Chapter 015

Randall is in fact missing.

The shed that he had been left in, cuffed and bruised to a pulp was now empty. We were all gathered by the shed, confused and worried on how he got out of the cuffs as they were left intact. Dry and fresh blood was covering the cuffs so it is clear that he struggled to get out of them yet somehow succeeded. Placing a hand on my belly as a wave of nausea overcomes me, I back away from the shed in hopes to keep my lunch down.

I don't know if the nausea if from the pregnancy or from the stress of Randall being gone, all I know is I needed to push myself away from this situation at hand. I look around the area, my eyes landing on each and every one of the people in our group. Absentmindedly keeping tallies on who is around and who isn't accounted for, I notice that one person was missing. I feel myself grow cold at the sight of Shane Walsh not being around.

Everyone knows that Shane has wanted Randall dead since the moment Rick decided to bring him back to camp. He has voiced it on multiple occasions, even after Dale's death which hasn't even been a full twenty-four ours yet. Had he helped Randall escape so he could kill them? Or did Randall get the upper hand and kill Shane?

"How long has he been gone?" T-Dog questions as he looks over toward Daryl who had been studying the cuffs. Everyone was left uneasy at the mere thought of Randall having the chance to have escaped. Who knows where he is at know and that is a terrifying thought. "It's hard to say," Daryl answers as he steps out of the shed. "The cuffs are still hooked."

"He must've slipped them." Andrea mutters as she looks at our leader. Rick and Daryl shared a look, possibly questioning if that was even possible. Rick is a sheriff, or was, I'd assume he and Shane knew how to cuff people so it was right enough for no escape attempts. But then again, everyone can make a mistake at something they've done for so long.

"Is that possible?" Lori asks as she looks around, bringing Carl closer to her protectively. Placing a hand on Sophia's shoulder, she moves closer to me as she stares at Rick and Daryl. "If you've got nothing to lose." Hershel answers truthfully, as he looks toward the mother. Lori is scared, hell I don't blame her knowing what we do know about Randall's men.

"The door was secured from the outside." I inform once I gained everyone's attention. How could Randall get out if someone was outside that door at all times, the door itself being padlocked from the outside? There is just no possible way that Randall could have gotten out without being seen. We all looked at each other, fear proving to have shown its ugly face.

Suddenly everyone's head snaps toward the woods, causing me to follow their shocked expressions. Shane Walsh comes storming at us, hollering Rick's name with blood pouring down his face. Sharing a glance with Daryl, almost as if we were questioning the same questions that lingered. What the fuck happened to Shane Walsh and why was he coming from the woods?

"What happened?" "He's armed. He's got my gun!" "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Little bastard just snuck up on me," Shane explains breathlessly after the questions were fired off from Rick and Lori. I spare another look at Daryl with a raised brow, not sure if I should believe the words coming out of this man's mouth. "He clocked me in the face." Shane has wanted Randall dead for a this entire time, so surely this can't be a coincidence.

"All right, Hershel, T-Dog, get everybody back in the house," Rick orders as he points toward the farmhouse. Which they obey as they start gathering everyone else. "Glenn, Daryl, Kat, come with us." Feeling my body wanting to tense up at the mention of my name, I force a nod as I mentally begin to prepare myself. I would rather not put myself and my unborn child at risk, but I need to protect everyone in this group.

"T, Imma need that gun." "Just let him go. That was the plan wasn't it? To let him go?"

"The plan was to cut him loose far away from here, not on our front step with a gun." Rick answers a little harsh as he narrows his eyes at Carol, the woman who asked the question. Nobody was really on good terms with her, rightfully so after what she did to Sophia. But she is still apart of this group, apart of this family that we are creating by surviving and sticking together. "Don't go out there. Y'all know what can happen." Maggie begs as she stares at Glenn worriedly.

