Chapter Thirty-Two

Daryl's POV

While I was firing off rounds I was grabbed from behind and a bag was thrown over my head and my hands were tied. I tried to fight the person off but it was no use. I felt the person remove my bow and gun and I was being dragged off to another area. My heart was racing. I knew that these people were going to kill me. From the way Glenn and Summer looked I knew they were going to take no mercy. I was lead to an area and I could hear some guy, who I'm assuming was the governor, giving a speech. I kept trying to fight these people off but they were holding on tight.

"What can I say?" I heard this man say, "there hasn't been a night like this since the walls were completed and I thought we were past it. Past the days when we all sat huddle scared in front of the TV during the early days of the outbreak. The fear we all felt then, we felt it again tonight. I've failed you. I promised to keep you safe. Hell, look at me. Ya know, I…I should tell ya that we'll be ok, that we're safe. That tomorrow we will bury our dead and endure but I won't. Because I can't. Because I am afraid. That's right. I'm afraid of terrorists who want what we have. Want to destroy us. It's worse cause one of those terrorists is one of our own. Merle!"

When he said Merle's name my heartbeat quickened and I heard a bunch of murmuring. Clearly there was a crowd.

"A man I counted on, a man I trusted. He led them here, and he let them in. It was you, you lied. Betrayed us all," the man said and I was being led somewhere again finally we stopped and I continued fighting the people who were holding me off.

"This is one of the terrorists," the man said and I was grabbed by the arm and the bag was pulled off of my head, "Merle's own brother!"

He let me go and I just stared at Merle. I was confused and dumbfounded and I was also more than terrified. I wasn't one to show my emotions but I knew all of these things were plastered to my face as I tried to catch my breath and comprehend what was going on. We were standing surrounded by people in an area with two large blocks on either end and stadium lights lit around the perimeter along with some tall fire pits. It looked like we were in some kind of fighting arena.

"What should we do with them, huh?" this governor said.

I heard people shouting 'kill them' among other things. I was freaking out now. I just looked around at the people and over at Merle and tried to decipher what to do.

"You wanted your brother," the governor said to Merle, "now you've got him."

The crowd continued to get riled up and continued to shout for our deaths. I was fighting back tears because I knew what these people could do. I was thinking about Summer and Harry and it was taking everything in me not to break down. I looked over and saw Andrea running from the crowd. She was trying to fight for us.

"Philip don't do this!" she said, "He's my friend!"

"It's not up to me anymore," the governor said, "the people have decided."

"What!?" Andrea questioned and the governor turned to look at Merle while my hands were being untied.

"I asked you where your loyalties lie," the governor said, "you said here. Well prove it, prove it to us all. Brother against brother. Winner goes free. Fight! To the death!"

I was more than confused and Andrea kept pleading for him to stop this. I looked at Merle and Merle glanced at me and then turned to the crowd.

"Ya'll know me!" he shouted, "I'm gonna do whatever I've gotta do to prove!"

He sucker punched me in the gut.

"That my loyalty!" he shouted and kicked me, "is to this town!"

He kicked me again and by this point he was wailing on me. I finally got a punch in and he stumbled backwards. I got up and noticed people were bringing walkers into the arena on poles. I got up and charged at Merle but he threw me to the ground. I gripped his throat as he tried to grip mine with his one hand.

"You really think this asshole's gonna let you go?" I said.

"Just follow my lead little brother," he said, "we're gettin out of this. Right now!"

The two of us stood up and stood back-to-back starting to fight off walkers. Having no weapons was what was worrying me at this point. All I could do was punch the walkers in the head as hard as I could. In the midst of the fighting shots rang out. One of the walkers was shot in the head and everyone started screaming. Some one else was shot and then a flash bang landed in the middle of the arena. Rick. Everyone started to flee the area and Rick started shooting out the stadium lights. Merle and I were still trying to take down walkers as the smoke flared up. I heard Andrea calling for me but I didn't have time. I grabbed Merle by the arm and told him we needed to go. As we were running I saw a guy with my bow. I grabbed it from him and found Rick and Maggie and we started running. Trying to blend in with the crowd that was pushing it's way away from the commotion. We made our way to one of the perimeter gates.

"They're all at the arena, this way!" Merle said.

"You're not going anywhere with us," Rick replied.

"You really wanna do this now!?" Merle said and began to break down a part of the fence.

"Rick come on, we gotta go," I said once the fence was opened.

We climbed through and helped Merle kill some walkers and we all ran off in the direction of the car. As we approached it I heard Rick call out to Glenn and Summer.

"Rick!" Summer shouted, "oh thank god."

