Violent Silence • Rick Grimes ✓

-69-

bob's bite

SCARLETT BOUNCED JUDITH IN CIRCLES AS SHE WATCHED SASHA, RICK, AND TYREESE LEAVE THE CHURCH. She noticed Bob had left earlier. Daryl and Carol, too. Maybe they were going to look for them. She walked around, picking food off plates for her and Judith. Judith was eating anything in sight.

"Oh, oh, oh, it's magic!" Scarlett sang, throwing Judith up once causing loud giggles to leave her lips. "You know...!" Carl grinned from the pew, looking as if he was about to join.

Scarlett was about to keep singing when the doors burst open and Sasha ran in with her gun out and angry eyes. She headed straight for Gabriel who glanced up with panicked eyes.

"Stop."

Gabriel looked around at the others. Rick quickly pushed Scarlett toward Glenn and Maggie. Glenn stood protectively in front of both.

"What are you doing? What are you doing? This is all connected. You show up, we're being watched, and now three of us are gone," Sasha yelled.

Scarlett looked around, meeting Carl's eyes. "Daryl?" she mouthed. Carl bit his lip and nodded. She tightened her hold on Judith.

"I... I don't... I don't have anything to do with this," Gabriel murmured in a scared voice.

Sasha aimed her weapon at his head.

"Wait!" Tyreese shouted as Rosita added her own protests. "Sasha, put it away."

"Who's out there?" Rick asked after Sasha was pushed aside. Rick stood so close to Gabriel that he was pushed against the alter. Scarlett's hand itched for her knife, but she focused on the way Glenn stood there in case. He was protecting them.

"I–I don't have anything... to do with this."

"Where are our people?"

"I don't have anything to–"

"Where are our people?!" Rick shouted, his voice changing.

"Please, I don't have anything to do with this. I–"

"Why'd you bring us here!?"

"Please, I–"

"You working with someone?"

"I'm alone. I'm alone. I was always alone!"

Scarlett handed Judith to Maggie who took her without fail. Scarlett walked past Glenn, shoving off his arm when he tried to pull her back. This was Daryl. She had to get answers.

"What about the woman in the food bank, Gabriel?" Rick added, feeling Scarlett come to his side. He turned to look at her, waiting for her to tell him to stop being so mean when she took her own knife out and placed it against his throat. Everyone yelled for Rick to do something, but he stared at her in shock.

"What did you do to her? You'll burn for this. I saw it. That was for you. Why? What are you gonna burn for, Gabriel? Where is Daryl!? Where's our friends!? Huh!? What? What did you do? What did you do?!" she finished, the knife almost breaking skin. Gabriel began crying, falling to the ground. She let him as the knife stayed in her grip.

"I lock the doors at night," he blubbered. " I always lock the doors at night. I always lock the doors at night. I always–They started coming, my congregation. Atlanta was bombed the night before and they were scared. They were–they were looking for a safe place, a place where they felt safe. And it was so early. It was so early. And the doors were still locked. You see... it was my choice. There were so many of them and they were trying to pry the shutters and banging on the sidings, screaming at me. And so the dead came for them. Women... children. Entire families calling my name as they were torn apart, begging me for mercy." He cried. Sobbed. "Begging me for mercy. Damning me to hell. I buried their bones. I buried it all. The Lord sent you here to finally punish me. I'm damned. I was damned before. I always lock the doors. I always lock the doors."

Scarlett backed away, shocked and angered by his words. Putting her knife back into the sheath, she shook her head. He had no idea where the others were.

Glenn whistled in Scarlett's tone, snapping his fingers and pointing out the window. The attention went off of Gabriel to Glenn. "There's something–there's someone outside lying in the grass.

"Stay. Watch him," Rick pleaded as Sasha took off. Scarlett nodded, keeping a stance in front of the priest as they heard Sasha scream Bob's name.

Scarlett heard gunshots before they all rushed inside. The door was shut as they dragged Bob. He was missing his leg as he screamed in pain from being moved. Scarlett made sure they had lookouts on every window. She took one of them, holding her gun close to her face as she listened to Bob talk.

"I was in the graveyard. Somebody knocked me out. I woke up outside this place. It looked like a school. It was that guy, Gareth. And five other ones. They were eating my leg right in front of me. Like it was nothing," Bob stammered. Scarlett felt her food rising, but she swallowed it down. "All proud like they had it all figured out."

"Did they have Daryl and Carol?" Rick asked quickly.

"Gareth said they drove off."

Scarlett furrowed her brows, wondering where in the blue hell they would go. She took a deep breath to hold off the panic, knowing Daryl and Carol could take care of themselves. She heard Bob groaning in pain.

"He's in pain. Do we have anything?" Sasha asked.

"Save 'em," Bob muttered.

"No."

"Really," Bob said and she heard everyone gasp. Turning her head, she winced at the walker bite on his shoulder. She breathed in and out, her hand finding her stomach in fear. "It happened at the food bank. It's okay."

"Bring him to the sofa," Scarlett called, not being able to look at him. She felt a tear leave her eye, so she quickly wiped it. "He needs to be comfortable."

She heard them shuffling before Glenn walked over to her. "I got watch. Go sit," he whispered, rubbing her back soothingly before taking her gun and holstering it for her. "Please. Mags is worried 'bout you."

Scarlett sighed, nodding. She walked over to the pew, sitting down and bringing one leg up to rub her foot.

"Do you know the place Bob was talking about?" Rick asked Gabriel.

Gabriel nodded. "It's an elementary school. It's close."

"How close?" Gabriel looked hesitant. "How close, Gabriel?"

Gabriel sighed. "It's just a 10-minute walk through the woods from here, due south of the graveyard."

Judith began to cry, so Maggie brought her over to Scarlett. Scarlett shushed the baby, humming a lullaby as she rocked her gently. Judith glanced up at her with big, bug eyes. She was fascinated by Scarlett's face for some reason, but at least she calmed down.

"Rick?" Scarlett called. "What's the plan?"

And then Abraham stepped up, opening his big mouth.