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Of Blood and Breath

Chapter 30: Judge, Jury, Executioner


“Hey,” Forrest greeted, walking up to Carol.

She was sitting on a tree stump folding laundry in the middle of the little camp they had set up on Hershel’s farm. She didn’t look up at Forrest, but he could see the sadness that had taken over her features.

“Hi, Forrest,” she replied, her voice quiet and humble.

“I know ya’ve heard it from everyone, but I’m sorry ‘bout Sophia,” he said. “I had a younger brother… two actually. They’d be twelve and fifteen. The twelve-year-old, Kyle, he got taken away by them child protective services guys; I ain’t seen ‘im since. It still hurts me- hurts my dad like hell, but I think I’ve learned to live with it.”

The middle-aged woman nodded, this time making eye contact with Forrest. There was an absence of emotion in her eyes, and he could tell that she was going through the numb phase of loss.

“I ain’t had the time to feel it, to talk about it,” he continued, sitting down beside her on the stump. “But I miss Jaqui. She was one o’ the first people I met after all this, one o’ the first decent people I met in my whole life. I wouldn’t o’ let her stay if I knew she had, but that’s over now. Just like how my brother’s gone. And maybe it was all fer the better.”

“Sophia didn’t deserve this,” Carol croaked.

“I know,” he nodded, looking from Carol then off into the distance. “No one did.”

Forrest spotted Daryl trotting back to the camp after coming from the shed where Randall was being kept.

“He said he got near 30 men,” Daryl reported, Rick and Shane listening intently. “Says they’ve raped, killed before, heavily armed, the kid says he ain’t like that.”

“We don’t know that,” Rick countered. “He’s a threat, and we have to eliminate the threat.”

“Wait a minute,” Dale interjected. “He’s just a kid. You can’t just decide to take someone’s life.”

“Dale’s right,” Forrest agreed, standing up from his spot next to Carol on the stump and walking over to the group of men. “It ain’t right. Y’all are always tellin’ me I’m just a kid too- hell, I’m younger than this guy. I’ve made mistakes, things that would cause y’all to loose trust in me, but here I am. I’m part of this group, as much as all y’all.”

“That’s it, Forrest, you’re just a kid,” Shane replied. “So’s Randall. You can’t be makin’ the decisions around here. Randall can’t be trusted. We can’t be makin’ these kinds o’ risks for people we don’t know.”

“Y’all didn’t know me, ya didn’t know Andrea, or Glenn, but ya trust ‘em all now, don’t ya? Because ya gave them all a chance,” Forrest argued.

“Just give me some time, Rick, that’s all I’m asking. Let me talk to the group,” Dale begged. “We can find another way.”

Rick looked from Forrest to Dale, a look of mild frustration on his face.

“You have the rest of the day,” the sheriff’s deputy said vaguely and walked away, Shane and Daryl also going their own ways, leaving Forrest with Dale.

“Thank you, Forrest,” Dale said, emotional exhaust clear in his voice. “I knew you believed in the right thing.”

Forrest nodded, showing that he acknowledged Dale’s statement towards him. “Want me to watch over Randall- make sure Shane don’t do nothin’?”

“No,” Dale replied, his mouth hanging open as he watched Andrea walk by. “I’ve got an idea.”

Dale began walking towards Andrea and Forrest followed.

“Can I help you, gentlemen?” Andrea questioned, turning around and looking between the two males.

“I want you to guard Randall while Forrest and I use some of our gentle persuasion to get the others to see it our way,” Dale informed her.

“What makes you think I’d do such a thing, Dale?” She asked, putting her hands on her hips.
“The world we knew is gone,” Dale explained. “But keeping our humanity? That’s a choice.”

“You agree with this?” Andrea looked over to Forrest.

“Yeah,” he said, looking back into her blue eyes.

“I’ll do it,” she agreed, then looked back to Dale. “But not because I think you’re right.”



“You really think Dale’s right?” Daryl asked, looking over at his nephew.

The two were rested upon fallen logs at Daryl’s setup whilst skinning squirrels. Daryl had earlier felt distant from the group, deciding they were broken, and moved his setup away from them.

“Yeah, I do,” Forrest looked up at his uncle. “Do you?”

“Don’t matter to me either way,” Daryl grunted.

Forrest scoffed, sliding his knife along the skin of a squirrel.

“Why’s it matter t’ya?” Daryl questioned.

“’Cause that coulda been me,” Forrest confessed. “If things had gone differently- imagine it was you, me, my dad, those kids I hung with- Jake, Andy, and Sam- and some other guys from back in that town. We coulda been on the other side, against Rick’s group. If it was me in there, I’d want Rick to know that it ain’t me.”

Daryl gazed back up at Forrest, eyes squinting in the sun. He was wordless, but his face said that he could understand where Forrest was coming from.



