Chapter Eighteen
I felt a presence behind me suddenly in the empty room I occupied. Currently, I was in the kitchen, getting together breakfast for the three of us and finding something suitable for Toby. We had held up in the same house for just over four days now and were still undiscovered thankfully. Whenever I would look outside though, across the streets, I could see the dead were getting edgy. They sensed our presence and even a few had become suspicious of our house, some venturing over and proceeding to bang on the boarded frames. At first we had chosen to ignore them, Michonne said they'd go away eventually, but Merle grew tired of the noise.
We were all sat downstairs in one of the main rooms, the sounds of hands banging heavily against the boarded door, keeping any of us from speaking. All of a sudden though, the redneck left our presence, unbarred the back door and told me to shut it behind him and open it when he told me to. I did as told, not without a few protests and within five minutes Merle was back inside the house, caked in blood though thoroughly satisfied with the lack of noise. Michonne was less than pleased.
We knew then that our stay was going to have to end soon though as we never liked to spend too much time in one place and food had already been collected together, waiting for our eventual move.
I sensed the sudden presence behind me now and felt tense. In a flash, I had spun around, ready to pull out my gun, only to find Merle in the doorway. His eyes lingered at where my hand held the gun tightly though he said nothing of it. A frown was on his face.
"What's up?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. Merle grunted and beckoned me to follow him. With a curious frown, I obliged.
Quietly, he led me through the house and up the stairs, before he held a finger to his lips. He pointed to Michonne's bedroom, whose door was cracked open and nodded his head when I looked confused. Confused by the man's actions, though knew better than to argue, I walked over to the door slowly and suddenly heard chatter from inside.
"-but we've got lots of protection here, there's not that many of them to deal with." A pause. "Yes, I know moving is vital. Though there's plenty of food here to last us a long time." Another pause and a sigh. "Where would we go though? Where's safe? Is anywhere safe?" I glanced back at Merle, who beckoned me into his room. With a frown, I followed him inside and he shut the door behind him.
"What was that?" I asked, slowly. The voice was Michonne's, that was for sure, but Michonne was sat alone in her room. Merle shrugged.
"Been doing it for a while now." He told me. "I was passing to go to bathroom when I heard 'er the first time. Thought she was talkin' to you, so thought nothin' of it. Then I heard ya banging around downstairs 'nd knew it couldn't be. Listened for a while 'nd realised the bitch ain't gettin' no replies. She's talkin' to 'erself!" He folded him arms and frowned. "Ol' Micky's gone crazy."
"She's not crazy!" I gushed quickly in Michonne's defence, though I was having doubts truth be told. It definitely was a strange situation to consider her talking to herself. "I guess you would go crazy in a situation like this." I tried, lamely. Merle raised an eyebrow and snorted.
"Talkin' to yourself is the first sign of madness." Merle muttered. I rolled my eyes at this. "Neither of us 'ave imaginary friends and we're in the same fucked up world as 'er."
"We don't know all that she's been through." I pointed out. Merle's expression told me he was less than pleased at my response.
"None of us really know what each other 'ave been through." Merle countered. There was a long pause of silence which was filled with the distant sound of Michonne's continued chatter down the hall. I saw Merle's only fist clench hard and his face darkened. "I ain't stickin' with no crazy person. What we gonna do if she has a breakdown 'nd tries to kill us?" He demanded.
"Just because she's talking to herself, doesn't mean she's going to do that!" I argued. Merle look unconvinced. "And what would you suggest we do then?"
"Leave her." He answered easily, though I had an inkling he was joking. No matter how many times he said he would, I knew Merle couldn't just leave. Not after everything we had been through together. I rolled my eyes in reply and folded my arms across my chest to mirror the man's stance. He narrowed his eyes at this and sneered in response. Just then, the door to Merle's room opened, startling the pair of us.
"What's going on in here?" Michonne asked, suspiciously. I glanced at her and saw a confused expression on her face. When I turned to Merle, he was glaring heavily at the woman. Thankfully, Michonne didn't seem to notice, her eyes fixed on me.
"Nothing." I told her. "We were just discussing where our next heading will be." I lied quickly and Michonne looked mildly convinced.
"Last group I was with talked of a safe shelter." Merle piped up suddenly, going along with my lie. I was grateful that the man didn't bring the other matter up with Michonne. Not now at least. "Fort Benning I think. Supposed to be safe. 'Bout headin' there?"
