Ch. 11 Bar Fights Suck!

"Well shit"

Michael says as he pulls out his gun. The men are picking heat.

"Son of a bitch. Their alive" the skinny man says.

"I'm Dave. The scrawny lookin douche bag over here is Tony" the skinny guy says.

"Eat me Dave" says the round man.

They walk in and take a seat and pour some alcohol for themselves. They just look like bad news. Lots of alarms are going off in Michael's head. He didn't drink too much….maybe. So he just has to be weary.

"Hey. Maybe some day I will" Dave says. Just casually bringing up cannibalism. Ok….

They talk about where they're from.

"I'm Glenn. It's good to meet new people" Oh for the love of….. What did Maggie see in you Glenn. These people are clearly bad. And you just gave them your name. I guess it won't do them any favors knowing your name when they are dead.

"Rick Grimes"

"Michael Parson"

"No way! As in The Parsons? I heard of em a while back. They weren't too big but ya know…. Last I heard they had three kids. How are they doing? They had a good amount of money before the whole world kicked the damn bucket"

"Haven't heard from them since"

"Damn, sorry. What about the kids?"

"My brother and sister…..they went with em….." Michael sadly says and pretends to take a sip.

"Aren't the-"

"Shut up Glenn! How many times do I have to say not to bring them up anymore!" Michael shouts at Glenn scaring everyone.

"Anyway…. Sorry to hear about that. Does he have a name?" Dave points to Hershel, he doesn't want to deal with an angry drunk.

"His names Hershel. He lost people today….. a lot of em" Rick speaks up.

"I'm really sorry to hear that. To better days and new friends. And to our dead, may they be in a better place" Dave gives a cheers and only Hershel doesn't drink. Michael pretends to take a sip again.

Dave pulls out a pistol from his butt and sets it on the table. They talk about Philadelphia and how they've traveled to the middle of nowhere. How DC was no good. The rumors of different groups they were with. Then Nebraska came up. Apparently low population with lots of guns. Too ideal for Michael, and too much of a long shot.

Then Dave asked about where the group was settled. Michael held his pistol firmly and was getting ready. He knew they were set up nearby since the car wasn't full of supplies. They don't seem too dumb, but that doesn't make them smart. Then Dave says that Fort Bening is gone. That's where Ricks group was going to head next. Apparently not anymore.

Rick doesn't want to tell them where they are holding up but Dave deduces a farm since there is so much land here.

They called the dead Lame-Brains. They decided Walkers sounded better. That is something Michael can agree with.

Tony goes and pisses on the floor off to the side.

They argue and Michael puts his finger on the trigger.

Michae can barely stop himself from turning and killing them both. As soon as Tony shouted Michael turned and fired two bullets. The first hit Tony between his eyes. Dave was too shocked to respond before he got shot in the temple.

The others just look at Michael as he just turns the swivel chair back to the bar and drinks the rest of his glass. "Wanted to do that since I saw em"

It's dark outside now. Michael goes and takes Tony's shotgun. He doesn't want to touch Dave's pistol after where it's been. He barely wanted to touch the shotgun because of the way Tony smelled. His shirt was yellow, but it was the yellow of a white shirt that had been worn too long.

The four of them get ready to leave. But as they exit Rick checks their pockets for the car keys. Then a car pulls up just outside the bar.

People get out and after Rick tells them they killed their friends they open fire blindly into the bar. Luckily they were hiding and just had to get to the ground.

Rick was putting down covering fire as Glenn, Hershel and Michael ran further into the bad instead of the front where they originally were.

They had to dive into cover as more shots peppered everything in the bar. Windows broke and there were some revolutionary new air conditioning methods being used by these guys. They are just trying to draw walker to themselves at this point. It's crazy.

Hershel slides Glenn his shotgun back across the floor.

Rick tries talking them down. But Michael mows there is only one way this ends. And it's a bloody ending.

Glenn runs to the back of the bar. It leads to a storage room or something and there are double doors as an exit at the back. Michael follows behind Glenn.

