What Really Happened: A Memoir from the Apocalypse

Chapter 7: Jurisprudence

Sophia, or what used to be, laid face-down on the dirt. Thin, ratted hair covered the blood on her face. I sat with my legs crossed in front of her.

Andrea evened out a blanket and covered her with it. "We'll pray for her. Pray she gets to Heaven. I know she will. She was such a sweetheart."

I stared at the covered body. "What if I die like her? What if Phoebe did?"

"You've gotta be brave. You know how to use a gun, and that's a good thing. She didn't. God gave us tools to keep us safe. But we've gotta meet Him halfway. These things... they're curses from Satan, and God wants us to protect ourselves from them. Your mom would be so proud of you. After everything that's happened, you didn't get weak. You grew stronger."

I questioned whether what she said was bullshit. "How do you know God's real after this?"

"Of course He is. I think I've changed for the worse because of everything. And I'm sorry for all of it. But I think you've changed for the better."

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I sat in the living room chair, and Carl sat in the one beside me.

"Sophia didn't know how to survive yet," he said. "She was scared. Which is why we can't be. Shane did the right thing. Walkers aren't people. We need to be as strong as him and my dad."

"So Sophia's not a person anymore?"

"If a walker headed towards you, or my parents, or Shane, I'd shoot it. Even if it was Sophia."

"What if we can't stop it?"

"We need to know how to take care of ourselves. Sophia waited for help, but it never came. We need to be able to take care of ourselves. So if we're ever alone, we'd be okay."

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The next morning:

Carl and I spent the night in the RV. Hershel went missing the night before. Beth went into shock and was put on bedrest. We were told soon after to stay in the RV and not come in the house. I knew Maggie was stressed due to her and Beth's father being missing, that Beth tried to kill herself, and that Lori and Andrea yelled at each other, but the adults tried to shield us from seeing anything else. When Rick and Glenn went to find Hershel, they returned with a hostage they found on the road. The group decided to keep him as a prisoner in the barn.

I laid my head on the table, unable to have gotten much sleep the night before.

Carl stood near the cabinets. "I'm gonna sneak in there, see the guy for myself."

I lifted my head and squinted at him.

"You don't have to go, you can stay here."

"This is gonna end badly, Carl," I said.

I sat in the back of the truck; within seeing distance from the barn. Andrea kept watch outside the barn with Shane, making sure the hostage didn't escape.

"You comfortable in there? How about you go in the house? We got things covered. Thank you for keeping an extra eye out, though," she told me.

"What are you gonna do with the guy?" I asked.

She said something to Shane, then walked up to me. "Well, I think he's dangerous and we should get rid of him. He shouldn't be here, with the chance of putting you, or any of us in danger. But the adults are gonna have a meeting later to vote on it. And you can listen in if you want."

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Maggie and Hershel sat beside me on the couch. The rest of the group stood around us, except for Carl, because Lori didn't allow him to join the meeting.

"If anybody wants the floor before we make a final decision, now's the chance," Rick said.

I took a deep breath. "He's a threat. And we have to get rid of threats."

Dale shook his head. "What are we teaching the kids? What are we teaching them, for them to vouch for killing an innocent man?"

"I have just as much to say as everybody else," I said.

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It was dark. I stood next to Carl, behind the barn door that was cracked open.

"It's all gonna be over soon. Relax."

The man cried and pleaded. Shane shushed him. Rick prepared his gun. Daryl stood in front of the hostage with confidence.

"Would you like to stand or kneel?" Rick asked him.

Shane kicked the sobbing man to his knees and nodded at Rick.

"Do you have any final words?" Rick asked.

Carl moved in front of the door. "Do it, Dad. Do it."

Shane held his arms down by his sides and stomped over to us. "What are you doing here? Are you kidding me? What did I say to you?"

Rick stared at us in silence, then moved the gun away from the man's face. "Take him away."

Shane banged against the barn door in frustration.

Rick led Carl and I back to the tents.

Maggie stood in front of me and looked at Rick. "Where'd she go?"

"They followed us," he said.

Andrea stood in front of Maggie and bowed to my level. "Why'd you do that without telling me first? I didn't know where you were." She looked at Rick. "Did she see you kill him?"

"No, I... I didn't kill him."

"What?"

Maggie took my hand. "Let's go inside."

When we reached the porch, a scream sounded from the field.

"What was that? What happened? What happened?" Glenn yelled.

"I don't know, go!" Maggie yelled.

"Help! Over here! Help! Run!"

My face heated, and I turned towards Maggie. "Is that Daryl? Where's Andrea?"

We ran towards the field. Dale laid in the middle of the grass. His stomach was torn open. He gurgled, and his gaze was stuck towards the sky.

"We have to do the operation here. Glenn, get back to the house," Rick said.

Hershel shook his head. "Rick..."

"No!"

I cried onto Andrea's shoulder. Dale groaned in pain. He couldn't make eye contact anymore and didn't understand what was going on.

Andrea sobbed and held my face with her hands. "He's suffering. Do something!"

Daryl stood over him and lifted his gun. "Sorry, brother."

The gunshot caused a moment of deafness and a pain in my ears.