"Fort Benning?" Michonne snorted. "Before I met up with that group, I was heading for Fort Benning. Safest place to be when this shit hit. I got there eventually and found an army base, full of medical equipment and supplies galore." She paused and sighed. "Only the base had been overrun a few days before I arrived, everyone who had been there has either been turned, killed or running to survive." She glanced between the pair of us with heavy eyes. "Fort Benning doesn't exist no more."
A heavy silence grew between us and I saw Merle processing this thoughtfully. While I didn't know what Fort Benning was, I could sense that the information definitely left an impact on Merle. He continued to frown, his eyebrows bunched, not saying a word. Michonne stood in the doorway still, her eyes darting between the two of us, almost trying to read our minds it looked like. Thinking over the conversation that Merle and I were previously just having, I couldn't help but shift awkwardly and avoid Michonne's gaze altogether.
"I better go finish breakfast." I muttered finally, not wanting to be in that room anymore. With on last meaningful glance at Merle, I left the pair and headed back to the kitchen.
Again, Fort Benning meant nothing to me. I hadn't even heard about it until Merle mentioned it. The man himself hadn't even brought it up before either. Even so, the fact that what once was a safe base is now exactly same as the rest of America - potentially the world - left me with no optimism for our odds. It left a heavy feeling in my stomach and I glanced around the kitchen I stood in, awkwardly, trying to keep myself calm. I saw Toby come to the doorway of the kitchen, tilting his head slightly and staring up at me. With a small smile, I beckoned the dog over, running my hands along his fur when he reached me.
And despite all my protests, Michonne's apparent talking to herself was without a doubt, very odd. "What we gonna do if she has a breakdown 'nd tries to kill us? "- Merle's words stuck with me and I couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive of my friend now. It certainly was a contrast to all the trust that had been built between us during and after being at that other camp. Even as I tried to focus on that, I still felt slightly wary about it all. With a sigh, I pressed my face into Toby's furry neck. What was happening to us?
When I woke up the next morning - the final morning - I was greeted with a timid smile from Sophia. She was sat near the entrance, her doll in her lap and her hands tugging frantically at Eliza's arms. I put her movements down to nerves. We would be hitting the road soon and going back out on it wasn't something anyone was looking forward to. Glancing beside me, I saw Carol gathering up hers and Sophia's bedding, humming gently to herself. It was a wonder how I hadn't woke up from her movements, though Carol was always careful not to disturb me in the mornings. Shifting slightly, I must have gotten her attention as the woman smiled down at me when she saw my eyes open.
"Good morning, Ruby." Carol greeted, warmly. I couldn't help but notice the tense tone behind her words. I smiled back, though it was more of a grimace.
Hauling myself out of my bed, I began to gather up my own bedding and pile it next to the rest of our stuff that Carol had gathered in the corner. Looking around, the tent was certainly looking very empty now and this made my stomach twist sadly.
"Where will we go now, Momma?" Sophia asked, breaking the content silence. Her tone was quiet and hesitant, not her usual bubbly self. I saw Carol pause and glance at me before replying to her daughter, a warm smile fixed on her features.
"I don't know, but wherever it is, Rick will make sure it's safe for us." Carol told Sophia with such clarity. It was nice to see the woman have faith in the leader "All that matters is that we're together." She smiled warmly again at her daughter before kissing her fondly on the head. I smiled at the gesture. Sophia nodded slowly at her mother's words before she turned to me.
"You'll be coming too, won't you Ruby?" She asked, a hopeful edge to her words. I paused, processing my answer, only for Carol to speak for me.
"Of course she will be." She began. "We're her family now, and family sticks together at times like this." I felt my heart ache at her words and stared in awe at the woman across from me. Sophia beamed at the answer and turned to me expectantly, though I remained staring at Carol. We're her family now. The older woman turned to me with a fond smile and nodded as if to confirm her words. I wouldn't quite have believed them myself if I hadn't heard them moments before.
"Of course I will be coming with you." I told Sophia when I found my voice, though my words were on the edge of breaking. "Can't get rid of me that easy!" The girl leapt forward and wrapped her arms around me with a gleeful smile. Over her shoulder, I locked eyes with Carol and smiled the best I could to show my appreciation to her words. Carol seemed to understand and nodded slowly.
"Sophia, why don't you go and say good morning to Carl?" Carol suggested as Sophia pulled away from me. "Ruby and I will follow on." Sophia didn't hesitate at the mention of her best friend and beamed one last time at each of us before barrelling out the tent. I watched her figure skip away between the flaps of the tent entrance as Carol busied herself tidying up the pile of our belongings, humming gently to herself again. My eyes drifted to the woman as she was occupied and I studied her quietly. Though I had only known her for a short period of time, she had opened her family up to me. She had welcomed me in with open arms and into the hearts of her and her young daughter. This realisation struck my own heavily.
