Wake the Dead

Once the quarry was in sight, we could see an RV up on a hill a little further away. "So, we are just going to walk into their campsite like its just a casual thing?" Sydney asked me.

"We are going to slowly walk with our hands up, showing we are not a threat. Hopefully that dude on the top of the RV will notice us" I pointed at an old man with binoculars. "So we don't have to walk randomly into their camp and get guns pointed at our heads".

"oh Jesus" Syd sighed.

We slowly made our way to the RV and the guy on top noticed us through his binoculars like I hoped. He looked to be at least in his sixties and wore a floral Hawaiian shirt, which made me smile. But, my smile faded once he pointed his rifle at us and called out to someone named Shane.

A man, who i suspected was Shane, came running up to us, but stopped a few feet away and raised his gun. "Who are you?" he asked.

My sister knows to always let me do the talking, knowing that she would squirm under the pressure, "I'm Fiona and this is my sister Sydney, we are friends of Daryl's."

"Friends of Daryl?" The old man on the RV asked.

"Yeah i knew him before the world went to shit. We ran into him in the woods just now and he told us he had a camp here."

Another man came jogging over and stopped next to the Shane guy. "Whats going on here?" he asked.

"They said they where friends of Daryl's and he told them we have a camp here" Shane told him, then looked to us. "So where is Daryl then?" he asked giving me a dark suspicious look.

" Crazy bastard said he was on a deers trail and wanted it pretty bad. Wasn't about to stand in his way." i replied harshly not liking the look Shane gave me.

Before anyone could say anything, there were screams and someone calling for their dad. Shane looked at the old man and said firmly: "stay here and watch them" referring to us of course and then ran off.

About 5 minutes later i saw Daryl emerge from the woods and gave him an agitated look because yet again someone had a weapon pointed at my sister. "Y'all idiots gonna keep them under gun point the whole night? Did they not tell ya i sent em here? geeze" Daryl said seeming agitated while he walked up to us. The old guy lowered his weapon and the other guy in a white shirt now covered in blood splatters walked over. "My name is Rick Grimes, y'all know Daryl?"

Rick Grimes. That name is familiar. "Yeah we know Daryl, y'all deaf? Cause I'm pretty sure that was said many times" I was obviously agitated.

"I apologize, what are your names?" Rick asked.

"I'm Fiona and this my sister Sydney" I pointed to Sydney and she stepped beside me.

Rick stuck out his hand to shake, but neither of us shook it and i changed the subject. "Rick Grimes eh? Now why is that so familiar?" I thought aloud.

Rick looked a little confused, "I was a police officer around this area with Shane, maybe you have heard of me?"

A cop. I laughed a little too much realizing who he was. Everyone gave me a weird or confused look, even Daryl and Syd. I though they would have at least known who he was. "Sorry" I said while i stopped laughing. I looked over to Syd, "this is the guy that dad always complained about; the cop that he said was always busting his balls". A look of realization washed over Syd's face. I turned back to look at Rick, "My dad was always either in prison or gettin' in trouble with the cops somehow." Rick still looked a little confused so i continued. "He always mentioned this one cop that always seemed to be there at the wrong time." I paused, still getting nothing from Rick. "John Daft? he always said this cop named Rick Grimes was up his asshole too much."

With that i saw realization wash over Rick's face, "Shane" he called and Shane walked over. "You don't happen to remember that crazy son of a bitch named John Daft that always gave us a hell of a time when we were on duty and told us we were up his asshole too much?"

Shane though about the question, but didn't seem amused, "Yeah, the bastard that we always messed with, right?"

"Yep you got it." Shane looked confused as Rick paused and turned to us, "these are his daughters".

Shane had a weird look in his eyes, but Daryl seemed to get tired with the conversation and butted in; "enough with this little meet n' greet. Wheres Merle?" Daryl walked past us further into the camp calling for his brother until Shane walked up to him, "Daryl slow up a second, i need to talk to you".

"'Bout what?" Daryl knew those words meant no good.

"Bout Merle, there was a problem in Atlanta." Merle and I didn't get along very well, but we still were on okay terms, so when i heard the way Shane was talking about him, i knew something happened.

Daryl looked around at every ones faces that showed worry, why would they worry? "He dead?" Daryl asked. I could hear the sadness in his voice, but when Rick told Daryl about how Merle was handcuffed to a roof i could hear the rage plain and clear. Now i understood why people were worrying.

"So your tellin me you handcuffed my brother to a roof and you LEFT HIM THERE?!?" Daryl yelled at Rick and then tried to attack him. I could see the tears in his eyes even though he tried to hide them. Shane came over and shoved Daryl on the ground and put him in a choke hold, hell no, he just found out his brother was gone! If he was Daryl he would be acting the same way. "Choke hold is illegal" Daryl spit out.

"Get your grimy hands off him!" I walked up close to them.

"He needs to calm the hell down first" Shane spit back at me.

Calm down? "If you were him you would be doin the same damn thing, so back the hell up".

"Now i don't know who you are, but you better take your business elsewhere." Shane said with a hint of anger in his voice.

"Na, I like my business right here and i really don't think you can do anything about that."

"Both of you calm down" Rick stepped in an bent down to Daryl's level. " I would like to have a calm discussion on this topic, think we can manage that?" Daryl didn't respond so Rick repeated himself, "think we can manage that?" Daryl was breathing heavy, but still did not respond. Shane let him go by throwing him down a little and Daryl sat up trying to catch his breath.

He stood up and wiped his eyes , "T'hell with all of y'all!" Daryl's voice hoarse from trying not to cry. "Just tell me where he is" he whimpered, "so i can go get em'." Daryl walked over by me, i knew he didn't want my pity so i didn't say anything to him besides; "I'll come with ya." He nodded a little at me before some woman butted in, "he'll show you, won't he?" she looked right at Rick. Rick nodded, "I'm going back. We leave tomorrow morning."