The Rest of your Life

Chapter 12

Rory and Carl walked backwards as all the yelling aggravated the monsters inside the barn. Rory sighed heavily. She just wanted her breakfast.

•••

Rory and Carl were both sat with Lori on the bench, doing math work. After a lot of convincing from Lori, the two began doing their math problems. Rory tensed as Carl spoke.

"Does Shane think Sophia's dead?"

"Shane's just scared." Lori reassured the two children.

"Of the walkers in the barn?" Carl asked.

"Yeah." Lori responded, nodding her head. Rory stopped her scribbling to speak to Lori.

"I'm not leaving until we find Sophia. I don't care what dad says. And I don't want to go even after that." The girl mumbled sadly.

"We'll, we're not leaving, honey... now you finish those problems." Lori said quietly.

"I just think she..." Carl continued. "She's gonna like it here." Carl looked to his friend. "This place, it could be a home." Lori let out a deep breath before she brought both children in for a hug.

•••

"What are you doing?" Dale jumped as Rory asked him a question. He was walking into the woods with the bag of guns slung across his shoulder.

"It would be better if you didn't know, Rory."

"Who's gun is that?" Rory asked, pointing to a rifle in the bag. She had never seen it before. Dale looked before answering the girl.

"Isn't it your fathers?"

"I don't think so." Rory pulled a face. There was a moment of silence before Dale spoke again.

"If your father asks, you didn't see me."

"Eye, eye, captain." Rory saluted as she walked away from the strange man.

•••

"Hey, Shane." Carl called out as the man walked past. Rory and Carl standing as Shane came back. "Can we talk to you for a second?"

"You okay?" Shane questioned the kids.

"I know you think Sophia's dead." Carl begun. "And that's why we should stop looking for her. But that's...thats—"

"That's bullshit." Rory spat to her father.

"Hey, watch your mouth." Shane laughed slightly.

"We're gonna stay here until we find her." Rory pressed.

"You think that's what we should do?" Shane quizzed.

"It's what we know we should do." Carl finished.

"Then we stay." Shane shrugged, looking at both kids in front of him. "That means we gotta do whatever we gotta do to make that happen...hmm?"

"Like help out with the chores?" Carl complained slightly.

"Mhm." Shane agreed, placing a hand on the boys shoulder. "Like help out with the chores."

"Carl." Lori called from by the trees, all three heads looked towards her as Shane stood back up properly. "Come here for a minute."

"Why don't you go see what your momma wants, huh?" Shane told Carl, the boy began walking to his mother as Shane looked to his daughter. "Don't let me hear you talk like that again."

"I'm right though." Rory mumbled before something popped up in her mind. "Hey, dad?" The man in question looked to her. "Do you have a rifle? Like a... like a brown one with a strap?" The girl asked hesitantly.