TWD: Merle - Chapter 16: On the Road (Patreon)

As evening fell, the two pickup trucks suddenly turned off the country road and slowly drove into a small grove. After backing up to adjust their position, they finally shut off the engines.

Wade was the first to get out. He pulled out an arrow and fired at a walker not far away, piercing its skull and putting an end to its miserable existence on the spot.

Merle remained in the truck and lit a cigarette. He didn't move, but his eyes swept across the surroundings as if assessing the area.

Daryl and Marcus also got out and walked over to Wade.

"We'll rough it tonight. No cooking and no campfire. We'll keep dinner simple, then celebrate once we reach the farm tomorrow.

"Merle, Marcus, you two set up some warning traps. Daryl and I will check the area for walkers, then cut some branches for basic camouflage. Once that's done, everyone can get some rest.

"We'll also need people on watch tonight. Merle and Daryl will take the first half, and Marcus and I will take the second."

Wade paused, then continued, "When you're on watch, keep your weapons ready. If anything comes near our trucks, don't bother thinking twice. Just shoot it and be done with it."

As he spoke, Wade glanced at Marcus. To his surprise, Marcus didn't object at all. If anything, there even seemed to be a hint of approval in his eyes.

It was probably because Cathy was here, but Wade couldn't rule out the possibility that the guy was a hardliner himself.

After all, Marcus had looked perfectly polite and mild-mannered last time, only to pick up an AR-15 and join them in mowing down walkers without so much as a tremor in his hands. His nerves and combat instincts were damn good.

Wade grimaced for a second.

Clearly, all three of these guys were damn warriors!

And that meant he could spend the other fifty-nine seconds grinning.

Warriors were great. If you wanted to carve out a place in this world, wasn't that exactly what you needed?

As for civil officials? Hell, Wade could fill that role himself whenever necessary.

If reason worked, he'd use reason. If it didn't, people could go argue with his warriors instead.

As for Daryl and Merle, there was even less to say. Neither of them so much as raised an eyebrow after hearing Wade's orders.

For those brothers, the fact that they weren't out robbing other people was already generous enough. Someone wanted to rob them instead?

Were they looking to die?

Everyone got to work. Wade and Daryl split up and began a basic patrol of the surrounding area.

Merle and Marcus took tripwires and axes with them, setting up warning traps nearby while cutting down small trees and branches for camouflage.

Time passed little by little.

When young Cathy heard rustling sounds and groggily opened her eyes, everything around her was pitch black, with only faint traces of light filtering through the gaps.

The little girl tilted her head in thought and reached beside her.

Empty.

The seat cushion was cold.

Uncle Daryl had left, and he'd been gone for a while. Since no one had woken her up, that meant there wasn't any danger. They must have been busy doing something else.

Once she figured that out, Cathy relaxed considerably. Hugging her little doll, she leaned back against the seat and quietly waited for Daryl and Marcus to finish their work.

She couldn't yell or make too much noise.

That would attract the monsters that liked to eat little kids.

Fortunately, the truck door soon opened.

It was Marcus.

He noticed Cathy's shoulders trembling slightly and immediately pulled her into his arms.

"You're awake, sweetheart?"

"Daddy?"

The little girl opened her eyes. Once she recognized him in the dim light, she wrapped her tiny arms around Marcus's shoulders.

"I was a little scared of the dark, but I didn't cry or make a fuss. Cathy waited quietly for Daddy to come back."

Marcus gently kissed her forehead.

"I know. My little girl is the best."

Cathy broke into a silly grin, then seemed to remember something.

"Then can Cathy have one more piece of venison today?"

"Of course."

Merle happened to return at that moment, dragging a large clump of brush behind him.

When he saw the scene, an inexplicable ache welled up inside him. Almost immediately, it was followed by a surge of anger and resentment that burned through his chest.

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

He should've put two more bullets into that bastard back then and blown his damn face apart!

Without saying a word, Merle scattered the brush over the pickup, grabbed his axe, and disappeared back into the nearby woods.

Marcus watched him go and found the whole thing a little strange.

Merle looked like he was in a hurry to find something to vent his anger on.

Marcus didn't understand it, and he had no intention of getting involved.

Keep contact to a minimum. Stay as far away as possible.

That was his first impression of Merle and the way he intended to deal with him, at least for now.

After all, no matter how you looked at it, a hot-tempered, reckless guy like that seemed far more likely to bring trouble than peace of mind.

Elsewhere, Wade and Daryl also finished their patrol and returned to the temporary campsite one after the other.

Both trucks carried a decent amount of survival supplies, so there was no need for anyone to specifically go over to the other vehicle for food.

The group sat beside the trucks and ate cold, tough salted smoked meat, crackers, and canned food, washing it down with cool boiled water.

None of it tasted particularly good, of course, but it was edible and filled their stomachs.

Under the circumstances, that was more than enough.

"Wade, this farm... you already know where it is?"

Wade took a sip of water and swallowed the food in his mouth.

"Of course. Why else do you think I decided to head south?"

"There's a farmer there. Really nice old guy. Kind of like Dale, you know?"

Merle stopped eating and frowned.

"So we're going there to live off him? Come on. I don't want some old man nagging me all damn day."

"No, no. What I'm thinking is that we each mind our own business. He provides us with a reliable water source and somewhere to live, and in return, we provide the muscle and help defend his farm."

Daryl suddenly looked up.

"And then what? Last time... that ain't what you said."

"Holy shit. You two actually have little secrets you're keeping from me?"

"Merle, watch your mouth. There's a kid here. Don't turn our sweet, soft little cupcake into some stinking brick of hardtack."

Merle answered without even thinking.

"In this goddamn apocalypse, what's wrong with that?"

"...You'd better pray you never get hurt in the future, bro."

Only then did Merle seem to realize what he'd said.

He turned toward Marcus, whose face had gone as dark as the bottom of a pot, and stubbornly added, "It's fine. My little brother will help me... right?"

Daryl gave Merle a sidelong glance and snorted, refusing to answer.

Wade sighed. Those two weren't just his muscle. They were a pair of troublemakers through and through...