Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
( chapter seven ! ) - 𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐭
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Despite Hershel's best efforts to get her to leave her bow at home, Robin brought it with her when he dragged her to the woods alongside Rick and Jimmy—the young boy had found two Walkers stuck in the mud at the bed of creek a few miles away from where Daryl and Robin had found Sophia's doll.
"The silt at the bottom is like glue. You just sink in," Hershel explained to Rick as they strolled through the woods, approaching the dead ones. "That's Lou Bush."
One of the Walkers was a woman, the other a man. Rick asked, "You knew him?"
Hershel shook his head. He half-turned to Rick. "Lou as in Louise. She has a farm up the road. Sweet corn mostly. Worked at Hapman's bar on weekends. The man, I don't know him, but the coveralls... I've been to where he worked."
Robin tapped her fingers against the snare pole while she let her gaze glide across the Walkers in front of her. They were well past gone, clearly had been dead for days. She cringed.
"How many have you killed?" Hershel asked, pointedly looking at Rick.
The former police officer cocked his head. "Too many to count."
"Can you stop?" Hershel waited for Rick to answer, but when he didn't, he added, "There are people out there who haven't been in their right minds, people who I believe can be restored."
Rick sighed. "You're not talking about the Walkers, are you?"
Hershel took the snare pole from Jimmy and held it out in Rick's direction. "It doesn't matter if you see them as human beings anymore. But if you and your people are going to stay here, that's how you're gonna have to treat them. My farm, my barn, my say."
Rick looked at the snare pole Hershel was holding, then his gaze shifted to Robin. She nodded curtly to say that it was for the best. She didn't want the group to leave, not when Lori was pregnant. Robin had been making the sacrifice of pretending like what Hershel was doing wasn't dangerous ever since it had started, so she was sure Rick could do the same for the safety of his wife, his son, and his unborn child.
