The Walking Dead Season 1: The Start of Something New

Chapter 12: Vatos

My POV
D***, all this time, Lori and Shane were a thing. I wanted to tell Rick when he comes back, but Shane will tell everyone who I am and what I did and probably kicked me out of camp. I gotta keep it to myself.
I was gutting Daryl's squirrels on a tree stump and watching over Angie and Sophia. They were drawing stuff, while I threw unwanted meat in the bucket.
Behind me was Dale, on the roof of his RV, standing guard, doing a routine sweep around us.
Carol and Jacqui were hanging clothes. She hasn't spoken a word since Ed's beat down. Well at least she doesn't get any bruises from Ed ever again.
Lori was in her tent putting Carl to sleep.
"Gabriel? Will you come up here a second?" Dale asked
I put my knife down and head over to Dale. When I got on the roof, Dale handed over his binoculars. "Tell me what you see." He said.
Confused on what he was trying to do, I grabbed the binoculars. Dale pointed up the hill, where I can make out the Atlanta skyline in the distance. Through the binoculars, I saw Jim digging with a shovel. What is he doing?
(The Walking Dead theme plays)
Seline's POV
Oh my God. I can't believe he did that. Cut his own hand to get himself free. Like what the f***?!
The wind blows over, but I can hear Daryl's heavy breathing. He violently raised his crossbow at T-Dog with a shout of anger. Immediately, Rick drew his revolver at Daryl and I unsheathed my sword close to Daryl's neck.
T didn't flinched and neither does Daryl as he squint his eyes, aiming his crossbow straight into Ts forehead.
Rick cocks his gun. "I won't hesitate. I don't care if every walker in the city hears it." He threatened Daryl.
After an intense silent moment of this standoff, Daryl let one tear drop before he lowers his weapon. T let out a sigh of relief, I sheathed my katana, and Rick uncocks his revolver.
On this roof, it's the second time that cop aimed at a Dixon. "You got a do-rag or something?" Daryl asked T. Strange why?
T carefully hands him a piece of cloth. He kneeled down beside Merle's hand and gingerly picked it up, observing it. Ew! Don't pick it up.
He sighed. "I guess the saw blade was too dull for the handcuffs." He said before he placing the hand on the rag and wraps it up. "Ain't that a b****."
He motioned Glenn to come over and sticks the sawed off hand in Glenn's backpack. He was embarrassed. Inside I was laughing, but I can't shake the feeling what Merle had to do. Strangely enough, I felt bad for him, like I'm an a**w****.
"He must have used a tourniquet.... maybe his belt. Be much more blood if he didn't." Daryl examined his surroundings and noticed a trail of blood.
He followed it and we have to too. The trail leads us to another doorway into the building. Our weapons in hand, we opened the door. Inside we found a stairwell back down.
"Merle? You in here?" Daryl called out before we head downstairs.
My POV
After finding out where Jim is, Dale and I went up the hill. Leaving Jacqui to watch over the kids. We found him digging a grave sized hole. More than one, actually. We approached him but he still kept on digging.
"Jim? You okay?" Dale asked, but he ignored him.
"Hey man. Is everything alright?" I asked him. "Hello? Jim?" I whistled trying to catch his attention.
"If you keep this up, you're gonna get killed out here." Dale said.
"And he ain't talking about the walkers. It's like 100 degrees out, man." I explained further.
He's still doesn't stop digging. He was dirty, his clothes were stained of sweat, he looked like he had been out for hours.
Dale offered him a drink when he hands him his canteen. "Drink some water at least."
Jim looked up at us, but still digging. Being weirded out, Dale and I head back to camp. What was up with him?
Seline's POV
I heard a walker growled around the corner. I jumped up and sliced his head off. It rolled across the floor and Daryl put a bolt in its brain. He scoffed at me for missing the brain. I need to practice more on fighting walkers.
Daryl get his arrow back before we continue make our way through the building. We entered the abandoned receptionist area and found four dead walkers on the floor with their heads smashed in.
"Have enough in him to take out these some of b******, one handed." Daryl commented.
"There's no way he could fight them off." I stated my opinion. There's no way.
Daryl reloads his crossbow. "Toughest a**h*** I ever met, my brother." He told me. He grunted. "Feed him a hammer, he'd crap out nails."
I let out a small quiet giggle, but he heard it anyway. "It's true."
Rick joined in our conversation. "Any man can pass out from blood loss, no matter how tough he is." Passing us, in the lead.
My POV
We arrived back at camp and found Morales holding a couple dozen of fish on one string. We will be having squirrels and fish tonight. I just realized that Jim is in trouble. Drool over some meat later.
"I uh... I don't want to alarm anyone, but we may have a bit of a problem." Dale announced.
Shane got up from his chair and walked over to us. We pointed up the hilltop, Jim was still digging.
Seline's POV
The blood trail continues over a tile floor as we entered the living spaces of the building.
Daryl peeked his head out the doorway. "Merle!"
"We're not alone here. Remember?" Rick warned him.
Daryl and I went ahead, scanning the room. "S*** that, he could be bleeding out. You said so yourself." He talked back.
"Shh." T hushed them, and pointed at the walker nearby. I took it down easily, then found myself in a kitchen. The stove was lit, still burning. I turned it off. I found a bloody abandoned belt on the cooktop and a flat iron. It has been used and left with crusty black stuff. Rick picked it up and examined it.
