Wake the Dead

I swung the barn doors open to find Randal sitting on the ground, handcuffed to the wall. "You have got to be shitting me." I mumbled under my breath. Apparently this kid went to school with Maggie and knows all about her and the farm.

It's Daryl's gob to get answers out of him, but I think I can help just fine on that part. I walked over to him and swung my foot, kicking him across the face. He let out a yell of pain. "Please, I'm good. I'm just like you! I can help out!" He pleaded.

"Ya shot at me!" I kicked his injured leg out of anger that he is still here. He groaned in pain again. "Ya just like me?" I asked him.

"Yes! I'm good! I will never hurt your people." He pleaded more. I crouched down in front of him. "The thing is; I'm not good. I will hurt you." I whispered angrily to him, causing him to struggle to get out of his handcuffs and yell, causing me to take a step back.

"Fi!" I heard Daryl yell from behind me.

"I got him warmed up for you, he's all yours." I said as I walked past Daryl and out the barn. Daryl shut the barn doors and I leaned up against the barn wall listening. Randal wasn't telling him anything useful, so the sound of flesh hitting flesh and blood splattering wasn't a big shock. I heard Randal's body fall over and him groan more in pain as Daryl let out more anger on him. "I told you!" I heard Randal plead.

"Ya told me shit!" Daryl yelled and then slammed Randal against the wall.

"I barely knew those guys! I met them on the road!" The kid pleaded again.

"How many in your group?" I heard Daryl ask with hard anger in his voice. Randal didn't answer, but then I heard him plead again. "No no no no no no, come on, man!"

I heard him let out a smell yelp as I heard Daryl lunge and stab him? I didn't hear Randal scream so I am guessing Daryl stabbing the ground next to him. "HOW MANY!?" Daryl angrily shouted at him.

"Uh-uh 30! 30! 30 guys!" The kid said in fear.

"Where?"

The kid hesitated, but then let out a yelp of pain as Daryl ripped off the bandage on his leg. "I dont know! I promise! We were never in a place more than a night!" I heard the kid yell in pain.

Daryl questioned him some more, but still wasn't getting the answers he want. "Ever pick of a scab? Ya start real slow, but sooner than later ya just gotta rip it off!"

The kid let out a few more yells. "Okay! Okay! The have weapons, heavy stuff automatics. Bu-But-But, I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!"

"Ya men shot at my people, hit m-Fiona!" I heard Daryl stop himself from saying my, which made me smirk to my self. "They try to take this farm! Ya just went along for the ride? Ya tryin to tell me ya innocent!?!"

"YES! The-these people took me in. Not just men, a whole group of women and children, just like you people! I thought I'd have a better chance with them, ya know?! But.. we'd go out, scavenge, just the men... One night we found this little campsite.. A man and his daughters..." I stood up a little bit becoming very interested in what he is sayin. "Teenagers, ya know.. real cute...... The dad had to watch while these guys, they..." He trailed off. "And they didn't even kill them afterwards! They just made him watch his daughters... They-They just left em there... But, I didn't touch those girls! I swear!-"

The kid was cut off by Daryl letting out a groan of anger and kicking him. The kid cried out in pain and pleaded some more, but Daryl was just silent. I could feel the anger radiating off of him as he kicked Randal some more and a few more punches.

It was quiet for a little and then the barn doors where thrown open. Daryl closed them back up and saw that I was standing there and walked over. "Ya don't go near him."

I was about to protest, but he cut me off and repeated him self in a determined tone. "Ya don't go near him."

I nodded my head and followed him over to the rest of the group, who's heads all turned in our direction. "Kids got himself a gang, 30 men, heavy artillery. They roll through here our men our dead... and our women are gona wish they were." Daryl informed them.

I walked over and grabbed some of the food they had made, beans and rice I think. Daryl followed after and I handed him a bowl, then sat down to eat it.

"We have no choice, he's a threat. We eliminated the threat... We'll do it tonight." Rick said and walked away, being followed by Dale. Well that was that. I guess the kids dead. I shrugged it off, not really caring.

This had to be Shane's idea, but Rick was growing cold enough to accept it. I finished my food and then stood up to go clean it out, Daryl handing me his too. I sighed and took it, then cleaned them out and walked over to him. "I'll be right back. Gona go talk to Rick." I told him. He gave me a look, but I ignored it and started to walk across the field.

I spotted Rick and ran over to him, passing Dale on my way. He stopped when he heard me come up and turned around, giving me a look, probably thinking I'm going to bitch at him. "How'd Shane talk you into this?" I asked him.

He hesitated and was thinking really hard about something, but gave in. "He tried to kill me." He said in a cold voice. I knew who Shane was and I knew he was no good, especially for Rick and his family. I saw the way Shane looked at Lori, it was obvious he wanted Rick's place. "When we were dropping Randal off, we got in a fight, and he tried to kill me." He paused. "Walkers got in the way and trapped Shane. I could have left him, killed him...." Rick trailed off.

"But, he was your best friend and you're not that kind of man." I finished for him. "You know I have killed people before, so ya know I'm not here to tell you off. But, I want to know if you are okay with this."

He looked up at me and put his hand on his hip, resting on his gun. "I have to protect the group, my family. This guy is a threat."

"Don't let this get to you and change you. If this is something you feel you need to do and are doing it for the safety of this group, then don't sweat it." I said to him. He looked up at me as I put my hand on his shoulder and walked away.

I felt the wind blow, giving me goosebumps, so I decided to grab my jacket from Daryl's camp. I walked over and saw he was looking around for something. "Ya seen my gun?" He asked me.

"No, I didn't even know ya still had one." I said as I grabbed my jacket and slid it on. He let out a short sigh and started to put arrows in the holder on his crossbow.

