(Anne Marshall belongs to AquaDestinysEmbrace!)
(Chris Rudy, Misty Rudy, and Chelsea Jernigan all belong to Chris Rudy!)
(I DO NOT own The Walking Dead, Code Lyoko or any kind of names or brands that appear in this story. I do own all OCs unless specifically named as they appear above this message.)
Later in the day, Hershel came out from the farmhouse again to do one last walk-around his property to make sure he hadn't forgotten one of his chores for today. The elderly farmer had his old cane in his hand to help him move a little better. To aid him in his task he also had a canteen full of fresh water hanging by a sling on his shoulder. He figured that the walk-around was going to take at least two hours, maybe even three.
As he walked off the porch steps, Hershel caught a glimpse of Kenny and Lee in the group's camp. The two men were setting up a campfire, with Duck and Clementine both helping by bringing them some firewood.
The sight of his son's killers made Hershel sneer in disgust. He turned so he wouldn't have to look at them again. The fact they were here let alone visible at times put a huge strain on Hershel's willingness to show some Christ-like kindness to these people, but he did his best...
Hershel was waiting for Rick and Jeremie to arrive since they offered to accompany him on his walk-around and to help if anything needed to be done. As he waited, he glanced over toward the barn off in the distance.
The building still looked like no one had been near it... That was a good thing to Hershel. He didn't want anyone to go anywhere near-
"We could give you some more space."
The sudden unexpectedness of Rick's voice made Hershel leave his thoughts and turn his attention to the sheriff and teen who were making their way toward him. The farmer did his best to look casual as they approached.
"If you'd like us to set up by the barn instead, we're willing." Jeremie added his own voice to the conversation.
"No, no need for that." Hershel dismissed the idea. "Better you stay close to the house..."
Rick and Jeremie nodded in agreement. If Hershel didn't want them camped out by the barn then that was something they'll respect.
A moment went by before the farmer spoke again. "I don't say this easily, Rick, Jeremie." Hershel began. "We don't normally take in strangers. I can't have your people thinking this is permanent..."
The two tried their best to hide the feelings of surprise and sudden anxiousness within them.
"Once Aelita's recovered and fit to travel again, I expect you'll move on. We need to be clear on that." Hershel insisted. His farm and his people, they came first in all of this. Last thing he needed was a bunch of strangers, well-intended as they were, to become squatters.
Rick and Jeremie shared a glance as Hershel walked away, beginning his walk-around of the property. The two felt a deep worry as they followed behind him...
... they really were going to have to leave ...?
Back at the camp, Glenn was busy helping out the others with one of the chores when he suddenly noticed someone was standing immediately to his left. When he looked up, he saw the one person he least expected was watching him.
Maggie.
"I hear you're fast on your feet and know how to get in and out." Maggie told the surprised Korean man before he could actually speak.
Ignoring Glenn's slightly-confused look toward her, Maggie continued. "Got a pharmacy run." she explained. "You in?"
Glenn blinked, having been caught so off-guard that he wasn't really sure how to speak for a moment.
"... uh ..."
The farmer's daughter was about to say something half-snarky and half-playful to Glenn, but unfortunately their moment was interrupted.
"Miss," Dale said as he and some of the others approached the pair, "what's the water situation here?"
Glenn suddenly felt a little disheartened when Maggie turned her attention away from him.
"Got five wells on our land." Maggie said as she pointed to one water well close by. "House draws directly from number one." she explained before pointing to another water well out in the distance. "Number two well is right over there."
"How pure is number two?" Anne inquired, then ignored a quiet snicker from a very immature Robert next to her.
Maggie shrugged. "We use it for the cattle but it's just as pure." she explained. "Take what you need. There's a cart and containers in the generator shed behind the house."
The group was satisfied to hear that they had free access to one of the wells. They weren't doomed to die of thirst anytime soon since they already had some supply of fresh water stored away in Dale's RV and the Motel Group's RV. Among these was a huge stock of full five-gallon jugs which Shane discovered in an overturned delivery truck back on the highway.
But there wasn't such a thing as 'too much water' anymore, not in a time like this. So the more drinkable water which was available to the group from now on, the better.
Now that all that was over with, Maggie turned to Glenn and nodded at him.
"I'll go saddle your horse then." Maggie said before she headed off toward the horse stables.
The others noted the expression of astonishment on Glenn's face. Some of them had to try not to smirk as he turned toward them all in confusion, as if to confirm he had heard the farm girl correctly.
"... 'horse'?" Glenn asked, his voice right between the tones of worry and wonder.
"Yep. Horse." Anne grinned, giving her friend a pat on the shoulder before she headed off to finish up her chores. "Good luck!" she called back over her shoulder.
One by one the others all headed off to either finish up their own chores or to help Dale and T-Dog get the cart and containers and gather up some water from well number two.
As the others all left him, Glenn could only stand in place for a moment as he thought about what awaited him later today...
... he had never rode a horse in his whole fucking life.
Back inside the house, a red-eyed Aelita was simply laying in her bed and looking out the bedroom window, taking in the sight of the wind blowing against the tree branches and the stalks of corn in a distant field. It was a peaceful scene in contrast to how she felt inside...
Aelita felt tired... She felt so tired both from her continuing recovery after the surgery, and all the crying she had done for Otis.
Otis... the man who had shot her in the forest... the man who gave his life to ensure she could continue hers...
She never even got to meet him... To forgive him for almost ending her life in the forest. She never harbored any hate or anger toward the man at all, and now that he was dead, she could only hope that he somehow understood that before he lost his life...
The pinkette closed her eyes again. She felt guilty. Otis died and Patricia was made a widow all because she just couldn't resist going toward that buck in the forest...
She had never felt so foolish in her entire-
"You doin' okay, Princess?"
Aelita opened her eyes and turned her head to see that Odd, Ulrich, Yumi, Dylan and Chase had all walked in to check on her. The five of them all looked a little concerned...
"Hey..." Aelita greeted the the teens as they approached her bedside.
"Did you get any sleep today?" Chase wondered as he sat right on the edge of the bed.
"I slept for a couple of hours after Jeremie told me... told me about..."
Aelita trailed off as her voice grew slightly trembly from emotion. She tried to continue. "T- Told me about... about how O- Otis..."
The feeling of guilt from what happened still hadn't receded yet, and it wouldn't for a long time to come. The others hoped she would overcome it, but right now, Aelita was certain that the guilt and shame was going to remain within her for years... if not for the rest of her life.
Ulrich and the others all nodded in understanding as he took the chair on the left side of the bed.
"You don't need to say it, Princess..." Ulrich assured the pinkette, knowing how much difficulty it must've been for her to speak of what happened...
Aelita silently thanked him for saying that. She still hadn't fully come to terms with what had happened to Otis...
The pinkette scanned the room for a moment, finding only her brothers and three of her friends. There was another person she had hoped to see...
"Where's Jeremie?" Aelita wondered.
"He went to help Rick and Hershel check the perimeter of the farm." Odd explained to her. "He wants to help repay the favor to Hershel for your surgery, and he felt that this was a good way to start at it. He'll probably be busy for a lot of today..."
With a nod, Aelita accepted that. As much as she wished to see Jeremie right now, she knew that it was even more important for him and everyone else to stay on Hershel's good side. If they can help out the man and his family from time to time as a repayment for saving her life, then that's what they should do. She herself intended to do so once she was back up on her feet.
"You look really troubled..." Dylan pointed out the obvious.
"I've just been thinking about everything..." Aelita said, then she sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "... a person died all because I couldn't be cautious."
"That's not what happened and you know it, sis..." Chase stated insistently. "It was just an accident and there's no one to blame for it..."
Aelita simply looked away toward the window again, not answering to that. Chase's face and the faces of the others all fell.
