TWD: Merle - Chapter 18: Arrival at the Farm (Patreon)

This was Wade's first time killing another person, and the first time he'd done it in front of his own people.

Honestly, maybe he'd killed so many Walkers by now that it simply didn't affect him much anymore.

The usually easygoing, laid-back man hadn't shown even the slightest hesitation when it was time to act.

That completely changed the way Merle and the others saw Wade, and if anything, it actually put them more at ease.

They weren't worried that Wade was willing to kill someone. They would've been worried if he wasn't.

After all, who wanted a leader who folded the moment things got serious?

Once everyone worked together to push the cars out of the road, they resumed their journey.

"What's with you, kid? You look like you're about to run home crying for your mama."

Wade glanced at Merle's mocking grin, rested his head against the window again, and replied casually.

"I was just thinking our firepower might be a little weak. If we had rocket launchers or mortars, we wouldn't have to go through all this trouble, would we?"

"What the fuck?"

For once, Merle wasn't wondering whether something was wrong with him.

He was wondering what the hell was wrong with Wade.

"What? Is there a problem?"

At Wade's perfectly serious response, Merle fell into a rare silence.

He'd thought Wade might be shaken up after killing someone for the first time.

Apparently, the problem was the exact opposite.

The trucks kicked up clouds of dust as they turned onto a rural dirt road. Endless fields of wheat and corn stretched out on either side.

"Holy shit. Now I get why you were so damn determined to come here. If all this gets harvested and stored, there'd be enough food to last us for years."

"Yeah. Food shouldn't be a problem. The downside is that it'll take a lot of work to build proper defenses, and we don't have nearly enough people."

"...Doesn't that farmer have people of his own?"

"I really wish you'd drop that bad habit of yours. If you won't do it for me, at least think about Daryl."

"Think about you two? Why the hell don't either of you think about me?"

The moment Daryl came up, Merle immediately fell back into his usual stubborn, argumentative mood.

Wade almost shot back, Do you really want Daryl to have nobody but you to talk to?

Then he reconsidered.

The problem wasn't that Merle might ignore him.

The problem was that he might actually listen.

Forget it. Everyone had their own problems.

"Hold up, kid. Look over there. Think that's a cowgirl?"

Merle pointed ahead with one hand.

Wade followed his finger and immediately had a guess.

That was probably Maggie, Hershel's eldest daughter.

If they'd run into Maggie here, then Hershel's farm couldn't be far away.

"Looks like we're almost there."

He picked up the walkie-talkie.

"Daryl, Marcus, get ready. We're about to arrive."

"Copy, Wade."

After giving the others a heads-up, Wade turned to Merle.

"When we get there, follow my lead. And don't act like some kind of... You know what? Just try not to talk. Leave the negotiating to me."

"I'll try, kid," Merle replied without a care.

It wasn't long before the group reached Hershel's farmhouse.

By the time they parked, Hershel was already waiting in front of the house with several others, all carrying hunting rifles and other weapons.

A thought immediately crossed Wade's mind.

Maggie must have seen them kill those robbers earlier.

That wasn't good.

"Looks like they ain't exactly happy to see us."

Wade unbuckled his seat belt.

"Doesn't matter. This isn't the only farm around."

Hershel gripped his old hunting rifle tightly. Without realizing it, his palms had started sweating, making the worn stock slick in his hands.

Only when he saw Cathy climb out with Marcus, clutching her stuffed doll, did some of the tension leave him.

They had a child with them, and one who looked healthy and well cared for.

Maybe they were simply looking for supplies along the way.

Maybe they weren't bad people.

Hershel instinctively pushed aside the fact that he'd heard about what Wade's group had done earlier.

Or perhaps he was simply avoiding a reality he didn't want to face.

"Nobody shoot, kids. I'll go talk to them. Maybe they're not as bad as they look."

Maggie pressed her lips together.

The others might not know what she'd seen, but she certainly did.

Those three men had been dead within three seconds.

And Wade in particular had been frighteningly ruthless.

Hershel slowly walked down the steps, his measured movements seemingly meant to send a silent message.

He wasn't a threat, and he wasn't looking for trouble.

"Morning, folks. I'm Hershel. This is my farm. You've come quite a ways out here. Is there something you need help with?"

Wade spread his hands, keeping them clearly visible.

"Good morning, Mr. Hershel. I'm Wade. These are my companions, Merle, Daryl, Marcus, and little Cathy."

"We came here looking for a safe place to settle down. In exchange, we can provide armed support and help keep the Walkers from causing trouble around your farm."

Hershel reacted almost instantly.

He raised his rifle.

"We're perfectly safe here. We don't need any armed support."

Click. Click. Click.

Almost at the same time, Merle and the others raised their weapons and aimed them at Hershel and the people behind him.

"Hey, easy. Everybody lower your guns and hear me out, all right?"

Wade looked directly at Hershel.

"Mr. Hershel, would you lower the gun? We came here peacefully. Trust me, if we wanted to take this place from you, we wouldn't be standing out here talking. We'd have used our weapons to force our way in, wouldn't we?"

Hershel opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Wade was right.

They were carrying semi-automatic rifles, while he was standing there with an old hunting gun.

Slowly, Hershel lowered his weapon.

"You're right, but you people..."

"We're too dangerous? Because we killed those men on the way here?"

The old man gave a reluctant nod.

"But they were robbers, Mr. Hershel. If we hadn't been willing to fight back, we wouldn't be the ones standing here right now. They would."

Hershel seemed to accept the explanation. After a moment of hesitation, he gritted his teeth and spoke.

"You can stay. There's a large stretch of grassland to the south, and you can use the well over there too. But you stay away from where my family lives."

"That's fine. We'll stay out of each other's way."

"And I don't want you handling those weapons around here unless you need to. You have a child with you. I have children too."

"I understand. Agreed."

Seeing how readily Wade accepted his terms, Hershel finally let out a long breath of relief.

He gestured toward the house.

"Then come on in. I hope you'll respect those few rules."

Wade caught a faint hint of pleading in the old man's eyes.

"Don't worry. We'll keep our word."