Rick slips into his police uniform as he walks past Shane.
"So that's it, huh?" Shane grabbed Ricks arm, "You're just gonna walk off? Just to hell with everybody else?"
Rick shook Shane's hand off of his arm, "I'm not saying to hell with anybody..."
"Lori least of all. Tell her that."
"She knows." Rick replied softly.
"Well, look, I...I don't, okay, Rick? So could you just...could you throw me a bone here, man?" Shane paced a bit as he looked at Rick upset, "Could you just tell me why? Why would you risk your life for a douche bag like Merle Dixon?"
"Hey, choose your words more carefully." Daryl spat passing them.
"No, I did. Douche bag's what I meant." Shane yelled, "Merle Dixon...the guy wouldn't give you a glass of water if you were dying of thirst."
"What he would or wouldn't do doesn't interest me." Rick told him buttoning up his over shirt, "I can't let a man die of thirst. Thirst and exposure. We left him like an animal caught in a trap. That's no way for anything to die, let alone a human being."
Lori walked over to Rick, "So you and Daryl, that's your big plan?"
Ricks eyes shifted over to Glenn who's face quickly turned upset. "Oh, come on."
"You know the way. You've been there before...in and out, no problem. You said so yourself." Rick said trying to convince him, "It's not fair of me to ask...I know that, but I'd feel a lot better with you along. I know she would too."
"That's just great. Now you're gonna risk three men, huh?" Shane spat and T-Dog stepped up.
"Four."
Daryl huffs, "My day just gets better and better, don't it?"
T-Dog rolled his eyes at the Dixon, "You see anybody else here stepping up to save your brother's cracker ass?"
"Why you?" Daryl questioned.
"You wouldn't even begin to understand." T-Dog stated, "You don't speak my language."
"That's four." Dale repeated.
Shane looked at Dale then peered at Rick, "It's not just four. You're putting every single one of us at risk. Just know that, Rick. Come on, you saw that Walker. It was here. It was in camp. They're moving out of the cities. They come back, we need every able body we've got. We need 'em here. We need 'em to protect camp."
"It seems to me what you really need most here are more guns." Rick spat back.
"Right, the guns." Glenn said holding the last part.
Shane's eyes widened a little at that remark, "Wait. What guns?"
"Six shotguns, two high-powered rifles, over a dozen handguns. I cleaned out the cage back at the station before I left." Rick said, "I dropped the bag in Atlanta when Indigo and I got swarmed. It's just sitting there on the street, waiting to be picked up."
"Ammo?" Shane asked out of curiosity.
"700 rounds, assorted."
"You went through hell to find us." Lori held Ricks gaze, "You just got here and you're gonna turn around and leave?"
Carl was listening into the conversation now and so was Indigo.
"Dad, I don't want you to go." Carl told him and Indigo caught Ricks eye.
"To hell with the guns." Lori snapped, "Shane is right. Merle Dixon? He's not worth one of your lives, even with guns thrown in. Tell me. Make me understand."
"I owe a debt to a man I met and his little boy." Rick replied as Loris face softened, "Lori, if they hadn't taken me in, I'd have died. It's because of them that I made it back to you at all. They said they'd follow me to Atlanta. They'll walk into the same trap I did if I don't warn him."
"What's stopping you?" She asked as Indigo looked at him.
"The walkie-talkie, the one in the bag I dropped." Indigos mind flash backed to seeing Rick talking into one back after a few days he had found her, "He's got the other one. Our plan was to connect when they got closer."
"These are our walkies?" Shane questioned.
Rick nodded, "Yeah."
"So use the CB. What's wrong with that?" Andrea asked lifting a brow.
"The CB's fine. It's the walkies that suck to crap..." Shane told her then nodded at the equipment, "Date back to the '70s, don't match any other bandwidth...not even the scanners in our cars."
"I need that bag. Okay?" Rick was irritated now. He knew what he had to do and he understood where they were all coming from but he wished they would just let him do it without argument.
"All right." Lori nodded softly placing a hand on her husbands face. Rick gave her a reassuring smile then approached both Carl and Indi.
"Okay?" Carl nodded in response but Indigo shook her head.
"You promised you wouldn't leave."
Rick kneeled to her level, "I'll be back before you know it."
Carl took Indi's hand as they made their way back to their tent. Indigo looked back once more at the man who reminded of her own father.
-----------------
"Rumor is you have bolt cutters."
Dale glanced at Rick, "Maybe."
"Yeah, we get to that roof, though, we'll need to cut that chain and the handcuffs." T-Dog told them as he patted some stray dirt off of his shirt.
"I never like lending tools." Dale gazed at the last of his tools then at the men, "The last time I did... and yes, I am talking about you...let's just say your bag of guns wasn't the only bag that was dropped. The majority of my tools got left behind with Merle."
