Hey all! Here's the next reworked chapter. Let me know what you think! Enjoy!
A few hours before Otis's funeral
Billy was scouting the forest looking for any possible threats that may be in the distance, when Beth came up to him.
"Hey, Billy," she said. Billy looked over at her and smiled.
"Hey Beth. How's Patricia holding up?" He asked. Beth looked down slightly.
"As good as can be expected. Otis was a good guy. He's been a part of this farm since Shaun was alive," she said sadly, Billy looked sad when she said this. Suddenly, Beth tried to discreetly push her hand towards Billy's, touching him. Billy noticed this and looked at Beth for a moment. She was about to lean in and kiss him, when all of a sudden they heard a low pitched bellow coming from the pasture. Beth looked a bit frustrated when Billy pulled away to look in his binoculars, but was surprised to see a family of three Triceratops just casually grazing along with the cattle. A few cattle looked at them, and then continued to graze. Billy looked a bit surprised.
"It's like the cows don't even care," he said. Beth looked a bit intrigued.
"What are those? Are they um… are they gonna eat us?" She asked cautiously. Billy chuckled at this.
"No," he laughed. "Those are Triceratops. They're basically a prehistoric cow. They'll fit right in with the cattle. Might help ward off some of the predators too," he said. Beth looked intrigued but also infatuated with Billy at the same time. Jacob then came out on the porch with them. He noticed the new guests they had in the field.
"Triceratops, huh? Surprised they're all the way out here," he said stroking his chin.
"What's up Jacob?" Beth asked, as if she didn't want to be bothered.
"Hershel sent me. We're…We're getting ready to set up Otis's, um, funeral," Jacob said. Beth and Billy didn't say anything for a minute. Jacob tilted his head in questioning.
"Am I, uh, interrupting something?" He asked.
"No. Let's go," Beth said defensively. She ran inside the house rather quickly. Jacob looked at Billy, but he just shrugged as they both went inside the house.
BEFORE THE FUNERAL
Everyone that was present were gathering stones to prepare a "grave" for Otis. Suddenly, they heard the group of cars coming up the hill to the farm. Everyone else from the highway had arrived at the farm. Dale and Wu both came out of the RV with worried looks.
"How is he?" Wu asked.
"He'll pull through. Thanks to Hershel and his people—" Lori said, with a hopeful look on her face.
"And Shane. We'd've lost Carl if not for him," Rick added, looking over at Shane with a smile. Shane looked somewhat guilty. Dale hugged Rick after he said this. Everyone exchanged hugs when Dale spoke up.
"How'd this happen?" He asked.
"Hunting accident. Thats all—Just a stupid accident," Rick said, as if forgetting that Patrica was right behind him. Patricia started to tear up, as Billy held her hand.
—
Funeral
Everyone had finished gathering their rocks and made a tower of them in honor of Otis. Hershel gave a eulogy for Otis, as everyone bowed their heads. Jacob did too, despite being agnostic, though he didn't pay much attention to what Hershel was saying, and simply thought of Otis as having made a stupid decision, but ultimately more than corrected it. In his mind, Otis was alright by him, having done right by Carl. All this death, all this destruction, made him think of all the people that died in Jurassic World…
—
Flashback to the Jurassic World incident, post evacuation in Costa Rica
Jacob sat on a cot in the makeshift emergency shelter that the Costa Rican government had made for the survivors of Jurassic World. A doctor was bandaging up his back injury sustained from the dimorphodon that attacked him. He smiled at the doctor and thanked her as she went to tend to others. He searched the room for Luis and anyone else he might know from the ACU team or otherwise. He saw Claire's nephews, who he'd only met in passing, embrace what he assumed to be their parents. Out of the corner of his eye, he also spotted Claire and the man who saved his life and walked over to them. Claire saw him and cried tears of joy.
"Jacob! I'm so sorry. I'm so glad you're alive! Are you alright?" she asked, after hugging him. Jacob smiled at her.
