Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"If she gets so much as a scratch, Merle, I swear to you, you'll lose more than your goddamn hand."
▂︎▂︎▂︎▂︎▂︎▂
Dragging the blade that replaced his hand against a wooden table, Merle observed as Glenn breathed heavily, restrained to a chair. Glenn was ready — he was ready for the suffering that was to come. As long as Merle didn't touch Alex or Katherine, he had nothing to complain about.
For them, he would endure whatever misfortune came his way. He sat in a room crammed with old furniture, detecting the amusement on Merle's face. "You don't even know why you are here, do you? I didn't mean you no harm. I lowered my gun, but you raised yours." Glenn didn't bother giving him a reaction, blankly staring in front of him. "You and Alexandra were assholes out there, just like you two were on that rooftop back there in Atlanta."
Glenn speculated what would've happened if they had never handcuffed Merle to the roof. Maybe if they hadn't, he wouldn't be in this position. However, it was more likely Merle's reckless actions would've led to more casualties. That was just the kind of person he was. "What y'all did, leaving me up there — people wouldn't do that to an animal."
Glenn replied, "We went back for you."
Merle scoffed. "Ain't you thoughtful?"
"We did. All of us. Rick, Alex, Daryl, T-Dog." Glenn added.
"Mmm, T-Dog." Merle hummed, pursing his lips. "Yeah, big ol' spear-chucker, the one I was pleading with. The one that dropped the key. Tell me where he is at. I'm sure T-Dog would like to bury the hatchet, let bygones be bygones."
Repressing his grief, Glenn whispered, "He didn't make it."
"Well, I hope he went slow," Merle remarked. "Just like your girl will."
The second Merle mentioned laying a hand on Alex, Glenn snapped. "If she gets so much as a scratch, Merle, I swear to you, you'll lose more than your goddamn hand."
Merle almost widened his eyes, dumbfounded. He never believed Glenn would have the balls to make a threat like that. He chuckled, "You've changed, Glenn. You're more like Alexandra now... How about the rest? How about my baby brother? You can't tell me he's alive and then hold off on where he is."
Glenn didn't dare utter a word.
"Well, maybe Alexandra will help me... once I'm done with you, of course." With Glenn refusing to comply, Merle became violent.
In a separate room, duct taped to a chair, Alex pursed her lips, shutting her eyes as she heard it all — Merle's fists connecting with Glenn, Merle's presumptuous taunting, Glenn's pained grunts. It was excruciating. Alone, she waited for the thuds to stop, but it seemed limitless. If she had the opportunity, she'd swap places with him without a second thought.
