Y/N was sat on the back porch of the Greene house, so furious his hands were shaking. Beth was sat next to him, her arms wrapped around one of his as he glared up at the rest of the group in front of him- Hershel, Rick, Daryl, Shane, Maggie and Glenn- the rest not being in earshot of Rick and Y/N's initial argument.

"You've had one of them here the whole time?" Y/N snapped again in disbelief. Rick sighed and nodded, attempting to explain.

"Yeah. His name's Randall, as you've probably guessed. He was left behind the night I killed those members of his group in the bar, impaled on a fence. We brought him back here, fixed him best we could. We were releasing him, when you came up to us, had to bring him back, it turned out he knows Maggie. Went to school with her."

Rick's words had no impact on calming Y/N, his glare still tearing a hole through the former police officer.

"I was the one who made everyone not tell you son, me. If you want to be mad at anyone be mad at me. I just, I didn't want you feeling this, son. This anger, this trauma. That's why I told everyone to keep it from you. I wanted you to feel safe here, to try and heal" Hershel said to Y/N in a genuine and impassioned tone.

Y/N looked over at the man who had saved his life, who had opened his home to him, and sighed. He couldn't be angry at Hershel. He didn't agree, at all, but the man had done so much for him without asking anything in return. Y/N's mum had raised him to believe that no mistake was unforgivable if it came from a place of love. The anger dissipated somewhat from Y/N as his eyes softened at the Greene patriarch before he looked back at Rick:

"So what was this Randall thing, Rick? His execution?" he asked.

Rick sighed, the rage reappearing on Y/N's face at his words:

"After what happened with you on the road... we had planned that, Dale was against it. I was going to that night, but Carl followed us out to the barn, wanted to watch while I... after what happened to Dale I thought it would be better if Daryl and I took Randall out twenty miles with a days worth of food and left him."

Y/N shot up on his feet enraged, roaring at Rick:

"You're fucking what? You know what they did, and you're just gonna let him go!?!"

Rick held his hands up:

"This kid is scared of his own shadow, his leg is now permanently disabled, I doubt he'll make it more than-"

"And if it was fucking Lori? Huh? If you were tied up force to watch-"

Y/N's voice trailed off as his hand was grabbed. He looked down at Beth next to him. She held his hand, no fear on her face, but she motioned with her head towards Carl, Sophia and Carol who had came round the corner, the kids looking afraid of Y/N's anger. He closed his eyes and composed himself before looking back over at Rick.

"Get the kids inside and bring this Randall prick out here."

"Now son-" Hershel spoke with his hands raising but was quickly cut off by Y/N:

"Bring him out here. If he's not one of the ones who hurt Cass... fine... but if he is, he's not leaving the farm alive."

A smile crossed Shane's face as Rick and Hershel exchanged a silent glance and Rick nodded.

"Alright."

He turned to Daryl.

"T-Dog's on watch, can you and him bring Randall over?"

Daryl looked apprehensively between Y/N, Rick and Hershel but nodded, turning and heading off towards the chicken coop.

Y/N looked down at Beth and said with a serious tone:

"You should go inside with the kids, Beth" as Carol took the two little ones inside.

"Y/N's right Doodlebug, this could get nasty" Hershel nodded.

"No" Beth shook her head. "No, if he is one of them I want to be here for y- to help you. You're my friend" Beth said to Y/N with a deep smile.

Maggie looked at her sister knowingly, Y/N smiling briefly in an oblivious appreciation. He sat next to her on the steps again, staring in silence at the ground in front of him for the next few minutes, waiting for T-Dog and Daryl's return.

His heart rate grew steadily quicker and quicker before he looked up as the two men appeared from the side of the house, pushing a shackled and hooded man in front of them.

Y/N shot up on his feet, ignoring the pain in his hip as Rick rushed in front of him, holding a hand out to the others:

"Daryl, T that's close enough, take his hood off."

Daryl ripped the cloth sack from Randall's head. Randall looked around terrified as his eyes fell on Y/N. Y/N glared for a moment before replying:

"I saw him with the group while I was hunting them, but no... he wasn't there that night."

Randall was silently relieved hearing the Australian say he hadn't been there. He had been. He knew exactly what the Australian was talking about, but he had deliberately stood back that night. Not got close to what had happened. He say a prayer convinced that his cowardice had just saved his life.

Shane meanwhile let out a loud "pfft" where he stood but Rick nodded in relief, looking at Daryl and saying calmly:

"Back to the shed."

