General POV:
"You ain't coming," Daryl stated to his younger sister as he packed a backpack near their tent.
"The hell I'm not," she retorted, placing her own pistol, which he had given her, in his bag. Did he really think she'd just agree to stay behind?
"Yea, ya' are," he responded, meeting her gaze and removing the pistol she had just tucked into his bag. He couldn't afford to have her there while they searched for their brother; she'd end up being more of a distraction.
"I'm going," she said firmly, attempting to yank his bag away to retrieve her pistol.
He grumbled in annoyance, sending her a stern glare.
With finality, he declared, "You ain't coming," tugging his bag back but Kali's hand was still gripping it.
She bristled, holding her tongue but fixing him with an equally firm glare. A standoff unfolded, neither willing to give in first.
After a tense moment, she was the first to break eye contact, but she didn't release the bag immediately.
Avoiding his gaze out of fear that her welling tears would be evident, she hesitated. The prospect of being left behind scared her deeply. Having lost so much family already, the idea of losing Daryl too was unbearable. The mere thought terrified her; she couldn't fathom being without him. Stranded with strangers was the last thing she wanted.
She cleared her throat, her attempt to hide her fear evident in her snooty tone, "I'll just follow you, I'm not staying behind with strangers again. I'll help find Merle... and Mom. I can do this."
Daryl was ready to reject her plea, deeming it too perilous, especially with the mission of rescuing Merle. However, he hesitated for a moment, noticing her expression and detecting a trace of vulnerability in her voice.
"Lose the attitude," he replied, his tone firm yet tinged with a hint of understanding.
"I don't have attitude," she scoffed back, her tone defensive.
He shot her a deadpan glare.
"Oh wait! Is that a yes?" she quipped.
He responded with a tight-lipped nod. In truth, he didn't want her to come along. Who knew what dangers awaited them? Her presence could potentially be a hindrance; her combat skills were far from ideal. But he cared about her, and in this bleak reality, they were all they had left. He wouldn't leave her behind to face abandonment – God forbid he ended up trapped in Atlanta. Hell, he'd taken too long hunting a deer, and she had nearly ventured off to locate him.
Atlanta City:
In total, there were four adults (Daryl, Rick, Glenn, and T-Dog) heading into Atlanta, plus Kali – five in total. Kali wasn't naive enough to believe they were all motivated solely by a sense of altruism to rescue Merle. Rick had also dangled the prospect of acquiring a bag of guns in the city, and that tidbit had Shane, in particular, changing his tune about the whole thing.
As they navigated the deserted city streets, a debate arose about whether to prioritize rescuing Merle or obtaining the guns. Daryl was adamant about going for Merle first, and Kali suspected that their decision to follow this route had more to do with the strategic plan Glenn had provided than it was the genuine concern for Merle.
As the group stood at the city's edge, Kali's eyes fixated on the once-proud skyscrapers that now stood as shattered sentinels. The city had been a place of both splendor and struggle before, but now it had taken on an eerie, post-apocalyptic quality.
The buildings, already showing signs of neglect and decay even before the walkers rose, had been further ravaged by the chaos that followed. Windows were shattered from the bombs, their glass shards littering the streets like diamonds in the rough. Facades were marred with scorch marks and graffiti, testaments to the desperation that had swept through the city.
Nature, in a rush to reclaim its territory, had already begun to creep back into this urban jungle. Vines and weeds snaked their way up crumbling walls, slowly engulfing the once-sterile surfaces. Trees, their roots rupturing concrete, now grew from sidewalks, adding a touch of unsettling serenity to the desolation.
It had only been a month since the walkers had risen, and yet the city already appeared as if it had endured years of abandonment. The sight left Kali feeling profoundly unsettled.
Her mom was in here somewhere, she was sure of it, and Merle couldn't be far off. With each shattered building and decaying street corner, they passed, a seedling of doubt crept into her mind. Did anyone survive the bombing? It didn't look like it. She kept a steady pace next to her brother, who had earlier instructed her not to leave his side.
As they cautiously entered a clothing store, Kali's eyes scanned the familiar surroundings. It was one of those vintage clothing shops that tried hard to be trendy, despite everything looking a bit tacky and overpriced. She couldn't help but recognize it from her neighborhood, where her mother had a penchant for shopping, sometimes even stealing from such places. She bit her inner lip, she realized her old neighborhood was about a 20-minute slow walk from here. She mulled over the idea of bringing it up to Daryl after they secured Merle from the rooftop of this building. Truth be told, she wasn't too eager to return to a camp at the Quarry that had cast aside her eldest brother, despite understanding the reasons behind it. She was sure Daryl felt similarly. They could just go find her mother and move on. The thought that half of their gear was at the campsite hadn't passed her mind.
There was one walker inside the store which Daryl took out with an arrow to the head calling her an ugly skank.
After they raced up the rickety stairs with a sense of urgency, every step echoing loudly. Reaching the rooftop door, T-Dog swiftly went to work, using bolt cutters to sever the heavy chain that held it shut that he originally set.
Daryl surged ahead, his voice strained with worry, "Merle! Merle!"
Kali followed closely behind her brother, her heart pounding in trepidation.
When they stepped onto the rooftop, hope twisted into a cold void in Kali's chest. It was... empty. Merle was... gone. Panic welled up as Kali scanned the barren roof, desperately searching for any sign of her brother. There was nothing. No one. Except...
Her heart ached as she watched Daryl, on the brink of tears, screaming loud and angry, "NO! NO! NO!"
Kali blinked back her own tears, fiercely repeating in her mind, "Dixon's don't cry," as if Merle's voice echoed in her head.
Daryl's despair was overwhelming. She longed to comfort him, she'd never seen him like this and she felt utterly helpless. Her only saving grace of thought was that if he wasn't here then at least he might be alive somewhere else right? But where? The uncertainty gnawed at her.
She couldn't help but step closer to her brother, the urgency in her voice as she called out, "Daryl," was evident, her throat constricting with emotion.
Daryl was about to warn her not to come any closer, not wanting her to see the gruesome sight that had shaken him to his core. But it was too late; she was already reaching out a comforting hand toward him.
Her hand halted mid-air as her eyes fell upon the trail of blood leading to a bloody saw and then to a lingering hand on the rooftop. It wasn't Merle's hand, right? The color drained from her face as her mind pieced together the horrific truth. It was Merle's hand, she recognized his ugly ring on his pinky finger. The hand she had intended to offer Daryl in comfort was now searching for support as she felt lightheaded and dizzy, her world spinning at the grim realization.