Ch. 20 last drink

In town Julius sits in the dusty old bar with Hershel downing a bottle of his fine wine from the bunker with Hershel who sits dejectedly taking shot after shot. The old man didn't give any heed to the fact that Julius was again in pristine designer clothes, and drinking such expensive wine that clearly couldn't be found anywhere nearby. He was lost in his own world then. Hershel didn't have much to say which Julius thought was a little odd for someone who was so drunk. A drink at the bar should always be fun, so why did he look so depressed? Not only that, why would he risk coming all this way alone?

"What's eating you old man?" Julius asks entirely unaware of what had taken place that morning. "The wine not good enough?" He asks wondering if Hershel had better taste than he initially thought.

"No, this wine is plenty fine. I've just got a lot on my mind…"

"Ah, sounds tough…" Julius says taking another swig. "Wanna get it off your chest?"

Hershel paused for a moment as if pondering then he spoke. "I've been a terrible fool…I put my family in danger, for what? A hopeless dream…I thought they could be saved." Hershel continues, it seems like he's talking to himself more than Julius.

"Wait, what did I miss?" Julius starts to worry if he had sent Clem into some sort of danger going back to the farm.

Before Hershel could answer the door opens and Rick comes in, followed by Glenn and an unfamiliar face. Julius assumed he was someone from Mac's group. "Hershel? Julius?" Rick says noticing them at the bar.

"Yo what's up?" Julius says still wondering why everyone is so tense.

"Why are you here?" Hershel asks not turning from the bar. "Maggie send you?"

"What's it matter who sent us?" Rick replies.

"How many have you had?" He asks noticing the freshly emptied glass in front of Hershel.

"Not enough," The old timer answers dryly.

"Well let's finish this up at home. Beth, she collapsed…she's in some sort of state, I think she's in shock. I think you are too." Rick starts trying to convince Hershel to leave with them. "Come on, let's head back."

"Isn't Dr. Zoldyck there? It's likely he can help her more her than I ever could." Hershel answers.

"Hershel, she doesn't need some city slicker doctor, she needs you. Her father." Rick retorts.

"Maybe, but what could I really do?" Hershel asks rhetorically. "Beth needs her mother, or rather to mourn her…like she should have done weeks ago. I robbed her of that. I see that now…"

"You thought there was a cure. Can't blame yourself for holding out for hope." Rick's voice softens with sympathy.

"What hope? You heard the doctor, there's no sign this virus is getting cured anytime soon. When you ran across my field with your boy I thought there was hope. He survived somehow, but is there really much hope in prolonging the inevitable? We lost Otis for nothing apparently," he glances over to Julius. "But hey, your man Shane made it back…"

"Hold up, no hope? My brother and I are the hope!" Julius cuts in, visibly offended. "And we're right here with you. You should have more hope than anyone."

"Your brother was the one who said they couldn't be saved," Hershel responds. Machiavelli's answer had been on repeat in his head.

"The dead can't be saved, they're already dead. Besides did you really think they would want to come back all gross and decayed like that? Our concern is keeping the living alive, and you coming out here just to mope doesn't help anything to that end." Julius corrects the old man with a stern look. "Have another drink and do your mourning, people still need you here. I doubt you're the only person who thought to lock up a loved one you couldn't bring yourself to kill either."

Hershel side eyes Julius "I never said- never mind. Knowing you, you could probably hear them from the house."

"Well, they aren't exactly church house mice…" Julius shrugs. "Even if I couldn't, context clues."

"And you never said anything?" Rick exclaims. "That's not the kind of thing you just keep to yourself."

"Not my farm, not my business." Julius says nonchalantly. Hershel didn't pry too much into his business, so he didn't feel the need to do so either. "I can accept that reasoning. It was a dumb thing to do, but admirable. You thought you were protecting your people. Wouldn't it be great if you could survive all this with your whole family?" Julius continues patting Hershel's back. "That spells out what happened this morning clearly then. Your guests massacred your undead family?"

"Yes…" Rick answers taking a shot, his embarrassment is clear to see. Even if it was the right call, he feels bad about how it all went down.