Daryl nodded, T-Dog putting the hood back over Randall's head as they led him away. Y/N looked at Rick:

"I still think it's a mistake letting him go. He happily ran with those monsters knowing what they were. If it's just that you don't want to get your hands dirty then let me do it."

Rick shook his head and answered:

"That's not what it is. This is about Dale, his death, honouring his memory. I know you don't like it, but what do you say if I say that this is how it has to be. That you've gotta accept it?"

Rick kept a firm gaze at Y/N, hiding the nervousness he felt before Y/N looked down into Beth's eyes momentarily. He looked back up to Rick and replied:

"I wouldn't like it, but-"

"But what? Huh? But what, boy?" Shane snapped with a disrespectful tone from where he had been standing the whole time. He was thoroughly disappointed. He had thought the Aussie was different than the rest of the group. That he knew what needed to be done.

The others stood silently, watching the expression on Y/N's face as he glared at Shane and snapped back:

"But if I had no choice then I would have to accept it. I'm telling you right now though dickhead, you better watch who you're talking to like that."

"Or what? Huh? Or what?" Shane asked stepping forward aggressively. Y/N didn't back down as he took a step of his own towards the man.

"Or I'll put you down like the bitch you are" Y/N snapped back. Shane charged as the others jumped or yelled in shock, Rick yelling "Shane, no!" and Beth "Y/N!"

Rick tried to jump between the two but was easily pushed aside by Y/N. As he did Shane threw a savage hook, connecting and turning Y/N's head. Y/N turned back to Shane almost instantly, shocking the others as he countered with a blow to Shane's face that made a sickening crack. Shane was spun, blood dripping to the floor as he staggered back a couple of steps, caught completely off guard by the power in Y/N's punch. He turned back to Y/N with genuine shock only to be met with another savage blow, this one dropping the man to the ground. He grunted in pain as he collapsed.

Y/N moved forward to mount him, his fist raised back. Shane tried to cover up from the killer blow when Hershel called out impassionately:

"Y/N!"

Y/N turned back to look at Hershel who shook his head slowly, simply saying:

"No, son."

Y/N turned back and looked down at Shane with disdain, his lip curling. He practically spat as he got up:

"As I said, like the bitch you are!"

Y/N pushed off Shane and stood back, the rest of the group who had gathered looking at Y/N in shock. Beth quickly rushed up and hugged him, one of his arms raising around her and gently held her in place as he said quietly, not breaking eye contact with Shane:

"It's ok, Beth. Sorry I scared you."

"No, you didn't" Beth whispered back at the same time as Rick walked forward with his hands raised, looking around at everyone.

"Alright everyone let's calm down" he stated loudly, standing between Y/N and Shane. He held his hand out towards Shane, only for the other man to slap it away as he stood and walked off, bleeding from the nose and mouth.

"Come on inside son, let's look at that hand" Hershel said to Y/N with a smile, nodding to Rick who said to the others:

"We're not doing anything for the rest of today, we've lost too much light. Let's just get settled in to the farmhouse. Take tonight and think things through."

Glenn and Maggie watched Y/N walk into the house with Hershel and Beth and followed them in, Glenn whispering to his girlfriend:

"The new guy can box."

—~—

Y/N sat at Hershel's kitchen table as Beth quickly cleaned Shane's blood from his hand.

"No cuts, no bruising" she said in relief.

"Nah, I told you I've been in scraps since I was little. Far from the first punch I've had to throw."

She smiled at her friend in relief as Hershel took a seat across from where they sat at his dining room table.

"I want to thank you, Y/N" Hershel said with a smile.

"For what?" Y/N asked, genuinely puzzled.

"You stopped when I asked you to. You defended yourself but didn't go too far. It takes a strong man to show restraint. Again, thank you."

—~—

Rick entered the house, a fatigue setting over him at the burden of leadership. He looked over where Hershel was sat with Y/N and Beth. Hershel and Y/N had their eyes locked in deep conversation. Rick then glanced at Beth. She was sat watching Y/N with a gaze Rick suddenly understood. He smiled to himself before Beth realised he saw her and looked away, a bright blush growing on her face.

Rick continued on to the lounge room where he found Lori, Patricia, Carol and Sophia.

"Carl not in here?" Rick asked his wife.

—~—

Rick walked up the ladder to the upper deck of the barn where Carl was sat, looking out over the farm.

"Mom said you'd be here."

"Told her I would stand lookout. I got tired of helping around the house. What happened with Y/N and Shane? Is Y/N ok? I heard them yelling" Carl asked worriedly. He was confused when his father chuckled.

