TWD: Merle - Chapter 8: Combat Power +10, Courage +10,086 (Patreon)

Wade sat in the pickup, humming to himself as he calmly took in the surroundings.

“Honestly, if this place weren’t so close to Atlanta, I’d be tempted to build our base here.”

Daryl, who was driving, glanced at him. “A base?”

“Yeah. A base. Somewhere we can live permanently. A place that can shelter us, them, everyone.”

Daryl said nothing after hearing Wade’s fanciful idea. Part of him even wanted to laugh.

Was this guy really that naive deep down? What an idiot.

And yet, somewhere in Daryl’s heart, a seed had quietly been planted.

Before long, Wade and Daryl reached the outskirts of Atlanta. After hiding the pickup, they waited until Glenn and Rick arrived in the van.

Wade slung his backpack over his shoulders and secured the straps before looking at Rick and Glenn.

“Daryl and I will scout ahead and handle anything up close. Rick, you provide fire support if we need it. Glenn, keep yourself safe. If you hear gunfire, be ready to head back at any time.”

Daryl gave a silent nod, accepting the arrangement.

If this young punk wasn’t scared, there was no way Daryl was going to be.

Rick looked like he wanted to object, but Wade cut him off with a simple, “Think about Lori. Think about Carl.”

Rick fell silent. He patted Wade on the shoulder, mentally adding calm, dependable, and willing to put others before himself to his impression of the young man.

At the same time, he quietly made another decision...

Glenn didn’t say much either. But when his fingers touched the cold grip of the pistol, he gave Wade an unusually firm nod.

Wade let out a breath.

If all of you follow me inside, how am I supposed to stash the good stuff in my Storage Space?

He was willing to put others first, sure. Just not that much.

Wade already suffered from a serious fear of not having enough firepower. After giving his handgun to Glenn, his desire to get his hands on a proper rifle had only grown stronger.

“Since nobody has any objections, we’ll stick to the original plan. First we retrieve the bag of guns, then we search for other supplies.”

Using buildings and abandoned vehicles as cover, the group worked their way into Atlanta. Before long, they reached the mouth of an alley.

Wade peered out.

The gun bag was still lying beside the wrecked tank, almost as though it were waiting for someone to come claim it.

Wade and Daryl exchanged a look. Then Wade crouched low and jogged toward the tank.

Once there, he bent down, grabbed the gun bag, and picked up Rick’s hat while he was at it.

That thing was practically an heirloom. There was no way he could leave it behind.

From Rick, to Carl, and eventually to little Judith, that hat had witnessed all the hardship and sacrifice Rick’s group endured along the way.

With everything in hand, Wade immediately turned and hurried back to the alley.

He handed the hat to Rick and urged in a low voice, “Move, move. A few walkers over there spotted me.”

The others reacted immediately. Following Glenn, the four of them climbed a fire escape, crossed a corridor, and slipped into a room.

Wade exhaled and tossed the surprisingly heavy gun bag to Rick.

“Damn. This really does feel like stealing.”

Rick put his hat back on and chuckled. “Should I arrest you, then?”

Wade rolled his eyes with a grin. “Sheriff, I think you’re supposed to be thanking me.”

“You’re right. I should. These guns will give the camp a major boost in defensive firepower.”

Wade listened carefully for movement outside before cutting him off.

“Alright, alright. Let’s not celebrate before we’re even halfway done. Save the thanks for when we get back. It’s time for phase two.”

“I’ll come with you. An extra pair of hands can’t hurt, right?”

Wade didn’t object. Instead, he turned to Glenn.

“Do you know of any illegal clinics around here? Gang hideouts? Anything like that? Even somewhere you only suspect might be one?”

Glenn froze at the question.

Rick, however, immediately understood what Wade was thinking and gave him a thumbs-up.

Compared with shops and other obvious places that were constantly being picked clean, hidden places operating in the gray areas of the city were much more likely to still contain large amounts of weapons, ammunition, or medicine.

Glenn thought hard for a moment, then searched the room until he found some paper and a pen. He drew a rough map.

“I know one illegal clinic. From here, go through three intersections, then turn left. There’s an alley. Go through it, head up to the second floor, turn right, and it’s the third door. Big double iron doors. That’s the place.”

“As for gang or thug hideouts... I only know one place that might be one. I’m not sure, but I’ve seen a lot of people gathering there before.”

As he spoke, Glenn drew another rough map.

The suspected hideout wasn’t far from the clinic, only about two blocks away.

Wade studied both maps, folded them up, and slipped them into his pocket.

“Then let’s go. The sooner we finish, the sooner we get home.”

Wade, Daryl, and Rick left the room, leaving Glenn behind to hold their position with the pistol.

Glenn’s lips moved, but in the end, he didn’t say anything.

Wade moved quickly with Daryl and Rick.

Neither of them was dead weight, and neither was stupid. With a clear destination and a map showing the route, it took the three of them only half an hour to reach the alley behind the illegal clinic.

Wade flicked the blood from his knife, wiped the blade on a walker’s clothes, then slid it back into its sheath.

He glanced at his Experience Points bar.

[17/200]

Not bad. Almost one-tenth of the way there.

Wade carefully pushed against the heavy iron door on the first floor.

It didn’t budge.

He tried pulling it instead.

Still nothing.

Wade frowned slightly.

“Probably locked from the inside. We’ll need to find another way up to the second floor.”

He paused.

“And we can’t rule out the possibility that someone’s still inside.”

“Stay sharp. I’d rather our first little team outing not end with all of us limping back to camp.”

His tone was joking, but neither Rick nor Daryl missed the seriousness behind the words.

Both nodded in understanding before turning and continuing forward.

This time, they reversed their formation and let Daryl take point.

He moved lightly, keeping low as he advanced, his compound crossbow sweeping steadily across every doorway and hiding place ahead.

Before long, they reached another entrance on the opposite side of the building.

Wade tried the door.

This one opened.

A harsh creak immediately echoed through the stairwell.

A moment later, faint inhuman growls and shuffling footsteps answered from somewhere inside.

Wade quickly stepped through the doorway. He smashed the glass of a display cabinet with his elbow and pulled out a long-handled fire axe.

Divine Weapon +1. Combat Power +10. Courage +10,086.

He glanced back at the others.

“Lock the door. I’ll take point from here. Rick, unless it’s human, don’t shoot unless you have to. Trust me.”

Rick gave a quiet grunt of acknowledgment, though his hand was already resting on the Colt Python at his waist.

Axe in hand, Wade stepped into the dim stairwell.