A Decision of Humanity and Reason

Daryl had taken a bullet in the thigh and needed treatment at once. The group also needed to decide how to respond to Sophia's disappearance and give everyone a clear direction.

Logan's men had shot out the RV's tires, forcing them to stop. Unless they repaired the damage, the vehicle carrying most of their supplies would have to remain here.

Grief and anguish filled Carol's face as she repeatedly tried to run out and search for her missing daughter. Her marriage had been miserable, and family life had never made her feel cherished or treated with tenderness.

Only Sophia had given her the warmth and hope she found in motherhood.

Now that Sophia was missing,

Carol's entire world seemed to have collapsed.

"Let me go... I have to find Sophia. I have to find her!" Carol pleaded again and again. If Andrea and Amy had not restrained her, she might have rushed into danger alone.

Threats surrounded them.

Walkers were not the only danger. Logan had revealed that a band of raiders prowled nearby, and the consequences would be unthinkable if they caught Carol.

"Wait, Rick." Shane was just as anxious, but he still tried to stop his friend. "We'll begin searching immediately, but you're a cop. You know the odds of finding anyone by wandering around without a plan are terrible."

Rick's face twisted with pain and frustration. "Lori and Carl are missing. How can you expect me to stay calm?"

During the earlier attack, Lori and Carl had been cut off by walkers and unable to reach the RV. They had been forced to flee in the opposite direction from the group.

No one knew where they had gone.

How could Rick not be afraid?

Isaac's expression turned grave.

The group now faced a crisis.

One of its best fighters was wounded, several members were missing, internal problems remained unresolved, and ruthless raiders watched from outside like bloodthirsty wolves ready to strike.

Most important of all,

Isaac had not yet secured absolute leadership over the group.

With danger both within and without,

he could already imagine the group fracturing or dissolving entirely.

They could not continue like this.

Isaac made his decision and walked to the center of the group. "Everyone, listen. There's something important you need to know."

His height alone was enough to draw every eye.

His voice carried clearly,

and everyone heard him.

They all turned toward Isaac. Even Carol, whose daughter was missing, looked up. Rick did as well, though he already harbored resentment toward Isaac and had lost track of both his wife and son.

Shane asked, "Isaac, what is it?"

"I just killed the man who attacked us." Isaac's blunt admission chilled them. Killing a living person still felt far removed from anything this group had done.

They had suffered death before, but mostly through walker attacks, and the things they fought back against were no longer human. Isaac had killed a man.

Before anyone could dwell on that fact, Isaac continued. "The attacker told me he wasn't alone. He belongs to a group that ambushes survivors, kills them, and takes their supplies."

"How can that be?" Their faces changed at once, and concern over Isaac's killing vanished beneath the larger threat.

Miana looked at him. "Isaac, doesn't that mean we're in danger right now?"

Still supporting Carol, Amy added, "If that's true, the commotion here may already have alerted them."

Alarm spread across every face.

Shane and Rick were no exception. Neither was Merle, who had assumed the men Isaac killed were the entire threat. They had only been the tip of the iceberg.

With Daryl wounded as well,

the weight of the situation settled heavily on Merle.

"We will find our people, but we have to protect ourselves while we do it." Isaac faced Carol. "We can only find Sophia if we stay alive. If you can't protect your own life, how will you save hers?"

Carol buried her face against Amy's shoulder. Isaac was telling the truth, but that cruel reality was more than she could bear.

"Glenn." Isaac turned toward the man standing nearby.

Glenn adjusted his cap under Isaac's gaze. "What is it?"

"Replace the blown tire as fast as you can. We need to leave immediately."

"Got it." Glenn turned to Dale without hesitation. "Dale, give me a hand."

"Yeah." This was no time for petty disagreements. Dale went with Glenn to the damaged wheel.

Isaac looked toward Jenner. "Dr. Jenner, Daryl's injury is in your hands."

Although threats had forced Jenner to remain with them, he looked at the wounded man gritting his teeth and rose. "I understand."

Jenner was a medical researcher rather than a practicing physician,

but before entering medicine,

he had sworn to treat every patient fairly.

Race and identity did not matter; every patient deserved equal care.

Besides,

the people in this group were not bad people.

That basic decency was precisely why Isaac was reluctant to abandon them.

He might later accept people whose personalities were complicated and whose morals were questionable, but he would always need some decent people he could trust.

He wanted a group he could rely on,

not a loose collection of people who dropped every burden and scattered at the first difficulty. A group without cohesion would never grow.

For now,

Isaac wanted to see whether this one could work.

If the group ultimately proved unworthy,

he would not hesitate to replace it.

But at least

it was still worth the effort.