As the pinkette looked outside, she suddenly saw something out in the distance which she hadn't noticed before. It looked like a small stone pile under a tree... but there was something about it which made it seem purposeful and important.
"What's that pile of rocks out there?" Aelita asked as she pointed at the pile of stones out there. As she was cooped up inside the farmhouse since the day of her shooting, she had no idea what the pile was or who it was meant for.
"It's, uh..." Yumi trailed off for a moment, wondering if she should dare tell Aelita what the pile was.
In the end, Yumi decided Aelita deserved the truth, even if it would hurt to know. It would be wrong to just avoid the question. "... it's the memorial we all made for Otis, Aelita." Yumi truthfully explained. "Shane wasn't able to bring him back for a burial, so we did the next best thing for him."
The pink-haired teen stared at the stone pile for a long moment in silence... Aelita could only feel a deep sadness in her heart at the knowledge of what those rocks were for. It wasn't just a memorial to a good man, it was a monument to the greatest mistake of her life...
Then, suddenly, she felt a determination to do something.
"Guys..." Aelita spoke as she turned to look back at her brothers and friends. "I know that Hershel probably wouldn't like this, but... can you help me get to that stone pile?"
The others all were taken by surprise. Of all the things they expected Aelita to say or ask for, it wasn't this... at least not for a long while.
"You wanna go out to the memorial?" Odd blinked.
Aelita nodded without reservation. "I'd like to go and pay my respects like all of you guys did..." she explained. "I owe Otis the courtesy of that at the least..."
"I dunno, Princess..." Dylan visibly cringed at the idea.
The idea was something which Dylan understood why Aelita wanted, but he also knew his step-sister was still healing from her gunshot wound. If they moved her too much, then it would be only a matter of time before Hershel would have to open her up again. And he doubted she'd have luck on her side this time around...
Ulrich spoke next. "You're still supposed to be in bed, Aelita." he stated. "Hershel was very, very clear that you weren't supposed to move too much for the next-"
The pinkette stopped her friend in mid-sentence. The others suddenly realized that now... now she looked desperate rather than saddened or determined.
"Please, guys..." Aelita almost sounded like she was... begging? "I need to go out there and see it for myself... I'll drag myself out of this bed if that's what it'll take..."
All of the others glanced at each other as they thought of what to do. They knew the risks of moving Aelita in such an important part of her healing process...
But at the end of the day, she was their friend - or sister in the case of Dylan and Chase. Hershel might give them hell about it, but the choice was clear...
As Yumi and Odd left the room to try and find something with wheels attached to it, Aelita found that Ulrich, Dylan, and Chase were all smiling down at her. The sight instantly brought a smile to her own face, and it warmed her heart.
"There's no need for dragging yourself, Princess..." Dylan assured her, "We'll get you there..."
"Give up our guns?"
Andrea couldn't believe what Hershel had told them. To stay, the group had to give up all their guns and keep them under lock and key inside the two RVs?
What the hell was wrong with that old man? How could anyone see what was happening out there and think that guns were a problem?!
"You heard Rick. We're guests here." Shane reasoned as he went to sit at a table with some guns and partially-disassembled guns. He intended to at least strip and clean all of them before they'd have to be put up in the RVs.
"Gotta play by our hosts' rules, its only fair." Chris nodded as he set his twin Berettas down on the table.
"Exactly." Chelsea agreed with her boyfriend as she set her own pistol on the table next to his.
"And you're all okay with it?" Andrea's frustration and disbelief was clear in her words.
"I don't recall being asked." Shane retorted, then gestured down to the table. "Now lay down your weapon." he insisted.
Andrea rolled her eyes. "You may like rolling over, but I don't." she told him. They should be resisting this stupid rule of Hershel's, not playing along with his delusions. Why should they let him do this if it could risk lives?!
Shane and Chris were starting to get annoyed. They didn't like this any more than Andrea did, but she needed to suck it up like they already did.
"Stop, Andrea... Hershel isn't our enemy." Chris chastised.
"He isn't trying very hard not to be." Andrea retorted back at him.
"Look, I have to strip and clean these guns anyway." Shane stated to change the subject. Then, he offered: "You still want to learn?"
Burying her annoyance and frustration for the moment, Andrea sighed and went to the table with her father's old pistol. She still thought it was bullshit she had to part with the gun, but she still needed to learn how to do this sort of thing too.
Shane glanced around and noticed Anne walking by with Jennifer and Patrick. The deputy gave a whistle to get the attention of both of them.
"Hey!" he called out to them, "You kids wanna learn about this too, or y'all being dumb with your guns on purpose?"
"Excuse me?" Anne deadpanned, feeling more than a little insulted by his words.
"Just get your butts over here and I'll show you how to do this!"
Anne, Patrick, and Jennifer exchanged annoyed glances, but in the end they went to collect three pistols from the RV and then they went back to Shane and Andrea and sat with them at that table. Jennifer already knew how to clean her revolver, but a refresher on how to clean a normal pistol wouldn't hurt. Anne and Patrick still needed to learn everything they could.
Once the teens and Andrea were ready, Shane nodded at them as he sat down.
"All right..." Shane told the woman and the teens. "now all y'all unload your weapons."
"Aye, aye, sir!" Jennifer sarcastically told the deputy while doing as she was told.
"... don't be a smart ass, Mason."
Jennifer rolled her eyes at Shane's response, but she didn't say anything more. Anne, Patrick, and Andrea began unloading their own pistols while trying not to smile.
As she readied to unload her pistol, Andrea accidentally pointed the barrel of it right toward Shane, causing him to reach out and grab the pistol before she could cause an accidental discharge. "Hey, hey..." he said with a warnful tone. He was here to teach, not to get shot in the face by a careless action.
Andrea froze and gave an apologetic look toward Shane. The man simply nodded at her in acceptance of the silent apology before releasing his hold on her pistol.
"Check the chamber. Pull it back." Shane then instructed. Andrea did so, finding no bullets were in the gun anymore. Jennifer, Patrick, and Anne did the same with their guns.
Once all three of the girls and Patrick all got their pistols unloaded, Shane continued with his 'lesson'.
"Push those levers out - there, there, there, and there." Shane instructed as he pointed to the slide stops on all four pistols. "All of 'em should slide right off." he added.
The four all followed Shane's instructions. As he said they would, the slides on all four pistols slid right off without any difficulty.
Shane grinned with genuine pride toward them all. "You're all halfway there."
Anne, Andrea, Jennifer, and Patrick all smiled back at Shane before he continued his instructions...
Close by, Glenn was standing near Dale's RV with a pair of binoculars, taking a look at the farmland through them. Though he didn't stick to admiring the scenery for long...
Through the binoculars, Glenn could spot Maggie riding her way up the dirt road leading to the farmhouse from the stables. Next to her was another horse, a riderless one, but which was following close to Maggie since she was holding its reins.
Glenn could only smirk to himself as he watched the gorgeous woman approaching from the distance...
"Hello farmer's daughter..." he muttered to himself.
"Yeah..." said a voice from right next to him, "she can 'plow my field' whenever she wants..."
Glenn jumped in surprise, then he turned to see Miranda was standing next to him now. He didn't even hear her approach him...
"Do you mind?" Glenn deadpanned at the annoying teen.
"No, I definitely do not mind..." Miranda answered while mentally drooling as she watched Maggie riding toward her and Glenn. She didn't look away from the farm girl as she added to Glenn: "Like seriously - if you get a chance to get all up in that woman, take it. Then give me all the details you can..."
If Glenn wasn't somehow annoyed before, he sure was now.
"... go away." was all he could say in response.
Miranda shrugged at the dismissal, then she turned and began making her way back to her tent in the group's camp.
"Can't blame a girl for looking." she called back to Glenn over her shoulder.
