Chapter 7:Glass Heart Hymn

Blurb: I realize I have been updating like a crazy person, but whatever. Thank you for reading and following. I honestly take reviews and follows as the highest compliments. I mean goodness, thanks so much! You guys putting all that effort into clicking buttons just to be bothered by me again. WOW! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. It took me so long to get to it! Every time I thought, "Alright, this is finally the chapter with the barn!"… I always ended up with more scenes to add. Oh well, the more development the better. Also, I'm really proud of this chapter. It's effing ridiculous! I used many of the lines from the episode, which doesn't belong to me. But don't skim over it. You might miss something important. This chapter takes a crazy turn! Hope you like it! ~This chapter is named after Glass Heart Hymn by Paper Route.~

I would like to point out that if you have not noticed yet, EVERY CHAPTER IS NAMED AFTER A SONG. You could literally make an entire playlist for the story. Ok, bye.

Ellen surveyed the campground, not seeing any other members of the Atlanta group walking about. Daryl suggested they should make their way toward the house because he could see Glenn and Maggie sitting on the porch steps. He would ask the couple if they had any idea where everyone had run off to.

Daryl began leading the way to the farmhouse with Ellen close behind. As they stepped out of the campsite and into the open field, Ellen noticed Carol walking away from the stables. She noticed Daryl and Ellen and proceeded to meet them halfway across the field. Daryl gave her a stiff nod but kept walking, his posture stiff. Ellen observed Daryl as his arms swayed loosely at his sides while he walked- despite his healing abdominal wound. Ellen made a mental note to ask him about the dressing.

As the trio moved closer to the house, Ellen noticed Patricia was playing a board game on the porch with Beth and Carl. T-dog and Andrea came marching up the side of the house, making it to the porch before the rest of them could. Listening as she walked, Ellen heard Andrea explain that Rick had left the property with Hershel. She and T-Dog were supposed to have left a few hours ago in search of Sophia, but Rick hadn't returned to give them the okay.

"Yeah you were, what the hell?" Daryl asked in his rough manner.

Carol defended nonchalantly, "Rick told us he was going out."

Daryl stalked forward, unsatisfied with Carol's answer, "Damnit, isn't anyone taking this seriously? We got us a damn trail!" He gestured out towards the woods with flying hands.

Turning his body around, Daryl noticed Shane stalking towards the group with a bag slung over his shoulder and a rifle in one hand, "Ah, here we go."

Ellen was not as easy with the sight as Daryl was. Shane looked like a hungry wolf. And now that he had a gun in his hand, he looked like a wolf with sharp teeth and ravenous claws. Ellen turned to Maggie with concern. Maggie's eyes held the same wary expression. Both of their thoughts immediately turned towards the barn.

Daryl pointed innocently towards Shane's bag, which Ellen could now make out was full of guns, "What's all this?"

Shane shot Daryl a questioning look, "You with me, man?"

Daryl took the rifle from Shane without hesitation, cocking it back to make sure the gun was ready to fire.

What the fuck had Ellen just witnessed?

Shane moved through the group with authority, "Time to grow up."

"I thought we couldn't carry," T-dog asked.

"Yeah, but we can if we have to. Now look, it was one thing sittin' 'round here pickn' daisies when we thought this place was supposed to be safe. But now we know it ain't." Shane moved towards Glenn, rifle in hand, "How 'bout 'chu, man? You gonna protect yours?"

Glenn glanced at Maggie, almost as if he needed her approval but knew he wouldn't get it. He took the gun from Shane.

"That's it."

Shane wasn't fully satisfied. He turned to Maggie, "Can you shoot?"

Maggie countered bravely, "Can you stop? If you do this- you hand out these guns- my dad will make you leave tonight."

Carl spoke up, "We have to stay, Shane."

Lori asked faintly from the porch, "What is going on?"

Shane defended his actions, "We ain't goin' anywhere, ok? Now, look, Hershel is just gonna understand, okay? Well, he's gonna have to." Shane kneeled down to face Carl then, "And we need to find Sophia, am I right?"

Shane held out a small handgun towards Carl, urging him to receive it, "Now I want you to take this. You take it, Carl, and you keep your mother safe. You do whatever it takes. You know how. Take the gun and do it."

Lori charged down from the porch and separated her son from Shane. She hissed down at his kneeling form, "Rick said no guns. This is not your call. It's not your decision to make!"

