Dead Man Walking | Rick Grimes

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"Dale could - could get under your skin." Rick began, his voice coming out hoarse with emotion. "He sure got under mine because he wasn't afraid to say what he thought, how he felt. That kind of honesty is rare and brave. Whenever I'd make a decision, I'd look at Dale. He'd be looking back at me with that look he had. We've all seen it one time or another. I couldn't always read him, but he could read us. He saw people for who they were. He knew things about us - the truth of who we really are. In the end, he was talking about losing our humanity. He said this group was broken. The best way to honor him is to unbreak it. Set aside our differences and pull together, stop feeling sorry for ourselves, and take control of our lives, our safety, our future. We're not broken. We're gonna prove him wrong. From now on... we're gonna do it his way. That is how we honor Dale."

I sniffled from the safety under Daryl's arm, still reeling from losing a member of our group. Dale was right when he said that this group is broken. We are. Sadly, it took his death for us to realize just how broken we are. Bridges need to be mended, not burned among us, and there are two main bridges that I need to fix. I bowed as we all took a moment of silence, each of us honoring him in our own way. Dale was among the first people I met when I came to camp. He gave me a place to stay with him in the RV, watched out for me, and even confided in me. He was a good man, one that will not be forgotten. I stood straight and watched as the group dissipated around us. I crossed my arms and slowly walked up to Rick, biting my lip as I glanced at Dale's grave.

"Did he agree?" I asked Rick lowly, my voice hoarse and wavering with emotion and exhaustion. Rick zipped up his jacket and nodded, sniffling once before looking down at me.

"It's gonna be cramped, but he agreed," Rick replied. Rick had talked with Hershel shortly after Dale died, asking him if we could stay in the house for the winter so we wouldn't be exposed to the weather and walkers. "Daryl, T-Dog, Andrea, and Shane are going to secure the fence, make sure all is clear a few miles away from the farm and come back."

"Yeah, Daryl told me about it when we got up." I nodded, "Said it would be a twenty-minute job."

"When they return, we'll talk with Hershel about sleeping arrangements." I nodded at Rick and ran a hand through my tangled hair, my eyes tired and slightly puffy from all the crying I did yesterday. "How are you holding up?"

"You know," I began once I thoroughly thought about his question, "Dale and I weren't exactly the closest, but it hit me hard. When I saw that walker on him, ripping his stomach open, it didn't seem real. Out of everyone here, why Dale?" Rick held a steady hand on my shoulder, comforting me if I cried again. Little did he know, I was all cried out. I don't think I can physically produce tears anymore, even if I tried. I managed to pull off a sad smile as I placed my hand on his, thankful he was here for me if I needed it. My stomach growled, completely ruining the moment between the two of us. Rick grinned and pushed me into him, his arm wrapping around me as he led me back into the camp.

"Hungry?" He asked in a teasing tone. I smiled at him and nodded, embarrassed as my stomach continued to growl loudly. He led me into the camp, receiving quite a death glare from his wife once she saw his arm around me, and gently pushed me into one of the lawn chairs we had set up. If I don't read into it, Lori shouldn't either; maybe she's reading into it since I'm on her shit list again. I watched as Rick served me a plate of eggs and brought it to me, nearly shoving it in my face with a goofy smile. I thanked him quickly and took the plate from him, slowly (for once) eating and enjoying the food. As I slowly chewed, I watched as members of our group sadly sulked around—especially Carl. He sat next to his mom, his blue eyes glued to the ground as he sniffled and harshly wiped away the tears streaming down his face, trying to hide that he was crying. By the time I had finished eating, Daryl and the rest were back, unloading the wire they had taken to fix the fences if needed. I got up, handed my plate to Carol, who was quickly washing them and walked toward where Rick, Shane, and Daryl huddled with Hershel and his family. I was greeted with sad smiles from the Greene family and tapped on Daryl's shoulder as I took my spot next to him.