"Yeah, Y/N's fine... They got in a fight, Shane's the one who came off second best."

Carl was shocked. He was more shocked when Rick held a gun out to him.

"Y/N came to talk to me, before he and Shane got into it. Take it. What happened to Dale had nothing to do with you."

"He... he died, Dad" Carl said remorsefully.

"Yeah. Feels like there's a lot of that going around. That's why I need you. No more kid stuff" Rick replied earnestly, resting a hand on Carl's shoulder.

"I wish you could have the childhood I had, but that's not gonna happen. People are gonna die. I'm gonna die. Mom. There's no way you can ever be ready for it. The best we can do now is avoid it as long as we can, keep one step ahead. I wish I had something better to say, something more profound. My father was good like that.
But I'm tired, son. Please take it."

Carl looked at his father and grew up, just a bit in that moment. He took the gun and Rick smiled, placing a hand on his son's shoulder as they looked out together at the setting sun.

—~—

The group had enjoyed a relaxing dinner together, almost everyone eating on the porch and settling in to evening conversations before they all began to settle down to bed at about ten pm.

Beth went upstairs to wash up before coming back down to say good night to her father and Y/N. When asking if everyone was decent she popped her head around to the lounge and smiled at her father laying on the couch.

Shane was laying in the corner facing the wall; Daryl, T-Dog and Glenn were all laying in sleeping bags on the floor but someone was immediately noticeable by their absence.

"Just wanted to say good night, Daddy" Beth smiled. Hershel though could see the worry on her face.

"He's out on the porch. Just needed some fresh air."

Beth nodded and walked over, quietly opening the front door, not wanting to disturb Andrea who was already asleep. She stepped out the door and closed it behind her, turning shocked at Y/N who was laying on the porch in a sleeping bag, his arms crossed behind his head.

"Hey" she smiled in the darkness.

"G'day" Y/N replied before asking "couldn't sleep?"

"I just came down to say good night to you and Daddy. Why are you out here?"

"Well I'm an Aussie. I spent half my childhood camping out under the stars."

"Yeah, before the dead came back to bite you when you sleep" Beth giggled.

"Just needed some fresh air" Y/N replied. Beth wasn't buying it.

"That's what Daddy said. You sure that's the reason? Because I'm not sure it is."

Y/N chuckled.

"Cassie always knew as well."

"Knew what?"

"When I was bullshitting her. You remind me of her a lot you know."

Beth could hear the hurt in Y/N's voice as he spoke. It upset her to hear how much pain he was in.

"I'm sure I would have liked her a lot."

"You would have. She would have loved you as well. She was so full of just positivity and joy, she..."

Y/N just managed to hold back tears in time to ask:

"Is it ok to be alone for a bit, Beth?" Y/N asked, looking up, tears in his eyes he was barely holding back.

Beth could hear it in his voice, make out the pain on his face even through the darkness. She nodded, wishing him good night. She quietly entered the house and felt her heart break as she heard him break down out on the porch, alone.

—~—

Cassie smiled as she walked back to the hotel room she was sharing with her boyfriend. They were hand in hand, and she was still on such a high. They had spent the evening at a LeAnne Rimes concert, and she knew even though Y/N was not a fan at all, he had not complained even once, and had smiled the whole night. He wanted Cassie to enjoy one of the highlights of their whole holiday together, from her point of view anyway.

They made it back to their hotel in downtown Nashville and entered, the doorman on reception greeting them before the trio jumped at gunshots coming from somewhere outside.

"Bloody hell? Were they gunshots?" Y/N asked in his clearly Aussie accent. The African-American doorman nodded to the couple.

"Yeah, happens a lot at this time of night. I'll call the cops. Y'all enjoy your night."

Y/N thanked the man before the couple got in the elevator. A couple of minutes later the pair were safely in their room, Y/N closing their curtains as Cassie happily spun to the song in her head, the prior incident at reception forgotten.

"You seem to have enjoyed yourself" Y/N chuckled as he turned back to his dancing lover. She stopped mid-sway and turned, smiling at Y/N. He had been so wonderful tonight he deserved a reward. Her eyes shot up and down quickly...

... before she motioned for him to approach with her index finger:

"I had such a wonderful time, and I know how you don't really like LeAnne's music... so I think you've earned a reward."

Y/N smiled at the woman he loved, approaching her with a grin as she placed a hand on his cheek and kissed him gently, pulling him backwards with her as she fell back onto the bed.

