We all stood around the hand that was left behind. I looked to see how Daryl was handling it, and it seemed not too well. All of a sudden he pulled his crossbow up and took aim on T-Dog. Rick quickly raised his pistol and by the time it was, I had my tomahawk by his throat. He glanced to the newly sharpened blade, following the handle, eyes glazing across my arm only to see my face twisted in malice. We stood like that for a little bit, until Rick spoke up.
"I won't hesitate," he said. "I don't care if every walker in the city hears it." Daryl seemed to think, with anger and frustration on his face. He finally gave up, lowering his weapon and waited for Rick to lower his gun, but Rick did not move.
"Put that shit down." He ordered me, which I took a second before I did. Rick put his gun down and we all stood there, watching Daryl look at T-Dog once again. "You, ah, got a do-rag or something?" T-Dog reached into his back pocket and pulled one out. Daryl took it and set his bow down. He walked over to the hand and wrapped it up.
"I guess the saw blade was too dull for the handcuffs." He sighed under his breath. "Ain't that a bitch." He walked over to Glenn and told him to turn around as he proceeded to put the hand in the bag. He went on to explain how Merle didn't end up killing himself before he looked to see me walking farther down the roof. I pointed with my tomahawk to the blood trail that continued past us. He nodded and motioned for the rest of us to follow him.
We followed it to another doorway which was left open, most likely by Merle. We continued our way through with our weapons at the ready, and found ourselves moving down a stairway. "Merle?! You in here?" Daryl threw his voice through the building hoping to get an answer back, but was unsuccessful. We made our way down the stairwell, with Daryl first, followed by Rick, myself, T-Dog then Glenn brought up the back. We made our way into what was supposedly an office building, encountering only a few walkers which we took care of no problem. But what was weird was there were already walkers that were taken down as we walked through the building.
"Looks like he had enough in him to take out these assholes." I commented as we walked through the room we were currently in. "One handed." Daryl added. "That's how he always was, tough as nails." He continued.
"Any man can pass out from blood loss." Rick said. We continued onward through the rest of the building.
We ended up making our way to one of the many kitchens in the building, and Daryl was still shouting for Merle.
"We are not alone here." Rick warned him. "Remember?" "Screw that. He could be bleeding out, you said so yourself." Daryl retorted as we came around a corner. "Wonderful." I commented as I looked to see a stove with a burner on, a belt tossed to the side and blood everywhere. What we did notice, too, is that there was a metal iron with something burnt on it.
"What is that burnt stuff?" Glenn asked Rick, who was currently holding said item. "Skin." He said with a bit of a grimace. "So what, he cauterized his stump?" I asked.
"Yeah, it looks like he did." Rick answered. Daryl looked over and spoke with somewhat of a proud tone. "I told you he's tough. Nobody could kill Merle but Merle." "Don't take that on faith, he's lost a lot of blood." "Yeah? Didn't stop him from busting out of this death trap." Daryl told Rick as he pointed to a broken window.
"He left the building? Why the hell would he do that?" Glenn rushed out. "Why wouldn't he? He's out there alone." The younger Dixon brother said. "As far as he knows." I said as I looked out the window to observe the outside world. Daryl continued "He's doin' what he's gotta do, surviving."
T-Dog spoke up. "You call that surviving? Just wandering out in the streets, maybe passing out? What are his eyes out there?" "Its no worse than being handcuffed to the roof, left out to rot like you sorry pricks." Daryl defended. He then looked to the cop. "You couldn't kill him. I ain't no worried about some dead bastard." "Yeah, and what about a thousand dead bastards, if in story?" Daryl was getting fed up; I could see it in his face. "Why don't you take a tally, do what you want. Imma go get him." He said as he moved to pass Rick, and was pushed back by said man.
"Daryl wait." Rick ordered. "Get your hands off me! You can't stop me." I looked over to the other two who shared worried looks with each other, looking at me to do something. "I don't blame you, he's family, I get that. I went through hell to get mine back. I know exactly how you feel. He can not get far with that injury. We can check a few blocks around but only if we keep a level head." Daryl thought for a moment. "I can do that."
T-Dog shook his head. "Only if we get those guns first. I'm not scouring the streets for this man with only my good intentions, ok?" everyone looked around and we all came to an agreement that we needed those firearms if we wanted to do anything.
