Back Woods

Chapter Nine

With every beat of his frantic heart, Merle's mind raced, desperately seeking a means of escape. His hand bound, the cold, unforgiving handcuffs tore painfully into the skin of his wrist. The chilling moans of the approaching undead, echoed behind him. The rattling doorway acting as his only solace. With each futile tug against the chains that bind him, panic threatened to consume him. Every rustle of the decaying mass, every distant shuffle of footsteps sent a shiver down his spine. With trembling hands and a pounding heart, he searched the debris-strewn rooftop for any sign of salvation. His eyes fell upon a discarded saw glinting faintly in the last remnants of light. With a surge of hope, Merle tugged relentlessly at the chain, his fingers  reaching out towards it. 

Shakily, Merle inhaled as splintered wood cracked as the relentless horde pounded on the chained door, their decaying hands gnarled and bloodied, fingernails torn as they were driven by an insatiable hunger for the living on the other side. 

"Oh no. No no!," Merle  let out a soul-wrenching cry as his fingertips brushed against the metal handle, his voice trembling with desperation as he yanked at the chain in an attempt to get closer. His fingertips grasped at the handle and he began to desperately saw at the chained metal attached to the pole. Filled with anguish, his breath quickened and eyes pricked painfully as the metal refused to relent to the pressure. 

 "No no, merciful Christ! No no. God! Jesus, please! Jesus, please. Help me! Come on now!" he cried, disguarding the saw onto the ground. 

Throwing his head back in desperation, he reached out to God for mercy, his words carrying the weight of fear and hope. Painfully, tears sprung within his eyes, his throat constricting in sadness.  Behind him,  the metallic clinks of the chains strained under the relentless assault, creating a cacophony of impending dread. 

"Help me!" he cried, tears flowing now freely down his cheeks. Clenching his jaw in acceptance of his fate, his mind became a temporary sanctuary to reminiscence, a place where the past danced in vivid hues. But among the myriad of recollections, one thread wove its way through his thoughts like a cherished melody – Daryl and Tess. A montage of memories ingrained themselves within his mind:  their laughter echoing through the trees as they ventured into the wilderness together. Although their childhood stained and marred by the world in which they were born into, they often found solace in the solitude of the forest, where the vast expanse of nature became their playground. He remembered how Tess' eyes first lit up with excitement and wonder at the sight of a deer, her youthful laughter echoing through the damaged walls of their home. An angel in the darkness. He sobbed in reminiscence, thinking of the day that their mother had died. How he felt the need to protect both of them from the sadness and despair, so he had taken them out of school to go camping. He remembered them sitting by a campfire, the crackling flames casting flickering shadows upon their faces as they shared stories beneath the starlit sky. There they sat for hours, the forest enveloping them in its tranquil embrace. 

 "I know I'm being punished. I deserve it,"  he begged, his voice a hoarse whisper,  "I'll do anything. Just spare me." Tears welled in his eyes, a silent testament to the depths of his anguish. He  felt so helpless, so utterly full of despair  that he had resorted to begging to God. Left to pray for a miracle, for a reprieve from the cruel hand of fate that had brought him to this moment of reckoning.

Devastatingly, his legs gave way beneath him like pillars crumbling under the weight of despair. He crumpled to the ground, the impact sending shockwaves of pain radiating through his body as his knees struck the gritted asphalt of the rooftop. Lying prostrate on the cold, unforgiving floor, Merle surrendered to the torrent of emotions that threatened to drown him. He curled into himself, arms wrapped tightly around his trembling form as if seeking solace in the confines of his own embrace.