Dead Man Walking | Rick Grimes

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Before the world went down the crapper, I wasn't the biggest fan of eggs. I never liked the taste; they grossed me out. But now, something about the smell of eggs sizzling in a pan enticed me. My eyes stayed glued onto Carol as she cooked, a smile on her lips as she occasionally looked at me. I couldn't help but feel like a dog begging for a small taste of human food as I sat on the dirt between Daryl's legs. Daryl, being the problematic child he was, stuffed his face, making a sound that I could only deem as a moan to try and rub it in my face that I have yet to eat. As if that weren't enough, he nudged me every few moments with his knees, trying his best to annoy me this fine morning. Too bad for him; I'm too focused on filling my empty belly with delicious eggs.

Beside us, Rick and his family sat. Carl and Lori were eating, but Rick didn't move a muscle. He seemed trapped inside his own head, his eyes unwavering as they stared at the ground. I couldn't help but feel bad for him. If I had more energy, I would spend a long time thinking about this, but with my growling stomach, it was hard to focus on anything. Finally, Carol served a plate and handed it to me, laughing as I anxiously shot up and grabbed it. Immediately, I started piling the egg into my mouth, smiling wide with delight. Daryl nudged me again, a smirk plastered on his face. I smiled up at him and continued to chew. My mood skyrocketed when the first forkful of eggs hit my tongue.

Glenn stood up, eyes darting to everyone in the camp before settling on me. Fear and anxiety were evident in them as he looked behind Daryl and me. He walked to the middle of the camp and cleared his throat, his hands stuffed in his pockets as he looked at us. I shoveled the final bite of eggs into my mouth when he decided to speak up.

"So, um..." He began, not looking at us anymore and finding the ground fascinating. "So, the barn is full of walkers." My eyes widened, and eggs flew down the wrong tube, making me start coughing to clear the tube. Did I hear him right? Walkers in the barn? Daryl patted my back harshly, helping me get the eggs back up and down the right way. Without missing a beat, I set my plate down next to me and jumped up to my feet, deciding to go ahead and check out the barn for myself. I've walked past that barn many times in the few days we've been here. How could I not notice if there were walkers in there?

Shane walked next to me, the two of us nodding at one another. This is something we can agree on. We need to deal with this. Shane placed a hand on my lower back, urging me forward as he started to jog. I kept pace with him, looking behind and seeing the rest of the group following us. We approached the barn, stopping as the big wooden building stood tall. Shane walked forward, holding his hand out to stop me from coming with him as he peered between the cracks. As soon as he got to the door, that's when I heard it; That's when I heard the moans and growls coming from the barn. How could I have never noticed this?

"You cannot tell me y'all are okay with this?" Shane spat as he walked back to us, pacing anxiously and angrily.

"We're not," I answered. I really wasn't okay with this. Who knows when those doors and locks will give out? We're gonna be the first ones to become walker chow. But we can't go in there, guns-blazing. This isn't our land; it isn't our home.

"We're guests here. This isn't our land." Rick reminded Shane and me; the same intensity in his eyes matched Shane's. Glad to see that we're at least on the same page.

"This is our lives!" Shane shouted as he continued to pace.

"Lower your voices." Glenn pleaded.

"We can't just sweep this under the rug," Andrea argued, keeping her voice level.

"It ain't right. Not remotely." Shane sneered, "Okay, we've either got to go in there, we've got to make things right, or we've just got to go."

"We can't go," I said firmly. We can't just pack up and leave when Sophia is still out there, even though I was sure we'd never find her. But, most importantly, we can't go because Lori's pregnant. This is a good deal, and we can't fuck it up now.