Falling into the Undead

All in the name of Survival

Falling into the Undead

Chapter Fifteen

All in the name of Survival

I've been so excited to share this chapter with you guys. This one and the next chapter. I really hope you enjoy it. We get to see a different side of survivor remi.

I came to win, to fight

To conquer, to thrive

I came to win, to survive

To prosper, to rise

-fly by Nikki Minaj, Rihanna

As expected, Merle had become more coherent as time passed. The haziness in his eyes began to clear, and he had begun to stare at Remington with dawning realization. She bit her lip and tried to avoid his gaze. Their discussion over her fears of him getting left behind swamped her mind with the realization of what he must be thinking about her. At best he wasn't thinking she was crazy anymore, but what he ended up settling on could be damning for her. After all, there was no way he would settle on the truth by himself.

No one took kindly to people that were different from them.

She worried about how he would react, and if he told the others, how they would. It could all go bad for her, but she didn't regret giving him that warning. The events may have gone differently but he hadn't taken that saw to his hand and she was grateful.

"We should be leaving soon," Glenn said. "Right?" His eyes hadn't stopped darting around since they entered the room. He hovered by the door, peeking out through the glass, as he watched for any signs of the dead.

"We can go soon," Remington said. "If we want any chance of getting out of here safely Merle is going to have to regain some of his strength."

"He's looking better," Morgan observed. "If you ignore the way he's staring at you."

Remington flushed, trying to hide her nerves, as she turned back to check on the man she had been avoiding.

"Don' talk like I can' hear yah," Merle rasped as his gaze followed her movements. She handed him her water bottle, helping him take a swig, noticing the way that he hadn't needed the help this time. "I'm not deaf."

"Are you ready to go?" Morgan said, his eyes narrowing a bit. "We should get back before dark. If you can snark, then you can walk."

"Yah. I ain't a fuckin' pussy. It'll take more than some heat ta knock ole' Merle down."

"Don't rush yourself," Remington said. "It'll do no good for any of us if you pass out halfway to the van." His eyes settled back on her, the glint they had taken when looking at Morgan seemed to soften.

"Now, sweet cheeks, yah know a man like meh can take care of himself. If I say I can go, best believe I can do it."

"Maybe I should check and make sure the area is clear before we head out," Glenn spoke up from his position in front of the door. "Figure out if it's even worth trying to move right now." Remington felt the idea held merit. If there were too many Walkers around then they would have to turn back around, and Merle's energy would be fleeting. She knew he may start to feel better but by the time they started moving it was going to be sucked dry quickly.

"Yah," Merle agreed, surprising Remington. "Take him wit yah. Give meh and sweet cheeks some privacy for a moment."

"I think I'll stay," Morgan said, his voice tightening, as he settled firmly in his seat. Merle turned to scowl, his eyes darkening, but Remington hadn't missed the clear message on his face. He wasn't flirting or trying to get into her pants, all of his attempts were jokingly anyway. She knew he wanted to get her alone, but it had nothing to do with what Morgan was thinking. Merle was just an ass, didn't care what others thought, and always went with the most direct way of getting people to do what he wanted. In this case to make the other two uncomfortable with the notion of him starting anything with her in front of them. It may have worked on Glenn, who had begun to look jumpier than before, but Morgan wasn't as easily dissuaded.