Contagion Chapter Fifteen
Taylor still continued to stare down at the dead body of Tony and he found himself walking closer to Rick with Glenn hot on his heels, "Holy shit," he muttered under his breath not believing what had happened even if it had been the right thing to do.
"You guys alright?" Rick asked as he looked over at Taylor and Glenn.
Taylor nodded his head and heard Glenn mutter a yeah to that question though Taylor was half sure Glenn's yeah came out weak and it wasn't like he could blame Glenn for being unsure because he wasn't sure himself how he felt right now or if he was okay.
"Hershel?" Rick asked looking at the older man, wanting to know if he was okay as well.
Hershel stood there for awhile in silence as he thought things over and then he too nodded his head before speaking, "Let's head back," he said knowing they needed to get back to the farm now.
After Hershel said that Taylor watched as Rick reached down and got the shotgun off Tony's dead body as well as retrieving said bullets for that shotgun. Once Rick had gotten those all of the men headed towards the front of the bar to leave but soon they had to duck down when they heard a car approaching and all Taylor could do was listen to the people talking outside once they got out of their car. It was apparent these people had been with the two men who were now dead in the bar.
"Dave? Tony? They said over here?"
"Yeah."
"I'm telling you, man, I heard shots."
"I saw roamers - two streets over. Might be more around here."
"It's hot. - We gotta get out of here."
"Dave! Tony!"
"Shut up, you idiot! You wanna attract 'em? Just stick close. We're gonna find 'em."
"Dude, he said to stay close."
"Tony."
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Avery stood in the Greene kitchen as she helped set the tables for dinner. Taylor, Rick, and Glenn still weren't back from going to the bar in search of Hershel and she was worried about that but she was also worried about Daryl too. He hadn't came inside and she guessed he was just going to keep secluding himself more from other people.
"They should've been back by now," Andrea stated as she walked into the kitchen with Shane following behind her.
"Yeah," Shane said as he sat down at the table. "They just got holed up somewhere. "We'll..wel'' head out first thing in the morning," he stated knowing if the men weren't back by then that they'd go and look. "Thank you," he smiled up at Patricia as she helped set the table in front of him.
Hearing Patricia offer Shane a thank you, Avery sat down and tried to keep from rolling her eyes. She couldn't help but wonder if Patricia had done the math, if the woman even suspected that Shane may have killed her husband.
"Carl, I want you to keep your head up, okay?" Shane said as he looked up at Carl. "Your old man, he's the toughest son of a..."
"No cussing in the house," Patricia scolded as she looked at Shane from where she now stood in front of Dale.
Shane gave Patricia a look, "Sorry," he apologized having not meant to offend the woman.
"Lori, dinner," Carol called out noticing that the woman wasn't here.
Kate shook her head knowing she hadn't seen Lori in the room where Carol was now headed too, "She's not in there."
"Where is she?" Dale asked once he heard Kate tell Carol, Lori wasn't in that room.
After a tense silence Shane turned to Carl again, "Carl, when's the last time you saw your mom?"
"This afternoon," Carl answered as he turned to look at Shane.
"She was worried about Rick, asked me to look in on Carl," Andrea added knowing Lori had asked her to do that earlier this afternoon.
Dale felt his eyes widen, "She went after them?"
"She didn't say that," Andrea clarified as she shook her head.
"Nobody panic," Shane said as he stood from the table to go look for Lori. "Gotta be around here somewhere."
As Shane walked off Avery stood from the table as she recalled Lori's conversation with Daryl and Daryl telling her to go look for Rick herself. Lori had actually done it. Faced with that knowledge she turned to leave the kitchen and head off to where Daryl was and give him a piece of her mind, tell him off for what he said. He deserved that even if he was hurting.
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Taylor sighed heavily as he stayed where he had crouched down earlier. The men who had came looking for Dave and Tony were outside and they still hadn't left, meaning for the time being they were still the bar.
"Why won't they leave?" Glenn whispered to the three men huddled next to him.
"Would you?" Hershel asked as he looked at Glenn seriously.
"We can't stay here any longer," Rick told the three men. "Let's head out the back and make a run for the car."
Just as everyone stood up though gun shots could be heard and they all crouched down again. Taylor was starting to think they'd never be able to leave at this rate. Hearing the unknown men talking again he swallowed hard.
"What happened?"
"Roamers, I nailed 'em."
"They disappeared but their car's still there."
"I cleared those buildings. You guys get this one?"
"No."
"Me neither."
"We're looking for Dave and Tony and no one checks the damn bar?"
It was after Taylor heard that, that he swallowed hard again as he heard footsteps approaching and soon the door started to open but before he could even blink he watched as Glenn moved to sit in front of it, ultimately closing it before the men had a chance to get in.
"What?"
"Someone pushed it shut. There's someone in there. Yo, is someone in there? Yo, if someone's in there, we don't want no trouble. We're just looking for our friends."
"What do we do?"
"Bum rush the door?"
No, we don't know how many are there. Just relax. We don't want any trouble. We're just looking for our friends. If something happened, tell us. This place is crawling with corpses. If you can help us not get killed, I'd appreciate it."
