𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲; 𝐭𝐰𝐝

𝟐𝟓

Rory

"What'd he say?" Daryl came back from the shed they had placed Randall in.

"Got a group, 30 men, heavy artillery. If they come through, our men will be dead and our women will wish they were." Daryl looked at me before taking a step closer in my direction.

"So, what are we gonna do?"

"Eliminate the threat." My mouth dropped at Rick's words. We were just gonna kill him?

"We can't just kill him, Rick. He's a innocent person." I say.

"We have to, protect the group. this is settled, no one goes near him. You got it." He pointed at us all. I didn't say anything, watching as he and Shane walked away. I felt a nudge on my arm, I looked over to see Daryl pointing to his camp.

I nodded and followed him up there. He grabbed a almost empty bottle of water and a random cloth.

"What'd you do?" I took the supplies from his hand, laying the bloody one in my lap.

"Had a little chat." He shrugged, I sighed and softly clean the wounds.

"Do you think we should kill him?" I looked up at him. He had a look of uneasiness in his eyes.

"I don't know." Was all he said. I put the cloth and water bottle to the side.

"I don't think we should, but at the same time. I-I don't want to see you get hurt." He voiced. I furrowed my brows and looked to the ground.

"I...care for you, Rory." He sighed frustratedly. I reached and grabbed his uninjured hand.

"I understand." I tell him, I didn't want him to get mad and angry because he can't express himself yet.

"I just wanna keep you safe." He rubbed his forehead with his free hand.

"I know." We both heard footsteps so we looked to see where they were coming from. Dale was walking up to us.

"The whole point of me coming up here was to get away from you people." Daryl sighed, Dale looked down at me before back to him. Daryl noticed that. "Except her, she's fine." Dale nodded a little.

"It's gonna take more then that."

"Whatcha want?"

Dale took his hat off his head. "Wanna talk about your new role in this group."

"This group is broken." Well, that was the truth.

"You act like you don't care." Dale poked. Daryl bit his lip, looking to me before dale.

"I don't." He simply said and shrugged.

"So, live or die, you don't care what happens to Randall?" Daryl shook his head.

"Nope." He said, popping the 'p'.

"Then why not stand with me, try and save this kids life?" Dale's face was full of desperation. "If it doesn't really matter, please?" Oof, now he was begging.

"Didn't peg you to be a desperate son of a bitch." He threw some random sticks into the small fire pit.

"I'm not desperate," he argued. Yeah, tell that to your face. "It's humane, something the rest forgot about. You're opinion matters. People look look to you."

"People don't look to me for shit." I see Dale steal a glance at me before back to Daryl.

"Rory does." Well, that won't end well.

"Well, if we're looking at it that way, I say we kill the boy." Dale's mouth opened in shock. I said it wouldn't be a good idea, and I proved myself right.

"Right now you have Rick's ear."

"Rick looks to Shane, let him."

"You think that's a good idea?" He asked. "With the way he's been acting lately. He's a danger to the group!" Well, wasn't that the truth?

"You cared about Sofia." Daryl tensed up next to me at the mentioning of her name. "Cared what it meant for our group, torturing people, that isn't you." Dale shook his head.

"You don't know me."

"I know you're a decent human being, so is Rick. Shane is different."

"Why, because he killed Otis?" Dale's eyes widened in shock.

"Did he tell you that?" His tone from before dropped, it was now filled with worry.

"He told some sucky ass cover up story, came back with the dead man's gun. Not that hard to see." Daryl was growing agitated, which I'm surprised it didn't happen earlier. I gave Dale a little look, and he started to walk off.

"You think Shane killed Otis too?" I asked and he nodded. "At least I don't feel crazy anymore." T say with a little giggle. Daryl smiled a little bit before squeezing my hand. I smiled even more when I realized that he held my hand the whole time Dale was up here.

We stayed by each other, until Rick called for a meeting in the house. We walked next to each other, and stood next to each other.

"So that's it, we just kill him?" Dale asked after everyone had technically said yes to killing Randall.

"Bet y'all are gonna go hide in your tents too, pretend we aren't slaughtering an innocent human being." Dale shook his head, letting out a defeated sigh. He went to walk out of the house but stopped at Daryl.

"You're right, this group is broken." He walked out of the house. I looked down and let out a sigh.

"Why the fuck was the point of bringing him back here if you were just going to kill him off? Rick, I'm pretty sure it was you who said we don't kill the living. I honestly don't know who you are anymore, because you are not the old Rick I used to know." He was beginning to act more like Shane, and that was scary. I pushed past Daryl and outside to my tent.

The choices and actions Rick was taking made me question him. If you were going to kill him, why not just leave him out there for the walkers? I honestly agree with Hershel, how did our group survive for so long?

if was a terror filled scream that brought me from my thoughts, when I left my tent I seen everyone running towards the field, so I followed. when I got out there, tears filled my eyes.

"No! No! No!" Dale laid on the ground, his stomach ripped open. A dead walker was next to him.

"Please help him, help him."

"We can't move him, to risky." Hershel shook his head.

"Then we operate on him here." Rick tried to reason.

"Son, there's nothing we can do."

"Please help him." Andrea sat on the ground next to him.

"Sorry brother." Daryl steps up, shooting Dale in the head. I let out a sob as I watch his body lay there. I felt arms wrap around me. I lean into the person, and take in the familiar scent.

Daryl

I wrap my arms around him as he sways us back and forth. Dale was gone, he was really gone.

i always thought that😭 why bring him back to camp, and risk everything when you could have just left him there.