like real people do | c.g [#wattys2019]

A F T E R W A R D S

"SO WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO? I'd feel better if I knew the plan." Lori asks. We're all sitting around the campfire, as Rick and Shane come back. They went to leave the Randall kid, but turns out he went to school with Maggie and knows where the farm is. If he goes back to his people, he might tell them where we are and then, we're all dead. All the men at least, I don't want to know what they'd do to the women. What they'd do to me. And I'm still a kid.

"Is there a plan?" Andrea asks.

"Do we keep him here?" Glenn questions.

"We'll know soon enough." Is the only answer we get. Daryl comes back from the barn where they're holding him hostage with very bloody fingers. If it's his blood or Randall's I can't tell. Probably both.

"Word is he's got a gang. About thirty men. Got heavy artillery and they ain't looking to make friends. If they come through here our boys are dead and our women... are going to wish they were." He informs.

"What did you do?" Carol asks, looking at his banged up hands.

"Had a little chat."

"No one goes near this guy-" Lori cuts Rick off, asking what he's gonna do. "We have no choice, he's a threat. We have to eliminate the threat."

"You're just gonna kill him?" Dale asks.

"It's settled. We'll do it today." Rick says, completely blowing Dale off. He walks away with Dale following, and as everyone starts to go, Carl turns to me.

"How do you feel about this?"

"Your dad always does what's best for the group. I trust him to figure out if this is good or not." He nods. But, I really do. He hasn't done one thing that didn't end up being good for us in some way since I've gotten here.

"Wait here." He tells me. He walks away, going to talk to Shane about something. He comes back not even five minutes later and beckons me over.

"C'mon." He starts walking. "I wanna see him. He's in the shack, we could sneak through the back."

"I don't think that's a good idea." I say, but I follow him anyway. If he goes out there alone there's a bigger chance of him doing something stupid. "What did Shane say?" I ask, knowing that's what he went to talk to him about.

"He said no."

"Don't you think he was right?" He doesn't reply, only taking my hand and running towards it. We find the door, slowly climbing up the stairs to not make any noise. We sit down on the bench, and he just looks at him. I guess Carl's just trying to look menacing or something, I don't know, but the dude starts talking.

"Hey. That's a sweet hat. I'm Randall. What're your names?" He asks us. Neither of us answers. "The Sheriff guy, that's your dad? I like him. Yeah, he's a good guy, I can tell. Your mom out here, too? You're lucky you still got your family. Do you? You don't look related." He asks me. "I lost mine. I don't know what people have been saying about me. But, I didn't do nothing. I swear. Your dad was gonna let me go until his friend started fighting with him." Shane and Rick?

"Get behind the hay bales. Just trust me, Case." Carl whispers in my ear. I don't even have time to think about it before he starts getting up.

"Carl, what are you doing? Get back here!" I whisper-shout. He lets go of my hand and goes down the steps, motioning for me to stay back. I do as I'm told, even though I'm trusting him blindly.

"It got pretty bad, I was kinda worried. Back in my camp, we got lots of supplies. You help me, I'll take you and your folk back to my people. We'll take good care of you, take good care of the girl. Keep you safe... You just gotta help me get out of here, okay? Just help me pick these locks or find the key, okay? Come on, please?" Carl reaches him and I'm about to get up and run towards him to pull him back when the door flies open. Shane and Andrea. They were on guard when we snuck into this place.