So, I have two more chapters that are ready to post. Only problem is, is that after those are posted, we're going on hiatus. Why? Well the platform I use for writing has decided to say "Fuck you. You can't write anymore." So, yeah.
On a lighter note. Who's already done their Halloween shopping!? I am! Ha ha, kidding... I'm never done.
...And I hope I'm not the only one... Anyway, please review! (I haven't gotten one since chapter eight)
For a stretch, the only sounds were Carol's sobs.
None of them seemed able to move, too grief stricken by the loss of Sophia to simply get up and leave.
"Don't look. Don't look." Daryl tried warning the grieving mother. But Carol ignored him, pushing him off her and marching away.
And as Carol's sobs became quieter as she got further away, Beth's cries got louder as she moved away from her family, and closer to the bodies.
But, I guess some of those bodies are her family.
"Wait wait wait wait." Rick tried stopping her, but she shrugged him off.
The girl shakily crouched down near a female walker, pushing the male walker that had fallen on top of it off. As she gently rolled the walker onto its back, she cried harder at the sight of the torn open face.
"Ma…" Beth whispered brokenly.
But to everyone's shock, the walker opened its eyes, immediately snarling and reaching for Beth.
Almost everyone ran over to help the screaming girl, successfully pulling her away from it. As it snarled up at them, T-Dog tried stomping its head in twice, but it was still reaching for them. That was when Andrea grabbed a sickle by the barn, and swung it at the walker, piercing it through the back of its head, the curved tip poking out of its forehead.
All was silent, but it wasn't calm.
Nye shakily looked behind her shoulder at Mason and Toby, both of which, were leaning against her back, using her as their only support.
"Guys…" She whispered hoarsely, unsure of what to even say.
Neither of them looked up, and that told her all she needed to know. While her kids were two of the strongest and most resilient kids she'd ever met, this just wasn't something they'd bounce back from, not for a while.
"Okay…" She murmured to herself, slowly and carefully getting to her feet. And as their support seemed to vanish, they finally looked up.
"C'mon, we gotta go." She told them, softly.
She slowly helped them stand, being as gentle as possible, and started steering them away, following the group, who had started making their way back before them.
"We've been out. We've been combing these woods looking for her and she was in there all along?" Shane's voice carried, pounding on Nye's developing migraine.
"Leave us alone." Maggie barked at him, helping her father along.
"Hey, Shane, just stop, man." Rick tried, putting a hand on Shane's shoulder, which he shrugged off.
"You knew and you kept it from us." Shane continued his accusation.
"I didn't know." Hershel told them, sounding broken.
"That's bullshit. I think y'all knew." Shane raged.
"We didn't know!" Maggie snapped at him.
"Why was she there?!" Shane yelled back.
The group reached the house, the Greene's going up the porch.
Hershel turned around, staring down Shane "…Otis put those people in the barn. Maybe he found her and put her in there before he was killed."
Shane took a step closer to the Greene's. "You expect me to believe that? What do I look like? Do I look like an idiot to you?"
YES
"Shane, hey hey hey." Rick warned him, and Nye wondered why he even tried anymore.
"I don't care what you believe!" Hershel snapped.
"Everybody just calm down." Rick tried keeping the peace.
"Get him off my land!" Hershel yelled.
As more and more people started yelling, Nye sighed, feeling more exhausted than she ever remembered being. Turning the boys around, away from the fighting, she steered them to the van.
Sliding the door open, she nodded to them to get inside. They silently did so.
In the back sat an airbed and an abundance of blankets and pillows, all of which she quickly set up for them.
"Do… You want to talk about it?" She softly asked them as they all laid down.
They stayed silent for a while, but Mason broke the silence.
"I knew she was dead."
Nye froze, looking at Mason in shock, before shaking her head. "No. No you didn't-"
"Yeah. I did." He replied solemnly.
Nye swallowed thickly, unsure of what to say, as this was the first time Mason's bluntness had truly stumped her.
