Alright so the ball is gonna be rolling a little harder now after this chapter. As always hope you like! Review if you do, well even if you don't!

Chapter Eleven

Confession

Morning came and Rick insisted that they stop the car. Murphy needed rest after driving all through the night and the town they had happened on needed to be looked through. Murph didn't like the idea but once he was forced he was out like a light, his snores filling the car.

Rick put the bottle to Judith's lip and watched her while she ate. He knew she needed to graduate to actual food soon, she wasn't satisfies with a bottle, finishing them off pretty quickly. Her new skills of crawling, or attempting to, were making her too hungry.

"Healthy eater." Connor commented, hobbling over on his crutches.

Rick gave an attempt of a smile as he looked up at the man. Judith was suckling away and his own stomach was nearly barren. His hands were shaky but he brushed that aside and leaned back against the hood of the car.

The fog of morning had long since passed and the heat was picking up. His sweat was beginning to pearl on his forehead, slipping down the back of his neck. Even Judith had tiny sweat pearls on her skin. He hated the heat, reminded him too much of being back at the prison, struggling to survive under The Governor's tyrannical hand. It used to cling to him like a disease. Lori used to press a cool towel to her head and exclaim that she could just bake in this heat. But that hadn't been at the prison at all, that had been another time. He didn't have a life before, he didn't want to think about it. It hurt too much.

"Rick?"

Connor's voice called out to him, his face just as sweaty. Rick stared at him a moment, his mind wavering between thoughts.

"Maybe you oughta eat something." He held out a can and a soon to him, his eyes full of worry as he watched him.

Rick nodded, taking the can with him along with the spoon. Carefully he opened the back seat of the car and put Judith into her car seat with her bottle. His hands trembled as he tried to open the tab on the can. Connor had gone off and Murphy, he figured, was still asleep. Letting out a low curse he dropped himself to sit on the , resting his head back against the car. Tears rose to his eyes, his head went dizzy and his stomach ached. He tried to take a breath but in the oppressive heat all he managed was s sharp heave.

The memories were filling him. The heat had been enough to trigger it. For a moment he could hear their snarls in the prison, could feel their blood stain him when he had killed them. They had been dead already. i didn't kill them, they were already dead. But they were dead because of you.

His free hand pressed hard to his forehead, his throat was dry with the rapsy cries that came from his lips and his eyes burned with the tears that fell from his lashes. Dead, dead. It should have been him. Not them, not his son, him.

"Hey..." Murphy knelt down and looked across at Rick with worried and tired eyes. He reached out, taking there can from him.

Rick lifted his eyes startled, looking first at his empty hand and then at Murphy. He still looked tired but he looked a lot better than he had after all that driving.

"Scared me a little." Murphy said as he pulled the tab from the can and handed it back. "You alright?"

Rick gave a breath of a smile, wiping at the fallen tears with the back of his hand. "Its nothing."

Murphy sat back, resting his arms on his knees. "'Course it isn't." He said with a slight smile. He knew not to press it but seeing the burden of emotions flood Rick's face had both worried and shaken him up. "We gonna check out the town?"

Rick gave a nod as he dug the spoon in, taking out some beans and eating it. He chewed it slowly, the food going down throat. It felt foreign, different. "Looks empty."

Murphy nodded and looked off in the direction of the town. "Seems like it."

Rick took in a breath after a couple of spoonfuls, letting his stomach adjust. "Y'said that y'were in prison?" His voice was hoarse as it came out. "What for?"

The question was something Murphy knew was coming and he was hesitant to answer. He knew the truth had to be told if trust was to be formed. This world accepted all kinds of people, but Rick seemed like he had been an upstanding guy before all this, what would he make of it?

"Murder." He said, lowering his voice. "Me and my brother...you ever hear of the Saints of Boston?"

Rick just stared at him, his eyes unwavering. Of course he had heard of the Saint, who hadn't? Two brothers claiming they were on the path of God to clean up the evil from off the streets. He had never rally decided where he felt on the subject. Law was law and it wasn't something that should be taken into one's own hands. However them doing what they did had somehow never bothered him. They weren't taking out the innocent, they were taking out those who preyed on the innocent. Sitting here now though all he felt was shock.

The Saints, sent by God, here with him. Could they have been sent here? Could they see the blood on his hands? Was this the face of his judgment? A cruel torturing judgment with the face of a man he had loved? The avenger of blood come to seek out his sins? Was this his end?

"I have." He forced out all too nervously, lifting another spoonful into his mouth. Was that the hunger that made his hands even more shakier? Or was it fear?

Murphy nodded as he searched Rick's face for his reaction but he got none. He just continued eating as if he hadn't just heard his confession. Maybe it wasn't a shock to him at all, maybe it was just another thing he had heard.

Rick tried to stifle the nervous fear he suddenly felt. Was he sitting here now with the man who would give the dead their vengeance? With the man who had been sent by God to take out the evil of the world, like the evil that had been living in him?

What would happen if that was how it played out? What would happen to Judith? He had sworn to get her safe, to keep her alive.

Looking back at Murphy he took a hard swallow on the beans he was eating. "We're headed to Woodbury, right?" He asked almost shakily.

Murphy nodded. "That's where you said this Governor is."

Rick let out a breath and looked away. Men of God didn't lie. Perhaps they didn't know that he was then real reason they were sent to that beach house.

"Those men y'killed...what'd you do to their families?"

Murphy gave a shrug. "Depends."

"On what?"

"What kinda people they were."

Rick nodded as if the answer wasn't satisfying. "And if their families are...children?" He didn't look at Murphy when he spoke, his spoon dipped in and out of the beans with a hardened look in his eyes. He couldn't be scared of death, not if he deserved it.

"Children shall not pay for the sins of their fathers." Murphy stated eyeing Rick with a bit of confusion in his eyes.

Was that enough to ease the fear in his mind? The nervousness at the thought of Judith's future were he to die? Nothing could smooth that fear over.

"This Governor have kids?" Murphy asked but something told him this wasn't about The Governor.

Rick gave a shrug as he put the last spoonful into his mouth. "I don't know." He muttered.

Murphy nodded and rose to his feet. "We gonna go now? Since you're done eating and I'm done with my beauty sleep?" He chuckled a little at his own words hoping to get a similar reaction from Rick but again he got none.

"Yeah. Connor's staying with Judith. We're all set." Rick stood up then as well, holding the can in his hand. Touching his hand to his gun he met Murphy's eyes. "Whatever happens thank y'for this." He gave him a nod before he led the way towards the town.

Murphys brows furrowed a little as he tried to understand what had just passed between the two of them. He met Connor's eyes who gave him a nod to get going before he followed after Rick.