Glenn rolled his eyes and didn't answer. That girl definitely had a couple screws loose somewhere in her head...
As Miranda headed off, Glenn brought his binoculars back up to look at Maggie again. Then another person suddenly popped into view, though this time it was someone who he felt a lot less annoyed at seeing.
"Hi," Lori greeted him as he lowered his binoculars. She blinked when she noticed the lingering annoyance still on his face. "Something wrong?" Lori wondered.
Glenn shook his head apologetically. "Just Miranda being... Miranda... that's all." he explained as he set the binoculars on a table.
Lori didn't need any further explanation. She herself has already come to know how Miranda could be much of the time... Anyway, that wasn't why she was here.
Glenn stared at the mother and wife in silence as she held out a small slip of paper for him. He took it and started to read through it, finding it was the list of supplies which the camp wanted him to find while he and Maggie were out in town.
"Here's your list." Lori smiled at him, but a moment later it was gone.
She then handed him a second slip of paper. "And, um, there's one other item..." Lori told him, "I wrote it down separately."
Sensing Glenn's confusion, Lori quickly added - "It's personal... If we could be real discreet about that, okay?"
Lori was clearly desperate to get whatever it was she wrote down on the second slip of paper. And Glenn could tell that whatever it was, it was something she was even more desperate to not let Rick know she was needing it...
Glenn was still a little confused by the item Lori wanted him to get, but he didn't ask about why she didn't want anyone to know she wanted it... He believed that she had a right to privacy just as much as anyone else here did. Simple as that.
"Sure." was what Glenn said. No questions, no inquiries - just the task at hand and the desire to help a good friend.
Lori smiled softly at him in gratitude. "Thank you." She was relieved that Glenn was so willing to help, and, more importantly, not ask any questions.
The mother and wife turned to walk away since she had some stuff she needed to do around the camp, but Glenn suddenly came forward and stopped her before she could leave. Lori turned and blinked at him in confusion.
"Uh, what is it?" Glenn wondered as he gestured to the item written on the separate slip of paper.
"Kind of missing the point of the whole 'discreet' thing, Glenn." Lori deadpanned, though if she was annoyed by the question she didn't really show it.
"Oh! Right, uh..." Glenn trailed off as he mentally-berated himself for misspeaking. "I just need to know where to find it." he corrected himself.
Lori nodded, understanding the error. "Try the feminine hygiene section." she informed. He'll understand once he found the item...
Go to the pharmacy with Maggie. Grab whatever useful stuff he saw. Check the feminine hygiene section for Lori's 'other' thing. Come back to the farm... Seemed easy enough to Glenn. So long as they didn't come across any walkers then it should be a piece of cake.
"Enough said... Consider it done." Glenn nodded as he slid the two slips of paper into his pocket.
With gratitude, Lori flashed another smile at Glenn before she turned and resumed her walk. He didn't notice that sudden expression of sickly guilt on her face now...
... if that item she wanted told her what she already suspected, then she knew what she needed to do. She could only hope and pray that Rick would never know ...
... or worse - Shane.
After loading up the empty plastic containers on the cart, T-Dog and Charles headed out to the cattle well, which they dubbed as: "well number two." Dale, Alexandr, Kyra, Kenny, and Lee all followed close behind since they wanted to help lug the water back to camp, and each of them carried canteens or empty water bottles to fill up for themselves. With the amount of people at the camp they were definitely going to have to make more than one trip for water.
Once the group arrived, Charles set one of the containers down at the pump. T-Dog, who was arguably the strongest of the people that were currently at the well, set to work on pumping up some water while the others waited to gather their own shares of water. All were thirsty and anxious to drink...
To pass the time T-Dog and the others all started to chat about things such as their new living situation and the improving condition of Aelita, but they also talked about some other less-serious things such as what foods they like to eat (and probably never would get to eat again) or what TV shows they used to watch before the world ended.
Wiping some sweat from his brow after filling water up in a large bucket, T-Dog grinned and felt a sense of accomplishment as he saw the clear liquid swish back and forth within the metal container. All that work made him very thirsty...
As T-Dog noticed a ladle sitting on top of one of the containers, the others simply continued their conversations.
"-and all I'm saying is that 'Miraculous Ladybug' is the best cartoon ever made, bar none." Kyra finished a near-rant as a defense of one of her favorite TV shows ever.
Kyra was such a huge fan of the show that she owned a pair of Marinette's ladybug earrings - her Miraculous - for herself, but right now they were back in her tent. They were one of the few things she managed to save when Atlanta fell. She owned a lot more merch from the show but sadly they were all either back in her Kadic dorm or back at her family's home in Yellowknife, so they were as good as gone now.
"The hell is a 'miracle ladybug'?" Lee inquired, earning a look of excited fangirling from Kyra and a slightly-irritated one from Charles.
"Oh no, here we go..." Charlie muttered under his breath, already bracing himself for what was coming.
Lee was about to ask why Charles said that... but Kyra herself made it clear.
"Miraculous Ladybug is about these two teens, Marinette and Adrian, who live in Paris! Just like me!" Kyra beamed as she explained the show. "They both have these special magical tools called the 'Miraculous' and they use them to transform into their superhero personas - Ladybug and Chat Noir!"
"Huh?"
Kyra continued on her fan-rant, as by now she had gotten so caught up in it that she completely missed how confused Lee was getting. "Even more interesting than any of the superhero stuff is that Marinette and Adrian love each other, but they don't even know it!" she grinned.
"Kyra, what? I don't understand-"
"Adrian fell in love with Ladybug during their crime-fighting adventures, but he doesn't love Marinette! And Marinette also fell in love with Adrien, but she has no clue that he's secretly Chat Noir!"
"I'm really confused, I don't know what a-"
"And neither of them know this, but their main enemy is Adrien's own father - Gabriel Agreste!"
"... who?"
"Gabriel uses the Butterfly Miraculous to create 'akumas' - butterflies infused with negative energy to 'akumatize' all of Paris' everyday citizens when they experience negative emotions, turning them into supervillains."
"Aku-a-whats?"
"His goal is to steal Ladybug's and Cat Noir's Miraculous because he wants to use them to wish his wife, Emilie, back to life, because a while before she had fallen into a coma by using the damaged Peacock Miraculous, and-"
"Jesus, kid, enough!" Kenny deadpanned, having grown so annoyed that he couldn't hold back any longer. God, she had a bigger mouth than his son did!
Kenny earned more than a couple of annoyed glares, none more so than from Charles and Alex. Kenny's words worked though, as Kyra immediately ceased her ranting about her favorite cartoon.
"... sorry." Kyra muttered in response.
Lee patted the teen on the shoulder, shooting a glare toward Kenny. "You can tell me more about it later, Kyra..." Lee assured, causing the teen to immediately perk back up.
As the group continued to chat with Lee expressing his belief that 'M*A*S*H' was literally the best show ever made by anyone anywhere, a curious Dale decided to check out the interior of the well since he thought he heard a noise come from in there. It was brief, but it sounded sort of like something hitting stone?
Nearby, T-Dog wet his lips as he glanced at the water in his bucket again, so he took the ladle and dunk it in. As he did so, Kyra noticed Dale's look of sudden horror.
"Dale?" Kyra asked with a tone of concern in his voice.
None of the others had seen it. They had moved on to another discussion - that of what kind of work they might expect to do in the future here on the farm.
"-everyone kicks in, does their part..." T-Dog insisted in response to something Kenny had mentioned. "Am I right?"
"Yeah, unless Hershel decides to be an asshole..." Kenny shrugged in response.
Dale turned to speak, but he noticed T-Dog was about to drink some of the well water from a ladle... and was thereby risking his life.
