When You Say Nothing At All
Makin' Love
BlackRose851: Thank you!
scoobydoo0811: Wow, from start to finish in one sitting? Well, thank you very much.
FanFicGirl10: It was kind of a last minute decision, but I'm glad you approve. As for Dennis, I haven't decided yet how long he'll be involved in the story. As of right now, he's not going anywhere. The boy that the gang found in town is still Randall. Here's your update!
ScornedxRose: Yes! They are alive! You'll find out Dennis' fate in this chapter.
Leyshla Gisel: Haha. Holy balls, indeed.
0o0o0
"Roslyn!" I shouted, turnin' around to face the back of the tavern.
"I-I-I-I'm all right!" Roslyn called out.
I started towards the back room, but gunshots stopped me. I whirled around, firin' back.
"I'll be right back." Rick told me, movin' quickly towards the back of the tavern.
I glanced back, seein' Rick whisperin' to Hershel before Hershel headed into the back room where Roslyn was. A second later, Hershel called out that Roslyn was fine. I breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Rick rejoined me at the front of the tavern.
"What was that all about?" I asked, reloadin'.
"I told Hershel that he and Roslyn need to get the car." Rick said, reloadin' his pistol.
"What?!" I shouted.
More gunshots. Rick and I fired back.
"It's our only chance at getting out of here." Rick said, pressin' his back to the wall. "Hershel is going to cover Roslyn while she gets to the car. She'll be okay."
In between rounds, I heard a gunshot sound from the back of the buildin'.
"Roslyn!" I shouted, headin' for the door to the back room.
"Daryl!" Rick shouted.
I busted through the door, aimin' into the room. I saw Hershel standin' by the back doors.
"What the hell happened?!" I shouted, crossin' the room to where he stood.
"Someone fired at Roslyn while she was in the alley." Hershel said, pointin' down the alley. "She was right there, but after I turned back, she was gone."
"Gone?!" I shouted, shovin' the old man against the door. "What do you mean gone?!"
Before the old man could answer me, I was runnin' to the garbage bins. I knelt down between them. The dirt was disturbed. There was blood runnin' down the side of one of the bins.
"Fuck!" I shouted, turnin' around to face the street.
Just as I turned around, a van pulled up the street. There were voices yellin' back and forth. I listened for Roslyn's voice, but didn't hear it. Instead, I saw some dumb kid jump from a roof. I heard the kid hit somethin', and then he was screamin'. The van pulled off without him.
"Wait!" I heard a guy shout, and then saw him runnin' after the van.
"Daryl!"
I turned to see Rick comin' towards me.
"Did Roslyn make a break for the car?" Rick asked.
"I don't know." I said, movin' towards the street. "I'll check it out. Shut that kid up."
I headed out into the street, but found the Jeep all shot to shit. I was about to curse, but heard a familiar voice just down the street. I turned. There was a second van pulled up to an alley. Before I could move, I heard a gunshot from that direction.
"Baby!" I shouted, runnin' for the alley.
As I reached the alley, I was only aware of Roslyn. She was slumped against a wall, slidin' towards the ground. I threw my rifle aside just in time to catch her before she could fall to the ground. She whispered my name once before goin' even limper in my arms.
When Hershel came to check on Roslyn, I left them to go and see what was happenin' with the dumb kid and Roslyn's dumb brother. I headed out into the front of the gas station. Sophia was curled up on the counter sleepin'. She was covered in Dennis' jacket. I didn't see Rick or Roslyn's dumb brother or the dumb kid, and headed outside.
Rick was standin' with Roslyn's dumb brother in the middle of the parkin' lot.
"What's goin' on?" I asked, walkin' up.
"Dennis was just informing me about the camp just outside of town." Rick said. "He says he doesn't know much about them. He only joined their group a few days ago."
"And you believe him?" I snorted.
Roslyn's dumb brother turned to look at me.
"Why would I lie about a potential threat against me or my sister?" Dennis asked.
"Since when do you give a shit about Roslyn?" I asked, movin' towards Dennis.
"That's enough, Daryl." Rick said, blockin' me from Roslyn's dumb brother. "We've had enough of a tough time tonight. Let's not fight just now."
I wanted to beat the shit out of Dennis. I hadn't gotten the chance before. I was too concerned about the girl bleedin' in my arms. I hated to admit it, but Rick was right. I would kick Dennis' ass later.
"Where's the dumb kid?" I asked.
