Rachel collects her arrow from the dead things skull, wiping it on one of her socks before placing it back in her quiver. She quickly finishes eating her rabbit before kicking dirt over the fire and heading off.
She finds a stream, taking her socks off and washing them. A branch snaps as she washes herself, she turns, seeing another biter. Taking out her knife she walks over in her bare feet, putting an end to it's miserable existence. "Shit!" She frowns, her hands covered in biter crap. Rachel washes herself again, rinsing the dirt from her feet in the cool stream. She takes a quick scan of her surroundings then takes off her underwear, washing her intimate places whilst her panties and bra soak in the stream. Digging in her rucksack she takes out her spare undergarments, grateful that she'd had the sense to pack them.
She walks through the woods, her wet clothes hanging from the strap of her rucksack. She'd no place in mind, having spent the last week looking for Merle and coming up with nothing. She guessed she wasn't that good of a tracker, but it didn't help that the dead were plentiful and they kept mucking up any possible trails. Rachel had been careful at first not to stray too far from Woodbury, but eventually she had ventured further, figuring that Merle would stay as far away from Woodbury as possible. She could kick herself for not asking Merle where Daryl's group were based.
She stops abruptly, glancing at the floor. Kneeling, she takes her hand and brushes away some fallen leaves. Her eyes widen as she sees a very clear footprint. Rachel looks ahead seeing a possible trail. She follows it cautiously.
Rachel had been following the trail for almost two hours. She was almost certain it wasn't a biter, but her hopes that it was Merle were quite a stretch.
"Why you followin me?"
Rachel looks ahead, her eyes meeting with a crossbow. Her hand hovers over the knife on her belt. "I'm looking for someone."
"Ain't no one out here but us an the dead," he says, still aiming the crossbow at her head.
As he lowers his aim slightly she recognises him from Woodbury. "Hey wait. You're Daryl, right?"
"Who wants to know?" He asks, refusing to lower his bow any further.
"I'm Rachel. I was at Woodbury."
At the mention of Woodbury he raises the bow to her head once more.
Rachel raises her hands. "I was looking for Merle. You're his brother, right?"
Daryl's stern look falters. "If you were looking to kill him you needn't bother, he's dead."
Rachel lowers her hands, her face grave. "How?" She asks, her mouth dry.
"Governor. Merle went to find him and kill him. The governor got to him first. He shot him and left him to turn. I had to put him down myself," he says.
Tears fall down her cheeks. "I.. i'm sorry."
Daryl brings his crossbow down, confused as to why someone other than himself would shed tears for his brother. "You with him or somethin?" He asks, confused.
Rachel shakes her head, wiping at tears with the back of her arm. "Not like that. But.. he taught me everything i know," she says, tears falling once again.
"Merle did? He never did anythin if there weren't somethin in it for him," Daryl frowns.
Rachel laughs a little. "Yeah, he comes across that way doesn't he.. or he did," she glances at the ground. "He was a hard man to love, but i loved him anyway."
Daryl looks at her bemused. "You sure we're talkin bout the same Merle?"
Rachel nods. "He saved my life you know. He didn't have to, but he did. And he carried me all the way to Woodbury."
