TWENTY SIX. final destination

It had been a total of three weeks. Three weeks since Rick woke from his coma, three weeks since everything had fallen apart. Three weeks of silent torture, the silent decay of her husbands' sanity. Three weeks since any sense of normality had even dared to creep up her spine with welcoming arms. Everything she once knew to be true had been proven false, every tale she had been told backfired and slammed into her with no thought of slowing down. Adeline Grimes had never felt so afraid, fearing that every day she lived might be her last - or even worse, the last one for someone she loved. There was a sense of hope that hung on by a torn thread, hope that she could save her husband from the spiraling tornado of insanity. She needed him - she wanted him to be okay, to tell her he loves her without her mind tricking her into believing that he only said it to have her on his side.

Three weeks of destruction and mixed with another week full of endless arguments and a feeling unsettlement. Randall had spent his last day inside of the barn, his leg healed as best as it could before Shane convinced Rick to throw him out. They had returned from their trip to retrieve Hershel a week ago, and ever since the group had become unhinged at the thought of Randall's group coming to the farm in search of him. But like the teen, they had no clue where they were. And Adeline was sure of the fact that they weren't even sparing a second to search for the boy, seeing as the last time they saw him his leg was impaled by a fence and left for the walkers. They thought he was dead - she better than anyone, knows exactly how it feels. To be left behind, to have the person you love think you're dead. Or even worse, walking among the dead.

When her husband and brother left together to drop Randall off, and returned with bloodied faces and bruised knuckles - she knew what had happened. It went south, like it always does. The teen was still with them, unable to let him go on his own due to him knowing Maggie. Shane told his wife what happened when he left - he told her everything Rick said and everything he did. The fight, the nearly leaving him to die, and the sacrifice for the many. They all came back but in scattered pieces, scattered minds and scattered truths. Rick knew what had happened at the school with Otis, but Shane was the one to take all of the blame. He made sure that Adeline was in the clear, and from her brothers perspective - she didn't know a single thing about what happened. She wasn't in on it, she didn't have a say in Otis dying.

But Adeline was burdened with the truth. The nightmares that reminded her of what she had done, the sins she had committed. She made her bed and now she was forced to lie in it. Outcomes and consequences; something that had always been there but now become their new normality. It was a thing you couldn't escape, if you did something then you would have to suffer for it. The day her brother and husband left to drop Randall off eighteen miles out, she stayed. Adeline helped look after Beth, she helped Hershel clean up his barn and she took watch for an hour until Glenn came to relieve her from it. When the blonde teen slit her wrists, Adeline helped stitch the cuts up. She felt guilty, a blameful remorse laying restlessly upon her shoulders. She could've stopped Shane, (at least that's what Rick said to her) but she didn't. And for that, the blame was not just on her husband but also herself.

The shed cast uneven shadows against her pale skin, the door shut and locked. Adeline propped her foot against the wooden walls behind her, arms crossed over her chest while her eyes were glued to a pacing Daryl. She was told to stay in there when he was, due to the rough tactics of interrogation the man used on the kid. Just in case he did something a bit too harsh, she had to tap him out and stitch up the wounds only for them to rip once again.

He threw three brutal punches into the teens already swollen face, Adeline flinching each time at the sound of contact. "Maybe if you'd let him tal-," She attempted time speak but was cut off by a finger pointed her way. "Don't."

"I told you-" Randall cried out, blood dripping from his swollen lips. His arms were restrained behind him back, feet tied together which gave him no escape. Every time the redneck punched him, he rolled out of his sitting position and back onto the floorboards. When she saw the opportunity, Adeline would help him back up onto the chair with sympathetic eyes.

Daryl threw his hand out, "You ain't told me shit!" he yelled - curling his hands around the boys shirt and slamming him into the wall. The woman allowed her foot to slide down the wall, eyes shifting to the medkit on the floor at the sight of blood spluttering out of Randall's mouth.

"I barely knew those guys. I met 'em on the road." The teen raised his voice, head resting against the boards.

"How many in your group?" Daryl questioned, his eyes trailing over to Adeline who pushed off of the wall and bent down to pick up the red kit. "Not yet," He muttered, stopping her as he pulled his hunting knife out of its sheath. Hearing her curse underneath her breath, he turned away and moved towards the kid who pleaded for him to stop.

