Daryl
It would've been too damn easy. One shot to the head and he'd go down. No gettin' back up from that kinda hit, alive or dead. One good, clean shot to the head and our problems with the Governor would be done.
But then the rest of us would be done, too. His men would put us all down faster than the blink of an eye and then there was nothin' from stoppin' 'em from headin' to the prison and finishin' off everyone there. Includin' Charlie. I swallowed hard, tryin' to keep a level head. This was one of those times takin' the hard way 'round was better than the easy way.
"You look antsy."
I glanced over to see Hershel. Lookin' at me like he knew exactly what I'd been thinkin'. I shifted, leanin' back against the side of the barn wall. Rick and the Governor were just on the other side. Talkin', negotiatin', bullshittin'. These walls looked old and weak, but I still couldn't hear a damn word of what they were sayin'. "Just wanna get this over and done with. Tired of standin' around while the two of them decide the fate of the god damn world." I huffed. I looked across to the other side of the barn where the Governor's men hung back. A scrawny lookin' guy in glasses was scribblin' away in a notebook, and an arrogant lookin' Hispanic guy was puffin' away on a cigarette. Andrea had even tagged along and was pacin' the space between our two little groups like an anxious little puppy dog.
"Can't be too much longer now. I'm sure Rick's doin' what he can to keep all hell from breakin' loose." Hershel commented. He didn't sound at all worried, but I could tell by the look on his face he was just as keyed up as I was. We all were. I couldn't stop myself from eyein' up all the Governor's men and wonderin' which one of the bastards had laid their hands on Charlie and Glenn. Whoever he was, he best hope I didn't find out.
The wide barn door suddenly slid open and I straightened up. My knuckles were startin' to feel stiff from the iron grip I'd been keepin' on my crossbow this whole time. I stepped back and watched as Rick and the Governor stepped outta the barn. Rick's face looked grim. Like he'd just heard a whole lotta things he didn't like. The Gov, on the other hand, looked like they'd just had a business meetin' that had gone extremely well. It made my stomach clench and I was back to thinkin' about how easy it would be to take him down. We wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't for him.
I felt Rick's hand on my shoulder and tore my gaze away from the Governor to look at him. "Let's go, Daryl." He said quietly. I could hear the warnin' in his voice though. Remindin' me to stay cool.
I started walkin' away, but had barely taken a step when a voice stopped me dead in my tracks. "Hey. Crossbow."
I slowly turned back around, and I found myself lookin' at the Hispanic. He stubbed his cigarette out on the side of the beat up truck next to him before tossin' it to the ground. "Give Merle my best, would you?" He said, one corner of his mouth liftin' in a cocky smile. My eyes narrowed and my entire body tensed. "That girl, too. It was nothing personal, just business. Glad to hear she survived. She was a fighter."
I felt somethin' in me snap. I barely heard the sound of my crossbow hittin' the ground before I was launchin' myself at him. I heard the gasp that left his lungs and knew that I'd caught him by surprise. I had him on his back, my knees diggin' into the gravel on either side of him as my fist slammed into his face. Shootin' him would've been too easy. I wanted him to hurt. To feel pain. I wanted him to know what it felt like to piss me off. I wanted to hit him until he begged me to stop. Begged me to let 'em live. Begged me to forgive him for what he'd done to Charlie. To Glenn.
Arms were suddenly grippin' me around my shoulders and pullin' me off of him. I fought back at first, strugglin' to get a few more hits in. Then, there was a gun pointed at my face. I looked up to see the Governor, lookin' down at me with a sneer. Behind him, some of his other men were helpin' the Hispanic guy to his feet. I saw the blood smeared across his jaw, drippin' from his nose. If I hadn't had a gun in my face, I would've grinned. That asshole hadn't stood a chance. He didn't even get one hit in.
"You best keep your men under control, Rick. This one here's actin' like some sort of animal." The Governor said in a calm voice that didn't match the intense fury behind his eyes. I stuck out my chin and glared at him. Lettin' him know I wasn't scared. I saw Andrea behind him, hands over her mouth. Her eyes were wide. She looked horrified. What the hell was she doin' with these people?