"Do you mean Randall?" Dennis asked.
"I was talkin' to Rick." I snapped.
"I have no idea what your problem is-"
"My problem is you!" I shouted, lungin' at Dennis from behind Rick.
"Daryl!" Rick shouted, shovin' me back. "I said that was enough! Knock it off!"
I growled.
"Where's Randall?" I asked.
"He's handcuffed in the van." Rick said. "Hershel stopped the bleeding, but he'll need surgery."
"Why'd we even bring him with us?" I asked.
"Are you seriously thinking that we should have left him behind?" Dennis asked.
"Man, quit fuckin' talkin' to me!" I shouted.
"All right. That's it." Rick turned around. "Dennis, go for a walk. Please."
Dennis walked off quick, headed back to the gas station.
"Do you think it's smart to get into it with Roslyn's brother? Especially after everything that happened today? This evening?" Rick asked.
"You don't know the son of a bitch." I said.
"Neither do you."
"I know enough." I mumbled. "Roslyn told me all about that asshole."
"I mean it when I say that I sympathize with whatever happened between Roslyn and her brother." Rick said, settin' a hand on my shoulder. "Their history has nothing to do with you. You have to let them work it out."
"Roslyn doesn't want to see that son of a bitch."
"Did she tell you that?" Rick asked.
"Yeah."
Rick sighed and took his hand off my shoulder.
"Daryl, Dennis found Sophia. He's been taking care of her ever since." Rick said. "Sophia is pretty attached to him. He was barely able to get her to sleep without him around."
"So?" I asked. "Her mama's back at camp."
"Sophia has been through a traumatic experience." Rick said. "It might be good for her to have Dennis around. Besides, don't you think we owe him after he found Sophia and took care of her?"
"No."
"Well, don't you think you owe him?"
"What?" I asked, gettin' angry.
"Dennis might have saved Roslyn's life. She could have-"
"Don't throw that in my face!" I shouted, gettin' angrier. "Don't use her against me like that!"
"Okay." Rick held up his hands. "I'm sorry."
I tried to calm down, but it was hard now that I was thinkin' about the things that could have happened to Roslyn. When I saw her blood on the bin, I thought she'd been shot.
"I didn't mean to upset you." Rick said. "I just wouldn't feel right about leaving Dennis behind after the things he's done for us, but I don't want to bring him back to camp if it's going to upset both you and Roslyn."
We stood there for a while.
"Let's make a deal." Rick said. "We'll bring Dennis back to camp with us for now. Give Roslyn some time to heal and get used to her brother being around. Give yourself some time to get used to her brother being around. If you both want him gone after that, I'll tell him he can't stay with us."
"Fine." I said. "But only for her. If she wants him gone, he's gone."
"Agreed." Rick said, offerin' his hand to me.
I shook Rick's hand.
"We should think about heading back. Everyone will be worried." Rick said. "I'll toss Randall into the backseat. Let everyone know we're leaving."
"Got it."
I headed into the gas station. Dennis was standin' near Sophia while she slept. He looked up when I walked in.
"Grab Sophia. We're leavin'." I muttered.
"All right." Dennis said, reachin' for Sophia.
"We're all being forced to ride in your van." I said, walkin' towards Dennis. "Just because you're in the same place as Roslyn doesn't mean shit. Don't talk to her. Don't even look at her. If you upset her in any way, I'll throw you out of the van while we're drivin'. Got it?"
Dennis just looked at me.
"I'll take it that you got it, 'cause if not, you're kissin' the pavement."
I went into the back. When I saw Roslyn's eyes closed and the old man takin' her pulse, I darted to Roslyn's side.
"What's wrong with her?" I asked, lookin' down at Roslyn.
"Nothing is wrong with her." Hershel said. "She's sleeping."
I glared up at him.
"You let her sleep?" I asked.
"I assure you she's fine." Hershel said, lettin' go of Roslyn's wrist. "She was showing signs of improvement. I told her it would be all right for her to sleep until I can get her stitched up."
"We're leavin'." I mumbled, gently movin' my arms under Roslyn.
"All right." Hershel said. "I'll have to perform surgery on Randall before I can stitch up Roslyn's laceration. When we get back to the farm, make sure she takes antibiotics. We don't want her getting any kind of infection."
I lifted Roslyn into my arms, movin' her so that her head leaned against my neck. Hershel got the door for me while I carried Roslyn out of the back.