"Get everybody back to the house," Rick orders as he looks directly at T-Dog, his mind set on finding Randall and fast. Pushing Sophia toward Lori, we both share a faint nod - protect her, protect yourself. "Lock all of the doors and stay put." Watching as T-Dog and Hershel usher everyone in the direction of the house, I smile softly toward Sophia. She was worried about Daryl and I, that much is clear as she looks at us with fear.

Pulling out my gun, I click the safety off as I follow after Daryl and Glenn who followed Rick and Shane. I didn't like this situation at all, I doubt the others did either. Shane's story seemed obvious that he was lying, but about what? Sticking close to Daryl, I glance over my shoulder to see that everyone was gathering in the house.

><><><><

We had been walking for a bit, aimlessly wondering as Shane lead the way to where he had an encounter with Randall. It hasn't been long since we forced everyone else back into the house, but it has been a solid five minutes since we started this manhunt. Nobody really said a word aside from Rick and Shane, but other than that the rest of us stayed silent. Daryl studied the ground, Glenn surveyed our surroundings and I kept my gaze on Shane.

There is just no way that someone like Randall, who is scrawny and frail could overtake someone like Shane. Especially not with his most recent injury and limp, which definitely gave Shane's the upper hand on whatever went down. "I saw him head up through the trees that way before I blacked out," Shane informs as he points ahead of us, rubbing the bridge of his nose that seemed broken. "I'm not sure how long."

"He couldn't have gone far. He's hobbled, exhausted." "And armed."

"So are we." Rick states as he looks directly at Glenn, who looks a bit fearful of the situation. And I don't exactly blame him for being scared, knowing what we know. "Can you track him?" Looking away from Rick and toward Daryl as he tries to study the ground for tracks, I watch as he shakes his head a bit. "No, I don't see nothing." Daryl answers gruffly.

"Hey, look, there ain't no use in tracking him, okay," Shane says urgently, almost impatiently as if he didn't want to rely on Daryl's skills. Which mine and Daryl's tracking skills can easily help us in this situation. "He went that way. We need to pair up," Watching as Shane points in the direction that we were all headed in. Feeling uneasy with Shane and his words, I shift uncomfortably. "We spread out, we just chase him down. That's it."

"Kid weighs a buck-25 soaking wet," Daryl says as he steps closer to Shane, almost accusing him of lying about the whole thing. Eyeing Daryl, mentally agreeing with the man, I could see the dots beginning to connect. "You trying to tell us that he got the jump on you?" We all could sense the tension beginning to form between the two. Shane never liked being accused of being wrong, and Daryl just never liked Shane.

"I say a rock pretty much evens those odds, wouldn't you?"

"Knock it off," Rick orders as he steps in between the two men. Placing a hand on either of their chest, he pushes them away from one another. "You and Glenn start heading up the right flank. Me, Shane and Kat'll take the left. Remember, Randall is not the only threat out there."

Daryl looks as if he could protest, but with one simple shake of the head from me, he only nods. He places a gentle kiss on my forehead before he turns and motions Glenn to follow him. Almost wishing I'd have protested, I let a sigh leave my lips as I turn to face Rick and Shane, the two seeming to have a stare down. "You two gonna kiss or eye fuck each other all day?" I question as I place myself between them. "Come on, we ain't got all day weirdos."

><><><><

"Snatched your gun, huh?"

"Yeah. It's my favorite piece too," Shane answers Rick as he stops walking, eyeing the man for a moment as if he was questioning the dude himself. He then seems to laugh to himself, causing me to raise a brow. "Gonna wish he'd.... wish he'd killed me when I find his sorry ass." Rick and I share a look, neither of us really believing Rick as we listened to the man. There is just one too many plot holes in his story that just doesn't add up.

"You say he got you with a rock." "That's what I said." "Cause that door was shut when T-Dog rolled up." "I saw that too. Must've slipped through the rafters on the roof."

Beginning to get an uneasy feeling as the two continued their conversation, I begin to look around. We had emerged from the woods to an empty field, surrounded by nothing but trees and a lone fence a good bit away. We were still on Hershel's land, just a bit far from where we all gathered daily. This was closer to the shooting range they made to train everyone.

