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"Hey, what's happening, man?" Merle questioned anxiously as we all ran over to the edge, to try and watch Rick and Glenn

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"Hey, what's happening, man?" Merle questioned anxiously as we all ran over to the edge, to try and watch Rick and Glenn. 

"Hey, T-Dog, try that C.B." Morales said urgently, and T-Dog hustled over, turning the thing on. 

"Hey, come on. Talk to me, y'all." Merle said again, almost begging. 

"Base camp, this is T-Dog. Anybody hear me? Can anybody out there hear me?" Static was the only thing we could hear, but that didn't matter because I finally saw Rick and Glenn. 

"There." Morales said, right before I could, bringing Andrea and Jacqui's attention to where they were walking. It was great for a few long minutes, the dead didn't seem to notice Rick or Glenn, and they were doing fine, but then thunder began to rumble. 

"That asshole is out on the street with the handcuff keys?" Merle growled out angrily, and I didn't even turn to look, just held my hand up, the key dangling from my finger. 

After a few silent minutes, T-Dog began trying the C.B. again. 

"Hello, base camp! Can anybody out there hear me? Base camp, this is T-Dog. Anybody hear me?" It was silent for a moment before someone began to talk that I didn't recognize, and it took me a moment to realize it was coming from the radio. 

"Hello? Hello? Reception's bad on this end. Repeat. Repeat." I heard scrambling and glanced away from Rick and Glenn to see T-Dog panicking, trying to bring the C.B. up to his mouth. 

"Shane, is that you?" I froze, glancing at T-Dog. 

"Shane?" I questioned urgently, moving away from the edge and focusing fully on T-Dog and the C.B.

"We're in some deep shit. We're trapped in the department store." T-Dog said, without waiting for a response from them, and completely ignoring me. After a moment, he continued again. 

"There are geek all over the place. Hundreds of 'em. We're surrounded." It was silent, before the static came back, and I knew we had lost them. When T-Dog sighed and placed the C.B. back down, I began my interrogation. 

"Did you say Shane?" T-Dog looked up at me and nodded. 

"Is his last name Walsh? Is he was a woman, Lori, and her son, Carl?" I asked frantically, moving closer to T-Dog, and he honestly looked kind of frightened. 

"Yeah, uh. Yeah. Shane is kind of like the unofficial leader of the group." I felt tears well in my eyes, and I sank to the ground, and felt Bailey nudge up against my side, trying to comfort me, but I didn't need it, I was happy, for the first time since this started. 

"Uh. You okay?" T-Dog asked cautiously. 

"Lori is Rick's wife, Carl is his son, my nephew, and Shane is our friend, Rick's partner." T-Dog looked surprised, but Morales came over and patted me on the shoulder, before offering me a hand up. I took it and he gave me a gentle smile when I was back on my feet. 

"Well hopefully you'll see them soon." Before I could reply, I felt a drop land on my cheek. In seconds, rain was pouring down, and I rushed to the edge, and saw the dead rushing Rick and Glenn, trying to eat them, and they were fighting back, shoving thorough the crowd. They were so close

"Come on, come on, come on." Morales grumbled from next to me, and I crossed my fingers anxiously. I watched as Rick and Glenn threw their weapons over the fence to the construction site, and began to climb the fence, and while Glenn rummaged through one of the trucks, Rick began shooting some of the dead who were trying to break through the fence. The next seance, Rick was climbing into the truck, some of the dead climbed the fence and converged on the truck, and then the truck was speeding away, down the road. 

"They're leaving us." Andrea said miserably. 

"What? What?" Merle said anxiously and I just shook my head. 

"Where they going? Where they going!" Morales yelled frustratedly, but I ignored them all and began to gather up my bags. 

"No, no. Come back!" Andrea screamed. 

"Guys. Get your shit. Let's go. They're coming back. They'll meet us downstairs." I said angrily, and everyone seemed to snap back to their sense, and began to get their things as I went over to unlock Merle. 

"Those roll-up doors at the front of the store facing the street... meet us there and be ready." I heard Glenn say through the C.B. and suddenly someone ran into my, and I watched in horror as the key slipped through my fingers as I lost my balance, and tumbled to the ground. As my butt hit the hard concrete, the key fell through a drain, and was gone. 

"Oh my God." I whispered miserably, staring at where the key just disappeared into. 

"I'm so sorry!" I heard Andrea say, but I wasn't listening. I was watching Merle, who was staring at me, pleading me not to leave him. 

"Come on! Let's go, let's go!" I heard Morales yell, but I didn't move, and Bailey stood next to me calmly, she would never leave me, and I would never leave someone else here to die. 

I stood up, and Merle began screaming. 

"Hey, you can't leave me here! I'm not fooling man! Morales! Riley! Hey, man! Don't do this!" I glanced at the door and watched as T-Dog and Morales sped down the stairs, and Jacqui followed closely behind them. The only people left were Andrea, Merle, Bailey and I. Andrea was staring at me. 

"Come on." Andrea said quietly, gripping my arm tightly and trying to drag me to the door, but I didn't move. 

"No. I won't leave him here. Go. But come back. We will be here. Bring bolt cutters. And tell Rick, Lori, Carl, and Shane that I love them. Just in case." Andrea's eyes were wide, scared, but she nodded slowly and rushed down the stairs, and I watched as she took the chain that was hanging from the door, and when the door closed, I heard the chair rattle and something click, so she must have bolted the door shut. Smart. The dead wouldn't be able to get to us then. 

I turned back to Merle, and he was staring at me, with a strange look on his face. 

"Why did you do that?" Merle asked quietly, and in the distance I could hear a car alarm get closer, and then fade away just as quickly. 

"I couldn't leave you here like that. It wouldn't be... right. You are an asshole. But you are still a human being. And there aren't very many of us left, so we have to stick together. Besides, if it was just you, I don't know if Rick would have come back. He will come back for me. He will." Merle nodded, before looking from me, to Bailey, and then at his handcuff. 

"What if he doesn't?"

"Then we survive." 

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