Who I Used to Be

Chapter Nine: Burial

Staring at the dead body laying around camp, I numbly walked forward shocked by the amount of dead body's that were laying on the ground. Daryl and Shane has gone around and killed the brains of all of the dead campers, but there was far more walkers than our people. I looked over towards the RV, and flashes of last night came into my mind. I had lost my mind, and only fragments of me bashing walkers brains were left in my memory.

"You!" A voice sounded out. I turned confused trying to figure out if it was directed towards me or not. Which of course it was, when I saw Shane marching towards me.
"This is on you!" Shane spat out, " That stunt you pulled with the car the car alarm led them right towards us!"

I shook my head and started to walk away, feeling as if Shane was partially right. The walker yesterday morning, then the group of them that found them later that night. If it was from the car alarms or not I'd never know, but for now if Shane wanted to blame him Daniel would take it.

"Are you hearing me?!" Shane growled, " These deaths are on you Daniel!"
Turning around sick of taking shit from Shane which I had for the past month and a half I spoke my mind to the cop for the first time.

"Go ahead and blame me Shane! I can live with it. But just remember if it was for me showing up when I did you'd all be dead. I was able to protect us! I was able to save lives. You were here, and you failed miserably at protecting us. So these deaths aren't all on me, take some responsibility."

With that I walked away and towards Glenn to help him with the body's.

>>>

Later on in the day, Glenn and I dragged a walker corpse and tossed into the large pile. I sighed, and looked over to T-Dogs truck where they were taking our dead people to be buried up on the hillside.
"You think this is my fault?" I asked silently.
"No, it was bound to happen some time Dan, we sat up on this hillside trying to act normal. Any stray walker could of walked in without the car alarm we make enough noise as it is. Don't put this on your self Dan."

I shrugged, and averted my eyes from looking at him so he couldn't see the look of disbelief in my eyes. Instead I watched Daryl and Morales start dragging a body towards us.

I narrowed my eyes at the sight, only because the body wasn't a walker corpse. It was a corpse of one of our people. Glenn noticed to and took a step forward as they came closer.
"What are you doing?" He asked angrily.
"Dragging a body what it look like?" Daryl replied annoyed.
"That's not a walker," I informed the man, " That's one of our people."
"What's the difference he's dead anyways."

"We don't burn our people!" Glenn exclaimed angrily suddenly loosing his emotions, "We bury them!"

I took a step forwards next to my friend, " Our people go in that pile over there. See that truck? Put them there."

There was a moment of silence as Daryl and I met eyes, I raised an eyebrow at him and lifted my bloodied arm upwards and towards the truck.

He grunted in response and they started to drag it over towards the truck that would take the dead to the hillside.
"Some people," I mumbled as I lowered my arm.

"Dan you're bleeding," Glenn said looking at my arm. I glanced down at my arm and noticed the blood on my hand and soaking through my sleeve.
I lifted my sleeve upwards and sighed at the sight of three gashes on my forearm. Remembering the walker that clawed my arm I had a sudden feeling of uncertainty.

"You don't think being scratched turns you... right?" I asked my friend.
"I don't know... but if it doesn't letting it bleed like that won't help at all Common."
He then motioned me to follow him, he walked into the Rv and walked out with the few medical supplies we had left. He wiped the blood away with a dampened cloth, and then bandaged and wrapped my wound.

"You feel normal?" He asked.
"As normal as you can now," I replied looking down towards Andrea who was kneeling down next to her dead sister Amy. She had been bitten on the arm, and then the neck which caused her to bleed out. She wouldn't let anyone touch the body nor even kill the brain of her sister herself. She even pulled her gun out on Rick when he tried to talk to her about it.

Part of me worried about her letting her sister comeback and letting her bite her. But I hoped Andrea was strong enough to end it herself.

Sighing I rose from my position and kneeled down next to her.
"I know you want to be the one that does it... but when she comes back it's not going to be Amy."

"What does it matter, she's dead. I want to see her comeback."
"You realize how dangerous that is right? She could turn any second and what if she bites you. We can't loose anyone else."
"Tell me something I don't know Daniel," she spat, " My sister is dead and everyone wants to just bury her and leave. I have to do this."

"The longer you wait, the greater chances that we have of another group of walkers to stroll right through here. She's gone Andrea, she's not coming back! Let's bury her ok, let's bury her and go."

Before Andrea could respond to me, Jacqui cried out in horror, " JIMS BEEN BIT!"

I looked up in confusion and horror as I saw the man backing away from Daryl.
"I'm ok, I'm ok! I'm ok!" The man repeated. I jumped up, and carefully walked behind him.

"Lemme see it!" Daryl growled stepping forwards. Jim took another step back but right into me, as I grabbed the mans arms and thrust them behind him allowing Daryl to lift up his shirt. There on his side clear as day was a bite mark in his side, blood still seeping from the wound. I let go of Jim and took a step backwards in shock.

"I'm ok," Jim repeated again.

"No Jim, you're just a dead man walking," I informed him.

Short chapter but all of this is going to lead up into a bigger conflict between Shane and Daniel next chapter. And Daniel does something very shocking next chapter that will cause a rift between him and the rest of the group.