(1) Wolf in Me (D. Dixon)

Chapter Seven

Diana lingers at the edge of the camp as Shane and Rick follow after Daryl who is going to be looking for his brother. And whilst Daryl isn't as much of a loose cannon as Merle is, but he is still a loose cannon and he will likely react violently to the news that his brother might be dead. That his so-called camp mates have abandoned him in the city to meet his fate at the hands of walkers. Daryl might be inconsolable. They are very close. She knows how she would feel if someone was going to drop this news on her about Derek, so she can imagine how Daryl is going to react.

"Merle! Merle!" Daryl yells as he looks around for his brother. Everyone else has come back from the city, in his head, Merle should be here too. "Get your ugly ass out here! I got us some squirrel! Let's stew 'em up" He frowns when he realises that Merle is being uncharacteristically silent. Shane follows along closely behind him.

"Daryl, just slow up a bit. I need to talk to you" Daryl turns to give Shane a look.

"About what?" He asks him with a deep frown.

"About Merle. There was a... There was a problem in Atlanta" Shane explains, glancing at Rick close by, trying to work out if there is going to be an altercation here.

"He dead?" Daryl asks, following Shane's gaze to his friend then frowns. Rick is a new face to him and he is here whilst Merle is not.

"We're not sure" Shane answers. Daryl spins on him and frowns deeper.

"He either is or he ain't!" He snaps, taking a step towards Shane. And it does appear to be a threatening step.

"No easy way to say this, so I'll just say it" Rick takes over for Shane who wasn't there to know how it went down, Rick was there to know. Diana raises an eyebrow as she watches Rick put on what she can only explain as a law enforcement stance. She's seen it enough over the years.

"Who are you?" Daryl asks Rick, stepping up to him now.

"Rick Grimes"

"Rick Grimes" Daryl mocks repeating his name. "You got something you want to tell me?" Daryl asks, his anger rising in him along with his suspicion.

"Your brother was a danger to us all, so I handcuffed him on a roof, hooked him to a piece of metal. He's still there" Rick admits. There is a silence that then falls over the camp as they all process what he's just told them. They all knew that Merle was left behind, but the specifics of it were lost on some of them.

"Hold on. Let me process this. You're saying you handcuffed my brother to a roof and you left him there?!" Daryl asks, anger rising in his voice and on his face.

"Yeah" Rick admits. Daryl lets out a breath before he lunges at Rick who quickly side-steps him, dodging him. Daryl growls and pulls a knife from his boot.

"Hey! Watch the knife!" T-Dog warns. Daryl goes to lunge at Rick with the knife, but Diana is suddenly behind him, she grabs his wrist and twists till he drops the knife. His eyes wide as he takes in the strength she is putting into her hold as her other arm snakes around him and under his chin to pull him into a chokehold.

"You'd best let me go, girl!!" Daryl growls and she hums a little.

"Nah" She counters, pulling her arm tighter across his throat.

"Chokehold's illegal" Daryl argues, grabbing at her arm.

"You can file a complaint" She counters with a small smirk as she presses her knee into his back to keep him off balance but he still struggles against her. She sighs a little. "I can keep this up all day" She points out and he huffs in annoyance, clawing at her arm around his neck. Rick steps closer to them.

"I'd like to have a calm discussion on this topic" Rick admits and Daryl tries to jerk out of Diana's hold on him. "Do you think we can manage that?" Daryl glares at him and still attempts to wiggle free. "Do you think we can manage that?" Rick asks, firmer this time.

"Mmm" Daryl relaxes a little and then lets out a long breath. "Yeah" He caves, fully relaxing against Diana's hold. She slowly releases him, just in case it is some form of trap. She steps back from Daryl who glances at her over his shoulder, a questioning look on his face, as if he is trying to figure out just how she was able to hold him back, all by herself.

"What I did was not on a whim" Rick tells Daryl who then turns back to him. "Your brother does not work and play well with others"

"It's not Rick's fault" T-Dog admits causing all eyes to fall on him. "I had the key. I dropped it"

"You couldn't pick it up?" Daryl asks.

"Well, I dropped it in a drain" T-Dog answers with a small cringe.

"If it's supposed to make me feel better, it don't" Daryl comments with a glare aimed at T-Dog. It's not like T-Dog to do something like that on purpose. He's a good man. Even before all of this, he was a good man, a man who worked for a church, and whilst Diana doesn't believe in religion, she understands why others do and spending time taking care of other people is a noble thing.

"Well, maybe this will" T-Dog moves closer to Daryl, which is a risk because he could turn aggressive and violent in the snap of a second. "Look, I chained the door to the roof... So the geeks couldn't get at him... With a padlock. It's gotta count for something"

"Hell with all y'all!" Daryl scolds them. "Just tell me where he is so that I can go get him"

"He'll show you" Lori offers from where she stands in the open RV doorway and then turns to look at Rick. "Isn't that right?" There is a sense of disappointment in her tone, but not surprise. As if this is something that Rick would have done even before all of this started. But that doesn't mean that she likes it. At all.

"I'm going back" Rick agrees with her statement causing a head shake from Shane. He doesn't think it's a good idea either. Diana though, this is Diana's chance to do what she actually wants to do as part of this group. She is not the sort of person who enjoys laundry and foraging, she wants to do something a little more physical. Something that puts her skills to better use. Rick is going back to the city to help Daryl find Merle. If there is a chance for her to do a more physical job, it is now. She can be of actual use.