Me, Lori and Maggie stayed on the porch for a while until we heard a car approaching.
It was Rick and Shane, and they brought a boy.
"Who's that?" I ask.
"It's Randall, we found him on our way back." Rick replied. They said nothing more and brought him into one of the barns.
"Tell Daryl to come over here immediately!"
Rick told Glenn and Glenn nodded.
After about an hour we all gathered around
the campfire to decide what we're gonna do
with Randall.
"What are we gonna do with him?" Lori asked. "We gonna keep him here?" I ask.
"We'll know soon enough." Rick answered.
Daryl approached us and nodded.
"Boy there's got a gang, 30 men." Daryl said. "They have heavy artillery and they ain't looking to make friends." Daryl announced.
"No one goes near this guy." Rick firmly said. "Rick, what are you gonna do?" Maggie asked. "We have no choice, he's a threat."
Rick answered. "You're just gonna kill him?"
Dale asked. "It's settled, i'll do it today."
Rick sighed.
Dale shook his head. "You can't do this?"
He asked. "You don't wanna do this! I know
you don't!" Dale added.
"I thought about it since we found him.
Knowing what we know now, i don't see
a way out of it." Rick replied.
"But you can't just to decide on your
own to take someone's life!?" Dale said.
"Rick.." Dale pleaded. "There's gotta
be a process." Dale sighed. "He's just a kid!"
Dale yelled. "I'm asking for one day to talk
to everybody." Dale begged.
Rick sighs. "We reconvene at sunset,
then what happens, happens."
Rick raised his brows and walked away.
"Come on, Joo." Daryl says as he guides
me to our tent.
Two hours later Dale approached us.
Daryl scoffed and continued cleaning
his crossbow. "The whole point of me coming
up here is to get away from you people."
Daryl told Dale. "Gonna take more than that." Dale replied. "Carol sent you?" Daryl asked. "Carol's not the only one that's concerned about you." Dale sighed.
"Man, i don't need my head shrunk, this
group's broken." Daryl answered.
"I'm better of fending for myself, and my
sister that's all." He added.
"You act like you don't care." Dale replied.
"Yeah, it's cause i don't." Daryl groaned and stood up.
"So live or die, you don't care what happens to Randall?" Dale asked.
"Nope." Daryl replied.
"What about you, Joo?" Dale turned to me.
"Why don't you guys stand with me? Try to
save that kids life!" Dale asked glancing over
at Me and Daryl back and forth.
"Didn't peg you for a desperate son of a
bitch." Daryl mumbled.
"Daryl!" I hissed at him, and gave him a look. Daryl turned to look and me and nodded. "Sorry." He said. Daryl stood up and started
to walk away.
Dale glanced over at me before he spoke again. "You cared about what happend to Sophia!"
Dale begun. "Cared what it meant to the group." Dale nodded. "Torturing people, that isn't you?" Dale shook his head. "You're a decent man! So is Rick." He raised his hands.
"Shane, he's different."
Dale said as he raised his eyebrows.
"Why's that? 'Cause he killed Otis?"
Daryl asked. "He told you that?" Dale asked as
he got closer to us. "He told a story."
Daryl replied. "Rick ain't stupid, if he didn't figure that out is 'cause he didn't wanna."
Daryl added before he walked away.
Dale sighed and sat down next to me.
"You are with me right?" Dale looked at me
with pleading eyes. I smiled and nodded.
"You just want to do what's best, i agree on both sides. If i had to be honest. But you're right, we can't just kill someone for something he might not even consider doing." I reply.
Dale smiled and patted my shoulder pulling me into a hug. "Thank you, Joo." He chuckled and stood up. "You're a real one." He smiled and pointed at me before he left with a smile on his face. I chuckle softly before i go up and made
my way back to the house for our gathering
later.
Once we're all gathered we start our conversation.
"So, how do we do this? Just take a vote?"
Rick asks. "Does it have to me unanimous?" Andrea asks and glances across the room.
"Well, let's just see where everybody stands." Rick replied and gave us a soft nod.
"Than we can talk trough the options."
Rick sighed.
"Well, where i sit there's only one way to move forward." Shane replied.
"Killing him?!" Dale answered immediately. "Right?" He glared at Shane. "I mean, why even bother to vote? It's clear which way the wind's blows." Dale shook his head disappointingly.
"Well, if people believe we should spare him,
i wanna know." Rick nodded at Dale.
"Well, i can tell you it's a small group."
Dale sighed and looked down.
"Maybe just, me, Glenn and Joo."
He softly added.
Glenn looked down and took a deep breath before he spoke. "Look, i think you're pretty much right about everything.." Glenn sighed
and looked up at Dale. "All the time, but this-.."
