PART 1
Wednesday, September 15th.
Day 22 of the Apocalypse.
Today marks not only the 22nd day of the apocalypse but also the 36th day since Ethan arrived in this world.
It means he has reached Level 8.
Of the 3 points, only one worked out; his Willpower now stands at: 10 (2/3).
With another 1 or 2 levels—4 at most—he should reach his goal.
But now, at daybreak, everyone was ready; Ethan had filled their hearts with hope, and now it was time to make good on that.
He took the lead, with Merle and Daryl driving their respective vehicles.
Daryl was on his iconic motorcycle—a custom Triumph Bonneville chopper.
The only issue with it was the SS symbol emblazoned on the fuel tank.
It obviously belonged to Merle, but—curiously—that white supremacist asshole didn’t know how to ride it or simply didn’t like using it.
He preferred the comfort of his pickup truck, though he was quite interested in the beast Ethan was driving.
So, Ethan was in front with Daryl alongside him, slowly pulling ahead; they had a radio link in case Daryl ran into trouble along the way.
Right behind was Merle, laughing with one arm hanging out the window, a bit tipsy.
Dale’s iconic RV followed, carrying Andrea, Amy, and a few other somewhat minor female characters inside.
T-Dog, Glenn, and Jim were in one vehicle.
(Author’s Note: Jim is the character who gets bitten during the night attack at the quarry and later asks to be left behind.)
Morales was in a nearby vehicle with his family; it was packed tight with their belongings and supplies.
In another vehicle, Ed Peletier—Carol’s husband—was driving, with his wife in the passenger seat and their daughter, Sophia, in the back.
Carol rubs an arm with a slight bruise.
In another vehicle, right behind Merle, Shane scowls as he glares at the pickup truck ahead.
Lori and Carl are with him.
…
<> “Hey, we’ve got a problem.
About ten walkers blocking the road.”
Daryl’s voice comes over the radio.
– “Okay, I’ll handle it; you can head back.”
Before long, Daryl returns, accompanying them and making a few hand signals.
– “Signal the cars behind to slow down.”
<> “Okay.”
Before long, Ethan spots the zombies.
Manuel swallows hard and grips his weapon.
“You won’t need that,” Ethan says, calming him as he slowly brings the vehicle to a stop.
As they step out, the others in the back are confused.
Ethan ignores Merle.
“Hey man, what’s the deal?
And what are you gonna do with that axe—chop wood?” Merle laughs, but Ethan ignores him while the group watches.
Shane steps out, armed and frowning.
“What the hell is this?” He watches Ethan running toward the threat.
“The guy went alone; there must be ten or fifteen of them,” Daryl says, leaning back against his motorcycle.
“Aren’t you going to help?” Shane asks, frowning.
“He didn’t ask for help.
If he wants to play Rambo, let him do it alone.” Daryl scoffs.
But while everyone was expecting disaster, even the mocking Merle soon found himself frowning in surprise.
Ethan confronts the zombies, delivering a straight strike—not with the axe blade, but with its spike.
The force is immense, crushing a skull effortlessly; he then swings the axe sideways, driving it into the forehead of the zombie next to it.
A kick, the axe drops low, and with a sweeping motion, one zombie is decapitated while another has its skull split open.
A spin—zombies lunge at him, but Ethan dodges with ease; as they fall, his boot crushes their skulls, his axe smashes another, then rises to split a zombie’s face in two.
A blow to a zombie’s chest forces it stumbling backward into the others; with a powerful swing, he strikes three heads—three dead zombies.
Everyone is left speechless by his brutal efficiency.
Even from a distance, it looks almost like he is dancing among the dead.
“Am I seeing things?
There are nearly twenty of those damn things, and he’s killing them all?!” Merle shouts, pointing.
“This drink is messing me up.” He stares at the vodka bottle.
Shane stares back, speechless, wondering if he’s somehow stepped into an over-the-top action movie.
