ethreal | the walking dead

XXIII

     "Got his neck broke.", Daryl says, examining Randall's dead body. Daryl flips Randall's body over, lifting Randall's shirt and pant leg sleeves, "He's got no bites."

     "Yeah, none you can see.", Glenn tries to reason. [Y/n] flipped Randall's body to lay on its back again, lifting Randall's shirt all the way up and lifting the pant sleeves again. [Y/n] looks up at Glenn with a 'See?' look on his face.

     "No, I'm telling you he died from this.", Daryl gestures to the broken neck and no bite marks on Randall's body.

     "How's that possible?", Glenn asks. 

     Daryl looks at [Y/n] and Glenn looks at them both. They were all thinking the same thing.

~•¤•~

     Everyone was gathered in the living room of the farmhouse as Glenn, [Y/n], and Daryl walk in. There was tension, fear, every emotion in that room. 

     "Rick and Shane ain't back?", Daryl asks the group.

     "No.", Lori immediately answered.

     "We heard a shot.", Daryl states.

     "Maybe they found Randall.", Lori suggests. [Y/n] shakes his head.

     "We found him.", [Y/n] says.

     "Is he back in the shed?", Maggie asks.

     "He's a walker.", Daryl states.

     "Did you find the walker that bit him?", Hershel asks.

     "No, the weird thing is he wasn't bit.", Glenn states.

     "His neck was broke.", Daryl adds.

     "So he fought back.", Patricia says.

     "The thing is, Shane and Randall's tracks were right on top of each other.", Daryl explains, "And Shane ain't no tracker, so he didn't come up behind him. They were together."

     "Would you please go back out there, find Rick and Shane.", Lori questions, fear and distress evident in her voice and body language as she steps up to Daryl, "And find out what on Earth is going on?"

     "You got it.", Daryl says and Lori thanks him. He isn't going out there by himself, [Y/n] can't risk it with Shane out there. So the boy follows Daryl.

     As the two approached the front door, [Y/n] saw the hoard coming from the woods. He grabbed Daryl's arm. Some of the group had followed the two outside onto the porch.

     "Patricia, kill the lights.", Hershel orders.

     "I'll get the guns.", Andrea says. The two women running back inside.

     "Maybe they're just passing , like the herd on the highway.", Glenn mentions, "Should we just go inside?"

     "Not unless there's a tunnel downstairs I don't know about.", Daryl says, "A herd that size would rip the house down."

     Lori comes flying out of the house, "Carl's gone."

     "What?", [Y/n] blurts out, snapping his head towards Lori.

     "He-- He was upstairs. I can't find him anymore.", Lori panicked.

     "Maybe he's hiding.", Glenn reasons.

     "He's supposed to be upstairs.", Lori states, "I'm not leaving without my boy."

     "We're not leaving without him.", [Y/n] says calmly as he takes a step towards Lori, placing a hand on her shoulder.