Madison was quiet for most of the ride, along with T-dog, who sat in annoyed silence as Daryl grumbled obscenities under his breath and made comments about T-dog and the others for leaving Merle behind. For a long time Madison simply ignored his words, understanding why he was so upset and knowing it wasn't an easy thing to get over. But the fact remained that the others had had a logical reason for handcuffing Merle to begin with— he had put their lives at risk— and the longer Daryl complained, the more patience Madison began to lose with him.
"Man, this is some bullshit," Daryl grumbled with a scoff. "Leavin' my brother handcuffed to a fuckin' roof. You're a real shit cop, y'know that, Rick Grimes?" Rick ignored him. "Hey, are ya deaf or somethin'? I'm fuckin' talkin' to ya!"
"Okay, you know what?" Madison finally snapped. "That is enough, Daryl."
His head snapped to the side, surprised that Madison had been the first one to say something to him. "No it ain't," he argued. "These assholes left my brother for dead. It's their fault he's chained to that roof!"
She pursed her lips. "If we're gonna play the blame game here, then something should be said about Merle's violent temperament and his lack of common sense," Madison told him bluntly, staring him straight in the eye. T-dog shifted uncomfortably at the argument he figured was about to happen. "Either way, these 'assholes' are trying to make shit right and we're all here to help you get Merle out of there. So please, just do us all a favor and quit talking shit."
Daryl opened his mouth to say something, then shut it and rethought his words, trying to figure out what to say to that. In the end he just scoffed and turned away from Madison. "Quit botherin' me, woman," he muttered before they all fell into a long silence. It wasn't until they'd finally reached the city limits that the silence was broken, once again by Daryl. "He better be okay. That's my only word on the matter."
T-dog huffed. "I told you the geeks couldn't get at him," he finally spoke up. "The only thing that's gonna get through that door is us." The vehicle rolled to a stop them, and Daryl opened the hatch before jumping down. Madison jumped down after him, followed by T-dog, as Rick and Glenn climbed out of the front.
Together, the five of them jogged down the railroad tracks until they reached the hole in the fence that they always used whenever they went on runs for supplies. "Merle first, or guns?" Rick asked Glenn.
"Merle!" Daryl snapped. "We ain't even havin' this conversation."
"We are," Rick said firmly. He turned back to Glenn. "You know the geography; it's your call."
Glenn considered it. "Merle's closest. The guns would mean doubling back. Merle first."
Daryl shot Rick a smug look as they followed Glenn to the store they'd left Merle at. Rick entered first with his gun raised, followed by Madison. She was nudged forward by Daryl, who followed closely behind her as she gripped onto her hunting knives. The group spread out to make sure the area was clear, when all of a sudden Rick stopped and pointed out a walker. "I got it," Daryl told Madison when she started to aim one of her knives in preparation to throw it at its head. He lifted his crossbow and shot an arrow straight through the walker's skull, stalking forward to retrieve the arrow once the body slumped to the ground. "Damn. You were one ugly skank," he commented to the walker's body, kicking it slightly.
"You make it a habit to talk to 'em?" Madison asked dryly as she side-stepped him and followed the others. He made a face at her and followed as well.
T-dog cut through the padlock he'd put on the door to the roof, and Daryl shoved past him and kicked it open. He rushed out onto the roof as the rest of them trailed behind him a bit slower. "Merle! Merle!" He shouted as he searched the roof. His only answer was silence, and Madison pushed past T-dog and Glenn to see what was going on when Daryl suddenly gasped. "No! No!" Her eyes widened at the sight of Merle Dixon's hand lying in a puddle of blood, the handcuffs still attached to the roof, but the man nowhere to be seen. "No! No!"
"Daryl—" Madison began to try and comfort him, but her words caught in her throat when he suddenly turned and aimed his crossbow straight at T-dog.
Rick immediately aimed his gun at Daryl in retaliation. "I won't hesitate. I don't care if every walker in the city hears it."
"Daryl. Daryl, stop," Madison told the grieving man, stepping in front of him, and subsequently, also in front of the crossbow he'd aimed at T-dog. "Standing here and pointing that at people isn't going to help the situation."