"What is that burnt stuff?" Glenn wondered.
"Skin. He cauterized the stump." Rick told him. Oh my God, that's gross. Glenn looked grossed out and was about to hurl and so do I.
"Told you he was tough. Nobody can kill Merle but Merle." Daryl stated.
"Don't take that on faith. He loss a lot of blood." Rick remind him.
We sneaked over to a shattered glass pane window with blood on it.
"Oh s***." I said, amazed that he can break through a window.
"Yeah? Didn't stop him from busting out of this death trap." Daryl said.
"He left the building? Why the hell would he do that?" Glenn wondered.
"Why wouldn't he? He's out there alone as far as he knows, doing what he's got to do." Daryl said.
Now I felt worse for leaving him behind, we need him to survive this. I looked out the window and found a fire escape, leading down. And there's a bloody towel nearby.
"Surviving." Daryl said.
"You call that surviving? Just wandering out the streets, maybe passing out? What are his odds out there?" T questioned.
"No worse than being handcuffed and left to rot by you sorry p*****." He turned to Rick. "You couldn't kill him. Ain't so worried about some dead b******." He talked pointedly as he got close to Rick.
Unflinching Rick argued back. "What about a thousand dumb dead b*******? Different story?"
"Why don't you take a tally? Do what you want. I'm gonna go get him."
He stepped away to head for the window, but Rick put his hand up and stopped him. "Daryl, wait." He said, pushing him back.
"Get your hands off me! You can't stop me!" Daryl snapped.
"I don't blame you. He's family, 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." He promised him.
Daryl calmed himself down. "I could do that."
"Only if we could get those guns first. I'm not strolling the streets of Atlanta with just my good intentions, ok?" T complained.
A sudden noise made us on edge. It came from the front door of the apartment. The knob turned. My hand was on the sword's handle over my shoulder, ready to strike. Rick and Daryl aimed their weapons at door.
It opened and familiar faces were shown and their guns drawn. A deep voice sound surprised. "Glenn? Seline?"
My POV
Jim hasn't stopped when we got back up. This time, Shane, Andrea, Amy, Lori, Carl, Sophia, Carol, and Morales come with us. All came to see why he's digging. Even with a crowd of people, he's still digging.
"Hey, Jim. Jim, why don't you hold up, alright? Just give me a second here please." Shane asked him, politely.
"What do you want?" Jim asked.
"We're all just a little concerned, that's all." I told him.
"Dale say you had been out here for hours." Morales spoke.
"So?" Jim shrugged.
"So why are you digging? Are you heading for China, Jim?" Shane asked, trying to lighten the mood, but I felt that it's something serious. Those holes looked a lot like graves.
"Why does it matter? I'm not hurting anyone." He proclaimed.
"Yeah, except maybe yourself. It's a hundred degrees out today. You can't keep this up." Dale warned him.
"Come on. At least take a break." I suggested.
"No. Sure I can, watch me." Jim challenged.
Lori stepped up. "Jim, they're not gonna say it, so I will. You're scaring people. You're scaring my son, Gabriel's sister, and Carol's daughter."
Jim paused. "They got nothing to be scared of." He shrugged. "I mean, what the hell, people? I'm out here by myself. Why don't you just go and leave me the hell alone?" He asked.
"Yo, Jim. We think that you need to take a break, ok? Why don't you go and get yourself a shade and relax for a bit? Some food and a drink maybe? I'll tell you what.... maybe in a little bit, Shane and I will come out here. We'll help you ourselves, man. Just tell me what's all this about. Why don't you just go ahead and give us that shovel? Sounds good?" I proposed.
Jim shoved his shovel to the ground, and stared at me and Shane. "Or what?" He smelled horrible from all that sweat and looked bad too with mosquito bites all over him.
"What do mean or what? We're asking you. We're coming to you and asking you. I don't want to have to take it from you." Shane said.
"And if I don't, then what? Then you're gonna beat my face like Ed Peletier, aren't you? Y'all seen his face huh? What's left of it. See, now that's what happens when someone crosses you." He said before he goes back digging.
"That was different Jim." Shane told him.
"You weren't there. Ed was out of control. He was hitting his wife." Amy explained to him.
"That is their marriage. Not his. He is not judge and jury. Who voted you king boss huh?" He questioned.
"Jim. We are not here to argue. Just give him the shovel." I pleaded him.
Shane was about to grab it but Jim took it out of Shane's reach. "No, no, no."
I pressed forward but he shoved me back with his shovel. I put my hands up. "Just give me the.... Jim!"
He grunted as he swung the shovel at me and Shane. The cop tackles him to the ground.
"Ok. Shh, shh." Shane tried to calm him.
"You got no right!" He protested.
I took a knee and look at him straight in the eye. "Shh. Stop it."
"You got no right." He said again.
Shane rolled Jim over to his belly and pulled his arms back.
"Just stop it, okay?" Shane whispered to him.
I felt something around my right leg. It was Angie, frightened as she hugged tightly. I brushed her hair with my hand to soothed her.
"Don't." He said.
"Hey, hey, hey. Nobody's gonna hurt you. You hear me? Okay?" Shane said.
Jim was pinned to the ground, panting and crying. "That's a lie. That's a biggest lie there is." He said. Has he gone crazy?
