HEART FOR BRAINS • the walking dead

012: spread like wildfire

Rio, Carl and Rick walked away from the scene. No one said a word to each other as they all headed back to the farm house, Shane's body left behind.

"Are you bit too?" Carl asked finally, turning to his father skeptically.

"No." He assured him. "No..."

"Shane was."

"That wasn't Shane. You know that."

"Used to be." Carl replied sadly. "What happened? Were you guys attacked? I mean I... I heard a gunshot but I didn't see any walkers nearby. We came down to make sure you were okay. We saw the fighting."

"You didn't have to do that."

"How did Shane die?"

Rick was about to answer, he slowed his pace and took deep breaths but was soon interrupted. His head turned first, and then Carl's and then Rio's. He could see what they'd heard. Walkers. A whole hoard of them, following closely behind.

"Oh my god." Rick whispered. "Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go." He grabbed ahold of Carl and Rio quickly, pushing them closer to the farmhouse.

They all sped up. Rio looked behind him once again, there must've been about fifty walkers, no one-hundred if not more. Rick turned Rio's head back around, grabbing him by the back of his neck. He let go immediately after, hurrying them away and murmuring to himself.

Rick pushed them all behind a tree.

"We... we gotta get to the house, tell the others." Carl whispered frantically. He was breathing heavy again after running and his words came out all broken.

"Well never get through that." Rick replied. "We can't go around. Carl, Rio stay close." He wrapped his arms around them both before whispering, "Go!"

They made their way through the lighter part of the herd. Rio tried hard not to let out a noise. Walkers grabbed for them as they sprinted and he was getting closer and closer to yelling out. They headed inside the barn and Rick locked the door hurriedly. He barricaded it, shoving an old rake between the two door handles. Walkers pounded on the door, slamming their fists and body's onto the entrance hoping to get in. The barn creaked as Rio could hear more and more pile atop the door, screeching to get in.

"All right, here we go." Rick whispered to himself, grabbing a container of oil and dousing the ground in it. "Come on, hurry!"

"What're you doing?" Rio asked before he and Carl followed his lead, grabbing the second container and throwing the contents down on the floor.

"Oh shit." Rio swore to himself as he got closer to the barn door, the banging amplified.

"All right. Okay. Up here. Hurry." Rick ordered rapidly. He ushered Rio and Carl up the ladder, getting them to safety first.

"What about you?" Carl asked, he was about to climb back down.

"I'll be right there. Drop the lighter when I say. We'll stop some of them from reaching the house and distract the others, so at least we'll have a chance." He explained as Carl turned away. "Hey, hey, hey, look at me. You can do this. Carl... I love you."

Rio waited for him to finish before reaching his hand out for Carl. He climbed up the ladder and pulled the other boy to him. He was still shaken up and Rio couldn't blame him.

He winced watching Rick bang on the barn door, shouting at the creatures on the other side. He pulled the rake out from the handles and let the doors swing open.

"You want some?" He screamed. "Come and get it!"

"Come on! Come on!" He continued. He hurried back, swinging his arms out towards the walkers. He reached for the ladder climbing up the first few steps and shouting "Over here!".