TWD: The Burden We Bear

The cannibal dairy farmer family was completely wiped out. Eddie had killed Andy, the zombified Mark had devoured Brenda, and Lee had taken down Danny.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group was locked in a meat locker when Larry suffered a heart attack. Lilly desperately tried to revive him, but Lee held her back while Kenny dropped a salt lick onto Larry's head, preventing him from turning into a walker.

As the group walked quietly through the forest, Eddie was moving alongside his family—Kenny, Katjaa, and Duck—while struggling with the pain from his gunshot wound on his shoulder, groaning intermittently.

With each painstaking step, Eddie hunched over, groaning louder than usual.

"How are you holding up?" Katjaa asked, her concern evident.

"I'll survive, I think... In action movies, they make it look a lot easier," Eddie hissed through gritted teeth.

Lee approached the family, and Kenny discreetly signaled for Katjaa and Duck to move ahead. They complied, leaving Eddie with the two older men.

"There's going to be fallout," Kenny said grimly.

"For killing Lilly's dad? Yeah, I would imagine so," Lee replied, nodding in agreement.

"What do you two think?" Kenny asked his son and friend.

"I'm with you, Dad. Always will be. You know that," Eddie said, his voice strained. Kenny placed a reassuring hand on his back.

"I'm with you, Kenny. We'll do what needs to be done," Lee added firmly.

"Damn right," Kenny affirmed.

"Listen, that RV back at the motor inn is almost ready to roll. I need you to come with us. I'm serious," Kenny urged, and Eddie nodded, feeling a deep bond with Lee, whom he saw as both a friend and a guardian.

"Yeah?" Lee asked, surprised.

"Hell yeah. We're a team," Eddie responded with fervor.

Kenny continued, "By taking out Larry before he turned, you saved all of us in that meat locker! That decision saved my family too. I'd say you've earned your place with us!"

As they resumed walking, Eddie turned to his father. "Dad, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure, son," Kenny replied, all ears.

"It's just... I feel really weird about everything. I don't feel bad for killing Andy. I mean, that guy was a monster. But when I took down those bandits earlier that day, I felt sick to my stomach," Eddie admitted, a frown creasing his face.

Kenny paused, considering his son's words. "Sometimes, it's easier to justify killing someone who's already done terrible things, you know? The bandits were just as bad as the cannibals. You did what you had to do to protect us. It's natural to feel conflicted."

Eddie looked thoughtful. "It's just hard to reconcile. I thought I'd feel different."

"You're a good kid, Eddie. You have a conscience, and that's important," Kenny said sincerely. "What you did was for survival, for your family. Remember that."

Suddenly, Duck's voice broke through the somber moment. "Hey, Dad, what's that noise?"

"Sounds like a car," Katjaa said, her voice anxious.

"Oh God, not more strangers," Ben muttered uneasily.

The group quietly gathered and peeked out, spotting an abandoned car on the road with its lights still on and doors ajar.

"Hello?" Lee called, cautiously approaching the vehicle. He checked the gas tank and muttered, "Figures."

"Oh, crap! Baby, you've got to see this! There's a whole stash of food and supplies back here!" Kenny shouted excitedly from the rear of the car.

The whole group rushed over, eyes widening at the bounty before them.

"This food could save all of us!" Katjaa exclaimed, a smile breaking her worried expression.

"Not all of us," Lilly interjected, her tone stern.

Kenny sighed heavily. "Look, we don't even know if these people are dead," Ben crossed his arms defiantly.

"If they come back, we'll just be monsters who came out of the woods and ruined their lives," Lilly argued.

"This stuff isn't ours." Clementine said quietly, her voice trembling.

"Dad, whose car is this?" Duck piped up, looking from one adult to the next.

"Don't worry about that, Duck. It's ours now," Kenny replied matter-of-factly.

"It's abandoned, Ducky. Don't worry," Katjaa reassured him.

"What if it's not? What if it still belongs to someone?" Clementine pressed, concern etched on her face.

"We need this, Clem," Eddie insisted, a sense of urgency creeping into his voice.

"We have to take this, Clementine. We need it to survive," Lee added emphatically.

"Who said it's your decision to make?" Lilly snapped, her frustration mounting.

"Hey, we don't have time for this nonsense! Like it or not, we need this food. Now come over here and open the trunk, Lee," Kenny commanded.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but it's not about right and wrong anymore. It's about survival," Katjaa said, her tone soft but firm.

Lee opened the trunk and prepared to unload, directing everyone to help. They each took a box; Eddie, however, could carry nothing due to his injury. Instead, he watched as the others worked, a mix of gratitude and frustration swirling within him.

As they finally returned to the motel, Eddie made his way to his room while the others unpacked the boxes. He stepped inside, the weight of exhaustion heavy upon him. Without putting on any other clothing, he slipped off his boots and slid under the covers, seeking refuge from the chaos outside.

In the dark, with the curtains drawn and the door closed, he lay still, staring at the ceiling barely visible in the dim light. The memory of stabbing Andy in the throat flashed vividly before his eyes, each detail replaying in his mind.

The contradiction echoed in his thoughts. He didn't feel guilty—he felt liberated. The bandits and the cannibals had both been terrible people, and he struggled to find any sympathy for either of them.

With each recollection, conviction began to replace the earlier distress. Nodding to himself, Eddie embraced a new clarity, knowing there could be no second-guessing in this world—they had to survive. Eventually, exhaustion overcame him, and he drifted into sleep.