It's Over When It's Over

We’ve been at the quarry for a month. Our group has gotten many more people. It’s nice finding other survivors, but they mostly stay with their own family. The group doesn’t really like Daryl and Merle, but they know they’re not going anywhere. They get tired of Merle being Merle and I basically apologize for it. I guess they’re okay with Daryl, I mean he is getting most of our food.
Most of us girls were down at the lake washing our family’s clothes. “How’d you and Daryl get together?” Andrea asked, “You are so nice, and he is just so angry!” Andrea laughed.
I laughed with her, “Well um I worked at a bar, and this guy slapped me on the butt and Daryl beat the shit out of him and that’s when I knew Daryl really cared for me, then we started dating and yeah there’s the short version of the story!” I laughed, "Some story, huh?" I said sarcastically.
“Aww, how sweet!” Amy said, “I wish a guy would fight for me; protect me.”
“Daryl is a man who fights with his fist before thinking something through.” Andrea stated as if she knew Daryl. I like Andrea but sometimes she could be really annoying. Just because she’s some big shot lawyer from a city doesn’t mean she’s better than us and she knows everything.
“You know that man touched me without permission and Daryl beat him up because he deserved it. No man should touch any women without their word.” I said angrly, “Daryl didn’t have to think in that situation! What he did was right by me!” Andrea then shut up. The southern in me came out a lot just now but I didn’t mind. I proved my point. Amy glanced over at me and smiled. So did Carol. I’m pretty sure they agreed with me, or they were just surprised that I talked back to Andrea.
Amy and Andrea were done cleaning their clothes and so were Jacqui and Carol. I still had quit a few things to clean. I was cleaning half of my boy’s clothes including mine so I had a lot work to do. Carol offered to stay and help but Ed pulled her aside shaking his head so I knew she wouldn’t be able to help me out. They all went back to camp and a few minutes later Amy came down.
“Hey. Can I help you?” Amy asked.
“Please?” I smiled. Amy laughed and sat beside me grabbing some clothes. “Thank you.”
“Oh you’re welcome. Andrea and some others went to Atlanta to get some supplies so I thought I’d join you. Oh and Merle went along so we can all have some peace and quiet.” Amy joked. We laughed, “So when is Daryl getting back from his hunt?”
“I’m not sure. Tomorrow I think.” I said as I folded up some shirts. "e-."
“I’m sorry about Andrea, and what she said about him.” Amy said straight out.
“Oh it’s alright sweetie. I get why you guys don’t like him. Just give him time. He’s never been nice to people he don’t know.”
“If it makes you feel better; I don’t hate him. He hunts the food I eat. He’s good on my list.” Amy explained. We laughed. We finished my load of clothes and carried them back to camp. Amy was a doll and helped me hang them up to dry as well. I was making my way over to Lori and the kids to see if I could help them with any of the school work Lori had given them. As I was walking to them someone started talking on the radio asking if anyone was out here. Everyone ran to the radio.
“Hey. Hello.” Amy asked. The man responded with ‘can you hear my voice?’ “Yes I can hear you. You’re coming through. Over.” Amy continued. I don’t believe the man heard Amy. Amy was trying to figure out how to respond to him. Tell him Atlanta isn’t safe.
“Come here, son. You know best how to work this thing.” Dale ordered Shane. Shane slammed his ax into the wood where the radio sat.
“Hello, hello. Is the person who called still in the air?” Shane asked. The man didn’t respond. Shane tried again but still nothing. “He’s gone.”
“There are others. Not just us.” Lori said.
“We knew there would be. That’s why we left the C.B on.” Shane told her.
“A lot of good it’s been doing. I’ve been saying for a week we ought to put signs up on 85 to warn people away from the city.” Amy agreed with Lori. Shane didn’t agree on the other hand. Said we don’t have time, that’s it’s a luxury we can’t afford.
“And who the hell would you propose we send?” Dale asked Lori.
“I’ll go! Give me a vehicle.” Lori snapped. Shane went against her thought again. Lori walked off, trying to act like she wasn’t mad as Shane followed her.
___
Everyone was done with their chores so I thought I’d help Jim and Dale with the RV. The RV needed a new radiator hose for it to be able to run right.
“Where the hell are we gonna find a replacement?” Dale wondered, with his hands deep in the RV.
