Being back in Atlanta made me remember how things used to be. I didn't have a lot of friends and spent most of my time reading and dreaming about the future. I worked at a library and occasionally babysat the kids on my floor. Life was quiet and satisfying. When everything came tumbling down I was afraid, but in a way the situation held excitement for me. I looked at it as a way to meet new people, experience more, and determine who I really was as a person. Needless to say, I hadn't expected anything like what actually happened.
I followed behind T-dog, Sam behind me, as we darted through and ally. Luckily, it was empty. Once inside the building we met up with the others, who had gotten there before us. Glenn started giving out assignments. Sam and I were sent to the upper floors alone. I tried to keep at least a few feet of distance between us as I looked around for anything that could be useful.
"I don't know what you think you're doing, coming out here, but I'm not letting you out of my sight," I didn't look at Sam when he spoke to me. "And whatever you think Dixon is going to help you with, you can forget it," Sam grunted and turned to face me.
"What do you think he's going to do anyway? Kill me? You think that would help?" I tried to ignore him by pushing aside a few empty boxes on the shelf in front of me. "What do you think would happen then? Shane wouldn't let Dixon stay and he wouldn't let you stay either. You think he would really protect you out there? You'd die without me," I took a step away from him and he caught my wrist.
I turned slightly to look at him and he backhanded me so hard my neck cracked. He allowed me to yank my wrist free and take a few steps away from him. He started coming at me again and I ran, afraid of what could be coming next. It would have been smarter to head down, but my feet took me up the stairs to the roof. Once on the roof I heard a gun shot and froze. Sam ran into my back, only barely managing to catch his footing and get a good grip on me.
The push moved me just far enough in one direction to see Merle firing a rifle into the street below. Suddenly running upward instead of down didn't seem like such a dumb idea.
"Merle!" I shouted, but he couldn't hear me over the gunfire. Sam clamped a hand down over my mouth and dragged me backwards a step.
"What did I just tell you? That redneck bastard can't save you. Look at him. He can't even hear you. Whats your plan now, sweetheart?" Sam whispered harshly in my ear. When he stopped speaking I could hear footsteps on the metal staircase leading up to the roof. Sam let go and acted like nothing was wrong just in time for the others in the group, plus a stranger, to emerge from the building.
"What the hell is going on?" Andrea asked, stopping next to Sam and I as the others rushed to where Merle was sniping.
"I don't know. We heard gun shots and came running," Sam told her. It was a graceful cover, as always.
The three of us made our way to the others, Sam holding my wrist so tightly his knuckles were white. Suddenly, T-dog was on the ground and Merle was beating the living hell out of him. Sam's grip on my wrist became lax and then tightened again. Even he knew he wasn't strong enough to take on Merle. I just had to get away from him.
Suddenly, Sam let go of me and rushed to help pull Merle away from T-dog. He must have thought his social input was more important than keeping me on a leash at the moment. Maybe he just wanted to show me he was stronger than Merle by stopping him. Whatever his plan was, it didn't work.
Merle was effectively pulled off T-dog, but once on his feet he went straight for Sam, who was just behind him. Merle grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and rammed him into the side of the building, tipping him precariously over the edge. I froze and my eyes focused on nothing but them. I could hear screaming around me, but it didn't register as anything but an annoying buzz in my ears.
"You think you can take ol' Merle, huh?" He laughed and my skin prickled. He pushed Sam slightly closer to the brink of falling. The newcomer started creeping up behind them and into my line of vision.