Chapter 6 – Side for Guts
"Why are you getting ready too?" Shane questions coming over to Glenn and I as we were getting ready to leave for a run into the city.
"I'm going too." I answer simply.
"No." Shane refuses instantly giving me a look.
"Shane when's my birthday?" I question then earning a confused look from both of them before Shane slowly responds "November first."
"What's today?" I ask crossing my arms over my chest.
"I don't know." Shane answers, still confused about where I was going with this.
"October twenty-third." I tell him instantly earning a sigh and annoyed face.
"But I can't go today and I can't send you alone." Shane tells me then.
"I'll be with Glenn." I scoff.
"That's exactly why. I know you let him in and will probably do something stupid if you two run into trouble." Shane argues.
"Look I finished my book, my phone is dead, and I'm bord of just having music. If you're worried about me being with Glenn we can separate in the city. He can look for what he needs to and I can look for something to keep me entertained." I argue back.
It was my original plan to go alone or convince Shane to go with me but Glenn just happened to be going to leave for a run too. I've listened to everything he's said without argument these past few days following the Ed incident the least he could do is let me do this.
"Why can't you just tell Glenn…" Shane starts before trailing off while looking at Glenn who just held up his paper of requests from the group of what to look for.
Good going Glenn. And of course, I couldn't tell him what to look for. It'd probably send him somewhere he didn't' go in the original and put him in danger. Not that I'd give that reasoning.
"No one goes alone." Shane says then, grasping at straws.
"Glenn does." I argue back.
"Hey, why don't I go then too?" Morales suddenly offers then, causing us to look over to him to see him coming over to us from where he had been with his family.
"I gave Glenn a decent amount to look for, for us before, and Stephanie helped us with the medication for Louis's ear infection the other day. Least I could do is go with so he can take Stephanie wherever she wants while I look for what's on the list." Morales adds once he joined us.
Why am I getting a bad feeling?
"Why don't I go too. To help him out?" T-Dog offers before Jacqui also offers "Me too." Both of them joining us.
"Can I go too? I want to find something for Amy." Andrea says quickly as she joins us too.
Now I know why I had the bad feeling. Just add Merle and it would be the second episode group. Is it today? Did I screw up? But if it is today, I have to go. I won't have another chance.
"Hey, room for one more?!" Merle shouts then, causing us all to look over to him to see him coming over, his rifle already on his shoulder.
Shit. It is today. Should I make sure Rick gets saved? Stop Merle from being left behind? Would that screw thing up too much? You know what I'll just wonder off alone when Rick shows up in the city. The others won't be paying attention to me. I'll leave a note somewhere that I'll return to camp on my own. Problem solved. I won't be involved in the events.
"Wait, I don't know about this." Glenn says as soon as Merle had joined us.
"Oh, come on Chinaman." Merle practically wines before looking right at Shane and asking "Shouldn't there should be someone who knows how to handle themselves with 'em Officer Friendly?"
"He has a point." Shane says earing a few hushed complaints from the others and a sigh from Glenn.
"But such a big group? A few of us fine…but all of us?" Glenn says then shifting uncertainly on his feet.
"We'll listen to whatever you say, Glenn." Morales tells him then.
"Yeah, you're the one who's been going into the city after all. You know more than we do." Jacqui adds then earning a nod from T-Dog and Andrea while Merle stays silent.
Of course, he wouldn't listen to Glenn. Glenn knew it, I knew it, and Shane knew it.
"Okay." Glenn gives in with a sigh.
"Alright, fine." Shane reluctantly agrees then before ordering the others "But don't let my sister go off anywhere alone or with just Glenn or Merle."
"Don't worry Officer Friendly. I won't hurt her." Merle drawls with a shit eating grin in his and my direction.
You little shit.
"I promise she'll come back." T-Dog says as I simply flip Merle off before Shane could blow up.
Shane releases a heavy sigh before telling T-Dog "Thank you." He then looks at me and says "You better come back safe."
"Yeah. Yeah." I sigh waving him off.
Shane releases a sigh before telling everyone "Good luck."
****Time Skip****
"What was that?" Andrea stupidly asks when the sound of gunshots ring in the distance.
I release a sigh as Merle drawls "Gunshots, sugar-tits."
Rick was alive like in the original and was here. Episode 2 Guts begins now.
"Oh god." Jacqui breathes out then, slightly panicked.
"That radio on?" I question already stepping back from the group and fishing the note I discreetly wrote earlier from my pocket. The simple words 'I'll see you back at camp.' Scrawled on it.
"Huh? Yeah." Morales answers, almost everyone's attention on it now.