"Daryl." Roslyn whispered, her breath ticklin' my skin.
"Go back to sleep, baby. We'll be home soon." I told her, carryin' her out the front.
Dennis was in the driver's seat. I got into the van, settlin' down next to Rick, who had Sophia sleepin' in his arms. Hershel settled in next to Dennis, givin' him directions to the farm.
As we drove, Rick looked over at Roslyn sleepin' in my arms. I nodded at Sophia in his. We both chuckled quietly so as not to wake the girls snoozin' in our laps.
0o0o0
I kept an eye on Dennis back at the farm. I sat in with Roslyn a lot too, but I didn't have to worry about her when I wasn't there. T-Dog, Glenn, and Dale had all been worried enough about Roslyn that they rotated in and out of her room when I wasn't there. Before, I might've been annoyed by their presence. It actually made me feel better knowin' that they cared about Roslyn like I did.
Carol and Sophia hovered around Dennis most of the time. He didn't seem to mind. I caught him lookin' at the house every once in a while. He was always askin' about Roslyn and askin' if he could see her. He never dared to ask me. He knew the only two answers I'd ever give him were either a big fuckin' 'no' or a fist to the face. Roslyn was right. He was smart.
At first, Rick and Shane wanted to take Randall out to the middle of nowhere and let him go. I'd been all over that idea. Then, it turned out the dumb kid knew Maggie. Rick and Shane brought the dumb kid back. They kept him locked up in the barn.
"Daryl?"
Rick was walkin' up to me.
"What?" I asked.
"I was wondering if you would be willing to talk to Randall."
"What?" I asked again.
Rick didn't say anything, and I knew what he meant.
"Oh. You want me to talk to him." I said.
"We need to know what we're dealing with-"
"I got it." I said. "I'll talk to Randall if you keep an eye on Dennis for me."
"Dennis?" Rick turned to look at Dennis. He was sittin' with Carol and Sophia. "Why do you want me to keep an eye on him?"
"He might try somethin'." I said, shruggin'. "Make sure he doesn't try to see Roslyn."
"Dennis hasn't tried anything at all. He's been really helpful around camp-"
"He's only been here for a day." I said.
"I'll watch him." Rick said.
"Thanks."
I headed to the barn. Shane was keepin' watch outside. When he saw me, he gave me a nod and walked off. I wondered why the bastard hadn't talked to the dumb kid himself.
I went inside the barn. Randall was tied to a chair.
"I remember you. You're-"
I lined up a punch with the dumb kid's nose. His head jerked to the side as he cried out. The moment he looked back at me, I hit him again. The second time, I drew blood. The third time, I drew enough blood that it sprayed back at me.
I paced back and forth while the dumb kid sputtered and whimpered. After I let him catch his breath, I hit him again. This time, I hit him hard enough that he toppled over onto the ground. The dumb kid started cryin' on the floor, tryin' to get up. He looked up at me, blood coverin' his face.
"You're gonna tell me everything." I told the dumb kid, hittin' him again as he laid there. "You're gonna tell me what I want to know. Then, I'll stop."
I hit the kid again. His head bounced off the floor.
"I told him-"
"You didn't tell him shit!" I shouted, hittin' the kid again.
The dumb kid spit out a mouthful of blood as I grabbed him by the shirt, jerkin' him up to sit against the barn wall.
"I barely knew those guys." The dumb kid whimpered. "I met them on the road."
"How many of you are there?" I asked.
The dumb kid didn't say shit. He just stared at me.
"Okay." I said, pullin' out my knife.
"No, no, no." The kid backed up against the wall. "Come on, man."
I jumped down beside the kid, stabbin' the floor. It scared him good. He cried out like I cut him.
"How many?!" I shouted.
"Thirty!" The kid cried.
"We know the camp is outside of town." I ripped the kid's pant leg, revealin' his wound. "Tell me where they're set up. How many miles out of town?"
"I don't know!" The kid screamed.
I scraped my knife against his wound.
"We were never anywhere for more than a night!"
"Plannin' on stayin' local?" I asked.
"I don't know. They left me." The kid said.
"Did you ever pick off a scab?" I asked, diggin' my knife into the wound. "You start real slow, sooner or later, you just gotta rip it off."
"Okay!" The kid yelped as I drew blood. "They have weapons, heavy stuff, automatics, but I didn't do anything!"
"Your boys shot at my boys." I growled, pullin' my knife away. "One of your boys shot at my girl. Your boys were gonna try and take this farm. You just went along for the ride? You're tryin' to tell me you're innocent?"
