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              TRACKING IS EASIER THAN Koa thought it would be. She and Nellie have been following Daryl as he tells the teens how to track what the different footsteps or paw prints are.

                         There's been barely any words exchanged between the three other than that. Koa stuck herself with the two quietest people possible who only respond with an eye roll or grunt. She kicks a rock, looking towards Nellie, "Hey, has Sadie told you what happened at Woodbury?"

                      Nellie raises an eyebrow, "She hasn't told you? Figured she would," She states quickly. It's obvious she's not in the business of small talk, just getting her mom back safe and sound. Koa clenches her jaw, glancing over at Daryl to see he's out of earshot distance, "Did Merle—"

                          "It's not for me to tell you," Nellie sasses and walks away from the teen. Half out of annoyance and half to calm her own heartbeat because the possibilities of what could be happening to her mom are weighing down on her like bricks.

                       Koa huffs. She's alone in the back of this trio. Her thoughts consume her. Everything she's been trying to ignore. She could lose her sister again. This time actually for good. Never to see Sadie again. All she'll really have is the memories once more.

                       She drags her feet along the forest floor, suddenly feeling like she might fall into the hole of hell and let it consume her.

                      "Finch," Daryl calls out. She snaps her head up, stopping in her tracks. "Why you all the way back there, huh? Hurry up, little lady!" He finishes with a typical grunt. Koa rolls her eyes and jogs to catch up with the older man.

               He sees it in her face. It's the same way he felt. The possible impending death of her sister, not her knowing what truly could happen to her.

                          "Merle ain't gonna let nothin' happen to her," Daryl lowly says. Koa laughs at this. He's already done something to her.

                          "Daryl, I wish you would realize that you don't need Merle. He's a piece of shit. Bluntly. You're not a piece of shit—but if you stick with him after everything he's done to her and Michonne. And Nellie. You'll be in the same boat as him in my head," Koa states, shrugging when she sees a twitch of surprise across Daryl's usually expressionless face.

                         "What'd he do to Sadie?" He asks like he's scared of the answer. One of the first times Koa has seen or heard fear from Daryl Dixon. She walks along, Nellie walking behind them. "Somethin', Daryl. Because the way she shudders around him like a baby deer isn't Sadie. How pissed she gets at him. He harmed her. And you know it too," Koa huffs and jogs ahead of them, tired of the cycle on whether or not Merle Dixon is a bad person.

                     THE OLDEST FINCH USED to be notorious for falling asleep in car rides. She can't do that with him in the car. Sadie doesn't even dare to shut her eyes around him. All she sees in the darkness is the way Merle manhandled her and violated her.

                          Michonne keeps asking the redneck random questions all through the ride. "You said you killed sixteen men. You ever kill anyone before?" She asks the invasive question. "No," Merle says softly. Sadie is too tired to make a slick comment so she just scoffs as she was expecting a yes.

                          "And how about before Woodbury? Before you met him?" Michonne asks another question. Sadie watches as Merle shifts uncomfortably in his seat, sighing in clear annoyance. There's no response so Michonne just hums at him like she's won some game.

                          "So, he saves your life, cleans you up, fed you a line of bullshit. Why would you kill somebody else for him? You know, we can go back. Take me back to my kid. Take Sadie back to her family," Michonne softly says. She's talking to him like a child. Yelling is no use, Merle will just yell louder and think he's winning.

                    Sadie furrows her brows. Is that how Michonne sees her? No, no. She wouldn't kill anyone for The Governor, not if it would benefit him at the very least. No, Michonne has to understand why she was with the man. Like a loyal dog, Sadie felt a need to stay by him for saving her life. She was left in a cardboard box on the side of the road without a notice telling people to take her and yet he took the chance and did.

                   He saved her in that gas station and now Sadie is planning he and Merle's demises.

                       Merle chuckles, "Ain't happenin'." Sadie's lips part. All she wants is to say bye to her sister and the Grimes'—and Judith. She misses her chubby cheeks and the giggles that would erupt from her. Her head falls to her hands, hearing her blood pump through it as she tries not to sob in the back of the car.

                      "I can't go back. Don't you understand that? I can't," Merle gruffly says, almost showing some emotion that isn't anger or stubbornness. It's like his throat is made of sand paper, holding back tears Sadie didn't know he was capable of nowadays. Or ever. Michonne narrows her eyes on him, "Why?"

