Not Alone ✔

Ch. 16 - Not Here

Daryl
“You fucking bastard,” Anna yelled as she turned around in my arms and went to go after Rick. I quickly grabbed ahold of her waist to keep her from actually getting too far as she fought against me. “Calm down Little Mouse,” I whispered into her ear as she slowly stopped thrashing around in my arms. I was still very much pissed, but I was trying to hold it in, for her. As she slowly calmed down, I released her and walked over to Merle’s hand as my anger began to boil up again. I heard movement around me and knew everyone was walking a bit closer. I could still hear Anna sniffling about what happened. I walked back and forth, I couldn’t keep my anger under control anymore the more I stared at the hand and blood by the handcuffs and saw.
I loaded my crossbow as I lifted it up angrily and pointed it at T-Dog. Next thing I know, that Rick guy has his gun pointed at my head. I glared over at Rick, not turning my head, as he began to speak. “I won’t hesitate,” he said, gun still cocked and pointed at my head, “I don’t care if every walker in the city hears it.” I heard another gun cock and glanced over to see that Anna had pulled out Andrea’s gun in the time he had been talking and had it pointed at Rick’s head just like he had his at mine. “Take you own advice asshole,” she whispered, you could hear the venom dripping from her voice, “there was one thing I did learn before this whole damn apocalypse began, and that’s to shoot a gun. I promise you I won’t miss, even if that means Lori and Carl hate me from now on.” I glanced between Anna and Rick as he looked back at her, then I slowly lowered my bow from in front of T-Dog’s face, and as I lowered my weapon they each lowered theirs.
Anna walked over to me, after putting Andrea’s gun back where she had it, and placed her hand on my arm as I looked over to T-Dog. I could see the wheels turning in that head of his as I looked around then looked back to him before speaking. “You uh,” I said, “you got a do-rag or somethin’?” He looked like he was still trying to figure something out as he pulled the rag out of his pocket and handed it to me. I took the rag and shook it out as I sat my bow down and knelt down in front of Merle’s severed hand. I heard someone walk closer to me and didn’t have to turn my head to know it was Anna. “Guess the saw blade was too dull for the handcuffs,” Anna said as I placed the rag on the ground and picked up Merle’s hand and looked at it. “Ain’t that a bitch,” I said as I placed it down on the rag and wrapped it around the hand before standing back up.
“He must’ve used a tourniquet,” Anna said after I placed the hand in Glenn’s backpack and walked back over to grab my crossbow, “maybe his belt?” “Be much more blood if he didn’t,” I said as I looked over to Anna then back down at the blood trail and began following it, “stay close.” I whispered that last part, loud enough for only her to hear as she nodded and followed right behind me. We followed the trail to another roof entrance, Anna right behind me, Rick and Glenn right behind her while T-Dog gathered the tools that had been left behind. As we neared the door, I lifted my crossbow, ready to take out any geeks that might be there. We entered inside, as once we made our way to the stairs, I started heading down with Anna beside me. “Merle,” I called out, “ya in here?” I began taking the steps much more quickly, trying to get to the bottom to find Merle, before something else found him first.
We entered into this one room, there was a geek standing ahead of us. As it turned around to face us, I shot an arrow straight into the center of its head. Anna and I walked one way, while Rick, Glenn, and T-Dog walked another and met up in a hallway. “Had enough in him to take out these two sumbitches,” I said as we came across two dead geeks in what looked like an office. “One handed,” Anna added as I looked to her while I reloaded my crossbow. “Toughest asshole I ever met, my brother,” I said as I straightened back up to look over at Rick, “feed him a hammer he’d crap out nails.” I looked over at Anna as I heard her giggle at my comment about Merle, I couldn’t hold back my smile. “Any man could pass out from blood loss,” Rick said as I turned my attention back to him, “no matter how tough he is.”
I looked over to Anna as she glared a hole through the back of Rick’s head as he walked on by. I looked forward to Rick and followed behind, lifting my crossbow once again, ready for anything that’d pop out at us. I looked back as we continued on, towards a kitchen it looked like, to see Anna was right behind me again. “Merle,” Anna said as we entered into the kitchen area of the building we were currently inside. “We’re not alone here,” Rick said looking over at Anna as she glared back at him, “remember?” “Screw that,” I said as I walked forward, “he could be bleeding out. You said so yourself.” We walked forward, and came to as stop in front of a stove with a burner on, and there on top was Merle’s belt and a lot of blood.