Changing To Adapt ➵ TWD

➵ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴡᴏ

Setting up camp on the mountain is a smart move. With the city overcome by corpses, only drawing more with the noise of bustling bodies and guttural groans, it's not often that the dead would leave to trek up the hills.

The lake stretching wide below the quarry became an asset, and to the right, a view of Atlanta city, in complete contrast to the greenery that surrounded them.

Lucas drags his eyes away from the perfect picture of a fallen world, and glares at the curiosity that follows him until they fail to keep eye contact.

"Just-" Shane sighs, and shoos him away with his hand, "-stay there for a minute."

He damps down his irriation at the offhand order, and instead, nods.

"Daryl, just slow up a bit. I need to talk to you about Merle." Shane pauses to scratch his head, looking for words. "There was a- there was a problem in Atlanta."

Lucas's cautious gaze snaps to Shane's back. They were in Atlanta? That's the riskiest shit he's ever heard.

Daryl lowers his crossbow. He keeps his eyes on the ground. "He dead?"

"We're not sure."

"He either is or he ain't!"

Rick takes a deep breath, stepping into the open circle the curious bystanders created. "No easy way to say this, so I'll just say it."

Daryl pauses in his pacing to look Rick up and down. He almost looks sassy, if it wasn't for the redneck image he fits into completely.

"Who are you again?"

Lucas's eyes swing over. The way Rick and Shane converse, like two partners from way back, made it seem like they were together since the fall.

It was getting harder and harder to pick out the roles these people played in the group.

"Rick Grimes."

"Rick Grimes, you got somethin' you wanna tell me?" Daryl challenges him.

And tell him he did.

"Your brother was a danger to us all, so I handcuffed him on a roof, hooked him to a piece of metal. . . He's still there."

Lucas's stomach twists into knots. His jaw might as well have been touching the ground.

They just. . . let the walkers have at him?

It's inhumane.

"Let me process this. You're saying you handcuffed my brother to a roof. And you left him there?"

"Yeah."

Daryl snaps, ditching the rope of squirrels at Rick. When Rick moves out of the way, he quickly snaps up the opportunity to dive in.

But Shane is quick on his feet, tossing Daryl off his path by ramming into his side.

"Watch the knife!" Lucas warns, out of instinct. He'd managed to push his way to the front of the bystanders without purpose, bouncing on the tip of his toes to follow flying fists and glinting metal.