Roaring the knife down into the wooden floorboard next to Randall's leg, Adeline felt relief pour over her at not having to stitch a knife wound up. "How many?!" Daryl bellowed, plucking the knife out and readying it again.

"Uh - uh, um... thirty! Thirty guys." The teen stammered, eyes fearfully shifting to the raised knife. The woman could practically feel the fear radiating off of him, and it caused her to crouch down and unzip the kit in attempts to ease her nerves. Maybe knowing that at least one person was there to help would make him more relaxed, which would give them more information. "Where?"

With only stutters, Daryl harshly ripped them bandage off of Randall's leg. "Hey, don't you even dare. Hershel and I used a shit ton of supplies to fix that," Adeline was quick to speak, her eyes cutting daggers into his skin. When the redneck ignored her pleads and began to slowly dig the knife into the wound that started to scab, she let a scoff leave her lips as she stood up. "If you're gonna do that, at least let me try to talk to him first. Two minutes max." She pleaded, standing up with the medkit in her hands.

Reluctantly, he pulled the knife out of the wound and kept it in his grip. Adeline gave him thankful eyes before crouching down in front of the teen with a soft smile. Of course, it wasn't real. It was fake, a ploy to earn the boys trust and get what they needed. "Thank you- thank you," Randall stammered, watching as she nodded in return and pulled out the bandages from her bag.

"So this group of yours," Adeline started, feeling the eyes of Daryl carefully watching the boy. "they left you for dead." She reminded while grabbing the bottle of rubbing alcohol. Unscrewing the lid, she met eyes with the broken boy - "But we saved you. So, what do you remember?" She questioned, purposely pouring alcohol onto his now open wound.

The kid screamed, slamming his head back into the wooden boards to suppress the sounds before breathing deeply and looking at her with wide eyes. "They uh.. they had weapons! Heavy stuff, yeah. Automatics. But me? I didn't do a thing! I promise! I didn't do anything."

Daryl scoffed from behind Adeline, "Your boys shot at my people, tried to take Addy and this farm. You just went along for the ride? You're trynna to tell me you're innocent?" He bellowed - the woman's hand pushing against his leg to keep him back.

"Yes!" Randall snapped, "These- these people took me in. Not just guys- a whole group of 'em. Men and women, uh... kids too! Just like you people. Thought I'd have a better chance with them, you know?" His voice cracked as Adeline sat the bottle of rubbing alcohol down and stood up from her crouched spot to stand in front of Daryl.

The teen looked to to them, "But... we go out, scavenge. Just the men. One night we- we found this little campsite. A man and his two daughters... teenagers, you know? Real young. Real cute." He informed, meeting their eyes with his guilt filled ones. His words made the woman furrow her brows, a gut wrenching feelings coursing through her at the realization. Daryl turned his head towards the kid, jaw clenching at the revelation.

"Their daddy had to watch while these guys- they... and they didn't even kill him afterwards! They just- they just made him watch as his daughters- they just... they left him there." Randall continued, "That's why... it's why Tony and Dave... why they wanted to go into the bar. They saw you, and they wanted -" He revealed, eyes resting onto Adeline who felt her body run cold. "But I didn't touch those girls! And I wouldn't of touched you!"

"What about you, sweetie?" Tony licked his lips while eyeing the woman who leaned against the bar. Adeline reluctantly turned her head to face the man, "What about me?" She retorted - not giving out any information about herself as she dug the knife deeper into the surface.

Dave laughed at her words, "Come on, save that for later, Tony." He instructed before placing his eyes onto Hershel - "What about you, pal? Have one?" He questioned, motioning to the shot glass in his hand.

Save that for later. In the moment, she had no idea what he meant. Adeline had no clue, nothing to warm her except her gut feeling. She felt lucky for being able to escape it, but then guilt followed quickly after. Guilty that she was able to escape - and those two teenage girls weren't. It was then she realized guilt was an emotion that had taken over her life, it claimed her body as home.

In an instant, Daryl carefully pulled Adelines frozen stature back and slammed his boot into the kids stomach. "You better shut yer damn mouth!" He bellowed, kicking him to the ground. He threw punches into his side as the woman behind him stayed quiet and watched him rip all of the stitches she had sowed.

The sound of bones cracking caused her to snap out of the state of shock, hands curling around Daryls arms and tugging him away from the crying boy. "He deserves it!" He yelled, jerking his body out of her grasp.

