MIGHTIEST OF GUNS
CHAPTER TWENTYFIVE
Kristen had thought that by this point she would be used to the sound of gunfire.
It wasn't as if they had never heard it back in Boston. Living deep into the Southside of the city, it was just a natural part of the aural background. She would hardly bat an eyelash at the sight of a gun on the belt of a bar patron, but would surely keep her own head down. In this trigger-happy Bible Belt, the sound of a gunshot should seem even more natural.
It didn't stop her throat from constricting each time a bullet pierced the silence though.
At the impact of the sound she ceased the twirling of her hips, the hula-hoop falling with a flourish. In her haste, it caught around her ankles and she momentarily stumbled.
She turned on her heel to tell Val to stay put but found Daryl already instructing the little girl to go inside with Beth. Val's eyes widened at the demand and she listened without protest. I'll have to ask him how he does that. Val never listened to her that easily.
He turned to her, his eyes flashing – a similar command behind them. He had to know by now that she certainly wouldn't be as easy.
Things at the barn appeared seemingly normal. The door remained safely sealed shut and there was no sign of a struggle outside. As they neared the wooden structure though, shouting and conflict could be heard from within. Before Daryl even pulled open the door, Kristen could ascertain her brother's raised voices. Her pulse slowed ever so slightly. At least they were alive.
Andrea and Kristen could hardly contain their repulsion upon the opening of the barn door. Randall lay dead on the dirt floor. A single bullet wound through his head, sending gray brain matter and fragments of skull across the barn. Though fresh, the smell of it mixed with the metallic tang of the blood was overpowering.
Even more-so than her own defensive kill, Kristen felt the urge to gag. She suddenly found her mind wandering to the JFK assassination, footage she had seen in every high school history class. Boston public education was big into the Kennedys. Grainy footage depicting the impact of the bullet, the screams in the crowd, poor Jackie O reaching across the back of the car to try and grab her husband's brains…
She snapped back to reality at the sound of Andrea's voice. She could only think that her mind was reverting back to another scene, that though gruesome, was easier to take in than the horrors of the present.
The blonde's tone was measured, but the disbelief and frustration were impossible to ignore. "Shane. I thought we hadn't made a decision about Randall yet. What is Hershel going to do when he finds out now? What is Dale going to say?"
Shane threw his arms up defensively. "What makes you think it was fucking me? I ain't the only man here who knows how to fire a gun."
"Well yer the one whose been gunnin' for that sonofabitch's head since he got here." Daryl's voice was gruff as he glanced at the corpse warily. At least it seemed likely that Randall wasn't in danger of reanimating. That brain wasn't going to be experiencing any activity anytime soon…
"About that…" To their surprise, Rick turned to Kristen and raised an arm reassuringly, used his best 'calming cop' voice. She had dealt with too many cops in the past with a similar demeanor and dread rose up in her chest.
Her face falling, she turned to Sean. "Seany, please tell me you didn't do this. Please?"
Sean cleared his throat and raised his chin in a defiant show of responsibility. Kristen couldn't control herself from stepping forward and slapping him across the face, her hands shaking. She instantly regretted the action. She had never raised a finger against any of the kids before, but in this moment – her emotions claimed the upper hand. Clenching and unclenching her jaw, she could only look at his dumbfounded.
They had been through so much by now and she had tried so hard - sacrificed everything she had to try and protect them. And then he would go and pull the trigger on a human life when it was wholly unnecessary for him to do so.
Didn't he understand what it meant to kill a living being? Didn't he understand how it would forever change him? She was almost more upset with the fact that he had forever ended pre-Randall Sean than the fact that he had actually ended Randall.
Sean hadn't even flinched at her hand. He kept his head raised in a show of stoic pride. She could feel her cheeks burning, a combination of anger and shame, as she turned to leave. She needed air.
"Kris, wait." Liam's voice was nearly a whisper. Where Sean had stood steadfast and stubborn, Liam seemed to have caved in on himself. His shoulders hunched forward, his hair falling in his face, shielding his cast down expression.