"Ya best better get out of the way," Daryl spat at her, still gripping tightly onto his crossbow.
"Madison, maybe you should move," Glenn spoke up nervously.
"No." She cast a glance toward the he, Rick and T-dog. "Give us a second, okay?"
The three of them exchanged a look and then hesitantly walked off to the other side of the roof and out of earshot. Rick was the last to move, not wanting to leave Madison where she still stood at the receiving end of Daryl's bow. As he finally turned and walked away, Madison took another step forward and grabbed hold of the crossbow. Daryl clutched it tighter and tried to snatch it back, but her grip only strengthened as she pushed it down to where it wasn't aiming at anything but the ground.
"Crying ain't gonna find your brother," Madison said quietly. Daryl simply stared at her, stubborn tears staining his eyes and making them shine brighter. "Merle's gotta be okay. He's a tough son of a bitch. I'm sure he'll find his way back to camp."
He swallowed thickly. "Why are ya bein' so nice to me? Ya don't even like my brother."
"Because I know what it's like to be separated from your brother and not know if he's okay," Madison responded honestly. "And besides— you and I, we might not be friends, but... we understand each other. Right?"
Daryl hesitated, then nodded. "Right," he muttered.
Madison released her grip on his crossbow and backed away. "Let's get out of here."
"Hang on." Turning to T-dog, he grumbled, "You got a do-rag or somethin'?" When T-dog handed him one, he used it to wrap Merle's hand in. Madison watched in shock as Daryl stuffed the bloody hand into Glenn's backpack without even asking permission. "I guess the saw blade was too dull for the handcuffs. Ain't that a bitch. He must have used a tourniquet... maybe his belt. Be much more blood if he didn't," Daryl mused as they began following the trail of blood. "Merle? You in here?" He called out as they entered the building. There was no response, but they came across a walker that Daryl didn't hesitate to shoot down. "Had enough in him to take out these two sumbitches. One-handed," he said proudly when they saw two bodies sprawled across the floor, this time dead for good. "Toughest asshole I ever met, my brother. Feed him a hammer, he'd crap out nails."
"Any man can pass out from blood loss, no matter how tough he is," Rick pointed out matter-of-factly.
Daryl glared at him, but he knew Rick had a point either way. "Merle!" He shouted again.
"Daryl, we're not alone here," Madison reminded him as she glanced around anxiously. "You're just gonna attract more deadheads and make it harder to find him."
"Screw it," he responded carelessly. "He could be bleeding out, Sheriff Shit-head said so himself." Madison sighed, but didn't bother to respond as they came across a kitchen. The stove was still lit; Merle's belt was sitting on top of it. "What's that burned stuff?" Daryl asked, scrunching up his face.
"Skin," Madison informed him as she moved closer to get a better look. She'd recognize that smell anywhere after her days as an emergency nurse. It was very distinct. "He must've cauterized the wound."
"Told you he was tough," Daryl said smugly. "Nobody can kill Merle but Merle." His faith in his brother was surprisingly strong for two siblings who argued and fought with each other as much as they did. Madison had seen the two of them going at it many times and occasionally wanted to ask why, but knew it was never any of her business. She'd never know that during those days, the Dixon brothers really only fought about two things: Merle wanting to rob the camp and leave, and his habit of running Madison and Shawn down.
"Don't take that on faith," Rick told Daryl, not wanting the man to get his hopes up. "He's lost a lot of blood."
"Yeah?" Daryl snorted. "Didn't stop him from busting out of this death-trap."
That's when they saw the busted window, which Merle must have no doubt escaped through. "He left the building?" Glenn said, surprised. "Why the hell would he do that?"
"Why wouldn't he?" Madison pointed out. "He's all alone, Glenn, trying to survive. He wouldn't just hole himself up here and wait for more walkers."
"You call that surviving?" T-dog asked skeptically. "Just wandering out in the streets, maybe passing out? What are his odds out there?"
"No worse than being handcuffed and left to rot by you sorry pricks," Daryl snapped at him, moving toward Madison's side so he could glare T-dog down angrily. "You couldn't kill him. Ain't so worried about some dumb dead bastard."