Adeline stood in front of Randall to block the rednecks blows. "I'm not saying he doesn't. But we got what we needed, we should go tell the others. Then you can come back and do whatever you damn well please. I'm not stopping you." She informed with pleading eyes - the man scoffing before retrieving his crossbow and throwing it over his shoulder.

"Come on, I ain't leaving you in here with him." He spoke, holding the door open as she grabbed her bag full of medical supplies and held it in her hands. After he locked the door to the shed, the two of them made their way across the field and towards the groups camp next to Hershels home.

Adeline met her husbands expression, running a hand through her tangled hair with tired eyes. "Boy there's got a gang, thirty men. They have heavy artillery and they ain't looking to make friends. They roll through here, our boys are dead. And our women, they're gonna wish they were." Daryl informed, standing next to the brunette with bloodied hands.

"What did you do?" Carol asked, taking notice of the dried blood against his knuckles. Adeline squinted her eyes from the wind and looked to the grieving mother, "We got what we needed." She assured with a sympathetic smile before Daryl nodded and walked away.

Rick nodded, "Alright, no one goes near this guy. We have no choice, he's a threat. We have to eliminate the threat." He informed once Lori approached him with curious eyes.

Stepping up, Dale looked him up and down - "You're just gonna kill him?" he questioned with a bewildered face full of disbelief. "It's settled. I'll do it today." The leader spoke, walking away from the group with the elder on his tale.

Attempting to walk away, Shane curled his fingers around his wife's wrist and pulled her closer to him. "What happened in there?" He questioned, Adeline looking at the grip he held on her with reluctant eyes before meeting his own.

"When we were in that bar, the two men we met - one of them had a name. Tony. He said some things to me, said he wanted to... you know. Rick stopped him before anything could happen but that kid - he told me what their plan was in the first place. It was to get me." She informed, pulling her arm out of his grasp and crossing it over her chest.

Adeline stepped closer and looked around, "But we have to listen to Rick, alright? Hershel already wants you gone, Shane. This is his farm and we have to listen what they want to do. Promise me that." she pleaded with careful eyes. The look in her husbands was dark, glooming over with insanity at the information she had told him. "Shane, please. Do this, for me." She started, only for him to run a hand over his shaved head and walk away.

"I am doing this for you." He promised, but like all of his words - they would fall through.

━━━━✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

It wasn't long before everyone had went off to do their own thing and Adeline found herself on top of the RV, the sun blending into pink and orange hues in the sky. From where she sat with a rifle in her lap, her skin looked tan which was something she rarely saw. Shifting her body, she rested it against the chair and craned her chin to the sky. Sooner or later, she would have to go into Hershels home for the meeting Rick had set up. The camper shifted underneath her, head turning to find Dale climbing up the ladder. "There you are," She stated with a small smile. "I heard you've been making your rounds, trying to convince people of the right thing." She informed.

Dale sat his rifle down against the cooler and neared the woman, "One of my least successful days." He spoke while taking the seat next to her. "But I did save the best for last," He informed with a smile which caused the woman to chuckle underneath her breath. "So..."

"I don't want anyone to die." Adeline cut him off with truthful eyes, "I never did. That's why I became a nurse, to save lives." She continued, looking into the golden field before them. "And I know you think I have a say in what'll happen tonight but... I don't think I do. Rick goes along with whatever Lori says, Shane does what he thinks will keep me alive. I'm more scared he's gonna get himself killed doing that," She confessed. "And I don't want to lose him."

Dale nodded with an understanding expression, "I'd do anything to see my wife one last time. To relive a moment with her, even if it was an argument. I hate myself for even thinking this - let alone saying it, but... I'm glad she's not here to live through this world. Humanity seems to be lost in the wind, the only thing people are focused on is surviving. But what's the point in living if guilt is killing you?" He questioned with a perked brow - looking to the woman who took in his words. "They're taking away that boys life... his chance to do better."

"What he's done," Adeline started, the creak of Hershels screen door opening whistling through the yard. With Ricks voice yelling for them to come in, she stood up from the chair and solemnly looked over to Dale . "I don't think there's any humanity left for him to come back to."

