabbed his brother by the arms and pushed him to his knees. "The one move I was always good at. Everyone go, get what we need. We need to get reacquainted," Joey told him as David kept struggling. "Stop it, David. I'm trying to help. Just please stop."

"I'm not leaving," Rosita told him.

"I don't like this," Merle told him. "He isn't the same person he was," he reminded him.

"Neither are you," Joey answered. "He's my brother, you of all people have to understand that I have to try to help him."

"Yell if you need anything," Sasha told him as they turned to leave.

TBC

Author's Note: I seriously doubt that I'm going to be able to write another chapter before I leave tomorrow. So this may have to hold you. Or you may get lucky! Please review.