We all ran up the stairs and I could hear more gunshots going off. The shots rang through my ears as I cleared the last two steps. Morales burst through the door onto the roof, and I was hot on his heels. I could see Merle shooting down into the street below.
"Hey, Dixon! You crazy?" Morales growled at him as we all sprinted closer to him on the roof. Merle was chuckling, and I could hear Andrea groaning as another gunshot rang out.
"Huh? Heeeeeey, you oughtta be more polite to a man with a gun. Huh?" He jumped down from the concrete barrier with a smile. "Or common sense."
"You wasting bullets we ain't even got, man!" T-Dog confronted Merle. "And you bringin' more of 'em down here on our ass, man. Just chill!"
"Aye, it's bad enough I got this taco bender on my ass all day, now Imma take orders from you?" Merle spat at T-Dog. I glared at him, and gave him a death stare.
"Merle, shuttup!" I hissed.
"Sugar tits, you shuttup." Merle said calmly. He turned back to T-Dog. "I don't think so, Merle. That'll be the day."
"That'll be the day?" T-Dog asked, squinting at Merle.
"Oh, God. Here we go." I mumbled, putting a hand to my forehead.
"You got somethin' you wanna tell me?" T-Dog challenged.
"Hey, T-Dog, man. Just leave it." Morales tried.
"No!" T-Dog interrupted.
"It ain't worth it!" Morales tried again to convince him to shut up.
"He's right!" I exclaimed, trying to diffuse the situation. But T-Dog didn't even look at me.
"Now Merle, just relax." Morales said calmly to Merle, who was smirking. "Kay? We got enough trouble." I saw Glenn motioning for the sheriff to stand down out of the corner of my eye.
"Yea, Merle." I growled at him. "Walkers are surroundin' the place."
"You wanna know the day?" Merle asked, ignoring me, and the two men were squared up.
"Yea." T-Dog frowned.
"I'll tell ya the day, Mr. Yo, the day I take orders from a nigger." When those words left Merle's mouth, T-Dog attacked. Before he could even get a hit in, Merle smashed the butt of his gun into T-Dog's face.
"STOP! STOP!" I yelled at Merle, grabbing his arm. He slung me backwards, but I didn't fall. I went to get at him again, but before I knew it, he had punched the sheriff, knocking him to the ground. Everyone was yelling at him as he begin to beat on T-Dog again. Morales tried to intervene, but he was elbowed in the gut. I stepped forward once again.
"God dammit, Merle!" I yelled, rearing my leg back. I kicked him in the thigh as hard as I could. He spun quickly, jumping to his feet.
"You jus' kick me, bitch?" Merle growled at me.
"If it'll keep ya off him for a minute, then yea, looks to me like I kicked you." I spat. He lunged forward and shoved me on my ass. I fell hard onto the roof, stunned. But I jumped up quickly, ready for a fight. Someone grabbed my arm, pulling me away. I turned to see Glenn, who was wide-eyed and keeping a firm grip on my arm.
I looked back over to see Merle straddling T-Dog. He drew his gun and stuck it in his face. I tried to lunge forward, but I realized Andrea had grabbed my shirt, and she was pleading with Merle to stop, not to hurt T-Dog. I tried to slip out of their grip, but I couldn't.
Merle spat on T-Dog, rubbing it into his shirt. He finally let T-Dog up, and began ranting on about how he was now the one in charge. He began asking people for votes, a show of hands on who thought he should be the leader. I started laughing obnoxiously when everyone began raising their hands to Merle's request, ignoring the looks that Glenn gave me.
"What's funny?" Merle gave me a disgustingly wicked grin.
"You." I spat.
"Anybody else? Anybody?" Merle challenged, looking straight at me. I grinned when I saw the sheriff.
"Yeah." The stranger said, clocking Merle a good one to the face. He grabbed Merle's hand and handcuffed him to the pipe.
"Who the hell are you, man?" Merle growled out the question.
