𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑮𝑶𝑶𝑫 𝑮𝑼𝒀 ❦ Rick Grimes

- sixteen

— ACT TWO OF THREE —
SHE LOVES ME, SHE LOVES ME NOT

chapter sixteen | hurt
* edited

SADIE walked out of the steaming bathroom in a new pair of clothes, thanks to Maggie who had gifted the woman with a pair of jeans and a hot pink tank top. It was out of style for her, but she was grateful for the clean shirt nonetheless.

In the early hours of the morning, Carl was finally out of surgery. He was doing well. He was surviving, and that was enough for them all.

Sadie sat on the porch, Rick sat beside her as Lori stood off to the side. They awaited for the return of the rest of their group.

T-Dog, Glenn, and Shane helped the Greene family collect a plethora of rocks for Otis' service to which Sadie refused to help. Not when Shane wasn't being truthful about what happened a mere ten hours before.

Sadie thought about telling Daryl about what happened back at the school. She even thought of telling Rick, but the consequences she might face was a heavy burden to bear.

The reality that Sadie believed was that she was just as guilty as Shane. If they turned him away for killing Otis, Sadie ultimately knew they would turn her away too. And that? That feeling was worse than the original sin they committed.

Sadie was torn from her thoughts as she heard the roar of her brothers motorcycle coming up to the house. The RV and small SUV weren't far behind. Daryl hopped off his bike and met his sister half way.

"Never thought I'd see the day you wore hot pink." Daryl snickered.

"Oh, shut up." She punched his arm and smiled. Not that she would ever admit it to anyone, Sadie was glad to see him.

"How is he?" Dale asked.

Lori smiled, nodding as she said, "He'll pull through. Thanks to Hershel a-and his people."

"And Shane and Sadie. We'd have lost Carl if not for them." Rick confirmed, as the group looked between Shane and Sadie.

Rick then went on to explain that it was all just a hunting accident gone wrong. He even cracked a small smile towards Patricia, Otis' wife. Once they had all greeted one another, Hershel welcomed them all to his land, telling them they were more than welcome to pay their respects to their friend Otis.

Sadie had thrown a small fit over attending. She hated funerals. The preaching, the singing, the tears... Every aspect of it reminded her of her mother's. It was a day she didn't care to relive.

After Daryl dragged her along with them, Sadie dug her heels into the dirt, kicking around a rock that lay at her feet.

"Stop." Daryl suddenly demanded as Hershel began reading from the Bible. Sadie began to tune out most of his readings. She reminisced the night before, almost as if she were at the cinema. The events replayed constantly. From dropping down twenty feet to the ground, to Shane sacrificing Otis as Walker bait.

Sadie felt a jab to her side, her fist instinctively clenching to defend herself. Before she could retaliate against her brother, Patricia asked her to share Otis' final moments.

"I-I can't do that. I got separated from them." She lied rather quickly, "Shane knows though. He was with him when Otis went down, ain't that right?"