"Carol-" I began, unsure how to put any gratification I had into words. Carol turned to me, stopping what she was doing. The older woman studied me carefully before smiling and sitting across from me.
"When Sophia was gone, I felt like my entire heart had been taken with her. I felt empty and broken." She began, her tone even. I swallowed the lump in my throat down, shifting in my seat slightly. Carol continued quickly "I don't know if Sophia has told you about her father?"
"She told me that he was a bad man." I breathed, my voice hitching slightly. Carol remained unphased by this confession. "That he hurt you." Slowly, the woman nodded.
"Ed died in Atlanta." Carol told me, her voice still strong. "He got eaten by walkers when they attacked our camp. The same night Andrea lost her sister actually." Carol's eyes drifted off slightly as she thought about that night, though returned back to me with a smile. "I don't pretend to think Ed was a good husband or a good father. He wasn't. I cried when he died because he was everything I had known and somewhere deep down, I did love him in my own stupid way. Though now, I don't waste my tears for him. I left everything behind in Atlanta, including my love for that man. Everything I lived for was for Sophia and Sophia alone." Carol paused to chew her lip for a moment. "But then I thought I'd lost her and my entire world around me was falling apart." Her voice hitched and I could see her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I had so many nightmares about losing her, about never findings her or finding her one day to be one of those things. It was agony to watch her run away with those things chasing her, feeling so damn helpless as I did." She chuckled bitterly. "I blamed Rick for it all. I shouldn't have done, but I did. He was the only one brave enough to run after my little girl and all I did was shout and demand why he hadn't done enough." She shook her head and bowed it slightly in almost shame. "I can't forgive myself for what I did, for all my accusations. Rick didn't deserve them. He's a good man and he tried his best for my little girl. Daryl too." Carol smiled softly at me before reaching behind her and holding out a familiar item. "Do you know what this is?"
"Rosa Laevigata." I murmured, eyeing the flower. Carol didn't hide her surprise and I smiled almost bashfully. "My mother loved flowers." I explained briefly and the woman smiled warmly before turning her eyes back down to the flower in her hand. I eyed it, noting how it had been placed in an empty beer bottle.
"Daryl gave me this one." She told me and I couldn't help but widen my own eyes in shock, though Carol's eyes were only focused on the flower in her hand. "He told me the story about the Cherokee Rose, about how they'd bloom from the tears of mothers as they lost their little ones." She smiled warmly before glancing up and meeting my gaze. "He told me that this one bloomed for my little girl." At this, I smiled warmly at the woman, despite my shock that she was talking about Daryl, the gruff, lonely redneck. "You know, Daryl Dixon did more for my daughter in one day than her daddy did in his entire life. He's a good man, every bit as good as Rick or Shane." I didn't know what to say to that, though I didn't disagree to her words. Carol stared fondly down at the flower before smiling up at me again. "You saved my little girl." I bit back my retort of disagreement there, not wanting any more gratitude from these people, though Carol continued anyway. "I know you hate us all saying it but you did. You are the blessing that the Cherokee Rose brought us from the tears I shed. You are the miracle that bloomed from this flower." My throat hitched at the word 'miracle' as I didn't think the word was appropriate at all, but again Carol continued on regardless of my startled expression. "Daryl gave me this flower and you gave me my daughter." Another smile, one so full of happiness and gratitude that it over-whelmed me. "And no amount of 'thank you's will ever be good enough for you, Ruby. Not even close."
"Carol," I began, my voice weak. "I really don't want anymore of your thank yous. You people have really done so much for me, taking me in, giving me somewhere to stay, and that's all the gratitude that I need. I didn't save Sophia, expecting anything in return." At this, Carol's smile widened.
"And that's exactly why you're special."
Carol and I left the tent shortly after, my head still racing at everything Carol had said to me. The rest of the camp were already up and food was handed to us when we approached. I accepted mine with a grateful smile before taking a seat around the fire. Much like the evening before, breakfast we eaten with a tense feel about it. Looking around camp, I noticed that tents were bare and I couldn't help my stomach dropping at the sight of it all. I didn't want to leave and judging by everyone else's expressions, no else did either. I scanned my eyes across the faces around me before stopping on one individual. Locking eyes with Daryl across the fire, I attempted to smile, though I knew it came out more like a grimace - I wasn't so good at smiling this morning. Daryl replied with a tiny smile of his own which told me he was feeling the same feeling of apprehension about the day ahead. Everyone was no doubt. When I turned to stare into the fire, my thoughts turned back to all that Carol had told me earlier that morning and I chewed my food with a thoughtful frown on my face.