"I'll handle my people, you handle yours. Sounds like your man over there has a big mouth." Rick answered from behind me and I knew it'd been him that had pulled me off.
The Governor lowered his gun. "Remember the deal. Tomorrow afternoon." He said before pivotin' on his heel and marchin' off back to his small fleet of cars. He climbed into the driver's seat of a dark blue colored jeep and I saw the Hispanic guy bleedin' in the front. He gave me a cold stare that didn't do much with all that blood on his face. The cars turned onto the road one by one and disappeared.
"Let's go home." Hershel said.
I picked up my crossbow from the ground and brushed past him and T-Dog. I threw open the backdoor of the SUV and slid inside. It was only when I was sittin' still that I realized my hands were shakin'. The red hot anger I'd felt only minutes before was slowly fadin', but some of it was still simmerin' under my skin. I felt almost sick when I thought about the guy and what he did to Charlie. The purple and green colored bruises still were still fadin' from her skin.
"You okay, man?" T-Dog asked.
"You heard what he said about Charlie." I grunted in response. I knew that goin' after him like that had been stupid, but all I could say was I hadn't been in control. Once those words left his mouth, I was gone.
"We all heard it." T-Dog shook his head. "I came pretty damn close to goin' after him too, but you was already there."
Rick and Hershel climbed into the front of the car before I could say another word. Rick was quiet as he started the car. "Rick, just so ya' know I didn't mean to lose control like that." I said, shakin' my head. "As soon as I heard 'em say that, though…" I trailed off.
Rick turned in his seat to look at me. "Don't apologize, Daryl. What you did was stupid, but what he did was worse. He should've kept his damn mouth shut…what he did ain't nothin' to be proud of." He said in a low voice. He sighed and turned back around. "Deserves a helluva lot more than what you did to him." He added in a mutter.
"He'll get his. Everythin' comes full circle." Hershel added as Rick pulled the car out onto the road.
It got quiet for a minute as we picked up speed, the trees outside the window flashin' past. The silence felt heavy, though. T-Dog crossed his arms over his chest next to me and I could see him eyein' Rick. We all wanted to know the same damn thing then. What the hell kinda deal did the Governor wanna make with Rick? Whatever it was, I knew it was nothin' good. I wasn't any good with this kinda tension. I sat in my seat, stiff as a board as I stared out the window and waited for somebody to say somethin'.
Finally, Rick cleared his throat. "The Governor wants to make a deal. He said he'll agree to leave us alone and let us have the prison in exchange for somethin'."
"That's bullshit." I snapped. "He has no damn right to the prison either way. We found it first."
"I know that, Daryl, but he don't think the same way the rest of us do. I've met men like him before. Won't stop at nothin' to take what they want, whether it's theirs to take or not." Rick said, his eyes flickerin' to the rearview mirror to look back at me. I scowled and looked away. Bullshit.
"What's he askin' for in exchange for this?" Hershel asked.
Rick was quiet a long minute before answerin'. It set me on edge, made my pulse speed up just a little. I caught myself leanin' forward to hear what he had to say. "He wants Michonne…and your brother, Daryl. He asked me to bring 'em both with me tomorrow and hand 'em over. Then he'll leave us be."
"No." The word left my lips in a hoarse whisper. "Not a chance in hell are we handin' my brother over to him, like some sorta prize. Hell no!" I gripped the seat hard in one hand and tried to catch Rick's eye in the mirror, to see the expression on his face. I'd be damned if I let that happen. The rage that had dulled was slowly bein' fired back up and I swore I could feel it boilin' inside me, threaten to spill over. "We are not handin' over my brother." I said through gritted teeth. I'd just gotten him back.
"Michonne's one of us now. She's proved that. We can't just pass her back over to him either." T-Dog added loudly. "And I know I'm not Merle Dixon's biggest fan, but he's Daryl's brother and that ain't right. These are people's lives, Rick."
"Don't you think I know that? But I gotta think about every option. I gotta do what's right for this group." He said harshly.
