Chapter 11: Up In a Tree

The five were in an office and Glenn had just finished drawing the plan on the floor with an Expo marker.

"So that's it?" Rick asked.

"Trust me it'll work." Glenn said. "Brooke will be up high with her bow and arrow. Daryl and I will be on the ground with T-Dog and Rick. The dog will be with me and Brooke will be able to tell him what to do from where she is. It covers all angles."

"You got some balls for a china man." Daryl said.

"I'm Korean." Glenn said.

"Whatever." Daryl replied. They went out on the streets. Brooke went up high. Everything was going according to plan. Glenn ran out and grabbed the guns but they soon heard Daryl scream. Glenn ran back but was attacked by a gang.

"Rudy!" she yelled. "Sick 'em!" She flew down the ladder and Rudy attacked one of the men. Daryl shot another in the bottom with an arrow but it was too late. Rudy was kicked back and they shoved Glenn into a car. "Glenn!" she yelled and tried to run for the car but it was too late. "No!" she picked up the bag of guns and she saw Rick and T-Dog. Rudy slowly got up and went next to Brooke. Rick had his hat back which made her smirk. They heard a slam against the brick and saw Daryl beating up a teenage Mexican boy. He had a pot leaf tattoo on his arm and she could tell he was just a follower of the gang. They brought him up to the place where they were hiding out for a little bit.

"What do we do?" T-Dog asked. "He won't talk." Brooke had an idea and slyly smirked.

"What's the plan, Walsh?" Daryl asked.

"You still got that hand?" she asked and he nodded. The two walked over to Miguel.

"Where's Merle?" Daryl asked before being filled in on her plan.

"Merle? What kinda hick name is Merle? I wouldn't even name my dog that." He scoffed. Daryl was about to attack but Rick pulled him back. Brooke walked forward.

"Rudy!" She called hauntingly. Rudy slowly hunched over to Miguel. "Ready." She ordered. The dog went into his pouncing position and had his teeth showing very close to the boys face. He snarled and snapped. Rudy had a little blood in his fur around his mouth which added extra drama. Drool fell onto the boys shirt and he squirmed. T-Dog threw her the bandana. She opened it and threw the hand onto Miguel who cried and screamed. "You see that?" she asked. "That's what my dog did to a poor bastard back in a store in the city. I can only imagine what I'll make him do to you." As if on cue, Rudy snapped and barked even closer to Miguel's face. He broke down and told them everything. Daryl smirked and patted her on the back.

"Good job Brooke." He said. "We got him."

"So what do we do now?" she asked.

"Alright, T-Dog will take the Barrett .50 and sit on the other roof of another building. Brooke, you'll be up high with your bow and arrow with Rudy. We'll be on the ground with the kid." They all nodded and left. T-Dog and Brooke went on the roof. Brooke couldn't hear their conversation but she saw a man with a bag over his head on the roof of the building with someone behind him. They pulled off the bag and it was Glenn. She lifted her arrow to the man holding Glenn.

"Come on Rick, I can make the shot." She whispered. She looked down at the group and Rick told them to stand down. They walked back to their headquarters. "What do they want?"

"They want the guns." Rick answered. "Along with the punk."

"We should just take the guns and leave." Daryl said.

"No, he saved my life Daryl. If he hadn't told me to leave I would've never found y'all." Brooke said.

"He saved me from that tank. I need to return the favor and save him." Rick said. "We'll all be on the ground this time." They returned with Miguel gagged and his arms tied.

"That's the bitch how sent her dog on me!" A chubby gang member said.

"Wouldn't have sent him if you hadn't attacked us." She replied. Rick threw Miguel to his group.

"You have your man, I want mine." Rick said. "We keep the guns." The gang members pulled out their guns and aimed at them. The others did the same and Brooke ordered Rudy to get ready. His ears pricked up and he ran towards an old lady.

"Felipe?" she asked.

"Abuela, go back inside." He replied. She turned to Rick and patted Rudy who soon ran inside.

"Are you here to arrest him?" she asked.

"No m'am."

"They're here for the Asian." Filipe said.

"Very nice boy! He plays checkers very well." She turned to Filipe. "Daniel needs his medicine." Felipe sighed.

"I'm a doctor maybe I can help?" Brooke asked. "I want my dog back as well."

"I'll take you to him." The old lady said. They walked in and it turned out to be a nursing home. Glenn was standing there with Daniel.

"What's going on?" Brooke asked.

"He can't breathe." Glenn replied.

"Do you have asthma?" she asked and Daniel nodded. Brooke turned to the gang behind her. "Do you have his inhaler?"

"Here!" A man said. She thanked him and gave him the inhaler. He soon got his breathing back to normal.

"Man, we thought you were being eaten by vicious dogs!" T-Dog said. They heard Rudy bark and a small bark. They saw Rudy playing with three Chihuahua's.

"Some attack dogs." Daryl said.

"We were prepared to kill you!" Rick told Guillermo.

"So were we." He replied. "I was a janitor here and the staff took off. We came and took care of everyone. We'll do anything for guns and medicine." Rick pulled over Brooke.

"Do you think we should leave them with some stuff?" Rick asked.

"I do, they really care about these people. They have good hearts; they need some things to help them out. I put some medicine I brought in Glenn's bag and I could give them some."

"We'll give them some guns too." Rick said. They left them with some things and shook their hands.

"You be careful out there." Guillermo said to Brooke.

"You too. Take good care of them. What you're doing here is very remarkable; I don't know many people that would do that." She smiled and handed him another bottle of painkillers. He thanked her once again and they left to go to the truck.

"Admit it Rick, you only came back for the hat." Glenn chuckled. They got back to the tracks but the truck was gone. "Who would've taken it?"

"Merle." Brooke cursed. Daryl shook his head and Brooke kept walking on.

"Where you goin'?" Daryl asked.

"We got to get back someday! I'd rather be back there sooner rather than later." Brooke said. "Who knows what Merle will do after he gets back from the camp." She finally said and everyone ran after her to catch up. They got closer to the camp and heard screams. Rudy sprinted forward.

"That's not Merle!" Daryl yelled. Brooke gave him a confused look but soon realized what he meant. They finally got back to the camp. "Brooke, you stay behind me!" he told her. She saw Shane and Jim hitting walkers with baseball bats. She saw Ed as a walker. Amy got bit in the neck. The others fired their guns and weapons. After what seemed like an eternity it was over.

"Amy!" Andrea sobbed in a way that was blood curdling.

"Is that all of them?" Rick asked.

"Brooke?" Daryl asked. "Brooke!" An arrow was fired into the last walker that came up from behind Daryl. They looked around and saw arrows in a lot of the walker's heads. "Brooke, where the hell are you?"

"I'm up here!" she replied. They all looked up and saw her in a tree above the camp. "I could use some help!" Daryl ran and caught her when she let go of the branch she was hanging on too.

"I told you to stay behind me." He growled at her quietly so no one else could hear them.

"If I had, you would've been walker bait." She replied.

"Brooke!" Shane yelled and hugged her.

"I remember what my dream was about now." Jim said.