TAINTED YOUTH
010    loss at its greatest

the group had moved into the farm house. thankfully beth offered immediately for hallie to join her in her bedroom. the two now 'roommates'. it was fun, and although beth had a boyfriend they talked for hours about boys tan their favourite bands.

as the two friends, entered into the living room noticing the group rushing towards the barn.

"i mean prisoner boy is pretty cute, jail house rock and all that" hallie laughed, as beth nodded in agreement. the pair walking towards the barn.

"hey what's going on?" beth asked softly, watching as t-dog whipped his head around to the girls.

"randall's gone"

"what? how?" hallie spoke up, speak of the devil and he shall disappear apparently.

the group was confused, that was until shane appeared from the woods, screaming for rick.

"what happened?!" lori asked concerned, the man's nose was gushing blood.

"dad!" hallie yelled, her father genuinely looked terrifying. there was a look in his eyes, wild. dangerous.

"he's armed! he's got my gun!" shane yelled as he walked towards them.

"are you okay!" carl questioned.

"i'm fine, little bastard just snuck up on me! clocked me right int he face"

looking around hallie rushed to her dad. giving him a tight hug whispering an "i love you" which her father returned.

"alright hershel, t-dog get everyone int he house! glenn, daryl and roman come with us" rick ordered,

"don't go out there!" carol exclaimed, worried for the group's safety.

"you have lee and t-dog. everyone in the house! lock the doors and stay put!" rick spoke before they began to jog into the woods.

the rest of the group ran to the house. hallie quickly diverted to the RV, grabbing the bag of guns they had hidden underneath the seats.

this was gonna be a long night.

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everyone was restless. no one could sit still. hallie was sat in the living room with everyone. funny enough it seemed to be a meeting place.

lee handed her, well more or less threw a can of soda at her aswell as giving one to beth and carl.

"thanks" she nodded towards him, a soft smile present on her face.

looking down it was coke, the last one—whilst carl and beth were handed sprite. she had cleared them out of coke in her short stay. she'd survive off it if she could.

"don't mention it"

"you gonna kill me, huh? what's hallie gonna think, to know her father is a murderer"

"what's taking them so long" hallie asked no one in particular, that was until a gunshot rang out through the farm. shooting up she tan to the door, looking out into the open fields yet failing to see anything.

lee stood by her side, "probably just a walker" he said, as if he was attempting to reassure her yet failing miserably.

and then another. "that ain't just one walker" hallie shook her head, she was terrified in that very moment. terrified of the unknown.

daryl and t-dog ran up the steps. "randall's a walker" 

the four ran into the house. "did you find the walker that but him?" hershel questioned.

"he wasn't bitten. and shane ain't no tracker, they were together" daryl spoke, his eyes darting to hallie.

"what are you saying daryl?"

"please go out and find rick and shane" lori asked, daryl nodded. "you got it"

as the group walked out onto the porch, hundreds of beings stumbled through the fields.

"fuck" lee stated.

"patricia cut the lights, get the guns" hershel stated, looking at his sister.

"what if it's like the herd in the highway? what if we just stay in the house waiting for them to pass" glenn offered attempting to find a solution.

"they'll take the house down" hallie spoke solemnly, already knowing that they had to leave.

suddenly lori rushed back out from the house clearly distressed, "i can't find carl, he was upstairs and now he's gone. i checked the whole house"

"what do you mean you can't find carl?" hallie asked as her eyes widened significantly.

"i ain't leaving without my boy" lori shook her head.

pulling her gun from her waistband, hallie rushed towards the stairs of the porch before hands grabbed her by the waist.

turning around she seen lee, who's grip had moved from her waist to her arm. "we'll find him but don't be stupid and go head first into a tsunami of them things, ay trouble?" lee stated calmly, hallie knew he was right but this was carl. the kid that she'd give her life for, her little brother.

"that kid may aswell be my brother, i'd kill a hundred of them things if it meant he was alive" hallie shook her head.

"we'll find him, play smart not hard"  he smirked, before cupping his hands around his mouth,
"CARL!" lee yelled, his hand then motioned for hallie to do the same.

the two stood there screaming for the boy, hoping for an answer whilst the rest loaded the guns.

"c'mon, the others have the screaming sorted. you shoot?" lee asked, pulling out a gun of his own.

"since i could walk"

hoping over the fence, they removed the safety, shooting at any walker they could reach. the kickback from the gun was a shock at first yet she gradually got used to it.

others were in the cars, drawing the walkers away. "the barns on fire!" hallie yelled over the gun shots.

"they're drawing towards it" lee yelled back, watching as jimmy got in the RV heading towards the barn.

