Savior // The Walking Dead

6

It was soon dark and we were gathered in the living room to come to a decision.

"So how do we do this? Just take a vote?" Andrea asked. "Does it have to be unanimous?" She asked.

"How about majority rules?" Glenn asked.

"Let's see where everybody stands first then we'll talk through the options." Rick said.

"Where I sit, there's only one way to move forward." Shane said.

"Killing him, right?" Dale asked. "Why even bother to take a vote? It's clear which way the wind is blowing." He said.

"If people believe we should spare him, I want to know." Rick said.

"Well, I can tell you it's a small group. Maybe just me and Glenn." Dale said.

"Look, I think you're pretty much right about everything but this..." Glenn said.

"They got you scared." Dale said.

"He's not one of us. We've lost too many people already." Glenn said.

"Dale, look I know where you're coming from. I don't want to kill a young boy either but like I told you earlier, I don't feel safe with him alive. I know that sounds harsh but it's the reality. We don't know what he'll do if we let him go. He's dangerous especially with those 30 men in his group. He could bring them here and we'll all most likely be killed and like Daryl said, the women will want to be dead from what they're going to do to them. I'm sorry but I think he needs to be eliminated." I said.

"What do you think?" Dale asked Maggie.

"Could we continue keeping him prisoner?" Maggie asked.

"Just another mouth to feed." Daryl said.

"It could be a lean winter. We could ration better." Hershel said.

"Well, he could be an asset. Give him a chance to prove himself. Put him to work?" Andrea said.

"We're not letting him walk around." Rick said.

"We could put an escort on him." Andrea said.

"Who would volunteer for that?" Daryl asked.

"I don't think any one of us should be walking around with this guy." Rick said.

"Rick's right." I agreed. "I wouldn't feel safe unless he was tied up." I said.

"We can't exactly put chains around his ankles, sentence him to hard labor." Andrea said.

"Say we let him join us. Maybe he's helpful, maybe he's nice. We let our guard down and maybe he runs off and brings his 30 men." Shane said.

"If we do this, we're saying there's no hope. Rule of law is dead. There is no civilization." Dale said.

"Could we drive him further out? Leave him like you planned?" Hershel asked.

"You barely came back this time. There are walkers. Your car could break down. You could get lost." Lori said.

"Or get ambushed." Daryl added.

"They're right. We shouldn't put our own people at risk." Glenn said.

"How would you do it? Would he suffer?" Patricia asked.

"We could hang him. Just snap his neck." Shane said.

"I thought of that. Shooting might be more humane." Rick said.

"What about the body?" Shawn asked. "Do we bury him?" He asked.

"Hold on! You're talking about this like it's already decided!" Dale exclaimed.

"You've been talking all day, going around in circles. You just want to go in circles again?" Daryl said.

"This is a young mans life. He deserves more than a five minute conversation. We kill someone because we can't decide what to do with him? You saved him and now look at us. He's being tortured. He's going to be executed! How are we any better than the people we're so scared of?!" Dale shouted.

"We all know what needs to be done." Shane said.

"No, Dale's right. We can't leave any stone unturned here. We have a responsibility..." Rick said.

"So what's the other solution?" Andrea asked.

"Let Rick finish." Lori said.

"We haven't come up with another viable option yet. I wish we could." Rick said.

"Then let's work on it!" Dale exclaimed.

"We are." Rick said.

"Just stop it! I'm tired of everyone arguing and fighting! I didn't ask for this. You can't ask us to decide like this." Carol said. "Please decide, either of you, both of you. But leave me out of it." She said.

"Not speaking out or killing him yourself—There's no difference." Dale said.

"Alright that's enough! Anyone who wants the floor before we make a final decision has the chance." Rick said.

"You once said that we don't kill the living." Dale said.

"That's before the living tried to kill us." Rick said.

"But don't you see? If we do this, the people that we were—The world we knew is dead. And this new world is ugly and it's harsh. It's the survival of the fittest. And that's the world I don't want to live in." Dale said.

The meeting was soon over and I was sitting on the steps, thinking about everything that's happened. I suddenly heard yelling from the field and I stood up. I began to run to the field, following the screams. When I got there, I saw Daryl kill a walker and Dale was laying on the ground with his stomach ripped open.

"Oh my god." I said, tears building up in my eyes.

"Hey! Over here!" Daryl shouted, waving his arms.

Everyone soon got to us and Shawn pulled me against him after seeing Dale. I wrapped my arms around him and cried into his shoulder.

"Hold on now. Get Hershel!" Rick shouted. I turned my head and watched the scene. "He needs blood. We have to operate now. Hang on Dale." He said.

"What happened?" Hershel asked.

"Can we move him?" Rick asked.

"He won't make it to the house." Hershel said.

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

"Rick." Hershel said.

"No!" Rick shouted.

"He's suffering. Please do something." I said, tears staining my cheeks.

Rick stood up and pulled out his gun and aimed it at his head.

"I'll do it." Daryl said. Daryl took the gun and kneeled down, aiming it Dales head. "I'm sorry brother." He said, before pulling the trigger.