The rest of the group had walked on back to camp. Daryl and Kei lagged behind. The dark haired girl looked over her shoulder and peered back at the barn. Shane was pacing obsessively in front of the doors. He checked every little crack and crevice, looking over every little detail to make sure it was safe. It was actually kind of sad to see. From the way Rick described him, he was admirable and respected. He made good calls for the entire group before Rick became leader. He was the one who kept Rick's family and a majority of the others alive when all this started. That Shane seems to have faded away somewhere. All that was left in its place was something completely different.
"Asshole's lucky I didn' kick his teeth in," She heard Daryl mutter next to her. The corner of her mouth twitched upwards.
"He's all talk," She replied, turning to look at him with a warm smile, "You could've kicked his ass any day."
Daryl looked over at her thoughtfully, half smiling at her before looking forward.
"He better sleep with one eye open next time," He warned.
"I bet he'll have to," Kei snickered, "At this rate, his other one will probably be punched out by the end of the week."
Daryl let out a scoff and shook his head, listening as Kei laughed lightly beside him. His eyes shifted towards her and he watched as she brushed some hair behind her ear. Her dark eyes were glued to the floor as they walked on. He saw her expression change from happy to concerned.
"Worried 'bout the barn?" He asked. Her lips twisted to the side briefly as she nodded.
"Nothin's gonna happen to ya," He assured her, "Alright?"
Kei turned her head towards him, her eyes widening only slightly. Did he just…indirectly of course, say he was going to…?
"Ain't nothin' gonna hurt any one of ya," He added quickly, "Rick an' I won't let it."
Kei's lips curled inwards as she nodded, smiling lightly at the hunter. Daryl was truly looking out for her, for whatever reason. It didn't matter why to her. The fact that someone cared so much, well, it restored her faith in humanity...sort of.
She reached over and gently took his hand, watching as he jolted slightly and tensed up. She held him back a little, indicating for him to stop for a minute. He turned his head sharply to her with a confused look in his eyes. She smiled warmly at him.
"Thanks," She spoke honestly, "That means a lot to me."
Daryl's eyes traveled down to his hand now placed in hers. His nose twitched a little and he pulled away.
"Whatever," He mumbled. Kei gave him a crooked half smile and quickly got on her toes. She leaned in as quick as lightning and pecked him on the cheek. Daryl jerked his head away and put his hand to his cheek, looking like he just got slapped in the face. Before he could get a word in she quickly ran off to find Carl. She let out laugh when she heard Daryl yell out something from behind her.
As the Afternoon came, Kei and Carl decided to go and play checkers on the porch. Beth and Patricia watched them peacefully while sitting on the porch swing. Glenn and Maggie were sitting on the steps, talking quietly to each other about something the other four couldn't hear.
"King me," Carl chirped, setting his checker piece on the opposite side of the board. Kei smiled lightly and looked out from the porch with a sigh. It was such a beautiful day out, she never thought it could feel this peaceful. She stared thoughtfully out at the field. What a day this was turning out to be. Walkers were in the barn, Lori was pregnant, and Daryl Dixon actually gave a shit about her. The image of his confused deer-in-headlights expression suddenly came to mind. She chuckled lightly in her throat. What a dork. She would pay good money to see him make that look again.
"You alright, Kei?" Carl asked, picking up his glass of lemonade and taking a sip. Kei nodded lightly to him, smiling as she leaned back in her rocking chair.
"It's such a nice day out," She breathed, truly enjoying the heat and the cloudless blue sky.
"Yall should go swimming later," Patricia suggested, "We got a lake here, s'nice and cool for a hot day like this."
"Wanna go swimming, Kei?" Carl asked, his big blue eyes widening slightly in excitement.
"After lunch," She offered, earning an excited nod from him. She smiled back and turned to look out at the field once more, furrowing slightly when she saw T-Dog and Andrea walk up with concern etched on their faces.
"Where is everyone?" T-Dog asked out as he approached the group by the porch.
"You haven't seen Rick?" Glenn asked.
"He went off with Hershel," Andrea answered, "We were supposed to leave a couple hours ago."
"Yeah we were, what the hell?"
