Out of the Woods (The Walking Dead) PART 2

Chapter 4

Out of the Woods (The Walking Dead)

Orderly:

Suzy tied her hair into a short little pony tail so it would be out of the way. Everyone always seemed to eat in silence whether it was morning or evening. She kept her distance until she was up for watch with Glenn. She hadn't said anything to him since she told him off. He couldn't keep his comments about Merle to himself, even in front of her and Daryl. She couldn't take it anymore and blew up on him, telling him to get over it. Should she say she's sorry? Was he still upset with her? Was he even upset with her at all? Merle was-of course-the only one he was upset with besides himself.

Glenn and Suzy took their watch at the catwalk. It was awkwardly silent. Both kept their eyes on the field, the road, the woods, the walkers, anything that was straight ahead past the fence.

"What do you see in someone like Merle?" Glenn suddenly asked, not looking away from the horizon.

"What?" Suzy asked in confusion. He threw her off. She wasn't expecting him to ask her something, let alone a question like that.

"You know, did he brainwash you or were there no other options?" Suzy couldn't help but laugh when he said that.

"No, Glenn. I wasn't brainwashed," She chuckled, "Why are you even asking me this?"

"Because," Glenn shifted uncomfortably where he stood, "You're a good person and he's-he's-you know. Merle."

"I know." Suzy replied, "He may not be the greatest person with a perfect moral code, but he's not a bad person either. He's not evil like the Governor."

Suzy put her hand on Glenn's shoulder so he would look at her.

"I'm sorry for what happened, and I know he is too," She said, sincerity in her voice, "He didn't do what he did for evil reasons. If he was anything like the Governor and wanted you dead, he wouldn't have only beaten the shit out of you, he would've just killed you. He doesn't kill like the Governor does. He just does what thinks he has to do to survive. He's done things he isn't proud of, but that's the point. He's not proud of it, and that's what matters."

Glenn frowned and looked back at the field.

"So you're telling me he didn't know what the Governor would do when he brought Maggie to that place?" He said. He took a deep inhale through his nose to compose himself, "I can't forget seeing the Governor bringing her in like that, taunting me. I don't care what he did to me, not since that. It's not about me...It never was."

Suzy frowned. His words broke her heart. She remembered what the Governor did to her and how Merle reacted. Of course Glenn had every right to feel that way. She couldn't blame him for that. But she also understood how Merle felt, no matter how wrong it was. She had to know why he did what he did to them; Glenn and Maggie. It was for her, for her and Merle, for Daryl. She hated how erratic he could be. She wanted to believe he put those behaviors behind him at least a little so it wouldn't come down on others. She didn't want him to change and he couldn't. She was torn. What was she supposed to do? What was she supposed to say?

"I know if he could take it all back, he would."

"Sure," Glenn nodded, "Let's go with that."

He's done things he isn't proud of, but that's the point. He's not proud of it, and that's what matters...The truck was suffocating. The sweat dripped down her face from how hot it was inside. It smelled so bad she wanted to vomit, which would only make the smell worse. The only time she was let out of the truck was when Vinny would begrudgingly take her to the infirmary to have her wounds looked over and cleaned. She had to get stitches in her ankle from the trap that had gotten caught on her back in Georgia. Not to mention the busted lip that also had to be stitched from that asshole Gary punching her. In the end it made her a bit lucky. It was a symbol she was a fighter and capable of taking any one of them down and escaping, so no one wanted to try taking her out of the truck for the night like the others.