"Likewise, Claire. It's good to see you. I'm a little banged up but I'll live. I guess I have your er—boyfriend to thank for that," he said to Owen. Owen looked at Claire and mouthed the words "boyfriend?" And Claire smiled at him.
"I never got a chance to thank you, Mr. Grady. If it weren't for you I…," Jacob said.
"Owen. And don't mention it kid. I'm just glad we all got out of there alive. Plenty of others didn't," Owen said. Jacob smiled and then something hit him: if there were others still alive on the island, would the Indominus find them?
"Wait," Jacob said. "What about—what about the Indominus?" He asked. Claire and Owen looked at each other.
"It's dead," Owen said, so matter-of-factly. Jacob looked stunned.
"It—how—?" Claire's nephew, Gray, came over, hearing their conversation.
"It was awesome! The T-Rex and Blue helped take it down and the Mosasaur helped finish it off!" He said. Jacob's stunned expression didn't change.
"Wait. So you let the T. rex out to take it down? And Blue too? What about the other Raptors?" Jacob asked. Owen, Claire and Gray looked sad.
"Gone. Blue's the only one left. I guess the island belongs to the dinosaurs now," Owen said sadly.
"I'm sorry. I know your raptors were like family," Jacob said. Owen gave him a sad smile and patted him on the shoulder before walking away with Gray. Jacob was about to go back to his cot to take a much needed nap before Claire pulled him aside.
"I wanted to thank you," she said. Jacob had a confused look on his face.
"For what?" He asked. Claire had tears in her eyes.
"For showing me that the dinosaurs, were much more than tools for profit. I watched the way you cared for them, the way you connected with them. I can't believe it took the park shutting down for me to realize that," she said. Jacob smiled at her and hugged her.
"I knew you'd see it," he said, pulling back. "But I don't blame you. You had so much on your shoulders Claire. And I should be thanking you. For giving me the opportunity of a lifetime," he said.
"When we get back to the states, I have a plan to make sure the dinosaurs stay protected. And I want your help," Claire said.
"What is it?" Jacob asked.
"I'm calling it, the Dinosaur Protection Group,"
—
PRESENT DAY
Jacob snapped out of his memory when he heard Patrica crying about Otis, and asking Shane to speak on his behalf.
"…I need to hear. I need to know his death had meaning," she cried. Shane had that same guilty look on his face again, but agreed to speak about Otis.
"We were about done. Almost outta ammo, used most of mine on the raptors. We were down to pistols by then. I was limping, got clawed in the back by a raptor. It was bad. Walkers, and raptors, they smelled the blood. Headed right for us," he said, as everyone looked on. Shane continued.
"'We gotta save the boy.' See, thats what he said," Shane lied. In his mind, he knew he messed up by killing him. He continued again.
"He gave me his backpack, he shoved me ahead. 'Run,' he said. He told me, 'I'll take the rear, I'll cover you. Gotta put some distance between us and the raptors.' And when I looked back—" Shane didn't say anything as everyone had grim looks on their faces.
"If not for Otis," he continued, "I'd have never made it out alive. And that goes for Carl too. It was Otis. He saved us both," he said, his voice starting to break. Everyone was silent, Patricia and Maggie, tearing up.
"If any death had any meaning, it was his," Shane said, looking at Patricia. Everyone looked at Shane with silence, and Patricia gave him a nod. An hour or two later, the group was planning on searching for Sophia again.
"So how long has this girl been missing?" Billy asked.
"This'll be day 3," Rick said. Maggie came up to the group with a map of the area.
"County survey map. Shows terrain and elevations," she said. Jacob perked up; geology was half of his major.
"This is perfect. We can finally get this thing organized," Rick said.
"You know, I think I can read this. If we can grid the area, we might be able to split into teams and look for her," Jacob said, looking at the map and following the lines with his finger. Hershel Spoke up.
"Not you Rick. Not today. You gave two units of blood. You wouldn't be hiking five minutes in this heat before passing out. Billy, you're not going either. You didn't give as much but I still don't wanna risk it," he said to both Rick and Billy. He then spoke to Shane.
