PHOSPHENES¹ [the walking dead]

B - III

CHEROKEE ROSE

The next morning, the group had set up a sign: "Sophia, stay here. We will come every day." Together with some supplies on the hood of a car.

Now it was time to move on, to the farm where the rest of the group was. Daryl took Merle's motorcycle. Dale, Andrea and Carol sat in the RV. And the Range Rover had Beatrix, Winston and Rowan as passengers.

"Do you think that girl will be fine?" Rowan asked from the backseat. Beatrix, who was sitting in the passenger seat, turned and smiled at the girl. "I'm sure Sophia will be."

Nobody in the car seemed to believe her. When she noticed this she started telling a story about her brother. How he, at the youngest girl's age, spent days in the forest alone.

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They arrived at the farm rather quickly.

Everybody got out of the car and walked over to the rest of the group, who were waiting on them outside. Beatrix noticed that Winston didn't want to get out.

"Come on, " she smiled at him. "it'll be fine, ya know."

Right as they arrived with the rest of the group she could hear Lori speak about her son. "He'll pull through. Thanks to Hershel and his people."

Rick walked up next to his wife. "And Shane. We'd have lost Carl if not for him."

"How'd it happen?" Dale asked.

"Hunting accident. That's all, just a stupid accident," Rick answered and then noticed the new addition. "Who are you?"

"Winston, sir. Winston Charles Smyth." just like before he held his hand out for him to shake. "And this is Rowan Van Den Burgh."

"Welcome, Winston and Rowan." he shook the boy's hand and looked down at Rowan smiling at her.

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The man who had shot Carl, Otis, died while looking for the equipment that Hershel needed to operate on Carl.

He passed away while Shane was there. It made Beatrix a little weary. She didn't trust Shane at all.

When, on the day of the funeral, the man showed up with a freshly shaved head, it raised even more questions in her head.

"Blessed to be God, father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Praise be to him for the gift of our brother, Otis, for his span of years, for his abundance of character, Otis who gave his life to save a child's, now more than ever, our most precious asset. We thank you, God, for the peace he enjoys in your embrace. He died as he lived, in grace. Shane, will you speak for Otis?"

Hershel was leading Otis' funeral. Beatrix was looking at Shane the entire time, there was something off about him. She could tell

"I'm not good at it, sorry."

Patricia, Otis' wife spoke up, pleading. "You were the last one with him. You shared his final moments. Please, I need to hear. I need to know his death had meaning." She cried.