Chapter 15: Pretty Much Dead Already
The sun was up the next day, peeking up over the trees as everyone gathered around the fire at the smell of breakfast. Carol was finishing up another pan of scrambled eggs while Andrea sat on a log sharpening her knife with Michael sitting next her sharpening his dagger. Shane and Amy are standing towards the back of the camp with there plate of eggs as they scooped another forkful into their mouths.
Glenn was twirling his fork around in his hands as he sat off to the side of everyone, staring at the grass in front of him. He is hiding a secret from the group. He knew what he had to do but wasn't sure he was happy with what the consequences could be.
As if she heard his thoughts, he looked to his left towards the Greene's house. Maggie was standing on the porch with her arms crossed over her chest. She shook her head at him. No.
He looked away from her and to his right. To all the people in camp with him. The people he depended on, and depended on him. The lot of them had been with each other for weeks. Watching, helping, protecting each other. All except Ed.
Glenn looked toward the back of the camp, where Dale was standing, looking out over everyone. He caught Glenn's eyes and nodded his head at the young man. Yes.
Glenn briefly nodded as he looked back at the ground. For the good of the group. He knew any one of them would tell if it meant their safety. It was what was best, no matter how things would turn out with Maggie. He stood up from his place at the edge of the camp and slowly walked towards the middle, hoping by the time he got there he would find his voice.
Shane, Amy and Dale looked at Glenn who stopped a few feet next to Rick in the middle of the camp. The boy looked like he was going to break out in a torrent of sweat from the way he was looking over all their faces and fidgeting with his hands. "Um, guys." He started to say, making most of the group look over at him. He took a breath and glanced at Dale again before he turned back to face everyone. "So... The barn is full of walkers."
Everyone in the group that wasn't looking at him already, had their eyes glued to him. Hoping it was his idea of a joke and he was about to say "Just kidding". But the look on his face told them otherwise.
They all made the walk to the barn and finally understood why Hershel never wanted them over that way. You could hear the moans from inside even though you couldn't see anything.
Rick had peered inside and came to stand back in the middle of the group, not saying anything, but having a look of slight anger and disbelief on his face.
Ed walked up to the front of the barn and looked inside from the gap between the doors. It was mostly dark but he could no doubt see the shambling corpses making their way around the barn. The obvious source of the noise. He couldn't tell exactly how many there were, and didn't stick around for long when one of the Walkers stepped right in front of the gap in the door and growled at the sight of him. Ed stepped back. He furrowed his brow as he sighed and shook his head while walking back towards Rick.
"You cannot tell me you're all right with this." Ed said as he passed him. He came to a stop a few feet behind Rick and turned around, facing the barn and the group again.
"No, I'm not, but we're guests here. This isn't our land." Rick said.
"Oh, God, this is our lives!" Ed shouted as he swung his arm around and turned towards Rick.
"Lower your voice." Glenn put his hands up and said in an urgent tone.
"We can't just sweep this under the rug." Andrea shook her head as she looked between Ed, Rick and the old wooden structure in front of them.
T-Dog nodded his head as he looked at the barn. "It ain't right. Not remotely."
The Walkers inside had begun to gather by the door, hearing and seeing the commotion outside of their prison.
Ed was pacing back and forth behind Rick with the rest of the group fanned out on either side of him. "We either gotta go in there, we gotta make things right or we just gotta go." Ed said as he came to a stop a few feet to Rick's side. "Now we have been talkin about Fort Benning for a long time, now."
Rick held his hand up towards Ed. "We can't go." Rick said in a stern voice as he looked at him.
"Why, Rick? Why?" Ed asked, frustrated.
"Carl is still recovering," Lori hissed, "He needs to stay here!"
"Yeah, he's recovering," Ed scoffed, "and what is it he's recovering from again?"
The group looked at him like he had lost his damn mind, but it was Rick who answered him, "Carl was shot. You know that."
"And why did he get shot, Rick?" Ed challenged, "Huh? Why was he in that forest? Why were any of us in that damn forest?"
"We were looking for survivors, Ed." Michael said.
"Yeah and look at what happened!" Ed yelled, "Dammit, Michael, you were all gung-ho about running off into the woods after nothing and because of that, Carl got shot!" Ed raged, "And now you're letting Rick be fixing to make another stupid decision about this damn farm!"
"You don't know what the hell you're talkin about." Daryl moved his arm in a sweeping motion as he stepped closer to Ed.