"And your ankle, push it now, and you'll be laid up a month. Those claw marks on your back getting infected won't help any either. No good anybody," he said.
"Guess it's just me. Make my way up to the creek, work down from there," Darryl said.
"Hey what about me? I've got a clean bill of health. Plus, you'll need someone to give you a hand out there," Jacob said. Darryl pondered this for a moment before answering.
"Alright, but we do this my way," he said. Jacob nodded.
"I can still be useful. I'll drive up to the interstate, see if Sophia wandered back," Shane said. Rick agreed and nodded.
"Alright. Tomorrow then. We'll start doing this right," he said. Shane looked at him for a minute.
"That means we can't have our people out there with just knives. They need the gun training we've been promising them," he said.
"I'd prefer you not carrying guns on my property. We've managed so far without turning this into an armed camp," Hershel said.
"All due respect, you get a crowd of walkers wandering in here," Shane said.
"As much I hate to say it, we need guns. Especially if we get pack of raptors or some other dinosaurs coming out of the woods, hand to hand combat isn't gonna be enough," Jacob said, gesturing to the forest. Rick spoke up.
"Look, we're guests here. This is your property, and we will respect that," he said.
"But—" Jacob tried to say, but Rick just shook his head, and removed his colt python and put it on the hood of the car they were standing around, which prompted everyone to do the same with their weapons. Jacob sighed and took his pistol from his holster and put it on the hood of the car. Rick continued his plan to look for Sophia.
"First things first, set camp, find Sophia," Rick said. Shane sighed for a moment before speaking.
"I hate to be the one to ask, but what happens if we find her and she's bit? I think we should all be clear on how we handle that," he said. Rick looked at him for a minute before speaking.
"You do what has to be done," he said darkly.
"And—and her mother, Carol? What exactly do you tell her?" Billy asked. Maggie nodded in agreement.
"The truth," Andrea said. Hershel suddenly shook his head at both Billy and Maggie, as if to say, "It's not our job."
"I'll gather and secure all the weapons. Make sure no one's carrying till we're at a practice range off site. I do request, one rifleman on lookout. Dale and Wu both got experience," Shane said. Hershel looked at him for a minute before responding to Shane's request. It took him a minute to answer, so Jacob spoke up.
"It'll make our people feel safer," he said.
"And less inclined to carry a gun," Rick added. Hershel nodded, seemingly allowing it.
"Thank you," Rick said. Maggie spoke up.
"That stuff you brought, got anymore antibiotics, bandages, anything like that?" She asked.
"Just what you've seen," Andrea said coldly. Billy made an inquisitive look towards Jacob.
"What's her problem?" He asked Jacob. Jacob shrugged.
"It's nothing personal. Just who she is," he said. Jacob then went to find Daryl to plan their search for Sophia.
"We're running short already. I should make a run into town," Maggie continued.
"Not the place Shane went?" Rick asked worriedly.
"No, there's a pharmacy just a mile down the road. I've done it before," she said. Rick looked over to the group setting up camp.
"See our man there, in the baseball cap? That's Glenn, our 'go-to-town' expert. I'd ask him along, just to be safe," Rick requested. Hershel nodded, as if he allowed it.
(There's a scene here with Lori and Shane that adds nothing to the story so I'm taking it out.) Billy had gone back in the house, and after he checked on Carl, was putting away the medical supplies. Beth came in next to and sat beside him. Billy smiled at her, and she smiled at him, as Billy continued to put away the supplies. Beth seemed a bit anxious.
"Hey Billy," she said. Billy looked at her, as if responding to her question.
"I don't know if I ever got to thank you properly for saving my life a few weeks ago," she said, looking into his eyes. Billy looked confused.
"I mean, I'm pretty sure you have, Beth," he said with a chuckle. She kept looking into his eyes.
"I didn't thank you, properly," She said. The next thing he knew, Beth leaned in and kissed him. He was shocked at first, but felt as if he had kind of been expecting it. They paused for a minute before saying anything after the kiss.