Forrest knocked on Beth’s door. He had managed to make his way into the house without Hershel or anyone taking note of it, but there was something else that he was trying to keep undetected.

When no one answered the door, he went out on a limb and turned the knob himself, opening the door with one hand, using the other to hold what was hidden under his leather vest. Beth sat on her bed, an empty look in her eyes, not bothering to turn her head and acknowledge him.

“I know ya said ta me ta leave ya alone, but ya also said not forever,” Forrest said, looking over at the blonde, hoping for some kind of reaction, but not expecting one. “I didn’t know how long ya meant, but I wanted to show ya somethin’.”

She tried to hide it, but he noticed a slight peak of interest appear on her face which caused him to smirk to himself. She turned her head slightly more away from him and pulled the blanket over her body. In turn, Forrest walked over to her bed and sat on the edge where she was near. He pulled a furry creature out from hiding under his leather vest. His wolf dog- Jack- squeaked- the closest thing the young pup could get to a bark. Forrest could see Beth’s eyes light up, and he knew he had struck something good in Beth.

“I call ‘im Jack,” he explained. He then gently lifted his arm left arm up and put it on Beth’s right shoulder, tracing his fingers down her arm until he reached her hand. She didn’t resist the notion, and he lifted her arm up placing her hand on the fur of Jack. “Found ‘im a lil’ before I came here. I think he’s part wolf an’ part somethin’ else. Been trynna keep him a secret though. Only Glenn and Daryl know about ‘im- and now you.”

Beth slowly came back to life; she first petting the dog slowly, then built up to taking te blanket off herself, lying on the bed on her stomach and keeping the puppy close to her face. Forrest saw a smile creep up upon her features and was glad to know that he and his companion brought it to her.

“German shepherd,” she said, much to Forrest’s confusion and surprise. “Half-wolf, half-German shepherd. At least that’s how it looks to me. I love dogs- I know all about them and the different breeds.”

Forrest was right. He had taken her for a dog person.

Suddenly, she extended her hand out much like Forrest had done, except she was a little more abrupt. She grasped Forrest’s leather vest, pulling him down so that he was facing her, mimicking her stance, now lying on his stomach as well. He wasn’t quite used to lying in this position- it was so vulnerable and leisurely.

“How’ve you been takin’ care of him?” she asked.

“I worked on a farm before,” he began to explain. “Jus’ for a lil’ money over a summer, so I know a bit ‘bout takin’ care o’ animals. As for food, I collected some milk from his mother. Found ‘er dead an’ he was jus’ all cuddled up to ‘er corpse.”

“That milk’s gonna go bad,” she stated. “We can get you some real milk for him- from the cows. It’s not the best choice for puppies, but it’s the best we got right now.”

“That’d be good,” he said.

Beth looked at him, in the eyes for the first time that day, which sent an inexplicable feeling throughout his entire body, and he could hear his heart beat in his head and throat, some sort of deep- almost giddy- feeling engulfing his chest and stomach. He preferred not to express or even acknowledge what he felt, but Beth sure was bringing something out of him.

She grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him forward, causing their lips to collide once again, their heads hovering over Jack.

After a few seconds, they pulled away, and Forrest became confused about how he was feeling. He sat up, back to his position on the edge of the bed, facing away from Beth, tension running high in the room.

“What was that?” he spoke first, his voice quiet and speech vague, but still full of emotion.

“I’ve been depressed,” she began to explain. “Depressed because I have to accept the world as it is now, depressed because I have to accept that my mom is dead, but also depressed because I have to accept that I don’t love Jimmy. I want you, Forrest. I don’t know why, but I’m afraid of not being around you, afraid that my dad’s gonna send your people away, afraid that this world’s gonna take you away.” Forrest tensed up at her words. He wasn’t used to this sort of reciprocation and he was afraid too. Afraid that he would lose her, afraid of his feelings. “I broke it off with Jimmy. He ain’t takin’ it too well, but it don’t matter ‘cause I can’t live a lie in the short few days I may have left. However long we both got left, I want to know that you’ll be with me, Forrest.”

He didn’t respond. She wasn’t in the right frame of mind. After all this tragedy, the death of her mother, she wasn’t thinking straight. He couldn’t take advantage of her vulnerable state. All the things she was saying- it all occurred to him. He could have her, but he could lose her. This world was cruel and fate was crueler.

“Forrest?” she called once again. “Please say somethin’!”

“Beth?” Hershel’s booming voice broke throughout the house.

“Gimme the dog,” Forrest commanded, turning around and reaching for Jack.

Beth grabbed onto the puppy first, hiding him under her blankets.

“Get in the bathroom,” she said.

