Hey everyone! Sorry for such a long delay. It's been a busy few months. Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!
Character Statuses:
Jacob Bishop: Alive
Zachary Bishop: Alive
Henry Wu: Alive
Dr. Alan Grant: Alive
Billy Brennan: Alive
Nima Cruz: Alive
Gerry Harding: Alive
Kayla Watts: Alive
Claire Deering: Status Unknown
Owen Grady: Status Unknown
Maisie Lockwood: Status Unknown
Rick Grimes: Alive
Carl Grimes: Alive
Lori Grimes: Alive
Shane Walsh: Alive
Andrea: Alive
Amy: Deceased; Cause of death: Arm torn off by velociraptor, and fatally bitten on the neck by a walker
Dale Horvath: Deceased; Cause of death: Stomach torn open by a dilophosaurus, and shot in the head and killed by Daryl out of mercy
Glenn Rhee: Alive
Daryl Dixon: Alive
Merle Dixon: Status Unknown
Jim: Deceased, presumably undead; Cause of death: Bitten on the torso by a walker during the camp massacre and left to turn
Morales Family: Status Unknown
T-Dog: Alive
Jacqui: Deceased; Cause of death: Died when the CDC exploded
Carol Peletier: Alive
Ed Peletier: Deceased; Cause of death: devoured by walkers in his tent
Sophia Peletier: Deceased; Cause of death: Bitten on fatally on the neck by a walker and left to turn. Was possibly attacked by a dinosaur beforehand.
Morgan Jones: Status Unknown
Duane Jones: Status Unknown
Edwin Jenner: Deceased; Cause of death: Died when the CDC exploded
Hershel Greene: Alive
Maggie Greene: Alive
Beth Greene: Alive
Otis: Deceased: Cause of death: Shot by Shane in the leg to use as bait, and devoured by both walkers and velociraptors
Patricia: Alive
Jimmy: Alive
—
Dinosaurs encountered so far
Carnivores
Velociraptor
Tyrannosaurus Rex (Rexy)
Allosaurus
Carnotaurus
Dilophosaurus
Herrerasaurus
Compsognathus
Indominus Rex (Mentioned Only)
Herbivores
Apatosaurus
Triceratops
Sinoceratops
Gallimimus
Brachiosaurus (seen briefly in the prologue)
Stegosaurus
Pachycephalosaurus
Non-Dinosaurs
Dimorphodon
Pteranodon
Quetzalcoatlus
Mosasaurus (Mentioned Only)
It had only been a day or two since Dale was tragically killed by a dilophosaurus. In a flashback, the group was making an effort to beef up security around the farm to keep them safe from dinosaurs and walkers alike. Shane, Andrea, T Dog and Daryl were checking fences and looking for any looming threats. Later in the day, as the sun set, the group held a funeral for Dale, having buried him alongside Sophia, and others that had been lost.
"Dale could- could get under your skin," Rick started. He sure got under mine, because he wasn't afraid to say exactly what he thought, how he felt. That kind of honesty is rare and brave. Whenever I'd make a decision, I'd look at Dale. He'd be looking back at me with that look he had," Jacob gave a silent, sad chuckle. He'd seen that look more than once in the short time he had known Dale. Rick continued the Eulogy, and Carl let a tear roll down his face.
"We've all seen it one time or another. I couldn't always read him, but he could read us. He saw people for who they were. He knew things about us- The truth Who we really are. In the end, he was talking about losing our humanity. He said this group was broken. The best way to honor him is to unbreak it. Set aside our differences and pull together, stop feeling sorry for ourselves and take control of our lives Our safety our future. We're not 're gonna prove him wrong. From now on We're gonna do it his way. That is how we honor Dale," Flashback to earlier, and Shane, T Dog, Andrea and Daryl brutalize a group of walkers that had strayed too close to the farm, feasting on the carcass of a triceratops.
(Intro)
The next morning, everyone was packing up camp; no longer feeling safe, or comfortable sleeping in tents out by the field.
"Gonna be tight, eighteen people in one house," Rick said. Hershel shook his head softly.
"Don't worry about that," he said. With the swamp hardening, the creek drying up-"
"With fifty head of cattle on the property we might as well be ringing the damn dinner bell," Maggie said. Billy nodded in agreement.
"And uh, not to mention those trikes. It's mating season for them, and baby dinosaurs running around means more predators trying to grab a quick meal," he said.
"They're right. We should've moved you in a while ago," Hershel said. Rick paused for a minute before seemingly agreeing to Hershel's suggestion.
"All right, let's move the vehicles near each of the doors - facing out toward the road," everyone started gathering up the last of their things and the camp became quite lively.
"We'll build a lookout in the windmill, another in the barn loft. That should give us sightlines on both sides of the property," Rick said. He gestured to T Dog.
"T-Dog, you take the perimeter around the house. Keep track of everyone coming and going,"
"What about standing guard?" T asked.
"I need you and Daryl on double duty," Rick said.T Dog nodded and attended his assigned post. Hershel came around the corner hauling a box of supplies.
"I'll stock the basement with food and water, enough that we can all survive there a few days if need be," Hershel said. Rick nodded graciously and Jacob stacked a box on top of the one Hershel loaded in the truck.
"I've got a box of ammo and spare flares too. Wouldn't hurt to have," he said, looking at Hershel.
"What about patrols?" Andrea asked. Rick waved her away dismissively.
