On the other side, when Daryl learned that his brother Merle was still alive, he was ecstatic.
Rick and T-Dog, however, wore complicated expressions.
As the camp waited anxiously, the sound of a car engine echoed in the distance. Though they already knew of Merle's imminent return, Shane still grabbed his shotgun and aimed it toward the entrance—ready to blow the heads off any unwelcome visitors.
A blue-and-white police car soon appeared on the road.
"Oh, it's Merle!" Shane lowered his shotgun once he saw the passengers, while Daryl rushed forward immediately.
"Merle, you tough bastard—you're still alive!"
Merle climbed out of the car with a grin. "Of course your big brother's alive. No way I'd die that easy."
Just as Rick was about to ask how Merle had escaped, the man preemptively opened the rear car door and said with an oddly obsequious tone, "Miss Selene, aren't you going to come out and introduce yourself to everyone?"
It wasn't hard to see why Merle was acting so deferential. Selene's display of superhuman strength had thoroughly cowed him. During the drive here, she had made it very clear that he was not to speak carelessly about her.
"Hey, Merle, where'd you pick up the soldier girl?" Daryl asked when he spotted Selene sitting in the back seat.
"Pick her up? Hell no!" Merle sneered. "If it weren't for her, I'd already be dead—killed by that cop and the damn black guy over there." He shot a venomous glare toward Rick and T-Dog.
"That's rich, coming from the guy who nearly got us all killed," T-Dog muttered, clearly uncomfortable but unwilling to argue further.
Rick stepped forward to diffuse the tension. "You were a threat to the group back then. I'm sorry for what I did, but under those circumstances, I didn't have a choice."
As the argument began to escalate, Selene finally stepped out of the car.
"Hey, miss, do you have any information about safe zones or shelters?" Shane asked, approaching her directly.
It wasn't unreasonable for him to assume as much. Selene's spotless black tactical outfit looked far too clean and orderly for an apocalypse. To them, she seemed like someone connected to the authorities—surely she would know something about official evacuation sites.
The others perked up immediately, eyes full of hope.
But Selene, of course, knew nothing of the sort. Even by the tenth season, there had been no mention of any functioning government shelters. That had always made her wonder—did the authorities truly perish so completely? What of the countless nuclear bunkers humanity had built? Not a single one in operation?
"No," Selene replied flatly.
The brief silence that followed was heavy enough to crush hope itself.
...
Night fell.
Around a crackling bonfire, the group's morale had finally begun to settle. Shane stood and spoke, "Don't be discouraged, everyone. Even if there's no shelter, life still goes on."
"Yeah," Dale added, smiling kindly. "Let's all get some rest tonight. We've got rabbit thanks to Daryl, and there's plenty of beer—let's have ourselves a good meal!"
His words lifted the mood instantly. Laughter spread through the camp, and even Merle joined in with a few boisterous howls.
After dinner, Andrea invited Selene—who had no assigned sleeping spot—to share her tent.
Unsurprisingly, Selene declined. She wasn't used to close proximity with strangers.
At the same time, Merle and Daryl were likely enjoying a rare moment of brotherly reunion.
That night, Selene sat alone in the car, lost in thought. She felt oddly adrift. Her original plan had been simple: wait for her abilities to recover, erode the world, complete her Herrscher ascension, and then leave. But somehow, against all logic, she had saved Merle—and now she'd ended up here.
"Fine. I'll just help them through this crisis," she muttered softly. Perhaps the remnants of her former life still lingered, preventing her from being truly heartless. And after all, a little kindness that cost her nothing wasn't such a bad thing.
Perhaps, in the future, that kindness would fade away entirely.
The next morning, Selene awoke early.
The ever-helpful Dale was already up, preparing breakfast. "Morning, miss. Sleep well?"
"More or less," Selene replied calmly.
"Can't start the day without a good meal," Dale said cheerfully, sidestepping any awkwardness. "So, what'll it be for breakfast?"