"Rick, think about this. You're a good man. You hand two of our own over and you're no better than him." Hershel spoke up, soundin' frustrated. I kept my mouth shut. I knew if anyone could talk Rick back, it was Hershel. "There's no guarantee he's gonna leave us alone either way. You can't make this decision. It's up to all of us, as a group. And I'm tellin' you right now, the answer's no. We find another way."
"What other way, Hershel? I don't see a whole lot of options. My two kids are in that prison…" Rick said quietly after a minute. His voice sounded ragged, broken.
"You ain't the only one that's got people you care about in that prison." I added, more words comin' out a little more cold than I meant them to be. Hershel had his kids, too. I had Charlie, and now I had Merle and Gabe to worry 'bout too. "Hershel's right. We talk to everyone else and we find another way. We ain't turnin' over anybody to that jackass." Even from where I saw in the backseat, I could see Rick's knuckles had turned white from how hard he was grippin' the steerin' wheel. I tried to put myself in his shoes for a second, to have that kinda decision sittin' on me. That's where Rick and I were different, though. I wouldn't even have to think about whether or not to give up my own people. You don't negotiate with psychos.
"Ya'll are right…I'm sorry. We stick together through this. It ain't up to me to make all the decisions for us. We call a meeting and we decide what to do as a group." Rick finally said, noddin' his head.
I felt myself let out a breath I hadn't even realized I'd been holdin' in and sank back into my seat. I still felt on edge, though. We didn't have a long time to make a decision. Once the Governor realized Rick hadn't taken his deal, he'd come to the prison and finish us off. He wouldn't hold back this time. I let myself sag against the window, my forehead pressed against the glass as I closed my eyes. I felt exhausted, drained. The last few days had been nothin' but one bad thing right after another and it looked like it was gonna be getting' any easier. I just hoped like hell that after this was all over and one with, maybe we'd finally catch a break. Maybe there'd finally be a little bit of peace.
When we finally made it back to the prison, I had my door halfway open when Rick stopped me. "Hold up a second, Daryl. I need to talk to ya'." He said, noddin' at Hershel and T-Dog to go on ahead. I shut the car door and settled back into my seat, waitin' to hear what the hell he had to say to me alone. I watched out the window as the other two disappeared inside the prison. "Listen, I'm sorry. It's no excuse, but I was keyed up. You have to understand that. I know that I never could've gone through with that. I wouldn't turn your own brother in, Daryl." Rick finally said. He had swiveled around in his seat to face me. "Deep down, I knew I wouldn't. I just want you to know that."
I nodded. "I get why you had to think about it." Still didn't make it right, but I could understand where he was comin' from. I know I'd do just about anythin' to protect Charlie, or anybody else I cared about.
He looked almost relieved that I'd accepted his apology. He ran a hand through his hair. "Thank you…I wanted to ask ya', though, if you could get Merle to talk to me. I wanna talk to him and Michonne personally, tell 'em about the Governor's deal. But there's also some stuff I wanted to ask your brother. About Woodbury. Anythin' I can find out that'll make us better prepared."
"I'll find 'em. He was there long enough to at least know somethin' worthwhile." I agreed. Plus, I knew full well that Merle would do just about anythin' to help take down the Governor for what he'd done to Harlow. Rick muttered a thanks to me under his breath and I nodded before jumpin' outta the car. I felt weighed down, knowin' full well we had a war on our hands no matter what we did. Least we had a little bit of time to get ready before the storm was knockin' at our doors.
I walked into the prison. The first thing I did was search the room for Charlie. I caught sight of her and Gabe, hoverin' around Hershel and T-Dog. Our eyes met and her face broke into a smile that just about took up her entire face. I felt the corners of my mouth turnin' up. That was always the thing about Charlie. Didn't matter what kinda hell was breakin' loose. Girl had a way of makin' the world seem okay again. She was across the room in half a second, arms around my middle. I wrapped my free arm around her shoulders, my other hand still holdin' onto my crossbow. I pulled her in close to my chest and pressed my lips to the top of head, breathin' her in. "You okay, girl?" I murmured quietly into her hair.
