Path to Rodina - English Version

Capítulo 19

The day arrived, roosters crowing, the sun rising from its hiding place. Alexei woke up along with it, his head throbbing from the blow, but nothing too serious. He got up and checked on Carl, who was with his parents.

Both parents were glad to see Alexei already on his feet. "Are you feeling better?" Rick asked.

"I will be soon, it was nothing," Alexei confirmed. "And the little soldier?"

"He's better, thank God... and thank you again," Lori said.

Beth entered and interrupted them, "It's time." Alexei looked confused at Rick...

(The scene transitions to Otis's funeral)

Hershel cleared his throat and began, "Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Praised be He for the gift of our brother Otis, for his years, for his abundance of character. Otis, who gave his life to save a child, now more than ever, our most precious asset. We thank You, God, for the peace he enjoys in Your embrace. He died as he lived, in Grace."

During the funeral, Alexei and Maggie exchanged glances, not understanding why the idea of looking at each other drew them in, but it happened.

"Shane, will you speak for Otis?" Hershel asked. "I'm not good at this. I'm sorry," Shane replied.

Patricia approached, with a hopeful expression in her eyes. "You were the last person with him. You shared his final moments. Please. I need to hear. I need to know that his death had meaning."

Shane took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the words. "Right. We were almost done. Almost out of ammo. We were down to pistols at that point. I was limping. It was bad. My ankle was all swollen."

He hesitated, remembering the pain and the struggle. "We have to save the boy. See, that's what he said." The tone of his voice became more intense, almost desperate.

"He gave me his pack. He pushed me forward. 'Run,' he said. He said, 'I'll cover you.'"

The emotion overcame him. "And when I looked back... If it wasn't for Otis, I never would've made it out alive. And that goes for Carl too. It was Otis. He saved us. If any death ever had meaning, it was his."

Alexei understood the sacrifice of war well and knew how it felt to be the last one left alive. There was a certain guilt, a desire to have taken the place of those who had fallen, but Shane's expression didn't show that. His remorse seemed to stem from another source. Alexei didn't buy the officer's story.

After the funeral, the group gathered with Hershel to discuss the search for Sophia. Maggie presented the region's map, and Rick, Daryl, Shane, Andrea, Jimmy, and Hershel all discussed strategies and scenarios related to Sophia and also establishing the camp. Hershel also made clear some rules for staying on his property—being unarmed. This enraged Shane, but Rick, having his son saved by the doctor and being in his house, accepted the old man's demands. Shane tried to suppress his anger with the simple task of cleaning the weapons.

Alexei, staying apart, was doing push-ups to stay in shape, always ready for the day, his beard trimmed and his hair neatly combed, respecting the standards of a military officer.

"What did you bring? Are there more antibiotics, bandages, anything like that?" Maggie asked, a concerned look on her face.

"Exactly what you saw," Andrea responded, looking at the supplies they had managed to gather.

"We're already running out," Maggie continued. "I should take a look at the town."

"Isn't that where Shane went?" Rick asked with a worried look.