My Secrets In The Apocalypse

Chapter 23

Riley stood on the porch for a minute, scanning the yard until she caught sight of Carl running towards the field behind the barn. Riley quickly jumped off of the porch and followed him, he was moving pretty quickly but her leg wasn't injured this time, she could catch up to him before he got into trouble. She quickly passed the barn and saw Carl standing in the distance near Rick.
"Carl!" she said as she caught up.
Suddenly Carl pulled a gun out and aimed it at Rick. Riley felt her heart skip a beat. What was Carl doing with a gun and why was he aiming on his father? When she looked up at Rick, who was desperately pleading with his son to lower the gun, she was even more surprised. It was Shane, but he wasn't Shane anymore, and he was coming for Rick quickly.
"Rick!" Riley yelled just as a loud gun shot rang through the darkness. Rick turned around quickly, seeing Shane's body fall back to the ground.
"What in the world is going on here?!" Riley asked in a shaky voice.
"I'll explain when we get back to he house," Rick answered in a tired voice.
"Alright," she said.

Rick stepped forward, putting an arm over Carl's shoulders, and slowly started walking back towards the house. Riley fell into step beside them listening as Carl started asking questions quietly and Rick tried answering, without really answering.
They all froze in their tracks at the dreadfully familiar sound of growling. Nothing could have prepared them for what they saw when they turned around. The biggest herd of walkers they had ever seen before, and they were right on them. The three of them turned and rushed to the barn as the walkers were starting to surround them. Riley grabbed Carl's hand and pulled him into the barn, then turned to help Rick pull the doors shut. He quickly slid a metal rod into the door handles and pulled Riley back as the walkers slammed against them.

***
Daryl stepped onto the porch followed by some of the group, all of them pausing when they saw the scene before them.
Walkers, hundreds of them all over the farm, heading straight for them.
Herschel told Patricia to turn off all of the lights in the house and Andrea rushed inside to grab the guns.
"Maybe they're just passing through, like the herd on the highway?" Glenn said. "Should we just go inside?"
"A herd that size would rip the house down," Daryl stated.
Lori suddenly came bursting out the door with a frantic look on her face. "Carl's not inside!"
"What?" Glenn asked in shock.
"I can't find him anywhere!" Lori cried.
"Riley's gone too!" T-dog said stepping out behind Lori.
"What?" Daryl snapped his head up. "Where the hell did she go?" he asked angrily.
"I don't know man, she's just gone," he shrugged.
"Maybe they're together?" Glenn asked.
"Goddammit, Dinky!" Daryl growled out.
"We'll go look for them," Carol said pulling Lori back into the house.
***

Rick, Carl, and Riley huddled in the middle of the barn taking a moment to catch their breath.
"What are we gonna do! We don't have the fire power to take on a herd that size!" Riley whispered. Rick quickly patted himself down and pulled a lighter from his pocket.
"I've got an idea. They're attracted to fire, so we light up the barn. It could distract them enough for us to get back and help the others!" he said.
"That's a pretty shitty plan," Riley sighed. "But it's the only one we've got."
"Take this," Rick said handing the lighter to Riley. "You two climb up to the loft. When I say now, you drop it."
"No, Rick. You've been through enough today. I'm quick on my feet, I got this," she said handing the lighter back to Rick.
"Be careful," he said.
Riley nodded and watched as he quickly ushered Carl up the latter to the loft. Once they were safely up the ladder, she turned back to the door, pausing when a red can caught her eye. She quickly ran over to the gas can and poured it out all over the barn floor. Tossing the can aside, she made her way up to the barn doors, banging on them and yelling to catch the attention of as many walkers as possible.

Riley took a deep breath before pulling the metal bar from the door handles and yanking the doors open. She walked backwards quickly, leading the group of walkers into the barn.
"Now!" she screamed as she turned and jumped onto the ladder, climbing quickly. Rick dropped the lighter, the floor of the barn instantly bursting into flames thanks to the gasoline.
Rick grabbed Riley's hand and hoisted her onto the loft. The three of them ran straight for the window, hopping out onto the roof of the lean-to. They stopped, looking down at the mass of walkers surrounding the entire barn. They were trapped on the roof between a blazing fire and a swarm of walkers. Just when Riley was about to give up hope, someone came plowing through the fields in the RV.
Rick managed to catch their attention and waved them over to where they were. Whoever was driving had managed to pull it close enough to them that they could get down. Rick jumped across first, quickly turning and holding his arms out for Carl. Once Carl was safely on top of the RV, Riley jumped across and followed as Rick and Carl climbed down the ladder on the back of the RV. The three of them quickly ran to the front of the RV, pausing when they saw blood splatter all over the front windshield.