Crossroads

Chapter 5

"You're never gonna get a good job you know. What about a nice house? You plan on having kids? You're never gonna have money for that stuff Avery." My mother nagged me for the millionth time. I rolled my eyes and sighed.

"Mom I already told you I'm looking okay? It's hard to find a job." I muttered.

"Maybe if you finished high school and went to university it wouldn't be so hard." She glared at me. I felt anger stir inside.

"Maybe if you got off my back about all these things and stopped bitching about my life i'd do better." I grit through my teeth.

"Bitching? I'm just pointing out obvious facts Avery. You're practically useless, I always wonder why James still keeps you around." She said flatly, staring at her nails. I opened my mouth to say something about James but then I shut it. I couldn't tell anyone what he was doing. I was too afraid of him, what he would do to me if he found out I told, or even worse. If he got sent to prison.

"Yeah." I muttered. "Me too."

I picked up my jacket and walked out of my mother's small townhouse, walking down the path back to James' place. Not even bothering to say goodbye.

My shoulder was being shoved and my name was being called. I opened my eyes to see Glenn watching me.

"You're awake." He laughed a little. "Took you long enough."

"Sorry." I mumbled while pulling my fingers through my hair.

"It's alright." He turned to face the rest in the back. "We walk from here."

We were in the middle of train tracks, the area seeming clear. Once everybody got out of the truck we began to jog towards the town, soon reaching the building we were in not long ago. The floor was cleared except for one lone female walker lurking around, which Daryl took care of.

"Damn. You are one ugly skank." He said while sending an arrow straight through her head. After checking around once more we made our way up the stairs to the roof, T-Dog clipping off the lock.

"Merle!" Daryl called out as he kicked the door open. We all went running inside, only to find Merle not there.

"No! No! No!" Daryl yelled out and walked around frantically. Then I noticed the small saw. And not too far from that, was Merle's hand. Missing from the now bloodied handcuffs that were still connected to the metal bar. Daryl stopped for a moment, then brought his crossbow up, aiming at T-Dog's face. Rick easily pulled out his gun and aimed at Daryl's face as well. I could tell Daryl was tempted to shoot, but hesitated over Rick's gun.

"I won't hesitate to shoot." Rick sternly stated. "I don't care if every walker in this city hears it." Daryl thought for a moment before dropping his weapon. Rick pulled back his gun as Daryl asked T-Dog if he had a rag. He pulled it out of his pocket and Daryl took it, walking over to the hand. He kneeled down and grabbed it, examined it.

"Looks like the saw blade was too dull for the handcuff. Ain't that a bitch." He said, placing the hand on the rag and wrapping it shut. He picked it up and brought it over to my bag, unzipping it and putting it inside. Daryl started following the blood trail and we joined him. We entered a room and made our way down some small steps.

"Merle! You in here?" Daryl called out. Another female walker turned around and Daryl shot it once again. We kept making our way through the halls of the building, stopping inside a room with two dead walkers on the ground.

"Had enough in him to take out these two sum' bitches." He paused, observing the walkers. "One handed. Toughest asshole I ever met, my brother." He said while pulling something back on his crossbow. "Feed him a hammer he'd crap out nails."