When The World Caves In |C.G.

twenty

"Merle?!" I ask, staring down at the man who is watching me from the forest floor. There's no way I'm not hallucinating so I blink a couple times to make sure it's really him. 

He looks like Merle, he definitely sounds like Merle. His hand is even missing, and it's been replaced with a metal contraption. That is my Uncle right there in front of me.

"Quit your staring and come down here," Merle says. Gesturing with his good hand to climb down from the tree. I can't believe what I'm seeing. Merle is alive. Uncle Merle, my Uncle Merle. "Give your Uncle a squeeze."

I try to climb down tree as fast as possible. Ignoring the way my palms sting from grabbing at the branches and the way they slide. When I'm at the bottom I wrap my arms around my Uncles waist. It's been so long. So long and the entire time I've been convinced he's dead simply because he hadn't found us yet. 

"You're alive!" I say, my braids bouncing with excitement. The adrenaline of Merle finding me is dulling any pain I have at the moment. 

"Did you ever doubt me?" Merle asks, ruffling the top of my head like he always does. Usually, I'd be mad at him but It's been so long since I've seen him that I don't even care that he messed it up. 

"I just figured since you hadn't found us..." I say shrugging my shoulders. "and it's been a year since we saw you last, something had to have been keeping you occupied." 

Peering behind my Uncle, a group of men are standing there. They've got big guns and mean looking faces. I wonder what they were originally out here for but I don't ask questions. I don't know these men and Merle doesn't have the best track record for the people he's hung out with in the past. 

"What are you doing all the way out here?" Merle asks and I look at the men behind him once more. 

"Daddy and I were hunting," I shrug, I ain't sure why I lie. Maybe it's cause of the way the people he's with are staring at me. I don't want them to know about the prison, they look mean and I doubt Merle's told them good things about Rick. They didn't exactly get off on the best of terms. "Walkers came through and we got split up. Was supposed to sit tight and wait for him to come on through." 

I love Merle to pieces, but you can't always trust his intentions. He's wicked like that. Merle looks at me like he knows I'm lying but he doesn't say anything. Instead he just whistles again, grabbing my shoulder with his remaining hand. 

"Well, come on kid." He says, I force my feet to move forward. 

"Where we going?" I ask Merle and he grins widely. "I gotta wait for Daddy."

"You'll see." 

+

I'm led to a car, Merle makes me sit in the middle of the backseat. Smooshed between Merle and one of his buddies, I stare at the road ahead. Hopefully, Daddy finds me soon enough. Maybe Merle and I can go look for him together. The car drives for a while before approaching a large metal wall. There's a man shooting golf balls, standing on top of a platform. 

The car rolls to a stop and Merle lumbers out of the car, warily a take a step out too. 

"Just us!" Merle yells out, the man points out the his golf club towards me. I take a step behind Merle, hiding from the man's gaze. There's something about it that makes me feel uneasy. 

"Who's that?" The man asks, still pointing the club towards me. It doesn't waver.

"She's family!" Merle says. He's betrays me and steps to the side, no longer blocking me. I give him a dirty scowl, irritated that he'd rat me out like that. Merle nudges my ribs as he speaks again. "My partner in crime even."