She almost knew what he was going to say before he opened his mouth again.
"Sean didn't do it…I did. He was just trying to protect me."
Rick's brows shot up in surprise, but Shane showed no sign of alarm. Kristen could hear Daryl swear under his breath beside her.
The confession felt a kick to the ribs and she was suddenly compelled to exhale deeply. With it, her anger subsided into a melancholy acceptance. I suppose this is just the way things have to be from now on.
Silently, she opened her arms and almost numbly, Liam embraced her. Her eyes flitted to Sean's and a silent apology of sorts was passed. She became suddenly aware of how despite the lack of nutrition; Liam's body had filled out. The width of his shoulders had broadened; his voice had lowered to a deep rumble. He could now rest his chin upon the top of her head. Somewhere between Southside and killing another teenager inside a barn, her little brother had become a man.
Daryl had to admit, he was kind of glad that the asshole was dead. It had been within his own personal code that he wouldn't kill the kid, but it didn't mean that he didn't want someone else to.
Andrea had had the foresight to gently lead the family outside the barn, give them some space and privacy to process what had happened. Process the events away from the bloodied corpse. Daryl remained behind in the barn with Rick and Shane. They'd still need to decide what to do about Hershel.
Shane leaned over the corpse and almost gleefully took in the sight of the bullet. "Well lookie here… Can't really say that I'm surprised the kid had a good shot. Look at the mileage those brain chunks got, wowwee."
Daryl peered at Shane warily. Lately, the former cop seemed to be more and more unhinged. He glanced at Rick and the two shared a look that proved he wasn't alone in his concerns.
"What are we going to tell the others? What are we going to do about the Greenes?" Rick ran a hand over his tired face.
"I don't see why we have to tell them anything. Hershel knows as well as us that Randall was a problem. Now that that hoodlums taken care of things, I think we can all just try and move on."
Daryl could feel his temper rising at the dismissive way that Shane mentioned Liam.
"Yeah well, I guess we can only hope that Hershel is as positive about the situation as you seem to be." The tension between the two former partners was growing thicker with each passing day.
"Well way I see it, worst comes to worst – Hershel will just ask the McCoys to leave. Ain't no reason that he'll kick us all out. We didn't do anything against his wishes. Looks like the Randall problem is solved and Lori and Carl have a place to stay."
"Are you fuckin' kiddin' me?" Daryl's eyes gleamed with just-controlled violence. "This whole time, you're the one whose been pushin' for that kid's killin'. And now you're just gonna fuckin' push all that on a 16 year old kid?"
Shane's face flushed with anger. Pointing a finger in Daryl's face, he sputtered. "Sixteen year old kid? Kid was old enough to pull the trigger on a captive prisoner. He seemed pretty fucking eager to do it."
Daryl shoved Shane's hand away and rose to his full height. "Oh yeah? And how would you know if the kid was fuckin' eager or not?"
Wearily, Rick stepped between the two of them; doing his best to diffuse the situation. Randall's corpse still lay on the floor.
Outside, Kristen walked with Liam along the perimeter of the farm. The boy seemed deeply shaken. She couldn't help but recognize the same way that she had been after her own kill. Seeing him made her heart ache.
Still, she couldn't help but ask.
"Why'd you do it Liam? The others were going to take care of it."
He was quiet for a long moment, his eyes scanning the adjacent cornfield as though the answer to her question could be found amongst the stalks. "I saw when they took you. I saw the way they beat you up when they shoved you in that car. And I didn't do anything about it. I was just trying to do something about it now."
"But why now, Li? What happened that you had to shoot him today? Because to be honest, I was just looking forward to hanging out with you guys. I didn't think we'd be talking about this now." She took in his crestfallen face and pathetically attempted to nudge him playfully. "Like murderous siblings."