He isn’t the only one.
Ethan soon returns after having tossed the bodies off the road.
“Get in; let’s keep moving,” he says, offering no explanation.
But he looks at Merle and says, “Monsters.”
…
Along the way, Daryl spoke more about the hordes, and Ethan repeated the process.
They cleared the path, and the group gradually got used to the routine.
They traversed roads and highways, avoiding the overcrowded ones; they entered Linden County a while back and, by late afternoon, arrived in Jackson Town.
As they drove through the streets, Shane and Daryl were the first to notice: bodies piled up, but…
no zombies walking around.
They slowly approach a specific location, where Ethan speaks to the group over the open radio channel: “Merle, Daryl—see that red building up ahead?
There’s a unit of my people stationed there.
Go over and tell them Ethan sent you; say you’re new.
I’ll speak with you later tonight or tomorrow.”
<> “Okay.
But is there food?”
“They’re my boys—they get food and drink, as long as they do their job.” Ethan laughs; Merle’s laughter joins in, and the brothers head toward the building.
He takes the others to the main school.
He has been assigning people to various houses and buildings, clearing out the school to turn it into a sort of processing center.
Generally speaking, this is where newcomers arrive and receive a proper welcome.
PART 2
In the infirmary, Shane, Lori, and Carl approach the hospital bed where a pale Rick lies.
An IV drip is running, and his bandages are clean and properly tended to.
“Hey, buddy.
Sorry for the wait,” Shane says, leaning over the bed and smiling at the sight of his friend.
“I want to see you get up out of there soon; there’s a lot to do.”
He soon leaves, letting Rick’s wife and son look after him.
He walks over to Ethan.
“You didn’t lie.”
“If I lie, it’s for the greater good,” Ethan says, and Shane shrugs.
“What do you want me to do?” he asks seriously.
“For now, nothing.
Get some rest.
Tomorrow you can join Clark or Jerome on patrol—take your pick.
Get to know the crew before you start giving orders.
Take those two to the mess hall; rookies get extra rations for the first few days.” Ethan smiles, and Shane thanks him.
…
“I see you brought them in safely—about twenty-five people.
You outdo yourself every day,” Bianca says, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“It’s the least I can do.
The man of tomorrow has to be better than the man of today.” Ethan smiles as he returns the hug.
“Well…
I made you something to eat.
I hope you’re hungry.”
…
After spending some time with Bianca, Ethan went to meet the Dixon brothers.
As soon as he arrived at the building…
“Hahahaha!” He heard a booming laugh and relatively loud music.
He slowly climbed the stairs, finding Daryl standing guard with a glass of—obviously alcoholic—drink by his side.
Daryl stared at him, then rapped his knuckles against the door next to him; the music slowly faded out.
Merle appeared, stared at him, and shouted, “Boss!”
“I see you’re settling in well.” Ethan smiled as he spotted Niko; it seemed like a good idea to put them together.
“Kid, where’d you find this nutcase?” Niko points while laughing, looking a bit tipsy.
“At a quarry, talking a load of shit,” Ethan says, and laughter erupts.
“I see you guys are staying up late; well, I came to drop off a welcome gift.” As he says this, he pulls a package out of his backpack.
Merle goes to take a look; he opens the package, and his eyes light up.
“Whoa!
Daryl, come check out this beauty!”
Daryl takes a look and is genuinely interested when he sees the beautiful cut of beef, still fresh.
“I recall that all our rooftops have a grill, right?” Ethan looks at Niko.
“Yeah, kid!
Let’s season this meat and party even harder!” Niko shouts, and Merle guffaws; he looks at Ethan, raising his beer and smiling with a nod.
Daryl is about to follow him, but Ethan speaks up.
“How about coming with me for a minute?”
Hearing this, Daryl watches his brother walk away without paying him any mind; he doesn’t think twice and follows Ethan out of curiosity, though he remains on high alert.
