EM: Ok, so maybe this hasn't turned out exactly how I wanted it to, but it's here. This is what it is. I've already got another somethin' runnin' through my head so maybe that's the problem. And this one definitely took a different turn than even what I had imagined. Either way, I really hope ya'll like. It seems I have some very devoted followers and I really can't thank all of you enough. You are the most wonderful people in the world. Your reviews of encouragement and excitement mean the world to me. Thank you.

Disclaimer: The Walking Dead belongs to Kirkman and AMC.

Runnin'

"Did you hear that?" Rick stopped Glenn in his tracks, as they both turned their ears up.

"Fuck you!"

They both looked at each other.

"Go back to the others. Get…" Rick thought about who was left and dropped his head. There was no one he could ask to come out here. No one he could ask to leave and help them try to deal with Daryl. Not when the group was so vulnerable and a new group was so close to them. They were in a weak position. That was why they hadn't gone to get Daryl back yet. They hadn't been able to come to a decision yet about who would leave and who would stay.

Couldn't decide what to do about the new group.

"Carol." He jerked up at Glenn's voice. He pointed his pipe back in the direction of the prison, his face sure, his voice confident.

"If anyone can get through to Daryl, it's Carol." Rick had to admit that the pair was much closer than they had been before. It wasn't anything definitive, it wasn't like they were a couple, but there was something.

Like they had a bond only they could understand.

He nodded. "Be quick. Tell Carl and Hershel what's happened, and no one else." He stressed the point and dismissed Glenn.

"MERLE!"

Glenn took off, glancing back at Rick, worry clear across his face.

"Hurry," he whispered.

"The fuck you talkin' bout?" Merle turned on him, eyes narrowed in a glare. And the Governor, he smiled at him, somethin' sick 'n hollow.

"The good people here have been betrayed, Daryl Dixon." He walked towards him, gesturing to the people around him. They'd gone quieter as the Governor spoke. Now there was only the cracklin' of the fire and the shufflin' of feet to be heard.

"You and your brother have brought danger to our humble town. And now," he looked round, takin' in their faces, actin' like he was some fuckin' almighty, "they want revenge." He clapped Merle on the shoulder and he couldn't believe his fuckin' eyes. Merle just let him.

"Merle understands what I'm talking about." He looked Merle in the face, somehow pullin' his brothers eyes to him.

He couldn't fuckin' believe that Merle was actually listenin' to this prick.

"Don't you Merle?"

And Merle, he didn't say nothin'. Just looked back at him, some kind of fucked up regret written all over his face. Coz his brother, he did know. He musta known exactly what the fuck this Governor was talkin' bout.

And that just pissed him off.

"Can't keep up Darylena? Merle too fast fer ya now?" Daryl was pantin' and he was pissed. Couldn't continue on at this point. It was like he was goin' in fuckin' circles.

"Fuck you Merle," he whispered, bent over at the waist. Merle was always tauntin' him, playin' him like a fool.

"I told you I can't be found," Merle whispered in his ear. Daryl whipped round and found nothin'. Nothin' but the trees and the shadows and the sounds of the crickets.

And he collapsed to the ground, head cradled between his knees, the air rushin' from his lungs.

"But I have to find ya Merle," he whispered.

Carol walked fast, jogging every now and then to catch up with Glenn. She didn't know what exactly had happened, but with the way Glenn was acting she was nervous.

"Glenn, tell me what happened." He didn't say anything. He just kept racing further ahead of her, which made her angry.

Angry at herself for being much weaker than him, and angry at him for ignoring her.

"Glenn-"

"Jus-just hurry. We don't have time to talk." He didn't meet her eyes. And that worried her. Glenn was never one to lie, because he couldn't, but when he withheld the truth it was usually when something was bad. Really bad.

"It's Daryl, isn't it. You would have asked Maggie or Michonne if it were about Woodbury or walkers. But if it were about Daryl, then…" She trailed off, her mind taking her places she didn't want to think about. She stopped dead in her tracks.

"Dammit Glenn, you tell me right now. What's going on?" Glenn stopped too, and looked at her, face going white.