She nodded and stepped back, her eyes sweepin' my face. "I'm good. Now that I'm not pacing the prison worrying about you." She smiled a little. "How 'bout you?"
"'Bout as good as I can be." I said with a nod before bending my head and quickly brushin' my lips against hers. I felt her sigh against me, her fingers curling around her shirt. God damn, she made it hard to pull away every time. I forced myself to back away, though, knowin' full well we were still surrounded by other people even if they were too busy to look. I brushed her bangs outta her eyes. "Everythin' was good here?"
She averted her eyes to the ground, chewin' her lower lip. She took my hand in both of hers, her thumbs brushin' across the skin of my palm. "For the most part. Glenn and Merle got into it for a second but it broke up fast. They're both fine."
I shook my head. Leave it to Merle to pull that sorta shit. I knew he'd be extra on edge though. How could he not be, after everythin' he'd been through in the past two days? "Where's he at now?" I asked her.
Charlie didn't answer right away. She was studyin' my hand, her fingers brushin' across my knuckles now. I felt myself tense. I'd almost forgotten about what I'd done to the Governor's man…the skin on my knuckles was cracked and split. Some of his blood had dried on my hand. "What happened?" She asked quietly, lookin' up at me. Her eyes, big and brown, made it hard to look away.
"Long story. I'm fine." I grunted, pullin' my hand outta her grasp. Tellin' her what happened would only make her upset. "I'd better go find Merle. Rick needs 'em for a minute." I moved to walk away but Charlie grabbed my arm and tugged me back.
"Fine. But then you better tell me who the hell's face did this to your knuckles. You got that, Daryl Dixon?" She asked. I nodded. "Good." Her fingers curled around the front of my shirt again as she pulled me in and kissed me, her lips warm. She let go of me and stepped back. "I saw him head towards the boiler room."
"I'll be back in a few minutes." I assured her before headin' off towards the tombs. I walked quickly, wonderin' what the hell Merle was doin' hidin' out all the way back here. Nothin' good, that was one thing I could be sure of. I slowed down when I got closer to the boiler room. The door was cracked open and I could hear him inside, shufflin' papers and openin' and closin' drawers. Sounded like he was lookin' for somethin'.
I slipped quietly inside and made my way further into the room. He had his back to me. Sure enough he was tearin' the room a part. I narrowed my eyes, knowin' full well there was only one thing he could be tryin' so hard to find in a god damn prison. He wanted a way to get numb. A way for him to go away for a little while. I remembered him pullin' shit like that all the time when we were kids, especially when somethin' bad happened.
"What the hell you doin' in here?" I finally asked. I watched as he spun around, eyes wide. He hadn't been expectin' anybody to come after him. When he saw it was just me, though, he relaxed a little and shrugged his shoulders.
"Lookin' for booze. Didn't know ya'll were back yet." He answered.
Booze. I was willin' to bet my life he wasn't throwin' around this room lookin' for a little bit of liquor. "We just got back." I said shortly. I took another couple of steps and picked up a fistful of the papers before throwin' 'em to the ground. "You lookin' for drugs, Merle?"
He rolled his eyes which didn't do nothin' besides piss me off more. Now wasn't the time to be goin' around tryin' to get high. Not when we had all this other shit to worry about. "So what if I am?" He argued.
I glared at him. "I thought you were done with that shit." One good thing 'bout the end of the world, it made bein' a drug addict a little bit harder. All the good shit disappears fast, people guardin' their stash like gold.
He laughed and I felt my fingers curl into fists. He thought this shit was funny? "I'm only done 'cause I can't find anythin'. If I remember correctly, my stash was in my bike which ended up with you when I got left behind. If you still have my shit, though, I'd be glad for ya' to hand it over." I watched as he held out his hand, like I just magically happened to have all his drugs in my pockets and was ready to hand 'em over.
I shook my head. "I got rid of all that crap." I sneered at him. Saved what was useful and dumped the rest. "Now ain't the time anyways."
