Chapter Thirty-Three

Daryl's POV

After Merle rejoined me we started heading into the woods. We were walking for a few miles in silence before we started talking. And once we started talking it was awkward because I hadn't seen him in months and I was constantly worrying about if my decision to go with him was the right one. I had basically just blatantly lied to Summer by telling her she always came first and then up and left with Merle. But that was always how it was with us, we were always looking out for each other. We walked in silence for about a mile and passed some empty houses. Finally I couldn't take the awkwardness anymore.

"Man, there ain't nothin out here but mosquitoes and ants," I said.

He looked over at me and laughed.

"Patience little brother," he said, "a squirrel's bound to scurry across your path."

"Even so, that ain't much food," I replied moving some of the brush around with the toe of my boot trying to pick up a trail.

"More than nothin," Merle replied and walked further ahead of me.

"We'd have better luck going through one of them houses we passed back on the turn off," I said absentmindedly.

"IS that what your new friends taught you?" Merle said stopping in his tracks, "Hm? How to loot for booty?"

"Man we've been at it for hours," I said stopping as well, "Why don't we find a stream? Look for some fish?"

"I think you're just trying to lead me back to that road man," he said pointing his finger at me, "Get me over to that prison."

"It's shelter, food, a pot ta piss in," I said and continued walking, "Might not be a bad idea."

"To you maybe," he said catching up to me, "It ain't gonna be no damn party for me."

"Everyone will get used to each other," I said trying to ignore him.

"They're all dead," he said and I slowed down, "It makes no difference."

"How can you be so sure?" I asked him trying to keep my voice steady, I hadn't even thought of the possibility that the governor would attack so quickly.

"Right about now he's probably hosting a house warming party," Merle said and my brain went haywire, "where he's gonna bury what's left of your pals."

I stayed silent. What if Merle was right? What if I finally did lure him over there and the place was in ruins? I was starting to feel sick to my stomach. I promised her I would never let anything happen to her and here I was basically leaving her vulnerable and leaving her safety, our son's safety, in the hands of other people. I tried my best to keep my face blank and walk at a steady pace even though I felt like I was going to black out at any moment. Merle seemed to notice my silence and how upset I was getting and tried to lighten the mood.

"Let's hook some fish. Come on, " he said, "smells to me like it's the Sawhatchee Creek."

"Nah," I said finally finding my voice, "we didn't go west enough. If there's a river down there it's gotta be the Yellow Jacket."

"Ya have a stroke boy?" Merle questioned me, "We ain't even gonna come close to Yellow Jacket."

"We didn't go west," I said challenging him, "just a little bit south. That's what I think."

"Know what I think?" he said and scoffed, "I may have lost my hand, but you lost your sense of direction."

"Yeah, we'll see," I said.

"What do you wanna bet?" he asked.

"I don't wanna bet nothin," I snapped back at him, "it's just a body of water. Why does everything gotta be a competition with you?!"

"Woah, woah," he said putting his arms up, "take it easy little brother. Just trying to have a little fun here. No need to get your panties in a bundle."

I was about to retaliate when I heard what sounded like a baby crying. My immediate thought was that Summer had left the prison to come after me but I quickly pushed that thought aside, she was more than pissed that I left.

"You hear that?" I asked Merle.

"Yeah," he said, "wild animals getting wild."

"No, it's a baby," I said simply.

"Oh, come on! Why don't ya just piss in my ear and tell me it's raining too?" Merle responded, "That there's the sound of a couple coons making love, sweet love. Know what I mean?"

I ignored him and went in the direction of the sound. When we finally reached the source I saw a group of people swarmed by a heard on the bridge over the river and sure enough there was a baby crying. I made my way up the hill and up toward the highway, loading my bow as I went.

"Hey man! I ain't wasting my bullets on a couple of strangers that ain't never cooked me a meal or felaciated my piece, that's my policy," Merle called up after me, "You'd best be wise to adopt it brother!"