—~—

The man at reception had tried to call 911 three times, and each time the signal couldn't get through. There had been more gunshots outside and then screams. He was about to lock the entrance when the automatic doors opened, a woman entering covered in blood and moaning. The man dropped the phone and rushed over to her, exclaiming:

"Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Are you alr-"

His words were cut off as he screamed, the woman launching forward and tearing out his neck with her teeth.

—~—

It had been a quiet morning as the two groups acclimatised to living together under the same roof. Y/N had dreamt of Cassie all night, his mind plagued with memories of their lives together before the fall. He still loved her with all his heart but he couldn't think about her without remembering that night.

He had never planned on living this long once he had killed the men who violated her, so he'd never thought about how to live with or process his grief. He probably would have checked out still had it not been for Carl, for Sophia and for Beth. He couldn't do that now, not in this world. He would do everything in his power to protect them.

He had been quiet most of the morning but Beth had sat with him with a smile on her face. He was relieved she hadn't noticed him breaking down the previous evening, or if she had that she hadn't mentioned it.

Rick had announced to everyone at about lunch time that he and Daryl would be taking Randall twenty miles out late that afternoon, that they would get back after dark so they couldn't be followed without being able to see who was following them. That cemented in Shane's mind that he had to act on his plan now. After he ate he rushed over to the shed where T-Dog was on watch duty, relieving the man so he could go for lunch. T-Dog left appreciatively and the moment he was gone Shane entered the shed through the door that fortunately faced away from the farmhouse.

He entered quietly and snarled, amping himself up as he looked at Randall, who was sat bound, blindfolded and gagged. Shane smacked himself in the head a couple of times, getting himself pumped as he stood and leant over the cowering man, laughing at Randall's wrists that were caked in blood from where he had pulled to get out of the handcuffs that held him bound in place.

—~—

Rick and Daryl were at the blue pickup getting ready, T-Dog helping.

"You boys ready for this?" T-Dog asked.

"Yeah" Rick replied as he loaded up a rifle, Daryl checking the magazines of their handguns.

"I'll get the package then" Dog replied and Rick thanked him. T-Dog walked over to the shed and called out:

"Yo, Randy. Governor called. You're off the hook."

Andrea nodded to T-Dog from where she sat on guard as he entered the number code on the padlock they used to keep the shed locked up tight. He opened the door and his face dropped.

"Oh, hell no!"

—~—

Shane had been walking with Randall for about an hour, into the forest that surrounded the western side of Hershel's farm. He'd not seen anyone since he dragged Randall away from the farm, but he was still paranoid.

"Shh! Go that way" Shane said to a still gagged and blindfolded Randall. Once he was satisfied they were far enough from the farmyard he shoved Randall in the back hard, making him fall to the ground. He sat the man up and saw the terror in his eyes as he looked up at Shane after Shane had pulled the blindfold off Randall's eyes:

"Shh-shh-shh-shh. Hey-hey, come on. Come on. I get it. I'm the last face you probably want to see, huh?"

Shane looked around again to make sure no one else was around.

"Listen, I'm gonna take you up out of here, okay? Now I'm gonna take this gag off of you so you can breathe, but I want you to keep quiet. You listen good. Do you hear me? Okay?"

"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm" Randall nodded in reply.

"Don't do nothing stupid."

Shane took the tape off Randall's mouth, the man exclaiming happily as he breathed deeply. Shane stood Randall up, pulling him by the arms. Randall's hands were still tied together in front of him but by cloth now, not handcuffs.

"We're getting out of here us two. That Australian is psychotic and that group's broken. I figured the two of us would do better having someone to watch each other's backs."

Randall looked at Shane in surprise and asked:

"So you're not gonna kill me?"

Shane chuckled:

"Come on, man. If I was, you'd be dead. Let's go."

Randall smiled and walked off happily before Shane grabbed him from behind and snapped his neck, Randall instantly dropping to the forest floor, dead.

Shane walked back towards the farm for a few yards before he saw a perfect tree with a v shaped trunk at the right height. With a grunt he charged at the tree, smashing his face into it and twisting his head, grunting in pain as he felt his nose break.

He pulled back and fell to the ground, chuckling as he felt a gush of blood flood down his face onto his neck and chest.

—~—

Daryl, Rick, Andrea and T-Dog were looking around the shed as the rest of the group ran over, with the exception of Y/N who was walking over slowly:

"What's wrong?" Maggie asked worriedly as she and Glenn were the first to arrive.

