TWD: Merle - Chapter 9: Have You Ever Won the Lottery? (Patreon)

Rick looked at Wade's broad, muscular back and felt an inexplicable sense of reassurance.

From the moment they started making plans to the operation they were carrying out now, Wade had always led from the front, never once shirking his part.

He was a capable leader. No, calling him outstanding would be more accurate.

A Walker emerged from around the corner of the stairwell. Before it could even let out its customary growl, a gleam of cold steel came slashing down. Its skull split open in an instant, and it dropped to the floor.

Wade yanked the sharp axe blade free of its skull, and when he saw the notification telling him he'd gained another Experience Point, his fondness for this apocalyptic survival tool only grew.

Aside from being a little heavy, it had no real drawbacks.

And if Wade had one thing going for him, it was strength.

The axe and Wade were practically made for each other.

Still, he didn't let it go to his head. Whenever there was a clear path forward, he kept moving without stopping or hesitating. There would be plenty of time to grind Experience Points later.

After the three of them reached the second floor, they encountered even more Walkers in the hallway. Judging by the way they were dressed, none of them looked like respectable citizens.

Gang members? Small-time thugs?

Had people really been coming here for treatment when the apocalypse first broke out?

If so, that could be troublesome. Whether those people had turned into Walkers or not, clearing this place out would be a lot harder.

Wade brought his fire axe down on an approaching Walker, killing it with one blow, then said, "Stay sharp. There might still be armed gang members around here."

Rick drew his large revolver and said uneasily, "Wade, maybe we should think about finding another place?"

Find another place? Like hell.

Then what were all the Walkers he'd hacked through on the way here supposed to count for?

Wade said nothing, but the fact that he kept walking gave Rick his answer. He was taking this illegal clinic, one way or another.

Seeing that, Rick stopped arguing and silently aimed his revolver toward every spot someone might be hiding.

The hallway wasn't long, and the three of them soon reached a pair of large double doors.

Wade tried pushing them open. Nothing. He pulled instead, but they still wouldn't budge.

He clicked his tongue.

Someone was inside, most likely someone who had been here when the apocalypse began.

They might have sealed the room because they were performing surgery, or simply because they were afraid of the Walkers outside.

Of course, it was also possible that later survivors had turned the place into a base, but Wade thought that was unlikely. They had already cleared out quite a few Walkers on the way here.

Rick lowered his voice. "What, are we breaking the door down?"

Wade glanced back at the Walkers sprawled all over the floor. "What do you think the odds are that one of them has the key?"

"...Have you ever won the lottery?"

"Guess that settles it."

Wade raised his fire axe, ready to bring it down on the door.

Before he could swing, however, the sound of a mechanism sliding came from the other side.

"Guys, don't do this. I know what you're after. We can make a deal. I'll give you medicine, and you give me some food and water. How about it? Fair enough, right?"

Wade grinned. "Are you a doctor or what?"

"What do you think, buddy?"

"No, no. You need to answer me honestly. Your answer's going to decide how much longer your life lasts, buddy."

"...I'm a doctor."

"Then you'd better not be lying. Now you've got two choices. Open the door and let us in, or I'll round up a bunch of Walkers and leave them right outside your door. Oh, and you're running low on food and water, aren't you?"

Rick stared at Wade as though he'd just seen a ghost, disbelief written all over his face.

He had seen plenty of Wade's better side. Seeing him suddenly resort to something this ruthless naturally didn't sit well with him.

The voice behind the door was silent for a moment before finally saying, "You wouldn't do that."

Wade replied casually, "Who knows?"

Another long silence followed.

Then came a click, and the door opened.

The three of them quickly entered the clinic. Daryl stepped off to the side, keeping his crossbow trained firmly on the young white doctor dressed in casual clothes.

The doctor raised both hands, yet his expression remained surprisingly calm, as though he had already grown used to situations like this.

"Now you can take whatever medicine you need and leave."

Grrr...

His stomach betrayed him with a loud growl, and his face immediately flushed with embarrassment.

Wade held back a laugh and pulled two bottles of water and two bags of cookies from his pack.

"Have something to eat, Doctor. And the friend you've got hiding in here can have some too."

The doctor's pupils contracted sharply. His first instinct was to deny it, but when he saw the faint smile on Wade's face, he suddenly felt as though every thought in his head had been laid bare.

Was this man some kind of devil?

He pursed his lips and looked away from Wade before saying quietly, "I'm the only one here."

Those words immediately struck a nerve.

The smile on Wade's face froze.

"You're alone?"

Thinking Wade had believed him, the doctor hurriedly nodded.

"Daryl, search the place. This doctor might have a Walker tied up somewhere in here."

Daryl paused, but then nodded, choosing to trust Wade's judgment.

"No, no, no! She's not a Walker! I lied, all right? Just don't hurt her!"

Daryl ignored him and cautiously moved deeper into the room, compound crossbow raised.

Panicking now, the doctor hurriedly called out, "Cathy, can you come out by yourself?"

"Dad?"

At the sound of the little girl's clear voice, Daryl turned around in disbelief and met the doctor's pleading gaze.

When he looked back, a little girl barely tall enough to reach his waist stood timidly in the doorway. She was dressed in casual clothes and clutching a rag doll in her arms.

She looked up at Daryl and blinked her large eyes. A trace of reluctance crossed her freckled face, but she still held the doll out toward him.

"Do you want to play with my rag doll? You have to be careful with her. She's scared of getting hurt."

Those innocent words hit Daryl right in the heart.

He muttered a curse under his breath and lowered his compound crossbow.

He tried to give her a friendly smile, but his face might as well have been frozen solid. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't manage one.

Frustrated with himself, he went back to the entrance, roughly opened Wade's backpack, and dug out two bags of cookies suitable for a child, a can of meat, and a bottle of water.

Then he walked back over to the girl as gently as he could and handed them to her.

"Hungry? Here. Eat."

And just like that, Daryl realized he apparently didn't even know how to comfort a kid.

Fuck Merle.

Rick tugged on Wade's sleeve and looked him straight in the eye.

"We can't threaten a father in front of his kid, right, buddy?"

Wade: Huh? So now I'm the bad guy?