An Arrow Dipped in Ink

Chapter 7

Rayne could hear Daryl yelling at her. She finally came to and held her head with her hand. She looked up at him and his eyes were full of fear. She knew that he didn't mean to push her like that but it was a heat of the moment thing.

“Aw what the fuck, Daryl.”

He just looked down at her and stood up. He paced back and forth then raised his crossbow to T-Dogs face.

Rayne shouted to him, “Daryl stop! That shit ain't helping.”

Rick pulled his out his gun and stuck it beside Daryl's head. Rayne drew back her bow and pointed it a Rick.

Rick said to Daryl, “I won't hesitate. I don't care if every walker in the city hears it.”

Rayne said to Rick,“Yea well you wont make it back to your wife if you do pull that trigger.”

Daryl was surprised that she was sticking up for him still even though he tossed her aside like a rag doll. He knew that killing T-Dog wasn't going to bring Merle back so he lowered the crossbow. Everyone else followed suit. Daryl looked over to T-Dog and asked if he had a dew-rag. T-Dog pulled out his bandana and handed it to him. Daryl walked over to where Merle's hand was.

He starting to talk, “I guess the saw blade was too dull for the hand cuff.” He pick up the hand by the finger and looked it over saying, “Ain't tha' a bitch”

He wrapped it up neatly and carefully and placed it in Glenn's back pack. Glenn was not happy with the idea of toting around a severed hand. Daryl examined the area and spoke up again, “He must have used a tourniquet or something. Maybe his belt. There would be much more blood if he didn't.”

Rayne was walking around the roof and picked up a trail of blood leading away from where the hand was. She was still kind of dazed from the blow to the head but worked through it. This wasn’t her first blow to the head. She looked over to Daryl without saying a word to him. She was still pissed that he threw her down. She pointed down to the blood and he nodded at her. They followed it down a staircase which lead into offices. The followed the hall way till they came to a room with two dead walkers on the floor.

Daryl said, “Had enough in him to take out these two sons of bitches, one handed. Toughest asshole I ever met, my brother. Feed him a hammer and he'd crap out nails.”

“Any man can pass out from blood loss no matter how tough he is”,said Rick.

Daryl would call out for Merle but Rick reminded him that we were not alone. They continued to follow the trail until they came upon a gas stove. There were 4 of those things you see stuck under a buffet tray. Rayne didn't know what the hell they were called and she didn't really care. She picked up an old iron and noticed that there was burnt skin still attached to it. Glenn asked what was all over it.

She turned around and looked at him saying, “Skin”

Glenn looked like he wanted to puke. Rick took it from her hand and said that Merle had cauterized his stump.

Daryl came up beside Rick and Rayne and said, “Told you he's tough. Nobody can kill Merle but Merle”

Rayne rolled her eyes and grunted. Daryl headed toward a broken window.

Rick said to him, “He's lost a lot of blood Daryl.”

“Yea well that didn't stop him from busting out of this death trap”

He noticed blood around the broken window and figured that Merle had jumped out. Glenn came over to look out the window as well ,“He left the building? Why the hell would he do that?”