Shane handcuffed his hands behind his back. Jim continued. "I told that to my wife and my two boys. I said it a hundred times. It didn't matter. There are dozens of them." He turned to Lori and everyone else who were horrified. "Just pulled em right out of my hands. You know the only reason I got away was 'cause the dead were too busy eating my family." He croaked, and burst some tears.
Wtf man? That was heavy as hell.
Seline's POV
A little girl moved pass the adults. "Seline!" She said as she ran for my hug and I hugged her back. "Clementine."
"Oh man. I'm glad to see you again." Lee greeted Glenn and I.
Clementine and I retreated our embrace and hugged the rest.
"I'm glad that you're okay." Katja said as I hugged Kenny and Katja. I can't describe how I felt. They are fine and well.
"Glenn!" Duck shouted. He attacked him with a huge hug. He ran so fast that he hit Glenn in the nuts. "Ow! Glad to see you too buddy."
I laughed and then I noticed Rick, Daryl and T were confused. "Guys, meet our old group: this is Kenny, Lee, Kenny's wife Kat, their son Duck, and this little cutie is Clementine. And guys meet Rick, the creepy redneck with a crossbow is Daryl, and this is Theodore but we call him TDog." I told them. Both sides greet one another.
I heard Daryl asked Kenny. "Why you name your boy Duck? He lays eggs or something?"
"It's his nickname cause he won't shut up, just kept on quakin."
"Oh."
Lee grabbed my arm. "Where's Gabriel?"
"He's back at our camp with the others." I told him. I looked behind and my heart sank. "Where's Lilly, Larry, and Carely?" I asked, hoping it's not what I think it is.
Lee shook his head. "I'm sorry. We've been through a lot."
"Oh my god. What happen?" Glenn asked.
"We'll tell you at your place." Kenny said and Lee nodded.
"I'm sorry for your loss Lee." Rick said, shaking hands with him.
Oh my gosh, they're gone. I want to know what happen to them.
(Later)
"You're not doing this alone." Rick protested.
After we are done catching up on one another, they decided to help us out on getting our guns.
"Even I think it's a bad idea and I don't even like you much." Daryl commented.
"I don't know Glenn. The last time you were out, you got trapped." Kenny reminded us.
Oh yeah. Him and Gabriel scared the hell out of me.
"It's a good idea ok, if you could just hear me out. If we go out there in a group, we're slow, drawing attention. If I'm alone, I can move fast." Glenn explained. Ok with you so far.
Earlier Glenn had used a marker and a small board to draw a map of the streets outside. "That's the tank. Five blocks from where we are now." He said, putting a large paper binder on the board. "That's the bag of guns. Here's the alley where I dragged you into when we first met." He told Rick as he placed a wad of paper in front of the paper binder. "That's where Daryl, Seline, and I will go."
"Wait, why us?" I asked.
"Your sword and his crossbow are quieter than their guns." He explained.
"Oh, true."
Glenn used a tap dispenser and Hellow Kitty sticker to represent me and Daryl. "While Daryl and Seline wait here in the alley, I'll run up the street, and grabbed the bag."
"You got us elsewhere?" Lee asked.
Glenn marked the spot on the map with a paperclip and a pink eraser. Lee was a paperclip and Rick as a eraser. "Two blocks away? Why?" Rick wondered.
"I may not be able to come back the same way. Walkers might cut me off, I won't go back to Daryl and Seline. I'll go forward instead, all the way around to that alley where you guys are. Whichever direction I go, I got both places to cover me. Afterwards, we'll all meet back here." Glenn explained his whole plan. Wow.
"Hey kid, what'd you do before all this?" Daryl asked.
"Pizza delivery. Why?" Glenn answered.
I giggled. "Pizza? You have pizza right now Glenn?" Duck asked eager to get the taste of the cheesy goodness. I felt in the mood for pizza now.
"Duck, there's no pizza honey." Katja told him. "Aww." He whined. Oh my God Duck.
Everyone agreed on the plan and we break.
Everyone went to their positions, as Daryl, Glenn, and I climbed down the same ladder where we first met Rick. Down below the alley was clear. Thank God. And we got down. We took cover behind a dumpster, waiting for Daryl to reload his crossbow. "You got some balls for a Chinaman." Daryl commented.
I rolled my eyes. Why are the Dixon's so racist? "I'm korean." Glenn corrected him.
"Whatever." He said, loading an arrow onto his crossbow.
Glenn readied himself then dashed forward onto the street.
Behind us I heard shuffling and growling.
I turned and got surprised by a walker. Daryl saved me as he pushed him out of the way and shot it at point blank. Another walker was behind him and he noticed, but he's busy trying to get the bolt out of the skull and reloading his crossbow.
I stepped and stabbed the d*** thing through the chest, kicked it off of my blade, and sliced his head open. I was surprised on what I can do. (Smiles like Maggie in season 3)
We heard more walkers from the other side of the alley so we hid behind the two dumpsters.
After a while, we heard footsteps coming for us, but it's in rhythm unlike a walker. Daryl and I exchanged glances and jumped up and take aim at a kid. He looks hispanic decent, wears a t-shirt and jeans.
His hands were up, surrendering. "Whoa, don't shoot me! What do you want?" He asked.
"I'm looking for my brother. He's hurt real bad. You seen him?" Daryl questioned the kid.
