The Creator and the Redneck (TWD Story)

Chapter 43: Rescued and Captured Again

No One's Point of View

'What the **** was happening?' Alita thought as she quickly pulled the canvas bag off her head, but everything was smoking. 

She couldn't see anything when suddenly a pair of hands grabbed her shoulders and she looked up to find Daryl crouched down in front of her. 

Neither of them had time to say anything before he quickly pulled her to her feet as Rick and Oscar grabbed Glenn and Maggie as they began running out the building and down the street.

"Inside, quick!" Rick whispered, opening a door to a random building as Alita quickly ducked inside. 

Daryl gently sat her down on the ground as Glenn and Maggie sat down a few meters away while the others scanned the room, making sure nobody was in there.

"Alita?" Daryl called softly as he crouched down in front of her, his hands gently cupping her cheeks as he took in the blood down the side of her face and busted up lip.

"Talk to me, what happened? Alita?" Daryl asked, but she couldn't speak, still trying to process what actually just happened.

'Merle was alive... He was here... He let the leader hurt me, he let the leader did what he did to her, but Merle left her knife in her pocket and gave her a shirt... It didn't make any sense.' Alita thought to herself.

"I'm okay." Alita eventually said looking into Daryl's worried eyes.

"Ya ain't." Daryl muttered, scanning Alita's body for anymore injuries, noticing her black shirt wasn't hers, but before he could say anything Glenn began talking.

"Daryl, this was Merle. He did this." Glenn stated and Daryl stared at Alita with a questioning look as she gave him a sad nod.

"Ya saw him?" Daryl questioned, looking over at Maggie and Glenn, but not taking his hand off Alita's shoulder.

"Face to face. Threw a walker at me. He tried to execute us." Glenn responded and Alita could tell Daryl was trying to process everything he was hearing right now... Alita was still trying to process everything as well.

"S-so my brother's this Governor?" Daryl questioned.

'Governor? That must be the leader.' Alita thought.

"No, it's somebody else. Your brother's his lieutenant or something." Maggie answered.

"The Governor is controlling him. Merle isn't the same, he wouldn't do this." Alita tried to say, her voice breaking at the end as the memory of what Merle let the Governor do to her and Maggie flashed through her mind.

"Did he do this?" Daryl asked motioning towards Alita's face that looked like it which looks like it was healing on it's own and she shook her head.

"It was the Governor." Alita simply answered.

"Rick, I'm sorry. We told him where the prison was. We couldn't hold out." She heard Glenn say as Daryl brushed his finger gently over Alita's split lip that was slowly healing cause of her wolf powers. But his face had a mixture of guilt and anger on it.

"Don't. No need to apologize. We have to get back. Can you walk? We got a car a few miles out." Rick replied and Alita watched as Glenn nodded before Rick and Maggie helped him as Daryl quickly stood up walking over to them.

"Hey, if Merle's around, I need to see him." Daryl quickly said as Oscar took Rick's place to help Glenn as Rick turned around to Daryl.

"Not now. We're in hostile territory." Rick responded and Alita stood up, walking over to the two men. 

She wanted to get out of the town, but she didn't want to leave Merle, leaving him there was not an option for her, cause it got her thinking if it was Maggie or Beth.

"He's my brother. I ain't-" Daryl tried to argue, his voice was unsure and slightly panicked and Alita knew there was no way Daryl would leave without Merle and neither was Alita.

"Look at what he did! Look, we gotta get out of here now." Rick says to Daryl.

"Maybe I can talk to him. Maybe I can work somethin' out." Daryl said desperately, but Rick shook his head.

"We can't leave him." Alita added, looking at Rick as he gave her a sympathetic look.

He then gave her a look of understanding, knowing for her if she left Merle or Daryl it should be like leaving Beth and Maggie behind to her.

"No, no, no. You guys aren't thinking straight. Glenn can barely walk and you're hurt kind of. How are we gonna make it out if we get overrun by walkers and this Governor catches up to us? I need you. I need both of you. Are you with me?" Rick questioned glancing between the two.

"Yeah." Daryl finally said and Alita nodded.

Before Rick began making a plan to get out of here. Everyone was busy listening to Rick as Daryl grabbed her hand and Alita looked up at him with a nod, knowing what he was thinking. He was going to try to find Merle and there was no way she was not letting him do that alone.

"Alita, take this." Rick suddenly said handing Alita a small hand gun as Daryl began grabbing smoke grenades from the bag.

"On three. Stay tight. One. Two. Three." Rick said, opening the door as Daryl threw the smoke grenades outside and all of them rushed out the building. 

They barely made it a few meters outside before gunfire erupted, there were people crouched down behind bench chairs and garbage bins on the other side of the street firing at the group as Alita stuck close to Daryl as they returned the fire.

"In here!" Alita shouted, firing off a few more bullets before leading the group into a small gap between buildings.

"How may?" Rick questioned as Alita continued firing off shots around the corner before quickly ducking behind the wall as they fired back.

"Don't matter. There's gonna be more of 'em. We need to move." Daryl responded, reloading his rifle as Alita dropped down to a crouch beside him and began going through the bag of weapons they had brought.

"Any grenades left?" Rick questioned and Alita nodded, pulling a few out.

"Get them ready. We gotta gun it to the wall." Rick said.

 "You guys go on ahead. Alita and I will lay down some cover fire." Daryl said handing Alita a spare clip for her gun as she quickly reloaded.

"No, we gotta stay together. " Maggie tried to say, but Alita shook her head at her sister figure.

"Too dangerous, we gotta distract them. We'll be right behind you guys." Alita said looking up at Maggie before turning to Rick, who nodded reluctantly as Daryl began throwing out more smoke grenades as the group ran. 

The others ran towards the fence, but Alita and Daryl quickly ducked down behind a bench side by side as they fired at the people across the road.

'Where was Merle? We need to get him and get out of here.' Alita thought. The two continued firing for a few minutes, completely focused on the men across the road when suddenly Alita heard the familiar sound of guns being cocked behind her as she cursed under her breath.

"Turn around slowly." Someone ordered and Alita glanced over at Daryl who gave her a soft nod and both of them turned around to find four men standing behind them with their guns raised.

"Drop your weapons or else I will shoot the pretty girl first." One of the men threatened, gripping his gun tighter as Daryl quickly dropped his gun and began taking his crossbow off his shoulder and Alita dropped her gun as well.

"Where's Merle?" Daryl questioned and the men just grinned as they pulled out two canvas bags.

'Again, really?' Alita thought.

"Don't worry, you guys will see him soon." The same man replied as he covered both of the two's faces with the bags and began pulling them to their feet.