Suddenly though, Rick rose to his feet and all eyes turned to him, my thoughts for the time being were interrupted.
"I gotta go talk to Herschel." He told us all with a sigh. "Hopefully a night's sleep has made him adjust his attitude." Shane snorted, announcing what the man felt about that douse of optimism, and Rick silenced him with a glare. "Even if it hasn't, I'm still gonna go get our weapons back. I want all tents gone and everything packed ready while I'm gone. Which ever way this conversation goes, we'll be leaving as soon as possible so the vehicles needs to be loaded up and ready."
"Where will we be going?" Andrea asked, the question that everyone was thinking.
"Fort Benning?" Shane suggested. I frowned as the words left his lips. Fort Benning? Rick turned to his partner with a less harsh expression than before and nodded once.
"No." I cut Rick off from saying whatever he was going to say and suddenly all eyes were on me. I shook my head. "Fort Benning isn't an option." I sensed another confrontation but I didn't care, I remained staring at Rick for a reply.
"And why's that?" Shane asked. I rolled my eyes at the man.
"One of the survivors I was with after I left the other group had been to Fort Benning. Said it had been overrun by walkers and everyone there were either killed or had ran away." I told him bluntly. "It isn't an option." I was surprised by the lack of objections or arguments to my words, I was only left with a brief pause of silence.
"Then where will we go?" Glenn asked thoughtfully. Rick paused before sighing.
"We'll think of something." He muttered before turning to me. "You can come with me to talk to Herschel, I'm gonna need you." I nodded once and stood up, not bothering to question the man or his motives. Shane looked displeased by this but said nothing, allowing his expression to do the talking. Rick turned to his wife, who nodded.
"We'll pack everything up." She replied to his silent question. Rick nodded once before turning to me and making his way towards the farmhouse. With a sigh, I followed after him.
When we entered the farmhouse, it was deadly silent. Rick let the door creak shut behind us and called out to the inhabitants of the house, alerting our presence. I glanced around the vacant rooms in wonder, only making the feeling of leaving worse. There was a pause before there were rushed footsteps on the stairs and Maggie suddenly appeared before us, her eyes darting between Rick and myself.
"We've come to speak to Herschel." Rick told her, his voice firm. She nodded slowly, her eyes still shifting between us.
"Dad's in the kitchen." She replied. Rick made a move around her, though she stood in our path before we could leave. "I tried talking to him last night but he was jus the same." She told us in a quieter tone, no doubt so her father couldn't hear. Rick nodded slowly.
"Thank you for trying anyway, you did the best you could." Maggie paused, licking her lips and looked suddenly very uncomfortable. "You alright, Maggie?" Rick had apparently sensed this too. She glanced over her shoulder and sighed.
"I want to come with you." She said in a low tone. "I have a bag packed in my room ready with all my things." My eyes widened slightly at this confession, though I refrained from saying anything, letting Rick do his job.
"Have you told Herschel about this?" Maggie shook her head. "Maggie-"
"He won't listen to what I had to say and I know he'll only try and stop me!" She hissed, shaking her head, her eyes frantic. "I can't stay here knowing what I know now. I will not wait here to die."
"And what about your sister?" Rick asked, softly. "Jimmy? Patricia?" Maggie shook her head.
"They won't come, they'll only listen to what Dad says." There was a pause between the pair and I continued to remain silent, glancing at each of them in turn. Maggie looked on pleadingly, while Rick appeared thoughtful. Finally, Rick sighed and shook his head.
"I won't defy your father's wishes-"
"And I won't be left here to die." Maggie cut in, her tone leaving no room for any arguments. "I'm old enough to make my own decisions, I don't need my dad's permission." Her eyes welled up with tears and judging by the look on her face, her answer was final. Rick studied her expression in silence before sighing once more.
"Take your stuff outside and ask Glenn to pack it up with the rest of our stuff." He told her, his tone tired. A grin appeared on Maggie's face and she made a move to rush upstairs, though Rick stopped her before she could. "But you need to talk to the other three. While we're in there talking to Herschel, I need you to talk to Beth, Jimmy and Patricia. You need to try to convince them to come too." Maggie nodded firmly.
"I will." With that, Rick let her past and she rushed up the stairs without another word to get her things. We watched her go, my mind thoughtful.
"C'mon." Rick urged, making his way towards the kitchen. With a sigh, I followed the ex-sheriff and the pair of us trailed through the rooms of the house until we found Herschel sat alone at the kitchen table, his breakfast before him. I noticed our gun bag by his feet, ready to be given back. The farmer himself glanced up at our entrance and raised an eyebrow. There was a moments silence before Herschel gestured for us to take a seat opposite him, which we obliged to. Everything was certainly starting to look like yesterday now. Déjà vu?