"It's a perfect time. My head needs to go away for a little while. Unless you've already forgotten, Harlow was murdered and buried yesterday." His voice was slowly buildin', getting' louder and angrier. I held my ground. "So fuckin' exuse me, Darlina, if I need somethin' to help me stop thinkin' about it!"
His voice bounded off the walls and I cringed a little at his words. I didn't know how he felt. I didn't know that sorta pain. For a second, I let myself think that maybe Merle was stronger than I gave him credit for right now. He was still on his feet at least and I couldn't say where or what I'd be doin' if I'd lost Charlie. I looked at him hard, though, and made myself remember all the time he'd been fucked up and high. How useless he'd be in that kinda state. "Rick wants to talk to you." I said, ignorin' every word he'd just said. He didn't need my pity. He didn't want that and I didn't want to give it. "The Governor wants to make a deal." I'd let Rick tell him the details. I hoped when he did, though, that Merle would know I'd been the first one to argue. That I was willin' to stand against my own people to keep his ass safe.
Merle scoffed. "Like hell he does. He wants ya'll to think he wants to make a deal so he can conveniently forget his half of the bargain and do what he wants anyways."
I shook my head. "Just come talk to Rick."
Merle glared at me hard before lettin' out a loud sigh. "Fine." He spat. He tore past me outta the room and I jogged after him to keep up.
I finally fell into step with him, though, as he stormed down the corridor. We were both quiet and I knew he was pissed. Maybe less at me and more at the world, but still pissed. I'd never seen him like this, though. I could tell by lookin' that he was barely holdin' it together. I grabbed his arm, slowin' him down just as we reached the cellblock. He stopped with me, brushin' off my hand. "I ain't gonna tell Rick what you were doin' back there. But you know as much as I do that gettin' fucked up ain't gonna solve nothin'. When you crash, everythin's just gonna feel that much worse."
He gave me a long look and even though he didn't say nothin', I knew that somewhere inside him he could tell I was right. He finally turned away, though, and headed towards Rick who was waitin' by the door. I watched him go before lettin' out a sigh of my own and headin' across the room. Back to Charlie.
"What's all that about?" She asked when I got closer.
I shook my head. "Rick's gonna explain everythin', I promise. He just wants to ask Merle a little bit more about the Governor and Woodbury." I told her.
She pursed her lips, but nodded. She glanced over at Gabe before grabbin' my hand and tuggin' me after her outta the room. We walked past the cells on the first floor, slowin' down when the voices from the cellblock disappeared and we were alone. "So? Who'd you hit?" She asked, leanin' back against the wall. She had a small amused smile on her face, but her eyes looked worried.
I shook my head and rested my back against the wall opposite her. "It's nothin'." I muttered. I already could feel the familiar anger startin' to coil inside my stomach again when I thought about that jackass. From here, I could still see the shadowed bruises on her face though they were slowly startin' the fade. He did that to her. I ground my back teeth together, tryin' to hold back how I was feelin'. Charlie was stubborn as hell, though. I knew that better than anyone.
"It's not nothing. Come on, Daryl." She said softly, tiltin' her head to one side so her hair covered her shoulder. She closed the space between us, takin' my bruised hand in hers.
Before I could think twice, I reached out and carefully trailed my fingers down her cheek. She winced slightly where the skin was still tender. "He mentioned you." I finally said. "That god damn bastard that did this. He said somethin' about you and I lost it. I went after him, Charlie. Got a few good hits in before Rick pulled me off."
I watched as he eyes widened. Her mouth opened like she wanted to say somethin', but nothin' came out. Like she didn't know what words to use. She closed her mouth again and swallowed hard. "You are an idiot, Dixon." She breathed, shakin' her head. My eyebrows shot up in surprise. It hadn't been the reaction I'd been expectin', but then again I didn't really know what to expect. She leaned against me, shakin' her head again and my arms came up to wrap around her waist. "God, you idiot. You could've gotten yourself killed because of me! You're lucky they didn't shoot you dead for that!"
