Contagion Chapter Twenty-Two
"Only got so many arrows," Mac spoke as he walked towards the truck where Daryl was at, holding out the gun he had for Daryl to take. He just wanted Daryl to be safe in case something happened on the trip to take Randall off. Avery would be devastated if he didn't come back.
Taking the gun from Mac, Daryl examined it and also looked in the barrel to see how many bullets were in it, "Is that Dale's gun?"
"Yeah," Mac nodded. He had taken it from Dale's RV this morning.
"Wish I knew where the hell mine is," Daryl muttered more so to himself. His own gun had went missing yesterday.
Before Mac had a chance to say anything else he watched as Rick walked over to the truck.
"Ready?" Rick asked Daryl as he made it to where Daryl was standing at the truck.
"I'll get the package," Mac spoke before walking off towards the shed where Randall was being held, hearing Rick tell him thanks. Getting closer to the barn he yelled out to Randall, "You, Randy. Governor called. You're off the hook," he muttered as he unlocked the shed and opened it, pausing briefly when he found it empty, no signs of Randall anywhere.
"Oh, hell no," he whispered as he shook his head not even sure how they could lose a prisoner right from under their noses and also partly pissed that they had lost him.
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Walking with a still bound and blindfolded Randall in the woods Shane sighed as Randall kept making noises. It was apparent the boy was confused but Shane really didn't care about that, hell he didn't care about anything except what he was doing right now. Lori's words still playing in his head from earlier and Carl being weak for not being able to kill that walker yesterday. It was apparent Rick didn't know how to be a good family man or leader so Shane was taking charge.
Pushing Randall along slightly Shane shook his head as the continued to make noise and wonder around aimlessly. When Randall fell down Shane went to him and pulled him into a sitting position, his hands resting on the blindfold around Randall's eyes. "Shhh," he told him before slipping the blindfold up off Randall's eyes seeing a fear pass on the boy's face. "I'm the last face you probably want to see, huh?" Shane asked knowing Randall probably didn't want to see him, after all he had been gung ho on killing him.
"Listen, I'm gonna take you up out of here, okay?" Shane asked as he locked eyes with him before looking at the tape around Randall's mouth. "I'm gonna get this off of you so you can breathe, but I want you to keep quiet. You listen good. Do you hear me?" he asked seeing Randall shake his head in acknowledgment that he had heard him. "Don't do nothing stupid now," he muttered as he took the tape off of Randall's mouth.
When Randall started to whine some Shane grabbed his jaw, "Hey..hey, keep it quiet," he reminded him before looking around to make sure no one was in sight. "Now your group, you know where they're at?"
"No, I don't.." Randall lied. "I really.." he started only to get smacked upside the head by Shane which made him mutter an oh as he fell over some.
Pulling Randall up, Shane sighed, "Get your little ass up here," he muttered as he locked eyes with him again. "Now I'm the only shot of you getting out of these woods alive. You hear me? Now you start talking, boy. Where are they at?"
"We had a camp set up off the highway about five miles from here," Randall admitted as he looked at Shane. He was afraid of this one and he didn't really trust his motives but maybe if he played along. "Who knows if they're still there.." he said shaking his head.
"So you gonna take me to 'em?" Shane asked as he backed away seeing Randall start to look a bit offensive.
Randall gave Shane a confused look at his question, "Why?" he asked not understanding why Shane wanted to join his group.
"Because, man..I..I'm just..I'm done with this group, man," Shane lied as he tried to keep his expressions neutral. "They doomed and I want no part of it, that's all."
"So you're not gonna kill me?" Randall asked as he raised an eyebrow.
Pulling Randall up Shane shook his head as he started walking with the boy, "Come on, man. If I was, you'd be dead. Come on."
"Hey, you ain't gotta be so rough," Randall muttered as Shane continued to push him along. "We're on the same side now. You're gonna like it with us. Gets a little crazy sometimes, but it's a tough bunch of guys. You'll fit in good."
Shane rolled his eyes as Randall started to ramble, "Less talking, more walking," he muttered as he kept looking behind him, feeling almost nervous that he'd be caught.
"Look, I run my mouth when I get nervous," Randall spoke as he blushed slightly. "I can't help it. I got a lot going on, you know?"
"It ain't all about you," Shane muttered as he continued looking around, letting Randall get a bit ahead of him.
"I...I ain't saying it's about me," Randall clarified..."Just trying too..." he started turning his head to see Shane walking towards him looking almost off.
Approaching Randall, Shane made a face as he grabbed the boy, hearing him scream before he went silent with the snapping of his neck. Letting Randall's body fall to the ground Shane walked away and stared at the tree a few feet ahead for a few seconds before running towards it and hitting his face against it. He'd need an alibi when he got back to the farm. He'd need proof for the lies he was going to tell.
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Staying in the farm house with Kate, Avery sighed as she sat down beside her sister-in-law. She could tell from looking at Kate that she was upset Zac had forbidden her to go outside with everyone else to see what was up and why they hadn't left with Randall yet.
"You don't have to be my baby-sitter," Kate told Avery maybe a little too harshly. "If Zac tells me to stay in the house I'll stay."
"No you won't," Avery smiled as she shook her head. "You're as stubborn as Zac and if I wasn't here right now you'd be outside with everyone else."
Kate looked down and shook her head before smiling, "I swear all of you Hanson's have some sort of sixth sense...or well some of you do," she said not sure if Taylor had one.
"I don't think Zac has one," Avery piped up seeing Kate give her a questioning look. "If he had one he'd know how to treat you and he wouldn't be so confused over the Beth situation."
Rolling her eyes Kate just shook her head, "Zac's never been in this situation before and the world's gone to shit, he's just stressed," she said knowing she was making excuses. "I think if I was in his position I'd be just as torn."
