Kari walked the perimeter of the barn, listening closely to the snarls inside the barn. The walkers were following the sound of her footsteps, walking in circles inside their makeshift prison, scratching at the wooden panels that separated them from their next meal. She came to a stop in front of the barn doors, grimacing as she saw one of the walkers desperately trying to fit their hand through the gap between the wooden doors. Kari placed both her hands up against the locking bar against the doors, about to attempt to crush the walker's fingers when it pulled back. Her eyes widened as she could see through the tiny gaps in the door that two walkers had noses pressed up against the wood, smelling her. Only a few moments later, they turned around, going back to wandering aimlessly around the barn. Her forehead wrinkled at their strange behaviour, wondering why they had lost interest. Didn't she smell human to them?
"You shouldn't get so close" A voice warned, as Kari almost jumped out of her skin.
She whipped around to find Rick marching toward her, his shoulders slumped, and his face pinched together in a permanent frown. He was walking away from the farmhouse, likely having spoken to Hershel about their discovery. By the looks of his face, it hadn't gone so well, Kari mused.
"Is he gonna' let us clear out the barn?" Kari asked, taking a few steps back from the doors.
"He's a stubborn man" Rick shook his head, wiping some sweat away from his brow.
"And he's clearly in denial. Hasn't he seen what those things can do?" Kari insisted.
"His wife and stepson are in there" Rick informed her, as a look of guilt flashed across her face, for just a second.
"Well, that makes sense why he can't do it himself. But us? We should, Rick. We need to. You get that, right?" Kari pushed.
"He'll throw us off his land" Rick pointed out, as Kari shrugged.
"So? You really think your people can stay here long-term? Nowhere is safe anymore. Not for long. The only way you survive is by moving on. And luck. Lots of luck" Kari scoffed.
"You said we need to clear the barn. That mean you plan on staying?" Rick inquired, as Kari rubbed at her arm, subconsciously.
"No. Once my arm is healed up, I'm outta' here. But I'd like to stay alive in the meantime" Kari retorted.
"What do I have to do to get you to stay?" Rick asked, making Kari frown.
She could hear the desperation in his voice as he spoke. Something had changed. He needed her for something now. But what?
"Look man, you don't even know me. I'm not..." Kari trailed off, running a hand through her hair.
"Well, I happen to think I'm a pretty good judge of character. And this group? These people, they need you. I think you know that" Rick told her.
"They're not my responsibility" Kari stated, coldly.
"...Lori's pregnant" Rick announced, watching as Kari's mouth went slack.
Her mind came to a grinding halt for a moment, trying to process what Rick had just said. She couldn't think of anything worse than becoming pregnant in the world they were now forced to live in. Not only would it slow her down, but with no access to medical equipment or scans, the likelihood of the baby surviving infancy was minimal.
"You forget to pull out or something?" Kari huffed, once her speech had returned.
Rick's jaw clenched, as a look of bitterness washed over his face, causing Kari to remember what Daryl had told her. About Shane and Lori...
"Shit. It's not yours, huh?" Kari realised, as his eyes snapped up to meet hers.
"It's going to be" Rick insisted.
"Rick, I'm not a miracle worker. Or a midwife for that matter. My knowledge on anything pregnancy or baby related is—" Kari began, when Rick cut her off.
"Just...just think about it, alright? You're the only shot Lori has" Rick pointed out.
"Oh, no pressure then?" Kari scoffed, as Rick's lips twitched into a slight smile, before turning away from her, planning to make the walk back to camp.
"Hey, I'm, uh...I'm sorry, I guess. Your wife is pregnant by another man...well, I guess the whole apocalypse thing doesn't seem so bad in comparison" Kari called out to him, hearing a huff leave Rick's lips.
"Thanks...I think" He murmured with a shake of his hand, wandering back toward their camp.
Kari was debating following behind him when she heard a shuffling sound coming from around the corner of the barn. She pulled out her pocketknife in the blink of an eye and crept over toward the sound, thinking a walker might have managed to escape the barn. Instead, she found Shane hunched over, his eyes blown wide, having heard every word that she and Rick had just said.
"Didn't anyone ever teach you not to eavesdrop?" Kari muttered, keeping her knife at her side.
Shane gave her no reply. He straightened his back, exhaling sharply before shoving past her, headed in the direction Rick had walked off. Something which would only end badly.