With a reigned sigh, she gently pulled the blanket over them, estimating they'd have at least an hour to rest while the graves were being dug.
…
There was no telling when she fell asleep, but all too soon she was getting jolted awake by a knock on the back window.
As she looked out, she was met with the sight of a solemn redneck.
Feeling too tired to be angry with him at the moment, she opened the door.
He shuffled his feet, glancing back at the RV with a sharpness in his eyes, before looking back at Nye.
"They're ready." He told her, voice rumbling lowly.
She blinked owlishly for a moment, her tired mind trying to catch up with the present. And when it did, she frowned softly, turning to the boys and gently waking them.
They all stayed silent as they made their way to the graves, and it stayed that way through the entire service.
Nye stood, staring on with lifeless eyes as she absently ran her fingers through Mason and Toby's hair. And it all came crashing down in that moment.
As the group dispersed, Daryl not even sparing them a glance where they stood next to him, her mind was starting to let her feel something.
But it wasn't sadness, or grief…
"Head to the RV…" Nye hoarsely whispered to the boys.
"What are you gonna do?" Toby meekly asked, speaking up for the first time since the barn.
She didn't answer, just gave the best reassuring smile she could muster.
Then, her feet were moving. She had no idea where they were taking her until she reached the van. Without any thought, she swung the door open, quickly getting in the drivers seat and just sitting there for a minute in silence.
And that was when she realized what she was feeling.
Anger. Pure, unadulterated anger.
Later, she would be thankful no one had been around at the time, because they would have seen her completely unhinged.
From the outside, her yells and cursing were muffled, leaving it up to the imagination of whoever might have been unlucky enough to pass by. Her fists slammed down on the steering wheel over and over, the pain from her left arm, as a result, only fueled her anger.
After a solid three minutes into her tantrum, she started to lose steam, and that was when she noticed her face felt wet, and that her yells had slowly started devolving into sobs.
She hiccupped, and tried wiping away the evidence of her tears, feeling as though she had no right to cry like this, not when she had yet to see Carol cry a single tear after the barn.
God, we tried, we tried so hard-
"Nye!"
She snapped her head up, watching in worry as Glenn ran down the porch and to her van.
"G-Glenn? What's-" Nye started, as she swung the door open and moved her legs out.
"There's something wrong with Beth!" He told her, panting between words.
After he dragged the distraught woman inside and up to Beth's room, Nye finally was able to get a grip on her mental state.
"Sweetie, can you hear me?" Maggie softly asked her prone sister, before turning to Nye. "What's wrong with her?"
Nye gulped, stepping closer towards the teenage girl. "I-I think she's in shock. Where's you're dad?"
"We can't find him anywhere." Glenn told her solemnly.
"…I'll get Rick." Lori muttered, startling Nye, who hadn't noticed she was there.
Soon, everyone was caught up on the situation. The situation being that Hershel was missing, and everything seemed to be falling apart.
And after Nye heard Rick and Glenn planned on leaving to search for the older man, she knew they weren't going alone.
"I'm going." Nye stated as she walked up to Rick.
He looked at her, an emotion Nye refused to acknowledge as worry shined in his eyes.
"You sure about that?" He asked, and she was grateful he hadn't completely shot her down.
Not entirely trusting her voice, she nodded. With the anger still humming in her veins, she needed an outlet for it, before she did or said something she'd regret.
And with his consent, that left one thing left to do.
"Ace, Smalls." She said softly a she leaned into the RV.
Toby looked up at her, but Mason stared down at the table.
She slowly walked towards them, putting a hand on their shoulders.
"I'm… Me, Glenn and Rick are going on a run."
That was when Mason finally looked up, and she internally crumbled at the sight of tears welling in his eyes.
"B-but you're hurt…" He croaked, and Nye was an inch away from deciding to stay.
"You can't-"
But before Toby could add to that, she pulled them both into a bone crushing hug, knowing that if either of them said one more word, she wouldn't be able to leave.
