Departure

The footsteps echo closer and closer with the branches cracking under its feet, they all tense up. When suddenly a man with a crossbow walks out.

Shane : "Oh, Jesus." he says with relief and annoyance in his voice and face.

Random man : "Son of a bitch. That's my deer!" he says with irritation and anger as he walks over to them.

rick and the others walk away from the gnawed up deer. That wasn't even more than five feet, away from where Zane bashed the walker's head in.

Random : "Look at it. All gnawed on by this . . . Filthy disease bearing, MOTHERLESS POXY BASTARD!" he says while kicking the dead walker a few times.

Dale : "Calm down, son. That's not helping."

Daryl walks up to dale with hostility and with anger says

Daryl : "What do you know about it, Old man? Why don't you take that stupid hat and go back to on golden pond?"

He goes back to the deer and pulls out his arrows.

Daryl : "I've been tracking this deer for miles. Was gonna drag it back to camp. Cook us up some venison. What do you think? do you think we can cut around. This chewed up part right here?

Shane : "I would not risk that." he says seriously.

Daryl : "That's a damn shame. I got some squirrel - - About a dozen or so. That'll have to do." he says with a sigh.

Daryl walks away and goes into the camp.

Daryl : "MERLE! - - MERLE! GET YOUR UGLY ASS OUT HERE! I GOT US SOME SQUIRREL! LET'S STEW 'EM UP." he shouts trying to grab his brother 's attention.

Shane walks towards the car and puts his gun down.

Shane : "Daryl, just slow up a bit. I need to talk to you."

Daryl : "About what?" he says while turning towards Shane.

Shane walks towards Daryl.

Shane : "about Merle. There was a - - there was a problem in Atlanta."

He looks around he looks around and notices the looks they're giving kind of like they're guilty.

Daryl : "He dead?"

Shane : "We're not sure."

Daryl get's angry and says "He either is or he ain't"

Rick feeling guilty comes forward, feeling the need to tell the truth.

Rick : "No easy way to say this, so I'll just say it."

Daryl : "Who are you?"

Rick : "Rick grimes.

Daryl : "Rick grimes, you got something you to tell me?" he says with hostility.

Rick : "Your brother was a danger to us all, So I handcuffed him on a roof, Hooked him to a piece of metal. He's still there."

T-dog walks back from collecting logs and looks at the conversation and he is full of guilt.

Daryl : "Hold on. Let me process this. You're saying you handcuffed my brother to a roof and you left him there!?"

Rick : "Yeah."

Daryl was infuriated at the thought of his brother trapped on the roof of a building surrounded by walkers. He looks at rick with anger in his eyes. He throws the rack of squirrel at rick, He tries to rush at him. Only for Shane to shoulder tackle him to the ground. Daryl while on the ground grabs a knife out of his pants, quickly he gets up and swings it at rick, but rick dodges and grabs his arm. While Shane grabs him from the other side and they hold his arms, Rick grabs the knife from him while Shane puts his arms around his neck eventually getting him in a chokehold. Daryl starts to struggle to get out of the chokehold but Shane isn't budging he has him locked in and he Daryl knew that.

Daryl : "You'd best let me go!" he says infuriated.

Shane : "Nah, I think it's better if I don't."

Daryl : "Chokehold's illegal."

Shane : "You can file a complaint." he says sarcastically.

Daryl struggles more just for Shane to tighten his grip.

Shane : "Come on, man. We can keep this up all day."

Rick walks over to Daryl and Shane he kneels down in front of him.

Rick : "I'd like to have a calm discussion on this topic. Do you think we can manage that? Do you think we can manage that?"

Daryl doesn't answer he just looks at rick angrily, Shane and rick look at each other and they both nod and Shane let's him out of the chokehold. Daryl points at Shane and glares at him but Shane just ignores him.

Rick : "What I did was not on a whim. Your brother does not work and play well with others."

While rick was trying to put together what happened T-dog interrupted him.

T-dog : "It's not rick's fault. I had the key. I dropped it" he says guilt ridden.