"Wow," Billy said with a smile on his face. Beth just chuckled and blushed. Then Billy had a slight realization.
"But, what about Jimmy?" He asked slightly worriedly. Beth looked a bit sad.
"Well, to be honest, I haven't been completely happy with him in a long while," she said. Billy gave her an empathetic look when Maggie came in.
"Beth, I'm going to the pharmacy. Watch the cattle while I'm gone?" She asked. Beth nodded and waved bye to Billy. As Shane was teaching Andrea to clean out her gun, Daryl and Jacob were preparing to head out to look for Sophia.
"Daryl, Jacob? You two gonna be ok out there?" Rick asked. Jacob nodded.
"Usually better own my own, but we'll be fine. Be back before dark," Daryl said. The two of them started to walk away before Rick spoke up again.
"Hey. We got a base. We can get this search properly organized now," he said.
"You got a point, or we just chatting?" Daryl retorted.
"My point is, it lets you off the hook. You don't owe us anything," Rick said. Jacob nodded in agreement.
"My other plans fell through. Let's go kid," Daryl said, as he started to walk away. Rick gave a concerned look, but Jacob shrugged and headed out with Daryl. Rick and Hershel then discussed the fact that Rick and his group staying at the farm would not be permanent, while Lori gave Glenn a list of things to pick up at the pharmacy, with some things on the list for Lori that were a bit more feminine. Meanwhile, Wu, having been put on water duty after Andrea constantly persisted that she take over guard duty, was with T-dog and Dale at the well. After T-dog tried to catch his breath from pushing the wheel barrow, he suddenly felt a little discouraged.
"I'm not weak, and I'm not a coward," he said, catching his breath. Dale and Wu looked at him and each other with puzzled looks.
"Nobody said you were," Wu said.
"No, about what I said on the highway. I don't know what that was. That wasn't me" T dog said, still out of breath, while also pumping the well.
"If it's ok, I'd rather you guys never told anybody about that stuff I said," T said.
"What stuff? I couldn't get a word out of you all day," Dale said. T Dog and Wu both smiled and chuckled at this. T Dog continued pumping water.
"What you guys say? Thinks there's a snowball of a chance we'll find that little girl?" He asked.
"You know, I wasn't sure at first, but I think there might actually be a chance," Wu said, loading some of the water into the wagon.
"Yeah I agree. For the first time in my life, I'm betting on the snowball," Dale said.
"Yeah, me too. Do whatever we have to. I don't care if I have to comb the woods like a raptor. Fetch a pail of water," T said, pumping more water.
"Everyone just needs to pitch in," Dale added. As this whole conversation was going on, Dale wandered over to the well and looked down in it.
"Just do your part," Wu said with a smile, before he was about to take a drink. Before he could though, Dale swatted away the ladle he was about to drink from. Wu gave him a look.
"I wouldn't drink that if I were you," Dale said. A few moments later, some of the group came to the well. When they looked down into the well, they saw a fat, rotting walker wading in the wall below them.
"Looks like we got a swimmer," Billy said aiming his flashlight into the well, having joined the rest of the group.
"How long do you think it's been in there?" Glenn asked.
"Long enough to grow gills," Andrea added.
"We can't leave it in there. God knows what it's doing to the water," Lori said.
"Well, we gotta get it out," Shane said.
"Easy, put a bullet in its head," T said.
"Whoa, whoa, guys. No," Maggie said.
"Why not? It's a good plan," Glenn said. Billy shook his head.
"If it hasn't already contaminated the water, blowing its brains out definitely will," he said. Andrea nodded in agreement.
"He's right. Can't risk it," Shane added.
"So it has to come out alive?" T Dog asked.
"So to speak," Shane said.
"How are we going to do that?" Wu asked. Everyone looked at each other with slightly defeated looks. Back on the main farm, Hershel and Rick were looking over the map.
