Bᵤᵣᵢₑd cₒᵣₚₛₑₛ

12𝘭𝘭 𝘋𝘪𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶

"Dale could-- could get under your skin. He sure got under mine, because he wasn't afraid to say exactly what he thought, how he felt. That kind of honesty is rare and brave. Whenever I'd make a decision, I'd look at Dale. He'd be looking back at me with that look he had. We've all seen it one time or another. I couldn't always read him, but he could read us. He saw people for who they were. He knew things about us-- The truth... Who we really are. In the end, he was talking about losing our humanity. He said this group was broken. The best way to honor him is to unbreak it. Set aside our differences and pull together, st feeling sorry for ourselves and take control of our lives... Our safety... ...our future. We're not broken. We're gonna prove him wrong. From now on... We're gonna do it his way. That is how we honor Dale."

~

"It'll be tight, 14 people in one house." Rick spoke as they crowed around the truck. "Don't worry about that. With the swamp hardening, the creek drying up..." Hershel sighed, shaking his head. "With 50 head of cattle on the property, we might as well be ringing a damn dinner bell." Maggie sighed, hands in her back pockets of her mom jean's.  "She's right. We should've moved them in a while ago, Daddy." Nancy added, making Hershel nod in agreement.

"All right, let's move the vehicles near each of the doors facing out toward the road. We'll build a lookout in the windmill, another in the barn loft. That should give us sightlines both sides of the property." Rick directed as
everyone moved around as intruscted, nancy following close behind Daryl. "T-Dog, you take the perimeter around the house. Keep track of everyone coming and going."

"What about standing guard?" He asked Rick. "I need you and Daryl on double duty."

"Gotcha." T-Dog nodded.

Hershel moved a few boxes, carrying them as he turned to speak to Rick.
"I'll stock the basement with food and water, enough that we can all survive there a few days if need be."

What about patrols?" Andrea pressed as Nancy helped Alice and Lori with their things.  "Let's get this area locked down first. After that, Shane'll assign shifts while me and Daryl take Randall offsite and cut him loose." Rick replied to the blonde woman.

"We're back to that now?" Shane scoffed. "It was the right plan first time around. Poor execution." He nods at Shane, hands on his hips.

"That's a slight understatement."

"you don't agree, but this what's happening. Swallow it-- Move on." Rick said to him.  "You know that Dale's death and the prisoner-- that's two separate things, right? You wanna take Daryl as your wingman, be my guest." Shane shrugged, glaring at Rick.

"Thank you." He nods. "You got it."

"I got the kids and Lori's stuff, wanna give me a ride to the house?" Nancy smiled at Daryl as he got his bike. "Ya got two legs." Daryl scoffed and rolled his eyes, Nancy smacked him upside the head and got on the back of his bike. "Stop being mean to me."



Everyone moved around their things inside, trunks and bags of their belongings. "The men are there." Patrica said and pointed to a corner. "You can bring your stuff up to my room." Nancy said to Daryl, making him raise a brow as he was wary of her dad being in the house.

He looked at Nancy and she nodded, taking his bag before leading the way upstairs. Their footsteps echoed on the wooden staircase, and Nancy glanced back at Daryl before pushing open her bedroom door.