Rick bit his lip thinking, "We'll bring your tools back too. Think of the bolt cutters as an investment. "
"Sounds like more of a gamble." Dale chuckles softly hesitantly giving the bolt cutters to him, "What do I get in return?"
"What do you want?" Rick questioned as Dale thought readjusting his hat.
"How about one of those guns you bring back? My pick." Dale replied as Rick nodded.
"Done."
Jim walked over as the three men watched, "Dale, let's...sweeten the deal a bit. Now that cube van of yours..."
"What about it?" Rick stared at Jim questioning his motives.
"The RV's radiator hose is shot. That's a problem if we need to get somewhere and wanna get very far." Jim responded, "And the hose on that van is just about a perfect match...well, enough that I can make it fit."
"I'll tell you what..." Jim's eyes lifted towards Ricks, "we get back, you can strip that van down to the bare metal."
Jim and Dale smiled softly when a beef of a horn cut their conversation short.
"Come on, let's go!" Daryl yelled, his head slightly out the window doing so. Rick shook his head looking back at the men.
"Thank you."
He begins to walk towards Daryl as Shane stops him suddenly, "Hey, Rick, got any rounds in the python?"
"No."
"Last time we were on the gun range, I'm sure I wound up with a few loose rounds of yours." Shane stated.
"You and that bag...like the bottom of an old lady's purse." Rick replied as Shane's face turned soft.
"I hate that you're doing this, man. I think that it's foolish and reckless." Ricks face turned to doubt, "But if you're gonna go, you're taking bullets."
"I'm not sure I'd want to fire a shot in the city, not after what happened last time." He said as Shane looked him right in the eye.
"That's up to you. Well...four men, four rounds. What are the odds, huh? Well, let's just hope that...let's just hope four is your lucky number, okay?"
"Thank you."
Shane watched Rick hop into the truck as they take off to what would either be suicide or success shaking his head, "All right."
--------
Indigo was sleeping in the tent, Carl next to her. He saw Indigo as his sister now each day feeling more protective of her.
"Hey."
Carl turned at his mothers voice as she sat next to him.
"Hi, mom."
"You know, I bet they'll be just fine." Lori reassured him placing her hand through his thick brown locks. He looked at Indigo who was sleeping soundly clutching onto the bear she always held.
"I'm not worried. Are you?" He asked, Lori nodded looking down.
"Yeah, a little."
Carl held his mothers hand, "Don't be."
"Why?" She asked her son.
"Think about it, mom. Everything that's happened to him so far...nothing's killed him yet." Carl told her then looked at the young girl, "Besides he wouldn't leave Indigo or us."
The pair looked at the small girl, Rick had brought with him. Lori couldn't help but feel Ricks presence around the girl, it gave her some comfort.
---------------
The trucks engine rumbled outside the city limits of Atlanta as Daryl eyed T-Dog in the side mirror. "He'd better be okay."
T-Dog noticed the slight threat within Daryl's tone shrugging it off, "It's my only word on the matter. I told you the geeks can't get at him. The only thing that's gonna get through that door is us."
Glenn pushes down on the brake, the trucking coming to a halt, "We walk from here."
The small group get out and start walking along the rail road tracks eyeing every direction with caution.
---------
"Have you seen Carl and Indi?" Loti asked approaching Dale who was fiddling with his binoculars on top of the RV.
"Shane took them down to the quarry." Dale replied chucking slightly, "There was some mighty bold talk about catching frogs."
Lori thanked Dale before heading down the slight dirt road that looked over the quarry.
"I'm not getting anything." Carl whined.
Shane looked down at the water placing his hands out, "Yeah. Being all wily, staying submerged. Little suckers, they know something's up. That's what's going on. Just going to have to do this the old-fashioned way." Carl smirked as Indigo giggled, "All right, kids, look. You are the...you are the key in all this, okay? All I'm gonna do is I'm gonna go after one of them, all right, scare the rest of them off. They're all gonna scatter. I'm gonna drive 'em your way, okay?"
The kids nod excitedly.
"What you need to do is you need to round up every bad boy you see, all right?" Shane told them as the kids prepared, "Are you with me?"
"Yeah!" Carl yelled.
"Yeah!? Yeah!" Indigo screamed.
"Give me your mean faces!" Shane told them as Indigo did her best face making the boys laugh at her attempt.
"That's what I'm talking about!" Shane yelled out, "Are you ready?!" The kids scream with laughter as Shane splashes the water. "All right, they're coming your way. They're coming your way. Go on, get 'em, get 'em. They're coming your way, come on. Catch them frogs. Catch them frogs. They're coming, kids! Get 'em! Get that net in there and get 'em!"
Indigo sees one excitedly running for it sending water everywhere. Before she manages to dive for it she falls into the water face first. Indigo laughs uncontrollably feeling something wiggle around in her hands.
