Unbreakable threads

Chapter Fifty-Four: The Governer.

"There's something else you need to know," Michonne said, her voice low and steady. The group's attention snapped back to her, sensing the gravity of her words. "The man who took your friends... Maggie and Glenn. The one who tried to drag me back to Woodbury."

She paused, her gaze flicking to Daryl, who stared back at her, an unreadable expression on his face. "His name's Merle."

A silence fell over the room, thick and tense. Daryl's eyes widened slightly, shock flickering across his face before being quickly replaced by a hard, guarded expression. Merle. The name hung in the air, heavy with meaning and history. For Daryl, it was a name that carried years of complicated memories, of loyalty and betrayal, of blood and pain. His brother. Who he thought he lost in Atlanta.

"Merle?" Carol whispered, her voice barely above a murmur, glancing at Daryl with a mix of concern and confusion. She knew the impact that name had, the weight it carried for him.

Daryl's jaw clenched, his face an unreadable mask, but his eyes were blazing with a storm of emotions. His brother, the one he'd assumed was long gone, had resurfaced. But this wasn't a reunion—it was a revelation of betrayal. Merle was with this Governor, and he'd taken their people. It was more than Daryl could wrap his mind around, and he felt a surge of anger mixed with a bitter sense of inevitability. Merle was always trouble, but this... this was beyond anything he'd imagined.

Rick glanced at Daryl, his expression filled with both understanding and urgency. "You sure it was him?" he asked Michonne, though the answer was clear in her eyes.

Michonne nodded. "White guy, rough around the edges, missing a hand," she said, her tone unyielding. "He's working for the Governor. He wanted to bring me back to Woodbury, and when he couldn't... he took your people instead."

Daryl's fists clenched, his face a mask of barely contained rage. He'd spent so much time trying to distance himself from Merle, from the life they'd led before, and now his brother had resurfaced in the worst way possible, as a threat to the people he cared about. A part of him wanted to defend Merle, to hold onto some shred of family loyalty, but another part of him knew that this was just... Merle being Merle. Except now, it wasn't just Daryl who had to suffer for it—it was his family, his new family.

Rick placed a hand on Daryl's shoulder, grounding him, silently reminding him that they'd face this together. "We'll get them back, Daryl," he said firmly. "No matter who's standing in our way."

Daryl swallowed hard, nodding, but his eyes were filled with a mixture of pain and fury. He glanced down, his mind racing as he tried to process what this meant, what he might have to do if Merle stood in their way. He looked back at Michonne, a fierce determination in his gaze.

"Tell me everything you know," he said, his voice low and steady.

Michonne took a deep breath, steadying herself as she prepared to drop another revelation. Her gaze shifted to the group, each member watching her with a mixture of curiosity, concern, and growing dread. She could see the shock and anger that mentioning Merle had brought to Daryl, and she knew her next words would only complicate things further.

"There's... something else," Michonne said, her voice quieter now, as if speaking these truths was a heavy burden. "Before I got to Woodbury, I wasn't alone. I found someone out there... another survivor. A woman."

Rick tilted his head, his face a mixture of surprise and apprehension. "Who?"

"Her name is Andrea," Michonne replied, glancing around to see if the name resonated. She noticed an immediate change in the room—recognition dawning on Carol, Beth, and a few others. Andrea had been one of theirs, a part of their group back in the early days. She'd disappeared after the farm fell, and most of them had assumed the worst.