cassette tapes |d. dixon| [1]

10

"There's only so many of us left. I don't understand what's so hard about not killing someone. Dale's right. We shouldn't kill the living. We should-"

Caroline was interrupted by the sound of screams. She quickly paused the recorder before rushing out of the house with Maggie and her family.

They ran out into the field and when they got there, Dale was on the ground, his stomach ripped open and next to him was a dead walker. She covered her mouth in horror. She wanted to look away, but couldn't.

Andrea and a few others were crying, knowing that there was nothing that Hershel or anyone could do. Daryl walked up to her, "You should get back to the house."

Caroline shook her head, "There's so much blood." She looked into Daryl's eyes, "He's gonna die, isn't he?"

It was clear that Dale was in pain. He gripped onto the grass and moaned. Rick stepped forward, his gun out. His hand shook as he aimed the gun at Dale's head. When he hesitated, Daryl took a step forward and grabbed the gun from Rick's hand.

He kneeled down next to Dale and pressed the gun into his forehead, "Sorry, brother." Daryl said before pulling the trigger.

"Day 51. Dale's dead. It was for the best, he was suffering. There was nothing we could do. Today, we're burying him under the tree next to my mom, Sophia and Maggie's family."

That morning, Caroline put on a black dress for Dale's funeral. Everyone, even Shane, gathered around to say goodbye.

"Dale could-could get under your skin. He sure got under mine, because he wasn't afraid to say exactly what he thought, how he felt. That kind of honesty is rare and brave. Whenever I'd make a decision, I'd look at Dale. He'd be looking back at me with that look he had. We've all seen it one time or another." 

Caroline wiped away a tear and looked over at Daryl, who stood away from the group. Caroline knew he felt guilty, she could see it in his stance and facial expression, "I couldn't always read him, but he could read us. He saw people for who they were. He knew things about us. The truth... Who we really are. In the end, he was talking about losing our humanity. He said this group was broken. The best way to honor him is to unbreak it." She quietly walked over to Daryl and slowly grabbed his hand before squeezing it gently and he squeezed back, "Set aside our differences and pull together, stop feeling sorry for ourselves and take control of our lives. our safety, our future. We're not broken. We're gonna prove him wrong. From now on... We're gonna do it his way. That is how we honor Dale."

The blonde spent the rest of the day clearing room in her bedroom to make room for Beth and helping the others carry things into the house. It was starting to get too cold and dangerous for Rick's group to stay outside.

Caroline was cleaning the dishes when there was a knock on the doorframe. She turned around and saw Daryl leaning against the wall, "What's up?" She asked, turning back to the dishes in front of her.

"I'm leavin' with Rick and the kid in the shed. Droppin' him off away from here." Daryl stated from the doorway,

"I was nervous. I didn't want Daryl to leave, especially after what happened when Rick and Shane went to leave Randall. Not to mention what will happen to the group when Rick leaves Shane here."

"Stay safe." She finished the last plate and sat on the counter, "We don't need another Rick and Shane incident."

Daryl walked over and leaned against the surface next to her, "I think you're the one who needs to stay safe."

Caroline gave him a small smile, "I'll be fine. He's sleeping anyways. Probably won't be up for a while."

He stood between her legs and the blonde swallowed nervously. Daryl reached up and pushed her hair behind her ear, revealing more of her bruised and cut face, "If I come back and they're more marks on you, I won' be holdin' back."

"Ok."

Daryl stepped back and walked out of the room, not looking back.

Caroline went outside, trying to keep herself distracted and helping the others by hammering nails into the wood over the windows when T-Dog ran over, panting, "Randall's missing." And with that, everyone ran towards the shed where Randall was kept.

Everyone looked around, searching for signs of where Randall might have gone before the group heard someone calling for Rick.

Shane rushed over to them, a broken and bloody nose, "He's armed! He's got my gun!"

"Are you okay?" Carl asked,

"I'm fine. Little bastard just snuck up on me. He clocked me in the face." Shane replied,

"All right, Hershel, T-Dog, get everybody back in the house. Glenn, Daryl, come with us."

"Just let him go. That was the plan, wasn't it, to just let him go?" Carol asked,

"The plan was to cut him loose far away from here, not on our front step with a gun." Rick replied angrily,

"Don't go out there. Ya'll know what can happen." Carol begged,

Daryl tapped the gun that was in Caroline's waistband, "If he comes back, shoot first, ask questions later." 

Caroline squeezed his hand, "Be careful." He gave her a nod before leaving with Rick.

"I have a feeling this won't end happily."