This Night

Chapter 220

Author's Note: Three chapters in less than 24 hours? What? Character development will be had with this twist. Loved Merle and glad to keep him around for even a little bit more. As I said, it's been in the plans for a while but still was (is) heartbreaking to write. Please review.

Sasha, Ty, Rick and Summer, Joey's POV:

Sasha walked with her gun and called Bob's name. She turned and put her weapon up as she heard a noise as she killed walkers.

Tyreese grabbed put his hand over her mouth. "It's me, it's me," Tyreese told her.

"He's getting away," Sasha told them.

"Who?" Rick asked.

"Someone was watching us," Sasha whispered, obviously scared.

"If we go in there now, some of us aren't coming back," Tyreese told them.

"Bob is out there somewhere, scared and alone," Sasha told them.

"Maybe not alone, Daryl and Carol are missing too," Rick told them as he held up the flashlight.

Summer and Joey came from behind them. "Mom and Uncle Merle haven't came back either," Summer told them.

Rick looked at them. "Let's go," he told them as they headed back to the church.

Mar rocked Hope as Rick and the others entered. "Did you find them?" she asked.

Summer shook her head as she walked up with Sasha. "Where are our people?" Summer demanded. "My uncles? My mother? Bob?"

Sasha looked at him. "What are you doing? This is all connected. You show up, we're being watched and now five of us are gone," she told him.

Gabriel looked around nervously. "I…I don't have anything to do with this," he told her.

"We don't believe you," Summer said as she grabbed the baseball bat next to her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Sasha pull her knife as Gabriel jumped.

"Wait!" Gabriel said as he held up his hands.

"Don't!" Rosita yelled.

"Easy Princess, this isn't going to bring any of them back," Joey said as he took the baseball bat from her and pulled her back.

"Sasha, put it away," Ty told her.

"This isn't the way to get answers, Sash!" Lexi told her sister.

"Where are our people?" Sasha yelled. "Where are our people?"

"Let me go!" Summer yelled at Joey as she struggled to move away.

"No chance in hell, Princess," Joey informed her.

"Where are our people?" Sasha asked again.

"Please, I didn't have anything to do with this," Gabrielle begged.

Rick pulled her back. "My wife is missing, both of my brother in laws, and a dear friend. I want to know why you brought us here, are you working with someone?" he asked.

"I'm alone, I've always been alone," Gabriel repeated.

"What about the woman in the food bank, Gabriel? What did you do to her? "You'll burn for this." That was for you. Why? What are you gonna burn for, Gabriel?" he asked as he grabbed him and pushed him back. "What? What did you do? What did you do?!" Rick asked as he got angrier.

"I always lock the doors at night. I always lock the doors at night. I always- They started coming, my congregation. Atlanta was bombed the night before and they were scared. They were- they were looking for a safe place, a place where they felt safe. And it was so early. It was so early. And the doors were still locked. You see... it was my choice. There were so many of them and they were trying to pry the shutters and banging on the sidings, screaming at me. And so the dead came for them. Women... children. Entire families calling my name as they were torn apart, begging me for mercy," he said as he sobbed.

"You killed people by not letting them in?" Jes asked. "You're a coward."

"Begging me for mercy. Damning me to hell. I buried their bones. I buried it all. The Lord sent you here to finally punish me. I'm damned. I was damned before. I always lock the doors. I always lock the doors," Gabriel explained as he continued crying.

Rick started to say something as he heard a gunshot.

"That came from shed area," Axel told the group as he and Glenn started running out the door.

Jewel's POV:

Jewel ripped off her jacket as she tried to push the blood back in his stomach. She knew it was a waste of time. "You selfish bastard, you're going to die right after I learned to like you again?" she asked as she cried. "You are going to make me tell Daryl. How am I supposed to tell Summer that her Uncle isn't coming back, again?" she asked as she put her forehead down on his. "I love you Merle Dixon. You march up to the man upstairs and you tell him that he's going to let you in, because if he doesn't, he'll have me to answer too," she told him. She grabbed her knife and closed her eyes. She opened them quickly as she heard people running to the door. "Rick! Daryl!" she yelled as she cradled Merle.

Glenn opened the door and came in with his gun with Axel. He immediately went to Jewel. "Rick! Hey, are you hurt? Merle…" he asked Jewel as he looked at the blood on Jewel's clothes.

"Most of it's… it's his blood…he died saving me….." Jewel said as she looked up as Rick came in. "I…have to put him down. Where's Daryl?" she cried.

Rick bent down on the other side of her. "Him and Carol are missing, so is Bob," he told her as he cradled her face. "I can put him down, let Axel and Glenn take you back.

Joey tried to grab Summer as she ran in. "No…Uncle Merle…" she said as she cried against Joey's shoulder.