Kei's head instantly turned in the direction of Daryl's voice, seeing him walking forward with Carol struggling to keep up.
"He told us we were goin out," Carol explained. Daryl scowled as he looked to everyone,
"Well dammit! Isn't anyone takin this seriously?!" He stopped and turned, throwing his hand out towards the forest, "We got us a damn trail!"
Everyone froze when Shane suddenly came charging forward from the field. The gun bag was safely secure on his shoulders. He, however, looked dangerous.
"Ah, here we go…" Daryl spoke, walking forward to meet Shane halfway. He stopped when he noticed Shane's menacing demeanor, his face dark with unfamiliar determination.
"S'all this?" The hunter asked, staring at Shane in wariness.
"You with me man?" Shane asked. Kei's dark eyes narrowed as he pulled a shotgun off his shoulder, handing it over to the hunter. Daryl only looked at him once before latching onto the rifle. He took the gun and cocked it as Shane went on to grab a handgun from the bag.
"Time to grow up!" The man announced loudly. He looked to Andrea as he neared the porch, "You got yours?"
"Yeah," She answered slowly, "W-where's Dale?"
"He's on his way…" Shane answered. He handed T-Dog a pistol and the man looked at it cautiously.
"Thought we couldn't carry," He remarked.
"Yeah, well we can and we have to," Shane stated.
By this time, everyone crowded around and stared at Shane in shock. Rick's right hand man stopped and looked to the group, another shotgun propped in his hand.
"Now look," He spoke out, "It was one thing for us to be sittin 'round here pickin daisies when we thought this place was safe, but now we know it ain't!"
He walked up to Glenn and put out the end of the rifle,
"How bout you man? You gonna protect yours?" He asked, hinting towards Maggie. Glenn looked over at Maggie hesitantly, but ended up grabbing the shotgun. Shane then looked to Kei, pulling out a handgun and holding it out to her,
"And what bout you, huh? You gonna earn yours and protect this group?"
Kei stared hard at Shane, her eyes dark and her expression deadpan. She saw the determination, fear, and greed in his eyes. His jaw muscles were tense, his nose wrinkled in a faint snarl. She shook her head no at him, and watched as he growled and went on to look at everyone else. Maggie stepped forward,
"Can you stop?! You do this, you hand out all these guns, my dad will make you leave here tonight!" She warned. Shane continued to pull out more pistols and guns, ignoring her completely.
"We have to stay, Shane," Carl urged as walked down the steps. He stopped next to Kei and leaned close to her. She looked down at him, and then back up when she heard Lori exiting the house.
"What is this?" She heard her ask out.
"We ain't goin anywhere, okay?" Shane asserted to the group, "Now look, Hershel-he's just gonna have to understand. Now we need to find Sophia, am I right?"
He pulled a small revolver from the belt of his pants and knelt down in front of Carl, holding it out to him,
"Now, I want you to take this," He spoke, "You keep your mother safe and do whatever it takes. Go on, take it. Take the gun, Carl."
Kei was about to protest, but Carl's mother was two steps ahead. Lori yanked her son back and stepped forward, looked down at Shane and getting into his face.
"Rick said no guns," She hissed venomously, "This is not your call, this is not decision to make!"
"Oh shit…" T-Dog let out, looking off towards the forest with wide eyes. Kei walked up behind him and followed his gaze. Rick, Hershel, and Jimmy had stepped out of the treeline, and were heading towards the barn. Rick and Hershel led two walkers out by long metal poles, the creatures lashing out towards Jimmy as he baited them.
"What is that…" Shane hissed, suddenly sprinting forward like a jack rabbit.
"Wait!" Maggie yelled as she sprinted off after him. Kei sprinted off after her, and everyone else followed closely behind. Shane shoved open the barn gate and ran down the dirt path like his life depended on it. Rick's face seemed to grow dark as his right hand man approached,
"What the hell you doin?!" Shane roared as he neared the leader and his walker.
"Shane, just back off!" Rick barked.
Kei stepped through the gate and stared at what was happening before her. Rick and Hershel pulled along two Walkers, one male and one female on animal control catch poles. They growled and hissed, clawing out at whoever's warm flesh their eyes fixed on. Her eyes went over to Shane when she heard his frantic voice. He stared back at the group with venom and fire in his eyes as he pointed over to Rick and Hershel.
