Greek Tragedy | Daryl Dixon

Chapter 6 | We'll Agree To Disagree

As Cass entered the tack room to retrieve her tools from a storage trunk, she heard two voices elsewhere in the stable: Hershel and Dale. She could tell by the scratch that came to the men's voices with age and also the soft way they spoke, not like the more frantic voices that came with the youth of the group. She was about to go and greet the two men who had both been kind to her since her arrival when she heard something that made her stop. It was something Dale said.

"So why do you keep walkers in the barn?"

There was a moment of silence where Hershel didn't reply. Dale didn't say anything else just yet. Even Cassandra didn't move, not wanting to disturb the conversation. The only sound was the soft fussing of Nereus and Hershel swiping a body brush along Nelly's coat then scraping off the grease on a metal curry comb.

"Who told you? Maggie?" He replied finally. It was calm as if he were just asking the time.

"No, no one told me anything. I was taking a walk down by the barn this morning and I heard the moans."

"You gonna tell Rick?"

There was another pregnant pause.

"Eventually I'll have to, you know that. But I wanna know why you keep them there."

"They're sick. You don't go around killing sick people, we're not animals. I remember that atrocity that happened at my well. I'm not looking for a repetition of that."

Dale sighed. "You're so sheltered here on this farm. I understand why you think like this but those things in your barn, they're not human anymore. They're dangerous."

"This is my farm and what I say goes," Hershel replied stubbornly.

"Alright, I guess I can't change your mind, I won't have any part in changing what you have here. But I really think you should tell Rick about this. You and your family are safe in that house but if those...sick people break out of the barn then it's his family in danger."

"Well, thank you for your input, I'll take it into consideration."

Taking the dismissal, Dale took his leave from the stables me walked passed the closed door to the tack room on his way out.

Cassandra waited for a beat before emerging from the woodwork to see Hershel running the body brush along Nervous Nelly a little more vigorously than he otherwise had been. Her feet didn't make any sound even on the straw scattered about the stable so it was a surprise to the old farmer when he looked up and there she stood, hands wringing in Shawn's old hoodie. Her body language spoke louder than anything else.

"Cassandra," he sighed but she interrupted before he could continue.

"It's not my place to judge you about it, Hershel. I just wanna understand why you do it? How you see them..."

And so Hershel explained to her about his wife and step-son, his friends and neighbours, all locked away in the barn because there was hope. There was always hope that they might be cured. And that meant that they were still people, not monsters to be slaughtered. It made sense to her, his logic, it really did. But that didn't make it right. Or safe.

"I don't agree with you that they're still people, Hershel. People don't keep coming at you when half their face is gone and they're draggin' their guts behind them to eat ya. Even if they are, they surrender human rights as soon as they eat someone. That's just my opinion, but I respect yours and you've been so good to me the past few days since I got here. So if this is how you say it is I'm not gonna argue. I'll carry on however you want me to."

There was a moment of silence while Hershel processed the girl's words and finally gave her an appreciative squeeze on the shoulder. H he smiled and looked her in the eye, something very rarely achieved.

"Thank you for your candor, Miss Hunter. This afternoon I think these fellas need some exercise. But maybe let poor Nelly cool off until tomorrow."

"Sure thing, boss."

*****

It took a while to wrangle all the animals together, but once Cassie had, she knew it was going to be a full-hearted workout of an afternoon; Nereus had been particularly stubborn about standing with the others, always trying to nip Nelly's bottom over her stall. It was as if the bastard knew his stable-mate was in a state and wanted to make it worse. Once out in the field though, everything calmed down and even Nereus seemed to be enjoying the crisp breeze of oncoming autumn. 

Through the fields she led the horses, all tugging on her, pulling her this way and that as they each tried their best to crop bits of grass as they walked. Enough was enough. 

"Alright, alright! That's it!" the girl yelled in frustration, pulling her charges to an abrupt stop. 

She proceeded to drop all lead reins save for Nereus' and clambered onto his bare back before gathering the rest again and trotted into the grass. And then they cantered. And suddenly the herd was galloping alongside her, manes flowing and whinnies of freedom the lot hadn't felt in a long time. Cassandra laughed and let her own hair fly too as Nereus bronked his excitement. In a swift movement, she was up, feet rested on Nereus' withers and clinging to the gelding's mane, the rest of the leads discarded and swinging around the horses' flying heads. She stood on his back and jumped to the nearest horse running with her. 

Rick looked on from the truck beside Hershel. 

The old man smiled and looked to his guest, shaking his head. "She told me her way of exercising the horses was a bit different. Didn't expect how."

"No, I wouldn't've guessed that either," Rick replied laughing. 

The pair went back to planning the day's gun training.