"Let's get this area locked down first. After that, Shane'll assign shifts while me and Daryl take Randall offsite and cut him loose," Shane just scoffed
"We're back to that now?" he asked.
"It was the right plan first time around. Poor execution," Rick said.
"That's a slight understatement," Shane said with an annoyed chuckle. Jacob rolled his eyes and went to grab more supplies. Rick got in close to Shane.
"You don't agree, but this what's happening. Swallow it- Move on," he said, almost as a threat. Shane didn't look at him when he next spoke.
"You know that Dale's death and the prisoner- that's two separate things, right? You wanna take Daryl as your wingman, be my guest," he said.
"Thank you," Rick said out of contempt.
"You got it," Shane replied in the same contemptuous manner. Lori just looked at Shane and shook her head sadly.
A bit later, the group had gathered the last of their things and made the last trip to the house. As they were walking, Rick hung back a bit and walked with Hershel.
"I see why you're not taking Shane with you," Hershel said. "Just know I've got no more patience where he's concerned," Rick smiled at him awkwardly.
"He's turning over a new leaf," he said. Hershel didn't reply.
"Andrea," Rick called ahead. "When I'm out with Daryl, help Hershel keep an eye on things around here," he requested.
"Me?" she asked. Rick nodded.
"Shane's got a way of letting things get out of hand, especially when he's all torqued up," Andrea rolled her eyes, but smiled.
"I think we're all a bit torqued up at this point," she said.
"If you're staying here permanently, he's got to understand that it's what Rick and I say, not whatever he wants," Hershel said. Rick nodded in agreement.
"You've become close," he said, almost singsongy. Andrea didn't look Rick in the eye.
"We talk," she simply said.
"Then you know he's not a bad guy. He's just his own worst enemy," Rick said.
"You want me to babysit Shane?" Andrea asked, annoyed.
"I need to make sure every time I leave the farm all hell doesn't break loose," Rick said.
"Then maybe you should stop leaving," Andrea said. Rick just looked away from her and she walked off.
"Will you keep an eye on things?" Rick called. Andrea didn't turn back to face him.
"Of course,"
Back towards the farmhouse, Carl was walking towards Shane when Zach came walking up behind him.
"Carl," Zach called. Carl didn't say anything but turned to face him. The two of them stopped walking and out of nowhere, Zach punched Carl in the stomach. Not very hard, but enough to stagger Carl that he almost fell on the ground.
"That was for Dale," Zach said. Carl grimaced and clutched his stomach, and then tackled Zach to the ground as he was about to turn around and leave. The two of them rolled and tussled in the field, getting the attention of both Jacob and Shane as the latter was walking back to the farmhouse.
"Woah, woah, woah! What the hell boys?!" Jacob called, pulling Zach off of Carl. Shane came running to see what the commotion was, but didn't say anything. Zach caught his breath and had tears in his eyes.
"It's his fault Dale is dead!" he called. Carl looked away but didn't deny it. Jacob was taken aback.
"Like hell it is. Dale was killed by a dilophosaurus, Zach," Shane actually nodded in agreement.
"That's a hell of an accusation kid," he said. Jacob shot him a disdainful look, that faded away quickly when he realized that Shane had a point.
"Shane's right. You and I need to have a chat. Again. Apologize to Carl. Now,"
When Zach didn't say anything Jacob looked Zach right in the eyes.
"You're eleven years old for Christ's sake. Is this how you solve your disagreements? Get the hell back to the house. Now. We aren't done with this," Jacob commanded. Zach gave both Carl and Jacob an angry look, and ran off to the farmhouse. Jacob knelt down next to Carl, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.
"You alright, Carl?" Jacob asked. Carl nodded unconvincingly.
"I'm fine," he said. "But-but Zach wasn't wrong," Jacob stepped back a bit.
"Don't let him get in your head, Carl. Zach can be a little shit sometimes," Jacob said, looking off in the direction his brother had run.
"Carl, why would you say that, man. Dale-he was killed by a Dilo," Shane said. Carl looked at both of them.
"If, um- If I tell you guys something, will you promise not to tell my parents?" he asked.
"I think it's probably a bad idea for all of us, bud," Shane said. Jacob nodded. Carl started to walk away, but Shane and Jacob looked at each other, and Shane reluctantly called him back.
"Hey, Carl. Come on back. Go on," he said. Carl hesitated, but opened up his sweatshirt, and pulled out a handgun from his back pocket, and handed it to Shane who gave it a once over.
"Jesus, Carl," Jacob muttered under his breath.
"I took it from Daryl's motorcycle. If he found out I took it, he'd kill me,"
"What you doing with this?" Shane asked.
"Dale," Carl started. "The Dilophosaurus that killed him. I saw it-I was gonna shoot it, When it was stuck in the mud. I was- I was throwing rocks at it and stuff. But I was gonna do it- shoot it right in the head. And it- it got free. It almost spit on me- but it came after me and I ran away. If I had killed it, Dale would still be here," Carl explained, his voice shaking. Jacob put his hands on his head and turned around and sighed, but then looked at Carl, feeling not anger, but sadness for both Carl and Dale.
"Carl, if you keep thinking like that, that guilt will eat away at you until nothing's left. This wasn't your fault," Jacob said sincerely. Shane nodded.
"Carl, I want you to stop that, okay? Jake's right. This ain't your fault," he said. He handed the gun back to Carl.
"But you need to hold onto this," Jacob felt uneasy watching Shane hand the gun back to him, but said nothing. It wasn't his place. Truth be told, he didn't think it was Shane's either, but he didn't need to get into it with Shane again.