"What the hell is he doing here!" Glenn shouted and Michonne pulled out her katana.

Rick pointed his gun at her and Glenn was pointing his gun at Merle. While everyone else was trying to calm the situation down.

"He helped us get out of there, now drop it," I said to Glenn.

"Yeah after he kicked the shit out of you," Rick said.

"Hey we both got our licks in," Merle said.

"Jackass," I said to him.

Rick said it was enough and I shouted at Glenn to get the gun out of my face Merle chuckled.

"Looks like you're going native there brother," Merle said.

"No more than you hangin out with that psycho over there," I said getting in his face.

"Oh yeah man, he is a charmer I'll tell ya that," he said, "been puttin the wood to yer girlfriend Andrea big time baby."

"Andrea's in Woodbury?" Summer asked confused.

"Yeah, right next to the governor," I said.

Rick shouted at Michonne to drop her sword and asked her repeatedly if she knew Andrea and of course Merle had to stick his two cents in about Andrea and Michonne and their time together. I told him to shut up but he just kept talking. No one wanted to believe that Andrea was with the governor. We kept telling Merle to shut up and since he wouldn't Rick bashed him in the back of the head with his pistol. Glenn called Merle an asshole before walking away.

"Are you alright?" Summer asked approaching me slowly.

"I'm fine," I said, "got outta there in one piece."

"Good," she said and kicked some rocks on the ground shoving her hands in her back pockets as she looked down at the ground.

Her hair was a mess and her clothes were stained in blood and covered in dirt. Since we freed them from Woodbury this was the first time I actually looked at her. Her lip was split and bruises were starting to form around her right eye. There were cuts all over her face. I went to lift her chin and she winced.

"Who did this to you?" I asked her.

"Some guy," she said and shrugged, "Merle killed him after he saw what he did. But then the longer we were there…Merle hit me a few times too. I guess his special treatment toward me was frowned upon. At first he told nobody to lay a finger on me. But by the time Maggie, Glenn and I were brought together he had hit me. He's the one who did this to my eye."

Hearing her say that my blood started boiling. I wanted to kill my brother then and there but I couldn't, I knew I couldn't. He was a piece of shit but he was still my blood. I was conflicted. I knew he only hit Summer to cover his own ass. He never liked to look weak to people but at the same time I couldn't let him get away with doing this to her. I figured I would just deal with him on my own later. I went to pull Summer into a hug but she backed away from me. She looked scared as if she couldn't trust me or she was afraid of me. I had only seen her look at me like that once in my life and then she disappeared for two years. It was not a feeling I was comfortable with and it sure as hell wasn't something I wanted to become a habit.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked her.

"You," she said simply, "you wanted to just stay there and find your brother. I know that's why ya wanted ta stay there and lay down 'cover fire'. I ain't stupid, Daryl. How many times in the past ten years have you chosen Merle over me!? It's not like it was before all of this. We have a son, Daryl. A son who needs his daddy and he won't have one if ya keep runnin off like this tryin ta cover Merle's ass. It's either me or him and I ain't changin my mind about it. You pick."

I just stared at her dumbfounded and unable to think of anything to say. I never wanted to have to choose between her and Merle. I didn't ever think I would have to. I wanted to be able to be with both of them. They were the only family I had in this world and I didn't want to have to split them up.

"I'm gonna figure out a way to bring Merle back with us," I said to her, "and I ain't never chosen Merle over you, Sum. Ya gotta know that. You come first, ya always have."

She nodded and walked away and I knew she didn't believe me. Rick called us all together and I was gonna try and fight my case to bring Merle back with us.

"It won't work," Rick said.

"It's gotta," I said.

"It'll stir things up," Rick replied.

"The governor is probably already on his way to the prison right now," I retaliated, "Merle knows how he thinks and we could use the muscle."

"He's not coming to the prison," Maggie said.

"Think about this, do you really want him sleeping in the same cell block as Summer, Carol, Beth?" Glenn said.

"He ain't a rapist," I said.

"Well his buddy is," Glenn replied.

"They ain't buddies no more," I said, "not after last night."

"There's no way Merle's gonna live there without putting everyone at each other's throats," Rick said.

"So you're just gonna cut Merle loose and bring the last samurai home with us?" I questioned starting to get extremely frustrated.

"She's not coming back," Rick said with some finality.

"She's not in a state to be on her own," I piped up, "and she did bring you guys to us."

"And then she ditched us," Rick said.

"At least let my dad stitch her up," Maggie suggested.

"She's too unpredictable," Rick said.

"That's right," I said wanting to run on Rick's distrust of Michonne, "we don't know who she is. Now Merle, Merle's blood."