He showed no trace of amusement. "I just.. I don't know. I got to talking with Shane about everything that happened. I just knew that I had to do it. I had to end it now."
Her brows furrowed at the mention of the man's name. "Shane? What does Shane have to do with this?"
"He was showing me some tips on maintaining the rifle. We just got to talking about how you were back safe, how they needed to figure out what to do about Randall still. It wasn't a big deal or anything."
Kristen stopped walking, her anger growing. "What did he say to you about Randall?"
"Just stuff about how sorry he was about everything. How he couldn't imagine what it was like for me, being in the same place with the man who brutalized my sister. He talked about how if it happened to him, nothing would be able to stop him from tearing the dude apart. Talked about how important it was that we all protect Val, after what happened to Sophia and everything."
"Jesus Fucking Christ, Liam. Why would you listen to him? Did you talk to Sean about this beforehand?"
Liam's face flushed with embarrassment, the realization that maybe Shane had manipulated him. "No, I didn't want to get Sean involved. I wanted to take care of it myself for once."
She caught him off guard as she pulled him into a fierce hug. "Look Li, I'm not mad at you. I'm pissed at what happened, but not with you. Not anymore."
Relief seemed to wash over the teenager. He pressed his lips to her scalp in a brotherly hug and made an attempt at humor. "Look at us. Next time it'll be Val taking somebody out."
"Not funny." Kristen mumbled dryly.
She stormed back to the vicinity of the barn, Shane's name and a swear on her lips. Entering the barn, she could see that she wasn't the only one having issues with the dark haired cop. Daryl and Shane were shoving one another, Rick feebly attempting to keep the peace.
Their spat was only interrupted by the sudden rage-full volume of her voice.
"What did I tell you about keeping my family out of this?"
All three men looked up at once, as though unsure at first of whom her venom was directed towards. When nobody said anything, she strode forward and took her own shove at Shane. The shock of it (unfortunately not her brute strength) did little to knock him off his balance. Yet, the gesture ignited his temper and he came back at her.
Daryl protectively stepped between them, pulling the knife from his waist out for the first time. "I don't fuckin' think so man.
Stubbornly, and likely with the confidence that came with Daryl's protection, she spoke again. "What are you going to do Shane? You going to hit me? Why don't you just try and talk one of my baby brothers into doing your dirty work for you?"
Rick raised his eyes incredulously. "Is that true Shane? You talk Liam into doing this?"
Shane raised his hands defensively, his expression turning gormless. "You all are crazy. How am I going to talk a kid into committing murder?"
She shook her head at him, dumbfounded. "You knew exactly what you were doing. Going to an impressionable kid and asking him how the hell he could live here with the person who attacked his sister. Leaving him alone in the barn with a gun and Randall? You son of a bitch, just didn't have the balls to do something about it yourself."
Shane's temper flared as he stepped towards her again. Rick pulled him back as Daryl gently pushed Kristen farther behind himself.
"You think it was fucking hard? You think your little brother wasn't eager to pull that fucking trigger? Seen dozens of kids just like him back in the day. And they're all the same. Just fucking trash."
Rick had his arm on Shane in an instant. "Would you cool it? Being an asshole isn't going to help this situation."
Looking at Shane, his newly shorn head, his face gone purple, his eyes flashing – Kristen felt truly sorry for him for the first time. Here was a man who had nothing. A wife and son that weren't his, a best friend that he fiercely envied yet felt responsible for. He had taken advantage of her brother, but he was the one who was truly damaged.
She could feel Daryl tense up before her. Gently, she laid a hand on his shoulder before he could open his mouth and say something stupid of his own.
"No, it's okay." She stepped out from behind Daryl and looked Shane straight in the eyes, her voice calm. "None of us can possibly know what's going on in that mind of yours. But you need to stay the fuck out of my family's. What you did says more about you than it will ever say about my brother. You should be ashamed of yourself for even thinking about trying to talk a kid into…that. What if that had been Carl? Liam trusted you. I trusted you."
