You Are Not Safe

15. Finger on the trigger

"Dale could.. 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 honour him is to un break it. Set aside our differences, and pull together, stop feeling sorry for ourselves and take control of our lives... our safety.... our future. We're not broken. We're gonna prove him wrong. From now on.. we're gonna do it his way. That's how we honour Dale."

We was all stood around Dales grave. Most people were crying but I wasn't. I wanted to be strong. Just like daddy. He had a hand on my back and as soon as Rick stopped speaking everybody started to walk away.

Me and daddy followed rick and some others and we ended up near a truck. I climbed onto daddy's leg and held him close.

"With 50 head of cattle on the property, we might as well be ringing the damn dinner bell" Maggie said

"She's right. We should have moved you in a while ago." Hershel replied

"All right, lets move the vehicles near each of the doors facing out toward the road" Rick ordered "We'll build a look out in the windmill"

He continued to drone on and I couldn't be bothered listening as people began to do what he said. What were we doing anyway? I tried to get daddy's attention to ask him, but he just grunted and looked irritated at me so I grunted back and went to Shane who picked me up and held me close. Rick said something about that boy and I picked my head off Shane's shoulder.

"Can I come Daddy?"

"Nah"

I huffed and reached my hands out to rick. He got me off Shane and I placed my chin on his shoulder and started to play with his slightly curly brown hair. I would play with daddys but he would beat my ass.

"You wanna take Daryl as your wing man. Be my guest." Shane sneered

"Thank you"

Rick said fixing my dungarees that had somehow come undone.

"Ricky?"

"Yeah sweetheart"

"Is Shane a bads persons cause he wants to kill that boy?"

I felt his arms stiffen around me while he picked up a large bag around his shoulder. I heard the low rumble of daddy's motorcycle and Ricky put me down and I chased after daddy as he was only going slow. However I still couldn't catch up and ended up holding Ricks hand while we and everybody else moved to the house.

"What are we doings?"

"We're all gonna move into Hershels house"

"Cool!" I squealed "thank you mister Hershey!"

Both men chuckled and Hershel started to talk to rick again while I swung our arms back and forth.

"Andrea" Rick called. Said person turned around "when I'm out with Daryl, help Hershel keep an eye on things around here."

"Me?"

"Shane's got a way of letting things out of hand, especially when he's all torqued up"

"I think we're all a bit torqued up at this point...... you want me to baby sit Shane? We already have one baby isn't that enough?" She said looking at me. I went to hit her knowing what she meant but just as my hand got close enough, Ricky grabbed my arm and set me on his hip.