"Dude, you're bugging. I'm telling you nobody's in there."
"Someone guard the door. If they're in there, they might know where Dave and Tony are."
Hearing the footsteps walking away Rick swallowed hard before talking loud enough for the unknown men to hear him, "They drew on us!" he informed the men hearing the footsteps coming back.
"Dave and Tony in there? They alive?"
"No," Rick answered as he shook his head though the men couldn't see him.
"They killed Dave and Tony."
"Come on, man, let's go."
"No, I'm not leaving, I'm not telling Jane. I'm not gonna go back and tell them that Dave and Tony got shot by some assholes in a bar."
"Your friends drew on us!" Rick stated again. "They gave us no choice! I'm sure we've all lost enough people, done things we wish we didn't have to, but it's like that now. You know that! So let's just chalk this up to what it was...Wrong place, - wrong..." he started only to get interrupted by gunshots, gunshots that had shattered the glass on the bar door though luckily it was the one next to Glenn so he didn't get any of it on him.
Standing up Rick reached for his shotgun and fired back at the men while also yelling for Taylor,Hershel, and Glenn to get out of there and it was after he spoke those words he watched as the men took off running towards the back doors, staying down as to avoid the bullets that were still coming through the bar thanks to the men outside.
Taylor who had been running eventually crouched to a stop behind a piano and watched a shotgun was slid to him. Picking it up he turned to look at Rick who was still by the bar doors. He had never been more scared in his life than he was at this moment. This was worse than when he had opted to stay behind at the CDC but maybe that was because he wanted to die then. Now he didn't want too.
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Avery who had been walking towards where Daryl was slowed down some when she spotted Carol walking out there too. As Carol got closer to where Daryl was sitting beside a camp fire Avery moved to hide behind a tree and listen to their conversation. She knew she shouldn't but when had she ever done things she should do? Never.
"We can't find Lori," Carol spoke as she finally reached the campfire where Daryl was. "And the others aren't back yet either."
Daryl who had heard what Carol said reached for a stick and messed with his campfire to adjust it just right, "That dumb bitch must've gone off looking for 'em."
"What?" Carol asked dumbfounded by what Daryl had said.
"Yeah, she asked me to go," Daryl spoke remembering the conversation he had earlier today with Lori. "I told her I was done being an errand boy."
Carol again felt perplexed at Daryl's words, "And you didn't say anything?" she asked as sighed but only got silence in return. "Don't do this. Please," she stated knowing he was withdrawing and she had thought they were becoming friends. She didn't want to lose that friendship they had made while he had been searching for Sophia. "I've already lost my girl."
Standing up at Carol's words Daryl walked towards her, "That wasn't my problem neither."
Avery frowned slightly at the way Daryl brushed Carol off and when Carol headed back Avery came out of hiding and followed behind the woman though she was surprised when Carol stopped walking and turned to face her, "You see it too don't you?" she asked the girl who she knew had been spending time with Daryl as well. "He's pulling away."
"He is pulling away," Avery confirmed as she caught up with Carol and they both began to walk towards the main camp where she could see people standing obviously still looking for Lori.
"I..I think I'm gonna keep an eye on him. Make sure he doesn't pull too far back," Carol nodded knowing it was the least she could do.
Avery shook her head at Carol's words, "Carol I don't think..." she started only to get interrupted by the woman.
"Listen Avery, I know you think you probably know Daryl but you don't. You don't know how men like him work. You're still a child and you have a lot to learn. Let me deal with him," Carol said as she locked eyes with Avery briefly before walking ahead of the younger girl.
Standing there in shock Avery felt her mouth drop open slightly at Carol's words. Just because she was twenty didn't mean she didn't know how men worked, especially men like Daryl who had issues. She knew how he worked just as good as Carol probably did and if Carol insisted on following Daryl around then maybe Avery should follow her around to see just how well Carol succeeded with her plans.
Shaking her head she finally started walking getting back just in time to see Carol telling Shane what she had found out and it was after that she watched as Shane asked Dale if he knew though Dale claimed innocence which Shane must not have believed because he then asked if she at least took a gun.
Hearing Dale deny knowing again Avery knew she believed Dale even if Shane didn't. It was when Dale said he wouldn't let Lori go out there alone though that Avery watched Shane take one of the cars and then drive away, obviously going to look for Lori.
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Rick who was crouched down by the door again picked up some bullets and put them in his pocket before hollering to the men outside again, "Hey! We all know this is not gonna end well! There's nothing in it for any of us!" he continued before reloading his gun. "You guys just... Just back off, no one else gets hurt!"
Taylor who was still sitting behind the piano looked over at Hershel and Glenn who were standing by the exits and he felt his heart pounding as Hershel motioned for him to come there as well. Turning his head to look at Rick who had finished loading his gun he saw Rick give him the okay and he took a deep breath making a run to where Hershel and Glenn were.
Getting there he walked to the exit door and slowly opened it, sticking the shotgun out first before peering through. Not seeing anything he walked down the stairs and into what looked like the basement area of the bar. Once he was off the steps he tried to remain as silent as possible while navigating through the room.
