RIDE OR DIE | DARYL DIXON

for i have sinned

BOB WAS MISSING.

From the second they woke up amidst Sasha's yells, they've been sitting on the edges of their seats, waiting. Rick, Daryl and Sasha had gone back out, together, to search for him more, only to turn up empty handed.

"What are you doing?" Sasha approached Gabriel immediately upon her return. "This is all connected. You show up, we're being watched, and now Bob's gone."

Gabriel looked at her, too stunned to speak. "I- I don't... I don't have anything to do with this."

He jumped back when Sasha unsheathed her knife, stepping towards him.

"Sasha, put it away." Tyreese told his sister.

She ignored his request. "Who's out there?"

Gabriel stumbled back more, knocking into one of the tables. "I- I don't have anything to do with this."

"Where is Bob?" She took another large step, her face inches away from his. 

"I don't have anything to do-"

"Where is he?!" Her screams echoed off the tall walls of the church. 

"Please, I don't have anything to do with this." He continued to repeat his words. 

Rick pulled Sasha back, his eyes glued to Gabriel. "Why'd you bring us here?"

They all stared at Gabriel, listening closely to his response, but he only stumbled over more words.

"You working with someone?" Rick slanted his head. 

"I'm alone. I'm alone. I was always alone." Gabriel's eyes were wide as they all looked at him, anger and mistrust written all over their faces.

"What about the woman in the food bank, Gabriel?" Rick pushed forward. "What did you do to her? 'You'll burn for this'. That was for you. Why? What are you gonna burn for, Gabriel?"

Now they were really listening.

Rick gave him a moment to respond, but when he didn't, he grabbed him by the collar of his jacket, tugging him towards him. "What? What did you do? What did you do?!"

Gabriel shoved him off, his eyes welding with tears. "I lock the doors at night. I always lock the doors at night. I always lock the doors at night. I always-" He bent over for a moment, collecting his breath through the tears that began to run down his face. "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." His voice shook against his quivering lips. "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. Damning me to Hell."

They watched as Gabriel completely broke down, his hand clenching his chest. They were all shocked, to say the least, but also not surprised. They didn't hold high expectations for him. As Rick said earlier, everyone's done something to survive. Even a man of God.

He held his arms close to him, resting his chin upon closed fists. "I buried their bones. I buried it all." He finally got the courage to look back at Rick. "The Lord sent you here to finally punish me." They watched him unravel more, falling to the floor. "I'm damned. I was damned before. I always lock the doors. I always lock the doors."

"There's something..." Glenn alerted them to the window. "There's someone outside lying in the grass."

Sasha was the first to run, the others following while Carl and Tyreese stayed behind with the children.