Daryl : "You couldn't pick it up?" he ask seriously

T-dog : "Well, I dropped it in a drain."

Daryl knees on the ground already plants his hands to the ground, and lets out a faint whimper close to tears but he holds them back and stand up and walks over to T-dog.

Daryl : "If it's supposed to make me feel better, it don't."

As he was about to walk away T-dog says something that stops him in his tracks.

T-dog : "Well, maybe this will. Look, I chained the door to the roof - - So the geeks couldn't get at him - - With a padlock."

Rick : "It's gotta count for something."

Daryl lets out and almost unnoticeable whimper, as he wipes his face from a little tear that let itself out and with a shaky voice says.

Daryl : "Hell with all Y'all! Just tell me where he is. So's I can go get him."

Lori : "He'll show you. Isn't that right?" she says seriously.

Rick doesn't answer for awhile but nods his head.

Rick : "I'm going back."

He goes into his tent to change his gear.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ten minutes later : Rick walks out of his tent with his police gear on trying to button up the shirt, As he is walking down to the camp sight Shane stop's him.

Shane : "So that's it, huh? You're just gonna walk off? Just to hell with everybody else?"

Rick : "I'm not saying to hell with anybody - - Not you Shane and Lori least of all." he walks away after that.

Shane : "Tell her that."

Rick turns around and puts his hands on his hips, and smiles at Shane.

Rick : "She knows." he says assured at his answer.

He begins to walk away but Shane follows after him quickly.

Shane : "Well, Look, I - - I Don't, okay, Rick? So could you just - - Could you throw me a bone here, Man? Could you just tell me why? Why you would risk your life for a douchebag like Merle Dixon?" they had made it back to camp.

Daryl points his hand with and arrow in it at Shane.

Daryl : "Hey, choose your words more carefully."

Shane side glances at Daryl briefly.

Shane : "No, I did. Douchebag's what I meant. Merle Dixon - - The guy wouldn't give you a glass of water If you were dying of thirst."

Rick : "What he would or wouldn't do doesn't interest me. I can't let A man die of thirst - - Me. Thirst and exposure. We left him like an animal Caught in a trap. That's no way for anything to die, let alone a human being." he walks away after not letting Shane reply.

As he was walking away Lori spoke out.

Lori : "So you and Daryl, that's your big plan?"

He looks at her and then turns around towards Glenn and tilts his head in and almost pleading manner.

Glenn : "Oh, Come on." he says annoyed almost pleading for Rick not to ask him to go.

Rick : "You know the way. You've been there before - - In and out, no problem. you said so yourself. It's not fair of me to ask - - I know that - - But I'd feel a lot better with you along. I know she would too.

Shane : "That's just great. now you're gonna risk three men, huh? Shane say's trying to control his anger almost to no avail.

T-dog : "Four."

Daryl lets out an annoyed huff.

Daryl : "My day just gets better and better, Don't it?" he says sarcastically.

T-dog : "You see anybody else here stepping up to save your brother's cracker ass?"

Daryl : "Why you?"

T-dog : "You wouldn't even begin to understand. You don't speak my language."

Dale : "That's four."

Shane : "It's not just four. you're putting every single one of us at risk. Just know that, Rick. Come on, You saw that walker. It was here. It was in camp. They're moving out of the cities. They come back, we need every able body we've got. We need 'Em here. We need 'Em to protect camp."

Rick : "It seems to me what you really need most here. Are more guns."

Glenn : "Right, The guns."

Shane : "Wait. What guns?"

Rick : "Six shotguns, Two high powered rifles, Over a dozen handguns. I cleaned out the cage back at the station before I left. I dropped the bag in Atlanta when I got swarmed. Its just sitting there on the street, Waiting to be picked up."

Shane : "Ammo."

Rick : "700 Rounds, Assorted."

Lori : "You went through hell to find us. You just got here and you're gonna turn around and leave?"

When Zane hears his mothers word he is confused, she is the one who suggested that he take Daryl. He just summed it up to her having second thought's but it still was weird his mom never contradicted herself like that. But he was snapped out of his thought's by carl.

