Changing To Adapt ➵ TWD

➵ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ꜰɪꜰᴛʏ ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ

"It won't work."

"It's gotta," Daryl argues back.

"It'll stir things up."

"Look, the Governor is probably on the way to the prison right now. Merle knows how he thinks and we could use the muscle."

Maggie shakes her head, hard, "I'm not having him at the prison."

"Do you really want him sleeping in the same cell block as Carol or Beth?" Glenn adds, sneaking a glance Maggie's way.

Lucas furrows his brows.

"He ain't a rapist." Daryl reels back.

His arms crossed over his chest, Lucas's voice echoes Glenn's doubt, "His buddy is. Merle said so himself."

The moment he says it, things take a turn in his head. He remembers nothing but the muffled cries and distant yelling between his own visits. But he never asked himself if it could've been more than just Merle's fist causing them.

He risks a glance, and jolts under the look Maggie sends him.

Lucas has never wanted to end another's life more than he does now. The Governor takes the place right at the top of his list.

"They ain't buddies no more. Not after last night."

Rick slowly shakes his head, "There's no way Merle's gonna live there without putting everyone at each other's throats."

Surprisingly enough, standing in the middle of a vacant road has yet to attract the dead. Lately, it's beginning to feel like people are their worst enemy.

"So you're gonna cut Merle loose and bring the last samurai home with us?" Daryl gestures harshly in Michonne's direction.

She leans, oblivious, against their only transport and holds back a yawn that takes over anyway.

"She's not coming back."

Maggie tilts her head and acts reasonably, "She's not in a state to be on her own." And Glenn agrees, "She did bring you guys to us."

"And then ditched us."

A silence blankets them.

There's no win-win with any of these. Lucas drags a hand down his face and sighs into his palm.

"We don't know who she is. Merle? Merle's blood." Daryl stands his ground, looking away from Michonne when the woman lifts her head up from the car, almost like she heard them.

"No." Glenn clenches his jaw, his purple eye jarring against his normally soft face. It looks too sharp. Too broken. "Merle's your blood. My blood, my family, is standing right here. And waiting for us back at the prison."

A rush of something warm starts from the tips of Lucas's fingers to his toes, and he looks at Glenn with gentle eyes.

Family.

Rick steps forward, "And you're part of that family." He gestures at Merle and shrugs. "He's not."

Daryl looks between them all. There's a war going on behind his eyes. "Man, y'all don't know." He shakes his head.

Lucas wants to know.

But their choice hasn't changed.

"Fine." Daryl snaps, looking over their shoulders to where Merle is finally waking up. "We'll fend for ourselves."

Lucas gets it. Finding his brother after all this time? But it doesn't stop him from arguing immediately. "Hell no."

"That's not what we were saying." Glenn quickly adds, eyes wide.