Hopeless

Chapter 47

I hear a knock on the RV door, I turn to see Rick standing in the doorway. I wipe my tears away, carefully placing the locket in my pocket.

"Hey, have you talked to Lori?" I ask him.

"No, I was on patrol. Daryl found me, told me you were up and about. I came right here." He hugs me. "It broke my heart seeing you locked up in that room Katie. I missed you." He says with a smile as he pulls away.

"I know, I'm sorry. When we lost mom and dad it all happened so quick I never really had time to really process any of it...Dale was the closest thing I had to them. So when he..." I lowered my head. "When he died I wasn't just losing him. I was losing them all over again too." I say, trying to explain. He places a hand on my shoulder.

"I know, I miss them too." He replies sadly. He stands up straighter, ready to change the subject. He's never really been one to talk about his feelings. "We're finalizing the plans for winter today. Everyone has most of their stuff packed up already, it's just a matter of loading it all inside. In fact I was just about to meet Hershel to approve the safety measures I want to put in place. We can't take any chances, especially with Randall staying in the shed." I gasp, my eyes wide.

"He's still alive? He's here?" I ask. Part of me expected them to have killed him by now. 

"I decided that's how we're going to honor Dale, by living by the way he would have wanted us to. He said this group was broken. I want to prove him wrong. I want to be the good he saw in all of us." I nod, smiling at him. I can't think of a better way to honor him.

"What are you gonna do with him then, if you aren't gonna kill him?" I ask curiously.

"I want to let him go, but with winter right around the corner he'd never make it out there on his own. We'd be sentencing him to the same fate. Shane hates the idea, but we've decided to keep him in the shed, give him food, water, bedding whatever he needs to survive out there. Daryl filled in all the gaps in the walls, built it up to keep in more heat, and that way no one can get in or out without going through the front door which is locked. We'll only open it to send in more supplies. Then in the spring we'll let him go. Let him fend for himself." I nod.

"Sounds good." I say, as I walk to the door.

"Where are you going?" He asks, laughing a little.

"With you, to meet Hershel." He follows me outside, wrapping his arm around my shoulders as we walk toward the house. When we get to the campsite where the group has been staying we see a blue pick up truck is parked out front. The entire group is rushing around packing the rest of their things, in hope of having everything ready by nightfall. Maggie, Beth, Shane, Hershel, and Daryl are all gathered by the truck, waiting to hear Rick's instructions. Rick stops beside Hershel and Maggie, but I walk around to the back of the truck where Daryl is standing. I wrap my arm around his waist leaning into him as we listen.

"It'll be tight 16 people in one house..." Rick says , a hint of skepticism in his voice.

"Don't you worry about that." Hershel says. "With the swamps hardening, the creek drying up.." Maggie cuts him off.

"50 head of cattle on the property we might as well be ringing the damn dinner bell." Maggie says matter-of-factly. I pull away from Daryl, stepping out of the way, as Glenn loads a crate into the back of the truck.

"She's right." Hershel says. "We should have moved you in awhile ago."

"Alright let's move the vehicles near each of the doors and windows facing out toward the road. In case something happens an we need to get out in a hurry." T-dog rushes passed us placing a heavy box into the bed of the truck. Maggie grabs Beth's attention and prompts her to help Lori, who has her arms full of bags and boxes. She rushes to grab something Lori had dropped.