Sara's POV
"You're alive." I tell Daryl when he gets inside. I ignore the blood on the side of my face. I've wiped most of it off, but it's still there.
"It would appear so." He answers.
"You're a bitch." I tell him.
"I know." He answers. I stick my hands in my pockets and wait for him to say something...anything. "I'm sorry." He says.
"Really?" I ask.
He nods, looking downs as if he's ashamed of what he did. I bite my lower lip before grabbing his chin and kissing him.
"You scared the shit outta me." I tell him. He doesn't say anything. He just holds me there.
~~~
"We can't stay here." Glenn says.
"What if there's another sniper?" I ask.
"A wood pallet won't stop one of those rounds." Carol says.
"We can't even go outside." I say, "Not in the daylight."
"Rick says we're not running, we're not running." Daryl says.
"No, better to live like rats." Glenn says sarcastically.
"You got a better idea?" I ask him.
"Yeah, we should have slid out of here last night and lived to fight another day."
"But we lost that window, didn't we?" Hershel says.
"I'm sure he's got scouts on every road out of this place by now." I say.
"We ain't scared of that prick." Daryl says.
"Y'all should be." Merle says through his cage door, "That truck through the fence thing, that's just him ringing the doorbell. We might have some thick walls to hide behind, but he's got the guns and the numbers. And if he takes the high ground around this place, shoot, he could just starve us out if he wanted to."
"Let's put him in the other cell block." Glenn says.
"No." I say, "He's got a point. So. What do we do?"
"I said we should leave." Glenn says, pissed, "Now Axel's dead. We can't just sit here."
After I go on a small run, just outside and down the road a ways, barely making it back with my head, I approach Daryl, "Field's filled with walkers. I didn't see any snipers out there, but we'll keep Maggie on watch. I'll get up in the guard tower, take out half them walkers, give these guys a chance to fix the fence. Or use some of the cars to put the bus in place. We can't all access the field without burning through our bullets. I drew enough attention out there by myself, much less with Judy and everyone else."
"So we're trapped in here." He says.
"There's barely any food or ammo."
"Been here before." He says. His arms arm around my waist from behind. He presses a kiss to my neck and says, "We'll be all right."
"That's when it was just us." I say, remembering the freezing winter out there. "Before there was a snake in the nest." I choke out.
"We gonna go through this again? Look, Merle's staying here. He's with us now."
"I know, and I really hope you're right."
"What did he do to you that night?" He whispers.
"Nothing." I answer a little too quickly.
"Did he...?"
"No. I swear, no."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
~~~
I was walking with Hershel, when he motioned for me to follow into Merle's cell block. I shook my head but he motioned for me to follow. I complied and followed him into the cell.
"You're the farmer, Hershel." Merle greets as if I'm invisible. I look over at Michonne, who's sitting on the ground, doing sit-ups. I was lucky if I could get ten in, and here she was doing it like it was no problem.
"And you're the black sheep, Merle." Hershel says.
"How'd you lose it?" Merle asks him, looking at his leg.
"I was bit."
"Bit? You hack it off yourself?" He asks, honestly surprised. I help Hershel sit down, and Merle and I continue to stand.
"No. Rick did."
"Awful kindly of him."
"Saved my life. Gave me more time with my girls. Gave you more time with your brother." My throat tightens at that, "Can't put a price on that."
"Can't put a price on anything anymore." Merle says. Hershel pulls a Bible out of his pocket and I bite my lower lip.
"I found this in one of the cells. Lost more than the Good Book there for a while. Lost my way." He begins to quote Matthew, ""And if your right hand offends you, cut it off, cast it from you. For it is profitable that one of your members should perish--""
Merle finishes, "And not that thy whole body should be cast into hell." Matthew 5:29 and 30. Woodbury had a damn fine library. One of the only things I miss about it. When the Governor returns, he's gonna kill me first. Michonne, my brother, then your girls. Glenn, Carl, the baby, whoever else is left. He'll save Rick for last so he can watch his family and friends die ugly. That's who you're dealing with."
"Then help us get ready for him." I tell him.
Daryl's POV
"Haven't had a chance to say I'm glad you came back." Carol tells me while Sara's with Hershel.
"To what? All this?" I ask. The fights, the prison, it's literally hell in one area.
"This is our home." She says.
"This is a tomb." I say.
"That's what T-Dog called it. Thought he was right till you found me." We look over at Merle's cell, where I see Sara discussing something with him. Michonne is in there with them, doing sit ups. "He's your brother, but he's not good for you. Don't let him bring you down. After all, look how far you've come."
Michonne's POV
After the old man and the cop leave, it's just Merle and me in the cell, me doing my exercise, him being a dick, as usual.
"Smart to stay fit." He tells me, "Don't leave out the cardio." When I don't answer, he says, "You know, if we're gonna live under the same roof, we should clear the air. This whole hunting you down thing, that was just business. Carrying out orders."
"Hmm. Like the Gestapo." I suggest, not looking at him.
"Yeah. Exactly. I've done a lot of things I ain't proud of. Before and after. Anyway, hope we can get past it. Let bygones be bygones."
"I'd much sooner willingly go to hell." I tell him and stand up. I look into the cell block, and I see my sword, right on the table, out in the open. I need to find a way to get it and get out of here.
Later, the cop comes back. It's about five, I think.
"Hi." She tells me.
"Hello." I say.
"What's your name?" She asks, with the demeanor of a small child.
"Michonne." I answer simply.
"Mines Sara." She says. "Were you the one who put the Governor's eye out?"
"Yes. Were you the one he forced to watch the brothers fight naked?"
"Yes." She answers,
"Looks like we both have a common enemy, Sara."
Rick then walks in, with Andrea following behind him. Merle stays silent for once, Sara looks pissed, like me, and Andrea just has this sly little grin on her face.
"What? No one's gonna welcome me home?"