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Chapter 16

I'll find you.

Rounding the corner Daryl was suddenly jerked into one of the rooms, pushed up against a wall, a hand covering his mouth as Martinez shh-ed him at the sound of the Governor's men just outside searching for him. Once they moved on Martinez took a step back removing his hand from his mouth.

"Well, well if it isn't Daryl Dixon, I've been looking for you," he smirked.

***TWD***TWD***TWD***TWD***TWD***TWD***TWD***TWD** *TWD***

"What the hell do you want Martinez?" Daryl growled wondering why he had kept him hidden from the Governor's men.

"I need your help Dixon," Martinez spoke in hushed tones. "The Governor is crazy."

"Really," Daryl replied sarcastically rolling his eyes at the other man.

"Look, he killed everyone because they wouldn't turn back around to attack you lot at the prison, just gunned them down in front of me and Staples like it was nothing," he said making sure to keep his voice low. "We thought he was just trying to keep everyone safe, we've seen him do some fucked up things but he always said it was for the good of the group, to keep everyone safe and then he just killed them like they were nothing."

"Hey ya all decided to side with him even after the shit he did in front of ya."

"Staples and I, we had no choice he would have killed us…. We can help you, we have been working on a tunnel for months that leads under our new compound and out into the woods, if you give us three more days we will finish and we can lead you right to his room."

"How the hell do we know we can trust ya? Ya killed your own people on that last raid on the prison, ya killed women and children and ya want me to trust ya," Daryl growled at him making sure to get in his face.

"No, Staples and I, we weren't involved in that, that was all Aaron, he is the Governor's right hand man now, real brown noser, he positioned Staples and I at the main gate, we were to kill anyone that tried to escape." Daryl looked at him confused.

"I didn't see ya at the gate."

"No cause once the Governor headed inside Staples and I opened the gate so you lot could get out and then we stayed out of sight," Daryl raised his eyebrow. "What? You think the Governor just left that gate open for you? He's not stupid he didn't just want you lot dead, he also wanted the prison for himself… we told him you and Merle got the jump on us, he hasn't trusted either of us since."

"What's changed? I mean yeah I get it, he slaughtered ya people in front of ya but this ain't the first time he has killed in front of ya."

"This was different, this was our people, he always said we did the things we did for everyone in Woodbury but it was just lies, it was about power," Martinez whispered. "Staples and I also overheard him bragging to Aaron about what he did to our families…. My wife and kids and his younger sister." Daryl saw tears build up in the man's eyes.

"Ya told me walkers got your family."

"That's what I thought, when I found them they were already gone being torn apart but what I found out is that the Governor had been watching us for days, he needed soldiers but didn't want them tied down by a family, he wanted us angry and blood thirsty, so when I left them at our camp to do a run with Staples, he went in and shot them…. Gunfire drew the walkers in," he whispered tears slipping from his eyes.

"Oh man…" Daryl whispered feeling sick.

"I need him to pay, to suffer, both Staples and I do," he growled and Daryl could see the need, the honesty in his eyes.

"Alright, you get us a way in, I'll bring the fire power." Martinez nodded.

"Good but the kill shot, that belongs to me, he killed my wife, my kids and then when I finally met someone else I thought I could maybe have a future with he killed her too."

"When was this?"

"That day he killed the Woodbury people on the road."

"Wait, who's the girl?" Daryl asked wondering if it could be Karen.

"Her name was Karen."

"Man she ain't dead, we found her that day hiding out in a truck, she was shook up but alive, she is on a run at the moment with Merle." Daryl saw the man's face light up.

"Karen's alive?"

"Yeah." Martinez smiled, finally some good news. Pulling out a map he laid it on a table.

"This is where he has us held up, it's an old high school, Staples and I are on this side of the building, give us three days and come one hour after sun down," Martinez explained, grabbing one of Daryl's arrows from him. "I'll leave this sticking up out the front of the tunnel entrance so you know where it is, once inside we will wait until he falls asleep then we attack."

"Alright but Aaron is ours to deal with, we took him in and he betrayed us and it cost people their lives, including a kid I was close too."