Her words led them to the farmhouse, bodies stuffed inside of the living room impatiently waiting for a verdict. Adeline stick herself in the first available slot, which happened to be next to Daryl Dixon. Leaning against the wall, her eyes searched the faces in the room as Carl reluctantly walked into the next room over with Jimmy. Lori and Rick didn't want him to listen, to hear what kind of people they had turned into.

"So how do we do this? Just take a vote?" Glenn was the first to break the tense filled silence, his hands in his lap. "Does it have to unanimous?" Andrea questioned, standing next to Shane who kept his eyes on Adeline. "How about majority rules?" Lori offered.

Rick pinched the bridge of his nose and stepped up, "Well let's just... let's just see where everybody stands then we can talk through the options." He instructed, curling his hand around the base of a couch.

"Well, where I sit, there's only one way to move forward." Shane spoke up, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Killing him, right?" Dale was quick to retort, looking around the group. "I mean why even bother to take a vote? It's clear which way the wind's blowing." He said, causing Adeline to look down at her boots with troubled eyes.

Rick shifted on his feet, "Well, if people believe we should spare him - I wanna know." He informed.

"I can tell you it's a small group. Maybe just me, Glenn and Adeline." Dale informed, nodding his head with his words. At his words, the boy looked down to his hands and avoided Dales eyes. "Look, I- I think you're pretty much right about everything, all the time, but this -"

"They've got you scared." Dale started, holding his hat out with disbelief.

"He's not one of us, and we've lost too many people already." Glenn retorted, guilt lacing his eyes.

The fisherman looked to Maggie, "How about you? Do you agree with this?" he questioned.

She stood from the couch and crossed her arms over her chest, "Couldn't we continue keeping him prisoner?"

"Just another mouth to feed." Daryl spoke up, leaning against the doorframe. Adeline moved her eyes to him, thoughts racing through her mind as she looked back down to the wooden floorboards.

Hershel nodded - "It may be a lean winter."

"We could ration better." Lori said, looking around the group.

"Didn't he say he was good at hunting? I know he told us he was willing to help if we'd just let him." Adeline spoke, lifting her head from the ground and meeting the eyes that were now focused on her. "He could be an asset. We just have to give him a chance. Put him to work."

"We're not letting him walk around." Rick was quick to deny, causing his sister to bite her tongue and nod slowly, retreating back to the wall she leaned against next to Daryl.

Maggie looked over, "We could put an escort on him."

"Who wants to volunteer for that duty?" Shane retorted.

"I will." Adeline and Dale spoke up simultaneously, their eyes meeting. Hers were filled with reassurance, holding onto his words that they should keep their humanity.

"No." Her husband was sharp with his words, eyes cutting daggers into her skin.

Rick sighed, "I don't think any of us should be walking around with this guy."

Lori nodded - "He's right. I wouldn't feel safe unless he was tied up."

"His leg is screwed up. He can't walk without a limp, anyways. And plus he's a kid, all of us besides Carl weighs more than him. Hell, Carl might even beat him." Adeline spoke up with aggravated eyes, "We cannot just kill someone because a few people won't feel safe. It's not humane - you know that." She continued, her voice strained. "I don't want to lose what little of myself I have. And if we go through with this, we'll lose touch with what's real. What's right." She stated, her eyes glued to her husband. The words she drowned in, the ones that made her too scared to say to his face.

Shane sighed, "Say we keep him alive. Maybe he's useful, we let our guard down and he runs off to tell his army of thirty men. What do we do then?"

"So the answer is to kill him to prevent a crime that he may never even attempt? If we do this, we're saying there's no hope. Rule of law is dead. There is no civilization." Dale started, his eyes bewildered.

Hershel looked up, "Could you drive him further out? Leave him like you planned?" he inquired.

As Rick began to consider it, Lori spoke up with her hand to her chest - "You barely came back this time. There are walkers. You could break down. Y-you could get lost."

"Or get ambushed." Daryl said, avoiding Adelines eyes.

"They're right. We should not put our own people at risk." Glenn spoke up from his seat by the piano.

"If you go through with it, how would you do it?" Patrica questioned, looking up from her seat. "Would he suffer?"

Shane looked over to Rick - "We could hang him, right? Just snap his neck."

The leader nodded, "I thought about that. Shooting may be more humane."

"And what about the body? Do we-?"

"Hold on, hold on." Dale cut T-Dog off, "You're talking about this like it's already decided."

