[Ash]
I lay awake until I see that the sun is rising. I tried to fall asleep. I really did. I just couldn't because of Shane. My head officially feels like it's going to explode.
As soon as I see the light of the sun, I push at Shane. "Shane. Wake up. It's morning." I say loudly.
He groans and stirs as he removes his arm and leg from atop of me. At this chance, I jump up and stand away from the cot.
"Get up." I say snappishly at him. I grab my bag and leave the tent.
As I walk out, I run right into Daryl. "Sorry." I mumble as I back up.
"What's wrong?" He asks looking at my face.
I look up at him with a half smile. "Nothing. I'm fine. So, when are we leaving to get Merle?" I ask.
"Right now. Let's go." Rick says as he walks past. I chuckle tiredly and follow after him, Daryl following me.
I get in the truck from yesterday and wait for everyone else to get in. I'm too dizzy to tell who got in the truck next to me so I look over closely and see that it's Rick.
"You okay to come? You don't look so good." He asks looking at me.
I chuckle a little. "I'm fine, Sheriff. Just a bit on the tired side of things." I say with a weird smile.
He gives me a skeptical look and then drives out of camp. I stare out the window in a daze as we drive to Atlanta.
Suddenly, Rick gets out and I, confused, get out as well and run down some tracks along with everyone else.
We cut the fence and run under the bridge. "Merle first or guns?" Rick asks.
"Merle! We ain't even having this conversation." Daryl says.
"We are." Rick says emphatically. "You know the geography. It's your call." He says to Glenn.
"Merle's closest. The guns would mean doubling back. Merle first." Glenn says as we continue to jog.
We make it to the the store where we first were.
They kill the walkers, as I learned they called them, quietly all the way up to the roof. Once we reach the roof, the five of us walk over to where Merle was handcuffed.
All that was there was Merle's hand.
"No! No! No!" Daryl screams as he looks like he is about to cry.
I look away as soon as I realize what it was. I stand next to Glenn and he puts a comforting arm around my shoulder.
Daryl points his crossbow at T-Dog and Rick points his gun at Daryl's head. "I won't hesitate. I don't care if every walker in this city hears it." Rick says.
Daryl lowers it and squeezes his eyes closed then looks up at T-Dog. "You got a do-rag or something?" He asks.
T-Dog hands him a handkerchief. Daryl walks over to Merle's hand and picks it up in the handkerchief.
"I guess the saw blade was too dull for the handcuffs. Ain't that a b****." Daryl says holding it up and looking at it.
Daryl wraps it and then puts it in Glenns backpack. "He must have used a tourniquet- maybe his belt. Be much more blood if he didn't." He says as he grabs his bow and follows a blood trail.
I walk next to Glenn who looks like he wants to go home.
We wall into a building from a roof door and Rick and Daryl hold up their weapons. "Merle! You in here?!" Daryl calls.
We walk down some halls and into a waiting room of a sorts. We come upon two dead walkers. "Had enough in him to take out these to sumb****** one handed. Toughest a**hole I ever met, my brother. Feed him a hammer, he'd crap out nails." Daryl says and I chuckle, knowing its true.
"Any man can pass out from blood loss, no matter how tough he is." Rick says as he raises his gun and we walk into another room.
"Merle!" Dary calls.
"We're not alone here. Remember?" Rick says.
"Screw that. He could be bleeding out. You said so yourself." Daryl says.
"Shh." T shushes us.
We walk farther into the kitchen and walk to a lit oven. Rick picks up a metal thing. "What's that burned stuff?" Glenn asks.
"Skin." I say quietly.
"He cauterized the stump." Rick says putting it back down.
"Told you he was tough. Nobody can kill Merle but Merle." Daryl says and I smile softly.
"Don't take that on faith. He's lost a lot of blood." Rick says.
"Yeah? Didn't stop him from busting out of this death trap." Daryl says walking out of the kitchen and we follow.
"He left the building? Why the h*** would he do that?" Glenn asks looking at the broken window.
"Why wouldn't he? He's out there alone as far as he knows, doing what he's got to do. Surviving." Daryl says walking away.
"You call that surviving? Just wondering out in the streets, maybe passing out? What are his odds out there?" T asks.
"No worse than being handcuffed and left to rot by you sorry p*****." Daryl says and I look down in guilt.
He walks up to Rick. "You couldn't kill him. Ain't so worried about some dumb dead b******." He says.
"What about 1,000 dumb dead b*******? Different story?" Rick asks.
"Why don't you take a tally? Do what you want. I'm gonna go get him." Daryl says and goes towards the window.
"Daryl, wait." Rick says gently pushing him back.
"Get your hands off me!" Daryl screams. "You can't stop me." He says.
"I don't blame you. He's family, I get that. I went through h*** to find mine. I know exactly how you feel. He can't get far with that injury we could help you check a few blocks around but only if we keep a level head." Rick says.
"I could do that." Daryl says.
"Only if we get those guns first. I'm not strolling the streets of Atlanta with just my good intentions, okay?" T says.
YOU ARE READING
Into The Dark
Fanfiction[Currently Under Rewrite] She was lost. She was alone. She was scared. She was surrounded by the dead. Ashley Grant was thrown into the terrifying world of the dead walking the streets. All she wanted was to go to the grocery store but she ran into...
