Mine By Choice A Daryl Dixon Fatherhood story. TWD

S.2E.7 The Living And The Dead.

*Carl's Pov*
Mom is helping me with my homework. I wasn't allowed to go to the barn with the others. but I heard some of the yelling and Shane didn't come back so I think it went badly. "Does Shane think Sofia, Dylan and Rory are dead?" I ask already knowing the answer. "Shane's just scared," Mom says thinking through her awncer as she says it. "Of the walkers in the barn?" I ask. "Yeah."
After a pause, I say "Mom I'm not leaving until we find Sofia, Rory and Dylan. And I don't want to go even after that," I say. "Well we're not leaving, Carl," Mom assures me. "You finnish those problems."
I can't help but smile thinking about teaching these to Sofi and Dylan when they get back. "I just think they.... they're going to like it here. This place it could be a home," I say giving a small smile to my mom. Mom pulls me into a tight hug kissing my head and ruffling my hair.
We work on problems for a little more before Mom goes to make some food. She tells me I can go play for a bit. I want to help find them but I know dad won't let me. I want to help in some way but I don't know how then I remember the highway. Dylan wanted a car seat and bear for Rory. I don't know how to get a car seat but a bear I might be able to do. I saw Beath sowing a hole in her dad's pants yesterday so I went to talk to her. I went to find her but I found Glenn and Meggie instead. Glenn was covered in egg yokes so I was confused but when Meggie chuckles at his face when he see me I think it's best to ignore it. Grown-ups are weird. "Um Meggie," I say. "Yes," she says still smiling. "Do you know where Beath is?" I ask. "Yeah I do actually she was in her room reading some romance novel. Why what's up?" She replies. "Well I want to help but I don't know what to do since I'm not allowed to do anything. But I know Dylan was looking for a car seat and a bear for Rory so I was hoping Beath could help me make one," I say grabbing the side of my pants. "I'm sure Beath can help with the bear and for the car seat I think we have one in the loft," she smiles and ruffles my hair. "YOU HAVE A CAR SEAT!" I say excitedly. "Yeah I can grab it for you we aren't gonna use it." She laughed at me. "Thanks, Meggie I'm going to go find Beth," I say. Running to go find Beth I can hear both Glenn and Meggie laughing at me.
I run into the house and see Dad and Hershel looking at me. "Carl I can talk to you later bud can you wait for me with Mom please?" I looked at him confused. "I'm not there to see you. Meggie said Beth is upstairs can I go see her please?" I bag hoping he won't send me to Mom in the middle of my mission. Dad looked at Hershel who just shrugged and said "Her room is the first door on your right." "Thanks, Dad Thank you, Mr.Greene!" I say running up the stairs to Beth's room and knock on the door. "Come in," Beth shouts from the other side. "Oh hey Carl what's up?" She says after I open the door putting down her book. "Can you help me make a Teddy Bear please I want Dylan wanted one for Rory and I want to give it to her when we find them," I say happily. Beth's face brakes out I a huge smile. "Yes, I can totally teach you how to make one! It sounds like fun!"I watch as Beath opens her closet to reveal a whole sowing set-up. "Where do you put your cloths?" I ask in shock. She just laughed and set everything up.
Some time later my me and Beth's dad's came up.
"Carl you've been up here a while are you okay?" I hear my dad ask as Hershel opens the door. Me and Beth were sitting at her sewing desk. I was still working on my bear it was soft and baby blue. Beth finished hers already and sat the light green bear on the table before starting to make dress for Sofi and Dylan. She said she had baby onezes for Rory in the attic. From when she babysat. Just as Beth helped me finish my bear we heard Shane yelling when we got down everyone had a gun and Shane was running at my dad, Hershel and Jimmy. Who I think have walkers on sticks?
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" Shane yelled as he reached my dad. "Shane, just back off ," Dad yelled back. "Why do your people have guns?" Hershel asked when me and Beth caught up. She started yelling again "ARE YOU KIDDING ME DO YOU SEE WHAT THEY ARE HOLDING ON TO?" "I see who I'm holding on to." Hershel shouts back. "NO MAN, NO YOU DON'T," Shane yells as he circled them. "Shane just let us do this then we can talk," Dad said. "WHAT 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 THEY DO THEY KILL! THESE THINGS RIGHT HERE, THEY'RE THIE THINGS THST KILLED AMY. THEY KILLED OTIS. THEY'RE GONNA KILL ALL OF US. THEY'RE GONNA KILL ALL OF US!" Shane yells scaring me and Beth. "Shane, Shut up!" Dad yells. "Hey Hershel let me ask you something could a living breathing person, could they walk away from this?" Shane asks rhetorically. "NO!" Yells Dad. "STOP IT!" Dad yells again. Shane fires off three shots. "THAT'S THREE ROUNDS IN THE CHEST. COULD SOMEONE WHO'S ALIVE, COULD THEY JUST TAKE THAT? WHY IS HE STILL COMMING? THATS ITS HEART ITS LUNGS. Whys it still coming?" Shane yells firing again. "SHANE ENOUGH!" Dad yells. "Yeah, your right man. That is enough," Shane says walking up the to walker and shouting it in the head. He then went the barn. "ENOUGH RISKING OUR LIVES FOR SOME LITTLE KIDS WHO ARE GONE! ENOUGH LIVING NEXT TO A BARN FULL OF THINGS THAT ARE TRYING TO KILL US. ENOUGH, RICK IT AINT LIKE IT WAS BEFORE! NOW IF YA'LL WANT TO LIVE IF YOU WANT TO SURVIVE, YOU GOT TO FIGHT FOR IT. I'M TALKING ABOUT FIGHTING RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW," Shane yells running to the barn and trying to brake open the lock. "Take the snare pole, Hershel Hershel take the snare pole. Hershel listen to me man  please. Take it now! Hershel! TAKE IT!" Dad yells Hershel. I am scared holding on to Beth's hand, if dad was so worried about what Shane was going to do why didn't he tell us tell Mom tell me? "NO  SHANE DO NOT DO THIS BROTHER WAIT!" Dad yells at Shane braking open the barn. Everyone yells at Shane to stop and my mother runs over pussing me and by association Beth behind her. I can't see anything because I'm crouched over hugging Beth and covering our eyes. All we hear is gun shots and walkers. I listen to Beth cry, and people yelling. Until adventaly the gunshots stop.
I look over to the barn hugging Beth waiting for something else.

Then I hear someone yelling mine Daryl and Carol's name from the woods. We look over and see Dylan holding a duffle bag and Sofi holding Rory running towards us. Me and the others run to them. Leaving Hershel his family and Shane behind me and Carol got there first just as Sofi passed Rory to Dylan. Sofia hugged her mom both of them falling to the ground crying. Dylan hugged me squeezing Rory between us. I cried as we sat next to Sofi and her mom.
"Why are you crying?" Dylan said wiping the tears from my face. "We are going to be fine remember die old peacefully in our sleep," she laughed lightly again as she hugged me.