HEART FOR BRAINS • the walking dead

011: let the truth come out

"Carl, why would you say that, man? He got bit by a Walker."

"We saw the Walker." Rio interrupted.

"I was gonna shoot it." Carl continued. Shane bit his lip and turned his head away. It was hard to read him. Carl scuffed his boots in the dirt. "It was stuck in the mud. I was... I was throwing rocks at it and stuff. But I was gonna do it... shoot it right in the head, and it... it got free, came after me and..."

"Where do you come into this then?" Shane asked, turning to face Rio.

"I was there too, I helped him get away... we ran away. I had the chance to kill it but I couldn't. If I killed it Dale would still be here."

"I want you to stop that, okay? This ain't your fault, you can't afford to think like that here." Shane paused, picking Daryl's gun back up off the car boot and handing it out to Carl. "You need to hold onto this. You need to protect yourself."

Carl inched away from the man and shook his head slightly, Rio barely noticed it.

"As long as I'm around you, nothings gonna happen to you, Carl. But I can't keep my eyes on you 24/7. Only you can do that. Carl take it."

"I'm never touching another gun again." He shook his head more obviously this time, his face breaking into a frown.

"That ain't an option Carl! Okay?"

"Just give it back to Daryl." Carl stormed off quickly, leaving Rio with Shane. He didn't know wether to follow him or not, it seemed that all he did was follow people.

"Kid," Shane sighed, "take it."

"I'm not a good shot." Rio tried to argue.

"Take it. You can practice." He shoved the gun into his hand, pouring the emptied ammunition into his palm as well. "If he's not gonna defend himself, someone gotta do it for him."

Rio stared down at the gun in his hand. He poured the ammunition into his jean pocket and just stared. Shane had continued working when Rio looked up, no longer interested in the boy. Rio wanted to question the man, question why he thought he could protect Carl. Shane made a 'shoo' gesture and Rio left. He didn't want to stay any longer than he needed.

He found Carl in the house. He walked over, the gun in his pocket seemed to weigh as much as the boxes everyone carried. He sat down next to the boy in the corner of the room, hoping no one would comment on their lack of help to moving everything.

"It's not your fault." Carl said, "If I didn't... didn't tease it, it wouldn't have gotten free."

"But I could've killed it, I had the chance when I saved you."

"No you didn't, you had no weapon, the gun was on the floor."

"I don't need a weapon. I killed one with Daryl, I knocked it over and stamped on its head. I... I could've done it again for you. For Dale."

"It's not your fault." Carl muttered again.

"And it's not yours."

Carl just looked up at him, there wasn't that much between them but Carl had slouched against the wall.

"You didn't know." Rio whispered.

Carl gave him a smile, a small one but it was a smile nonetheless.

"Are we gonna help now?"

"Nah." Rio replied smirking, Carl laughed at him dropping his head onto Rio's shoulder.

"I've gotta... I've gotta go find Daryl. I won't tell him. I'll say I took it."