S2E10P3

They continued in silence, the conversation having done little to sort out their qualms though Rick felt things were better. There was an understanding between them now.

"We've gotta start using our knives more." Rick said, turning any conversation away from Lori or Ava. "If there's one walker, we use our knives. We keep things quiet. We save ammunition."

"Yeah." Was Shane's reply. He stared out of the window, his mind clearly elsewhere.

"We need dry goods ahead of the winter. Warm clothes... fuel. Maybe we get a break. You gotta think the cold affects them. If it doesn't kill 'em, it's gotta slow 'em down. The second week of January last year, we got all that snow and ice. My cousin got stuck on 85 for 24 hours. Sitting in his car with a birthday cake for his girlfriend at Georgia tech. He just sat and ate birthday cake and listened to the "Lord Of The Rings" book on tape. We get lucky, we get the same winter as last year. By December, it's a different world. Safer."

Still no word from Shane, though Rick pressed on.

"Maybe we find some snowmobiles to make runs."

"That sounds good." He said, though he still sounded like his mind was elsewhere. Rick gave up on conversation after that and tried to ignore the thought that their friendship would never be the same again. He preferred to think about how things could change, once everything had settled down.

A while down the road, Shane sighed and turned to Rick.

"It's more than 18." He said.

"Yeah, I'm looking for a place."

"A place for what?"

"Give him a fair shake." Rick said. "A shot."

Shane smiled to himself, clearly still certain Rick was making the wrong decision. They continued on past the train track and as they passed a fenced off area, Rick spotted a yellow school bus.

"There." He said, pulling in to an area labelled 'Mert County: Department of Public Works'. He stopped the car and stepped out with Shane, looking around the abandoned area. It had fences and a security gate.

"This'll do." Rick said. "We'll leave the boy here and scavenge some supplies."

Rick felt the involuntary tensing he always did when he saw a walker as one lumbered from behind a truck.

"Over there." He said, nodding to it. It wasn't until Rick heard the click of the safety that he noticed Shane raising his gun. Rick held his hand out. "Wait. Like I said."

Rick pulled his knife free and cut open the tip of his finger, rubbing the blood against the fence. The walker growled louder and made a bee line from them, banging into the chain-link. He then stabbed the knife into its head.

"Gun's quick, easy, but there are other ways to do this." Rick looked across the courtyard and saw another walker. "One more. Your turn."

Shane looked at Rick, but did as he said. With the two dispatched, they cut the chain on the gate and went inside, canvassing the area. The grounds were littered with supplies and rubbish. It wasn't until they neared the back that they saw a pile of burnt bodies. Shane went into the school bus, seeing a set up that suggested people had been living there.

While Rick siphoned the fuel from the truck, Shane looked at the bodies they'd taken out at the gates.

"Hey, Rick." He said, drawing his attention. "I don't see any bites."

"Gotta be scratches then." Rick said, joining him beside the bodies. "This one's hand, other one's cheek. They had walkers here, burned bodies down the hill."

"I guess it gotta be scratches then, huh?" Shane said, frowning.

With everything else dealt with, Rick drove the car into the area while Shane handled the gate and they dragged Randal from the boot. They took him to the centre of the courtyard and forced him to his knees, removing the blindfold, gag and headphones. The boy looked, confused.

"The hell is this?" he said. Rick wrapped up the headphones and he and Shane started heading away from him. "Oh, come on, don't be stupid. I owe you guys. I can help protect what you've got."

Rick looked down, still struggling with his decision.

"Why would you save my life just to kill me by leaving me here? One guy, one guy can't make it alone. That's why I was with those dudes, I was alone."

Randal was panting hard as Rick stopped, pulling free his penknife and flipping out the blade. He threw it to the ground, near enough for Randal to get eventually.

"Don't be stupid! I'm not like them!" He continued to yell, falling on his side as he protested further. "I'm just some guy! I used to watch football and screw around on the Internet. I lived with my mom! I lost her like you lost people. I went to school with Maggie for God's sake!"

Rick stopped when he said that, turning to Shane as they shared a look. Internally, Rick groaned. The boy couldn't have just kept his mouth shut and let it end like this.

"I went to church. I rode the bench on varsity baseball." He continued as if letting on that he knew Maggie had been nothing important. Rick started back towards him.

"You went to school with Maggie?"

"You go to school with Maggie?" Shane repeated. "Answer the question!"

"Did you go to school with Maggie?" Rick yelled as they got closer. The boy gaped up at them.

"I…she didn't know me. Didn't even know I existed. I mean, I knew her. I knew who her dad was."