Carl : "Dad, I don't want you to go." he says with guilt, he feels he was being selfish.

Lori : "To hell with the guns. Shane is right. Merle Dixon? He's not worth one of your lives, Even with guns thrown in. Tell me. Make me understand." she says as she stands up.

Rick walks over to his wife and faces her.

Rick : "I owe a debt to a man I met and his little boy. Lori, If they hadn't taken me in, I'd have died. Its because of them that I made it back to you at all. They said they'd follow me to Atlanta. They'll walk into the same trap I did if I don't warn Him."

Lori : "What's stopping you?" she say teary eyed.

Rick : "The walkie-talkie, The one in the bag I dropped. He's got the other one. Our plan was to connect when they got closer."

Shane : "These are our walkies?" he says getting impatient about the topic.

Rick : "Yeah."

Andrea : "So use the C . B . . what's wrong with that?"

Shane : "The C . B . 's Fine. Its the walkies that suck to crap - - date back to the ' 70s, don't match any other bandwidth - - Not even the scanners in our cars."

Rick : "I need that bag."

She doesn't answer, she looks at him sadly and turns away. Rick walks away and goes towards Zane and carl. He bends down.

Rick : "Okay?"

Zane nods his head yes at his dad, while carl stares at him for awhile before nodding his head as well.

Rick : "All right." he pats both of their heads and walks away.

He head's off, to Dale's R.V. he goes to dale and Jim.

Rick : "Rumor is you have bolt cutters that true."

Jim : "Maybe."

T-dog : "Yeah, We get to that roof, though, We'll need to cut that chain and the handcuffs."

Dale : "I never liked lending tools. The last time I did - - And yes, I am talking about you - - Let's just say your bag guns Wasn't the only bag that was dropped. My tools got left behind with Merle."

Rick : "We'll bring your tools back too. Think of the bolt cutters as an investment."

Dale : "Sounds like more of a gamble." he says as he walks to the bolt cutters.

He grabs the bolt cutters, T-dog reaches his hand out to get the bolt cutters, but dale puts his hand out signaling him to wait.

Dale : "What do I get in return?"

Rick : "What do you want?"

Dale : "What about one of those guns you bring back? My pick."

Rick : "Done."

Jim clears his throat.

Jim : "Dale, Let's. . . sweeten the deal a bit. Now that cube van of yours - -"

Rick : "What about it?"

Jim : "The R.V. 's Radiator Hose is shot. That's a problem if we need to get somewhere and wanna get very far. And the hose on that van is just about a perfect match - - Well, Enough that I can make it fit."

Rick : "I'll tell you what - - We get back, You can strip that van down to the bare metal."

The truck horn goes of, Dale hands rick the bolt cutters. Daryl comes from the front of the truck in a hurry.

Daryl : "Come on, Let's go!"

Rick : "Thank you." he says thanking dale.

Rick walks way with the bolt cutters heading towards the truck, Shane comes up to rick with a bag in his hands.

Shane : "Hey, Rick, Got any rounds in the python?"

Rick : "No"

Shane : "Last time we were on the gun range, I'm sure I wound up with a few loose rounds of yours.

Rick smile's.

Rick : "You and That bag - - Like the bottom of an old lady's purse."

Shane : "I hate that you're doing this, man. I think that it's foolish and reckless. But if you're gonna go, you're taking bullets."

Rick : "I'm not sure I'd want to fire a shot in the city, Not after what happened last time."

Shane : "That's up to you. Well. . . Four men, Four rounds. What are the odds, Huh? Well, let's just hope that - - Lets just hope four is your lucky number, Okay?"

Rick : "Thank you."

Shane : "All right."

Rick walks to the truck and gets in the passenger seat. Next to Glenn who's in the driver's seat. He takes out the python and begins putting the bullets in the gun. Daryl closes the back of the truck and they drive off. While those who stayed watched them trail, of into the distance eventually disappearing from their sight.