"Yes!" The dumb kid shouted, soundin' angry. "They took me in. I thought I'd have a better chance with them, you know?"
I stood up. I wiped my knife off on my pants before I put it away.
"…but, we go out, scavenge, just the men. One night we found a little campsite, a man and his two daughters. Teenagers, you know? Real young, real cute."
I turned around and looked back down at the kid. I knew exactly what the kid was sayin'.
"Their daddy had to watch while these guys…and they didn't even kill him afterwards. They just made him watch. They just left him there." The kid caught the look on my face, and got nervous again. "No, but I didn't touch those girls."
I thought about Sophia. We had been lookin' for her for a long time. I wondered if the men in that group touched her.
I thought about Roslyn. She and T-Dog had run into two men from that group in the woods. What if they wouldn't have killed them? What if the men had gone after Roslyn? I thought about the way that fat fuckin' bastard at the tavern had looked at Roslyn when he asked if we had women at camp.
"How about you, sweetheart?"
I launched a kick at the dumb kid, who yelped out like a dog. It just pissed me off more when the kid tried to defend himself. I kicked him again, connectin' my foot with his wound. I bent down, hittin' the kid in the face over and over again. I didn't remember how many times I hit him. I just remember hearin' the kid's nose break. The crunch brought me back to reality.
I left the kid sobbin' on the floor.
Rick and Shane were waitin' for me with the rest of the group.
"The kid has a gang of thirty men." I announced as I walked up. "They have heavy artillery and they ain't lookin' to make friends."
I looked over at Dennis, who stood when I walked up.
"But you knew that already, didn't you?" I asked him.
"What?" Dennis asked. "What are you implying?"
"I ain't implyin' anything." I snapped, takin' a step towards him before Rick cut me off. "I'm sayin' it right out. You knew all about that group, the fuckin' things they did-"
"What is wrong with you?" Dennis asked, walkin' towards Rick and I. "Are you that much of an inbred hillbilly that you make wild accusations…"
Dennis stopped talkin' when I tried to get around Rick to beat the piss out of him.
"That's enough!" Rick shouted.
Shane ushered most everyone away while I continued to try and get at Roslyn's dumb brother.
When everyone but Glenn and Dale had left, I threw Rick off of me. He held up his hands.
"How could you take Sophia back to that group?" I asked, glarin' at Dennis. "How could you take a little girl to that group of fuckin' animals? You were gonna take your sister back there! Your sister!"
"The only animal I see is you." Dennis snapped.
"Daryl, what are you talking about?" Rick asked.
"That fuckin' kid's gang," I pointed at the barn, "they're a bunch of fuckin' rapists!"
Rick's eyes widened as he turned to look at Dennis. Shane even looked digusted.
"What?" Dennis asked. "What are you talking about?"
"Don't act like you didn't know." I said, pointin' at Dennis. "Randall told me about what the men in your group do. They infiltrate camps and rape the women and little girls they find."
Dennis looked at Rick, then at Shane, then at Glenn and Dale. He looked at me.
"I…I didn't know." He said. "I was only with them a few days-"
"If they roll through here, we're dead." I said.
"All right." Rick threw his arms out. "No one goes near Randall."
"What are we going to do?" Glenn asked.
"Dennis, we need to talk." Rick said, walkin' off as he waved to Dennis.
I walked back towards the house. I didn't give a shit about anything. I didn't care what the group wanted to do. I just wanted to go and see Roslyn.
Maggie let me in. I went to the bedroom where Roslyn was restin'. She and T-Dog were sittin' in bed. They were laughin' about somethin' when I walked in. They both looked up at me.
"Hey." Roslyn smiled. "We were just talking about…"
I watched Roslyn's eyes drop to my hand. I looked down. My knuckles were bloody.
"What happened to your hand?" Roslyn asked, lookin' up at my face.
"…I'll leave you two alone." T-Dog said, gettin' off the bed. "Roslyn, I'll be back later."
T-Dog walked around me, shuttin' the door behind him.
"Daryl?" Roslyn was waitin' for an answer.
I went to the bed and sat down beside her. As if sensin' that I needed her, she wrapped her arms around me. She leaned her head on my shoulder. We sat that way for a while. I tried to keep the ugly thoughts out of my head. Normally, I would've jumped Roslyn or the other way around. It wasn't like that anymore. The ugly thoughts I had were about her gettin' hurt or worse.