"Ayudame!" He shouted someone for help. D*** it Daryl! Why do you have to be so scary? "Cállate, por favor. Usted vas a traer los monstros." I tell him.
"Ayudame! Ayudame!" He shouted. He's so loud that maybe the others can hear him.
"Answer me!" Daryl demanded.
"D***it Daryl! You're scaring him!" I told him off.
"Ayudame." The kid screamed again.
Daryl had enough and he knocked out the kid in the head with a crossbow. He struggled as Daryl put a hand over him. "Shut up! Shut up!" He ordered.
The kid's yelling were muffled.
I was about to ask him a question, but two chulos had just came from out of thin air. One of them knocked over Daryl with a bat and the other grabbed the kid. The first guy was gonna swing at me but I blocked it with my sword. We were in a standstill for a moment until Glenn showed up with the bag of guns. The man elbowed me in the face, knocked me off of my feet. "That's it. That's the bag vato. Take it, take it!" That son of a b**** shouted and they chased after Glenn. The first guy knocked Glenn down and grabbed the bag, while the other one beat Glenn with a bat. "Ah! Ah!" Glenn screamed.
They both tried to take the bag away from him, but Daryl shot an arrow in the a** of one man. He screamed as he shuffled towards his partner. I was still dazed from the hit but I can still make out on what's happening.
Daryl fixes another arrow into his crossbow as the two guys captured Glenn who lets go of the bag. A car approaches and they head for it, not noticing Glenn had dropped the guns.
They used him as a shield so we could not fire. "Get off me! Daryl! Seline!" Glenn screamed before he was stuffed into the backseat with the two chulos and the car pulls away as walkers follow. I got up, and ran for the gate to close it but Daryl beat me to it. "Come back here! You sons of b******!" Daryl shouted.
"Daryl!" I shouted as I shoved him and pulled the gate closed. Walkers leaned themselves on the fence, but can't get in.
Over my shoulder I saw Rick, Lee, Tdog, and Kenny came running up behind us. "What the hell happen?" Kenny asked, demand to know.
"Glenn got ......" I stopped when Daryl slammed the kid he had knocked down.
Rick and Lee get in the way of the angry redneck as I protect the kid.
"Whoa whoa whoa! Stop it!" Rick told him, but he won't as he tries to move past Rick and Lee. "Calm down man!" Lee told Daryl.
"I'm gonna kick your nuts up in your throat!" Daryl shouted, making threats.
"Let me go!" The kid said as I try to hold him off.
"Chill out!" T-Dog silenced him.
"They took Glenn. That little b****** and his little b****** homie friends!" Daryl angrily shouted, telling everyone what had went down.
I turned to the kid, he's frightened and terrified. He's like above my age and cries like a baby.
"I'm gonna stomp your a**!" Daryl claimed.
"Rick, we're cut off." Kenny informed Rick.
"Let's get back to the apartment. Go." He commanded.
I lend T the kid, and Rick picked up the bag.
"Come on let's go!" Daryl called out.
Before we left, Rick grabbed his sheriff's hat for some reason and took the lead up the alley.
The f***! We had lost Glenn. Gabriel and Xavier will not be happy when they find out.
My POV
Shane had tied up Jim not so long ago. Giving him a time out, something like that. He sat up against the trunk, a piece of rope wrapped around his torso, the knot at the other side of the tree.
I was walking to him, with a water bottle in hand.
"Sup man. Wanna take some water?" I offered him.
He smirked. "All right."
"Yeah? Here you go bro." I opened the bottle and dipped some water out into his mouth, he drinks it.
Nearby was Carol and Lori homeschooling their children, including Angie. She can write full sentences now from my and their help. I'm proud of her. I think that's what it felt like to be a parent. I like it.
"Gabe? Could you pour some on my head?" Jim asked.
"Yeah sure. You need to cool down." I said smiling as I poured some water over his head.
I don't know why. It's just quiet now. No walkers, gunshots, or screaming. It's peaceful.
"Yeah? How long will Shane keep me like this?" He wondered.
I sighed. "He says until he don't think you're a danger to yourself and others." He nodded.
"Sorry if I scared your boy and your little girl." He apologized to Carol and Lori.
"You had sunstroke. Nobody's blaming you." Lori said.
"You're not scared now, are you?" He asked the kids.
"No sir." Sophia answered.
Carl wanna say something but refused, going back to work.
"Your mama's right. The sun just cooked my head is all." He said.
Xavier and Yazmin came and brought some pieces of jerky. "Here, I thought you might be hungry." Yazmin said, feeding him some.
"Thank you. You are very kind." He said.
"Jim, do you know why you're digging?" Xavier asked.
Yazmin punched Xavier in the arm. "Ow."
"Sorry..." Yazmin tries to apologize.
"No, it's ok. I had a reason but don't remember."
Xavier nodded. "Huh?"
"Something I dreamt last night." He turned to Carl. "You're dad was in it. You were too. You were worried about him. Can't remember the rest. You're worried about your dad?" He asked.
"They're not back yet." Carl was disappointed.
"We don't need to talk about that." Lori said. I stared at her, knowing why she don't want to talk about it.
"Your dad's a police officer, son. He helps people. Probably just came across some folks needing help, that's all. That man, he's tough as nails. I don't know him well but... I could see it in him." Jim tried to comfort him and I think it worked.
He turned to Shane who had come and join us. "Am I right?"
