V

—/<3/—

Merle wasn't there when they got to Atlanta. Well at least most of him wasn't. The crazy bastard had cut his hand off to get free and left it there.

"Why didn't he just dislocate his thumb and slide his hand out?" Rory whispered to Glenn as they watched Daryl yell out his frustrations before picking up his brother's abandoned hand, wrapping it up and stowing it away in his pack.

"Don't ask me why that psychopath does anything, I don't have a good enough answer," Glenn whispered back.

"We gotta go after him," Daryl said, pacing the roof.

"We will," Rick replied. We'll get the guns and then we find Merle. He won't have gotten far in his condition."

"No, we get Merle first," Daryl demanded, getting up in Rick's face.

"We can't go out looking for him without those guns, have you seen the streets? We won't get out of that alive." Rick argued.

"Fine." Daryl reluctantly agreed. Rory could practically see the steam shooting from his ears as he seethed, storming back towards the stairwell. Rory and Glenn side-eyed each other and then followed him, with Rick and T-dog close behind.

—/<3/—

Absolutely nothing was going right for them today. Merle disappeared, Glenn was kidnapped when they were retrieving the guns and now they were sat in a random building with a hostage Daryl had taken from the gang, plotting a way to get Glenn to safety so they could get back to camp before dark. On the bright side, they did get the guns and Rory got some good stuff for Niamh.

Rory grimaced when Daryl ripped his brother's severed hand out from his backpack, using it to interrogate the poor kid they'd taken. Though could it really be considered 'taking' him if his friends just drove off without him?

"This is what happens to people who cross us," Daryl hissed and the kid's eyes widened.

"Daryl, you're scaring him." Rory sighed, pushing off the wall she was leaning on and walking over to them.

"Yeah, that's the point." He gave her an incredulous look.

"He's not going to tell you shit like that,"

"You think you can do better? Go ahead." Daryl stormed over to where T-dog and Rick were trying to discuss a plan.

"Take the hand with you!" She called after him, eyeing the appendage that looked like it was already starting to decompose. "Fuck me, how did he even manage to cut through the bone with such a small knife?" She asked rhetorically.

"Did that guy really cut off someone's hand?" The boy whispered to her after Daryl took the hand back, ditching it in the corner of the room.

"No, his brother cut off his own hand and for some reason, Daryl decided to keep it," Rory explained. She cleared her throat and made eye contact awkwardly. "We just want to get our friend back so we can leave Atlanta, we're not looking to start any fights. Can you please just tell me where we can find him? We'll take you back there whilst we're at it."

"G wants the guns, that's why we were there. He won't give your buddy back unless he gets them." The kid finally admitted.

"The guns belonged to Rick in the first place. They were fair game when they were lying on the road, but we got back to them first so now they're ours. Do you think we can go to your leader and work something out?" Rory asked.

The kid looked contemplative, but then he nodded. "I can't promise he won't try to kill you for them guns though,"

Rory flashed him a smile and then stood up, making her way over to where Rick and the others had been watching the conversation.

"His group wanted the guns. The kid will take us to them but he can't promise they won't try to kill us for them." Rory summarised.

"Them guns are worth more than gold. Gold don't protect your family or put food on the table, but guns do. You willin' to give them up for Glenn?" Daryl asked.

"If I knew for sure that guy'd give back Glenn I might agree, but you really think he'd just hand him over?" T-dog added.

"You callin' G a liar?" The boy chimed from where he was sitting.

"You part of this?" Daryl questions rhetorically crossing the room to him with two long strides. "You wanna hold onto your teeth?" He hit him lightly on the head.

"Question is, do you trust that man's word?" T-dog crossed his arms over his chest.

"We won't know until we go there and find out. I'm not leaving without Glenn. I'll take the kid back myself if I have to," Rory said, her eyebrows furrowed. Glenn was always looking out for everyone on runs, she was kind of shocked that Daryl and T-dog were willing to take the guns and leave Glenn.

"Why are you calling him 'kid'? Ain't you a kid yourself?" T-dog snapped at her, not liking how she was siding with Rick over him.

"I'm twenty..." Rory raised an eyebrow at him, holding his gaze unwaveringly.

"This could be more than them guns. Could be your life too. Glenn worth that to you?" Daryl questioned boldly.

"The life I have, I owe it to him. I was nobody to Glenn, just some idiot stuck in a tank. He could've walked away but he didn't. Neither will I." Rick answered, straightening out his sheriff's uniform.

"So you're just gonna hand over the guns?"

"I didn't say that," Rick said. "There's nothing keepin' you two here. You should get out while you can, head back to camp. I'll take Rory and the kid to get Glenn."

"And tell your family what? That you sacrificed yourself to save someone you barely know? And what about Archer? I don't necessarily want to be the one to break the news that you were killed because of your blind loyalty." T-dog looked between Rory and Rick.

"It's hardly 'blind loyalty', Glenn is our friend. He's got us through dozens of supply runs since the world went to shit and he'll get us through many more. We've got one of theirs and they have one of ours, if they want the kid back, they have to give us Glenn," Rory said harshly. "Believe it or not, a lot of things can be solved with a simple conversation, this isn't a fucking war, T-dog."

"Exactly," Rick nodded. "We'll go to their hideout, talk to them, and figure out how to get Glenn back."

"Fine." T-dog sighed.

—/<3/—