The next morning I drove Tyler's truck with Jamie next me and Dale drove the RV. Andrea drove the Hyundai and Carol went with Dale. We left after leaving a sign and food and drinks on a hood of a car on the highway. When we got there, everyone was outside, even some people who I didn't recognize. I'm assuming the people who live on this farm.
"How is he?" I asked Rick and Lori.
"He'll pull through, thanks to Hershel and his people." Lori answered.
"And Shane." Rick added. "We'd lost Carl if not for him."
I looked over at Shane and noticed his new haircut. Why'd he cut it? Dale hugged Rick and Carol and I hugged Lori.
"How'd it happen?" Dale asked.
"Hunting accident." Rick answered. "Just a stupid accident."
Hershel got a wheelbarrow and we filled it with rocks. Apparently a man named Otis went with Shane to get the medical stuff for Carl, and he didn't make it. We decided to make a memorial for him.
"Blessed be God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Hershel read from the bible. "Praise be to him for the gift of our brother Otis, for his span of years, for his abundance of character; Otis, who gave his life to save a child's, now more than ever, our most precious asset. We thank you, God, for the peace he enjoys in your embrace. He died as he lived, in grace." Hershel turned to look at Shane, "Shane, will you speak for Otis?"
"I'm not good at it." Shane replied. "I'm sorry."
"You were the last one with him." Patricia sobbed, "You shared his final moments. Please. I need to hear. I need to know his death had meaning."
"Okay." Shane whispered, "We were about done. Almost out of ammo. We were down to pistols by then. I was limping. It was bad. Ankle all swollen up. We've got to save the boy. See, that's what he said. He gave me his back pack and shoved me ahead. Run, he said. He said, I'll take the rear. I'll cover you. And when I looked back..." Shane paused and looked at Patricia, "If not for Otis, I'd never made it out alive." Shane limped forward and grabbed a rock and placed it on the memorial, "And that goes for Carl, too. It was Otis. He saved us both. If any death ever had meaning, it was his."
After the funeral for Otis was done, we all started setting up camp.
"I think Shane was lying." I whispered to Daryl.
"Yeah, so do I." Daryl replied. "I don't want you or Jamie alone with him."
"So, stay clear of Shane and Tyler. Got it. Don't need to ask me twice." I responded before I grabbed my gun and put it in my waistband.
"Where you goin'?" Daryl asked.
"I'm gonna help search for Sophia." I answered.
"No, you're not." He replied.
"Daryl." I whined, "I want to help."
"Tell ya what. Today, you and Jamie get settled in, and tomorrow I'll let ya help searchin'." Daryl said.
I pouted and nodded, "Fine."
We saw the others gathering around Carol's car and Daryl kissed me lightly, "Thank you."
He grabbed his crossbow before heading to the car. Maggie walked past me with a map and I moved to make Jamie and I's tent. Once I was done with that and put our stuff inside, I decided to help Dale and T-Dog get some water while Jamie decided to stay with Lori.
"I'm not weak and I'm not a coward." T-Dog said when we got to the well.
"We never said you were." Dale replied.
"No, what I said on the highway, I don't know what that was, where it came from." T-Dog said as we pumped water into containers, "That wasn't me. If it's okay, I'd rather you never told anybody about that stuff I said."
When I was on the RV last night, Dale told me what T-Dog said. So I guess I was part of this conversation, too.
"What stuff?" Dale asked, "I couldn't get a word out of you all day."
T-Dog smiled at Dale before he continued pumping, "You think there's a snowball's chance we'll actually find that little girl?"
"For the first time in my life I'm betting on the snowball." Dale answered.
"We have to believe. We can't give up yet." I replied.
I heard growls coming from the well and I walked over to it. I was ignoring what T-Dog was saying and I looked into the water and found something very disgusting. A very bloated and wet walker. Inside the well. Shit.
I saw T-Dog about to take a drink of the water and I slapped it out of his hands.
"I wouldn't drink that if I were you." I told him.
The three of us looked into the well before getting the others.
"Looks like we've got ourselves a swimmer." Dale said, shining his flashlight at the walker.