"It's Daryl…" He hesitated, searching for words. He kept avoiding her eyes, looking anywhere but at her. He fidgeted with the pipe in his hands, runnin' a hand through his hair.

She stomped over and grabbed his arm, pulling it hard. "You tell me what it is right now Glenn." He didn't miss the ferocity in her gaze or the sudden anxiety that was poorly hidden behind it. He couldn't not tell her.

"We found him, in the woods. He looks real bad," he faintly admitted. Carol dropped his arm, hands covering her mouth.

"But it's like…" He couldn't stop looking at her now, remembering Daryl as he had seen him; bloodied, bruised, empty. He didn't know what he'd seen in Daryl's face, and he didn't know how to tell Carol that without making her scared. But he had to tell her something. He owed her that.

"It's like he's not really there." And then Carol did something Glenn didn't expect. She straightened her shoulders and shouldered past him, walking fast, a new resolve written on her face.

"Then what are we standin' around for."

"I can't fight ya Merle." They circled each other, the walkers surrounding them, their teeth gnashin', their hands reachin' for him. 'Cept they couldn't reach him. They was chained by the neck, in a tight circle, keepin' him and Merle close. They didn't have nowhere to go.

Merle scoffed. "Fuck you mean you can't." Merle took another step to the right, and Daryl followed with his right. Steady in a circle.

"Ya always wanted to fight me back baby brother. Now's yur chance." Merle called him forward with a little hand wave, beckoning. Daryl didn't want to fight him. Couldn't. It went against everything he'd ever come to know.

After all that shit they'd gone through growin' up in the ol' man's house, livin' through that hell, together, he couldn't just willingly fight Merle. Merle had suffered at the hands of the ol' man for him. Merle had given him his first shiner. Merle was the one who taught him how to hunt, how to skin and gut his kills. Merle was the one who taught him that Dixons don't cry, and Dixons sure as fuck don't die.

And now that he'd finally found Merle, he had to fight him, til one a them died?

Fuck that.

What he knew, what he finally realized, and what he sure as hell weren't gonna tell Merle, never, was that he didn't want him goin' nowhere.

He loved Merle.

It was as fuckin' simple as that.

He knew that now. And if he had to take all a Woodbury and the fuckin' Gov'nor down, by hisself, he would.

"Bring it on brother."

"Merle…" What was he supposed to do?

"Lost baby brother?" He couldn't even rise to Merle's taunts anymore. Couldn't do nothin' but sit there and try to breathe. Try to stop his chest from cavin' inta the hole that had suddenly formed.

"And if I am?" Merle laughed, circlin' him.

"Always knew you was the stupid one. Couldn't tell yur ass from yur elbow." And he smiled. Merle always knew how to give it, but he sure as hell couldn't take it. Never bothered him none. He 'n Merle, they were a pair. Merle gave it, Daryl took it. Merle led, he followed. And he needed Merle now.

"Gotta tell me what to do Merle." Merle crouched down in front a him, and shook his head. Smacked his face, gently, smilin' kinda sad-like.

"Not no more Daryl." He let his hand rest against Daryl's face, somethin' not like Merle. Not like him at all. "Not no more," he whispered.

Rick, Glenn and Carol had managed to find his trail, following it until they had found him.

"What the hell's he doing?" They watched him from a few yards away. Weren't sure yet how to approach him.

"What's he doing with-"

"Shh!" Glenn didn't like being shushed like that, but Carol looked serious and upset, her gaze intent on Daryl. He sat; hunched on the ground, head between his knees.

"Can't hear him," Rick said, starting to walk closer.

"But I can," she whispered hotly, grabbing Rick by the arm and pulling him back.

But Rick wasn't going to stand there any longer and let this go on. Something was wrong, and he wasn't going to wait and see how it was going to play out.

"Hell if I let him do this alone." And he walked out in the open to face him.

It happened fast. Faster than he had thought it would. One minute Merle was beatin' on his damn face, and it hurt like fuckin' hell, and the next, he's whisperin' some shit in his ear.

"Geeks."

Punch to his gut and the fuckin' people roar like it's a damn game. Daryl looked at him, confused. Merle scowled and tackled him to the ground, slammin' the metal hump across his head.