"No, Merle is your blood," Glenn said, "my blood, my family is standing right here and waiting for us back at the prison."

"And you're part of that family," Rick said putting a protective arm around Summer which just pissed me off, "but he's not."

"He's not?" I said getting heated, "man ya'll don't know."

Everyone just stared at me.

"Fine," I said, "we'll just fend for ourselves."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Summer said and started to cry.

"No man, that's not what I meant," Glenn said.

"Nah, you don't get it," I said, "no him, no me."

"Daryl you don't have to do that," Maggie said trying to soften me up a bit.

"It's fine, it was always Merle and me before this," I said.

"Don't," Maggie said.

"You're serious?" Glenn questioned, "You're just gonna leave like that?"

"And what about me, huh jackass!?" Summer said getting in my face, "What about your son!? Do ya not give a shit!? I guess I really never knew ya then. Love of my life my ass. I told ya ya had ta choose between me and Harry or Merle and I can see pretty fucking clearly now how much ya care about us. Ya know ya sure are a great role modle for Harry! Your dad walked out on you and now you're abandoning us! I should have expected this! I was a fool for ever thinking that you would actually be there for him. I was stupid to think that you would grow up and man up and be a fucking adult! So go! Go off with him! Have fun! And if ya ever decide ta come back lord help you."

"Say goodbye to your pop for me," I said pushing past Maggie and Glenn.

Summer ran up behind me and grabbed my arm. I turned to face her and she slapped me hard across the face.

"I hope you're fucking happy," she said and stormed off.

I continued walking in the direction where Merle was and Rick caught up to me. I could hear Summer crying and Maggie trying to comfort her but I was just trying to tune it out.

"Hey," Rick said, "hey! There's got to be another way."

"Don't ask me to leave him," I said and continued to walk, "I already did that once."

"We started something last night, you realize that," Rick said catching up to me again, "if he shows up he could kill Summer and Harry and everyone else. Do you not get that!?"

"What can I say," I said, "no him, no me. That's all there is to it."

I started gathering my things from the trunk of the car and packing it into my bag.

"Take care of yourself," I said to Rick, "and take care of lil ass kicker, and Carl. He's one tough kid."

I started walking into the woods and I turned around to face him.

"And uh," I said not entirely sure how to say what I wanted to say, "Keep an eye on Harry for me? He's, uhm, he's gonna need some kind of father figure."

"Daryl!" Rick shouted after me, "Daryl come back here!"

"Come on, bro," I said to Merle and he stopped me and walked over to Summer.

Summer's POV

As we were about to pack up everything and leave Merle approached me. I just stared at him in disgust.

"Ya shoulda known, sugar tits," Merle said with a shit eating grin, "you were just a long term lay for him, and Harry just happened to be an accident. I told ya from tha beginnin us Dixon's…we just fuck 'em and leave 'em."

Merle turned around and walked toward Daryl and my lip started to tremble. I felt my heart shatter into a million pieces. Is that what he really thought of me? I was just some girl to fuck the entire time we were married? The entire time we were together? I felt sick to my stomach and I doubled over and threw up next to the car. Rick came to check on me and helped me into the car so we could get back to the prison.

When we finally pulled up to the prison I couldn't stop the tears from flowing. I was upset and I was more than pissed off. I practically jumped out of the car and ran into the cellblock. I picked up Harry from Beth and went into our cell and when I saw one of Daryl's shirts sitting on the bed I began crying hysterically. Sensing my emotion Harry began to cry too.

"I'm sorry, sweetie," I said trying to calm down as I rocked Harry, "I don't want to tell you this but daddy, daddy left with your stupid uncle Merle and he's not coming back."

I finally got Harry to sleep and I cried silently to myself for what seemed like hours. Eventually I fell asleep. I was woken up a few hours later by Harry crying to be fed. Beth walked in the cell with Judith and a bowl of baby food for Harry. I smiled at her as she handed me the bowl and I picked up Harry.

"Daryl will be back you know," Beth said to me.

"I should have expected it, ya know?" I said, "He and I…he and I have broken up so many times because of Merle. I shouldn't have been so stupid to think he would come back here with me and not leave with Merle."

"He's going to come back, Summer," Beth replied, "He practically ran out of here to go get you when we found out you guys were taken. He's not going to just leave you and Harry. He wouldn't do that. He loves you. Both of you."

"I hope you're right about that," I said to her.

I finished feeding Harry and Beth went to talk to Carol while I sang Harry a lullaby. I was a few bars in before I realized I was singing him mine and Daryl's wedding song and I broke down all over again.