⌜ chapter eight ⌟

MJ, Rick, and T-Dog walk down the steps of the platform, and she's watching Daryl. Just as he turns to aim his crossbow at T-Dog's head, she steps forward and grabs the underside of his weapon, pushing it up. Rick's got his hand on his gun, ready to intervene.

Daryl's looking down at MJ, and she's studying his face. The crossbow's pointed toward the sky, and she's got the upper hand — a fact they're both aware of.

"You're angry and you're scared. Believe me, I've been there more times than I can count." She speaks up. "Now, you can shoot him and give us another problem to worry about. Or we can keep looking​ for your brother. The choice is yours."

He feels her start to let go of the crossbow, and he lowers it so that it's at his side. He then looks at T-Dog. "You got a do-rag or something?" Daryl asks him. T pulls a blue bandana out his back pocket and hands it to Daryl. He takes it and walks over to Merle's hand, laying the cloth on the rooftop. "I guess the saw blade was too dull for the handcuffs. Ain't that a bitch." He says as he picks up the hand by the pinky.

"How do you do that?" Glenn asks MJ as he walks up beside her.

"My younger brother's six-four. He's only three inches taller than our older brother, but he still feels the need to make up for those few inches." She says. "They're two big guys...and I'm always caught in the middle. Over the years, you learn to watch for signs of aggression — how to defuse a situation before it escalades."

"I ain't an animal for you to study." Daryl says as he looks at her.

"No, but that was a decent comparison."

"Are you always such a bitch?" He asks as he goes to put the wrapped up hand in Glenn's backpack.

"Lately." She squats as she looks at the area with the blood. "He must've used a tourniquet — maybe a belt, if he had one. If he didn't, there'd be a hell of a lot more blood." She says as she stands up straight.

Rick tells T-Dog to get Dale's tools that they left behind last time. MJ and Daryl start to follow the trail of blood that leads away from where the hand was left. They end up at a different exit than the one they came from, and she pulls her angel blade back out.

Daryl follows directly behind her with his crossbow raised, and Rick and Glenn are walking behind him. The four of them start down the stairs, and Daryl calls out for his brother. She continues down with her blade raised, and they go into a room in the building. There's one walker, and she quickly kills it.

As she and Daryl make their way out of that room, Rick and Glenn come from a different hallway with T right behind them. They find two dead walkers, and she moves past them.

"Had enough in him to take out these two sumbitches." Daryl says. "One handed."

"How very Captain Hook of him." MJ mutters as she nudges a bloody wrench with her foot.

"Toughest asshole I ever met, my brother." He continues as he reloads his crossbow with an arrow he used to kill a walker. "Feed him a hammer, he'd crap out nails."

"Any man can pass out from blood loss, no matter how tough he is." Rick tells him as he follows after MJ. "You're not one for sticking with a group, are you?" He asks her.

"Not my fault you boys can't keep up." She says as she rounds a corner. She's still following a trail of blood drops, and they lead into what looks like some kind of lab.

"Merle!" Daryl calls from right behind her.

"We're not alone here." Rick says, his voice low. "Remember?"

"Screw that." He says as he looks around the room. "He could be bleeding out. You said so yourself."

"Damn." MJ mutters when she sees burners on on a stove. "Your brother may be a dick, but he really is tough, isn't he?"

"Why do you say that?" Rick asks, and she motions to the low flames and the metal plate with burnt skin on it.

"He cauterized the stump." She tells them, and Glenn looks away, disgusted.

"Nobody can kill Merle but Merle." Daryl says, and she scoffs.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

"What the hell is your problem?" He questions as he looks at her.

"Your brother's lucky I didn't cut off his hand myself after he grabbed my ass." She says as she turns to face him. "I came back here for him anyway. But that doesn't mean that I have to be good company."

"That's what your kid meant when he said that Merle touched you."

"That's why Rick handcuffed him up there." She says as she walks past him. "You're brother's not here anymore. He busted out." She points to the broken window that leads to an old fire escape.

"He left the building?" Glenn asks as they walk over to her. "Why the hell would he do that?"

"Why wouldn't he?" Daryl asks. "He's out there alone, as far as he knows. Doing what he's gotta do — surviving."

"You call that surviving?" T questions as he looks at Daryl. "Just wandering out in the streets, maybe passing out? What are his odds out there?"

"No worse than being handcuffed and left to rot by you sorry pricks."

