A flicker of fear crossed the boy's eyes, but he remained stubborn: "Just kill me! I won't tell you anything anyway! You thugs will never find them!"
"Ha! Then go die!"
Merle chuckled, and without a moment's hesitation, he raised his axe and swung it down at him!
"Merle! Stop!"
The others, who had no intention of causing a death, were quick to react, working together to restrain the frenzied Merle.
Rick even had to pull out his gun and press it against his head again before he reluctantly lowered the axe.
"Listen," Rick said, emphasizing every word as he looked him in the eye, "we don't kill the living!"
"Fuck!" Merle's response was to spit on the ground.
After Merle left, Rick looked at the boy who had long since fallen from his chair to the ground in terror, trying to make his voice sound as calm as possible:
"We mean no harm. We just want to talk."
The boy's eyes flickered, but he still clenched his teeth, refusing to speak.
Now even Daryl lost his patience.
He stepped forward, grabbed the boy's collar, and hoisted him up from the ground.
Then he leaned into his ear and said in a cold tone, like a viper's hiss: "Listen, this cop might not kill you, but if you keep wasting our time like this..."
He paused, let out a suppressed, angry sneer, and continued to threaten him:
"Me, or that bastard from earlier—if one of us wants to take off one of your hands or legs, he won't be able to stop it."
"You want to try? Huh? See if we'll do it?"
The boy trembled all over and shrank back.
At this moment, Rick stepped in at the right time to pull Daryl away, then looked at the boy and said sincerely: "My friend is among the people you took, and so is my son."
"I want our people back safely. Don't you want to go back safely too?"
"If we can settle this through peaceful negotiation, it's better for everyone, don't you think?"
Perhaps Rick's words worked, or perhaps it was fear of Daryl and Merle's threats, but the stubborn resistance in the boy's eyes was finally replaced by terror. He relented.
"...I'll take you there."
...On the other side, inside the nursing home.
"Alright, sir, relax, breathe with me... that's it, breathe out..."
In a sun-drenched room, Louis was standing in front of a white-haired old man in a wheelchair, gently patting his back and guiding him to calm his breathing.
Just then, the old man let out another violent, agonizing cough, and his breathing became increasingly difficult.
"His asthma spray!"
Louis reacted immediately, getting up to rummage through the nightstand beside them. "Damn, there are no spares here!"
"Oh, heavens..."
An old lady sitting in a wheelchair nearby said worriedly, "I remember Felipe organized the medicine cabinet only yesterday; he should know where the backup medicine is."
"Mr. Felipe? Okay, I'll go find him!" Louis reassured the two elderly people and immediately turned to run out of the room.
Meanwhile, at the main entrance of the nursing home, the atmosphere was tense to the breaking point.
Rick and Guillermo, the leaders of the two groups, were in a standoff with guns drawn.
Rick pushed the captive boy forward, his voice cold and hard: "Your person, I've returned him. Now, hand over my people."
However, Guillermo only sneered, with no intention of letting anyone go.
"It seems you haven't realized the gravity of the situation yet."
He glanced contemptuously at the weapons in the hands of Rick's group. "Where are my guns? Why weren't they in the bag and returned as well?"
"Because those aren't your guns," Rick replied, refusing to back down.
Click!
Several "gang members" behind Guillermo immediately racked their slides. Daryl and Merle also instantly raised their crossbow and gun. The muzzles of both sides were aimed squarely at each other's heads.
The air seemed to freeze; a bloody shootout was almost on the verge of erupting!
At this critical juncture, a crisp, familiar voice rang out without warning from the building behind Guillermo and his men.
"Mr. Felipe!"
Louis shouted as he ran toward the bald man who had pointed a gun at Merle and was later shot in the butt with an arrow by Daryl.
"One of the grandpas is having an asthma attack again! We can't find the spare spray; he needs your help!"
This sudden shout caused the tense scene to instantly fall into an eerie silence.
Everyone was stunned.
Rick and the others widened their eyes, their faces filled with disbelief.
"Louis...?" Rick's mouth opened slightly. He never expected to reunite with his nominal "son" in this manner.
"What the hell?" Merle couldn't help but curse under his breath.
He looked at the blond boy who had run out from behind the crowd, wearing a clean T-shirt as if he had just showered, and remarked, "Is this kid here on vacation?"
Wasn't he supposed to be a hostage?
During the day, he looked half-dead from sickness, so how was he so lively after being kidnapped?
"Huh?!"
Daryl and T-Dog also widened their eyes; this was the first time they had seen Louis in person.
"That's Louis!?"
This kid looked about the same age as the children back at the camp, right?
At most twelve or thirteen, with thin arms and legs. How did someone like this take down those Walkers and save that bastard Merle?!
"..."
Though for different reasons, the four people who had come to "rescue" their companion all fell into the same state of temporary mental paralysis.
"Rick! You really did survive too!"
Louis also seemed completely surprised to see them here. His blue eyes lit up instantly, and a look of pleasant surprise appeared on his face.
He ran over quickly, glanced at Merle nearby, and said with concern: "Oh, you're here too? Perfect, it's time to change the dressing on your wound."
Cough, cough... Guillermo, who had been completely ignored, finally couldn't help but cough twice.
He was about to put on a stern face and say some harsh words to regain control of the situation.
But Louis, who already knew this was all just a misunderstanding, didn't give him the chance.
He just looked back at Guillermo and gave him a bright smile.
"Of course, let's talk about all that after Mr. Felipe finds the asthma medicine!"
Then, before anyone could react, he rushed over, grabbed Rick, and pushed the bald man named Felipe toward the inside of the nursing home.
Guillermo's companions looked at each other in confusion at this sudden turn of events, and the originally tense atmosphere suddenly became comical.
After a silence filled with bewildered stares, Guillermo had no choice but to signal the others to follow with a helpless expression.
Louis pretended not to notice their expressions at all. As he walked, he spoke rapidly, spilling all the secrets of these "gang leaders."
"Oh, right, I haven't told you yet, have I? The uncles who brought me back have been protecting the grandpas and grandmas here. They're all good people; they just act tough to scare people away because they're afraid of meeting bad guys!"
Rick was led into the lobby of the nursing home with a dazed expression, half-pushed and half-pulled.
The scene before him was completely beyond his expectations.