Shaking her head, she took one last look at Randall's corpse and one last withering stare towards Shane. "If you come near any of my kids again, I swear to fucking God Shane. I'll kill you. Since we're trash, you know I have it in me."
She could feel Daryl trailing behind her as she stomped out of the barn. The anger was emanating off of her in waves, leaving behind a strange uneasy calm. Suddenly, all she could think about was when Liam was a kid. He had always been a quiet people-pleaser. Always willing to share whatever little he had. Always willing to compromise what he wanted in order to make others happy, make them like him. The thought was making her want to throw up.
Her sweet, young Liam was becoming colder and quieter behind the eyes by the hour it seemed. And her? What was she becoming? She had physically slapped her brother today. She had threatened to kill a man and meant it. Only days earlier, she had actually killed a man. It felt as though she was so preoccupied with survival the past few months; that she hadn't spared a thought for what it was doing to her.
She used to bake peanut butter cookies for PTA meetings, used to drink too much white wine with her girlfriends, used to binge watch tv marathons when she'd get a quiet day at home. Once she had tried to mix beet juice into Val's scrambled eggs and milk to make them pink for Valentine's Day. It hit her now that she had no concept of when the little girl's birthday was in relation to the present time. She may have already missed it entirely.
She must have been so lost in her own thoughts, so preoccupied within her own tensing body – she didn't even realize at first when Daryl put his arms around her.
"Come on, girl. It's okay." His voice was low and comforting in her ear.
Taking a deep breath, she could feel some of the strain leaving her body. Keeping her arms at her sides, she leaned into him and spoke dully. "What's going to happen now? When Hershel finds out what happens…"
"Don't think 'bout that now. If we hafta go, we go. Ain't much here worth stickin' 'round for anyways." Kristen couldn't see the quiet way he looked at her as he said it, but the way he so easily and naturally assumed that he would be leaving with her caused her to go warm all over. The knot of anxiety loosened the tiniest bit.
As though realizing that he may have revealed too much of his feelings, he quickly cleared his throat, retracting his arms. "I've been meanin' to get away from these assholes for a while anyways. If I have to hear one more fuckin' story from Dale or one more complaint from Lori, I'll fuckin' kill myself."
Kristen scoffed with good humor and tried to smile. "Sure it wouldn't scare you? Traveling around with such a group of cold-blooded killers?"
"Fer some reason, I think I can handle ya." He shoved at her playfully and raised his brows, "How's them ribs holdin' up anyways?"
Her cheeks grew warm at the insinuation and he enjoyed the sight of it. Teasing her, he continued. "Ya know, I'll come with ya'll on one condition. Ya hafta pull out that old Hooters uniform of yours."
She rolled her eyes but grinned impishly. "You were probably a shit tipper, weren't you?"
"All depends on how good the service is, now don't it." He made a show of putting his hands in the front pockets of her jeans, pulling her close against him. "And I'm thinkin' yer service would be just what I'm lookin' for, sweet cheeks."
She burst out laughing, surprising even herself. He was acting a textbook caricature of Merle. She smiled at him affectionately. "You know, you're funny."
"Don't know why people always sound so fuckin' surprised when they say that." He attempted a scowl, but she could see that he was secretly pleased with the compliment.
Nightfall was fast approaching and she knew there was still work to do for dinner. She dreaded having to go and face the others but was prepared to present a united front with Liam. Was prepared to face the reality that their little reprieve of the farm was likely coming to an end. And though the thought of removing Val from this place tore her apart, she knew it was more important to keep them together. She gave Daryl a sidelong glance as he walked beside her. They were here family.
Author's Note: Sorry for the delay between chapters! Been very busy with schoolwork and interning and stuff. Took a few artistic liberties in dealing with the Randall story lines obviously, hope you all approve. Going to try and get the next chapter posted by at least the end of the weekend. Not long now till season 4! As always, reviews are greatly appreciated and thanks for reading.