TWD: Saving Merle First - Chapter 61: Good Thing This Guy Cracks Under Pressure (Patreon)

Early the next morning.

Wade felt a soft body pressing down on him. Before he could fully wake from his hangover, a familiar sweet fragrance filled his nose.

Then soft kisses began raining down across his face, one after another, before finally landing on his lips.

Wade groggily opened his eyes and managed to make out who it was.

Beth.

The bold girl had come straight into his tent, climbed on top of him, and woken him up in a way that made it practically impossible to be angry with her.

And Wade really wasn't angry, but...

Beth belatedly realized something was wrong. Her pretty face immediately flushed red, but she didn't move, nor did she climb off him.

"...Wade, it's time to get up..."

Wade said nothing. He wrapped his arms around Beth, rolled onto his side, then closed his eyes and went right back to sleep.

He'd drunk with Shane until he'd thrown up and barely knew which way was up last night. What was wrong with enjoying himself a little now?

Beth struggled slightly but couldn't get free. After that, she simply made herself comfortable, rested her head on Wade's arm, and closed her eyes as well.

It wasn't until noon that Wade opened his eyes again.

Not because he'd had enough sleep, but because his arm had gone completely numb and forced him awake.

Looking at Beth lying beside him, Wade's brain stalled for a moment.

When did this girl get here?

Whatever. He'd collect a little interest first.

"Mmm~"

Beth opened her eyes as well and let Wade kiss her until she started running short of breath. Only then did she smile, her face flushed red.

"Wade, you sleep so much. You're like a bear in hibernation."

Wade gave her pert backside a light slap, then stole another quick kiss before smiling.

"Yeah. Just like you."

Beth lightly punched him in the chest.

"I am not."

Wade was still smiling and about to say something when a voice suddenly came from outside.

"Wade! Something happened!"

His smile vanished instantly.

Wade quickly grabbed his clothes, pulled them on, slipped into his boots, and stepped outside.

"What happened?"

Otis was slightly out of breath.

"It's Maggie and Jimmy. They ran into trouble in town."

Wade's expression turned serious.

"What kind of trouble? Walkers or people?"

"The last time we heard from them over the radio, they were trapped inside a pharmacy. Five people, with a car and guns."

"Merle, Marcus, Daryl! Grab your gear. We're moving!"

The three immediately grabbed their weapons from their tents and climbed into the pickup.

Wade was the last one there. He jumped into the truck bed and said, "Marcus, keep trying to contact them. Maggie or those people, it doesn't matter. As long as somebody answers."

"Got it, Wade."

Marcus grabbed the radio and began repeatedly calling out.

"Maggie, Maggie, come in. Maggie, come in."

"Jimmy, Jimmy, come in. Jimmy, come in."

Wade pulled out his handgun, gave it a quick check, then kept it firmly in his grip.

It would take at least fifteen minutes to reach town from here.

Hopefully they could hold out that long.

Maggie was one of the camp's tougher female fighters, so she certainly wasn't helpless. At this stage, even if she couldn't win a direct fight, buying some time shouldn't be too difficult...

Hopefully.

Rescuing someone who was surrounded was one thing. Rescuing hostages was an entirely different level of difficulty.

Wade tapped his pistol against the roof of the cab.

"Merle! Faster!"

Merle floored the accelerator.

"Holy shit! Wade, next time we oughta grab a couple motorcycles! Those things would work a hell of a lot better than this!"

Daryl wholeheartedly agreed.

"Wade, for once, I think Merle's right!"

"Fine, we'll add motorcycles to the list for our next supply run. Now focus on driving!"

With Wade's approval, Merle laughed loudly and tore down the road, weaving around one abandoned wreck after another.

Unfortunately, Wade and Marcus were the ones suffering in the truck bed.

Even with both of them gripping the railing for dear life, they were thrown from side to side so violently that their faces began turning pale within minutes.

But neither told Merle to slow down.

They didn't stop to recover either.

The pickup barreled straight into town and only screeched to a halt near a pharmacy with a vehicle parked outside.

The man guarding the vehicle heard the noise and had only just raised his weapon when Daryl dropped him with a crossbow bolt.

The bolt punched straight through his skull, not even giving him the chance to turn into a walker.

Wade jumped out of the truck bed, chambered a round in his pistol, and headed toward the pharmacy.

Before he even reached the entrance, he heard a man's mocking voice from inside.

"Made up your mind yet, sweetheart? Wanna find out what heaven feels like with me?"

Obvious disgust flashed across Merle's face.

"Spineless piece of shit. I'm gonna turn his equipment into ground meat."

Daryl silently loaded another bolt into his crossbow, his expression dark.

The Dixon brothers had at least one rare thing in common.

Neither of them had any respect for men who preyed on women or children.

Marcus brought up the rear, his rifle constantly sweeping across anywhere on the street someone might be hiding. His expression was focused and controlled.

Before the four of them even reached the pharmacy, the man guarding the entrance heard something and poked half his head outside to look.

A crossbow bolt rapidly filled his vision.

He dropped to the ground before he could even shout a warning.

Thud~

Well, he still managed to make some noise.

As for what it cost him, never mind that...

Daryl immediately began reloading his crossbow while giving Marcus responsibility for covering the flank.

After everything they'd been through together, their teamwork had improved tremendously.

No one needed to tell them where to stand or what their role was.

They simply knew.

One man who had been rummaging through the medicine shelves heard the noise and stood up to look.

He immediately spotted Wade and the other three entering the pharmacy.

"Enemies!"

He raised his weapon toward Wade.

Before he could pull the trigger, Wade put him down with a single shot.

When it came to reaction speed, Wade could show them what real speed and accuracy looked like.

He could easily handle rapid fire with a recurve bow.

A Glock was even easier.

Immediately after the man's warning shout, Wade called out, "Come out! Surrender and you live!"

"Wade?! Is that you?"

"It's me! Find somewhere to hide and stay there. Leave the rest to me!"

Wade shouted back while continuing deeper into the pharmacy.

A figure suddenly flashed through a gap between the shelves.

Merle grinned viciously and pulled the trigger on his Remington.

"BOOM!"

A storm of steel pellets ripped straight through the thin metal shelving and tore into the man's body.

He didn't even have time to scream before collapsing into a mangled heap.

"Well, well, well. Just one little rat left. Let's see where you're hiding."

The last man tightly gripped an old hunting rifle, cold sweat continuously forming on his forehead.

"Stay back! Come any closer and I'll shoot!"

"Throw out your weapon, put both hands over your head, and walk out! I'll let you leave! Otherwise, I'll tear this whole damn store apart and drag you out myself!"

"Why should I believe you?!"

"You don't have a choice! You've got five seconds. Five, four, three..."

"I surrender! I surrender!"

An old black hunting rifle slid out from behind the corner.

A moment later, a disheveled Black man in ragged clothes stepped out with both hands raised high.

Wade stared at him in silence for a second.

Good thing this guy cracked under pressure.

Otherwise, finding him would've been a real pain.