It Comes With The Name

Chapter 20: The Monster Within

"Yeah. Where's Dale?" Andrea asked, confused about what exactly was happening.

"He's on his way." Shane muttered, moving to T-dog and holding one of the handguns out.

T-dog took the gun warily. "I thought we couldn't carry."

"We can't." Lauren answered for him.

Shane shook his head in frustration. "We can and we have to, man. It was one thing sitting around picking daisies when we thought this place was supposed to be safe. But now we know it ain't."

He grabbed another shotgun from the bag and looked at Maggie and then at Glenn. "How bout you, man? You gonna protect what's yours?"

Glenn took the gun but looked extremely uncomfortable with the whole situation. Shane then turned to Maggie. "Can you shoot?"

"Can you stop? " She spat back. "You do this, you hand out these guns, and my dad will make you leave tonight. "

"Shane, seriously, stop it. You're only gonna make things worse." Lauren added, sharing a worried look with Maggie.

Carl came down the porch steps where he had been watching the interaction. "Shane, we have to stay."

"We ain't goin' anywhere," Shane said simply, dropping the bag of guns on the ground beside him. "Okay, Hershel, he's just gotta understand. Okay, he- he's just gonna have to. Now we need to find Sophia, am I right?"

Lauren shifted nervously as Shane continued his shpeil. He walked forward, kneeling down in front of Carl and talking softer.

"Now, I want you to take this." He reached into his waistband pulling out one of their spare pythons and held it towards the kid. Carl hesitated. His eyes flicked over to his aunt briefly, remembering what she had said the last time he had taken a gun, before looking at the gun again. "You take it, Carl, and you keep your mother safe. You do whatever you have to do. C'mon now, take the gun and-"

"Are you out of your damn mind?" Lauren chastised Shane before turning to her nephew. "Carl, do not touch that gun."

She moved Carl behind her, placing herself in between him and Shane. Lori did the same, standing beside Lauren and in front of Carl.

"Rick said no guns." She spat. "This is not your call. This is not your decision to make."

Shane's nostrils flared in anger but before he had the chance to respond T-dog interrupted. "Oh shit."

Lauren turned her head to see what he was looking at, and her own jaw nearly dropped at the sight.

"What the fuck?" She breathed out. Emerging from the treeline, she saw Hershel, Jimmy, and Rick. From what it looked like, Herschel and Rick each had a walker on a lead. They struggled to control the creatures as they walked out into the field, heading towards the barn.

Lauren didn't even know what to say. She could and would back her brother up on most of his calls, but this was a whole different ballgame. Going to the CDC? She was with him. Not carrying on Hershel's property? She wasn't exactly with him, but she respected his decision. She even backed him up when he decided to try and talk it out with Hershel instead of clearing the barn themselves, even though she knew Hershel was a hopeless case. But this? Leading walkers around on snare poles like they were rabid dogs? She couldn't defend this.

"What is that?" Shane growled, walking toward the trio. He sped up, his walk quickly turning into a run. "What is that?!"

Lauren, along with everyone else, took off after him. They followed as Shane burst through the gate leading to the long dirt pathway from the house to the barn. Lauren watched her brother as he struggled to control the corpse in front of him.