"I trust you are almost ready to go?" Herschel asked, slowly, taking a bite of his breakfast. His eyes darted between the pair of us, as if judging our movements.
"We're packing now." I told him, when Rick failed to answer the man. Herschel nodded at this, breaking eye contact to stare down at his food again.
"If this is another bid to convince me against my actions, Rick, then I will tell you now that your words will be wasted." Herschel stated bluntly. "I'm not leaving this farm and neither is my family." I swallowed hard, thinking over the interaction with Maggie just now.
"You seem so quickly to decide your family's decision, without even asking what they want." Rick observed.
"I know what's best for them."
"Do you?" Rick challenged, eyebrows raised. The pair were locked in a silent debate and I suddenly wondered why I was asked to join in in this particular discussion. I had said what I needed to yesterday, Rick had no need of me now. As if sensing my confusion, Herschel turned to me, his expression warm.
"I wonder why you are present here, my dear." He said softly. "For I gather Rick will be the one doing the talking."
"We request our weapons back." Rick cut in suddenly. Herschel glanced at him then at the bag at his feet. "They're our weapons, it's only fair." The farmer nodded and bent down to hoist them onto the table in front of us. With one shove, he pushed it across the table and I eyed the bag in front of us with a frown. Rick opened it up and stared inside, curiously.
"It's all there and accounted for." Herschel told us in assurance. Rick nodded, seemingly satisfied to trust the man, and turned to me.
"Take them outside and do not let them out of your sight." He said, suddenly. "I don't want you handing weapons to anyone until I return." Especially Shane, remained unspoken but I heard it loud and clear and with a sigh, I stood up from the table.
"So this was why you asked me to come?" I muttered. Rick nodded.
"I trust you enough to know you will obey my orders." He replied, firmly. I eyed the man carefully, taken back by the word trust. Swallowing hard, I hoisted the bag onto my shoulder, ignoring the heavy weight of it.
"If this is the last time we shall speak to each other, my dear, then I pray God be with you on the road ahead." Herschel spoke suddenly. I turned to the man and smiled a little, I was not one for religion but I appreciated the man's sentiment.
"Thank you for your hospitality." I told the man earnestly. He nodded in return and I turned back to Rick. "I'll look after them." I promised, before leaving the pair to their discussion.
Our belongings were all packed and stacked by the front door, ready to move. All the food we had looted from the kitchen had been placed in boxes we had found around the empty house and were stacked beside our bags, all waiting to be escorted to the waiting truck. The front door had been unbarred and we were all currently gathered in the living room, planning our next move.
"Who'll be driving?" I asked, glancing between the pair.
"I'll be driving." Michonne stated, without missing a beat. "I'll head to the truck first with Toby. If I'm quick, I should get into the cab reasonably unnoticed and I'll get the engine running ready to move when we need to." I went to nod, though the man beside me jumped in quickly then.
"And then what 'bout Ruby and me?" Merle demanded, his eyes on Michonne. "You gonna let us do all the carryin'?" He didn't even bother to hide his suspicion and openly glared at the woman. Michonne however was unphased, though I could imagine she was used to a lot of glares from the man already.
"You'll have to be quick, though it'll probably take a few attempts to get everything loaded up." She replied. "I'll try and cover you."
"You'll try?" Merle muttered, eyes narrowing. Michonne stared coolly back. "I don't like this plan."
"Tough. It's all we have." Michonne shrugged indifferently. "We better get moving fast while they're a good distance away from the house. We can take down stragglers, it's just we can't afford to attract a big group of them."
"So, we're doing it now?" I asked, my heart racing with fear at what we were going to do. Michonne nodded and rose from her seat.
"No time like the present." With that she made her way to the front door and I met eyes with Merle.
"Bitch is fuckin' loopy." Merle hissed at me. I rolled my eyes back and followed after Michonne, who had taken out her katana ready. I gripped my bat in preparation and I noticed Merle's grip tightened on the knife in his hand.I stood by the door, holding the handle ready to open it. Michonne got herself into position and Merle leaned carelessly against the wall beside the door, his eyes burning into Michonne with a look of almost malice.
"Wish me luck." Michonne muttered. Merle snorted and Michonne met my gaze.
