THE GROUP, INCLUDING THE GREENES, WERE GATHERED AROUND THE FRESHLY DUG GRAVE,
Vivian clutched Liam to her side, still covered in dirt from the night before. The temperature had dropped considerably, but the cold didn't bother her at that moment. All she could focus on was the body that was buried in the hole she dug, and the heartache and disappointment she felt.
"Dale could... could get under your skin." Rick spoke at the makeshift funeral they were having for the old man, "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." Rick glanced around at everyone and he paused when he made eye contact with Vivian, "I couldn't always read him, but he could read us." He stated, not breaking the gaze they were holding, "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." She moved her gaze to Liam after he began getting fussy, "He said this group was broken. The best way to honor him is to unbreak it. Set aside our differences and pull together, stop 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."
The group broke up after Rick's inspiring words. Marcie went with T-Dog, Andrea, Shane, and Daryl to inspect the fences, making sure they were strong and holding up.
"You okay?" Daryl asked as they sat in the back of the pick up, an arm wrapped around her waist to keep her steady,
Marcie nodded, giving him a small smile, "Mhmm."
They came across a group of walkers feeding off a cow, and Shane quickly put the truck in park. Marcie grabbed the hatchet that was laying on the truck bed and slid out. The five of them approached the biters and everyone took on their own.
Marcie stared at the female walker that reached for her. Once it was close, she kicked the leg of the biter, knocking it to the ground. Raising the hatchet, Marcie brought it down on the biter's head.
Daryl watched as she delivered multiple blows to the corpse, even after the walker went still. After its' brains were splattered amongst the weeds.
He walked over and placed his hand on her back. Marcie lowered the weapon, panting heavily. She glanced back at Daryl before walking back over to the truck, waiting for the others.
T-Dog went up to Daryl, "She good?"
"Nah. Don't think so."
Once the truck pulled up back at the camp, Hershel, Maggie, and Rick approached the vehicle,
"It'll be tight, seventeen people in one house." Rick commented,
"Don't worry about that." Hershel replied, "With the swamp hardening, the creek drying up..."
"With 50 head of cattle on the property, we might as well be ringing a damn dinner bell." Maggie finished for him,
Hershel nodded, "She's right. We should've moved you in a while ago."
"All right, let's move the vehicles near each of the doors facing out toward the road." Rick ordered, "We'll build a lookout in the windmill, another in the barn loft. That should give us sightlines both sides of the property." He turned to T-Dog, "You take the perimeter around the house. Keep track of everyone coming and going."
"What about standing guard?" He asked,
"I need you and Daryl on double duty." Rick answered,
"Gotcha."
"I'll stock the basement with food and water, enough that we can all survive there a few days if need be." Hershel informed the sheriff,
"What about patrols?" Marcie asked,
"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 informed her,
"We're back to that now?" Shane asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets,
"It was the right plan first time around." Rick glanced over at Vivian, who was packing up her tent, "Poor execution."
"That's a slight understatement." Shane spat bitterly,
Rick stepped closer to him, "You don't agree, but this what's happening. Swallow it. Move on."
"You know that Dale's death and the prisoner, that's two separate things, right?" Shane shrugged, "You wanna take Daryl as your wingman, be my guest."
"Thank you." Rick said before walking away,
"You got it."
Marcie glanced between the two before rolling her eyes and walking away. She went to grab her bag and began walking towards the farmhouse,
"I see why you're not taking Shane with you." Hershel told Rick as they walked behind her, "Just know I've got no more patience where he's concerned."
Marcie didn't blame him. She's actually surprised that Shane hasn't been kicked off the farm by now.
"He's turning over a new leaf." Rick stated before calling out her name, "Marcie!"
She paused and turned to look at the two men, "I was not eavesdropping."
"When I'm out with Daryl, help Hershel keep an eye on things around here." Rick asked,
"Me?"
"Shane's got a way of letting things get out of hand, especially when he's all torqued up." He replied,
"I think we're all a bit torqued up at this point." She sighed, adjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder,
After the events of yesterday, everyone was on edge. No one wanted to be caught alone, worried walkers would jump on them.
"If you're staying here permanently, he's got to understand that it's what Rick and I say, not whatever he wants." Hershel stated,
"Yeah, well, he's got a thick head. Might take a while to get him to understand." She commented,
Rick shrugged, "He's getting there. He's not a bad guy. He's just his own worst enemy."
