I can't believe they're already discovering the barn. Oh my. Oh my.

setting: episode 7 "Pretty Much Dead Already"

Salvation

Chapter 16 - The Barn

Connor and Daryl joined everyone for breakfast around the campfire. The hunter was still angry at Shane and Rick, but right now he was more worried about his hunger. Christ, his wound made him way more hungry than usual. Connor still wouldn't eat much. He wasn't used to eating regularly any more. For the past couple of months he had been all on his own, and sometimes it had been hard to get new food. Although he had been working in a meat-packing plant and on their farm in Ireland he had never been able to go and hunt his own food. It wasn't because he couldn't shoot animals, tracking them down and waiting and not scaring them away had usually been the part where he had failed all the time. Every once in a while he had managed to catch something small, but that was about it. The Irishman had lost a lot of weight after his brother's death, right to some point where he had stopped eating completely a couple of days before Daryl and the group had found him. Now his stomach felt too small and the smell of flesh and food still made him feel sick. He was somewhat trying to get some of the scrambled eggs down when Glenn got up.

" Um...Guys?" he asked and everyone looked at him curiously.

The Korean seemed rather nervous again and wouldn't stop looking at Dale.

"So...the barn's full of walkers."

Connor swallowed hard and glared at him in surprise, and so did the rest of the group.

"What?" Andrea asked.

"How would you know?" Shane asked and Glenn played with his fingers nervously.

"I was there last night..I..heard them. I saw them."

"And you waited the whole night?"

"Dale said it was best!" Glenn defended himself and looked at the old man.

"You knew?" Shane looked at Dale who tried to soothe everybody.

"It's safe, I've been there myself, they didn't come out the entire week and with Connor, Daryl, Carl and T- Dog injured I thought it was best not to bring this up any time soon. We can't have a fight with Herschel now and risk that he might throw us out."

"Listen, Dale, the day we let an old grandfather take over the lead is the day I throw myself in front of a herd of walkers!" Shane spat and ran off.

All hell broke loose as the group ran after Shane. They were shouting at him and Connor and Daryl followed them. Suddenly the farm didn't feel so safe and quiet anymore. Once they had reached the barn everyone fell quiet as Shane approached the doors. The barn doors shook violently and everybody startled. Connor grabbed his Beretta and pointed it at the barn, but Rick placed his hand on it and pressed it down.

"Oh my god, how many are there?" Lori asked.

"About a dozen maybe. They're wandering about like in a horror show in there" Glenn answered and eyed the barn nervously.

"You cannot tell me you're alright with this" Shane said, looked at Rick and backed off.

"No, I'm not but we're guests here! This isn't our land" Rick answered angrily.

"This isn't right man!" Shane spat.

Connor nodded angrily. If it were on him then he would just shoot them all inside the barn. He hated those things more than anything in the world.
He tried to get his gun back up again, but Rick glared at him and shook his head.

"Lower your voice!" Lori said then and eyed Shane.

"We can't just sweep this under the rug" Andrea joined in and a few nodded.

"We've gotta go in there, we gotta make things right or we gotta leave right now. We've been talking about Fort Benning for a long time" Shane said and pointed at the barn. One could tell that he was getting angry and that he'd lose it soon. Connor frowned when Shane mentioned the fort and looked at Daryl.

"Fort Benning?"

"Yeah, we were on our way when we lost Sophia and found yah."

Connor snorted.

"Well thank god ye did, it's a dead end. I was there. Just as much overrun as any other place. It's all fucked up."

The group looked at Connor in surprise and then Rick turned towards Shane again.

"We can't go!"

"Why Rick, why?" Shane asked. He was really curious because he didn't get it.

"Because my daughter is still out there" Carol said then and looked at Shane who just snorted and shook his head.

"Okay..Okay I think it's time that we all try to consider the other possibility.."

"Shane we're not leaving Sophia behind" Rick interrupted him and Daryl had enough as well.

"I'm close to finding this girl I only just found her doll a few days ago."

"You found her doll Daryl, that's what you did, you found a doll."

Shane was making fun of Daryl again and this made Connor angry as well. He hated how this guy treated Daryl.
Sometimes he wondered if he was the only one in the group who saw his potential and not only because he looked like his twin.

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about" Daryl spat.

He was about to lose it again. He approached Shane and the way he clenched his fists Connor knew it would only take one more sentence to make him snap.

"You know it needs to be said Daryl, I'm the first to point it out.." Shane answered and Rick shoved him because he knew what his friend was about to say.

"Shane shut up!"

"Let me tell you something else man, if she was still alive out there and saw you coming all methed out with your bowie knife and geek ears around your neck she'd run in the other direction!" Shane spat and Daryl darted forward to punch him.

"Shut up!" the hunter growled growled.

When he was just about to punch Shane in the face Connor placed himself between the two men and tried to stop Daryl.

"Calm down Murph! Jeez, ye know he's an asshole!" the Irishman tried to calm him down but Daryl wouldn't calm down.

"Yeah come at me man!"

Shane seemed to enjoy how easy it was to make Daryl snap. The latter tried to punch him again but instead of hitting the policeman, he managed to punch Connor right in the face again . This time he hadn't meant to do so since the Irishman had nothing to do with this. Connor staggered backwards and grabbed his aching cheek in surprise but once he'd gathered himself he stepped between Daryl and Shane again.

"Back off!" Rick told Shane and Lori placed her hands on Shane's chest to push him away.