"Where the fuck are you going?" Kari called after him, but Shane still wouldn't answer her.
"Hey! I'm pretty sure you're the last person that he wants to talk to right now! Shane!" Kari shouted, grabbing his arm, as he shoved her away from him, roughly.
"That is my best friend who—" Shane started, as Kari cut him off.
"No, that's the man whose wife you've been fucking" Kari snapped, as Shane all but snarled at her.
Suddenly, he was grabbing her by the collar of her shirt, slamming her into the barn door behind her, causing the walkers inside to stir. His knuckles turned white from how hard he was gripping her shirt, his fist keeping her in place as she stared up at him defiantly. He was breathing heavily as their eyes connected, unsure what his next move was going to be.
"What, are you gonna' hit me for telling you how it is? Well, go right ahead. I'll be sure to tell your buddy who gave me the black eye" Kari warned, as Shane's lips pulled back into a smirk, his eyes dropping to her lips for a moment.
"Keep that mouth of yours out of business that don't concern you" Shane muttered, releasing his grip on her shirt, but he didn't back away.
"Trust me, this bullshit love triangle is pretty low down on my list of priorities" Kari huffed, brushing down her shirt.
"Lori was mine. Carl was mine. Rick was dead, he was supposed to stay..." Shane trailed off, with a shake of his head.
"Stay dead? Yeah, well people don't seem to do that these days" Kari pointed out.
"...I wasn't gonna' hit ya" Shane told her, stepping back a pace.
"I don't think you know what the fuck you're doing. I mean, seriously, what's your plan, Shane? You gonna' apologise to Rick for screwing his wife? You think everything's just gonna' be all good after that?" Kari went on.
"I protected her. Me. Better than he ever could" Shane retorted.
"Look, you want my advice? Get out. Just go. You'll be better off on your own" Kari murmured, as she went to walk past him.
"Oh, and if you ever put hands on me again, I'll put my knife through your eye" She added.
Kari then marched away, planning to head toward Daryl's tent and see if he had apologised to Carol. She didn't notice the way Shane's eyes followed her intently until she was out of his eyesight.
When she finally did find Daryl, he was sitting by a nearby lake, his legs laid out in front of him, a white flower on his hand. She noticed he tensed as she approached, reaching out for his crossbow before he realised it was her. He nodded toward her, as she crouched down beside him, taking a closer look at the flower. Five white petals connected to a green stalk, with yellow blossom inside, a pleasant smell wafting from the flower.
"Wouldn't have guessed it" Kari announced, as he glanced in her direction.
"That you were a florist before all this" Kari said, with a teasing smile, hearing Daryl scoff.
"Funny" Daryl muttered, picking at one of the petals.
"You make good with Carol?" She asked, earning a quick nod in return.
"Found these flowers again. I gave one to her when Sophia first went missin'. It's a sign, don't ya think?" Daryl replied, as Kari gave a half shrug.
"Why these flowers?" She inquired, curiously.
"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, uh, 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 mothers' tears fell. I think they're blooming for Sophia" Daryl explained, as Kari gave him an appreciative look.
"Well, now I'm thinking you used to be a history teacher or something" Kari exclaimed.
"Come off it. Just somethin' my brother told me when we were hunting when I was a kid" Daryl admitted.
"Didn't realise you have a brother. Older, I'm guessing?" Kari pushed, a Daryl nodded again.
"Yeah. Merle. He was a pain in my ass" Daryl huffed, with a fond shake of his head.
"Same with my brother. He certainly didn't make life easy" Kari sighed, bringing her knees up to her chest.
"He gone?" Daryl questioned.
"Isn't everyone nowadays?" Kari pointed out, as Daryl pursed his lips.
It was a pipedream imagining that her brother could have somehow survived. She imagined England was in an even worse state than America due to how small the country was. There had been fifty million people living in England last time she had been home and now? She doubted there was more than half a million left if that. Nothing was ever going to go back to how it was.
"Rick decided what he's gonna' do about the barn?" Daryl exclaimed, after a few moments of silence.
"He looks to Shane. Shane looks to Rick. Who are you looking to?" Kari retorted.
"I ain't followin' anyone" Daryl shrugged.
"We could probably do it ourselves; you know. Clean out the barn..." Kari trailed off, thinking it over in her head.