"You need to protect yourself. As long as I'm around you, nothing's gonna happen to you, Carl. But I can't keep my eyes on you 24/7. Only you can do that," When carl didn't say anything Shane practically tried to force the gun into his hands.
"Carl, take it," he said.
"I'm never touching another gun again," Carl said, shaking his head frantically.
"Carl, that's not-" Jacob started. Shane butted in before he could speak.
"That ain't no option, Carl, okay?" he said. Carl just shook his head and left.
"Just give it back to Daryl," Jacob and Shane both sighed, looking at each other. Shane rubbed his head and Jacob crossed his arms with a sigh.
"You need to get that brother of yours under control," Shane said. Jacob gave him an irritated look, before heading back to the farm house.
"I'll handle it, Shane. He's my family. Not yours,"
Farmhouse
The farmhouse felt busier than usual. Everyone was bringing in supplies, clothes, and whatever else they could carry. Rick was right about one thing though; it was certainly very crowded. Glenn walked in the front door, followed by a newly recovered Beth and Carl and Jacob, who scooted by everyone to find Zach. Lori set down a laundry basket on the dining room floor.
"The men are in there," Lori said, gesturing to the dining room. A somber looking Glenn set his stuff down on the table, as Maggie watched from the entryway.
"You can put your stuff upstairs in my room,"
"With your dad in the house?" Glenn asked. Maggie didn't say anything but gave him a suggestive smirk. Glenn didn't seem to get the hint.
"I just- I'm just gonna put my stuff over there," he said, grabbing his gear off the table. Maggie's smile faded, and said nothing as she turned and left the room.
Meanwhile, Jacob was searching the house for Zach, and finally found him hiding in a coat closet.
"There you are," Jacob said. "You and I need to-" He cut himself off, when he noticed Zach softly crying to himself. Zach looked up at his brother and softly uttered:
"I'm sorry," Jacob's expression turned from disappointment to sympathy.
"I-I didn't mean to punch Carl. I'm just tired of seeing so many people die. I don't want to die. And I don't want anyone else to," Zach said. Jacob motioned for Zach to come out of the closet, and the two of them walked to the back porch and watched the cattle and trikes graze. He put his hand on his younger brother's shoulder.
"Zach. I know that-you've seen more than a kid your age ever should. You and Carl. I could lie to you, tell you it gets easier. But I know you're smarter than that. The truth is bud, that-that I don't know if it gets easier from here. People are gonna die. We all are, someday. Some maybe sooner than others," Jacob said, staring out at the field. That last part left Zach a little shaken.
"How-how do we stop that, then?" Zach asked. Jacob shrugged and looked Zach in the eyes with utmost sincerity.
"You can't. What matters now, is that the two of us, and everyone in this group, is alive. Here, and now. And what we do with that life, is how we get back at this shit world. We survive. Even if the ones we care about don't. And when we die, others will carry on too. It's just a fact of life, buddy," there was silence for a good two minutes as the two of them watched the dinosaurs and cattle graze. Jacob turned to Zach, and knelt down to meet his gaze.
"But throwing around blame for someone's death; true or not, that doesn't solve anything," he said, referring to Dale.
"I know. I'm sorry, Jake," Zach said. Jacob smiled at him wryly.
"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," he said. Zach nodded.
"I know Carl didn't get Dale killed. I was just-so angry at what happened to him. I was looking for someone to blame. Like you said," Jacob nodded.
"Believe me, Zach. I've been there. But you need to tell Carl that," Zach nodded in response, and the two of them hugged, watching the field grass sway in the breeze.
Farmhouse, ext.
Lori was unloading totes and supplies from one of the cars. She audibly grunted in exertion when picking up a heavy tote. T Dog came out of the house in the hopes of assisting her.
"Whoa. Don't- don't- Don't strain yourself," he said, grabbing the tote from her.
"Thank you," she said. "Rick and Carl and I are taking the corner of the living room," T Dog nodded as Hershel came outside.
"You can put that in my room," he said. You'll be more comfortable there"
"We can't do that," Lori shook her head. Hershel grabbed another box of supplies.
A pregnant woman and child sleeping on the floor - while I've got a bed to myself?"
"This is still your house," Lori said.
"It's our home," Hershel said warmly. "I'll take the couch downstairs. On nights when I came home reeking of bourbon, my wife would lock the bedroom door. I'm sad to say that couch and I became old friends," T Dog came to grab another box of supplies.
"Look, if you two can't decide, I'll take it," he said jokingly. Hershel didn't look too amused but Lori chuckled. Lori gave Hershel a gracious look.
"Thank you," she said. Hershel called off in T Dog's direction, effectively returning his humor.
"The couch is mine," T Dog opened the door to the house and muttered to himself.
"It's gonna get real cozy real fast in here," off in the distance, Lori saw Shane hammering away on the windmill. She walked over to the jobsite where tools and four by fours were lying haphazardly on the ground at the base of the windmill.
"Wouldn't that be easier if you waited for some help?" Lori asked.
"Ain't no use waiting for something that ain't gonna come," Shane said. "No, I'll just- Just do it all myself," he sounded almost sad, like he was lonely.
"Yeah, you always do, just like that time you showed up Rick fixing our sink," Lori reminded.
"Yeah," Shane chuckled. "Just so you know, that's not the reason your basement flooded. You can thank Rick for that- Using rubber washers with a metal pipe," Lori smiled, but then it faded, turning to sadness.