"Oh yeah." He said.
"There ain't nothing gonna stop him from getting back here to you and your mom, I promise you that." He told Carl.
"True that. Who wants to help me clean some fish, huh?" Shane suggested.
"Sweet, come on guys." Carl said following Shane and so were Sophia and Angie.
"Stay with Carol, alright?" Lori told them before Carol left with the kids and began cleaning up.
"Okay, babe, I'll go help out on laundry." Yazmin tell her boyfriend before she kissed him.
The kids giggled and Xavier kissed back. "Alright, see ya soon."
When she's out of sight, Xavier turned to me. "You brought it?"
"Sure do." I reached for the necklaces in my back pocket and gave it to him. "Those things?" I asked. I think I got the right one.
"Yeah bro! Thanks." He said, gazed upon the diamonds encircled both halves of the heart.
"Whoa." Sophia got up and admired it.
"It's so pretty." Angie said.
"She'll like it. I know she will." Jim told him.
"Thank you guys, I need to wrap it up with something..... later I gotta go." Xavier said before he left.
I was planning on keeping Jim company and Lori was about to leave until Jim spoke. "Lori, Gabriel, keep your boy and your sister close. You don't ever let them out of your sight." He gave his surprise advice.
"Of course. We'll do." I told him.
He nodded. His intensity had scared the hell out of me, and Lori too. His loss of his family probably made him that way.
Seline's POV
In the kitchen we were before, we have been interrogating the little gangster for quite a while. Rick, Lee, Tdog, Daryl, and I were the only ones in the room with him, while Katja was looking after the kids in the other room.
I was sitting on top of a table, wiping the dark blood off of my sword. Daryl was pacing impatiently around the room, staring down at him.
"Those men you were with, we need to know where they went." Rick said.
"I ain't telling you nothing." He refused.
"J**** man, what the hell happen out there?" Lee asked, getting tired of the kid's attitude and so do I.
"I told you, this little turd and his douche bag friends came out of no where and jumped us!" Daryl said again.
"Man, you're the one who jumped me, p***, screaming about trying to find his brother like it's my d*** fault." He told us.
"He was asking if you seen him? That's all d***a**." I corrected him.
He scoffed. "Why were with these folks baby? You're their b****?" He made a side comment, smiling, and looking at me funny.
I have enough of this f****. I stepped off the table and I was about to swing to make a cut. But T stopped me, his hand on handle and shook his head, no.
"They took Glenn. Could have taken Merle too." Daryl proclaimed.
"Merle? What kind of hick name was that? I wouldn't name my dog Merle." He insulted.
Daryl tried to take a swing at him but Lee hold him off, but still kicks out at him.
"D*** it, man. Back off." Lee said.
Daryl paused for a moment, then opened Glenn's backpack and brought out Merle's right hand, unwrapping the rag. This is gonna be good.
"Want to see what happened to the last guy that pissed me off? He asked him.
He turned and threw the hand to the boy's lap. He jumped up when he realized what it is and screamed a little. I let out a small grin.
The hand was dropped to the floor and still horrified, he sat back down.
Daryl then grabbed him by the shoulder and neck, gets in to his face. "We'll start with the feet this time." Daryl threatened.
Lee turned to Rick disgusted. And Rick shook his head no that's not true. It eased Lee a bit.
"The men you were with took our friend. All we want to do is talk to them. See if we can work something out." He told him.
(Later)
The kid confessed, and told us where his friends were hold up. We've brought him to the shell of a large brick building. Across what could be a wide alley, Rick peeked through the ruined window to a set of double doors in a similar brick wall. He shook a shotgun cartridge. "You sure you're up for this?" Rick asked Lee.
"Yeah, we faced the worst kind of people on the road." Lee told him.
"Okay." He said before Lee and T left with the bag.
Rick, and Kenny load their shotguns while I took out my sword. I don't know about this. I had strong sense that something's up.
"One wrong move, you get an arrow in the a**. So you know." Daryl threatened him the hundredth time.
"G's gonna take that arrow out of my a** and shove it up yours. So you know." He talked back.
Rick raised a brow. "G?"
"Guillermo. He's the man here."
"Okay then." He pumped his shotgun. "Let's go see Guillermo." He stated before we stepped through the window and into the alley and across to the shell of a large brick building with no interior, and no roof. I pushed the kid in front and walked through the building to the double doors. I scanned for another opening but there's none. I am on high alert, maybe they are like the group of guys I had killed; mean, rude, and don't care about others.
The kid stopped a few feet away from the door. Our guns still aimed at him, the doors opened. Several men stayed inside but only one stepped out. He's slight in build, wearing a gold necklace and a dark shirt. Probably Guillermo. "You ok, little man?"
"They're gonna cut my feet, Carnal." He snitched.
"Cops do that?" Guillermo asked Rick.
The kid spoke instead. "Not him. This redneck p*** here. He cut off some dude's hand, man. He showed it to me."
"Shut up." Daryl ordered him.
A guy we met earlier stepped up, his gun raised. "Hey, that's that vato right there, homes! He shot me in the a** with an arrow. What's up homes huh?"
Guillermo put an arm in front of him. "Chill, ese, chill." He turned to Rick. "This true? He wants Miguelito's feet? That's pretty sick man."
"We were hoping for more of a calm discussion." Rick declared.
