New chap! Sorry about the pretty much 1:1 description & dialogue of the last scene in this chapter.
It just felt necessary and I tried to include Connor but it was rather hard.

setting: episode 11 "Judge, Jury, Executioner"

Salvation

Chapter 29 - Discussion

Daryl came back to the camp after a while. Connor was still sitting by the campfire when he saw his friend.
When Daryl put his crossbow away and wouldn't speak the Irishman turned around and looked at him.

"Where te fuck were ye?"

The hunter snorted.

"What, are yah my mum now? Since when do I need t'tell yah everything."

Connor rolled his eyes and turned around.

"Aren't ye a fuckin sissy with all yer ups an downs. How 'bout you finally make a decision."

"On what?"

"Whether you can stand me or nat. Seriously yer worse than a girl with yer moods."

The hunter stared at his friend's back for a while and then came to join him.

"Went to check for walkers. I've noticed that there's more. They're getting closer."

Connor looked at him and frowned.

"Ye mean they sense we're here? Well, doesn't really surprise me ta be honest. Back in Boston they always knew where me and Murph were hiding."

Daryl shrugged.

"Looks like those filthy lowlives are gettin smarter. Maybe the gunfire from two days ago attracted 'em."

"Well that's shite."

"Yep" the hunter said and got up to check on his motorbike.

"I guess we shouldn't put our guns away now."

Connor smirked and loaded his two guns.

"Aye. Call me paranoid, but I'm never doing that anyway."

Daryl frowned when he searched the bag on his bike but didn't find his gun.

"Did yah go through my stuff? Fuckin get yer mits off my bike!"

Connor frowned.

"Are ye fuckin kidding me? I'd never touch yer worthless trash!"

Daryl let go of his bag and approached his friend. He shoved him and grabbed his bag to search it.

"Don't fuck with me. I know yah took it! Who else would've done it, yer the only one that's been here!"

Connor got up and shoved Daryl too.

"Fuck ye! I didn't fuckin touch yer stuff! What are ye talking bout anyway?"

"My gun, that's what I'm talkin 'bout! Now give it back, I'm not kiddin yah!"

The Irishman frowned.

"I swear ta god I didn't take it. Why would I, I've got me own guns!"

"Then who did, smartass, cos it ain't here!"

Daryl searched the tent and his bags but couldn't find the gun. Connor did the same.

"I mean yah were here all the time, weren't yah?"

The Irishman shook his head.

"No I wasn't. I was with te group fer a bit because I was bored."

Daryl growled. "Well fuck yah very much. Now we've got no idea who took my gun!"

"Fuck you, now it's my fault? Yer the one who grabbed his stuff and went away, maybe you just lost it!"

The hunter shook his head angrily and searched his bags once more. He startled when something nudged his shoulder.

"Here take that then til ye find it."

Daryl turned around and frowned. Connor was standing there in front of him, with a gun in his hand.

"I don't need yer charity" he growled and Connor rolled his eyes.

He offered him the gun once more.

"Fuckin take it anyway, don't be such a princess. You just said we need our guns now."

"Don't yah need it yerself t' protect yer whiny ass?"

The Irishman snorted.

"I've got three more."

Daryl took the gun reluctantly and looked at it.

"Please don't fuckin say it's yer brother's."

Connor chuckled.

"As if I'd give you stupid asshole me brother's gun. No. It's mine. Don't fuckin lose this one."

"I won't" Daryl murmured and the Irishman sat down again with a satisfied grin on his face.

"Now we need ta talk snotface."

"Did yah just give me the gun so I can shoot yer face off because of this stupid nickname?"

Connor laughed and grabbed two smokes. He offered Daryl one. The hunter sat down opposite him and took it.

"What fuckin ever. I need ta talk to you about te boy."

Daryl rolled his eyes.

"Oh don't fuckin start with this crap again. Did that old dumbass manage t'brainwash yah?"

