rag doll | TWD

[14] killer within

desperado --- the eagles

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[JJ]

We had an early start, moving the cars closer in. 

"Okay, let's get the other car in." Rick instructed. "We'll park 'em in the west entry of the yard."

"Good. Our vehicles camped out there look like a giant vacancy sign." Daryl commented. 

"After that, we need to load up these corpses so we can burn 'em."

"It's gonna be a long day." T-Dog huffed. 

"Where's Glenn and Maggie? We could use some help." Carol asked. 

I motioned, "up in the guard tower."

"Guard tower?" Rick repeated, "They were just up there last night." Yeah, I wonder why...

"Glenn! Maggie!" Daryl shouted.

A half-dressed Glenn opened the door, "Hey, what's up, guys?"

"You comin'?" Daryl asked, the rest of us were trying to hold back laughs. 

"What?"

"You comin'? Come on, we could use a hand."

"Yeah, we'll be right down." He went back into the guard tower. 

We went to go about our business, when T-Dog's attention was turned towards the other yard, "hey, Rick."

It was Axel and Oscar. "Come with me." Rick marched over to them. "That's close enough. We had an agreement."

"Please, mister, we know that." Axel began as Glenn and Maggie walked out the guard tower, "We made a deal. But you gotta understand...we can't live in that place another minute. You follow me? All the bodies- people we knew. Blood, brains everywhere. They're ghosts."

"Why don't you move the bodies out?" Daryl asked him. 

"You should be burning them." T-Dog commented. 

"We tried. We did."

Oscar joined, "the fence is down on the far side of the prison. Every time we drag a body out, those things just line up. Dropping the body and just running back inside."

"Look, we had nothing to do with Tomas and Andrew. Nothing. You trying to prove a point? You proved it, bro. We'll do whatever it takes to be part of your group. Just please, please...don't make us live in that place."

"Our deal is not negotiable. You either live in your cell block, or you leave." Rick told them, plain and simple. Some part of me felt bad. It seemed like they were genuine, but Rick wasn't about to take those chances. 

"I told you this was a waste of time. They ain't no different than the pricks who shot up our boys." Oscar made eye contact with Rick. "You know how many friends' corpses we had to drag out this week? Just threw 'em out, like...these were good guys. Good guys who had our backs against the really bad dudes in the joint, like Tomas and Andrew. Now, we've all made mistakes to get in here, chief. And I'm not gonna pretend to be a saint but believe me...we've paid our due. Enough that we would rather hit that road than go back into that shithole."

Daryl locked them up while we all debated. I mean, shit, I've probably done as bad, or worse, things than they have.

"You want them living in a cell next to you?" Rick asked T-Dog. "They'll just be waiting for a chance to grab our weapons. You want to go back to sleepin' with one eye open?"

"I never stopped. Bring them into the fold. If we send them packing, we might as well execute them ourselves."

"I don't know. Axel seems a little unstable." Glenn spoke up.