The Right Choice

A Walking Dead Fanfiction by Sassy Lil Scorpio

Summary: Shane sneaks into the barn to kill Randall and is thwarted by Daryl and T-Dog. Rick decides to execute Shane for his attempted murder of Randall, and also his affair with Lori and Otis' murder. He chooses to follow through with his plan to release Randall. Is Rick making the right choice? Or will his decision have deadly ramifications for everyone? {Trigger Warning} {Darkfic} {AU}

Rating: M

Disclaimer: Shane Walsh, Rick Grimes, and all other characters from The Walking Dead are from the creative imagination of Robert Kirkman. This author makes no claim of ownership. No monetary gain is being made from this work.

Author's Notes: This is a butterfly-effect type of AU (Alternate Universe) fanfiction where if one event changes, everything else changes. The lyrics to Chris Tomlin's "Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Broken)" makes a brief appearance in this story. The rating for this fanfiction was originally "T", but due to the dark nature of the story's later events, "M" seemed more appropriate.

Thank You: Thank you to my fellow TWD fans on WalkingDeadForums . Com, especially Shane357, Ionut, Zvivor, Rapscallion, Biffster, Bassman, StaceFace, and PepperAnn.

Dedication: For my special man, Robert. Thank you for being in my life, for making me laugh, for watching The Walking Dead with me, and most of all, for being wonderful and amazing you!

oOo

Prologue

"Here's how it's gonna go down," Rick said, speaking to Daryl and T-Dog. They were outside on Hershel's farm next to the pick-up truck. "Daryl an' I are gonna drop off Randall. We'll take him further out than Shane and I did. I'm hopin' this will be the last of this Randall mess so we can put it behind us."

Earlier today, he decided he would work with them to address the Randall issue. He hadn't been successful the first time with Shane. Instead of dropping off Randall as planned, they ended up having a vicious fight when the tension between them reached a breaking point. Rick's patience for Shane was shrinking with every argument and altercation. He wouldn't dismiss Shane completely, but he wouldn't go out of his way to work with him either. Nor would he consult him regarding any new concerns. Not when Shane constantly criticized his decisions, doubted his ability to keep the group safe, or made it all about Lori and Carl. Right now, Rick felt it was better to discuss the Randall situation with Daryl and T-Dog as they were objective and fair about the situation. And they weren't hot-headed like Shane.

"So you'll drive him far enough so that he can't get back to the farm?" T-Dog asked.

"We'll bring him somewhere he's not familiar with."

"How far did you go out last time?"

"We went out eighteen miles, more or less."

"Are we givin' him any weapons, so that he has a shot at survivin' out there?" Daryl asked. He remembered Rick told him he had left Randall with a knife the first time he and Shane attempted to discard the prisoner.

"I don't see why not," Rick said. "We can give him a loaded gun. Whatever he does with it is up to him. Shoot some walkers or blow his brains out. His choice."

"Sounds fair," T-Dog said. "We're giving him a chance at living out there."

"We ain't overly helpin' him either," Daryl added.

"Right, an' we're not straight out killin' him," Rick said. "That's what Shane wanted to do. I wouldn't let him."

T-Dog shook his head, astounded by Shane's recent behavior. This was not the same Shane Walsh who had asked him to join the Atlanta group.

Daryl let out a low whistle. "You think he's too far gone?"

"I don't know..." Rick paused as he thought about it. "I try not to think 'bout it. I just know he can't be involved with anything involvin' Randall anymore."

"You want Randall gone, so take care of the situation the way you want to," T-Dog said. "I'll back you up."

"Same here," Daryl agreed. "We got you covered."

Rick was inwardly relieved. They had formulated a solid plan without the constant bickering that was present when Shane was around. "Good, so we're all in agreement 'bout how to approach this. T-Dog, here's the keys. Go to the barn to check on him. Daryl an' I will be there in a few minutes."

T-Dog took the keys from Rick and started towards the barn. The plan made sense. Check on Randall, make sure he's still there, and let Rick and Daryl carry out their plan to release him.

"Not so fast!" Daryl called out behind him.

T-Dog stopped in his tracks and turned around to face Daryl. He glanced over his shoulder when he saw Daryl pointing ahead of him. Rick came up behind Daryl to see what had caught his attention: Shane approached the barn by himself. He glanced around, making sure no one saw him. Then he quickly entered and closed the doors behind him. All three men noticed that Shane had his Glock 17 with him.

"Looks like he got a head start on us," Daryl said. "How'd he know what we were plannin' to do?"

Rick shook his head in disbelief. Leave it to Shane to be one step ahead of them, even though Rick had already made it clear to him that he wasn't permitted near the barn or allowed to address Randall on his own.

T-Dog felt frustrated. "Damn, Rick. What do we do from here?"

"Change of plans," Rick said. "We follow Shane an' find out what's up his sleeve. Go on ahead, T-Dog. Daryl an' I will be right behind you. Make sure he doesn't see you."

T-Dog left them to catch up with Shane. He made sure that he wasn't noisy or too obvious.

"You think he plans on offin' Randall?" Daryl asked. He reached for his crossbow slung across his back. His instincts told him he would end up using it before the day was over.

Rick nodded. "He was pissed off when we didn't do it the first time, so now he's takin' matters into his own hands. We're gonna stop him before he gets too far."

Daryl quickly loaded a bolt into his crossbow. Rick watched as he went to the outside of the barn, while T-Dog approached the entrance…