"You could be in his situation though," Avery told her again seeing Kate giving her a questioning look. "Mac's been there for you a lot," she clarified. "I may have my stuff with Daryl but I have noticed that my little brother is always there for you and I think he may have a crush on you."
Kate couldn't help but laugh at that, "Avery your little brother doesn't have a crush on me," she said as she shook her head. "I'm pretty sure your little brother is gay."
At Kate's words, Avery was now the one giving a questioning look, "Mac....he isn't....he can't be.."
"If the googly eyes he keeps making at Jimmy when he thinks no one is looking are proof then yes, he is," Kate nodded still seeing Avery looking at her as if she had two heads.
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Rushing outside with everyone else Zac followed the group to the shed, hearing Maggie ask what was wrong and he heard Mac tell her that Randall was missing.
"Missing? How?" Maggie asked as she walked closer to the shed.
"How long's he been gone?" Hershel asked as he looked around wondering how far Randall could have gotten off the property.
Rick who had been in the shed observing everything walked out as he looked at the people who were now standing around outside, "Cuffs are still hooked. He must' slipped 'em off."
"Is that possible?" Carol asked as she turned to look at Rick.
"It is if you've got nothing to lose," Zac added in as he came to a stop behind Carol.
Hershel sighed, closing the door behind Rick, "The door was secured from the outside," he added in not sure how Randall could have gotten out.
Zac who was standing there after Hershel's words turned around fast when he heard Shane yelling out Rick's name as he walked towards the group, coming from somewhere out in the woods.
"What happened?!" Lori yelled as she saw Shane walking closer to them.
"He's armed!" Shane yelled out as he kept walking closer to the group. "He's got my gun!"
"Are you okay?" Carl asked hoping the older man was okay.
"I'm fine!" Shane answered. "Little bastard just snuck up on me, clocked me in the face," he lied finding it easier to keep up his lies the more he told.
Rick who had listened to Shane's words turned to look at the group behind him, "All right, Hershel, T-Dog, get everybody back in the house," he said as he looked at the two men. "Zac, Daryl, come with us," he said knowing he wanted those two men with them. They were the best equipped for this situation.
Shane who had made it to where the others were looked at Mac, who had a gun in his hand, "Mac, I'm gonna need that gun," he said as he walked closer to Mac so he could get the gun.
"Just let him go," Carol pleaded as she shook her head. "That was the plan wasn't it, to just let him go?"
"The plan was to cut him loose far away from here, not on our front step with a gun," Rick spoke knowing the plan had changed.
"Don't go out there!" Carol still pleaded. "Ya'll know what can happen," she muttered just watching the men start to walk off.
As he began to walk away Rick turned his head slightly, "Get everybody back in the house. Lock all the doors and stay put."
Carol just sighed feeling defeated as the men continued to walk off and she no longer objected as she and the others were herded back inside.
Avery who was still seated on the couch looked up and raised an eyebrow as she watched the group file in, they all seemed so gloomy and she could feel panic rising in her stomach. "What happened?" she asked curiously as she stood from her seat.
"Randall got away," Taylor spoke as he looked at his sister and Kate. "He attacked Shane and stole his gun. Rick,Zac,Daryl, and Shane are out looking for him. We've been told to lock the doors and stay put."
Kate who heard Taylor swallowed hard, not sure if she liked the idea of Zac being out there in the woods even if he was with the others. It was dangerous.
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"I saw him head up through the trees that way before I blacked out," Shane said as he lead the men who were walking behind him. "I'm not sure how long," he said as he shook his head not even feeling any remorse or guilt for the lies he was telling right now.
"He couldn't have gotten far," Rick spoke as he moved up, catching up with Shane. "He's hobbled, exhausted."
"And armed," Zac added in knowing that made Randall a threat.
Rick turned his head to look at Zac, "So are we," he nodded before looking at Daryl. "Can you track him?"
Daryl shook his head as he looked down at the ground, "No, I don't see nothing," he said knowing he didn't see tracks or anything on the ground.
"Hey, look, there ain't no use in tracking him, okay?" Shane asked as he paced back and forth getting a bit antsy. "We just need to pair up. We spread out, we just chase him down. That's it."
Looking up at Shane, Daryl kept his eyes glued on him, "Kid weighs a buck twenty-five soaking wet. You trying to tell us he got the jump on you?" Daryl asked not sure if he believed Shane's story. Something just felt so off.
"I say a rock pretty much evens those odds, wouldn't you?" Shane asked back a little harshly.
"Alright, knock it off," Rick said intervening before things could get more heated. "You and Zac start heading up the right flank. Me and Shane'll take the left. Remember, Randall's not the only threat out there," he said knowing the walkers were still a pretty huge threat. "Keep an eye out for each other," he spoke as he watched Zac and Daryl walk off.
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Mac sat at the kitchen table, looking down at his hands. He had came here while everyone else helped to board up the windows and lock the doors. It was the only place he could come to clear his head and try to calm his panic over Randall being on the loose.
"I was wondering where you were," Avery said as she sat down beside Mac at the kitchen table. "I've been looking for you."
"For me?" Mac teased as he looked up at her and smiled. "Whatever it is I swear I'm innocent and it was probably Zac."
Avery shook her head, "You aren't in trouble," she told him as she laughed some. "I just wanted to make sure you are okay."
"I'm fine," Mac spoke though it was a lie.
"You aren't fine," Avery told him knowing he was lying through his teeth. "But I'm lying to people about being fine right now too," she nodded as she chewed on her lip.
Mac looked at her and reached for her hand, "Maybe you should stop lying though, you're bad at it," he teased again as he felt her move her hand away and before he knew it she had hit him playfully.
"You're bad at lying too," Avery countered as she shook her head. "And you're bad at hiding the googly eyes you make at Jimmy," she added in throwing what Kate had mentioned to her earlier.