Jewel shook her head. "I have to do it…just like Andrea had to be the one to put down Amy back at the Atlanta camp…I have to do this. He died saving me from that prick….he fought with him…..the gun went off. It gave me…it gave me enough time to get the bindings off my wrist….there was nothing I could do Rick. He….was already….gone, if…if there was anything I could have done….I would have," she told him.

Rick touched her face gently. "I know, I know," he told her. "I'm right here with you," he told her.

Jewel raised her knife and closed her eyes as she stuck the knife in his brain behind his ear as Summer buried her head into Joey's shoulder. Jewel buried her head in Rick's shoulder.

"We'll bury him, in the morning," Glenn told her as he squeezed her shoulder. "We bury the ones we love," he told her.

Rick took off his coat and put it around her. "We need to get back inside," he told them.

Summer pulled away from Joey and went to Jewel and hugged her. "I'll walk with her," she said as she cried. "We'll get you cleaned up, then we'll find the others."

Glenn hesitated. "Guys, there's someone in the yard. Ronnie!" he yelled as the front door of the church opened and the group came outside.

"Bob!" Sasha yelled as she came out of the church.

"His leg!" Maggie yelled.

"The people from Terminus…they're back," Jewel said.

"Jewel?" Mar asked as they heard groaning.

"Uncle Merle is gone," Summer explained.

"Get your mother inside Summer," Rick told her.

"Take Bob too, we've got this!" Glenn said as Tara helped Jes pick up Bob.

Axel took a spot next to Glenn and started shooting.

"Mar can you look at Jewel's face, I'll look after Bob," Ronnie asked as Mar and Summer helped Jewel sit down.

"Mom!" Carl exclaimed as he went to her.

"I'm alright," Jewel managed to say as the rest of them put Bob on the floor. She got up from the pew and went to sit with the rest of the group on the floor with Bob.

"Jewel we need to check your face," Mar told her.

"Bob needs more attention then me," Jewel said as she looked up as the others came in.

"You look…like you've been in prize fight and lost," Bob tried to tease.

"Maybe I should find you a mirror," Jewel responded as she put her hand on his shoulder.

"I was in the graveyard. Somebody knocked me out. I woke up outside this place. It looked like a school. It was that guy, Gareth, and five other ones. They were eating my leg right in front of me. Like it was nothing. All proud like they had it all figured out," Bob explained.

"Grayson was alone, he was waiting for someone…anyone…to pass the shed. We heard a noise, Merle and I went in…he grabbed me from behind, knocked Merle out…." Jewel explained.

"We should have killed worthless pieces of shit when we had a chance," Jes told them.

"Did they have Daryl and Carol?" Rick asked Bob as he squeezed Jewel's hand.

"Gareth said…they drove off," Bob said as the others looked at each other.

"He's in pain Ronnie, do we have anything?" Sasha asked.

"I think there's some pill packets in the first aid kit," Rosita told them.

"It won't be a lot, but it'll help," Ronnie told them.

"Save them," Bob told them.

"No," Sasha told him.

"Bob, we need to try to decrease the pain," Ronnie told him.

"Really," Bob said as he struggled to sit up. He lowered his jacket to reveal a bite mark on his shoulder. "It happened at the food bank."

Jewel covered her mouth as she closed her eyes, Michonne squeezed her hand. She glanced back at the children who were trying to stay out of the way and help with the younger ones. The others of the group looked around.

"Bob!" Sasha said as he passed out.

"There's a sofa in my office, I know it's not much but…" Gabriel said.

Sasha looked at him. "Thank you."

"I got him," Tyreese told them as Sasha held onto his hand.

"Now, let's look at you," Mar told Jewel as she sat down with her on the pew. "Summer, get me some water. Merle?"

Jewel shook her head. "No…." she said as she shook her head. "I'll tell Daryl…." she said.

Rick looked over at them before going to Gabriel. "Do you know where this place that Bob was talking about?" he asked.

Gabriel nodded. "It's an elementary school, it's close," he said.

"How close?" Rick asked. "How close? Gabriel?" he asked.

Jes took a step toward him. "One of our people is dying in there because you were a chicken shit today. Answer him," she hissed.

"It's just a ten minute walk through the woods from here, due south of the graveyard," Gabriel answered.

Carl picked up Judith who was crying. "Shh…shh….Mitch, Mika, bring Hope, we'll take them back to the other room."

Lexi squeezed Sasha's hand. "I'll go check on Bob, let him know he's not alone."

Rick nodded as he went over to Jewel and bent down. "How are you?"

"A lot better than Merle….and Bob," Jewel answered. "Is Bob running a fever?"

"He's just warm," Maggie said.

"Jim lasted almost two days before we left him," Glenn said.

"One of the girls in my group lasted three days," Ronnie said. "Hold your head back Jewel, the bleeding needs to stop."

Rick kissed her. "Hey I know you're worried about Bob, but we've got a baby that's going to want to be fed in a little bit and you don't want to bleed all over her."

Jewel gave a small smile. "Yeah….that wouldn't be good."

TBC

Author's note: Reviews pleaseJ