"What about a thousand dumb dead bastards?" Rick asked him. "Different story?"
"Why don't you take a tally?" He snarled. "Do what you want. I'm gonna go get him."
"Daryl, wait."
Rick reached out and grabbed him, but Daryl shrugged him off furiously. "Get yer hands off me! You can't stop me!"
"I don't blame you," Rick told him honestly. "He's family, I get that. I went through hell to find mine; I know exactly how you feel. He can't get far with that injury. We could help you check a few blocks around, but only if we keep a level head."
Daryl huffed as he considered Rick's offer. All he wanted to do was find his brother,and it was pissing him off that he hadn't done so already. But he knew Rick had a point. He had to keep his cool if he was going to accomplish anything. His gaze shifted over toward Madison, who was already looking at him, waiting to see what his answer would be.
After a long moment, he finally gave in and nodded. "I could do that."
× × × × × ×
"No. No fucking way," Madison shot down Glenn's plan as soon as he voiced it, her arms crossed and a stern look on her face.
Rick agreed with the woman. "Madison's right. You're not doing this alone."
Daryl snorted. "Even I think it's a bad idea," he said, "and I don't even like you much."
Glenn just shot him a look for that last comment and turned back to Rick and Madison, pleading with them to agree with him. "It's a good idea, okay, if you just hear me out," he said. "If we go out there in a group, we're slow, drawing attention. If I'm alone, I can move fast." He drew a makeshift-map of the streets on the ground, marking the tank and the bag of guns they were after. "Look. That's the tank, five blocks from where we are now. That's the bag of guns. Here's the alley I dragged you into when we first met," he pointed out to Rick. "That's where Daryl, Madison and I will go."
"Why us?" Daryl demanded, glancing at Madison and then back to the Korean boy.
"Because your crossbow and Madison's knives are quieter than Rick's gun," he answered matter-of-factly. "While Daryl and Madison wait here in the alley, I run up the street, grab the bag."
"I'm not letting you go by yourself," Madison spoke up stubbornly. She had grown to really like Glenn since she and Shawn joined the group. Her brother was good friends with him, and Madison was too. Glenn was a nice guy, and he had a good heart. Something hard to find in a world like this anymore. "Look, you said yourself my knives are quiet," she pointed out when Glenn shot her an exasperated look. "I'm better use covering you if I'm close-range. Daryl can stay behind in the alley because his crossbow has a further reach."
"You'll slow me down."
Madison scoffed, offended. "Please." She rolled her eyes. "I ran track for years and I grew up in the country. Believe me, I know how to be quick on my feet."
"I don't like it," Daryl said, narrowing his gaze at her. "Let the kid run by himself, you can stay in the alley where I can keep an eye on ya."
"I don't need you to keep an eye on me," Madison snapped at him. "I know my strength, Daryl Dixon. Don't patronize me."
Daryl scowled. "All's I'm sayin' is it's dangerous."
"I'm well aware of that. What are you now, my Keeper?"
"Goddamnit, woman—"
"Alright, enough," Rick intervened before they could argue any further. "Daryl will stay in the alley and Madison will go with you, Glenn. You got us elsewhere?" He asked, referring to he and T-dog.
Glenn pointed to the map, to the end of the street. "You and T-dog, right. You'll be in this alley here."
"Two blocks away? Why?"
"I may not be able to come back the same way. Walkers might cut me off," Glenn explained. "If that happens, Madison and I won't go back to Daryl. We'll go forward instead, all the way around to that alley where you guys are. Whichever direction we go, we'll have you in both places to cover us. Afterwards, we'll meet here."
There was a moment of silence as they all contemplated Glenn's plan. No matter how much they didn't like the idea of separating, they had to admit Glenn was onto something and it was probably the best plan any of them could have come up with. "Hey, kid," Daryl said suddenly, his eyebrows furrowed. "What'd you do before all this?"
Glenn glanced at him in confusion. "Delivered pizzas... why?"
Madison turned her head to hide her amused smile. No wonder he knew the area so well.