"I don't..I mean..." Mac started but stopped feeling at a loss for words right now. He had been caught off guard by her words.
At Mac's reaction Avery just nodded her head, now realizing Kate had been right, "So..you are...you're gay?" she asked softly in case anyone else was within hearing distance.
Looking down Mac felt his cheeks heat up, "I..I think I am," he confessed knowing he may not have been ready to tell her but she had cornered him. When he looked back up at her he swallowed hard, "Please don't tell anyone else," he begged afraid of how everyone would react.
Avery frowned at the look on Mac's face, "Your secret is safe with me," she said knowing she wouldn't betray his confidence like that. "But I hate to tell you, I think Jimmy is straight for sure," she said though maybe her gaydar was broken with Jimmy too much like it had been with Mac. She'd have to ask Kate about Jimmy if she wanted to know for sure more than likely.
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Walking the woods with Shane, Rick turned to face his friend whose face even now at nightfall he could make out was busted pretty bad. "Looks like it's busted pretty bad," Rick said speaking his last few thoughts out loud.
"It's fine, man," Shane said as he shook his head. "Don't worry about me," he said as he continued walking and got farther ahead of him, leading Rick farther into the woods. He had to get Rick far enough away from the property.
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"This is pointless," Daryl muttered out after some time of walking around in the woods. It was dark out now and getting harder to see. Turning to Zac who had the flashlight he held his hand out, "Give me that light," he said and once Zac handed it over he turned it on looking around at the woods in front of him.
"Oh come on," he muttered again as he turned and headed back in the direction they had came, hearing Zac following behind him.
Following behind Daryl, Zac stayed silent the whole way until they made it back to where they had started from, "We're just back to square one," he spoke not sure why Daryl would bring them back here.
"Yeah, if you wanna do a thing, you might as well do it right," Daryl spoke as he held the flashlight so that it illuminated the ground. "There's two sets of tracks right here," he said as he continued to walk farther into the woods. "Shane must've followed him a lot longer than he said," he spoke as he shined the light up onto a tree in front of them. "There's fresh blood on this tree," he observed before looking down at the ground. "There's more tracks. Looks like they're walking in tandem."
Zac who had been listening to Daryl watched him walk away to follow the tracks and he followed after him again though when a sound from an animal echoed off into the distance he turned in that direction, soon bumping into Daryl. "Sorry." he apologized when Daryl turned to face.
Looking down again after Zac apologized Daryl shined the light back down to the ground, "Yeah, there was a little dust up right here."
"What do you mean?" Zac asked confused about all of this though in a way his mind was starting to fit pieces together even if it was slowly.
"I mean something went down," Daryl answered as he continued to walk.
"It's getting weird," Zac whispered as he followed behind Daryl though he also kept looking around too. He was uneasy being in the woods after dark right now.
Making a face as the flashlight illuminated the blindfold that had been around Randall's eyes Daryl walked towards it, "Had a little trouble."
Zac who heard Daryl's words looked down at the blindfold and he picked it up though he didn't have time to stare at it long before a noise came from behind where he and Daryl were standing and they both took off to hide behind trees. Catching his breath he turned his head slowly in time to see a walker a few feet away walking through the woods.
Hearing Daryl whistle at him, Zac turned to face the man in time to catch the flashlight that Daryl threw his way and he stood there waiting as the walker got closer before eventually moving out in the open. Freezing slightly as the walker came face to face with him, he lunged at it only to lose his footing and fall to the ground.
It was while he was on the ground that he heard Daryl fighting the walker off as Daryl too lost his footing and now the walker was on top of him. Feeling panic rise up in him Zac reached into his pocket for the knife he had been carrying with him. Not feeling it he began to look around on the grass, realizing it had to have fallen off when he fell.
Feeling it he eventually took a hold of it and then moved quickly to where Daryl was at, pulling the walker off of Daryl who punched at it hard enough to knock it down to the ground where Zac was able to lunge his knife into the back of the walker's head.
It was only when he stood up that he turned the flashlight on and as he stood there catching his breath he realized the walker that he had just put down was Randall.
"Nice," Daryl spoke being impressed by what Zac had done.
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"Does this way feel right?" Rick asked as he followed behind Shane. They had been walking around in the woods still for what felt like hours though if Rick guessed he would say it was only minutes..rather long minutes.
"As right as any," Shane answered as he turned around to face Rick.
"Snatched your gun, huh?" Rick asked once Shane was facing him. He couldn't help but fell now that something Shane was telling about this story wasn't right.
Shane just nodded his head, "Yeah, it was my favorite piece too," he answered as he shook his head. "Gonna wish he'd...wish he'd killed me when I find his sorry ass," he joked as he continued to look at Rick. "Go on," he said nodding ahead wanting Rick to take the lead now.
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Examining Randall's corpse Daryl turned his neck slightly as he let the flashlight shine on the exposed skin, "Got his neck broke," he said deducing that was how Randall died. Turning him over though he continued the search for Randall's body, trying to find what had made him turn. "He's got no bites," he finally said after awhile.
"Yeah, none you can see," Zac replied as he bent down beside Daryl.
Daryl just shook his head, "No, I'm telling you he died from this," he said pointing the light back to Randall's broken neck.
"How is that possible?" Zac asked not understanding how he could have died from a broken neck but turned into a walker. There had to be something missing.
Looking at Zac all Daryl had was silence because he didn't know how to answer him, so instead of answering he just eventually stood up and headed back towards the farm. They had found Randall, there was no longer anything to worry about regarding him anyway.
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"Say he got you with a rock?" Rick asked feeling Shane's eyes on him from behind as Shane followed him out into the middle of an open field.
Shane who was following behind Rick heard his question,"That is what I said," he replied feeling like maybe Rick was starting to understand what was happening now.