"Please come down," she asked him. Shane nodded and clambered his way down the windmill. The two of them met each other's gaze.
"So after Sophia, I, uh I thought 'We'll figure this out.' You know, we'll heal somehow. After Dale? This is real," the two of them leaned up against the SUV.
"And we can't Keep it at bay. It's already got us," she continued. "And it just keeps coming, doesn't it? I made a mess of things. I put you and Rick at odds. I don't even know whose baby this is. I can't imagine how hard that is on you. You led us out of Atlanta with no thought for yourself," Shane just looked at her as she started crying.
"Do you remember that night? The flames, the- And I'm sitting in your car thinking 'We're gonna be alright. He's gonna make it all right. We'll get out of here.' And I never thanked you for that. Even though things got-confused between us, you were there for me. You were there for me. Thank you," She cried.
"You don't need to thank me for that," Shane said softly, and with the most sincerity he's probably said to anyone.
"Of course I do. Of course I do," Lori said.
"No, you-" Shane trailed off. Lori continued sobbing, and Shane's eyes were welling up as well.
"Whatever happened between us, whatever the hell we thought it was- And not just you, but- I'm sorry, Shane. Please believe me. I am so sorry," Before Shane could even remotely respond, Lori walked away with her hand in her face, leaving Shane to dwell on what had just happened.
Porch
Rick and Daryl were looming over a map, figuring out what to do with Randal.
"Take him out to Senoia- hour there, hour back, give or take. We may lose the light, but we'll be halfway home by then," Rick explained.
"This little pain in the ass will be a distant memory. Good riddance," Daryl spat. Rick nodded slightly and seemed to agree with him.
"Carol's putting together some provisions for him, enough to last a few days," Rick said. Daryl sat on the railing.
"That thing you did last night-? Rick asked. They watched as Shane pulled back into the house's driveway.
"Ain't no reason you should do all the heavy lifting," Daryl said.
"So are you good with all this?" Rick asked.
"I don't see you and I trading haymakers on the side of the road. Nobody'd win that fight," Daryl said. Rick looked away awkwardly. Daryl stood up when he saw Shane approaching.
"I'm gonna take a piss," Daryl walked away as Shane came up to the porch.
"Hey, man, you seen Carl lately?" Shane asked.
"He's inside with his mother," Rick said, almost dismissively.
"Look, he came to me. Okay, I wasn't supposed to say anything, but he was out in the swamps yesterday and he came across a Dilo stuck in the mud. He got scared, ran off,"
"The same dilophosaur that killed Dale?" Rick asked.
"That's the one," Shane said.
"I'll have Lori talk to him," Rick said.
"Look, man, I think- I think he wants to talk to his father," Shane retorted.
"Well, I need this Randall thing done already,"
"Man, that needs to wait, okay?" Shane said, almost sounding defeated. Rick grimaced angrily.
"It's my call," he said.
"How about I ride out with Daryl? Good for us to spend a little time together," Shane asked genuinely.
"Nah, I need you here," Rick said.
"Don't think I'll handle it right, huh?" Shane replied.
"Didn't say that," Rick said. The air was tense.
"What you say? You know, your son- He gave me this," Shane handed him Daryl's pistol. Rick looked angry and ashamed. Not over Carl, but perhaps towards himself.
"You should get that back to Daryl, huh?" Shane said. "Freeing that prisoner- More important to you than Carl," Shane walked away angrily. He was definitely on a warpath.
RV
Andrea and Wu were trying, and failing to get the RV started. Glenn came strolling up to the RV, hearing the sputter of the engines. Wu was outside the RV with the grille plate open, seeing if anything they were doing was working.
"Andrea," Glenn called. Hey, did you try pumping the gas pedal?" he asked.
"I think it's been parked too long," Andrea said, from inside the RV.
"You gotta tap it three times-" Glenn started.
"And give her a twist. I know, know," Andrea replied. Wu was still looking over the engine.
"Still nothing," he said, with a shake of his head.
"Let me take a look," Glenn asked. Wu shrugged and gestured to the engine block.
"By all means. Engineering was never my area of expertise," Wu said. Andrea climbed out of the RV with a toolbox, and Glenn took over for Wu.
"Uh, Dale told me that in these old vehicles the points get corroded," Glenn said, somberly. Andrea reached into the toolbox and pulled out a phillips head.
"Screwdriver?" she asked.
"Flathead," Glenn replied. Andrea handed him the correct one, and he started fiddling around in the engine block. There was silence for half a minute as Glenn kept attempting to fix the engine. Andrea and Wu looked at each other with a sense of pride and sadness.
"Could you hand me a file?" Glenn asked. Andrea nodded and handed him one. Glenn eventually stopped rummaging through the RV's engine.
"I let him down," he said, tearing up.
"I highly doubt that, Glenn," Wu said. Andrea nodded in agreement.
"He was proud of you. Maybe not in that moment, but overall," she said.
"Oh, that's easy for you to say. You had his back," Glenn said.
"I have my share of regrets, but I think that he knew how much we cared for him," Andrea said with a smile.
"I did not know him for long. But in the time that I did, it was clear to me that he had this group's best interests at heart. Even if some of us didn't see it. I'm sorry, Glenn," Wu said with a sad smile. Glenn exhaled and wiped tears away as he shut the grille of the RV.
"That might do it," he said, walking to the door.
"Glenn," Andrea said, throwing him the keys. The three of them climbed inside.
"Bet it'll work," Andrea said.
