Walking Dead Wizard
Chapter 24
As Harry and Carl approached the house, Lori, Carol and Rick were at the porch, the meeting was obviously just starting. Harry didn't pause, he just continued on walking towards them, Carl wouldn't meet his parents faces, just stared at the grass under his feet. Harry's face was filled with fire, he couldn't believe them, after all the warnings he'd given he was ignored, and he was at his wits end. How hard could it be to look after one kid and stop him from wandering off?
"What do you think you're doing?" Lori said, observing the way Harry was holding her son her displeasure was obvious.
"Get into the house, now Carl," Harry said sternly, his voice booking no arguments from the teen.
"Now wait a minute…" Lori protested, but Harry just nodded grimly to Carol to get her to take the boy into the house.
"What the hell was so important that you didn't notice your son was missing?" Harry snapped out as soon as the door closed.
"What are you talking about?" Lori exclaimed, "What my son does is none of your business!"
"What did he do?" Rick asked, resignedly, he knew Harry wouldn't be this furious over Carl playing on his own - something had happened and it had wound Harry up severely. He cared a lot about the kids, he hadn't truly believed Carol when she said that in the beginning but he more than believed it now.
"Rick!" Lori hissed, upset that her husband wasn't backing her up.
"He started taunting a walker, throwing stones at it while it was trapped in the swamp!" Harry proclaimed in annoyance. "Aiming a gun he stole from Daryl at it, but it got free…do you understand? Your son came this close to being bitten or scratched!" Harry used his fingers to indicate just how close. "You have one thing to do, one little thing and that's to look after your son! There's only one of Carol but she has no problem keeping an eye on Sophia! There are two of you! The damn washing and drying isn't more important than your son! Creating a life worth living isn't going to mean much without your kid! GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!"
Rick's blue eyes were wide with a combination of fear and bafflement.
"Damn the pair of you to hell," Harry said after a few seconds of stunned silence, shaking his head he disappeared inside the house his nostrils still flaring at the close call that had occurred only ten minutes prior. He ignored everyone as he stood against the fall wall next to Luna, Daryl was leaning against the drawers next to the door, Merle was sitting on the piano stool and Glenn leaned against the side, Dale next to him. The awkward silence was a sure sign that absolutely everyone had heard what he said.
It took over ten minutes before Rick came in, Lori after him, she stayed in the doorway, and arms crossed looking as if she didn't want to be there.
"So…how do you want to do this?" Glenn asked looking around, trying to take the sudden attention of Dale, since everyone was looking at him, with good reason he had basically called the meeting.
"Do we put it to a vote?" Luna asked.
"Does it have to be unanimous?" Andrea nodded along with Luna.
"How about majority rules?" Lori suggested.
"Well, let's…let's just see where everybody stands, and then we can talk through the options." Rick suggested standing in the middle of the room but behind a red Victorian old fashioned couch. Everyone that wasn't a Greene was standing more out of courtesy one would imagine.
"Well, the way I see it, there's only one way to move forward." Shane admitted, his voice for once wasn't condescending, he truly believed it was the best way to go.
"Hate to say it, but I agree with Shane," Harry pointed out his own opinion. A wry smirk was on his face, there hadn't been one thing he or Shane had agreed on since this whole thing had started. It wasn't out of spite because Shane had appeared in the quarry and started acting like he was a Lord. That he could forget about, after all it wasn't as if the quarry was his to begin with. It was his actions and decisions that made Harry dislike the small town cop. It was the same with Rick, but at least Rick actually put himself on the line, now that is why he'd prefer Rick over Shane. Right now though he was close to deciding to give up, he wasn't sure how long he could live with their delusions.
"Killing him, right?" Dale said his face strained with what he was being faced with. "I mean why even take a vote? It's clear which way the winds blowing." he seemed disheartened.
"Well, if people believe we should spare him, I wanna know." Rick said determinedly.
"Dale, you always knew this would happen, you've spoken to everyone here, I mean come on…most people who make up their minds don't change it." Harry said, as he said that though his gaze shifted to Rick. "If we were to let him go, and by some miracle his group didn't come charging here, we would still be responsible for the lives he takes, for the lives he destroys…he took part in raping eleven year old kids," Harry added a bit viciously, trying to get Dale to see how wrong he was and what he was fighting for in Randall didn't exist.
