Part 3

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I walked with Daryl over to the truck, he beeped on the horn clearly not wanting to waste a second trying to get back to his brother.

"Come on, let's go!" He yelled.

Shane, Glenn, T-dog, and Rick got in and we took off.

We arrived just outside the city when the truck stopped and everyone got out.

"He better be okay," Daryl said.

I gently grabbed his hand, "He will be. It's Merle."

"It's my only word on the matter. I told you the geeks can't get at him. The only thing that's gonna get through that door is us." T responded.

"We walk from here," Glenn said.

We started walking along the railroad tracks outside the city. Daryl and I were near the front everyone else was behind but out of earshot. I was new to this group, I wasn't new to Daryl, and they didn't need to hear our conversation.

"Y/n?" Daryl asked without looking at me.

"Yeah."

"After Merle and I... left... What happened? Ya don't seem the same." I opened my mouth to start but Daryl cut me off, "Don't jus' say 'the world ended' I know ya that's ain't what this is." He said softly glancing at me.

"A lot happened when you left with Merle...." I started quietly. "I got away from my parents. But I ended up with someone... like them....this really isn't something to talk about now." I said glancing down.

He grunted in response but I felt him watching me with worry. We cut through a fence and ducked under it.

"Merle first or guns?" Rick asked.

"Merle! We ain't even having this conversation." Daryl said exasperated.

"We are. You know the geography it's your call." Rick said looking at Glenn.

"Merle's closest. The guns would mean doubling back. Merle first." He responded after a moment.

We made it to the building and luckily there was one lonely lame-brain in the store.

"Damn you are one ugly mug," I said as Daryl smirked at me and shot it with his crossbow.

We reached the roof with no further incident and we cut through the locks on the door.

"Merle! Merle!" Daryl called.

"Merle?" I asked.

Daryl and I walked slowly to where he was and we only saw one thing. Merle's severed hand was on the ground.

"No! No!" Daryl yelled, anger and sadness evident in his voice. I didn't know how well this group knew Daryl, but if they knew anything it was how important Merle is to Daryl. They royally messed that up.

"No...." I whispered beside him shock and concern filling my face.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Daryl screamed.

We stood there silently just staring at his hand for a moment. Daryl turned his crossbow on T-Dog to kill him, but Rick pulled out his Python in response.

"I won't hesitate. I don't care if every walker in this city hears it." He said coldly. 

What is up with their names for the zombies? Walkers? Geeks??

"Okay everyone needs to calm down. We can't be trying to kill each other. There are enough things that want us dead out there." I said glancing between the three. Glenn just nodded beside me. Daryl realized Rick was being semi-reasonable given the circumstances and lowered the crossbow.

"You got a do-rag or something?" Daryl asked. I pulled a bandanna out of my poker and handed it to him. He smiled softly. He picked up Merle's severed hand that was already decaying.

"I guess he saw the blade was too dull for the handcuffs. Ain't that a bitch." He said after picking up the hand and putting it in Glenn's backpack. 

"He must have used a tourniquet... maybe his belt. Be much more blood if he didn't." I said looking at the few splatters of blood on the floor. Daryl followed my gaze and we followed the trail.

"Merle?" I said.

"Merle you in here?" Daryl asked.

We slowly walked down the stairs. We followed the blood trail and walked into one of the offices and I killed a walker, I guess that's what ill call them now,  with my machete. We noticed there were two more walkers that had been killed.

"Had 'nough in him to take out these two sumbitches. One-handed. Toughest asshole I ever met, my brother. Feed him a hammer, he'd crap out nails." Daryl said looking at them.

"Any man can pass out from blood loss, no matter how tough he is," Rick responded.

We continued to look for merle. We didn't see any sign of him being there. 

"Merle!" Daryl shouted.

"Hey Dar, be quiet, you're going to attract every walker around," I said.

"She's right we're not alone here," Rick said.

"Screw that. He could be bleeding out. You said so yourself." Daryl said ticked off.

We reached a kitchen-like space with Merle's belt on it.

"What's the burned stuff?" T-dog asked.

"Skin." Daryl and I said at the same time.

"He cauterized the stump," I said after the rest of them still looked confused.

"Told you he was tough. Nobody can kill Merle but Merle." Daryl said proudly.

"Don't take that on faith. He's lost a lot of blood." Rick spoke softly, as to not upset Daryl I guessed.

"Yeah? Didn't stop him from busting out of this death trap." I said as I led them to a smashed window.

"He left the building? Why the hell would he do that?" Glenn asked shocked.

"Yeah, why would he?" T-dog wondered.

"Why wouldn't he? He's out there alone as far as he knows, doing what he's got to do. Surviving." Daryl responded coolly.

"You call that surviving? Just wandering out in the streets, maybe passing out? What are his odds out there?" T said.

"No worse than being handcuffed and left to rot by you sorry pricks. You couldn't kill him. Ain't so worried about some dumb dead bastard." Daryl practically spat. I put a hand on his arm to stop him from exploding he gave me a look. I just shot back with a play-nice-the-world-is-over-look.

"What about 1,000 dead dumb bastards? Different story?" Rick said clearly annoyed by Daryl's loyalty to his brother.

"Why don't you take a tally? Do what you want. I'm gonna go get him." 

"Me too. We can't leave him out there." I said following Daryl. Rick stepped in front of us.

"Daryl y/n, wait."

"Move before I move you," I said with as much venom in my voice that I could muster.

"I don't blame you. He's your family, and y/n's basically yours, I get that. I went through hell to find mine. I know exactly how you feel. He can't get far with that injury. We could help you check a few blocks around but only if we keep a level head." Rick said calmly.

"I could do that," Daryl said glancing at me for my approval.

"Fine," I muttered.

"Only if we get those guns first. I'm not strolling the streets of Atlanta with just my good intentions, okay?" T explained and Glenn agreed.



A/N


Let me know what you thought about this story I'll be updating again soon

Word count 1134

~Shy

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