As Shane unloaded several more rounds into the walker's chest that Hershel was holding onto Daryl nudged his horse into a gallop, the girl on the ground matching the animal's pace easily.
"What in tha hell's goin' on?" Daryl demanded, accepting the shotgun Shane shoved toward him after he dismounted the horse.
"Shane's lost his damn mind!" Lori screamed over the din of Rick yelling for Hershel to take the leashed walker as Shane continued his rant and advanced on the barn door.
She couldn't control herself with a rotter right there in front of her, her instinct to kill washing over her like a red wave. Pouncing like a jungle cat with her gift from Daryl drawn she knocked Rick's walker to the ground, landing on its chest, her knife easily penetrating its skull and brain.
Now free of his burden Rick ran to Shane who had succeeded in busting open the barn's lock with a pick axe. The girl quickly passed Rick up, pressing herself against the door as it swelled forward with the dead. Keeping them momentarily restrained.
A shrill ear piercing shriek of anger simultaneously silenced the dead groaning behind the door and the living quarreling in front of her. She'd never encountered such stupid creatures in her life, squirrels had more common sense in her opinion.
She pointed towards the guns before making an exploding motion extending outward from her ear before waving the same hand in the direction of the woods and the area around the farm. In conclusion she waved her knife at them all, her face clearly expressing her disappointment before she stabbed towards the creatures behind her that had begun their pushing again at her silence. 'Idiots.'
"She's right, gunshots'll bring more of 'em." Daryl gruffly agreed, handing the rifle off to Lori and taking out his own knife, making her hiss at him as her feet began sliding forward in the dirt.
She swung her knife out at all of them, motioning for them to get back.
Letting the barn doors go she swung around, crouching down into a spring loaded position before she launched herself at the first creature to emerge from the dark confines. As more and more surged from the opening she did her best to dispatch them all, lunging quickly, dodging teeth and nails the best she could.
Daryl caught a stray one that escaped her range of almost acrobatic movements, efficiently sinking his blade into its eye socket, Shane shooting another one to the left that got out of her reach.
The group watched in awe and horror as the animal inside carried her through the motions. If they were uncertain about keeping her around before, they knew they needed her now. But at a distance. Like a pitbull chained up in a yard for protection. Maggie let out a scream when a walker lunged on the girl from behind while her weapon was still lodged in her latest kill's skull.
A strangled yell left Daryl as he watched it sink its putrid jagged teeth into the soft flesh where neck met shoulder, her blade meeting it between the eyes before it could rip an actual chunk out of her. She threw it off her like it was nothing. Continuing her massacre like it was just another day at the office and the walker bite she'd just received was a simple paper cut.
As the last of the dead poured from the barn she began to finally tire after taking on such a sheer number all at once. More gunshots rang out to put down the ones that escaped her. When a bullet from Shane's gun tore through her chest she knew it was no accident as their eyes locked and a large male walker in a mechanic's uniform knocked her to the ground, pinning her underneath itself as its jaws snapped inches from her face.
Quickly rolling the creature so she was on top she jammed the knife into its head right to the hilt, letting out the same roar of victory Daryl had heard that first day, making the remaining few walkers attempt to flee only to be mowed down by bullets, one of which from Andrea's pistol caught her in her undamaged shoulder.
An expression of horror, similar to the one when she shot Daryl overtook Andrea's face, making the girl dismiss it as an accident. Heaving for breath, covered in black blood along with her own red she leaned forward on the walker's chest she was straddling, glaring daggers into Shane's eyes as she panted, her lips curling over her teeth at him in a silent snarl. 'I know.'
Her eyes shifted to Daryl, confused at his pained expression trained on her shoulder before a gasp from Carol and the sound of shuffling feet from behind made her turn. The dead child exiting the barn was the grotesque spitting image of the little girl's picture she had studied earlier that day.
Approaching the small rotter she sniffed for any trace of the scent she had memorized. Nothing resembling it remained, only death and decay met her flaring nostrils. Grasping the creature's neck firmly to keep it at bay as it snapped and snarled she looked back at the group for confirmation.
First looking to the sobbing mother on the ground held back by Daryl. Then to each face, hoping the reality of this world was finally sinking into their naive brains that were still desperately holding onto the idea of their old lives. 'Nowhere safe. No one safe. No more humanity.'
Lastly her eyes fell on the alpha, a nod from him permitting her to finish the little terror clawing at her arm. She rose up on foot, turning the thing that had once been a beacon of hope for many of them around. She pressed the rotter against her body so the people behind her could not watch as she ended the monster's struggling with one swift movement.
Holding the limp body against her she gently laid it down in the blood soaked dirt with shaking arms as the agonized cries of a mother losing her child rang out into the air around them. Cradling the head with her fingers woven into blood matted dirty blond hair she closed the grey eyes staring back at her before falling limp next to the body herself.