"Not with your arm you can't" Daryl stated.
"Says the guy with an arrow wound in the gut. But...fair point" Kari sighed, flexing her injured limb.
"Guess we'll have to wait and see what those pricks decide to do then, huh?" Kari mumbled, as Daryl nodded in agreement.
They stayed sat by the lake for longer than either of them planned, before going their separate ways. Kari was headed toward the farmhouse when she spotted Shane racing off into the treeline, a murderous expression on his face. Worried about what the man might have been planning, she trailed after him, careful to keep a fair distance behind, not wanting to spook him. She came to a halt when she heard voices in the distance and realised Shane had been following a trail of his own.
"How about you just give me that bag, huh?" Shane called out, as Kari peeked out from the underbrush.
She found Dale standing by a nearby tree, a shovel in one hand and the bag of guns in his other. His shoulders slumped in defeat as Shane approached him, realising his plan wasn't going to work.
"I'm not gonna do that" Dale exclaimed.
"Yeah you are, Dale...unless, well, you do have that rifle over your shoulder" Shane suggested, gesturing to the weapon strapped to Dale's back.
"You gonna' shoot me like you did Otis? Tell another story?" Dale accused, causing Kari's eyes to widen.
Who the hell was Otis? She knew Shane was unhinged, but Dale seemed to think he was something much more dangerous. Kari slowly crept forward, her presence still unknown to either man.
"No, man. Hell, when you really look at it in the cold light of day, you're pretty much dead already. Just give me the guns. Do it now" Shane ordered, a dark look in his eyes.
"Rick is trying to get Hershel—" Dale began, but Shane quickly cut him off.
"Dale, shut up. Just shut up and give me the guns" Shane muttered, his patience growing thin.
Dale then did something neither of them had been expecting and took the safety off his gun and pointed it in Shane's direction. The man in question looked down the barrel of the gun, and barely flinched.
"Am I gonna' have to shoot you? Do I have to kill you? Is that what it's gonna take?" Dale asked.
Shane's lips pulled back into a sinister smirk before he took a step forward, noticing how Dale's hands were shaking. He walked straight up to the barrel of the gun until he could feel the cold metal against his chest.
"That's what it's gonna take. And we both know you can't do that, can you, Dale?" Shane scoffed, as a hand suddenly appeared to his left.
"Maybe he can't...but I can" Kari announced, placing her hand on the rifle.
Dale happily passed her the weapon, which she kept pointed toward Shane, who stayed silently, simply glaring at them both. Kari glanced back toward the bag of guns, formulating a plan in her mind.
"Go back to camp, Dale. I can handle this myself" Kari stated.
"Are you sure?" Dale frowned, as she gave a firm nod.
"This is where you belong, Shane. This world, what it is now, this is where you belong. And I may not have what it takes to last for long, but that's okay. 'Cause at least I can say when the world goes to shit, I didn't let it take me down with it" Dale spat out, before shoving past the younger man.
"Go on, then. Take your shot" Shane murmured, once Dale was out of earshot.
Kari rolled her eyes in response, lowering the rifle quickly, causing Shane to frown, wondering what her game was. Surprise flashed across his features as she twisted around to grab the bag of guns, shoving the weapons into his hands, but kept the rifle, pulling it over her shoulder.
"I want the walkers dealt with" Kari admitted, as Shane cocked his head to the side.
"You could have said that before" Shane huffed.
"And get in between another one of your pissing contests? No thanks" Kari muttered.
"You don't think Dale's gonna' question how I got a hold of the guns?" Shane pointed out.
"Maybe I'll say you hit me" Kari shrugged, watching as Shane's brow furrowed.
"Oh, it was horrible. He threw me down, started beating on me. I was terrified, I had to give him the guns, I mean, what else could I do?" Kari cried, in a small voice, forcing tears to well in her eyes.
"I'm not some stupid kid you can push around, Shane. I'm smarter than you, I suggest you remember that" Kari informed him.
"You're one cold bitch, huh?" Shane murmured, looking more impressed than anything else, as she nodded in agreement.
Shane was already handing out the shotguns and rifles by the time Kari returned to the farmhouse, noticing that Dale was nowhere to be seen. After his encounter with Shane, she guessed he wanted some time to himself. Maybe he was scared to face the other man again. The air was tense as Kari went to stand by Daryl's side, who nodded at her, as she pulled the rifle over her shoulder.
