Don't Get Dead | TWD | Volume 1

[17] An Unexpected Incident

I spent the night in and out of sleep on the Greene's sofa. Every time someone walked through or spoke, I woke up, and the light smashed into my face like a hammer, causing my head to ache. I didn't get too much sleep, but it was enough to help me get through the day.

The others in the room didn't notice because T-Dog was also asleep, clutching his arm to his chest, and Glenn was in his own world.

It was quiet in the morning. Hershel said we needed a funeral for Otis, so some of us helped gather rocks that would be piled up for the ceremony, leaving some kind of marker for him without the ability to bury his body.

I still couldn't shake the guilt. Sophia was still missing, and I had never met Otis, but he died trying to help Carl. If I hadn't lost Sophia, then Carl never would have been shot. Otis would still be alive. From what I could tell, he meant a lot to the Greene family, and I hadn't seen Patricia that day, but I knew she would be in the house, grieving. I had to help with the ceremony. At the time, it seemed like carrying rocks was something that would be very difficult for me to mess up.

Shane came out shortly after to help us. He was still limping on his ankle, which I think was sprained. He was wearing clothes that were way too big, and now his head was shaved. I assumed it was because some of his hair was missing, but part of me was worried that it was because I kept asking about what happened. I didn't want to push, so I continued grabbing rocks and left him alone.

T-Dog leaned down near me, trying to use both hands to grab a rock, but he grunted and straightened up. Instead, I kneeled down, picking the large stone up myself.

"How is your arm?" I knew it was most likely painful, and I'm not sure that he took any pills that morning.

"Hurts like a . . ." He stopped, glancing at me out the side of his eyes.

I almost laughed because he didn't know if he could swear around me or not. I decided to ease his worries, finishing off the sentence myself. "A bitch?"

"Yeah," he chuckled. "Hurts like a bitch."

The bike was the first thing I heard, causing me to spin around, still holding the rock in my hands. I watched as the top of the caravan peaked over the line of fences. The sounds of the engines grew louder, and the vehicles came barrelling down the roads towards the farm.

"It's them," I stated.

There was no response for a second as we all stood there. All the vehicles pulled up to the house, stopping on the road just outside. I made myself keep my hopes low, knowing that there was a very small chance that Sophia found herself back on the highway. I pursed my lips, keeping my eyes on the vehicles.

"I'll go tell Lori and Rick," T-Dog told me, tapping the back of my shoulder as he walked past.

Dropping the rock in the wheelbarrow, I walked with Glenn and Shane as we went to join our group. Nobody moved very far away from the cars. They were unsure of what to do with the new land and whether the owner would be okay with it. I understood what it felt like; last night was completely awkward for me.

The door opened, and Rick came outside, followed by Lori, Hershel and T-Dog. Hershel just looked at them all for a second, glancing around at each person.

Dale walked forward, stopping at the bottom of the steps. "How is he?"

"He'll pull through," Lori nodded, sounding like she was barely able to speak without crying. "Thanks to Hershel and his people."

"And Shane," Rick added quickly. "We'd have lost Carl if not for him."

Dale took a step forward and hugged Rick, and Carol did the same for Lori.