Living Like You're Dead

Daryl found their truck. He threw what was around it in the bed and hurled his crossbow onto the passengers seat threw the driver window. He jumped in the truck, and thanked God that he made it back. He started the truck and backed directly into a walker, then pressed in the gas lurching him foreword away from the limp body. He drove about the town for a few minutes looking for any sign of his brother or Addie.

But then he saw her.

He punched the gas when he saw that Redfern girl running down the street. She jumped out of the way just in time – Daryl barely missed her with the hood of the truck.

Daryl was out of the truck in no time, and already running after her. His mind let adrenaline enter his system and he was ready to jump and tackle her. When he leapt from the concrete, he was pleased when he made contact with her moving body.

He knocked her clean off her feet, and drove his knee into her back. His heavy frame was no match for hers.

“Where is she!?” Daryl wasted no time in interrogation. Hannah seemed to only stifle some groans from the pain she now felt. Daryl lifted his knee and flipped her over, She had scratches all across her face now from sliding across concrete and asphalt. Now the anger he held inside was now ready to squeeze her neck until she stopped breathing. But he waited for an answer.

“fucking brother!” she mustered.

“what! WHAT! fucking BITCH!” he yelled at her.

“Your piece of shit brother shot him! SHOT MY BEAR!”

“Well I’m gonna shoot you so tell me WHERE SHE IS!”

“Kill me, I don’t give a fuck.” She said. Daryl realized at that point there was no more bargaining. So he dug his knee back into her stomach, she squealed in more pain. And the noise was bringing walkers.

“I’m going to let them feed on you.” He said while spitting into her face.

“Fitting, since I fed your girlfriend to them.”

“YOU BITCH!” he said slamming her head into the concrete beneath her. He brought her back up to his face and when he saw no remorse he slammed her down again. Her eyes were still moving but she wasn’t fighting back now, and blood was pooling around her head, and now the walkers were running for him.
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Merle had arrived just in time to see a man standing over Addie. One who had once been alive. His starving eyes looked into her very soul as he began to lean in to take a bite of her sweet flesh. Merle had only enough time to cock the gun underneath his arm; he pulled the trigger, shooting the man just as his teeth grazed her neck.

Merle missed.

The man staggered back. Addie’s attention was now with Merle. She was screaming from the fear. Merle re-cocked the gun again and this time aimed for his head. He didn’t miss this time, and he splattered bits of brain everywhere. Merle turned around to see Bear and Hannah had gone – and he rushed to the table where Addie lay… still screaming.

Merle jumped.

A small girl at the end of the table stood there. Her teeth had disappeared into Addie’s flesh.

Merle fumbled while trying to re-cock the gun for the third time. The entire time he was trying to get another round into the chamber he could ear the soft knawing of flesh while Addie still screamed. Merle did not let himself miss that shot. He shot the little girl dead. She slumped against the wall with a hole that was now in her eye, and exited out the back of her skull.

Now all that was heard was soft sobs and the occasional screech.

Merle saw that Addie had been tied with kitchen rags to reduce struggle. She was stained in her own blood and now her leg had bite marks all over it. It was obvious she had been bitten.

“fuck.” Was all Merle could muster, “fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.” He touched her leg gently. Now Merle had always been aware that every time he brushed up against Addie or had touched her in anyway – she had recoiled, and pulled away from him… but this time she conformed to his touch, he could tell that she was looking for any hope that he could help her.

He untied her within minutes, and before he knew it he had his brothers girlfriend crying into his shoulder. And they weren’t just tears it was obvious that she could barely breathe.

Merle pulled away from her in time to find some hard alcohol in the kitchen, and with what he knew how to do – he cleaned the wounds on her leg. He wrapped her entire leg in rags, and carried her out the door and down the steps, all while she cried.