Rick sighed, rubbing his face as he moved away from the kid again.

"There is no way I would ever do anything to hurt her or her family." Randal continued.

"Jesus." Rick said, running a hand through his hair.

"Or you or your people! I'm not like the guys I was with!"

Rick turned to stare at Randal, stranded on his belly like a fish out of water.

"He knows where the farm is, Rick." Shane said. "Where we are, he knows. Say he finds his way back to his people..."

Rick said nothing, sighing deeply as he tried to think of something to do. Shane sighed too, right before drawing his gun.

"Shane, no!" Rick yelled, barging him aside in time for the bullet to miss. The gunshot echoed. "Not now, just not now!"

Shane leaned against the car behind him, smacking its bodywork.

"Well, when, Rick? When?"

Rick kicked his gun aside.

"When I've had a chance to think about it." Rick said, looking down on Shane.

"Don't let him kill me." Randal begged. "Please don't."

"Shut up!" Rick yelled, walking away from Shane and planting his hands on his hips. "We're going back. It's a man's life." He said, turning back to Shane when he heard him scoff. "I need a night to think it through."

"You're gonna bring this piece of garbage – this piece of garbage who, he shot at you, Rick. He ran with men who tried to kill you. You gonna bring him back to where Lori sleeps? To where Carl sleeps?" Shane yelled, eyes wide with anger.

"He'll be locked up in the barn, unless you bust it open." Rick said, not evening bothering to hold back his contempt.

"Oh, don't start that shit." Shane growled.

"I'm taking the night." Rick said again.

"Man, you take that, you think on it, Rick." Shane goaded. "Keep struggling with it. It ain't hard, man. The right choice is the one that keeps us alive. It's always the same with you. It's like the first moment, it's whenever you're put to the test."

Shane pushed up from the ground, standing beside the car.

"Stop acting like you know the way ahead, like you know the rules." Rick said. "There are no rules, man. We're lost."

"No, no, no, man." Shane said, shaking his head and getting up in Ricks' face. "I know exactly where I am."

"You don't know shit anymore."

"I don't think you can do it, Rick."

"It's my call, man."

"I don't think you can keep them safe."

Rick turned back to Shane, fury burning through his veins.

"You couldn't keep Carl from getting shot. Couldn't save Sophia from the walkers. Hell, it was Daryl who found Ava half dead in a ditch. You couldn't protect any of them."

Rick shook his head, trying to hold onto his anger, but he couldn't. He threw a punch at Shane that Shane caught, head-butting him in response. Rick groaned and fell to the ground, his head pounding as Shane pulled free his Python.

Before Shane could draw it on Randal, Rick twisted and threw Shane into the bonnet of the car, punching him twice before Shane grabbed him in a bear hug and threw him into the bonnet. Rick groaned from the impact.

The fight continued, the two throwing punches fuelled by the pent-up rage and frustration they had towards each other. Rick pushed him into the fence, punching him in the gut before Shane got the upper hand and pressed him against the front of a truck. The punches flew from both sides until Shane threw Rick across the ground.

Rick rolled, groaning, and moved just enough out of the way that Shane only crushed his leg under the motorbike.

"Ah! Damn!" Rick growled, as Shane headed to where his gun had gone. Rick managed to get free of the bike and slammed into Shane again as he took aim on the boy. They fell to the ground, struggling with the gun.

"Get off me, man." Shane growled. Rick managed to get on top of the Shane, trying to avoid his fingers as they scratched at his face. He punched him hard three times before clamouring off of him, growling as he stood.

"You're not doing this!" Rick said, staggering on his feet. "You don't get to make these calls anymore. I won't let you."

Shane stood, moving to the side of the truck and grabbing a massive wrench. He looked at Rick once and all he saw in his friends' eyes was hatred. Shane let out a cry of rage and threw the wrench, only missing Rick because he fell to the side. It spun and crashed through the windows behind him.

Rick shifted in the pile of rubbish bags, panting heavily as he looked at Shane. He'd almost killed him. Not just a punch up, bruises and scrapes here and there. He'd actually tried to kill him.

This moment of realisation was ruined, however, when more glass shattered above and growls followed. Rick looked up to see a walker break through the last of the glass and tumble from the window. He moved aside, grabbing the walker as it lunged at him and managed to take it out with his pen knife.

Only a moment later, masses of walkers piled from the window in a frenzy. Rick grabbed the one he'd just killed and pulled it on top of him, trying to be as still as possible as they flooded from the building and raced after Shane.