"Now, the interstate where you broke down and where the T. rex came is here. And based on what your geologist friend mapped out, here's your creek. My farm is here. We're looking out that way; south-southeast," Hershel said, pointing towards the south.
"We missed this branch of the creek entirely. If she went that direction, she'd be miles from where we looked," Rick said, scratching his chin. Hershel paused for a moment.
"Rick, take a minute. Come look," he said staring in the distance. From the view, they could see a wide open plane with a river running through it. Rick also noticed some somewhat small, what he assumed to be sauropods, most likely apatosaurus, grazing in the field near the trees.
"That's something, isn't it. It's good to pause for an occasional reminder," Hershel said, still looking out at the distance.
"Of what?" Rick asked.
"Whatever comes to mind. For me, it's often God," Hershel said. Rick didn't say anything for a moment. During the silence, they could hear the somber low bellows of the apatosauruses in the field ahead. Rick finally spoke up.
"Last time I asked God for a favor and stopped to admire a view, my son got shot. I try not to mix it up with the almighty anymore. Best we stay out of each other's way," Rick said. He continued to watch the apatosauruses grazing.
"Lori told me your story—How you were shot, the coma, yet you came out of it somehow. You did not feel God's hand in yours?" Hershel asked. Rick smirked.
"At that moment? No, I did not," he said.
"In all the chaos, in all that being chased by dinosaurs and the undead, you found your wife and boy. Then he was shot, and he survived. That tells you nothing?" Hershel asked.
"It tells me God's got a strange sense of humor," Rick said as he walked away from Hershel. Hershel said nothing and continued to look into the distance as the apatosauruses continued with their mid afternoon snacks. Meanwhile, back at the well, the rest of the group was still trying to get the walker out of the well by lowering what looked like spam to entice him.
"He's not going for it," Dale said, looking down the well.
"Maybe 'cause a canned ham don't kick and scream when you try to eat it," T Dog said with a disgusted look on his face. The walker just continued to wade in the well paying no attention to the ham.
"He's right. There's a reason the dead didn't come back to life and start raiding our cupboards," Lori said.
"We need live bait," Andrea said. Everyone looked right at Glenn. Glenn just nodded in defeat. A few minutes later, they were rigging Glenn up to go down in the well.
"Have I mentioned that I really like your new haircut? You have a nice shaped head," Glenn asked Shane nervously.
"Don't worry about it bud. We're gonna get you out of here in one piece," Shane said, shrugging off the hair cut comment.
"Living piece. That living part is important," Glenn said nervously.
"Nice and slow please," Glenn said.
"We got you," Andrea reassured him.
"You people are crazy," Maggie said, crossing her arms.
"Insane, I think is the word you're looking for," Billy said.
"You want this thing out of your well, or not?" Shane said.
"Give us an eye there, Maggie. Billy, we might need your help with the rope," Dale said. Maggie reluctantly went over to the well to be a spotter while Billy assisted with the rope. They then proceeded to lower Glenn down into the well as he breathed hard. The walker started to take an interest In the smell of the human flesh. When Glenn got closer to the water, he noticed some dead Compies that had seemingly drowned, floating in the well.
"Doing ok?" Maggie asked as she looked in the well.
"Yep. Doing great. Living the dream," he said sarcastically.
"Little lower. Little more," Maggie said, as Glenn was lowered into the well. By now, the walker was trying to grab at him. Suddenly, the well pump snapped out of the ground and Glenn fell deeper into the well. The walker could almost grab him at this point. Suddenly, a few compies that weren't actually dead, swam out from behind the walker and jumped up and started biting Glenn's ankles. He winced a bit as the small carnivores nicked his skin. He kicked them off and they landed right on the walker, but he payed them absolutely no mind. All of a sudden, the well pump came completely out of the ground and started sliding towards the well, as Glenn fell even deeper. At this point, the walker was physically able to touch him, and the compies continued to jump and bite him while trying to stay afloat.
"Get me out of here!" He screamed. It took every ounce of strength for the group to stop the well pump from falling into the well
"Get them off! Get off! Get me out!" He screamed, kicking the walker and the compies simultaneously. Everyone was finally able to pull the well pump away, but it still wasn't enough. The walker almost pulled him down.