My fingers gripped her waist and I pushed her back a little so I could look at her face. "I know, Charlie. I know it was stupid but once he let out who he was, I couldn't just walk away. He almost killed you. He's the reason I almost lost ya'." I said quickly.
She shook her head as she looked up at me. "You're so stupid, but I love you." I was caught off guard when Charlie suddenly pressed herself up against me and kissed me hard. I stumbled a little but caught myself against the wall. Her shirt rose up as she lifted her arms to wrap them around my neck and my fingers grazed the bare skin of her lower back. "Please don't get yourself killed for me." She said against my lips when she finally pulled away.
"I ain't tryin' to get myself killed. I'm tryin' to keep us both alive the best I can." I assured her quietly. "That's why I didn't wanna tell ya' what happened. I knew you wouldn't like it."
She let out a sigh. "I'm glad you told me…It just makes me worried, thinking about you doing something that might get you in trouble. But for the record, I don't like that you went after him but since you did, I'm sort of glad you got at least a few good punches in."
A smile played across my lips. "Me too." I pressed my lips against her forehead. "I love ya' too, by the way."
She didn't say another word, instead just laid her head against my chest, tucked underneath my chin. It was only times like this when I realized how small she actually was. I felt like if I squeezed her too tight, I might just break her. I knew that was pretty damn far from the truth, though. She was a tiny, little thing but she was tougher than most people I'd ever met, stronger and smarter too. She was more than capable of handlin' herself, but that didn't do a damn thing to damper my constant need to protect her, to keep her safe.
I felt her shoulders shrug as she let out a quiet sigh. "Probably should go back now. I'm sure Rick has a lot to say."
The seriousness of it all suddenly was back to restin' on my shoulders as I thought about Rick's meetin' with the Governor. About the deal he tried to make. About the fight that was about to be brought back to our doorstep for the second time. "Let's go then." I mumbled.
Charlie pulled away, her hand slidin' down my arm to grasp my hand. She was lookin' up at me, big, brown eyes full of worry still. I could tell she knew just by lookin' at me that what Rick had to say wasn't any good. "We'll be okay, Daryl." She said quietly. "No matter what happens. We'll survive whatever gets thrown at us."
I nodded. "I know."
She gave me a soft smile and leaned forward, pressin' her lips against mine for a quick second before pullin' away. She dropped my hand then and led the way back to the corridor that would take us to the cellblock. When we finally got here, everyone else was already sittin' around and waitin'. Everybody but Merle. I didn't think too much on it. He wasn't one for meetin's and all that shit. Not exactly a team player. I just hoped he'd get his head right and be there when we needed him.
"Was just about to come lookin' for you two." Rick said quietly as Charlie and I took a seat, next to her little brother. He cleared his throat, lookin' across the room at all of us gathered there. He looked worn down, but sane. I just hoped like hell this time his sanity was here to stay. "The Governor tried to make a deal with me today, in exchange for peace. The price, though, was two of our own. Merle and Michonne." His words settled into the quiet, reboundin' off the walls. My eyes found Michonne, leanin' up against a wall in the corner. Her mouth was set into a tight line, but her expression didn't give nothin' away. If she felt anythin' at all about bein' a part of the Governor's list of demands, the woman didn't show it. I looked back at Rick. "I couldn't do that, though. I couldn't sacrifice two of our own for the greater good, because we are the greater good. I'm not your Governor. We choose to go. We choose to stay. No matter what, we're in this together."
Silence followed his words and I felt a sudden rush of respect for the man standin' up in front of us. He'd gotten us this far. I knew without thinkin' twice that I'd stand behind him no matter what. Suddenly, Glenn stood up from the other side of the room. He shifted nervously as all eyes landed on him.
"In that case, I think I have a plan. I don't know if it'll work or not, but it's better than just running away." He said in a quiet, but steady voice. "This is our home. I say we fight for it." Murmurs of agreement echoed through the room.
"Let's hear this plan of yours then, Glenn." Rick nodded before steppin' back and takin' a seat next to Hershel.
