Take On The World

8.Penny?

"You said...!
"I lied there's someone I want you to meet."
"I don't want to meet anybody! I want to see Maggie and Glenn. What did you do with them? Did you hurt them, kill them maybe?!"
"Either you can walk with me or I can drag you." I choose the second.
We walk past a bunch of buildings. People are walking around like nothing is wrong. There's laughter and I even hear somebody singing. What the heck?
"What is this place?" I ask in almost disgust.
"Welcome to Woodbury. You're gonna like it."
"I won't be here long enough to like it." He snorts,
"Right, have you seen the guards around this place, and you won't make it out of the house without someone knowing."
"What do you mean someone?"
"Oh yeah I forgot to mention you ain't gonna be staying with me. Not enough room and I'm out scouting half the time. We have a house with a few other kids that don't have parents. Kinda like a apocalypse orphanage," He chuckles.
"Wait a minute you kidnapped me and my friends for nothing?! You're just gonna dump me in some random house?"
"It wasn't for nothing, we need a little bit of info on y'alls camp you wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"
"Depends."
"On what?" He says getting a bit mad.
"How stupid you think I actually am, if you think that I'm gonna tell you crap your just as dumb as all these people frolicking through the streets like their actually safe."
"Watch it kid I wouldn't talk like that when we meet the governor."
"The governor? Are you serious? That's almost as dumb a name as Merle." He cuffs me on the back of my head pretty hard.
"Owww jeez."
"Quit it as soon as we meet the governor I'm gonna be more than happy to drop your hide off."
"I want to see my friends! Now! You said you'd take me to them!"
"Shut up they ain't your friends!"
"What happened to you?! You haven't even asked me about Daryl! Or what's been happening or whose alive and whose dead! What's the matter with you!?" He grabs my arms.
"Ain't nothing the matter with me little girly they are the problem! Can't trust anyone but yourself! They left me on a freaking roof!"
"You deserves it!" By now we've drawn quite the crowd in. They all look astounded, I'm guessing people don't often yell at Merle.
"We are not discussing this!"
"Using big words now are we?!"
He grabs my arm and drags me to a big house. knocks really hard on the door. A lady opens the door she has a rag over her shoulder... a maid really?
"Where's the governor?"
"He should be back soon."
"Well I'm gonna wait here to introduce him to the newest citizen of Woodbury."
"Don't bet on it!" Merle smirks at me.
"I forgot how much I missed you little spitfire." He shoves me a little too hard to be joking.
"You can wait in the..."
"The kitchen!" Merle says obnoxiously. And grabs my upper arm and pulls me in. Once we get in he spins me around to face him.
"Now I ain't fooling with you cut it out or else..."
"Daryl wouldn't even recognize you!"
"Daryl ain't here, that's why I want to know where y'alls camp is."
"You're lying you want to take revenge on Rick and the others. Well I got news for you. Rick's a good guy, he saved me and the whole group. I won't tell you anything."
"Don't worry we'll just have to get it out of the Chinaman and his girl."
"He's Korean!"
"Who cares! No one likes a kid that can't keep her mouth shut."
"Daryl does!"
"Sure he does... I've told you before you can't trust anybody it yourself!"
      I hear the door open and shut really hard.
"Wait here."
    What did he mean... what's he gonna do to Glenn and Maggie. I have to find them. I look out the window in the kitchen and open it. After I'm sure it's all clear I hop out it's a big drop for me but Glenn and Maggie need me. I run to where I see a bunch of men with weapons coming from. Everybody is leaving a building that is in ruff shape, maybe that's where there keeping them.
    I'm about to open the door when a huge man opens it.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?!" Before he even has time to comprehend what happened I kick him as hard as I can in his right shin. He lets out a yell and I run around him. I start to open the door and barely see a glimpse of Glenn. He looks awful, where's Maggie?
     I'm about to open it all the way when a metal stump slams it shut. I'm about to scream, but before I can Merle's huge hand slaps me across my left cheek as hard as I've ever remembered being slapped. It spins me around and I fall on my stomach coughing in the dirt. I'm too stunned to realize Merle's hand on the back of my collar. He rips me up and I choke from the force on my neck. He starts to half drag me out the door. A hot tear slips down my swollen and probably bruised cheek. I can hear Glenn screaming my name still telling me to run. He's also calling Merle a lot of things I'm pretty sure Daryl would skin me alive if I said.
      All I can hear is the sound of Glenn's yells to let me go. What are they gonna do to them. I'm getting dizzy, I haven't eaten in a while, and I'm pretty sure with how hard Merle hit me I'm about to pass out. I'm trying not to cry I should've stayed with Daryl, he'd protect me.
     As soon as we get outside the prison where they're keeping Maggie and Glenn, Merle practically throws me on the ground. I'm about to get up and try to run away from him again, but end up running straight into a tall man. I fall backwards, and get the wind knocked out of me. As I'm gasping for air I look up and see who the giant I ran into is. I don't recognize him, but he looks at me with a semi creepy look.
"Penny?"

11/17/19