Didn't See That Coming | The Walking Dead(1)

Part 27 (The Farm Dies)

Daryl, Glenn and CJ all quickly walked back to the farmhouse. The entire walk back, CJ felt like there was someone watching them. To be honest, she's felt like that all the time since Carver. But this was different, like they were being followed.

They heard a gunshot in the distance as they went, but there was no time to go and investigate. They returned to find that Rick and Shane weren't back yet either.

"We heard a shot," Daryl announced as the trio joined everyone inside.

"Maybe Shane and Rick found Randall?" Lori said.

"We found him."

"Is he back in the shed?" Patricia asked nervously.

Daryl sighed and glanced between Glenn and CJ before answering. "He was a walker."

"Did you find the walker that bit him?" Hershel asked.

"That's the weird part..." Glenn spoke up.

"He wasn't bit," CJ said.

"His neck was broke," Daryl added.

"So, he fought back?" Andrea questioned.

"Thing is, Shane and Randall's tracks were right on top of each other, and Shane ain't no tracker, so he didn't come up behind him," Daryl countered. "No, they were together."

Lori stepped forward with her hands clasped together. "Would you please get back out there and find Rick and Shane and find out what the hell's going on?" she asked Daryl.

"You got it," Daryl replied with a nod.

As he turned to walk out the door, the group followed close behind him. They all stopped when they saw movement in the dark distance. CJ stood besides Daryl as they looked into the distance towards the barn. That's when they all heard it. The faint moans and groans of a walking dead herd, bigger than any of them had ever seen, making its way towards the house.

"Holy shit-buckets," CJ whispered to herself. The farm was already half-full of the dead. They couldn't save it.

"Patricia, kill the lights," Hershel said quietly.

"I'll get the guns," Andrea announced as she went back into the house.

"Maybe they're just passing. Like the herd on the highway," Glenn suggested worriedly. "Should we just go back inside?"

"Not unless there's a tunnel downstairs I don't know about," Daryl responded. "Herd that size will rip the house down."

Lori came rushing out the front door, clearly panicking. "Carl's gone."

"What?" CJ asked "What do you mean gone?"

"He's supposed to be upstairs. I'm not leaving without my boy."

"Of course we're not," Carol assured her. "We're gonna look again, we're gonna find him."

Both Carol and Lori went back into the house, calling Carl's name and rushing around trying to find him. Andrea came back out onto the porch with the bag of guns and held it open for the others to grab. Hershel grabbed a shotgun, as did Maggie and Glenn.

CJ already had her bow and quiver wrapped around her, her hand gun holstered on her right leg and her swords sheathed on her back. She took a shotgun from the bag and checked it was full.

"We ain't go the numbers, it's no use," Daryl pointed out.

"You can go if you want," Hershel said as he loaded rounds into his gun.

"You gonna take all a' them on?" Daryl asked.

"We have guns, we have cars," Hershel replied as he cocked his shotgun.