"Well, I can tell you it's a small group." Dale sighed. "Maybe just me and Glenn." but his face changed to shock when he looked at the young man.
"Look, I…I think you're pretty much right about everything, all the time, but this…" Glenn said Harry's words had gotten to him.
"They've got you scared!" Dale interjected.
"What is this? High school? He's a grown man," Harry muttered in exasperation. As Glenn defended himself, "He's not one of us! We've lost too many people already."
"How about you, do you all agree with this?" Dale said to the Greene's in desperation, trying to get at least one more person on his side.
Maggie sighed, "Could we continue to keep him prisoner?" she asked trying to keep the peace.
"Just another mouth too feed." Daryl muttered arms crossed as he listened to everyone.
"It may be a lean winter?" Hershel said but it was more of a question.
"Or we could ration better," Lori suggested.
"Or he could be an asset. Give him a chance to prove himself." Dale insisted.
"Put him to work?" Glenn suggested.
"We're not letting him walk around." Rick said immediately, nixing the idea.
"We could put an escort on him?" Maggie suggested.
"Who wants to volunteer for that duty?" Shane muttered.
"I will." Dale volunteered.
"No offence Dale, but you aren't exactly fit, he could bid his time and kill you before you know what's happening." Harry stated sharply, getting more and more annoyed as the seconds went by. "Are you forgetting we have kids in this group? Are you seriously suggesting you'd let a paedophile anywhere near them? I don't even know why I'm talking!" he would just be ignored.
"I don't want anyone walking around with this guy!" Rick snapped.
"He's right; I wouldn't feel safe unless he was tied up!" Lori as always came to her husbands defence, all the while she doubted him.
"We can't exactly put chains around his ankles, sentence him to hard labour." Andrea said, glancing at her sister in concern as Harry's words rattled around her mind.
"Look say we let him join us? Right, maybe, maybe he's helpful, maybe he's nice. We let our guard down and maybe he runs off, brings back his thirty men." Shane adding to the worry and fears that were going around.
"So he answer is to kill him to prevent a crime he may never even attempt?" Dale argued.
"You're so quick to forget the crimes he has committed, why?" Luna said loud enough to garner their attention.
"He's just a kid, he cannot be held guilty by association!" Dale explained to Luna. "Say we do this, rule of law is dead. There is no civilisation."
"Can we drive him further out?" Hershel suggested, not comfortable with what Dale was saying but definitely not wanting him on his farm. Not near his daughters, he wanted him gone.
"You barely came back last time." Lori said, disagreeing with the idea. "You could break down or get lost."
"Or ambushed," Daryl added.
"Be it walker or human," Merle stated.
"They're right, we shouldn't put our own people at risk," Glenn nodded remembering the last time vividly and how he had frozen.
"If you go through with it, how would you do it?" Patricia asked. "Would he suffer?"
"We could hang him, right? Just snap his neck?" Shane suggested.
"No," Harry stated right away, "If the fall doesn't snap his neck he will suffer, a bullet to the brain is the quickest way forward. As far as I understand it you still have guns involved in the death penalty right?" lethal injection, the chair and death by the firing squad.
"Lethal injection actually," Merle corrected him automatically.
"Can't exactly use that," Harry replied wryly.
"What about his body?" Amy questioned.
"Hold on, hold on, you're talking about this like it's already decided!" Dale's voice rose as he spoke.
"That's because it has," Merle sneered at Dale's sentimentality.
"You're been talking all day, going around in circles," Daryl said, getting impatient himself.
"This is a young man's life! And it's worth more than a five-minute conversation!" Dale argued. "Is this what it's come to? We kill someone because we can't decide what else to do with him!"
"IT HAS BEEN DECIDED!" Harry snapped, "You've been at this all day, Dale, I warned you to let it go. All those that want him dealt with raise your hand," and everyone did, even Glenn, "Majority rules just like it was suggested before this meeting was held."
