She watched the figure slowly approaching her, staring at the face that had made her tremble in the dead of night countless times.
Strangely, she found that she felt no fear at this moment, and even her sadness was pitifully scant.
"Carol?" Rick looked at her with concern.
After a moment of silence, Carol took a deep breath and spoke.
"He was my husband. Let me... let me see him off myself."
After saying this, she didn't reach for the pistol at her waist, but walked straight toward the pile of farm tools nearby.
She bent down, gripped a heavy pickaxe with both hands, and slowly lifted it up.
Ed had turned into a Walker, still baring his teeth and claws, as if he still wanted to intimidate and control her just as he had when he was alive.
In the past, Carol would have long since curled up in a corner with her head in her hands.
But this time, she didn't back down.
Thud!
She swung the pickaxe in a wide arc, using all her strength to slam it hard into Ed's face!
The massive impact sent Ed staggering to the ground, dark, rotten blood splattering everywhere.
She stepped forward, looked at the struggling Ed on the ground, raised the pickaxe high again, and brought it down heavily!
Once, twice, three times... the dull thudding sounds echoed over the farm.
Carol's face was covered in tears, but she gritted her teeth without making a sound.
The trembling in the dead of night, the subconscious dodging and fawning, the humility carved into her bones... at this moment, she smashed them all into the mud along with the Walker's flesh through the tip of the pickaxe.
Carol only stopped when Ed's head had completely turned into an unrecognizable mess of gore.
Amidst her heavy panting, the pickaxe fell to the ground with a clang.
A small figure walked over.
It was Sophia.
Carol trembled all over, subconsciously wanting to turn around and block the bloody remains.
She didn't want her daughter to see this bloody scene, and even less did she want the child to remember her father's miserable death.
"Don't look, Sophia..."
Carol frantically reached out with hands covered in foul blood, wanting to cover her daughter's eyes.
But a warm little hand gently pulled hers down.
Sophia didn't cry; there wasn't even much fear in her clear eyes.
She quietly watched the corpse on the ground, as if confirming an ending she had already known.
"Mom," the little girl asked softly, "is he dead?"
Carol looked at her daughter, tears welling up again. She knelt down and hugged Sophia tightly, her voice choking up.
"Yes, baby... he's at peace."
Sophia nodded.
She buried her face in Carol's chest, her small hand gently patting her mother's back.
Then, she turned her head and took one last look at the corpse on the ground.
"Goodnight, Daddy."
...Sophia's words pressed the pause button on everything.
It was as if a heavy curtain had suddenly fallen, cutting off the sounds of everyone present.
Only the rustling of the wind through the grass remained, like nature weeping for this long-overdue farewell.
As the last Walker fell, this tragic funeral finally came to an end.
As the adrenaline faded, a massive wave of fatigue washed over them. Everyone either leaned against the fence to catch their breath or stared blankly at the mess on the ground.
Next was the question of how to handle the aftermath.
Hershel stood in silence for a while, then picked up a shovel, seemingly wanting to dig a final resting place for every old friend by himself.
Louis watched this and sighed silently in his heart.
There were already enough bones under this land. Setting aside how long it would take to dig graves for these dozens of bodies, the diseases that could be caused by the rapid decay of the corpses was a hidden danger.
But he couldn't say it so bluntly.
"Mr. Hershel."
The old man paused and raised his bloodshot eyes.
Louis pointed to the setting sun on the horizon and said softly.
"Stop digging. The sun is about to go down, and your body won't be able to take it."
"They need to rest..." Hershel's voice was hoarse and dry. "I can't just leave them on the ground like this."
"I know."
Louis looked at him sincerely. "But since their souls have already been set free, it would be better to let these shells that carried so much pain turn to ash in the flames."
Hershel froze for a moment. "You mean... burn them?"
This conflicted with his traditional values, and a look of hesitation appeared on the old man's face.
"He's right, Dad."
Maggie walked over. Grief had washed away the hesitation in her eyes, and her gaze was like land scorched by fire.
"If Mom could still speak, she would never want her body to remain in this place that once trapped her, and she certainly wouldn't want to watch you collapse trying to bury her."
Maggie reached out, gently took the shovel from her father's hand, and held it herself.
"For a complete farewell," she said, patting her father's shoulder. "Let the fire take all of this away and let them go on their way clean."
Hershel looked at his daughter's face, then at the unrecognizable remains on the ground that no longer belonged to humans.
After a long time, his tensed shoulders finally slumped, and he let out a long sigh.
So, at Louis's suggestion, everyone worked together to gather all the bodies in the clearing.
Gasoline was poured over hay and dead wood, and the moment a torch was thrown in, orange-red flames soared into the sky.
Smoke rose with the firelight, as if countless liberated souls were departing.
Hershel stood before the bonfire, the firelight reflecting off his deeply lined face.
Holding a Bible, he silently recited a eulogy amidst the crackling sounds of burning, bidding farewell to his lover, relatives, and neighbors.
No one spoke; they just quietly watched this tragic yet solemn scene.
The barn crisis, which in the original trajectory of fate had nearly caused Rick's Team to fall apart, thus came to an end within a single day in a tragic yet warm manner.
Moreover, the outcome was much better than Louis had expected.
Because of Maggie and Shawn's firm attitude, as well as the reliability Rick's Team showed during the incident with The Believers, Shawn did not forcibly break down the door due to irritability and distrust as he had in the original story, avoiding the most intense conflict between the two sides.
Though both groups were heavy-hearted, their relationship actually became closer because they handled the crisis together.
Even Beth, though her eyes were still red from crying over her mother's departure and she dazed off for a while during dinner, did not fall into a despairing suicidal mood as she had in the original story.
After all, her older brother and sister had been emphasizing every day that "that's not Mom, that's a monster," and combined with what she had learned from The Believers' side, she had already been mentally prepared.
She was much stronger than the greenhouse flower in the original story.
This was a good start.
Although this barn incident was mainly to eliminate the hidden dangers of the farm, for Louis personally, there was an unexpected and huge harvest.
And it was that voice.
In the dead of night, Louis sat alone in his room, staring blankly at the leather suitcase on the table.
Just a few hours ago, the moment Maggie ended her mother's pain with a knife and softly said "Goodnight," Louis clearly felt a vibration in his ear once again.
"Goodnight, child..."
The voice was faint, as if through layers of thick mist, but he was certain he hadn't heard wrong.
This was already the third time.