In the Very End: Book One

Chapter 17

I sighed. "Carl." He stopped and turned around. I motioned him to come back over as I sat on the edge of the trunk. "Go on."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a gun, handing it to me. "I took it from Daryl's motercycle. If he found out I took it, he'd kill me."

"What were you doin' with this?" I asked curiously.

"Dale; it's my fault that he died."

"Carl why would you say that? A walker got him—"

"I saw that walker," he interrupted. "I was gonna shoot it. It was stuck in the mud, I was throwing rocks at it and stuff. I was gonna do it; shoot it right in the head. It got free and came after me and I ran away. If I killed it, Dale would still be here—"

"Carl, I want you to stop that, okay? It ain't your fault." I handed him the gun. "I want you to take this. Daryl won't mind. You need to protect yourself."

Instead of taking it, Carl protested and told me he wouldn't touch another one again. I know I told him I wouldn't tell his parents, but I had to.

___

"Hey, Rick," I called.

"Hey, what's up?"

I held out the gun. "Carl gave me this."

"What was he doin' with this?"

"Said he was out in the swamps, came across a walker stuck in the mud."

"Same walker that got Dale?"

"That's the one," I answered, squinting at the Georgia sun that was setting over the housetop.

"I'll have a talk with him," Rick said slowly.

"He won't take it back. He's petrified," I informed. "Thinks he killed Dale, he's refusing to touch another gun."

Rick nodded and started to walk down the steps. "Thank you," he called.

___

"Take him out to Sinoy; hour there, hour back...give or take," Rick explained as the three of us leaned over the map. "We may lose the light, but we'll be half way home by then."

"This little pain in the ass will be a distant memory," Daryl said, nudging my shoulder.

___

"Ready?" Rick asked as he wandered over.

"Yeah," Daryl answered.

"I'll get the package," I said.

"Thanks."

I walked over to the barn, only hearing the sounds of leaves crunching under my feet. It was getting cold and I was glad that Hershel let us move into the house.

"Today's your lucky day, asshole. You're off the hook."

I rolled the key pad to unlock it and swung open the door. He was gone. I ran back to the truck.

"Rick! He's gone! He ain't in the barn," I yelled before I even got to the truck.

Rick muttered under his breath as he ran to meet me.

"What's wrong?" Maggie asked, her family running to the barn as well.

"He's missing," Glenn answered.

"Missing? How?" Maggie asked.

"Cuffs are still hooked, must've slipped through 'em," Rick informed.

"Is that possible?" Carol asked.

"It is if you've got nothing to lose," Andrea answered.

"Door was secure from the outside," Hershel said.

Chatter rose amongst the crowd as to where he could've gone.

"Rick!" someone called. "Rick!"

Shane emerged from the woods with a bloody face.

"What happened?" Lori asked.

"He's armed," he informed. "He's got my gun."

"Are you okay?" Carl exclaimed.

"I'm fine," he answered. "Little bastard just snuck up on me, clocked me in the face."

"Hershel, T-dog, get everybody back in the house. Quinn, Daryl, come with us," Rick ordered.

"Let him go; wasn't that the plan, to just send him off?" Carol spoke up.

"Yeah," I said, "to cut 'im loose far away from here. Not on our front steps with a gun."

"Don't go out there. You don't know what could happen!" Carol called.

"Get everybody back in the house!" Rick instructed. "Lock all the doors and stay put."

We headed for the woods in the direction that Shane came from.

"I saw him head out for the trees that way before I blacked out. I'm not sure how long," Shane explained.

"Couldn't have gotten far," Rick assured. "Randall's hobbled, probably exhausted."

"And armed," I reminded.

"So are we," Rick prompted. "Can you track him?"

"Nah," Daryl answered. "I don't see any prints."

"Hey look, there ain't no use in trackin' 'im," Shane interjected. "He went that way. We need to pair up, spread out. We gotta chase him down."

"The kid wears a buck twenty-five soakin' wet," Daryl started. "Tryin' to tell us he got the jump on you?"

"I say a rock pretty much evens those odds, wouldn't you?" Shane shot back.

"Alright, alright. Knock it off," Rick calmed. "Daryl, you and Quinn start headin' up the right flank, me and Shane'll take the left."

Before he left, he turned back to us. "Remember, Randall's not the only threat out there. Keep an eye out for each other."

I did not have a good feeling about this.