"Ah, well could be worse. No one living got hurt right?" Julius says looking on the bright side as he notices his bottle is empty. "…I'm out of booze…" he thinks while deciding he's bored of the place now. "Let's-" Suddenly he stops, looks at everyone, and then his clothes. "Fuck…no, I'm not doing that." He says resolutely.

Everyone looks at him with some concern. What was he suddenly talking about now?. "Doing what? Everything alright?" Nick asks cautiously.

"Someone's coming and I'm too clean…that stands out. I'm not in the mood for unnecessary problems, but I'm not dirtying my clothes to look the part…" Julius explains with mild irritation. Almost as soon as he finishes speaking they hear a car's engine stop just outside, someone get out and then two people enter the bar. The entire group is instantly on guard watching them enter.

The new arrivals could easily sense the tension in the room, more eerily the cold-blooded killing intent directed at them. "Hey more survivors! What's up?" The first, a beady eyed fellow with a mischievous smile speaks up. "We mean you guys no harm, just looking for somewhere to rest. Is it cool if my friend and I chill here for a bit?"

"It's a free country…" Julius says.

"What's left of one anyways," the man chuckles sitting across from Nick. He motions for his heavy-set bearded friend to sit down.

The big guy grabs the nearest chair and plops down by the door with a relieved sigh. "My fuckin feet are killing me!"

"Man, you got no idea how happy I am to see new faces! Well living faces. It's been tough trying to survive out here. Me and my friend-"

"You mean friends right? I heard two more vehicles coming from the same direction as you, then break off and park at other places. Or was that a coincidence?" Julius says calmly.

The man thinks how insane it is that Julius heard the others who weren't even on this street. 'This one is pretty sharp. I better play it safe,' he thinks sizing Julius up. "Good ear," he chuckles "my name is Dave and this scrawny asshole here is my friend Tony."

"Yo," his friend nods and goes back to wiping sweat from his face with a towel he pulled from pocket.

"What about you guys?" Dave asks.

"I'm Julius. That's Rick, Herschel, Glenn and Nick." Julius says pointing everyone out. They didn't seem to be too excited about having their names shared with shady looking strangers, but Julius didn't care. "So what brings you out here?"

"We barely escaped from Philly when all this shit went down. Heard there was people taking shelter in D.C. but just our luck the roads were down. So, we're headed west."

"What are you looking for out west? I just came from as far west as you can go…LA has almost nothing left." Nick asks.

"How'd you get all the way across the country? Airlines still running?" Tony asks noting how ridiculous that sounds to travel across the country with the way things are now.

"Oh umm…" Nick is just now realizing how much he gave away.

"My brother dropped them off, he has a chopper." Julius cuts in.

"Wait you guys have a chopper?" Tony chimes in from the background. "The fuck are you doing in undeadman wonderland? You all stupid or something?"

"Where would we fly fat dumbass? In case you haven't noticed the whole world is undeadman wonderland!" Julius shoots back.

"Who you calling a fat dumbass? Dumbass!" Tony stands up angrily reaching for what may be a gun.

"The fat dumbass, dumbass" Julius says resting his hand on the hilt of his sword as he takes a step forward. Everyone watches apprehensively. Rick's hand goes for his gun, and Nick is standing behind the bar already…could be a gun behind the counter too.

"Oooh that's badass, you have a samurai sword?" Dave says trying to diffuse the situation.

"Yeah and I'm pretty good with it too," Julius says still eyeing Tony. "Wanna see?"

"Oh no need for all that. Haven't you heard of twenty one feet rule? Chill out Tony it's all just words man." Dave answers which causes both parties to calm down a bit. "Sorry about my friend, with all that's been going on he's just a little on edge is all. We all are, let's just have a drink and chat like civilized adults." Dave cautiously pours a drink for himself and Tony before he sits back down.

"I'm surprised you know the twenty one feet rule, at this distance neither of you would be able to draw in time." Julius declares, stating he knows they are both carrying guns.

"What are you a bushido super soldier or something?" Dave chuckles nervously, "I got it off a cop." He says showing the gun to everyone.

"I'm a cop," Rick says with a dry tone.

"Don't worry man he was already dead, twice. I'm not like that." Dave defends himself quickly before returning to a prior subject.

"So you say you came from the west? We were thinking of heading towards Nebraska."