As he got closer to the door he heard a bottle clanking and someone muttering a shit from outside and Taylor swore his heartbeat got even faster at that. It was after the shit that he saw a shadow come upon the glass of the door in front of him and the knob began to turn slowly. He was going to get found and maybe even killed.
Not wanting to risk it, he lifted his gun and fired a shot watching the glass on the door shatter.
"Taylor!" Rick called out as he got up and ran from where he had been crouched at once he heard the gunshot and glass shattering.
"I...I'm alright. I'm alright," Taylor called out letting Rick know he was alright though his voice came out shaky as he did so. After answering Rick he finished the walk towards the door, soon hiding behind a wall so that no one could see him.
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Going into Zac and Kate's tent Mac stopped when he found Kate sitting on the cot crying, "Katie?" he asked as he walked closer.
"Go away," Kate muttered through her tears as she turned to look up at Mac.
Mac shook his head as he sat down beside her, "I don't want to go away," he said before putting a hand on her back. "What's the matter?" he asked as he raised an eyebrow.
"Zac's at Beth's side again," Kate answered harshly. "He went back to her while everyone was out looking to see if we could find Lori. He's with Beth and damn it I don't get why," she continued as she cried harder. "He should be worrying about me and our baby and things like that but he's off with that girl."
Going silent as Kate ranted Mac rubbed her back before frowning, "He just feels sorry for her," he reasoned though he didn't really understand why Zac was at Beth's side either.
"It's more than feeling sorry," Kate spoke as she shook her head. "Way more than feeling sorry and I don't understand what changed," she sighed wondering if maybe kissing Beth and spending time with her had really been able to make Zac fall for the girl that much but then again Taylor had fallen for Maggie hard and fast and she was sure the same had happened with Avery when it came to Daryl. These Hanson's had a pattern.
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Rick who now stood beside Hershel and Glenn kept looking over his shoulder every so often, "I'll hold 'em here. You cover Taylor," he said when he looked at Hershel. "See if you can make it to your car. Tell him... tell him to pull up back. We'll run for it, get the hell out of here."
"You want me to cover Taylor?" Hershel asked as he raised an eyebrow. Out of him and Glenn, Glenn should have been the one chosen.
"You missed all that gun training," Rick noted as he kept Hershel's gaze. "It could've come in handy now."
Hershel looked down as he loaded the pistol he swore Glenn had stolen off one of the dead men, "Nah, I can shoot. I just don't like too," he answered before walking off with Glenn following him so that they could get to Taylor.
Taylor who had came out of hiding and was now staring at the door in fear turned when he heard footsteps approaching him, his shotgun raised just in case, though when he turned around he just found Hershel and Glenn with their hands held up slightly. "Sorry. Sorry," Taylor spoke as Hershel reached out tp move the shotgun away from him and Glenn.
"Rick wants you to try for the car," Hershel told the man.
"Try?" Taylor asked nervousness still in his voice.
"You'll try and succeed," Hershel told him as he locked eyes with Taylor, having confidence in the man. "I'll cover you."
Taylor rolled his eyes slightly, "That's a great plan," he muttered before taking a breath and making a run for the doors. Stepping outside hesitantly he looked around him as he checked for anybody or anything. Hearing a gunshot from behind him he grunted as he went behind a dumpster.
Seeing Taylor fall behind the dumpster, Hershel looked out seeing the man who had shot at him. Pointing his pistol up he fired and hit the man right in the chest and the man fell back groaning. After that he turned to see Taylor's feet sticking out from behind the dumpster.
"What happened?" Rick asked as he finally made it to the back and ran where Hershel and Glenn were standing in the open doorway.
"He fired," Glenn answered as he looked at the man on the ground, the one that Hershel had shot.
Hershel turned to look at Rick, "He must've hit Taylor. He's behind the dumpster," he said looking towards the dumpster. "Doesn't look like he's moving."
After Hershel told him about what happened to Taylor, Rick left the bar slowly just in case anyone else was around and he headed over to where Taylor was. "You hit?" he asked softly still not able to see Taylor from where he was at. "Are you hit?" he asked again once he was a bit closer.
Taylor who had been sitting behind the dumpster just shook his head, "No," he answered finally. "No."
When he finally made it to where he could see Taylor, Rick ducked down and walked to the man seeing fear on his face, "It's alright. The car's right there," he said as he looked towards the car. "We're almost home. You good?"
"I'm good," Taylor lied as he closed his eyes tightly for a moment before opening them again. He'd have to be good for now.
"Let's go," Rick said to him as he took off running towards the car. Just as he did more gunshots went off and he told Taylor to get back before they both retreated back behind the dumpster again.
Taylor who stayed behind the dumpster turned to look as he heard squealing tires and he watched a truck pull up next to the pharmacy.
"Let's get out of here! Roamers all over the place! Hurry up! We gotta get out of here!"
"What about Sean?"
"They shot him. We gotta go. Roamers are everywhere."
"We're leaving?"
"Jump! Hurry up, jump already."
Taylor waited with baited breath as he watched the guy on the roof jump and he made a face as he heard screaming, "Dude didn't make it," he muttered under his breath before looking away.
"Help me! Help... help me!"
