|discontinued| Stars Will Fall, twd

little sophia.

T-dog was also given one, "Thought we couldn't carry" he examined the weapon, grinning as he ran his hand along the side.

"Yeah well, we can and we have to. Look, it was one thing sitting around here picking daisies when we thought this place was supposed to be safe. But now we know it ain't"

Shane started telling them what was going to happen. And if Hershel didn't want them killing the walkers infesting the barn, well he would just have to deal with it. Lori must have overheard because she came out to argue, Leo slumped against the the side of the porch, waiting for his time to prove himself to Shane. He could kill a stupid walker.

Le was squinting against the sun, with his arms crossed over his chest at the two still argued. He heard someone mutter an 'Oh, shit' from beside him.

Everyone looked over to where T-dog's eyes were trained on many distances figures emerging from the treesZ Jimmy was leading Rick and Hershel out of the woods, both of them had walkers on a leash.

Shane immediately ran over, the others running after him with their guns, ready to shoot, "What the hell you doing?" Shane spat with a harsh expression.

"Shane, just back off" Rick warned, straining to keep the walkers from getting to him.

"Why do your people have guns?" Hershel demanded loudly, also fighting to keep the walker further than arms length.

"Are you kidding me?" Shane shouted, "You see- You see what they're holding onto?"

"I see who I'm holding onto" Hershel argued

"Shane just let us do this and then we can talk"

Shane was pacing about angrily, "What do you want to talk about, Rick? These things ain't sick. They're not people. They're dead! Ain't gonna feel nothing for them cause all the do, they kill! These things right here, they're the things that killed Amy. They killed Otis. They're gonna kill all of us, unless we do something"

"Shane, shut up-"

"Hey, Hershel man, let me ask you something. Could a living breathing person, could they walk away from this?" he pulled out his gun and shot the geek Hershel was holding three times, pounding right through its chest, "That's three rounds in the chest. Could someone who's alive, could they just take that? Why is it still coming?" he shot it twice more, "That's it's heart, it's lungs. Why is it still coming?" more gunshots rang through as Shane kept shooting the geek to prove his point. There was no saving them.

A strange expression dawned on Hershel's face- realisation maybe. Like he didn't ever realise just how bad this whole this was. Leo guessed that was probably right- I mean, the family had been stuck away on this nice isolated little island. They hadn't seen the city. They hadn't seen all the devastation the other had. Maybe Hershel hadn't actually ever seen a walker take that many hits without death.

Leo cast his eyes away from the older man back to the others when Rick shouted over Shane, "That's enough!"

"Yeah, you're right man. That is enough" Shane walked up and shot the walker in the head. Hershel fell down to the floor with the geek, everyone looking on his shock.

"Enough risking our lives for a little girl who's gone!" Shane exploded again, "Enough living next to a barn full of things that are trying to kill us! Enough! Rick, it ain't like it was before. Now if y'all wanna live, if you want to survive, you gotta fight for it! I'm talking about fighting right here, right now" he marched off to unlock the door.

Rick kept yelling to Hershel to take a hold of the geek he was still trying to keep at bay, but the man sat still, his expression empty- so Rick tried convincing Shane not to do it. To leave it closed for now. But Shane didn't listen, as normal, and continued to pry open the large doors.

When the door finally opened Leo stepped further forward, in line with Shane and the others, so he could get a better shot at the walkers that started spilling out. They killed all of them... then it was quiet.

Another small growl was heard from behind the doors, Leo readied his weapon again. The teen instantly lowered it at the distantly familiar face that stepped out, he heard Carol sobbing from behind him and she started to run over, "Sophia! Sophia!" Leo turned around and caught her in his arms, preventing her from running to the girl, "Oh no, Sophia... Sophia"

Carol broke down in his arms as he held her close in a firm hold. Daryl was standing behind them, watching with shame as the little girl growled and stumbled around.

Rick stepped up and pointed his gun to her head, killing her. Leo flinched at the noise but quickly tightened his arms around Carol as her sobs got louder, "Come on, don't look. Don't look" he instructed and pulled her up to her feel, Daryl helping him but Carol pushed them both away and ran back to her tent.

☆彡💫----🪐ミ☆

Lori came to get Leo from his tent, she tapped the side and started to unzip it so Leo turned to face the opening, shutting his regretful thoughts from his head, "Hey" the woman greeted softly, Leo giving a small nod, "You doing okay"

"Mhm..." he gave a nod, trying to convince himself, "Y-yeah... I'll be fine" Lori nodded then told him that they were all gathering to bury the walkers from the barn.

The two walked over, Leo standing at the bottom of Sophia's grave. Everyone left once their makeshift service was over. But Leo stayed standing with his head bowed, he sniffled then looked to the woods, he took a glance back before walking over.

It had felt liked he'd been walking for at least a hour, enjoying the few birds chirping from the trees. The sun leaking through the tall trees felt nice on his skin. Leo didn't really have a certain place or direction I. Mind, just going where ever his feet took him as he looked around him; mostly at the plants and flowers his feet brushed past. The teen came to a stop at a familiar patch of pink flowers, a smile softened his features as he bent down to pick a few of them in a bunch.

Leo walked back over to Sophia's gave, twirling the flowers between his fingertips. The teen looked up when he heard a sniffle- Carol was sitting at the gave, "Hi" he greeted making her look over at him, "I didn't see you at the funeral"

"No, I... I couldn't go. She's not my Sophia but... I still wanted to say goodbye"

The boy nodded in response and crouched down next to the headstone and stuck the flowers into the dirt, "They're pretty" Leo smiled over at Carol.

"Yeah, they're cosmos"

Carol chuckled lightly, "What's it with you, Daryl and flowers? Do these have a story too?"

Leo smiled at her, "He told you about the Cherokee rose, huh? Well, not a story... these flowers; the pink ones, they represent love- motherly love..." he noticed her slight confusion, "I- when I was with Sophia in the woods, we found them and I- I gave her some, to make her feel like she was still with you... I don't know I was kind of dumb but-"

Carol set her hand on top of his, cutting him from his rambling, "That's nice. You know, I never thanked you properly for staying with her... It really means a lot"

Leo shook his head, "It wasn't much, I should've- if I got rid of those walkers earlier or- or looked for her just a little longer, she would still be here. Alive. With you... I'm sorry, that I couldn't save her" he didn't want her to try and brush it off, he didn't need more reassurances. He could have done better. Should have done better.

With a large sigh a another glance over at her grave, Leo pushed himself up and walked away.

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