"No he didn't but I think he's right. I did some thinking while you were gone. I think he's got a fair point.
And if Rick really wants ta hear everyone's thoughts on it then I wanna make sure we're on te same side here."

Daryl snorted.

"Why would we."

"Cos we're a fucking team."

The hunter snorted and leaned back.

"We're not. I'm a loner. I don't need yah. Or anyone."

"Yeah af course. I think we're past yer stupid schtick now. Anyways, I think we should side with Dale."

"No way."

"And why's that? Cos ye think you need ta kill him so you can be the tough one? So everyone can look at ye and go "woh look at that evil motherfucker".
Yer fuckin brother's dead. And you ain't impressing anyone with yer stupid dickish "kill 'em an beat 'em up" behavior. Just makes yah look like a dick."

"Shut up!" Daryl spat and eyed Connor angrily.

"Then tell me one good reason why ye think we should kill 'im. If yer right then I'm on yer side..just...fuck it. I want you to be right. But Dale's also right."

"Yah want one good reason?" the hunter shouted and his friend nodded.

"Fuckin aye I do!"

"Just think about it, you stupid clown! If yah had a group of 30 strong tough guys with guns and shit and somebody took you hostage, tortured yah, beat the shit outta yah and threatens t'kill yah and ye were givin the chance t'run back to yer people, what's the first thing you'd do? And by that I don' mean a guy with yer stupid brain, but a kid like 'im. Everyone'd run for their people and tell 'em. Everyone'd want revenge for something like we did t'him! I mean if we let him free and spare 'im shit like that's destined t'happen!"

Connor glared at him but didn't say anything.

"I mean seriously. It's bout time yah wake up to this world. Yer morality and faith, believin in good, it'll kill yah.
Might've been worth something back in the old days, ain't worth shit now."

Daryl threw his cigarette away and shook his head angrily.

"Yah can think or vote on whatever yah want man, but ain't got nothin t'do with me. I think we have to kill the guy. Cos if they let 'im run and his people start slaughtering us that blood ain't on my hands but yers and Dale's. Just...use yer stupid brain for once and not yer bible shit."

Connor looked at his friend for a while.

"I don' know if I can fucking do that" he said and was surprised how honest he was.

Because he knew Daryl was right. He knew that if they wanted to survive they needed to kill the boy.

But killing a human being that might be innocent? It was wrong. In this world it was right to do something wrong. Survival meant doing immoral things.
And doing immoral things meant going to hell.

Murph I'll never fuckin see ye again.

"Yeah looks like you've gotta" Daryl murmured.

"We could always leave" Connor said and Daryl looked up in surprise.

For a while they just stared at each other. Somehow considering the possibility.
And the hunter knew that if he was ever going to leave it would be with that man. But not now.

Not yet.

"Seen yah crippled leg lately? Yah wouldn't last a minute out there."

Connor snorted.

"Fuck ye, sure would."

"Yeah and if yah do get eaten then that'd be on me."

"No then it would be me own fault."

"Fuckin shut it. It ain't safe, Connor. Not yet."

The Irishman smirked. After a moment he leaned back and sighed.

"So what's te deal then?"

Daryl snorted and shrugged.

"Yah tell me."

The Irishman looked at his friend for a while and then swallowed.

"Yer right. I mean god'll condemn me ta hell fer this, but good lord yer right."

Later that afternoon the group gathered inside the farmhouse to discuss Randall's fate.
Little Carl stood right next to Connor who sat on a chair because he still had trouble standing more than a couple of minutes because of his leg.

"Come on Carl. I want you to stay with Jimmy" Lori said then and everyone looked at the boy.

"But I wanna listen" he protested, but his mother shook her head.

"Not this time. Come on" she insisted but the boy wouldn't move.

Everyone kept staring at him, even Daryl, and when Carl wouldn't move Connor nudged him.

"Come on now, little fella. Listen ta yer Ma fer once."