…
“You overheard my conversation with your brother last night, didn’t you?” Ethan asks.
“Hard not to,” Daryl says nonchalantly.
“What I said is true: you’re a good man, Daryl Dixon.
Certainly much better than your brother—though we both know that’s not a high bar.” Ethan laughs, and Daryl says nothing to that.
“How can you be sure?
You barely know me.” Daryl narrows his eyes.
*Oh, I know you very well, because I know your future—or at least part of it.* Ethan smiles.
To most fans or casual viewers, Daryl is a favorite character.
I’m sure 60% of the audience loved him.
Of course, once Michonne shows up, the spotlight gets shared—the gentle crossbowman and the Black samurai.
But it’s clear that Daryl is a composed, even shy, person.
An outcast; everyone sees him the same way they see Merle, who wears his true nature on his sleeve.
Only later do they discover who Daryl really is—the complete opposite of his brother.
“I have eyes; I can see more to people than what’s on the surface.
Merle is dangerous, and if I’m not mistaken, you both had an abusive father.” Ethan points this out; he recalls a conversation between Merle and Daryl from Season 3, where the scars marking Daryl’s body were revealed.
“I know there are scars beneath those clothes.” Ethan notes, and Daryl clenches his fist. Visit novelping.com for the full chapter.
“The eyes.” Ethan gestures toward them.
“They’re the window to the soul.
In your brother’s eyes, there is chaos, pain, and rage.
In yours, there is keen observation, a sense of restraint, and pain—but there is something more…
hope.
Something your brother’s eyes lack.”
Daryl furrows his brow.
“I know what I’m talking about, strange as it may seem.” – Ethan leads him to his pickup truck, opens the back, and points.
Daryl takes a look; as he pulls something out, a cloth falls away to reveal one of the latest crossbow models.
Beautiful, powerful, and stocked with plenty of bolts.
“Better than the one you’re using.
A gift.” – Ethan says.
Daryl eyes him.
– “What do you want in return?
You told Merle to keep me out of the shit you’re gonna have him do.”
“Right.
I tend to protect the right kind of people.
This world is burning and it’s only going to get worse; there won’t be ‘good’ people in the future—only ‘morally good’ people.”
“What’s the difference?”
“Good people are good by nature; they don’t need to reaffirm it—they just are.
Those who are morally good claim to be good because they think they’re doing better than the majority.
They say they do this or that for the greater good and so on—the ones who constantly reaffirm their good deeds to justify themselves, even while slaughtering their enemies.
I fall into that category.” – Ethan says calmly.
“I’ve asked around; I know you and your brother are great hunters, but you’re the better one.
You know how to set traps, I assume?” – Ethan asks, and Daryl nods.
– “Good.
I can’t just shoot down animals whenever I need meat; I need hunters—people who know how to move through the woods and eliminate the dangers lurking there.” – He points at Daryl.
“I want you to roam around, get to know the people.
I’m going to call you ‘The Hunter.’ Go out, come back with some game, and let people see it.
Observe them and recruit whoever you want.”
Daryl raises an eyebrow.
“Your brother is going to protect the people here from the worst the world has to offer—the necessary evil.
You’ll have a different purpose: preparing people to survive and helping others do the same.
That’s your job.
In the future, our community will expand; we’ll attract people from everywhere—we’ll even go out and bring them in—and people like you, with your skills, will be indispensable.”
Daryl doesn’t know what he’s feeling; his heart is racing.
Is he… excited?
“It’s tough, isn’t it?” Ethan laughs.
“Living in your brother’s shadow—I don’t know what that’s like firsthand, but I’m smart enough to notice it.
Go find your own path, and… there are a few buildings around here.
Take a look, pick one you like; it’ll be your base of operations down the line.”
“Any one of them?” Daryl blinks.
“Yeah.
Of course, some have markings: an ‘X’ means you should ignore it, while a circle indicates it’s up for grabs.
