Chapter Fifteen

"Sophia?" Shane called, kneeling next to the tent flap. It was already hot at eight in the morning, and he could feel sweat beading along the nape of his neck. "Baby girl … please. Just come on out and we'll talk about it. You can ride in the jeep with me down to the lake and fill the water barrels. C'mon."

"Leave me alone, Shane. I don't wanna talk right now," she said dejectedly with a sniffle she wasn't quite able to disguise.

"Sophia, it was an accident. T-Dog didn't mean to drop the key."

He could hear her working the flap open, but he didn't expect the outright fury in her gaze as she poked her head out of the tent.

"And that's supposed to make me feel better? He's been chained to that roof all night with no food, no water, no shelter. How would you have felt if they'd done that to you, Shane?"

He averted his gaze. "I wouldn't have liked it one bit."

She crawled past him out of the tent and planted her hands on her hips. Sighing, she shook her head. "It was wrong. Despite how y'all feel about him, Merle's still a human being and deserves better. We need to go after him."

"What is this we business?" he scoffed. "You ain't going nowhere. Your mama would have a stroke."

Sophia narrowed her eyes, pinning him with her steely glare. "Daryl will go when he gets back. Rick Grimes just better hope Merle is ok."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about." He dropped down to his haunches, not wanting to have their conversation with him towering over her. "Rick's talking about going back, to cut Merle loose and bring him home."

"Really?" she asked, her lips turning up into a bright smile.

"You bet. Now you wanna come down to the lake with me or not?"

Sophia climbed into the jeep beside him and adjusted the bow on her back. "Shane? You might want to tell Rick to hang onto those cuffs when he lets Merle go. He's really not gonna be happy. Might be better to just bring him home and let me turn him loose."

Shane huffed a short laugh as he shifted into gear. "I think you're right."

*.*.*

"Look, look, look!"

Carol peered around him and squinted at the tiny bit of blood … on a rock protruding from the middle of another stream. How many damn streams were there on this mountain, and how was it he seemed to want to trek through every blasted one of them? The last one had been littered with so many algae-covered rocks, she'd slipped and landed in the cold water before Daryl had been able to help her. She was tired, hungry, and now she was soaked to the bone. She didn't give a damn if he'd picked up the trail of the doe he'd shot again.

"How can you even see it?" she grumbled.

He had a death grip on her elbow as they crossed the gently rushing water, not about to take a chance of her taking another swim. They'd already tracked the deer for what had to have been two miles. It was a good thing he helped support her at the rapid pace they were moving. To hell with the gym … just go hunting with a Dixon.

Unable to take another step, she freed her arm and leaned back against the nearest tree, her chest hitching painfully with each breath. "Daryl …"

He handed her the canteen and chewed at his lower lip. "Sorry. I forget you're not used t' such a pace."

"I just need a minute," she murmured, casting him a furtive glance to judge his mood. He seemed anxious, but when wasn't he? She was just glad he didn't seem angry with her. He had shown her a patience on this little trip she hadn't been aware he was capable of. She handed back the canteen. "Ok, I'm ready."

"You'll get better. Just pretend a pack of walkers are nippin' at your heels." He adjusted the grip on his bow and held a branch out of her way, so she could pass. "We're gettin' close t' camp."

Carol looked around in surprise. "This doesn't look like the way we came."

"S'not. We've come full circle. We'll come out towards th' rear of th' quarry rather than where we set out towards th' entrance," he explained. "Y' did good for your first trip out."

She felt a sense of pride in herself at his praise, something she hadn't felt in too many years to count. "You think so?"

He nodded, keeping his eyes on the bloody trail they were following. "You'd think she woulda bled out by now with three bolts in 'er."

"You'd think," she agreed, her feet aching as she trailed behind him. "If we can't find the doe, at least we have a mess of squirrels to stew."

"Stop." He smirked. "Y' know you'd rather have venison for dinner."

Carol's laughter died a quick death as a scream rent the air. "Oh, god, Daryl, that's Carl and Sophia!"

"C'mon, we're almost there."

*.*.*

Daryl held her back when she would have gone charging through the brush, making it clear he wouldn't let her rush headlong into unknown danger. He would go first. His gaze drifted slowly to her sidearm and Carol didn't hesitate to draw it off her hip, holding it at the ready. He stepped out of the thicket of trees, dismissing the men in their group as little threat, a curse bursting from his thin lips. "Sum'bitch!"

