By the time Carl and Paul walked back into camp, the sun was up, and everyone was sitting around camp eating breakfast.
They didn't say anything at first as they both headed towards their tents, but Lori, who had been wondering where they had gone, spoke first.
"Where did you boys go so early?"
"Scout the perimeter," Carl said while grabbing his HK from his tent.
"Scouting the perimeter." Dale chuckled, thinking they were joking.
"Get geared up. We've got a problem." Paul said while tucking a few extra mags of ammo into his coat, while everyone watched them get geared, a questioning look on their face.
"What's going on?" Rick asked
"Theirs walkers in the barn." Paul's words were like a bomb dropping as everyone froze and looked at each other.
"Why the hell would someone keep walkers in their barn?" Glenn asked, creeped out at the fact.
Meanwhile, Shane and everyone else were already reaching for a gun just like he had planned.
"Now hold on. Hershel might have a reason, and this is his land, we're just guests here." Rick said while watching everyone grab a gun.
"Perfect, you go ask Hershel for what possible reason he would keep walkers in his barn. Meanwhile, the rest of us will go check it out. Make sure it looks secure." Paul nodded at Rick before he and Carl started walking back to the barn with more than enough ammo to clear it out by themselves, though it started a chain reaction as everyone followed them, gun in hand, except for Rick, who went to go find Hershel.
When they made it to the barn, Shane went and expected it before backing up, he put a hand through his hair while shaking his head.
"We either gotta clear this barn or we just gotta leave. We've been talking about Fort Benning."
No one said anything, partly agreeing.
"I agree, but not with Fort Benning," Paul said, making the others look at him
"Why not?" T-Dog asked
"The CDC was taken down. Do you really think Fort Benning is going to be any better? I say we do our best to find a secure place we can fortify on our own instead of relying on others." Paul said
"But that will take some time to plan, so for right now, I say we clear this barn," Paul said
"I thought we were waiting for Rick?" Andrea asked
"This guy keeps walkers in his barn, do we really want that guy giving us orders on what we can and can't do?" Paul said while taking his pistol out of his coat.
"I agree with the kid. He actually has some fucking balls on him." Daryl said while loading his crossbow.
"I don't know why we've even been debating it." Shane racked his shotgun
"Finally, I thought y'all were going to talk forever." Carl pulled the hammer back on his HK and loaded the chamber.
"Now hold on, guys," Glenn spoke, but Paul was already walking towards the barn
"Stop!" They all turned around to find Rick along with Hershel and his whole family walking towards the barn.
"Hershel's family is in there. He thinks they are sick." Rick said, and Paul saw a few people like Lori and Carol look ready to stop them.
"Rick, if he thinks they're alive, he's crazy!" Shane yelled. He was ready to clear this barn.
Paul looked at Hershel and couldnt tell if he really believed that or if the man just hadn't had the chance to understand the reality of it.
"I should put a bullet in your head. You are a danger to everyone around you if you truly think that these monsters are just sick." Paul said
"This is my farm boy!" Hershel yelled at him.
"So let your daughters get the flesh eaten from their bones, watch them turn with your own eyes. Tell me if they're still sick." Paul said, making Hershel stop where he was.
"I'm doing you a favor," Paul said before aiming his gun at the barn and shooting the lock off.
"No!" Beth screamed in the back, but Maggie held her back while Hershel watched on almost as if he knew it needed to be done.
Paul yanked the barn doors wide open before backing up next to the others.
The walkers who finally saw fresh meat growled and stumbled toward them.
Looking around, he saw almost everyone had their gun ready except for Lori, Carol, Dale, and Andrea, who looked like she wanted to shoot but didn't have a gun since Dale took it.
Paul didn't have to say a word before the first shots were fired.
Bang!
Psst!
The walker bodies dropped while some took a few shots to the body before finally dropping.
The barn had held more walkers than he had thought. If they had somehow gotten out while they were sleeping, it would have spelled disaster for them.
Looking over at Hershel and his family, he saw them on the ground, crying, weeping for family members who had already been dead for months.
Everyone had already accepted the reality, and they were still living in a fairyland, but not anymore.
Looking at Rick, Paul saw that he looked a little uncomfortable while shooting the walkers, but only because Rick himself was changing as he killed each walker.
He was starting to understand that the little pieces of civilization he was trying to hold onto weren't there anymore. He was just like Hershel, living in a dream of his own creation.
Paul looked back at the walkers coming at him and aimed before squeezing the trigger.
Psst!
The last walker fell, its body landing within the pile of others.
The only sound was of Beth's crying as everyone looked at what they had done.
Yeah, they were walkers, but they didn't get any joy from it.
Paul walked over to Hershel, who was on his knees with Maggie holding his shoulder and Beth crying nearby.
Otis, Patricia, and Jimmy weren't looking too good themselves.
"Look at your family. This is your fault, but you can make it right. Teach them how to become survivors." Paul said before watching Hershel leave with his family.
"Let's dig a grave for Annette and Shawn, over by those trees," Lori said
"And we'll need a truck to move the bodies."
"Alright, then let's get to work," Shane said, feeling better now that there wasn't a barn full of walkers right next to their camp.
The others got to work digging a couple of graves and piling walkers onto the truck while Paul and Carl went back to camp and talked about how their plan had gone pretty much as they wanted it to.
While they were at camp, they spotted Rick changing out of his sheriff's uniform and into some Jeans and a more casual shirt.
"Carl, it's yours now." Rick walked over and handed Carl his sheriff's hat.
He was no longer that man anymore, and he could see that Carl was no longer just that little kid whom he had known before getting shot; he was a man now.
"Really?" Carl took the hat and looked at it with sparkling eyes. It wasn't a symbol of a sheriff or of a civilization that used to be for him, no, it was just a symbol of his dad.
"All yours now. You've earned it." Rick nodded
"Thank you." Carl put the hat on and smiled
"It looks better on you anyway. I'm going to go help the others, you two should go check on Sophia, I heard she woke up." Rick said before walking away.
"Sophia's awake! Paul, come on!" Carl ran toward the house
"Alright, alright, hold on," Paul smirked.
No matter how much shit happened, as long Carl was there with him it just all felt a little easier.