Chapter 3
NOTE:
Again, please don’t expect updates this close together to be the norm, I’m just in a great writing mood and it’s all TWD baby!
That being said if you do not like that a lot of it is word for word of the show do not worry, the longer Harry is there the more it will change.
Spelling and Grammar are not my thing, but I feel I’ve improved a great deal if you have ever read my oldest stories, I’m sure you will all agree, some. So, any mistakes are just that, a mistake.
WARNING AND DISCLAIMER:
Bad language is used in this chapter and is taken from the show, I do not own the show or have any affiliation with the making of it. I am not receiving any money for this work.
Character bashing is an added tab as I’m making things change. Characters are acting differently than the show on purpose.
Chapter Three
Rick and Harry followed Glenn through the building and down some stairs, Harry was hitting the point of almost total exhaustion, it was hard to continue but he had to keep going, they were not safe yet.
Glenn talked on the radio to someone about coming in hot with guests before they got to the bottom of a set of metal stairs.
There were walkers there, two closer than the others, and neither of the adults attacked right away.
Suddenly two people wearing odd padding and helmets rushed out a door across from them wielding bats, they took down the walkers before all five of them made the run for it into the next building.
Harry took in the room they were in, there was a gathering of people, one lady was very angry with Rick and pulled a gun out and pointed it at him.
“You son of a bitch, I auto-kill you,” the blond woman said aggressively. The whole room was tense, everyone trying to get the lady to back off.
“Chill out Andrea back off,” one man said, his eyes moving from the blond, Andrea to Harry, who had huddled himself close to Glenn.
“Come on ease up,” a skinny dark-skinned lady said pleadingly.
“Ease up? Are you kidding, we are dead because of this stupid asshole” Andrea said, Rick was watching the blond wearily.
“Andrea, stop you are frightening the kid,” the man with curly black hair said.
Andrea took a moment to take in what was said, she stopped her stare down of Rick to look around, spying Harry’s tear-stained face.
She backed off, though she seemed reluctant to do so.
Andrea looked just as frightened as Harry felt.
“We’re dead, all of us because of you,” she said as despair took over the aggressive behavior.
“I don’t understand” Rick replied. He was confused as to why his actions meant they were all expecting to not make it out of the city.
The man from before stepped forward leading them through the building and into another part of what looked like a shop.
He explained they were looking for supplies when Rick came riding in and began to shoot his gun, causing a massive group of hungry dead to rile up and come after them.
Trying to get into the store they were in.
A massive group was at the front door banging and slapping at the glass, Harry could even see some had rocks and had managed to start to break the door.
It wouldn’t be long before they got through that, he just hoped they were long gone by then.
As the adults talked, Harry had taken to looking around, the room had lots of clothes and accessories it didn’t seem to have anything one would need to sustain them, as in food or survival gear.
Why the group was in this shop particularly Harry had no clue.
He had learned from a young age to appreciate what he was given and never took it for granted, so after a quick look around he grabbed some shirts and pants that looked close enough to fit him as well as some boots, they looked a little big, but he could make do with that.
Out of Carls's old clothes, he only had grabbed one other pair of pants as the rest were way too small even for his tiny frame.
It wasn’t like he wasn’t used to dirty hand me downs but, after wearing some that fit well, he was quite comfortable with them. Some more would come in handy.
Suddenly there was the sound of a gun going off and all the Adults panicked and began to rush off, Harry hurried to catch up, not wanting to be left behind.
Everyone was rushing up a stairwell that went up and up, Harry was already very tired, so he was unable to keep up with his little legs.
At the top of the stairs, he took a well-earned moment to catch his breath before he went through the only door.
He saw Rick hit a man with a big gun and proceeded to rush over, something big had happened while he was trying to catch up.
“Rick, what are you doing? Hitting people is wrong” Harry chastised, he had no clue what had happened, but it looked like there might have been a fight.
“Everything is fine Harry, just stay back,” Rick called as he bent down to talk to the man he had hit,
Harry chose not to listen though. As he ran over to them to see Rick had put handcuffs on the man and had stuck him to a pipe.