I ignored him and started taking out walkers as I approached the opening of the bridge. One of the men saw me and aimed his gun at me and I heard Merle come up behind me.

"Come on, man. I'm trying to help you out!" I said to the guy and turned to Merle, "cover me!"

I started taking out more walkers all across the bridge. I was sure Merle was taking them out too but I couldn't be too certain. I turned to see if he was alright and could feel one of the walkers closing in on me. Suddenly it dropped.

"Daryl! I got ya! Go!" Merle shouted and I took out the last few walkers that were across the bridge.

One of the men, who I now knew were Spanish, started speaking to me and I couldn't understand a word of what he was saying.

"Speak English," I said to him and he continued to shake his head at me.

I saw Merle poking around their car and immediately raised my bow and went over to him. I heard a woman speaking Spanish rapidly to Merle while the baby continued to cry.

"Slow down beaner," I heard him say, "That ain't no way to say thank you."

"Let 'em go," I said.

"Relax," he said looking over his shoulder at me, "the least they can do is give us an enchilada or something, huh?"

"Get out of the car," I said more firmly.

"I know you're not talking to me, brother," he said getting pissed off as he exited the car.

"Get in your car and get the hell out of here!" I said to one of the men and he just stared at me, "Go! Get in your car!"

The men got in the car and I continued to stand there with my bow pointed at Merle.

"That shit you doin' pointing that thing at me?!" Merle said and I lowered the bow and continued to walk.

"They were scared man," I said once I heard him catching up to me.

"They were rude is what they were," he said, "rude and they owed us a token of gratitude."

"They didn't owe us nothin," I said.

"You helping people out of the goodness of your heart?" he questioned, "Even though you might die doing it? Is that something your sheriff Rick taught you?"

"There was a baby!" I said stopping and turning to face him.

"Oh!" he said, "otherwise you would have just left them to the biters then? Or did ya think it was Summer and Harry coming to find ya?"

I almost felt ashamed that he was right about that last part, but I was getting so fed up with him.

"Man, I went back for ya," I said, "You weren't there. I didn't cut off your hand neither. You did that. Way before they locked you up on that roof. You asked for it."

"You know – you know what's funny to me? You and sheriff Rick are like this now," he said wrapping his fingers around each other as he closed in on me, "Right? I bet you a penny and a fiddle of gold that you never told him that we were planning on robbing that camp blind."

"It didn't happen," I said.

"Yeah, it didn't," he said, "cause I wasn't there to help you."

"What, like when we were kids, huh?" I said getting heated, "Who left who then!?"

"What? Huh? Is that why I lost my hand?!" Merle shouted at me.

"You lost your hand cause you're a simpleminded piece of shit," I spat at him.

"Yeah! You don't know," he said and tackled me to the ground.

We started fighting, throwing punches left and right. I went to get up and get away from him when he grabbed the back of my shirt pulling me back to him and I heard the fabric rip. I knew my entire back was exposed which meant that so were my scars.

"I – I didn't know he was," Merle stammered.

"Yeah," I said trying to cover myself up, "he did. He did the same to you that's why you left first."

"I had to man," he said, "I would have killed him otherwise."

I started walking away from him as I threw my bag back on my back.

"Where you going?" he asked me.

"Back where I belong," I said, "back to my wife and son. I shoulda never chose you to go with in the first place."

"Well you were pretty fucking quick to leave them," he said trying to sound tough, "so you must not care that much."

I was in front of him in an instant my hand was locked around his throat and I slammed him into one of the tree trunks.

"Don't you EVER tell me I don't care about my family," I shouted, "that is my wide and my son. Summer has been there for me a hell of a lot more than you have so why don't you just shut the fuck up! I'm going back to the prison and that's final. If you follow me and they let you in – fine. If they don't then you're S-O-L big brother because I'm going back to my family and you're gonna have to deal with it."

I let him go and walked off in the direction of the prison while he knelt there catching his breath.

"I can't go with you," Merle shouted after me, "I tried to kill that black bitch. Damn near killed the Chinese kid."