“It’s late. They should’ve been back by now.” Amy worried.
“Worrying won’t make it better.” Dale told her.
I walked up to Amy, “They’ll be back soon. I promise you. Okay?” I told Amy. She smiled and nodded. Right after that the C.B. came on.
“Can anybody out there hear me?” Everyone looked at the C.B. radio. Dale climbed on top of the RV where the radio was moved. “Base camp, this is T-Dog. Anybody hear me?” T-Dog asked. Dale responded explaining the reception was bad on our end. The static was making it hard to hear him. “We’re in some deep shit. We’re trapped in the department store.” T-Dog explained. I was beginning to worry like Amy was. I had just told her tha they’d come back and now this happens, “There are geeks all over the place. Hundreds of ‘em. We’re surrounded.” Dale tried to get T-Dog to repeat himself but we lost connection and the static took over.
“He said the department store.” Lori said. Dale agreed with her. “Shane?”
“No way. We do not have to go after them! We do not risk the rest of the group. Y’all know that.” Shane told everyone.
“So we’re just gonna leave her there?” Amy asked Shane.
“Look, Amy, I know that this is not easy—“
“She volunteered to go. To help the rest of us.” Amy said, speaking of Andrea.
“So did all of them!” I said, “They’re our families, Shane!”
“I know, and they knew the risks right?” Shane asked. “See, if they’re trapped, they’re gone.” Shane looked at Amy, “So we just have to deal with that. There’s nothing we can do.”
“She’s my sister, you son of a bitch.” Amy spat at Shane. She ran off into her tent and I followed with Lori.
“Amy I’m so sorry.” I told her.
“You don’t understand!” She yelled. I did though. Although Merle was annoying he is my friend and I love him like family, but I wasn’t going to argue her. She was sad. I left the tent so Lori could talk to her; maybe make her feel better somehow.
“Aunt Lora, do you want to play catch with Carl and me?” Daniel asked. I paused looking for my brother Jack to see if he could play with them so I could go back to helping Dale and Jim, but I saw Jack helping Jim with the RV already so I nodded and played with the boys.
“Lora may I have a word with you?” Shane asked. I tossed the ball to Carl and walked to the side with Shane. “I’m sorry ‘bout what I said, but it’s the truth.”
“Shane you shouldn’t be apologizing to me. You should be apologizing to Amy, she is clearly taking this worse than me and you basically told her that her sister is dead.” Shane didn’t reply. I went on top of the RV with Dale instead of going back to the boy's who have seemed to have forgotten about me. I just wanted to try and relax and clear my mind. An hour or so later we heard a car alarm coming around the hill.
“Is it them? Are they back?” Amy asked.
“I’ll be damned.” Dale said.
“What is it?” Amy asked.
“A Stolen car is my guess.” I told her. We all stood there watching a red car drive into camp. Dale yelled at Glenn as he got out of the red car to turn the car alarm off but he didn’t know how so Shane yelled at Glenn to pop the hood as Amy yelled at Glenn asking what happen to Andrea and everyone. As Shane unplugged the alarm plug I climbed down to hear Glenn’s answer to Amy’s question.
“Yes she’s fine. Everybody is.” Glenn paused, “Well, Merle not so much.” My eyes widen fearing what may have happened.
“What happen to Merle?” I asked running up to Glenn, but Shane interrupted me complaining about driving the car up here with the alarm on. About how it can draw every walker for miles.
“I think we’re okay.” Dale told Shane.
“You call being stupid okay?” Shane argued. As Shane and Dale talked back and forth I asked Glenn again where Merle was.
“He was acting up. Some new guy hand cuffed him to the roof. I’m sorry.” Glenn softly explained. I couldn’t even process what was going on. How could they just leave him there? Basically leaving the walkers a meal? He is a human being not a monster, no matter what he did. Everyone in the group knows how Merle can get but basically leaving him for dead isn’t the answer. I walked off into Jack and Daniels tent to tell Jack what had happen to Merle.
“Are they going back to get him?”
“I don’t think so.” I told him rudely.
“Well we know how Merle is. He’ll get out somehow.”
“Jack, he is handcuffed on a building surrounded by walkers. He won’t be able to get out of that. He is done for.” I paused. “How are we going to tell Daryl?” Right there I realized how Daryl is going to react to this. He is going to lose his mind.