"Officer Friendly." The sheriff growled back in reply. He began going off on Merle. The group all just stood off to the side except me. I walked over to Officer Friendly, offering my hand out to him. He took it, only after flicking Merle on the nose. I laughed, pulling him up. The sheriff walked over to the side of the building, tossing Merle's drugs off of the roof. That sent Merle into an uproar, but the sheriff just walked away. Morales followed him.
"What are we gonna do now?" I huffed, sending a glare towards Merle. He just glared back, ignoring me.
"God, it's like Times Square down there." Andrea said, as she and Jacqui looked over the side of the roof.
"How's that signal?" Morales asked, as he and the sheriff came walking back over.
"Like Dixon's brain. Weak." T-Dog replied, sitting against the concrete. Merle flipped him a bird, but remained quiet.
"Keep trying." Morales encouraged.
"Why?" Andrea asked. "There's nothing they can do. Not a damn thing."
"Andrea.." I tried, but she walked away.
"Got some people outside the city, is all. There's no refugee center. That's a pipe dream." Morales explained.
"He's right." I mumbled, looking at the sheriff, who gave me a knowing look. I ignored the conversation, until I heard Merle trying to sweet talk Andrea into letting him go. When he called her a "rug muncher", I whipped my head over at him and gave him a dirty look.
"Glenn, check the alley, you see any manhole covers?" Morales interrupted my glaring. I looked at Glenn, and the two of us ran over to the other side of the building. We both looked down at the street, seeing a couple of walkers, but no manhole covers. I squinted and tried to crane my neck as far a I could. Nothing.
"Shit.." I mumbled, looking at Glenn.
"We're screwed, Spencer." He gave me a half worried, half humored smile.
"Yea, we are." I agreed, and we jogged back up the stairs and over to the group.
"No! Must be all out on the street where the geeks are." Glenn explained, and I watched as the faces of the group sank. I sighed. Jacqui began explaining about how the building we were in was old, very old, and there might be a way out.
"Couldn't hurt to give it a try." I shrugged. Morales, Andrea, the sheriff, Glenn, and I all followed Jacqui down to a dark area of the building. Sure enough, we walked up on an area that led down into the sewers. Possibly, but one of us was going to have to check it out.
"This is it? You sure?" Morales asked, looking at Jacqui, then at Glenn.
"I really scoped this place out the other times I was here. This is the only thing in the building that goes down...but I've never gone down it." I looked over at Glenn, seeing the scrunched look on his face. I mentally groaned, knowing the only person who could go down it was Glenn. He continued talking. "Who'd want to, right?" Everyone looked at him, and his face fell. "Oh.. Great."
"We'll be right behind you." Andrea offered.
"Yea, she's right, we-" I started, but Glenn cut me off.
"No, you won't. Not you." Glenn looked at Andrea.
"Why not me? Think I can't?" Andrea asked, but her voice wasn't threatening.
"I wasn't..." Glenn trailed off.
"Speak your mind." The sheriff said, giving Glenn a understanding look.
"He's right, Glenn. Tell us what you wanna do." I urged. I felt sick to my stomach, and I had this weird feeling in my chest. No, not here. Please not now. I begged my brain to calm itself.
"Look," Glenn started, "until now, I always came here by myself. In and out, grab a few things, no problem. First time I bring a group, everything goes to hell. No offense."
"But we all been on supply runs before, at one time or another." I said, looking at him questioningly.
"I know, Spencer. But, you guys didn't come this far into the city. I only led you all to the outskirts. If I'm gonna go down this hole, fine, but only if we do it my way." Glenn instructed. "It's tight down there. If I run into somethin' and I have to get out quick, I don't want you all jammed up behind me, get me killed! I'll take one person, not you either!" Glenn pointed at the sheriff when he stepped forward. "You've got Merle's gun and I've seen you shoot. I'd feel better if you were out in that store, watching those doors, covering our ass. You got a gun, so you should go with him." Glenn looked at Andrea, who nodded.
"You be my wing man." Glenn looked at Morales, who agreed. "Jacqui stays here. Something happens, yell down to us, get us back up here in a hurry. Spencer, you gotta gun also, so go back up to the roof with T-Dog and keep an eye on things up there."