The sun had set a good ten or so minutes ago, allowing the only source of light to be had was the stars and moon. I look back toward Rick and Shane, my hand hovering over my gun in case of any threats. "So is this where you planned to do it?" Rick suddenly asks as he motions toward the open field just off of Hershel's property. Raising a brow at the man's question, I glance toward Shane who seems to hold hatred in his eyes.

"It's a good place as any."

"At least have the balls to call it what it is - murder," Rick states as he stares at the man who was once his best friend. Piecing together what was happening, my eyes grow wide. Shane's story was a lie, it was just his way of luring Rick out here to kill him and I'm stuck in the crossfire. "You really believe if you walk back to that farm alone.... no me, no Kat and no Randall..."

"I want you to hush up." "You really believe they're gonna buy whatever bullshit story you cook up?"

"That's just it, it ain't no story," Shane states with a scoff as he moves himself away from Rick. Shrugging his shoulders as he glances in my direction, a smirk on his face. "I saw the prisoner shoot you, both of you. Went clean through you and got her, killing you both instantly. I ran after him, snapped his neck,"

"It ain't gonna be easy, but Daryl's forget about you. He did Merle. And Lori and Carl, they'll get over you. They've done it before. They're just gonna have to. And Sophia, she'll just run back to Carol, her actual mother. Kat wasn't even suppose to be here, so her blood will be on your hands, Rick."

"Why? Why now? I thought we worked on this?" Rick asks after Shane's entire speech. Stumbling back a bit as Shane's words sunk in, I could feel the tears beginning to form. I know Daryl didn't forget about Merle and I know he wouldn't forget about me or our unborn baby. But Sophia, she'd have to go back to a mother who doesn't even want her. Feeling a wave of nausea course through me, I place a hand on my belly.

"We tried to kill each other man. What you think," Shane says with a scoff, hatred burning in his eyes as he stares directly at his best friend. Someone he used to be close with, loved with every fiber of his being, what changed? "We just gonna forget about it all? We gonna ride off into the sunset together?"

"You're gonna kill us in cold blood?" Ricks asks as he motions toward me before himself. He didn't seem entirely shocked that this man stabbed him in the back. "Screw my wife? Have my children.... my children.... call you daddy? Is that what you want? That life won't be worth a damn. I know you. You won't be able to live with this."

"What do you know about what I can live with?" Shane snaps as his voice began to raise, the veins in his neck popping as he backs away from Rick. He seems to finally be at his breaking point, one that he isn't going to be able to come back from even if he kills Rick and I. "You got no idea what I can live with, what I do live with! You wanna talk about what I can do, Rick? How about what you can do? Here I am!"

"Come on, man. Raise your gun!"

"No. No, I will not." Rick says rather calmly as he holds his hand up in my direction. Preventing me from stepping forward, because I would definitely shoot Shane dead and he knows this. It's just how I learned to become during my time on the road, during my time in my childhood. "What happened Rick?" Shame begins to taunt.

"I thought you weren't a good guy anymore. Ain't that what you said? Even right here, right now, you ain't gonna fight for 'em? I'm a better father than you, Rick. I'm better for Lori than you, man. It's cause I'm a better man than you, Rick. Cause I can be here and I'll fight for it. You come back here and you just destroy everything! You got a broken woman, a weak boy. And you ain't got a clue on how to fix it. Raise your gun!"

"You're gonna have to kill an unarmed man." Rick states after the long rant from Shane, one that seemed to have been more emotional than anything. This all started back at the Quarry, Shane's deep rooted hatred for Rick who had returned from the dead. Shane was screwing Lori then, parenting Carl and running the camp like he was the leader. That all came crashing down when Rick arrived and became the leader and took his family back.

