Lottie

Woodbury And The Other Brother

"She's from that group she isn't getting the chance to go back there. She knows too much about us." Said a tall, slender man with a dirty patch over his eye.

"I'm getting bored of sitting outside that room, she's silent!" Said a larger and more muscly, bald man to his side.

"It's not humane!" Declared a smaller, skinnier man.

"Merle I'm not hearing it, you guard her room and you don't let her out, do you hear me?" The tall man said.

"Fine." Merle stropped.

"Uh, Governor, what if she was allowed out under supervision?" The short man said.

"Milton I don't keep you alive for you to make stupid suggestions, now both of you out!" The Governor shouted.

A few hours after that heated conversation the Governor, the leader of Woodbury, walked through his little baracaded town and down some stairs inside of a broken up house and along a long, dark hallway towards where Merle was perched unwillingly on a metal chair.

"This Rick guy is giving us problems," The Governor said quietly "You used to be in that group what was he like?"

"He's the asshole who handcuffed me to the roof." Merle said angrily, raising his handless arm.

"She been quiet?" The governor replied nodding towards the door that Merle was guarding.

"Silent." Merle nodded back.

"Good, keep it that way." The Governor stormed off back up the stairs.

After a few moments of complete silence, the girl finally spoke.

"Your names Merle." A quiet girls voice said from within the locked room.

"And how the hell did you figure that out?" Merle said, so shocked he jumped from his chair.

"That group, your old group, they saved my life, I was a part of it for a few months." She said.

"How did you know about me, you must've joined after they abandoned me." Merle said angrily.

"Daryl talked about you." She said sadly.

Merle sat back down. "They all left me on that rooftop, even Daryl." He said even more angrily.

"No, Daryl organised a group to go back for you, you were gone before they got there." She insisted.

"Hmm. How did you and Daryl get on, he hates just about everything and everyone."

The girl laughed. "We were together."

"Wouldn't be surprised if you were his first girlfriend to be honest!" Merle said chuckling. "He's still alive, almost all of them are! What's your name?"

"Lottie."

"If I open this door Lottie, are you gunna run?" Merle said patronisingly and almost sarcastically.

She sighed "No."

Merle quietly unlocked the door and swung it open, revealing Lottie sat against the opposite wall. She had a large, purple bruise spread across the left of her face and across her jaw. Her long blonde hair knotted, tangled and dirty, lay over her shoulder falling down her front. Still wearing Daryl's black shirt, her black jeans and her black boots which had become dirty and scuffed.

The room was made entirely from concrete walls. No windows. No light except the glow from the hallway in which Merle sat.

"Has he hurt you?" Merle asked, implying the Governor after he saw her large bruise.

"He wanted information on something, something about Rick. I told him I didn't know who Rick was, he must've known I was lying." She said sadly again, looking away from Merle.

"That darling Andrea's here, did you meet her?" He said sarcastically.

"She didn't like me much." She replied looking back at Merle.

"She might be who told the Governor you knew Rick." Merle wondered. "Why aren't you with the group anyways?"

"We were on this farm, it got overrun by a herd of walkers, I lead as much of the herd away as I could, to try and give them a window to run. I couldn't find them afterwards, that's when the Governor found me in the forest." Lottie explained, sounding a little disappointed in herself.

"You sacrificed yourself?" Merle questioned.

"Not really, just went the other way making lots of noise." Lottie made a brave attempt at a smile.

"Daryl is probably alive because of you, you know." Merle said almost impressed.

"Well, Daryl's the reason I'm alive, I'd never let anything happen to him." Lottie said sadly "I wish I could see him, he doesn't know that I'm alive and it's been a year I think, if I've counted properly."

Merle sat in silence for a moment, he too longed to see his little brother. The chatter from the town above them made eery echoes around the hallway and Lottie's room. Merle thought about this girl sat in front of him. Thought about the group and Daryl. Thought about what would happen if they got caught. Also thought about how unwelcome he'd be if he returned.

"I can get you back there." He whispered finally.

"What?" Lottie said completely shocked.

"I can't go with you, not straight away at least, it'll look suspicious on both ends. If you get there, would you put in a good word for me, so they don't kill me when I get near the gates?" Merle said half panicked, half excited.

"Oh, of course," She stuttered "but how on earth are you gunna get me out of here?" Lottie said looking around her windowless room with one way in and one way out.

"I'll create some kind of distraction, give you the keys and you just run. The Governor will send me after you."

"How can I trust you?" Lottie said sitting up a little straighter.

"I don't know but I trust Daryl and if he trusts you enough to love you, then I trust you too." Merle said suddenly serious.

"You know, everyone I asked said you were a racist hot-head with no filter, why are you being so kind?" Lottie asked, suspicious.

Merle sighed "I've never needed to save someone before, only kill 'em, don't know how to act I guess."

Suddenly, Lottie became breathless. "When are we gunna do this, I don't even know Woodbury, I never saw it, I don't know how to get out I don't know where the gates are, what if I'm not quick enough, which way is the prison?" Lottie stood up, paced around and started to panic.

"Oi, keep your knickers on." Merle laughed at her. "The town is surrounded by a wall, there's loads of stairs around it to get up onto it. Run right, down the main road of the town to the main gate if you can because it opens onto a road that leads directly to the prison but it is a few miles you'll have to pace yourself."

Lottie took a deep breath and nodded. Time to be brave again.