"Got it." I flashed him a grin and a thumbs up. I caught the hint of a smile, before I walked away from them and headed back up to the roof. I couldn't watch Glenn and Morales disappear into the darkness. It just wasn't a good thing for me to see right now.
"Get a hold on ya self, girl." I mumbled to myself, as I walked up the stairs. Once to the top, I pushed the door open, and I could hear T-Dog speaking into the radio.
"Anybody out there?" He asked "Hello?" When he saw me, he grimaced at the radio and I nodded.
"Piece of shit, ain't it?" I asked, walking over to the edge of the roof, looking down at the street below. Walkers were everywhere.
"Yes!" T-Dog exclaimed, before trying the radio again. "Anybody read? I'm hopin' to hear somebody's voice, 'cause I'm gettin' sick an' tired of hearin' mine."
"Yea, well that makes two of us." Merle said, but his voice wasn't hateful.
"Shuttup, Merle." I said quietly.
"Why don't ya knock that crap off, givin' me a headache, boy." Merle said calmly.
"Why don't you pull your head out ya ass? Maybe your headache will go away." T-Dog shot back at him. Merle started laughing. "Try some positivity for a change." T-Dog murmured. Merle began trying to sweet talk T-Dog into letting him go. T-Dog wasn't having any of it.
"Merle, why don't ya just shut up?" I asked, looking at him. He whipped his head up and glared at me, before calming himself.
"Nah, look, sugar baby. I didn't mean to push ya down, ya know? I was jus' in the heat of the moment, and ya kicked me pretty damn hard." Merle was trying to sweet talk me now. Unbelievable.
"Yea, well. You deserved it." I shot, giving him a go to hell look.
"Maybe I did, but ya ain't gotta keep me locked up like a dog." Merle tried to reason with me. I snorted.
"You are one." I growled at him, but before he could snap back something at me, the others came bursting through the roof door.
"Walkers broke the first set of glass doors downstairs." Glenn said, looking at me, ignoring Merle.
"What the fuck?" I asked, looking at him, then Morales. "Lemme guess, y'all didn't find shit down in that hole?"
"Not a damn thing." Morales said quietly, and I knew this was bad. Just plain bad. The sheriff and the others walked over to the edge of the roof, using binoculars to look around in hopes of finding something useful. I heard thunder crack through the sky. Great. Just what we needed.
"That construction site, those trucks, they always keep keys on hand." The sheriff said, handing Morales the binoculars.
"How d'ya suppose you get to 'em?" I asked flatly, knowing there was no possible way. Walkers crowded the street below.
"They'll never make it past the walkers." Morales agreed.
"You got me outta that tank." The sheriff said, looking at Glenn.
"Yeah, but they were feeding." Glenn said.
"They were distracted." I spoke up, looking at the sheriff. "Unless you can..." I trailed off trying to think. The officer caught on.
"Can we distract them again?" He asked Glenn. The whole group began having a discussion about the things that attracted walkers. When they began talking about scent, my brain began ticking. The sheriff and I looked at each other, and when our eyes met, I knew he was thinking the same thing I was.
"Way too dangerous, Officer Friendly." I sighed, but he wasn't having it.
"It will work." The sheriff said quietly. "It will. Glenn and I will cover ourselves with walker blood, and then we'll make it to the trucks, come back and pick up all of you."
The next thing I knew, we were downstairs gathering supplies, Glenn and Morales hounding Officer Friendly about his plan. I had to admit, I was worried. But even though everyone was having a major freak out about this idea, no one was putting a stop to it. Everyone wanted out of here.
Morales and the sheriff ran out onto the alley area and grabbed one of the walkers that had been killed earlier. Once inside, Glenn and the sheriff put on protective gear, and the sheriff raised an axe, about to chop into the walker. But instead, he stopped at the last second, letting the axe drop, and took off his face mask. He bent down to the dead walker, and searched the pockets, pulling out a wallet. Unfolding it, he took a look at the i.d.