"Screw this." Merle mutters then so I look to see him turn and start heading to the roof.
"I'm back. Got a guest plus four geeks in the alley." Glenns voice comes from the radio behind me as I follow Merle to the roof.
Once on the roof, he goes over to the edge as Glenn's voice yells "Let's go!" from the alley.
They were right on time.
"Dixon." I say going over to Merle causing him to pause removing his rifle from his shoulder and look at me.
"Give this to Glenn." I tell him holding out the note to him.
"Leaving us are ya?" He questions in an amused tone, yet takes it from me and puts it in his vest pocket.
"Well, I still need to get what I came here for." I say shrugging.
"Don't get yerself killed Girly. I like ya." He chuckles then while unhooking his knife and sheath from his side and holding it out to me.
"Get yerself killed." I snap, snatching it from him.
I wasn't going to turn this gift down though. I would need it. Besides he didn't have it in the original so I'm also taking it to fix that.
"Na, I need to get back to Daryl. He was real pissed when I decided to do this instead of go hunt with him." He tells me then in a chuckle.
"Don't care." I tell him turning away from him before I add "Just give me a few minutes before you start shooting and don't tell them I went this way." As I start to make my way to the door to the other building.
"I got ya Girly." He chuckles before adding "When ya get back why don't ya thank me with some love?"
I just flip him off earning a snorted laugh before I open the door, head in, and shut it behind me.
I breathe a sigh of relief as I head down the stairs and connect the sheath on my satchel bag strap. He seems to be listening to what I told him and is waiting before starting to shoot off the building at the walkers gathering in the street.
I'd just opened the door to leave the stairwell when Merle starts shooting causing me to flinch.
I release a sigh at myself before scanning in front of me. Luckily, nothing was here. I had to hurry. I didn't know how long I would have before they realized that I was gone, if they realized that I was gone. I had to get my side of guts and get out of here before then in case they come looking for me. I also had to hurry because the rain that was coming would wash away my guts too. I just hope the lone walker in a side office was there. I needed its guts to get to my destination without worry.
I shut the door behind me and carefully start checking the offices as I go. Collecting both a small plastic trash can and a pair of large scissors on the way. Plan A was to shove the trash can over its head and stab it through it. First try with the scissors then with the knife. Plan B was to shove the trash can over its head, knock it over, and stomp its head in.
Luckily, the one I was looking for was there and just slowly started to stand once it spotted me.
"Please work." I mutter to myself as I rush forward and shove the trash can over its head.
It grabs my shoulders but harmlessly bonks inside the trash can as it tried to bite me through it. Keeping a hand on top of the trash can, to keep it there, I use my other hand to retrieve the scissors from my pocket. Then with all the force I could muster with one hand I shove them into the trash can. Cheap plastic was on my side as they pierce through it and connect with the head inside.
"Of course, it couldn't be that easy." I mutter as the hands still held strong and I could hear it still snapping its jaw at me. Least the trash can was stuck there now.
"Plan c." I mutter then before shoving the walker back.
It falls, with me coming with because of its grip. But luckily it releases as soon as it hits the ground and my knees hit the ground on either side of it painfully causing me to suck in a pained breath. But I couldn't focus on that now so I quickly use both my hands on the top of the scissors and use all my weight to shove them down. The skull caves and the walker is silenced.
"That sucked." I mutter sitting back onto it, my knees throbbing angerly.
I rub them a minute before I get off the walker and get to work stripping it to use its clothes for some added…well, stink and armor, before hesitating for a moment before using the knife to cut it open. It had been a living breathing human and I was just a normal person after all. If I didn't hesitate, I'd question my sanity.
Once it was open, I set the knife down before tying the shirt around my right arm and the pants around the left. Lighter on the right so I could still comfortably use my dominate hand and heavier on the left so I could use it as a makeshift shield from teeth if needed. Then I start the disgusting task of ruining my jacket and pants with its innards and blood. Gagging a bit sometimes.
Once I was done, I then take a moment to look at my handy work while grabbing the knife, whipping it off a little on my pants, and putting it away in its sheath. The scene in front of me looked ridiculous. A gutted walker with a trash can over it's head and pair of scissors stabbed through it. I was lucky it worked. I'm so going to get an earful from Rick since they'll see it when they come through here to look for Merle if he gets left behind. Though he did help me out so I wouldn't lie and say I wasn't hoping he'd end up being unlocked this time. And if that happened, I wouldn't get an earful from Rick. Win win.
With that thought I started making my way out of the building, walking right past the two walkers further in. Was I being stupid heading off on my own? Maybe. But this would be my last chance to get something to keep myself sane. After this we'd soon leave the quarry.
