"It's selfish. Not killing those people." Carol set her mug on the kitchen counter and looked at Morgan steadily. "You don't do it for them, you do it for yourself."
He nodded slowly, "That might be true. I have my own reasons for letting people live, but that doesn't mean I'm wrong."
She was silent for a moment, frowning, "But you are wrong. Those people who attacked Alexandria? They attacked you before. They had a trap set up, that you saved Aaron and Daryl from. They kill innocent people for no reason at all, and if you don't stop them when there is the chance to do so? They will kill more people."
He nodded again, "That might be true too, but that is their choice."
"No, that is your responsibility. If you let the known killer go and they kill again, all of that blood is on you. All of those deaths, which might have been prevented, are your responsibility to shoulder. We don't let rabid dogs run loose and bite people, and we don't let rabid people go on to kill more innocents when we have the chance to stop them." Carol picked up her coffee again, using the mug to warm her hands, "Sometimes we have to kill. It's the best choice we have when it comes to people like those Wolves, like the Governor, like Terminus. Reason doesn't work with those people, only violence will stop them."
Morgan shook his head, "That doesn't mean that I have to kill them. Every human life is precious now. We're becoming fewer and fewer. Killing other people? It won't save this world."
"But letting those people continue killing others won't save it either. Is it better to kill five and prevent more deaths, or let those five go on to kill one hundred and then another hundred, and another, and another?" Carol wouldn't back down on this issue. She had seen too many innocent people killed because of human actions, and she knew that humans were just as dangerous as any of the walkers outside their walls. "I'm not saying that mercy is a bad thing, but some people? They don't deserve it, and wouldn't understand it anymore. You let them live and they will be back to kill you and your family later."
He snorted, "I don't have a family anymore."
"Well, I do, and I'll do anything it takes to keep them safe. I'll kill anyone I have to kill to do that. We can't keep our hands clean and live as though the world around us isn't a dangerous place. Death is everywhere now. The only way to survive is to act."
"I'm sorry that you feel that way." He stared out the window, where some of the community clean-up was still underway.
"You didn't seem sorry when I was saving your life out there." She set the mug in the sink and gave him one last, serious look, before leaving.