Merle let go of the sheep as if he'd been burned and sprang to his feet. His metal arm swung awkwardly, with nowhere to hide.
His face flushed, then paled. He stammered, trying to explain, but couldn't get a complete sentence out.
"Uh, well, hey, kid! This is a misunderstanding! Yeah, a huge misunderstanding!" Merle tried to cover his guilt with his usual loud voice, but it only made things worse. "We thought this sheep was wild! That it didn't belong to anyone! Look at this place, out in the middle of nowhere…"
The moment it was free, the sheep bleated and ran straight back toward the farm.
Calista also stood up, her cheeks burning. She felt so embarrassed she could barely keep her footing.
She had pushed for this plan, helped carry it out, and now they had been caught red-handed by the owner's children. And those "owners" were part of the main group and the farm, potential allies.
This was easily the most mortifying moment she had experienced since coming to this world.
Calista took a deep breath and forced a remorseful expression. She stepped forward, raising her hands slightly to show she meant no harm, and spoke to Carl and Sophia in the gentlest tone she could manage.
"Carl, Sophia, right? I'm very, very sorry. We didn't know anyone was living on this farm. We got lost in the woods and haven't had anything to eat for days. We were just too hungry, so we ended up doing something this awful."
She shot Merle a look to stop him from continuing his excuses, then went on.
"My name is Calista. We're… Merle's friends.
We're really not bad people. We're just starving. Could you take us to see your parents? We'll explain everything to them."
Carl looked at Calista.
She looked about Beth's age, a blonde girl who was clearly exhausted but still striking, then he glanced at the awkward Merle and the even more uncomfortable Leah. He hesitated.
He remembered that although the adults said Merle was a jerk, he hadn't actually hurt anyone in the camp.
And Leah had helped them before, pointing them in the right direction so they could find Sophia before she was killed by walkers.
Besides, Leah's sister had left them plenty of supplies and kind encouragement.
The branch in Carl's hand slowly lowered.
At that moment, a wary adult voice called out from the farmhouse.
"Carl! Sophia! Are you still outside? What's going on? I thought I heard a sheep!"
It was Rick.
Carl glanced toward the farmhouse, then back at Calista and the others. In the end, he made up his mind.
"Dad! It's okay! Some people came to the farm! We know them, Merle's here! And… and there are others too!"
After shouting, Carl turned back to them, trying to sound more mature than he was.
"Come with me. But don't grab any more sheep. They all belong to Hershel."
Calista and the others exchanged looks. In a way none of them had expected, they were about to meet Rick's group face to face.
As soon as Carl's voice faded, hurried footsteps and the sharp metallic sounds of weapons being readied came from the farmhouse.
The light was dim as evening settled in. Calista and the others could only make out several figures advancing quickly with weapons raised, fully on guard.
With Rick at the lead, nearly all the farm and camp's fighters had come out, forming a loose defensive line.
From that distance, they had only heard Carl shout that people had arrived. They hadn't caught that it was Merle, so everyone was on edge.
In this world, strangers usually meant danger.
"Carl! Sophia! Get behind us!" Rick's stern voice carried across the farm.
The two children ran back. Carl slipped between Rick and Shane, though he still leaned out to look.
Rick stood at the front, holding his Colt Python revolver. Even in the fading light, the tension in his posture was obvious.
Shane stood half a step behind him, gripping a pump-action shotgun. His curly hair was slightly messy, his gaze sharp as it swept over Calista, Leah, and Merle, lingering especially on Leah with her weapon and the broad-shouldered Merle.
He clearly saw one of them as the leader.
Daryl moved silently into position on the other side, crossbow already loaded. His eyes passed over the three strangers one by one, but in the dim light, he couldn't see their faces clearly.
Glenn, T-Dog, Andrea, and the others spread out to the sides. Jimmy, the only young man on the farm, stood beside Hershel with an old hunting rifle in hand.
Rick's gaze shifted back and forth before settling on Calista, who stood slightly ahead. Even though she looked worn out, it was clear she was young.
He guessed she might be the one in charge.
Rick raised his gun slightly, not fully aiming, but the threat was clear.
"Stay where you are. Don't move. State your names and your purpose. Why are you on our land at night?"
The atmosphere instantly froze.
Leah's hand moved quietly toward the pistol at her back.
In this kind of tense standoff, where one wrong move could start a fight, Carl and Sophia didn't dare speak up.
Carl only tugged lightly at his father and whispered, "Dad, that's Merle, and the woman we met on the highway."
Rick was too tense to catch it.
"What?"
Calista could feel the tension from Leah and Merle behind her. She knew that a single wrong word could trigger a gunfight.
She stepped half a step forward and angled her body slightly, blocking the weapon at her waist.
The opposing group had stopped more than twenty meters away out of caution.
In the darkness, she couldn't clearly see who was who. She could only guess from the way Carl stood behind a man that it was Rick or Shane.
Calista raised her hands slightly, palms out, showing she posed no immediate threat.
"Calm down. Please, calm down. Rick, or Shane, right? We don't mean any harm."
The group hesitated. How did she know their names?
She went straight to the point and spoke quickly.
"My name is Calista. These two are my companions, Leah and Merle. You should recognize them.
We're from a community up north. We ran into a large walker herd while we were out, and our group got separated.
We've been struggling through the woods for two days, hungry and thirsty, until we found this farm.
Listen, we're just looking for a little help. We don't intend to intrude. We only need a bit of temporary shelter."
Before she could finish, a loud voice suddenly cut through everything, so emotional it almost cracked.
"Daryl! You little punk! Don't you recognize your own brother?!"