Living in a world where all you know is survival is vigorous, friendship could be the only thing we hold onto. With Michelle's new friendship development with the sheriff, she cherishes it deep down. But she could sense that it could turn into somet...
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Everyone was silent, not the good kind, obviously. . All you could hear was the heaviness of our breathing, and sobs from Carol and Beth. After standing there for what felt like hours, Carol stormed off, Daryl hot on her heels. Beth wandered over towards who I assumed was her mom. Once she flipped her over to see better, her mom started snapping at her from the ground.
Everyone besides me and Lori sprinted over towards her, trying to save the young girl's life. I would've but my feet were still figuratively glued to the ground. One they got Beth out of danger, Andrea drove an axe straight through the mother's head. Beth continued to sob as her and her family walked to the house. Shane, Glenn, and Rick following. I looked over to Lori and Carl, who were sitting on the ground. Poor kid, he just witnessed his friend as a walker. He shouldn't have had to see that.
Me and Dallas were already starting on clean up duty. We don't need this shit to be out no longer than it needs to. Andrea pulled the baby blue pickup truck around so we can load dozens of bodies into it.
Once we were done I jumped into the driver's seat, Dallas hopping in the bed. We drove it down to the front gate of the farm, putting the pile of rotten corpses up in flames. We had a service that in the evening for Sophia, and Hershel's family, Annette and Shawn.
I had walked back to my tent when I was stopped by Rick. I gave him a tired look.
"Hershel's missing. I need you to come with me to town to get him. Please." He had a worried look in his eyes. So I nodded slowly and followed him to the truck.
"It had been a silent ride for most of it, mainly because of the events that took place earlier in the day. But partly because there was this weird tension in the air. I didn't know what it was about.
"Sophia was in that barn the whole damn time."Rick had finally broken the silence. I guess that's what the tension was, then. "Rick, none of us could have ever even had that thought. It is not your fault. You did everything, and more, to find her. You did everything you could do so don't go blaming yourself for this." I finished with a sigh as I looked back out the window. He also shared a sigh and turned his focus back into the road.
We arrived to this bar, Hatlins. "What a dive this is." It was the most southern barn you could think of.
We stepped into the bar to be faced with Hershels backside, sitting at the bar. "Hershel." Rick called out to the old man.
"Who's with you?" was all he replied with. Why did it matter, exactly?"
"Michelle. She volunteered, she's good like that." He looked at me before making his way to Hershel. I stayed back a few feet, letting them hash most of it out.
"How many have you had?" It was then I noticed the bottle of some cheap ass whiskey sitting in front of him. I walked over and poured myself a glass. Listen, it's slim pickens around here most of the time so I gotta get my fix in when I can. This caused me to get a cool stare from the sheriff. I just chuckled as I sipped this god awful beverage.
"Not enough."
"Lets finish this up back at home, then. Shall we Hershel." I held up my glass but he just deadpanned me. Welp I tried.
"Beth collapsed. Is in some sort of state. Must be in shock. I think you are too." Rick was pleading with him. it didn't look like he was gonna budge any time soon.
"Maggie's with her?"
"Yeah, but Beth need you."
"What could I do? She needs her mother. Or rather to mourn like she should've don't weeks ago. I robbed her of that. I see that now." All that guilt was rushing in as his denial stage comes to an end. That part is ruthless, but once you get through it, it gets so much easier.
"You though there was a cure. Can't blame yourself for holding out hope." Rick was trying to reason with him. Make him feel justified.
"Hope?" He lightly chuckled at that, "When I first saw you running across my field with your boy in your arms, I had a little hope he'd survive."
"But he did." I spoke up. I didn't want Rick doing all the heavy lifting.
"He did Even though we lost Otis. Your man Shane made it back. And we saved your boy. That was the miracle that proved to me miracles do exist. Only it was a sham, a bait and switch. I was a fool, Rick, and you people saw that. My daughters deserve better than that." He stopped to top of his drink once more. I mirrored his actions.
I stepped outside to get some air. That bar was too stuffy. Rick followed.
"So what do we do? Just wait for him to pass out?" I pulled out a cigarette and lit it. I had found a pack behind the bar and thought nobody would mind if I took it off their hands.
"Just go! Just go." Hershel hollered. "I promised Maggie I'd being you home safe."
"Like you promised that little girl?" He was definitely drunk now. Rick had had enough of his bullshit now.
"So what's your plan? Finish that bottle, drink yourself to death and leave your girls alone?" Rick was playing cop now. I guess not playing because he was an actual cop.
"Stop telling me how to care for my family, my farm. You people are like a plague. I do the christian thing, give you shelter, and you destroy it all!" Hershel had stood up to face Rick now.
"The world was already in bad shape when we met."
"And you take no responsibility. You're supposed to be their leader."
"Well I'm here now, aren't I?"
"Yes." Hershel sat back down the slowly, repeating the words, yes a couple times.
"Now come on. Your girls need you now more than ever." He put a hand on Hershel's shoulder but he resisted it.
"I didn't want to believe you. You told me there was no cure, that these people were dead not sick. I chose not to believe that. But when Shane shot Lou in the chest and she just kept coming. That's when I knew what an ass I'd been, that Annette was dead long ago and I was feeding a rotten corpse. That's when I knew there was no hope. And when that little girl came out of the barn, the look on your face, I knew you knew it too" Hershels speech drove a nail in my heart.
"Look I'm done. Cleaning up after you. You know what the truth is? Nothing has changed. Death is death. It's always been there. Whether it's from a heart attack, cancer, or a walker. What's the difference? You didn't think it was hopeless before, did you? Now there people back home trying to hang on. They need us. Even if it's just to give them a reason to go on, even if we don't believe it ourselves. You know what, isn't about what we believe, anymore. It's about them." It was then that Hershel took his last gulp and flipped the cup upside down, signaling he was done. We both nodded at each other until we heard the door swing right open.
