𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐔𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 - 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘐𝘐

2: Lost I

Lost
Part 1

"Where are our people?!"

"Please, I don't have anything to do with this!" Gabriel whimpered, backing himself into a wall.

"Why'd you bring us here?" Rick shouted.

"Please, I-"

"You working with someone?"

"I'm alone. I'm alone. I was always alone," Gabriel looked away, staring at the floor.

"What about the woman in the food bank, Gabriel? What did you do to her?" Rick accused.

"'You'll burn for this', That was for you. Why? What are you gonna burn for, Gabriel? What? What did you do? What did you do?!" Rick shouted, shoving Gabriel harder against the wall.

"I lock the doors at night," Gabriel whimpered, "I always lock the doors at night. I always lock the doors at night. I always-"

Gabriel broke down in tears, covering his face with his hands.

"They started coming, my congregation. Atlanta was bombed the night before and they were scared. They were- they were looking for a safe place, a place where they felt safe. And it was so early. It was so early. And the doors were still locked. You see- it was my choice. There were so many of them and they were trying to pry the shutters and banging on the sidings, screaming at me. And so the dead came for them. Women, children- entire families calling my name as they were torn apart, begging me for mercy," Gabriel broke down again, unable to stop himself from stumbling.

"They were begging me for mercy. Damning me to hell. I buried their bones. I buried it all. The Lord sent you here to finally punish me. I'm damned. I was damned before. I always lock the doors. I always lock the doors!"

BANG!

Gabriel sobbed, falling to the ground. Something had slammed against the doors of the church, heads spun to look at the source of the noise.

"Punish me! You've been sent to punish me! Kill me lord! Strike me down for my sins!"

Carl and Glenn had run to the doors, Carl had his gun held at the ready while Glenn yanked the door open.

"There's someone out there!"

--------

With Rick and most of their firepower not present, Carl was heavily worried about the validity of this plan.

The someone who'd been found outside had been Bob. He was missing a leg, and a chunk of his shoulder. He'd been bitten.

This had been a shock to everyone, they'd made it so long without the dead taking anyone from them. And now here they were.

Carl was angry that they hadn't found Girl too. Bob said she'd been with him- with the people from Terminus- but she'd run away, trying to warm them all.

She'd never made it back.

Carl hope she was hiding in the treeline, just waiting for Gareth's people to approach the church. He was certain that she would anticipate the plan they'd created, that she'd know what they'd decided to do.

But another part of him knew this wasn't true.

The group had sent most of their numbers outside the church. The hope was, if Gareth was still at the elementary school with his group, they'd get there, take them out and be back in under an hour.

But when the church doors had reopened, Carl had stiffened when he heard Gareth's voice instead of his father's.

The cannibal has entered the church and started preaching about how he didn't want to do what he was doing, but they'd left him no other choice.