"Nebraska?" Glenn asks confusedly. "What's out there?"

"Well lower population means less of those things for one, and there's a lotta guns to be had. Can't beat that. Unless you can, gotta be something worth flying here for." Dave's answer shifts to an inquiry. "You guys didn't just stop in the middle of nowhere for a drink?"

"We actually did for the most part, we were just finishing up here." Hershel says as he pushes his glass away.

"Well where are you headed if you don't mind me asking? Got a big group? We could pool our resources, you know strength in numbers and all that." Dave says with a friendly smile.

"I think we're good," Rick say putting a hand up. "Got enough heads to keep count of as is."

"Aww come on don't be like that, it's not like we can't pull our weight. Just give us somewhere to rest for a little while." Dave pleads. "We'll be out of your hair before you know it."

"I'm sorry but you'll have to find somewhere else, that won't work." Hershel says side eyeing Rick.

"Huh? Why not? Must be a pretty sweet setup if you want to hog it all for yourselves."

"Nothing sweet about it it's just not much to split with an entire new group." Nick says finishing his drink and getting up. "We should be getting back honestly, or the others will start to worry."

"I find it hard to believe you guys aren't sitting pretty, considering the Versace ninja over here drunk off of top shelf. I know this dump ain't got it like that." Dave says a little less playfully.

"I was rich before and I take care of what I still have very well. It's not like stocks and bonds are worth anything now." Julius told no lies, just not the whole truth. "Besides regardless of what we have, we said no. Drop it." His tone getting serious.

"Bet there's some good looking broads with a rich playboy like you. I'd kill to get my dick wet again." Tony did not look like he was playing.

"Ok you're done," Julius declares an end to the conversation while moving for the door. Tony was about to touch a dragon's reverse scale and didn't know it. "I think it's time for us to go."

"I don't think you get what's going on here," Tony jumps in front of Julius gun drawn. "If I bust a cap in your ass then will-"

Julius grabs Tony's throat lifting him off of his feet, squeezing tightened and tighter everyone hears snapping. Then bloods starts to squirt out as the flesh tears. Tony struggles for one last bloody breath before his head and a part of his spinal cord is removed from his body, which collapses to the floor sputtering blood.

"Somebody say FINISH HIM?" He asks tossing the head with a blank expression. Everyone in the group figured Julius was easily capable of something like that, but it was still rough to look at.

"What the fuck!?" Dave is the main one startled. He stumbles backwards going for his gun in a panic when suddenly his whole lower jaw vanishes.

"Shhh….you're fucking up my buzz." Julius whispers to him as the body drops. One heavy stomp cracking the ground flattens Dave's head. "Gah! That really pissed me off! I-I'm going home! Well to the farm, whatever! You all know what I mean!" He shouts to them a tipsy bloody mess.

"J-Julius… I understand why, but was it necessary to go that far?" Hershel asks.

"Yes! It was! Only my family gets to talk shit to me, and I've been really nice lately. let Daryl slide, I let Shane slide, but I will NOT be threatened by some jelly belly rando! Hershel you and Rick are the fuckin leaders of your groups…" he stops and looks at Nick "and you!"

"Me?" Nick looks confused. As far as chain of command went Mac, Liza, Daniel and even his mom were definitely above him. "Umm I'm not-" another look at Julius expression told him to stop talking.

"Get your group's shit together! Maybe we wouldn't have so many fuckin problems!" Julius barks. "I do have somewhere safe for us, if you act like normal fucking people we can go."

"Where is that?" Glenn asks timidly.

"It doesn't fuckin matter! What did we just learn about asking questions!?!? Come or don't come, I don't care!"

"My, m-my bad," Glenn steps back.

"Ok good now what car did you come in? Someone take me home!" Julius says walking towards the door. Suddenly he falls back, avoiding bullets spraying through the door's window.

"Everyone get down and get away from the windows!" Rick calls out.

"There's more of them?!" Nick shouts.

"OOW!!!!" Julius shouts so loud he breaks the rest of the glass in the building from bottles to windows. On the way down to the floor Julius got his hair dirty, which only pisses him off more. "You all stay here, I'm going to go clean up." He says from the floor ready for a bloodbath.