All the adults seemed angry with the big man, it looked like a fight had happened with the tall bulky black man who was being cradled on the ground by the two women, he seemed to be in a bad state.
“Aw, you go yourself a lil’n” the man said in a slightly slurred voice.
Rick grabbed the man and hulled him up into a sitting position ruffly.
“Who the hell are you man?” growled the handcuffed man.
“Officer friendly” Rick responded before he picked up a gun,
“Look here, Merle. Things are different now. There are no niggers anymore. No dumb-as-shit inbred white-trash fools either. Only dark meat and white meat. There's us and the dead. We survive this by pulling together, not apart.”
Harry didn’t know how to feel about the situation, the other adults were just watching with what looked like satisfying glee as Rick continued to talk down to the man, Merle.
“Screw you, man”. Merle growled back in response.
“I can see you make a habit of missing the point,” Rick said in exasperation.
“Yeah? Well, screw you twice” Merle was clearly defensive, it was an intense situation, and everyone’s instincts and adrenaline were running high.
“Ought to be polite to a man with a gun,” Rick informed while he cocks his gun and points it at the man’s head.
“Only common sense”.
At this, Harry had had enough of the adults posturing and ran forward squeezing himself in between the two aggressive males.
“Rick please stop, you’re being a mean bully” Harry yelled while trying to push the heavy man away.
“Listen to the lil’n officer,” Merle said, looking mighty impressed.
“Harry, I told you to stay back” Rick chastised as he tried to grab Harry to drag him away.
“No, you are being a bully, just like my uncle was a bully” Harry responded as he planted himself firmly, he would not be moved to allow Rick to shoot a man who was defenseless.
“Harry this man is a bully, he started a fight by hitting the other man,” Rick explained.
“Actually, T-dog threw the first punch” Glenn called out. Making everyone turn to the Asian man.
“What? Merle was saying offensive things, yes but, T-dog started the physical fight.” Glenn defended his input.
Rick backed off a bit and it eased the tension Harry and Merle were feeling somewhat.
“Sides, he’s a cop he wouldn’t shoot old Merle”.
The group was all standing now, and it seemed T-dog was able to walk.
“All I am anymore is a man looking for his wife and son. Anybody that gets in the way of that is gonna lose. I'll give you a moment to think about that.” Rick responded Harry didn’t like what it might mean.
He might be just a kid, but he wasn’t dumb.
Rick moved closer again and tapped Merle on the nose.
“Got some on your nose there,” he said, and Harry was close enough to see that the handcuffed man had some white stuff on his nose.
“What are you gonna do? Arrest me?” Merle laughed, but as Rick began to go through the man’s packets.
Harry was still watching everything critically, it didn’t look like Rick would shoot the man now, so he relaxed a little bit and stepped away.
“Hey! What are you doing? Man, that was my stuff!” Merle yelled as Rick threw something off the roof before he began to walk off.
Merle was angry that Rick had taken his stuff whatever it was, it must have been important for the man to get this upset about it.
As one of the men approached Rick, he gently pulled Harry back further away from the yelling man.
Harry might not have seen the start of the situation on the roof, but he was beginning to think that Merle might be very much like his Uncle Vernon. He was going to have to be careful, the man was getting red in the face and yelling all kinds of bad words.
At this stage Harry didn’t know what to do so he just stood off the side and watched what was happening.
The other adults didn’t approach him as they huddled around T-dog to assess his injuries.
After a few moments, Everyone seemed to regroup back together.
“How's that signal?” The man who had introduced himself as Morales asked.
“Like Dixon's brain… Weak.” Was T-dog's response as he fiddled with a radio, Harry glared at the man for the unnecessary comment, it seemed that none of them liked the cuffed man. If they all ganged up on him, it would be unfair, just like Dudley and the Harry hunting game he played with his friends.
“Keep trying”
“Why? There's nothing they can do. Not a damn thing.” Andrea stated. Everyone looked worn out and tired, the heat of the day was not getting any better even with the darkening sky and thunder rumbling across the sky.
“Got some people outside the city is all. There's no refugee center. That's a pipe dream” Morales explained, he was keeping close to Rick, it seemed like most of the group was deferring to the cop.
“Then she's right. We're on our own. It's up to us to find a way out.”