"Wayne Dunlap. Georgia license. Born nineteen-seventy-nine." He handed Glenn the license. "He had twenty-eight dollars in his pocket when he died. And a picture of a pretty girl. 'With love, from Rachel'. He used to be like us. Worryin' bout bills or the rent or the Super Bowl. If I ever find my family, I'm gonna tell 'em about Wayne." And with that, he put the face mask back on, and grabbed the axe.
"One more thing." Glenn interrupted, and we all looked at him. "He was an organ donor." The sheriff began hacking away at the body. I covered my mouth and looked away. The sheriff gave Morales the axe and mask.
"Keep chopping." He instructed, and Morales took over. Everyone had on gloves and suits. Except me. They couldn't find another suit, and the sheriff had told me not to risk it, even though I wanted to help. He instructed everyone to be careful not to get any of the dead walker on their skin or in their eyes. I stood back and watched as everyone began digging into the dead walker, smearing its insides on Glenn and the sheriff. Glenn puked.
"Glenn," Andrea stepped forward, handing him her gun, "just in case." She moved his bloody overcoat out of the way and tucked the gun in the waistband of his pants. The sheriff told us all to be ready if they made it back, and when T-Dog asked about Merle, Rick handed him the key to the handcuffs. After Glenn and the sheriff got their weapons and more fully covered in walker guts, the two left the building, heading out into the street.
"We gotta watch their backs!" I exclaimed, and I felt that sick feeling again. We all ran up to the roof, and looking down, we could see them. They were surrounded by walkers, and when the thunder began cracking, I looked over at Andrea. The two of us sharing horrified looks.
Please don't let it rain. Please don't let it rain. I begged. T-Dog, who was trying to pick up our group's signal, suddenly had a voice come through.
"Shane! Is that you?" T-Dog asked.
"It was Dale!" I almost yelled, happy to hear a voice from the camp. T-Dog began to explain that we were stuck at the department store. And then, once again, service was lost.
"GOD DAMMIT!" I yelled, and I grabbed for the radio, but T-Dog snatched his hand away.
"Spencer, no!" He stopped me. "I know you're pissed, so am I, but we can't do anything rash or stupid." I nodded, backing off.
"Hate feelin' so damn helpless." I shook my head.
"Trust me, I know." T-Dog looked at me with tired eyes. I looked around, and noticed cloudy skies, when thunder cracked again. Glenn and the sheriff had to hurry. Morales and Andrea were looking with the binoculars, when suddenly, it began to rain.
"Oh, man." Morales said, looking back into the binoculars.
"Whatta we do?" I began to panic.
"Nothing we can do from up here." Morales said sadly.
"We gotta do somethin'!" I growled, leaning over the edge of the roof, squinting to see the two on the street. The rain began to really come down.
"It's just a cloudburst! We get 'em all the time, it'll pass real quick." Morales tried to sound convincing, but I shook my head.
"Oh, God." I whispered, as I took the binoculars, and saw the two. Walkers started noticing them, and we all watched in horror as they fought their way through the streets. They jumped a fence, and I could hear gunshots as someone began shooting, probably the sheriff. The walkers trampled down the fence, but I could see a truck speeding away.
"They made it!" I yelped, wanting to jump for joy.
"They're leaving us!" Andrea said, panicking.
"No, no." Morales was trying to convince her they weren't.
"No, no, no, come back!" Andrea was freaking out.
"Andrea! Ain't no time to flip ya shit! They ain't leavin' us. Glenn wouldn't do that." I snapped, trying to get her to calm down. Suddenly, Glenn's voice came on the radio.
"Those roll up doors in the front of the door, facing the street, meet us there and be ready!" His voice was gone as quickly as it was there.
"Told ya!" I grinned, "Now let's get the fuck outta here!"
"Come on, let's go! Let's go!" Morales yelled, and I grabbed up my bag quickly.
"Hey, you can't leave me here!" Merle yelled, and I stopped in my tracks. Merle was begging us not to leave him, and I looked at T-Dog.