After walking around for a bit, I came across an office that we could use as a sort of base. We gathered inside to take a bit of a break. "You're not doing this alone." I said to Glenn. "Even I think it's a bad idea, and I don't even like you that much." Daryl piped in.
"It's a good idea, if you just hear me out, ok?" Glenn pleaded. Rick sighed and bent down to see the map he wrote on the floor. "If we go out in a group we are screwed. We'll be slow, and we'll draw attention. If I'm alone, I can move fast. Look," he said, placing a piece on the map. "That's the tank, five blocks from where we are right now. That is the bag of guns," he said placing another in front of the previous. "Here is the alley where I dragged you into when we first met. That's where me, Daryl and Mary will go."
"Why me?" Daryl asked. "Your crossbow is quieter than his gun." "And me?" I piped in. "You know that area just about as well as I do. If we get split up, you can take Daryl and get the hell out of there." He said as I nodded. "So, if you two wait here in the alley, I can run up the street and grab the bag." Rick responded, "but you have us else where?" he referred to T-Dog and himself. "You and T-Dog, right. You'll be in this alley here."
"Two blocks away? Why?" "I may not be able to come back the same way. Walkers might cut me off. If that happens, I won't be able to go back to these two; I'll go forward instead, all the way around to where you guys are. Which ever way I decide to go I've got people to cover me either way." Rick seemed to like the plan. "Afterwards, we will all meet back here."
"Hey kid," Daryl said, "what did you do before all this?" I looked over as well for I was quite interested. "Delivered pizzas… Why?" No one responded, but they all nodded. We got up and made our way to our respected positions.
Glenn, Daryl and I made our way down a ladder on the side of the building, and took our weapons out for anything that dare come near us. The three of us got behind a dumpster and looked out onto the street. "You got some balls for a china man." Daryl commented. "I'm Korean." He said as he tossed a rag behind him and took off into the street. I shook my head at him and readied my tomahawk. I heard the groans and moans of the undead walking and could hear footsteps coming from the way we came. I nudged Daryl and he nodded, getting up and aiming as I did as well.
"Whoa don't shoot me!" a boy the same age as me shouted as we looked to him. "What do you want?!" he shouted again. "We're lookin' for my brother, he's hurt real bad, you seen him?" the boy looked behind him as he seemed to be shouting a name.
"Shut your fucking mouth!" I whispered harshly at him. He looked at me then back to Daryl as he inquired with questions about his brother. He continued to shout the name. Daryl hit him across the face with the butt of his bow, knocking the young boy to the ground. He started screaming for help as the two of us tried to get him to shut up. Suddenly out of nowhere, two men came and threw me off and at a wall and kicked Daryl in the stomach. The man who threw me left to beat Daryl down with a bat as I grasp for the air that was knocked out of me. Suddenly Glenn came rushing through the gate to see what was happening. The two men stopped what they were doing to see him.
"That's it! That's the bag!" the man with the bat shouted. They started after Glenn as he turned to go back out into the street. He didn't make it and was punched in the face. Not long after that the baseball bat was upon him. They picked Glenn up and the bag of guns. Daryl was half standing and shot an arrow into one of the guys asses. He screamed out and he grabbed Glenn anyway as a car rolled up.
"Get off me! Get off me! Daryl!" he shouted as more guys came to rescue his friends. Daryl looked to me and I nodded, still with my back against the wall. Daryl sprung into action and I got up and sat on the boys back, with my tomahawk at the base of his neck. "Try anythin' stupid and you'll be fucking dead."
I heard even more footsteps, but this time they were running. I looked up and saw Rick and T-dog making their way to the two of us.
"They took Glenn!" I shouted as Daryl tried to curve stomp the teen I was sitting on. "Hey that's enough!" Rick commanded. T-Dog nodded to me and he took the boy and threw him up against the wall, giving him no chance to escape. Rick told us to get to the ladder and we sure as hell did. We climbed up and made our way back into our little base.
"Those men you were with, we need to know where they went." Rick questioned him as soon as we were set up. "I ain't telling you nothin'" T-Dog shook his head. "Man, what the hell happened back there?"
"I told you! This little turd and his douchebag friends of his came out of no where and jumped us." "Eeeh you're the one who jumped me, puto. He's screaming at me trying to find his brother like its my goddamn fault." Daryl scoffed. "They took Glenn, they coulda taken Merle, too!"