"RICK, CARL?" hallie screamed as she watched a man and a boy climb onto the roof.

then the RV got over run, jimmy was no doubt dead.

as she aimed for another walker that was headed towards the two, her gun clicked and then again.

"i'm out!" she yelled.

"ammo on the porch!"

as she ran to reload the gun, a walker was too close to lee. forgetting the ammo she pulled the knife that had been tucked in her shoe, plunging it into the walkers head. it's hands nearly skimming his back.

"thanks" lee smiled, "don't mention it"

screams overtook their ears as they watched walkers rip apart patricia. lee faltered, watching as his aunt was torn apart.

hallie watched as carl and rick jumped into a car, spreading away from the farm, two other cars trailing them.

"lee where's my dad" hallie spoke, she hadn't seen a glimpse of him since they entered the woods.

"it doesn't matter right now, we need to find a car"  lee shook his head, the walkers kept coming. they weren't stopping.

"i've keys to the range rover in my backpack" 

"get it"

as hallie sprinted to get her bag she dodged walkers. "c'mon!" she yelled to lee, throwing him the keys as she hopped into the vehicle.

the two quickly got off the farm.

"we need to go back." hallie stressed, her adrenaline dropping like a fly. her head becoming clear as she realised her dad could still be in the farm.

"if your dads still alive, if anyones still alive they'll be at the highway" lee spoke nervously, swallowing harshly worried for his family's safety.

hallies lip quivered slightly as a lump rose on the back of her throat. biting down on her bottom lip to stop the shakes, she inhaled deeply. if her dad was dead, she didn't know what she'd do. he was her only remaining blood.

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slowly, the range rover pulled up to the highway. lee manoeuvred through the cars. the group was sat there anxiously, although the car was still moving slowly hallie jumped out running towards lori and carl.

the woman taking the girl into her arms as carl hugged them both. lee ran to his family, he held a sobbing beth in his arms.

"did you see my dad? did he make it off the farm? is he alive?" 

rick looked at the blonde with full regret and sympathy.

"i didn't see him, sweetie" lori looked at the girl, tears of her own brimmed her eyes.

shaking her head she pulled away from her, a shaking breath left her mouth as she looked at carol. the woman smiling sadly, opening her arms to which the girl fell into. all bad blood quickly washed away by sorrow filled tears. t-dog rubbed her back softly, they knew that shane was dead but they couldn't seem to put it into words.

sobs soon broke through the girls mouth, her legs almost giving out from pure exhaustion and pain.

her dad was dead.

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night soon fell, and silent tears ran down hallies face. she didn't want to believe that her father was dead. not one bit, denial seems to be a shitty stage of grief and hallie walsh was deep in it.

she wanted to believe that he was somehow miraculously alive but it wasn't possible.

rick wouldn't look at her, he couldn't. lori and rick had fought earlier too, now she couldn't look at him. seemed to be a funny thing going around. not being able to look at people? it's funny really.

the camp had set up a fire, it was warm.

"we're not safe with him, keeping something like that from us. he's pulling you down" carol whispered to daryl.

"ain't done nothing bad by me"

"you're his henchmen, and i'm a burden" carol sighed.

a branch snapped somewhere in the distance, everyone shot up yet hallie could seem to move from the position on the ground.

"do something" carol said, looking at rick.

"i am doing something" rick spoke, pointing his gun toward the ground. he was frustrated, "i'm keeping this group together, alive! i've been doing that all along" rick paused.

"i didn't ask for this, i killed my bestfriend for you people!" he yelled quietly, hallies head shot up to look at rick.

"you what" she spat, her tears slipping down her face at a faster rate. the group stayed silent, looking at the girl.

"you saw what he was like, how he pushed me. hoe he compromised us, how he threatened us" he began again, looking throughout the group.

"he staged the whole randall thing, killed him jsut ti lead me out there and put a bullet in my back. he gave me no choice. he was my friend but he gave me no choice. my hands are clean!"

"no choice? your friend? he was my father! you killed my dad, why would you do that" hallie yells soon tunred into sobs as romans hand came to her shoulder, yet she pushed him back.

"better you than him, rick" she shook her head, laughing slightly, as she turned to sit on the log. her hands covering her face as she sobbed quietly into them.

lee knew the pain, not the exact pain hallie was going through but he knew what it felt like to loose a parent before their time yet he was never fully alone. he had his sisters and father yet hallie walsh now had no one in the entire earth.

she was alone.

and that was the moment hallie walsh had lost all respect and trust for rick grimes. he was no longer a man she viewed with respect, only true, burning hatred and he would pay for it.

———rin speaks
DOUBEL UPDATE WHO AM I
i cried. my poor poor baby hallie, she deserves sm better than she has and i hope that i can eventually give her happiness.

ACT ONE IS OFFICIALLY FINISHED WOOHOO