𝑩𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝑺𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒔 | ᵀᵂᴰ

15: The New Guy

I didn't move an inch away or out of Lori's grasp. I stared at the little girl I let die. I failed her. I was supposed to bring her back to Carol. I just can't seem to do anything right.

"Don't look. Don't look." Daryl told Carol as he helped her up off the ground. She shoved him away and ran back to camp.

Carol crying out for Sophia will forever haunt my mind.

Beth cried and ran over to a now dead walker. She pushed a body of another away and turned the woman on her back.

"Mom." She said through tears. The walker came to and grabbed Beth. That's when I jumped from Lori's arms and grabbed the gun I had dropped. There were too many people surrounding her and pulling her away, so I couldn't get a clear shot. T-Dog stomped on the walkers head, but it didn't do much damage. Andrea ended up shoving a pickaxe through its head.

Beth's cries of grief and heartbreak changed to fear as Hershel held her in his arms.

I sat back on my heels with the gun now in my lap, still looking at Sophia. I felt Lori's hand on my shoulder.

"Come here, honey." She said. She pulled me back towards her and wrapped around my shoulders as she held me close.

➳

Carl, Lori, and I hadn't moved away from the barn.

"I thought I'd find her." Carl said. "We all did." Lori told him. "I mean me- that I'd be the one. Like maybe she was hiding somewhere. In a cave or a tree. She'd be safe, and I'd find her and bring her back." Carl said. "He did the right thing, shooting her like that. I would've done it, too." Lori turned to me. "Isabela?" I turned my head and looked at her. "Could you take Carl up to the house?" I nodded and got up. "I want you to rest." She told him. "Okay." He replied. I held out my hand for him, and he took it.

"Hey, you dropped that." Rick said, sitting his sheriff hat on Carl's head.

He got up and we went to the house. Carl dropped my hand. "Why does everybody treat me like I'm a kid?"

"Because you are." I said. "But I'm not." "Then what are you? Batman?" Carl scoffed. "No, I'm more mature than other kids." "End of the world changes you, huh?" "I guess." Carl said, kicking the grass.

"What's it like to be seventeen? Before all this- what was it like?" He asked. "Everybody has a different seventeen. You just wait for yours." I said, ruffling his hair.

➳

We all gathered around the three graves. One for Hershel's wife, Annette. One for Hershel's stepson, Shawn. And the last one for Sophia.

Nothing was said. It was a silent memorial.

We all walked away. Carl followed me.

"Hey, Isabela?" He called out. "Yeah?" "Do you want to play a game?" We just buried Sophia, and this kid wants to play a game? I guess it's best if this kid stays a kid.

"Sure. What do you want to play?" "I don't know. I was hoping you did." I laughed. "How about hopscotch?" "How are we supposed to play hopscotch?" "In the dirt." "The dirt?" "You just love asking questions, don't you?"

I grabbed a stick and started to draw the game in the dirt. I broke off the end of the stick and threw it down, and it landed on seven.

"Did you have a job before this?" "I did." "What was it?" "I was a party princess." "Party princess?" "Yeah, I'd dress up as princesses and go to little kid parties."

I handed Carl the stick, and he threw it. It landed in between the eight and the nine.

"What did you do before all this?" I asked Carl jokingly. "School." He answered. "What grade?" "Sixth." "Who were your teachers?" "Uh, for Math, I had Mr. Heath. Science was Dr. Hanes. English was Ms. McKeown. History was Mrs. Worth. Art was Miss Phillis and P.E. was Mr. Cassidy." I nodded. "Did you have any of them?" "I had Mrs. McKeown. She was nice." "She was."

Carl and I played hopscotch for a while, but he mainly asked me questions. "I'm gonna head to the house." "Alright, just be good. Your mom will kill me if you aren't." Carl laughed. "I will." "Good. Later, kid." "Bye, Bela!" He waved before running to the house.

➳

I didn't get much sleep last night since every time I woke up, it was to Daryl yelling at Carol. I didn't really pay attention to what they were talking about. If I did, I'd probably regret it.

Most of us geared up to go out and get Rick, Glenn, and Hershel. As we're about ready, they finally come speeding up to the house. Carl runs to Rick, Maggie runs to Glenn, and Hershel runs in the house.

"Who the hell is that?" T-Dog exclaims.

"That's Randall." Glenn answered. The hell?

➳

"We could just leave him behind. He would've bled out if he lived that long." Rick said.

"It's gotten bad in town." Glenn said.

"What do we do with him?" Andrea questioned. Hershel walked in.

"I repaired his calf muscle as best I can, but he'll probably have nerve damage." Hershel said. "Won't be on his feet for at least a week." "When he is, we give him a canteen, take him out to the main road, send him on his way." Rick said. "Isn't that the same as leaving him for the walkers?" Andrea asked.

I heard the door squeak open. I turned and saw Daryl. I turned my head back to Rick. "He'll have a fighting chance."

"Just gonna let him go? He knows where we are." Shane said. "He was blindfolded the whole way here. He's not a threat." Rick replied. "Not a threat. How many of them were there? You killed three of their men, you took one of them hostage, but they just ain't gonna come looking?" "They left him for dead. No one is looking." Rick said.

"We should still post a guard." T-Dog said. "He's out cold right now, will be for hours." Hershel said. "You know what? I'm gonna go get him some flowers and candy." Shane joked before making his way to the door. "Look at this, folks- we back in fantasyland." "You know, we haven't even dealt with what you did at my barn yet." Hershel said.

"Let me make this perfectly clear once and for all- this is my farm. Now I wanted you gone. Rick talked me out of it, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. So do us both a favor- keep your mouth shut." If I could give Hershel a round of applause right now, I would. Shane seemed to have accepted Hershel's favor and didn't say a word before walking out.

"We're not gonna do anything about it today." Rick said. "Let's just cool off." We all slowly left one by one.

As long as this Randall guy was blindfolded, we should be safe.