The Little Things ~Rick Grimes~

This isn't a Democracy

The car sputters and we slow down, realizing we're about out of gas. Shit. It's me, Rick, Hershel, and Beth in the car. Rick driving, me riding passenger. His hand securely on my leg as if that's going to protect me from the dangers of the outside world. The car sputters and everyone slows to a stop and exits there cars.

"We're running on fumes" Rick tells the group.

"We can't stay here" Maggie speaks up. She's right.

"We'll have to make a run for some more gas in the morning" he says looking at me and I nod in return.

"Spend the night here?" Carol question. I mean she's not wrong, it's freezing and unsafe just out in the open.

"We need to set up a perimeter. In the morning we'll find gas and supplies. We'll keep pushing on" Rick tries to reason with the group.

"Glenn, Peach, and I can go make a run now" Maggie speaks up. When did I get tied into this? No offense but I'm not really looking forward to third wheeling.

"No we stay together. God forbid something happens and people get stranded without a car." Rick speaks in return.

"Babe, were stranded now" I say and don't even hear the pet name move past my lips but Lori and some others surely did.

"I know it looks bad. We've all been through hell and worse but at least we found each other" thank heavens for that.
"I wasn't sure, I really wasn't. But we did. We're together" he says now speaking to the whole group rather than just me.
"There's shelter somewhere. There's gotta be." He says looking along the trees. Everyone's quiet and no one has the balls to fight with him. No one but me I guess. I step forward, in front of him, making him look at me.

"Rick look around. There's walkers everywhere. They're migrating or something." I try but he moves past like I didn't say a word.

"There's gotta be a place. Not just where we hole up, but we fortify, hunker down, pull ourselves together! WE JUST HAVE TO FIND IT!" He starts getting angry and I try grabbing his arm but he pushes me backwards. Shock covers my face and Glenn pulls me back to where he is, taking me out of Ricks line of wrath. He takes a breath and looks towards a weird wall structure thing.
"We make camp over there. Leave at the break of day." He demands not giving us a choice.

"What is walkers come through. Or another group like Randels?" Beth try's.

"You know I found Randel right? He turned but he wasn't bit" shock covers my face. Why wasn't I informed over this? Rick wears a sorrowful look and I raise an eyebrow in his direction, still securely by Glenn's side. Glenn can be awfully protective sometimes.

"Rick what the hell happened" Lori speaks. God just her voice makes me wanna throw up even if she doesn't say anything wrong. It's harsh but she's such a bitch.

"Shane killed Radall. Like he always wanted to. And then I'm guessing the heard got him" Daryl tries to make up theory's of what could have happened but none of it seems to add up. Everyone looks around at each other, trying to read their peers faces.

"We're all infected" Rick mumbles out and my head shoots in his direction as well as everyone else's.

"I'm sorry?" I speak up.

"At the C. D. C., Jenner told me. Whatever it is, we all carry it" Everyone looks at him dumbfounded. How could he keep this from us. I'm by his side with everything but I can't pass this one along.

"And you never thought to say anything" I raise my voice a bit, causing him to slightly flinch at my tone.

"Would it have made a difference?" He argues.

"And you knew this whole time?" Glenn speaks, hurt evident in his voice.

"How was I to know for sure? You saw how crazy that mo-" Rick speaks as though he was right but he's not. I mean if anything, how could he keep that from me? Of all people?

"That isn't your call! Okay when I found out about the walkers in the barn, I told, for the good of everyone." Glenn holds an authoritative tone I've never heard from him before.

"I thought it was best that people didn't know." He sounds as if he's blowing it off! Like it's not a big deal! Spoil alert, it's a huge deal! Rick looks at me for help but I try to avoid his gaze, looking down to my feet. I can't be his Robin for everything. He angrily walks away and Glenn grabs my arm, pulling me in the other direction, making sure I didn't scurry off after him. Ideally I would but I couldn't this time. It didn't feel right. Glenn leads me back to the car and he gets in the drivers seat, me in the back. Maggie also climbs into the back next to me.

"I-I don't understand" I speak softly and Maggie wraps a comforting arm around me.
"I mean I don't wanna sound like a bitch but if anything Id think he'd tell me." She soothingly runs her fingers through my hair, trying to calm my nerves.

"I know. None of us expected it" She whispers and I close my eyes, letting out a sigh.

"Should we go make camp?" I try changing the subject.

"Yea. We should." Glenn agreed and the three of us climb out of the car and to the random stone wall we decided was our home for the night. I grab a random shirt of my very few and fold it up, creating a makeshift pillow. Daryl starts making a fire and everyone settles in as the daylight fades. It got even colder as the sunlight left and I felt myself shivering. No one was speaking. We all just tried to enjoy the warmth of the fire and keep to our own minds. That was until the sound of a twig snaps, sending everyone into a frenzy. Everyone throws out ideas of running off somewhere else. Well until Rick appears, taking order.

"The last thing we need is for everyone to be running off in the dark. We don't have the vehicles. No ones traveling on foot" he says, not letting earlier's incident take away his leadership badge. Another twig snaps and everyone grabs onto there buddy, I guess you could say. Hershel and Beth, Maggie and Glenn, Daryl and Carol, and Lori and Carl. My 'buddy' is on the other side of the wall structure and I'm not sure if I want to be holding onto him at this moment in time.

"Rick we have to move. Now" Maggie speaks but this seems to anger Rick further.

"No ones going anywhere." He practically growls.

"Do something" Carol speaks and this sends Ricks anger into hard drive.

"I am doing something! I'm keeping this group together, alive! I've been doing that all along, no matter what. I didn't ask for this! I killed my best friend for you people for Christ's sake!" My eyes shoot out of my head. Sure I knew we lost Shane seeing as he isn't here right now but I thought it was safe to assume that he got knocked out by the heard, not Rick. Rick wasn't a killer.
"You saw what he was like, how he pushed me, how he compromised us, how he threatened us." He attempts to explain himself but no one listens.
"He staged the whole Randall thing, led me out to put a bullet in my back. He gave me no choice!" As he speaks his eyes don't leave mine as if he's was only trying to explain himself to me.
"He was my friend but he came after me. My hands are clean!" Carl cries into his moms chest and I feel a pain in my heart.
"If your so better off without me then go ahead! I say there's a place for us, but maybe I'm kidding myself! Why don't you go find out!" He screams at us.
"No takers? Fine. But let's get one thing straight. Your staying, this ain't a democracy anymore." He spits and no one says a word. My jaw clenches and I lay back down on my 'bed' not wanting to even look at him. I still feel myself shivering and he walks over, attempting to hand me his jacket but I shove him away.

"God damnit peach, take the jacket!" He seethes and I glare at him, though I take the jacket knowing that me getting hypothermia isn't going to help anybody. 

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