TWD: Saving Merle First - Chapter 63: A Dangerous and Troublesome Guy (Patreon)

Wade and the others stepped forward and quickly dealt with the walkers chasing the man. Only then did Marcus crouch down to examine the unlucky bastard.

After a quick check, Marcus looked up.

"He wasn't bitten, but he's dehydrated and running a high fever. We need to get fluids into him and bring his temperature down as soon as possible."

Wade crouched down and examined the man's hands.

There were numerous small scars across the backs of them, along with calluses at the base of his fingers and between his thumb and index finger. Those were the kinds of marks left by someone who handled guns regularly.

"Merle, take a look."

"Hm?"

Merle crouched down in confusion. He first examined the calluses on the man's hands, then squeezed the muscles in his arms and around his shoulders.

They were solid.

He also found a round scar, clearly left by a gunshot wound.

"Holy shit. This guy might be active military, and if he is, he hasn't been off the battlefield for long. Could be a mercenary too."

After giving his assessment, Merle looked at Wade and said seriously, "Wade, this guy's gonna be trouble. And he's dangerous."

Wade grinned.

"Looks like we're getting another partner."

Dangerous?

Ha.

As long as the guy wasn't some completely twisted psychopath, Wade would take him.

In a world like this, people who weren't ruthless enough weren't going to make it very far anyway.

"Suit yourself. Just make sure somebody keeps an eye on him. If this guy causes trouble, it won't be anything small."

"Well, looks like our sheriffs are about to be back on duty," Wade said, raising an eyebrow.

Was there really anyone better suited for that job than Rick, with his sharp instincts and ability to keep the bigger picture in mind?

The others exchanged smiles and said nothing more.

Wade had already made his decision, so they'd go along with it.

If the man really did have some ulterior motive, they could always find an opportunity to kill him before he became a problem.

Maggie finally arrived and saw everyone gathered together. After shutting off the vehicle, she walked over.

"What happened? Someone hurt?"

The group stepped aside, revealing Ryan lying on the ground.

"Nothing serious. We just saved one unlucky guy."

"Oh. Alright. So, what now?"

"Load up the supplies, then we'll take him back with us. He needs treatment."

Maggie nodded without asking anything else.

If Wade said there wasn't a problem, then there wasn't a problem.

They quickly loaded all the packed supplies into the pickup. Wade and Daryl then lifted Ryan into the truck bed before the group started back toward the farm.

Once they returned to camp, Wade jumped out of the truck bed and helped Daryl carry Ryan down before leaving him beneath the shade of a tree.

Wade thought for a moment, then turned to Daryl.

"I remember we picked up a few pairs of handcuffs when we looted the police station last time, right?"

Daryl thought about it briefly and nodded.

"I'll get them."

Merle muttered a curse under his breath, apparently reminded of an unpleasant memory.

Wade chuckled.

"What are you worried about? We're not cuffing you this time."

Merle had a cigarette between his lips. His lighter froze halfway to the tip before he raised his middle finger.

"You know, nobody's gonna think you're mute if you shut the hell up, okay?"

Rick, who had just walked over, froze.

"Sorry. Back then, I was only trying to..."

"Shut up. Just because I'm not giving you shit about it doesn't mean I've forgotten, and I sure as hell never said I forgave you!"

Still puffing on his cigarette, Merle stormed back toward his tent.

Wade chuckled under his breath.

That was Merle for you. His pride mattered more than anything, and his mouth always moved faster than his brain.

If he really hadn't forgiven Rick, would he still be willing to sit around eating and drinking with him?

Rick scratched his head as he looked at the unconscious man, then at Wade.

"What's wrong with this guy?"

"High fever. Then he decided to run a marathon with a bunch of walkers. Lost the race, got pissed off, and passed out."

Rick burst out laughing.

Then Daryl returned and tossed the handcuffs over.

The smile on Rick's face immediately stiffened.

Wade caught them and cuffed Ryan's hands before turning to Rick.

"This guy might be dangerous. For the camp's safety, I'd appreciate it if you kept a close eye on him."

"Dangerous?"

"More specifically, it's his line of work that's dangerous. He's the kind of guy who's spent a lot of time around guns and firefights."

Rick crouched down and examined the man's hands himself.

After a moment, he nodded.

"You're right. Definitely."

Marcus approached carrying an assortment of medicine and syringes.

Wade and Rick immediately stepped aside, giving him room to begin treatment.

Beth had heard that Wade was back and came running over, stopping right in front of him.

"Wade, are you okay? Did you get hurt?"

Wade reached out and ruffled her hair with a smile.

"I'm fine. Don't hug me yet. I'm filthy."

Beth glanced at the bloodstains covering his clothes, then tilted her head curiously.

"Then why don't you hurry up and take them off? Are you embarrassed?"

Wade gave her a sidelong look.

This girl had really been getting bolder lately.

Before, she'd cover her face and blush.

Now she'd reach out and touch him herself, sometimes even throwing in comments about how good his body looked.

It always left Wade worked up with nowhere for that frustration to go, so in the end, all he could do was let her have her fun.

"Later. Stop messing around for now. I still have some questions to ask."

Beth pouted unhappily but obediently moved off to the side.

She watched Marcus prepare the medication and give Ryan an injection with practiced ease, a curious light appearing in her eyes.

Wade remembered their late-night conversation from before and quietly asked, "Want to learn?"

Beth nodded.

She knew she wasn't suited to fighting walkers on the front lines, but she didn't want to be nothing more than a pretty face around camp either.

She wanted to stand beside Wade.

She wanted to contribute something of her own to the group.

Naturally, Marcus's medical skills had caught her attention.

"This stuff isn't easy to learn, Beth. It's not like dealing with walkers, where you can just point a handgun and pull the trigger."

"And just because the apocalypse happened doesn't mean medicine suddenly became easier to learn. If anything, learning it now is even harder than it was before. Are you sure you want to do this?"

Beth blinked and looked at Wade.

"But that's still better than standing around helplessly worrying, right?"

Marcus turned and smiled.

"I think Beth has a point. If you're not squeamish around blood, I can teach you how to stop bleeding quickly and stitch wounds."

Anything beyond that would require time and experience. It wasn't something that could be safely taught or practiced under their current circumstances.

"I don't mind. As long as you're willing to teach her."

Wade shrugged.

He'd be more than happy to have another person in camp who knew first aid.

As for medical licenses, who the hell cared about those anymore?

Having another person who could stop bleeding and stitch up wounds was already more than good enough.