TWD: Saving Merle First - Chapter 152: The Priest's Final Dignity (Patreon)

The moon shone brightly in a sky with only a few scattered stars. A pale haze veiled the world, but there was still enough light to make out shadows on the ground.

Wade's nose twitched. The smell of fresh blood was rising from the quarantine rooms below.

Something was wrong. Where had they gotten weapons?

He launched himself off the roof in a swift, acrobatic flip, moving so fast that Rick and Shane barely had time to react.

His gaze swept across Caleb and the guards inside. Several men had fresh cuts along their arms, and blood was pouring from the wounds, dripping steadily onto the floor.

What the hell were they doing? Mutilating themselves? Some kind of repentance? A punishment ritual?

The people inside had been getting ready to come out, and Wade's sudden arrival startled them. They recoiled a step, their expressions shifting in surprise.

Caleb's face stiffened for an instant before the familiar smile returned. "Good evening, Mr. Lin."

The whole scene was so bizarre that Wade felt a surge of unease.

He opened his mouth, then decided it wasn't worth talking.

His gaze sharpened. He stepped forward and drove a kick toward one man's chest.

To his surprise, these ragged followers knew how to fight. Their hand-to-hand skills were remarkably good.

The man he'd targeted retreated while two others closed in from either side, one striking high and the other low.

In the past, Wade wouldn't have had time to change his attack. But things were different now, pal!

He stopped his forward momentum and sprang lightly to the side like a wildcat, slipping out of their reach. At the same time, he drew his katana and slashed across the fist of the man on his right.

Four fingers hit the floor as a chunk of bone flew from the man's hand.

An arrow flew from the darkness and drove straight through the chest of the attacker on the left.

The man staggered backward, spat blood, and fell to the ground, his body twitching.

Rick and Shane hurried down from the roof and joined the fight. One drew a large revolver while the other raised a Remington 870 shotgun.

Everything went quiet. Even the visitors, however fanatical they were, had to realize by now that they'd walked straight into a trap.

Merle and Daryl emerged from the shadows with their weapons ready, closing the circle around Caleb's group.

"Well, well. Why's everyone so quiet? Not in the mood to talk?"

Caleb's smile faded a little. His eyes, however, remained full of pity, as though he were looking at a group of foolish children.

"The Lord has guided you and granted you all that you possess, yet you would harm His children and slaughter the innocent. Do you not fear the calamity that will follow?"

Wade flicked the blood from his blade and was about to answer when his [Hyper-Perception] caught the sound of something moving rapidly and lightly just beyond the perimeter wall.

Suddenly, it all made sense. More curious than frightened, he asked, "You went to all this trouble to draw those things here. Aren't you afraid they'll kill your people too? Oh, right. You think dying for your faith gets you into heaven."

Caleb didn't answer immediately. He ran his fingers over the worn cover of his Bible, then murmured with solemn compassion.

"Lord, Your children have suffered wounds at the hands of the unrighteous. I beg You to look upon him and not hold him to blame. Lay the blame upon me instead."

"It was I who set these events in motion, and I shall atone before You. Even if my soul must suffer the flames of holy fire for eternity, I will not protest. But until that hour comes, I shall never abandon our brothers suffering out in the wilderness."

Merle had heard enough of Caleb's rambling prayers and started to raise his gun.

Before he could fire, the man who had lost half his hand broke into a wild, triumphant grin. "It's coming! The Lord's punishment is coming!"

Rick and the others didn't understand what he meant at first. Then came the sharp cracks of dry branches breaking outside, one after another.

Volatiles.

So that was why the visitors had surrendered their weapons so easily. Guns had never been their real weapon. They'd been counting on the smell of their own blood to lure Volatiles to the camp!

But how had those creatures reached the farm so quickly?

There shouldn't have been any Volatile nests within seven miles of the property, and the camp had already cleared out or drawn away the nearby walkers during construction.

There might still have been a few ordinary walkers in the surrounding area, but there certainly shouldn't have been mutants or any large hordes.

Wade let out a contemptuous laugh. "I don't know how you managed to draw them here, but what makes you so sure they can get inside my walls?"

Did these idiots think the UV lights lining the perimeter were just decorations?

Wait. They knew how terrifying Volatiles were, but apparently had no idea the creatures were vulnerable to ultraviolet light.

The look Wade gave them turned almost pitying. It was the sort of pity you felt when looking at complete idiots.

He stepped forward and stabbed the man who was still laughing, killing him before he could react. Then he finished off the man lying on the ground with a thrust through the eye socket.

"You know, you're even more... fucking stupid than I expected. Maybe that's just because you're all idiots to begin with, but never mind. Your little suicide stunt is over, Reverend."

"Now I suggest you start thinking carefully about what you're going to tell us."

Wade slid his katana into its sheath, tossed it to Rick, and stepped into the middle of the room with his hands empty.

There was nothing else to discuss. What followed was a thoroughly one-sided beating.

Their punches landed on Wade's tightly packed muscles with little more effect than a few hard pokes. They hurt a bit, but barely.

When Wade swung one of his broad, Russian-style haymakers, on the other hand, the crack of a breaking jaw was unmistakable.

Realizing he was hitting too hard, he eased up a little and continued helping his opponents "go to sleep."

Merle and the others saw no reason to step in. Caleb watched his guards fall one after another and knew his plan had failed.

He backed away, calmly straightened his clothes, and slipped a small razor blade from the spine of his Bible, gripping it between the fingers of his right hand.

With the Bible in his left hand, he smiled sadly at Wade and the others.

"When the holy war comes, you will understand just how grave the sins you've committed today truly are!"

He raised the blade to the artery in his neck and drew it across with all his strength.

"Ssshh..."

Blood sprayed against the wall. Caleb fell stiffly to the floor, eyes closed and a faint smile still resting on his face...