"GET ME OUT OF HERE!" He screamed again.
"Pull! Pull! Pull!" Lori said. They were still struggling but finally got a hold of the rope and began pulling him up.
"Pull him up! Come on! Come on!" Billy said, also heaving on the rope. As he was being pulled up, one of the compies latched on to his leg and Glenn winced in pain. They finally managed to bring him up, and Billy kicked the compy off his leg back into the well. They all made sure Glenn was alright and helped him to his feet.
"Back to the drawing board," Dale blurted out.
"Says you," Glenn said, still catching his breath. Suddenly, they felt a tug on the rope. The walker had grabbed it!
—
Forest
Jacob and Daryl had been walking through the woods when they finally came to a clearing with a seemingly abandoned house. They saw a group of Triceratops grazing in the field when Daryl was about to shoot them with his crossbow. Jacob stopped him.
"Wait. Don't waste the arrow. They're just triceratops," he said, gesturing for Daryl to lower his bow.
"They gonna eat us?" Daryl asked, fixing his gaze on the dinosaurs. Jacob shook his head.
"No. They're plant eaters. A pair bond and a subadult," he said.
"In English?" Daryl said sarcastically.
"It's a family. They're just grazing. Besides, while they're here, they might be a good distraction for any bigger predators that might jump us. Just, uh, don't get too close. They may be plant eaters but they're pretty protective of their young," Jacob explained. Daryl nodded.
"Come on, let's check out that house," Daryl said. Jacob nodded and they walked towards the house. When they arrived at the front door, Daryl kicked the door in and had his crossbow ready, and Jacob was ready with a hunting rifle. Daryl Gestured for Jacob to check one room while he checked the other. When he didn't find any walkers or dinosaurs, Jacob gave Daryl the all clear signal and they both went to check the dining room and found a decaying raptor carcass that looked like it had been shot at least 3 times in the chest. Daryl and Jacob both grimaced at the smell of the dead dinosaur. Daryl then noticed a partially opened closet and went to inspect it. When he opened the door, two frightened compies ran out and scurried towards the woods, which startled Daryl at first. Upon closer inspection, Daryl noticed a few clean blankets with some food on the shelves. Jacob looked curious.
"Sophia was here?" He asked. Daryl nodded.
"That's what I'm thinkin," he said. The two of them then proceeded to exit out the back door of the house.
"Sophia!" Daryl called in one direction.
"Sophia!" Jacob called in another. Daryl looked around for a minute before he noticed a flower in a cluster of bushes. He knelt down and looked at it for a minute before picking it. Jacob looked intrigued but confused.
"What's that?" He asked.
"Cherokee Rose," Daryl said. And with that, they continued on their search.
—
Farm
Back at the farm, the group at the well, had almost succeeded in pulling the walker up.
"Come on guys, pull!" T Dog said.
"We've almost got it! Come on!" Billy said. They managed to bring the walker all the way up, but it got stuck on the edge of the well. All of a sudden, when the group pulled extra hard, the walker's body split in half, as its entrails fell into the well, intestines and all. Everyone just had defeated and disgusted looks on their faces. Wu even threw up.
"Maybe—maybe it would be best to seal off this well," Wu said, wiping his mouth with his sleeve.
"Probably a good idea," Shane said. Andrea looked at the walker.
"So what do we do about—" before she could finish her sentence, T Dog repeatedly smashed a hatchet into the walker's head. Wu actually threw up again, and Maggie looked sickened and walked away from the gruesome sight.
"Good thing we didn't do anything stupid like shoot it," T Dog said sarcastically, after bashing the zombie's brains in. Billy scoffed with a smirk as T Dog threw the hatchet down.
—-
Clearing
After getting Carol from the highway, and discussing setting up a shooting range, Shane and Andrea were discussing guns.
"Look, I see you have the desire for gun work, and desire will take you a long way. But something you need to know so file this carefully," Shane said.
