Once back inside the large industrial building that housed offices, a retail store, and restaurant, Daryl continued to shout his brother's name. The blood trail was still marked, leading down a set of stairs into a hallway with elevators. Merle had left two dead Walkers in his wake.
"Had enough in him to take out these two sons of bitches." Daryl motioned to the rotting corpses on the floor with their heads bashed in. "And he did it one-handed." He crouched, admiring his brother's handiwork. "Toughest son of a bitch I ever met, my brother. Feed him a hammer and he'd crap out nails." He said it with reverence.
"Anybody can die from blood loss." Rick cautioned.
"Ah, oh shit, ouch!" Danni startled the three men. "Fucking nail almost went through my shoe." It had penetrated the sole of her Converse. It didn't pierce her foot but was sharp enough to hurt. Daryl looked at her and let the air hiss from between his teeth. He nodded down at her feet and just huffed showing his disdain without words. They started off again, behind Daryl, down a corridor strewn with paper and trash.
"Merle! You in here?" Daryl called out turning the corner.
"We are not alone here." Rick hissed, "Remember that."
"Screw that, he could be bleeding out. You said so yourself." Daryl answered, focused his brother's movements.
Danni noticed Daryl was becoming more of a smart ass toward Rick the closer they got to possibly finding Merle. She knew he was a loose cannon, but this recklessness was needlessly endangering them. He led them into what looked like the kitchen area of a small restaurant She smelled the distinct odor of charred flesh. "He didn't..." She murmured. They approached a stove with an open gas flame and a metal grill scraper. Glenn looked closer at the kitchen tool. "What's that?" He asked.
"Skin. He cauterized the stump." Rick explained.
"Told you he was tough. Nobody can kill Merle but Merle." Daryl's voice had a tone of admiration.
Danni heard it loud and clear and began to worry about what would happen if they did find Merle. She didn't trust the older Dixon in the least and his influence over Daryl was strong. Could, she Rick and Glenn win in a battle with the Dixons over the coveted bag of guns and the supplies back at camp? She didn't doubt Merle would kill them to get what he needed. The way Daryl was behaving now she could see him following Merle.
"Don't take that on faith; he's lost a lot of blood." She countered.
"Yeah, well it didn't stop him for bustin' out of the this death trap." Daryl walked toward a broken window. He looked down at the climb Merle must have made.
"He left the building? Why would he do that?" Glenn couldn't wrap his mind around it.
"Why wouldn't he? He's alone far as he knows. Doin' what he's gotta do to survive." Daryl again sounded impressed and in awe of his older brother. He huskily added, "Couple dead bastards ain't gonna stop him."
"How about a thousand dead bastards? " Rick gave him a reality check to break through some of this hero-worship.
Daryl headed toward the window as if he were going to climb out.
"Where the hell are you going?" Danni asked.
"To find him. I know he's out there."
"Alone? Are you crazy?" Glenn asked, his eyes wide.
"Maybe." Daryl kept going.
Let him go, Danni found herself thinking. Maybe he belonged with his brother. She didn't want to find Merle in the long run. Daryl's emotions earlier on the roof had touched her; just for a second she saw sadness and vulnerability overtake his anger. There was more to him than a hardened antagonist. She recognized that he was afraid. His painful display almost made her forget what Merle was really like. The tone of Daryl's voice now troubled her. What vengeance would he'd take on the group if the brothers reunited?
"Good luck." She couldn't help herself.
"Daryl, wait!" Rick ordered grabbing his arm and pulling him back inside.
"Get off me, you can't stop me!"
The two men struggled until Rick finally had Daryl pinned against the wall.
"He's your brother, he's family. I get that. I went through hell to find mine. But Glenn's right. Going out alone is suicide. Don't be stupid."
Daryl glared at Rick.
"Look, we can help you search few blocks. if you keep a level head."
Daryl jerked his chin up. "I can do that."
"All right." Rick looked around. Glenn nodded
"I'd feel better if we got those guns first," Danni stated, worried about having to go up against Merle.
