Hey y'all. Short chapter here. It's been crazy around here today. I'll be getting back to the other fic shortly so don't fear. This needed to get out. More notes at the end.
Beth was done. Done.
She had lain in bed all night trying to figure out how to handle the situation with Merle. He hadn't come by her cell and she hadn't gotten any sleep at all. She tried to understand what might be going through his mind, but she honestly didn't know what to do about any of it. He seemed to think that he wasn't any good with relationships. Well neither was she, but she was willing to give it a try. He seemed to only be concerned about having sex with her and she wanted more than just that from him. He seemed to feel something for her, but he wouldn't come out and say what it was that he was feeling. He kept trying to distract her by touching her and it worked because she melted like butter every time he did it. But she was done with all of that and today she was going to tell him. He was either in it or not.
Finding him though was proving slightly more difficult than she had figured it to be. He wasn't outside with the others and she didn't see him in the cell block anywhere. Finally she approached Carol who was sorting through their stockpile of food, "Have you seen Merle?" She asked.
Carol glanced up at her from her position on the floor and then pointed towards the tombs, "He mentioned something about the library just a bit ago. He hasn't come back through yet though," She said. "Everything okay?"
Beth nodded, "Yeah, everything's fine. I just need to talk to him," She said. "Thanks Carol."
Carol smiled at her, "You're welcome," She replied as Beth entered through the doorway into the tombs.
She didn't really like coming back here alone because it was so dark and gloomy. The overall vibe of the long, dark, hallways made her more than a little skittish. She moved quickly down the hallway until she came to the door to the library. She slowly opened it and walked inside looking for him. She hadn't really visited the library and she was surprised at all of the books that it held.
"Lookin' fer someone?" That rough voice that rocked her soul drawled.
She turned and sucked in a breath. Of course, he just had to be looking good in a black tank and jeans as he leaned against one of the bookshelves. He had a book in his hand and she glanced towards it curiously.
"I didn't know you read," She said.
He shrugged, "Assholes can't read?" He asked sarcastically.
He smiled slowly and she felt herself smile in response. She crossed her arms and shook her head at him, "What are you reading?"
His eyes traveled the length of her and she shifted. He sucked his teeth, "That ain't what ya came here ta talk 'bout. So spill," He said.
She sucked in a breath and was about to speak when they heard a very audible bang from down the hallway. He was standing up straight instantly and the book lay forgotten on top of the shelf as he made his way silently towards her.
"Anybody back here when ya came?" He asked softly.
She shook her head, "No. The others are all outside. Carol was in the kitchen but I doubt she would come this far," Beth whispered.
Merle went to the doorway and peeked his head out. Unconsciously she moved closer behind him until she was just barely touching his back. The warmth radiating from his body comforted her. They heard another sound, more faint this time and Merle reached behind him with his hand to keep her back from any dangers. Just the touch of his hand had her mind reeling and she fought with herself for control. He removed his hand and she saw him slip inside the waist of his pants and pull out a handgun. He turned back to her for a second, his expression tense and serious.
"I'm gonna go check this shit out. Stay ya ass here til' I get back," He ordered.
"Let me come with you. I can help," She insisted.
He pinned her with an angry stare, "Do as I say," He hissed and turned around to slip down the hallway silently.
She moved forward slightly and peered around the doorway until she could just make him out in the hallway. She watched him glance into a couple of rooms and then he paused at the corner and peered silently around the wall. He turned and then silently vanished around the corner and she leaned her weight against the doorway with a sigh. She remembered the book that Merle had placed on top of the bookshelf and she turned to go and see which one it was, but was stopped by the cold metal of a gun barrel pressing into her temple. She heard the audible click of the safety going off and she closed her eyes for a second, not daring to even breathe.
"Check her for weapons," A voice ordered quietly and Beth was slammed against the wall while two hands patted her down. They took both of the knives that she had, but thankfully she didn't have her gun on her. One of the hands groped her breast and she flinched and tried to buck away from them, but they just increased the pressure to hold her in place.
Her heart was pounding and she wanted to call for Merle, but she didn't dare. Calling out could attract other unwanted attention if there were walkers lurking about. She also didn't want him being dragged into this...whatever it was that was going on. Rough hands grabbed her wrists and pulled them tight behind her before binding them together with some kind of plastic tie.
She heard them speaking softly behind her, "What about the man? He wasn't part of the deal. If he comes back..." The voice trailed off.
"Shut up! If he comes back before we get out of here, we take care of it just like boss said to do. Hopefully those walkers will keep him busy for a bit and this shit will be even easier than we anticipated," A second voice whispered.
She was pulled back against a male chest and a thick arm wrapped around her throat as they forced her to walk down the long hallway. Her eyes darted around frantically, searching for Merle. They hadn't went very far before the man walking to her left was suddenly snatched into a dark cell and the man holding her tightened his grip and backed against the bars of the cell on the opposite wall. She felt the tip of his gun pressing into her head again. There were sounds of shuffling coming from within the cell and then all grew quiet. Beth could feel the man behind her breathing heavily on her neck.
Several minutes passed before Merle stepped into the doorway of the cell, his expression more deadly than she had ever seen before. She had never seen him look so cold and distant even when he had been angry with her. He held the gun up and pointed it at the man.
"What did you do to my friend?" The man holding her asked.
Merle's lips quirked up into a twisted smile that sent shivers through her body, "Tha same thing I'm gonna do ta you," He said quietly. "Let tha girl go. We don't need 'er. We can settle this like men."
The man holding her scoffed, "I'm not stupid. I let her go and you're gonna shoot me. I have orders to fill."
"What kinda orders?" Merle asked.
"That's none of your business," The man replied. His hand traveled down to her breast and she jerked beneath him. "Don't move or I'll blow your fucking brains out," The man whispered by her ear.
Her eyes darted up to Merle's, but he was still staring at the man intently. His jaw had developed a slight twitch, but other than that he remained motionless.
"The Gov'nor sent ya, didn't he?" Merle asked.
"So what if he did? I'm getting myself a nice bonus out of this. I get first dibs with the girl here," She felt his hand slide beneath her shirt and his grubby fingers pinched her nipple making her yelp in pain. "And I'm going to enjoy every minute of it too."
Something flashed in Merle's eyes and he chuckled before his expression grew cold once again, "Fuck you," Merle said.
She heard the walker a split second before it reached through the bars of the cell and grabbed the man behind her. His arm loosened its hold around her neck as he gasped and she took the opportunity to bring her foot down on his hard. She ducked and managed to slip through his now loose hold as a gunshot rang out.
"Fuck!" Merle yelled out and she heard another gunshot before he ran over to her.
She looked at him curiously as he lifted the edge of her shirt and squinted in the dim light coming through the dusty windows. "What are you doing?" She asked.
His jaw was tight as he ripped his shirt over his head and began to wind it around her belly tightly. The instant pain that tore through her body had her crying out. She glanced down to see bright red blood seeping through her shirt. Her eyes drifted back up to Merle's to find him staring at her with something close to terror. A sharp pain radiated throughout her body and her eyes rolled up into her head as Merle moved to catch her with a muffled curse.
Don't kill me! I know I ended it at a horrible spot, but there's too much that needs to be written for the next part and I didn't want to keep y'all waiting. If I hadn't ended it here, it definitely would not have been out tonight! So I'm sorry for the short chapter and sorry for the cliffhanger. I'll do my best to have an update for y'all tomorrow. I've got another semi busy day so it may be a late update again. Sorry for that! Anyway, let me know what you think about this one! This is actually my second attempt on it because I didn't think the first one fit and y'all really would have killed me for that one!
Review?