"Will you let me clean that up?" Roslyn asked after a while.
"You don't gotta." I said.
"I want to." Roslyn said, liftin' her head to look at me. "Please?"
I let Roslyn tug me up the stairs towards the bathroom. She gently pressed on my shoulders, makin' me sit down on the toilet while she started the shower. When she turned back around, she surprised me by unbuttonin' my shirt. I was so surprised that I let her do it, movin' my arms out of the sleeves before my shirt fell on the floor.
Roslyn lifted my hand to her face. She kissed my knuckles.
"Stand up." She said, lettin' my hand drop.
I stood up, lettin' Roslyn undo my pants so I could take them off.
When my pants were off, Roslyn lifted her arms over her head. I surprised myself when I immediately pulled her shirt over her head. Things were comin' more natural the more time passed between us. Touches were softer. Words were gentler. Our relationship was changin', and so was I. What surprised me most was that I didn't mind.
When we were both undressed, we stepped into the shower together. Roslyn held my hand under the hot water. The blood ran off my hand. When it was clean, Roslyn kissed my knuckles again.
"Dennis?" Roslyn asked, holdin' my hand in front of her face.
"Dennis?" I asked.
Roslyn motioned to my hand. I chuckled as I moved my hand in her grasp, touchin' her cheek.
"No." I swept my thumb under her eye. "Randall."
"Randall?" Roslyn asked.
"Shh."
I moved closer to Roslyn, wrappin' my other arm around her waist. I pulled her to me.
"We won't think about them." Roslyn said, lookin' up in my eyes.
I shook my head. There was somethin' I wanted to try. I wanted to kiss Roslyn the way she had tried to kiss me before. I leaned in, lookin' in her eyes as I got close. I kissed her lips quickly, pullin' away to make sure I was doin' it right. Roslyn nodded for me to go on, so I did. I kissed her again, tryin' to be soft and sweet like she had been. It felt different, but it felt good. The longer we kissed, the better it got.
"I don't want to hurt you." I said when Roslyn's hands started wanderin'.
"Listen to me." Roslyn pressed her forehead to mine. "You won't hurt me. I promise."
I trusted Roslyn. I continued touchin' her softly. She seemed to enjoy it as much as I did. We were doin' what she said we would. We were learnin' together. For once, I didn't feel so stupid. Other people made me feel like a dumbass, but not Roslyn. She never made me feel that way.
Everything about our sex that day in the shower was different than the sex we'd had before. It didn't even feel right callin' it sex. It didn't hit me until afterwards, when Roslyn and I were holdin' each other under the hot water, but we had been makin' love. That must've been why I was smilin'.
0o0o0
"I'm goin' out to the camp." I said after Roslyn was settled in bed. "I'm gonna take down your tent and move your stuff into mine. I want it to be nice for you tomorrow."
"You don't have to do that." Roslyn said. "Why don't I come out and help you?"
"No." I sat down on the bed. "Hershel said you needed to rest. You can get up tomorrow."
"All right." Roslyn laid back on the pillows.
"I'll be in later." I leaned towards Roslyn, kissin' her on the forehead. "Take it easy."
I went out to the campsite to take down Roslyn's tent. I cleared her stuff out of it first, throwin' it all into my tent. When her tent was empty, I started to take it down.
"How is Roslyn?"
I looked up and saw Dale standin' next to the tent.
"She's fine." I said, pullin' out the stakes. "She's alone if you want to see her."
"I will later, but right now, I want to talk to you."
"Why?" I asked, standin' up.
"I'm concerned about your…new role in the group." Dale said, lookin' at me funny.
I knew what he meant. He meant what I did to the dumb kid in the barn. I chuckled.
"Man, I don't need my head shrunk." I said.
"You act like you don't care."
"That's 'cause I don't." I said, startin' to disassemble the tent.
"So live or die, you don't care what happens to Randall?" Dale asked.
"Nope."
"Then why not stand with me, try to save the kid's life if it really doesn't matter one way or another?"
"Didn't peg you for a desperate son of a bitch." I mumbled, pulling the frame out of the tent.
"Your opinion makes a difference." Dale said.
"Man, ain't nobody lookin' at me for nothin'."
"Roslyn does." Dale said. "Rick does. He trusts you. I'm looking to you right now."
"Rick looks to Shane." I said, rollin' up the tent.