"Do your part, don't complain." T-Dog reasoned as he raised his ladle. "That's what I always-"
Before anyone could react, Dale hurried to T-Dog and pushed the ladle out of his hand, spilling all the water onto the dirt below. Then, he kicked over the partially-filled water bucket so he couldn't drink any of the dangerous liquid within it...
T-Dog and all of the others were shocked by what Dale had just done. In contrast, Dale seemed like a thousand pounds had been lifted from his shoulders...
"Dale?!" Lee gawked from what he had witnessed.
"Che za khuynya?! (What the fuck?!)" a totally-confused Alexandr exclaimed in his native language.
Dale noticed how surprised the group was at him for what he did to the ladle and the bucket, but he had a damn good reason for doing so. A damn, damn, damn good reason...
Without saying a word, Dale just pointed over at the well. This made Lee frown with suspicion but he went to check it out...
When Lee leaned over to glance down into the well itself, he froze for a moment, and then he gagged and pulled away while covering his mouth with his sleeve.
As Lee tried not to lose his lunch, Dale sighed and looked over at the confused group, crossing his arms as he pointed back at the well.
The old man then said: "I wouldn't drink that if I were you..."
Maggie had an expression of concern as she followed Dale, Lee, Kenny, T-Dog and the teens back towards well number two. She had been told about what Dale had seen and Glenn, Lori, Miranda, Shane, Misty, and Andrea walked with her to investigate the well a bit more.
From what Dale had told her, this was a pretty serious situation that needed to be fixed immediately. Her and Glenn's ride into town could wait...
As the group approached the well once more, Maggie noticed the same sounds that Dale had first heard earlier. Her heart racing a little from worry, Maggie cautiously looked over the rim of the well and into the hole of the wood covering. Maggie's eyes widened with surprise when she saw what was inside the well.
Inside the well was a walker. But not just any walker: a bloated walker... A bloated walker who was up to its shoulders in water and who's skin was extremely wrinkled from at least several days of being trapped in the well, perhaps even a week or two.
The disgusting, rotting, fermenting smell that radiated from inside the well was so intense that it caused Charles to gag hard. The Australian rushed away with Kyra hurrying after him with concern, and everyone could see that Charles was clearly close to vomiting because of the walker's odor.
The others continued glancing in the well with disgust. "Looks like we got ourselves a swimmer..." Dale stated, grimacing a bit.
"How did it get in there?" Shane questioned the others. He was totally stumped.
"Probably just fell in there on its own... who knows when, though." Lee guessed at how the walker got in there, albeit with his stomach again churning a little just from the mere sight of the walker. It disgusted him to think this creature was in the well for potentially a long time...
Miranda picked up a pebble from the ground and she walked over to the side of the well, taking a good look at the walker within. Carefully aiming her pebble, Miranda focused on the walker's head and after a few moments she threw the pebble down the well...
The teen couldn't help but smirk and raise an arm in victory when she saw the pebble hit the walker right in the face. In reaction, the creature growled and reached up toward the faces looking down at it. It was hungry, but the way it reached up showed everyone that Miranda seriously pissed it off.
Andrea turned to look at the teen with a bit of an annoyed glare.
"...Really?" Andrea deadpanned at the pebble throwing.
Miranda shrugged. "What? I get bored sometimes and the internet doesn't exist anymore." she defended her actions. "Sue me or leave me alone."
Andrea sucked her teeth and felt a bit angered at Miranda's smart-ass comment, but she managed to not let it get to her that much. In any event the group continued to stare down at the bloated walker standing deep down in that well. This was definitely a problem, especially since the walker was trapped in one of their water sources.
"How long do you think it's been down there?" Glenn asked the others.
"Long enough to grow gills..." Andrea sarcastically replied as she heard the walker's growls.
Lori stepped away from the well with a stressed-out look on her face. The water in that well could be tainted by now... "We can't leave it in there. God knows what it's doing to the water..." she stated.
"Aw, fuck..." Kenny muttered under his breath. He knew it would be as dangerous and difficult as it sounded.
"We definitely have to get it out of there, but how?" Lee asked the others. "Anyone got any ideas on how to do that?"
"Maybe we can just blow its brains out and drag the carcass out?" Charles offered up a suggestion on how to pacify the walker. Then, he added, "I can hurry over to the RV and get my pistol from inside. Would take only five minutes tops."
Maggie's eyes widened when she heard the teen's suggestion. The idea of blowing the creature's brains out or killing it in any other kind of way was simply mortifying to her...
"Woah, woah... guys... no." Maggie aired her displeasure at any suggestion of killing the walker in the well.
"Why not? It's a really good plan..." Misty stated, not picking up on Maggie's unwillingness to pacify any of the undead.
"It's a stupid plan." Andrea retorted to the teenager without trying to hide her condescending tone.
Misty's eyes widened at Andrea's rudeness, but her surprise quickly turned into a feeling of anger as she glared at the blonde woman. Andrea noted Misty's anger but she didn't pay it too much attention.
Alexandr shrugged as he studied the walker a little bit more, trying to figure out some good way to get it out of the well. So far, nothing was coming to mind...
Andrea's comment made sense, though. The insides of a walker and a well full of (hopefully still drinkable) water don't mix well.
"I hate to say this, but I agree with Andrea." Alexandr commented to the others while ignoring Andrea's ire at his choice of words. "If that walker in there hasn't contaminated the water yet, then blowing its head off will surely finish the job..." he stated.
"Right. We can't be risking that, not with clean water..." T-Dog agreed with the Russian teen.
"So just to be clear, it's definitely coming out alive?" Lori inquired to the group.
Shane shrugged at Lori's question. "Well... so to speak." he said, knowing that technically you can't call any of the walkers 'alive' since... well, it was pretty obvious why.
"Okay, so how exactly do we get the walker out of there? We gonna 'ask it nicely'?" Lee quipped as he looked at the walker in the well again.
The group all glanced at each other as if to hear any ideas that could be offered. However, the group remained dead silent. None of them could think of anything helpful. Wasn't easy to think of a solution to a problem like this.
Luckily, Miranda came up with something which she told them was, and to quote her herself: "smart as fucking fuck." But before anyone could question her about her new plan, Miranda had already taken off towards Dale's RV as if she was going to get something...
Naturally, the group was a bit confused, and they all exchanged glances at each other as if to wonder what Miranda was up to.
What on earth was she planning?
About fifteen later, the group had gotten their answer.
Now, Miranda was holding a long stick over the top of the well while she and all of the others looked down inside. Attached to the stick was a long piece of string, and tied to the end of it was a canned ham that Miranda had found somewhere inside Dale's RV. In her mind, it was reasonable to think that since the walkers only ate flesh that this one would take the ham as some kind of bait.
Alas, however, the walker just growled a bit and it looked like it didn't even notice the ham. Miranda even shimmied the stick a little so that the canned ham would tap the walker right on the nose, but despite doing that a few times it didn't get its attention at all.
The group was pretty disappointed, but none more so than Miranda.
"He isn't going for it..." Miranda stated to the others as she wiggled the ham one last time. "C'mon... c'mon already, 'Jabba', you know that you're hungry for meat..."
Miranda shimmied the stick so the ham would tap against the walker on the face one last time. Again, all it did was make the walker seemingly more angry.
The girl was growing a little frustrated. "C'mon, just eat the fucking thing. Pretend its a helpless baby or something - that's probably your favorite treat anyway..." Miranda muttered through gritted teeth.
Now Miranda was beginning to lose her temper. In anger, she finally exclaimed: "Just eat the fucking ham you fucking fat fucking piece of fucking-!"
"This isn't working." Misty pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.
"Miri, just pull the ham back up. He ain't going for it." Kyra further stated with a sigh. Another idea down the drain...
Resigning herself to failure as well as feeling her temper gradually decline, Miranda grumbled to herself as she pulled the ham back out from the well. It was still edible, might as well keep the thing. Though it'll probably need to be washed off just to be safe...