Looking around all they could see were Geeks all over the street below. What they needed was a miracle, Harry thought.
“Good luck with that. These streets ain't safe in this part of town from what I hear. Ain't that right, lil’n?” Merle said looking at Harry.
“Hey there lil’ one, what say you get me out of these cuffs, we can all work together to get out of dodge,” Merle asked, and Harry took a few steps closer to the man to help out before Andrea stopped him.
“He ain’t worth it kid,” she said, Harry instantly didn’t like Andrea then. Who was she to decide who was worth anything?
These people were reminding Harry more of his relatives the longer they were there, and he wasn’t liking it one bit.
Had Americans always been so hot-headed?
Merle just growled at Andrea but as soon as she had moved over to join the other adults Harry continued over to Merle.
He bent down to look at the cuff. There was a place for a key, but Harry wasn’t sure how else to get it open.
He sat down next to the cuffed man and waited for the rest to make up their minds about their escape plan.
“The streets ain't safe. Now there's an understatement.” Morales agreed.
“What about under the streets? The sewers?” Rick asked.
“Oh, man. Hey, Glenn, check the alley. You see any manhole covers?” Morales asked the Asian man who was closest to the other side of the building. Glenn raced across to check.
“No, must be all out on the street where the geeks are.”
“Maybe not. Old buildings like this, built in the '20s… Big structures often had drainage tunnels into the sewers in case of flooding down in the subbasements.” The black woman said, Harry thought he had heard someone call her Jacqui, but he had missed the introduction.
“How do you know that?” Glenn asked the woman, everyone was looking at her now.
“It's my job… was. I worked in the city zoning office.” Jacqui replied she looked confident in what she said so most of the adults ran to go check out the basement.
Harry stayed next to Merle, there was no way he had the energy to trek the stairs again.
“Where you from kid,” Merle asked. He seemed much calmer now.
“ England” was Harry’s response.
“And what is a lil Brit doing so far from home at the end of all this?” Merle questioned.
“Aunt, Uncle, and cousin came for a work trip they turned into a holiday, had to bring me on their family vacation, even though they didn’t want to, they couldn’t find a sitter” Harry explained sadly. He hated that he was always reminded of the fact he wasn’t wanted by his family.
He used to want their positive attention and affection, like he could prove to them somehow that he wasn’t a burden, he used to think that if he was good enough, obedient enough, they would love him like they did Dudley, like all the other kids in his class at school had a loving family to go home to.
As he got older it had become very clear to him that nothing, he did would change how the Dursleys treated him, they didn’t want him, and they made sure he knew it.
“Tough shit that, how’d you end up with officer friendly anyhow?” Merle asked.
Harry told the man of a short version of the events that had led them there, it wasn’t like there was a need to hide anything, he might have felt like Merle could be like his uncle but when the man was calmed down, he seemed alright.
“I'll tell you what… You get me out of these cuffs, and I'll be right to look after you good, we all got to stick together now don’t we kid,” Merle said as he tugged on the cuff for emphasis.
“Hey, see that hacksaw over there in that tool bag? Get it for me, hmm?” Harry had no reason not to, he didn’t think Rick should have left the man cuffed for so long anyway.
Grabbing the whole bag Harry lugged it over.
“Now let’s see here, this is not go’ in be easy, these here are state-issued police cuffs. They are not easy to break out of kid” Merle stated as he began to use the saw on the chains.
Harry watched as everyone ambled back onto the room all looking more panicked and desperate.
They all were looking over the edges of the building and searching for a way that might indicate an escape route.
Rick had spotted a truck at a construction site that was close to their location and had pointed it out to the group.
“That construction site, those trucks… They always keep keys on hand.” He stated.
“You'll never make it past the walkers,” Morales observed, they were everywhere out on the street, everywhere you looked you could see the dead.
You got me out of that tank.” Rick said to Glenn hoping he could come up with an idea for this as well.
“Yeah, but they were feeding. They were distracted” the Asian man said.
“Can we distract them again?” Rick asked of the group as a whole, waiting for any ideas they might have.
Merle took the opportunity to give his own thoughts.