"You saved him! Now look at us! He's been tortured. He's gonna be executed. How are we any better than those people that we're so afraid of?" Dale was talking directly to Rick now realising he wasn't going to get through to the group so was going after the leader who had the last say.
Harry pinched the bridge of his nose, throwing his hands in the air; he gave up on this stupid conversation and walked out of the house, Lori sensing how annoyed and angry he was made sure to get out of his way as swiftly as possible when he approached her to get out. Anubis followed Harry, who sat at the chair outside of his tent, rubbing his temples, what a bloody day it had been. He could scarcely believe Dale of all people was continuing to fight for the survival of a paedophile. Harry noticed Carol leaving the house after a few minutes, and started automatically cooking, something she liked to do when she was upset.
"Do you even want to know what happened?" Luna asked as she eventually joined him ten minutes later the Dixons' beside her.
"Honestly? I'm beyond giving a fuck now," Harry muttered, "I really don't care."
"He's going through with it, Dale got really upset and stomped off saying he wouldn't have any part in it." Luna revealed.
Merle snorted, "After telling Carol that if she didn't partake she might as well be killing him herself."
"Tell me how an old man gets to that age and still stays so damn infuriatingly…naïve?" Harry asked in annoyance.
Nobody had an answer for him.
Rick, Shane, Daryl, Harry and Merle all went when it was time to deal with Randall, Rick and Shane had a shoulder each and were dragging the reluctant boy who was muttering the entire time - knowing what was going to happen. "Wait, wait. Wait!" Merle was carrying a lantern with him, while Rick and Shane got ready.
"Put him there," Rick said pointing to the middle of the barn.
"It's all going to be over soon." Shane taunted Randall, putting a blindfold over him.
Harry cleared his throat, giving Shane a look that said he wasn't impressed.
"What? What's going to be over soon?" Randall asked worriedly.
He'd given him too much credit apparently, thought Harry wryly, wishing for it to get over with. His mind continued to replay what those girls had gone through; he liked to think they were smiling down at the vengeance that would be wrought on at least one of their attackers.
"Relax!" Shane muttered as he finally got the cloth around his eyes.
"No, no, no, no," Randall protested loudly, sobbing.
"Would you like to stand or kneel?" Rick stated.
"Oh, no, please. Please." Randall begged while crying.
Shane drove Randall to his knees, standing aside waiting on Rick doing what he had to.
"Do you have any final words?" Rick asked.
"For Merlin's sake," Harry muttered under his breath, he wasn't going to do this, Harry realized, or at least he didn't want to. He was stalling, all the while trying to do things properly.
"Do it, dad," Carl demanded, "Do it!" appearing at the barn door.
"Are you kidding me? What did I say to you? What did I say to you?" Shane said as he quickly marched over to Carl.
"Take him away," Rick said unable to do it as he put the safety back on his gun.
"Get him out of here," Harry stated sharply, removing his own gun, which unlike Rick's python had a silencer on it.
Shane seemed to realize what was going to happen and for once he did what Harry asked without a single word. While Rick had his back to everyone. Harry rose his gun and fired off a single shot just as soon as Carl was out of the barn and unable to see anything.
All that was heard was the body hitting the ground with a thud.
It was finally over.
There we go :) I know you're all wondering and waiting on what causes Harry to snap but I don't want to spoil it for you SO I'm not going to answer that one although i'm sure a lot of you have already guessed the point in which it happens. A few have asked if Carl would end up with Harry's group but unfortunately that definitely wont happen. Carl has his mother and father and as annoyed as he could be at them there was no way he would pick Harry over them and even if he did - Harry wouldn't let him come it's up to his parents. In fact I'm wondering how many of you would like to see it permanent the split in the group or if you do want them all together again at some point...there are so many characters i want to add but not without going through with what happens in the series but i definitely don't want to follow it all the way like i said the last AN chapter and many of them i can't realistically add without it being right and I always like a sense of realism...sooo I have to admit i want a scene where Harry and Shane fight :D has to be something to do with Luna since that's the only way Harry would interfere...hmm gotta think on that one :D R&R please!