"Keep your hands off me!" he warned her and walked away.

"Just let me talk to Herschel! Let me figure it out" Rick said and this made Shane turn around again.

"What are you going to figure out?" he shouted at Rick and Lori placed herself in front of her husband.

Now that Shane wasn't picking on him anymore, Daryl turned to look at Connor who was holding his jaw as if to make sure everything was in place.

"Sorry I hit yah" Daryl murmured and Connor shrugged.

"S'alright, got bigger problems right now, aye?"

Daryl nodded and they both turned their heads when they heard Lori shouting at Shane.

"Enough!" she said but he ignored her.

"If we're gonna stay, we gotta clean out this barn and we have to talk him into it. This is his land" Rick went on and Dale stepped forward.

"Herschel sees those things in there as people...Sick people. His wife, his stepson." he said and everyone looked at him. Shane snorted angrily.

"The man is crazy Rick, if Herschel sees these things as people, alive or not,..." he snapped but was interrupted when the barn door started shaking again.

They could hear loud and angry moans coming from inside and all that hold the walkers back was an iron chain and wooden doors.

"Shit" Connor muttered and grabbed his gun once more. Rick shook his head but the Irishman just ignored him.

"I will talk to him first." Rick said and eyed his friend. After a moment Shane just shook his head with a snort.

"You're just as crazy as him, man."

He turned around to leave. For a moment they just watched him walk away and then Rick turned around to face the group.

"I'll go and try to talk to him. Daryl, Connor, you keep watch. The rest of you go back to the camp."

Daryl and Connor were sitting on the tractor opposite the barn and kept watch.

"Crazy shit" Connor said after a while and lit a smoke. Daryl nodded and waited for him to give him one as well.

"Some people..." Daryl murmured.

Connor scratched his neck and coughed.

"Ye think they're sick?"

Daryl snorted and shook his head.

"Stupid filthy dead pricks. Not worth a damn."

"Aye" Connor muttered and shrugged.

"If it keeps the man sane. I mean it's a good idea but seriously, what te fuck. Keeping them in there like fuckin cattle."

"We could go in there and shoot them" Daryl suggested and Connor snorted.

"Just so they kick us out?"

"It's for the group."

"Aye but they're so stupid they wouldn't get what we're doing fer them. I mean they don't even get what ye've already done fer them."

Daryl snorted.

"Did nothing for those stupid pricks."

"Yer lookin fer the girl. You bring their food, don't ye?"

Daryl just shrugged and Connor blew out a big cloud of smoke.

"You know what I don't get?"

"What?"

"Why yer still acting like that."

"Like what?" Daryl asked and frowned.

"Ye know, all tough and screw'em all. I get that it's just some fucking attitude. You don' have ta pretend anything anymore.
Especially not that asshole yer always pretending ta be."

"Screw yah."

"No seriously man. Te real problem here is that that stupid group doesn't get ye. And you let 'em treat ye like shit. Noticed that a while ago."

"Just shut up" Daryl muttered and grabbed his crossbow to check on his arrows.

Connor snickered.

"You can't fuck with me. I know how ye work by now. You just can't take a compliment can ye?"

Daryl eyed Connor angrily and the Irishman laughed.

"Best example right now. The more I talk the madder you get at me. Face it, yer nat the person yer pretending ta be."

"Shut up" Daryl snapped and hit Connor who laughed.

"The more I seem ta like you the more ye beat the shit outta me fer that."

Daryl just growled and shook his head.

"If you really were like that then you wouldn't let me sleep in yer tent. Not to mention the shit you did fer me last night.
You wouldn't let me call ye Murph and I wouldn't live any more cos you would've let me hang."

"Really, just shut up now, you stupid freak."

"Seriously. I don't get it. Why? You obviously care more 'bout people than yer pretending t'care."

Daryl growled and looked at the barn. He wanted the walkers to break out just so he could shoot someone and watch them eat Connor.
But of course they wouldn't and of course he wouldn't want them to do that.

"Yah just won't leave me the fuck alone, will yah?" he growled.

Connor grinned and nodded.

"Aye."

Daryl snorted.

"You're just saying stuff like this because I look like your stupid brother."

Connor didn't say anything for a while and just looked at Daryl in surprise. Then he looked at the barn and sighed.

"I still like you as a person. Really. I shit ye not."

"Yeah, 'course."

"Oh fuck you, I mean it. Now go ahead and tell me. Don't be such a pussy. I told you my shit yesterday night."

"Why would I? I ain't some chick that needs t' talk about her feelings the way you do all the time."

"Fuck you! I don't do that either!" Connor said and punched Daryl who kicked his shinbone in return.

The Irishman groaned and rubbed it.

"You asked me t'do it yesterday and now 'm asking you. And yer gonna tell me cos there's no one else who wants ta hear it and cos no one else cares."

Daryl stared at the blonde in surprise and then looked didn't speak for a while. When Connor thought that the topic was done Daryl spoke again.

"Yah just nailed it" he said and Connor looked at him.

"What?"

"Cos no one ever asks or cares. Yah the first one that's stupid enough and that ain't running away the moment I snap."

Connor snorted and threw his smoke away.

"Cos they're all just a bunch of sickos or pussies."

"Then why aren't yah running, I mean yer both."

Connor snickered and nudged him. "Fuck you, asshole."

For the first time in a very long time Daryl smiled.
No matter how hard he tried to deny it, the Irish clown was doing him good with all the bullshit he said.