"Nobody asked you, Dixon. So shut fuck up." Ed said
Daryl raised his arm and pointed at Ed as Rick tried to put his hand over his chest and push him back. "Shut your mouth!" Daryl yelled as he tried to get around Rick. "Shut your-"
"Wait! Just stop!" Rick yelled as he held his arm out towards Ed and tried to pull Daryl around with his other. Daryl took a step back, jumping around to Rick's side, trying to get past him, as Ed tried pushing around Rick to grab Daryl.
"Don't you come at me!" Ed yelled as he tried to get past Rick again.
"Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!" T-Dog yelled as he and everyone rushed forward trying to hold the two men apart.
"What are you doin? Don't come at me, man!" Ed yelled again, pushing into Rick's hand on his chest.
"Calm down!" Glenn said as he stood next to Rick, trying to put themselves between the fight that could break out.
"Come on!" Daryl yelled back at him and tried to push past the people in front of him.
"Daryl!" Andrea said, as she put a hand on Daryl's chest and gave him a push back. Carol put her hand on his shoulder for a second to ease him away before she let it fall and fixed her eyes on Ed again, who was still trying to come closer to him.
"I'll beat your ass, boy!" Ed yelled one more time. Rick held his arm out towards him as Lori got between them and pushed against Ed's chest.
"Back off!" Rick yelled at Ed when he tried to get around Lori at Daryl again.
"Keep your hands off me." Ed pointed at Lori's face and finally backed down, taking a few steps away from everyone.
"Now just let me talk to Hershel. Let me figure it out." Rick said as he looked at Ed's back.
"What are you gonna figure out?!" Ed spun around and looked at Rick, taking a leaping step towards him as he exploded with anger.
"Enough!" Lori yelled at Ed.
"If we're gonna stay, if we're gonna clear this barn, I have to talk him into it. This is his land." Rick pointed blindly to the area around them.
Dale finally stepped forward after most of the commotion had died down, causing everyone to look towards him. "Hershel sees those things in there as people-" Dale said, as he looked at Rick, who was still watching Ed. Dale held his hand out towards the barn. The Walkers; The people. "Sick people- his wife, his-his- his stepson."
"You knew?" Rick said in a higher voice as he looked at Dale.
"Yesterday I talked to Hershel." Dale nodded.
"And you waited the night?" Ed said as he looked at the old man.
Dale had had enough from Ed. He looked at him in anger as he raised his voice. "I thought we could survive one more night. We did."
Dale looked away from Ed and back towards Rick. "I was waiting till this morning to say something. But Glenn wanted to be the one."
"The man is crazy, Rick, if Hershel thinks those things are alive or- no!" Ed yelled as he stepped towards Rick again.
Rick held his hand up at him as he got closer. "Ed!"
The doors started being pushed against as the Walkers inside tried to get to the people that were just feet from them. The group could hear the chains on the locks rattling as the Walkers banged against the doors. Most of the group took a step away, Lori and Carol rushing to the back of the group with Carl and Sophia. They watched the Walker's fingers appear through the gaps in the wood and pull at the doors.
Few moments later
Shane and Michael was on the watch duty by the barn when Rick walked over to them. They are leaning against a tractor.
Rick stopped by Shane's side and glanced back at the Greene's house before looking at the barn.
"What's it gonna be, man?" Shane said as he looked at Rick before returning to the barn. "Which way's this thing go?"
"I don't know yet." Rick shook his head.
"Well, what did he say?"
Rick sighed. "We're negotiating."
Shane sighed also. "There is something you're not telling, Rick. What's the real reason we have to stay here?" He asked.
Rick looked at Michael who nodded to him.
"Shane. Lori's pregnant." Rick said.
Shane's eyes grew wide. "You're serious?" He asked.
"Yes."
Shane turned to Michael. "And you knew?" He asked.
"They asked me to be the godfather and i accept." Michael said.
Shane half smiled. Then he realized they had to stay.
"We can't leave. Not with Lori in her current condition. Rick, you have to conference Hershel to let us stay." Shane said.
"I'll do what I can." Rick said as he walked away.
"Hey." Shane said to Rick as he turned to look at him. "Congratulates."
Rick smiled and then continue walking.
Michael and Shane continue talking until Michael decides to check on the guns. He walked towards.
"S'up?" Glenn nodded to Michael from his seat in the camp chair on top of the RV, on watch.
"Hey, Glenn." Michael said as he went inside the RV.