"He's Korean," I shouted back.

"Whatever!" He said and I could hear him following me, "Doesn't matter man, I just can't go with you."

"Ya know," I said turning to face him, "I may be the one walking away…but you're the one that's leaving again."

I turned around before he could respond and continued my way to the prison.

Summer's POV

I had spent most of the day seated in one of the guard towers on watch duty just incase Daryl decided to come back. Of course I knew he wouldn't because he always left everything behind for Merle. I did however notice Rick walking around the outer perimeter fence acting oddly. I figured I did all the watching I could for today and went to find Hershel to let him know about Rick because I knew he could try and talk some sense into him. Hershel went down to talk to him and I took Harry from Beth and went into my cell to read to him. We were having a nice quiet time for a while before I heard gun fire and loud crashing noises. I felt the walls shake and I knew immediately that we were under attack. I didn't even have to think twice. I picked up Harry and shut the cell door and barricaded it with the mattresses from the bunks. He was crying at the top of his lungs and I was loading my gun silently praying to God that we would be safe as I tried to soothe him.

"It's gonna be ok, baby," I said kissing his forehead, "mommy's gonna keep you safe. We're gonna be just fine."

I knew my voice was shaking but he started to quiet down none-the-less. I sat there motionless with my gun pointed toward the cell door just incase anyone decided to come in and raid the block. I sat there for what felt like hours but was probably only minutes before the noise stopped. I heard footsteps and shouting and I was preparing to shoot anyone who tried to hurt either of us.

"SUMMER!" I heard Daryl shouting, "SUMMER WHERE ARE YOU!?"

I finally realized that we were no longer under attack and holstered my gun. I picked up Harry and moved the mattresses back on the bunks and when I went to open the cell door Daryl was standing there. My first reaction was happiness but then I remembered what Merle said and my happiness immediately turned into anger as I slid the cell door open.

"Summer are you alright?" he said stepping toward me, "Is Harry alright?"

"Why the fuck should you care?" I spat at him taking a step back, "Harry is just a mistake to you."

"What the hell are you talking about?" He asked me taking another step forward.

"Don't come near us," I said, "Merle told me everything. Is that all I am to you? A long term lay? I'm sorry for you being stuck with me and Harry being born but guess what, asshole, we don't need you."

"Sum, what in God's name are you talking about?!" he pleaded with me, "Harry isn't a mistake and you were never a long term lay. What the hell has gotten into you!?"

"Merle told me how you really feel," I said holding back tears, "He told me how I was just some long term lay and then you went off with him. Just left us. So I figured he was right. If I meant more to you…if we meant more to you, you wouldn't have left."

"I came back for you!" he said I could tell he was trying to hold back tears as well, "I realized I made the wrong choice while I was out there with him. You and Harry come first. You always have."

"Clearly not, Daryl," I said and the tears started falling, "because if that were the case you would have never left with him in the first place!"

"Summer, he's family," he said, "What was I supposed to do? Just leave him there!? I did that once already!"

"He can fend for himself!" I shouted, "We both know that! I can fend for myself too but Harry can't, Daryl! He's only a little over a year old! Stop thinking about Merle for once and think about the people who actually care about you and need you!"

"He needs me too!" he shouted back.

"No, he doesn't, Dar!" I said, "He really doesn't! I need you! Your son needs you! The people here need you! This is your family now. It's so much bigger than just you, me, and Merle."

"Summer, I'm sorry, alright?" he said, "I fucked up!"

"Yeah, you did," I said, "don't come anywhere near us. I am so completely done with you. I know Merle came back here with you I can hear him shouting at Rick so go. Go be with him if you care so much about him. I can't even look at you."

"Summer please," he begged.

"Go," I said and turned around to lay Harry down on the bed.

I heard him sigh and walk away and as I laid Harry down the uncontrollable sobbing took over. I wanted him to be here with me so bad but I was so completely disgusted with him that I needed some space. Him spending some alone time with Merle would hopefully help him realize who the people were that actually cared about him.