"Merle? What kind of hick name is that? I woulda named my dog Merle." Daryl started to come at the boy but Rick stopped him. Daryl composed himself and walked over to the bag that Glenn had been previously carrying. He took out the hand and threw it onto the boys lap who jumped in fear. "This is what happened to the last guy who pissed me off. Maybe I'll start with the feet, this time." He said as he grabbed him by the shirt. I walked over and grabbed Daryl's arm and pulled him off, giving him a knowing look.
"Hah, have to get your bitch to pull you off, eh?" I flipped him the middle finger and ignored him from that point on. Rick started to talk to the boy. "We just need to know where they went, see if we can work something out." The boy stayed silent for a while, looking at the rest of us until he finally gave in and told us what we needed to know.
. . . . . . . .
We came to what looked be an abandon building with a small courtyard in the back. We stood outside the gates for a minute to think of what to do.
"You sure you're alright with this?" Rick asked T-Dog, referring to his job as the sniper. "Yeah, lets do this." He replied, nodding his head. He headed out and the rest of us got ready. Rick handed me a 9 mill, easy to handle and use with my tomahawk. Daryl took a shotgun. "One wrong move and you'll get an arrow in the ass, just so you know." Daryl told the boy who had yet to disclose his name. "Well I'm just gonna take the arrow out of my ass and shove it up yours." I rolled my eyes at him.
"Ok then, let's go see Guillermo." Rick said as he cocked his shotgun. We all nodded and followed him through an open window in the wall. We walked further in and it seemed to be just one part of the complex. There was another large opening and we walked through that as well.
We stood in front of a pair of large wooden doors, and the click and groans of them opening caused us to raise our weapons. A man, darker in complexion walked out and stood in front of the four of us. I kept my pistol trained on his head the whole time they talked out a negotiation. "What's to stop my people from unloading on you right now?" I heard from them, and I turned the safety on my gun off. Guillermo looked at me, a questioning look in his eyes. Rick looked back to me for a second before turning back to the leader and speaking again. "You could do that…. Or not." he said while turning his head to look at T-Dog who sat on the roof, scoped in on the man. Guillermo shouted for someone, and I looked up and sighed in frustration. They had Glenn on the edge of the roof with a bag over his head. They ripped it off and he seemed terrified. I did not catch what they said after that, but everyone was retreating back.
We settled back at our base, looking at the bag of guns. "Guns worth more than gold, you know. Gold ain't gonna protect your family, put food on the table." Daryl spoke. "And what, you're just gonna give that up for the kid?" "You know if I thought we'd get him back I might agree. But do you think that Vato from across the way is just going to give him back?" T-Dog had said.
"You callin' G a liar?" Miguel asked as Daryl cut him off. "You a part of this?! You wanna hold onto your teeth?!" "The question is; do you trust that mans word?" T-Dog continued. "No, the question is are you willing to bet on it? It could be more than guns, it could be your life." Daryl countered. "Is he worth that to you?"
"The life I have I owe to him. I was nobody to Glenn, just some idiot stuck in a tank. He coulda walked away but he didn't. Neither will I." Rick stated. "So what, your just gonna hand the guns over?" "No I didn't say that. You three should get out of here. Head back to camp." "And tell your family what?" T-Dog countered. Rick took a couple seconds to look at each one of us. I looked at Daryl and T-Dog and nodded, and I reached for a shotgun and pumped it.
"There is no way you're doing this alone."
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
We walked the familiar route back into the open yard where the Vatos were held up with our hostage blindfolded and a shotgun aimed at his back. The doors began to open and showed a lot of men behind them. Daryl pushed Miguel into the crowd of men and stepped back raising his shot gun back to eye level. We followed him in after rick gave the ok. We walked into the crowd and stood our ground as they surrounded us.
"I see my guns, but they are not all in the bag." "That's because they're not yours." Rick told Guillermo. "I thought I mentioned that." "Lets just shoot them right now, boss. Unload on their ass!" the man who got shot with Daryl's arrow said.
Guillermo continued unfazed. "I don't think you fully appreciate the gravity of the situation." Rick shook his head. "No, I'm pretty clear." He cut the ropes off of Miguel and pushed him forward. "There. You have your man, I want mine."
"I'm gonna chop up your boy. I'm gonna feed him to my dogs, they're the meanest, nastiest little bitches you ever saw. I picked them up from Satan at a yard sale. I told you how it has to be, are you deaf?!" Rick went fully serious. "Oh, my hearings fine. You said come locked and loaded," everyone got ready for the firefight, raising and readying their weapons. "Ok then we're here."