"You see?! You see what they're holdin on to?!"
"I see who I'm holding onto!" Hershel bit as he and Rick continued their struggle towards the barn. Shane paced around them like a hungry wolf, eyeing them with fire in his eyes.
"Nah man, you don't see!"
"Let me do this so we can talk!" Rick begged.
"What we need to talk about Rick?!" Shane barked, "These things ain't sick! They're not people! THEY'RE DEAD! These things don't feel nothin! All they do is kill!"
Kei took a step forward, but was quickly cut off by Daryl. He stepped in front of her with the shotgun in his hands, pointing it at the male walker in an autobody worker's uniform. His stormy eyes shifted from the walker over to her, eyeing her and warning her to stay back.
"They're the things that killed Amy!" Shane lectured frantically, "They killed Otis! And they'll kill all of you unless we do something!"
"Shane shut up!" Rick let out as they neared the barn door. Kei watched with wide eyes as Shane yanked the pistol from his belt and stood defensively in front of the barn door.
"Hey Hershel, let me ask you somethin," He spoke out, "Could a livin' breathin' person walk away from this?"
He raised his pistol and shot the walker Hershel struggled to control. Four bullets pierced the creature in the chest and stomach. Kei and the other girls yelped and flinched at the gunfire, watching as the walker stumbled back and growled, lashing out towards Shane in anger. The man continued to shoot at it, screaming at the old farmer and trying to get his point across that these things weren't people anymore. It was after the 9th shot or so that Rick screamed out "Shane, enough!" and his friend finally ceased.
"Yeeaah you're right man," He scoffed, "That is enough…"
Shane walked forward and put the gun to the Walker's head, pulling the trigger carelessly without missing a beat. It fell to the ground and with a loud thud, Hershel fumbling with the catch pole and watching in horror as it fell to the dirt. Shane returned to the barn door and turned around, facing his group as he paced from side to side.
"Enough! Riskin our lives for a little girl who's GONE!" He barked, staring over at Carol who stepped backwards in shock. Kei took hold of her hand defensively and squeezed it.
"Enough! Livin next to a barn full of things that wanna kill us! Enough!" He screamed, "Rick, it ain't like it was before! Now if y'all wanna live, if you wanna survive, you gotta fight for it! And I'm talkin' about fight! Right here, right now!"
Shane ran towards the barn's entrance and grabbed the pick axe that was leaning against it. He began shoving it against the barn door and hacking at the lock that kept the Walkers inside. Kei only stood back and watched as Rick plead for Hershel to take the other Walker so he could try and stop Shane. She could see the far off look on the farmer's face as he watched Shane. Everyone yelled in protest and Lori screamed for her husband. Carol stepped back behind Kei and the girl firmly stood in front of her. By that time, Shane had finally ripped off the lock and tore the board off the barn door, throwing it to the side and slamming his hands on the door.
"C'moooon!" He yelled out, stepping back with his pistol loaded and ready. The barn doors opened up wide and the Walkers came piling out. A bald walker in overalls stumbled out with a bloody and rotted smirk on its face. Shane eyed the creature closely and fired a shot, the bullet piercing the walker directly in the skull.
Kei stepped back a little when she saw Daryl step forward and get right in front of her again. He lowered the shotgun briefly and looked back at her. She blinked. She could read the look in his eyes, and it completely threw her off. He wanted approval. He wanted approval from her for what he was about to do. She nodded lightly, stepping back with Carol's hand in hers. Daryl then turned and raised the shotgun, pointing it towards a female Walker that had staggered out of the barn.
Andrea and T-Dog ran forward, frantically raising their guns and backing the two men up. One by one the Walkers emerged and charged at their food standing only feet away. Their pace had quickened. Shane took another shot and everyone began to rapidly fire. Daryl ran up for a closer shot and consecutively fired, bringing down his targets one by one. Carl attempted to run up to his father, but Lori scrambled toward him and pulled him back. Rick turned and yelled at him to stay back while Maggie let Glenn know it was okay to go forward to help protect them all.
