What Lies Ahead • the walking dead ¹

29 • New authority

The rest of the day was uneventful. Mainly because Alexa had been buried in the book Chase gave her, and halfway through she fell asleep. So it was the morning after that had everyone rattled again.

Alexa woke up to something tapping against her foot. Opening her eyes she was met with the sight of T-dog handing her a plate of freshly cooked eggs and sausage. He smiled, sitting down on the ground next to the girl as she excepted the food and adjusted herself on the tree she slept against.

"That can not be comfortable," T-dog said in a hushed voice. Alexa nodded before she began shoveling scrambled eggs down her throat. T-dog was, in fact, right. Sleeping against a tree all night definitely wasn't the best for the girls already aching back. Not to mention her ears still faintly buzzed, giving her the worst headache she ever had in her life.

Chase on the other hand looked in no better shape than his sister. His skin looked pasty and pale. And when Alexa felt his forehead she found him burning up with another fever. So quietly she passed him some Tylenol and water. Hoping that would lessen his headache for a while.

The morning only got worse as Glenn stood up to make an announcement.
"Um, guys."
The boy started shakily, only getting a few people's attention. "So... the barn's full of walkers."At his words, everything went deathly silent.

Carol looked up from her place by the fire. Daryl let his plate of eggs fall to the ground. Andrea stopped sharpening her knife. Shane looked like he was about to smash Glenn's head in. Rick and his family looked alarmed. T-dog practically choked on his eggs. And Alexa with the quickest reaction stood and started marching over to the barn to see for herself.

The rest of the group quickly followed behind her.

Her feet carried her at a swift walk, which was more like a jog for everyone else. Stopping in front of the barn she peered through a crack in the wood. The barn was full of at least a dozen walkers. Each milling around, minding their own dead agenda. As the girl's emerald eyes scanned over the living dead inside she was pushed away by a growl and a bloodshot eye meeting her own.

"You can not tell me you're all right with this." Shane hissed as Alexa stepped away from the wooden door with a gasp.
"No, I'm not." Rick hissed back. "But we're guests here. This isn't our land."
"This is our lives, man!" Shane shouted back.

"Lower your voice," Lori warned, glancing at the wooden door while cautiously holding her son behind her.
"We can't just sweep this under the rug," Andrea added.
"It ain't right," T-dog spoke up. "Not remotely."

"Okay," Shane said, partly thinking out loud. "We've either got to go in there, kill all those bastards. Or we've just gotta go."
"We can't go." Rick hissed.
"Why, Rick? Why?" Shane quizzed.
"Because my daughter's still out there." Carol calmly spoke up.

"I think it's time we all start to just consider the other possibility," Shane shouted, burying his face in his hands.
We're not leaving Sophia behind!" Rick yelled in defense of Carol.

" 'Lexa and I are close to finding this girl! We just found her damn doll two days ago!" Daryl yelled.
"You found her doll, Daryl." Shane sighed in response. "That's what you did. You found a doll."
"You don't kno' what t'hell you're talkin' about!" Daryl hissed, stepping toward the man.

"I'm just saying what needs to be said!" Shane yelled before he started spitting a bunch of finding a child in police terms bullshit. "Now let me tell you something, else, man! If she was alive out there and saw you coming all merged out with your buck knives and geek ears around your necks," He referred to both trackers. "She would run in the other direction!"

Everyone started shouting as Daryl lunged. Half the group trying to fend off Daryl and the other half trying to push back Shane.
"EVERYBODY SHUT UP!" Alexa shrieked, watching as the barn doors started to surge forward. The group followed her advice, watching the same thing Alexa was seeing.