Nicole knew what it was like to have her heart ripped out. She knew what it was like to lose someone she loved ever so dearly. She knew what it was like to mourn someone whom she didn't know was alive or not.
She could feel Daryl's heart almost break inside his chest. She could feel the ever-growing rage that was building inside him because it never left her's.
The wind started to blow across the roof. It swept through Nicole's hair and carried the faint smell of blood. Nicole could almost taste the iron as it went into her nose. She hated the taste and smell of blood. God knows she tasted it a fair amount of times.
Daryl shifted his weight back and forth as the rest of the group moved down the steps. Nicole stepped down and saw the lone, bloody hand laying on the ground. Her stomach churned at the sight.
Everything happened in a split second. Daryl spun around, aiming T-Dog's head. Nicole was about to try and stop him but Rick placed his Python to his head. Notably, Daryl paused to question his future actions. "I won't hesitate. I don't care if every walker in the city hears it."
"Daryl put it down. It's not worth it," Nicole cooed as she shimmed herself between T and the arrow.
With a tearful sigh, Daryl put down the crossbow, which led to Rick lowering his gun. T-Dog and Nicole took a deep breath. T nudged his friend's arm as if trying to say thank you. Nicole nodded in return.
"You got a do-rag or something?" Daryl questioned.
T-Dog pulled a black handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Daryl. He snatched it and turned back to his brother's hand. Daryl set his crossbow against the pipe that ran across the building. With a reluctant sigh, he bent down and laid the blue piece of fabric down next to his brother's hand.
"I guess the saw blade was to dull for the handcuffs," Daryl stated matter-of-factly as he picked up the hand. He examined it for a second, "Ain't that a bitch."
Daryl folded the handkerchief over the hand and stood back up. "Nik, turn around." Nicole sighed and did as he said. Daryl shoved the hand into her indigo backpack and turned to grab his crossbow again. "He must have used a tourniquet -- maybe his belt. Be much more blood if he didn't."
Nicole knew that Merle wasn't the smartest man. She knew that he was high and panicking. However, she pondered something. Why the hell would he cut off his hand when he could just break his thumb and slip it?
"At least he left us a trail." Nicole shrugged as she followed the crossbow-wielding man that walked in front of her. Daryl scoffed as he walked through the door it led out of. Nicole held her bat on her shoulder as she followed wearily behind her redneck friend.
Rick was hot on her trail; his gun drawn in case of emergency. Daryl led the small group to a staircase. Nicole watched as Daryl peered over the railing. "Merle? You in here?"
"Daryl," Nicole whispered. The man didn't bat an eye to her before continuing down the steps. The trail had started to thin and seemingly went dark when it got to a hallway. Daryl glanced back to Nicole, who cocked her head. Daryl went inside the single room and came back out when he didn't see a sign of his brother.
Rick turned the corner and they group continued forwards. Merle's blood had single drops on the carpeting under their feet. They got to the administrative room, where two dead walkers laid. Their heads beat in with the bloody wrench that resides a foot away.
"Had enough in him to take out these two sumbitches," Daryl paused as he observed his brothers work, "one-handed." He placed his crossbow on the ground and pulled the drawstring.
"Toughest asshole I ever met, my brother," Daryl said as he locked in the string.
"Biggest asshole I ever met, your brother," Nicole shot back.
Daryl lifted up his crossbow and put in an arrow. He shot a look to Nicole before shooting back, "Feed him a hammer, he'd crap out nails."
Rick stepped forwards, cradling his Python. "Any man could pass out from blood loss, no matter how tough he is."
The group pressed forwards. They stayed silent as they pressed through the building. No one spoke, no one questioned where Daryl was leading. Nicole noticed the varied patches of splattered blood on the ground and some smears on the walls. It almost turned her stomach. Almost.
They reached the kitchen. "Merle!" Daryl called out.
"We're not alone here," Rick told him. "Remember?"
"Screw that, he could be bleeding out. Said so yourself." Daryl shot him down.
Nicole stepped through the kitchen's arch. A wave of stench flooded her nostrils. As they entered the room, it became evident what that wretched smell was. The scene almost laid itself in front of the five. Merle's bloody belt laid beside the flames of the stovetop -- blood smeared everywhere.
Rick picked up a palette that had the remains of charred skin. Nicole realized what had happened before they had arrived. Merle, half bled out and delirious out of his mind, had cauterized the stump he had created.
"What's that burned stuff?" Glenn questioned as he got closer.
"Skin. Merle cauterized his wound," Nicole told him as she walked past the men huddled around it. She noticed the hardened bread that layered on the bread racks. It made her hungry.