All of a sudden I heard an old woman's voice call out. T-Dog aimed his gun at the source of the voice, and indeed it was an older woman. There was something about someone needing medicine, but the woman came over and took Ricks hand. I rolled my eyes and lowered my weapon, as I saw this was getting nowhere. She led him through the complex and through to what looked like an auditorium. There I saw Glenn standing with his arms crossed by an older gentleman.
"What the hell is this?" Rick directed to Glenn. "It's an asthma attack. He couldn't get his breath all of a sudden." "I thought you were getting eaten by dogs, man." T-Dog criticized. I looked around the room and massaged my temples when my eyes landed on two Chihuahuas. "Can I have a word with you?" Rick asked Guillermo and took him off to the side to have a chat. I just looked to the other two men and shook my head as I let my shotgun fall to the side. I was very confused and frustrated with what just happened.
The next thing I knew was that we were walking into a separate room and sat down with the leader. "What about the rest of your crew?" Rick inquired. "They trickled in. they were here to check on they're parents, grandparents. They see how things are and decided to stay. It's a good thing, too. We need the muscle. The people we encounter, just mess things up."
"That's not who we are." Rick told him. "Hey, but we didn't know that. You attack us then show up with Miguel hostage. That appearance…" T-Dog looked over half assed, "I guess the world changed." "No, it's the same as it ever was. The weak get taken. So we do what we can here." He continued on but I chose to ignore what he said. What were we to do now?
They started to split the guns in half, most likely to help with the protection in the place. After that had finished, we gathered up everything we were taking and started to head back out to where we had parked the van. But when we arrived, the van was nowhere to be seen.
"Oh my god.." Glenn breathed. "Where the hell is our van?" Daryl finished. "You left it right there who would take it?" I looked at Rick with horror. "Merle…" he nodded. "He's gonna be taking some vengeance back to camp." Daryl added. The rest of us looked and finally decided on what we needed to do.
We had to rush back to the campsite.
We found, unfortunately, ourselves running back to camp, spreading the weapons out between us as to not weigh anybody down. All of a sudden, we heard screaming and gunshots. We all looked at each other and I heard Rick whisper. "No…" we all gave it everything we had and ran harder than ever to try and get back.
We came into camp with our weapons ready and started firing on site. Any walker that came near was down within milliseconds. As I was taking them down, I was trying to search for my family. I saw my dad with his pistol, but nowhere in Sam's hell could I see my mother. I searched frantically all around. I threw my shotgun to the ground after I emptied it and took out my tomahawk and started slicing heads off.
The madness ended as quickly as it started. I was still searching though. I found my father again, running to his arms and embracing him tightly. I cried into his shoulder, thankful that he was ok. I looked up and asked him where mom was.
"I.. I don't know…" he said and I started to look once again. My eyes landed on Daryl's back, and he seemed to be hunched over a body. I quickly recognized it to be my mothers. I started to cry once again, knowing what happened. I stumbled over to where they were, and before I got there, Daryl shot his head up, then slowly rose from his place. As I approached them, Daryl turned away and walked with his head lowered, not looking once at me. I fell at my mothers side and hugged her as hard as I could.
"Mar…y…" she gasped, and I looked to see her face. A chunk of her neck and side were missing, indicating where a walker got her. "Please… don't be afraid…. Your father.. will always be there… for you…" she said as I heard my dad walk up behind me. I looked back to her again. "You know.. what you need to do.." she gasped for air and I choked back a sob. I nodded to her and looked to my father, he also new what was to happen. He handed me the pistol and I looked to my mother.
"Please mom," I cried to her. "Close your eyes. I don't want the last thing for you to see…. Is your daughter holding a gun to you…" she nodded slightly and closed her eyes before whispering. "I love you.." was her final words as I pulled the trigger with a cry. I could barely stand when my father picked me up and back into his arms. I cried for minutes on end, letting out everything.
After I had my time, I looked up with a blank stare, glancing around the camp to see the chaos that had taken place. There were bodies everywhere, both human and walker. My eyes landed on Andrea and her sister who was on the ground, bleeding from the shoulder and arm. I could only stare, for all my emotions were used up. I felt nothing at this moment, and I could do nothing. I just looked up to the stars that lay across the sky, and felt darkness overcome me.
Boop. Another done. hope you guys like this one and make sure to leave a review as normal :D