AMBER | Daryl Dixon

Family Dilemma (Part 1)

Merle's POV

"Merle?" I turned around to find a girl standing a few feet away from me with her hands in her pockets. I couldn't see her face due to lack of light but I recognized the sunshine charm around her neck.

"Amber?" I said with wide eyes. She then said something I couldn't recall but noticed her take a step towards me.

"Well all be damned." I then opened my arms to engulf her into a tight hug.

"You're alive. You're alive." She whispered as she sniffled into my shoulder.

"I damn well better be alive. God, look at you. I thought you were dead." She smiled as I brought her to arms length.

"I did too. What happened uncle Merle?" She said, wiping away her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. As I took a second glance, it was Daryl's flannel.

"Alot of shit pumpkin, alot of shit. I honestly thought that I would never hear uncle Merle again."

"Ain't getting rid of me that easy." She said followed by a smile, causing me to smile also.

"Glad to see you still wear the charm." I then pointed down the the charm.

"Even if the world has gone to shit, you still shine in mine and yer daddy's eyes."

"Where is he? Is he with you?" She asked quickly at the mention of Daryl. I looked down for a moment before looking back at her again.

"No but I might have a clue at where he might be." She then went quiet for a moment before looking back up at me again and asked.

"He's still alive?" I nodded.

"I damn well hope so pumpkin."

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This morning, the Governor sent me and 3 other men out on a mission to find Michone. All went well until we came upon something interesting.

"Go back." One said, pointing his weapon.

"What?" I asked.

"The arms are a G, the legs an O, and that's a back. Go back." I looked at it and sure enough. It did.

"That is too good. Look at this, she sent us a biter - gram ya'll." I said, leaning back some followed by a laugh. We moved on until she ambushed us, killing 2 of the men that came with me, leaving me to deal with Niel I believe? But that didn't last very long, leaving me to find Michone.

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Rick's POV

After countless hours of me being angry and delirious, followed by a trippy phone call, I managed to pull myself out of the bad state of mind and reunited with the rest of the family.

I held my new born child for the first time. Looking down at the small body laying in my arms, I bent down and kissed her forehead. I decided to take a breath of fresh air so I walked outside with Carl along with my baby.

"Hey." Carl turned and looked up at me.

"She looks like you." I said, earning a smile from him. I then noticed something at the fence that caught my eye so I turned to Carl.

"Hey just- You got her?" I said, handing the baby over into his arms. I walked down closer to the fence to get a better look and I was shocked at what I saw. A human, with baby formula.

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Amber's POV

I found him. I finally found my uncle. 1 down, 1 to go I guess. It's good seeing Uncle Merle again but ever since he got back from the last run, I just can't shake the feeling about something being wrong, truly wrong. I just- I just can't shake it.

To keep my mind off things, I decided to help out in the library again since I couldn't work the wall. I would be taken out to shooting once in a while but not as often which I don't like. I've got good aim and I'd like to stay that way but no. Stupid I guess. I was drawn out of my thoughts when I heard a voice.

"Excuse me?" They asked. I looked up from the front desk and saw a boy around my age with glasses. He handed me a comic book with a smile, earning a smile back.

"Do you have any other comics? I can't seem to find the rest of them." He laughed.

"Oh yeah. We moved them this morning. It's now by the back of the room next to the adult fiction books." I said, using my finger to point in the direction. He nodded and gave me a smile before walking away. I folded up some of the papers and placed them in a file when he spoke again, now a few feet away from the desk.

"My name is Patrick." I looked up at him with a laugh.

"Amber."

"Nice to meet you Amber. See you around." He then turned and walked away. I smiled to myself and went back to what I was doing.

A couple hours later, I left the library and headed over to the wall to talk to Rob about the next run he was going on until I saw Merle with a bloody nose, walk into the Governor's building. I was suprised to see him like that but he walked out from a hidden place, closed off from the rest of the people in town.

I casually made my way over to the gate he came from and made sure that the coasts were clear before going in. Once entered, I was met with a hallway, walls made of metal. Then immediately, the bad feeling struck again but it made my stomach turn.

"In the name of god..." I thought to myself as I stepped foward. After a while I began to hum when I heard the gate open followed by footsteps. I panicked and opened the door closest to me and hid inside, leaving a crack so I could peer out. Fair enough, it was a man walking. It was Merle but what shocked me the most was that he had an infected with him.

"What in the holy-hell would he be doing with an infected?!" I thought.

He walked down the hall then took a turn. I heard a door open and that's when I decided to bolt out of there. As I ran out I began to hear screaming once I reached the gates.