Once I was out of the building, I grimaced at the shear number of walkers that were surrounding the department store. Man, I hope everything goes like it does in the original for them. With that thought I start heading to my destination, the game store I spotted on the way to the pharmacy.
****Time Skip****
"Man, that shits loud." I mutter when I hear the cry of the car alarm in the distance as I paused looking in the drawer of games in front of me to look in the direction of the front.
I'd made it there and inside before the rain started. Then not only were there no walkers inside or a locked door, the promo posters covering eighty percent of the glass front allowed me to wonder
About as I pleased. The worker probably tried to ran away only to be one of the few walkers shuffling outside, not drawn away by the gunshots. Minimum wage for the win. And now those few walkers looked to be getting drawn away by the car alarm. Lucky me.
"Would you look at that." I mutter when I look back down to see my hands had stopped on something I was kind of looking for Hakuoki, a rare otome game for the Nintendo DS.
I quickly open the case, take the game, put the case on the counter on my small stack, and place the game into the metal lunch box, that had been a type of starter kit for the DS Lite The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass themed, before closing it up and shoving it into my bag.
With that I start heading out to start my long walk back to camp. Which my injured knees were already protesting but I needed to finish up anyway to get back before dark. Besides that was the perfect game to finish out my haul. Total haul: the lunch box, the replacement styluses, game cases, car charger, and headphones from the kit, a pink DS, a wall charger, Pokemon SoulSilver, Pokemon Red, The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, and Hakuoki.
"Is that louder?" I wonder aloud quietly then when the sound of the car alarm sounds louder just as I get to the door causing me to look in the direction it sounded like it was coming from.
Sure, as shit the red sports car soon appears from that direction, screeches around the corner, it's back-end smacking one of the walkers that made it that far over, and comes to a screeching stop in front of the store.
I stare at Glenn in disbelief as he waves an arm out the window yelling "Let's go!"
With that I rush out, knees protesting, yelling at him "How the hell did you know?!"
This wasn't the plan but whatever. It saves me the long walk back. And I better join him before he gets swarmed and the sound practically traps me inside.
"You've hummed Epona's song before. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't know this is where you'd be?" He answers me with a cheeky grin at me as I get in the passenger seat.
"Go die." I tell him slamming the door shut as he punches it but he just sends another cheeky grin my way before asking "Who's the one that still stinks like a walker?"
I huff and look away from him.
I couldn't ague against that. He'd already removed his coat that had been covered in guts back at either the construction site or when getting the car.
"Glenn." I say after a moment causing him to ask "Yeah?"
"What happened?" I question looking at him again.
"Oh well new guy, a cop, rode into town on a horse. He ran into a horde and climbed into an abandoned tank when the horse got pulled down. He's the one that fired the first shots. I helped him when the walkers were busy with the feeding frenzy. I brought him to the department store probably around the same time you left. Andrea pretty much attacked him for firing his gun. Then Merle started shooting himself. Then Merle got into a fight with T-Dog. Rick, that's the new guy, cuffed Merle to the roof. He also found your note. That's when we realized you weren't there anymore. Before they could freak out, I was like 'She was planning to go alone the whole time anyway. She's not dumb and I know where she went. It's near the edge of the city so she'll be fine.' They dropped it since we had to figure out how to get out ourselves. Then Rick and I got covered in walker guts, which is disgusting by the way. I don't know how you did it on your own and are just sitting there still covered. Anyway, we started going to that construction site and it was working. You obviously know it was working. But that rain came when we were almost there. Then the smell was washing away so we had to run the rest of the way. We got a cube van then I got this awesome car and led the walkers away as Rick got the others in the van. Then I came to get you." He answers rapid fire.
"Did you breathe at all during that?" I question with a raised eyebrow.
That worked out better than I thought if that's all there was to the discussion about my disappearance. And it was in fact Rick so things were proceeded as the original…mostly.
"No." He answers taking a comedic deep breath before giving me yet another cheeky grin as he adds "Isn't this car awesome?" and we screech around another corner.
"Least you're having fun." I tell him but give him a smirk while rolling my window down.
Speeding like this was kind of fun.
"Yeah, I am! And you are too!" Glenn exclaims as we cross the border to leave the city before throwing an arm out the window and yelling "Whoo-hoo-hoo! Yeah-hoo-hoo!"
I huff out a laugh before asking "Is that them?" spotting a cube van in the distance.
"Yeah." He answers before speeding up and screaming "Whoohoo!" with an arm out the window waving at them while I just stick my arm out my window for a simple indication that I was with him as we passed them.