It's been around an hour since Lori attempted to plead Shane's case, Daryl had came to try and talk to me but I just needed some time to myself since it was decided that Shane was free to go about his business as long as he stayed away from me, which obviously did not sit well with Daryl.
"Lyla?" Carl's small voice came from behind me making me jump slightly as I stared into the fire pit.
"What's up bud?" I asked patting the space next to me which he quickly took.
"Can you give this back to Daryl please, hell be so mad if he finds out I took it." He said quietly reaching behind him and pulling out a gun.
"What the? When did you take this?" I asked quickly grabbing the gun from his hands and putting it in the waist band of my jeans.
"I took it earlier, I just wanted to practice so I could keep us safe, now you're going to be mad and so is dad, mum and Daryl." He muttered kicking the dirt below his feet.
"Hey." I said putting my arm round his shoulders and pulling him in for a hug. "They won't be mad at you, and I sure as hell aren't, it's good that you wanna help protect the group, maybe just ask first next time, yeah?" I chuckled slightly as he looked up at me with a small smile.
"Okay." He nodded.
"Alright, let's go find dad." I smiled standing up and pulling him up with me.
Just as we reached the house Dale came storming out and walked off into the field, letting me know what the group had decided, Randall was going to be killed. Going into the house it was oddly quiet, everyone seemed to be fiddling with their thumbs as my dad and Shane stood off in the corner talking quietly.
"Lyla, keep an eye on Carl for me." Dad said as he, Shane and Daryl walked past me and out the front door, Daryl keeping his eyes on Shane who smirked at me as he walked past, Jackass.
A few minutes later shouting from outside caught everyone's attention, rushing out we were met with the sight of dad, Daryl and Shane stood arguing and Carl stood a little off to the side.
"Carl?" I said confused. "I thought you were upstairs with Sofia?" I said remembering that I watched him go up the stairs just after dad had left.
"I snuck out the back, you should've done it dad!" He said looking from me to dad who had a helpless look on his face.
"You didn't do it?" Glenn asked coming to the front of the group.
Shaking his head dad sighed before looking over the group. "We'll find another way." He said as he started to walk towards the house before a shrill scream caught all of our attention.
"Where did that come from?" Andrea asked as we all looked around.
"Over that way." Carol said motioning towards the open field, wait.
"Dale! I saw Dale heading that way after he left the house!" I said quickly taking off in a sprint towards the screams everyone quick to follow suit.
"Dale!" I screamed as I saw him lying in the ground with a walker crouched over his stomach both of them covered in blood.
"Lyla wait!" Merle yelled grabbing me before I could make it to Dale, Daryl running ahead and disposing of the Walker.
"No, no, no." I muttered as I dropped down to Dales side, Merle crouching down besides me. "You're gunna be alright, you're gunna be fine Dale." I tried to reassure him as the rest of the group made it over. "Herschel we have to help him!" I begged looking up at the vet who watched with sad eyes as he shook his head.
"He won't make it to the house, I'm so sorry but there's nothing I can do." He said sadly causing Andrea to drop to her knees and sob, the man was like a father to her, he was all she had left after Amy.
I watched as dad pulled out his revolver and pointed it at Dale's head, unable to stop the sobs that escaped as I looked at the pained face of Dale as he took his last breaths. I shut my eyes waiting for the shot but it never came, dad was frozen while looking at Dale, his hands shaking before he shook his head and handed his gun over to Daryl.
"I'm sorry brother." Daryl said sadly before a gunshot sounded covering the screams and sobs as we watched Dale die.
———————
The plan had changed, Randall was now going to be set free after dad vowed to honour Dale's memory by fixing the group. We'd all moved into the Greene home after Dale, Herschel said that it should've happened sooner and with the winter moving in it was the safest option, I was currently checking the perimeter with Merle since Daryl was busy bringing the supplies into the house.