"I second that," Wu added. And sure enough, when Glenn put the keys in the ignition, the engine turned over. Wu put his hand on Glenn's shoulder and gave him a smile.
"You'd give InGen's mechanics a run for their money. Nice work, Glenn,"
Barn
Carl looked off into the distance atop the Barn. The sounds of hammering of nails seemed to echo through the fields, as Rick climbed the ladder to the barn's loft and sat beside Carl.
"Mom said you'd be here," Rick said.
"Told her I would stand lookout. I got tired of helping around the house," Carl said.
"Jacob told me you and Zach got into it,"
"Yeah," Carl said softly.
"He also told me Zach didn't mean anything by it. He was mad about what happened, but took it out on you," Rick said.
"He was right though," Carl said. Rick just shook his head, and pulled the pistol out from his back pocket.
"Take it," he said, handing him the gun. "What happened to Dale had nothing to do with you,"
"He- he died, dad,"
"Yeah. Yeah. Feels like there's a lot of that going around," Rick said softly. Carl didn't know what to say.
"That's why I need you. No more kid stuff," Rick continued.
"I wish you could have the childhood I had, but that's not gonna happen. People are gonna die. I'm gonna die. Mom. There's no way you can ever be ready for it. I try to be, but I can't. The best we can do now is avoid it as long as we can, keep one step ahead. I wish I had something better to say, something- Something more profound. My father was good like that," There was silence for a moment, as Carl looked down steadily.
"But I'm tired, son. Please take it," Rick handed Carl the gun, who seemed to finally oblige. Rick and Carl sat watching the afternoon sun cast over the field.
Field
After Carl's heart to heart with his father, he was on his way back to the farmhouse, when Zach stopped him just before he got to the driveway.
"Hey Carl?" Zach called, a bit sheepish.
"Hey," Carl said. "You gonna punch me again?" he asked, half kidding. Zach shook his head.
"I-I know it wasn't your fault Dale got killed. I was just-"
"Angry. I get it. Me too," Carl said, finishing Zach's sentence. Zach nodded slightly.
"Yeah. I'm sorry I punched you," Zach said with a nervous smile. Carl sighed and then chuckled a bit.
"It was a good punch," Carl said with a smirk and the two boys laughed.
"So-so are we friends?" Zach asked, holding his hand out. Carl hesitated but then shook Zach's hand.
"Friends," Zach and Carl smiled at each other, then walked to the farmhouse together, laughing, with their arms over each other's shoulder and a proud Jacob watched from the farmhouse window with a smile.
Shed
In the shed, a visibly disturbed Shane put a stool down in front of Randal, and just stared at him. Then, he started hitting himself in the head, causing some alarm from Randal. Even more so when he heard the cocking of Shane's gun against his head. Randal grunted and cried, and Shane pulled him forward to see his bloody wrists, trying to work his way out of the handcuffs. He chuckled and smirked to himself, as if he had a sinister idea.
Farmhouse
Just outside the farmhouse, Daryl was loading up one of the trucks. His crossbow rested against the rear windshield and T Dog came up to the truck and handed him some arrows.
"Only got so many arrows," he said. "Is that Dale's gun?"
"Yeah. Wish I knew where the hell mine is," Daryl replied, holstering the revolver. Rick came to the truck to join him.
"Ready?" he asked. T Dog nodded and started walking towards the shed.
"Yeah. I'll get the package," he said. When T Dog approached the shed, he banged on the door. Either to wake him up or purposefully frighten him.
"Yo, Randy. Governor called. You're off the hook," To his horror, the shed was empty, with only the bloodied handcuffs sitting where Randal used to be. T Dog shut the door in a hurry, and ran back to the house.
"Oh, hell no!"
Woods
Shane was leading a still blindfolded Randal through the forest. The latter grunted and cried as he feared he was being led to his death.
"Shh! Go that way," Shane commanded, pushing him in the direction they were facing.
"Go on, go on," Randal started to cry, so Shane stopped him and pulled the blindfold off of his eyes.
"Hey-hey, come on. Come on. I get it. I'm the last face you probably want to see, huh? Listen, I'm gonna take you up out of here, okay? I'm gonna get this off of you so you can breathe, but I want you to keep quiet. You listen good. Do you hear me?" Shane asked. Randal nodded frantically, prompting Shane to pull the tape off of his mouth as well.
"Okay. Don't do nothing stupid," he said. Randal called out slightly as the tape tore at the skin on his face.
"Hey-hey, keep it quiet now your group- you know where they're at?" Shane asked. Randal shook his head nervously.
"No, I don't. I really- oh!" Shane slapped him lightly across the face and grabbed him by his shirt collar.
"Okay. Get your little ass up here. Now I'm the only shot of you getting out of these woods alive. You hear me? Now you start talking, boy. Where are they at?" Shane asked.
"We had a camp set up off the highway. About five miles from here. Who knows if they're still there?" Randal explained nervously.
"Okay," Shane said softly. He looked Randal in the eyes.
"So you gonna take me to 'em?" He asked. Randal looked legitimately puzzled.
"Why?"
"Because, man, I- I'm just- I'm done with this group, man. They doomed and I want no part of it. That's all," Shane said. Randal seemed to believe him.
"So you're not gonna kill me?" he asked.
"Come on, man. If I was, you'd be dead. Come on," Shane grabbed Randal by his arm and hoisted him up.
"Hey, you ain't gotta be so rough," Randal said, leading the way.