Our main forest is to the south; there shouldn’t be many zombies over there.
Check it out, then come see me once you’re settled in.
And… keep an eye on your brother.
You’re the only one he listens to.”
“You too.
Merle likes you,” Daryl points out.
“I can give him things, so he listens.
But he loves and protects you,” Ethan replies.
“I’m heading off now; I need to rest.
In a few days, everyone’s going to be working hard.”
PART 3
Thursday, September 16th.
Day 23 of the Apocalypse.
Another busy morning.
Shane followed Ethan’s instructions.
First, he spoke with Clark, an old acquaintance; then he met Jerome, a man with a commanding presence—Shane understood why Ethan trusted him.
Then he joined the patrol, learning the ropes and getting to know the people he would help lead.
…
Merle was snoring loudly in a comfortable bed until rough nudges woke him; he grunted when he saw Daryl standing there, kicking him.
“Come on, get up,” Daryl said.
“Go suck a dick,” Merle grunted, waving his hand dismissively.
“It’s almost afternoon; we’ve got work—orders.” Daryl sighed, and Merle, frowning, clutched his aching head.
“A gift from the bosses.” Daryl handed something to his brother; Merle looked at it, snorted, and swallowed the medicine.
…
Merle groaned in discomfort as the sun beat down on his face.
“Hey, Sleeping Beauty,” Niko teased, and Merle gave him the middle finger.
“What’s the job?” Merle grunted.
“First, pick one out.” Niko pointed to his trailer; Merle raised an eyebrow and went to take a look.
“Whoa…
am I in paradise?” Merle laughed, sobering up a bit.
“This is our mobile armory; my nephew restocks it from our supplies and sends it out to our men all over the city.
Of course, guys put in requests to swap weapons or get more ammo.
You can pick whatever you want—our people always get the best stuff.” Niko smiled.
“Is that handsome officer really that good to us?” Merle asked skeptically.
“He rewards hard work and anyone who isn’t afraid to get their hands dirty.” Niko snorted.
“And you’d better start calling him ‘Boss’ or ‘Ethan.’ People around here practically worship him, seeing as he took over the city almost single-handedly.” Merle frowned as he recalled the hordes the man had wiped out single-handedly.
“Does he put a leash on everyone?” Daryl asked, examining some pistols and holsters.
“No.” Niko nodded.
“Ethan’s a great leader; he protects everyone and punishes anyone who screws up.
See that kid with the missing tooth?” Niko glanced toward a young man on a motorcycle.
“The gap-toothed guy?” Merle asked, taking a look.
“Word is, Ethan nearly killed him in a rage.
The idiot brought in someone who’d been bitten; the guy turned into a walker and killed a woman.
Ethan almost cracked his skull open in front of everyone, but he just broke his nose and ordered him to dig two graves all by himself before the day was out,” Niko said.
“He had it coming.” Daryl snorted.
“Yeah.
Ethan punishes mistakes because he wants to preserve everyone’s lives—especially the kids’.
As long as you follow orders and don’t put others at risk, Ethan will protect you, give you all the food and booze you want, and, of course, plenty of action.”
“And women?” Merle asked.
“That’s something we unfortunately have to work a bit harder for,” Niko laughed.
“But the Devil Kiss Bar is set to open in three or four days; looks like it’ll be one of our main hangouts.
And there are some hot women on other patrol teams.
If you want, I can set you up with one of them—but if you try to force yourself on her…
Ethan will personally split your skull in two.”
“Seriously?” Merle laughed.
“Yeah, it’s happened before.” Niko smiled faintly.
Merle frowned and nodded.
…
Merle and Daryl looked around—at the people and the perimeter—and spotted the large trenches.
“What are the holes for?
Dumping bodies?” Merle asked, watching the heavy machinery at work.
“Noise traps and pits to snare the dead,” Niko says.