The boy looked at the Irishman who pointed at the door. Carl growled and left.
When Connor grinned at Daryl the latter just rolled his eyes and looked away.

"So how do we do this? Just take a vote?" Glenn asked after a moment.

"Does it have to be unanimous?"

"How about majority rules?"

Andrea and Lori joined in. Rick raised his hand to soothe them.

"Well let's ...let's just see where everybody stands, then we can talk through options."

"Well, the way I see it,there's only one way to move forward" Shane said which made both Connor and Daryl roll their eyes.

Of course he'd speak first.

"Killing him, right? I mean why even bother to even take a vote? It's clear which way the wind's blowing." Dale said.

One could hear how disappointed he was. So all of his actions hadn't been of much use then.

"Well if people believe we should spare him I wanna know" Rick interrupted him.

"Well I can tell you it's a small group-Maybe just me, Connor and Glenn."

Connor and Glenn looked up then and eyed Dale in surprise.

"Look I- I think you're pretty much right about everything, all the time, but this.." Glenn stammered and Dale snorted angrily.

"They've got you scared."

"He's not one of us. And we've lost too many people already" Glenn countered and Dale turned to look at Connor.

"What about you, Connor?"

The Irishman sighed.

"Well just like Glenn said. Yer right. It isn't right ta kill him but being right here means dying. They've got a point.
We can't risk 'im runnin off and tellin his people about us. He might not be dangerous but his people are."

Dale shook his head and looked at Herschel and Maggie.

"How about you? Do you agree with this?"

Herschel looked down and Maggie chewed on her lower lip.

"Couldn't we continue keeping him prisoner?" she suggested.

"Just another mouth to feed" Daryl said quietly which made Connor look at him.

"It may be a lean winter" Herschel joined in.

"We could ration better" Lori suggested and Dale growled angrily.

"Well he could be an asset! Give him a chance to prove himself" he demanded and looked at everyone.

"Put him to work?" Glenn asked with a frown but Rick interrupted him.

"We're not letting him walk around."

"We could put an escort on him" Maggie responded and Shane snorted.

"Who wants to volunteer for that duty?"

"I will" Dale said and Connor had enough.

"Me, too" he joined in and everyone looked at him.

Dale looked thankful. When Connor looked at Daryl and tried to get him into volunteering as well his friend looked away. The Irishman's face fell.

" I don't think any of us should be walking around with this guy" Rick said and looked at Connor.

"Besides. You're injured. He could take advantage of that. He could outrun you. And Dale."

"He's right. I wouldn't feel safe unless he was tied up" Lori said to support her husband.

"We can't exactly put chains around his ankles sentence him to hard labor" Andrea joined the discussion and shook her head angrily.

Shane moved next to her.

"Look, say we let him join us, right? Maybe he's helpful, maybe he's nice. We let our guard down and maybe he runs off. Brings back his 30 men."

Daryl shook his head. No matter how right Shane was with his assumption he still found it incredibly ridiculous how distrustful the policeman was.

Coming from someone who betrayed a good man.

"So the answer is to kill him to prevent a crime that he may never even attempt? If we do this, we're saying there's no hope. Rule of law is dead. There is no civilization."

Dale looked at them in disbelief. Especially Connor reacted to those words. Because he'd been a man of morality. He had tried to get people into sticking to rule of law.
For years. And now even he was turning his back on that? He was beginning to doubt everything all over again.

"Oh, my god" Shane muttered and turned away.

"Could you drive him further out? Leave him like you planned?" Herschel asked and looked at Rick.

Lori shook her head and grabbed her necklace nervously.

"You barely came back this time. There 's walkers. You could break down. You could get lost."

"Or get ambushed" Daryl added and Connor looked at him again.

Right now, if just for a moment, he hated his friend for everything he said that supported the idea of just executing the kid.

"They're right. We should not put our own people at risk" Glenn said which snapped Connor out of it.

