Sheriff's Lover ||| Rick Grimes x Reader (TWD x Reader)

Chapter 21) Well

"How long has this girl been lost?" Hershel asks.

"This'll be day three." Rick replies.

Hershel, Daryl, Rick, Shane, and Y/N stand around a truck under a tree.

Hershel nods, unfolding a map onto the hood. "County survey map. Shows terrain and elevations."

Rick scans it. "This is perfect. We can finally get this thing organized. We'll grid the whole area, start searching in teams."

"Not you. Not today. You gave three units of blood. You wouldn't be hiking five minutes in this heat before passing out." Hershel tells him.

He turns to Y/N. "You'll be no help with your arm wrapped in that sling." He turns to Shane last. "And your ankle... Push it now, you'll be laid up a month, no good to anybody." Shane groans but nods.

Daryl swings his crossbow over his shoulder. "Guess it's just me. I'm gonna head back to the creek, work my way from there."

Shane nods. "I can still be useful. I'll drive up to the interstate, see if Sophia wandered back."

Rick sighs. "All right, tomorrow then. We'll start doing this right."

Shane turns to Hershel. "That means we can't have our people out there with just knives. They need the gun training we've been promising them."

Hershel sets a hand on his hip. "I'd prefer you not carrying guns on my property. We've managed so far without turning this into an armed camp."

"All due respect, you get a crowd of those things wandering in here..."

Y/N cuts shane off. "We're guests here. The least we can do."

He shoots her a glare. Rick turns to Hershel. "This is your property and we will respect that. First things first: Set camp, find Sophia."
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"Looks like we've got us a swimmer."

A few members of the group stand around one of the wells on the Greene property. Y/N looks down and groans at the sight of a heavy, slimy walker.

"How long do you think it's been down there?" Glenn asks.

Y/N shrugs. "Long enough to grow gills."

Dale takes off his hat to wipe his head. "We can't leave it in there. God knows what it's doing to the water."

"Easy, put a bullet in its brain." Shane says, dismissively.

Y/N shakes her head. "Woah, woah. No, we aren't doing that."

"Why not? It's a good plan." He spits.

Glenn takes Y/N's side. "It's a stupid plan. If that thing hasn't contaminated the water yet, blowing its brains out will definitely finish the job."

Andrea nods. "They're right. We can't risk it."

"So it has to come out alive?" T-Dog asks.

"So to speak." Dale mumbles.

"How in the hell are we gonna do that?" Shane asks.
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"He's not going for it." Glenn says.

Y/N nods, glancing at the chunk of ham on a string that's dangling above the walkers head. "Maybe because canned meat doesn't kick and scream."

Shane groans. "We need live bait."

Everyone except for Maggie and Y/N, turn to Glenn.

Glenn's face drops immediately. He looks at Shane. "Have I mentioned that I really like your new haircut? You have a nice shaped head."

Shane huffs. "You'll be fine, bud."

Y/N glances at the others. "You guys can't be serious. We aren't sending him down that well. That's an accident waiting to happen."

Shane shrugs. "We could always send you down."

It was meant as sarcasm but Y/N nods. "Do it, then. Send me down there."

Glenn's mouth drops open. "Y/N, no. I'll do it. It's okay."

Y/N turns to him. "I saved your ass back in Atlanta. Im sure as hell not gonna let you die here."

T-Dog rubs his head. "What would Rick think? Carl?"

She grinds her teeth. "They aren't here right now. We have a solution. Give me the rope."

With that, the others tie the rope around her torso. Her sling is in the way so she rips it off and tosses it to the grass, much to Maggie's dismay.

"Y/N-"

She shakes her head. "I'll put it back on when i'm done."

Maggie looks at the others as they start to lower Y/N into the well. "You people are crazy."

Shane shrugs. "You want it out of your well or not?"

As Y/N starts to descend, she glances up. Shane is holding onto the rope in the very front. She thinks back to the other night.

The school. Otis. The choking.

He could kill her right now and blame it on the walker. Blame it on the fact that she volunteered. Nobody can expose you for being a psycho murderer if the only witness is dead.

She regrets her decision almost instantly, but she doesn't falter. Rather her then Glenn.

She gets lowered more. The walls feel constricting. It's damp. The walker below her tries to grab her feet.

"Doing okay?" T-Dog shouts down.

"Just peachy." Y/N mumbles.

There's a couple of nervous laughs from above.

Little by little, she goes down. Finally, she tosses a second rope down trying to wrap it around the walker when suddenly her own tether snaps.

She screams as she starts to fall. She shuts her eyes as she hears shouts from above. In those brief seconds she thinks about Carl. Daryl. Glenn. Rick. Everyone. She doesn't want to die. Not yet.

Suddenly she stops falling. Her eyes snap open and she realizes that she's not being torn apart. The others grabbed the rope and are starting to pull her back up.

Her mind is spinning as she screams. "Get me out of here!"

Finally, after what feels like years, she lands on the soft grass. She practically hugs it as she breathes heavily.

Glenn and Maggie are first to her side. "Are you okay?"

She sighs as she sits up, nodding.

After a moment Dale hums. "Back to the drawing board."

Y/N raises her eyebrows. "Says you." She hands him the rope and the others glance back down the well.

She did it.
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