"That Dale's gun?" Andrea frowned.
"Don't worry, blondie. I didn't pry it from his cold, dead hands" Kari huffed.
"Now look, Hershel, he's just gotta understand. Okay? He...he's gonna have to. Now we need to find Sophia. Am I right?" Shane insisted, turning his attention toward Rick's young son.
"Now I want you to take this. You take it, Carl, and you keep your mother safe. You do whatever it takes. You know how. Go on, take the gun and do it" Shane exclaimed, crouching down before Carl and thrusting a handgun toward him.
It wasn't a smart play, as Lori raced forward, pushing herself between her lover and her son. She looked ready to slap Shane as he stood back up onto his feet.
"Rick said no guns. This is not your call. This is not your decision to make!" Lori retorted.
"Oh shit!" T-Dog cried, as everyone turned to look at what he had seen.
"Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me" Kari gaped, watching as Rick and Hershel used snare poles to herd two walkers in the direction of the farm.
The walkers swiped at them as they walked, their growls audible even in the distance. The pair seemed to be able to hardly hold onto the two creatures. Shane was sprinting toward them before anyone could stop him, muttering under his breath. The group followed quickly on his heels.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Shane called out, as Rick tried to pull his walker away.
"Shane, just back off" Rick retorted, struggling to keep a hold of the walker now there were so many people around.
"Why do your people have guns?" Hershel cried, as Kari gave him a look of disbelief.
"Why the fuck do you have a walker on a leash?" Kari pointed out.
"These things ain't sick. They're not people. They're dead. Ain't gonna feel nothing for them 'cause all they do, they kill! These things right here, they're the things that killed Amy. They killed Otis. They're gonna' kill all of us unless we—" Shane went on, as Rick shouted at him.
"Shane, shut up!" Rick hissed, as his walker tried to claw at him.
"Hey, Hershel man, let me ask you something. Could a living breathing person, could they walk away from this?" Shane exclaimed, before pulling out his gun and shooting the walker three times.
Even Kari flinched at the action, knowing that Shane was becoming more and more unravelled. Truthfully, that was the real reason she had given him the guns. He was dangerous. And according to Dale, he had already killed someone. He was battling for leadership of the group, Rick needed to see what Shane was turning into. She hoped it would give him the kick he needed to throw Shane out.
"That's three rounds in the chest. Could someone who's alive, could they just take that?! Why is it still coming?" Shane cried, shooting it two more times.
"That's its heart, its lungs. Why is it still coming?" Shane repeated, before shooting the walker again.
"Shane, enough!" Rick insisted.
"Yeah, you're right, man. That is enough" Shane muttered, strolling forward and shooting the walker in the head.
Hershel fell to his knees, looking down at the walker blood which had sprayed over his shirt. The walker that Rick was still holding onto grew more agitated as Daryl took a step forward, his shotgun aimed at the walker's head, ready to take the shot if needed.
"Enough risking our lives for a little girl who's gone! Enough living next to a barn full of things that are trying to kill us. Enough. Rick, it ain't like it was before! Now if y'all want to live, if you want to survive, you got to fight for it! I'm talking about fighting right here, right now!" Shane announced, before rushing toward the barn, his plan clear.
"Take the snare pole. Hershel, take the snare pole. Hershel, listen to me, man, please. Hershel!" Rick begged, but the older man could barely hear him.
Shane had found a pickaxe and was busy opening the barn doors, causing the walkers inside to wander forward, closer to the sound. Everyone raised their guns, knowing what would be coming next.
"No, Shane. Do not do this, brother. Wait!" Rick screamed, as Kari rushed forward.
"I've got it, Rick. Give it to me" She exclaimed, as he reluctantly passed the handle of the snare pole toward her.
"Hey, don't..." Daryl trailed off, with a grunt as Kari had already grabbed the handle.
The walker was stronger than she had been expecting, as she struggled to keep a hold of the pole, her palms sweaty. The walker twisted around toward her, its neck being sliced by the metal snare, its hands outstretched. After no more than ten seconds, it lost interest in her, instead looking toward Daryl who had taken a step forward, the barrel of his shotgun almost placed directly against its forehead. Kari shook the pole hard, trying to force the walker to turn back to her, but it wouldn't work.
