Sorry if the ending is kinda abrupt, I needed something to put in. I'm not sure how Jamie's going to be yet in the war with the governor, or how it's all going to play out. Hey, I'll see what I can think of. Please tell me if I'm getting Merle's characterization right! REVIEW! ;)
She woke up, muttering her thanks as Carol handed her the mug of hot broth for breakfast. She drank it, feeling the soft poncho fabric absently between her fingers, as she watched Beth feed Judith.
She'd slept in the perch that night, not wanting to be alone. She'd instead spent the noght wrapped in Daryl's poncho, trying to pretend the flannel was his arms around her like wher she'd had the nightmares... She hadn't cried herself to sleep. That was a start. But therewas still one heck of a lot more things to do.
She stood stretching for a minute, before grabbing her bow and quiver. Hunting- again. Game would get scarce if she kept hunting the same old trails, and she knew she'd have to hunt to the east this time.
She and Daryl hadn't been that far around the prison, but she'd have to watch her back more. It would be unfamiliar territory... But it was worth it to get the meat as hides. She strode out into the woods, determind. Daryl wanted her to do this- there was no way she'd let him down.
Daryl stared at the herd of walkers heading towards the mexicans. He could hear a baby screaming, a terrified woman, and the men were struggling...
He didn't think twice, starting forwardm dropping one walker eith an arrow through the head. The other two Mexicans stared, and he nodded. "C'mon!"
He dropped two more walkers, and Merle even fired off a shot, when the walkers were getting close to Daryl. Daryl had seen the walker in he back of the explorer, though, crawling towards the wailing baby and hysterical mother. He charged forward, dropping his bow, and siezed the walker by the seat of it's pants, dragging the bastard out and slamming the back door on its head.
Merle grinned, stepping forward. "I think they owe us a little... somethin... for helping."
"Merle, stop." Daryl said. The woman was now looking scared, the baby was still crying, and the men were eyeing them nervously. They were obviously a family, just trying to get by...
"Get outta the car. Now"" Daryl growled, aiming his crossbow at the back of Merle's head.
"You wouldn't." Merle said.
"You really wanna test me, brother?" Merle slowly exited the explorer, and Daryl lowered his bow, nodding to the men before continuing on.
Jamie pulled the arrow from the rabbit- so many rabbits, near here. She' have to see if she could find a nest, maybe she'd be able to take them back and had-rear them. Then they'd raise rabbits for meat...
She knew she was getting ahead of herslkf when she heard the brush rustle behind her and turned, seeing the man, a mexican, by his skin color. His brow was dotted with sweat, his eyes were slightly glazed over, and he cradled his wounded arm in his uninjured one. But she could clearly make out the bloody bite wound...
She pulled back the arrow. His eyes seemed to finally focus and widened, scared, when he saw her. She didn't want to kill him, he wasn't a walker yet. Maybe a child or something had bitten him. But she realized how dumb that theory was- a child wouldn't bite that hard, wouldn't tear that deep.
He put his hands up defensively, starting to back off. He didn't speak english, that much was clear...
Suddenly his body jerked violently and he lunged towards her, filled with animalistic, barbaric desire for flesh. She let the arrow go instinctively, and it went through his head. He fell to his knees, then to the forest floor, on his chest, arrow through his head. He'd been bit.
She stepped onto his scalp, slowly pulling out the arrow. She'd had to kill him, she tried to convince herself... But she wasn't so sure.
She looked down at his fallen body sadly for another minute, searching his pockets. The only thing she'd found was a switchblade, and she pocketed it, before turning and walking away, deeper into the forest.
"What if your pal Rick won't have me?" Merle asked, sounding concerned.
"He will. He won't turn me away. Not with all I done for him. I helped him a lot, stepped up to lead when he went a little... his wife died havin a baby, and he went a lil nuts for a bit..."
"Like Dad when Mom died?" Merle asked.
"Yeah. Except Dad never recovered. Rick did." Daryl said. "Anyways, it's a few miles East. We should be there in an hour or so, and there's people... New people you ain't met before..." Merle had never been on the arm, had never met Jamie, and he wondered how she'd react to finally meeting his brother. More importantly, he wondered how Merle would react to meeting his daughter.
"What?" Merle growled quietly.
"What d'you mean, what?" Daryl asked.
"You got that look on your face. That one you'd get when you was doin homework and thinkin real hard. So about what?"
Daryl shrugged. "Nuthin." he lied. He'd let Merle meet Jamie when they got there...
Maggie was traumatized. Rick was still wandering the fences, and Glenn... Glenn was hell-bent on attacking the governor. So he loaded up his van and went- though he had no idea how much he'd regret it later.
Carol was showing Axel how to use a real gun when there was a shot and he fell, bloodied, tothe ground. Rick was caught outside, and as the machine gun fire rained down, the bread thruck rumbled through, the back dropped, and walkers were everywhere...
Rick staggered to his feet, desperate. Carl was in there, Hershel was in there... Pratically everyone who gave a damn about her was in there. Two walkers stumbled up to him, he didn't have any ammo. He placed his hands on the shoulders of one, shoving it towards the other, using it for a sheild... He realized with horror he wasn't going to keep them at bay for ever.
Just when he thought he couldn't hold the damn thing off any longer, a bolt went throught the bastard's head. Merle ran over, driving his knife-arm though the walker's head, and they waited until the gunfire died down. The governor loaded uo his boys and went, leaving them to run to the whole in the fence and face the carnidge.
