salvation → g. rhee

better angels

"Dale could get under your skin. He sure got under mine, because he wasn't afraid to say exactly what he thought, how he felt. That kind of honesty is rare and brave. Whenever I'd make a decision, I'd look at Dale. He'd be looking back at me with that look he had. We've all seen it one time or another. I couldn't always read him, but he could read us. He saw people for who they were. He knew things about us - the truth, who we really are. In the end, he was talking about losing our humanity. He said this group was broken. The best way to honor him is to unbreak it; set aside our differences and pull together, stop feeling sorry for ourselves amd take control of our lives, our safety... our future. We're not broken. We're gonna prove him wrong."

When a tear dropped down Carl's cheek during Rick's speech, Aubrey put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"From now on, we're gonna do it his way. That is how we honor Dale."

〄

"It'll be tight. Fifteen people in one house."

"Don't worry about that," Hershel said. "With the swamp hardening, the creek drying up..."

"With fifty head of cattle on the property, we might as well be ringing a damn dinner bell," Maggie said.

"She's right. We should've moved you in a while ago," Hershel admitted.

"Alright, let's move the vehicles near each of the doors, facing out toward the road," Rick instructed. "We'll build a lookout in the windmill, another in the barn loft. That should give us sightlines both sides of the property. T-Dog, you take the perimeter around the house, keep track of everyone coming and going."

"What about standing guard?" T-Dog asked.

"I need you and Daryl on double duty," Rick answered.

"Gotcha," T-Dog nodded.

"I'll stock the basement with food and water, enough that we can all survive there a few days if need be," Hershel said as he walked by, a full crate in his arms.

"What about patrols?" Andrea asked.

"Let's get this area locked down first," Rick replied. "After that, Shane'll assign shifts while Daryl and I take Randall offsite and cut him loose."

"We're back to that now?" Shane gruffly asked, raising his eyebrows.

"It was the right plan first time around. Poor execution."

"That's a slight understatement," Shane scoffed.

"Dad," Aubrey said quietly, a mixture of warning and begging in her tone.

"You don't agree, but this is what's happening. Swallow it. Move on."

"You know that Dale's death and the prisoner - that's two separate things, right?" Shane spat. "You wanna take Daryl as your wingman, be my guest," he said shortly, looking away from Rick.

"Thank you," Rick said sardonically, turning and walking away.

"You got it," Shane grumbled. He looked over at Aubrey until she walked away, and he watched her go join Glenn.

"Hey, Aubrey?"

"What's up, kiddo?" Aubrey asked, turning to Carl after Glenn smiled at her and walked away. "Whatcha doin' wandering around by yourself?"

"If I, uh, tell you something, will you promise not to tell my parents?"

"I think that's probably a bad idea for both of us, bud," Aubrey chuckled, raising an eyebrow and shoving her cold hands into the pockets of Glenn's hoodie. Carl nodded and started to walk off.