"So Dear Lyla how are things goin' with my lil' brother?" Merle asked as we finished checking the last fence and started to head back to the house.
"Uh, good I think, he's been kinda quiet since Dale died, quieter than normal anyway." I smiled slightly.
"Not yer fault, he takes things personally, he'll get over it." He shrugged making me nod just as we reached the clearing in front of the house.
"Hey! Ya seen 'im?" Daryl's hell caught both our attention as he came rushing down from the barn.
"Seen who?" I asked concerned at the panicked look on his face.
"Randall's gone." He said before running into the house and calling for my dad.
"What's do you mean he's gone?" Dad asked as him, Daryl and the rest of the group came out of the house and looked out across the farm.
"I went to uncuff 'im but he weren't there." Daryl said nodding over to the barn.
"Rick!" A yell came from the forest, Shane appearing from behind the tree line a couple seconds after, limping with a face covered in blood. "He jumped me man, took my gun!" He yelled as he came over to us.
"Alright, Daryl and Glenn head that way, me and Shane will go this way." Dad said pointing at two different directions into the woods. "Everyone else stay in the house!" He yelled before the four of them ran into the trees.
"Anything?" I asked Merle who was sat at the window with Sofia asleep in his lap as he watched the tree line for any movement.
"Nah, nothin'." He shook his head as he sighed and looked down at the sleeping girl in his lap.
"You're really good with her you know, Carol too." I smiled as a small blush appeared on his face. "No way, did I just make a Dixon blush?" I laughed slightly as he narrowed his eyes at me. "I'm serious though, Carol deserves a good man like you after all the shit she had to put up with from the piece of shit Ed." I said seriously patting his shoulder.
"Thank you Dear Lyla." He smiled.
"Carl?!" Lori's cries dragged my attention away from Merle and towards her who was looking around frantically. "Carl?!"
"What's going on?" I asked confused, Carl was just here.
"Carl's gone, I can't find him!" She cried running her hands through her hair. "Oh god, what if he's gone after Rick?" She said, that's exactly what he'd do.
"I'm gunna go find him." I said quickly, running out of the door ignoring the people who were calling me back.
As I ran towards the woods I slowed down slightly checking that I had my knives and the gun I had taken from Carl which I still had to return to Daryl. Running through the tree's there was no sign of Carl or the others until I reached a clearing, Shane was stood with his gun pointed at my dad who was stood with his arms out, no weapon.
"Dad!" I called catching both of their attention as I pulled Daryl's gun out and aimed it at Shane.
"Lyla, turn around and go back to the house!" He yelled looking at me quickly then back at Shane who was looking at me with a smirk on his face.
"Do as daddy says Lyla, I wouldn't wanna disappoint the redneck by killing his bitch." He laughed as he took a step closer keeping his gun trained on dad.
"Come on brother, is doesn't need to end this way." Dad said trying to reason with him, but by the sinister look on his face Shane was done talking.
"I told you Lyla." He chuckled moving the gun so it was now pointed at me, making me freeze slightly. "Remember when we were down the side of the house, I told you that if you yelled I'd put a bullet in your head, and the time has come." He shrugged steadying his hand and getting ready to shoot.
The bang of a gun made me scream and close my eyes, waiting for the pain to come but it never did, opening my eyes I saw Shane lying on the ground with blood pooling out from the hole in his chest, dad stood with his arms dangling by his side, revolver in hand.
"Dad?" Spinning round I saw Carl stood there watching the two of us before his gaze turned cold as he looked behind us, lifting his gun he pointed it at dad.
"Carl? What are you doing put it down!" I called to him flinching when he pulled the trigger, the bullet racing past dad and hitting a some-how reanimated Shane in the head.
"Come on, we gotta go!" Dad yelled as he looked behind me, turning I could see what he was panicked about, a herd was slowly making its way towards us, the gun shot gaining their attention as they wandered for their next meal.
"Run!" I yelled as we took off towards the barn that we could see in the distance.
