If he didn't go in to refuel, he wouldn't be able to continue riding his motorcycle.
The vast and sparsely populated geography of the United States basically determined that Shawn could only return, and the idea of finding Daryl and them was completely unrealistic.
But to go in and refuel, he had to push his motorcycle past hundreds of Walkers.
"Unless I can fly, there's no way to get past this," Shawn thought.
Shawn decided to retreat; at worst, he would go back to the Prison and bring the red overlord, then he could slowly search for them.
But just as Shawn had taken a few steps back, he suddenly saw a pair of patterned shorts hanging like a flag above the convenience store next to the gas station.
The patterned shorts fluttered in the breeze, looking quite vibrant in the sunlight, and Shawn noticed them with a quick glance.
"Hmm...?"
Shawn squinted his eyes and saw a bald head leaning over the shorts.
"Could it be...?" Shawn's heart stirred instantly.
He looked up again at the center where the Walkers had gathered—two motorcycles were indeed parked there quietly.
Fuel nozzles were still stuck in their tanks, indicating that the owners of the two motorcycles had left in a hurry.
Shawn withdrew his gaze and helplessly rubbed his forehead.
"No way... it really is them. They sure know how to give me trouble."
Originally, Shawn had wanted to retreat and come back later, but since Daryl and Merle were trapped here, he naturally couldn't leave.
Daryl and Merle had been away from the convoy for some time; they had only left temporarily, so they hadn't brought much water or food.
If he didn't rescue them now, he might only find two Walkers when he returned later.
After Daryl and Merle died, they would also turn into Walkers.
"But how can I bypass this number of a Walker horde...?"
Shawn pondered carefully until his gaze swept over the half-open car door of a fuel tanker, and his eyes lit up.
...
Inside the gas station, above the convenience store.
Merle's face was a bit pale; he propped himself up and looked around.
Seeing the horde of Walkers that was even gradually increasing in number, he felt a bit disheartened.
After two bitter, dry laughs, he fumbled and lay back down on the ground. Beside him, Daryl had his black shirt draped over his head.
"I advise you to move less; any movement will consume food and water."
"Do as I do, cover your head with your clothes."
"Otherwise, in this kind of weather today, you'll be roasted into jerky."
"You won't even make it through tonight."
The voice came from under the black clothes.
Daryl's voice was weak; compared to earlier when he deliberately lowered his voice, he truly had no strength to speak now.
"Tonight?" Merle spoke lazily.
"The rainwater collected the day before yesterday is almost gone, and we left in a hurry so we didn't bring any food."
"If the Walker horde problem isn't solved, we'll eventually die of thirst and starvation."
"Little brother, promise me."
"If I die first, you eat my body, drink my blood, and you must escape."
At this moment, Merle did not know that a virus was already lurking in his body; as long as he died, he would turn into a Walker.
Merle's words plunged Daryl into silence.
But not long after, he ripped off the clothes covering him and threw them directly onto Merle's face, covering Merle's upper body.
"Are you an idiot, Merle?"
"Listening to you talk is like being in a pigsty and being kissed by a sow. Cover yourself and shut up!"
Daryl's lips were pale, and although his pupils were a bit unfocused, the stubbornness and tenacity in his eyes remained constant.
"Hey, don't be a bitch."
"You're my brother. It's better for you to eat me than for the Walkers to eat me, hahahaha--"
Merle struggled out from under the clothes, laughing heartily as if he wasn't the one in trouble.
Daryl fell silent once more.
He narrowed his eyes, not knowing if he was resting or reminiscing about the past.
"You know what? You've always been like an asshole!"
Daryl suddenly glared at Merle, his dry, red eyes looking as if they were filled with resentment.
"When was I not an asshole?"
"I'm talking about you leaving!"
"..."
"Wasn't it a good thing I left? That way, you wouldn't have had such a hard time at home."
"Is that so?"
Daryl no longer said anything about conserving energy.
He pulled off his black undershirt, revealing a body full of scars on his back.
Merle, who had been resting one hand under his head, weak yet cheerfully, couldn't help but prop himself up and sit as he looked at the deep marks.
"I... I didn't know he abused you too."
Amazement, bewilderment, guilt... what words could possibly describe Merle's panic at this moment?
"That's right, he abused me, just like he treated you, which is why you chose to leave home back then."
Daryl didn't look at him, and even his tone began to become casual.
"Since you struggled so hard to survive back then, why are you giving up now?"
"Merle, look at my injuries; these are all what you owe me."
"You absolutely cannot die before you compensate me!"
Daryl suddenly grabbed Merle's collar, brought his face close to him, and said in a deep voice.
They were biological brothers, but their expressions of emotion were completely different, even diametrically opposed.
Daryl's care was expressed through silent actions, while Merle used his aggressiveness to hide his weakness.
Daryl knew Merle's weakness, which is why he spoke to him in that tone.
Treating aggressiveness with aggressiveness, fighting fire with fire.
He only had Merle left, and Merle... was his brother.
"Don't fucking annoy me right now, little brother."
Merle's eyes flickered for a moment; he suddenly pushed Daryl's face away.
After turning his head away, his eyes quietly reddened.
Looking at his turned back, Daryl fell silent again.
Something seemed to be moving in his calm eyes; he quietly lay down.
But in the very next second, he suddenly propped himself up!
His gaze was fixed on the outside of the gas station.
A massive rumbling sound approached from afar; a fuel tanker, as large as a fire truck, suddenly drove by, making a deafening noise.
At the same time, not only Daryl saw it, but also the hundreds of Walkers entrenched in the gas station!
The fuel tanker's speed was not fast, only about 15 mph.
It passed by the gas station with a loud noise, causing a large group of Walkers to start moving.
The Walkers gradually went from shuffling to a trot, following the fuel tanker closely and running towards the distance.
It was then that Merle, belatedly, broke free from his melancholy and looked up outside.
"What happened?"
"I don't know, someone seems to have arrived."
Daryl squinted his eyes, his gaze sweeping across the entire gas station.
The sudden arrival of the fuel tanker had drawn away seven or eight tenths of this Walker horde.
Now, only dozens of Walkers were still wandering around the gas station, having failed to keep up with the fuel tanker earlier.
Splat--!
Suddenly, a sound of flesh tearing came, causing Daryl and Merle to look over instantly.
They saw a face with a brilliant smile.
"Gentlemen, it's been a few days, I hope you've been well?"