In the morning we had a service for Dale. This funeral was worse than Otis', everyone knew Dale.
"We're gonna prove him wrong. This group, we aren't broken. We can pull together and become stronger. Secure our home and work together. No more drama or arguments, we all need to get along" Rick says while the silence among the rest of us lingers on.
•••
"I need all of you guys to be moved in. The closer to the house the safer. But I don't want Shane inside" Dad instructs
"We'll move all the cars around, facing outwards in case of an emergency" Rick says
"Nothin like a bunch of cars parked outside callin for no attention" Daryl comments as he carries a bin inside.
As another car pulled up to the lot I picked up a box to help carry stuff in.
"You don't have to" Rick says
"Fine" I say and hand him the bin and walk past him.
•••
I sat and listened in on Rick and Daryls plans. They spoke of driving Randall out like they planned, just farther.
"T-Dog, can you get Randall?" Rick asks him and T-Dog walks out to the barn.
I watched him walk out and he opens the door but he turns around instantly. Rick, Daryl and I run out to meet him.
"He's gone?" Rick asks and I guess everyone else heard it as they all come outside.
"I don't know where he went" T-Dog says
"Can he slip out the ropes?" Andrea asks
"I guess with enough determination"
"Shit! Rick, man! He's armed" Shane yells from the woods "he's got my gun!"
As he got closer I saw Shanes face was bloody.
"Little fucker must've come up behind me and taken my gun" Shane explains
"Everyone get in the house. Close the doors. Shane and I will look together and Daryl and Glenn will go together" Rick says
"W-why me?" Glenn stutters
"Isabelle, are you up for it?"
"Why not" I say and pull my gun from my holster and take Glenn's place with Daryl.
•••
The sun was gone and it was completely dark outside. I was scared. I held my flashlight in one hand and my gun in the other, Daryl had a flashlight also.
"You've been quiet" he says
"Nothin to say"
"You mad at me or somethin?"
"No. Just focused. I wanna get rid of this guy"
"Don't mean we can't talk"
"Look here" I say pointing to a tree with blood on it
"Looks like they had a bit of a mix up here" Daryl shines a light on the ground where the leaves were kicked up and Randall's blindfold was left.
"This is a b-"
I was cut off by rustling and moaning. A walker was near, Daryl pushed me behind a tree and he went behind a tree on the other side of me. I could see my breath, that kept me calm. We listened quietly until it faded. We continued to walk but I was then knocked over with walker growls above me.
"Fuck" I mumbled, I couldn't reach my knife so I held him above me.
I pushed him off me and stood up. Daryl was then pushed over because I couldn't find my knife and didn't want to fire. I picked up a stick and stabbed him in the head and Daryl pushed him off. It was Randall.
"Jesus" I mumbled and Daryl looked on him
"There ain't a gun, and no scratches or bites"
"Then what happened?"
"His neck was snapped. That killed him, not a walker"
"What the hell does that mean?"
"Means that there's somethin we don't know. Let's get back before anyone starts to worry"
•••
"Hey, heard that gunshot?" Daryl asks as we enter
"Rick and Shane back?" I ask
"No" Lori answers "maybe they found Randall and that was the gunshot"
"We found him" I say
"And the walker who got him?" Dad asks
"Funny thing was, he wasn't bit or scratched" Daryl comments "his neck was broke"
"So he fought back" Patricia says
"Thing is, Randall and Shanes tracks were right on top of each other and Shane ain't no tracker. Randall didn't come up behind him, they were together"
"Well, can you go out and find Rick, please? Find out what happened" Lori basically begs him.
"You got it" Daryl mumbles with a small nod of his head and leaves.
Andrea and I follow him to see a herd of walkers headed towards the house.
"Shit" I say and run a hand through my hair.
Glenn must've heard as he came out to see.
"Oh my god" he says
Then dad, Patricia, Maggie, Carol, T-Dog and Jimmy join us.
"Patricia, kill the lights" Dad tells her
"I'll get the guns" Andrea says
"Maybe they're just passing like the herd on the highway. Should we just go inside?" Glenn asks
"Not unless there's a tunnel underground I don't know about. Herd that size will rip the house down" Daryl counters
"Carl's gone" Lori says joining us on the porch "I'm not leaving without him"
"We won't. I'll help you look" Carol offers and they go inside to look again.
Andrea joins us on the porch with the guns. Maggie grabbed one for herself and Glenn, dad takes one and I do too.
"It's no use" Daryl says
"You can go if you want" Dad says
"You gonna take them all on?"
"We have guns. We have cars"
"Kill as many as we can then use the cars to lead them away" Andrea says
"You serious?"
"This is my farm. I'll die here"
"Alright. As good a night as any" Daryl says and hops over the porch railing.
"Yeah. As good a night as any" I repeat still not believing what's happening.
Ana, Patricia, Beth, Lori and Carol stayed back at the house while everyone else jumped into vehicles, I didn't have one. Maggie and Glenn went in a car, Jimmy took the RV, Daryl on his bike, T-Dog and Andrea went in a pick up. I did what I did best and ran. I stood a few feet from some walkers and shot at what I could.
"You okay?" Daryl yelled to me
"I'm fine" I respond and run out of the way from the cars.
I continued to shoot at what I could. The barn was on fire. Some walkers were drawn to it but the noise of gunfire was just drawing them back. I saw cars start to leave the farm and none of them were trying to wait for me. I waved my arms desperately for a break. I couldn't stop running now. So I did what I did best, ran, and ran. Far far away, through the woods and back to the highway hoping that's where we'd all meet once again.
MY APOLOGIES FOR SKIPPING AROUND SO MUCH.
