In the Very End: Book One

Chapter 29

"Hear that?" he asked. "Wild animals gettin' wild."

"No, that's a baby," I insisted.

Merle rolled his eyes. "Why don't you just piss in my ear and tell me it's rainin'? That sound right there is the sound of a couple of coons makin' love sweet love, know what I mean?"

I started out to the edge of the woods. Merle took a minute, but was soon by my side. We came out of the forest and were met with a highway and people screaming, walkers coming after them.

Merle shouted something to them, but I didn't hear. He mouthed off behind me, but I kept running towards the highway. Two men were on top of an RV, a walker reaching towards them. I released an arrow into the walker's skull and both men looked up at me.

"I got the car!" I shouted to Merle.

He nodded as he took down some more, smirking all the while. I dropped my bow and unsheathed my knife. I jammed it into the walker at the windshield. I saw a young woman holding a baby. A walker reached at them through the back of the car. I grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him out. I slammed the trunk door on the walker's head, brains and guts flying everywhere.

I yanked an arrow out of another walker and loaded it into my crossbow. The people started talking in some other language to each other.

"Ayùdame!" a dark man shouted.

I ran over and stuck my hunting knife through its skull before kicking it off the bridge and into the water. I watched as Merle opened the car door. The man yelled something in spanish to him, but Merle raised his gun.

"Slow down, beaner. That ain't no way to say thank you."

He jabbered something else.

"Let 'em go," I said sternly. I held my bow at Merle's back. "Get outta the car."

"I know you're not talkin' to me there, brother."

"Get out of the damn car." Merle climbed out and faced me. I turned to the man that was held at gun point. "Hey get your car and get the hell outta here!"

They all climbed into the vehicle and sped away. I still had my bow raised high, trying hard not to back down. Merle pushed the bow out of his face, but I beat him to it, pulling it away first.

I heard thunder in the distance but I didn't pay attention to it as I followed the trail back down the highway. I yanked my arrows out of walkers on my way by and we finally emerged back into the woods.

"The shit you doing, pointing that thing at me?" Merle asked.

"They were scared, man," I answered.

"Yeah, but they were rude is what they were," Merle spat.

"No, you were," I remarked.

"They owed us a token of gratitude," Merle continued.

"They didn't owe us nothin'," I insisted.

"You helpin' people out with just the kindness of your heart?" Merle spat. "Even though you might die doin' it? Is that something Sheriff Rick taught you?"

"There was a baby!" I shouted.

"Oh, otherwise you would of just left 'em for the biters then, huh?"

"Man, I went back for ya," I notified. "You weren't there. I didn't cut off your hand neither. You did that, way before they locked you up on that roof. No, you asked for it."

Merle smirked. "You know what's funny to me? You and Sheriff Rick, are like this now." He crossed his fingers. "Mmm, I bet you a penny and a fiddle of gold that you never told him that we planned on robbin' that camp blind."

"Didn't happen," I reminded.

"Yeah, it didn't, 'cause I wasn't there to help you."

"Oh, like when we were kids, huh?" I asked. "Who left who then?"

"What?" Merle shouted. "Huh? Is that why I lost my hand?"

"You lost your hand 'cause your a simple-minded piece of shit!"

"Yeah?" Merle shouted.

As I tried to walk away, Merle grabbed my shirt and made it rip all the way down the sides. He immediately regretted it as he saw the scars across my back. I quickly tried to cover them up.

"I–I didn't know he was—"

"Yeah, ya did. He did the same to you," I said, my voice cracking. "That's why you left first."

"I had to, man," Merle informed. "I would of killed 'im otherwise."

I started to walk away, my blood boiling.

"Where you goin'?" Merle asked.

"Back where I belong," I replied.

"I can't go with ya," Merle opposed. "I–I tried to kill that black bitch. Damn near killed the chinese kid."

"He's korean," I said.

"Whatever." Merle shrugged. "Doesn't matter, man. I just can't go with you."

"You know, I may be the one that's walkin' away, but you're the one that's leavin'...again."