The tension was cut by T-dog's words, "Oh shit."

"What is that?"

The group paused. Ellen shifted her gaze to follow in the direction T-dog was looking. She could just make out a few figures making their way out of the woods. At first, Ellen wasn't sure what she was viewing. Then, she realized exactly what it was. Hershel and Rick, towing along two new walkers for the barn. Ellen had been told of Hershel's peaceful methods for leashing the creatures and maneuvering them into the barn. But she had never… seen it. Not until now.

Shane might not have fully realized what was going on, but the sight of Rick NOT killing a walker sent him into a run. He bolted away from the group, towards Hershel and Rick. Daryl was quick to follow, realizing Shane was a ticking bomb at this point. The rest of the group followed, and Ellen was hot on their heels. Maggie called after Shane as they ran, "Wait, no! Wait!"

Together, the group raced down the grassy hill and towards the field that separated them from Rick and Hershel. Shane was the first to reach Rick, who had a walker leashed to the end of a long pole. Shane growled out, "Hey, what the hell are you doin'?"

Rick answered with confidence, "Shane, just back off!"

The rest of the group huddled around the scene. Those with guns, like Glenn and Daryl, took up defensive positions on the flanks of the group. Ellen realized they were ready to fire on these walkers if it got out of control. But Shane was the one out of control.

"Why do your people have guns?" Hershel asked Rick.

Shane didn't let up, "Are you kiddin' me? You see what they're holdin' onto?"

"I see WHO I'm holding onto," Hershel countered.

"Naw, man. You DON'T see."

Rick interjected, "Just let us do this, then we can talk!"

"What'chu want to talk about, Rick? These things ain't sick! They're not people. They're dead! Ain't gotta feel nothin' for 'em because all they do- they kill! They're the things that killed Amy! They killed Otis! They're gonna kill all of us unless we do-" Shane rambled.

"Shane, SHUT UP!" Rick yelled.

Daryl had circled around to the side of the group so he could get a clear shot of the walkers if necessary. Ellen could only watch as he kept his aim trained on them the entire argument. The tension was nearly tangible.

"Hey, Hershel- man. Let me ask you somethin'. " Shane grabbed his pistol out from the waistband of his khakis. "Can a living breathing person walk away from this?"

Shane fired on the female walker nearest Hershel. BANG, BANG, BANG!

Maggie and Beth had crouch down on the floor when the gun fired. Their hands were covering their ears as they hid from the noise, and the reality that came with it.

Ellen had flinched visibly when the gun fired. She felt her whole body wrack with the jolts of electricity, and her eyes closed tightly as she imagined the walker's body thudding to the ground.

But the thud never came. The walker didn't fall. It continued to wriggle its hands in the air, reaching for the many fleshy targets around it.

Ellen didn't understand why the walker didn't fall. Confused, she wracked her mind for an answer. Then it hit her- a memory of Daryl in the woods… his silent hand signals. 'Two walkers. Brain.'

Ellen's realization was cut off by Rick's outburst, "STOP IT!"

Shane didn't let up, "That's three rounds to the chest! Could someone who's alive take that? Why is he still coming?"

Shane fired again. BANG, BANG!

"That's it's heart, it's lungs. Why is it still comin'?"

BANG, BANG!

"Shane, enough!" Rick called.

Shane stalked towards the walker he had been using for target practice, "Hey, you're right, man. That is enough."

Shane brought his gun up to meet the walker's forehead, letting one final bullet fly. BANG!

Blood burst. The walker's head jerked back and its body grew limp. It fell to the floor. The 'thud' was finally heard.

Hershel watched the walker fall with a mixture of shock and grief stricken on his face. He let the metal pole slip from his fingertips, releasing the walker fully from his grasp. He knelt down next to the creature's cold corpse.

There was no stopping Shane now. He continued his tirade, "Enough! Riskn' our lives for a little girl who's GONE! Enough! Livin' next to a barn next to things that are tryin' to kill us! Enough! Rick, it ain't like it was before. Now, if ya'll wanna live- if ya'll wanna survive- you gotta fight for it! I'm talkn' 'bout fight! Right here! Right now!"

Shane barreled towards the barn doors, his intentions clear. Ellen gasped. She could hardly believe Shane would stoop this low. He was going to open the doors.