'I'm listening," Andrea said.
"Paper Targets is one thing. Easy to hit what ain't moving. But taking down and assailant, especially one with sharp teeth and 6 inch claws, one that's trying to kill you; it's different," Shane said.
"They say, in that kinda situation things slow down. That's crap. Especially after Jake told me those raptors can run up to forty on a good day. Things speed up. Adrenaline, heh, it'll cripple you if you let it. You need to use your instinct. You gotta rule it out. Because somebody's gonna die. And you'd better hope that you're the one making that decision," he added. Andrea looked at him for a moment.
"How? I mean, how do you do that?" She asked. Shane didn't look at her but seemingly stared off into space.
"Turn off a switch. The switch. The one that makes you scared or angry, sympathetic, whatever. You don't think—You act. Cause odds are somebody else is counting on you. That's your partner. That's your friend," Shane paused for a minute before continuing.
"There ain't nothing easy about taking a man's life, no matter how little value it may have. But when you get it done, you have to forget it. I guess I haven't quite got that last part down yet," Shane chuckled, somewhat sadly. Andrea looked at him sympathetically.
"But you're getting there?" She asked.
"I hope so," Shane replied. They both looked at each other for a moment.
"It's a good spot," Shane said, referring to the shooting range aspect.
"It'll do," Andrea said in agreement.
(Skipping the Pharmacy scene with Glenn and Maggie because reasons)
Meanwhile, Rick was pleading with Hershel to let them stay at the farm.
"You need to reconsider," Rick said, after glancing over at the group. Hershel had a puzzled look on his face.
"I beg your pardon?" He asked.
"Asking us to leave," Rick said bluntly.
"You need to reconsider," he said again. He paused for a moment, looking into the fields, at the grazing triceratops.
"If you saw how it is out there you wouldn't ask. I assume you heard the T. rex on the highway. You're a man of belief. If you believe anything, believe that," he said, almost staring down Hershel.
"You're putting me own the spot," Hershel said. Rick once again stared him down.
"Well I mean to. Those people look to me for answers. I wish they didn't but they do, but I'm not asking for them or myself. I'm asking for my boy. After the price your friend Otis paid, the least you can do is give it some thought," he said, repeatedly gesturing to his group.
"You're a plainspoken man," Hershel said.
"I'm a father. He's the one thing I don't want to fail. I feel like I do every day," Rick said, sitting on the porch. He paused for a moment, almost looking sad.
"I lied to him this morning. It wasn't a big lie, but it was enough," Rick said.
"My father didn't bother with comforting lies. He used his fists. He was a loveless, violent drunk, and no good to anybody. He drove me from home when I was 15. Didn't lay eyes on this place again for many years. I was not at his deathbed, Rick. I would not grant him that. And to this day I do not regret it. Some men do not earn the love of their sons," Hershel said, as he sat on the porch with Rick. Hershel then too, looked out at the fields of the grazing trikes.
"I don't see you having that problem," he said. Rick pondered what Hershel had said, but was still concerned for his son.
"Will you consider my request?" He asked, almost pleading.
"There are aspects to this, that I can't and won't discuss. But if you and your people respect my rules, no promises, but I will consider it. You have my word," Hershel said, looking Rick in the eye. The two of them stood up and shook hands.
"You have mine," Rick said.
Meanwhile, Glenn and Maggie returned from the Pharmacy with Lori's pregnancy supplies, and Glenn gave Lori an almost uncomfortable look. A bit later, Jacob and Daryl were heading back to the highway after failing to find any trace of Sophia.
—
Forest
"After all that, we still couldn't find her. Do you think she's still—" Jacob was about to ask, but Daryl cut him off.
"You givin' up on her that quick?" Daryl asked.
"Of course not. It's just that it's been days and we haven't found any sign of her. I'm not giving up, just thinking of the worst outcome," Jacob said, pushing past a tree branch.
"Well stop. She's gonna be fine," Daryl said. Jacob stayed silent for a few minutes.