His vision swam, and his head pounded out an unsteady rhythm. Fuck if Merle weren't even more ugly with that damn new arm a his.

"Free the geeks." He couldn't see his brother's face through his fucked up vision, but he felt the next slam to his chest as he lost the breath in his lungs. He choked as Merle rolled off a him.

Then he heard the chains rattlin' and he saw the bodies of the walkers gettin' closer.

Free the geeks.

He rolled to his knees, still tryin' to catch his breath.

"Come on lil brother." Merle kicked him right in the gut, pushin' all the air right back outta his lungs. "Git the fuck up." Daryl cursed, and stood on his feet, stumblin' into the walkers. He couldn't even be bothered to worry bout their grabbin' hands and gnashin' teeth.

How the hell was he gonna unchain the damn walkers? Merle had his damn metal arm now, but he had fuckin' nothin' but his own bare two hands to try and break those chains.

And there it was. Stupid cocksuckers didn't rope up the walkers with nothin' but a belt. If he could unhook it, they'd be free.

Free to eat whoever the fuck they wanted.

"Daryl?" He flinched, eyes findin' the voice that had called him.

It wasn't who he wanted it to be.

He didn't acknowledge him, just turned away again. Rick looked around, machete held loosely at his side.

"What's going on Daryl." But he couldn't stay. Not here. They wouldn't understand.

And he ran, again. Away from the pain, away the hurt, away from anything that made the reality of it all too real.

"Daryl!"

"Fuckin' Officer Friendly," Merle sneered. "Always knew you was a poor judge a people." He was breathin' hard, couldn't seem ta catch his breath. Merle thwacked him on the back of the head.

"Fuck Merle!"

"Fuck you doin' with them Daryl?" He took a moment to think, to figure out how best to answer his brother. Coz either way he did, Merle weren't gonna be happy 'bout it.

He scratched the back of his head, eyes cast downward, foot scuffin' at the dirt. "You was gone. What else was-"

Merle smacked him again, and this time he went crashing to the ground.

"Look at me when I'm talkin' to you, boy!" And Daryl, he couldn't take it no more. He tackled Merle to the ground.

"Don't fuckin' talk ta me that way! You ain't him!" He searched out Merle's blue-gray eyes, which weren't filled with the anger he had expected. "Yur better'n him!"

Daryl hadn't felt this way in a long time. Not since their ol' man had knocked him ass over backwards when he had forgotten to put his guns 'way and the lawman had come snitchin' round the house. The ol' man and Merle had been in some deep shit at the time and seems somebody wanted to figure out what it was.

And the ol' man? He didn't have no fuckin' register fer those fuckin' guns. Not since he'd been outta the slammer.

And then Merle started laughin, again.

"Goddammit Merle." He rolled offa him and lay beside him on the ground.

"Went 'n got yurself a goddamn backbone didn't ya baby brother."

It fuckin' worked. Somehow, in god's own fuckin' name, he'd loosed a walker and set it on those mother fuckin' dicks. Merle was right there with him, and soon all eight a those geeks were walkin' round and takin' names – or flesh. In the chaos they'd both taken down five a the Gov'nors men and had managed to make it out a that goddamn arena.

Where he slammed inta Andrea.

"This way," she panted.

He pushed her off. "Fuck you bitch." She scowled, a hint a hesitation cutting clear across her face.

"Don't need yur fuckin' help. Always knew you was good at getting' in the wrong fuckin' bed." Merle slapped him on the back, forcin' the air outta his lungs.

"Ain't got time ta be picky brother!" He steered Andrea's shoulder ahead, forcin' her outta Daryl's way before they got inta somethin' they didn't have time fer.

"Lead tha way sista!" She glanced back warily at Daryl but kept movin' forward, fast. Dippin' through the side alleys of their little town which he couldn't help but hate. This was somethin' that his people needed. Warm places to sleep, walls of safety, plenty of food. It was a false sense of security but it was somethin'.

"Move yur feet Darylena!" Merle called back, under his breath.

Daryl glanced round and realized they were headed round the way he'd come in.

