jokoty12Join Date: 2011-02-09
Post Count: 287 |
Part One
Rick and Shane are gathering together weapons and ammo for walking the perimeter of their latest campsite. The rest of the survivors are setting up camp.
Shane (calling up to Daryl on top of the RV): We shouldn’t be too long. Rick wants to take a walk around the area before it gets dark, see what we can see. Maybe if we’re lucky we might find something useful...I kind of doubt it. Doesn't look like anyone's been around here for a long time even before all this.
Daryl: Yeah, no problem. I just wish I had eyes in the back of my head and on both sides, too.
Shane: Know what you mean.
Shane walks over to Rick who’s standing near the edge of the tree line looking grim.
Shane: Think this is a good idea? Leaving them here while both of us take off?
Rick: No one goes anywhere alone. You know that. This place....looks pretty isolated. Old farm from the looks of it. Doesn’t look like it’s been lived on or planted for a few years at least.
Carl runs up.
Carl: Dad, can I come? Please?? Sophia wants to play house…..again.
Rick: No, Carl. I don't think so. Not this time. I’d feel a lot better with you here protecting your mom.
Carl: Believe me, Dad. I’m not safe here! (Carl leans into his father and lowers his voice) Last time we played “house”, Sophia tried to kiss me!!
Rick hugs Carl.
Rick: Afraid you’re going to have to fend for yourself there. Sorry, Carl. I need you to stay here and keep an eye out. You hear anything, you see anything, you let Daryl or someone know right away. We need all the eyes and ears we can get out here. I’m putting you on duty. You can’t be playing house when you’re on duty, right?
Carl smiles but the disappointment is still apparent in his eyes.
Carl: Ok, dad.
Rick: Go back with the others. Stay close to your mom.
Carl turns and walks back to the group. Halfway back he stops, turns and looks at Rick again. Rick smiles at him and gives a short wave. Carl turns and makes his way the rest of the way back. Rick and Shane turn and head off following an old trail into the forest.
Shane: To be honest with you, man, I’m not sure what exactly we’re supposed to be looking for out here. Don't wanna go too far, don't want to be out here after dark.
Rick: Checking out these grounds is only part of the reason we’re out here. Think it’s time you and I had a talk...discuss a few things. We’ve known each other for a long time, but I've gotta tell you Shane, lately I’ve started to question just how well I do know you.
Part 2
The camp. Dale standing in front of the RV seems a bit agitated, worried, keeps looking off towards where Shane and Rick entered the wooded area. Andrea notices and puts a hand on Dale’s shoulder.
Andrea: Dale, are you ok? Are you feeling all right?
Dale (startled a bit by Andrea): Oh! Oh, uh, I’m fine, just fine….it’s probably nothing. (Dale attempts to divert his eyes from where he was watching and busy himself checking something on the front of the RV.)
Andrea: You’re sure? Come on, something’s up. I’m not so bad at reading people, you know. You see something? Hear something?
Dale: Nope, haven’t seen or heard a thing. It’s what I’m afraid of hearing I guess.
Andrea (looking confused and worried): What do you mean?
Dale: Nothing, nothing. Just …just forget it. I’m just a crazy old man.
Andrea: Oh no! The “old man” routine isn’t working on me.
Dale (pulling Andrea closer to him and lowering his voice, leaning in a bit towards her while looking off towards the woods again): It’s probably nothing. Probably just walked up at the wrong time and got the wrong idea, that’s all….
Andrea: Wrong idea about what? I’m not following you.
Dale: When we were at the quarry, the day after the attack…I came upon Shane. Rick wasn’t with him. He was standing there aiming that shotgun and I’ll be danned if he didn’t have it aimed at Rick! I really thought for a second there he was going to pull the trigger.
Carl stands on the other side of the RV. His eyes go wide hearing what Dale tells Andrea. He slowly and quietly moves around towards the back of the RV and around the other side to the entrance and climbs inside.
Andrea: Maybe it just looked that way. He could have been covering Rick while Rick checked something out or they could have split up and he just misidentified Rick for a second. It’s a good thing he waited. That’s something I’ve been thinking about, how easy one of us could get shot by accident with our nerves on edge and all.
Dale: Yeah, Shane rattled something off about how we need to start wearing reflective vests to identify ourselves.
Andrea (smiles and pats Dale’s shoulder reassuringly): See, that’s all it was. A mistake. Now stop worrying about it.
Dale: You’re right. I'm just a crazy old man.
Inside the RV. Shot on the bag of guns. A small hand reaches in and pulls out a pistol.
Part 3
Rick and Shane step out of the wooded area and begin walking through an open area that looks like an old farm field.
Shane: Come on man, don’t start this again.. I’m telling ya to let it go. Whatever you’re thinking, you are dead wrong, man. I’m the same person I’ve always been. Maybe it’s you that’s changed.