                      But Merle stays quiet and suddenly the brakes beneath them squeal, the car coming to a quick stop on the side of the road. Sadie sits up a bit, wincing at the rope burn around her wrists. The man leans over to Michonne, blade dangerously close to her skin but she doesn't flinch, doesn't even blink at it. Sadie glares at him, keeping her mouth closed until she can fully access his plan.

                       Something snips. The ropes around Michonne's wrists fall. Sadie gulps, glancing down at the ropes that bind her but the snip never happens. She's trapped with him. "You go back with them. Get ready for what's next," Merle says in the softest tone Sadie has ever heard from him. Michonne doesn't move, even when he opens the passenger door for her.

                         "I'm not goin' without the girl," Michonne gestures to the blonde. Sadie meets Merle's sad eyes. The usual anger has been dismissed, something has finally. broke in him. The last straw. He knows he won't come back from Woodbury.

                          Merle hesitates, not because he doesn't want to let Sadie go. He's scared of something. Sadie's body is shaking, breathing louder. The blade finally hovers above the ropes. They slide through, cutting her loose. Sadie lets out a breath.

                     "Go on," Merle quietly says to her.

                     That's all? That's all he has to say to her? Does he think letting her go after kidnapping her is some sort of sorry?

                       Sadie snickers, tongue poking the inside of her cheek, "You're a class act, Merle Dixon," Sadie says, hearing the car unlock, "You deserve whatever horrible shit happens to you." She searches for some regret in his eyes but they're too dark to do much changing. They're sunken in, making Merle look older than he probably is.  

                        Sadie gets out of the car, slamming the back door closed. Merle hands Michonne back her katana and then they're left on the side of the road.

                  The women watch him drive away. "He's gonna kill himself," Sadie announces, arms crossed as a chill flows through the air. Michonne slowly, nodding in agreement. Sadie swallows. She's going to Woodbury. The Governor still wants her. She won't let herself be the demise of this group and her sisters like her uncle nearly was.

                      "You're not goin," Michonne sternly tells her as if she's been reading the younger's mind and walks right up to her. Sadie holds her head up, "I have to. I'm not ruining what Koa has left—"

                    "You leavin' will ruin her—"

                  "You're not my mom," Sadie abruptly cuts her off, a clump of tears stuck in her throat, "My actual mom is probably dead and the only proper one I ever had knew I was alive while I thought she was dead the whole time. I gave up on her just like my mom gave up on me. I am a Walsh. I fuck up things. Families. You go back to Nellie. You tell Koa I love her. I will fix this," Sadie says with a voice crack. She can no longer speak, she'll just sob.

        So, she turns on her heel and bolts the same direction Merle went, yellows leaves kicking up around her. "Sadie! Sadie!" Michonne yells, trying to keep up with the teen but unbeknownst to her, Sadie was once on the track team. The blonde disappears into the forest and now Michonne is left with telling her family, watching another Finch child fall apart.

                      SKIN ON NELLIE'S FINGERS are peeled off,  bleeding and stinging her each time she curls them around the handle of her cleaver. It's still awkwardly quiet between the three of them. Daryl is ahead of them, Koa about five feet away from her.

                        The man pushes through a bunch of bushes, showing them a small clearing. "Hey!" He shouts. Nellie sighs, running ahead to see what nuisance it is. "Michonne?" Koa calls out as the woman retracts her blade from a walker's severed head.

                      Nellie's body has chills run all over her. She pushes past Koa and Daryl to see her mom in the middle of the field. All logic leaves her, all she cares about is hugging her mom. That's all she wanted all day. That's why she even woke up. With open arms, Nellie runs towards her mother.

                     Michonne smiles brightly, opening her arms for the teen so that she can engulf her. Nellie and her collide, sniffling muffled by her nose buried in her mom's neck. "What happened?" She asks, still muffled. Michonne doesn't say anything, she just holds Nellie close to her, rocking her back and forth.

                         Koa stands there defeatedly. "Where's Sadie?" She asks with a scared whimper. Daryl exhales loudly, scared that Merle has really done something to this teen girl.