“The plan is to build dozens of them between here and Atlanta; we don’t want a horde of tens of thousands drawn to this place.”
Merle whistles.
“That’s a lot of work.”
“Get used to it.” Niko pats him on the shoulder.
“For now, you’ll join the crew digging the trenches—but only after I take you to the clinic.”
“Clinic?” Merle raises an eyebrow.
He is then led to the site that was originally intended to be the main base but was quickly abandoned due to Ethan’s growing ambitions.
“Is there power here?” Merle notices the light is on.
“Yeah, solar panels,” Niko says.
Merle smiles and spots Shane, who is also looking around the place.
Merle blows him a mocking kiss, but Shane ignores him.
“I wonder what’s so special about you guys,” Niko says.
“What do you mean?” Merle asks, looking at him after grabbing a cold beer from the fridge and tossing another to his brother.
“Jerome and I are like government officials; he specifically asked me to look after you and be your guide, while he asked Jerome—one of his right-hand men—to take care of that Shane guy.
I get the cop, but you…” Niko raises an eyebrow.
Merle is surprised, then laughs.
“Looks like my talents and tough-guy attitude won the boss’s heart.”
“Well, maybe.” Niko remains suspicious; to him, Merle is just another racist, Nazi extremist.
He doesn’t understand how someone like that caught Ethan’s eye instead of getting a taste of his axe.
…
“And to wrap up our tour…” Niko smiles.
“The school—currently the heart of the place—and the surrounding houses are already occupied by one or two families each.
The kids stay at the school, looked after by adults Ethan pays extra to keep a close eye on them.”
Merle walks down the hallways.
“I didn’t even remember what a school was like; it’s changed a lot since my day.” He looks around.
“You actually went to school?” Niko teases.
“Didn’t finish, but does it matter?” Merle laughs.
Niko glances at Daryl, who seems a bit too focused—lost in thought.
A few children run past, playing.
Merle chuckles as some of them dash by.
“Look at those little brats; you’d never guess there are rotting bastards out there tearing each other apart.”
“That’s what Ethan wants to protect,” a calm voice says.
“Sweetheart, I don’t know what heaven you fell from, but you’ve got my full attention.” Merle laughs like an idiot.
“You’re not my type.” Bianca rolls her eyes; she’s used to this sort of guy.
“But you don’t even know me; I’m sure I could be of great service to you.” Merle blows a few kisses and licks his lips, leering obscenely at the stunning woman.
Bianca laughs.
“Honey, I didn’t find myself in the trash just to give a guy like you a chance.”
Merle snorts, and Daryl appears beside him, whispering in his ear, “That’s Ethan’s woman.”
The confident, mocking Merle nods.
“Wait a minute—you’re the boss’s woman?”
“‘His woman’ is a pretty strong term.” Bianca laughs.
“You could say we’re together.”
“Oh, well then, I take it all back.” Merle backs off.
“What is it, honey?
Realized the big dog is with me?” – Bianca taunts him and Merle grunts; many laugh, even Daryl.
“Look at that—a woman managed to shut Merle the idiot up.
I love this place more and more.” – Andrea appears, accompanied by her sister Amy.
“Oh, Blondie, if you’re jealous, I can help you shut my mouth.” – Merle quickly regains some confidence now that he’s among people he knows.
Andrea shoots him a look of pure disdain.
Merle laughs tauntingly.
…
Andrea huffs, leading her sister to the mess hall, where they get their lunch.
– “How did you sleep?” – She asks her sister.
Since they arrived yesterday, this place has felt like a true sanctuary.
Food, smiling people, children playing.
You can even pretend the world isn’t total crap.
“It was good…” – Amy smiles, though there’s a hint of pain in her voice.
– “She would have liked it here…”
Andrea freezes and nods.
“Do you want some of mine?” – Dale offers.
– “It’s too much for me to eat.” – He smiles at the young women.
