ɢʜᴏsᴛs ~ 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚆𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙳𝚎𝚊𝚍¹

(15) People die

Season 2, Episode 2: Bloodletting

October 10th, Day 67

THEY WALKED THROUGH the woods, Daryl and Glenn were in the front and Carol was between them all. Lori leaned a bit, walking on her toes just in case Carol went down again, but it was better than walking on eggshells.

Everything was new, Lori was being silent. She had been so condescending - at the camp, when Amy died, this whole Kat ordeal. After the gun, she was so squarely, sharply angry, not wary of the large world, but it had made things clearer.

"Sorry," she said quietly, wiping the sweat from her forehead with her arm. "For yelling."

"I deserved it," Andrea said, and she meant it. "Everybody is on edge, and I took it out on you. This isn't your fault, anyway."

The shot had shaken all of them, echoing through the woods loudly. Daryl had held his crossbow tighter and Glenn started to search with his hatchet, sweeping the trees for any walkers, Carol had cowered to the ground, explaining that the others probably found Kat. Lori tried to talk to her, and Glenn spoke up, but it was only Daryl who was able to calm the lady down.

"Andrea, I shouldn't have snapped at you."

Andrea raised her eyebrows and smiled softly. "You had every right to snap."

Lori licked her lips, swallowing nervously, and she nodded in understanding - gratitude.

"I don't know what to do." She gestured ahead of them, her face falling. "She can't even look at me."

Nicky overheard their conversation and looked over. She didn't speak or say anything, and didn't want to. She understood. She can't imagine what Carol or Sophia was thinking, with Sophia's dickhead father dead and a missing cat and Lori trying to reassure everyone. Lori, who had everything she's ever wanted, family safe and sound, whose husband came back from the dead alive and well.

"Give them some time," Nicky spoke, and kept walking.

Nothing else was said after that.

-

This wasn't supposed to be happening.

Carl wasn't supposed to be the one shot, stupid selfless kid, he volunteered to search for her cat with her. Jesus... no - no, he didn't deserve to be the one shot. He didn't deserve to die like an animal - some kind of meaningless dinner. He was only twelve. Just a boy, but now... he might never age again. He'll be forever twelve and a kid.

Rick leaned over Carl's body, hands pressing against his wound. Jesus, first it was Rick who was shot and now it was Carl.

Rory couldn't move for a while, but she eventually knelt down beside Rick. She looked over Carl for any sign that he was alive. "Carl - is he okay? Mr. Grimes, is he alive?"

"Shit..." Tears fell down Rick's pale cheeks. "No, no, no! Carl! Please..." He tried to regain his breathing. "Wake up."

"Oh god, kid."

Rory looked up immediately.

A stranger was standing over the deer with a shotgun over his shoulder.

He was the hunter. He was the one who shot Carl.

Rory didn't think about anything right now, she stood up and unsheathed her machete.

The stranger's eyes widened in horror but he made no attempt to move.

Rory lunged at him.

An arm wrapped around her and yanked her back. "Rory, stop!" Shane held her tightly and turned her around harshly, keeping her still. "Stop it. Rory, we need him if we wanna get Carl help. We need to find somewhere and stop the bleeding, okay? That man will help us - if not, then I'll make sure he can't breathe, okay? I swear to you."