Racing into the barn me and dad pushed bales of hay and pretty much anything else we could find against the door to keep the walkers out.
"Carl, Lyla climb up top and wait." He said pointing to a ladder before fishing something out of his pocket. "When I say, drop it." He said placing a small object in my hands.
Nodding without hesitation I rushed over to the ladder and ushered Carl up first before following after, as we reached the top I opened my hand to see a metal lighter, dad was pouring gas over the hay.
"Ready?" He called as he stood near the door, after a nod from me he pushed the hay over unblocking the door and quickly rushing over to the ladder. "Now!" He yelled, without a thought I threw the lighter, the gas immediately bursting into flames and burning the corpses.
"Dad! Lyla! Look!" Carl yelled pointing out of the small window that conveniently had a ladder sitting against it.
"What is it?" I asked rushing over to see Dale's RV pulling up below the window with Jimmy in the drivers seat.
"Go, go, go!" Dad yelled as he almost pushed Carl down the ladder and to the RV. "You next." He rushed pushing me towards the ladder.
Just as I landed on the roof besides Carl the RV door gave way and a walker made its way inside, the screams of Jimmy echoing as dad reached through the sun roof stabbing the lone walker through the head.
"Jimmy?" He called as he leant down through the roof slightly.
"They got me man, I'll distract them you guys get back to the house!" Jimmy yelled before he threw himself out of the RV, the walkers surrounding him immediately.
"Let's go!" Dad yelled as he jumped through the hole helping me and Carl down afterwards before speeding towards the house leaving the group of walkers and Jimmy behind.
The house was overrun, no sign of life left behind as dad floored it past the herd and out onto the quiet main road, my mind was still reeling about what had happened back there. With Shane, Carl, dad and Jimmy, the man gave his life so that we could escape and I'll never forget that.
"Where are we going dad?" Carl's voice broke me out of my thoughts as he stood leaning between the two front seats.
"To the highway, that's where they would go." Dad replied with a look I can only describe as determination on his face.
"There's no one here." I said as we pulled up besides the car that me and Sofia stayed in the night we were lost, nobody else in sight. "What do we do now?"
"We wait." He said opening the door and climbing out, me and Carl following suit just as the sound of car engines came from the direction of the farm.
"Mom!" Carl screened as Lori stepped out first rushing over and engulfing her son in her arms, Merle, Carol and Sofia stepping out after her.
The next car consisted of Glenn, Herschel, Maggie, Beth and T-Dog, no Daryl.
"Where's Daryl?" I asked panicked, they can't be gone, not them.
"He went to look for you after Carl had disappeared, I haven't seen him since." Glenn said pulling away from his bro hug with dad.
"What? We have to go back!" I cried looking up at my dad with pleading eyes. "Please, we have to." I said trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall at the thought of losing Daryl.
"Nobody is going back, it's not worth it." Lori said from her place leaning against the RV with Car by her side.
"What?" I asked turning to look at her. "Not worth it? What about all the shit they've done for the group? For you? What exactly have you done? Sat around and waited for someone else to fix things! If anyone should've been left behind it should've been you!" I yelled pointing a finger in her face before I was pulled back and pressed against Merle's chest, him whispering for me to calm down.
"Lyla, I know this is hard but she's right, you saw how bad things were back at the farm, they'll find their way out, I'm sure of it." Dad said putting a hand on my shoulder.
Shaking my head I pulled away from Merle and walked off, pulling my self up I sat on the boot of the last car, watching the horizon and waiting for some kind of sign that he was okay. An hour later and there was still no sign, the sun had almost set leaving the highway in darkness with just enough light to be able to see around you, I was still sat on the same car staring out only seeing the darkness, until a low rumbling sound caught my attention.
"What was that?" Carol asked apparently hearing the same thing that I was.
"Someone should go check it out." Lori said looking pointedly at my dad.