Rick was on the edge of panic. He urged Hershel to take his own pole from him, which would relieve him of the walker in his care. But Hershel was too dazed by the recent murder of the walker to obey Rick's pleading commands.

The chaotic scene roused something in Ellen. It was a hot, almost nauseating sensation. She could only really describe it as courage. But as the burning adrenaline rushed through her veins, urging her limbs to move forward, she did not disappoint it. She took two slow steps forward, feeling the sensation rise from the pit of her chest and tickle her abdomen as she moved. Then, she gave in to the urges.

Ellen moved quickly. She weaved around the other members of the group: Glenn, Maggie, Daryl and his shotgun, Rick and the walker. She barely noticed the walker as it turned it's wicked claws in her direction as she passed.

As soon as she was clear of the group, she rushed at Shane.

Shane had his back to Ellen, his focus now on prying the wooden bar off the barn door with a pickaxe. Adrenaline shot through Ellen's limbs and she jumped him from behind like a wild woman. Growling like a lynx, she wrapped her arms over Shane's shoulders and put her full weight over him.

Being a small woman didn't help Ellen's cause. Shane was a bear. And Ellen was… a cat. She kicked and punched, scratched and bit. He yowled out in pain as she assailed him.

Ellen could barely make out the sounds of the group calling to her, telling her to stop- telling Shane not to hurt her. Ellen barely registered their cries. There was no fucking way she would go down without a fight.

Shane dropped the pickaxe. One point for Ellen!

But he wasn't shy about being aggressive with her. He was almost manic in his movements. Ellen was still clinging to Shane's back when he turned his body around and slammed backwards into the barn doors, throwing her against the wooden frame.

Ellen was jarred, but not broken. She yelped with the contact of skin and bone on wood. She had been caught between the force of his body and the wooden door.

She heard Daryl yell then, "You MOTHER FUCKER!"

Ellen was briefly aware of the group holding Daryl back from the barn. He would likely beat the life out of Shane. Or worse… Shane would beat the life out of Daryl.

Ellen was suddenly aware of guttural hissing and growing noises coming from the opposite side of the wooden door. She could hear fingernails scratching against wood as the walkers begged to be let free. They moaned upon realizing her body was so close, and one small hand crept through a slant in the wooden frame.

Ellen realized she needed to move, and quickly. But she was still pinned between Shane and the door. The thought sent extra vigor into her, and she fought for dominance with Shane. Still clinging to him, she kicked the back of his shin-HARD- scraping her boot down his leg as she did.

Shane yelled out a curse as the pain radiated through his leg. He pushed forward away from the door at that moment, trying to get away from her merciless boots.

Realizing now was a good time to jump ship, Ellen released her hold on Shane and backed away on wobbly legs. A good two yards now separated them.

Shane spun around to stare her down. Ellen noticed three long scratch marks she had inflicted, which were bleeding down his cheek. Ellen let a small smirk of pride grace her lips. She had never done anything so bold in her life! But this asshole needed to be stopped. She wouldn't let him take the group away with his selfish actions. He would NOT separate her from her new family.

Shane noticed the look of pride on Ellen's face immediately, and it infuriated him. In all honesty, Ellen hadn't really done much damage to the man. He was a beast. But his ego sent him on her again, "You think that's funny, bitch?"

Ellen didn't waver under his gaze. No matter how intimidating he got, she would continue to fight for this. He stalked towards her, and she took two steps back in defense. Shane pulled his elbow back as if to smack Ellen across the face, but someone called out.

It was Lori, "SHANE! STOP! Don't do this!"

Shane hesitated, fist high in the air and ready to strike. He stared Ellen down as he huffed out a rush of air, "Yeah, whatever. You ain't worth the time a' day."

Shane gave Ellen one last predatorial glare before spitting in the dirt at her feet and turning to stalk back towards the barn.

Ellen was not about to let that just slide. She didn't go through all that effort to have him just OPEN THE DOOR like it was nothing. She wasn't a fly he could bat away!

She ran at him, choosing to push with her full weight this time. 'No more tackling shit!' she remembered Daryl's words.

Shane faltered with the impact, but he didn't lose his footing when their bodies made contact. They were close to the barn door now, and Shane was fed up with Ellen's bullshit.

He pushed her- HARD- towards the opposite wall of the barn.