Daryl shifted on his feet, "We've been talking all day, going around in circles. You just wanna go around in circles again?" He questioned while pacing behind Adeline.

"This is a young man's life! It is worth more than a five minute conversation! Is this what it's come to? We kill someone because we can't decide what else to do with him? You saved him! And now look at us." Dale yelled, anger coursing through him. "He's been tortured, he's gonna be executed! How are we any better than those people that we're so afraid of?" He questioned, the group avoiding his eyes with guilty faces.

Shane looked over to him, "We all know what needs-"

"How much will it take for you to see that he's right, Shane? If you do this... you cannot come back from it." Adeline stepped forward, her expression laced with pleads. "Please."

Rick set his eyes on his sister, "She's right. We can't leave any stone unturned here. We have a responsibility-"

"So what's the other solution?" Andrea interjected.

"Let him finish." Adeline was quick to cut her off with sharp eyes, digging into the blondes skin who scoffed at her.

"We haven't come up with a single viable option yet. I wish we could -" Andrea started again, only for her voice to be cut off.

"So let's work on it!" Dale bellowed, eyes sticking to Andrea. "We are." Rick spoke up.

Carol stepped up, "Stop it. Just stop it. I'm sick of everybody arguing and fighting. I didn't ask for this. You can't ask us to decide something like this. Please, either of you, both of you - but leave me out." She said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Not speaking out or killing him yourself - there's no difference." Dale reminded the woman.

With a deep sigh, Rick held his hand out. "Alright that's enough. Anybody that wants the floor before we make a final decision has the chance." He informed - watching as the room fell in silence.

Adeline looked over to her brother with troubled eyes, "It's not right. You'll see that. You'll know." She spoke softly before staying quiet and retreating back to the wall.

Dale searched the room, "You once said that we don't kill the living." He spoke up - only for the leader to cut him off.

"That was before the living tried to kill us." Rick reminded, motioning towards Adelines scarred face.

"But don't you see?" Dale continued, "If we do this, the people that we were - the world that we knew is dead! And this new world is ugly... It's harsh! It's survival of the fittest! And that's a world I don't wanna live in. And I don't believe that any of you do! I can't. Please. Let's just do what's right. Is Adeline the only one here with a sense of humanity? Isn't there anybody else who's gonna stand with us?" He questioned, the group falling silent in a pit of thought.

Andrea nodded - "They're right." she reluctantly agreed with the man, "We should try to find another way."

"Anybody else?" Rick inquired, waiting for anyone to agree but received no answer. That was his final straw, he sent his sister an apologetic stare before shrugging his shoulders and turned to look at Dale who scoffed.

"You all gonna watch too?" The elder retorted, only to shake his head. "No, no. You'll go hide your heads in your tents and try to forget that we're slaughtering a human being." He spoke, tears of frustration welling in his eyes. "I won't be a party to it." He informed before walking out of the room.

Stopping at Daryl and Adeline who stood by the exit, he squeezed the woman's forearm. "Thank you." He smiled softly, turning to Daryl with furrowed brows - "And you were right. This group is broken." With that, he made his way out of the farmhouse.

━━━━✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

The night sky simmered down upon them, her body walking alongside a limping Randall who was being dragged to the barn. Shane wanted her to come along with him and at first, she refused but he convinced her. Adeline knew she wouldn't spare glance when the time came, that she would look outside and step out at the last second. According to her husband; seeing it would prove that what they were doing was the right choice.

Opening the wooden doors, that brought the teen to the middle of the floor and forced him to kneel. "It's all gonna be over soon," Shane promised as he tied a blindfold over the teens eyes.

Randall questioned what he meant, but soon got the message once the sound of Rick cocking his python was heard. His begs started soon after, Adelines stomach twisting with uncertainty at the sounds of his screams. Tears wells in her eyes, hand placing against her stomach as they only grew louder in her mind. "No, no, please. Please don't do it. Please - I'll do anything!" Randall begged, causing the woman to stumble back and blink away the tears threatening to spill over.

"Do you have any final words?" Rick questioned, raising the python to the teens head.

"No, please! Please don't, please!" He screamed, broken cries echoing in her mind.

"Rick, maybe you can just think-"

"Enough." Shane cut his wife off, voice harsh and sharp. Daryl looked to him with furrowed brows as Adeline let a shaky breath leave her lips and nodded slowly.