"Stay safe, don't wonder off, and if anything happens…" She paused. "Get Daryl."
She wasn't naïve, she knew Daryl looked out for the kids in the group more than he looked out for anyone else. The trouble he went through for Sophia being proof. So even though she was less than pleased with him at the moment, she trusted he'd keep Mason and Toby safe.
…When the hell did trusting Daryl become so easy?
…
After pilling into the car, Rick driving, Glenn in shotgun, and Nye in the back, everything was silent.
Just like the rest of the day.
Watching the trees fly by through the window quickly made Nye sick, and simply sitting with her thoughts lead her to thinking about Sophia. So, what did that leave her with?
"Maggie said she loves me." Glenn blurted out.
Whereas Nye gaped like a fish, staring at him wide-eyed, Rick just nodded calmly.
Glenn scoffed at himself. "She d-doesn't mean it. I mean, she can't. I mean- well… She-she's upset or confused. She's probably feeling, like-"
"I think she's smart enough to know what she's feeling." Rick cut him off.
"Besides, who wouldn't love you?" Nye added from the back, pausing in thought afterwards. "Well, if we're talking romantically, then not me, or Lori, or Andrea, or-"
"Okay! I get it." Glenn huffed before shaking his head. "You know what? She wants to be in love, so she's-she needs something to-to, like- to hold onto."
"Glenn, it's pretty obvious to everyone Maggie loves you, and not just because you're one of the last men standing. So what's the problem?" Rick cut him off again.
That was such a dad moment Sheriff. Nye thought with something close to a giggle.
"…I didn't say it back." Glenn finally revealed.
Nye stared at him in disbelief. "Oh you're dead when we get back. That or you're not getting' any until you fix it."
Glenn sputtered, turning in his seat to stare at her. "I've never had a woman say that to me before." He defended. "Except my mom, of course, and my sisters. But with Maggie, it's different. We barely know each other. What-what does she really know about me? Nothing. We're practically strangers. But I-I didn't know what to do with it. I just stood there like a jerk."
"Hey. Hey, this is a good thing, something we don't get enough of these days. Enjoy it. And when we get back, return the favor. It's not like she's going anywhere." Rick assured him.
"Remember the alphabet method when you "return the favor"." Nye randomly added.
Glenn looked back at her, and Rick glanced at her through the mirror.
"T-the what?" Glenn asked.
Nye grinned, silently holding up her pointer and middle finger in a peace sign, before moving them to her mouth and moving her tongue, starting with A and reaching C before Glenn realized what she was doing.
He flushed red and sputtered at her, while Rick just shook his head.
She cackled and settled back in her seat. She could almost make herself believe she was okay.
Almost.
…
It didn't take long for sitting in silence to become too boring to handle, especially for two kids.
"What… do you want to do?" Toby asked, rolling a random marble he found, back and forth on the table in the RV.
"…Beat the shit out of something." Mason grumbled.
Toby blinked. "Literal, or metaphorical?"
"Yes."
Toby sighed, before brightening. "We could play with Carl?" See if we could barrow some of his comics to-"
Mason shot up, an idea lighting up his eyes. "Hunting."
Toby's eyes narrowed. "Hunting? With what?"
Mason shrugged, already heading to the door. "Knives, I guess."
Toby shook his head, standing up and getting between Mason and the door. "What!? You want us to go out there, alone, with just knives?"
Again, Mason shrugged, offering no further explanation.
Toby huffed, getting fed up with his brother. "Aren't you supposed to be the older, more mature one?"
Mason stared at the ground. "Aren't you supposed to be the one that's not broken?"
Toby froze, swallowing whatever anger he had down, which was pretty easy. "What has Nye told you a million times?"
Mason stayed silent, thinking back on the exact same conversation Toby was.
"You're not broken." Nye said, forcefully. "You're not "special" either. You're fine. Just the way you are."