"Inside the shed said door was shut when T-dog rolled up," Rick countered not even turning to face Shane. He had a sinking feeling on why Shane had lured him out here. He should have figured it sooner if he was honest with himself.
Shane nodded, "I saw that too. Must have slipped through the rafters in the roof," he shrugged watching as Rick soon came to a complete stop a few feet away from him.
Rick sighed at Shane's words coming to a stop as he tried to digest them though he couldn't. Putting the gun he held in his hand back in it's holster he hesitated for a second before finally breaking the silence. "So this is where you plan to do it?"
"It's as good a place as any," Shane answered surprised not surprised that Rick had figured out his motives.
"At least have the balls to call this what it is," Rick spoke as as he turned to face Shane, "murder. You really believe if you walk back onto that farm alone, no me, no Randall," Rick continued ignoring Shane when he told him to hush up. "You really believe they are gonna buy that bullshit story you cook up?"
Shane shrugged, "That's just it, it ain't no story," he said trying to sound confident even though he really didn't feel as confident as he sounded. "I saw that prisoner shoot you down. I ran after him, snapped his neck. It ain't going to be easy but Lori and Carl they will get over you," he told his best friend smugly still trying to be confident. "They've done it before. They're just going to have too," he said before pulling his gun out and aiming it at Rick.
"Why?" Rick asked Shane stepping a bit closer. "Why now? I thought we worked this all out."
"We tried to kill each other man," Shane laughed shaking his head. "Did you just think we'd forget about it all and ride off into the sunset?"
Rick felt his anger start to boil at Shane's lack of emotions right now. "So you're just gonna kill me in cold blood? Screw my wife, have my children, My children call you daddy is that what you want? That life won't be worth a damn," he said as he continued to stare Shane down. "I know you, you won't be able to live with this."
"What do you know about what I can live with?" Shane asked briefly putting his gun down. "You have no idea what I can live with. What I live with," he yelled before putting the gun in his jeans. "How about what you can live with? Here I am," he said opening his arms, wanting Rick to try and harm him, he knew he couldn't.
"Come on man raise your gun," Shane continued after awhile of Rick not doing anything.
Rick shook his head no, "No, I will not," he said refusing to play into Shane's game.
"What happened Rick? I thought you weren't the good guy no more. Ain't that what you said?" Shane asked clearly trying to get under Rick's skin. "Even right here, right now you ain't going to fight for them. I am a better father than you Rick," Shane muttered as he stepped closer to Rick. "I am better for Lori than you man. It's because I am a better man than you Rick. Cause I can be here and I will fight for her. But you come back here and just destroy everything!" Shane yelled seeing from the expression on Rick's face he may just be getting under the man's skin now.
"You got a broken woman," he continued with his antics. "You got a weak boy. You ain't got the first clue on how to fix it," Shane sighed before pulling his gun out and holding it on Rick again. "Raise your gun."
Rick didn't falter once when Shane raised his gun again, "You are going to have to kill an unarmed man," he spoke before moving his hands out some. Letting one hand go down to his gun he held it out away from himself. "Now listen to me Shane, there is still a way back from this. Nothing has happened here, we are going to lay down our guns, we are going to walk back to the farm together," he said before locking eyes with Shane.
"Back to Lori," Rick continued his words as he moved closer to Shane now. "Back to Carl. Put this all behind us," he said hoping the different emotions he saw in Shane's eyes was him reconsidering this. As he said those words though he let his other hand go behind him to where his knife was and the moment Shane reached to take his gun Rick lunged at him with the knife, stabbing his former friend.
Feeling a pain in his stomach as he was stabbed, Shane groaned accidentally firing his gun as he hunched over in the process though he soon lost his footing and fell to the ground. Breathing was becoming hard and he just laid there helplessly as he looked up at Rick who was blaming him for this, for his actions and stabbing him.
Looking down at his dying friend Rick frowned as he shook his head. This was all Shane's fault. Shane was the one responsible for what Rick had just done. If he hadn't been so fucking reckless. Feeling tears in his eyes he watched as his friend died there on the grass in the field. He had just lost the one man who had been like a brother to him.
Standing up finally Rick began to pace back and forth. He was distraught over what had happened and he was also trying to figure out something he could tell the people waiting at the farm house.
"Dad?" Carl questioned as he came to a stop at the sight in front of him, Shane lying on the ground and his dad just pacing back and forth,
"Carl," Rick spoke as he came to a stop, seeing his sun standing there holding his gun out. "You know...you should be back home with mom," he said as he walked a bit closer to Carl. "Just...just put the..put the gun down," he said trying to reassure his son that everything was okay. "It's not what it seems. Please," he begged seeing Carl aim the gun higher up. It was after he got the please though that Carl fired his gun and he turned around to see Shane falling behind him. Shane had reanimated though all Rick had done was stab him.
Walking towards Shane with Carl following behind him Rick told his son to wait as he finished the walk and he bent back down still unable to believe what had happened.
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Alice who had been out with Sutton paused as she heard a familiar noise, a noise she had learned to dread after sometime. Turning her head in that direction though her eyes widened at the sight. There in front of her was a whole pack of walkers coming towards them.
"Sutton," she whispered trying to get the girls attention. When she had it she pointed to the herd heading there way and she handed Sutton a gun. "We have to get back to Viv's and warn her and Lucy," she said as her heartbeat began to get faster.
"And if one of us goes down?" Sutton questioned as she raised an eyebrow as she looked at Alice before trying her best to crouch down and hide behind trees as she began what now felt like a long walk back to Viv's though in reality it wasn't.
"Then the other shoots and runs off to still warn the others," Alice told her, holding her gun tightly to herself. As she too crouched down her mind wandered to the two sisters they had helped and their group on another farm not far from here. The herd would be heading their way too..or well it would be heading to anyone who had houses out in these backwoods. Everyone would have to fight to get away and hopefully no one died in the process.
