The Reaper ⚔︎ Rick Grimes

06 - Last Chance

I held a flashlight in one hand and my knife in the other as I made my way down the halls of the prison. I needed a tool to clean Poe's hooves. Glenn told me I might find something in a room this way.

I heard footsteps and I braced myself to kill a corpse. It was about to turn the corner so I swung my arm around. A hand grabbed my forearm.

"Jesus, woman. You tryin' to kill me?" Daryl asked, slowly releasing me as he came around the corner.

My eyes were wide as I realized my mistake. "Not intentionally."

The man shook his head. "Got good aim though. Would have gone straight through the middle of my eyes if I hadn't stopped you."

"Speaking of good aim, when are you gonna let me try out that crossbow?" I asked, gesturing toward the weapon strapped to his back.

Daryl began walking past me. "When you make up for tryin' to kill me."

"And how do I do that?" I shouted after him.

The younger Dixon ignored me as he continued to walk away. I rolled my eyes kept going down the hall.

When I found the room I also found Merle inside. He was holding a rotary phone. He set it down when he noticed me enter. He had a sad look on his face.

"Trouble in paradise?" I asked.

Merle chuckled, quickly wiping the expression away. "Yeah, can't seem to find any meth in this place."

I raised an eyebrow at him. I took by bag off my shoulder and set it on the ground. I rifled through it and pulled out a plastic bag.

"It's not meth, but it's the best you'll find," I told him. I held up the bag, showing Merle three joints.

"A woman after my own heart."

"You got a lighter?" I took one of the joints out and put the bag away.

Merle dug in his pocket and pulled out a white Bic. We both leaned up against a small table attached to the wall. I took the lighter and lit up the joint. I inhaled the smoke before passing it to Merle.

A few coughs escaped my mouth but nothing too out of control. Merle laughed at me.

"Can't handle it?" he questioned.

"Don't worry about me. Just haven't done it in a minute."

He shrugged. "Whatever you say."

We continued passing the joint back and forth in silence.

"You sure you don't wanna take up my offer? Might be your last chance," he said, absentmindedly.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Last chance?"

Merle inhaled the smoke deeply, finishing off the joint. "You heard me, girl." He threw the last bit in the ground.

I turned toward him. "What's going on? Were you bit?"

He shook his head. "Nothing like that. Now get out of here if you ain't going to suck me off." Merle turned away. He grabbed the phone again, wrapping the cord around his hand.

"Merle!" I yelled so loudly it echoed down the hall. "What the fuck is going on?"

"What needs to be done!" he yelled back, stepping close to me. His chest was moving up and down quickly. "I'm going to end this with the governor. Or at least give ya'll a fighting chance."

"What are you talkin' about?"

"Ask Rick. Thanks for the high but I got things to do. So get out of my face."

"Fine," I said angrily. I grabbed my bag and left without looking back.

___

"Where's your dad?" I asked Carl inside the cell block. He was preparing a bottle for Judith.

"I don't know. Outside, I think. Why?"

"No reason."

I left the cellblock with my fists clenched. I saw Rick drop a blue wire on the ground. My feet stomped as went over to him. When he saw me, he seemed guilty of something.

"What's Merle doing?" I questioned.

"I don't know what you're talk-" he started before I interrupted him.

"Don't try to lie to me. I know he's up to something. He told me to ask you about it."

Rick put his hands on his hips and let his head fall. He rubbed his face. "I asked him to help me give up Michonne to the governor."

"You did what?" I stepped closer to him. "How could you do that?!"

"Quiet!" he commanded. "I haven't told the rest of the group yet. Besides, I changed my mind."

"But you were still considering it. How do I know you won't betray me if it came down to it?" Rick remained silent. "You say you can't trust me but then you do something like this. How is that fair?"

"I got..." the man began loudly before lowering his voice. "I got people who are counting on me to protect them. I was tryin' to make the best decision that would save everyone. But I was wrong."

I clenched my jaw. "Then what now?"

"I'm going to talk to Merle and then the group. We'll make a decision. Together."

I took a deep breath, expelling my anger. "Okay."

"Okay."

Rick went toward the prison, on his way to make things right. He stopped and looked back at me.

"Also, you might want to air out before go back inside. You smell like a Willie Nelson concert," he said with an emerging smile.