With a pause, she nodded once and I took that as my cue. In a swift move, I opened the door and Michonne bolted out, Toby following after her at her heels. Merle and I spared no time observing her journey to the truck and gathered up the first lot of supplies that needed to be loaded onto the truck. When we did look out, we saw Michonne had taken out three of the dead and had unbolted the back of the truck ready for us. She had jumped into the truck and the sound of the door slamming was our next cue.
Merle went first, the bags thrown over his shoulders. Due to his lack of hands, he was unable to carry the boxes of food and that job was left to me. Merle had offered, though it was obvious that he was incapable of the job and we needed to get the job done right while we had the chance. The only problem with the boxes was that they were heavy. I sighed and made my move.
I rushed out after Merle, taking his path to the back of the truck. Thankfully, Merle had dumped his first load into the back and was now aiding me in my turn by taking out the dead that got too close to me. I hoisted the box into the back of the truck before the pair of us rushed back inside for the next lot.
We continued rapidly and made two more journeys before the dead were beginning to become a problem. Thankfully there was only one lot left and we gathered them up between them and made one last push to the truck and to safety. Michonne was in the front, ready to go and the engine roaring in prospect.
Merle was quicker than me on the run back to the vehicle, dumping his bags in the truck and heaving himself into the bed ready to go. I was slower, only just dodging the rotting hands, but successfully made it to the truck and dumped the boxes in. Merle aided me by taking out close stragglers, but it was getting tight. I still had to push the boxes back and heave myself in. I quickly turned to take out one of the dead before it got me, its hands close to gripping my arm.
"C'mon!" Merle cried, urging me into the truck when the body fell to the floor.
Unfortunately, this was taken the wrong way with Michonne.
Just at the moment before I pulled myself into the truck bed beside Merle, Michonne started the truck and suddenly slammed down the accelerator. Before I knew it, the truck was speeding off down the street-
-Leaving me behind.
I fell to the floor, having lost my balance in the sudden movement of the truck speeding away and felt my stomach plummet. Glancing up quickly, I saw the truck speeding away, Merle's face staring in horror at me and his mouth screaming words I couldn't hear. Between him and me though were the dozens of staggering feet of the dead, heading dangerously close towards me as I lay on the ground. An easy prize for them to get. Though for a moment, I couldn't quite bring myself to do anything. My head was spinning from the fall and I could only think of one thing.
They had left me.
The first member of the group that approached me was Shane and this was no surprise at all.
When I exited the farmhouse, I began to aid the others in packing away our stuff, keeping a tight grip on the bag slung over my shoulder and offering no explanations for holding onto it still. I sensed eyes watching me, wondering why I was in possession of the bag, but I ignored them and remembered Rick's orders. He had trusted me with this and I wasn't about to let him down. So I had kept the bag close to me, ignoring the heavy weight of it against my shoulder, and carried on with the jobs at hand.
The burly man marched over to me with careful steps as I leant my back against a tree, taking a break. At first, there was silence between us as he stood beside me, hands in his pockets carelessly. I eyed him carefully out of the corner of my eye as he stared out across Herschel's fields, his mind practically tinkering away as he processed his next move. This wasn't a social visit, the man wouldn't waste his breath on me, so I waited for him to speak his mind. The bag of guns lay on the floor at my feet and I kept a careful eye on it.
"So, Rick made you in charge of the weapons, huh?" Shane murmured suddenly, not missing a beat. I forced myself not to roll my eyes.
"Yes." More silence.
"Well, I guess considering we're leaving the farm now, there ain't no reason we shouldn't have our weapons back." Shane began slowly. I narrowed my eyes at his words though Shane still wouldn't look at me. "I'd feel a mighty lot safer if I could just have my shotgun back." I supressed a scoff.
"Rick ordered me to look after them and I'm not going to let him down." I told the man, firmly, not allowing for any argument in my tone. Shane turned to me then and stared down at me with a heavy gaze. The anger was there, though it always was, I noticed. Whatever statement he was going to come out with next was cut off though when Dale called my name. I left the man's presence without a backwards glance, hauling the bag of guns over my shoulder too.
Dale was perched on top of the RV, on watch as the rest of camp packed up. Climbing up the ladder was a lot harder with the extra weight, though I did it quickly. I greeted the old man with a smile and crouched down beside him, feeling safe to let the bag I had been trusted with fall beside me to allow my shoulder a rest. I rolled my arm back, trying to ease the aching and rubbed my shoulder carefully.
"I take it Rick doesn't want the weapons handing out yet?" Dale guessed, his tone friendly. I nodded and he smiled slightly. "Smart man. Shane can't be trusted and after his fiasco by the barn yesterday, he certainly cannot be trusted with a gun." I hummed my agreement with the man.