                      Nellie separates from her mom but keeps her torn apart hands on her mom's forearms, "Why's your nose bruised? What the hell did he do to you?"

                         "Knocked me out. Tied me up," Michonne answers casually. Nellie's brows furrow, "Tell me he's fucking dead. Tell me."

                        Michonne presses her lips together, giving Nellie a silent no of an answer. "Where's my brother?" Daryl shouts down. "Where's Sadie?" Koa asks as she runs down full of concern, "Did he....?"

                          "No, no," Michonne replies. Daryl joins them in their reunion, "You kill Merle?" Michonne still has an arm around Nellie as she nods her head no at Daryl, "He let me go. Sadie too."

                      Koa's heart drops either further, head spinning because he let her go but she isn't fucking here. "So where the hell is she?" Koa asks in an aggressive tone. Michonne flickers between Nellie, Koa and Daryl, letting out a shaky breath, "She left to Woodbury. She thinks if she goes, it'll end the war."

                            Koa pales, hand over her heart. Her breath quickens. She can't freak out now. She has to go after Sadie. "Koa?" Michonne softly calls out. It sounds like it echos off the trees, falling into the same volume as the breeze that rolls through.

                        Daryl says something and then runs past her. That snaps Koa out of it. Swallowing, she looks towards the women, "Tell the group I'm fine," Koa says, running off in the same direction as Daryl.

                        SADIE'S KNEES NEARLY BUCKLE beneath her as she approaches an old factory The Governor made into a meeting spot. His white pick up truck is there along with Martinez and the other men she once trusted with her life.

                  Rusted silos taunt her as she pushes past shrubbery. Her chest heaves up and down, sneakers line up with the edge of the forest. The men are talking amongst themselves, not even noticing the dirtied blonde teen. Frantic eyes wander for one man, not even a man she wants to see but one she needs to see. The man she can somehow convince to leave her family alone.

             She dares to step closer to the silos, watching the men carefully. Music suddenly blares around them, getting closer and closer to the silos. Sadie jumps back into bushes, gasping out of fear. An old maroon car strolls past. The car Merle stole only hours beforehand.

                  She sits down on the dirt floor, heart thudding in her ears. But she can barely hear her own heart over the music and then walkers follow behind. Sadie was right, this is Merle's plan. Self sacrifice.

    The same situation she's in. Sacrificing herself for the sake of the family she has left.

                       Sadie holds her breath as the rock and roll music slowly gets lower as the car gets further from her. Walkers wander a few feet in front of her, somehow not noticing the trembling girl. They follow the car, giving Sadie the chance to move from her spot in the dense forest. She dashes towards the white pick up truck. Her hands graze the bed of the truck when a stream of gunshots go off.

              "Shit!" Sadie curses, pulling herself back to the ground behind the vehicle. Bullets ricochet off the metal silos. With all the chaos, the walkers follow. Sadie has her hands over her ears but it does nothing to cover the loud shots that haven't stopped.

       She crumbles to the floor, crawling along the dirt to the passenger door of the truck. A sigh of relief slips from her mouth when the door is unlocked. Sadie pulls herself into the vehicle, ears ringing once the shots stop. The walkers spread out amongst the field after a minute or so. Sadie takes the time to catch her breath, hand on her heart. The taste of metal infiltrates her mouth as her breathing becomes slower. "Okay, okay," Sadie mumbles, looking at the silos, "He's gotta be in there."

            When she gets the chance, Sadie slips out of the truck and runs to the silos. The closer she gets, the louder grunts of pain get. It's Merle, they caught him. Which was more than likely the man's plan. Smugness boils in her chest and then guilt. She shouldn't feel guilty for wanting Merle to get what he deserves, it's all she's begged for these past few days.

              Sadie holds herself against the metal. She's going to have to face The Governor soon. She's going to see that look of betrayal up close and personal as she tries to convince him not to kill her family.

               With all his right hands distracted, Sadie slips into the silo like a mouse. Grunting echoes off the walls. She winces with each blow landed, imagining what she's about to witness. Sadie shakily turns the corner right as a scream rips from Merle's mouth. Her eyes widen in fear when she sees Dixon on the ground, colliding his metal fist with The Governor in a sickening crack.

