Left to Wander • • Daryl Dixon

Chapter Fourteen

I realized I had wandered around most of the day, everyone had started to make there way to the house for a discussion about the prisoner. What we should do with him, it was all unneeded. We were all in agreement except for Dale and I stood next to Daryl who glanced at me but focused in on the conversation. I figured I should too.

"Look, say we let him join us, right? Maybe he's helpful, maybe he's nice. We let our guard down and maybe he runs off, brings back his 30 men." Shane stated and I looked at my feet not wanting to admit that Shane was right. This kid could be more dangerous than we want to think or admit for that matter, but Dale spoke up to argue his sides further.

"So the answer is to kill him to prevent a crime that he may never even attempt? If we do this, we're saying there's no hope. Rule of law is dead. There is no civilization." Dale had made a good point but obviously laws were abandoned as soon as this thing started. I heard Shane mumble oh my god under his breath and I rubbed the back of my neck as I listened.

"Could you drive him further out? Leave him like you planned?" Hershel finally spoke up about the matter and honestly I agreed with him but there was always the possibility seeing at the kids knew Maggie and Hershel anyway.

"You barely came back this time. There are walkers. You could break down. Y-you could get lost." Lori stated, honestly it sounded like she didn't trust her husband to go out again. I know it's hard, she doesn't want to loose him. Though I thought it's an easy enough task for Rick.

"Or get ambushed." Daryl mumbled and I glanced up surprised he even spoke on the matter, he didn't think he was really part of this group so I glanced back as everyone discussed.

"If you go through with it, how would you do it? Would he suffer?" I asked and I felt everyone's sight shift to me and I shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably. The group stayed silent as this must be a new idea that just came up.

"We could hang him, right? Just snap his neck." Shane stated and I scoffed slightly, that sounded more painful than anything before Rick have his thought "I thought about that. Shooting may be more humane."

"And what about the body? Do we bury him?" T-Dog started to bring up that situation but Dale was obviously upset by the turn of conversation.

"Hold on, hold on! You're talking about this like it's already decided! This is a young man's life, and it is worth more than a five-minute conversation! Is this what it's come to? We kill someone because we can't decide what else to do with him? You saved him and now look at us. He's been tortured. He's gonna be executed. How are we any better than those people that we're so afraid of?" He made a speech and honestly I was starting to see Dale's argument more thoroughly but I couldn't see how we would just allow him to waltz away.

"We all know what needs to be done." Shane started before Rick cut him off. "No, Dale is right. We can't leave any stone unturned here. We have a responsibility." He started but multiple people started to talk and interrupt. Soon enough Carol's gentle voice emerged from the arguing causing silence as we stopped to listen.

"Stop it. Just stop it. I'm sick of everybody arguing and fighting. I didn't ask for this. You can't ask us to decide something like this. Please decide. Either of you, both of you. But leave me out." She stated and honestly she was the most correct one of us all. We weren't here to play God. Not Shane or Rick. I could tell the discussion was nearing an end. Nobody wanted to talk about killing someone for this long.

"All right, that's enough. Anybody who wants the floor before we make a final decision has the chance." Rick started and it stayed silent a moment. Dale was the first one to speak up and I sighed softly.

"You once said that we don't kill the living. Don't you see? If we do this, the people that we were, the world that we knew is dead. And this new world is ugly. It's Harsh. It's... it's survival of the fittest. And that's a world I don't wanna live in, and I don't. And I don't believe that any of you do. I can't. Please. Let's just do what's right." Dale's voice gave in at the last sentence and I rubbed the bridge of my nose, getting a small headache from everything that has been argued and discussed. "Isn't there anybody else who's gonna stand with me?" He continued and I glanced around.

"He's right. We should try to find another way." Andrea was the only one who stood up with Dale. I couldn't agree because I didn't want our group to get slaughtered like a cow going into a meat factory.

"Anybody else? Are y'all gonna watch, too? No, you'll go hide your heads in your tents and try to forget that we're slaughtering a human being. Well I won't be a party to it." Dale finished fighting and gave into the group and his eyes were watering and filled with tears. He started towards the doorway, about to pass Daryl and I before he stopped and held Daryl's shoulder. "This group is broken." He finished and walked out of the farmhouse. I let out a small breath I didn't know I had been holding and I rubbed my eyes slightly.

It was getting dark and Shane, Daryl, and Rick left to deal with the prisoner. I snuck out and stood outside the barn doors staying silent. I could hear Randal's crying within and his begs and pleas. I closed my eyes and I stayed silent and I felt a small breeze and when I opened my eyes Carl stared in. I quickly came over and covered his eyes but he pushed me away.

"Do it dad." He said simply and I looked up as Shane came to take Carl someplace else but Rick gave in not shooting Randal. I looked surprised as Daryl took to put Randal at the other barn where we held him. We had all walked back to camp before hearing a scream break the silence we all looked around before trying to find who got hurt. We all ran to the fields looking for who got bit of attack. Daryl found who first only to find Dale gutted from a walker. I gasp and I looked up at Rick as I saw what happened.

"Rick, Dale isn't going to make it." I said gently and sighed softly looking down at the poor man who did his best to keep sanity and morals alive. I felt my eyes starting to sting and I looked away slightly. Rick was going to kill him but Daryl was the only one who could handle it. We all knew Dale suffered but the bam of the gun I felt my heart sink. Dale was gone he was really gone now. I made my way to his RV and laid on the bed. My eyes wide as we all were going to try to sleep, but I had a feeling none of us would.