"The only prick on that roof was your brother." MJ says, and he looks at her.

"You know, I'm getting really sick of you and your mouth." He walks over to her, and she looks up at him. "So shut up or go back to the truck, you stupid bitch."

"You want me to leave?" She nods. "I could do that. Rick, you want me to leave?"

"No." He says, and Daryl looks at him.

"T? Glenn?"

"She's killed more of the geeks with a knife than we have." Glenn tells him. "We need her." He says, and T-Dog agrees.

"Well, I guess you're assed out." MJ says, and Daryl turns back to her. "Now quit your whining, princess. We'll find your brother, but we're getting those guns first."

—

Glenn makes it down the ladder in the alley where he saved MJ, Rick, and Jack. Daryl's right after him, and then MJ. Rick and T-Dog are in another alley in case Glenn's plan A doesn't go as it's supposed to do.

"You got some balls for a Chinaman." Daryl says as he loads his crossbow. Glenn's plan is for him to run out and get the bag of guns that Rick dropped yesterday.

"I'm Korean." Glenn tells him.

"Whatever."

"Such an ass." MJ mutters as she raises her angel blade, readying for a possible attack.

The whole scenario kind of reminds her of the hunts that she used to go on with her two brothers. All the planning and having a fall back plan, watching out for each other even when the others are pissing her off. It makes her realize just how much she misses them.

Glenn leaves the alley and starts for the bag of guns. Daryl's kneeling behind a dumpster, and MJ moves closer to the gate. She hears footsteps behind her and turns her head to see a guy — who can't be out of his teens — walking toward them. She raises the blade higher as he looks at her.

"Back up." She says as she takes a step forward.

"What are you gonna do?" The kid questions, and Daryl comes out from behind the dumpster with the crossbow ready.

"Whoa, don't shoot me!" He holds his hands up. "What do you want?"

"I'm looking for my brother. He's hurt real bad." Daryl tells him. "You seen him?"

"Ayudame!" The kid yells out for help, he's speaking Spanish.

"Shut up!" MJ whisper-yells.

"You're gonna bring the geeks down on us." Daryl says. "Answer me."

"Ayudame!"

Daryl tries to shut him up, and then two more guys run into the alley. The one that's carrying a bat runs at Daryl and kicks him away from their stupid friend. The other one goes for MJ, but she ducks under his fist.

She swings the blade and cuts his arm, which really pisses him off. He rushes at her and knocks the blade out of her hand. He gets a solid punch to her ribs, and she groans, but brings her knee up. She gets the side of his leg and he starts to fall, but he takes her with him.

The guy rolls so he's over her and he punches her in the face, successfully splitting her lip. He then brings his knee into her side, and she chokes out a scream. He's about to punch her again when his friend gets his attention.

"That's it! That's the bag, vato!" He yells, and the guy wailing on MJ looks up. "Take it! Take it!"

Both men go after Glenn, who just made it back to the alley. They take him down and the one who was hitting Daryl with his bat then starts hitting Glenn.

MJ rolls onto her side and grabs her angel blade. She sees Daryl aiming the crossbow and stays close to the ground. He shoots the guy who was punching her and the arrow hits him in his ass.

He starts screaming as MJ's coughing, clutching her side. The one with the bat uses Glenn as a shield so that Daryl won't shoot him too. They take him, and Daryl runs past MJ to try and get to Glenn. She pushes herself up and grabs the kid who was yelling for help before. She pins him against the wall with the blade against his throat.

"Now what are you gonna do, tough guy?!" She yells in his face as Daryl then pulls the gate shut to keep the walkers out. "Huh?"

Rick runs over and grabs Daryl before he can get to MJ and the kid. "I'm gonna kick your nuts up into your throat!" Daryl yells as MJ pushes the flat side of the blade against the kid's neck.

"Get her off of him!" Rick yells, and T-Dog separates them before grabbing the kid so that he can't run off.

"They took Glenn. That little bastard and his little bastard homie friends! I'm gonna stomp your ass!" He's trying to get away from Rick.

MJ turns around and tries to run at the teenager again, but Rick gets his arm around her waist and pulls her back to him. T-Dog's keeping the teenager against the wall.

"Guys! Guys! We're cut off." T yells as MJ spits blood out of her mouth.

"Get to the lab. Go." Rick tells him as he looks away from the crowd of walkers. He gets the bag of guns that Glenn dropped, and they all head in the opposite direction.