"We know he's going to come here for us after Rick doesn't show up tomorrow. After the hit we took last time, I think he expects us to run. To get as far away as we can." Glenn began. "So why not make it look like we did leave? But when they least expect it, we'll be here waiting."
"An ambush." Charlie said from next to me, soundin' almost breathless with excitement. "We let them lead themselves into an ambush. Glenn, you're a genius!"
Glenn smiled, lookin' almost relieved that somebody else thought his plan was a good one. "Exactly! We have some smoke bombs left we can use to confuse them in the tombs. Maybe we could set off the alarms too."
"That would get that walkers riled up, too. We could let them take out of a few of the Governor's guys." Maggie said with a nod.
"Right. We should pack up everything onto all those busses sitting at the back of the compound. Hershel can hide out there with Carl and the baby. That way also if anything goes wrong, they can make a quick getaway." Glenn finished. Charlie wasn't the only who looked hopeful and excited now. Everyone else was buzzin'. Hell, it was the best plan we'd had in a while. I felt the weight lift off my shoulders a little, tiny bit. Maybe we'd get outta this after all.
"That's a damn good plan." Rick agreed. "We should start gettin' it together now, though. We don't know exactly when he's gonna show up here, but we should be ready. We gotta war to fight."
War. Wasn't a word anyone took too kindly too, but as I looked around the room at our group, I could feel the energy. Maybe we weren't much. Maybe the Governor had more people, more weapons. But we had a lot he didn't had. We weren't just a group. We were family. Glenn was right. This concrete hell was our home and we weren't gonna run away from some jackass and his halfass army of strangers. We were gonna fight.
The plan started to fall into place. The rest of the night was full of plannin', organizin', and gettin' our hands on every single smoke bomb this place still had hidden inside. When it felt like everythin' was done, a weird sort of calm settled over everyone. More like a nervous calm. It felt like a last stand almost. I think we all just felt good to be doin' somethin', instead of runnin' and hidin'. When I finally got to bed, I was out before my head even hit the pillow.
In the mornin', though, I woke up with a bad feelin'. It didn't help that Charlie was shakin' me awake, lookin' 'bout as pale as a ghost.
"What's wrong?" I asked groggily, sittin' up.
She sat back, lookin' at me almost fearfully. "It's Merle." She said slowly. "He's missing...normally not something to worry about, but Rick's map is gone. The one that had the meeting place on it with the Governor."
I was suddenly wide awake, like a switch had been flipped. I jumped up outta the bed and started pullin' clothes on. I felt Charlie watchin' me anxiously, arms wrapped around her middle. "He went after the Governor." I muttered in disbelief. How had I been so damn clueless? I knew he wanted to be the one to kill 'em, but I hadn't thought about what he might do after he found it the Governor wanted him personally. Of course he'd go. Whether the rest of us agreed to it or not.
"When you all left yesterday, he tried to go after you…I talked him out of it. But this, going alone. It's a suicide mission, Daryl. He won't live through it." Charlie said. I turned around to face her, pullin' my shirt over my head and caught the look of realization suddenly dawn on her face. "He doesn't want to survive it."
"Why the hell would you say that?" I snapped at her, a little louder than I'd meant to and I felt bad when I saw her flinch a little.
"Think about it, Daryl!" She said quickly, standin' to her feet. "He just lost Harlow…she was basically the love of his life. Why would he want to keep living without her?"
"He still has me." I muttered under my breath. It wouldn't be the first time he'd left me behind, though. You'd think I'd be just to comin' in second with him. My own brother.
Charlie's face fell and she stepped forward, grabbing both of my hands in hers. "I know that, but think about it. If it had been me instead of Harlow, what would you do in his situation?" She asked.
I got quiet. It wasn't somethin' I wanted to think about ever. A world without Charlie. My life without her in it all over again, 'cept for good. I averted my eyes to the ground, but I knew my silence was enough of an answer for her. "I gotta go after him. Maybe I can stop him, talk 'em outta it. Least try to get him to come back."
