Changing To Adapt ➵ TWD

➵ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ꜱɪxᴛʏ ꜱɪx

There are consequences to what they've had to do. The violent choices they have made since the fall.

Carl killed someone. Didn't seem so shocking, at first. Lucas's first instinct was to defend him "he was just protecting his people" but he shut up real quick when the full story was revealed. The problem lied in the fact that he killed a kid who was surrendering, and thought it was okay. Carl wasn't. . . It shouldn't be that easy for him.

But what was Lucas to say about it? It's not like he's a fully-fleshed adult himself.

He thinks about it the whole way to Woodbury, tucked in the backseat by himself, Michonne and Rick up the front, Daryl on his bike ahead of them.

Glenn and Maggie stayed back, on the off chance that the Governor decided to return.

He sits up when the car comes to a stop, leaning between the two front seats to properly see what's stopped them. "The hell?"

Rick puts the car in park, and Lucas takes that as his okay to get out of the car, following Michonne to what he can only call a slaughter.

They didn't do this.

Men and women alike gunned down just outside of the same vehicles that attacked them, sans one.

After dispatching a few of the walkers, Michonne flicks her blade free of blood, and lets Lucas go ahead to check the first car, his blade at the ready.

He jumps out of his skin and almost carves an eye out when a body pops into view, slamming her hands against the window. The woman is desperate enough to turn to them for help and Lucas doesn't like that. Doesn't like thinking that maybe the only reason these people fought is because the Governor convinced them to. That maybe they didn't want to, but were forced to.

Lucas nods hesitantly at Rick, who pulls his gun free, and swings the door open for Daryl to push her out.

She's mumbling something unintelligible but knows enough to keep her hands high and palms open beside her head.

"-fired on- on everyone because we didn't want to go back and-"

Lucas lowers his knife and looks pointedly at Michonne, eyes wide in a look that only conveys what the fuck do we do now?

They continue for Woodbury, just not on the same path as they were before.

It doesn't stop them from getting shot at when they reach the gates. Night has already rolled around, making it difficult to see if it was the Governor firing on them, or just civilians.

Lucas ducks when the beer bottle by his head explodes, and stays hidden behind the car, almost expecting the red-hot pain to follow.

"Tyreese! It's me, don't shoot-!" The woman calls out, just before Rick yanks her back to his side and out of the line of fire.

But she gets a response. "Karen!" By a voice that sounds familiar in a slight way, "Karen, are you okay?"

Karen yanks from Rick's grip and stands out in the open, again, "I'm fine!"

"Where's the Governor?"

"He fired on everyone." She breathes out, tearing up, "He killed them all."

It takes a moment for Tyreese to yell back, "Why are you with them?"

"They. . . They saved me!"

Silence reigns.

Rick glances between them, and looks like he's about to regret his own decision. He looks back down, and then tucks his gun away, "We're coming out!"