"But the doctors-"
"Fuck the doctors. There's nothing wrong with you." Nye assured him before scoffing. "Hell, the only friend I had growing up was autistic. It doesn't mean you're broken Ace, and if anyone tells you otherwise, punch them in the face.
Mason got detention a week later for walking up to their biology teacher after class and punching him in the face. Nye had been so proud.
…
They reached the bar, and right as Nye grabbed the door handle to get out, Glenn spoke.
"Rick? I know about Lori," He started softly."
Nye blinked, wondering what he was talking about.
"…her being pregnant."
Nye's jaw dropped.
Shit! I should have given her that fucking condom!
"I got her those pills."
…Wait, what pills?
"I figured." Rick told him, swinging the front door open and getting out.
Glenn and Nye followed his example.
"Hey, I'm sorry I kept it from you." Glenn rushed out as he and the strangely silent Nye caught up to the sheriff.
"Don't be. You did what you thought was right." Rick said.
Nye put her left hand up to her ear. "You hear that? There was a silent emphasis on thought."
Glenn wasn't amused.
When they reached the doors Rick kicked them in, which even the drama loving Nye thought was over the top.
And there he was, sitting at the bar counter, rolling an empty glass in his hands. And it obviously hadn't been empty the whole time.
"Hershel." Rick called to him.
"Who's with you?" The man asked without turning around.
"Glenn and Nye." Rick answered.
"Maggie sent him?" Hershel asked, and they started making their way further into the bar.
"He volunteered. He's good like that. Same with Nye." Rick told him, waking up and standing beside the man. "How many have you had?" He asked softly.
"Not enough." Hershel slurred slightly.
"Let's finish this up back at home." Rick offered, and when he didn't get a response, he told him the truth. "Beth collapsed, is in some sort of state."
Hershel looked to Rick, worry for his daughter clear in his eyes, but he still seemed adamant on staying.
"Must be in shock. I think you are too." Rick finished.
"Maggie's with her?" Hershel asked.
"Yeah, but Beth needs you." Rick told him.
"What could I do? She needs her mother. Or rather to mourn, like she should've done weeks ago. I robbed her of that. I see that now." Hershel lamented, and took another drink.
"You thought there was a cure. Can't blame yourself for holding out for hope." Rick tried.
"Hope?" Hershel mused. "When I first saw you running across my field with your boy in your arms, I had little hope he would survive."
"But he did."
"He did. Even though we lost Otis. Your man Shane made it back and we saved your boy. That was the miracle that proved to me miracles do exist. Only it was a sham, a bait and switch. I was a fool, Rick, and you people saw that. My daughters deserve better than that." Hershel took another drink.
Nye glared at the ground, before her eyes moved up to the back of Hershel's head. "Your daughters deserve their father."
Rick and Glenn watched her as she stepped closer, glaring holes into the back of the man's head.
"Every girl deserves her father. And every father owes their little girl their love and support."
While she was trying to get through to Hershel, it became clear to the three men that what she was saying held a deeper meaning.
But, Hershel only poured himself another drink.
Rick, Glenn and Nye moved back towards the entrance to talk.
"So what do we do? Just wait for him to pass out?" Glenn asked.
"Just go." Hershel said, having heard his question. "Just go!"
"I promised Maggie I'd bring you home safe." Rick told him.
Hershel chuckled. "Like you promised that little girl?"
Nye scowled at the ground, bringing her right hand up and holding her aching left arm.
"So what's your plan?" Rick demanded, marching up to Hershel. "Finish that bottle? Drink yourself to death and leave your girls alone?"
Hershel finally got up, turning to them in anger. "Stop telling me how to care for my family, my farm. You people are like a plague! I do the Christian thing, give you shelter, and you destroy it all!"
"The world was already in bad shape when we met." Rick growled, stepping closer.
"And you take no responsibility! You're supposed to be their leader!" Hershel yelled.
"Well, I'm here now, aren't I?!"