“Thanks, Dale.” – Andrea accepts; the food here is delicious—the best cooks were put in charge.
“Did you see that Carol is already settling in well?” – Dale points toward the kitchen; Andrea and Amy look over, spotting her helping out.
– “She’d barely arrived and already found work; I have to admit, she’s really dedicated.”
“I would be too, if I could get away from that useless jerk.” – Andrea huffs as she glances at Ed Peletier—the abusive husband of a good woman—sitting with his daughter, Sophia; both are eating.
“Have you seen Glenn, T-Dog, or Jim?
I don’t see them anywhere.” – Amy looks around.
“They left early; they had breakfast and joined the construction crew,” says Dale.
“I’d join in, but these old bones would get in the way more than help.
But I’ll see if I can be useful at the scrapyard; they’re stripping down vehicles over there—looks like they’re setting up some kind of forge.”
“Have they already been sent to work?” Andrea blinks.
“They volunteered,” Dale shrugs.
“They could’ve stayed and rested, but T-Dog practically dragged Glenn along—those two boys can’t sit still—and Jim just tagged along.”
“And that useless guy?” Andrea glances at Ed.
“Hmph.
Jim and Morales called him over, but the bastard didn’t even get up.
I think that’s why Carol is working in the kitchen—she’s ashamed of his attitude.” Dale snorts; even he is disgusted by the man.
Andrea stares at Ed, who is glaring at his wife in the kitchen; he looks surly.
But while Andrea is looking at Ed, Dale finds himself glancing at Andrea’s cleavage.
(Author’s Note: Fun fact—in the comics, Andrea and Dale end up together.
Dale survives until the prison arc.
The comic-book version of Dale is very different from the TV series version.)
…
While the group argues, Ethan listens and finds Merle about to leave.
“Aren’t you going to take a look at the mess hall?” he suggests.
“Oh, boss…
sorry for what you’re about to hear from me; I didn’t know…” Merle scratches his head uncomfortably.
“You think I care?” Ethan laughs.
“Bianca can take care of herself; she’d likely castrate you before you even touched her shoulder.”
“But I’ve got a job for you,” Ethan says, and Merle perks up.
They walk over to a section of the mess hall, and Ethan speaks.
“Ed Peletier—you know who he is.”
“The lazy bastard?
That useless guy spends most of his time sleeping and making his wife do the work he could be doing.
What about him?” Merle snorts, showing that even he dislikes the man, though it’s clear he doesn’t care about the fact that Ed beats Carol.
“I want you to scare him—no blood, just humiliate and terrify him.
I don’t want to go easy on a useless guy who beats women.
Daryl, try to get the kid away and send her to her mother,” Ethan says.
Merle grins.
“I like it—permission to humiliate others?
How come I never got that before?”
Daryl nods; the two of them enter the mess hall while Niko stays by Ethan’s side.
“Is that why he’s special?” he asks.
Ethan smiles and walks away.
“Keep an eye on things; I don’t want it getting out of hand.”
…
“Hey, Ed, my friend!” Merle guffaws, drawing plenty of attention; the fat man sitting there frowns in confusion.
“Eating your fill while the wife works?
That’s the Ed I know—does fuck-all and still eats; I wish I had a life like that.” Laughing, he sits down next to Ed.
Ed snarls.
“What the fuck do you want, Merle?” The man clenches his fists, trying to look tough.
Merle laughs as Daryl appears beside him, shooing Sophia away so she can go to her mother, who has already come to fetch her.
Ed realizes he is alone and surrounded; his shoulders slump slightly.
“Nothing, just chatting,” Merle says.
When Ed looks like he wants to stand up, Daryl shoves him back down while sitting on the table and picking at Ed’s food.
“Did you combine your portion with your wife’s, or was it your daughter’s?
I guess a useless fatass needs plenty of food.” Merle laughs as he tastes it.
“Holy shit, this is good!”
“Look at that—eating the best of the best without lifting a finger.
