Hate That I Love You

Chapter 3

We sat around the campfire that night. Rick talked about how when he woke up confused and disoriented. Carl sat between his father and mother and I sat on the other side of Rick.  He mentioned how he left the hospital and went back home to find Lori and Carl gone. He th ked Shane for saving all three of us.

"Mom said you died," Carl said looking up at Rick.

Lori looked at him not knowing what to say. "And she had every right to believe that don't you ever think different," Rick told him.

"The way things looked all the bodies it looked like things fell pretty quickly," he said.

"That's an understatement. I just thought about how I needed to get those three out," Shane said.

"And I can never repay that debt," Rick told him.

"When things first happened and they started to evacuate everyone they said they'd medevac you to Atlanta but they never did," Lori said.

"I can see why. Looks like the city few pretty quick," he told her.

"Has anyone thought about who's going to tell Daryl Dixon. He's not going to be happy when he finds out about his brother after he gets back from his hunting trip," Dale spoke up.

"I dropped the key it should be me," T-Dog said.

"Yeah, but I'm the one that handcuffed him. I'll tell him," Rick told him. 

"I don't mean to bring race into this but, it might be better coming from a white guy," Glenn said.

"I did what I did. I ran I was scared," T-Dog defended.

"We were all scared. We all ran. What's your point?" Andrea asked.

"My point is that I stopped to chain that door with a padlock. Dixon is still up there cuffed to the roof," T-Dog said and got up walking to his tent.

Ed then threw a log on his fire making it brighter. "Hey, Ed, you wanna rethink that log?" Shane asked.

"Its cold man," Ed said.

"Doesn't change the rules. Keep our embers low so at not to be seen from afar," Shane told him.

"I said it's cold. Why don't you mind your own business," Ed retorted.

Shane stood up and walked over to Ed saying hello to Carol and Sophia. "Do we have a problem, Ed?" Shane asked.

Ed looked at him and then over to Carol "Go on. Take it out. Go on," he told her.

She got up and took it out and Shane stomped it out. "You guys alright?" Shane asked Carol.

"Fine. Were fine," she told him.

After a while, everyone went to their tents and Shane sat on top of the RV. I said good night to Carl and Rick and headed to my tent. I changed and laid down on the air mattress I had and fell asleep. 

The next morning everyone one up early. Lori let Rick sleep in thinking he would need it. Kids played and women did the laundry. People gathered wood for later. A few hours later Rick woke up and walked out of the tent in blue jeans and a white tee-shirt. Carol was ironing his uniform.

He walked over to her and thanked her. He then walked to Lori and it looked like they were arguing about something. Then the kids screamed. Everyone grabbed a weapon and we ran towards the kids. Carol got Sophia and Lori got Carl.

They saw a walker chewing on a deer. The men started beating it and then Dale cute his head off. "Wow, guys. It's like we haven't learned shit," I told them.

Before anyone could say anything we heard a snap of a twig. Shane lifted his rifle up and I held my gun up. Daryl walked through the trees and we let out a breath and put the guns down.

"Son of bitch, that's my deer!" Daryl said.

"Look at it all gnawed on by this disease-bearing motherless poxy bastard!" He said while kicking the walker.

"Calm down son that's not going to help, " Dale told him. That was a mistake. Daryl walked over to him and got into his face.

"What do you know about it old man? Why don't ya take that hay and go back to the old golden pond," he growled out.

Daryl walked over to the deer and took his arrows out of it. "I've been tracking this deer for miles. Was gonna bring it back to camp and cook us up so venison," he told us. "What ya think? Think we can cit around this chewed up part?" He asked.

"I would not risk that," Shane told him.

"Damn shame. Well, I got some squirrel. About a dozen or so. That'll have to do," Daryl said.

Then the walker's head started to snap.  "Oh god," Amy said and she and Andrea left.  "Come on people. Don't you know nothin? It's gotta be the head," Daryl said and shot it with a bolt. He then put his foot on the head to stable it and pulled the bolt out. Then he walked away with the rest of us following him. This was about to go south and fast.

"Merle! Merle! Get yer ass out here! Got some squirrel. Let stew em up!" Daryl yelled as we walked back into camp.

"Daryl. Hold up I need to talk to you," Shane said as he caught up to him.

"About what?" Daryl asked.

"About Merle. There was a problem in Atlanta," Shane said.

Daryl looked at him and everyone else that was watching. "He dead?" Daryl asked.

"We don't know," Shane said.

"He either is or he ain't!" Daryl growled.

"There's no easy way to say this so I'm just going to say it," said stepping forward.

"Who are you?" Daryl asked.

"Rick Grimes," Rick said.

"Rick Grimes," Daryl said and looked at me quickly. "You got something you want to tell me?" Daryl asked.

"You're brother was a danger to is all. So I handcuffed him to a roof hooked to a piece of metal," Rick told him.

"Wait let me get this straight," Daryl said pointing to his head. "You handcuffed my brother to a roof and you left him there!" He yelled at the end.

Daryl turned and then grab the string of squirrels on his shoulder and throw them at Rick who ducked out the way. Daryl grabbed his knife a charged at him.

"Watch the knife!" T-Dog yelled.

Shane and Rick both got Daryl under control and Shane put Daryl in a headlock. "Headlocks  illegal," Daryl said.

"File a complaint," Shane said.