Road To Uncertainty ♥ Rick Grimes

Vatos Part 1

After a moment Daryl moved out of Quinn's arms. He looked down to the ground, his breath was heavy and hard. His crossbow clicked as he spun and held it up to T-Dog face. Immediately Rick cocks his gun and puts it to Daryl's head. None of the men in the stand off flinched.

"I won't hesitate. I don't care if every walker in the city hears it" Rick threatened him.

"Guys, guys come on calm down" Quinn breath, hands outward. "We don't need to be stuck up here again by Rick shooting the gun. We ain't loosing anymore guys"

After a moment Daryl dropped the crossbow away from T-Dogs face. T-Dog let out a sigh of relief as Rick uncocks his weapon and lowers it. "You got a do-rag or something?" Daryl asked T-Dog.

Reaching into his pants pocket T-Dog took out the rag and handed it to Daryl. Taking it Daryl placed down his crossbow and walked over to where Merle's hand lay. Bending down he placed the rag flat onthe ground. " I guess the saw blade was too dull for the handcuffs" he guessed. Daryl gingerly picks Merle's hand up by a finger and examines the cut. "Ain't that a bitch" He wrapped Merle's hand up in the rag before motioning to Glenn. Moving to stand behind him he placed it in Glenn's backpack. Once put away he picked back up his crossbow "He must have used a tourniquet-maybe his belt. Be much more blood if he didn't"

Everyone was quiet as they watched Daryl. They had nothing to say, they were really speechless right now. Daryl began to follow the trail of blood. Rick motioned to Glenn and Quinn to follow him. T-Dog on the other hand moved to gather the Dale's fallen tools and bag. Following Daryl they walk around the corner to another doorway. Daryl has his crossbow aimed as he entered, Quinn moved to go behind him her Nagamaki in hand, Rick was behind her with his gun out and Glenn was last to enter. "Merle? You in here?" Daryl called out as they began down a stair well. 

"Hollerin' ain't the smartest idea Daryl" Quinn whispered, shaking her head lightly. Continuing down the stairs they turned into a room. A walker groaned as it turned to face them. Daryl shot one of his bows directly into the center of the walker's forehead. Dead it hit the ground with a thud. Advancing forward they kept on high alert, Quinn glanced back to see T-Dog had caught up with them. She nodded lightly to him, before looking ahead again. 

They carefully made their way through the building, entering an abandoned receptionist's area where they a couple walkers lay dead on the floor, their heads smashed in. "Had enough in him to take out these two sumbitches, one handed" Daryl commented. Daryl reaches down and pulls back on his crossbow to reset it. "Toughest asshole I ever met, my brother. Feed him a hammer, he'd crap out nails" he joked as he put his arrow in place. 

"Any man can pass out from blood loss, no matter how tough he is" Rick pointed out

"Or dehydration, as far as I can see there ain't any sources of water in here and he was on that roof in the hot sun for awhile" Quinn sighed as they continued onward, the trio of her, Daryl and Rick leading. The trail of blood continued and that was exactly what they were following. Quinn was skeptical to say the least, but she wasn't going admitting it to anyone. She wasn't skeptical on Merle's living status, more whether they would actually find him or not. She doubted he stayed around here in, knowing there were walkers inside the building now. But she was keeping these thoughts to herself, knowing it was for the better. 

"Merle!" Daryl called out.

"Hey, I already said hollering wasn't a good idea" Quinn hushed him.

"We're not alone here. Remember?" Rick whispered. 

"Screw that. He could be bleeding out. You said so yourself" 

T-Dog shushed Daryl as they walked. The trail of blood ran across a tiled flooring and thus they made their way into a kitchen area. Several sterno cans have been lit and are still burning. An abandoned bloody belt lies on the cook top nearby and blood is splattered everywhere. Rick picked up a flat iron that has been used and left with crusted remains. "What is that burned stuff?" Glenn asked.