Meeting Rick's gaze, I sighed through my nose; trying not to judge or knit-pick his reasons for doing what he did.
What's done is done. There's nothing we can do about it.
He was bound to snap somehow, sooner or later. And I think we've both known that for awhile now.
Rick stowed his Python as Glenn and Hershel came over.
"Holy shit" Glenn's spooked voice came from my left, as he stared at Tony's body.
"You all right?" Rick looked at him.
Glenn shifted on his feet, looking at Rick and breathed, "...Yeah"
Rick nodded. "Hershel?"
Hershel didn't answer, just looked between the places the bodies lie before giving Rick a long stare.
"Eve?" the officer turned to me.
I gave a solid nod, stowing my weapon.
Rick looked between us all. Glenn shifted his shotgun so it was ready to be raised and fire if need be. I pulled a blade, myself, just in case.
Hershel looks leaps and bounds more sober than a few moments ago; the adrenaline is probably to thank.
It's already dark out; we need to get back before people at camp start jumping to conclusions and run around like headless chickens.
I made my way to the bar, climbing over and dropped down just in front a Dave's body. I grabbed the piece he was flashing from the floor and rose to my full height again, checking the clip.
He didn't take real good care of it, but the clips more than half full, and it's clean enough. I'll take it.
These two brought this outcome on themselves, only thing I can't figure out is why.
Why were they so keen to find out where we're setup? I doubt they wanted to be allies, or actually join up with us. So what were they planning to do if they got what they wanted?
"Let's head back." Hershel broke me from my thoughts.
I looked over, giving a nod before heading to the end of the bar.
A stream of light moved over the room with the sound of an engine.
I ducked, keeping my head down as I came out the end of the bar. I took cover beside Rick at the doors, just under the window and moved the curtain the slightest bit.
The doors of a pickup outside opened and 3 armed men emerged, looking around.
Dammit, I was afraid something like this would happen.
"What do we do?" Glenn whispered.
I looked to Rick and watched the gears turn in his head as he watched out the gap my fingers held open.
"Doesn't look like they know we're here. Our best bet is to wait till they leave." he glanced over his shoulder and Glenn nodded.
Patient approach. Good call, Officer. Glad to see you haven't lost your head. Yet.
"Why won't they leave?" Glenn whispered
"Would you?" Hershel whispered, as I handed him Dave's gun; taking out my own.
I nudged Rick, pointing to the side room.
"We can't sit here any longer. Let's head out the back and make a run to the car." Rick whispered the plan.
I moved to go, and not a second passed before gunshots echoed outside and our backs were against the wall again.
I looked at Glenn and Hershel on the opposite side of the doors from Rick and I and put my finger to my lips.
Rick glanced at me and I peeked through the hideous curtains.
My sight set on 3 men outside.
"I cleared those buildings. You guys get this one?" the man who seems to be the one in charge, motioned at the bar.
"No" one man shook his head
"Me neither" the youngest of the three shook his head.
I froze when his eyes landed on the window and they headed this way.
"We're lookin' for Dave and Tony and no one checks the damn bar?"
Shit
Footsteps pounded on the wood deck outside, and panic raced through me as they got closer.
Glenn & I had the same idea as the door started to open and we both threw ourselves against it, pushing it shut with our backs.
"What—?"
"Someone pushed that shut. There's someone in there"
I looked to Glenn at my shoulder, both of us breathing heavily and chewing our lips. Great minds think alike, and apparently develop the same habits.
"Yo, is someone in there? We don't want no trouble, we're just looking for our friends."
Oh yeah, like those two didn't want any trouble either?
"What do we do?"
"Bum rush the door?" I don't think they realize we can hear them.
"No, we don't know how many are there. Just relax."
Glenn looked at me and I put my finger to my lips as I moved and turned around.
I glanced at Hershel, whose staring with saucer eyes straight across me at Rick.
One look at Rick told me he didn't know what to do either, he's still working it out in his head.
"We don't want any trouble." the man outside spoke louder and I tensed; alarms going off in my head about the volume. "We're just looking for our friends. If something happened, tell us."
'Yeah sorry, we kinda shot them because they were nosy pricks who couldn't take no for an answer'. That'd go over well.
"This place is crawling with corpses. If you could help us not get killed, I'd appreciate it."
Maybe if you'd shut the Hell up, you won't have to worry about it.
"Dude, you're buggin'. I'm tellin' you nobody's in there."
Listen to your friend. Walk away.
"Someone guard the door. If they're in there, they might know where Dave & Tony are."
"They drew on us!" Rick called
Shit sprinkles in soy sauce. My eyes shot at him; so wide they stung.
Hershel groaned under his breath, and I spared a glance at him; his expression almost identical to my own.
We should've gone out the back and left them to talk to the door like nubs.
"They alive?"
Oh god, please don't.
"No"
OH yes, tell them we murdered their close friends, because that'll help us get outta here alive.
Mutters erupted outside, and all I caught was 'they killed' and arguing about leaving before the main speaker's voice cut the others off, "I'm not telling Jane. I'm not gonna go back and tell them Dave & Tony got shot by some assholes in a bar."
"Your friends drew on us!" Rick defended. "They gave us no choice!"
What the HELL are you doing!? They know we can hear them now!
Oh my god— I am never letting you drink again! You become the world's biggest dumbass!
"I'm sure we've all lost enough people. Done things we—…we wish we didn't have to, but it's like that now. You know that."
You better have some masterful plan in mind to get us out of here, or so help me Davy Jones, I will be your biggest problem.
"So let's just chalk this up to what it was. Wrong place, wrong—"
The door window shattered above my head, raining glass over me.
Glenn and I both fell to the side, arms coming up to protect our heads.
Rick returned fire shouting, "Get outta here! Go!"
Glenn grabbed my arm, pulling me up as he ran after Hershel who was already moving; running for the doorway on the other side.
He let go when a bullet flew past us, and slid under a table next to the wall.
I dropped behind an overturned table near the middle and watched a bullet hit the frame right by Hershel's head as he made it and took cover himself.
I pulled my piece, and as Rick sunk down, taking cover right by the door again, I came up and fired 3 shots outside; giving Hershel enough time to slide a shotgun across the floor to Glenn.
"Hey! We all know this is not gonna end well!" Rick shouted, as he gathered up the casings from his python and dropped them in his breast pocket, pulling more from his pocket and reloading. "There's nothing in it for any of us."
I glanced from Hershel, to Glenn, to Rick, to Tony's body on the ground, and the blood splatter behind the counter, to the shattered windows at the entrance.
My skin prickled, the hair on the back of my neck standing on end. It's too quiet.
I whipped around at the sound of something behind knocked over behind the building; it sounded like a metal trash bin.
I locked eyes with Glenn before looking to Rick. He looked at Glenn & I and jerked his head towards that back door. The one tucked in the back corner I hadn't seen before now.
Glenn moved forward and I joined him, keeping low as we made our way to the door.
I covered him as he peeled the door open a few inches, sticking the barrel of his shotgun through first, before looking around.
He crept in, and the old wood stairs creaked as he did so. I came into what looks like a cellar for storing alcohol behind him, stepping on the edges of the steps closest to the railing so they didn't squeak.
Glenn moved through the room and I followed, setting my sights on a set of double doors off to the right.
That's gotta lead outside, I can—
I raised my gun when a shadow moved across the window on the door. What is with this bar and windows in the doors?
Glenn raised his shotgun and the doorknob began to twist.
He fired before I did and the shotgun blast shattered the left window.
Silence followed, and I waited before moving forward. I didn't hear anything hit the ground, nor any sounds of pain.
I don't think we hit whoever was opening that door.