"That hillbilly jumps Felipe's little cousin, beats on him, threatens to cut off his feet, Felipe gets an arrow in the a**, and you want a calm discussion? You fascinate me." Guillermo pointed out.
"Heat of the moment. Mistakes were made on both sides." I said mentioning Glenn.
"Who's that dud to you anyway? You don't look related." He questioned.
"He's one of our group, more or less, I'm sure you have a few like him." Rick said.
"Sorry, we're fresh out of white boys. But I've got asian, you interested?" He joked, but I don't think it's funny.
"I have one of yours, and you have one of mine. Sounds like an even trade." Kenny suggested.
"Don't sound even to me." He stands.
"G, come on, man." Miguel begged.
"My people got attacked. Where's the compensation for their pain and suffering? More to the point." He sniffed. "Where's my bag of guns?" Guillermo asked.
"Guns?" I wondered what he meant. I hope he's not talking about ours.
"The bag Miguel saw in the street. The bag Felipe and Jorge were going back to get. That bag of guns." He told us.
"You're mistaken." Kenny said.
"I don't think so." G refused.
"About it being yours. It's my bag of guns." Rick claimed.
"The bag was on the street. Anybody could come around and say its theirs. I'm suppose to take your word? What's to stop my people from unloading on you right here and now and I take what's mine?"
"You could do that." Rick looked over to where Tdog and Lee were at the top of the building. Their sights on Guillermo.
"Or not." Kenny smiled.
G followed our eyes and spotted them.
He sighed. "Oye!" He called out.
Behind G on top of their building, was two men leading a man with a bag over his head, hands behind his back, and close to the edge. One of them removed the bag to show Glenn, his mouth ducked tape. You m*****f*****!
"I see two options. You come back with Miguel and my bag of guns, everybody walks. Or you come back locked and loaded, we'll see which side spills more blood." G demands before he and the men on the roof get back inside, closing the doors.
(Later)
We arrived back at the apartment. Katja was disappointed when we come back without Glenn. So does Clementine and Duck.
"Them guns are worth more than gold. Gold won't protect your family or put food on the table. You willing to give that up for that kid?" Daryl asked Rick.
"If I knew we'd get Glenn back, I might agree. But you think that vato across the way is just gonna hand him over?" Lee questioned.
"You calling G a liar?" Miguel protest.
"Are you a part of this? Don't make me give you a surgery." I threatened him by having my hand on the sword. He remained quiet, his head down.
"Question is, do we trust him to keep his word?" Kenny said.
"No, question is what are you willing to bet on it? Could be more than them guns, it could be your life. Glenn worth that to you?" Daryl thought out loud.
"What I have I owe to him. I was nobody to Glenn, just some idiot stuck in a tank. He could have walked away, but he didn't. Neither will I." Rick told everyone.
"He was right. He had risked his life when going on runs here. I owe my life to him too." I said.
"When Glenn was out to look for gas back at Macon, he met a girl in trouble and he wanted to help. He wanted to help even though he don't know her. He's a good guy." Lee said.
"So we're gonna hand guns over?" Kenny asked.
"I didn't say that. There's nothing keeping the kids here. Daryl and Tdog take Kenny and his family back to camp." Rick orders.
"And tell your family what?" T questioned.
"He's one of ours too, count me in." Kenny declared, taking one shotgun. Then Daryl, T, and Lee.
The kid gets up. "Come on, this is crazy."
He froze when I brought out my blade up to his neck. Without a word, Daryl pointed at the chair. Miguel sat back down and I put back my katana.
(Later)
We were back at Guillermo's hideout, except this time, Kenny drove his RV here in case we need a fast getaway.
Miguel's hands were tied behind his back and his mouth was gagged we walked to the huge double doors, our guns pointed at the kid. Here we go.
The doors opened and we went inside. We met up with G's men in the garage, some have handguns and others have melee weapons: baseball bats, crowbars, etc. Rick has the bag of guns slung across his back, rifles and shotguns sticking out.
Guillermo comes forward. "I see my guns but they are not all in the bag."
"That's because they're not yours." Rick told him.
"I don't think you fully appreciate the gravity of the situation." G said.
"No, we're pretty clear." I said as I cut Miguel free and took off the tape, then shoved him forward.
"You have your man, I want mine." Rick demands.
G stepped up to Rick. "I'm gonna chop up your boy. I'm gonna feed him to my dogs. They're the evilest, nastiest man-eating b***** you ever saw. I picked them up from Satan at a yard sale. I told you how it has to be. Are you woefully deaf?" He threatened.
"No, my hearing's fine. You said come locked and loaded." Rick told him as we all cocked our weapons and the vatos do to. Daryl, Lee, Tdog, and Rick have shotguns and I have a glock handgun.
"Ok then, we're here." Rick said, aimed his gun at G.
I don't know what was about to happen. Are we gonna die here? All this for a bag of guns? I had thought about our group back at camp. Xavier, Yazmin, Angie.... and Gabriel, my best friends in the end of the world.
I came to reality when an a voice breaks the tensed silence. "Felipe! Felipe!"
At the back of the room, an elderly woman came in from the back door. She walks causally through armed men.
She tugged at Felipe's shirt. He turned to the women. "Abuela, go back with the others......now." He tried.
"Get that old lady out of the line of fire." Daryl said.
G took his eyes off of us to the old lady. "Abuela, listen to your mijo okay? This is not the place for you right now."
