PHOSPHENES¹ [the walking dead]

B - VI

NEBRASKA

Sophia was dead all along.

Beatrix dropped to the floor as well, crying. Rowan sat down next to her and hugged her not knowing fully well what else to do.

"Ma!" Beth cried out walking towards one of the walkers dead on the floor. Beatrix looked up, remembering that they weren't the only ones who suffered losses.

Only, ma wasn't dead. The walker was still alive. It started to pull at the girl's hair, trying to get a bite. The others of the group quickly came to the rescue and took the walker down.

Luckily Beth returned safe and sound to her sister's arms.

Shane still hadn't calmed down from his rage. "We've been out. We've been koaming these woods looking for her and she was in there all along? You knew?" He directed his questions at Hershel.

"Hey, Shane, just stop. Man, " Rick was still trying to calm everyone down.

It wasn't working very well. "Get your hands off me." Shane turned harshly back to Hershel. "You knew and you kept it from us."

"I didn't know."

"That's bullshit. I think y'all knew."

"We didn't know!" Maggie yelled at him.

"Why was she there!"

The group started to move towards the house. Winston held onto Beatrix's arm, making sure she wasn't going to fall. Her other arm was being held by Rowan, who was still a bit scared.

Sophia was the first child her age that she had seen as a walker. She found herself lucky enough to not have to witness her siblings turn, she ran away before that was even able to happen.

"Otis put those people in the barn," Hershel told Shane. "Maybe he put her in there before he was killed."

It wasn't good enough for Shane. "You expect me to believe that? Do I look like an idiot?"

"I don't care what you believe!" Hershell yelled. "Get him off my land."

With that, the Greene family entered their home.

Not wanting to hear the arguments between Shane and Rick, Beatrix left to go to her tent. She laid down on her cot for a little bit, just sobbing.

So cooped up in her thoughts, she hadn't even heard that somebody came in.

"Hey, Bennet."

Beatrix could feel that he had sat down on her bed. She didn't give much of a reaction, she just kept sobbing into her pillow.

"How are you?" Winston tried again but after a while, he added. "Stupid question, don't answer that."

That made her laugh. She sat up on the bed looking at Winston. "Why are you here?" she asked him while whipping at her eyes.

"To check up on you," he replied softly, looking at his hands. They were on his lap, playing with his rings.

"Did Rowan send you?"