"We're on the same side now. You're gonna like it with us. Gets a little crazy sometimes, but it's a tough bunch of guys. You'll fit in good," Shane walked close behind him.
"Less talking, more walking," he said.
"Look, I run my mouth when I get nervous. I can't help it. I got a lot going on, you know?" Randal said. He walked behind a tree and Shane had an unpleasant look on his face.
"It ain't all about you," he said.
"I- I ain't saying it's about me. Just trying to-" Randal wasn't able to finish his sentence. Shane had snapped his neck behind the tree. He was looking more and more disturbed, and walked to a tree, slamming his face on it and scratching himself on the bark.
Farm
Some of the group, Rick, Daryl, T Dog, Andrea and Jacob, were combing the shed, trying to figure out where Randal could have gone. Lori and the others came running out of the farmhouse.
"What's wrong?" Lori asked.
"Randall's missing," T Dog said.
"Missing? How?" Billy asked. Meanwhile, Shane watched from the forest as the chaos was unfolding. He glared at Rick.
"How long's he been gone? What's goin' on?" Maggie asked.
"It's hard to say," Jacob said.
"The cuffs are still hooked. He must've slipped 'em," Rick said.
"Is that possible?" Wu asked.
"It is if you've got nothing to lose," Andrea said.
"The door was secured from the outside," Hershel said. Shane had seen enough. He buried his gun in the leaves behind him and started walking back to the group.
"Rick! Rick!" Shane yelled.
"What happened?" Lori asked.
"He's armed! He's got my gun!" Shane called.
"Are you okay?" Carl asked.
"I'm fine. Little bastard just snuck up on me. He clocked me in the face," Shane said, rejoining the group. The mood was panic.
"All right, Hershel, T-Dog, get everybody back in the house. Glenn, Daryl, come with us. Billy, Jacob, Wu, you three search east, past the fields," Rick said. "T, I'm gonna need that gun,"
"Just let him go. That was the plan, wasn't it, to just let him go?" Carol asked.
"The plan was to cut him loose far away from here, not on our front step with a gun," Rick said, walking off towards the woods.
"Don't go out there! Y'all know what can happen," Carol pleaded.
"Get everybody back in the house. Lock all the doors and stay put!" Rick called. Jacob, Billy and Wu had their gear and started off towards the field. Zach pulled on Jacob's arm.
"Jake?!" he asked, visibly scared.
"Go with Maggie, Zach. Stay in the house," Maggie gently grabbed Zach's arm as she and Hershel led everyone back inside.
"Let's go, back in the house," she said. Jacob gave her a thankful nod, and the three dinosaur experts ran towards the field.
Western woods; Rick's group
"I saw him head up through the trees that way before I blacked out. I'm not sure how long," Shane said as they traipsed through the forest.
"He couldn't have gotten far," Rick said. "He's hobbled, exhausted,"
"And armed," Glenn added.
"So are we," Rick said. "Can you track him?" he asked Daryl.
"No, I don't see nothing," Daryl said.
"Hey, look, there ain't no use in tracking him, okay? He went that way.
We need to pair up. We spread out, we just chase him down. That's it," Shane said vehemently. Daryl didn't seem convinced.
"Kid weighs a buck-25 soaking wet. You trying to tell us he got the jump on you?" Daryl said.
"I say a rock pretty much evens those odds, wouldn't you?" Shane retorted. Rick stepped in between the two of them before things escalated.
"Alright, knock it off. You and Glenn start heading up the right flank. Me and Shane'll take the left. Remember, Randall's not the only threat out there. Keep an eye out for each other,"
Eastern woods: Jacob's group
Jacob, Billy and Wu were combing the woods east of the farm, but still had no trace of Randal. They had been searching for a good hour now.
"You really think we're gonna find him out here?" Jacob asked Billy.
"No. I don't. And I think Shane's full of crap," Billy said, looking up at Jacob from a knelt position. He stood up.
"That was my read as well. Something about his story does not add up," Wu said. The three of them kept walking through the woods.
"Shane is twice his size. I find it really hard to believe that Randal would even be able to lay a finger on him. I think Randal's dead. Not saying Shane killed him, but-" Jacob trailed off.
"It wouldn't be the first time," Billy said. He and Jacob looked at each other, and a confused Wu looked at them, but his confusion turned to anger and then sadness.
"Otis," Wu said. "He killed him," Billy and Jacob both nodded. Billy dusted dirt off his pants.
"Either way. We've either got an armed prisoner on the loose, or Shane's about to do something bad. Let's keep looking,"
Western woods: Rick and Shane
Rick and Shane were continuing their sweep as Shane wiped more blood from his broken nose.
"Looks like it's busted pretty bad," Rick said.
"It's fine, man. Don't worry about me," Shane cut in front of Rick, now leading the way. Rick had an uneasy, and unconvinced look on his face as they pressed on.
Western woods: Daryl and Glenn
Darkness had fallen at this point, and Glenn and Daryl were slowly making their way through the woods with little progress.
"This is pointless. You got a light?" Daryl asked. Glenn nodded and handed him a flashlight. As they continued, it looked as if they had gone in a circle.
"We're just back to square one," Glenn said, frustrated.
"If you're gonna do a thing, you might as well do it right," Daryl said. He kept leading the way. Meanwhile, Shane continued to silently lead Rick through the woods.
Eastern woods: Jacob's Group
As the three men continued walking through the woods with little progress. Despite that, the three of them continued walking until Wu stepped in a particularly large puddle. When he took his foot out of the puddle, he realized it was a footprint. A very, large, footprint.