"I've gotta go. I've gotta go. I'm sorry!"
Hearing the man who didn't make it scream as his group drove off Taylor frowned slightly as he looked down still.
"Get Hershel and Glenn," Rick told Taylor as he kept his eyes on the man who didn't make it. Waiting a few seconds he stood up and finally went towards where the man was screaming.
After Rick left Taylor made a face as he stood up. Seeing Hershel and Glenn still at the bar doors he called out their names, watching as Hershel turned away to fire at walkers who were beginning to descend on the man he had shot earlier. When they finally made it over to him they began to leave the alley where they were at and make their way towards the car.
"The gunfire must've attracted the walkers," Hershel stated finally calling the dead what they were..walkers. "Where's Rick?"
"He...he ran across," Taylor told him as all three men reached the car.
Hershel just shook his head, "Well, hell, we can't go without him," he said as he took off running to where Rick was. "Rick!" he hollered as he came up on Rick who was standing in front of a man whose leg was impaled on a fence post. "We have to go now."
"No!" Randall said as he cried out in pain not wanting them to leave him here.
Hershel looked at him and shook his head, "I'm sorry son. We have to go."
"No no, don't leave me please," Randall pleaded as he tried to keep himself propped up on the dumpster behind him.
"We have to go," Hershel stated again as he looked at Rick who was still not moving.
Rick shook his head, "We can't," he said not wanting to leave this man behind..if you could even call him that. He looked no more than eighteen or nineteen.
"He was just shooting at us!" Taylor exclaimed not understanding why Rick wanted to help him.
"He's a kid," Rick defended knowing his conscience wouldn't feel right to leave him here to knowingly die.
Randall who was hearing them argue tried to sit up some, "Please help me."
"This place is crawling with walkers!" Glenn added in knowing they could possibly get overrun soon.
"We can't leave him!" Rick stated still not backing down.
Hershel moved closer to examine the boys leg, "The fence went clean through. There's no way we can get the leg off in one piece."
Randall who heard that started to cry out in pain even more, especially so when they moved fence some trying to get his leg off.
"Shut up or I will shoot you," Rick warned him though he didn't really want to shoot him.
"That may be the answer," Hershel said under his breath as he pulled Rick to the side. "We're not gonna get that leg off without tearing the muscle to shreds. He certainly can't run. He may bleed out."
Glenn who had stayed behind at the fence with Taylor looked at the man as he continued to cry, "Shut up," he said as he pointed at him slightly and grabbed onto his leg as gently as possible which just made him cry more. "I'm sorry. Sh-sh... shut up. Shut up," he said knowing his cries were attracting more walkers.
"Maybe we should put him down," Hershel stated seeing Rick giving him a look. "I don't wanna see any more killing, but this is cruel."
"Can't we just take the leg off?" Taylor asked as he looked between Rick and Hershel.
After considering Taylor's words for a moment Rick raised an eyebrow, "That hatchet still in the car?"
"No," Taylor stated trying to ignore the mans pleas for them not to cut his leg off.
Rick reached around in his pocket, pulling out a pocket knife. "Will this cut through the bone?" he asked pushing the blade out so Hershel could see it.
"I'll have to sever the ligaments below the kneecap, cut above the tibia. He's going to lose his lower leg," Hershel told Rick as he took the white button down shirt he had on off. "When we get clear of here, we're gonna have to find some tinder, cauterize the wound so he doesn't bleed out."
"Alright. No choice, hurry up," Rick stated before moving behind the fence to hold the man down.
"Hand me that stick," Hershel said as he looked at Glenn, before tying his shirt around the man's leg.
Glenn picked up the stick and then headed with Taylor to keep an eye out for walkers coming there way.
"Guys, walkers," Taylor stated as he turned to look back at Hershel and Rick. There was a bunch of walkers heading their way if they didn't hurry up. "Hurry up!" he told them as he and Glenn ran a bit closer to take down a few of the walkers with their guns.
Rick who had been helping hold the man down turned to look as he saw walkers advancing on them from where he was at too, "Oh god they're everywhere," he stated before going to go shoot at some of them. "Hershel, how we doing over there?"
"I need more hands!" Hershel answered back as he looked at the man who was struggling as he tried to cut the leg off. "Easy, easy."
"Come on, we gotta go! I'm almost out of ammo!" Glenn stated as he turned back towards where Hershel and Rick were, "We don't have much time! Come on, we've gotta go!"
"Can't hold 'em off! Hershel, do it now!" Rick hollered from where he was as he moved back some. The walkers were starting to get to be too many for him to handle. "Come on, Hershel!" he spoke once he reached where Hershel was still working.
At Rick's words Hershel sighed, "There is no time!"
"Hershel, come on!" Rick stated again knowing they had to leave.
Randall watched as the men all started to move away and again he propped himself up so he could look at them, "Please don't leave me! Please! No! Please don't leave me! Please! Please don't leave me!"
Taylor who was standing the closet to the car turned around as he heard a loud scream and he made a face, seeing that Rick had just pulled the guys leg off the fence and he felt sympathy pain for him. He knew that had to have hurt like a damn bitch but at least now they could all head back to the farm.