"Randall's missing" T-Dog yelled out.

"Missing? How" Glenn asked as Daryl looked around the farmyard puzzled.

Shane stood in the bushes and panicked momentarily as he watched the group, before a further plan formed in his mind and he buried his gun in the leaf litter.

"How long's he been gone?" Hershel asked as he arrived. Beth meanwhile stopped and turned to Y/N, rushing back to him and hugging him in fear.

"What's going on?" he asked as he finally got to the others.

"Randall's missing" Beth whispered, terrified.

"The cuffs are still hooked. He must have slipped 'em" Rick said as he exited the shed.

"Is that possible?" Carol asked, hugging Sophia.

"It is if you've got nothing to lose" Andrea replied.

"The door was secured from the outside" Hershel said as he examined it, turning to Rick. Everyone's attention was drawn to the woods as Shane emerged screaming and bloody:

"Rick! Rick!"

"What happened?" Lori yelled.

"He's armed! He's got my gun!"

"Are you okay?" Carl yelled in fear as Shane got to the group and they saw the extent of his injury. Along with the bruising from his fights with Rick and Y/N he was not looking good.

"I'm fine. Little bastard just snuck up on me. He clocked me in the face."

Rick turned to the others in a panic:

"All right, Hershel, Y/N, T-Dog, get everybody back in the house. Glenn, Daryl, come with us."

"T, I'm gonna need that gun" Shane said arriving at the man and taking it from him.

"Just let him go. That was the plan, wasn't it, to just let him go?" Carol asked as the others began to rush back to the house.

"The plan was to cut him loose far away from here, not on our front step with a gun" Rick replied.

"Don't go out there. Ya'll don't know what could happen" she replied full of worry still.

"Get everybody back in the house. Lock all the doors and stay put!" Rick yelled as the four men left.

"Let's go, back in the house" Andrea said as she edged Carol in the back gently, getting her to move.

"Mama, I'm scared" Sophia said to her mother terrified as Y/N turned.

"Sophia- me, Hershel, T and Andrea are not gonna let anyone in this house that isn't friendly, ok. I promise you."

Sophia nodded, Carol mouthing "thank you" as they rushed back towards the house.

—~—

Shane led the group into the woods, but 90 degrees in a different direction to where he and Randall had gone.

"I saw him head up through the trees that way before I blacked out. I'm not sure how long" he said.

"He couldn't have gotten far. He's hobbled, exhausted" Rick answered.

"And armed" Glenn added, Rick shooting back
"So are we" before asking Daryl:

"Can you track him?"

"No, I don't see nothing" Daryl replied as he looked around in the beginning to fade light.

"Hey, look, there ain't no use in tracking him, okay? He went that way. We need to pair up. We spread out, we just chase him down. That's it" Shane said firmly. Daryl though had a great bullshit meter.

"Kid weighs a buck-25 soaking wet. You trying to tell us he got the jump on you?"

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

"Alright, knock it off. You and Glenn start heading up the right flank. Me and Shane'll take the left. Remember, Randall's not the only threat out there. Keep an eye out for each other."

Rick walked off with Shane behind him as Daryl and Glenn headed the opposite way.

—~—

The men had been gone over an hour and darkness had set in. It was a good thing the group had been boarding up the windows over the last 48 hours, as T-Dog and Y/N looked out the gaps. Carl meanwhile had gone upstairs to look out a window over the farm, waiting to see when his dad would return.

"You alright?" Y/N asked Beth as she sat on the couch and wrung her hands together. She nodded unconvincingly.

Hershel and Maggie re-entered the room just in time to see Y/N walk over to Beth, take her hands in his and say to her calmly as he sat next to her:

"Hey, I promise, everything will be fine. We won't let anything happen to you."

"I believe you" Beth replied with a warm smile, the sight bringing a smile to both Hershel and Maggie's faces.

—~—

Rick and Shane had been walking in almost silence for the whole time. Finally Rick broke it, asking:

"Looks like it's busted pretty bad."

"It's fine, man. Don't worry about me" Shane replied before continuing to walk on.

—~—

Daryl and Glenn were having no luck, especially in the dark. Daryl turned to Glenn:

"This is pointless. You got a light?"

Glenn handed him a flashlight and Daryl turned it on, flashing it around and walking in a straight line. Five minutes later Glenn looked around shocked.

"We're just back to square one."

"If you're gonna do a thing, you might as well do it right." Daryl replied. Instead of going where Shane pointed them he fanned out more before picking up on some tracks, only a few hours old.

