TWD: Merle - Chapter 10: Dr. Marcus (Patreon)

Once Cathy came out, the tension in the room quickly faded, like sunlight breaking through dark clouds.

Except for a certain axe-wielding man whose expression had gone rather dark.

In the blink of an eye, he'd somehow become both a side character and the villain. Who was he supposed to complain to about that?

Sigh. Day one of missing Merle...

"So you're saying this place is probably a gang hideout, and there might be guns inside? The kind we're looking for?"

The doctor took a sip of water and swallowed a bite of cookie before slowly nodding. He pointed at the crude map he'd drawn.

"In theory, yes. But you know how it is. It's been a long time. Who knows whether they already cleaned the place out?"

Wade nodded. If the doctor had insisted there were definitely guns inside, that would've been far more suspicious.

"Then let's go. If the place isn't safe, or somebody already beat us to it, we'll pull out immediately."

"Wait. Are you coming back?"

Wade looked at the doctor. "We are. I promise. But until we get back, keep that door locked. I don't want to come back to another problem."

The doctor glanced at Cathy, who was nibbling on a cookie, then suddenly said, "Marcus Stuart. That's my name. Please let me join your group."

Wade patted Marcus on the shoulder. "Then sit tight for a little while. We'll be back soon."

With that, the three of them filed out, and the door was locked behind them.

"Dad, are we leaving?"

"Yes, sweetheart. Are you ready?"

Cathy nodded her little head. "As long as Dad and Momo are with me, I'm not scared of anything."

Marcus ruffled Cathy's hair, then found a backpack and began packing up the medicine in the clinic.

Meanwhile, Wade crouched beside the Walkers on the floor and started searching them.

If these guys were gang members, there was no reason they wouldn't have guns on them.

It didn't take long for him to find four handguns. They looked like Glocks. He handed one each to Daryl and Rick, then gave the weapons a quick inspection.

No jams, the slides moved smoothly, and the magazines were full. They were ready to use.

Wade tucked a pistol into his waistband, and the three of them headed out of the stairwell.

There were no Walkers gathered outside, which let Wade breathe a little easier.

In alleys this narrow, if they got boxed in, their only option would be to retreat into the building.

"Go, go, go, guys. Same as before. Move carefully, stay alert, and make it quick."

With the fire axe in hand, Wade took the lead.

His Experience Points had already reached 27. Hopefully, he could grind that up to fifty before they headed back.

Rick and Daryl remained quiet as they followed behind him, occasionally raising their gun and crossbow to sweep the corners where someone might be hiding.

For now, though, Lady Luck seemed to be on their side. At the very least, they hadn't stirred up any large hordes of Walkers, and no damn enemy had jumped them from around a corner.

Before long, the group reached the location Marcus had given them.

It looked like an auto repair warehouse.

Wade's eyes lit up. Could they get some gasoline here too?

He immediately started forward, only for Rick to grab him and pull him back.

Wade turned in confusion and saw Rick pointing toward another corner. Several Walkers were wandering aimlessly toward the warehouse.

Judging by their clothes, they looked like auto mechanics. But considering what Marcus had told them, these unlucky bastards were probably gang members who had been left behind to guard the place.

Rick smiled. "Looks like we're pretty lucky."

Wade rolled his eyes. "No celebrating at halftime, bro."

Rick nodded. "You're right."

"Daryl, take care of the Walkers. We'll go in and have a look."

Wade patted Daryl on the shoulder. Daryl immediately understood, raised his crossbow, and fired at one of the Walkers around the corner.

The bolt punched straight through the Walker's skull and destroyed its brain.

Rick and Wade quickly moved up and reached the building's back door.

Wade turned the handle and gave the door a gentle push.

It opened.

He handed the fire axe to Rick, drew the Bowie knife from his waist, and took the lead.

In a cramped space like this, a short blade was far more practical than a long-handled fire axe.

The two of them entered together, Wade carefully checking every place someone might be hiding.

Car parts were scattered throughout the room, along with repair tools and wrenches.

Nothing was particularly neat, but it wasn't much of a mess either. At the very least, it didn't look like anyone had been through the place recently.

Suddenly, the faint sound of uneven, shuffling footsteps came from the left.

Wade immediately turned toward a tightly shut door.

After exchanging a glance, he and Rick approached it together. The footsteps inside grew more agitated, and the low growls and snarls became clearer.

Wade's eyes sharpened.

They couldn't wait any longer. If the noise drew more Walkers over, things would only get more troublesome.

He stepped forward, grabbed the handle, twisted it, then shoved the door open with all his strength.

The Walker inside staggered backward.

Wade immediately followed up, driving his knife into its eye socket. He gave the blade a slight twist before pulling it free.

The Walker collapsed and stopped moving.

Only then did Wade relax slightly.

The room was small and dim, with no windows. It looked like a storage room.

Wade stepped inside and looked around. It didn't take long for him to notice something strange.

Most of the room was cluttered, but among all the miscellaneous junk, he could make out several long wooden crates.

The corner of his mouth lifted.

Looks like he'd hit the jackpot.

"Rick, I think I found something. Watch the door for me."

Rick didn't question him. "No problem. Just make it quick."

Wade moved farther inside and carefully shifted the clutter aside, exposing the wooden crates underneath.

Using his knife, he pried one open and lifted the lid.

His expression immediately changed.

Inside was nothing but a pile of auto repair tools.

Huh?

Had he guessed wrong?

He opened several more crates in a row, but every one of them contained nothing except assorted junk. None of it had anything to do with the weapons he'd been expecting.

As Wade roughly searched through the clutter, his hand bumped against an unusually solid cardboard box.

Huh?

That didn't feel right.

He dragged the box out and opened it.

Inside was another box, this one made of metal.

At that point, how could he not realize what was hidden inside?

So that's how you're playing it. Hiding it in plain sight.

Wade opened the metal case and found a jumble of handguns inside. Glocks, Smith & Wessons, and Colts. Beside them were more than a dozen magazines and several cookie tins packed with ammunition.

Heh. If he weren't so sharp, they really would've fooled him.

Wade picked out a few Glocks and two cookie tins and stuffed them into his backpack. Everything else went straight into his Storage Space.

They hadn't found the bigger guns he'd wanted, but something was better than nothing.

After finishing up and getting back to his feet, however, Wade noticed something else.

There was something wrong with the wall behind the box.

Compared to the rest of the wall, that section was noticeably lighter.

Wade reached out and knocked on it with a little force.

The sound was dull, but resonant.