Hate That I Love You

Chapter 4

"Shane, let him go!" I growled.

I turned to Rick and glared "let him go," I said.

"Nik," Rick tried.

"No! Let him go! How would you feel if this was reversed huh? How would feel if it was Daryl who handcuffed me to a roof and then left me for dead?" I asked.

"Nik. This isn't the time," Rick hissed.

"It is the time. Answer the question, Rick. Would you not be pissed and upset. Ould you not try to kill him?"  I asked.

"Yeah," he huffed out.

"Alright then let him go," I said.

Rick walked over to Shane and knelt down in front of Daryl. "I want to have a calm discussion. Can we do that?" Rick asked Daryl.

"Yeah," Daryl told him.

Shane let go of Daryl and he stood up. He put space between everyone and himself. "What I did was not on a whim. Your brother does it work or play well with others," Rick said.

"Just tell me where he is so I can go get him," Daryl said and rubbed his eyes.

"He'll show you. Isn't that right?" Lori said from the doorway of the RV.

Everyone looked at her and then to Rick. "I'm going back," he said.

There was arguing but eventually, it was settled. Rick, Daryl, Glenn, and T-Dog would go back to the city to get Merle. Rick mentioned how he had dropped a bag of guns and they could get that too. They asked Dale for bolt cutters only on exchange for a gun of his choice and the belt from the box truck.

Glenn and Daryl got into the truck and waited then T-Dog got in. When Rick went to the truck I ran over to him. "I'm going too," I said. I had my gun, and knife on me and I grabbed a backpack with first aid stuff in it and water.

No. No. No. No. You're staying here," Rick said.

"No. I'm going with you. He's probably going to need medical attention after being up on that roof for almost two days," I said and got in the back of the truck with Daryl and T-Dog.

"Fine but you stay close to me," Rick said getting in the passenger seat.

T Dog closed the door and Glenn headed down the road to the quarry and out on the main road. He headed towards the city.

I sat beside Daryl but far enough away that there was a wide space between us. I could see Daryl looking at me out of the corner of my eye but didn't say anything. I knew if o had asked of needed something he'd get snippy. He was probably going to ask why the hell I came and he doesn't need my charity.

"What the hell are ya doing here?" I heard Daryl growl after a while.

"I'm a doctor o can help your brother of he needs it. He might have heat stroke and I'm sure he's been pulling on the handcuffs so his wrist is probably all torn up. It's best to take care of it before he gets an infection from it or worse he could die from heatstroke," I said and looked at him.

"Don't need yer damn help," he said.

"You might not but Merle will," I said.

I heard him huff and call me a stuck up bitch. I didn't understand why he hated me so much I never did anything to him or at least I don't think I did. I just sat there and stayed silent for the rest of the ride. I willed myself not to cry to not let the tears in my eyes fall. I outcast put my head down and fiddled with my fingers.

Eventually, Glenn pulled into the city and parked the truck on the tracks. We got out and started walking around the lot. "You know this place best.  Merle or guns first?" Rick asked Glenn.

"Merle! We an int having this conversation!" Daryl growled.

"We are!" Rick hissed.

"Merle first guns last," Glenn said.

So we headed off to the building they were stuck at. We snuck through the city and into the building. We walked up the stairs to the roof and T-Dog cut the lock. Daryl burst through the door. "Merle!" He yelled.

We walked the catwalk and down the few steps. "No. No. No!" Daryl started yelling.

I walked passed everyone to see only a hand on the ground. I walked over to it and carefully picked it up. Looking at the end of it I could tell it wasn't that clean of a cut. I also noticed the blood on the ground there wasn't as much as there should be so that means he used a trinket.

Daryl pointed his crossbow at T-Dog's head then Rick pointed his gun at Daryl's head. "I will shot I don't care if every walker in the city hears it," Rick said. Daryl then put the crossbow down and blinked a few times.

"You got a durag or something?" Be asked T-Dog.

T-Dog pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to him. He turned and walked over towards me. I gently put the hand in the handkerchief for him. "He used a trinket probably his belt. There would have been a lot more blood if he didn't," Daryl said.

"He's right. There would be a hell of a lot more blood. By the jagged edges, the blade he used was dull. Probably to dull for the handcuffs so he went for the hand. It probably took him a while to saw completely through. And it was hours ago the blood is dry but he could still be in this building or somewhere in the city. He still lost enough blood he could be passed out," I said.

"My brothers tough he's alive," Daryl said.

"Doesn't matter how tough you are anyone can pass out from enough blood loss," I told him and he glares at me.

We ended up following the trail of blood. It leads into the building and into some offices then into a kitchen. Merle's belt was on the counter along with some gas canisters they use for trays of food.  I saw an iron they would use to put on top of a patty to press it into the grill. I picked it up and looked at the bottom. "What's that burnt stuff?" Glenn asked.

"Skin. He cauterized the stump," I said.

Daryl walked over to the window. It had been broken out. "He could still be put there," Rick said.

"Yeah, he might be held up somewhere. With the blood loss in sure, he is feeling tired, lightheaded, just weak. And he's in the stage of getting an infection. That cut wasn't clean and cauterizing the stump himself had to of been painful," I said.

We then went to an office and locked ourselves in. We made an agreement that if we kept a level head and got the guns first then we'd look around the city for Merle. So Glenn came up with a plan. "Hey kid, what'd you do before all this?" Daryl asked him.

"Pizza delivery guy. Why?" Glenn asked.

We all nodded our heads impressed. He had T-Dog and Rick in on ally two blocks over and Daryl in another closer to him. That way he'd have back up in both places in case he needed to change direction. "What about me?" I asked.

"I want you up on the roof by the ally Daryl will be. Keep an eye on me. If I end up needing help you'll see me better so you can tell Daryl," he said and I nodded my head.