"Well it's a canned ham, not human flesh." Charles stated logically. "A canned ham doesn't kick or scream or fight back like a human would when you try to eat it."
"He's right. There's a reason that the dead didn't come back to life and start raiding our cupboards..." Lori added as she and the others watched Miranda pull the ham out of the well.
Miranda sighed with annoyance at her failed plan. She tossed her stick to the ground and then tossed the newly-freed ham over to Alexandr, who was standing just a few steps away from her. She was angry and she didn't want to deal with 'ham duty' anymore.
The Russian teen wasn't entirely sure what to do with the ham when he caught it, so he resorted to cradling it as if he was holding a pet cat or an infant or something of that sort. Although that in itself was a bit strange, the others didn't question it since they were too focused on the walker problem in front of them.
"Well, what the hell do we do now?" Kenny wondered aloud.
"We're gonna need live bait..." Kyra reluctantly stated. Using live bait on the walker was extremely dangerous... but frankly she didn't see any other options left.
"Yeah, but who'd volunteer for that?" Glenn inquired, crossing his arms as he tried to think of any other alternatives.
"..... we could just send down Larry and see what happens." Alexandr offered up a suggestion. Maybe he was even serious about it.
"Fuck you, you fuckin' Ruskie!" even from as far away as he was, they could tell Larry's voice held some strong venom to it.
Miranda turned toward wherever Larry was and she held up two middle fingers for him to see. She noticed Lilly from afar and that she was glaring at her for doing this to her father... but Miranda didn't give a shit.
"Fuck off, Larry!" Miranda called back to the old man. By this point she said this so much that she wanted to adopt it as her own personal catch-phrase.
"Well said, kid!" Kenny laughed in agreement. Damn, he was liking that girl more and more!
If Larry was pissed to hear this (and he definitely was), Miranda didn't notice. She had already turned her attention back to the creature stuck in the well. She was tempted to joke about how it and Larry could've passed as twins, but decided against it... for now.
The others all agreed that live bait would need to be used to get the walker out of there, but what kind was still up for debate and everyone sans Maggie had their own ideas to offer up to the table. It didn't take long to realize not many of them would work though.
The only animals around this farm were the cattle, chickens, a couple of pigs and some horses, and the farm needed all of them alive instead of in a walker's rotting stomach. Likewise it would simply take too long and too much effort to catch anything in the forest and take it back to the well. Blaze obviously wasn't offered up as a suggestion, as no one was willing to kill an innocent puppy even for something like this.
... however, the group did start to realize that there was one guy who'd probably be able to be the bait they needed ...
Glenn was still thinking very deeply when he suddenly noticed that Kyra was eyeing him. But then he saw Alexandr was as well. Then Charles. Then Lori. Then Andrea, T-Dog, Dale... the entire group was staring at him.
Of course this was a bit unnerving to the poor pizza delivery boy, so he just stared back at them for a bit.
After a few silent moments, the confused former pizza boy could only say one word:
"........what?"
Glenn was sitting at the edge of the well about ten or fifteen minutes later as Lee tied up a piece of rope around his waist.
The rope which was tied around Glenn was itself wrapped around a metal rod situated right at the top of the well. Further out, the rope was attached to the water pump for anchorage. It was part of a plan which was as dangerous as it was stupid...
Understandably, Glenn was almost a nervous wreck about what was about to happen. But he was trying to put on a brave face so he wouldn't make himself look like a fool in front of the farmer's daughter, Maggie Greene.
Death was one thing. But getting embarrassed in front of a girl you like? The chick you fantasize about "getting to know" over and over again? That's a whole different level of embarrassment and he'd gladly risk death to avoid it...
"Have I mentioned that I really like your shirt?" Glenn awkwardly said to Lee with a bit of a nervous demeanor as he tried to not look too scared. "That's a really, really nice shirt..."
"Uh, thanks..." Lee couldn't think of what else to say in response to that. After another moment, he finished tying up the rope.
Nearby, Charles had just finished tying another line of rope to the water pump. This second rope had a noose tied up at the end. The plan was that Glenn was going to figure out a way to wrap the damn thing around the walker's neck... an act which was far easier said than done in a situation like this.
"Don't worry about anything, Glenn. We'll get you out of there in one piece..." Charles assured the former pizza delivery boy.
"Living piece." Glenn corrected him, still trying not to show that he was scared shitless. "The living part is important."
Charles nodded as he handed the noose and a flashlight over to Glenn. He didn't want to say this out loud for the sake of Glenn's nerves, but he really did not envy this guy...
Once Glenn signaled that he was ready to get this over with, several of the others went to get a tight grip on the rope tied to him. Despite his own thoughts, Glenn couldn't resist taking a quick peek into the well to see what was awaiting him...
The walker trapped in the well glanced upwards at the sudden appearance of fresh meat. It snarled and reached up toward Glenn, but like all the times before, it didn't have any hope of reaching him. But once he was down there it would be a much different situation...
"Nice and slow please..." Glenn told the others as a bead of nervous sweat went down the front of his face.
"Will do, man." Misty told him with a nod.
Everyone was feeling nervous about this whole thing, but none worse than Glenn. However, Maggie was looking surprisingly worried for someone who she would've considered to be a stranger to her...
"Oh, you people are crazy..." Maggie spoke to the others with a tone of apprehension. In all her life she's never seen anything as insane as this...
"Do you wanna get it out of your well or not?" Shane challenged since he knew there was no other way.
"Just give us an eye there, Maggie..." Dale instructed the farmgirl.
With reluctance, Maggie went over to the side of the well so she could serve as a spotter for the group as they would lower Glenn inside. She'll never understand how Glenn could he have willingly let himself get roped into something like this...
Glenn took a quick glance over his shoulder, looking over to Maggie nearby. He saw her flash him a soft smile, one which she silently hoped would reassure him and help him feel a lot less worried than she did right now.
Now he was motivated. In his head, he told himself that: "Operation: Don't Look Like an Idiot in Front of the Hot Farm Chick" was a go.
A few seconds later Glenn signaled that he was as ready as he was ever going to be, so the group slowly and very cautiously began to lower him down into the well. The smell inside was beyond repugnant even after he was lowered only inches down, but one down thing was that the rope was holding his weight pretty nicely. So far so good...
Inch by inch, centimeter by centimeter, Glenn was lowered further and further down into the well. The disgusting walker soon noticed him and he was already reaching up to try and grab at him, but luckily Glenn was still far beyond his range. He just had to figure out how to get the noose around its neck while staying away from its face and hands...
As Glenn was lowered, he took the opportunity to study the walker and the stones which surrounded him. It felt very cramped in here...
"Doing okay?" Maggie called down into the well while the others kept a firm hold on the rope.
"Yup, doing great!" Glenn called back out as he got closer to the walker. Then, he muttered: "living the dream..." under his breath.
Glenn readied the noose as he inched closer and closer to the walker, grimacing more than a little bit as the walker snarled up at him and another whiff of its foul stench hit his nostrils. Although this was dangerous and disgusting, it seemed that everything was going to plan...
Who knows? Maybe Glenn would impress Maggie after all...
When Glenn was just inches outside of the reach of the walker, the water pump broke from its hinges without any warning. Everyone that was holding the rope immediately fell to the ground due to their loss of momentum. Everyone but Kyra, that is.
Somehow, the red-headed Canadian girl managed to keep her tight hold on the rope secure, and she also managed to keep her feet planted firmly on the ground. But she wasn't going to be able to hold Glenn for long... A few more seconds at best.
Someone, anyone had to get over there and help her before she'd let go!
"I CAN'T HOLD THIS FUCKING THING FOREVER!!!" Kyra screamed at the top of her lungs to anyone who could help her.
