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Chapter 10: Katniss

Brooke heard an alarm going off and ran away from the table.

"Dale! What the hell is that?" she asked with her ponytail flying behind her.

"Looks like somebody stole a Mustang." He replied. The mustang pulled up and Glenn stepped out of it.

"Hey guys!" he replied. Shane and Brooke ran to the car.

"You tryin' to attract every walker in Georgia?" Shane asked and was about to disarm the Mustang but Brooke had already beaten him to it. Shane smirked at her and patted her on the back. He had taught her well.

"Hey doc!" Glenn said.

"Hey pizza boy!" Brooke replied and gave him a hug. "This is my brother Shane!" she chuckled and Glenn looked confused.

"That's just freaky."

"You trying to get us all killed?" Dale asked.

"Sorry." Glenn said. "I got a cool car." Brooke chuckled a little bit. A white truck pulled up behind them and T-Dog, Morales, Jacqui, and Andrea stepped out. Loved ones embraced loved ones but Brooke saw Carl's face. He really missed his father.

"We never would've made it without the Sherriff. Hey helicopter guy, come say hello!" Morales said. A man in a sheriff's uniform and hat stepped out from the truck. Brook gasped and Shane's jaw dropped.

"Dad!" Carl yelled and ran to his father. Lori ran and joined the embrace. Rick stopped and looked up at Brooke.

"Little Walsh?" he asked. "Come here!" he hugged Brooke and she kissed his cheek.

"Rick Grimes! I thought you were dead!" Brooke wept. Shane just stood there amazed. He let go of Brooke and hugged Shane. Shane's face was still painted with shock. She looked over at Lori who gave Shane a cold gaze. That can't be good. Brooke met the rest of the people.

"My name's T-Dog." He said.

"What's your real name?" Brooke asked.

"Theodore."

"I'm going to call you Teddy because I can't take T-Dog seriously." She joked.

"Alright, I'm just gonna call you Little Walsh then." T-Dog said smiling.

"Deal." She said and the shook hands. She finally met Andrea, Morales, and Jacqui. She knew something was off. This wasn't all the people that went to Atlanta. She looked at Shane with a panicked look and he knew what was wrong.

"Wait, where's Merle?" Brooke asked. No one answered. "Shit."

"What, did you know Merle?" Glenn asked.

"Um, yeah. What happened to him?"

"I'll explain later." T-Dog said. Later at dinner Rick cuddled with his family and Shane had his arm over Brooke.

"Shane, I can't thank you enough for saving my family." Rick said.

"No problem man!" Shane said. "I thought that you were… never mind." Shane said and looked down. "So what happened to Merle?"

"He was a danger to us all." T-Dog said. "He would attract walkers and he would attack all of us. He attacked me and called me a nigger."

"Sounds like Merle." Brooke said.

"I had to handcuff him to pipe." Rick said. "Walkers broke into the store and we got out."

"I tried to uncuff him but I dropped the key down a drain." T-Dog explained. "I locked the door with a padlock that ten walkers couldn't break." Brooke shook her head.

"This is going to be a mess." She said and ran a hand through her hand.

"What did Merle mean to you?" Glenn asked.

"He's my best friend's brother." Brooke said.

"So you know Daryl?"

"For a long time now." Brooke said. "I don't know how he'll take the news." Everyone looked to her. They knew she could be the only one to tell him without him getting angry. "You've got to be kidding me guys! I can't tell Daryl, no matter who tells him he'll be pissed!" she saw T-Dogs eyes and looked at everyone else's. They were desperate for Daryl not to lose it. "I'll try."

"Where is he now?" T-Dog asked.

"He's out hunting." She replied. The next day Brooke was out with Carl in the woods. She wore the same thing she wore the day before since she didn't get dirty or sweat that much.

"Hey Aunt Brooke look at this!" Carl said and picked up an arrow. "Can I keep it?"

"I don't think your mom would appreciate that too much, handsome." They continued walking but Carl screamed. In front of them was a walker eating a deer with arrows in it. It looked up at Carl.

"Carl run! Go get someone!" Brooke warned. She was about to fire her arrow when Glenn came and beat it to death and Dale decapitated it.

"You okay?" Glenn asked.

"Yeah Glenn I'm fine." She said lowering her bow. Amy and Andrea came in later. They heard the bushes rustle and Brooke drew her bow and arrow.

