Chapter 72

- Narrator -

Neither Rick nor Dale could find the appropriate way to react to the situation that had arisen at Hershel's farm... They had a barn full of walkers... They rubbed their eyes in disbelief at the sight of Otis dragging one by the neck and then shoving him inside the barn. They could not understand why anybody would be as dumb as that.

Needless to say, they confronted Hershel about it but he shot them down, telling them that the happenings in his lands were none of their business and that he was expecting them to move out as soon as Carl's health allowed it.

It was also concerning that the others took longer to come back. They said they'd only be gone for a day yet two days have passed since then. They could only hope nothing bad happened to them, and quite frankly, they can't imagine how anything would've gone wrong. Even if the place had more walkers than expected, they had enough ammo to deal with it. They could only surmise it was living people giving them problems.

They were relieved to see a familiar van coming in their direction from the distance, having no doubts to whom that van belonged.

A good number of people gathered outside of Hershel's house noticing the approaching vehicle.

Shane got out and greeted Rick with a man-hug. Glenn was more obviously than necessary at Maggie, who rolled her eyes at him yet there was a hint of a smile on her face. Xenon's face could barely be seen under his mask and hood, a new look he was appreciating more and more nowadays for how useful it was proving to be.

"How is Carl doing?" were Shane's first words.

"He's doing better." Rick nodded in gratitude, knowing full well that it was in no small parts thanks to Shane.

"There is a change of plans, Rick." Xenon suddenly told him. "We were made aware of new developments you ought to be aware of." Rick frowned in concern at the heaviness of his tone. "You too, Hershel. This should concern you as well."

"We can talk inside." Hershel answered. He was not sure if he wanted everybody listening to what Xenon would tell them. Spreading panic among his family was the last thing he wanted.

- In the living room -

"We were approached by two people once we got inside the prison." Shane began. "Dave and Randall. Pretended to be a history teacher while the younger kid claiming to be sixteen was one of his students."

"He told us they've met another group before." Xenon continued. "Heavily armed men, extremely dangerous. Took their food and firearms, and let them off so they could rob them again."

"But that's when it gets even more concerning... Although Dave seems like a nice guy, very approachable and charismatic, we found out they've lied to us." Xenon said somberly. "Quite frankly, I don't doubt their words about the group they've told us about. But I don't believe they were saying the whole truth. You see, I'm convinced they are part of that group."

"Where are they now?" Rick asked.

"We've locked them in cells back at the prison." Shane answered.

"Your name came up by mistake in one of our conversations." Xenon turned to Hershel. "The younger one, Randall, recognized you." Hershel and Otis tensed at that, processing just what it could mean. "Though he's locked for now. You don't have to worry about him telling his friends."

"Then as long as he tells nobody, we should be fine." Hershel sighed in relief.

"You don't get it, do you?" Shane looked at him coldly. "The walkers are everywhere, people will want to group with other people to stay safe. Problem is, not everyone is as friendly as us. Chaos is the best time for criminals to shine. Killers, thieves, rapists... You name it. You can bet they'll find like-minded people to stay with."

"We are taking everybody back with us today." Xenon announced. "We can't afford to stall any longer. Chances are, they already know about the prison, or they've been watching us for longer than we think. They might already know about your farm. We can't take any more chances. We need all the manpower back at the prison."

"Then I wish you luck." Hershel said. "But I'm not leaving my family behind."

"Your family?" Shane asked him with a frown. "They're all welcome to join us."

"About that..." Rick said vaguely, earning weird looks from Shane and Glenn. "He doesn't mean... Living people..."

"They are living people, Rick." Hershel said warningly.

"He's keeping walkers in his barn." Dale finally said, seeing them dancing around the technicalities.

"Say what now?" Shane was dumbfounded.

"He believes they're just sick." Rick explained. "That a cure will eventually be found."

"I hate to be the bringer of bad news, Hershel, but everybody dies before they transform into a walker." Xenon said calmly. "The researcher at the CDC has already confirmed this. I am sorry for your family but if they've transformed, they are regrettably... already dead."

"THEY ARE NOT!" Hershel banged on the table furiously, making everyone jump back in surprise. Xenon gave him an unimpressed look.

"You can delude yourself as much as you want, Hershel. It won't change the fact they're dead." Xenon added uncaring about his outburst. "And now, you wish to doom the rest of your living family just because you refused to open your eyes to the truth." Hershel's blood was boiling with anger at his words, unable to accept their truth.

"They can still move, they can still see, they can still hear, they can still feel..." Otis suddenly said. "How can you say they're dead?"

"If I was to shoot you in the heart right now, you'd die correct?" Shane asked rhetorically. "Explain to me why they can still move when that happens to them. Shoot them as much as you want, cut off their limbs, even their heads... They would still move as if nothing happens. They feel no pain, only endless hunger for human flesh."

"There is something else, actually." Xenon suddenly said. "The virus, we've all got it. We're all infected." Nobody said anything, as they looked at him in shock, except for Rick that had a complicated look on his face.

"What do you mean?" Shane asked.

"It will happen to all of us." Xenon answered calmly. "If someone perfectly healthy is shot to the heart, he'd come back as a walker, regardless if he'd been bitten or not." He was met with silence, as they tried to understand the implications behind his words.

"He's right." Rick finally said. "The researcher at the CDC told me. We're all carriers." Another silence. The revelations seemed too much for them to handle at the same time, but Xenon decided for a final push.

"You are a man of God, Hershel, are you not?" Xenon asked him. "If you are, I am sure you believe that we humans are but mere mortals. Immortality can never be one of our traits."

"Just think about it, alright?" Rick pleaded. "We won't sleep well at night knowing you're out there by yourselves."

"You have until tomorrow to make your decision, Hershel." Xenon finally said. "Think about it, talk it out among your family. But whatever you decide, we're leaving tomorrow."