“Right. Listen to him. He's onto something. A diversion, like on "Hogan's Heroes." He stated.
“God. Give it a rest” Jacqui scolded but Harry didn’t see anything wrong with what Merle had said, he was agreeing with Rick after all. He just couldn’t understand these people.
“They're drawn by sound, right?” Rick asked.
“Right, like dogs. They hear a sound, they come.” Glenn informed him, understanding that Rick and Harry seemed very new to all this.
“Ok what else” Rick questioned, any information they had that he could use would help them come up with a plan.
“Aside from they hear you? They see you, smell you and if they catch you, they eat you,” Morales said to Rick defensively.
“They can tell us by smell?” Rick asked,
“Can't you?” Glenn uttered, all this talk, and nothing happening was making Harry think adults weren’t all that great at everything after all.
Sure, the situation was dire, and they needed to come up with a plan, but it felt like it was taking forever, and the adrenaline had worn off, all he wanted to do was cure up and take a nap.
“They smell dead, we don't. It's pretty distinct.” Andrea said, everyone was quiet for a few minutes before Rick directed them to go back down the stairs, this time T-dog stayed as well as Jacqui.
Merle hasn’t given up on the chain, but he wasn’t making any headway either, Harry could tell he was getting more frustrated and desperate the longer he was at it.
After a long ten minutes, the group came back to the roof, missing Rick, and Glenn.
“Hey, T-Dog, try that C.B.” Morales ordered.
“Where is Rick?” Harry asked Andrea as she was the closest to him.
“Not now kid, we’re busy” was her hasty reply before she joined the rest at the roof edge to look over.
Merle gave a huff as Harry sat back down next to the man.
“See now there’s no need to brush of lil’ bit like that” Merle’s statement fell on deaf ears, however, as the group were looking out at what was happening below.
“There they are” Morales had the binoculars and was pointing down to the ground.
“That ass hole is out on the street with the handcuff keys?” Merle asked in disbelief. He wasn’t getting anywhere with the hacksaw, the key was the only way out now, a key that T-Dog was showing him dangling between his fingers.
Silence descended on the group. It felt like it was taking a lifetime but after a few more minutes the sky opened up above them and the rain that had been threatening for hours suddenly began to pour in a steady burst of rain.
“Oh, man. It's just a cloudburst. We get 'em all the time. It'll pass real quick” Morales stated, as they continued to watch the two on the ground.
After a few minutes, the rain ended, and the sun began to come back out.
“They're leaving us,” Andrea said in disbelief.
It annoyed Harry that the adults didn’t have any hope.
“Rick wouldn’t leave us, he must have a plan” Harry informed them only they didn’t seem to hear him or care for what he said.
“Where they going? Where they going?” Morales stammered as Andrea kept up a string of come 'back, and No’s!'
“Don’t worry your lil head sweetheart, I believe you, officer friendly don’t seem like the kind to ditch a group in need” Merle said after he could see how dejected Harry was at the lack of acknowledgment from the other adults.
Suddenly Glenn’s voice was heard over the C.D
“Those roll-up doors at the front of the store facing the street… Meet us there and be ready.”
Everyone was suddenly in a flurry of activity, grabbing their bags and racing toward the roof door.
“Come on kid let’s go,” Morales said ushering Harry up to follow them.
“What about Merle, we can’t leave him here,” Harry said, surely, they wouldn’t, he didn’t think these people were that evil but from what he had lived through so far it was clear that there were hardly any good people in the world.
T-dog rushed back as Merle was begging to not be left behind.
Harry bent down to yank at the chain desperately, but it just would not break. It was too damn strong.
T-dog was bringing the key, but suddenly the bulky man fell, and the key went flying into a small, grated drain nearby.
All three of them stared in disbelief, Merle went from shocked to angry instantly renewing his efforts and pulling at the cuffs.
“I’m sorry man, I’m so sorry” T-dog stammered, rushing forward the black man grabbed Harry up and threw him over his shoulder.
Harry shouted to be let go, he had to help Merle, it wasn’t right.
He was begging and pleading and crying to save Merle, as T-dog carried him to the door. Harry hit and kicked the man to get out of his hold.