As the others hurriedly scrambled back to their feet, Kyra started to lose her grip. The rope was leaving some agonizingly painful rope burns on both of her palms, but since Glenn's life was at risk, she made herself push through the pain until she finally felt Lee, Maggie and Miranda reach out and get a good grip on the rope.
Once they got the rope, Kyra let go so they could all take over. The teen howled in agony as she stumbled out of the way, then she fell to her knees with trembling hands.
As Charles hurried over to Kyra's side, the three rope pullers were joined by T-Dog, Kenny, Lori, Shane, Misty, Dale, Alexandr and Andrea. Eight much-needed reinforcements.
All ten of them together pulled as hard as they could to free their friend, but the walker had already gotten a hold of Glenn's feet and was trying to pull him back deeper into the well. A simple task had now turned into a fight for life.
"GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!" a panicking Glenn pleaded to the rope pullers as he kicked at the walker. "GET ME OUT!!! I NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!!!"
"Hang on, Glenn!" Lee shouted back as he and the others pulled as hard as they could.
The group pulled and pulled and pulled on the rope as hard as they could, trying their hardest to get Glenn out of the well. Was he already bitten by the walker?! Scratched?! Maggie looked scared shitless at the thought... and quite frankly so did everyone else.
Miraculously, they managed to pull Glenn the rest of the way up and they helped him out of the well. The first thing Glenn did once he was back on the surface was to simply collapsed down onto it with sweet relief. He had never felt so happy to lay in dirt before...
"Are you okay?! Were you bitten?!" Miranda asked with concern while Maggie hurried over to check Glenn's arms and legs to see if he was infected.
Glenn brushed aside Maggie's hands and simply gave an exhausted thumbs-up to show he was fine. The others were all very relieved that Glenn hadn't been infected by the well walker... but now what? Glenn just barely survived getting out of that well, so sending another person in was definitely not an option.
This walker was beginning to be a pain in the ass...
"Well, back to the drawing board..." Dale sighed, shaking his head with a feeling of defeat at Glenn's failed attempt with the rope. He had no clue what they could try next...
The group suddenly heard Glenn start to chuckle to himself. They all looked at Glenn to see that he had stood up and was brushing the dirt and the grime off of himself.
To the shock of everyone, they saw Glenn hold up the end of the noose-ended rope in one of his hands. The group knew exactly what this meant...
"Says you..." Glenn couldn't help but smirk to Dale with some self-pride.
Feeling extraordinarily tired, Glenn handed the rope over to Dale before he walked over to sit down next to Kyra, whose hands were still burning like hell because of the rope. Moments later, Charles had helped Kyra up to her feet and he gently started to lead her back to the farmhouse to get her hands looked at...
Dale incredulously stared at the rope for a second before he tugged on it, finding that the line was firm. Dale then pulled on it a little more and walked to the edge of the well as he pulled. He chuckled with both delight and relief when he saw that the well walker really did have the rope firmly tied around its neck...
The plan had worked. Now they just needed to catch their breath and then get this thing out of here once and for all...
After getting her hands cleaned and bandaged up by Beth at the farmhouse, Kyra was walking with Charles back toward the well.
Although Charlie told Kyra that she should stay at the camp while he went back to help the others, Kyra insisted on coming with. She couldn't do anything more since her ropeburned hands needed to heal, but she was intent on seeing that walker be brought out. She didn't get hurt just to miss out on that.
"You sure you're gonna be okay?" a concerned Charles asked for the third time already, "When Hershel gets back with Rick and Jeremie, I can ask him to take a look at your hands if you need me to..."
"No, no, I'll be fine..." Kyra replied, kindly dismissing Charles' offer.
Charles still appeared pretty worried about his best friend, bringing a smile to Kyra's face. God, Charlie had no idea just how sweet he could be sometimes...
The Aussie teen began to speak again. "But-"
"I'll be fine, Charlie." Kyra interrupted him, gently pressing herself against his shoulder in lieu of taking his hands into hers. "Its nice of you, but you don't have to worry about me. I promise I'm more tough than I look." she assured him with her classic Kyra-brand smile.
Although he couldn't truly rid himself of all his worry for Kyra, Charles did the best he could. He met her smile with one of his own.
Before she realized what she was doing, Kyra leaned forward to give Charles a thankful kiss on the cheek, causing his eyes to widen with shock. Kyra's eyes likewise widened after she realized what she did, and within moments the two teens pulled apart.
Both of them felt so shy that they couldn't even glance at one another.
"W- We, uh..." Charles muttered as he tried to focus, "we should probably keep walking, huh...?"
"R- Right, Charlie..." Kyra likewise muttered with a nod. Best to get past this moment as quick as possible before she dies of self-inflicted embarrassment.
Without another word, Charlie and Kyra continued their walk. It didn't take them long to reach the well, finding that the others had already recovered and were about ready to start pulling that walker from the well.
"About time you both got back!" Shane told them with annoyance as they returned.
"You've got more than enough people here to help you." Charles retorted with a shrug. He didn't care how serious a problem was - Kyra always came first.
Shane rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he said, "just ignore your girlfriend for a sec so we can get this damn thing outta the well, okay?"
"GIRLFRIEND?!" both Kyra and Charles exclaimed at once.
"Just callin' it like I see it, that's all." Shane shrugged in a way which made it seem like his observation was shared by all around them.
... how Shane said that was something which neither Kyra or Charles really appreciated.
"We're not boyfriend and girlfriend!" Charles blushed as he blushed in a color that rivaled Aelita's hair. Kyra's face was no better.
"Oh please," Miranda rolled her eyes, a sly grin on her face. "You two are so obviously into each other that I've already decided on what I'd wear to your wedding." she winked. "Like seriously, even Jeremie and Aelita weren't as obvious about their mutual crushes as you two are."
Charlie's eye twitched. "I beg your bloody pardon?!"
"What?" Miranda teased, "I didn't even get to saying some of the baby names I already came up with for you guys! Free of charge, I might add!"
Both Kyra and Charles were about to say something (or, more accurately - leap forward and strangle) Miranda, but Dale got everyone's attention with a whistle.
"Not to break up the 'fun', but can we all please get back on topic here?" Dale deadpanned as he pointed to the well. As Dale spoke, his point was illustrated by the sounds of the walker's growling from inside.
With annoyed sighs, the embarrassed Kyra and Charles nodded at this and the Aussie trudged forth to get ready to help pull with the others. Kyra stayed where she was due to her injured hands. She was anxious to get this well back to working order...
Soon most of the others had grabbed onto the rope alongside Charles. Then on Misty's count of one, two, three, the rope pullers started using all of their strength to try and pull the walker up and out of the well.
Try as they might though, the creature was barely budging at all. This walker must've weighed a lot even before the end of the world...
"C'mon, guys! You're doing good!" Kyra encouraged after she walked to the edge of the well and saw the walker was slowly sliding up the interior towards the top. It was only inch by inch, but it was definitely going upwards.
The group continued struggling to pull the walker out of the well. The undead creature snarled and thrashed as much as it possibly could in an effort to get out of the rope or to at least pull one of the pullers down to it so it could eat, but its sheer weight and wetness prevented it from really doing anything more than that.
Straining and sweating from exertion, the group was slowly getting the walker further up the inside of the well.
"Pull it just a little more! C'mon!" Dale told the others through gritted teeth, struggling to pull the heavy weight.
"We... almost got it... to the top!" Alexandr strained, then started cursing to himself in Russian. For whatever reason, cursing in his own language seemed to serve as a good motivator for him.
The walker's head finally came into sight right at the rim of the well. The group pulled harder, getting most of the upper half of its body over the rim of the well. The creature continued to thrash and growl and do anything it could to try and rip the flesh off of anyone near it all as they worked to pull up the rest of him.