"Mr. Gilbert is having trouble breathing. He needs his asthma stuff. Carlito didn't find it. He needs his medicine." She explained.
"Felipe, take care of it, ok? And take your grandmother with you." He gave the order.
"Abuela. Abuela, vas conmigo por favor." Felipe said, leading her to the back door.
But when she saw Rick and the rest of us she walked right passed her grandson. "Who are those people?"
She walked over to Rick. "Ah, por favor vas conmigo." Felipe tried to convince her to follow him.
She ignored him. "Don't you take him." She pleaded.
Take him? I looked at Rick and he's wearing a police uniform. Maybe she thinks we're cops.
"Ma'am?" Rick was confused.
"Felipe's a good boy. He have his trouble but he pull himself together. We need him here." She said.
"Ma'am, I'm not here to arrest your grandson." Rick said.
"Then what do you want him for?" She asked.
"He's..... helping us find a missing person. A fella name Glenn." He lied, more like he improvised.
"The asian boy? He's with Mr. Gilbert. Come, come, I show you. He needs his medicine." The old lady gestured for us to follow her. She seemed innocent, sweet, and harmless.
"Let em pass." G ordered.
His men clear a path for us to the back door.
She lead us and everyone else out of the building. She held Rick's hand as we walked up an outside flight of stairs, through the courtyard, and into the nursing home.
Inside I heard coughing and some people whispering.
"Abuela, por favor, take me to him." He said to his grandmother.
As we strolled down the hallway, I looked into each of the room's. There were the elderly being cared for. We were gonna shoot these but really, they were protecting them. Now I felt like I am the bad guy.
We stepped into the cafeteria and a group of people were huddled around one table. Felipe and his grandmother were there. "All right. All right. Nice and easy. Just breathe." He was talking to a old man in a wheelchair. He puts an asthma inhaler in his mouth. "Just breathe. Just let it out. Just breathe." Felipe told him again.
The old man breathed as the inhaler hissed.
Amongst the group, I spot Glenn, not tied up or taped up. I head for him. "What the hell is this?"
"An asthma attack. Couldn't get his breath all of the sudden." He told us.
"I thought you were eaten by dogs man." T said.
Glenn raised a brow and looked behind him. There was a basket with three Chihuahuas in it and one of them barked. I turned to Guillermo. He played us!
"They can smell fear." Glenn joked.
"That's not funny." Lee told him.
I took a knee and pet the dog. I held back tears when I remembered my dog getting eaten by my parents. I hugged the cute little thing. It licked my cheek and it made me smile.
(Later)
Kenny drove us back to where we parked the cube van in his RV. Everyone was disappointed about Rick's decision to give half of what's in the bag to the vatos. I'm upset too but, they needed to.
"Admit it, you only came back to Atlanta for the hat." Glenn said, from the back.
"Don't tell anybody." Rick said, sitting on a couch next to me.
"You've given away half our guns and ammo." Daryl said, sitting at the kitchen table.
"Not nearly half." Rick corrected.
"For what? Bunch of old farts who are gonna die off momentarily anyhow. Seriously, how much time you think they got?" Daryl questioned Rick.
"How long do any of us?" Rick answered.
We stopped and looked out at the window. There's the hole in the fence we had went through and beyond it was....nothing. wtf? "Oh my God." I said stepping out of the RV.
Our van was gone. "Where the hell's our van?" Daryl shouted.
"You guys sure this is where it was?" Kenny asked from the driver's seat.
"Yeah we're sure." I told him.
"We left it right there. Who would take it?" Glenn wondered.
"Merle." Rick guessed.
My POV
I was passing plates with cooked fish to everyone while Xavier, Dale, and Andrea set up chairs around the campfire.
When I'm finished I gazed at the Atlanta skyline, I know it's there but it's hard to tell at night with no lights or anything. Seline is out there somewhere. They have been gone for a whole day. All they need to do is to get one guy and the guns. I hope they'll be ok.
Carol and Sophia got back from their tent but Ed wasn't with them. Guess he was too embarrassed to show his broken face. Next, Shane and Carl got back with Jim. He saw me and he nods and I nod back.
Holding hands, Xavier and Yazmin came and sat next to me. Yazmin was holding the friend necklace and stare at it, smiling. "It's perfect." She told her boyfriend. Xavier held his Best necklace and attached the two necklaces together.
"Happy Anniversary you guys." I said.
"Thanks bro." Xavier thanked.
"No problem."
"Dale, I've got to ask you. It's been driving me crazy man." Morales tell Dale.
"What?" Dale asked, confused.
"That watch." He told him.
"What's wrong with my watch?"
"I see you every day, the same time, winding that thing like a village priest saying Mass." Morales tell him.
"I've wondered this myself." Yazmin said, taking a bite of fish.
"I'm missing the point." Dale said.
"Unless I've misread the signs, the world seems to have come to an end. At least hit a speed bump for a good long while." Jacqui said.
"But there's you everyday winding that stupid watch." Morales said.
"Time..... It's important to keep track isn't it? The days at least. Do you think, Andrea? Back me up here." Dale suggested, but she fell quiet and continue eating. "I like..... I like what um, a father said to his son when he gave him his watch that had been handed down through generations. He said, 'I give you the mausoleum of all hope and desire, which will fit your individual needs no better than it did mine or my father's before me; I give it to you not that you may remember time, but that you may not forget it for a moment now and then not spend all your breath trying to conquer it." He paraphrased.