"Watch my hand. Nice and easy. Easy does it," Rick continues as he slowly lowers his gun, as he begins to walk toward Shane. He is slow about it, keeping his hands up incase Shane made any sudden moves. I raise my gun a bit, ready to pull the trigger if it meant protecting myself and Rick. "Now listen to me, Shane. There is still a way back from this. Nothing has happened here. We're gonna lay down our guns and we're gonna walk back to that farm.... together, the three of us. Back to Lori. Back to Carl. Back to Daryl. Put this all behind us."

Rick acted first, plunging a knife into Shane's chest with ease, tears forming in both of their eyes. In that quick action, Shane's gun went off, sending me back to the ground as pain sears through my right arm. Crying out as my body hits the ground, sending pain through me, I drop my gun in the process. Tilting my head to look at my arm, I notice blood pooling around my arm, the warm liquid coating the grass beneath me.

My arm felt hot as it poured blood, the sight making the pain worse and the nausea to form. Rick suddenly forces his way into my line of sight, turning my head to face him as he looks down at my arm. He quickly pulls Merle's belt from my jeans and begins to tighten it around my arm, causing me to whimper from the pain, black dots beginning to form in my vision. Watching as the man tears a piece of fabric from his shirt with ease, he ties it around my arm to use as a form of gauze.

"Rick." "Shh, it's okay. You're gonna be okay." "Rick, I'm pregnant."

Rick freezes for a moment at the words I painfully signed, shock forming in his ocean blue eyes. He mutters a few words before he tries to help me up, only to freeze once he looks in front of us. Turning my head to follow his gaze, my eyes widen at the sight of Carl standing there - his gun raised toward Rick. "Carl... you should.... you should be with mom." Rick mutters, trying to find the right words to say to his son.

"Just put the gun down, we need to get her to Hershel," Rick attempts to get through to Carl, his right hand raised a bit. His hands were covered in blood, a mix of mine and Shane's but he tried to ignore it. "Just.... just put the gun down. Please.... it's not what it looks like."

My eyes grow wide as Carl raises his gun, narrowing his eyes as it lines up with his father. Watching as the boy pulls the trigger, I clamp my eyes shut awaiting the pressure of Rick to fall on me. When the pressure never came, I force my eyes open to see that Rick is very much alive still. Noticing that he was looking behind him, I force myself to follow his gaze to notice that Shane had moved.

Had he gotten up and tried to attack us? Had he still be alive? What happened?

Rick carefully helps me to my feet, allowing me to use him as balance for a few seconds before Carl joins us. Nodding to let the man know I was fine to walk on my own, despite the pain, I push myself off of him. Stumbling forward a bit, I cradle my right arm as we begin to walk back toward the farm. I didn't pay much attention to their conversation, as I remained focus on keeping my balance.

With the events leading up to this moments, I'm shocked I didn't have a panic attack during the middle of it all. I'm thankful I didn't, but it is very shocking that a stressful situation like that didn't send me into one. I didn't even feel panicked, I just felt ready to defend myself, my baby and Rick. Was this how my mother felt when she placed herself in arms way to prevent my dad from getting to me?

Before I can think anymore into it, Rick gains my attention as he points behind us. Tilting my head to get a look, my eyes widen at the site of the walkers. Not just one or two, but a horde bigger than the one on the highway stumbled behind us. Fear settles into me as Rick grabbed my good hand, while I grabbed Carl's with my injured arm - the three of us beginning to run in the direction of the farm.

God, I hope we make it.

____Word Count: 3,325

Welcome back to all of the new readers and the returning readers! I'm so excited to put this chapter out there for everyone!

It's a bit different in terms of when people are talking in this chapter since it had to do with a lot of ranting. But I wanted to try it out to see if I liked it and if others like it as well. What are your thoughts?

Well, Katherine got shot and told Rick about her pregnancy. How do you think he'll handle not only his wife being pregnant, but also someone else he considers a friend?

Will Rick tell the others? Or will he keep it a secret until Katherine is comfortable enough to tell the others?

I can't wait to bring out the next chapter. But until then, thank you to everyone who silently reads and those who interacts with the story!

Lots of love,Crimson Rose