"They've got you scared!" Dale cuts him off.
"He's not one of us!" Glenn replied.
"And we've, lost too many people already."
Glenn said.
Dale glanced over at me and sighed.
"What about you? Do you agree with this?"
He asked almost sounding sad.
I sighed and bit my lower lip, not wanting to
hurt Dale in any way.
"Couldn't we just continue keeping him prisoner?" I asked and glanced over at Rick
for his response.
"Just another mouth to feed." Daryl answered from behind Rick.
"Well he could be an asset!" Dale continued. "Give him a chance to prove himself!"
He raised his voice.
"We're not just letting him walk around!"
Rick shushed him down.
"We could put an escort on him?" I suggested. "Who wants to volunteer for that duty?"
Shane rolled his eyes. "I will!" Dale answered.
"I don't think any of us should be waking around with this guy." Rick sighed as he held up his hand. "He's right, i wouldn't feel safe unless he was tied up." Lori answered.
"Look, say we let him join us, right? Maybe he's helpful, maybe he's nice." Shane begun.
"We let our guard down and maybe he runs off, brings back his 30 men." Shane shook his head.
"So the answer is to kill him?" Dale frowned.
"To prevent a crime that he may never even attempt? That's what you said, right Joo?"
He asked me and gave me a nod. "Come on, Joo. Back me up on this." Dale sighed.
"Oh my god." Shane groaned and looked away. "We're literally asking a child to make our decisions now?!" Shane groans.
"Could you drive him further out? Leave him like you planned?" Hershel asked.
"You barely came back the first time."
Lori looked up at both Shane and Rick.
"They're right, we should not put our own people at risk." Glenn nodded in agreement.
"If you, go through with this.. How would you do it?" T-Dog asked.
"We could hang him, right? Just snap his neck." Shane looked at Rick.
Rick nodded and rested his hands on the
back of the couch. "I thought about that, shooting may be more humane." He replied.
"What about the body?" T-Dog asked.
Dale raised his hands and shook his head.
"Hold on! you're talking about this like it's already decided?!" He yelled.
"You've been talking all day, going around in circles." Daryl hissed at him.
"You just wanna go around in circles again?!" Daryl asked.
"This is a young man's life!!" Dale screamed. "And it is worth more than a five-minute conversation!" He shook his head and looked over at us with a pleading expression.
"Is this what it's come to? We kill someone because we can't decide what else to do with him?!" Dale continued.
"How are we any better than those people
that we're so afraid of?" Dale's voice calmed down a bit.
"We all know what needs to be done."
Shane replied and gave Dale a glare.
"No, Dale is right." I answer softly, but it felt
like everyone ignored me but Dale who
gave me a grateful smile.
"Everyone wants the floor before we finally decide?" Rick asked before we all sat down.
Dale looked around hopefully but no one answered."You once said, we don't kill the living." Dale told Rick.
"Well, that was before the living tried to kill us." Rick immidiatly responded. "But don't you see? If we do this, the people that we were, the world that we knew is dead!" Dale said as his voice was shaking.
"And this new world is ugly, it's harsh, it's survival of the fittest." Dale shook his head.
"And that's a world i don't wanna live in and i don't believe any of you do." Dale softly said. "Please." Dale begged as he started to tear up. "Let's just do what's right.." He asked and looked down.
"Isn't there anybody else who's gonna stand with us?" Dale asked softly as he looked over at me and back at the rest. It stayed silent for about 10 seconds until Andrea finally spoke up.
"He's right." She nodded.
"We should try to find another way."
She told Rick. "Anybody else?"
Rick asked. Nobody responded.
Dale sighed as a tear ran down his cheek.
"Y'all gonna watch too?" He scoffed.
"Nah, you all are gonna hide your heads in
the tents and try to forget we're slaughtering
a human being."
He shook his head in disappointment.
"I won't be a party to it.." Dale said as he made his way towards Daryl and nodded.
"This group is broken." He firmly said and walked out of the house.
"We're keeping him in custody for now."
Rick nodded. "I'm gonna find Dale."
I sighed and tried to catch up with him.
"Dale!?" I shout softly.
"Yes?" I hear Dale responding from a distance. "Wait up!" I smiled and made my way
towards him. "They're keeping him alive, for now." I smiled.
Dale chuckled softly and wiped away his tears. "Thank you Joo, for having my back." Dale nodded gratefully and held one of my hands. "I'm really grateful." He laughed softly. "Don't worry about it Dale, they were wrong and they see that now."
I nodded as we kept walking back towards
Dale's RV. "I hope so." He smiled.