The Way Things Are (A Rarl Fanfiction)

Chapter Six

Later that night, at the meeting that was set up to decide Rick's fate, he showed up late with a walker in tow. A dead one, that is. Rick threw it in the middle of the ring of community members and started in. They didn't even have time to gasp in awe before Rick was talking. Someone had left the gate open, he told them, but that didn't compare to what happened next.

Pete showed up, Michonne's sword in tow. How he got it, they didn't know. Pete was there for Rick. Rick had taken everything from Pete, so it seemed. His wife, his kids, and even his house. Pete was gonna tell Rick that or maybe even kill him for it. And that is how Diana's husband was killed. He stepped between Rick and Pete. He tried telling Pete to back off, but to no avail. Pete sliced open Diana's husband's neck with the jerk of an arm. Before Pete knew anything, he was on the ground. Rick was on top of him, pointing a gun in his face. Pete was breathing hard against the pavement.

Diana looked up at Rick, tears in her eyes, "Do it." BLAM! That was the end of Pete Anderson. Carl, Ron, Sam, and Enid were not present at the meeting. No kids were, but word spread soon enough. Rick had killed Pete. It seemed that things were going to change, as Rick had said before.

Jessie was crying over her husband. Yes, he had abused her and her kids, but he was still her husband and the father of her children. They deserved more than this. Ron took it hard and immediately pushed himself away from everyone, including Carl. Sam was the same way. He never left his room. Jessie tried her best to keep going, to put Pete behind them, but it was hard.

Rick refused to bury him in the cemetery. "We don't bury killers here." Funny he said that. As if he hadn't killed before. This struck Ron the most. This angered Ron. So, when he overheard Rick and Morgan talking about dumping his dad's body, Ron decided he was going. He would follow them. So, he did.

He followed the car all the way to the spot they had decide to dump his dad. It wasn't even that far from Alexandria. Ron was seen almost immediately. He knew he would be. The next few minutes were a blur. He remembered talking to Rick. Being angry with him that he killed his dad, but being thankful at the same time. He remembered hearing a noise. One that sounded like hundreds of people moaning and growling at once. Which is what it happened to be. They followed the noise and came up at the top of a cliff that bordered a rock quarry. The whole damn thing was filled with walkers. Hundreds and hundreds of them. Growling and snapping. More falling in all the time. The noise could be heard from a long way away, so it was just drawing more and more of the dead.

Ron guessed Rick and Morgan talked about it, but he couldn't stop thinking about how that would be him one day. A mindless corpse. Only wanting one thing: flesh (unless someone was gracious enough to put him down before he changed). They walked back to the car, the sounds of the walkers still in their ears all the way, and buried Pete. They didn't plan on it, but Ron saw to it that his dad was in the ground. Even if it was just off the road in the woods. It was still a burial and not Pete being dumped on the ground like carrion for the birds.

Ron returned to Alexandria with Rick and Morgan, his head stuck in the cycle of life and death. Ron knew that he shouldn't push Carl away. It wasn't his fault that his dad killed Pete. But he couldn't get over it either. He loved Carl, but he was scared. What could he do? He didn't know.  It wasn't right for Ron to punish Carl for something his dad did. He sat silently all the way home.

When Ron arrived, he went straight to his house. He saw Carl on the way and ignored his wave. But, Ron didn't miss the hurt that was present in Carl's eyes. He kept walking, but he didn't know why. He wanted to turn back and go to Carl, but he couldn't.

The next day on the way home from his lessons Ron was approached by Carl. "Have you seen Enid?"

"No, she probably went outside of the wall again," Ron said blankly, staring at the boy he loved.

"I have to go after her, and try to find her," Carl said firmly. Enid was his friend. He had to.

"I can't allow you to do that," Ron spat back.

"You can't stop me, Ron," Carl said. They squabbled a bit and soon it ended with Ron on the ground after he had been shoved by Carl. Ron stood up and shoved Carl. Carl shoved back. Ron was tired of it. Ron couldn't let the boy he loved risk his life anymore. Couldn't Carl see that Ron was trying to protect him?

"If you go, I will tell your dad." Ron said semi-proudly. That ended it. Carl stalked off. Ron knew he wouldn't risk going past the wall now, but that didn't mean he wouldn't do it later on. Ron found Rick on guard duty by the front gate. He told him everything. Rick was not surprised, but he instantly became worried. Ron told Rick that he would take over his watch so that he could go find and check on Carl. Ron also told Rick he wanted to learn how to shoot. Ron didn't know why he did it. He told Rick it was to protect his mother and brother. But from what? The walkers or Rick? Both seemed like threats to him. No one else was going to hurt Ron's family. Ron felt good, in an odd way. He had kept Carl safe and had guaranteed lessons to teach him to shoot. This was a start. A start of a change. One that Ron needed to make to survive.

The next day Ron had a lesson with Rick on shooting. What Ron didn't expect was Carl to be there. So, paying as little attention to Carl as he could, he learned about guns from Rick. It was hard for Ron. Carl kept making very cocky statements about guns, trying to show Ron up. Carl was clearly upset about getting the cold shoulder. That was fine with Ron. If he didn't let anyone in they couldn't hurt him. They couldn't bring him down. He had been close to his dad and that caused him pain. So, he was just going to push away the others. No more pain. That's not what Ron wanted, but that's how it had to be.

After the lesson, on the way home, Ron stopped by the armory and took a gun. He went right in and stuck a pistol in the back waistband of his pants. For protection. Then he walked out. It was as if he wasn't even there. Ron wasn't supposed to take it until Rick said he could. But, Rick wasn't his dad. His dad was dead. You never knew who could put you in danger. The dead or the living.