Taylor still continued to stare down at the dead body of Tony and he found himself walking closer to Rick with Glenn hot on his heels, "Holy shit," he muttered under his breath not believing what had happened even if it had been the right thing to do.
"You guys alright?" Rick asked as he looked over at Taylor and Glenn.
Taylor nodded his head and heard Glenn mutter a yeah to that question though Taylor was half sure Glenn's yeah came out weak and it wasn't like he could blame Glenn for being unsure because he wasn't sure himself how he felt right now or if he was okay.
"Hershel?" Rick asked looking at the older man, wanting to know if he was okay as well.
Hershel stood there for awhile in silence as he thought things over and then he too nodded his head before speaking, "Let's head back," he said knowing they needed to get back to the farm now.
After Hershel said that Taylor watched as Rick reached down and got the shotgun off Tony's dead body as well as retrieving said bullets for that shotgun. Once Rick had gotten those all of the men headed towards the front of the bar to leave but soon they had to duck down when they heard a car approaching and all Taylor could do was listen to the people talking outside once they got out of their car. It was apparent these people had been with the two men who were now dead in the bar.
"Dave? Tony? They said over here?"
"Yeah."
"I'm telling you, man, I heard shots."
"I saw roamers - two streets over. Might be more around here."
"It's hot. - We gotta get out of here."
"Dave! Tony!"
"Shut up, you idiot! You wanna attract 'em? Just stick close. We're gonna find 'em."
"Dude, he said to stay close."
"Tony."
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Avery stood in the Greene kitchen as she helped set the tables for dinner. Taylor, Rick, and Glenn still weren't back from going to the bar in search of Hershel and she was worried about that but she was also worried about Daryl too. He hadn't came inside and she guessed he was just going to keep secluding himself more from other people.
"They should've been back by now," Andrea stated as she walked into the kitchen with Shane following behind her.
"Yeah," Shane said as he sat down at the table. "They just got holed up somewhere. "We'll..wel'' head out first thing in the morning," he stated knowing if the men weren't back by then that they'd go and look. "Thank you," he smiled up at Patricia as she helped set the table in front of him.
Hearing Patricia offer Shane a thank you, Avery sat down and tried to keep from rolling her eyes. She couldn't help but wonder if Patricia had done the math, if the woman even suspected that Shane may have killed her husband.
"Carl, I want you to keep your head up, okay?" Shane said as he looked up at Carl. "Your old man, he's the toughest son of a..."
"No cussing in the house," Patricia scolded as she looked at Shane from where she now stood in front of Dale.
Shane gave Patricia a look, "Sorry," he apologized having not meant to offend the woman.
"Lori, dinner," Carol called out noticing that the woman wasn't here.
Kate shook her head knowing she hadn't seen Lori in the room where Carol was now headed too, "She's not in there."
"Where is she?" Dale asked once he heard Kate tell Carol, Lori wasn't in that room.
After a tense silence Shane turned to Carl again, "Carl, when's the last time you saw your mom?"
"This afternoon," Carl answered as he turned to look at Shane.
"She was worried about Rick, asked me to look in on Carl," Andrea added knowing Lori had asked her to do that earlier this afternoon.
Dale felt his eyes widen, "She went after them?"
"She didn't say that," Andrea clarified as she shook her head.
"Nobody panic," Shane said as he stood from the table to go look for Lori. "Gotta be around here somewhere."
As Shane walked off Avery stood from the table as she recalled Lori's conversation with Daryl and Daryl telling her to go look for Rick herself. Lori had actually done it. Faced with that knowledge she turned to leave the kitchen and head off to where Daryl was and give him a piece of her mind, tell him off for what he said. He deserved that even if he was hurting.
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Taylor sighed heavily as he stayed where he had crouched down earlier. The men who had came looking for Dave and Tony were outside and they still hadn't left, meaning for the time being they were still the bar.
"Why won't they leave?" Glenn whispered to the three men huddled next to him.
"Would you?" Hershel asked as he looked at Glenn seriously.
"We can't stay here any longer," Rick told the three men. "Let's head out the back and make a run for the car."
Just as everyone stood up though gun shots could be heard and they all crouched down again. Taylor was starting to think they'd never be able to leave at this rate. Hearing the unknown men talking again he swallowed hard.
"What happened?"
"Roamers, I nailed 'em."
"They disappeared but their car's still there."
"I cleared those buildings. You guys get this one?"
"No."
"Me neither."
"We're looking for Dave and Tony and no one checks the damn bar?"
It was after Taylor heard that, that he swallowed hard again as he heard footsteps approaching and soon the door started to open but before he could even blink he watched as Glenn moved to sit in front of it, ultimately closing it before the men had a chance to get in.
"What?"
"Someone pushed it shut. There's someone in there. Yo, is someone in there? Yo, if someone's in there, we don't want no trouble. We're just looking for our friends."
"What do we do?"
"Bum rush the door?"
No, we don't know how many are there. Just relax. We don't want any trouble. We're just looking for our friends. If something happened, tell us. This place is crawling with corpses. If you can help us not get killed, I'd appreciate it."