"The whole point of me comin up here was to get away from you people." He snapped. I thought he was talking to me, so I was instantly angry, but then I realized that Dale had walked over.

"Gona take more than that." Dale said as he threw a stick.

"Carol send you?" Daryl asked in a more calm voice. Why would Carol send him? I felt a spark of jealousy, but pushed it down. She probably just cares about him like I care about Rick. Daryl looked up and saw my face, but just looked away and slid his long sleeve shirt and leather vest on.

"Carol's not the only one who is concerned about you. And your knew role in the group." Dale said to him.

"This groups broken. Better off fendin for myself." He said to him.

"You act like you don't care."

"Ya, it's cause I don't."

"So, live or die you don't care what happens to Randal?" Dale asked.

"Nope." Was all Daryl said.

"What about you, Fiona?" Dale asked me, but I just shrugged.

"Why not stand with me, try and save the kids life? It really doesn't mater to you?" Dale continued.

"I didn't peg you for a desperate son of a bitch." Daryl said as he put his crossbow on his back.

"Both of your opinions make a difference." Dale said to us, but Daryl just started to walk off towards me. "Nobody is lookin to me for nothin."

"Carol is. I am, right now. And what about Fiona?" He said, causing Daryl to turn around. "Both of you obviously have Rick's ear, too."

"Rick looks to Shane, let em." Daryl said to him.

"Rick also looks to the people he cares about. Fiona, you've got a big influence by what you say to him." Dale said looking to me.

I took a step forward. "Shane has a bigger influence." I said, causing him to go silent for a moment.

"You cared about what happened to Sophia. Both of you cared what it ment to the group." Dale said, grasping for things to persuade us. "Torturing people? That isn't you! You are decent people. So is Rick." He paused. "Shane, is different."

"Why is that?" I asked. "Because he killed Otis?"

Dale's mouth dropped and he stepped closer. "Did he tell you that?"

I guess he kind of did tell me, I mean not directly, but he didn't deny it. Daryl stepped forward, answering for me. "Told some story; Otis covered him, saved his ass... Showed up with the dead guys gun." Daryl paused. "Rick ain't stupid. If he didn't figure that out, it's cause he dont wana. Like I said, this groups broken." Daryl said, walkin back past me.

"I'm goin huntin." He said as he walked away.

I just stood there and looked at Dale, who was trying so hard. "Comin?" I heard from behind me. I didn't think Daryl would want me to come, but I was glad he did. "Sorry." I mumbled to Dale and then headed off with Daryl.

We hunted in silence most of the time. I nailed a few squirrels with my knives, but Daryl got much more with his crossbow. I could tell he was still worked up about something, probably the Randal thing, so I let it be. We stopped at the creek and Daryl bent down and started to wash the blood off his knuckles.

I bent down and started to clean off all the dirt in my hands and in the slice from the glass. I finished and then sat back, looking at Daryl. "I don't think Rick's gona do it." I said to him. "It's not gona get done and then we will have another damn problem on our hands and I'm gettin real tired of listening to Shane bitch."

"Ain't nothin we can do about it." He said, not lookin up from the water. I sighed, there is a lot we can do about it. As if reading my mind he looked back at me. "Ya ain't gona kill him, Fi. Ya killed enough people."

"Well what the hell are we gona do with him? He knows where the farm is so we can't just waste fuel droppin him off."

"I dont know, Fi!" Daryl snapped at me. "All I know is ya need to stay away from him, okay?"

"Alright." I said sitting up, closer to him. "Maybe Shane will kill him." Daryl gave me a look and stood, then helped me up.

We walked back to his camp, dropped off all the kills and then walked over to the house for the meeting that Rick was having about the Randal situation.

Everyone was sitting and standing in a circle in the living room, ready to have a debate. Daryl and I stayed back a little and leaned against opposite walls. Rick was about to say something, but then Carl walked in. All it took was looks from his parents to make him go wait in the other room.

Dale immediately started arguing for Randal and Shane of course fought back. People started to discuss what else we could do with him, but there isn't much when you don't want him walking around our camp.

I saw Daryl tense and look over to me for a breif second when Shane asked what would happen if he ran off and brought his men back.

Dale went on a very convincing rant about the situation. I could see the hesitation clear in Rick's face as Dale talked, but no one else said anything about it. Dale started to talk about the new world we live in, how it is ugly and broken and I couldn't agree with him more. But, there seemed to be only one option for how to deal with the boy.

I could tell that Dale was holding back tears as he left and stopped by Daryl and I. "This group is broken." He confirmed as he looked at us both and walked out.

I walked out with Daryl following behind me when no one else said anything else.

*

Rick had let me help with dragging Randal into the Barn, knowing that he needed to be reassured. Daryl protested, but gave up, knowing I'm not going to give in to him. I walked with Rick and Shane as Daryl dragged the prisoner into the barn.

I set the lantern down I stood across from Rick, off to the side, behind the prisoner. Randal cried and pleaded the whole time, but I pushed the sounds to the back of my head. "Would you like to stand or kneel?" Rick asked him.

Randal didn't respond, just cried more, so I came up behind him and kicked his knees in, causing him to fall on them. I then backed up, over by Daryl.

Rick pointed his gun at Randal and looked like he was trying very hard to convince him self. "Do it, dad. Do it." A small voice came from the door of the barn. Rick looked with wide eyes at Carl standing there and then over at everyone else.

Shane went to drag Carl out and Rick lowered his gun in anger. "Take him away." Rick said, looking at Daryl. Daryl came over and dragged Randal out, taking him to the barn he was locked up in earlier.

I started to walk back to Daryl's camp to wait for him, but then a blood curdling scream in the distance caught my attention.