"Only got so many arrows," Mac spoke as he walked towards the truck where Daryl was at, holding out the gun he had for Daryl to take. He just wanted Daryl to be safe in case something happened on the trip to take Randall off. Avery would be devastated if he didn't come back.
Taking the gun from Mac, Daryl examined it and also looked in the barrel to see how many bullets were in it, "Is that Dale's gun?"
"Yeah," Mac nodded. He had taken it from Dale's RV this morning.
"Wish I knew where the hell mine is," Daryl muttered more so to himself. His own gun had went missing yesterday.
Before Mac had a chance to say anything else he watched as Rick walked over to the truck.
"Ready?" Rick asked Daryl as he made it to where Daryl was standing at the truck.
"I'll get the package," Mac spoke before walking off towards the shed where Randall was being held, hearing Rick tell him thanks. Getting closer to the barn he yelled out to Randall, "You, Randy. Governor called. You're off the hook," he muttered as he unlocked the shed and opened it, pausing briefly when he found it empty, no signs of Randall anywhere.
"Oh, hell no," he whispered as he shook his head not even sure how they could lose a prisoner right from under their noses and also partly pissed that they had lost him.
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Walking with a still bound and blindfolded Randall in the woods Shane sighed as Randall kept making noises. It was apparent the boy was confused but Shane really didn't care about that, hell he didn't care about anything except what he was doing right now. Lori's words still playing in his head from earlier and Carl being weak for not being able to kill that walker yesterday. It was apparent Rick didn't know how to be a good family man or leader so Shane was taking charge.
Pushing Randall along slightly Shane shook his head as the continued to make noise and wonder around aimlessly. When Randall fell down Shane went to him and pulled him into a sitting position, his hands resting on the blindfold around Randall's eyes. "Shhh," he told him before slipping the blindfold up off Randall's eyes seeing a fear pass on the boy's face. "I'm the last face you probably want to see, huh?" Shane asked knowing Randall probably didn't want to see him, after all he had been gung ho on killing him.
"Listen, I'm gonna take you up out of here, okay?" Shane asked as he locked eyes with him before looking at the tape around Randall's mouth. "I'm gonna get this off of you so you can breathe, but I want you to keep quiet. You listen good. Do you hear me?" he asked seeing Randall shake his head in acknowledgment that he had heard him. "Don't do nothing stupid now," he muttered as he took the tape off of Randall's mouth.
When Randall started to whine some Shane grabbed his jaw, "Hey..hey, keep it quiet," he reminded him before looking around to make sure no one was in sight. "Now your group, you know where they're at?"
"No, I don't.." Randall lied. "I really.." he started only to get smacked upside the head by Shane which made him mutter an oh as he fell over some.
Pulling Randall up, Shane sighed, "Get your little ass up here," he muttered as he locked eyes with him again. "Now I'm the only shot of you getting out of these woods alive. You hear me? Now you start talking, boy. Where are they at?"
"We had a camp set up off the highway about five miles from here," Randall admitted as he looked at Shane. He was afraid of this one and he didn't really trust his motives but maybe if he played along. "Who knows if they're still there.." he said shaking his head.
"So you gonna take me to 'em?" Shane asked as he backed away seeing Randall start to look a bit offensive.
Randall gave Shane a confused look at his question, "Why?" he asked not understanding why Shane wanted to join his group.
"Because, man..I..I'm just..I'm done with this group, man," Shane lied as he tried to keep his expressions neutral. "They doomed and I want no part of it, that's all."
"So you're not gonna kill me?" Randall asked as he raised an eyebrow.
Pulling Randall up Shane shook his head as he started walking with the boy, "Come on, man. If I was, you'd be dead. Come on."
"Hey, you ain't gotta be so rough," Randall muttered as Shane continued to push him along. "We're on the same side now. You're gonna like it with us. Gets a little crazy sometimes, but it's a tough bunch of guys. You'll fit in good."
Shane rolled his eyes as Randall started to ramble, "Less talking, more walking," he muttered as he kept looking behind him, feeling almost nervous that he'd be caught.
"Look, I run my mouth when I get nervous," Randall spoke as he blushed slightly. "I can't help it. I got a lot going on, you know?"
"It ain't all about you," Shane muttered as he continued looking around, letting Randall get a bit ahead of him.
"I...I ain't saying it's about me," Randall clarified..."Just trying too..." he started turning his head to see Shane walking towards him looking almost off.
Approaching Randall, Shane made a face as he grabbed the boy, hearing him scream before he went silent with the snapping of his neck. Letting Randall's body fall to the ground Shane walked away and stared at the tree a few feet ahead for a few seconds before running towards it and hitting his face against it. He'd need an alibi when he got back to the farm. He'd need proof for the lies he was going to tell.
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Staying in the farm house with Kate, Avery sighed as she sat down beside her sister-in-law. She could tell from looking at Kate that she was upset Zac had forbidden her to go outside with everyone else to see what was up and why they hadn't left with Randall yet.
"You don't have to be my baby-sitter," Kate told Avery maybe a little too harshly. "If Zac tells me to stay in the house I'll stay."
"No you won't," Avery smiled as she shook her head. "You're as stubborn as Zac and if I wasn't here right now you'd be outside with everyone else."
Kate looked down and shook her head before smiling, "I swear all of you Hanson's have some sort of sixth sense...or well some of you do," she said not sure if Taylor had one.
"I don't think Zac has one," Avery piped up seeing Kate give her a questioning look. "If he had one he'd know how to treat you and he wouldn't be so confused over the Beth situation."
Rolling her eyes Kate just shook her head, "Zac's never been in this situation before and the world's gone to shit, he's just stressed," she said knowing she was making excuses. "I think if I was in his position I'd be just as torn."