Forrest complied, rushing into Beth’s bathroom and shutting the door before Hershel would know that he was in her room. Looking around, he spotted a small window- but still not too small for him to slip out of and out of this situation, out of this conversation. He stood upon the toilet, and squeezed himself out the window, causing him to land outside on his chest.
“What the hell?” It was the voice of Rick.

The hose was right outside Beth’s bathroom window and he was using it to rinse off his hands.

“Don’t worry ‘bout it,” Forrest muttered as he stood up, brushing the dirt off of his jeans.

“Don’t worry about it?” Rick questioned. “Were you just in Beth’s room? You know Hershel doesn’t want you around her.”

“Yeah, I’m aware,” Forrest replied and began walking away.

“Hey, Forrest,” Forrest stopped in his tracks at Rick calling his name. “You really think it’s right? Keeping that kid alive? Why?”

“I’ll tell ya the same thing I told Daryl,” he began, “That could be me. But do you really think it’s right? Killin’ ‘im? I don’t think ya do. You’re the man who saved ‘im in the first place.”

With that, Forrest walked away, leaving Rick to consider his last statement.


Night had fallen now. Forrest sat at the camp. Carl was in his tent, and the adults of the group were inside Hershel’s house discussing the fate of Randall. Because of his age, Forrest was still not respected as a member of the group, and still not welcome in Hershel’s house.

Forrest watched as he witnessed Dale storm out of the house, soon followed by the rest of the group.

Forrest stood, looking at the stolid faces of each member, not entirely sure what to make of it. Rick, Shane, and Daryl went towards the barn while the others walked back towards Forrest where he was in the camp.

“He’s really doin’ it,” Forrest observed, speaking of Rick and talking more to himself than to anyone else.

“Yeah, they are,” Andrea spoke back. “I don’t agree with it. Dale was right.”

“It’s Shane’s voice,” Forrest realized. “Creepin’ up into Rick’s ear and inta his head.”

Andrea didn’t respond. She and Forrest just watched as the three men transported Randall from the shed and into the barn that had previously been filled with walkers.

“Don’t watch,” Lori interjected from where she sat around the fire.

Forrest knew the group was scared. But he also knew they knew it was wrong. He looked away and sat around the fire with Lori, looking from her sullen expression to Glenn’s to Carol’s.

“He wanted to watch,” the distressed voice of Rick alerted the attention of the others and they looked up to see the man returning to camp with Carl. “I couldn’t.”

“Carl!” Lori reprimanded.

Forrest ran a hand through his messy hair. Randall was going to live… for now. That meant Dale had more time.

“I’m going to tell Dale,” Andrea smiled a weak smile, knowing what Forrest knew.

Before she could turn away, the group heard a scream coming out from the fields. Immediately, Forrest rushed off towards where the sound had come from as he heard Rick instruct Lori to keep Carl in the tent. He led the group towards the sound until he arrived at a horrifying site.
Daryl was already there. Having plunged his knife into a walker. Dale lied on the ground, his stomach ripped open- assumingly from the walker.

“Shit!” Forrest cursed. “Dale!”

“Get Hershel!” Rick yelled once he and the others had arrived at the scene. “We can save him, we can stich him up.”

“Rick,” Hershel’s voice surprised Forrest. “It’s too late. The best we can do is put him out of his misery.”

“Help him!” Andrea shouted.

Rick unholstered his gun, leaning down to being above Dale, putting the end of the barrel on Dale’s forehead. The man’s face was tired and distressed. He lowered the gun knowing he could not do it.

It was Daryl who stepped up, taking the gun from Rick’s hand and putting it back in place on Dale’s forehead.

“Sorry brother.”

Before Forrest’s eyes, Daryl shot Dale.

Notes


So, here it is! The new chapter for all of you to enjoy. Please don't forget to rate, comment, and subscribe of course. Tell me what you all are thinking!

Comments

Hope to see this fic continue, its super good

Twitterpated Twitterpated
10/7/17

@thewalkerinme
I have some plans for the future. Thanks so much, your feedback means a lot to me. You'll have to wait and see :)

ForrestDixon ForrestDixon
4/17/16

@thewalkerinme
I have some plans for the future. Thanks so much, your feedback means a lot to me. You'll have to wait and see :)

ForrestDixon ForrestDixon
4/17/16

Ahhh! God, I freaking adore Forrest. He's such a great dude. The future of this story excites me to no end. How will you play out the zach thing, and her death, and just her whole story ark in general agh I'm so excited to find out! Beth and Forrest have the cutest scenes together, and he even fits so well with other characters like talking to Rick and Dale *sobs agh my heart*
Keep this up. I look forward to many many more updates!

thewalkerinme thewalkerinme
4/17/16

@thewalkerinme
Sorry for not seeing this until now. I'll do my best to get this story fully back in action. Thanks for commenting!

ForrestDixon ForrestDixon
4/10/16