TWD: Merle - Chapter 7: Agreeing to Enter the City (Patreon)

The next morning, Wade was up early. Or rather, he had barely slept at all, only managing to doze lightly for a while.

There was no helping it. In a place like this, especially after what had happened the night before, no one could sleep soundly no matter how carefree they were.

The camp’s current security was simply too poor.

At one point, Wade even wondered if Merle kept pouring liquor down his throat just so he could get a decent night’s sleep.

It wasn’t impossible.

Before Wade was fully awake, however, he heard the faint crunch of dry branches and dead leaves, accompanied by a steady, rhythmic thudding.

He followed the sound, quietly drawing the Bowie knife from his waist as he went.

Pushing aside the branches of a bush, he found a short-haired woman swinging a shovel with all her strength.

At the sound of his approach, she spun around in alarm. When she saw it was Wade, she wiped the tears from her face and forced a smile. “Did I wake you? I’m so sorry. I... I just wanted to...”

Before she could finish, the tears began falling again.

Not far from her lay a man.

Ed, the man who had known little besides abusing his wife.

A large chunk of flesh was missing from his neck, exposing white bone beneath. Two pieces of flesh had also been torn from his face, leaving the corpse gruesomely disfigured.

Seeing the tears streaming down Carol’s face, Wade’s heart softened. He sheathed his knife, then deftly took the shovel from her hands.

“No... you don’t have to. I can do it.”

Carol reached out, trying to take the shovel back, but Wade was already digging at such a quick pace that she didn’t dare get close.

Without looking back, Wade said, “I’m getting hungry. Could you make me a simple breakfast? Just consider it a favor.”

Carol’s eyes were red. She wanted to say something, but the tears refused to stop. In the end, she could only nod firmly and give a muffled “Mm.”

She walked away quietly, as though afraid of waking the others in camp, or perhaps afraid of disturbing the dead man’s final rest.

Daryl, who was also up early, silently watched the entire scene. He said nothing, but something unreadable flickered in his eyes, as if the sight had brought back a memory.

Wade didn’t dig especially fast, but his pace never slowed. Shovel after shovel of dirt came out of the ground. Every so often, he bent down to toss aside a stone.

Before long, he had dug a pit deep enough for an adult to lie in.

Breathing heavily, he used the edge for leverage and climbed out. He wiped the sweat from his face, then gave Daryl a slight nod in the distance.

Daryl gave no response. He simply turned around and disappeared back into his tent.

When Wade returned to the camp, Carol handed him a breakfast that wasn’t particularly generous but had clearly been made with care.

Accepting it, Wade said softly, “I’m sorry for your loss.”

Carol took the shovel back from him, her eyes still red as she repeatedly thanked him. Then she walked alone toward the woods.

Watching her lonely figure disappear among the trees, Wade couldn’t help feeling a little emotional.

Once Carol truly came into her own, she was undeniably formidable. Her resilience, combat instincts, and mental strength were all exceptional.

But that strength had only emerged after a woman had been driven to the very edge and finally erupted after years of silent endurance...

Wade sighed softly and quickly finished the precious hot meal in his hands.

There was plenty to do today.

He needed to enter Atlanta again to gather weapons, medicine, and enough gasoline for the long journey ahead.

As for who to bring, Wade had already decided.

The Dixon brothers as muscle, plus Glenn as their living map. Four people, just right.

Merle would provide ranged support, while Wade and Daryl handled close combat and gathered supplies. Glenn still hadn’t grown into the man he would eventually become, so Wade didn’t expect him to fight.

As long as he could give them directions and keep the vehicle steady, that was enough.

Before long, Rick crawled out of his tent as well. His hair was a mess, dark circles hung beneath his eyes, and he looked like he hadn’t slept much either.

“Hey. Morning, Wade.”

“Morning, Rick.”

Rick walked over and looked him directly in the eye. “What are you planning for today? Are we starting work on the camp?”

Wade nodded, then shook his head as he explained his plan. “We’ll split into two groups. You guys work on the camp. I’ll take Merle, Daryl, and Glenn into Atlanta to search for supplies and weapons.”

The moment Rick heard that, he remembered the bag of guns he had dropped near the tank the day before.

“I’m coming with you. I know a perfect place to get some weapons.”

Wade thought for a moment, then nodded. “Fine. But the camp can’t sit around doing nothing. At the very least, you need some basic fencing and warning tripwires.”

“No problem. I’ll talk to Shane.”

Before long, the rest of the camp began waking up, and the quiet morning gradually filled with noise.

Rick went to Shane’s tent to discuss the plan, while Wade headed toward the edge of camp, where the Dixon brothers had set up their tents.

Hearing someone approach, Daryl stepped outside with his crossbow raised. When he saw Wade, he lowered it.

“Wade? What is it?”

Wade had no choice but to explain the plan all over again.

After hearing him out, Daryl nodded. “Fine by me. But forget that asshole.”

Wade tilted his head slightly.

Right. Merle had drunk himself senseless the night before, and his snores were still rumbling from inside the tent.

The man really didn’t have a care in the world.

Only Daryl could put up with a brother that unreliable. Anyone else probably would’ve... Then again, yelling at him probably wouldn’t accomplish anything either. The two brothers already spent half their time arguing.

“Alright. If he’s still drunk, we’ll leave him behind. Better than having something go wrong out there.”

Daryl nodded. “When?”

“Ten minutes. Bring your weapons and gear.”

With that, Wade left.

On the other side of camp, Lori was holding Carl as she quietly argued with Rick. Neither side seemed willing to back down as they continued insisting on their own point of view.

Shane stood nearby with an expression like he’d swallowed a fly.

Good news, the camp had something to do.

Bad news, guess who wasn’t invited?

Glenn stood off to the side, quietly watching the whole scene. When he noticed Wade watching the spectacle as well, he walked over.

His eyes were bright, with a trace of anticipation behind them.

“When are we leaving?”

Wade thought for a moment, then realized what was going on.

The kid wanted a chance to prove himself.

“Don’t rush. We’re still waiting on Rick. By the way, do you have anything to defend yourself with?”

Glenn shook his head.

“Wait here.”

Wade returned to the pickup and pretended to rummage through his backpack. In reality, he retrieved the Glock 19 that had only been fired once from his Storage Space.

Then he handed it to Glenn.

“Take it. Hopefully it’ll help.”

Glenn stared at him in surprise. “You’re giving this to me? What about you?”

“I’ve got a knife. Besides, firing a gun while searching indoors can easily draw a horde of walkers.”

Glenn frowned. “Then I should...”

Wade gave him a faint, knowing smile.

“It’s not just walkers you might need to defend yourself against, bro.”

Glenn froze.

Then he silently nodded.