"You could be in his situation though," Avery told her again seeing Kate giving her a questioning look. "Mac's been there for you a lot," she clarified. "I may have my stuff with Daryl but I have noticed that my little brother is always there for you and I think he may have a crush on you."
Kate couldn't help but laugh at that, "Avery your little brother doesn't have a crush on me," she said as she shook her head. "I'm pretty sure your little brother is gay."
At Kate's words, Avery was now the one giving a questioning look, "Mac....he isn't....he can't be.."
"If the googly eyes he keeps making at Jimmy when he thinks no one is looking are proof then yes, he is," Kate nodded still seeing Avery looking at her as if she had two heads.
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Rushing outside with everyone else Zac followed the group to the shed, hearing Maggie ask what was wrong and he heard Mac tell her that Randall was missing.
"Missing? How?" Maggie asked as she walked closer to the shed.
"How long's he been gone?" Hershel asked as he looked around wondering how far Randall could have gotten off the property.
Rick who had been in the shed observing everything walked out as he looked at the people who were now standing around outside, "Cuffs are still hooked. He must' slipped 'em off."
"Is that possible?" Carol asked as she turned to look at Rick.
"It is if you've got nothing to lose," Zac added in as he came to a stop behind Carol.
Hershel sighed, closing the door behind Rick, "The door was secured from the outside," he added in not sure how Randall could have gotten out.
Zac who was standing there after Hershel's words turned around fast when he heard Shane yelling out Rick's name as he walked towards the group, coming from somewhere out in the woods.
"What happened?!" Lori yelled as she saw Shane walking closer to them.
"He's armed!" Shane yelled out as he kept walking closer to the group. "He's got my gun!"
"Are you okay?" Carl asked hoping the older man was okay.
"I'm fine!" Shane answered. "Little bastard just snuck up on me, clocked me in the face," he lied finding it easier to keep up his lies the more he told.
Rick who had listened to Shane's words turned to look at the group behind him, "All right, Hershel, T-Dog, get everybody back in the house," he said as he looked at the two men. "Zac, Daryl, come with us," he said knowing he wanted those two men with them. They were the best equipped for this situation.
Shane who had made it to where the others were looked at Mac, who had a gun in his hand, "Mac, I'm gonna need that gun," he said as he walked closer to Mac so he could get the gun.
"Just let him go," Carol pleaded as she shook her head. "That was the plan wasn't it, to just let him go?"
"The plan was to cut him loose far away from here, not on our front step with a gun," Rick spoke knowing the plan had changed.
"Don't go out there!" Carol still pleaded. "Ya'll know what can happen," she muttered just watching the men start to walk off.
As he began to walk away Rick turned his head slightly, "Get everybody back in the house. Lock all the doors and stay put."
Carol just sighed feeling defeated as the men continued to walk off and she no longer objected as she and the others were herded back inside.
Avery who was still seated on the couch looked up and raised an eyebrow as she watched the group file in, they all seemed so gloomy and she could feel panic rising in her stomach. "What happened?" she asked curiously as she stood from her seat.
"Randall got away," Taylor spoke as he looked at his sister and Kate. "He attacked Shane and stole his gun. Rick,Zac,Daryl, and Shane are out looking for him. We've been told to lock the doors and stay put."
Kate who heard Taylor swallowed hard, not sure if she liked the idea of Zac being out there in the woods even if he was with the others. It was dangerous.
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"I saw him head up through the trees that way before I blacked out," Shane said as he lead the men who were walking behind him. "I'm not sure how long," he said as he shook his head not even feeling any remorse or guilt for the lies he was telling right now.
"He couldn't have gotten far," Rick spoke as he moved up, catching up with Shane. "He's hobbled, exhausted."
"And armed," Zac added in knowing that made Randall a threat.
Rick turned his head to look at Zac, "So are we," he nodded before looking at Daryl. "Can you track him?"
Daryl shook his head as he looked down at the ground, "No, I don't see nothing," he said knowing he didn't see tracks or anything on the ground.
"Hey, look, there ain't no use in tracking him, okay?" Shane asked as he paced back and forth getting a bit antsy. "We just need to pair up. We spread out, we just chase him down. That's it."
Looking up at Shane, Daryl kept his eyes glued on him, "Kid weighs a buck twenty-five soaking wet. You trying to tell us he got the jump on you?" Daryl asked not sure if he believed Shane's story. Something just felt so off.
"I say a rock pretty much evens those odds, wouldn't you?" Shane asked back a little harshly.
"Alright, knock it off," Rick said intervening before things could get more heated. "You and Zac start heading up the right flank. Me and Shane'll take the left. Remember, Randall's not the only threat out there," he said knowing the walkers were still a pretty huge threat. "Keep an eye out for each other," he spoke as he watched Zac and Daryl walk off.
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Mac sat at the kitchen table, looking down at his hands. He had came here while everyone else helped to board up the windows and lock the doors. It was the only place he could come to clear his head and try to calm his panic over Randall being on the loose.
"I was wondering where you were," Avery said as she sat down beside Mac at the kitchen table. "I've been looking for you."
"For me?" Mac teased as he looked up at her and smiled. "Whatever it is I swear I'm innocent and it was probably Zac."
Avery shook her head, "You aren't in trouble," she told him as she laughed some. "I just wanted to make sure you are okay."
"I'm fine," Mac spoke though it was a lie.
"You aren't fine," Avery told him knowing he was lying through his teeth. "But I'm lying to people about being fine right now too," she nodded as she chewed on her lip.
Mac looked at her and reached for her hand, "Maybe you should stop lying though, you're bad at it," he teased again as he felt her move her hand away and before he knew it she had hit him playfully.
"You're bad at lying too," Avery countered as she shook her head. "And you're bad at hiding the googly eyes you make at Jimmy," she added in throwing what Kate had mentioned to her earlier.