"You fuckin' stupid? They'll be watchin' that way!" She didn't even spare him a glance, but looked down the street checking to be sure there wasn't anyone about. And to his surprise, there wasn't.

"How come there ain't nobody round?" He caught her smile, just tippin' up the corner of her lips.

"Well, Phillip keeps more than just the eight on hand. Figured I'd give the others somethin' more to keep'em busy." She glanced back, givin'em both a flash a grin and bolted across the street where the exit was just waitin'. They both followed her.

"Fuck you mean Phillip. You on a first name basis with that one-eyed sonuvabitch?" He musta been givin' her a look coz she took a wary step back. Merle didn't look none too happy neither.

She reached down and pulled out his crossbow, and a 45. He took both, placin' the gun in his back pants, noticing there was only one arrow already notched in the barrel.

"Just go before they find out it was me."

There was some shouting comin' from behind them, gettin' close. Daryl knew he didn't have much time, knew he shouldn't waste it on her skinny, useless white ass.

But Merle, for once, seemed to disagree. "Won't forget this blondie. 'Spose I was wrong 'bout ya." Andrea smirked, and squeezed his arm, taking off back into town.

"The hell was that 'bout?" Merle didn't wait for him, just dipped out the hole in the wall.

"Let's go Daryl! Ain't got time to be explainin'!" Daryl growled and dipped out through the hole and into the waitin' darkness of the night.

He hadn't gotten off the ground yet. Didn't have the energy, didn't feel like doin' shit.

"You was gone Merle. Didn't have no choice. It was either me or them. And I figured…I figured I could take my chances with Rick since he thought he owed me a debt, chainin' you up on that roof 'n all. And now…"

Now.

Now, it wasn't that way. Now they were his group. They were his people. Weren't just somethin' he decided to tag along with. No, they'd come to rely on him. They needed him.

Nobody had ever needed him. Not like they did. And that feelin', of bein' needed, made him feel right.

"Now I need'em, jus' as much as they need me." He waited for the blow, for the words to come barrelin' at him, cuttin' through him. But there was nothin'. Just the silence between'em.

And when he glanced over, Merle was gone.

They ran. They ran like the devil was fuckin' bitin' at their heels. They ran like their ol' man was comin' fer'em.

But they couldn't run fast enough.

Coz in the end, someone always found'em.

"Where the fuck you think you pendejos goin'?" He tripped over his two fuckin' feet. Merle'd almost been fuckin' shot. And now they stood, facin' a fuckin' Mexican with a gun.

Couldn't go nowhere. Couldn't do nothin'. The gun was in his fuckin' pants and all he had was his fuckin' crossbow with only one fuckin' arrow. He shoulda gave Merle the fuckin' gun!

"Think you can fuckin' run, like some goddamn conos?" Merle didn't take the insult too kindly. Daryl could the look in his eyes. He was gonna rip the Mexican a fuckin' new one if, and when he got his hand on'im.

"Fuckin' run brother." The Mexican's eyes shifted between them and his lips curled up.

"Care for your hermano, do ya?" And there was a glint to his eyes that Daryl didn't like, didn't trust.

And then the gun jerked from Merle to him, the barrel aimed right at his chest.

Bang

Reviews mean a lot.

A/N: So, not sure what ya guys think. I'm not sure what I think. The next chapter, which will be the last, will be the best one though. I hope you guys like. The more I write them, the more my wheels turn. This one is particularly different than my others, especially in format, and set-up and just all-together how it's written.

So Google translate was all I had: Pendejos - assholes. Conos - pussies. Everybody should know what hermano is - brother. These could be wrong. Please don't judge.

Talk to me. Tell me what ya'll think.

Speaking of reviews, I came across a couple of profiles whom I found were holding stories hostage. That's right. Hostage. They wouldn't post the next chapter unless they received a certain number of reviews and some bullshit like that. I mean, I was utterly appalled. What are they here to do, write for themselves, or for the recognition? I'm going to let you all know, as much as I would love to say that I want you all to review, I would never hold my story hostage just because you didn't. I don't write for you. I write for me. It's as fucking simple as that.

Just had to rant there. Thanks for being here with us.