Dead Man Walking | Rick Grimes

|22|

In the silent room, the only noise that could be heard was the erratic breathing that came from Rick and I. We remained motionless, staring at one another in disbelief; our eyes were wide. This had to be done, right? It was either them or us? Tony made his intentions with not only me but with the farm known. Whatever the case, I can't dwell on it now. We need to get the hell out of dodge. I pulled away and looked down at Tony, blood pooling and staining the floor around him as a gaping hole oozed the red substance. Rick approached me, his hand finding the small of my back as he looked down at the man by our feet. Glenn walked up, his head in his hands, as he looked down at Tony's lifeless body, taking a precautionary step back so his shoes won't get drenched in blood.

"Holy shit," Glenn whispered as he continued to look down. His nervous brown eyes widened even further as he stared at me.

"You okay?" I asked, studying him. He continued to stare at me with wide eyes before diverting his attention to Rick. I glanced at Hershel, "How about you, Hershel?" Hershel looked over at me, his blue eyes fearful as he studied the two bodies of the men once called Dave and Tony. He walked over to me and rested a shaky hand on my shoulder as if trying to console me.

"Shouldn't we be asking you and Rick that question?" Hershel asked, his eyes darting between Rick and me. I cleared my throat and nodded hastily before squatting down and looking over Tony's girthy body. I bet he was a nice guy before the world went to shit. He just got mixed up with the wrong type of people. I grabbed the loosely gripped shotgun in his hands and started to pat away at his pockets, finding six shells. Glenn and Rick watched as I looted the dead man's body, both with a somber look on their faces as I pocketed the ammo and tightly gripped the shotgun. What? It's not like they're gonna need their weapons anymore.

"Let's just get out of here," I muttered as I stood up. Rick touched my back and ushered me out, desperate to leave all this behind us. The sound of a car's engine roared in our ears, and the light blinded us against the nighttime sky.

"Car, Car!" Rick whispered, "Get down quick!" I dropped to my knees and pressed against the wall, pursing my lips to keep my breathing light and even. The car stopped right in front of the bar, and two doors slammed, the loud voices of the men outside flooding through my ears. I gazed at Rick and bit my lip, ready to follow his lead in whichever direction he saw fit. I glanced at Glenn, noticing he didn't have a gun, and quickly held it out. He stared at the object as if it were going to bite him, and I pushed it into him, tossing him the six shells. Six shells aren't much; He better put it to good use.

"Dave?" One of the men called out, "Tony?"

"They said here, right?" Another man asked, his voice sounding fearful.

"I'm telling you, man. I heard shots." One of them said, worry lacing their voice. I looked up at the dead man at the bar, dread coursing through me. His hand extended over the top, and blood dripped from his hand to the wooden floor.

"There were roamers around." One argued, trying to justify the shots.

"Dave! Tony!" Another guy shouted, desperate to find his friends. I winced and bit my lip, knowing these idiots would only attract walkers. I diverted my gaze onto Rick and motioned to the back door, trying to get him to agree to sneak out the back. We could leave the car, go on foot, and return for it in the morning. We can't risk being caught by these guys. If Dave and Tony were with them, they must be bad news!

Rick shook his head, his hand finding mine and squeezing it. I turned back, deciding a peek wouldn't hurt. I rose to my feet, sneakily glancing outside. There were at least four guys that I could see, but who knows how many were around. I gently lowered myself onto the floor and cursed under my breath, anxious to return to the farm and sleep.