They hear a person behind the doors and see his silhouette in the glass of the doors. The round door handle turns and Glenn pulls the trigger of the shotgun almost making him fall to the ground. Michael puts his hand on Glenn's back to keep him upright. "When you fire a shotgun next time, I recommend you lean into the shot" Michael whispers.

"Glenn! Michael!" Rick shouts

"We're ok. We're alright!" Glenn shouts back. Then he goes to the door quietly and looks out the broken glass and to the ground.

Hershel comes around and Glenn nearly blows him back to his farm. Hershel says that he will cover Glenn and that Michael should cover Glenn as well. Michael almost felt like chopliver or something. Apparently Hershel can shoot, he just doesn't like to. Michael can relate to that. Too much noise for him.

Glenn is supposed to go for the car and then they will make a run for it. Stupid plan. But what other plan is there?

Glenn opens the door. Hershel and Michael right behind him. As Glenn is walking along the backside of the building he gets shot at from a guy standing out in the open. The idiot gets taken down by Hershel with one bullet. Nice job. But the bullet only injured the guy. Didn't actually kill him right away. You can hear him moaning and groaning as he lays on the grass.

Glenn ducked behind a dumpster when he got shot at. Don't know if he got hit or not.

Rick comes by and checks in with Hershel while Michael keeps an eye out. Rick goes along the building towards the dumpster where Glenn is supposed to be. He won't respond at all. The worst may have happened.

Michael is sad but keeps an eye out because if Rick also goes down all hell will break loose until a new leader is forced to make decisions. And Glenn was Michael's next vote. Maggie also wouldn't be a bad leader, it's just that she is too naive right now. Maybe in a few years. Maybe sooner, but hopefully not. Leaders tend to be in harms way and he would struggle with letting Maggie do it. At least she wouldn't be alone, hopefully.

Rick finally gets to the dumpster. "Are you hit?!" He whisper shouts.

"No, no" Glenn gets out. The dipstick actually decided to respond. Would you believe it. Now Rick is with Glenn. Hershel and Michael are near the store.

That's when Glenn and Rick starts getting shot at. They duck further behind the dumpster.

Michael gets to a position where he can see a guy on a roof and a car pulls up on the street below the roof. Apparently 'Jimmy' was shot and the driver tells the guy to jump off because the things were coming. He jumps to the building below and stumbles and falls off that one. A terrible sound is heard like he landed on something bad. His shouts and cries for pain are loud completely drowning out 'Jimmy's' noise. That's when the Driver decides to drive away. That's when Michael shoots the driver in the temple. Easy shot with his pistol. The car keeps going until it crashes into a store. Luckily it wasn't going fast.

The idiot that jumped off the roof is asking for help and just begging anyone to help. Michael knows Rick will do something stupid like try and save the guy or something.

Michael follows Rick to the guy who fell. That's when walkers start to appear. 'Jimmy' starts screaming as he gets picked apart and eaten alive. The screams are like he was never shot. Guess getting eaten alive is worse than a bullet wound. Who would have guessed?

Hershel watched as a walker eats the guys lips leaving the guys teeth to be revealed. Even part of his nose was taken.

Glenn meets up with Hershel. They go towards Rick and Michael across the street in an alley.

There is a young teenager asking not to be left. More like begging and pleading.

He fell on a fence with arrows pointing upwards. Meaning that when they pull his leg off the fence it will tear through more flesh in the middle of his thigh. It missed the bone at least.

Rick says he can't just leave the kid. Glenn points out that that kid was just shooting at them.

"He's a kid!"

"This place is crawling with walkers!"

"We can't leave him!" Rick cuts Glenn off.

Hershel checks the wound saying it went clean through and they won't be able to get the leg off the fence. Rick shakes the fence like he is a monkey and the kid screams in more pain.

"Shut up or I will shoot you!" Rick says and Hershel responds. "And that might be your answer"

As they are discussing what to do. Michael gets close to the kid. "You know you were shooting at us. I have a brother and a sister waiting for me. I also have a possible girlfriend waiting for me. You could have taken me away from them. You want your mercy consider it done"

Michael shoots the kid in the face ending him.

The others turn to look at Michael.

"Let's go" Michael stayed and starts walking to the cars being careful.