All the group needed was just a little more effort. Just another good pull, just a little more strength, and they'd save the well and all the precious water within it...
But suddenly... disaster.
The strain of the rope finally broke and everyone who was pulling it fell onto their backs and butts. It was only then that they noticed that the body of the walker had suddenly split in half. The creature was ripped in two by the group's pulls...
To their collective disgust and horror, the group saw that upper half of the walker made it up to the surface and continued to thrash and growl as if nothing had happened to it. But the lower half of the walker fell straight back into the well...
Blackened blood, rotten guts, yellowing bone, decomposed muscle, plagued meat, infected marrow, moldy tissue, and just about every other horror you could expect to find within a walker's decayed body fell back down into the well.
Within seconds, the pure life-giving water had become contaminated and toxic to life. Any chance of salvaging this well was lost forever now...
The upper half of the walker snarled and kept trying to reach at anyone in sight, but luckily everyone was too far away for the walker to try and grab. The disappointed pullers all started to get back up to their feet as Kyra went to glance over the side of the well, seeing the ungodly mess that was within it. Misty went to her side to look at it too.
"Well... that was something..." Misty muttered under her breath. The smell from the well was even worse than before now...
"We definitely need to seal off this well now..." Kyra sighed, hating the fact that the group just lost the well and the valuable water. God, she was trying so hard not to puke from the smell...
Most of the others likewise came up to look into the well, all feeling disappointment or anger or disbelief or a mix of all three. All their effort was for naught...
As the others looked into the well, T-Dog glanced at the snarling and thrashing half of a walker laying on the ground and he knew that it was a problem that had to be dealt with. He looked around for a brief moment and he saw something which could definitely help with that...
As T-Dog went to pick up a crowbar from a nearby wheelbarrow, the group still stared down into the well. It was a mess... the sight of human intestines floating in a well now full of blackened, rotten blood was enough to make anyone feel queasy. Even the stoic Miranda had to turn away since she was definitely going to puke if she looked at it any longer, let alone smelt whatever it was that was reeking from the well now.
Charles shook his head at the contaminated well. "Bloody hell..." he muttered with disgust.
"Spread the word," Lori said to the group. "make sure everyone knows not to drink from this well anymore. God forbid if Carl or one of the other kids tries to get a cup of water from around here..."
"Yeah, that's probably a good idea..." Shane agreed, pinching the bridge of his nose. The smell was something else, that's for sure...
An entire well full of pure water gone completely to waste... Everyone felt sick to their stomachs because of that.
Not wanting to see any more of this, Kyra and Charles began making their way back to camp. Ironically despite all that had just happened Kyra had built up quite a big thirst, so she just wanted to find something nice to drink and then go lay down for a while. Charles somehow even felt hungry even after seeing the severed walker and everything that fell out of it.
The others, however, still had to deal with the disgusting tasks of pacification and sealing up the contaminated well.
Andrea glanced back at the upper half of the walker. "So what do we do about the w-" The blonde woman was cut off in mid-sentence when T-Dog suddenly began to bash in the walker's head over and over again with the crowbar.
Everyone watched in silence as T-Dog let out his anger and frustration upon the walker's skull. Maggie was so disturbed from the sight that she had to walk away and head back towards the farmhouse, much to the concern of Glenn. He knew she wasn't experienced with stuff like this...
Within seconds, the walker's head was a essentially a pancake and a mess of blood, brain and bone. But T-Dog didn't stop there, he just kept hitting the fucking corpse.
With everyone cringing with either discomfort or disgust or both, T-Dog kept bashing the walker's skull in until he finally stopped to catch his breath, having reached his absolute limit of stamina.
T-Dog breathlessly stared down at the mangled walker's corpse and its utterly-destroyed head, but he felt pretty good now that he let out all of that. His anger and frustration had been building up for a while, and the loss of the well was just the straw which broke the camel's back.
After catching his breath, T-Dog glanced over at the others and shook his head with a frown. The words which came next were blunt.
"... Good thing we didn't do anything stupid like shoot it ..."
... given what just happened, they might as well have just shot the stupid thing. Wouldn't have made any difference in the end.
T-Dog then dropped the blood-covered crowbar against the walker's ruined body and started to make his way back to the camp. He was hungry, he was tired, the wound on his arm was paining him, and he was quite simply done dealing with this mess at the well.
The others could only watch T-Dog with shared concern as he walked away, but none tried to stop him. They all just hoped that he wouldn't again do what he had just done to that walker, as even people like Shane or Miranda thought it was too much...
After Ulrich, Odd, Yumi, Dylan, and Chase all helped get her through the house and carefully down off the front porch, Aelita was wheeled out to Otis's memorial Aelita was brought outside in an old wheelchair which Yumi and Odd found and borrowed from a tool shed behind the farmhouse.
The thing had a worn leather seat and some rust on the wheels, but it still worked fine. It'll do for a short trip out to the memorial pile and back.
Without saying a word as the wheelchair was parked and secured, the pink-haired girl solemnly stared toward the pile of rocks which lay just in front of her. The rest of the teens all backed away a bit, as they knew Aelita wanted a little time and a little space to do what she wanted to do.
Aelita silently stared down at the pile of rocks as she struggled with the feeling of guilt within her. A good man died to ensure she would continue to live... She would forever be thankful for such a gift, but she'll also forever feel the shame of it, and she'll forever wish things turned out differently so that Otis would have survived...
As a soft breeze hit her, Aelita took a moment to look at her surroundings. She saw that a wheelbarrow now with only a single stone in it was still next to the tree, but it was way too far away for her to safely reach for herself.
A moment later, Ulrich went over to the wheelbarrow and he took the final stone. The pink-haired teen softly smiled as her friend approached her and handed her the stone. She thanked him with a silent nod, and he gave her a pat on the shoulder before he went to rejoin the others who were several feet away from the pinkette and the memorial.
Left alone for now, Aelita turned her attention back to the task at hand...
The pink-haired teen contemplated a lot of things while she gazed at the pile of rocks. Otis saved her life and she owed him far more than she could give, but she'll never be able to truly repay that debt no matter how hard she wanted to try.
She never even had the chance to meet him, let alone to thank him herself in person. Or above all else... to forgive him. She'll always regret never getting to do any of that with him face-to-face.
All Aelita could do now was just hope there was truly something beyond death. Somewhere where her savior's soul would find eternal peace... somewhere far better than the world she and her friends had found themselves trapped in...
Wherever Otis was now, Aelita prayed that he knew he was always and forever forgiven for what he did. She never held any anger toward him, and she never will.
The pinkette shut her eyes for a long moment, silently promising to herself that whether the rest of her life was short or long, she would live it as best as she possibly could in a new world like this. And that no matter what she would also never forget Otis and what he had done for her.
Aelita didn't say a word as she opened her eyes and carefully set her stone on the top of the memorial pile. Hers was the very last stone which needed to be placed, and now the memorial to the good man Otis was complete.
After another moment or two, Aelita managed a smile toward a little at the pile of rocks as a tear ran down the side of her face.
"... thank you, Otis ..." Aelita said softly to the memorial. "... I won't ever forget what you did for me ... I swear ..."
Turning to see that Ulrich, Odd, Yumi, and her brothers were all still watching from a respectful distance, Aelita gave them a nod to let them know that she was ready to be taken back up to the porch. The five all smiled as they went to Aelita, and then they began pushing her wheelchair back towards the farmhouse so she could get back into bed.
Aelita was a survivor. She still had a long road to recovery...
... but she'll get there. And it was all thanks to Otis and Shane ...
Some hours after starting it, the walk-around across the Greene Farm by Hershel, Rick, and Jeremie was finished. The three found nothing out of the ordinary while they were out there, making it more of a good walk than another chore in their minds. Hershel's especially, since he already had enough chores and problems to deal with as it was.