"Dude, you're bugging. I'm telling you nobody's in there."
"Someone guard the door. If they're in there, they might know where Dave and Tony are."
Hearing the footsteps walking away Rick swallowed hard before talking loud enough for the unknown men to hear him, "They drew on us!" he informed the men hearing the footsteps coming back.
"Dave and Tony in there? They alive?"
"No," Rick answered as he shook his head though the men couldn't see him.
"They killed Dave and Tony."
"Come on, man, let's go."
"No, I'm not leaving, I'm not telling Jane. I'm not gonna go back and tell them that Dave and Tony got shot by some assholes in a bar."
"Your friends drew on us!" Rick stated again. "They gave us no choice! I'm sure we've all lost enough people, done things we wish we didn't have to, but it's like that now. You know that! So let's just chalk this up to what it was...Wrong place, - wrong..." he started only to get interrupted by gunshots, gunshots that had shattered the glass on the bar door though luckily it was the one next to Glenn so he didn't get any of it on him.
Standing up Rick reached for his shotgun and fired back at the men while also yelling for Taylor,Hershel, and Glenn to get out of there and it was after he spoke those words he watched as the men took off running towards the back doors, staying down as to avoid the bullets that were still coming through the bar thanks to the men outside.
Taylor who had been running eventually crouched to a stop behind a piano and watched a shotgun was slid to him. Picking it up he turned to look at Rick who was still by the bar doors. He had never been more scared in his life than he was at this moment. This was worse than when he had opted to stay behind at the CDC but maybe that was because he wanted to die then. Now he didn't want too.
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Avery who had been walking towards where Daryl was slowed down some when she spotted Carol walking out there too. As Carol got closer to where Daryl was sitting beside a camp fire Avery moved to hide behind a tree and listen to their conversation. She knew she shouldn't but when had she ever done things she should do? Never.
"We can't find Lori," Carol spoke as she finally reached the campfire where Daryl was. "And the others aren't back yet either."
Daryl who had heard what Carol said reached for a stick and messed with his campfire to adjust it just right, "That dumb bitch must've gone off looking for 'em."
"What?" Carol asked dumbfounded by what Daryl had said.
"Yeah, she asked me to go," Daryl spoke remembering the conversation he had earlier today with Lori. "I told her I was done being an errand boy."
Carol again felt perplexed at Daryl's words, "And you didn't say anything?" she asked as sighed but only got silence in return. "Don't do this. Please," she stated knowing he was withdrawing and she had thought they were becoming friends. She didn't want to lose that friendship they had made while he had been searching for Sophia. "I've already lost my girl."
Standing up at Carol's words Daryl walked towards her, "That wasn't my problem neither."
Avery frowned slightly at the way Daryl brushed Carol off and when Carol headed back Avery came out of hiding and followed behind the woman though she was surprised when Carol stopped walking and turned to face her, "You see it too don't you?" she asked the girl who she knew had been spending time with Daryl as well. "He's pulling away."
"He is pulling away," Avery confirmed as she caught up with Carol and they both began to walk towards the main camp where she could see people standing obviously still looking for Lori.
"I..I think I'm gonna keep an eye on him. Make sure he doesn't pull too far back," Carol nodded knowing it was the least she could do.
Avery shook her head at Carol's words, "Carol I don't think..." she started only to get interrupted by the woman.
"Listen Avery, I know you think you probably know Daryl but you don't. You don't know how men like him work. You're still a child and you have a lot to learn. Let me deal with him," Carol said as she locked eyes with Avery briefly before walking ahead of the younger girl.
Standing there in shock Avery felt her mouth drop open slightly at Carol's words. Just because she was twenty didn't mean she didn't know how men worked, especially men like Daryl who had issues. She knew how he worked just as good as Carol probably did and if Carol insisted on following Daryl around then maybe Avery should follow her around to see just how well Carol succeeded with her plans.
Shaking her head she finally started walking getting back just in time to see Carol telling Shane what she had found out and it was after that she watched as Shane asked Dale if he knew though Dale claimed innocence which Shane must not have believed because he then asked if she at least took a gun.
Hearing Dale deny knowing again Avery knew she believed Dale even if Shane didn't. It was when Dale said he wouldn't let Lori go out there alone though that Avery watched Shane take one of the cars and then drive away, obviously going to look for Lori.
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Rick who was crouched down by the door again picked up some bullets and put them in his pocket before hollering to the men outside again, "Hey! We all know this is not gonna end well! There's nothing in it for any of us!" he continued before reloading his gun. "You guys just... Just back off, no one else gets hurt!"
Taylor who was still sitting behind the piano looked over at Hershel and Glenn who were standing by the exits and he felt his heart pounding as Hershel motioned for him to come there as well. Turning his head to look at Rick who had finished loading his gun he saw Rick give him the okay and he took a deep breath making a run to where Hershel and Glenn were.
Getting there he walked to the exit door and slowly opened it, sticking the shotgun out first before peering through. Not seeing anything he walked down the stairs and into what looked like the basement area of the bar. Once he was off the steps he tried to remain as silent as possible while navigating through the room.