Charlie looked like she wanted to argue. Hell, I expected her too and even started to come up with an argument in my head. Instead, she sided with me. "Okay. But I'm coming."
"Like hell you are! You ain't comin' with me to stop my brother on his suicide mission!" I protested.
"Stop!" She shouted suddenly, her voice echoin' loudly off the walls. It shut me up right quick. "I'm tired of you watching you leave. I care about Merle, too. I want to help and you need back up. I'm coming and there's not a damn thing you can do to stop me." She crossed her arms over her chest then, juttin' her chin out at me and I knew the argument was done. Ain't no arguin' with somebody as stubborn as her.
"I wish you'd stay here." I said softly.
"I know you do. But I'm coming so let's get going." She said before givin' me a swift kiss on the lips. She grabbed her gun from the desk and tucked into the waistband of her jeans before grabbin' her baseball bat from the wall.
"Haven't seen you take that thing out in a while." I commented quietly.
She gave me a half smirk. "I feel like bashing some zombie brains in today." Then, she was headin' outta the cell and leavin' me to chase after her. "We should hurry, he's probably got a few hours on us at least!" She called behind her. I grabbed my crossbow and followed. She slowed to a stop, though, when we got into the common area, turnin' to look at me. "I'm gonna talk to Gabe…he probably won't like me going. You tell Rick and meet me at the car."
I nodded, wonderin' when she started givin' orders but there wasn't any time for arguin'. I found Rick and one look from him told me he knew exactly what we were plannin' on doin'. "We have to at least try to bring 'em back. He's my brother, Rick." I said earnestly. "I couldn't live with myself if I didn't at least try."
Rick sighed, but nodded. "I knew as soon as I saw the map was gone somethin' was wrong. It wouldn't be like you to not go after him. Just be careful, all right? Hurry back as soon as you find him." He clapped me hard on the shoulder. I nodded my thanks at him and looked around the room for Charlie. Gabe was lookin' dazed in his chair, starin' at the prison door. No doubt worried about his sister.
I stopped next to him on my way out. "I'll take care of her, Gabe. Don't you worry, she's comin' back alive." I said to him under my breath.
He let out a shaky breath, lookin' up at me. Same eyes as his sister. "Thanks, Daryl…bring Merle back too."
"I'm sure as hell gonna do my best." I told him. Then I was across the room and out the door. I blinked in the bright blindin' sun. Didn't feel right for it to be such a nice day when all this shit was happenin'. God damn it, Merle. Why the hell did he have to be such a reckless son of a bitch? I slid my crossbow over my shoulder as I headed towards the cars, the gravel crunchin' under my feet.
I came around the corner and caught sight of Charlie, hunched over and leanin' against the door of one of the SUVs. I felt my stomach drop and I quickened my step. "You alright, baby girl?" I asked when I finally reached her. She looked even paler than she had earlier, which made me wonder if it was more than just her bein' worried about my dumbass brother. She was takin' in slow, deep breaths but managed to nod. I swept her hair over her shoulder so I could get a better look at her face.
"I'm fine." She finally managed to get out. She took one last deep breath and straightened up. "Just felt a little sick for a minute. Too many bad things happening at once."
I felt a wave of anxiousness wash over me. "You should stay here then. The last thing we need out there is you crappin' out. You can't help me bring Merle back if you ain't feelin' right." I said worriedly. I brushed her bangs off her forehead. She felt clammy.
She knocked my hand away and scowled at me. "Not a chance in hell. It's passed now anyways. I told you, it's just everything that's happening. Nothing to worry about. Let's go." I jumped outta the way as she pulled open the door and slid inside the car.
I shook my head as I looked at her behind the glass. I hoped she wasn't lyin'. I needed her to be okay, for her sake and for mine. I walked around to the other side of the car and hopped in. I turned over the engine before givin' her a look. "I swear, you're getting' more and more stubborn by the day, girl." I huffed.
She rolled her eyes. "Just drive, Dixon. Let's go get your brother." She shot me a small smile all the same. I stepped down on the accelerator and the car shot forward.
Merle, you best be alive when I find you.