Hershel paused. "Yes… Yes. Yes, you are." He said slowly, going back and siting down at the counter, drinking more from his glass.
"Now come on. Your girls need you now more than ever." Rick tried, and put a hand on Hershel's shoulder.
He shrugged it off, though. "I didn't want to believe you. You told me there was no cure, that these people were dead, not sick. I chose not to believe that. But when Shane shot Lou in the chest and she just kept coming, that's when I knew what an ass I'd been, that Annette had been dead long ago and I was feeding a rotten corpse! That's when I knew there was no hope. And when that little girl came out of the barn, the look on your face- I knew you knew it too. Right? There is no hope. And you know it now, like I do. Don't you? There is no hope for any of us."
Nye stared down at the ground.
He's wrong. There is hope. It's named Carl, Mason and Toby. Hell, it's even growing inside of Lori right now. There's hope so long as we can keep the future alive, and not make the same mistakes.
If only she had the courage to say it out loud.
Rick snapped. "Look, I'm done. I'm not doing this anymore, cleaning up after you. You know what the truth is? Nothing has changed. Death is death. It's always been there, whether it's from a heart attack, cancer, or a walker. What's the difference? You didn't think it was hopeless before, did you? Now there are people back at home trying to hang on. They need us, even if it's just to give them a reason to go on, even if we don't believe it ourselves." He rubbed his jaw. "You know what? This-this isn't about what we believe anymore. It's about them."
Nye watched in apprehension, waiting for Hershel to say something. And she grinned as he downed the last shot, and placed the glass down.
He was coming with them.
The doors opened. "Son of a bitch. They're alive." An unfamiliar voice said.
Fuck.
There was a tense silence, filled with nothing but stares.
Until, the two men came in, and made themselves comfortable.
The one who had spoken was a man who Nye would guess was only a little older than her. He made his way to one of the tables near the counter, taking a seat and pouring himself a glass of liquid courage.
The second man, who was heavier set than the first, took a seat at the bar, much to Nye's displeasure.
"I'm Dave." The first one spoke up, confidently. "That scrawny-looking douche bag there is Tony." He said, nodding to his friend, who, Nye noticed was watching her.
Her gut told her to book it out of there. But she couldn't. She couldn't abandon Rick, Glenn and Hershel.
"Eat me, Dave." The second man-Tony, said back.
"Hey, maybe someday I will." Dave snarked before turning back to Rick. "We met on I-95 coming out of Philly. Damn shit-show that was."
Nye would feel sympathetic, only if Tony wasn't eyeing her as subtly as he could manage. Which wasn't subtle at all.
"I'm Glenn. It's nice to meet some new people." Glenn introduced himself from behind the bar.
Nye turned her head and glared at Glenn, silently telling him to shut up. Silently, because she didn't want to bring any unnecessary attention to herself.
She'd come this far without running into people this new world made into monsters, and she didn't want to be introduced to any of them anytime soon.
"Rick Grimes." Rick plainly introduced, and Nye had a feeling he was getting the same gut feeling as her, much o her relief.
Dave and Tony both looked to her, wanting her to tell them her name, and from the looks Tony was giving, probably her bra size too.
She scowled, tapping her fingers against the bar and looking to Rick. The look she got back told her everything. No, he didn't trust them, but it's best to act natural.
She sighed through her nose before turning to Dave, avoiding Tony's gaze. "Nye."
Dave raised an amused brow, before turning to Hershel, much to her relief.
"How about you, pal? Have one?"
"I just quit." Hershel told him, referring to the alcohol.
"You've got a unique sense of timing, my friend." Dave chuckled.
"His name's Hershel." Rick told him. "He lost people today, a lot of them."
Dave' smile fell. "I'm truly sorry to hear that." He raised his glass. "To better days and new friends. And to our dead… May they be in a better place."
Everyone but Nye and Hershel held a glass, so, without much thought she grabbed the nearest bottle and started drinking straight from it. Ignoring the impressed looks from the two men, as that wasn't her intention in the least, she just wanted to get hammered after what felt like the longest day ever.