Where’s that Asian kid, or the fat Black guy?
Hey, Blondie, where are the two of them?” Merle laughs, staring at Andrea, who is standing nearby.
“They volunteered to work on some construction project in town,” Andrea says.
“Look at that—instead of being here, resting and eating this delicious food your hot wife made…
Funny thing: the wife went to work, while the husband sat around scratching his ass.” Merle guffaws, and Ed stands up.
“Go fuck yourself, Merle—you Nazi redneck!” Ed roars, showing he has at least a shred of a brain, but Daryl forces him back into his seat again as Merle places a gun on the table.
“See this?
It’s a gun.
It was given to me.
You know why?
I’m one of the guys who protects this place.
And since I have to protect everyone’s ass here—the useful ones and the useless ones—that means I’ve got to show I’m doing my job.
I don’t want the boss having to deal with a filthy fatass like you.” Merle laughs and then delivers a hard slap to Ed’s face; Ed topples backward, hitting the floor as everyone looks on in shock.
“Man, I’ve always wanted to do that!” Merle laughs loudly as he stands up.
“Watching you hit your wife and daughter—what a hateful thing to do, you pig!
Consider this a warning: you’re going to start working and helping out this damn community, or I’m going to make your life a living hell every single day, you useless piece of shit!”
Merle laughs as he holsters his pistol; Daryl spits on Ed—who lies humiliated and defeated on the floor—and takes the opportunity to grab Ed’s food tray, subtly setting it down in front of a very thin woman.
A round of applause breaks out.
“Good one!
That kind of man needs to be put in his place,” a woman says with a laugh.
Merle looks surprised as the applause comes his way; men and women clap him on the shoulder, and he laughs, soaking up the praise.
Daryl remains reserved, but he enjoyed seeing it—it was satisfying.
He casts a brief glance at Carol—a blonde woman, older but beautiful, with a nice figure.
(Author: Since we won’t be seeing the TV series version of Carol, I’ll be using the comic book version.)
Ed slowly gets to his feet, met with looks of pure contempt.
“Fuck!
Go fuck yourselves!” He storms out of the mess hall, seething with rage and humiliation.
Andrea watched the whole scene, remembering how she’d seen Ethan talking to Merle and Daryl earlier.
‘That asshole would never do something like that unless he was ordered to.’
…
Minutes later, Andrea finds Ethan smoking and watching the children play.
“It was you, right?” – Andrea is direct.
“What?” – Ethan raises an eyebrow.
“Who ordered Merle to humiliate Ed, not that I’m judging, it was satisfying to see that.” – Andrea smiles and extends her hand, wanting a cigarette; Ethan gives her one.
“I could humiliate him.” – Ethan says.
– “But I already have too much goodwill from my people, I’ll share the spotlight a bit.”
“And you chose Merle?” – Andrea laughs and smoke comes out of her nostrils.
“I need a good dog, Merle is it.” – Ethan shrugs, and Andrea is surprised by his tone; she smiles and sits down next to him.
“You and Bianca?” – She asks, giving him a suggestive look.
“Friends, sex here and there.
Mutual benefit.” – Ethan says.
“I understand…” – Andrea nods.
– “Thank you for the cigarette, it’s been a long time since I smoked.”
Ethan offers a half-empty pack and a lighter.
Andrea accepts, thanks him, and leaves.
Ethan watches her walk away, her backside swaying, a beautiful sight to see.
Andrea glances at him over her shoulder, smiling and winking.
In the background, an older man, Dale, observes this and growls.
From a window, Bianca watches this and sighs.
She doesn’t think much; she’s not the first woman who’s tried to seduce Ethan.
(Author: Again, this isn’t going to be a harem story, but that doesn’t mean Ethan doesn’t sleep with multiple women, even while in relationships with some.
As you well know, he’s a jerk and certainly doesn’t trust marriage anymore.)
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