Safe and Sound | TWD

Chapter 11

Have you ever been a position where you didn't know what side you were supposed to be on? You didn't know whether to speak up for what you believe, or maybe silence was the better answer?

Have you ever been so used to being still, being silent, that when the moment finally comes for you to speak, the time when your voice needs to be heard by others but you're just...frozen? You feel the words bubbling up in your throat, resting on your tongue but you can't make any noise?

I can't count on one hand how many times it's happened to me. By the time it catches up to my other hand, I won't have enough fingers to count it.

Today was one of those days.

Walkers in the barn.

Panic, confusion, anger, worry. So many words describe the feelings emanating from the camp.

All I can do is stand there, staring blankly at the people surrounding me.

I wish I could be the leader my father is. He always knows what to say in these situations. To calm everyone. But I can't even calm myself. I'm frozen. Words are stuck in my throat.

Paralyzed.

The moans, the groaning and shuffling can be heard a few feet from the barn doors the group is surrounded in front of.

Shane peeks inside, warily stepping closer to the rickety old wood. The only thing keeping the threat from us. Carl is clinging to my mother's side, the same look on everyone's face.

What are we going to do?

The sweat beading on my forehead gives me slight irritation. There was a time in my life where the only time I ever sweat was in gym class.

Now it's become a part of my everyday life.

Wiping it away, only for it to return moments later, I find myself looking around Hershels land.  The almost endless forest and lush landscape. In the midst of it all, back by the house, Silas stands with Maggie.

The irritation that was momentarily distracted by my professing sweat now radiating towards him.

"You cannot tell me you're alright with this."

My attention from the boy gets dragged back to the scene at hand. Shane, with his face scrunched and shoulders broad, stalks up to my father as if he has all the answers.

Shane shoves past him, knocking shoulders, "I'm not, but we're guests here. This isn't our land." He tries to reasons earning a scoff from Shane.

I fight the urge to roll my eyes at the one sided pissing contest Shane is hell bent on winning.

"This is our lives!" He exclaims. Throwing his arm to accentuate how pissed he is.

Glenn winces.

"We can't just sweep this under the rug." Andrea argues.

"We either got to go in there, make things right, or go."

The thought of leaving makes my heart sink. The thought of Sophia still out there, Carl on the road again without stability, safety. Leaving a place that is safer than anywhere else we've been, even with walkers thrown in the barn isn't something we can do. We can't.

"We can't just leave." I look around the group to see who spoke, only to see them staring right back at me. I didn't even realize I said that out loud. The look my parents give me tells me that I in fact, did.

With the new found voice I have seemed to gain, I say my piece. I look only to my mom, as if I'm speaking to just her. Getting comfort in the way she seems to really listen to what I'm saying. "Sophia is still missing. Carl was just shot and still recovering. This is the safest place we've had since everything happened. We can't go."