One by one the Walkers fell, the echo of gunshots ringing through Kei's ears. She and Carol stood there in disbelief, the two of them clinging to each other as they watched Hershel's family fall like flies. The last of the Walkers came staggering out, and the final shot coming from Daryl's gun rang in the air. After that, there was nothing. The only thing breaking the silence were the sounds of heavy breathing and quiet sobs. The sun beat down on the survivors as they stared at the damage that had been caused. Kei glanced around at everyone. She heard footsteps behind her and turned, seeing Dale approaching with his mouth wide open in shock. His wide eyes glazed over with confusion and horror, his hands gripped tighter on his rifle.
Hissing and groaning could be heard from deep inside the barn. Everyone stared into the darkness, the tension growing as they waited for the last walker to come out. Slowly, a small, shadowy figure staggered its way out of the barn. The figure put its hands up to its face, seeming to shield itself from the bright sun. Its tiny hands slowly fell and revealed officially itself to the rest of them. Kei watched as everyone's mouths slowly dropped. Carol had put her hand to her mouth. Everyone's eyes grew wide. Muscles froze, and breathing seemed to halt with time.
Standing before them was a little girl. Time and decay had threatened her pale, blotchy skin. She was as thin and fraile looking as Kei; Her short hair greasy and clumped, but kept back with a sparkly headband. The large bite mark on her left shoulder had rotted and festered. Dried blood ran down her weathered blue shirt and stained it. The walker looked up with her big milky eyes, staring at each member with hunger on her face. No one had dared to raise their gun at her, and then Kei realized who this girl was. She turned when she heard Carol's voice break into a sob, her light footsteps suddenly turning into at a dead sprint.
"Sophia!" She cried out. Kei reached out to grab her, but the frantic mother shoved her away. She ran past Kei and made a beeline for her daughter, but Daryl reached out and managed to swiftly catch her, holding her and lowering her to the ground. Tears began to run down the woman's cheeks as Daryl told her not to look. Her heart was breaking by the second. She attempted to get out Daryl's grasp and clamber across the ground for her daughter. She was only a stone's throw away.
"Sophia," She whimpered, desperately reaching out for her little girl with her one free hand, "Baby…Sophia…."
As if hearing her mother's soft cries and the desperate calls of her name, Sophia walked forward. Her head jutted about as she growled at the line of armed group members before her. No one moved a muscle as she continued to stagger forward, growling and snarling at them. Kei's heart thumped in her chest. She turned to look at Carl. He was crying his eyes out on the ground with Lori's arms wrapped securely around him. She kept telling him not to watch over and over. Kei's heart began to ache. A warm sensation crawled up her throat and her eyes were beginning to sting.
She turned and watched as the little walker carefully made her way around Hershel's deceased family. From the corner of her eye, she saw Rick starting to move, taking a look around at his group. No one else moved a muscle. He turned around and looked to his family, and then to Kei. The girl could see it. She could see the light of whatever hope he had left leave his eyes. He kept his gaze fixed on her, pleading with her, asking her what it was that he should do. He already knew the answer, of course. Everyone knew the answer. He had to do what needed to be done.
Kei wiped her eyes quickly and took a deep, shaky breath. Her dark eyes plead with him, giving him her own approval to go forward and do what needed to be done. His lips curled inward and he nodded. His big blue eyes traveled to the dirt before turning back towards Sophia. His legs moved, and slowly he began closing the gap between him and the little girl.
Kei watched as he yanked his pistol from the holster on his leg and moved in front of Shane, stopping and raising it towards Sophia. The girl kept staggering towards him, hissing and baring her rotted teeth at him. Kei closed her own eyes, waiting for the gunshot to ring in her ears. She bit her lip and took a sharp breath through her nose. Her eyes screwed shut tight as the memory of her own little sister kept popping up in her head. The way her big eyes stared up at her with terror and sadness. The way the tears rolled down her chubby cheeks. She could still hear her piercing scream in her ears, the cry she let out just before her big sister's sword swiped across her little neck. Kei put her hands to her ears and she let out a wail in her throat. As she did so, Rick put his finger on the trigger, giving the little girl one last look before pulling it.