"Oh god." Y/N whispers, dropping her smoking gun to the grass.
She falls to her knees in front of the two men. She pulls Shane's lifeless body off of Rick. The bullet entered his heart, killing him instantly.
Rick sits up, coughing. His face is bloody and swollen. He looks at the grass where Shane lays, face down.
Y/N has tears in her eyes. She can't breathe. She can't think. All she knows is that she just ended someone's life.
It doesn't matter that he has tried to kill her. It doesn't matter that he screwed around with Ricks wife. It doesn't matter that he's a terrible person.
She just took his life away.
She tries to speak but it comes out a choked sob. "Rick-"
He grabs her and pulls her close. "Shhh."
He holds her as she sobs into his chest.
"What have I done?" Her voice breaks. Rick just rocks her back and forth.
After some time, she pulls away. She wipes her tear-streaked face. "We have to get back to the house. Daryl and Glenn-"
He cuts her off. "We have to wait."
"What? Why?" She tilts her head at him.
He sighs. "Back at the CDC... Jenner told me that-" He pauses.
"Jenner told you what?" She presses.
"That it doesn't matter how you die. You'll come back."
His words hit her like a semi-truck. She backs away. "What?"
He looks at her, guilt on his features. "I should've told you."
She crosses her arms over her chest, feeling the chilly breeze. Winter is coming. "Yeah. You should've."
The wind blows again and Y/N shivers. Rick notices.
"Here. Take my jacket." He says, taking it off to reveal a white t-shirt below it.
She shakes her head. "Keep it."
"Take the damn jacket."
She sighs and takes it, putting it on. He pats the ground next to him. She scoots closer. He gently places an arm around her shoulders, instantly warming her up.
They sit like that for a little bit. Y/N glances back over at Shane's body. It doesn't feel real. She wishes it were all a dream.
Eventually Rick speaks quietly. "You did what you had to do."
She sighs. "I killed him."
"It had to be done."
Suddenly a voice is heard behind them. "Dad? Y/N?"
The two stand quickly. They turn around to find Carl.
Y/N and Rick glance at each other. Carl has tears in his eyes as he notices Shane.
"You should be in the house with mom." Rick says, voice shaking slightly.
Suddenly Carl raises a gun. Y/N recognizes it as Daryl's. He must've given it back to him. She holds up her arms. Rick does the same.
"Carl, put it down please. It's not what it seems. Just put down the gun." Y/N says.
He fires, making Y/N flinch. She quickly realizes that her and Rick are still standing. She turns around to see Shane's body in a new location. His skin is paler.
He turned.
Y/N swallows the little saliva in her mouth. Jenner was telling the truth. She glances at Rick who has the same expression.
Carl holsters the gun. He runs up and pulls the two adults into a hug.
"Were you guys bit too?"
Y/N inhales sharply.
Rick answers. "No."
"What happened? You guys were attacked? I mean, I... I heard a gunshot, but I didn't see any walkers nearby. How did Shane die?"
Y/N turns her head to the side. Her face is giving herself away. She suddenly sees movement out of the corner of her eye. She glances back and spots a walker. Then another.
She quickly stands, pulling Rick and Carl up as well. "Shit. Go, go, go!" She whispers.
The two Grimes glance backward and see a massive herd of walkers headed their way, towards the house.
The three take off running down the hill.
"We gotta get to the house. Tell the others." Carl whispers when they make it close to the barn.
"No. We'll never make it through that." Rick whispers back.
The herd is getting closer.
"The barn. Go." Rick tells them. The three rush inside. Rick hands Y/N a lighter. "Drop it when I say to."
He gently pushes her and Carl up a ladder to the hayloft. Rick dumps gasoline all over.
Carl wraps his arms around Y/N's waist. Rick leads in a chunk of walkers into the lower level. "Drop it!" He shouts.
Y/N flicks the metal latch to start the flame. She drops it, the fire quickly spreading, lighting up the walkers, the hay, and the old wooden walls.
"Rick!" She shouts down to him. He quickly climbs the ladder. She holds out her hand to him and he takes it, nearly collapsing on her and Carl in a fit of coughs.
They all stand and make their way to an open frame facing towards the fields.
Walkers are everywhere. She hears gunfire and knows it's the others.
She thinks about Glenn. Daryl. T-Dog. Everyone.
Suddenly Dales RV pulls up. Jimmy is driving. Rick and Y/N shout for him to pull it in front of the window. Rick jumps down first, onto the roof of the RV. He holds out his arms and Carl goes next.
Finally he reaches up and Y/N jumps down. They take a moment to catch their breath when screams are heard from inside the RV.
Walkers got in and are attacking Jimmy. Y/N shuts her eyes sadly. After a brief second, the three climb down the ladder.
They run quickly, evading walkers, as they try and make their way back to the house.
Y/N grips onto Carls hand as they near the porch. Hershel is firing off his shotgun. Rick speaks to him for a moment.
A walker gets too close to Carl and Y/N stabs it in the head with her knife. "Rick, Hersh, we gotta go!" Y/N shouts over the groans of walkers.
The four of them get into one of the cars. Rick gets behind the wheel. Hershel is in the passenger seat, Y/N and Carl in the back.
All four of them are silent as they drive off the property, away from the herd. Away from the flaming barn.
Away from the others.
The farm is gone.
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Sheriff's Lover ||| Rick Grimes x Reader (TWD x Reader)
Fanfiction32 year-old Y/N was all alone on the streets of Atlanta when a man in a sheriffs uniform trots down the road on top of a horse. She decides to join him on his journey to find his family because she doesn't want to be left behind. The two run into a...
