Merle swayed, nearly losing his footing. "Hey! I'm telling you, sweetheart, don't be so damn heartless! All you're doing is trying to pry information out of me!
You got any fucking food? Or painkillers? For whatever the hell you believe in, give me a hand here…"
Seeing that Calista still showed no reaction, he licked his lips and flashed a nasty grin.
"Hey, beautiful, this is a great deal for you! I know what's going on in Atlanta right now. And don't think just because my arm's gone that I'm useless. Once I recover, I can still 'repay' you properly…"
As he spoke, he gave his hips a crude thrust, wearing a filthy "you know what I mean" smile.
Calista curled her lip.
Merle Dixon's personality really was just like in the original story—completely disgusting.
Getting handcuffed on that Atlanta rooftop? He absolutely had it coming.
Then, to Merle's horror, the overly beautiful girl in front of him merely frowned.
Instead—
"Bang!"
The passenger door of the Humvee was yanked open violently.
A tall, fierce-looking woman jumped out of the vehicle in a fury. Without a word, she swung her fist and smashed it straight into his jaw!
"Damn!"
Stars exploded in Merle's vision. Already weak, he collapsed headfirst onto the ground.
This damn woman had no sense of fair play!
Before blacking out, he vaguely heard a few lines of conversation.
"Cali, are we really saving this kind of trash?"
"We don't have a choice. He knows the situation in Atlanta. We need him. We have to reach the CDC as soon as possible!"
Calista had her own reasons.
Merle's personality might be unbearable, but the bond between him and Daryl was real.
She didn't yet know how much the plot would change. If Leah and Daryl still met later—still clashed and fell in love—then keeping Merle in her hands would be extremely useful.
Controlling Merle could restrain Daryl, maybe even push him toward Leah's side.
Besides, Merle was perfect for dirty work. His personality suited the apocalypse, his survival skills were strong, and he had even managed to do well under someone as ruthless as the Governor.
Taking him in had plenty of benefits.
Though for now, Calista still had no idea what kind of dirty work Rock Fortress might eventually require.
"Alright, Wells!" Leah called toward the vehicle behind them with a sigh. "Get out. Zip-tie his right hand, search him, and throw him in the pickup bed!"
Wells sounded reluctant.
"Hey… uh… he looks like he might die in my truck. Then I'll have to get out and deal with a walker."
Leah clicked her tongue irritably.
"Then just dump something on his wound! Don't let him die too fast!"
Damn it!
These people tossed Merle Dixon into the pickup like a sack of sand.
Thud!
His forehead slammed straight into some useless broken crate!
...
When Merle regained consciousness again, the convoy had stopped on the roadside outside Atlanta.
He glanced around.
Well… this was just "great."
Six vicious-looking men. One equally vicious woman. And one expressionless girl.
This group looked far more dangerous than the bunch of weaklings he'd been camping with at the quarry camp.
"What? All of you mesmerized by me?" Merle kept a fierce expression, but his left hand secretly slid toward his thigh.
He had hidden a small knife there earlier.
"What? Looking for this?"
Mike casually tossed a small knife in the air, flipping it like a circus trick as he asked lazily.
Fuck!
Only then did Merle realize he had been completely cleaned out.
Everything was gone—even the lighter he had hidden in his crotch.
"Listen. We're heading to the CDC in Atlanta. Which route has fewer walkers?"
Calista slapped a map of Atlanta down in front of him.
Earlier, they had driven into the city—but before long, they ran into a massive swarm of walkers.
It looked like every walker in Atlanta had gathered there for a damn party.
Calista even suspected they might have accidentally taken the same route Rick used when he escaped.
They had hurriedly reversed the vehicles, but the engine noise still attracted the tail end of the horde.
Several of the fastest walkers had almost surrounded all three vehicles.
They had to weave through countless streets before finally shaking the horde off.
Calista held the map, but she had no idea where the walker concentrations were in Atlanta now.
So they had no choice but to wait for Merle to wake up.
Merle's eyes rolled, smugness returning.
Looks like everyone still needs good old Merle after all.
"Hey! Sweetheart! I want some water—"
Just as Merle was about to start running his mouth again, Leah's face instantly turned ice-cold.
Calista cut him off directly.
"You looked barely different from a walker earlier. We saved you. We used the most precious antibiotics left in this apocalypse."
"So you'd better behave."
Her eyes drifted to his left hand, and she gave a malicious smile.
"Otherwise, I wouldn't mind cuffing your remaining hand too. You don't have a third hand to saw off this time."
Heh.
Merle, who beat up everyone in the show without discrimination, had finally fallen into her hands at his most vulnerable moment.
Take advantage while he's weak.
Control him.
Merle choked on his words and finally shut up.
What Calista didn't mention was that during their frantic escape, poor Merle had been tossed around in the open pickup bed the entire time.
He had nearly kissed a walker that climbed onto the truck.
Just a little closer…
…and he really would have gone to meet God.
"So, remember which way to go now?" Calista stared at him.
Merle nodded unwillingly and pointed out the route.
Calista gestured for Mike to toss him a bottle of water.
Merle caught it with his left hand, bit the cap off with his teeth, and chugged more than half the bottle.
"Merle. Merle Dixon!"
He stuffed the remaining water into his pocket and introduced himself to the group.
"Calista Norton. These are my companions."
"Atlanta's full of walkers now. Your gear looks pretty decent—why insist on going in?"
He answered his own question.
"Oh, the CDC. You're looking for a cure?"
When no one responded, Merle sneered sarcastically.
"Jesus Christ. You don't seriously believe there's a cure in there, do you? If there was, Atlanta wouldn't have turned into this hellhole!"
Hearing that, Leah glanced at Calista, hiding the worry in her heart.
That place was the most likely place to save Calista.
No matter what, they had to find Dr. Jenner.
She rubbed her temples and signaled everyone to prepare to move out.
When Merle saw everyone getting into the vehicles one by one—and no one calling him—
He blinked in surprise.
"Hey! You're not seriously leaving me here, are you?!"
Leah snorted coldly.
"Don't you have legs? Climb into the pickup bed yourself."
"Hey! That's unnecessary! We're all on the same side now!" Merle shouted in protest.
"Listen, Dixon. We'll be on the same side once we reach the CDC safely. If you point us the wrong way, I won't hesitate to throw you to the walkers."
Leah grabbed his collar and shoved him hard toward the back of the pickup.
Still cursing under his breath, Merle climbed into the truck bed and leaned against a pile of boxes.
Once the convoy started moving, he spat heavily onto the ground.
"Damn crazy bitch… Let's see who'd want you later!"