Resilience [Daryl Dixon ♥]

27| god help us

"Do you know what's goin' on?" T-Dog asked.

Spencer and the rest of the group situated on the front porch of the farm house looked up. Spencer was seated on a higher step, right behind Oliver and was playing with his hair, when T-Dog and Andrea walked up.

"Where is everyone?" Andrea questioned, eyes squinting.

Glenn stood up. "You haven't seen Rick?"

Oliver spoke up, "He went off with Hershel earlier."

"We were supposed to leave a couple hours ago," Andrea replied.

"Yeah you were," Daryl said, making his presence known. "What the hell?"

Spencer flinched, not looking over at him. She didn't want to make eye-contact, because she was afraid that with one look, she'd change her mind. Leaving was the right thing to do, but she couldn't leave until she knew that Sophia was safe. Spencer and Oliver had to get away from this group, they were toxic and always fighting. The way that Rick and Shane co-ran everything was not realistically viable for the rest of the group.

They would not survive and Spencer needed to make sure that her and Oliver did. Even if that meant that she had to leave Daryl. She had to go.

Everyone looked around at each other, unsure of what was going on. "Damn it! Isn't anybody takin' this seriously?" Daryl asked everyone. "We got us a damn trail. Oh, here we go."

Daryl began walking towards Shane who was stomping in the group's direction and holding the bag of guns. "What's all this?" Daryl asked, motioning to the guns.

"You with me, man?" Shane asked, shoving a shotgun into Daryl's hands. There was no hint of hostility or anger in his voice. He was calm, cool, and collected; the opposite of what he had been earlier.

"Time to grow up," Shane addressed everyone.

"Where's Dale?" Oliver asked, standing from his spot on the porch.

"He's on his way."

Shane handed T-Dog a pistol. "Thought we couldn't carry?"

"We can and we have to," Shane dismissed, moving towards Oliver. He shoved a rifle towards him and Oliver hesitated. He looked back at Spencer before taking the gun. Shane smiled sardonically. "That's cute." Then he turned to face the masses. "Look, it was one thing sitting around here picking daisies when we thought this place was supposed to be safe, but now we know it ain't."

Shane handed Glenn a shotgun, turning to dig back in the bag.

"Can you stop?" Maggie asked. "You do this, you hand out these guns, my dad will make you leave tonight."

"We have to stay, Shane," Carl stated.

Ignoring everyone, Shane continued. "Now look, Hershel, he's just gotta understand. Okay? He―well, he's gonna have to. Now we need to find Sophia. Am I right?"

Spencer stood up, grabbing Carl before he reached Shane. "So now you believe she's alive?"

Shane glanced up at Spencer and held her eyes for a moment.

"Oh shit."

Everyone looked towards T-Dog in confusion. But as soon as they looked in that direction, they saw it. Coming out from the woods was Jimmy and he was coaxing two walkers. The walkers we held by Rick and Hershel.

Shane took off running. Everyone froze for a moment, not knowing what to do. Then Spencer took off after him, causing everyone to follow.

"What the hell you doin'?" Shane screamed, reaching Rick and Hershel.

"Shane, back off."

"Why do your people have guns?"

"Are you kiddin' me?" Shane asked in disbelief. "You see what they're holding onto?"

Hershel hissed. "I see who I'm holding onto."

"Nah, man, you don't."

"Shane, just let us do this," Rick pleaded, struggling to keep his walker away from Shane. "Then we can talk."

"What you wanna talk about, Rick? These things ain't sick. They're not people. They're dead. Ain't gonna feel nothing for them. 'Cause all they do, they kill! These things right here, they're the things that killed Amy. They killed Otis. They're gonna kill all of us."

"Shane, shut up!" Rick screamed.

"Hey, Hershel, man, let me ask you something," Spencer sucked in a breath when she saw Shane reach for his gun. Shane was crazy, he was absolutely insane. He pulled a gun on the walker Hershel was holding. "Could a living, breathing person walk away from this?" And then he shot the walker in the stomach a couple times. He continued shooting the walker, asking Why is it still coming!?

"Shane, enough!" Rick shouted.

"Yeah, you're right, man," Shane said walking up to the walker. "That is enough."

Bang.

And down went the walker, blood and brain matter spilling out of the bullet hole in her forehead. Hershel fell with it, stunned.

Everyone froze, unable to comprehend what Shane had just done. But Spencer did. She knew what he'd just done. He had crossed the line.

"Enough," Shane kept on going. "Enough risking our lives for a little girl who's gone! Enough living next to a barn full of things that are trying to kill us. ENOUGH. Rick, it ain't like it was before. Now if y'all wanna live, if you wanna survive, you gotta fight for it! I'm talking about fighting, right here, right now."

Shane took off towards the barn, running like a madman. He grabbed a pickaxe and began beating at the barn door. Shouting began. Rick was shouting for a stunned Hershel to take the snare pole. Shane was shouting at the barn. Glenn, T-Dog, Maggie, everyone was yelling for Shane not to do it.

But he did.

He pulled the locks off, and the bar, and then he backed up, pulling his pistol from his belt and aiming it.

And everyone waited.

The doors pushed open and the first couple of walkers rushed out. Gunshots rang out as Shane, T-Dog, Glenn, Daryl and Andrea shot the walkers, one by one. Oliver glanced at Spencer, looking unsure of what to do.

"Go," Spencer said to him.

Bullets flew until every single walker was lying dead on the floor.

All was silent while everyone caught their breaths. But then the sound of growling and shuffling feet caused everyone to look back at the barn. In the doorway was a pale, and decaying Sophia.

"Oh, God. Oh, God," Spencer muttered.

"Sophia? Sophia!" Carol cried, running towards her daughter before Daryl grabbed her.

No one moved as Sophia got closer, no one knew what to do. But eventually, Rick cocked his gun, and put Sophia out of her misery. And then there was silence.

"Oh, God," Spencer mumbled again.

Oliver turned towards her, shocked beyond belief, and moved to grab her. She teetered on her feet before sinking down to the ground. Oliver kneeled down beside her and pulled her into his arms. She opened her mouth but no words came out. Her eyes traveled to where Daryl was holding Carol and she whimpered.

"It's okay, it's okay," Oliver soothed, rubbing Spencer's back.

"Oh, God," Spencer whispered softly, the weight of guilt crashing down around her. "I killed her."