When The World Caves In |C.G.

twenty three

Merle's been missing for the better half of the day. He stumbled in late in the night, then left before I even woke up. That's how it was back at home too. My Uncle would be missing for the better part of the week, but he'd come in stomping by Tuesday after school. 

Daddy would always curse at him for being on such a long bender, but when I asked what that meant; he'd hush up real quick. 

It's nearly curfew and I'm eating dinner with Andrea. She came by Merle's apartment to pick me up, leading me to a picnic table in the middle of town. She's got some fresh fruit and a couple sandwiches. 

I bite into a peach, the juice running down my chin. Grinning, I wipe it off with the back of my sleeve. 

"Reminds me of the farm." I say, holding the peach up. 

 "I know." She says. "This place is great isn't it?" 

"It's okay." I say with a shrug. "Wish Daddy was here though. Merle keeps finding excuses to not look for him, even though he's been out there nearly the entire time I've been here." 

"I'm sure he's got his reasons..." Andrea trails off. 

"Yeah, shitty ones." I say lamely, picking at the crust of my sandwich. 

She doesn't say anything, just finishes her own sandwich and fruit. I look at the sun setting below the walls. When she's done she crinkles up a napkin and grabs her gun. 

"I have to go meet with the Governor," Andrea tells me. "Merle wanted me to make sure you ate while he was gone." 

"Well, thanks for the grub." I say, burping as I stand up. The blond woman grimaces for a moment before bidding me a goodnight. 

On my way back to Merle's apartment I hear his voice drifting from under the Governor's door. I pause for a brief moment, listening to the words coming from the room. They're muffled, but if I hold my breath I can hear exactly what they're saying. 

"The prison's the perfect place to hole up." The Governor states and I feel the blood drain from my face. How does he know? "What once kept prisoners in, now keeps biters out." 

"You thinking of taking it over, moving Woodbury there?" Merle asks him.  

"People love it here because it feels like what it was." That's the Governor again. "Move them to damp cells, surrounded by barbed wire? No. We gotta take out the group that's living there, let the biters move back in. No one'll be the wiser." 

What? Those are my friends, my family. He can't do that. It ain't right, he hasn't even met half those people. Something ain't right in the head with this man. We've done nothing to them. How does he know about it in the first place? 

"The problem is, my brother's with them." Merle mentions Daddy. 

"Well you'll talk to him. Make him our inside man." Nuh-uh. No way, Daddy would never betray our group like that. At least, I don't think he would. Daddy is weird about doing things Merle asks him to do, well tells him to. I'd like to think that he wouldn't stand for something like this though. "He'll get us in there. We'll wave the white flag like we did with the national guard." 

"Nothing happens to Daryl," Merle rasps. "Rory will start asking questions if I don't make an attempt to get him here." 

"Of course not, I imagine she won't care. Long as her family is back together." 

"What about Glenn, and the girl?" Merle says. Glenn and the girl? He's got to mean Maggie right? They never go far without the other. Why are they here? When did they get here?