"Rick's trying to convince Herschel to come with us, though I'm not sure how well that discussion will go." I told him. "Maggie had already decided she's coming with us though and is trying to convince the others to come too." Dale nodded and this didn't appear to surprise him.
"Rick won't leave them behind." He sighed. "It's not in his nature too. Especially after everything Herschel has done for his boy." I met the man's gaze and he smiled bitterly, glancing over his shoulder. "They're scared."
"We all are." I admitted and Dale nodded in agreement.
"We have no heading, nothing concrete to aim for." He told me. "First it was Atlanta, then it was the CDC and them Fort Benning." Dale trailed off and looked down with sad eyes. "Guess all we do is keep running. Though running is illogical now if we have no direction, we'd be running aimlessly. We can't do it forever."
"And who says we won't find something?" I suggested, surprised by the lightness in my tone. Dale glanced at me. "You have the tone of someone who's giving up which I didn't expect from someone like you, Dale. Kinda reminds me of me." I shrugged and looked out across the fields. "There's been plenty of times when I wanted to just give up." I admitted to the man before me. "When I escaped from that group with two others, I felt like there was hope. For once, I felt like we could survive and sometimes I would forget about the horrors and nightmare that we live in now." A pause. "But I got separated from them and that was the most terrifying thing I had ever experienced since the outbreak. Ever since it began, I had been with someone, never alone." I met Dale's gaze. "I'm not sure if you've ever been alone in this new world, Dale, but I can tell you that nothing ever prepares you for it. It's a wonder how I've survived."
"But you did." Dale pointed out, lightly with a smile. There was an expression of wonder in his face and his lost tone had been replaced now with his usual grace. "You're sat before me now and you survived." I smiled slightly and nodded.
"That's what I mean," I began. "I have survived when I thought there was no hope. Me. If I can do it, then so can the group. You're strong and I know have been through a lot. But that's only made you stronger. I know this may seem terrifying but I don't think this will break you. Your group will survive this."
"Our group will survive this." Dale corrected me softly, smiling warmly at me. The sentiment today was infectious. I smiled despite myself and turned away from Dale's piercing gaze to stare out across the field, hoping to clear my thoughts.
Only I spotted movement in the tree line.
A figure.
A man.
Laurent.
Fear froze me as I stared at the familiar shape of the man between the trees, he was unmistakable from even this distance, his grey hair blaring at me, his strong stance a familair sight - practically indented into my memory. I couldn't move, couldn't think. Suddenly though, my nightmares came true when more figures appeared between the trees around him, objects that looked suspiciously like guns in their hands, and I knew then that we were in trouble.
Oh God.
"They've found us." I muttered, eyes wide with fear. I saw Dale's head turn around out of the corner of my eye and no doubt focus on what I was seeing. I could practically see the smirk on Philip's lips form here. "Oh my God."
A single gun shot rang out across the skies, silencing all conversation and movement behind us on the ground.
Turning around, I saw the bullet had pierced a tree, not so far from Shane's head. The group stopped in their tracks and I saw horror crease their faces at what they saw. Shane's head turned to me and I could feel the mutual agreement between us. For the first time ever, it seemed. I wasted no time throwing the bag of guns down to him and they were distributed quickly. Lori wasted no time screaming for her husband, who rushed out followed by the Greenes. I saw their expressions of horror.
"What is going on?!" Herschel demanded, his eyes landing on the distributed weapons with furious eyes and I knew he immediately jumped to the wrong conclusion.
"No you don't understand-" Dale tried calling from the top of the RV. Though he didn't get far. Another shot rang out and everything seemed to go quiet. No one spoke.
I turned to Dale and felt suddenly sick when I saw the blood slipping down from his neck from a large wound. He had been shot in the neck. Dale stuttered slightly, only succeeding in coughing up blood and he tried to grasp at his neck, his expression pained. I gasped in horror, trying to catch him as he collapsed, falling off the side of the RV. I wasted no time jumping down though, my legs staggering at the impact of hitting the ground, though I ignored it and rushed to the man. Screams were heard, as were the bellowing voices of the men giving orders. When the gunshots started, I tried to drown them out and I cradled Dale's head in my lap, trying to stop the wound in his neck from bleeding, ignoring the heavy feeling that I knew he would not make it. His blood was drenching my hands already and more just kept pouring out.
"Dale!" Andrea's voice screamed, suddenly appearing beside me. I watched as her eyes scanned his body frantically, tears coaxing into her eyes at the sight of the bullet wound in his neck. "It's going to be alright Dale, it's going to be fine." She sobbed out, attempting to hold the wound like I was. I didn't want to correct her or even say anything in comfort for the woman. I didn't even know what to say anyway. I just watched on, keeping Dale's head in my lap, hoping to provide what comfort I could. Dale opened and closed his mouth, almost like a fish, coughing up more blood over us. This made Andrea sob harder when Dale cried out in pain.