"I told y'all he was tough," Daryl paused, "ain't nobody gonna kill Merle but Merle."
Nicole noticed the broken glass that resided on the window seal. She noticed the blood that dripped from the glass and the bloodied towel on the ledge.
"Don't take that on faith. He's lost a lot of blood," Rick said.
"You don't say," Nicole flashed out in sarcasm. "Look at this, Y'all."
"Clearly that blood loss didn't stop him from busting out of this deathtrap," Daryl stated as he walked over to this blonde friend. Daryl nudged her back with his crossbow. Nicole took it as her sign to move out of his way so he could look at it.
"He left the building? Why the hell would he do that?" Glenn asked, exasperated.
"Why wouldn't he?" Daryl questioned rhetorically.
"He thinks he's alone. He's trying to stay alive, Glenn." Nicole set her bat down between her legs and crossed her arms. "Merle's just doing what he has to do to survive. Stupidly, yes, but he's doing it."
Daryl glanced at the woman before walking out of the doorframe Nicole stood beside. "You call that surviving, Nicole?" T-Dog asked, "He's out there wandering the streets and possibly passing out."
Nicole nodded to her friend. "His odds may not be great but yeah. I consider that surviving, T."
"What he's done is no worse than being handcuffed and left by to rot by you sorry pricks," Daryl spat as he marched back in. Both Glenn and T-Dog avoided Daryl's gaze. Nicole knew they felt guilt for what happened -- T-Dog especially.
Daryl got into Rick's face saying, "You couldn't kill him. Ain't so worried about some dumb dead bastard." Nicole felt the tension growing. She stood back up straight and held onto her bat.
"What about a thousand dumb dead bastards? Different story?" Rick shot back.
"Why don't you take a tally? Do what you want. I'm gonna go get him." Daryl tried to walk past Rick, who pushed him back.
"Daryl, wait," Rick spat out. Nicole's grip tightened on her bat as she worried about what would happen next.
"Get your hands off me! You can't stop me," Daryl yelled. Nicole immediately cringed from how loud he was being. She noticed Glenn did as well.
"I don't blame you. He's family, I get that. I went through hell to find mine," Rick firmly stated. "I know exactly how you feel."
Daryl's face expressed an amount of rage that Nicole had never seen. Even with Jess, she never saw this much.
"He can't get far with that injury. We could help you check a few blocks around, but only if we keep a level head." Rick tried to be rational with the angered man. Nicole could only hope that it would set with him.
Daryl's eyes shot to Nicole's for a brief second. He noticed the pleading look on them. "I could do that."
Nicole sighed in relief that there wasn't a brawl that took place. She didn't want to take sides. She didn't want to choose between whom she knew longest or whom she survived with. That was a decision she hoped she never had to make.
T-Dog shook his head, "Only if we get those guns first. I'm not strolling the streets of Atlanta with just my good intentions, okay?"
"We're gonna need a plan if we are gonna do this," Nicole blatantly stated.
Glenn nodded, "C'mon. I have an idea." He pushed past everyone nervously and searched for a room. The group followed him silently until he found a room. They all piled in as Glenn began rifling through the desk drawers. "Jackpot." He said as he pulled out a sharpie, a sticky note, a magnet, eraser, and clip.
Nicole leaned against a desk as she observed the Korean boy scribble boxes on the floor. "I am going to run out and grab the bag. You guys will cover me."
"You're not doing this alone," Rick spoke with authority. He stepped forward with his hands on his hips.
"Even I think it's a bad idea and I don't even like you much," Daryl spoke out.
Nicole rolled her eyes at the man, "What's your plan, Glenn?"
Glenn looked up to her, giving her a thankful nod, which she returned. "It's a good idea, okay, if you just hear me out," Glenn begged.
Rick bent down to analyze Glenn's plan. "If we go out there in a group, we're slow, drawing attention." Glenn began, "If I'm alone, I can move fast. Look."
Glenn pulled forwards the supplies he recovered. He set down the clip by the edge of a 'building'. "That's the tank, five blocks from where we are now," he explained before placing a crumbled up sticky note beside it. "That's the bag of guns."
Nicole cocked her head at the boy's plan. She wondered how he spat out this idea in half a second.
"Here is the alley I dragged you into when we first met." He pointed at the gap between buildings. "That's where Daryl, Nicole, and I will go."
"Why us?" Daryl inquired.
"Your crossbow and her bat are quieter than his gun," Glenn said as he placed the magnet down. "While Daryl and Nicole wait in the alley, I'll run up the street and grab the bag."
