Playing With Fire (A Merle Dixon Story)

Chapter Thirty-Five

Author's Note:

Please don't hate me forever. I promise everything I do is for a reason. 

-Nikki

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Merle

The first gunshot rang out loud and clear, like a whip crackin’ across the sky. Every muscle in my body suddenly tensed up, the hairs on the back of my neck standin’ on end. I caught Daryl’s eye just as a second shot ripped through the air. It was him. Didn’t even have to think ‘bout it. He’d finally found us.

I dropped to the ground, military instinct kickin’ in, and crawled on my stomach to the SUV that was parked in the cement lot. Daryl made it there first, his back pressed against back tire. His knuckles were grippin’ his crossbow so tight, they was turnin’ white.

“Everybody down! Now!” I heard somebody yellin’ at the top of their lungs and saw Rick crouched behind a cement wall, wavin’ his arms towards the cellblock door. I followed his eyes and saw Hershel hobblin’ inside the doors with the kid and the blonde girl, the baby in her arms. I looked back at the sheriff and caught his eye. He nodded at me, pistol in his hands, and even from here I could see that dazed, confused look that had been in his eyes yesterday was suddenly gone. Good. Crazy wouldn’t help ya’ survive a firefight.

“Where the hell is Charlie?” I heard Daryl pantin’ from behind me, soundin’ like he was ‘bout to take some of Rick’s crazy for himself.

I tugged my gun from the waistband of my jeans, leanin’ around the front of the SUV just in time to see Charlie and her brother scramblin’ up the steps of one of the guard towers. I pressed my back against the side of the car again, lookin’ over at Daryl. “She’s fine, just saw her go up into the tower. Might be the safest place for her.” I said gruffly.

My own eyes were roamin’ all over the prison behind me, lookin’ for Harlow. Last thing I saw of her, she was helpin’ Carol drag a couple pieces of sheet metal up on the catwalk. Couldn’t see her, but figured she was safe. Probably had dove behind the sheet metal for cover after the first shot rang out.

“What now?” Daryl asked quietly.

I looked back at my baby brother and flipped the safety off my gun. I gave him a grin. “We fight back.” I kept my back against the car as I looked around the front end again, towards the woods. I could make out movement just beyond the tree line. Years and years of bein’ in the military had made it easy for me to pick out the bad guys. I held out my gun and shot a few round before duckin’ back behind the car. Somebody out there shot back and I heard the bullets lodgin’ themselves in the metal of the car. All of the sudden, though, it got real quiet real fast. It set me on edge. They were plannin’ somethin’ big out there. I just didn’t know what.

A loud, panicked cry was suddenly comin’ from behind us. I turned back around, my eyes sweepin’ the outside of the prison. I saw someone wavin’ from the catwalk, arm just barely visible over the sheet metal. I felt myself go cold. Harlow was up there. I could feel Daryl’s eyes on me, watchin’ me.

“Merle, don’t.” He said quietly. He reached out to grab my arm and hold me back, but I was already gone.

I sprinted out from behind the car, runnin’ across the wide open space to the catwalk. My blood was pumpin’ loud in my ears and I heard another couple of shots ring out, but it didn’t stop me. Not even when I felt one graze my shoulder, sendin’ a searin’ pain all up and down my arm. I kept goin’, takin’ the steps two at a time and ignorin’ the warm blood I felt soakin’ up the sleeve of my shirt. When I finally got up to the top of the platform, the first thing I saw was the blood. A puddle of it, Carol sittin’ right in the middle of it. Harlow clutched tightly to her. I thought my heart had stopped.