"You're right. I'm sorry. I—I just keep thinking, what if it was Zach lost out here? I don't think I'd ever stop fighting to find him, but I feel like I can't even prepare him for the world anymore, and one day, I'm gonna lose him, because I couldn't protect him. Walkers, Dinosaurs, or otherwise," Jacob said, almost getting teary eyed. Daryl looked almost sympathetic and looked at him.
"Well he's sure as shit lucky to have you lookin' out for him. Don't know if my brother would've done the same for me. You keep goin' on the way you are with him, he's gonna be just fine," Daryl said, looking him in the eye. Jacob smiled, actually feeling like Daryl meant what he said.
"Thanks Daryl. Really," he said. Daryl nodded and they continued heading back to the farm just as they heard a rustle in the bushes.
"Hold up. Get low," Daryl said. The two of them ducked behind some brush cover
"What's up?" Jacob asked.
"Dilos. Two of 'em. Few babies in the nest," Daryl said, gesturing to the dilophosauruses in their nest. Jacob noticed that one of them was carrying something in its mouth. When he realized what it was, he was shocked.
"Wait. Is that one carrying an arm?!" He whispered to Daryl.
"Yeah. It ain't a living arm either," Daryl said. They both watched in disgust as the female dilophosaurus fed the zombified arm to its hatchlings. Jacob almost threw up as the baby dinosaurs tore the walker arm apart.
"They're actually eating walkers?" Daryl asked.
"I guess it makes sense. To them it's just rotten flesh. Guess you gotta do what you can to survive. That would explain why they're all still alive. They've been eating the damn walkers. Can't believe it doesn't make them sick. Nasty shit," Jacob said. Suddenly the Dilos started to sniff the air.
"Shit. Time to go kid. Let's get back," Daryl whispered. Jacob nodded and the two of them snuck back to the highway. They eventually arrived back at the RV, and found that it had been tidied up by Carol.
"Thought I'd clean up a bit. Make it clean for when she gets back," Carol said.
"For a second I thought we were in the wrong place," Daryl said. Jacob rolled his eyes at the snide remark. Daryl put the Cherokee Rose in a jar on the counter.
"A flower?" Carol asked, puzzled.
"It's a Cherokee Rose. The story is that when American Soldiers were moving Indians off their land on the trail of tears, the Cherokee mothers were grieving and crying so much, 'cause they were losing their little ones along the way from exposure and disease and starvation. A lot of them just disappeared. So the elders, they said a prayer; asked for a sign to uplift the mothers' spirits, give them strength and hope. The next day this rose started to grow right where the mother's tears fell," Daryl said, with Carol looking as if she was grateful for Daryl trying to cheer her up, and started to cry.
"I'm not fool enough to think there's any flowers blooming for my brother, but I believe this one bloomed for your little girl," he said smiling at her. Jacob added a flower to the counter as well.
"As do I. I picked this one, because, well, I thought she might find it pretty. It's West Indian Lilac," he said smiling. Carol let out a slight laugh. Daryl headed to the door of the camper before comforting her again.
"She's gonna really like it in here," he said, just before leaving the RV. Jacob smiled at her.
"We'll find her, Carol. I'm sure she's gonna be fine," he said. The two of them exchanged a smile before also leaving the RV.
Back at the farm, Rick apologized to a now recovering Carl about what happened to Sophia, and Rick gave Carl his hat, and Rick seemingly puts his sheriff gear away for the time being.
Lori goes out to the field and take a pregnancy test, and is horrified to learn that she is indeed pregnant…
ELSEWHERE
Deep in the woods, somewhere outside of Atlanta, Dr. Grant's group now accompanied Kayla Watts come across the worrisome sight of a Tyrannosaur footprint deep in the mud headed towards the highway…
End
Hey everyone! Not much changed in this chapter aside from the flashback and some dialogue. I may be skipping a few episodes of the show that won't necessarily add much to the story, but I will make you all aware what episodes those may be. Thanks!
~JPfan