Rick cocked his head slightly, "You got us elsewhere?"
"You and T-Dog, right," Glenn started to explain as he placed down the eraser. "You'll be in this alley here."
"Why put them two blocks away?" Nicole asked.
Glenn looked up to her, "I may not be able to come back the same way. Walkers might cut me off." He started pointing at his plan, "If that happens I won't go back to Daryl and Nicole. I'll go forwards instead. All the way to that alley where they are. Whichever direction I go, I have you in both places to cover me."
"Makes sense," Nicole muttered under her breath as she shifted her weight off of the desk.
"Afterwards, we'll all meet back here," Glenn concluded.
Nicole nodded before looking down to her dainty tennis shoes. "Hey, kid, what'd you do before all of this?" Daryl broke the short silence.
Glenn looked confused, "Delivered pizzas. Why?"
Daryl shrugged and Rick nodded. "All right, we better get going then."
Everyone stood up, glancing to one another. "You two better not die on me," Nicole stated as she pointed to Rick and T-Dog.
Rick chuckled, "We're not going anywhere, Nikki." He pulled her into a gentle hug, kissing the top of her head. "Let's go."
The group split and began going to their designated areas. As they left, Daryl spotted a female walker. She had a torn purple skirt and a bloody white shirt. It was evident that the bite mark on her neck had been the reason for her death. Daryl shot his arrow into her head and went to retrieve his arrow.
Other than that, their path was silent other than the sound of their footsteps. Glenn opened the balcony door and walked over to the ladder. With a huff of nervousness, he began climbing down. Nicole slid her bat into the small opening of her bag and followed him. Daryl followed after her.
The dropped to the ground and Nicole's hands went for her bat. She pulled it out and held onto it tighter than ever. The trio began stalking forwards to two dumpsters where Nicole and Daryl would stay.
Tension and nerves were high. They reached the area between dumpsters, and Daryl readied his bow with a pull of the string. Glenn pulled off the layer of flannel, so it wouldn't get caught. "You got some balls for a chinaman," Daryl said.
Nicole rolled her eyes as she took Glenn's flannel. "I'm Korean," Glenn spat back before making his way around the dumpster.
"Whatever." Daryl shrugged as he pulled out an arrow. Nicole and Daryl crouched in unison. The grip on her bat tightened as she watched her friend run into the streets of the walker-infested city.
"He'll be fine," Daryl murmured to try to calm her nerves.
"I know," she responded as her thumb nervously stroked the pad of her bat.
Nicole got started when Daryl tensed, "Wha-" Daryl cut her off before jumping out and aiming his bow at a kid's head. Nicole shot up with her bat ready to swing.
"Whoa, don't shoot me! What do you want?" the boy yelled.
"For you to be quiet," Nicole hissed out as she came around the dumpster.
Daryl got closer to the boy. "I'm looking for my brother. He's been hurt real bad. You seen him?"
The boy yelled, "Ayudame!"
"Hey, be quiet! Walkers will come!" Nicole scolded as quiet as possible.
"Answer me," Daryl persisted.
The boy yelled the same thing again.
"Daryl, stop!" Nicole pleaded. He, of course, didn't listen.
"Answer me," Daryl forcefully said.
"Ayudame!" The kid began yelling one time after the other.
"Do something to get him to shut up!" Nicole hissed out, bolding her bat up higher.
Daryl swung his crossbow across the boy's face, knocking him to the ground. "I didn't mean that!" She scolded as Daryl shoved his hand over the kid's mouth.
Three men ran around the corner, startling Nicole. "Daryl!" She yelled as one kicked him off of the boy and the other began beating him with his bat. The third one aimed his gun at Nicole.
Nicole couldn't do anything with a gun aimed for her forehead. That's when Glenn ran around the corner. "Gle--"
"That's the bag, Vato. Take it! Take it!" One of the men started yelling and the men that were beating Daryl ran after Glenn. They knocked him down with a swing of a bat. Nicole heard a whoosh and then a scream. Daryl shot one of the men in the ass.
The man with pointing a gun at Nicole's head grabbed her and aimed it at her head. He used her as a shield while Daryl reloaded his crossbow. A car pulled in front of the alleyway and the other men grabbed Glenn. They pulled the two to the car. Both Glenn and Nicole cried for Daryl's help.
They shoved the two of them in the vehicle and drove off. Nicole fought against the grasp. She yelled and one of the men put their hand over her mouth. With as much force as she could muster, her teeth bit down exceptionally hard onto it.
That is when the butt of a gun met the back of her head and she got knocked out.