"Axel's dead." Carol said grimly. They'd closed the gate leading to the grass prison yard, they were stuck along the concrete. Daryl looked around, feeling slight panic well up in him.
"Where's Jamie?"
Just then she came tearing through the woods, ducking through the hole in the fence.
"What he FUCK just happened!?" she demanded. She'd heard the shots, come running... As soon as she saw Daryl she dropped her bow to the ground with a clatter, running over and throwing her arms around him...
Daryl hugged her back, smiling as he felt her hair tickle her chin...
"What's with you and the Mexican?" Merle asked, looking confused. Jamie was wearing Daryl's poncho, she did look Mexican...
"Ain't no damn mexican." Jamie growled. "And I take it you're that brother Daryl told me about."
"Yeah, I'm that brother. Now who the hell are you!?" Merle demanded.
"Jamie Kessler! Now you show some godamn respect, or I'll shoot your eye out!"
"Ain't no bitch gonna talk to me like that." Merle growled.
"I ain't a bitch, and I ain't no pussy, neither. Piss off, you bastard." Jamie turned and walked away, looking at the yard, which was now filled with walkers, arms crossed across her chest. She was busy surveying the damage, now.
"Where you pick up that bitch?" Merle asked.
"She ain't nobody's bitch." Daryl growled.
"Then she certainly ain't yours. C'mon, brother- let's go see if we can find some good times in this prison. I'm sure they got some drugs around here..." Merle said quietly.
Daryl shook his head, looking after Jamie. She'd left her bow on the ground, a sure sign she wasn't happy, and Merle didn't seem all too enthusiastic to meet her, either.
"What? Don't tell me you swore off it- remember all the good times we had?" Merle asked.
"I never touched that shit and you know it. 'Sides, they need help out here..." Daryl cast another glance at Jamie's bow. He'd have to hope it wasn't broken, that would be tragic...
Merle noticed his glance and scowled. "Fine. Go back to your bitch. Like I give a damn." and he walked inside.
Just then, Glenn drove up. They quickly opened the gate and he ran to Maggie, hugging her. The others were busy talking about the future, wha they wrre going to do, but the overall attitude was morose...
Daryl strode over to where Jamie had dropped her bow, gently picking it up. He ran his hands over the material, making sure it was all intact, before turning. Jamie had ventured across the yard to where a large boulder was, sitting on the top, wind whipping her hair, which had grow down to her had one knee pulled up to her chest and her arm resting on it, looking out at the woods...
He strode over, bow inhand, and sat down beside her.
"Hey."
"Hi." Jamie didn't look at him, instead choosing to focus on the woods just beyond the fence line...
"You dropped this. Be more caeful with it. It gets broken, I ain't gonna have an easy time finding you a new one." He said, holding her bow out to her, She nodded before she took it, slinging it across her shoulder by the string as she normally did beforereturning to staring.
"You like him?" Daryl asked, hopeful.
"Hell no." she said, giving him a look. "But... I'll put up with him if you want him. You like him?"
Daryl nodded. "He's my blood, Jamie. It'd be like if you found Ryder again."
Jamie looked away, an expression of pain coming across her face, and Daryl realized that was the wrong thing to say.
"I-I'm sorry I left." He offered. "You mad?"
She shook her head. "Nah- You came back. I'd have done the same thing, if it were Ryder. But Ryder wasn't such an asshole."
"Merle ain't that bad." Daryl said, trying to reassure her. She raised her eyebrows.
"Well- okay. But he's not that bad- you jut gotta look past he bullshit he talks." Daryl said.
"Gee, that'll be easy." Jamie said sarcastically.
"What did yo do?" Daryl asked.
"What you said. Hunted, took care of Carol and lil asskicker, and wasn't a pussy."
"Good job." Daryl ruffled her hair, jumping down from the rock. "Now, c'mon- let's see what they have in mind."
Rick, surprisingly, seemed defeated. They'd voted to stay, but clearly, no one had any idea how to even START cleaning up the mess...
"Bail. If I know the governor, and I do, he'll be getting ready to come back and whoop what's left of your asses." Merle said, leaning in the doorway.
"Speaking of which- how old are you?" Merle asked Beth, who looked horrified.
"Merle!" Daryl seized his brother by the sounder, deagging him inside.
"That girl is SIXTEEN. In fact- NONE of the girls here are available!"
"Says the man who's got the fiesty bitch..." Merle said.
"It ain't like that!" Daryl yelled, slamming Merle against the wall.
"Sure it ain't." Merle said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
"Shut up! Maybe I shoulda just left you in those woods- you're lucky Rick let you in here. Right now, your chances of saying are going to hell! And if I have to choose between you and Jamie- I'll choose Jamie."
Merle stared for a minute before laughing. "Man, that girl must pull a good trick if you'd choose her..."
"SHUT UP!" Daryl threw Merle onto the ground, getting ntop of him, starting to beat the shit ot of him.
"She's all I got! Besides you, and the way you're acting... I don't want you round her!"
Daryl got up and Merle stared from where he laid- his nose was bleeding, Daryl had whooped him good.
"It really ain't like that?" he asked.
"Hell no it ain't! She's just a kid!" Daryl kicked the wall. "Now you get your act together, or you're gone."