𝘎𝘙𝘈𝘝𝘐𝘛𝘠, 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘺𝘭 𝘥𝘪𝘹𝘰𝘯

𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 7

"I'm sorry about your brother. I hope you bring him back." Ella said sweetly to Daryl. The man looked at her and then her older sister beside her. He let out a grunt and then a small 'thanks'. Ella smiled and ran off to play with Carl. Harper was about to speak to the grumpy man before Shane's loud voice took over. "Could you just-could you throw me a bone here, man? Could you just tell me why? Why would you risk your life for a douchebag like Merle Dixon?"

"Hey, choose your words more carefully." Daryl threatened. "No, I did. Douchebag's what I meant." Shane said. Looking back at Rick, he continues, "Merle Dixon- the guy wouldn't give you a glass of water if you were dying of thirst."

"What he would or wouldn't do doesn't interest me. I can't let a man die of thirst- Me. Thirst and exposure. We left him like an animal caught in a trap. That's no way for anything to die, let alone a human being." 

Lori spoke up from her spot near Carl, "So you and Daryl, that's your big plan?" Rick looked at Glenn with hopeful eyes. Glenn groaned, "Oh, come on." "You know the way, you've been there before- in and out, no problem. You said so yourself."

"With Harper.  I was in and out with Harper." Glenn corrected. Everyone looked at her, Rick with determination. "Uh, no. I'm sorry. Glenn and his group barely came back last time. And with that walker that was close to camp, I don't want to leave Ella alone." Daryl looked at her and gave a tiny nod. So tiny, Harper thought she was imagining it. 

Rick turned back to Glenn, "It's not fair of me to ask, I know that. But I'd feel a lot better with you along. I know she would too." He said pointing at his wife. "That's just great. Now you're gonna risk three men, huh? Shane asked. 

T-dog steps forward, "Four." Daryl scoffs, "My day just gets better and better, doesn't it." T-dog took it lightly, not wanting to get into it with him. "You see anybody else here stepping up to save your brother's cracker ass? " 

"Why you?" Daryl asked. "You wouldn't even begin to understand. You don't speak my language." 

"That's four," Dale spoke. Shane ran his hands through his hair and sighed, "It's not just four. You're putting every single one of us at risk. Just know that Rick. Come on, you saw that walker. As Harper said, it was here. It was in camp. They're moving out of the cities. They come back, we need every able body we've got. We need 'em here. We need 'em to protect camp."

Rick waited till he was done speaking to give him and offer, "It seems to me what you really need most here, are more guns." 

"Right, the guns." Glenn said, keeping everyone else still confused. "Wait, what guns?" Shane asked. "Six shotguns, two high-powered rifles, over a dozen handguns." Rick said. "I cleaned out the cage back at the station before I left. I dropped the bag in Atlanta when I got swarmed. It's just sitting there on the street, waiting to be picked up."

With this news, Shane was more willing for Rick to go. "Ammo?" He asked his partner. Rick nodded, "700 rounds, assorted. Lori, was still not convinced. Not that Harper could blame her, her husband did just come back. "You went through hell to find us. You just got here and you're gonna turn around and leave?" Carl looked at his father, "Dad, I don't want you to go." 

"To hell with the guns, Shane is right. Merle Dixon? He's not worth one of your lives, even with guns thrown in." Rick walked over to her and Lori stood up, "Tell me. Make me understand." 

"I owe a debt to a man I met and his little boy." Lori's head was thrown to their little boy, but Rick wasn't done, "Lori, if they hadn't taken me in, I'd have died. It's because of them that I made it back to you at all. They said they'd follow me to Atlanta. They'll walk into the same trap I did if I don't want him."