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Chapter 18: Camp Conflicts
The camp, at Daryl's tent.
Daryl lay on the cot, his back to Merle, stubbornly refusing communication.
Seeing his little brother like this, Merle's mouth split into a grin. "What's wrong? You can't beat someone, so now I'm not allowed to talk about it?"
Daryl instantly flew into a rage. He threw off the blanket and sprang to his feet—then his back pain stabbed him, making his face twitch. Still, he glared defiantly at Merle.
"Hahahaha!"
Merle laughed uproariously. Truly stubborn and tenacious.
Daryl had originally wanted to snap back, but hearing his brother's laughter, he didn't know what to say anymore.
Merle's laughter continued for a long time, growing gradually hoarse with coughing toward the end, his face red from laughing.
When Merle stopped, he sat down in a camping chair.
The tent gradually quieted. Daryl lay back down on the cot.
Merle suddenly said, "I almost died."
Daryl stubbornly kept his head turned away, but still turned around to look at Merle smoking.
Merle met Daryl's eyes. Daryl realized his brother wasn't lying to him.
Just as Daryl was about to ask more, Merle gave a hoarse laugh. "This is the apocalypse, little brother. Everyone dies. I will too."
"So have less goodness in your heart. Think more about yourself."
"You know what I was thinking then? I was thinking—after I die, how will you survive?"
"You're so stupid, so kind. You'll go hunting for this bunch of assholes, scavenge supplies for them. I'm worried they'll get you killed."
Merle spoke and spoke, then stopped. He knew his little brother wouldn't listen to these words.
Merle raised his head and saw Daryl's eyes brimming with tears. "Are you a little kid? Still crying?"
Daryl raised his arm and pressed his head into the blanket, hiding his vulnerability.
Merle didn't know how to comfort Daryl. He could only keep talking.
"It was Caesar who saved me."
"He's very strong—has plans, has determination. I believe following him means surviving a bit longer in this fucked-up world."
"I'm planning to go with him. What about you, little brother? Should we go together?"
After a long wait, a muffled, tearful voice came from under the blanket: "Okay."
Getting his answer, Merle didn't linger. He stood and walked toward the tent exit.
Just as he stepped out, Merle looked back at Daryl hiding under the blanket. He paused for a moment before pulling up the zipper.
...
The lake surface lay calm. The pickup was parked by the lakeside.
Several baskets of clothes had been brought down. Andrea and the others sat by the lake washing clothes.
They poured in detergent and scrubbed vigorously.
Andrea didn't have the temperament for patient housework. As she worked, she glanced behind her.
Then she spoke loudly on purpose.
"Why do we women have to do so much housework?"
"I go out scavenging supplies too—surely that's better than certain men who stay at camp waiting to be fed!"
"I still have to wash clothes while certain men just stand around watching."
Carol, sitting beside her, sensed trouble. She looked anxiously toward Ed, who was leaning against the pickup truck bed.
Ed was a典型 male chauvinist. Through his blackened eye sockets, irritation showed clearly. He took a drag on his cigarette. "Woman, do what you're supposed to do!"
"Huh?"
Andrea was like a powder keg—the slightest spark set her off. "What I'm supposed to do?"
"What do you mean, what I'm supposed to do? Wash clothes for you, you fat pig? Cook for you, you fat pig? Fatten you up real nice, is that it?"
Ed had little patience to begin with. Irritably, he dropped his cigarette butt and walked toward Andrea, belly jutting out. "Don't make trouble for yourself."
"Or you'll get a physical punishment."
Andrea stood up too, getting in his face. The women beside her all stood up.
Carol was among them, timidly hanging her head. She didn't know what to do.
Seeing a whole swarm of women, Ed hesitated for a moment and decided to temporarily avoid confrontation. He reached out to grab Carol. "Come on, we're going back."
But unexpectedly, Carol was instantly surrounded by women who wouldn't let Ed pull her away.
Ed panicked and urgently pressed, "Carol, you know the consequences."
Ed's eyes flashed with viciousness. One look at those eyes and Carol knew—if she didn't leave, her daughter might also...
Carol pushed through the crowd and walked out. She looked apologetically at the companions who'd stood up for her.
Andrea wasn't so easily placated. She violently flung out a water-soaked piece of clothing. "Hey, Ed, wash your own damn clothes."
The heavy, sodden clothing slapped Ed across the face.
After staggering, Ed could bear it no longer. He threw down the clothing and charged aggressively toward Andrea.
Carol was behind him, trying to hold Ed back, but to no avail.
Andrea and her sisters surrounded Ed, all hands attacking at once.
Their strength was insufficient—they could only slap at him. They couldn't really injure Ed.
The commotion drew quite a bit of attention.
As camp managers, Shane and Rick had already entered the woods searching for walker tracks.
At that moment, the passenger door of the pickup opened.
Beth stepped out with a cigarette in her mouth, grabbed a wrench, and walked toward the arguing crowd while smoking.
Walking up behind Ed, Beth called out, "Ed."
Ed shoved aside the women in front of him and turned around.
Smack—a kick to the groin. Eggs scrambled.
Ed's eyes bulged. He clutched the injury and screamed.
Beth wasn't someone who showed mercy. She twisted and swung the wrench, delivering heavy blows down on Ed's head again and again.
His head split open, blood spattering across Beth's face.
Ed collapsed. Beth stepped forward two more paces and continued hammering down.
Ed's body twitched. Blood splattered high.
The surrounding women stared in shock. What had been a dispute had suddenly become a criminal case.
This blood, this swinging—Beth clearly wasn't holding back at all.
After beating him for a while, Beth grew tired. The wrench was slippery with fresh blood. She took one last deep drag on her cigarette and dropped the butt.
"Next time, watch yourself."
After Beth walked away, Carol was the first to react. She reached out wanting to touch Ed, but was afraid of touching his wounds. Tears streamed from her eyes.
But when Carol raised her head and saw Beth's retreating figure, an uncontrollable thought rose in her heart:
So women can live like this too.
...
Dale held binoculars, looking toward the small hill behind camp.
The hill was quite low, but there was a platform in the middle. Dale could see a figure wearing a baseball cap, tirelessly digging holes, dirt flying everywhere.
Dale didn't understand but showed respect. Still, he looked back every so often.
Dale, wearing his bucket hat, could feel the brutal heat. This made him start worrying about Jim digging holes up there.
Dale glanced at the camp.
The walker that appeared near camp this morning, Ed getting beaten and severely injured, the situation between Shane, Rick, and Lori, Caesar and his two companions entering the woods and not yet returning...
Too many things. Too complicated.
Dale thought it over—better for this old geezer to go check on Jim himself.