               Her back hits the wall, hand flying to cover her mouth. They haven't noticed her yet, only focused on beating each other to death. The Governor is back on his feet, pinning Merle to the wall opposite Sadie.

             Her eyes meet Merle's. Regret melts into his iris'. He slows down, almost like he's trying to tell his old leader that there is a kid here, as if that ever mattered to him before. Sadie can't look away, staring at the blood flowing out of Merle's mouth. There's a gut churning crunch and then another scream rips from Merle.

             The scream makes her skin crawl. She swallows, whimpers falling from her mouth. Before Sadie can see why Merle is screaming, pieces of flesh fly through the air after The Governor spits them out along with crimson liquid.

             The Governor's head collides with Merle's, then he breaks his arm, beating him up further. Sadie feels like she's a kid again, watching her dad get into a bar fight she can't stop.

                    It's suddenly 12am on a Thursday night and Sadie is abruptly woken up in a bar's booth seat, watching her dad smash a beer bottle over a man's head.

                This is much more brutal. And it makes Sadie wonder if this is how bad Uncle Shane got at the end. His hand clamps over Merle's throat, choking him with rigid breaths.

               For some odd reason, Phillip lets go of Merle's jugular. When he spins around he's pale at the sight of Sadie. Her own heart skips a scared beat. Tears fall down her face, when did she start crying?

              "What the hell are you doing here?" The Governor stomps over to her, cornering her as he pants like an angry bull. Sadie gulps, looking up at him through tears, "I followed Merle after he kidnapped me," She says, trying to make it seem like she's less at fault right now. Act innocent and then beg him. Same man who let a truck nearly hit her somehow will be convicted not to kill her people.

             "Kidnapped you?" He seethes. He backs up from Sadie and she takes a deep breath. "Rick told you the deal, huh?" The Governor smirks, blood blending with his gums. Merle shrugs, "I ain't gonna beg," He grunts, "I ain't begging you!"

         The Governor turns away from a tearful Sadie to face Merle, "No," He says and pulls out his pistol. Sadie's body is shaking like a leaf.

                          BOOM

                      The shot goes off, hitting Merle right in the heart. An involuntary scream falls from her lips as she watches the man gargle on his own blood.

             Merle slumps to the floor. Merle Dixon has died at the hands of The Governor.

                   This is what Sadie wanted, why does she feel like she's dead herself?

                 He turns to look at Sadie, blood coating his face.

                   Hiccups of sobs leave her throat. "How long were you lying to me? To everyone in Woodbury!?" She cries out. The Governor steps closer to her, reaching out for her. She flinches, swatting his hand away, "No, no! Don't touch me! You were gonna let me die—"

              "I would never—"

             "You sent a truck barreling towards me and my sister! Listen, I know the deal was to bring back me and Michonne but you can have me. I'll stay here if you let my family go. I already screwed up with Koa, at least let her live on," Sadie begs, knees weak again.

                        The Governor's furrowed brows soften along with his dark brown eyes. He reaches out for her again and Sadie lets his hand fall on her shoulder. She hates it but she needs to convince him somehow.

            The Governor smiles down at her fondly, moving a strand of hair from her face, "We can talk about this another time."

                "No, I need to know. You need to choose. War or me. That's my sister. My family. There's a baby there! My sisters!" She yells, hand smacking against her chest. The Governor's softened mask falls. A violent hand grasps her bicep, pulling her out of the silo. "Let go of me! Let go—" Sadie yells as he shoves her onto the grass, "You got what you wanted," She glares up at him.

                The Governor stands above her, blood dripping from his wounds, "I want the prison. I want them dead," He yanks her up by her arm, "You comply—or I shoot your sister in front of you, got it?" Sadie wants to rebel and curse at him but fear strikes her for the sake of Koa.

                   Sadie just nods and he begins to drag her away, bruising her in his hold. Right as they start to walk away, snarls are heard. Sadie looks over her shoulder to see Merle Dixon with rotting skin stumbling out of the silo. Yellowed eyes stare right back at her but she's pulled away too quick for him to catch her.

         Sadie sobs, not for Merle—for Daryl Dixon—the man who just lost his brother.

———

omg there's one more chapter left of s3??? i'm so excited to get shit moving bro. btw s4 is not fully written yet so updates regarding that might be slow for a bit but i'm halfway done w it so