"There's two sets of tracks right here. Shane must've followed him a lot longer than he said."

They followed the tracks about a mile before Daryl noticed signs of a struggle.

"There's fresh blood on this tree" he said to Glenn before pointing the light further:

"There's more tracks. Looks like they're walking in tandem. Yeah, there was a little dust up right here."

"What do you mean?" Glenn asked.

"I mean something went down" Daryl replied.

"This is getting weird" Glenn said worriedly before the two heard a noise and hid behind a tree. They saw Randall approaching.

"One... two... three..." Daryl whispered. Glenn jumped out and was about to say "stop" to Randall when he was jumped on, Randall's walkified form snapping at his face. He was dragged off by Daryl who quickly shot him in the head with an arrow.

"Thanks" Glenn chuckled as Daryl helped him to his feet.

—~—

Rick and Shane continued to walk out, Shane not even pretending to look for Randall anymore. He thought he was being slick but Rick had him made, slipping a hidden knife down his side, into his belt.

"Does this way feel right?" he asked, hiding the sound of the knife running down the belt.

"As right as any" Shane replied.

"Snatched your gun, huh?"

"Yeah. It's my favorite piece too. Gonna wish he'd killed me when I find his sorry ass" Shane replied as Rick stopped.

"Go on" Shane said, motioning forward with his head.

—~—

Daryl was confused beyond words as he looked down and examined Randall's body.

"Got his neck broke. He's got no bites" he said to Glenn.

"Yeah, none you can see."

"No, I'm telling you he died from this."

"How's that possible?" Glenn asked just as confused.

—~—

"You say he got you with a rock?" Rick asked as they walked.

"That's what I said."

"Inside the shed? 'Cause that door was shut when T-Dog rolled up."

"I saw that too" Shane replied as they made it to a clearing, having walked in a big circle and arrived back at the farm. He continued:

"Must've slipped through the rafters in the roof."

"So this is where you planned to do it?" Rick asked as he pulled his gun, his back to Shane.

"It's a good place as any" Shane replied.

"At least have the balls to call this what it is... murder."

Rick scoffed:

"You really believe if you walk back onto that farm alone-"

"No me, no Randall-- I want you to hush up" Shane replied but Rick continued:

"You really believe they're gonna buy whatever bullshit story you cook up?"

"That's just it. It ain't no story. I saw that prisoner shoot you down. I ran after him. I snapped his neck. It ain't gonna be easy, but Lori and Carl... they'll get over you. They done it before. They just gonna have to."

"Why? Why now? I thought we worked this all out?"

Shane laughed.

"Before the Aussie turned up we tried to kill each other man. What you think? We just gonna forget about it all? We gonna ride off into the sunset together?"

Rick's face was cold as he yelled back:

"You're gonna kill me in cold blood? 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."

Shane raised his gun and yelled back:

"What you know about what I can live with? You got no idea what I can live with, what I 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!"

He grew furious the longer he ranted, demanding Rick point his gun at him. Rick calmly uncocked his hammer and shook his head, placing his gun back in his holster.

"No. No, I will not."

"What happened, Rick? I thought you weren't the 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!"

He stopped yelling momentarily and continued, quieter but colder:

"You got a broken woman. You got a weak boy. You ain't got the first clue on how to fix it. Raise your gun."

Rick shook his head.

"You're gonna have to kill an unarmed man. Watch my hand."

Rick slowly began to pull his gun by the handle, holding it out, easing towards Shane:

"Nice and easy. Easy does it. 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 the farm..."

He was only a step away:

"Together. Back to Lori. Back to Carl. Put this all behind us."

Shane looked down at Rick's gun and Rick seized the chance, slamming the knife into Shane's heart, his gun firing off to the side as he fell back, Rick on top of him. Rick began to cry as he pulled the knife out and Shane began to bleed out, coughing and gurgling.

"Damn you for making me do this, Shane.
This was you, not me! You did this to us!
This was you, not me- not me! Not me!"

Rick cried as Shane looked into his eyes and died. He stood crying still, his best friend's blood on his hands when he heard behind him:

"Dad?"

Carl had called to his Dad in tears, seeing Shane's dead body.

"Carl? You should be back home with mom."

Rick began to walk towards Carl before the boy raised the gun Rick had given him at his own father."

"Carl just... put the gun down. Please, Carl. It's not what it seems. Please"

Carl fired, the bullet streaming past Rick and into Shane's face. Shane fell back to the ground and Rick turned in absolute shock...

Shane had became a walker!