As he got closer to the door he heard a bottle clanking and someone muttering a shit from outside and Taylor swore his heartbeat got even faster at that. It was after the shit that he saw a shadow come upon the glass of the door in front of him and the knob began to turn slowly. He was going to get found and maybe even killed.
Not wanting to risk it, he lifted his gun and fired a shot watching the glass on the door shatter.
"Taylor!" Rick called out as he got up and ran from where he had been crouched at once he heard the gunshot and glass shattering.
"I...I'm alright. I'm alright," Taylor called out letting Rick know he was alright though his voice came out shaky as he did so. After answering Rick he finished the walk towards the door, soon hiding behind a wall so that no one could see him.
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Going into Zac and Kate's tent Mac stopped when he found Kate sitting on the cot crying, "Katie?" he asked as he walked closer.
"Go away," Kate muttered through her tears as she turned to look up at Mac.
Mac shook his head as he sat down beside her, "I don't want to go away," he said before putting a hand on her back. "What's the matter?" he asked as he raised an eyebrow.
"Zac's at Beth's side again," Kate answered harshly. "He went back to her while everyone was out looking to see if we could find Lori. He's with Beth and damn it I don't get why," she continued as she cried harder. "He should be worrying about me and our baby and things like that but he's off with that girl."
Going silent as Kate ranted Mac rubbed her back before frowning, "He just feels sorry for her," he reasoned though he didn't really understand why Zac was at Beth's side either.
"It's more than feeling sorry," Kate spoke as she shook her head. "Way more than feeling sorry and I don't understand what changed," she sighed wondering if maybe kissing Beth and spending time with her had really been able to make Zac fall for the girl that much but then again Taylor had fallen for Maggie hard and fast and she was sure the same had happened with Avery when it came to Daryl. These Hanson's had a pattern.
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Rick who now stood beside Hershel and Glenn kept looking over his shoulder every so often, "I'll hold 'em here. You cover Taylor," he said when he looked at Hershel. "See if you can make it to your car. Tell him... tell him to pull up back. We'll run for it, get the hell out of here."
"You want me to cover Taylor?" Hershel asked as he raised an eyebrow. Out of him and Glenn, Glenn should have been the one chosen.
"You missed all that gun training," Rick noted as he kept Hershel's gaze. "It could've come in handy now."
Hershel looked down as he loaded the pistol he swore Glenn had stolen off one of the dead men, "Nah, I can shoot. I just don't like too," he answered before walking off with Glenn following him so that they could get to Taylor.
Taylor who had came out of hiding and was now staring at the door in fear turned when he heard footsteps approaching him, his shotgun raised just in case, though when he turned around he just found Hershel and Glenn with their hands held up slightly. "Sorry. Sorry," Taylor spoke as Hershel reached out tp move the shotgun away from him and Glenn.
"Rick wants you to try for the car," Hershel told the man.
"Try?" Taylor asked nervousness still in his voice.
"You'll try and succeed," Hershel told him as he locked eyes with Taylor, having confidence in the man. "I'll cover you."
Taylor rolled his eyes slightly, "That's a great plan," he muttered before taking a breath and making a run for the doors. Stepping outside hesitantly he looked around him as he checked for anybody or anything. Hearing a gunshot from behind him he grunted as he went behind a dumpster.
Seeing Taylor fall behind the dumpster, Hershel looked out seeing the man who had shot at him. Pointing his pistol up he fired and hit the man right in the chest and the man fell back groaning. After that he turned to see Taylor's feet sticking out from behind the dumpster.
"What happened?" Rick asked as he finally made it to the back and ran where Hershel and Glenn were standing in the open doorway.
"He fired," Glenn answered as he looked at the man on the ground, the one that Hershel had shot.
Hershel turned to look at Rick, "He must've hit Taylor. He's behind the dumpster," he said looking towards the dumpster. "Doesn't look like he's moving."
After Hershel told him about what happened to Taylor, Rick left the bar slowly just in case anyone else was around and he headed over to where Taylor was. "You hit?" he asked softly still not able to see Taylor from where he was at. "Are you hit?" he asked again once he was a bit closer.
Taylor who had been sitting behind the dumpster just shook his head, "No," he answered finally. "No."
When he finally made it to where he could see Taylor, Rick ducked down and walked to the man seeing fear on his face, "It's alright. The car's right there," he said as he looked towards the car. "We're almost home. You good?"
"I'm good," Taylor lied as he closed his eyes tightly for a moment before opening them again. He'd have to be good for now.
"Let's go," Rick said to him as he took off running towards the car. Just as he did more gunshots went off and he told Taylor to get back before they both retreated back behind the dumpster again.
Taylor who stayed behind the dumpster turned to look as he heard squealing tires and he watched a truck pull up next to the pharmacy.
"Let's get out of here! Roamers all over the place! Hurry up! We gotta get out of here!"
"What about Sean?"
"They shot him. We gotta go. Roamers are everywhere."
"We're leaving?"
"Jump! Hurry up, jump already."
Taylor waited with baited breath as he watched the guy on the roof jump and he made a face as he heard screaming, "Dude didn't make it," he muttered under his breath before looking away.
"Help me! Help... help me!"