"Daryl!" Carol hissed, still waiting for his go ahead. He waved her forward and she gasped, seeing firsthand what had him so pissed off. "Well crap. There's a day wasted," she groaned. "Where are the children? Why were they screaming like that?"

Dale braced his axe against the ground and leaned heavily on it. "They found a walker feeding on your kill. Why is it even here? They never venture this far up the mountain."

"They're runnin' out o' food in th' city," Daryl growled, giving the headless walker a good swift kick with each word. "Fuck! We been trackin' that deer for miles." He gave it one more kick for good measure. "It was mine!"

Carol gasped as the head opened its eyes and snapped its rotten teeth, but Daryl was quick to but a bolt through its eye. She stumbled as Sophia came bounding up the trail and threw herself into her arms. "Mom!"

"Damn fine waste of a good deer," Daryl grumbled, heading off down the path towards the center of camp, sure in the knowledge his girls would follow.

Rick and Shane shared a look as Carol holstered the .45 and wrapped an arm around Sophia. One glance at the girl and they could tell the shit was due to hit the proverbial fan.

"Hi, baby. How'd it go while we were gone," Carol asked, her brow furrowing as she took in the worry etched on her daughter's face. "Where's Merle?"

She could hear Daryl up ahead of them calling for his brother. Sophia tugged on Carol's hand, forcing her to hurry. "It's a long story and I want Daryl to hear too. C'mon, Mom!"

"Merle! Get y' ugly ass out here. Carol's gonna stew up some squirrels," he called out as he neared their camp. "Merle."

Sophia hurried ahead and grabbed his hand, pulling him to a stop. "Daryl!"

He shot her a small smile which quickly morphed into a scowl. She didn't have to say anything; he knew by the tension radiating from her little body something had happened. His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Where's m' brother? He's s'posed t' be with y', Soph."

"He went on a run to Atlanta with a group and they left him there," she choked out, all in one long breath.

"He what?" Carol was sure they'd hear Daryl's outrage in the city. "Th' fuck he thinkin' when he's s'posed t' be here with y' … protecting you!?"

Sophia began to weep silent tears as she wrung her hands, unused to his anger being directed at her. "It's my fault, Daryl. He didn't want to go. I talked him into it, told him he needed to go to protect the others."

Carol wrapped a protective arm about Sophia's shoulders. "Did you say they left him?"

Sophia nodded. Shane finally stepped forward to join the discussion, which was a mistake, but one he knew he couldn't avoid with the hotheaded redneck.

Daryl whirled on him. "What's she talkin' about Shane?" he snapped. He backed up, putting himself between the former deputy and his girls, sending them into the shade cast by the RV where Andrea and Amy were watching and waiting for the fallout.

Shane kept a good distance, all too familiar with the hunter's hot temper and tendency towards violence. "There was a problem."

Daryl tensed, looking at the ground while he checked himself, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. "He dead? That why he was left?"

"Look, there's no easy way to say this. Merle was -"

"Did I ask you? I was talking t' Shane. Who th' fuck are y' anyway," he asked, catching the man in a sideways glance.

"Rick Grimes."

Daryl's eyes narrowed. Lori's dead husband. Huh, he thought. Ol' Shane couldn't be too happy about that. Good. He didn't like him either. "Rick Grimes … Y' got something' t' tell me? Fuckin' spit it out."

Rick held out a calming hand, thankful the man was at least going to listen to his explanation. "Your brother was a danger to us all. He had to be restrained … so I handcuffed him to a pipe on the roof. He's still alive."

Daryl wiped the sweat out of his eyes, the rage he felt, building in his chest. He heard the tiny whimper Sophia made behind him where she stood with her mother and it only made it worse. "Wait … Lemme process this. Y' handcuffed m'brother t' a roof … an' y' left him there!?" he yelled, watching the man flinch.

"Yeah."

That calmly uttered word broke him. As if it were just another day at the office for this man. He didn't hear the remorse, didn't see the guilt written clearly on his face. All he could feel was pain and loss and rage. Without a thought, he threw the stringer of squirrels at Rick and charged. He barely registered Carol's cry of warning before Shane tackled him to the ground, but he wasn't down and out yet. He palmed his knife and regained his feet, taking a swipe at the cop who had so little regard for Merle Dixon.

Rick deflected it, but that only made it easier for Shane to get the jump on him from behind. The deputy's solid forearm wrapped about Daryl's throat, pulling the hunter back and onto his knees. "Y' best lemme go!"