"Son of a bitch! That's my deer!" Brooke sighed. She had to tell him today? Great, he's already pissed. "Look at it! All gnawed on by this filthy, disease-bearing, motherless poxy bastard!" he said kicking it four times. Brooke fired an arrow to the right and they heard a thump. They all looked at her. She shot down a wild hog.

"Good job Katniss!" Glenn said.

"Katniss? Who the hell is Katniss?" Daryl thought. Brooke laughed and walked over to the hog. She bent down to pick it up and he saw Glenn checking her out. Glenn lifted his eyebrows, smiled and looked away. Daryl wanted to say something about it. He wanted to say to "leave my woman alone!" but he couldn't because he knew she could handle it. He knew that Brooke would never go for Glenn; the kid was too young for her.

"Bacon anyone?" she asked dragging the hog over.

"Do you think we can still keep the deer?" Daryl asked. "Maybe if we just cut around the bitten part?"

"Wouldn't chance it Daryl." Shane replied. Daryl rolled his eyes. Brooke began to try and pick up the hog but Glenn stopped her.

"I'll get it Brooke." Glenn said. He tried to pick it up but it wouldn't budge. He tried to drag it and got the same fate. Daryl smirked and Jim openly laughed. They heard a snapping in the background. They looked over and the head the Dale decapitated was alive.

"Oh God…" Amy said.

"Come on people, what the hell?" Daryl said and shot an arrow through its head. "It's gotta be the brain." He said and smacked Brooke's arm as he walked past her. Shane and Rick picked up the hog and took it to camp. "Merle? Got some squirrel!" he yelled. Everyone, except him, looked over at Brooke who ran her hand through her hair.

"Daryl, I need to tell you something." She said calmly.

"What's up?" he asked with the squirrel corpses in his hand tied to something at the top.

"I'm gonna be tied up there after this." She thought and gulped.

"Merle didn't make it back." She said calmly. She could see something snap in Daryl. "Daryl?"

"Is he alive?" he said a bit louder.

"We don't know." Rick said.

"Rick Grimes." Daryl profiled. "He's either alive or he ain't!"

"He's handcuffed to a pipe on the roof of the store." Rick said. "Then we got attacked and we left him up there."

"I tried to set him free, but I dropped the damn key down the drain." T-Dog added. "I locked the door with a lock strong enough that ten walkers at the least couldn't get through." Daryl officially snapped. He threw the corpses at Rick. Brooke went into motion before he could kill Rick. She tackled him down, put his head to the ground, and locked his arms behind him.

"Told you it wasn't gonna go well no matter who told him." She said as he struggled to break free. He suddenly pushed her off and she landed on her back. Hard. She winced in pain but soon got up. Shane had already put him in a headlock. Rudy had come over once he threw Brooke back and was ready to pounce on Daryl.

"Heel, Rudy!" she yelled and Rudy obeyed. He still was in a pouncing position with his teeth bared. Rick explained that they would go after him. Lori, of course, dropped her head down. Brooke knew that Rick was a man of honor and wants to keep that. It was one of those things about him that made him one of the most respected men in Brooke's book.

"Are you okay?" Jim asked pulling her up.

"Yeah." She shrugged. "Nothing I can't handle." They let Daryl go and he stormed off to his tent. He sent Brooke a look and she nodded. It was his apology and he had sent he that look many times. Rudy walked over to Brooke and whined. "I'm okay buddy." She patted his head. Shane walked over to her.

"Did he hurt you?" he asked.

"No, I'm fine." She said. "I'm coming to Atlanta by the way."

"No you're not." Shane said.

"I didn't ask you." She said. "I need to do something productive around here beside cleaning and cooking." Shane sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Rick had heard and walked over to them.

"I don't think you should go either, Little Walsh." He said. "Merle's very dangerous and I don't know what he'll do to you."

"I've handled Merle like that before and besides he owes me one. If he knows what's best for him he won't touch me." She said.

"I'll go handle that hog you killed earlier." Shane said and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She made Rudy go sit with Carl as he sat in fear. Rudy nuzzled him and became a nice dog again. She walked into Daryl's tent where he was just sitting there. He stood up and warily gave her a hug.

"I'm so sorry." He said. "I never meant to try and hurt you. I was just so angry at them."

"One, you didn't hurt me. Two, I know you're angry and I understand." She said and kissed his cheek.

"Are you sure? You hit the ground pretty hard." He said holding her face so she would look at him.

"I didn't hit it that hard." She replied.

"Enough for your mutt to try and attack me." He said. "Are you sure we're okay?"

"If we weren't okay I wouldn't be going to Atlanta now would I?" she admitted and started to walk away. Daryl grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to him.

