Revival (The Walking Dead)

Chapter 14: Cherokee Rose

Chapter 14: Cherokee Rose

When Dale, Daryl, Andrea, and I wake up we set up a sign for Sophia and put food out for her on the highway. We packed up the rest of the things that weren't brought to the farm and made our way there.

Daryl is leading the way in his motorcycle and Dale, Andrea, and Carol were in the RV and I was driving a teal Hyundai trailing Daryl.

We finally come to the driveway of the farm. We drive up the dirt road for about half-a-mile before coming up to a white farm house.

When we come up to the front of the house, Rick, Lori, and an old man come walking out. The rest of the group and a couple of unfamiliar people are standing at the front of the.

I park the Hyundai and walk towards Rick and Lori.

"How is he?" I Carls parents.

"He'll pull through," Lori says to me. "Thanks to Hershel and his people," she says, looking at the old man that had walked out of the house.

"And Shane. We would have lost Carl if it wasn't for him," Rick says, looking back at Shane. I smile to Rick and Lori.

"How'd it happen?" Dale asks.

"Hunting accident," Rick replies. "That's all. Just a stupid accident."

*

An hour later, we are standing under a tree away from the farm house. Rick tells us that one of Hershel's men got killed by a walker while trying to get supplies for Carl.

Beth, Hershel's younger daughter, just finished stacking rocks on his grave and goes to her fathers and her sisters' side.

"Blessed be, God," Hershel starts. "Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Praise be to him, to the gift of our brother, Odis. Let his span of years raise abundance of character. Odis, who gave his life to save a child's. Now, more than ever, our most precious asset. We thank you God for the peace and joys of your embrace. He died as he lived, in grace. Shane? Would you speak for Odis?"

"I'm not good at it," Shane says, shuffling on his feet, looking at the ground.

"You were the last one with him," Patricia, Odis' wife says, sniffling. "Will you share his final moments? Please, I need to hear. I need to know his death had meaning."

"We were about done," Shane says after staying silent for a moment, only making brief eye contact to everyone around him. "We were out of ammo. We were down to pistols. I was limping, it was bad. My ankle was all swollen up. 'We got to save the boy.' See that's what he said," Shane says, remembering Odis' last moments. "He gave me his backpack. He shoved me ahead. 'Run,' he said. He said 'I'll take the rear, I'll cover you.' And when I looked back," Shane says before limping over to the pill of rocks. "If it wasn't for Odis, I would've never made it out alive, and that goes for Carl too. He saved us both," he says. He nods to Patricia before he turns around, grabs a rock, and stacks it on top of the other ones that made up Odis' grave.

*

Maggie and I walk over to Hershel, Shane, Rick, Andrea, and Daryl with a big rolled up map. She rolled it out on the hood of the car. I help her put down small rocks on the corners of the map to keep it laid down. "County survey map. Shows terrains and elevations."

"Alright," Rick says. "We can finally get this thing organized. We will grid the whole area, start searching in teams."

"Not you, not today," Hershel says to Rick. "You gave three units of blood. You wouldn't be able to hike five minutes in this heat without passing out. And your ankle," he says, looking at Shane. "You push it now you won't be able to use it for a month. It's no good for anybody."