Fight, Love, Live.

VIII

Eventually Rick and the rest joined us back up on the roof, and none of them looked any happier, which means they didn't find anything. Rick glanced over at where I was sitting next to T-Dog, and came to stand beside me, overlooking the street below. He gently messed up my hair, and I scoffed at him, and began fixing it, before he suddenly went back into 'Rick the cop' mode. 

"That construction site, those trucks... they always keep keys on hand." Rick said, gesturing to somewhere, but I didn't bother getting up to look. Morales and Glenn moved over though, and looked out thoughtfully. 

"You'll never make it past the walkers." Morales said with a shake of his head. 

"You got me out of that tank." Rick argued, turning to look at Glenn. 

"Yeah, but they were feeding. They were distracted."

"Can we distract them again?" Rick questioned. 

"Right. Listen to him. He's onto something. A diversion, like on 'Hogan's Heroes.'" Merle said sarcastically, wiggling his wrist around to try and escape the cuffs, but we all knew it wouldn't work. 

"God. Give it a rest." Jacqui said to him, as everyone else did their best to ignore him. 

"They're drawn by sound, right?" Rick asked, looking at everyone. 

"Right, like dogs. They hear a sound, they come." Glenn confirmed, and I wrinkled my nose, remembering what had happened when I shot Ashton. 

"What else?" Rick asked, seeming like he had a thought. 

"Aside from they hear you? They see you, smell you and if they catch you, they eat you." Morales said sarcastically, and I was honestly so tired of everyone's sass. 

"They can tell us by smell?" Rick asked, a look of realization on his face. 

"Can't you?" Glenn said surprised, and Andrea added onto his thought. 

"They smell dead, we don't. It's pretty distinct." I watched as a grin spread across my brother's face, and I felt my stomach sink. 

"Come on." Rick said to everyone, and he stuck a hand out to help me up, and this time, everyone went, including Bailey and I, which left Merle up on the roof by himself. 

><><><><

Rick was handing everyone ponchos, or lab jackets, and everyone received gloves, and some people got masks. 

"If bad ideas were an Olympic event, this would take the gold." Glenn said, looking over at Rick in disgust. I couldn't help but to agree. 

"He's right. Just stop, okay? Take some time to think this through." Morales said desperately, trying to change Rick's mind, but I knew my brother, and even though I disagreed with him, I knew once he made up his mind, no one could change it. 

"How much time? They already got through one set of doors, that glass won't hold forever." We all finally agreed, and Rick led Glenn, T-Dog, and Morales outside, where they killed one of the walkers that was in the alley, and they dragged it back inside to where us girls were waiting. 

I watched in horror as Rick grabbed a fire axe and then bent down to search through the dead person's pockets. He stood up once he found what he was looking for, the guy's wallet. 

"Wayne Dunlap. Georgia license. Born in 1979. He had twenty-eight dollars in his pocket when he died... and a picture of a pretty girl. 'With love, from Rachel.' He used to be like us... worrying about bills or the rent or the Super Bowl. If I ever find my family, I'm gonna tell them about Wayne." Rick smiled sadly and handed the wallet over to Glenn who glanced down at the I.D. sighed sadly, and then looked back up at us. 

"One more thing... he was an organ donor." We all remained silent for a moment, grieving for the man we never met, who may save our lives now. But, before long, Rick swung the axe back, and threw it forward, burying it deeply into the stomach of Wayne Dunlap. After several more swings the guts were really everywhere, and the smell was horrible, and everyone began to gag. 

But me, being pregnant, and having a weak stomach anyway, turned and hurled in the corner, and i could feel someone holding my hair back, and rubbing my back, but I wasn't quite sure who it was. When it was over I pulled away, and saw Glenn staring at me concerned. 

"Thanks." I mumbled, the squishing sound of Rick hitting the body again played in the background. 

"You okay?" Glenn asked, gently letting go of my hair, and I couldn't help but smile at the sweet guy. 

"Yeah, thanks. Just, pregnancy stomach, you know." Glenn nodded like he knew what I was talking about, but he probably didn't, and we both went back to the group, and Rick handed the axe off to Morales, who groaned but did a few half-hearted chops before Rick scooped up some and began putting it on his coat, and turned to us. 

"Everybody got gloves? Don't get any on your skin or in your eyes." Everyone groaned but followed his lead, and began piling guts onto Rick and Glenn, who was gagging. 

"Oh God! Oh jeez. Oh, this is bad. This is really bad." He was saying as I laid a large chain of intestine over his shoulder. 

"Think of something else... puppies and kittens." Rick said gently, glancing at me and I tried not to breathe. 

"Dead puppies and kittens." T-Dog added with a grin from behind Glenn, and Glenn whirled and was suddenly adding to the pile of vomit I had left in the corner. I glared at T-Dog who was laughing. 

"That is just evil. What is wrong with you?" Andrea grumbled from where she was helping Rick, and Jacqui shook her head in annoyance. 

"Next time, let the cracker beat his ass." Jacqui said with a smirk, and T-Dog chuckled guiltily, while Rick just smiled in amusement. 

"I'm sorry."

"You suck." Glenn said, as he returned to his place before me, and I couldn't help but give him a comforting kiss on his cheek, trying to lighten up his mood. 

"Do we smell like them?" Rick asked, looking over at Glenn and I in suspicion, but he didn't say anything. 

"Oh yeah. Glenn. Just in case." Andrea said as she tucked a gun into Glenn's pants. 

"If we make it back, be ready." Rick said, turning towards the door. 

"When. When you make it back." I said sternly, leaning up to kiss Rick's cheek as well. 

"You better come back Rick." I whispered in his ear, and he turned his head to return the kiss before turning away again. 

"What about Merle Dixon?" T-Dog asked, right before Rick went through the door. Rick glanced at me and pushed the key into my hand before nodding towards the axe. 

"Give me the axe. We need... we need more guts." I huffed, and handed it to him, not really thinking they did, but helped them put some more on, and after a few minutes, they were walking outside and we were running back up the stairs, Merle's key clenched tightly in my hand.