Would It Matter // Rick Grimes

Chapter 14

I was down at the water, watching Carl catch frogs with Shane. Emma was still at the camp, taking her nap, of course someone was with her.

"I can't catch any." Carl said.

"Being all willy, staying submerged. Little suckers knows something's up. That's what's going on. Just going to have to do this the old-fashioned way. Alright little man, you're the key in all of this. All I'm going to do is I'm going to go after them and they'll scatter. I'll scare them your way, okay?" Shane said.

"Okay." Carl said.

"What you need to do is you need to round up every bad boy you see. Are you with me?" Shane said.

"Yeah." Carl said.

"Hells yeah. Give me your mean face. Yes sir. Are you ready?" Shane said.

"I'm ready." Carl said.

"Here we go!" Shane exclaimed.

Shane was splashing around in the water, making me and Carl laugh.

"They're coming little man! Get them! Get them! Get them in that net!" Shane shouted. "What do you got bad boy? What do you got?" Shane asked. Carl lifted the net and it was empty.

"Dirt." Carl said.

"Oh boy. Alright, we've got to start over. Sydney come help us." Shane said.

"Yeah mom come on." Carl said.

"Okay." I said, getting in the water until I was next to Shane with the water up to my waist.

"You ready?" Shane asked us both.

"Ready." Me and Carl said in unison.

Me and Shane then submerged into the water, splashing around to scare the frogs to the net. After awhile we walked back to camp while Shane was behind us. I heard someone screaming and I saw Ed down at the water with Carol, Amy, Andrea and Jacqui. He was hitting Carol. Shane went down there and pulled Ed away and started beating him to a pulp.

I held Carl close and quickly took him to camp. I went to the tent and picked up Emma.

It was soon dark and we were sitting around a campfire like we always do. Emma was in my arms and she did her little yawn which was adorable. I was sitting across from Shane and Carl was next to me, leaning his head against my arm.

"I'm going to the bathroom." Amy said, walking to the RV.

A few minutes later, we heard her screaming. We turned and saw a walker biting her arm. More walkers were coming up the hill. I stood up and Carl held onto me. Shane came over with Lori and started shooting the walkers while leading us to the RV.

"Everyone get to the RV!" Shane exclaimed.

Emma was crying from the noise and it was attracting the walkers attention. The group that went out returned and started killing the walkers until they were all dead. I had tears going down my cheeks.

"Baby! Carl!" Rick shouted.

Me and Carl quickly made our way to him and hugged him. I soon had Emma calm and we looked at Andrea with her dead sister.

"Rick." I said, crying again. I didn't take my eyes off of Amy.

It was soon daytime and Andrea never left Amy. I held Emma close to me and she was asleep.

"Are you serious? We're going to let the girl hamstring us?" Daryl asked. "The girl's a ticking time bomb." He said.

"What do you suggest?" Rick asked.

"Take the shot. Straight through the brain. Hell, I can hit a turkey between the eyes at this distance." Daryl said.

"God no. Just let her be." Lori said.

Daryl then walked away and the others went to help with the bodies while I stayed at camp with Emma, Carl and Sophia.

"Can I hold Emma?" Carl asked.

"Okay but be careful and sit down." I said.

He sat down with his legs crossed next to me and I put Emma in his lap. I smiled seeing her smile at him with her little smile.

"I love you Emma." Carl said, smiling at her.

"Are you bleeding Jim?" I heard Jacqui ask. I got Emma from Carl and we walked over to the others.

"I just got some from the bodies." Jim said.

"That blood is fresh Jim. Were you bit?" I asked.

"I wasn't and what would you know?" He said, looking at me.

"I was a surgeon before all this Jim. So I know the difference between fresh and dried up blood." I said.

"Whatever. I just got scratched." He said.

"You got bit." Jacqui said.

"I'm fine." He said.

"Then show us Jim." I said.

"I'm okay." Jim said.

"Show it to us." Daryl said.

Rick walked over and got in front of me, Carl and Emma.

"Grab him." Daryl said.

They soon got ahold of him and Daryl lifted his shirt and revealed a bite. We were now talking about what we're going to do.

"I say we put a pickaxe in his head the same with the girl." Daryl said.

"Is that what you would want if it were you?" Shane asked.

"Yeah and I'll thank you while you did it." Daryl said.

"I hate to say it and I never thought I would but I think Daryl's right." Dale said.

"He's not a monster or some rabid dog Dale." Rick said.

"I'm not suggesting." Dale said.

"He's sick. A sick man. We start down that road, where do we draw the line?" Rick said.

"The line's pretty clear. Zero tolerance for walkers or them to be." Daryl said.

"What if we can get him help? I heard the CDC was working on a cure." Rick said.

"I heard that too. Heard a lot of things before the world went to hell." Shane said.

"What if the CDC is still up and running?" Rick asked.

"That's a stretch right there." Shane said.

"If there's any government left, they'll protect the CDC at all costs. I think it's our best shot. Shelter. Protection." Rick said.

"You want those things, I do too. Now if they exist, they're at the army base. Fort Benning." Shane said.

"That's a hundred miles in the opposite direction." I said.

"That's right. But it's away from the hot zone. Now listen to me. If that base is still operational, it'll be heavily armed. We'd be safe there." Shane said.

"The army were on the front lines of this whole thing. They got overrun. We've all seen that. The CDC is our best choice and Jim's only chance." Rick said.

"You all go look for aspirin, do what you have to do. Someone had to have some balls to take care of this damn thing!" Daryl shouted, going to Jim with the pickaxe and was about to hit Jim with it until Rick stopped him.

"We don't kill the living." Rick said, aiming his gun at Daryls head.

"Funny coming from someone with a gun to my head." Daryl said.

"We may disagree on many things but not this. Go on and put it down." Shane said.

Everyone started doing what they needed while I just sat down with Emma in my arms. I was looking out at the water from the camp.