"How we gonna do that?" Daryl asked
"Guys, I have an idea." Glenn grabbed and an assortment of office supplies, erasers, a couple of binder clips and sharpie marker. Hunched over on the floor he drew a diagram of the alleyways and main streets around their building in relation to the area where the bag of guns was still laying untouched. He mapped out a route for himself and explained he'd maneuver faster alone. "Daryl you'll wait in the alley and cover me."
"I don't like you much and even I think it's a bad idea." Daryl shook his head.
"Give him a chance, he's doing this for your brother." Danni shot back. He glared at her.
"Look if we all go we'll draw more attention to ourselves." Glenn kept outlining his plan.
"Why Daryl?" Rick asked.
"His crossbow is quieter than your guns."
Daryl nodded at that.
"Danni, Rick you'll go over to this alley on the other side of the street from where the supply bag is laying."
"Why there?" Rick wanted to know.
"I might get cut off. If I can't go back to Daryl, I'll have to go forward, to you guys. Either way I'm covered."
"Hey kid," Daryl asked. "What'd you do before all this?"
"Delivered pizzas, why?"
Danni smiled. Cabbies and delivery drivers knew every back street and short cut in the city. They were always mapping out everything in their heads.
... ... ... ... .. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..
Danni and Rick waited at their post in the passageway around the corner from Daryl and Glenn.
"I don't like being split up like this," Rick admitted.
"Glenn knows what he's doing."
"It isn't Glenn I'm worried about."
It was a premonition. Suddenly, they heard loud voices echoing off of the buildings. Danni couldn't understand all the words and she realized the language was Spanish.
"Something's wrong," Rick stated.
"You think?" She took off running, with him right behind her.
They reached the alley where the shouts had come from. All hell had broken loose. The scene before her was chaotic; time was racing so that it seemed everything was happening at once. Daryl was kicking a teenage boy on the ground. The bag of guns and Glenn's backpack were lying at the foot of the gate to the main street. Behind it, a man was pulling Glenn into an old car. She heard Glenn yelling for Daryl. Behind her, Rick was fighting off two Walkers that had followed them. With his gunshots ringing in her ears, she sprinted to reach Glenn. As she got closer, she caught sight of a large Hispanic man coming out of nowhere and kick Daryl to the ground. He raised a baseball bat aiming down at Daryl's head. It was unbelievable. What were the odds of someone sneaking up on Daryl?
"Shit!" she muttered. "What else can go wrong?" She didn't want to stop, but she knew she didn't have time to help Daryl and get to Glenn.
"Shit, shit, shit!" She repeated, remembering that Daryl had saved her from Ed and then Merle. She stepped behind the cholo, cocking her gun. "Drop it or I'll blow your head off!" She ordered. The large guy looked at her sideways, then at his buddy who had just pulled Glenn into the car. He made his choice; he threw the bat at her and took off for the car. Daryl quickly rolled over and shot an arrow, hitting the retreating man in the ass. He shouted curses in Spanish, but the arrow didn't slow him down. She and Daryl tried to make it to the car but were a split second too late. Danni felt he noise of the old muffler and tires peeling out like a punch in the gut. She couldn't speak.
"Come back here you sons a bitches!" Daryl shouted as the car sped off wildly. Then it was quiet, except for the growling and hissing of the Walkers still trying to get in as Daryl pushed the gate shut against them.
"I'll blow your head off?" he said sarcastically. "Really?" He mocked Danni.
"Shut up I just saved your ass."
"Whatever." He grunted not wanting to admit she was right. His head would be smashed in bloody pieces all over the street now if she hadn't been there.
"What's going on!" Rick approached from behind, dragging the youth by his arm.
"That little turd and his douche bag friends jumped me," Daryl said. "They took Glenn."
He charged the teenager trying to kick him. "I'm gonna stomp your ass!"
Danni jumped on Daryl's back, trying to pull him to the ground. "Leave him! He's the only one who knows where Glenn is! We need him!"
Daryl shoved her off. "The only thing we need is to knock that little bitch's balls up into his throat!"
Danni took a swing at Daryl. He caught her arm and twisted it behind her back. She cried out in pain. He let go and looked at her as if he couldn't believe what he'd just done. His eyes said he was sorry. She kicked him in the shins.
"You're gonna wish you didn't do that," he said.