"If you go through with it, how would you do it? Would he suffer?" Patricia, Otis wife, who hadn't said a word before, joined in.

"We could hang him, right? Just snap his neck" Shane said with a shrug and Connor snorted.

"Aye cos that ain't suffering" he said as he remembered his suicide attempt and how much the rope had hurt.

"Yeah by hanging I mean properly dude. I'm gonna make sure it snaps his neck. I'm gonna do it right."

"How fuckin dare ye..." Connor snapped but was interrupted by Daryl who placed a hand on his shoulder and held him back.

"Now's not the time, idiot" he said and Connor growled but stopped.

"I thought about that. Shooting may be more humane" Rick said and ignored Shane and Connor's scuffle.

"And what about the body? Do we bury him?" T-Dog asked when Dale raised his hands.

"Hold on, hold on! You're talking about this like it's already decided."

"You've been talking all day, going around in circles. You just wanna go around in circles again?" Daryl said with a frown.

"This is a young man's life. And it's worth more than a five minute conversation!" Dale spat and looked at them.

"Is this what it's come to? We kill someone because we can't decide what else to do with him? You saved him and now look at us. He's been tortured.
He's gonna be executed. How are we any better than those people that we're so afraid of?"

Everyone looked down for a moment. Dale's words made them feel ashamed of themselves.

"We all know what needs to be done" Shane said and Rick shook his head.

"No, Dale is right. We can't leave any stone unturned. We have a responsibility..."

"So what's the other solution?" Andrea interrupted him and Lori looked at her in surprise.

"Let Rick finish" she demanded but Andrea ignored her.

" We haven't come up with a single viable option yet. I wish we could..."

"So let's work on it!" Dale spat and Rick finally lost it too.

"We are!"

"Guys maybe ye just should..." Connor joined in but was interrupted by Carol.

"Stop it. Just stop it. I'm sick of everybody arguing and fighting. I didn't ask for this. You can't ask us to decide something like this.
Please decide, either of you, both of you... But leave me out."

"We must all fear evil men. But there's another kind af evil which we must fear most, and tha is the indifference af good men" Connor quoted and everyone looked at him with a frown.

"That's what our monsignor in Boston once said in church" he said and looked at Daryl for a moment, then at his hand, and then he turned his head to look at Carol.

Dale nodded.

"Not speaking out. Or killing him yourself.. There's no difference."

"All right, that's enough. Anybody who wants the floor before we make a final decision has the chance" Rick said but nobody answered or left.

They all just stared.

"You once said that we don't kill the living" Dale said after a moment.

His voice was shaking by now.

"Well, that was before the living tried to kill us" Rick said angrily and Dale snorted.

"But don't you see? If we do this, the people that we were... The world that we knew is dead."

He was fumbling with his hat and there were tears in his eyes. And the more he spoke the more Connor was beginning to doubt everything.
His and Daryl's decision. His morality. His actions. His past. His humanity.

"And this new world is ugly. It's- Harsh. It's- it's survival of the fittest. And that's a world I don't wanna live in. And I don't-I don't believe that any of you do."

And Connor remembered why he had tried to take his life a couple of weeks ago.

Because it's ugly. Because it's harsh.
Because I'm alone. Because Murph's dead. That's a world I don't wanna live in.

"I can't. Let's just do what's right. Isn't there anybody else who's gonna stand with me?"

Connor chewed on his lower lip and looked at Daryl then. They both looked at each other and Daryl shook his head angrily.

"Yer right. Killing him ain't the solution" the Irishman said and Daryl snorted.

"He's right. We should try to find another way" Andrea said with a nod.

"Anybody else?" Rick asked but no one answered.

Dale snorted and sniffed.

"Are y'all gonna watch, too?" Nobody said anything.

"No, you'll go hide your heads in your tents and try to forget that we're slaughtering a human being. I won't be a party to it" he retorted and headed for the door.

Before he left he placed a hand on Daryl's shoulder.

"This group is broken" he said and left.