Sophia rushed forward and shoved Rick, her tiny hands striking the center of his chest with all the anger she'd been trying to control since they'd returned from Atlanta without Merle. "You leave him alone!"

"Sophia," Rick gasped, trying to regain his breath. She was stronger than she looked, and she'd taken him by surprise. "Let us handle -"

The cocking of a pistol cut him off. He looked to his right where Carol had circled around them. She'd made sure to choose an area where other members of their group couldn't sneak up on her and grab her from behind. His partner froze, the .45 leveled at his head.

"Really don't want to have to shoot you, Shane … but I will if you don't let him go," she said quietly. She held up a hand to Andrea as she took a step toward her, warning her off. "Right now, please."

Shane smirked, his grip still tight about the hunter's throat. "C'mon, Carol. You ain't gonna shoot nobody. Probably don't know the first thing about that weapon," he snarked.

She didn't hesitate. Her hand lowered and took aim at the dirt at his feet, her finger quickly curling around the trigger and firing. He jumped back so fast, he nearly fell over on his ass, his eyes wide. "I might've learned a thing or two."

Daryl rubbed at his throat as he unsteadily climbed to his feet. He nudged Sophia back behind him to stand with her mother who'd already put her gun away now that the playing field had been evened once more.

"I did what I had to do," Rick tried again to explain. "Your brother doesn't work and play well with others and he was putting everyone in danger."

T-Dog set down the firewood he'd been bringing back to camp and took a step towards Daryl. "It ain't all his fault, man. I was going to let him go, but I dropped the key."

"Y' couldn't've picked it up?!" he growled, his voice hoarse and raspy from the abuse to his throat.

T winced. "I dropped it in a drain."

Daryl shook his head in disgust. "How th' fuck did I end up with the biggest assholes at th' bottom of th' food chain," he grumbled to himself.

"Daryl," Sophia said, laying her hand on his arm. "T said he chained the door so none of the walkers could get at Merle. And Rick wants to go after him. He was just waiting on you and Mama before he left."

He looked down at her, at the worry in her clear blue gaze, and he felt his stomach churn to think of how she'd feel if Merle hadn't survived the night. Now he had another dilemma. How could he in good conscience leave her and Carol there with no one to watch over them.

"I'm gonna go too," T-Dog added. "I may not like your brother, but it ain't right he got left behind."

"Jus' tell me where y' left him. I don't need y'all taggin' along an' slowin' me down."

"You are not going alone," Carol gasped. "Absolutely not, Daryl."

He stepped into her personal space "He's m' brother, woman!" he snarled.

"He's our family too. You made sure of that," she hissed right back, her spine stiffening with newfound courage. "I'm not telling you not to go after him … just not alone." She bit her lip and glanced down at her feet. "You have to come back to us, Daryl. Let them help you."

He dropped his own gaze and took a deep calming breath, worry and fear for his brother still battling with the thought of leaving her and Sophia unprotected. "While I'm gone, y' are not t' go anywhere by yourself. Keep your friends close t' you. I mean it, Carol. An' don't stay in th' tent by yourself neither. Have a fuckin' slumber party or whatever it is y' women like t' do."

"I'll stay safe, Daryl," she assured him as best she could. She'd be worried about him the entire time he was gone, but she wouldn't add to his troubles by letting him see it.

When they reached the cube van, which they'd be taking in to Atlanta, Sophia wrapped her arms around his waist, clinging to him for all she was worth. "Please come back."

He brought a hand up to the back of her golden head and stroked his callused fingertips over her hair. "Don't you trust me?" he asked gently.

"Yeah. And tell Merle not to be mad at me for asking him to go." She still carried that guilt with her, and probably would until she saw him again safe and unharmed.

"It ain't you he's gonna be mad at, Soph."

Carol tucked her daughter close to her side and stepped back as Daryl went to climb into the back of the van. He paused as Rick and Shane approached, ignoring T-Dog and Glenn as they got into the cab.

"You watch my girls while I'm gone," the hunter warned in a menacing tone, stabbing Shane with a piercing glare.

Shane nodded, eyeing him nervously. "Yeah, man, sure thing."

Daryl leaned forward minutely, his voice filled with deadly promise. "If anythin' happens t' 'em … I mean anythin' … I will give y' a beat down that'll make th' devil 'imself sit up an' take notes."

Rick's brows disappeared somewhere around his hairline, and he made sure he gave Daryl a wide berth as he climbed into the van. He made a note to keep his distance until he could figure the hunter out.