Faded Scars (Daryl Dixon)

Chapter 26

Daryl's view:
It's been a day since I left the prison with Merle, leaving the group behind. I had a deal, but Rick didn't take it, didn't want Merle near anyone. "Ain't nothing out here, but mosquitos and ants." I said to Merle and looked through the woods. "Patience, little brother. Sooner or later a squirrel is bound to scurry across your path." I scoffed and continued to search. "Even so, that ain't much food." There was nothing out here, no animals, no nothing. "Better than nothing." Merle replied. "Better of flooding through one of 'em house we pass back on the turn-off?" Merle scoffed and continued on. "Is that what your new friends taught ya, hmm? How to loot for booty?" He nagged and I rolled my eyes. "Man, we've been out here for hours. Why don't we find a stream, try and look for some fish." I suggested, but he just snapped back. "I think you're just tryin to lead me back to the road, Man. Get me over to that prison." I kept walking. "At least they got shelter and food." He chuckled as we kept walking. "You just wanna go back for her." He cooed harshly. "What the hell you talking bout?" I snapped back. "Little miss Gorgeous, the one that's probably dead." I thought about Scarlett, the fear and anger in her eyes when she woke up with people trying to help her.

She was in pain, but the blur of her sight and the flurry of panic was the real reason for her haste actions. "She'll get through it." I muttered and looked around. "Probably will die due to her sight." Merle shrugged. "Let me guess, you did that." Merle glanced at me, but kept his eyes in front of him. "Listen, the Governor messed her up far more then I did." He stated and kept walking.

Scarlett's view:

"She needs to open her eyes soon, but so far she seems out of it." I could faintly hear the voice. "Why the hell you still here!" Leona shouted. "Always was a wimp, huh Scar?" She cackled and I scowled at her. "Shut up, Leona." I mumbled. "I'm waiting, Scarlett, be there before it's to late." She pressed her palm to my cheek. "Just get up, Scarlett." I slowly closed my eyes again and drifted off.

Third person: Daryl and Merle

"Smells to me like the Saw Hatchet Creek." Merle said as he and Daryl made their way through the woods."Nah, we didn't go west enough. There's a river down there, it's gotta be Yellow Jacket." Daryl argued back. "You have a stroke, boy? We ain't never even come close to Yellow Jacket." Merle snapped back and Daryl rolled his eyes. "We didn't go west, just a little bit south. That's what I think." Merle looked at Daryl and chuckled. "You know what I think? I may have lost my hand, but you lost your sense of direction." Daryl scoffed as they continued on their way. "Yeah, we'll see." Merle glanced at Daryl. "What do ya wanna bet?" Daryl sighed. "I'm gonna bet nothing, but a body of water. Why does everything got to be a competition with you?" Merle chuckled. "Oh, take it easy little bro, just tryin to make a little fun here. No need to get your panties in a bundle." Daryl stopped and Merle looked back at him. "Hear that?" He asked as a cry broke through the woods.

"Yeah, animals getting wild." Merle stated. Daryl rolled his eyes. "No, that's a baby." Merle scoffed. "Oh, come on, why don't ya just piss in my ear and tell me it's rainin too. That there is a couple of coos making love sweet love, if ya know what I mean?" He laughed, but Daryl ignored him and ran ahead.

They came across water with a bridge over it, a group yelling in Spanish to each other. "Jump!" Merle shouted out as a joke as the ran over to where walkers were surrounding the group. "Hey, Man, I ain't wasting my bullets on a couple of strangers who never cooked me a meal. That's my policy, best to adopt it, brother." Daryl ignored him and ran over. The father and son were handling walkers while the baby and wife were stuck in the car. Daryl switched between his arrows and knifes, swiftly killing each walker while Merle handled one or two. Suddenly, Merle pointed his gun at the father demanding a reward for helping them.

"The least they can do is give us an enchilada or somethin." Merle said and began to shuffle in the back of the car, but Daryl held his crossbow to his brother's back. "Get out of the car." Daryl hissed. "I know you ain't talking to me, brother." Merle said and backed away from the car. "Go! Get the hell outta here!" Daryl shouted to the father, who quickly climbed in and drove off after Merle was a good distance away.

Once the group was out of view, Daryl went back to the woods and passed a sign that read "Yellow Jacket Creek." "What the shit you doing pointing that thing at me?!?" Merle shouted as he finally caught up to Daryl. "They were scared, Man." Daryl replied simply. "They were rude that's what they were. They owed us a token of gratitude." Merle argued. "They didn't owe us nothing." Daryl stated. "Is that you helping people out from the goodness of your heart, even though you might die doing it or is that something Sheriff Rick and Gorgeous taught you?" Merle said, still behind Daryl. "There was a baby!" Daryl spun around and shouted at Merle. "Oh, otherwise you would have left them for the biters then." Daryl looked at Merle again before speaking. "Man, I went looking for ya. You weren't there. I didn't cut your hand off neither." He gestured to Merle's stump with his arrow. "You did that. Way before they locked you up on that roof, you asked for it." Merle smiled and began to circle Daryl, watching his every move. "You know what's funny? How you and Sheriff Rick are like this." He held two fingers up in a close movement. "But I bet a penny and a fiddle, you never did tell him we were planning on robbing that camp blind."

Daryl watched Merle carefully. "It didn't happen." Merle scoffed. "Yea, it didn't, coz I wasn't there to help ya." Merle slowly continued to circle Daryl. "Like when we were kids, huh? Who left then?" Daryl accused Merle. "What? Huh? Is that why I lost my hand?" Merle argued back. "You lost ya hand because you were being a simple minded piece of shit!" Daryl yelled and was about to turn, when Merle grabbed him by the back of his shirt and bag. "Yeah? You don't know!" Merle pulled back and Daryl fell to the ground, the whole back of his shirt torn and the scars decorating his back showing. At seeing the scars, Merle let go as Daryl fixed his bag. "I...I didn't know he..was." Merle said, stumbling over his words.

"Yeah, he did. He did the same to you." Daryl said, talking about his father. That's why you left first." Daryl picked up his crossbow and began to walk away. "I had to, Man. I would have killed him otherwise. Where ya goin?" Merle shouted after Daryl. "Back where I belong." Daryl answered simply. "I can't go with you, I tried to kill that black bitch, Gorgeous, and that Chinese kid." Merle groaned. "He's Korean." Daryl stated. "Whatever, Man. It doesn't matter, I can't go with ya." Daryl kept walking. "I may be the one walking away, but you're still the one leavin again." He shouted back. Merle stood still and took in his surroundings. "Dammit." He muttered and ran after his brother.