They were close to camp when they heard screaming in the distance.
Breaking through the brush, the two hunters came face to face with numerous weapons.
"Oh thank god." Glenn sighed, lowering the bloody pipe he used as a bat, "we thought you'd be another walker."
"Good to see you're alive." Riley said to the asian.
"You have no idea."
Daryl caught sight of his buck on the grass, nearly half of its neck missing, and a headless walker lying next to it.
"Sonova bitch. That's my deer."
Riley saw how his lips pushed together to form a deep frown.
"Look at it, all gnawed on by this filthy, disease bearing... motherless, proxy bastard." The others in the group stepped back as Daryl began kicking the dead walker.
Riley had stayed quiet during the exchange. She had noticed the stranger, taking note of the rake in his hands.
A hand, crusted with dry walker blood, instinctually went to the handle of her knife.
"Calm down, son. That's not helping." Dale rested his hatchet against his shoulder and wiped his sweaty forehead.
"What do ya know 'bout it old man?" Daryl got into Dale's face, "Why dontcha take off that hat an go back ta high golden pond?"
He turned back to the dead buck and sighed, "Been trackin this deer for miles..." He began pulling his arrows out of the animal, "was gonna drag it back ta camp, cook us up some venison. Whaddya think? Could we cut around this chewed part right here?"
"I would not risk that." Shane responded.
"That's a damn shame. We got some squirrel, bout a dozen or so. That'll have ta do." Daryl caught Riley's eye for a moment before the disconnected head of the walker began snapping its teeth and wheezing.
"Oh God." Amy's face got pale as Andrea led her sister away.
"C'mon people, what the hell?" He loaded his crossbow and shot the walker through the eye, "it's gotta be the brain. Don't y'all know nothin?" Daryl began to walk away, jerking his head toward his shared tent. "C'mon, girlie. Ya can help me skin 'em."
Riley started to follow, when the stranger spoke up, "I'm Rick. Rick Grimes." He held out a hand for her to shake.
"Riley Drexel. Pleasure." She shook his hand. "Sorry about the blood," she added, "we ran into a few walkers in the woods."
"How many?"
"Four. We took them out easy enough."
"I'm told you were a marine. That right?"
Riley nodded, "Yeah. Another lifetime ago, I was a sergeant." She didn't let him continue asking questions, instead she left to follow Daryl.
She could feel the stares of the men burning into her back.
"Merle."
The older Dixion didn't respond. Riley wouldn't be surprised if he was getting high somewhere.
"Merle! Getcha ass out here. Got us some squirrel, let's stew em up."
Riley noticed how the entire camp had scurried off, silently watching Daryl.
Sure he was a hard-headed hillbilly, but he wasn't as bad as some of the others in camp.
"Daryl..." Shane placed his rifle into his jeep, "slow up a minute, I need to talk to ya."
Daryl glanced around noticing his brother wasn't in camp, and stopped walking, "bout what?"
"Bout Merle. There was a, uh, problem in Atlanta."
Riley only guessed what had happened, walkers getting to him, he could've run off, killed by scavengers... any number of things were possible.
"He dead?" Daryl took the string of squirrels from his shoulder and clenched them in his fist.
"Not sure."
Riley glared at Shane. Of all the things to say, that definitely wasn't the best.
Daryl clenched his jaw, "He either is or he ain't!"
The members of the camp had formed a ring around Daryl, watching what would happen.
Rick walked forward then, "No easy way to say this, so I'll just say it."
Sizing him up, Daryl sneered, "Who're you?"
"Rick Grimes." he answered simply. "Rick Grimes?" Daryl mocked, "Got something ya wanna tell me?"
"Your brother was a danger to us all... so I handcuffed him to a roof hooked to a piece of metal. He's still there."
Riley brought a hand up to her temple. Things kept going from bad to worse.
Were these people fucking insane?
"Lemmie process this." Though he tried to hide it, Riley saw him wipe away a rogue tear.
"Sayin you handcuffed my brother to a roof? An then you left him there?"
"Yeah."
Nostrils flaring, Daryl flung the line of squirrels at Rick, as Shane tackled Daryl to the ground.
"Watch the knife!"
Rick knocked the knife from Daryl's hand, as Shane put him into a chokehold.
"Best let me go!"
"Nah, I think it's better if I don't."
Daryl fell to his knees and his face turned a bright shade of red.
"Chokehold's illegal!"
Shane didn't let up, "Yeah, well, file a complaint."
Rick knelt to Daryl, "I'd like to have a calm discussion. Think we can manage that?"
Daryl only responded with heavy gasps of breath.
"Think we can manage that?"
It was then that Riley took charge, "Enough. He can't breathe, asshole." She forcefully pulled Shane's arm from around Daryl's neck and gave the deputy a hard shove.
Shane was about to push past Riley, but she stopped him with her knife, "No. I think you've done enough damage."
"He's dangerous!" Shane's face was red with unchecked anger.
"What the fuck did you expect?" Riley nearly yelled, "You tell him you left his brother up on a roof, in a city that's overrun with the god damned dead walking around. And you want to calmly talk about it? You're even dumber than you look."
Lori grabbed Shane's arm, keeping him from doing anything stupid.
"Calm down. We need to all calm down." She sent a warning glance to Riley, telling her to not push the deputies buttons any further.
"What I did was not on a whim. Your brother does not work and play well with others."
"It's not Rick's fault." Everyone's eyes were on T-dog, "I had the key. I dropped it."
Daryl shook his head, "Couldn't pick it up?"
"I dropped it down the drain."
Daryl snorted, and went to pick himself up from the dirt.
Riley held out a hand for him, knowing he was too proud to accept any help.
It was surprise when the gruff redneck took her hand in his own and pulled himself up.
"If that's supposed ta make me feel better, it don't."
T-dog explained how he had chained the only door to the roof closed, sealing Merle off from any Geeks.
"Just tell me where he is. So I can go get 'em." His voice was thick with unwanted emotion, Riley knew that feeling very well.
"He'll show you." Lori said softly, sending a heavy look to her husband, "Won't you, Rick?"