Ellen briefly felt a floating sensation as she fell through the air. Shane had practically tossed her. Then, there was a white-hot pain in the back of her skull. Heat pooled down in the form of red liquid through her hair. Ellen was almost too shocked to register that it was blood. Her body crumpled to the grassy floor and she slumped against the wall of the barn.

Something blurred across Ellen's vision, quick as lightning. The object passed her, rushing at Shane as he successfully unbarred the Barn's doors. It hit Shane with full force, knocking him off his feet- something Ellen hadn't been able to accomplish.

Ellen had to squeeze her eyes shut tightly in an attempt to regain clarity to her vision. When she opened her eyes, she could make out the object clearly. It was Daryl. He was towering over Shane, who was recovering from just being knocked on his ass. Daryl stooped down to send a punch flying at Shane's abdomen, but Shane grabbed Daryl and dragged him to the ground. They were now wrestling in the grass outside the barn entrance.

Ellen gasped when she realized their position. Shane had unbarred the door! She tried to move her legs and stand up on her own, but she was suddenly dizzy from the blow to her head. She cried out, "DARYL! The DOOR!"

Daryl seemed to register her cries, but he was preoccupied with Shane. He tried to roll away from Shane, but he was deterred by Shane's unyielding grasp. Daryl let Shane have a strong punch to the face- something Shane would surely have given Ellen. Shane's grip faltered and Daryl broke away. He rolled away from Shane and got to his feet in a flash.

Daryl limped towards Ellen quickly. He had clearly been hurt during the brawl, but he wasn't the one still writhing on the ground in pain.

As Daryl made his way towards Ellen, walkers began pawing through the open crevice in the barn door. Finally, the first walker exited the barn. As soon as one was out, many more pushed their way through.

The sound of gunfire filled the air as the Atlanta group took aim on the walkers.

Daryl reached Ellen in a hurry, conscious of the walkers on his tail. He stooped down to place Ellen's arm over his shoulders, "We gotta go, Peaches."

Ellen didn't reply, she just let him steady her as they stood up in sync. They moved away from the barn with hurried steps. Ellen did her best to keep her pace matched with Daryl's so they could move as one, but the height difference- and her possible concussion- made it difficult. Daryl wasn't bothered by their shared clumsiness. He didn't let up his pace until they made it behind the rest of the group members, who were already firing on the walkers.

Daryl let her arm drop when they were safe and helped her sit down on the dirt where he stood. He retrieved the rifle he had abandoned earlier, and began firing on the walkers.

Ellen noticed Shane was on the other side of the group, also firing his pistol. Apparently he had made it away from the walkers unscathed. Ellen imagined Andrea and Rick had helped him with that. They must have fired on the walkers closest to him as he hobbled away.

Poor bruised baby. She and Daryl had done their shared amount of damage.

Ellen noticed Maggie sobbing behind Hershel as she watched the group take down the walkers. These were her relatives… her neighbors… She was losing so much in this one moment.

Then it got quiet. The final walker had already gone. Nobody expected the girl to appear. She was incredibly small and thin, her rainbow shirt hung off her shoulders weakly. A growl escaped her pale lips as she hobbled out of the entrance in her small purple trainers.

Carol ran forward, "SOPHIA!"

Daryl grabbed for Carol, preventing her from going to what was left of her lost child. The pair tumbled to the ground as Carol was stricken with grief.

The girl made no recognition of her mother. She slowly moved forward, inching towards the group… seeking only human flesh.

Ellen watched as Carol crumpled next to her. Carol's heart was breaking right in front of her. Ellen had tried to prevent it- tried to prevent the barn from ever being opened. She had never known Sophia had been turned- but wouldn't it have been better… less painful…

Tears streamed down Carol's face as she watched her baby approach them. Ellen found she couldn't watch Sophia- not what was left of her. That was only an image of death. Ellen kept her eyes on Carol, and what she saw made her heart ache. She found that the tears in Carol's eyes were soon reflected in her own, and nothing could stop the emotion from rolling over her. She let herself cry. For Carol… for Sophia… for Daryl…

Ellen noticed Rick make a move to her right. He began walking slowly towards Sophia. Ellen found herself whipping her eyes away from Carol towards the former Sheriff. Would he really? …In front of her mother?

Rick took out his pistol.

He took aim…

…cocked the bullet….

…hesitated…

BANG!

Sophia fell to the floor.

Carol cried harder.

Nobody moved.