"Oh? What do you usually eat around here?"
"Whole wheat bread and some game meat," Dale said, shaking a small jar of cheese spread.
"And my other options?" Selene asked dryly.
"That's it. You can either have bread with cheese—or bread with a bit of meat."
"Then forget it." Selene reached into her multifunctional backpack and tossed him a large bag of canned food.
"Huh? What's this—canned goods!" Dale's eyes lit up. They'd been living off bread and roasted meat for weeks, long since tired of the monotony. This was the first real variety they'd seen in ages.
"I'll heat these up right away—let's give everyone a surprise!" he said excitedly, hurrying off with the cans.
The mountain air was fresh, and the lush greenery made it easy to forget this was a world already fallen into ruin.
"Good morning, Miss Selene."
"Morning, Mrs. Carol."
"Morning, Miss Selene. How was your night?"
"Not bad, Mr. Rick."
"Morning, Selene."
"Morning, Miss Amy."
...
After greeting everyone along the way, Merle approached quietly. "So, what's the plan for today?" he asked in a low voice.
For someone like Merle—who only respected strength—force was the only effective deterrent. Before being subdued, he was a rabid dog; afterward, he could become a useful subordinate.
"I'm not leaving yet," Selene replied. "I plan to set up some defensive traps around the camp. Your perimeter security is practically nonexistent."
"Got it. I'll handle it," Merle said, turning to leave.
As Selene continued walking toward the edge of the camp, a foul stench filled the air. Following it, she came upon the corpse of a deer, its neck bearing clear bite marks.
Not far away, a zombie's mangled body lay in pieces. Selene thought for a moment, recalling the plot—this must have been the vanguard of the coming horde. Tonight, the swarm would arrive, and many in the camp would die. She decided she'd at least save them this once—if only to leave no regrets.
The bushes rustled. A figure emerged, holding a hunting crossbow and carrying a quiver on his back. Dressed in a faded green vest, he exuded a rugged, untamed aura.
Daryl didn't pay her any mind, walking straight to the zombie's head. He stomped it hard, muttering angrily, "Could've fed everyone with that deer. Damn thing ruined it." Then he kicked the head away in frustration. "Damn it! I tracked that deer for days."
Merle emerged soon after, clapping his brother on the shoulder. "Alright, alright, quit showing off. Miss Selene here could put your three-legged-cat hunting to shame."
Without waiting for Daryl's reaction, Merle turned to Selene and said quietly, "This is my kid brother. You can trust him."
Catching the implication, Selene gave a small nod, glancing at Daryl, who looked utterly confused. "Understood. I'll keep that in mind."
Daryl frowned. "Trust? What the hell are you two talking about, Merle? You hiding something from me again?"
But Merle only grinned ear to ear, throwing an arm around his brother. "You idiot, I just scored you a chance to stay alive."
Getting down to business, Merle wanted to discuss their next move. He'd noticed Selene didn't quite fit in with the group and suspected she wouldn't stay for long. Subtly, he suggested they could leave together.
Selene shook her head. "Not yet. We'll stay for a few more days. Look at that corpse—the city's zombie horde is spreading. The main wave is on its way."
She didn't specify when—it would be tonight—but even when helping others, Selene never let her guard down.
Merle fell silent, realizing the gravity of what she said. "The horde... it's spreading already."
"Then why don't we just leave? Warn the others, maybe?" Daryl asked.
"First, we have no solid proof," Selene said calmly. "Second, I'm new here—they won't trust me. Third, this camp's location is excellent: high ground, a nearby lake. Do you really think they'll abandon it just because we said so? Lastly—your brother's reputation isn't exactly helping. They'd probably think we brought the horde here."
In this survivor group, Rick and Shane led the decisions, while Merle was widely distrusted.
"As for why we're not leaving on our own," she added with a faint smile, "let's just say I'm feeling generous. We'll set up plenty of warning traps around the perimeter to ensure early detection. Better safe than sorry. You handle the arrangements."