The gun bag wasn't in it's normal spot on the table. Michael bent down and looked underneath. "Nothin." He looked around the front of the RV, seeing nothing, before he opened the small closet across from the bathroom. Again, he found no trace of the weapons as he moved things around. He went to the back of the Winnebago and started flipping over the cushions of the couches that made up the two beds in the back room. He returned to the front of the RV, looking over the seats to see if he'd somehow missed it, though he knew he hadn't.
Michael walked out of the RV and out from under the awning to look up at Glenn. "Glenn. Was anybody else inside the RV besides me?" He asked.
"Yeah. Dale." Glenn said.
"Dale?"
"Yeah, he asked me to run and get him some water." Glenn said as he stood up from his seat. "He said he'd cover me on watch."
"And he was gone when you got back?" Michael asked.
"Yeah." Glenn said, making it sound like a question. "You think he's okay?"
"Yeah, he's fine." Michael said.
"Why'd he bail then?" Glenn asked, he didn't understand.
"So you wouldn't tell me which way he went."
Glenn paused. "I don't get it."
"Yes, you do. You just don't know yet. I'll tell you later." Michael said as he went to go find Dale.
The Woods
"Hey Dale." Michael shouted as he watched Dale by a tree with the bag of guns. He'd brought a trash bag to hold them in and was going to nail it to the large tree he was next to.
Dale sighed as he bent over to grab the trash bag and open it. "Hey." He said.
Michael walked towards Dale. "Now Dale, how about we take the guns back, then we can talk, okay?" He said.
Dale looked at the guns and shook his head.
Michael sighed. "Dale listen. I know why you're doing this. But you don't need to hide the guns. I definitely will not let anybody near the barn with guns. Hershel would make us leave. I know we been on edge after what happenned at the CDC. But we'll survive in this world. Together. As a group should." He said.
Dale looked at him and smiled. "Mikey. You're right." He said.
Michael smiled. "Dale. When is it that I'm ever wrong?" He asked.
Dale smiled and said, "Not always."
Then Dale picked up the guns and handed them to Michael.
"Before we head back, I need to check that all the guns are in here." Michael said as he takes the bag of guns out of the trash bag and puts it on the ground.
He unzipped the bag and looks inside it. After he searches it, he notices that two guns are missing.
"Two guns are missing Dale." Michael said.
"What? No. I'm sure all the guns are in there." Dale said.
"Not all of them. Two are missing." Michael said.
"Which guns?" Dale asked.
"Shane's Glock 17 and Andrea's Smith & Wesson handguns." Michael said as Dale double checks the bag.
"You're right. There not inside the bag. But where are they?" Dale said.
"No. Better question. Who has them?" Michael asked.
They then realised who has the guns.
"Ed." They both said as they took the bag and went to tell the others.
The Farm
Amy, Shane, Sophia and Beth were surrounding a small table on the front porch of the Greene's house. Patricia and Carl were sitting at the two chairs on either side, playing checkers. It was early in the evening now. Rick, Hershel, Otis and Jimmy hadn't returned from their errand yet. Lori was on the opposite side of the porch, preparing the vegetables for dinner. Daryl, Merle and Carol had walked off towards the pond. T-Dog was with Andrea, who was heading up to the house from her watch duty at the barn she'd sent herself on earlier that day. Glenn was sitting on the porch steps next to Maggie, who was giving him a funny look because he had put Dale's bucket hat back on.
"You look like you should be in line for the Early Bird Special." She smiled at him as she took the hat from his head. "Go get your cap. I'll wash it for you, okay?" She laughed.
Glenn smiled and patted her leg as he stood up to go get his hat, but was stopped by T-Dog. "Do you know what's goin on?" He asked as he and Andrea came up to the house.
"Where is everyone?" Andrea asked, noting several people were missing.
"You haven't seen Rick?" Glenn asked them.
"He went off with Hershel." Andrea said, she and T-Dog coming to a stop a few feet in front of Glenn.
"He did, huh?" Daryl said as he, Merle and Carol approached the group, coming out from behind the other side of the house.
"Where's your boyfriend and the old man, blondie?" Merle asked Andrea.
"There they are." Andrea said pointing to where they are.
They all see Dale and Michael, who has the bag of guns walking towards them.
Michael pulled a Remington Wingmaster out of the gun bag as he got closer to the house.
"What's all this?" Daryl pointed to the guns.
"Take the shotgun, Daryl. You're gonna need it." Michael said as he hands the shotgun to Daryl, which he took the shotgun from Michael, pulling the fore-end back as he walked with him closer to the house.