"You cared about what happened to Sophia. You cared what it meant to the group." Dale said. "Torturing people, that isn't you. You're a decent man, so is Rick. Shane is…different."
"Why's that?" I asked, standin' up again. "'Cause he killed Otis?"
Dale's face changed. He came towards me.
"Did he tell you that?" He asked.
"He told some story how Otis covered him, saved his ass." I said while Dale nodded. "He showed up with the dead guy's gun."
It was somethin' I'd noticed right away, but hadn't shared. It was plain as day for anyone with two eyes and a brain in their head.
"Rick ain't stupid. If he didn't figure that out, it's 'cause he didn't want to." I shoved the rolled up tent I was holdin' into its bag. "This group is broken."
I shoved past the old man to take the tent up to the house. Glenn let me in, and I took the tent into the back where he told me to put it. I left it with other outdoor stuff. As I was headin' back out, I went to stop by Roslyn's room to see if she needed anything. Before I opened the door, I heard Dale talkin' to Roslyn inside.
"…he thinks this group is broken."
"Why would he not? There are few people who look to him for anything other than the game he catches when he hunts. The only time I've seen everyone in this group look to him for any kind of guidance was when Sophia was missing. Now that she's back, I'm sure everything will go back to normal."
"Rick knows what Daryl is capable of. Carol knows. I know. More importantly, you know. That's why I'm asking you to convince him to help me save this poor kid."
"Daryl is a good man. He's doing what he thinks is right. Just like you."
"What about you, Roslyn?"
"…I don't know, Dale. There's a part of me that says we should let him go."
"What about the other part?"
"The other part of me is afraid of what could happen if he brings his group back here. Those two men in the woods…they…"
"I know, but how can we punish this boy for something that he may or may not even do?"
"Dale-"
"If we let this happen, what's to stop the group from deciding that your brother is a danger? What if Rick or Shane or someone else decides that Dennis should die?"
"I really don't care."
"Roslyn, you can't mean that."
"Why not? You don't know anything about Dennis."
"I know that he hasn't done anything worthy of being executed."
"I'm not saying that I want anyone to…listen, before that night at the tavern, I didn't even know if my brother was alive or not. I really don't care what happens to him."
I moved away from the door, and headed back outside.
0o0o0
At the end of the day, everyone was asked to meet at the house. We all stood around the living room. I stood behind the couch on which Roslyn was sittin'.When Dennis walked into the house, he stood on the other side of the room. I set my hand on Roslyn's shoulder. She covered my hand with hers.
"So how do we do this? Just take a vote?" Andrea asked. "Does it have to be unanimous?"
"How about majority rules?" Lori asked.
"Let's just see where everybody stands, then we can talk through our options." Rick said.
"Well, where I sit, there's only one way to move forward." Shane said.
"Killing him, right?" Dale asked. "I mean, why even bother to take a vote? It's clear which way the wind's blowing."
"Well, if people believe we should spare him, I want to know." Rick said.
"Well, I can tell you it's a small group. It's me and Dennis, and maybe Glenn."
"Glenn, what exactly are your thoughts and feelings regarding Randall, the man in question?" Dennis asked.
I rolled my eyes.
"I think Dale is pretty much right about everything all the time, but this-"
"They've got you scared." Dale said before Glenn could even finish.
"Is that true, Glenn? Has anyone used intimidation in order to silence your true thoughts and feelings regarding-"
"Give it a rest, Dennis." Roslyn snapped, usin' a snarlin' tone I had never heard come out of her before. "This isn't law school."
I squeezed Roslyn's shoulder.
"Glenn?" Dale asked, ignorin' the outburst.
"He's not one of us, and we've lost too many people already." Glenn said.
"Roslyn wasn't one of us, but we welcomed her into the group." Dale said. "Dennis isn't one of us, but here he stands amongst us, making this decision about another outsider."
"There's a difference, and you know it." Glenn said.
"How about you? Do you agree with this?" Dale asked, wavin' an arm at Maggie.
"Couldn't we continue keeping him prisoner?" Maggie asked Rick.
"Just another mouth to feed. It may be a lean winter." Hershel said.
"We could ration better." Lori said.
"Well, he could be an asset." Dale argued. "Give him a chance to prove himself."
"Put him to work?" Glenn asked.
"We're not letting him walk around." Shane said.
"We could put an escort on him." Maggie said.
"Who wants to volunteer for that duty?" Shane asked.