"I don't..I mean..." Mac started but stopped feeling at a loss for words right now. He had been caught off guard by her words.
At Mac's reaction Avery just nodded her head, now realizing Kate had been right, "So..you are...you're gay?" she asked softly in case anyone else was within hearing distance.
Looking down Mac felt his cheeks heat up, "I..I think I am," he confessed knowing he may not have been ready to tell her but she had cornered him. When he looked back up at her he swallowed hard, "Please don't tell anyone else," he begged afraid of how everyone would react.
Avery frowned at the look on Mac's face, "Your secret is safe with me," she said knowing she wouldn't betray his confidence like that. "But I hate to tell you, I think Jimmy is straight for sure," she said though maybe her gaydar was broken with Jimmy too much like it had been with Mac. She'd have to ask Kate about Jimmy if she wanted to know for sure more than likely.
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Walking the woods with Shane, Rick turned to face his friend whose face even now at nightfall he could make out was busted pretty bad. "Looks like it's busted pretty bad," Rick said speaking his last few thoughts out loud.
"It's fine, man," Shane said as he shook his head. "Don't worry about me," he said as he continued walking and got farther ahead of him, leading Rick farther into the woods. He had to get Rick far enough away from the property.
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"This is pointless," Daryl muttered out after some time of walking around in the woods. It was dark out now and getting harder to see. Turning to Zac who had the flashlight he held his hand out, "Give me that light," he said and once Zac handed it over he turned it on looking around at the woods in front of him.
"Oh come on," he muttered again as he turned and headed back in the direction they had came, hearing Zac following behind him.
Following behind Daryl, Zac stayed silent the whole way until they made it back to where they had started from, "We're just back to square one," he spoke not sure why Daryl would bring them back here.
"Yeah, if you wanna do a thing, you might as well do it right," Daryl spoke as he held the flashlight so that it illuminated the ground. "There's two sets of tracks right here," he said as he continued to walk farther into the woods. "Shane must've followed him a lot longer than he said," he spoke as he shined the light up onto a tree in front of them. "There's fresh blood on this tree," he observed before looking down at the ground. "There's more tracks. Looks like they're walking in tandem."
Zac who had been listening to Daryl watched him walk away to follow the tracks and he followed after him again though when a sound from an animal echoed off into the distance he turned in that direction, soon bumping into Daryl. "Sorry." he apologized when Daryl turned to face.
Looking down again after Zac apologized Daryl shined the light back down to the ground, "Yeah, there was a little dust up right here."
"What do you mean?" Zac asked confused about all of this though in a way his mind was starting to fit pieces together even if it was slowly.
"I mean something went down," Daryl answered as he continued to walk.
"It's getting weird," Zac whispered as he followed behind Daryl though he also kept looking around too. He was uneasy being in the woods after dark right now.
Making a face as the flashlight illuminated the blindfold that had been around Randall's eyes Daryl walked towards it, "Had a little trouble."
Zac who heard Daryl's words looked down at the blindfold and he picked it up though he didn't have time to stare at it long before a noise came from behind where he and Daryl were standing and they both took off to hide behind trees. Catching his breath he turned his head slowly in time to see a walker a few feet away walking through the woods.
Hearing Daryl whistle at him, Zac turned to face the man in time to catch the flashlight that Daryl threw his way and he stood there waiting as the walker got closer before eventually moving out in the open. Freezing slightly as the walker came face to face with him, he lunged at it only to lose his footing and fall to the ground.
It was while he was on the ground that he heard Daryl fighting the walker off as Daryl too lost his footing and now the walker was on top of him. Feeling panic rise up in him Zac reached into his pocket for the knife he had been carrying with him. Not feeling it he began to look around on the grass, realizing it had to have fallen off when he fell.
Feeling it he eventually took a hold of it and then moved quickly to where Daryl was at, pulling the walker off of Daryl who punched at it hard enough to knock it down to the ground where Zac was able to lunge his knife into the back of the walker's head.
It was only when he stood up that he turned the flashlight on and as he stood there catching his breath he realized the walker that he had just put down was Randall.
"Nice," Daryl spoke being impressed by what Zac had done.
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"Does this way feel right?" Rick asked as he followed behind Shane. They had been walking around in the woods still for what felt like hours though if Rick guessed he would say it was only minutes..rather long minutes.
"As right as any," Shane answered as he turned around to face Rick.
"Snatched your gun, huh?" Rick asked once Shane was facing him. He couldn't help but fell now that something Shane was telling about this story wasn't right.
Shane just nodded his head, "Yeah, it was my favorite piece too," he answered as he shook his head. "Gonna wish he'd...wish he'd killed me when I find his sorry ass," he joked as he continued to look at Rick. "Go on," he said nodding ahead wanting Rick to take the lead now.
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Examining Randall's corpse Daryl turned his neck slightly as he let the flashlight shine on the exposed skin, "Got his neck broke," he said deducing that was how Randall died. Turning him over though he continued the search for Randall's body, trying to find what had made him turn. "He's got no bites," he finally said after awhile.
"Yeah, none you can see," Zac replied as he bent down beside Daryl.
Daryl just shook his head, "No, I'm telling you he died from this," he said pointing the light back to Randall's broken neck.
"How is that possible?" Zac asked not understanding how he could have died from a broken neck but turned into a walker. There had to be something missing.
Looking at Zac all Daryl had was silence because he didn't know how to answer him, so instead of answering he just eventually stood up and headed back towards the farm. They had found Randall, there was no longer anything to worry about regarding him anyway.
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"Say he got you with a rock?" Rick asked feeling Shane's eyes on him from behind as Shane followed him out into the middle of an open field.
Shane who was following behind Rick heard his question,"That is what I said," he replied feeling like maybe Rick was starting to understand what was happening now.