"Andrea, you need to take this." Michael said as he handed Andrea a Beretta handgun.
Andrea takes the gun. "Mikey, what's going on?" She asked.
"Thought we couldn't carry." T-Dog said as Michael handed him a Glock 17 handgun.
"We can and we have to."Michael said. Everyone gathered around as he started talking. "We got an abusive ex-husband on the loose, who is right now armed and dangerous."
Michael walks up to Glenn. "Here Glenn." He said as he grabbed an H&R Pardner Pump shotgun and held it out to Glenn. Glenn looked at Maggie for a second before he looked away and took the gun from Michael.
Michael then looks to Maggie, asked, "Can you shoot?"
"Can you stop?" Maggie replied. "You do this, you hand out these guns, my dad will make you leave tonight."
Patricia shook her head at Lori, who had heard the commotion and was walking around the porch, seeing half the group with weapons in their hands. The other half was in a state of distress, looking at Michael with the gun bag hanging from his shoulder.
"What is this?" Lori asked as she walked to the steps.
"You're father won't make us leave. He'll understand." Michael said to Maggie before addressing Lori. "Lori, Ed is armed with two guns."
"What do mean Ed has two guns, Mikey?" Shane asked.
"Ed is the only one who wants to kill the Walkers in the barn and yours and Andrea's guns are missing." Michael said.
"What?!" Shane said as he took the bag from Michael and looked inside it. "Mikey is right. They're gone."
"Oh, shit." T-Dog said as he saw Rick, Hershel, Otis and Jimmy coming out of the tree line and walking towards the barn, with two Walkers in tow, still in the snare poles.
Everyone turned and looked to see what T-Dog's eyes had found.
Jimmy was in front of Otis and Hershel, clapping his hands, saying, "This way. Come on." Trying to keep the Walkers that Otis and Hershel had in the poles coming at him and forward while Rick is behind them.
Michael already got his Beretta, which is in the holster. He started running to where Rick is. The group followed, chasing him across the yard. But he saw Ed is already at the spot Rick is at.
"What the hell are you doin?" Ed yelled as he got closer to them.
"Ed, just back off." Rick said as they tried to walk closer to the barn.
Michael pushed the steel gate open, rushing through the fence that separated the house's yard from the field the barn was in.
"Why do your people have guns?" Hershel looked at Rick.
"Are you kiddin me? You see?" Ed pointed. "You see what they're holdin onto?" He said as he walked in a circle around the four men. The group fanned out behind them, all for Lori, Carl, Carol and Sophia. They were making their way to the barn more slowly once Lori and Carol saw what was happening. They didn't want the youngest ones of the group close to the Walkers.
"I see who I'm holding onto." Hershel looked at Ed.
"No, man, you don't." Ed shouted.
"Ed, just let us do this and then we can talk." Rick said.
"What you wanna talk about, Rick?" Ed yelled, as Daryl kept his shotgun aimed at the Walkers head. "These things ain't sick. They're not people. They're dead. Ain't gotta feel nothin for em cause all they do, they kill!" Ed yelled as they all crept closer to the barn.
Ed pointed at the Walkers. "These things right here, they're the things that killed Jim! They're gonna kill all of us unless we do some-"
"Ed, shut up!" Rick yelled.
"Hey, Hershel, lemme ask you somethin." Ed said as he reached behind him and untucked Shane's Glock from the back of his pants. He flipped the safety off. "Could a living, breathing person," He said, aiming his gun at the Walker Hershel had, "could they walk away from this?" Ed fired the Glock, sending three bullets into the torso of the Walker. Everybody behind them, ducked, not expecting the sudden shots.
"No! Don't!" Rick yelled.
"Whoa!" Glenn said as everyone stood back up.
Michael and the others didn't try to stop Ed because they don't want to risk getting shot.
"Stop it!" Rick glared at Ed, but he paid him no mind, he was busy taunting Hershel.
"That's three rounds in the chest. Could someone who's alive, could they just take that?! Why is it still comin?" Ed pointed at it, before he aimed the gun again. He pulled the trigger again, sending two more bullets into its chest. "That's it's heart, it's lungs! Why is it still comin?" Ed fired three more shots as Hershel watched the Walker he had on his pole, barely react to the bullets. It was trying to go for Ed now, since he was in front of it.
"Ed, enough!" Rick yelled.
"Yeah, you're right." Ed said as he started walking up to 'Lou'. "That is enough." Ed pointed the Glock at the Walker and shot it point blank in the forehead as he walked by.