"Oh no," he said to himself. Jacob and Billy turned to see what was wrong, and Billy's flashlight shined directly onto the Tyrannosaur's footprint.
"This is too fucking close to the farm," Jacob said, in a panicked state. He was right. They were maybe a mile from the farm at this point.
"What do we do?" Billy asked.
"One of us needs to warn the others; tell them to dim the lights in the house, stay quiet, whatever. But we need to do something fast," Jacob said.
"I'll go. I'm a fast runner," Billy said. Wu put his hand on Billy's chest.
"No. I'll do it. I'm not very good in a fight. If you run into Randal, the two of you can handle him. I will run back to the farm and give them the message," Wu said, tying his shoes extra tight. Jacob and Billy looked at each other with concern. Either way was a bad idea.
"At least take this," Billy handed Wu a flare gun. The same one Alan had given him. He also handed him three flares.
"You see the Rex, fire one into the sky. We'll come running," Billy said. Jacob nodded.
"Wouldn't that alert Randal?" Wu asked.
"Maybe, but I'd rather deal with him than the Rex. On the other hand, if you see him first, don't shoot one off. We don't need him knowing where we are unless absolutely necessary," Jacob explained. Wu nodded, and started to run off towards the farm. Jacob called to him.
"Wu," he said. "Good luck," Wu nodded back to him and disappeared into the woods.
Western woods: Daryl and Glenn
As the two of them came to a clearing, they found the spot where Shane had done the deed, even if they didn't know it.
"There's two sets of tracks right here. Shane must've followed him a lot longer than he said," Daryl said. They noticed a tree with a big red stain on it.
"There's fresh blood on this tree," Daryl said.
"There's more tracks. Looks like they're walking in tandem," an animal call came distantly in the woods. Glenn couldn't make out if it was a roar, or a chirp, but it still startled him. He ran closer to Daryl.
"Yeah, there was a little dust up right here," Daryl said.
"What do you mean?" Glenn asked.
"I mean something went down. It's getting weird. Had a little trouble," Daryl said, outlining what he perceived to have happened. Suddenly, they heard a faint snarling, and saw a single walker headed towards them. When it spotted them, the walker went for Glenn. Glenn was about to deliver a killing blow, but was stunned when he saw the walker was Randal. The two of them struggled, and as Daryl tried to pull Randal off of Glenn, Randal tackled him instead. After another struggle, Glenn was finally able to plunge his machete into Randal's head. Daryl and Glenn caught their breath, and Daryl patted Glenn on the back
"Whew," Daryl said, dusting himself off. He looked at Glenn with pride. "Nice,"
Eastern Woods: Wu (scene will happen concurrently with Rick and Shane's final confrontation)
Wu sprinted through the woods as fast as his legs could carry him, narrowly avoiding tripping over roots and loose sediment. Eventually, he came to the fields and was close enough to the farm that he could just make out the farmhouse and the barn in the moonlight. He was maybe three quarters of a mile from the farm when he saw it. A few hundred feet from him, drinking from a puddle, was the Tyrannosaurus Rex. One of the very few he created. He also could have sworn he saw something else lurking in the woods, but perhaps his mind was playing tricks on him. Wu couldn't help but feel responsible for everything that had occurred in the last twenty-five or so years. Jurassic Park, Jurassic World, the Indominus. The Indoraptor. Everything. Now was his chance to make things right. Or at least, to start to.
Wu knelt down slightly in the field. He eyed the T Rex, to make sure it was facing away from him. He reached down for the flare gun from his waist, but as he did, he saw something dart in front of him, and heard what sounded like the tearing of fabric. Frantically, he reached back down. But as he did, he felt something wet. Wu looked at his hands, illuminated in the moonlight, and saw they were drenched in blood. His blood. Then the searing pain hit him, in his stomach. He went to clutch his abdomen, but felt something eerily warm, and slimy. When Wu looked down, he saw that he was holding his own intestines. Wu fell backwards into the field, flat on his back, and then he saw them. Three velociraptors surrounded him. Two dark gray raptors with red quills, and one light gray that was missing an eye. Wu instantly recognized them as the raptors he had created on Isla Sorna. The three raptors snarled and chomped at him, and Wu reached for the flare gun again. One of the male raptors stepped on Wu's chest and nearly had its jaws around Wu's neck. Wu mustered his strength with a yell and maneuvered his right hand around the raptor with the Flare gun. The raptor opened its mouth and was about to bite down on him, when Wu squeezed the trigger of the flare gun right into the raptor's mouth, causing it to gasp and call out in pain, and collapse on the ground next to Wu. During all the commotion, the T Rex, seeing the light of the flare, started making its way over to Wu. The other two raptors ran away in terror as the Rex got closer and Wu was already beginning to lose consciousness as he loaded another flare in. With the last bit of strength he had in him, Wu pointed the Flare Gun upward and at an angle, pulled the trigger and everything went black, as he watched the flare fall into the field, and one of his greatest, deadliest creations, stomp away into the moon lit night. As he faded away, a gunshot rang out through the forest.
Field: Rick and Shane
Rick and Shane finally emerged from the woods and came to a field that overlooked the farm. There was an unusual tension in the air.
"Does this way feel right?" Rick asked.
"As right as any," Shane said, not looking at him.
"Snatched your gun, huh?" Rick asked, not convinced.