"We can't! He's an ass, but we can't!" I yelled to T-Dog, and he nodded. He came running back toward Merle and I, but he tripped. I saw T-Dog falling, and the key slipped out of his hand. We all tried to lunge for it, but it slipped down the drain.
"Fuck!" I growled, but I knew there was nothing we could do.
"Son-of-a-bitch! You did that on purpose!" Merle yelled at T-Dog.
"I didn't mean to!" T-Dog protested. Merle was begging us not to leave him. Through his screams, I yelled at him.
"Merle, we'll come back for you! I swear!" And then I turned and sprinted toward the door. Once inside, I saw T-Dog grab a padlock. "Hurry! we gotta go! Lock it up good!" I yelled, as he padlocked the chain on the door. As soon as he clicked the lock, I took off like a bullet down the stairs, him hot on my trail. We ran quickly, Merle's screams haunting us all the way down. We ran down to the store front and, just as we got in front of the glass doors, the walkers burst through.
"GO SPENCER!" T-Dog screamed, and I put on a burst of speed. I could hear glass cracking and T-Dog's footsteps right on my heels as I ran. "Hey wait for us!" He yelled as we ran closer to the roll up doors.
"Let's go! Let's go!" Morales screamed at us as we rounded the corner. We pulled the chains quickly, and all I could hear was screaming in my ears. I kept focusing on the chains until the doors were up, and I could see the sheriff. We threw our bags in, then jumped into the big moving truck. Just as Morales was shutting the truck's back door, I could see the walkers coming. The sheriff gunned it, and Morales got the back door down. I sighed, my heart pounding.
Morales stood up, and walked to the front of the moving truck. He sat in the passenger side beside the sheriff. I scooted my way to the front, until I was in the middle of the two men. I looked over at T-Dog's face, and I knew he was going through hell in his head.
"I dropped the damned key." He spoke up.
"It wasn't your fault!" I spat at him. Everyone was silent.
"Where's Glenn?" Andrea asked, and I whipped my head up at Officer Friendly.
"Yea, where's he at?" I asked.
"He's okay." Officer Friendly reassured.
"Best not to dwell on it, Merle gettin' left behind. Nobody's gonna be sad he didn't come back..." Morales said quietly.
"Except maybe Daryl." I spat, giving Morales a dirty look.
"I was gonna say that." Morales glared at me slightly.
"Daryl?" The officer asked.
"Yea, his brother." I replied, looking up at him. I could hear the loud, droning, chirping noise of a car alarm coming up. I sat up on my knees, to see Glenn in a red muscle car go flying around us, hand waving out of the window. I actually laughed.
"Least somebody's having a good time." Morales said, a slight smile on his face.
"What's your name, anyway?" I asked, looking at the officer.
"Rick. Rick Grimes." He said, glancing down at me.
"Spencer, if you didn't know." I offered a smile, and he smiled back. Everything got quiet, and I sat there in silence as my mind began to wander. There was going to be hell to pay when we got back to camp. When Daryl found out we had left his brother back in the city... He was going to be pissed. Beyond pissed. Hell, I was even a little bit afraid of what his reaction might be. But I didn't hold any blame, not on anyone but Merle. If he wouldn't have been such an ass, he wouldn't have been handcuffed in the first place...
Still, all I could picture in my mind was Daryl's face. The way he followed Merle around like a little puppy. The way his eyes lit up when he came back to the camp from a hunt, eager to show his big brother what he caught for dinner. The way the two dogged each other, then laughed about it. Yea, telling Daryl that we had left his brother, meant there would be hell to pay.
Hey guys, soooo sorry for the long wait ! I've been swamped with school among other things. I know this chapter is so long, but like I said, my chapters in this story are gonna be long ! I hope yall enjoy, and hopefully I'll have another chapter up today ! My next of course will be full of fun ! haha I am so excited to do the chapter with Daryl and the others going back for Merle. Thanks to everyone reviewing, favoriting, and following ! And READING ! Reviews are WELCOMED and APPRECIATED SOOOO MUCH ! Yall are awesome.
~Kaila