TWD: Merle - Chapter 15: A Brief Parting (Patreon)

Early the next morning, everyone in camp was already awake. After what had happened the night before, getting a good night's sleep was practically impossible.

Ignoring the stench of decay, Wade moved through the bodies of the Walkers with his Bowie knife in hand.

These things completely defied the laws of biology. They wouldn't bleed to death, nor would pain send them into shock and kill them.

Standing or crawling, whole or mangled, there was only one thing left in their minds: devour living flesh.

The one at Wade's feet was a perfect example. More than half its body was gone, yet it was still trying to drag itself toward him and bite at his boot, its jaws opening and closing over and over.

The sight made Wade's skin crawl.

Pshk.

The tip of his knife plunged into its head and destroyed the central nervous system. Only then did the Walker finally stop moving.

[Killed one Walker. Experience Points +1]

Wade calmly pulled the knife free and moved on to the next one.

As long as a Walker's head hadn't already been blown apart by a bullet, Wade made sure to finish it off himself.

There was no particular reason.

Better safe than sorry.

It definitely had nothing to do with farming Experience Points.

After delivering the final stab, Wade straightened up and stretched. A series of quiet pops ran through his joints.

Mmm. That felt good.

Cleaning up the remaining Walkers had earned him another 15 Experience Points, bringing his total to 77.

If nothing unexpected happened, he should be able to earn another Skill Point before reaching the farm.

Back at camp, Daryl was busy dealing with the venison.

After sitting in salt overnight, most of the blood had drained out and the salt had worked its way into the meat. Today, they needed to get it over the fire and start smoking it.

Carol, Andrea, and Lori were helping him. They didn't have to do anything complicated. They just needed to make sure the fire never went completely out and that the smoke kept flowing.

Rick, Shane, and T-Dog had gone to the highway to search abandoned vehicles and siphon gasoline.

Because today, they were leaving.

Two Walker attacks in as many nights had everyone in camp on edge. They had also proven Wade's point.

This place wasn't safe anymore.

The Walkers were moving.

On top of that, they'd had a major firefight the night before. Between the gunshots and the stench from all those dead Walkers, the camp might as well have lit a beacon in the darkness, drawing anything nearby toward them.

Even if the noise lasted only a short while, all it took was one Walker to hear something, start growling, and wander this way.

Then another might follow.

Then another.

Before long, a horde could form.

No one knew what would happen if that occurred, and nobody wanted to find out.

So after a brief discussion that morning, everyone agreed it was time to leave.

Unfortunately, Rick and the others were still determined to visit the [CDC].

They believed people might still be holding out there, perhaps even researchers working on a cure.

Wade didn't bother trying to talk them out of it again.

Fine. Let them go.

What would they get out of it anyway?

A hot shower, a decent meal, and one suffocating truth.

Oh, right.

They could also enjoy the complimentary zero-complaint, 0.1-second painless trip to the afterlife package.

With that thought in mind, Wade headed down to the lake and washed the grime from his hands and Bowie knife.

Only then did he turn back toward camp.

Halfway there, however, he noticed someone crouched beside a tree, apparently waiting for him.

The man spotted Wade and immediately stood up.

It was Marcus.

"Marcus? What's up?"

Marcus nodded. "I heard we're leaving for somewhere else today?"

Wade didn't hide it and simply nodded.

"You're splitting up with Rick?"

Wade nodded again, then couldn't help asking, "Why? You planning to go to the CDC with them?"

To his surprise, Marcus immediately shook his head.

"Hell no. I know those people better than you do. The moment a crisis like this started, they probably came up with some excuse about relocating research or attending an academic exchange and moved somewhere safer."

Wade froze for a second.

Then he had to fight desperately to keep the corners of his mouth from curling upward.

"So you're coming south with me to the farm?"

"That's right. So make sure you save me a seat."

"No problem." Wade grinned.

Before last night, Marcus had barely interacted with anyone in camp. Most of the time, you could almost forget he was there.

Wade had been wondering how he could convince the man to come with him.

He hadn't expected Marcus to volunteer.

That saved him a lot of trouble.

Wade was in an excellent mood on the way back to camp.

After all, they were barely getting started, and he'd already managed to gather three different SSRs.

Merle counted.

Of course Merle counted.

As for what exactly made him an SSR...

Ahem.

Best not to say anything that might damage group harmony.

...

Partings always came sooner than expected.

Around noon, Rick, Shane, and the others drove back into camp and unloaded six five-gallon cans of gasoline.

None of them looked particularly good.

Apparently, getting their hands on that fuel hadn't been easy.

After a simple lunch, everyone returned to their tents and began packing.

The smoked venison was nearly ready as well. It only needed some time to cool before they could pack it away as travel rations.

Wade left a handgun in his backpack along with magazines and some ammunition, then tossed the whole bag to Rick.

"Take it. You've got a long trip ahead of you. You'll feel better with a few more weapons around."

Rick caught the bag and looked at him regretfully.

"Lin, you're really not coming with us to the [CDC]?"

Wade shook his head and took three walkie-talkies from Rick.

"No. I've made up my mind. I'm heading south and looking for a suitable farm we can use as a base for now."

Rick didn't try to persuade him again.

"All right, buddy. If you ever need anything, come find us."

Wade gave him a faint smile.

"Same goes for you. If things don't work out over there, you're always welcome to come find me."

The two hugged briefly.

Rick then climbed back into the vehicle, and Wade watched as the convoy pulled away and disappeared from sight.

The moment Wade turned around, however, his composure shattered.

"Merle?! What the hell are you doing in this car?!"

Merle grinned shamelessly.

"Shit! You seriously expected me to ride with a little girl? Can't drink, can't smoke, can't even talk the way I want. I'd lose my damn mind before we got there."

Wade's temple twitched.

So Merle didn't have the heart to torment a little girl, and had decided to torment him instead?

And what the hell did he mean by not being able to talk normally?

Could the man seriously not open his mouth without swearing?

"Is there something fucking wrong with your head? It's one car ride. You really think you're gonna die from holding it in that long?"

"All right, buddy. You're right about everything. Now get in. We oughta get moving too."

Wade's temple twitched again.

Forget it.

He'd chosen this himself.

No point getting mad.