But as Dave leaned over to set his glass down, they tensed at the sight of a gun in his waistband.
Dave noticed the stares, and pulled the gun out, making Nye subtly reach for hers.
He held the gun, looking down at it with an imperceptible look in his eyes. "Not bad, huh? I got it off a cop."
Wrong thing to say, dick-weasel.
"I'm a cop." Rick replied.
"This one was already dead." Dave clarified.
"You fellas are a long way from Philadelphia." Rick said, leadingly.
"It feels like we're a long way from anywhere." Dave replied.
"Well, what drove you south?" Rick asked.
"Well, I can tell you it wasn't the weather. I must've dropped 30 lbs. In sweat alone down here." Dave joked, and Nye got tenser.
They're evading.
"I wish." Tony muttered.
"No, first it was D.C. I heard there might be some kind of refugee camp, but the roads were so jammed, we never even got close. We decided to get off the highways, into the sticks, keep hauling ass. Every group we came across had a new rumor about a way out of this thing." Dave told them.
"One guy told us there was the coast guard sitting in the gulf, sending ferries to the islands." Tony spoke up.
"The latest was a rail yard in Montgomery running trains to the middle of the country. Kansas, Nebraska." Dave added.
"Nebraska?" Glenn asked.
But, Nye could see it. Hell, thinking more and more about it, Nebraska sounded perfect.
"Low population, lots of guns." Tony told him.
"Kinda makes sense." Glenn muttered.
"Kinda? Nebraska would be like a fucking sanctuary." Nye piped up.
Dave grinned at her, and in another life, she might have found it hot. "Ever been to Nebraska, kid?" He asked Glenn. "A reason they call 'em Flyover States."
Tony chuckled, and as it trickled off, it grew quiet once again. Before Dave broke the silence, and the calming atmosphere.
"How about you guys?"
Nye tensed again, slowly looking sideways at Rick, but he seemed calm enough.
"Fort Benning, eventually."
Dave's face fell, but Nye couldn't tell if it was genuine or not. "I hate to piss in your cornflakes, officer, but, um… We ran across a grunt who was stationed at Benning. He said the place was overrun by lamebrains."
Nye hung her head. Either these two were lying and the four were in potential trouble. Or, Fort Benning truly was lost.
So, the question is, which is the lesser of two evils.
"Wait, Fort Benning is gone? Are you for real?" Glenn asked in shock, looking between the four fearfully.
"Sadly, I am. Oddly, the truth is there is no way out of this mess. Just keep going from one pipe dream to the next, praying one of these mindless freaks doesn't grab a hold of you when you sleep." Dave monologued.
"If you sleep." Tony murmured.
Dave suddenly looked between the four "Yeah, it doesn't look like you guys are hanging your hats here. You holed up somewhere else?"
Nye's heart skipped a beat.
"…Not really." Rick calmly told him.
"Those your cars out front?" Dave suddenly asked.
"Yeah. Why?" Glenn said, cluelessly, and Nye could have hit him.
"We're living in ours. Those look kinda empty, clean. Where's all your gear?" Dave pushed.
"We're with a larger group out scouting, thought we could use a drink." Hershel covered.
"A drink? Hershel, I thought you quit." Dave joked, and again, with their similar sense in humor, maybe in another life, he and Nye could have been friends.
But not in this one.
"Well, we're thinking of setting up around here. Is it-is it safe?" Dave continued.
"It can be, although I have killed a couple of walkers around here." Glenn told them.
"Walkers? That what you call them?" Dave asked.
"Yep." Nye said, trying to seem less tense.
"That's good. I like that. I like that better than lamebrains." Dave muttered.
"More succinct." Tony added.
Dave rolled his eyes. "Okay, Tony went to college."
"Two years." Tony defended like going to college was some embarrassment.
"So what-so what, you guys set up on the outskirts or something? That new development?"