"I will." Dennis said. "I would gladly volunteer for that position if it meant sparing Randall's life."
"I'll take second shift." Dale said.
"I don't think any of us should be walking around with this guy." Rick argued.
"He's right. I wouldn't feel safe unless he was tied up." Lori said.
"We can't exactly put chains around his ankles, sentence him to hard labor." Andrea said.
"Look, say we let him join us, right? Maybe he's helpful. Maybe he's nice." Shane said. "We let our guard down, and maybe he runs off, brings back his thirty men."
My grip tightened on Roslyn.
"So the answer is kill him to prevent a crime that he may never even attempt?" Dale asked. "If we do this, we're saying there's no hope, rule of law is dead, there is no civilization."
"Could you drive him further out?" Hershel asked Rick.
"You barely came back this time." Lori said. "There are walkers. You could break down."
"You could get ambushed." I said.
"They're right. We should not put our own people at risk." Shane said.
"If you did it, how would you do it?" The Otis' widow asked.
"We would hang him, snap his neck." Shane said.
"I thought about that." Rick said. "Shooting may be more humane."
"What about the body?" T-Dog asked. "Do we bury him?
"Hold on." Dale said. "You're talking about this like it's already been decided."
"Dale is right. He and I haven't been given the opportunity to argue our case-"
"You both have been talking in circles all day." Shane interrupted Dennis.
"This is a young man's life, and it is worth more than a five minute conversation." Dale said. "Is this what it's come to? We kill someone because we can't decide what else to do with him? You saved him, and now look at us."
"I didn't even want to save the bastard." I said, takin' my hand off Roslyn's shoulder. "If it had been my decision, we would've left him and the lawyer over there back in town."
"Well, time travel has yet to be invented, you simple minded-"
"Enough!" Roslyn shouted, stoppin' me in my tracks as I moved to go at Dennis.
"This kid has been tortured. He's going to be executed." Dale said, once again ignorin' the argument. "How are we any better than those people we're so afraid of?"
"We all know what needs to be done." Shane said.
"Dale is right." Rick said. "We can't leave any stone unturned here-"
"What's the other solution?" Andrea asked.
"Let Rick finish." Lori said.
"We haven't come up with a single, viable option yet. I wish we could-"
"So let's work on it." Dale said.
"We are." Rick said.
"I'm so sick of everybody arguing and fighting." Carol said suddenly. "I didn't ask for this. You can't ask us to decide something like this. Leave me out."
"Not speaking out or killing him yourself, there's no difference." Dale said.
"That's enough." Rick said. "Does anybody want the floor before we make a decision?"
"I want to say something." Dennis said.
I rolled my eyes again.
"I may not have been with Randall's group for very long, but I have dealt with many criminals over the years. I know a criminal when I see one. Randall is no criminal. He is a young man who was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. If we choose to execute him, we will be executing an innocent, young man. We will have to live with that for the rest of our lives. The defense…" Dennis looked down suddenly.
"You once said that we don't kill the living." Dale said, pointin' at Rick.
"That was before the living tried to kill us." Rick said.
"If we do this, the people that we were, the world that we knew is dead. This new world is ugly. It's harsh. It's survival of the fittest." Dale said. "That's a world I don't want to live in, and I don't believe that any of you do."
I realized Dale was about to cry.
"Please, let's just do what's right." Dale looked around. "Isn't anyone else going to stand with Dennis and I?"
"He's right." Andrea said suddenly. "We should try to find another way."
"Anybody else?" Rick asked.
I saw Roslyn raise her hand out of the corner of my eye. I looked down at her.
"I would be willing to discuss other options." Roslyn said. "I'll even volunteer for guard duty until we find another solution."
No one else spoke up. I wanted to support Roslyn, but I also didn't want anything to happen with her should the kid turn on us. I couldn't raise my hand. I couldn't support the decision to spare the kid.
"Are you all going to watch too?" Dale asked, lookin' around at everyone. "No. You'll go hide in your tents and try to forget that we're slaughtering a human being. I won't be a party to it."
Dale walked towards the door. As he passed me, he looked over at me.
"You're right." He touched my shoulder. "This group is broken."
Dennis moved to go after Dale, but Andrea grabbed his arm.
"Let him go." Andrea said. "You and I can go find him later."
We all stood and sat in silence. I looked down at Roslyn. I saw her shoulders shakin'. I barely set my hands on her shoulders before she stood up, headin' for the door. It slammed shut behind her.