Hey y'all! I'm late again with an update, but today has been CRAZY! I wasn't anticipating everything that I had to get done today, but boy was I busy! Anyway, I'm not sure if I'll have an update for the other fic tonight, but I'll try. I wanted to get to this one first though because of the way that I left it! I hate leaving it hanging like that for so long! I'm so sorry y'all! Anyway, I hope this isn't too bad...like usual, my mind took me on a slightly different path than the one I had originally planned...
Please excuse any errors, I was in a rush to get this one done and the thoughts wouldn't slow down long enough for my fingers to catch up!
As Merle exited the guard shack to try and figure out what in the hell was going on, he was greeted with a sight that made his blood run cold. Half of the fence was blown up, pieces of twisted metal lying all over the prison yard. Dozens of walkers were pouring through the fences and it was then that Merle knew this had been a planned attack on the prison by yours truly: the Governor.
He turned towards the prison to find his brother and the other members of the group running in his direction. He walked over to Rick and Daryl swiftly. He didn't know where this bastard was or if he was even still there waiting in the shadows.
"What the hell was that?" Rick hissed. His eyes darted around in the dark as he tried to take stock of everything.
"There's a big portion of tha fence that's been blow ta pieces. We got bigger problems though. There's dozens o' walkers pourin' inside o' these fences as we speak. The only fence we got left ain't gon' hold fer shit once they pile up against it," Merle said.
"Fuck!" Daryl whispered. He motioned to the others. "Get tha kid's inside with Hershel! We need everyone else out here armed an' ready!" Daryl shouted.
The group dispersed quickly, each of them headed in a different direction to either scope out the area or to arm themselves. Rick was running a hand through his hair worriedly.
"Has anyone seen Beth?" Maggie called out, her voice sounding strained and worried.
Merle clenched his teeth, suddenly remembering where she was and the fact that there would be questions later about why she had been up there with him while he was on watch. He cursed inwardly and sighed, "She's safe. She's in tha guard tower," He called out.
Maggie let out a relieved breath and then paused as she contemplated that for a moment. Luckily for him, there was so much to be done that she didn't have time to dwell on it too much because Glenn came running up to her. They headed off towards the prison, their heads bent close together as they talked.
"We need ta get some stuff up against these fences. Last thing we need ta worry 'bout is walkers gettin' inside here. That happens an' we're fucked," Merle said to Rick.
Rick nodded, agreeing with him for once, "Yeah, you're right. Let's grab some of these pallets around the side. I think there's some cement blocks and loose bricks over here too," He said.
Merle and Daryl started to follow Rick around the side of the building when a flash of light and a much louder boom had them diving to the ground for cover. Merle felt the ground shake beneath him and he turned quickly to survey the damage. They had lost part of the fence that immediately surrounded the prison, the only thing left between them and the walkers.
"Holy shit," Rick cursed from behind them.
Daryl took off running around them and knifed a walker that had ambled a bit too closely to the damage, trying to make its way inside. "We gotta move it to tha inside. There's too damn many of 'em ta take in tha dark!" Daryl shouted out.
Merle's thoughts immediately drifted back to Beth who was still thankfully in the guard tower. He made his way through the rubble and paused when the door wouldn't open. He frowned and shoved his shoulder against it. It gave a little and he felt something heavy just behind it. His whole body tensed as he smelled smoke drifting down the stairs.
Maggie ran over behind him, "Is Beth still up there? I see smoke!" She yelled.
Merle pounded on the door, "Darlin'! Ya in there?" He yelled.
Behind him, he could hear the others taking down walkers, but he kept all of his attention on the door and the girl that was still behind it somewhere.
"Keep trying! I'll cover you!" Maggie shouted.
Merle nodded and swallowed, his blood laced with something akin to fear. He let out a sigh of relief as he finally heard her footsteps coming down the stairs. She was coughing and Merle was relieved that she was alive.
"Merle?" She called through the door weakly.
God, her voice cut him like a knife to the heart. She sounded so weak and slightly desperate that he found himself slamming his shoulder against the door even harder to get at her. He dug his boots into the concrete underneath him for traction and grunted as he put all his weight into getting the door open. Whatever was stuck behind it was jammed good though because it barely budged.
"Darlin' I need ya ta help me get tha door open so I can get ta ya, alright? Are ya hurt?" He asked through the door.
She let out a muffled sob, "I got burned," She said.
Merle sucked in a deep breath and tried to control the panic he was feeling at the moment. He leaned against the door, acutely aware of the sense of urgency and the fighting going on around him.
"What's blockin' tha door darlin'? Can ya see?" He asked.
He heard her shuffling around and she started coughing, "I can't see. Too much smoke," She coughed again.
Merle cursed, "Step back from tha door darlin', I'm gonna shoot it," He called through the door.
He listened until he heard her call out, "Okay."
He pulled his gun from his pocket and aimed at the door. He was no longer worried about making any noise to attract walkers. There were so many around already and so much noise that his shots wouldn't make a difference.
"Hurry up! We've gotta get inside!" Maggie yelled over her shoulder at him as she knifed a walker in the head.
