Safe haven | Rick Grimes

016. THIS GROUP IS BROKEN

Chapter sixteen

"This group is broken."

The autumn air had turned noticeably colder, forcing everyone to gather tightly around the crackling fire. They stood in a tense, watchful circle, waiting for Daryl to finish his interrogation of Randall out in the shed.

Lori lifted the heavy metal kettle from the flames, carefully pouring steaming water into a metal cup. "So, what are you gonna do?" she asked, her eyes moving between Rick and Shane before handing the warm cup to Carl. "We'd all feel a lot better if we just knew the plan."

"Is there a plan?" Andrea challenged from across the fire.

Glenn shifted his weight uncomfortably. "Are we keeping him here permanently, or what?"

Rick and Shane exchanged a long, heavy look, a silent acknowledgment of the brutal reality they were facing. Rick turned his gaze back to the group. "We'll know soon enough," he said, nodding toward the pathway leading from the barn.

Everyone turned. Daryl was walking toward them.

As he stepped up, they saw the wet blood and fresh bruising covering his knuckles.

"The boy in there has got a gang," Daryl shared, his voice flat and grim. "Thirty men. They've got heavy artillery, and they ain't looking to make friends. If they roll through here, our boys are dead. And our women..." He trailed off, his jaw tight. "They're gonna wish they were."

Carol looked at Daryl's battered hands, a look of horror crossing her face. "What did you do to him?"

"Had a little chat," Daryl muttered, stepping past her to find a quiet spot away from them all.

Rick immediately stepped into the center of the camp, his voice carrying an unyielding authority. "No one goes near this guy. Understood?"

Lori stepped toward him, her face pale. "Rick, what are you going to do?"

"We have no choice," Rick told them, his eyes scanning the worried faces of his people. "He's a threat. We have to eliminate the threat."

Dale's eyes went wide, disbelief etching into his weathered face. "You're just going to execute him?"

"It's settled," Rick said flatly, refusing to debate it in front of the children. "We'll do it before nightfall."

Without waiting for a response, Rick turned on his heel and walked across the farm. Dale didn't hesitate, hurrying after him to try and change his mind.

Having made sure Carl was settled back at the camp, Scarlett walked across the farm toward the main house to check on Beth. As she approached the porch, Dale came walking down from the balcony stairs, his expression heavy.

"There you are," he said, intercepting her.

Scarlett slowed her pace, reading the urgency in his eyes. "I'm just checking on Beth. Dale, if you're here to talk to me about Rick..." She tried to step around him, but Dale shifted, blocking her path.

"He's wrong," Dale told her flatly.

"Dale..." Scarlett sighed.

"Everybody else is backing him," Dale pushed, his voice pleading. "But I've seen you with him. You have influence. You can talk to him about this."

"Dale, that boy's friends were going to kill Rick, Hershel, and Glenn, and then God knows what they would've done to me," Scarlett shared, her tone turning sharp with the memory. "When Rick tried to de-escalate the situation, that's when they started shooting at us. The only reason that kid is even alive right now is because his own people left him behind to die."