The Deals We Make

4: Walkers In The Barn

Edward was enjoying his morning. Melissa was happy, the breakfast was good, the company was good. He and the others sat in a circle making small talk with each other. That was until...

"Um, guys. So, the barn is full of Walkers."

Everyone just looked up at Glenn in disbelief.

It didn't take much time for everyone to get down to the barn. Shane leaned up to the door to check. Edward placed himself in front of Melissa, had one hand on one of his guns, the other out blocking her path.

"You cannot tell me you're all right with this." Shane said as he walked back from the barn.

"No, I'm not, but we're guests here. This isn't our land." Rick replied.

"Oh, God! This is our lives!"

"Lower your voice." Glenn warned.

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

"It ain't right. Not remotely." Shane began. "Ok, we've either got to go in there, we've got to make things right or we've just got to go. Now we have been talking about Fort Benning for a long time."

"We can't go." Rick responded.

"Why, Rick? Why?"

"Because my daughter is still out there." Carol spoke up.

"Ok. Ok, I think it's time that we all start to just consider the other possibility."

"Shane! We're not leaving Sophia behind."

"I'm close to finding this girl. I just found her damn doll two days ago." Daryl said.

"You found her doll, Daryl. That's what you did. You found a doll."

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about."

"A doll brings hope. It may not be much, but it brings hope that she's still out there." Edward spoke up.

"I'm just saying what needs to be said here." Shane began before turning to Edward. "And you, you just got here. You get no say in any of this."

Edward's hand grabbed the gun but didn't pull it.

"You get a good lead, it's in the first 48 hours." Shane continued.

"Shane, stop."

"Let me tell you something else, man. If she was alive out there and saw you coming all method with your buck knife and geek ears around your neck, she would run in the other direction."

A physical fight almost happened but Rick stepped in between Shane and Daryl. Edward pushed himself and Melissa back to avoid any of it. He grabbed his whip ready to use it to get everyone's attention without wasting a bullet. After a moment of fighting, he swung the whip, cracking the air. Everyone stopped and looked at him.

"Keep your hands off me." Shane said to Lori.

Shane began to walk off.

"Now let me talk to Hershel. Let me figure it out."

"What are you gonna figure out?"

"Enough! If we're gonna stay, if we're gonna clear this barn, I have to talk him into it. This is his land." Rick said.

"Hershel sees those things in there as people, sick people." Dale explained. "His wife... his stepson."

"You knew?" Rick asked.

"Yesterday, I talked to Hershel."

"And you waited the night?" Shane asked.

"I thought we could survive one more night. We did."