"I've gotta go. I've gotta go. I'm sorry!"
Hearing the man who didn't make it scream as his group drove off Taylor frowned slightly as he looked down still.
"Get Hershel and Glenn," Rick told Taylor as he kept his eyes on the man who didn't make it. Waiting a few seconds he stood up and finally went towards where the man was screaming.
After Rick left Taylor made a face as he stood up. Seeing Hershel and Glenn still at the bar doors he called out their names, watching as Hershel turned away to fire at walkers who were beginning to descend on the man he had shot earlier. When they finally made it over to him they began to leave the alley where they were at and make their way towards the car.
"The gunfire must've attracted the walkers," Hershel stated finally calling the dead what they were..walkers. "Where's Rick?"
"He...he ran across," Taylor told him as all three men reached the car.
Hershel just shook his head, "Well, hell, we can't go without him," he said as he took off running to where Rick was. "Rick!" he hollered as he came up on Rick who was standing in front of a man whose leg was impaled on a fence post. "We have to go now."
"No!" Randall said as he cried out in pain not wanting them to leave him here.
Hershel looked at him and shook his head, "I'm sorry son. We have to go."
"No no, don't leave me please," Randall pleaded as he tried to keep himself propped up on the dumpster behind him.
"We have to go," Hershel stated again as he looked at Rick who was still not moving.
Rick shook his head, "We can't," he said not wanting to leave this man behind..if you could even call him that. He looked no more than eighteen or nineteen.
"He was just shooting at us!" Taylor exclaimed not understanding why Rick wanted to help him.
"He's a kid," Rick defended knowing his conscience wouldn't feel right to leave him here to knowingly die.
Randall who was hearing them argue tried to sit up some, "Please help me."
"This place is crawling with walkers!" Glenn added in knowing they could possibly get overrun soon.
"We can't leave him!" Rick stated still not backing down.
Hershel moved closer to examine the boys leg, "The fence went clean through. There's no way we can get the leg off in one piece."
Randall who heard that started to cry out in pain even more, especially so when they moved fence some trying to get his leg off.
"Shut up or I will shoot you," Rick warned him though he didn't really want to shoot him.
"That may be the answer," Hershel said under his breath as he pulled Rick to the side. "We're not gonna get that leg off without tearing the muscle to shreds. He certainly can't run. He may bleed out."
Glenn who had stayed behind at the fence with Taylor looked at the man as he continued to cry, "Shut up," he said as he pointed at him slightly and grabbed onto his leg as gently as possible which just made him cry more. "I'm sorry. Sh-sh... shut up. Shut up," he said knowing his cries were attracting more walkers.
"Maybe we should put him down," Hershel stated seeing Rick giving him a look. "I don't wanna see any more killing, but this is cruel."
"Can't we just take the leg off?" Taylor asked as he looked between Rick and Hershel.
After considering Taylor's words for a moment Rick raised an eyebrow, "That hatchet still in the car?"
"No," Taylor stated trying to ignore the mans pleas for them not to cut his leg off.
Rick reached around in his pocket, pulling out a pocket knife. "Will this cut through the bone?" he asked pushing the blade out so Hershel could see it.
"I'll have to sever the ligaments below the kneecap, cut above the tibia. He's going to lose his lower leg," Hershel told Rick as he took the white button down shirt he had on off. "When we get clear of here, we're gonna have to find some tinder, cauterize the wound so he doesn't bleed out."
"Alright. No choice, hurry up," Rick stated before moving behind the fence to hold the man down.
"Hand me that stick," Hershel said as he looked at Glenn, before tying his shirt around the man's leg.
Glenn picked up the stick and then headed with Taylor to keep an eye out for walkers coming there way.
"Guys, walkers," Taylor stated as he turned to look back at Hershel and Rick. There was a bunch of walkers heading their way if they didn't hurry up. "Hurry up!" he told them as he and Glenn ran a bit closer to take down a few of the walkers with their guns.
Rick who had been helping hold the man down turned to look as he saw walkers advancing on them from where he was at too, "Oh god they're everywhere," he stated before going to go shoot at some of them. "Hershel, how we doing over there?"
"I need more hands!" Hershel answered back as he looked at the man who was struggling as he tried to cut the leg off. "Easy, easy."
"Come on, we gotta go! I'm almost out of ammo!" Glenn stated as he turned back towards where Hershel and Rick were, "We don't have much time! Come on, we've gotta go!"
"Can't hold 'em off! Hershel, do it now!" Rick hollered from where he was as he moved back some. The walkers were starting to get to be too many for him to handle. "Come on, Hershel!" he spoke once he reached where Hershel was still working.
At Rick's words Hershel sighed, "There is no time!"
"Hershel, come on!" Rick stated again knowing they had to leave.
Randall watched as the men all started to move away and again he propped himself up so he could look at them, "Please don't leave me! Please! No! Please don't leave me! Please! Please don't leave me!"
Taylor who was standing the closet to the car turned around as he heard a loud scream and he made a face, seeing that Rick had just pulled the guys leg off the fence and he felt sympathy pain for him. He knew that had to have hurt like a damn bitch but at least now they could all head back to the farm.