"What are you gonna do, stomp my ass?" Her hair had come loose from its rubber band and was falling over her face. She swiped it back from her eyes. He wanted to do it for her; touch the hair spilling over her porcelain skin now flushed with fury. Daryl felt a mixture of anger and longing as he glared at her.
"Not now!" Rick admonished them like they were children. We have to go. It's not safe here." Rick shoved the kid to Daryl then walked over to retrieve the guns. Danni followed to pick up Glenn's backpack and noticed a wide-brimmed sheriffs hat next to it. She grabbed it. "Rick." He turned back and she tossed the hat to him. He studied it for a minute. It was hat. He'd left it behind last time he was in this place. He thought it was lost. He thought he was lost. Today he decided to put it on. It felt right.
.. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .
"Those men you were with. We need to know where they went." Rick stated to their hostage.
"I'm not telling you nothing." The skinny, Hispanic teenager sat, arms folded across his chest He wore a white wife beater t-shirt and had a couple of small tattoos on his neck. Danni didn't think they looked gang related.
"What the hell happened out there?" Danni asked Daryl. "You were supposed to cover Glenn."
"I told you this little bastard and his homie friends came out of nowhere and jumped me," Daryl explained defensively.
"Man you're the one that jumped me puto. Screaming about trying find his brother like its my fault, " argued their captive.
"They took Glenn, coulda' taken Merle too." Daryl surmised.
"Merle? What kind of hick name is Merle? I wouldn't name my dog Merle." The kid taunted with sarcasm and defiance.
At that, Daryl furiously charged forward attempting to kick the boy in the head.
"Damn it Daryl, back off!" Rick shouted exasperated, pulling Daryl back.
Danni was getting impatient herself. Why wasn't he giving it up? His buddies had her friend. They had Glenn. She was clutching his backpack against her chest. She hadn't let go of it since she'd found it lying on the ground at the spot where he'd been taken. Suddenly she remembered. She unzipped the pack and after rummaging around for a second pulled out her blue bandana and was wrapped inside it. She pushed past Daryl and approached the boy. "Hey, kid!" She got his attention. "You wanna see what happened to the last guy that pissed Daryl off?"
He looked up, blood streaming down the side of his face. All she could think of was how terrified Glenn was now and she was angry. She threw Merle's severed hand in his lap.
"Fuck, fuck!" the kid screamed rolling off the chair, trying to physically get away from the lifeless appendage. "Get it off me! You guys are crazy!" He backed himself into the corner. He'd have gone through the wall if he could have.
"This time he's gonna start with your feet! " She shoved him against the wall.
Daryl looked at the furious girl, impressed by her use of the hand. Smart move. Especially since the kid finally relented.
"Okay, okay. I'll tell you. Just don't kill me, please. Don't hurt me." He was crying. The sight of his tears almost made Danni feel sorry for him, but all she could focus on was getting Glenn back.
Daryl grabbed the boy by is t-shirt and started to yank him up when Rick finally stepped forward. "Enough! Now son, you are going show us where our friend is okay?"
The boy nodded, looking over at Daryl and Danni, terror on his face. "Just keep those two psychos away from me. Please." He begged Rick.
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .. ... ... ... .. .
"You really think its worth it, following him back to his posse? They probably got an ambush waiting for us." Daryl asked Rick "Them gang bangers kill you just for looking at 'em and I'm betting there's a hell of lot more of them than us. What's this Glenn to you anyway?"
"Any life I have I owe to Glenn," Rick explained. " I was nobody to him. Just some idiot stuck in a tank. He didn't have to help me, but he did."
"Karma," Danni whispered, a tear escaping up as she remembered the conversation she and Glenn had the night before.
"Now there's nothing holding you two here. Why don't you head back to camp." Rick looked at them earnestly. "Go."
Daryl considered it for a moment. He wasn't convinced that Merle was with those guys.
"No way. Not without Glenn." "Danni's voice broke when she said his name.
"You're real messed up about that Chinese kid, huh?"" Daryl stated, more than asked.
"He's Korean, and yeah, I am upset. He's my friend and he is in trouble."
"All right then," Daryl said, his voice hoarse and decisive. He nodded down to look in her eyes. He swung the crossbow over his shoulder and grabbed two of the rifles Rick had laid out on the table. He handed one to her and kept the other. "Let's go get him."