"Ruby, Andrea! Come on!" Rick's voice screamed. More gun shots were fired, though everything seemed to be dulled out, only Dale mattered right now. I didn't look around at the others and instead, watched the pair before me.
"You can't leave me, Dale." Andrea begged, her voice unlike anything I'd ever heard from the woman. I swallowed down the lump in my throat "Please don't leave me." His eyes appeared to seek her out, holding her tear glazed ones with his dying gaze. "I'm sorry for everything I've said to you, I'm sorry for all that's happened between us. You were always there for me and I could never do the same. You are so good, Dale, so good. You don't deserve this. Please." The tears were just leaking out now and I could feel Dale's shuddering breaths becoming weaker. I was unsure if Andrea could too or if she was just ignoring it. Dale cried out in pain again, closing his eyes and biting his teeth together harshly. "Please, Dale, I don't want you to go." There was a moment of silence as the pair's gazes connected one final time and I could only hope Dale had heard what Andrea was saying to him. Dale's mouth opened, almost as if he was trying to speak before suddenly his body slumped back and his eyes glazed over, seeing no more. I stared down, feeling numb at the realisation. I was holding Dale's dead body now. My own tears fell silently, while Andrea stopped in her loud procession of sobbing. Glancing up at the woman, I saw her face staring down at the man before us in horror. "Dale?" Andrea tried one last time.
When I looked around, what could only be described as chaos ensued around us. Some of the group were attempting to gather into vehicles, some were firing bullets towards our attackers. All around us people were running, shouting and shooting. Though I saw figures, my mind was so numb that I couldn't pick out faces. It was all a blur. Andrea and myself remained beside Dale's body, unable to move. Finally though, I managed to fix on one figure - Rick - and I saw his lips move in a frantic way, shouting orders to everyone. Get out of here!
"Andrea we need to go." I urged, swallowing back the tears. She shook her head once, her eyes only fixed on Dale, and I opened my mouth to speak again, only to spot something over her shoulder.
Shane's over-powering figure was stood in front of the barn - how he had managed to get over there without being shot was beyond me. I frowned curiously at his actions, wondering what he was hoping to achieve by opening that door. Had he not remembered what was inside that barn? His shot gun was raised and aimed, I noticed. It was only the second before the deafening shot of his gun firing when I realised what he was doing
He had let the walkers out of the barn.
"Oh my God." I breathed, wondering how worse this situation could get without now adding walkers into the equation. Andrea must have heard me as she turned her head to look over her shoulder, finally seeing what I was seeing. Shane was sprinting back to us, ducking and dodging the bullets that were directed at him.
Behind him, the contents of the barn began to creep out and there were a lot more than I actually realised inside. The noise of the gunfire was so deafening and immediately attracted them. Some of the group began to stagger around the barn, in the direction of the Gov and his men and surprisingly appeared to be making their way there unnoticed for now. However not all of them went after the other group.
Some began to stagger in our direction and from the treeline beyond the barn, I noticed more staggering figures appearing as the chaos continued.
The dead were joining the fight it seemed too.
(Author's Note): Well I hope that was tense enough for you all! I'm not so great at writing actions scenes but hopefully that was alright for you all. Quite a lot of action in this chapter!
No one shoot me for killing Dale! I'm sorry, but I warned you that I would be killing characters off. No one is safe at the moment and I won't promise to stick to who dies and who survives in the show! Perhaps some unexpected deaths will occur, some you may hate very much. Anyone want to hazzard a guess to who will die next? Or perhaps any requests on who you want to survive? And I know it's probably quite bad, but hopefully Dale's death had some justice done to it, though I doubt it will be as good as it was in the show.
To answer a question from a reader, Capriicious, about my plans regarding this story and season three. After reading the comics and having season three start just recently, I think it's more than definite than I'll be taking the story to the prison one way or another. How lifes pans out for characters in the prison may differ from expected and could potentially be a mixture of both the show and the comics, though details I'm unsure of at the moment. So to answer your question, whilst I won't copy season three's plot action-by-action, yes I'll using ideas from it. I hope that's the answer you wanted and thank you for your kind review :)
I apologise for any mistakes in this chapter as I posted this in a rush! I'll try to remember to go back and change them at some point. Thank you for all the comments already, please feel free to tell me what you think of this chapter; good or bad, I don't mind.