"How long do you think he's been down there?" Glenn asked.
"Long enough to grow gills." Andrea replied.
"We can't leave it in there. God knows what it's doing to the water." Lori said.
"We got to get it out." Shane said.
"Easy." T-Dog commented. "Put a bullet in its head. I'll get a rope."
"Whoa, whoa, guys. No." Maggie replied.
"Why not? It's a god plan." Glenn asked.
"Its a stupid plan." I replied, "If that thing hasn't contaminated the water yet, blowing it's brains out will finish the job."
"She's right." Shane responded, "Can't risk it."
"So it has to come out alive?" T-Dog asked.
"So to speak." Shane answered.
"How do we do that?" Glenn questioned.
We grabbed Dale's fishing line and Maggie gave us canned ham and we lowered it into the well along with a rope.
"He's not going for it." Dale said.
"Maybe because a canned ham don't kick and scream when you try to eat it." T-Dog replied.
"He's right." Lori said, "There's a reason the dead didn't come back to life and start raiding our cupboards."
"We need live bait." Andrea said.
Everyone looked at Glenn and I stopped them, "Guys, don't. Glenn's done more than just help us. Let him rest." I crossed my arms, "I'll do it."
"You sure?" Shane asked.
I nodded, "Yep."
Shane tied a rope around me and I sat on the edge of the well.
"We'll get you out in one piece." Shane told me.
"A living piece. That's the important part." I replied before wrapping the other rope around my shoulders. "Nice and slow, please."
"We got you." Andrea replied.
"You people are crazy." Maggie commented.
"You want to get it out of your well or not?" Shane asked.
"Give us and eye there, Maggie."
I grabbed the pipe that ran across the opening of the well and lowered myself down.
"Doin' okay?" Maggie asked.
"Doing great." I answered. "Living the dream."
The walker looked up at me and tried to reach me. I took the rope from my shoulders and tried to wrap it around the creature. Then, all of the sudden, I was dropped a few feet, right above the walker.
I let out a small scream, "Get me out!"
I kicked at the walker before using this to my advantage and securing the rope around it's waist. I gripped the rock next to me and cut open my hand. That seemed to fuel the walker more.
"Get me out of here!" I yelled again before I felt myself get higher, away from the thing.
When I got high enough, I grabbed the pipe and pulled myself up. Shane and Lori ran over and pulled me onto land.
"Are you okay?" Lori asked.
I coughed and nodded, "Fine. I'm fine."
"Back to the drawing board." Dale said.
"Says you." I smiled as I stood up.
I gave him the rope and he tugged on it, noticing the weight on the other end. I stood next to Maggie as the others pulled the walker up. They had to bring a horse over and help pull it. Eventually we got it out, but it's back got stuck on the stone. I ran over to help pull, but the walker split in half. The lower half and some guts spilled back into the water and the top half was still on the ground, snarling and trying to grab us. It's insides and spine was hanging out of the bottom for all of us to see. I looked away so I wouldn't puke.
"We should seal off this well." Dale said.
"Yeah, might be a good idea." Shane replied.
"So what do we do about-" Andrea started.
She was interrupted by T-Dog, who used a wrench and smashed the walker's head in.
"Good thing we didn't do anything stupid like shoot it." T-Dog said.
When we got cleaned up, Shane, Andrea, and Carol left to go back to the highway to see if Sophia was there. To keep myself busy, I decided to set up Daryl's tent. After I put his stuff inside I decided to play with Jamie.
"Hey, didn't notice you were back." I said, watching as Daryl walked out of the RV.
"Just got back." He replied, sitting next to me.
"Didn't find her?" I asked.
"No. But I found a place where I think she was at." Daryl answered before looking down at my bandaged hand, "What happened?"
"There was a walker in one of the wells. I had to go down and put a rope around it." I answered.
"Stupid. They shouldn't have let you go down there." He huffed.
"I volunteered, Daryl. And besides, I'm fine." I replied.
The rest of the day everyone relaxed and got settled in to our new, temporary camp. Daryl told Rick and Shane about the stuff he found inside the farmhouse, and they agreed that tomorrow they'll search around that area.