Carol, Jacqui, Andrea, and Amy watch them from nearby as they do the laundry,
"I'm beginning to question the division of labor here." Jacqui said as the women chuckle in agreement.
Carl was as determined as Indigo to catch a frog diving at every single one. Shane followed the boy excitedly, "They're coming, little man! Get 'em! Get that net in there and get 'em! What have you got, bad boy? What do you got? What do you got?"
Carl opened his hands to find no frog, "Dirt."
Shane awkwardly scratched his neck then smiled at him, "Oh boy. All right, we've got to start over. Come on, let's find this bucket."
Indigo eagerly followed the pair for round 2.
"Can someone explain to me how the women wound up doing all the Hattie McDaniel work?" Jacqui questioned squeezing the water out of a shirt back into the bucket.
"The world ended." Amy told her smiling sarcastically, "Didn't you get the memo?"
"It's just the way it is." Carol said softly looking up slightly to see Ed watching them do the laundry from his truck.
----------
Rick cuts through the fence as they all pass through it one by one.
"Merle first or the guns?" Rick questioned wiping the sweat off of his forehead.
"Merle!" Daryl stated quickly, "We ain't even having this conversation."
"We are." Rick told Daryl firmly then looked at Glenn, "you know the geography. It's your call."
Glenn, looked at Daryl, "Merles closest. The guns would mean doubling back. Merle first." Daryl relieved followed the men as they walked deeper into the city towards the building they had left Daryl's brother at.
------------
Indigo exhausted left the boys to continue catching frogs. She walked up towards the other women who were doing the laundry. They noticed the small girl smiling, Carol grabbed a dry towel wrapping her in it as she sat by them listening to their conversation which she found rather interesting even if she didn't understand what they were saying.
"I do miss my Maytag." Carol sighed dipping a pair of pants back in the bucket of water.
"I miss my Benz, my sat nav." Andrea said as Jacqui held a damp shirt to her chest closing her eyes.
"I miss my coffeemaker with that dual-drip filter and built-in grinder, honey."
"My computer... And texting." Amy told them reminding herself of her college days.
There was a brief silence when Andrea shrugged, "I miss my vibrator."
The women burst out laughing as Indi stared in confusion, "What's a vibrator?"
The child's question was enough to make them all wheeze and almost die of laughter. Carol grinned at Andrea.
"Me too." She whispered as the women laughed even harder.
Ed notices this walking over, "What's so funny?"
"Just swapping war stories, Ed." Andrea rolled her eyes as Ed moves closer. Indigo noticed Carol sink back a little. Was she okay? "Problem, Ed?"
"Nothin' that concerns you." Ed spat at the woman, "And you ought to focus on your work. This ain't no comedy club."
Quarry Lori comes down to the quarry.
Lori passes the women noticing them talking to Ed. He was bad news that man. She noticed Indigo sitting by Carol wrapped in a towel. She walked up to her son who turned around hearing his name, "Hey, Carl, what did I tell you about not leaving Dale's sight?"
Carl looked down in slight guilt, "But Shane said we could catch frogs, remember?"
"It doesn't matter what Shane says." Loti gave Shane the eye then looked back at her boy, "It matters what I say. Go on back to camp. I'll be right behind you."
Carl frowned walking slowly back up to camp as Shane approached Lori.
"I've got to tell you, I do not think you should be taking this out on him."
"You don't tell me what to do." Lori stated angrily, "You lost that privilege."
Shane placed his hand on Loris arm, "Lori, could you just wait up a sec? I think we should talk. We haven't had a chance..."
"No. No no. That's over too." Lori told him sternly waving off his hand as she walked away, "You can tell that to the frogs."
"Damn it, Lori. Look, I don't know how it appears to you or what you think..."
"How it appears to me?" Loti turned back around is disbelief, "I'm sorry. Is there a gray area here? Let me dispel it. You stay away from me. You stay away from my son. That goes for Indigo too. You don't look at them. You don't talk to them. From now on, my family is off-limits to you."
"Lori, I don't think that's fair." Shane replied visibly upset.
"Shane, shut up." She yelled as he tried approaching again, "Don't!"
"I don't think that..."
"My husband is back. He is alive." Lori interrupted as Shane paced agitated.
"He's my best friend. Do you think I'm not happy about that?" He argued.
Lori looked Shane in the eye fuming, "How dare you? Why would you be? You are the one that told me that he died. You son of a bitch."
Lori stormed away in anger as Indigo notices this but is caught back by the on going tension between the women and Ed.
------------
The men had finally entered the department store finding a walker. Daryl looks at it slipping off his cross bow, "Damn. You are one ugly skank." An arrow shoots through the head of the walker sending specs of blood across the department floor.