The Walker fell to the ground, pulling the pole and Hershel down with it as it landed on the floor. Hershel fell to his knees and just stayed there. Not sure what he'd just seen.
Ed tucked Shane's gun into his pants again and turned around, walking back out in front of the barn. "Enough; Risking our lives for nothing!" Ed yelled "Enough! -Livin next to a barn full of things that are tryin to kill us! Enough! Rick, it ain't like it was before! Now if y'all wanna live, if you wanna survive you gotta fight for it! I'm talkin bout fightin right here, right now!" Ed turned and ran toward the doors of the barn.
They would have gone after Ed, but they know he has two guns with him. Still not wanting to risk someone getting killed.
Hershel just stared at Ed as he grabbed the pick axe that was leaning outside against the barn.
Ed shouted as he hit at the lock with the pick axe, knocking the hasp loose.
"Rick!" Lori yelled from the back of the group as she held Carl back, seeing Ed go at the locks.
"No, Ed! Do not do this! Wait!" Rick yelled towards the barn as everyone watched.
Ed had just pulled the hasp lock off with the pick axe.
"Don't do it!" Glenn yelled from behind Maggie, his shotgun pointed at the ground. She was crying and had gone up to stand behind Hershel with her hands on his shoulders as he was still on his knees on the ground, crying tears of his own. He didn't want to see his wife and stepson come out of the barn and into what was waiting for them out here.
Ed lifted the wooden board from the rack across the doors.
"Come on!" Ed yelled as he banged his hand against the door, getting the Walkers inside the barn's attention.
Ed was about to take out one of the guns when he was tackled by Merle, with Shane helping him. They held him down and took the guns away.
The group was about to seal the barn doors, but it was too late. The Walkers were already coming out of the barn.
"Mikey, what do we do now?" Andrea asked, seeing the Walkers coming out.
"We got no choice. We have to kill them." Michael said as he took out his Beretta and aimed it at the barn.
The growls became louder as the first few Walkers began pressing against the doors, opening the space the chains would allow them to fit through. The first couple walkers came out of the barn and headed straight for the group of Survivors ahead of them.
Andrea was the first to run up on the side of her boyfriend and take aim at the Walkers, followed by T-Dog. Michael fired the first shot, sending the Walker in front to the ground. Daryl took his sights off of the Walker Otis was still holding onto with the snare pole and quickly ran over, aiming his shotgun at the Walker coming towards them. The other two began firing their guns as more Walkers came piling out of the barn.
"Maggie." Glenn said, his face turned up in anguish, knowing her family was inside.
She turned and looked at him, nodding her head. "Okay." She sobbed as she held onto her father's shoulders. She closed her eyes and looked away as her step brother walked out of the barn. Glenn ran up to join the rest of them.
Michael turned to the Walker Otis is still holding in the snare pole. He then looks at Rick, who nodded his head to Michael. He nodded his head to Rick back. Then kills the Walker before returning his sights to the Walkers coming out of the barn.
Only a few more seconds passed, Michael, Daryl and Andrea taking down the last three Walkers that came out of the barn. Everyone lowered their weapons, looking over the pile of dead bodies.
It was quiet.
Everyone's eyes turned back to the barn doors when they heard a faint growling noise from within. Andrea was the first to raise her gun again and train it on the doors ahead of them. Daryl aimed his shotgun up slightly, waiting for the last Walker to show itself, but they both quickly lowered their weapons when they saw a familier figure emerge from the doors.
Last time Rick and the group saw this figure, they left him near a tree while heading to the CDC.
"Oh my god." Michael said before he said the figure's name. "Jim."
Hershel watched everyone in the Survivors group as the man came closer and closer. None of them raised their weapons. None of them could. Everyone's hearts who knew the man broke a little at the site of him coming toward them.
Lori saw Rick place his hand on his revolver, still in it's holster.
Michael was raising his gun to shoot Jim, but Rick stopped him. Made him lower his gun.
Rick walked past everyone that had drawn their weapons on the rest of the Walkers, but were unable to for Jim. He stood in front of them all as they watched him raise his gun, aiming it at the man walking towards him. He couldn't help him back at camp. But he'd free his body from this calamity. He took another step towards him, and Rick pulled the trigger.
Jim's body finally fell to the floor.
And it was quiet again.
That it for half of season 2 of my story. Today marks the 1 year anniversary that I wrote this story. So, Happy Anniversary! Get ready for the next half of season 2. As I always say, Read and review and May The Force be with us!
