CHAPTER FIVE, 005
❝ THE BARN ! ❞

SILAS kept his son and daughter behind his body, a gun raised at the doors in front of him.

Shane Walsh, his own brother had broken the lock on the barn door and the dead was pouring out and heading for the closest to them.

"Shane!" Silas cried out in anger, watching as his brother started to shoot the dead that stumbled, proving that they were dead by shooting them in the chest — where a gunshot wound would be instantly fatal in someone alive. "Fuck!"

Silas turned quickly, crouching and pulling a weapon from the waistband of jeans. He thrust it towards his son, the older out of the two siblings. "You take this, and you stand back. If one gets past me, you shoot. You protect your sister, Luke."

Luke and Malie took a few steps away, fear across their faces.

Silas fired one shot, and that was at the ground where his brother stood. He loved him, but he loved the person Shane used to be. Not who he was anymore.

Jumping slightly, Shane whirled around and threw his hands up, face red. "The fuck you doing, brother?" He asked, taking a step forward, forgetting all about the point he had been trying to make previously to the residents on the Greene farm.

"You need to stop, you're scaring people." Silas spoke slowly, taking a step forward, gun Hershel had given him, aimed at his brothers chest. "I can't kill you, but I will hurt you if you don't stop."

Shane wore a wicked look on his face. "No you won't."

Silas didn't shoot his gun, but one went off. Glenn Rhee, the golden boy, stood there with a shotgun that he had just fired. A dead one dropped, and cries filled the air as Beth watched someone she loved dearly fall to the earth.

Shane stocked forward, grabbing his brother by the shoulder and forcing him to look at the barn, standing slightly behind him. "They'll kill you, Silas. They'll kill everyone you love unless you stop it."

Silas's heart pounded in his chest, each beat echoing the chaos around him. The air was thick with the stench of decay and the cries of the living, the loud cries of Beth and Carol. He glanced back at his children, their wide eyes filled with fear as they watched the world around them — their uncle who seemed to be pushed past his breaking point, their father who was forced to threaten his brother.

But he had to protect them, no matter the cost.

"Luke, Malie, stay behind me," Silas urged, his voice trembling but his words were firm. He turned his attention back to Shane, who was now frantically reloading his weapon. The barn doors creaked as one more of the dead stumbled out, their lifeless eyes fixed on the living.

"Shane, we can't keep doing this!" Silas shouted, his voice breaking the silence that filled the air. "We need to find another way!"

Shane's eyes were wild with desperation. "There is no other way, Silas! It's us or them!"

Silas's grip tightened on his gun. He knew his brother was right, but he couldn't shake the feeling that there had to be a better solution. He took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves.

Suddenly, a piercing scream cut through the air. Silas turned to see Carol, her face filled with grief, as she watched her daughter, Sofia, stumble towards them. The sight of the once vibrant girl now reduced to a mindless walker was almost too much to bear as she dropped to her knees.

"Carol, I'm sorry." Silas called out, but his words were lost in the the moment. He watched as Daryl pulled Carol into his arms, trying to comfort her as she sobbed uncontrollably.

Rick Grimes, his face etched with determination, stepped forward, his gun trained on Sofia. His hands shook, the weight of the decision bearing down on him. Silas could see the conflict in Rick's eyes, the struggle between duty and compassion.

"Rick, let me do it," Silas said softly, stepping closer to the sheriff. "You don't have to carry this burden alone."

Rick hesitated, then nodded, lowering his weapon. Silas took a deep breath, his heart heavy with sorrow. He raised his gun, aiming at Sofia's head. The world seemed to slow down as he squeezed the trigger, the sound of the gunshot echoing in his ears.

Sofia's body crumpled to the ground, and for a moment, everything was still. The weight of what had just happened hung in the air, a reminder of the harsh reality they were now faced with. An image of their future.

Silas lowered his gun, his hands trembling. He turned to his children, who were watching him with a mixture of fear and admiration. He knew that they had to keep moving, to stay strong for each other.

"Let's go," Silas said quietly, his voice filled with determination. He reached out to his children, knowing they'd step towards him now.

LUKE knew what happened to his mother, she had died. He and Malie had walked home from school that day, it only being a half day before they were allowed to leave at lunch time. They had a key, and the neighbourhood they lived in was peaceful, little to no crime that ever happened.

He opened the door, and his mother laid there on the floor, body pale and lips blue. He found out later that she had choked on something, and it was just a freak accident that she could have came back from if someone had been there to help her.

He closed the door, and turned to his younger sister, telling her he forgot his lunch kit and didn't want to make mom drive them back to school. So they walked the ten or so minute walk back, where he told her to wait in the library where he told a teacher what had happened.

His father arrived quickly, bringing his children into his arms and praying to whatever god that listened, that this wouldn't haunt them for their lives.

Malie wasn't told right away what had happened, but the next day when the shock had worn off on Luke and Silas.

Luke believes this made him a better person, even if this was only months before the apocalypse started.

"She died less than a year ago." Luke stated slowly and quietly, sitting next to Carol, who was sitting near the fire. "My mom. I walked into my home to find her pale and blue lipped. Her chest was so still."

"I'm sorry." Carol looked over to the boy, reaching a hand out and squeezing his hand. "You should have never had to see that."

"I'm sorry for you too, Carol. You never deserved that either. But if it makes you feel any better at all, I've only know you for such a short time, and I know that you were a great mom, and I know you will be a great mother figure for Malie." It made Carol cry a little, but in some way, having someone else tell her that she was a great mom, made her feel just a little better  .