Just as her brother hovered his finger over the trigger, a voice cut them off - "Do it, Dad. Do it." Carl spoke up from the barn doors, Adeline turning around quickly at the sight of her nephew and rushing over to him.

Curling her arm around his, she pulled him out of the barn and away from the execution. "What in the hell are you doing, Carl?" She questioned, hearing the sound of a gun click which caused her to look back with furrowed brows.

Rick lowered his gun, "Take him away." He instructed, sliding the weapon back into his holster. Relief flooded over Adeline at the sight, her hand releasing Carl at her brothers words.

Walking over to Daryl, she cupped the boys arm and pulled him off of the ground with the redneck. The two of them ushered a thankful Randall back to the shed, frustrated eyes coming from Daryl but relieved ones from Adeline and Randall. "I know that you don't think that it's a good idea-"

"You're damn right." The redneck cursed, watching as the woman sighed and unlocked the door to the shed. Rolling her eyes, the moon provided them enough light to lock the boy up.

"If you'd just-"

A loud scream cracked through the night air, fear twisting around her stomach as she stood at the open door of the shed with wide eyes. With one quick movement, she ignored the yells from Daryl and took off running towards the sound. The once sore ankle she had, had no effect on her as it had healed up. Sprinting through the field, the weeds whipped against her legs. Her eyes caught the flashlights of the other stunning towards them, the screams growing louder as Daryl caught up to her.

Spotting a slumped walker kneeling over a body, the man running next to her tackled the stalker as she threw him her machete which he caught with ease. Through the darkness of the night, her eyes found the body laying against the cold ground. "Oh god, oh my god." Adeline whimpered, falling to her knees next to him.

Dale cried, his stomach ripped open by the walker as the nurse next to him cupped her hands over the wounds in futile attempts to save him. "Hang in there buddy," Daryl assured after killing the walker - screaming for the group to hear him and come over. "Can you save him? Can you help him?" He questioned, kneeling back down to Adeline.

Tears blurred her vision, breaths leaving her mouth rapidly as she numbly shook her head and looked down to her hands and arms coated in blood. "I don't.. I don't..." She sobbed, raising her head to meet eyes with Daryl.

Hearing her voice tremble and seeing the tears slid down her cheeks, he nodded in solemn way. With her blurry vision, Adeline couldn't see the expression of grief coating Daryls face as a sob left her throat. Dales hands gripped her arms in pain, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Dale. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry." She cried, cupping his face with her bloody hands. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." The words left her mouth as the group finally reached them.

Rick fell to his knees in shock, eyes wide. "Oh my god," he muttered, searching Dales body and finding the gaping hole in his stomach. "Addy.. Adeline, can you? Save him? Can you save him?" He questioned - looking to his sister who held her hands against the man's face helplessly.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry." Those were the only words that left her mouth, tears making a home in the trails on her cheeks. Every word spoken to her and passed out around her were nothing but muffled rings, disbelief and shock taking over her body as she continuously apologized to the man. It was her fault, she was sure of it. She should've left the house with him, she should've went to find him once Rick decided not to execute Randall - she should've done something, anything.

Hershel reached them with panicked eyes, hands pulling Adelines numb body away from Dale to let the elder work on him. She fell into the legs of Shane, his body crouching down to cup the back of her head and hold it into his chest. He whispered words into her ear; sayings that she couldn't make out due to the ringing in her head.

The shake of Hershels head confirmed that there was no saving Dale - the man who tried to keep them together. The man who tried to keep their humanity. "No!" Rick screamed, holding his python out in his hands.

"Get off, get off of me." Adeline begged, pulling herself away from Shane. "Get off of me." She whispered, crawling over to Dale as he cried out in pain. The misery was enough, broken sobs leaving his lips as he choked on his own blood. She helplessly held his hands as Andrea left his side, unable to sit through it. "It's okay. You're gonna be okay, I promise." Adeline assured, tears trailing down her face and building cities on her skin as she cupped the man's neck. "They're gonna make it go away."

Taking the gun away from Rick who failed to pull the trigger, Daryl kneeled down next to Adeline and placed a hand on the back of her shirt. "Sorry, brother." He apologized, his finger hovering over the trigger.

THEN THE SHOT RANG OUT.