While they were out there, Hershel was kind enough to show the two one of the most beautiful spots on his whole property. A spot where if you looked out to the distance, you could see for miles. Nothing but a tranquil view of forests, plains, creeks, and hills far away from the farm. A stark contrast to what the rest of the world had become...
The three walked together up a dirt road which led directly to the farmhouse property. As they walked with their host, Rick and Jeremie had a lot on their minds...
What Hershel said earlier before they headed out for the walk-around, about how he wants them all to leave once Aelita's back on her feet... The two tried not to show it on their faces but they both knew it was just a death sentence for them and everyone else.
Fort Benning was almost a hundred miles from this farm. They didn't have the supplies or the fuel to make a trip like that. Not to mention that there was god only knows how many walkers between there and this farm, and the fact that they didn't even know if the fort was still standing or not...
Being sent from this farm was the equivalent of being sent to the execution chamber...
"... You need to reconsider ..."
Rick's sudden words not only surprised Hershel, but they surprised Jeremie as well. Seemed out of the blue to the both of them...
"I beg your pardon?" Hershel blinked.
"Asking us to leave." Rick clarified his words. "You need to reconsider..."
Hershel realized Rick was speaking of their earlier discussion, brief as it was. Out of respect, the farmer decided to entertain it again, though he was already firm and resolute in his decision that the groups couldn't stay here after Aelita's recovery, and he was certain that his decision wouldn't change. He was open to hearing
Jeremie stepped forward. "If you knew how bad it was out there, you wouldn't think twice about letting us stay." he reasoned.
"You're men of belief..." the farmer commented. Even though he was certain the country would recover, Hershel could see how resolute Rick and Jeremie were in their belief.
"If you believe anything, believe that." Rick replied, his tone making it clear how serious he was about all of this.
The farmer gestured to the farm house in the distance. Jeremie and Rick nodded and they headed that way with Hershel following close behind them.
"You're putting me on the spot." Hershel pointed out as they approached the house, though he didn't say it in a way which conveyed any anger.
"Well, I mean to." Rick was blunt with his reply. "A lot of those people at the camp look to me for answers... I wish they didn't, but they do..."
After another moment, Rick continued. "But I'm not asking for them or myself," he stated. "I'm asking for my boy... After the price your friend Otis paid, the least you can do is give it some thought."
Jeremie's eyes widened in horror at Rick's mention of Otis and how he died to save Aelita. He thought for sure that Hershel would kick them all out right then and there for using the death of his friend to try and get a permanent residency here.
But instead of reacting with a predictable anger, Hershel simply nodded with a surprising calmness. Jeremie didn't expect that at all...
"You're a plainspoken man." Hershel stated.
Rick looked the farmer in the eyes and he nodded. "I'm a father," he reasoned, "I don't want to fail. I feel like I do every day..."
"I definitely know the feeling..." Jeremie muttered with a sigh. He swore himself to protecting Aelita since day one, yet every day since then has always a struggle. This farm was his only chance at succeeding...
When they finally got to the farmhouse, the sheriff's deputy and the supergenius both sat down on the steps of the front porch. Hershel didn't, though he did casually put a foot down on one of the steps so he could lean against both his cane his leg while he continued to listen.
"I lied to my son this morning." Rick revealed to Hershel and Jeremie in a need to vent, to have any sort of ear who was willing to listen. He then added, "It wasn't a big lie, but it was enough."
Rick thought back to his conversation with Carl earlier. His boy asked him if they were going to be okay here. If they were all going to be able to stay here and be safe from everything happening beyond the farmlands...
Foolishly, Rick told him yes. He looked back on his answer with shame toward himself, because it would turn into a lie if they had to leave this place...
"My father didn't bother with comforting lies... he used his fist." Hershel nodded and began to say his own piece. "He was a loveless, violent drunk, and no good to anybody. He drove me from home when I was fifteen, and I didn't lay eyes on this place again for many years..."
Jeremie kindly stood up from the front steps and allowed Hershel to take his spot next to Rick. The farmer looked to Rick, and Rick looked back to him.
"I was not at his deathbed, Rick..." Hershel told him. "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..."
Then, Hershel let a soft smile grow on his face. "I don't see you having that problem." Despite his desire to see the group eventually leave his farm, Hershel could see that this man Rick Grimes was indeed a good father and a good man. He respected that, and he wished nothing less than the best for him and his people.
Rick appreciated what Hershel said. He felt a little better about his job as a father... but they had to get back on topic here.
"Will you consider my request?" Rick asked the question which he needed to ask.
"There are aspects to this. Things that I can't and won't discuss..." Hershel explained to him the circumstances of his decision. "... but if you and your people all respect my rules... no promises, but I will consider it. You have my word."
That was the best Rick and Jeremie could both hope for. If the group respected Hershel's rules, and if they had more than a little luck on their side, then their stay here on the Greene Family Farm could become permanent.
"You have mine." Rick told Hershel before offering his hand to shake. It was gladly accepted.
"Mine too." Jeremie agreed before he likewise shook Hershel's hand. He and his fellow Lyoko Warriors would stay on their best behavior. For their own sake, and for the sake of everyone else who was staying at the camp...
This was some much-needed hope...
After Chris and Jeremie left Hershel, Chris went back to camp to see if there was anything that needed done around there. Turned out there was, and he found himself busy helping around with chores for the rest of the evening.
Jeremie, meanwhile, went into the farmhouse and went straight to the guest bedroom. When he entered, he found Yumi sitting next to a sleeping Aelita...
"Hey..." Jeremie greeted Yumi to get her attention. "How're you, Yumi?" he wondered as he sat in a chair on the opposite side of the bed.
Yumi looked up at her friend, smiled a little upon seeing him, then looked back down at the sleeping pinkette as the smile faded away.
"Could be better, could be worse..." Yumi told him truthfully. "Been feeling pretty rough ever since the CDC... feels like its been a non-stop nightmare..."
"Hopefully it'll end for you and for all of us soon..." Jeremie told her with a soft smile. "I don't want to get your hopes up, Yumi. But Rick and I talked to Hershel a bit ago, and he said that he'll think about letting us all stay here permanently after Aelita recovers..."
"That's a relief..." Yumi sighed, already feeling a little bit of stress lifting from her shoulders. It was one of the few pieces of good news she's heard since the beginning of the pandemic. Maybe they could even finally get time to start looking for their friends if they can stay here...
Jeremie agreed with his friend. The last weeks had been hell for himself, for Aelita, for Yumi, and for all of their fellow Lyoko Warriors...
"Aelita was awake earlier when you were gone." Yumi informed her friend. Then, she added, "She asked for you, you know..."
"I'll be here the next time she's awake..." Jeremie assured. It was a promise he didn't dare think of breaking. Not even for Hershel's sake.
Yumi simply nodded, and both she and Jeremie fell into a mutual silence as they sat on either side of Aelita to keep the sleeping girl company.
Both of the teens were thinking about the current situation, but although Yumi seemed reassured, Jeremie couldn't help but keep worrying about it. He didn't dare show his worry to Yumi or any of the others, but Hershel not guaranteeing anything still unsettled him...
For now, there wasn't much else he or Rick or anyone else could do to fully convince Hershel to let them stay here. In the meantime, they'll just have to work and hopefully earn his blessing...
Jeremie finally made himself bury his worry deep down and forced some optimistic thoughts into his mind. Hershel didn't explicitly say they could stay, but he also went from telling them they had to leave to saying that he was going to think about letting them stay... That alone was something to be happy about.
Maybe... just maybe... they might be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe the newcomers could all finally have a new home and be safe once and for all...
If they were lucky, they could finally begin to live again instead of just survive...