It seemed that with his other injuries, Harry’s thrashing was making the man unable to hold on and he eventually dropped the boy.
Not wanting to waste time and end up being left behind T-dog continued to run, he wasn’t taking the chance on a kid he didn’t know.
Crying now Harry rushed back to Merle and kept yanking at the chain, he wished with all his might that it would just break. Surely Merle had made it weak with the saw, together they should be able to break it.
Getting more and more desperate Harry’s vision was blurring. He was so tired he just wanted everyone to be safe and protected.
Suddenly the cuff chain broke, and Merle gave a yell of triumph.
Harry was just so tired, he was relieved beyond all measure, but he just needed to sleep. So, he finally allowed the darkness to take ahold.
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Merle stared down at the boy who had just dropped like a sack of potatoes to the ground.
The boy was a good’n, so he wasn’t planning on leaving the kid behind. He was out cold but breathing well.
Merle lifted the little tyke into his arms and took off, running down the stairs as carefully as he could but still making sure he was quick.
Once he was at the bottom he raced on through the store.
The dead were lumbering around and made it, so he had to do some serious dodging to get to the back door, he managed to get to the truck and jump in, just a moment before they shut its door all the way and peeled off with squealing tires.
Everyone was looking at Merle with shock like they couldn’t believe he was there and completely unharmed. One end of the cuff was still attached to his hand and the snapped chin dangled down as he rested his arm on his legs, he was keeping the kid close with the boy sleeping laid out across his lap.
“What you do to him?” Was the bitch Andrea’s question.
“I ain’t do nothing to him, he saved me, and that dumb ass black boy left us both for dead on that roof” Merle informed them.
Hell Merle was sure he was only fine due to the lil one, and he was going to make sure he repaid that back in full.
“Why is he unconscious?” Jacqui enquired as she moved closer to inspect the child.
“All that running and fear and adrenaline, heck I’m surprised he lasted as long as he did, he sleeping is all,” Merle told her, and Jacqui confirmed it.
The group didn’t seem happy to have old Merle with them. The pussies that they were, so ungrateful to the hand that had helped to feed them.
He had half a mind to grab his brother once back at the camp and hightail it out of there.
They were planning on it anyway, if Darlena would just make up his goddamn mind, they could rob them blind and take off in the night.
And if he took the kid with them, he bet none would complain too much. These people didn’t care one lick about some kid that wasn’t their responsibility.
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By the time the group had made it back to camp, Harry had opened his bright green eyes.
The boy didn’t get up from sitting in Merle’s lap, he still looked tired, no one could wait to have some of the cans of food that were scavenged for dinner and then go to bed, Harry looked like he needed it more than anyone else.
It had felt like the longest day in their existence.
Rick was trying to take Harry from Merle when Morales told him to come out and meet everyone.
“The guy's a cop like you.”
Rick gives up on trying to get Harry to go with him. It seemed like the boy had taken a liking to the older Dixon for some reason, so he walked around the truck to go meet the rest of the camp.
The first person he saw was Shane, he was standing there staring at him like he was staring at a ghost.
Rick couldn’t believe it, his best friend, Rick had found him.
He spied Carl and Lori a little further along and he began to cry with intense relief to see his family again.
“Oh my god” Rick cried as he began to advance towards his family.
Carl and Lori ran up to meet him.
“Dad! Dad!” Carl shouted in astonishment and delight.
Rick grabbed his son into his arms and hugged him fiercely, crying in relief.
“Carl. Oh god, I found you!” He gushed as he kissed Carl on the cheek Lori wasn’t far behind, so he got up off the ground where he and Carl had fallen and approached his wife.
He was so happy to see them both. Giving them kisses and hugs. Before he went to his best friend who looked surprised to see him.
Rick pulled the shocked man into a hug as he thanked him profoundly for keeping his family safe.
Merle and Harry were standing back looking on, Harry wasn’t sure where the surge of jealousy came from, he was happy for Rick, very glad the man found his family, it just made Harry even more aware of what he had never had.
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NOTES:
There we go, another chapter, and I’m pretty happy with it.
Again, leave me feedback, I’m always happy to hear what people have to say.
Stay Tuned xx