"C'mon. Hey, here! Here!" She insisted, tugging it closer toward her.
But it was no good. She wasn't what the walker craved.
Kari's head snapped up when the barn doors were pushed open, and the dead began storming through. Rick's group lined up beside Shane, ready to take their shot. Shane was the first to pull the trigger, his bullet whizzing into the skull of a walker still dressed up in farming clothes. Bullets rained down on the walkers, as they fell into the grass which was quickly becoming stained with blood. Shane turned around to meet her eye, before shooting the walker she still held onto in the head. Rick raced forward, grabbing Shane's arm and hauling him back, looking ready to beat the other man, when everything went silent.
They had killed them all.
Over a dozen corpses lay on the ground, as only the soft cries of Beth could be heard over the group's ragged breathing. Daryl stayed close to Kari's side through the shootout, only taking a step forward now the danger seemed to be gone. Until they heard shuffling from inside the barn.
Kari winced as she saw a young girl staggering forward, wearing an oversized t-shirt with a rainbow printed on, dark blood splattered over the material. A large bite mark was visible on her shoulder, flesh hanging off the side of her neck as Kari had to look away. She glanced at Daryl who stumbled back a step, his mouth gone slack, a stricken expression on his face. It was only when he heard the wail that left Carol's mouth that she realised who she was looking at.
Sophia.
The girl the group had been looking for. That Daryl had almost died looking for. And she had been just metres away from their camp the whole time. Carol was racing forward, crying out her daughter's name, arms outstretched, desperate to hold her one more time. Daryl caught her before she could get too close, his arm wrapping around her waist as they both collapsed to the ground. Sophia stumbled forward, small snarls leaving her lips as the group stayed motionless. They were in too much shock to do anything. Looking down at the rifle she held in her hands, Kari sucked in a deep breath, ready to do what needed to be done. A hand was suddenly on her shoulder, as she looked up to find Rick had stepped forward, shaking his head. He then raised his revolver in the air, grit his teeth together and took the shot.
Sophia's tiny body slumped to the floor as Carol's cries grew louder, causing Daryl to hold onto her tighter. Shane hung his head in shame, unable to look anyone in the eye. Rick stayed where he stood, as Kari understood for the first time since she had met the group why Rick was their leader.
Hershel had taken his daughters and his people back to the farmhouse soon after, shouting about how he wanted them all off his land. Some had followed after them, but most had stayed by the barn, not sure their limbs would work yet. Carol was the first to race off, her cheeks stained with tears. No one tried to stop her. Daryl ran a sweaty hand over his face, glancing down at Sophia's corpse before he turned to walk away.
"She was already gone" Kari exclaimed, stopping him in his tracks.
"What'd you say?" Daryl muttered, twisting back around.
"She's been...that bite is days old. You did what you could. It was already too late" Kari insisted, as Daryl clenched his jaw.
"You don't know what the hell you're talkin' about" Daryl huffed, storming off in the direction Carol had gone.
"Where are you going?" Kari called after him.
"Away from this shitshow" Daryl mumbled, bitterly.
"So, that's it? You're just gonna' run off now?" Kari exclaimed, as the two continued marching away from the barn.
"You thought you were gonna' find her. I know that's gotta' hurt, so just...let it out. Hit something. Hit me, if you really want. But don't do this. Don't run" Kari insisted, as Daryl's footsteps slowed down.
"...I saw you with that walker, you know. Now, you want me to hit you? What is it with ya? You want to die or somethin'?" Daryl muttered, keeping his back to her.
Damn, she thought to herself. Daryl was more observant than she had given him credit for. She wasn't sure what she had been doing with the walker, her actions stemming from the desperation of wanting to prove to herself that she was still...
Human?
"Look, the way I see it, you're probably the closest thing that Carol has to a friend right now. She's gonna' need you whether you like it or not" Kari explained, taking a step closer to him.
"Her daughter's dead. The hell am I gonna' be able to do for her?" Daryl spat out.
"Be there, Daryl. That's what she needs. For you to just...be there" Kari stated, as he finally turned around to face her.
"You comin' with?" Daryl asked, as she mulled over it for a moment.
She hardly knew Carol. She had never met her daughter. But if it made it easier for Daryl to be there for his friend, then what harm could it do, she figured. With a firm nod, the pair took off toward the RV, a comfortable silence washing over them.