Everyone and so did I smiled in agreement. It's important to keep track of time.
Shane looks questionly at Lori and she gave a blank look back. I sighed. I still want to tell Rick.
After a brief of silence, Amy spoke. "You are so weird."
Everyone laughed. "It's not me. It's Faulkner. William Faulkner. Maybe my bad paraphrasing." Dale smiled.
Amy put her plate and cup down and got up. "Where are you going?" Her sister asked.
"I have to pee. Jeez, you try to be disceet around here." Amy said before she went for the RV.
"I want to go to bed." Yazmin told Xavier before she got up.
"Why, it's early?" Xavier asked.
Yazmin raised a brow. "Oh." Xavier gets it and both left, holding hands.
Oh no, not in our tent.
After getting a second dish for Angie, Amy called over. "We're out of toilet paper."
I looked over my shoulder and I saw a walker coming out behind the trailers door. "Walker!" I shouted, taking out my gun from my pocket.
I was too late. The walker bite down Amy's forearm, tearing through her flesh, spilling blood all over.
More walkers came from behind the RV. I took a shot at the one chomping Amy.
"No!" Andrea cried.
I picked up my sister with my left arm and have my gun on my right.
Everyone else panicked and ran in different directions.
"Mom!" Carl cried.
"Carl!" Lori yelled, holding her son close.
Carol grabbed Sophia, and Shane grabbed his 12 Gage shotgun.
I shot one. "Xavier! Yazmin!" I shouted before I killed another walker.
Seline's POV
It's night but we're almost to our campsite as Kenny drove his trailer up the hill. A series of gunfire and screams made us stand on our toes, looking out the window.
"Oh my God." Rick said.
"Kenny, hurry!" I told him.
"I'm giving her all she's got!" He shouted.
Oh my god, Gabriel, Angie, Xavier, Yazmin.
My POV
"Lori, Gabriel, get the kids down!" Shane shouted an order.
I put down Angie next to Lori and joined Shane shooting down walkers.
Everywhere I turn, a walker came shuffling from a few feet away.
We stood between the walkers and our loved ones. Nearby, Jim and Morales took out walkers with their baseball bats, demolishing their skulls.
One guy got overpowered by three walkers and they chomp on him by the shoulders and his arm. I fired two of them but my pistol clicked. D*** it! Morales beat the last walker for me.
Shane cover me as I reload, putting another clip in my handgun.
I felt Angie tugged at my shirt and heard her cry. "Don't be scared Angie! Hide behind me!"
"Shane! What do we do? Shane?" Lori shouted over the blood curling screams, and our guns.
"Follow me!" Shane yelled.
We did as we head over to the RV. There Dale has his hunting rifle, shooting walkers, while Jacqui stood by him, swinging a axe.
I saw Andrea fought her way to her screaming sister. Now another walker bit her on the neck. Jim knocked Amy's walker's brains out and her sister crawled to her.
How did this happen? We're out having fun and then in a blink of an eye, it's chaos. Around us, people were dying, everywhere.
Shane lead us away from them. "Come on! Stay close!"
"Come on! Work your way up here!" I yelled to everyone who's still alive.
Morales killed another as he sheltered his family near the campfire. "Get to the RV! Go!" He shouted to his family.
"Morales! Work up here!" Shane yelled as we get close to the RV.
Seline's POV
We ditched Kenny's RV and on foot we ran to our camp. I took two shotguns from the bag and gave it to Kenny and Lee.
When we got there, the place were under attack by the undead.
Rick blew away one walker with his shotgun and together we unload on the walkers.
I part away from them so I can find my friends. Shooting with handgun on my right hand and sliced heads open with my sword on the other. I made my way to our tent and found Xavier and Yazmin.
Both were back to back, shooting. "Guys!" I shouted.
They spot me and head on over.
"Follow me!" I told them.
I lead them to the campfire until Yazmin got blindsided by a walker and so did I. I pushed it away and stabbed it in its forehead.
The other one sinked its teeth deep into Yazmin's shoulder. She screamed in pain so loud that it'll haunt you forever.
Xavier shoved the walker off her. Knocked off balance, it fell and Xavier execute it.
He turned to his girlfriend and took a knee beside her, sobbing. "Oh god! Oh god no!" He cried, cradled Yazmin's head in his hands, soaked in her blood from her bite.
"Help me." Yazmin plead as she was choking and coughing up blood.
Xavier tries to stop the bleeding. I took out a rag and with it put pressure on it.
I saw her stomach stopped moving up and down as her eyes closed and her head turned to the side.
"No! No!" I shouted, tears dropped on the her blood trail.
"Baby, don't do this. Baby no." Xavier cried, his tears trickled down onto his girlfriend's bloody wound.
I let go, there's no way of saving her.
Xavier brought her dead girlfriend closed to him and just cried.
Behind them came Gabriel holding Angie. He's surprised when he saw us. I rose to my feet and ran over to them, hugging them both.
We left Xavier by himself because he want us to. We joined with the others around the campfire. Everything is quiet once again, but it's a sad one.
Rick was with his family, Morales with his, and our other group was too.
Shane walked over to them and shook hands with Lee and Kenny for helping us.
"I remember my dream now, why I dug the holes." Jim spoke.