--------
"Ed, tell you what...you don't like how your laundry is done, you are welcome to pitch in and do it yourself." Andrea told him off grabbing a piece of clothing tossing it at him, "here."
Ed throws it right back at her angered. Indigo eyes Shane down nervously trying to get his attention without causing attention to herself.
"Ain't my job, missy."
"Andrea, don't." Carol told her as Indigo looked up at the woman who seemed frightened.
Andrea ignored Carol and eyed Ed, "What is your job, Ed? Sitting on your ass smoking cigarettes?"
"Well, it sure as hell ain't listening to some uppity smart-mouthed bitch." His voice was raspy and intimidating, "Tell you what...come on. Let's go." He attempted to grab at Carol as Andrea stepped in his way.
"I don't think she needs to go anywhere with you, Ed."
"And I say it's none of your business." Ed spat at Andrea who continued to try and step in front of the man as he grabbed at Carol, "Come on now. You heard me."
"Carol." Andrea said cautiously as she stepped towards her abusive husband.
"Andrea, please. It doesn't matter." Carols face was upset as Indigo grabbed her arm.
"Carol, please don't go." The girl cried as Ed pushed the girl away. Andrea grabbed Carols arm once more in attempt to stop Ed.
"Hey, don't think I won't knock you on your ass just 'cause you're some college-educated cooze, All right?" He yelled pulling Carol away from them, "Now you come on now or you gonna regret it later."
"So she can show up with fresh bruises later, Ed? Yeah, we've seen them." Jacqui stated in disgust.
Ed laughs as Shane finally notices this.
"Stay out of this. Now come on!" Ed pulled Carol harder now as the women attempted to stop him. "You know what? This ain't none of y'all's business. You don't want to keep prodding the bull here, okay? Now I am done talking. Come on."
"No no."
"Carol, you don't..." Amy whispered.
"Carol, you don't have..." Andrea was cut off at his outburst.
"You don't tell me what! I tell you what!"
Ed slaps Carol as Indigo screams in fear causing Shane to run from across the quarry.
The women start to protect Carol and they grab onto Ed. Indigo grabbed at Carol kicking Ed in his leg as he cried out in pain.
In attempt to protect Carol, Indigo kicks Ed in the leg as he cries out in pain. He grabs the girl by her hair as she screams in agony slapping her, "you little, bitch!"
Indigo manages to pull free from his grasp as he grabs hold of his wife again.
"Come here! Come here! " He yells as Indigo cries out in pain. He holds Carol violently as the women scream in fear.
"Get off her! Get off her! Get off her!"
Shane walks into the situation grabbing Ed and pushing him into the ground.
"Get off me!" Ed yells I'm Shane's face as the women hug Carol who is holding Indigo now.
"Ed?" Carol whispers, her face dirty from tears.
Shane angrily throws Ed to the ground again each time he manages to get out of his grasp.
"No!" Ed yells as Shane punches at him now again and again. Ed's face was bloody now as Shan Pe continues to pummel his face multiple times.
Indigo watches in horror as Shane mutilates Ed's face. Her deep blue eyes widening in fear. Shane's face was filled with rage she had never seen in a person, a face of hell.
"Shane, stop! Just stop!" Andrea screamed at him.
"Stop it! Stop!" Indigo cries out as Shane grabs Ed who was nearly unconscious.
"You put your hands on your wife, your little girl or anybody else in this camp one more time, I will not stop next time. Do you hear me? Do you hear me?!"
"Yes." He managed to say blood pouring out of his mouth.
Shane's face was dark, "I'll beat you to death, Ed."
"Ed!" Carol shouted as she reached out for him.
"I'll beat you to death." Shane repeated hitting him one more time then kicking him in his stomach. Carol handed Indigo to Jacqui racing over to her bloody husband.
"Oh God! No. God!" Carol bursts out in tears and kneels over him. "Ed, I'm sorry. Oh my God. Ed, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Ed. Ed, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Ed."
The other girls stand there speechless as Shane makes his way back up to camp without saying a word. Indigo watched him, she will never look at Shane the same.
-----------------
The boys reach the door to the roof cutting off the padlock with the bolt cutters Dale had given Rick. They slam the door open as Daryl desperately searches the open space.
"Merle! Merle! Me-"
Daryl's face begins to sob as he sees something near a pipe, "No! No!"
The men were silent as they approached what Daryl saw on the ground. Daryl cried out in agony. The handcuff was empty and there lied Merles hand on the ground.
"No! No! NO!"
I'm actually speechless that more then 1000 of you have read my book, honestly, thank you so much!! I tried finding a gif of Merle's hand but apparently I can't find one, if I do though, I'll just add it later.
Thank you again! Hope you liked this chapter! Let me know in the comments on any ideas or character flashbacks you would like over time.☺️