TWD: Saving Merle First - Chapter 86: Eugene’s Lie (Patreon)

The next day.

Beside the oak tree to the west, another cross had been added.

A dog tag necklace hung from it, occasionally swaying in the wind, flipping over before falling back against the wood with a dull clink.

Wade’s brow had been furrowed ever since he woke up that morning.

There were simply too many suspicious details about what had happened the night before.

First, that howling walker.

It hadn’t started screaming earlier, and it hadn’t waited until later. It had chosen the exact moment when the horde was halfway to the camp to start calling out.

Second, the Volatile.

It hadn’t appeared earlier or later either. It had shown up at exactly the moment when the camp’s firepower had hit a lull.

And third...

That feeling of being watched at the very end.

Put all of those things together, and they formed a web.

A web tightening around the camp.

The more Wade thought about it, the more wrong it felt.

The feeling that someone was targeting them grew stronger by the second.

He pointed toward the direction he had sensed that gaze from last night.

“Daryl, I need you to check something. Head that way and take a look around. I think someone may have been watching us last night.”

The moment he said that, everyone preparing to deal with the bodies from the horde stopped in their tracks.

They all turned toward Wade, confusion and curiosity written across their faces.

Daryl didn’t ask any questions.

After seeing how serious Wade was, he simply nodded.

“All right.”

With his crossbow on his back, he stepped over the barricade and headed in the direction Wade had pointed.

Rick frowned.

“Wade... you don’t think what happened last night was...”

Wade shook his head.

“I don’t know. But I’m not ruling it out. A horde that size suddenly appearing in an area this sparsely populated is suspicious enough on its own.”

That immediately made everyone think.

Right.

Where the hell had that many walkers even come from?

Ryan, who was used to assessing threats, seemed to realize something as well.

“The timing of that Mutated Walker’s appearance... was almost too perfect.”

He paused before continuing.

“It was almost tactical. The horde burns through our ammunition first, then the Mutated Walker comes in to finish the job.”

Once Ryan put it into words, a chill ran through everyone.

Either those things were intelligent enough to plan attacks themselves...

Or someone was controlling the situation.

They could deal with the first possibility.

The second was far worse.

How were they supposed to defend against an enemy they couldn’t see coming?

They didn’t even know when that enemy might strike again.

But one thing was certain.

If there was a next attack, it would probably be bigger and more ruthless than the last one.

And next time, they might lose far more than a single person.

“Holy shit... so someone’s targeting us?” Merle muttered. “Why? The wheat fields we haven’t harvested yet? Or...”

“It’s Eugene.”

Abraham suddenly cut him off.

“He has the method for developing a viral serum in his head. Something that can end this damn apocalypse and save the world.”

Everyone immediately turned toward Eugene, who was standing at the edge of the group.

Their expressions changed.

So it was you?

Eugene forced himself to remain calm, standing there as though he had expected this conclusion all along.

“That’s precisely why I need you to escort me, Abraham.”

Rick stared directly at Eugene.

There was something about the way the man’s eyes kept shifting that made him feel like Eugene was hiding something.

Rick glanced toward Wade.

Wade wasn’t even looking at Eugene.

That told Rick enough.

Wade knew something.

Abraham nodded.

“Don’t worry. I’ll get you there.”

Then his expression hardened.

“But now... we can’t stay here anymore. All we’ll do is keep bringing trouble to this camp. We need to leave as soon as possible and draw whoever’s after us away from here. That’s better for everyone.”

Eugene’s expression stiffened.

Leave?

Was he insane?

There were Mutated Walkers out there now that could move at terrifying speeds and break through concentrated gunfire head-on.

If they ran into one of those things on the road, they were finished.

Excuses immediately raced through Eugene’s mind.

He could say he wasn’t feeling well.

He could point out how dangerous the road was.

He could argue that everything that had happened might just be coincidence.

One by one, however, he rejected them.

He knew none of those excuses would work on Abraham.

Death wasn’t some possibility Abraham had failed to consider.

It was something he had already accepted.

Abraham carried a deep sense of self-loathing and a tendency toward self-destruction.

Now he had been given a path that let him help others, perhaps even save the entire world.

There was no chance he would turn away from it.

Eugene began to panic.

He didn’t want to give up the peaceful life they had found here.

He didn’t want to return to that uncertain road and struggle for survival all over again.

And there was only one way to stop Abraham from leaving.

Tell the truth.

Eugene looked toward Abraham, who was already discussing when they should depart.

His lips moved slightly.

But he still couldn’t bring himself to say it.

By now, Ryan and Marcus had also noticed something was wrong.

Merle simply let out a derisive laugh, as though he had just seen the funniest joke imaginable.

Which, in a way, he had.

Wade glanced at Eugene.

His gaze was so sharp that Eugene instinctively took a step backward.

Seconds passed.

Then minutes.

Eventually, Abraham headed toward his tent and began packing.

Nobody else in camp left.

They remained where they were, waiting for Daryl to return.

Waiting for whatever answer he might bring back.

Merle stepped closer to Wade and offered him a cigarette.

“What’re we doing about that liar?” he asked quietly. “Want me to...”

Merle grinned, showing his yellowed teeth.

Wade accepted the cigarette and glanced toward Abraham in the distance, who was preparing to get behind the wheel.

“I’m not the one who should deal with him.”

He nodded toward Abraham.

“He is.”

Wade lit the cigarette.

“Besides, Eugene could use a little suffering. Might cure him of that habit of lying.”

Wade hadn’t even finished half the cigarette before Abraham drove the SUV over.

“I’m sorry, Wade.”

Abraham rested one arm near the window.

“I was hoping to help you guys out a little longer before leaving. Pay you back for saving us.”

“But now it looks like staying here will only bring you more trouble.”

He paused.

“Don’t worry. Once I get Eugene where he needs to go, I’ll come back and keep helping you.”

The corner of Wade’s mouth lifted slightly at that last part.

“No problem. We’re going to be here for a long time.”

“You’re welcome back anytime.”

Merle heard that and immediately started grinning.

Damn.

Wade’s heart had to be black inside.

Abraham smiled sincerely.

“All right. Then wait for me. When I get back, we can...”

“I’m sorry, Abraham. I...”

The smile froze on Abraham’s face.

His eyes slowly shifted toward Eugene.

His voice dropped.

“What did you just say?”

Rosita seemed to realize something at the same time.

Her expression changed as she stared at Eugene in disbelief.

Eugene finally steeled himself.

“I’m not a scientist.”

He swallowed.

“And I don’t have the formula for any viral serum in my head.”