"Brooke, I don't know if I want you to go." He said. "It's pretty dangerous out there."

"I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Shane. I didn't ask you. I have a bow and an arrow. I have a shot gun and an attack dog." She replied. Daryl knew he wouldn't be able to win this one. "Besides, I'm about to go crazy if I see one more woman with dish washing detergent instead of a gun." She joked and he chuckled. "I'll be safe, we'll be safe."

"Alright, just know that I don't necessarily like it." He said. She gave him another kiss on the cheek.

"I know." She said and walked out of the tent. Daryl walked out just in time to hear Rick and Shane talking.

"Why would you risk your life for a douche bag like Merle Dixon?" Shane asked.

"Hey choose your words wisely!" Daryl barked.

"Oh no I did, douche bag's what I meant." Shane said.

"Shane." Brooke said pointedly.

"Merle Dixon is a guy who wouldn't give you a glass of water if you were dyin' of thirst,

"What he would or wouldn't do doesn't interest me." Rick said. "I can't let a man die of thirst, and exposure. We left him like an animal caught in a trap, that's no way for anything to die, let alone a human being." Daryl honked on the horn.

"Come on let's go!" he yelled and Shane rolled his eyes. Brooke came around with her bow, quiver, and shot gun.

"You be careful, Brooke." Shane said and hugged her. Brooke looked at Lori who had a different look on her face. She had never seen a look of pure hatred coming from Lori before. It was pointed at Shane. She kissed his cheek.

"You too, watch your back." She replied. "Rudy!" he came with Carl. Carl ran into her arms.

"Be careful Aunt Brooke." He said with his voice cracking. It broke Brooke's heart.

"I will handsome." She said. "You and Shane catch some frogs for me." Carl smiled and nodded his head. She brought her voice down to a whisper. "No matter what your mom says, Shane is a good influence. You never stop being friends with him. Promise me, Carl."

"I promise Aunt Brooke." He said. Brooke knew that Shane would love Carl with or without Lori. Carl needed Shane when Rick wasn't there and Shane helped him through this tough time.

"Don't tell your mom about the promise." Carl nodded again. He had already said goodbye to Rick.

"Come on Little Walsh!" T-Dog said.

"Coming Teddy!" she fired back. She gave Carl and Shane one last kiss before leaving. Daryl helped her into the truck and gave her the front seat. They parked on some tracks and walked to the store. It had been cleared of walkers except for a few that Daryl took care of with his crossbow. Rudy started to sniff around and Brooke followed him. Rudy went up the stairs and she was about to go up. She felt a hand grab her arm.

"You're staying down here." Daryl said while the rest were checking the store. Brooke was about to protest. "I let you come here, just please stay down here and stay alert. If Merle is still up there I don't know what he'll try to do." She gave in and nodded. Rudy ran back downstairs and whined. The men ran upstairs while Rudy had found another clue. T-Dog broke open the padlock and they walked out on the roof. All that was left was a bloody handsaw, bloody handcuffs, and a severed hand. "NO!" Daryl yelled. "NO! NO!" he got quiet but let out a roar of rage and aimed his crossbow at T-Dog. Rick lifted his gun to his head.

"Daryl, don't make me. I can't tell her that I shot you." Daryl put down his crossbow. T-Dog gave him a bandana and he wrapped up the hand. Glenn got queasy as he put the hand in his backpack. They walked back downstairs. Brooke and Rudy were nowhere to be found.

"Brooke?" Glenn asked.

"Back here! Rudy found something." They walked into a room and the smell over powered them. "Merle managed to kill these things. He also managed to cauterize his wound, whatever happened to him."

"Man that had to hurt." Glenn said.

"Merle is the toughest son of a bitch I know. You feed him a hammer, he shits out nails." Daryl said. "He sawed off his own hand." He could see Brooke's face scrunch up a bit.

"Well, if he managed to kill these things with one hand, cauterize the wound, and escape. I'd give it about a 75% chance that he's surviving out here somewhere with the variable of who knows how many walkers there are out there." She said. Daryl started to leave but Rick stopped him.

"Get your hands off me! You can't stop me!" Daryl snapped.

"I understand that you want to save him. He's family and I should know. I've been through a hell of a lot to find mine. If we're going to search for Merle, we'll need those guns." Daryl grunted and stayed put.

"So Glenn?" Brooke asked.

"Yeah Katniss?"

"What's the plan?" she asked and they all went to an office to plan their route to the guns.