The Rest of your Life

Chapter 27

Rick, Carl, Rory and Michonne were driving in the car. Rory looked out of the window, squinting at a man on the side of the road as they drove past. Not long after seeing the man, the car stopped, getting stuck in some mud. Rory huffed as she got out of the car to help.

•••

After having no luck in finding anything in the old police lockers, the small group headed deeper into the streets. They momentarily stopped as they saw a pile of burned corpses, Rick telling the two children to stay close.

They followed the green arrows on the path, curious to where it lead. Rick walked a little slower as the four rounded the corner of the street.

"What is it?" Michonne asked quietly.

"I don't know." Rick spoke. Rory's eyes squinted in confusion as she shuffled closer to Carl. There was a whole street littered with walker traps, wood spikes sticking out of anything able, sayings graffitied onto the walls. They followed Rick as he walked in deeper.

"It looks like somebody's already made this theirs." Michonne concluded, Rory tearing her eyes from the animals in the cages to look at the woman.

"Dosent mean they found what we're looking for." Rick denied, ducking under a rope. "Couple of the places are just up ahead. Let's get in, and get the hell out of here.... There." Rick pointed. "Tyrell's. A shotgun and two handguns."

Rory turned as she saw a walker advancing in on them, she tapped Ricks arm, causing the man to look behind them. Michonne went to make her way to the walker, but Rick stopped her. "Wait... she'll get caught."

True to his word, four pairs of eyes watched as the walker got caught on one of the traps. Rory jumped as the walker was shot in the head, Rick gripping both children and running. They looked up to the rooftops where a man stood with a rifle.

"Hands!" Rick put up his hands, Carl and Rory following the man's actions. "Now, you drop what you got and go." The man yelled. "Your guns, your shoes, and that sword. All of it. Ten seconds." Rory and Carl both looked to Rick, unsure of what to do.

"Run for the car now." Carl began protesting as the man counted down, Michonne mumbling about the rifle the man held. "Kids, go." Rick then fired a few times at the man as Carl grabbed onto Rory's arm and they both ran for cover behind a car.

"We're not leaving them, right?" Rory breathed out to her friend as they crouched behind the vehicle.

"Of course not." Carl replied, the two making their way to the buildings, managing not to get caught, both had their guns in hand. Rory truly was a ninja.

The gunfire stopped and the two shared a look, then Rory frantically gestured to where she spotted the man, he was advancing on Ricks hiding place. Carl took charge before dashing forward and shooting the man just as Rick shot up. The man groaned and dropped to the floor, Michonne running over.

"You okay?" Rick asked his son, concern in his eyes.

"Yeah." Carl confirmed with a nod of his head.

"I told you to run for the car. I didn't want you to have to do that." Rick scolded. Rory got on her knees near the man, lifting up his shirt to reveal a bullet proof vest. She looked up to Rick.

"I had to." Carl insisted. Rick was quiet for a moment before kneeling next to Rory and undoing the armour strapped around the man, it revealed a nasty bruise on his side.

"He's alive." Rick confirmed.

"Do we care?" Michonne asked with a scowl. Rick then took the time to undo the man's mask, stilling when it came off.