Remember Me (Daryl Dixon)

Chapter Thirteen: Dale

"So how do we do this? Do we just take a vote?" I heard Glenn's voice ask after an eternity of silence.
I didn't want to be here. I didn't want to be in this situation. We were discussing Randall's fate. This was sick in my opinion.
Randall was someone we had known. Randall was someone I had considered a good friend at one point.
I didn't want to watch people vote to have him slaughtered, but I didn't have a choice.

"Does it have to be unanimous?" Andrea asked after a moment. Why does it even have to happen?
"How about majority rules?" Lori oh so helpfully suggested. I knew what the majority was. Everyone wanted him dead but Dale and myself. Dale and I discussed everything together a few moments ago. He seemed to be the only reasonable one around. Not even Maggie wanted him to live it seemed. "Let's just see where everyone stands. We can talk through our options."

It didn't matter where we stood, everyone wanted to kill him. He hadn't done anything. He was just with a bad group of people at a bad time. Sure, Randall had gotten me in trouble a few times, but he was a good person.

"Where I sit, we only have one way to move forward," Shane added. I rolled my eyes at the sound of his voice. I disliked Shane so much, but he just seemed like a troubled man. I stayed out of his way ever since the barn. He basically threatened my life and nobody but Daryl acknowledged it.

"Killing him, right?" Dale replied coldly. "Why even bother taking a vote? It's clear which way the wind is blowing." Dale was correct. It was two against everyone else. We didn't have a chance, me and him.
"If people believe we should spare him, I wanna know," Rick replied with concern.

"I can tell you it's a small group. Maybe just me, Glenn, and Elizabeth," Dale replied. I watched as he looked to Glenn and I also watched as Glenn got a controversial look on his face. No, please don't change your mind. Don't do this.
"I think you're pretty much right about everything, all the time, but this--"

"They've got you scared," Dale replied, interrupting Glenn. They did have him scared, but they didn't have me scared. I wasn't backing down from my choice.

"He's not one of us," Glenn began. "And we've lost too many people already."
"And Elizabeth, do you still stand by me?" Dale asked, his face softening up. Oh, Dale. You don't even have to ask me. You know what I am going to say.

"Of course I am. This is inhumane. Can't he just stay here?" I asked, hope rising in my voice.
"Just another mouth to feed," Daryl disagreed. My eyes flicked to him at the sound of his voice. I couldn't believe he was on their side. He was just as sick as they were. We held eye contact for a few moments before I broke it. Looking at him made me sick. "It may be a lean winter," Dad replied, agreeing with them. I bit my lip in frustration.

"We could ration better," Lori suggested. We were already rationing as it was. She gave me a quick glance that let me know that she was trying to help me. I silently thanked her for that.

"He could be an asset. Give him a chance to prove himself," Dale began, pleading for them to understand. They didn't. Of course they didn't. "Put him to work?"

"We're not letting him walk around," Rick hissed.
"We could put an escort on him," Maggie added. I pushed a piece of hair behind my ear and let out a sigh of frustration.
"Who wants to volunteer for that duty?" Shane hissed at us. I'd rather escort him than you. Anyone wanna volunteer to watch Shane?

"I will," Dale replied as he glared at Shane. "I would watch him," I replied, helping Dale out.
"I don't think any of us should be walking around with this guy," Rick stated.

"He's right. I won't feel safe unless he's tied up," Lori replied, backing Rick up. What happened to being on my side? It seemed like Lori changed her mind just as much as she changed between Rick and Shane.
"Say we let him join us," Shane began. "Maybe he's helpful and nice. We let our guard down and maybe he runs off and brings back his 30 men."