"It's too dangerous, we stay as a group." He said, jumping off the car I walked back towards the group just in time to see him get up and start to pace back and forth.
"Me and Glenn can take a run down there, see what that noise is." T-Dog suggested, tilting my head to the side I could hear the sound only this time it was getting louder, way too quickly for it to be a herd.
"Mom, what's that?" Carl asked pointing behind everyone to the opposite side of the highway where a bright light was coming towards us at speed.
"Get behind me." She muttered as everyone minus her, Carol, Herschel and the kids got their guns out and aimed them at the light.
"Everyone just stay calm and wait for my say so." Dad said quietly keeping his eyes on the unknown vehicle coming towards us.
"Ye gun' shoot me this time?" The familiar southern drawl came as he pulled up in front of the group.
"Daryl." I whispered running towards him as he cut the engine and climbed off, immediately engulfing me into his arms, tucking his head in the gap between my neck and shoulder. "I'm so happy you're okay." I whispered as he squeezed me slightly placing a quick kiss to my exposed skin.
"Everyone okay?" He asked pulling away and pulling his brother in for a bro hug before moving on to my dad.
"We lost Jimmy, he was bit and distracted the walkers so we could live." I said smiling sadly as his screams echoed through my mind.
"Patricia's gone." Beth said quietly, "They took her right from me daddy." She cried turning into Herschel and he tried to soothe her.
"What about Andrea?" I asked noticing the blonde was nowhere to be seen. "Did anyone see her?"
"I saw her just before we got into the car, she killed a walker that nearly got me." Carol said thinking back. "I didn't see her after that."
"What do we do now?" Lori asked moving everyone's attention to dad.
"We make a camp for tonight and we'll make a plan in the morning." He decided nodding his head to himself.
"We can't just sleep out here!" "What if another herd comes?" "We aren't safe!" Multiple complaints were heard as everyone panicked.
"Hey!" Dad yelled gaining everyone's attention. "I've done everything I can to keep this group safe! I killed my best friend! So if you wanna leave fine, go! If you stay, this isn't a democracy anymore!" He stayed firmly, everyone quietening down as they saw how serious he was.
"What do you mean you killed Shane?" Lori broke the silence as she looked at her husband in disbelief, only for him to shake his head at her and look to the ground.
"He had no choice." I said bringing the attention to myself. "Shane was gunna kill us both, he deserved it." I told her without a doubt in my voice.
"And why would he do something like that? That's not the man he is." Lori asked, still thinking the best of him.
"Not the man he is? He was going to kill dad because he wanted you to himself! He had real big ideas about you, him and Carl playing happy families, not to mention the baby!" I yelled feeling slight satisfaction as she looked to the ground. "When he had me pinned against the side of the house he told me that if I made a noise he'd shoot me, and he was gunna do it if it wasn't for dad. So before you start with the whole 'Shane was a saint' thing make sure you know the entire situation." I told her, jumping when I felt a hand on the small of my back, looking to the side to see it was Daryl looking down at me with a small, proud smile.
"Found the kid in the woods, he was walker but he weren't bit." Daryl said looking over to my dad who didn't look as surprised as I was right now, wait, Shane came back as a walker but he was shot.
"The same thing happened to Shane, how is that possible?" I asked confused receiving weird looks from the group.
"We all have it." Dad said breaking the silence. A chorus of 'what' and 'how' erupting. "Back at the CDC Jenner told me that we all carry the disease, it doesn't matter how you die, unless the brain is dead you'll come back." He said quietly avoiding eye contact.
"And ya knew? All this time and ya didn't tell no one?" Merle asked sounding rather pissed off as he looked down at Carol and Sofia who were stood slightly behind him.
"Hey! He did what he had to do, leave it!" I told him fed up with people blaming everything on dad, he's trying his best.
"Let's jus' set up camp, figure the rest out in the mornin'." Daryl grumbled grabbing a bag of his bike and walking into the woods.