HEART FOR BRAINS • the walking dead

025: war at the doorstep

Rio watched Rick and Daryl drive away, the car slowly leaving despite many protests. Merle walked around freely, much to the boy's dismay. He stood not far behind, making snide remarks about what was about to go down. About how Rick shouldn't be meeting with the governor on his own, how he should kill the Governor before he killed him.

The boy made his way inside, heading over to Glenn who was sitting at the table, sorting through boxes.

"Carl, come here." Glenn called to the boy from besides Rio. He passed a box to the boy, who passed it on to Carl.

"You stash these in the loading dock. Alright?" The older boy told him. He then turned to Beth, handing her a second box filled with ammunition. "Put more up on the catwalk. If anyone gets pinned down, we need to make sure that they have plenty of ammo."

He sighed, picking up a rifle and some tools. "I'll go work on the cage outside." Glenn turned to Rio, "you coming?"

"Yeah." The boy nodded, grabbing a gun off of the table for himself.

"What we should be doing is loading some of this firepower in a truck and paying a visit to the Governor." Merle interjected, making his opinion known. "We know where he is right now." He emphasized.

"You suggesting that we just go in and kill him?" Glenn challenged, looking over at him with a raised brow.

"Yeah, I am."

"We told Rick and Daryl that we'd stay put." Michonne told him.

"I've changed my mind, sweetheart." Merle replied snidely. "Being on the sideline with my brother out there ain't sitting right with me." He shook his head, a faux-frown sitting upon his face.

"He knows what he's doing." Rio said almost confidently. Despite knowing all that this man had done, he felt no fear in challenging him, or arguing or insulting. "You don't need to protect him."

"Sure as hell he does, I just don't like being put." He answered, looking to Michonne as he spat the last part.

"The three of them are right in the middle of it. No idea when we're coming. They could get taken hostage or killed. A thousand things could go wrong."

"And they will." Merle chided.

"My dad can take care of himself." Carl remarked, turning to face the man.

"Sorry son, but your dads head could be on a pike real soon." The man spat, a sick sound of pleasure in his voice.

"Don't listen to him." Rio said to Carl, grabbing his arm to stop him from leaving.

"I'm not." He replied, shrugging his hand away and walking out of the room.

"Don't say anything like that to him, to either of them." Maggie spoke up, defending the boys. Merle lifted his head in acknowledgment, not in understanding.

"It's not the right move." Was all Glenn said, telling Merle that he wasn't going to give in. "Not now. Can't take the risk of putting them in the crossfire."

He paused before sticking a finger out to the older man. "That's my decision. It's final." Glenn walked off.

Rio followed him out soon after, Maggie giving him an encouraging smile. He headed out to the yard, sitting down on the steps beside Glenn.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked.

"Doing what?"

"Acting like you're Rick." Rio rushed out, trying not to linger on the sentence for too long. "You're trying to take charge but you kinda just sound assholey."