"So... you want me to babysit Shane?" Marcie questioned, pausing to look at Rick,
"I need to make sure every time I leave the farm all hell doesn't break loose." He replied,
"Then maybe the better solution is you should stop leaving." She responded before continuing towards the house,
"Will you keep an eye on things?" Rick asked loudly as she walked away,
"Of course!" She called back before sighing and entering the house,
"Women are in the living room, men in the dining." Lori told her as the younger girl stood awkwardly in the doorway,
She nodded before setting her bag down by the window, "Cozy." She mumbled, glancing at all the bags that laid on the ground, which people used to claim their spots.
Vivian walked in, setting Liam on the chair before turning to Marcie, "Watch him for a moment?"
"Sure."
"Thanks." She sighed, squeezing Marcie's arm before rushing back outside.
Marcie smirked before approaching the toddler, "Hey, buddy, wanna play?"
"Yeah!"
The two sat on the floor, playing with Liam's toy cars while Vivian was grabbing their bags and packing up.
Daryl walked into the room and stared at Marcie and Liam before approaching her, "Where's yer stuff?"
She pointed to her bag by the window and he moved to put his own pack down. Marcie stared at him in confusion as he stood up and faced her, "Wha?"
"I just thought... since we weren't in the tent anymore you'd want your own space." Marcie answered,
"Ain't any space to have in this house. Might as well share with you." He bit at his thumb nail, "'M headin' out with Rick in a bit."
"Stay safe." He gave her one last nod before heading out the door.
Vivian was shoving her tent in her bag when she heard someone come to a stop next to her, "Vivian?"
She looked up to see Carl standing there, a guilty look on his face, "What's up, Carl?"
"I just needed to talk to someone that's not my parents." Carl grumbled, kicking a rock under his boot,
"What do you want to talk about?" Vivian asked, standing with her hands on her hips,
He sniffled, wiping his nose on his sleeve and hiding his face with the rim of the hat, "Dale... he died and it's all my fault."
She stared down at him for a moment, racking her brain to understand what he just said, "What do you mean?"
"The walker that attacked him, I saw it in the woods. I was gonna kill it, but it got loose and came after me. I was scared, so I ran away. And I didn't want to get in trouble so I didn't tell anyone. Then the walker killed Dale." Carl whimpered, "If I would've killed it, it would have never came to the farm. It's all my fault."
"Oh, hey, Carl," Vivian wrapped her arms around him, "That's not your fault, okay-"
"But it is." He cried into her shirt, "I was too scared to take care of it myself."
"Carl, look at me," Vivian pulled away and cupped the boy's face in her hands, "I blame myself for Dale's death, too."
"Why?" Carl sniffed, "What did you do?"
"Because I let him go out for a walk alone in the dark. I should've gone with him, but I didn't and he died. If I would've gone with him, I could've helped him. But, I know I can't change anything now, all I can do is learn from the experience. And you need to do that, too. Like you said, you're not a kid anymore, I'm not gonna treat you like one. Own up to it, and learn."
Carl looked up at her with his father's blue eyes, "Can I still have a hug?"
"Sure, bud." Vivian smiled and wrapped her arms around him once again,
Once he pulled away, he wiped his tears, "I'm gonna go take watch. Start doing the adult chores."
She gave him a smile, "If that keeps you out of trouble." She watched him until he made it to the barn before continuing packing up.
Vivian grabbed her backpack and Liam's diaper bag before glancing towards the house to see Rick and Shane speaking to each other, and Rick didn't look happy.
She was glad he was being firm, sticking to his beliefs. He's not letting anyone step over him. It was almost too late for that.
Rick must've sensed her stare as he met her gaze. He said something to Shane before walking down the steps towards her, "Hey."
She gave him a small smile, "Hi."
"You seen Carl? He's not inside with the others." He asked as he stopped a few feet away from her,
She nodded towards the barn, "Try over there. Said he wanted to keep watch over the farm."
"You let him go by himself?" Rick raised an eyebrow,
"I made sure he got there unharmed." She defended before heading up the steps and into the house,
Vivian smiled at Marcie and Liam as they played on the floor, "Thanks." She sighed as she set their bags down by the chair,
"No problem." Marcie stood, "You know, he's not all that fussy."
"I know. I got lucky I got stuck with the angel baby." Vivian joked before they heard yelling outside.
Marcie and Vivian glanced at each other before the older woman grabbed Liam and they headed outside, "What's going on?"
"Randall's gone."