The more they questioned, the tenser everyone got.
Tony got up, walking to the other side of the bar. "Trailer park or something?" Tony guessed.
"A farm?"
No. No, fuck.
The looks on their faces said it all. And Dave knew he guessed right.
"Old McDonald had a farm…" He randomly started singing. "You got a farm?"
Nye looked up as she heard what sounded like water spilling on the ground, but when she saw it was Tony taking a leak in the corner, she grimaced and looked back to Dave.
"Is it safe?" Tony asked, still going.
"It's gotta be." Dave said, not looking away from Rick for a second. "You got food, water?"
"You got more cooz? Ain't had a piece of ass in weeks." Tony added.
Nye glared and settled her hand on her pistol. She knew her gut was right, and that meant keeping these men away from the farm no matter what.
Who the hell knows what they would do with the women.
Nye's blood grew cold.
…Or the kids.
"Listen, pardon my friend. City kids, they got no tact." Dave turned to Nye. "No disrespect." Turning back to Rick and Glenn, he continued. "So listen, Glenn-"
"We've said enough." Rick cut him off.
"Well, hang on a second. This farm, it sounds pretty sweet. Don't it sound sweet, Tony?"
"Yeah, real sweet."
"How about a little southern hospitality? We got some buddies back at camp, been having a real hard time. I don't see why you can't make room for a few more. We can pool our resources, our manpower." Dave bargained.
"Look, I'm sorry. That's not an option." Rick cut him off.
Dave and Tony exchanged looks. "Doesn't sound like it'd be a problem." Dave muttered.
"I'm sorry. We can't." Hershel said.
"We can't take in any more." Rick added.
Dave chuckled bitterly. "You guys are something else. I thought, you know, I thought we were friends. We got people we gotta look out for too."
"We don't know anything about you." Rick told him.
"No, that's true. You don't know anything about us. You don't know what we've had to go through out there, the things we've had to do. I bet you've had to do some of those same things yourself. Am I right?"
Nye watched in worry as Rick stayed deathly silent.
"'Cause ain't nobody's hands clean in what's left of this world. We're all the same. So come on, let's, let's take a nice friendly hayride to this farm and we'll get to know each other." Dave tried again.
Rick shook his head. "That's not gonna happen."
"Rick-"
"This is bullshit." Tony cut off Dave.
"Calm down." Rick warned him.
"Don't tell me to calm down. Don't ever tell me to calm down. I'll shoot you four assholes in the head and take your damn farm!" Tony raged.
"Rick…?" Nye murmured and stood, asking what to do.
Dave stood too. "Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa. Relax. Take it easy. Nobody's killing anybody. Nobody's shooting anybody. Right, Rick?" Dave asked, hopping over the bar, standing closer to Nye now. He slowly put his gun on the counter. "Look. We're just friends having a drink. That's all. Now where's the good stuff, huh?" He clapped his hands and started looking under the bar. "Good stuff, good stuff, good stuff. Let's see."
As Rick put his hand on his gun, Dave stood back up with a bottle. "Hey, look at that. That'll work." Dave opened the bottle. "You gotta understand. We can't stay out there. You know what it's like."
Rick nodded. "Yeah, I do. But the farm is too crowded as is. I'm sorry. You'll have to keep looking."
"Keep looking." Dave mocked. "Where do you suggest we do that?"
Rick shrugged. "I don't know. I hear Nebraska's nice."
Dave chuckled, but it was bitter. "Nebraska… This guy."
And suddenly, there was blood splattered on the side of Nye's face. Dave flew back, with a hole in his head.
Before anyone could react, Rick spun around, shooting Tony twice. And as he slid against the wall, already dead, Rick shot him in the head one last time, much to Nye's confusion.
Silence rang heavy once again, and as a thick drop of Dave's blood slid down her cheek, all Nye could do was think
I want my kids.
You have no idea how many times I accidently typed 'Toby' instead of 'Tony' this chapter.