He fired off three rapid shots and then cursed. He quickly looked around and spotted Rick with a shotgun. He ran over to the man and before Rick could even ask what he was doing, Merle traded guns with him. He ran back over to the door and shot two times, knocking a big gaping hole in the wood. He reached his hand through the hole for her.
"Take my hand!" He yelled.
She was coughing again and Merle was worried about smoke inhalation on top of the burns she said she had suffered. He waited impatiently until he finally felt her place her small hand in his and he pulled her through the hole. He paused once he had her out and grabbed the gun where he had leaned it by the door and held it in place with the crook of his elbow. She was still coughing deeply and he motioned for Maggie as he took off towards the prison.
Beth's eyes fluttered open and she glanced around wildly. She recognized that she was in her bunk on the inside of the prison. She tried to take a breath, but she couldn't quite catch enough air and she started coughing.
Hershel came hobbling in through the doorway and sat himself beside her on the bed. He reached for something on the table and held it out to her.
"Here sweetheart. Take a puff of this inhaler. It will help with the coughing," He said softly.
He rubbed her back as she grabbed the inhaler and pressed the trigger to release the short burst of air. She took several puffs from it and slowly she relaxed, falling back against the pillows.
"Daddy," Her voice came out horribly scratched and hoarse.
Hershel gave her a small smile and squeezed her hand before pressing a kiss to her fingers, "You're suffering from a little smoke inhalation Bethie. You've also got a second degree burn on your left side," He explained.
She moved her hands underneath the blankets that covered her until her fingertips felt the edge of the bandage that had been placed there. She closed her eyes against the tears that threatened to spill over. She felt her Daddy's hand on her cheek and she leaned into it, seeking comfort from his touch. Then she remembered the explosions and the walkers.
"Where are the others?" She winced as her voice came out more hoarsely than the first time.
"They're outside trying to reinforce the fence and clean up the bodies," He replied. She glanced around with a confused look and he went on to explain, "It's morning. I had to give you something to help you sleep through the night, honey. We've managed to clear out the walkers from the immediate area and we think the Governor might have left, but at least we didn't lose anyone," He said.
She let out a sigh of relief. Merle was still alive. She clutched her Daddy's hand to her chest and fought to get her emotions under control. The sound of a deep masculine voice clearing his throat made her eyes fly open and she sat up so quickly that she yelped in pain as the skin under her bandage pulled. She felt his hand on her almost immediately and he shushed her as he helped her to lie back down gently. His touch was warm and strangely comforting.
She took several deep breaths before her eyes opened and locked onto his. He looked thoroughly exhausted and stressed. She wanted to comfort him, but she didn't know how. She glanced over at her Daddy curiously. Something was different between them. She didn't sense any of the normal tension from before and she wondered what had changed.
Hershel pressed another kiss to her fingers and stood up, grabbing his crutches from the spot he had left them, "I'll let you two visit a bit," He turned to Merle. "Keep in mind that she need not talk much. Her voice is hoarse and we need to give her time to heal."
Merle nodded at Hershel and she watched in awe as her Daddy placed his hand upon Merle's shoulder briefly before heading out. When they were alone, Merle took Hershel's place on the bed and stared down at the floor. She ran her hand down his arm and tugged on his hand to pull it into her lap. She threaded her fingers through his and he finally turned to look down at their hands that were joined together. She expected him to pull away, but he didn't. She didn't know if it was because he didn't want to or because he felt sorry for her. Either way she would take it and they could figure it out later.
He let out a deep sigh, "It's my fuckin' fault yer lyin' in this damn bed," He said. She started to speak but he took his hand from hers and placed his finger to her lips, silencing her, "No. Ya don't get ta talk til' ya better." He leaned his head down and stared intently at the floor.
She placed her hand on his shoulder, wanting to touch him. He was so close, yet it seemed he was a million miles away from her at the moment. He didn't seem like his normal self and she wasn't sure if that was stemming from their obvious long night or something else. He stood up, his back to her. She could see the tension in his shoulders and back from where she lay and her heart ached for him.
"Well I jus' wanted ta see how ya were. I gotta get back out there..." He let his voice trail off.
"Stay," She flinched. She couldn't get used to how awful her voice sounded.
He didn't turn, but she could tell by the way he jerked slightly that he had heard her. He moved towards the door and then paused at the doorway, "I'll get Hershel fer ya," He said quietly and then he left the room, almost as quickly as he had entered.
She hugged her pillow to her and let the tears fall freely from her eyes then. The tears were soothing on her dry eyes and she welcomed the relief. Unfortunately that led to a coughing fit and she had to make a desperate grab for the inhaler, taking several more puffs to get herself under control again.
Maybe she was imagining things but it had seemed like Merle was saying goodbye to her. He had seemed so mellow and he hadn't even said much to her. She had been hoping for a kiss on the cheek or something, but she hadn't gotten anything. She sniffed and wiped at her eyes with the edge of her blanket. If Merle Dixon thought that he was going to just brush her off after all of that, then he had another thing coming.
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