LOYAL [TWD] (third book to TROUBLE)

benjamin

Nanami nearly walked right into the end of a staff.

"Sorry! Oh, gosh.. I'm so sorry," Benjamin apologizes, drawing back.

"I really hope you aren't that jumpy when out there," Nanami blinks, shaking his head.

"I wish I could say I wasn't," Benjamin admits, "Still getting used to being out there."

Sakiko would scream his head off if he didn't take this advantage.

"I.. I could go out there with you," Nanami offers.

"You're good out there?"

"I mean.. I've been going out there on my own since the start. Me and my sister made it a few days completely alone. Was out there with just me here a couple months ago."

"Do you think we could go now?"

"Now?" Nanami repeats, surprised.

"I mean.. Yeah.."

"Okay," Nanami nods, heading to the gate.

"Don't you need a gun?"

"Nope."

--

Once outside the walls, Nanami found that Benjamin wasn't as jumpy as he was back in there.

He was worse.

"Heel-toe," Nanami critiques, "Walkers ain't the only thing that can pick up a trail."

"Walkers can pick up on trails?"

"Scent trails," Nanami nods, "Sound, too."

"How do you know all this stuff?"

"My uncle mostly," Nanami hops over a fallen tree.

"Daryl's brother or.. actual?"

"Well, seeing as how Daryl is my actual dad," Nanami laughs, "My only other uncle was on my mom's side. He was just a snobby doctor with no spine."

"That bad?"

"The women in our family have always been the stronger ones. The more.. outspoken."

"I can see that. Your sister sure is a handful."

"She is," Nanami agrees, "She takes after our dad- Daryl."

"You take after his brother, then?"

"Merle.." Nanami tests the name out, feeling strange talking about him to such a stranger, "Yeah. Sometimes."

Benjamin motions for a stop, kneeling to the ground to take his backpack off and get a canteen of water out.

"Merle was in the military. He taught me all this weapon, tracking, fighting shit. It was just us for awhile."

"So, he was a hero?" Benjamin asks, the word coming out like it was important.

Nanami scoffs, "He'd roll in his grave if I ever called him that. But, he was. He just didn't want to know it. Didn't want to admit it."

"My dad used to always tell me and my brother that if you're asked to be the hero, you should be the hero."

"Merle was never asked to be the hero. He just did what he thought was right in that moment. There was no planning or talking about it. Just action and then dealing with the consequences no matter how good or bad."

"Is that what you want to do now? Fight no matter the consequence?"

"Negan killed my brother-in-law and my best friend. Tortured my boyfriend, my sister, my dad.. How can I not?"