"Inside the shed said door was shut when T-dog rolled up," Rick countered not even turning to face Shane. He had a sinking feeling on why Shane had lured him out here. He should have figured it sooner if he was honest with himself.
Shane nodded, "I saw that too. Must have slipped through the rafters in the roof," he shrugged watching as Rick soon came to a complete stop a few feet away from him.
Rick sighed at Shane's words coming to a stop as he tried to digest them though he couldn't. Putting the gun he held in his hand back in it's holster he hesitated for a second before finally breaking the silence. "So this is where you plan to do it?"
"It's as good a place as any," Shane answered surprised not surprised that Rick had figured out his motives.
"At least have the balls to call this what it is," Rick spoke as as he turned to face Shane, "murder. You really believe if you walk back onto that farm alone, no me, no Randall," Rick continued ignoring Shane when he told him to hush up. "You really believe they are gonna buy that bullshit story you cook up?"
Shane shrugged, "That's just it, it ain't no story," he said trying to sound confident even though he really didn't feel as confident as he sounded. "I saw that prisoner shoot you down. I ran after him, snapped his neck. It ain't going to be easy but Lori and Carl they will get over you," he told his best friend smugly still trying to be confident. "They've done it before. They're just going to have too," he said before pulling his gun out and aiming it at Rick.
"Why?" Rick asked Shane stepping a bit closer. "Why now? I thought we worked this all out."
"We tried to kill each other man," Shane laughed shaking his head. "Did you just think we'd forget about it all and ride off into the sunset?"
Rick felt his anger start to boil at Shane's lack of emotions right now. "So you're just gonna kill me in cold blood? Screw my wife, have my children, My children call you daddy is that what you want? That life won't be worth a damn," he said as he continued to stare Shane down. "I know you, you won't be able to live with this."
"What do you know about what I can live with?" Shane asked briefly putting his gun down. "You have no idea what I can live with. What I live with," he yelled before putting the gun in his jeans. "How about what you can live with? Here I am," he said opening his arms, wanting Rick to try and harm him, he knew he couldn't.
"Come on man raise your gun," Shane continued after awhile of Rick not doing anything.
Rick shook his head no, "No, I will not," he said refusing to play into Shane's game.
"What happened Rick? I thought you weren't the good guy no more. Ain't that what you said?" Shane asked clearly trying to get under Rick's skin. "Even right here, right now you ain't going to fight for them. I am a better father than you Rick," Shane muttered as he stepped closer to Rick. "I am better for Lori than you man. It's because I am a better man than you Rick. Cause I can be here and I will fight for her. But you come back here and just destroy everything!" Shane yelled seeing from the expression on Rick's face he may just be getting under the man's skin now.
"You got a broken woman," he continued with his antics. "You got a weak boy. You ain't got the first clue on how to fix it," Shane sighed before pulling his gun out and holding it on Rick again. "Raise your gun."
Rick didn't falter once when Shane raised his gun again, "You are going to have to kill an unarmed man," he spoke before moving his hands out some. Letting one hand go down to his gun he held it out away from himself. "Now listen to me Shane, there is still a way back from this. Nothing has happened here, we are going to lay down our guns, we are going to walk back to the farm together," he said before locking eyes with Shane.
"Back to Lori," Rick continued his words as he moved closer to Shane now. "Back to Carl. Put this all behind us," he said hoping the different emotions he saw in Shane's eyes was him reconsidering this. As he said those words though he let his other hand go behind him to where his knife was and the moment Shane reached to take his gun Rick lunged at him with the knife, stabbing his former friend.
Feeling a pain in his stomach as he was stabbed, Shane groaned accidentally firing his gun as he hunched over in the process though he soon lost his footing and fell to the ground. Breathing was becoming hard and he just laid there helplessly as he looked up at Rick who was blaming him for this, for his actions and stabbing him.
Looking down at his dying friend Rick frowned as he shook his head. This was all Shane's fault. Shane was the one responsible for what Rick had just done. If he hadn't been so fucking reckless. Feeling tears in his eyes he watched as his friend died there on the grass in the field. He had just lost the one man who had been like a brother to him.
Standing up finally Rick began to pace back and forth. He was distraught over what had happened and he was also trying to figure out something he could tell the people waiting at the farm house.
"Dad?" Carl questioned as he came to a stop at the sight in front of him, Shane lying on the ground and his dad just pacing back and forth,
"Carl," Rick spoke as he came to a stop, seeing his sun standing there holding his gun out. "You know...you should be back home with mom," he said as he walked a bit closer to Carl. "Just...just put the..put the gun down," he said trying to reassure his son that everything was okay. "It's not what it seems. Please," he begged seeing Carl aim the gun higher up. It was after he got the please though that Carl fired his gun and he turned around to see Shane falling behind him. Shane had reanimated though all Rick had done was stab him.
Walking towards Shane with Carl following behind him Rick told his son to wait as he finished the walk and he bent back down still unable to believe what had happened.
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Alice who had been out with Sutton paused as she heard a familiar noise, a noise she had learned to dread after sometime. Turning her head in that direction though her eyes widened at the sight. There in front of her was a whole pack of walkers coming towards them.
"Sutton," she whispered trying to get the girls attention. When she had it she pointed to the herd heading there way and she handed Sutton a gun. "We have to get back to Viv's and warn her and Lucy," she said as her heartbeat began to get faster.
"And if one of us goes down?" Sutton questioned as she raised an eyebrow as she looked at Alice before trying her best to crouch down and hide behind trees as she began what now felt like a long walk back to Viv's though in reality it wasn't.
"Then the other shoots and runs off to still warn the others," Alice told her, holding her gun tightly to herself. As she too crouched down her mind wandered to the two sisters they had helped and their group on another farm not far from here. The herd would be heading their way too..or well it would be heading to anyone who had houses out in these backwoods. Everyone would have to fight to get away and hopefully no one died in the process.