"Deal," Martinez nodded. "Can you tell Karen… tell her I love her."

"Yeah I will," Daryl nodded.

"Thanks, alright I'll talk the Governor into leaving but you might have to stay here tonight, he might leave people behind to scout till morning I'm not sure… I'll see you in three days."

"Three days," Daryl agreed watching as Martinez slipped the arrow under his shirt before leaving the room, closing the door behind him. Taking a deep breath Daryl knew he was in for a long night.

***TWD***TWD***TWD***TWD***TWD***TWD***TWD***TWD** *TWD***

Carol stood on top of the look out with Sasha, she was starting to get worried. It would be dark in a few hours and still there was no sign of Daryl and his group. Merle and his group had returned a half an hour ago and were busy unpacking the truck. Merle had told her not to fret, that they were probably not far away so when she saw the truck come down the dirt road she couldn't help but smile.

"I'll let them in," she told Sasha who nodded as she climbed down. Opening the gate she quickly shut it behind them once they pulled in. Moving around to the front of the truck her smile quickly vanished when she saw both Daryl and Markus were missing.

"Is he in the back?" Carol asked hoping Rick would say yes but when she saw his blood shot eyes she knew he wouldn't. "No," she whispered feeling tears burn her eyes.

"The Governor and his men found us, they were coming straight for us and Daryl sacrificed himself so we could get away," Rick explained. "He wanted you to know he was sorry and that he loves you."

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no," Carol whispered tears streaming down her cheeks, she struggled to catch her breath. Bending over bracing her hands on her knees she tried to breath. Merle came up behind her wrapping his arms around her and holding her to him.

"Come on now little sis, you need to calm down," he shh-ed her rocking back and forth with her trying to even out her breathing but it was no use. She went limp in his arms as her world turned black, scooping her up he looked at Rick.

"We ain't finished yet, you got a nasty habit of leaving people behind," Merle hissed walking inside with Carol. After handing her over to Hershel and Cheryl he moved back outside.

"We had no choice but to leave," Rick tried to explain but Merle cut him off.

"What, like ya had no choice but to leave Carol before?" Merle growled.

"Merle, it wasn't like that," Michonne butted in. "Daryl ran right at them, we tried to stop him but it was too late. Merle sighed knowing they were right, if Daryl had ran at the Governor and his men there was nothing they could have done without getting captured or killed themselves.

"Did ya see him die?" he whispered not sure if he wanted to know.

"No," Rick replied. "That's why we want to go back to make sure." Merle nodded

"There is no point heading back now," Michonne piped in. "By the time we get there it will be dark and we are no good to Daryl dead."

"If the Governor captured him, he'll keep him alive for a while, he'll want information so we got time," Merle agreed.

"So we'll head out at first light," Rick agreed.

"You're just going to leave him in the hands of that mad man?" Carol all but yelled heading across the yard to them.

"Ya should be resting little sis, ya fainted," Merle turned trying to convince her to go back inside.

"He is your brother, he could die out there and you're just going to leave him," she hissed. "He would go after you."

"Ya don't think I don't know that?" Merle hissed back. "We ain't no good to him dead, if the Governor is still in town rolling up there in the dark is just a bad idea between him, his men and walkers we won't get anywhere near them and then what happens to Daryl?"

"You're making a mistake," she snapped before storming back inside, Merle sighed before turning back to face Rick and make a plan.

An hour later Carol came out of the house, she knew he would be mad but she knew she had to do it. Climbing the ladder she got up to the look out walking over to Merle she stopped standing beside him.

"I'm really sorry," she whispered, Merle nodded understanding.

"I get it, ya love him but we'll find him I promise."

"No you won't but I will." Merle looked confused for a moment he was about to turn and ask her what she meant when he felt something burn through his body and his world went dark. Carol pulled the tazer back and Merle slumped to the floor. "I'm sorry," she whispered dropping the tazer beside him.

Quickly climbing down she opened the gate and pushed the bike out not wanting to start it inside the yard, afraid it would alert the others. Once she shut and locked the gate she hopped on starting it up, she heard Rick shouting as she sped away, she would find Daryl if it was the very last thing she did.