"Yeah," Shane said. It's my favorite piece too. Gonna wish he'd- Wish he'd killed me when I find his sorry ass," Rick just stared at him. Shane gestured with his head for them to keep moving.
"Go on,"
Western Woods: Daryl and Glenn
Daryl and Glenn were looking over Randal's corpse, trying to figure out what had happened.
"Got his neck broke," Daryl said. He flipped over the body.
"He's got no bites,"
"Yeah, none you can see," Glenn added.
"No, I'm telling you he died from this," Daryl replied. The two of them started walking back towards the farm with a horrifying revelation.
Field: Rick and Shane
As the two of them continued through the field, Shane followed rick to the center of it.
"You say he got you with a rock?" Rick asked.
"That's what I said," Shane said.
"Inside the shed? 'Cause that door was shut when T-Dog rolled up," Rick said in an accusatory manner.
"I saw that too. Must've slipped through the rafters in the roof," Shane said. Rick stopped walking and Shane stood a few feet behind him. Rick holstered his pistol.
"So this is where you planned to do it?" Rick said, almost sad.
"It's as good a place as any," Shane said, finally dropping the ruse.
"At least have the balls to call this what it is- Murder," Rick said. Shane didn't respond. Rick and Shane started to circle each other.
"You really believe if you walk back onto that farm alone- - No me, no Randall-"
"I want you to hush up," Shane tried to butt in but Rick continued.
"You really believe they're gonna buy whatever bullshit story you cook up?"
"That's just it," Shane started. It ain't no story. I saw that prisoner shoot you down. I ran after him. I snapped his neck. It ain't gonna be easy, but Lori and Carl- They'll get over you. They done it before. They just gonna have to," Shane raised his gun on Rick, who looked at him with a mix of betrayal and anger.
"Why? Why now? I thought we worked this all out," Rick asked, still circling him. Rick didn't take his gun out.
"We tried to kill each other man," Shane laughed. "What you think? We just gonna forget about it all? We gonna ride off into the sunset together?
"You're gonna kill me in cold blood? Screw my wife? Have my children- my children! Call you daddy? Is that what you want? That life won't be worth a damn. I know you. You won't be able to live with this," Rick said. Shane paused for a moment.
"What you know about what I can live with? You got no idea what I can live with, what I live with! You wanna talk about what I can do, Rick? How about what you can do? Here I am. Come on, man. Raise your gun," Shane was getting belligerent. He holstered his gun and opened up his arms, taunting Rick.
"No," Rick said. "No, I will not," Rick said.
"What happened, Rick? I thought you weren't the good guy anymore. Ain't that what you said? Even right here, right now, you ain't gonna fight for 'em? I'm a better father than you, Rick!" With that, Shane had pretty much sealed his fate.
"I'm better for Lori than you, man. It's 'cause I'm a better man than you, Rick. 'Cause I can be here and I'll fight for it. You come back here and you just destroy everything!" Shane yelled. Rick just continued to stare him down. Shane continued despite the growing hostility.
"You got a broken woman. You got a weak boy. You ain't got the first clue on how to fix it. Raise your gun," Shane said, pulling his gun on Rick once more.
"You're gonna have to kill an unarmed man," Rick unclipped the holster on his side. He slowly reached his hand down.
"Watch my hand," he said. "Nice and easy. Easy does it. Now listen to me, Shane. There is still a way back from this," Rick had his own gun by the barrel.
"Nothing has happened here. We're gonna lay down our guns and we're gonna walk back to the farm Together. Back to Lori. Back to Carl," Rick slowly inched closer to Shane, who legitimately looked like he was calming down.
"Put this all behind us," as Rick handed his gun to Shane, he slowly grabbed the knife from his side, and plunged it into Shane's stomach. As he did, Rick's revolver went off in Shane's hand. During the altercation, Rick didn't even see the flare in the air, off in the distance behind him. Rick laid Shane on the ground.
"Damn you for making me do this, Shane! This was you, not me! You did this to us! This was you, not me- not me! Not me!" Rick took the knife out of Shane's stomach, with the latter choking on his own blood, and looking up at Rick. With one last exhale, Shane breathed his last, leaving Rick wailing in despair at what he had just done. Rick just looked over his fallen friend without a word. Until he heard the voice of his son.
"Dad?" Carl said, shaken. Rick stood up and stumbled.
"Carl. You know- You should be back home with mom," Rick said. Suddenly, Carl raised his gun, to Rick's surprise. What Rick didn't see was a zombified Shane quickly advancing on him.
"Just- just put the- Put the gun down," Rick said softly. Carl started crying, still pointing the gun.
"It's not what it seems. Please," Rick said, tearing up. Carl pulled the trigger and Shane's zombified body fell to the ground with a thud. Rick turned around as he realized what had happened. In the distance, several, likely hundred, walkers turn to face the source of the sound. In another part of the forest, the tyrannosaur, no longer distracted by the flare, also stomps towards the source of the gun shot.
The two of them stood over Shane's body as Rick held Carl back a bit.
"Wait-wait-wait-wait," As the two of them processed what had just happened, they don't even see the massive herd of walkers just down the hill from them.
END
Hey everyone! Sorry for such a long wait! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, as it was one of the most fun to write! For all of you Wu fans, I'm sorry for killing him off so soon, but I've had the idea of having Wu die at the end of season 2 for a long time now. Also, for readers of the JP novel, I wanted to make his death similar to how he died in the novel, but also have him die a hero of sorts! Anyway, the season finale is next! Stay tuned! ~JPfan