"That's wasn't your call to make!" Rick whisper shouts.

"And it was yours? Rick, you may be the leader but you have a soft spot for kids. I do too, but nothing good would have come from saving a kid that was shooting at us. Explain to me why I shouldn't have shot him back at base camp!" Michael starts off calm but progressively gets more mad. He hates that he felt nothing after shooting the kid as he looked into his eyes.

Rick doesn't say anything else but just starts moving to the car.

The walkers are closing in. They get in the car but have to leave the truck that the kids group had. It was already being over run by walkers.

They start the car and try moving through the horde that just appeared in this previously desolate town. Eventually the horn of the truck draws most of them towards it. A walker must be feasting while pressing the steering wheel. Lady Luck must be smiling on them.

But they still has to run through a few. They make it out of town and avoided the horde but nobody is celebrating. As they are driving they see a lone walker. Glenn wants to just shotgun it as we drive by but Michael told them that I need to blow off some steam and to stop. They reluctantly do so. When the car was shut off was when they heard the feminine voice.

Turns out the walker was Lori. Boy do they feel stupid now. Michael doesn't ask for thanks. He doesn't even mention how they wanted to just do a drive by.

Apparently Lori was heading to town to get them. She got in a crash because she was napping and driving and smashed a walker and lost control of her car. Hershel joins Michael and Glenn in the back. It was decently cramped. At least it was a family car and not a sports car. Michael really wishes he had grabbed that truck and is kicking himself internally.

They drive back to the farm pretty fast. Michael decides to put his seatbelt on tighter and wear it more properly. Tonight was a bad night for cars. One flipped and one crashed and had walkers eating out of it. He didn't want to find the third crash to find a pattern.

When Rick got back on the car and had Loris hand on his thigh he mellowed down. Or he got horny? Dear god, they are like…Isn't she pregnant?…..can someone get double pregnant?…..is that..Just stop! Moving on!

Michael sat there lost in his thoughts. His staff pocking out from the trunk. They make it back relatively quickly. Probably thanks to Ricks Tokyo Drifting.

When they make it back everyone gathers outside the house. Even Daryl who had been secluding himself for a day or two.

They get out of the car. Carl hugs his mom and dad. The twins shoot towards Michael and give him a giant hug. They aren't crying but are saying that they missed him and are glad he is safe. Maggie runs towards the car. She goes straight pass Hershel who gets faked out by her as she goes into Michael's arms. Michael hugs her and gives her a peck. Then he flicks her forehead and points towards Hershel who turns around and starts walking towards the house.

Maggie runs up and hugs Hershels back. "I'm glad you're safe and back Daddy". Hershel pats her arms that are wrapped around him from behind. He seems much happier. Then she goes back to Michael. Glenn just kinda merged into the crowd awkwardly after holding two shotguns. Pretty sure he goes and has a bro talk with Dale. Michael wants to do that but has been busy or forgets. He will do that tomorrow, if it's not another crazy day.

Michael is about to walk away when Dale asks what took so long to Rick, even though Glenn is right there.

"We were shot at" Rick says pissed again. Oh boy.

"Are you guys alright? You don't seem hurt?" Dale asks. Does he really not know this is a can of worms? Technically it's not worms for him, but for Michael.

"We're ok because I took care of them" Michael spoke up. He felt Maggie's grip tighten around his arm.

"Yeah, you 'took care of them' Michael!" Rick shouts. Carl seems scared. The twins are fine.

"Before this continues, do you want Carl to hear this? I don't mind if the twins here have to hear it. Do you think the group needs to hear it right now? In the dead of the night?" Michael asks completely calm.

Lori looks at Rick and holds Carl close to her. Everyone looks at Rick. He looks away from Michael and looks at his son.

"Let's all get some sleep and anyone that wants to hear what happened tonight can find out what happened tomorrow morning. Eh?"

"Fine! But there will rules out down!" He walks with his family to the tents.

Everyone disperses. There were a few protests but everyone was tired.

"A crazy day it was indeed" Michael whispers to himself after kissing Maggie goodnight and taking the twins to the tent.