Rick (stops and turns to Shane): Yeah, I have changed. I think anyone that tells you they haven’t after all this would have to be a dam liar. Maybe it’s because I have changed.....seeing things now.....you were always level headed before all this, always the one I could count on....always had my back…
Shane (angry, his anger increasing the longer he speaks until he’s yelling in Rick’s face): Have your back? Have your back??? What the beep do you think I’ve been trying to do? What do you think I was doing when you were laid up in that hospital and the place started going to beep....gettin' your wife and kid out of there....keepin' them safe? I did that for you, Rick...me! You come strollin' back and calling all the shots here, making one beep decision after another…going after Merle, carting us all to the dam CDC in the middle of prime walker real estate! Your judgment's screwed, man! It’s been nothing but disaster since you started calling the shots around here! I have tried to talk some sense into you! I’ve been doing nothing but watching your back, man! How about if you watch mine for once!?
Rick (taking Shane by the collar): Dam it, Shane! This is what I’m talking about! This! Never once in all the time we worked together did I ever see you buckle under pressure. You never used to fly off the handle like this! I never asked to be put “in charge” of a dam thing!
Shane (in a low, angry growl): Take your hands off me! (Rick releases him) If I’ve lost my cool, if I’m flying off the handle, it’s because I’m sick of cleanin' up after you and there’s a beep of a lot I can't clean up! How many of those people died before you showed up, huh? Huh?? None, not one! I kept them safe! How many have died since you got here? How many??? From the first dam second you rode your happy ass into Atlanta we started losin' people! Minute you came walkin' out of that van, it’s been all down hill, hasn’t it? Amy, Jim, Ed, Jacqui….the bodies keep piling up, man. I’m surprised you haven’t gotten Lori or Carl killed yet! You going to add them to the body count next??
Rick: Dam you!
Part 4
Rick punches Shane in the jaw. Shane goes down. Shane glares up at Rick before lunging up at Rick with an animalistic growl, putting his hands around Rick’s throat. Rick drops his rifle and puts his hands on Shane’s shoulders trying to push him back. Rick knees Shane in the groin, causing Shane to release his hold on Rick and sending him to the ground in a heap. He lays there groaning . Rick’s breathing slows and his anger starts to subside.
Rick: This isn’t what I want, Shane! There wasn’t anyone I’d have rather had next to me out there. Whatever it is that’s eating away at the Shane I knew, you’ve got to deal with that! We've got to deal with that! I’ll help you! I'll do what I can for you, Shane, you know that...but you've gotta tell me what's going on!
Shane is recovering from the kick. Rick reaches a hand out to help him up. Suddenly, Shane moves quickly to his feet and starts to raise his rifle. Rick reaches for his pistol having dropped his rifle during his altercation with Shane. As he starts to raise his pistol he notices, however, that Shane’s eyes aren’t on him but slightly to his right. Just as his rifle is halfway up, a shot echoes from a few yards behind and to the right of Rick. Shane's head jerks sideways and blood spurts into the air and he falls to the ground and lays still. Rick turns quickly to see where it came from and sees Carl standing there holding a pistol out in front of him with both hands, frozen in place, his eyes wide. Coming up behind him is a walker.
Rick (shouting): Carl! Behind you! Get down!
Carl dives to the ground just as a shot from Rick’s pistol takes down the walker only inches from Carl’s prone body. It falls on Carl who begins to scream. Rick runs over to Carl and pushes the dead walker off Carl. Carl stops screaming and begins to sob. Rick picks him up and cradles him in his arms.
Rick: Carl! Carl! Anything hurt?
Carl: I’m ok, Dad! I’m ok!
Rick (rocking Carl and holding him close, his voice breaking and mixed with relief at Carl being ok and horror over what he did to Shane): Carl! Carl! Why?? I told you to stay at the camp, I told you to stay with your mom! Why?
Carl (sobbing): He was going to hurt you, Dad! Shane was going to hurt you! I won’t lose you again, Dad! I’ll kill anyone that tries to hurt you!
Part 5
The camp. Glenn is on top of the RV keeping watch. Rick is sitting by the small fire, staring into it, a look of intense emotional pain on his face. Lori comes out of the tent and sits next to Rick.
Lori: He’s asleep….finally.
Rick: Good.
Lori: Rick….I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I should have noticed Carl was gone. I usually watch him like a hawk! I was preoccupied, wondering what I could possibly put together to eat from the little we’ve scrounged. I heard Sophia laughing. I thought he was with her and Carol. Rick, whatever got into him? He’s never touched a gun without permission before this. What was he thinking?
Rick: I don’t know, Lori. I don't know.
Lori (after a moment of silence): What about Shane? Are we just going to leave him there?
Rick: I didn’t want to, but I had to get Carl back here...it was already getting dark....there wasn't time. We’ll go back tomorrow, take care of him. Can't stand to think of him out there like that, but we don’t have a choice. Can't risk going after him in the dark.
Lori: Rick, I hate to ask this….do you think he was really going to shoot you?
Rick (puts his head between his hands, stooped over.) No....he wasn’t. He saw that walker.....I didn’t even know Carl was there! He was trying to save Carl!
Lori: Don’t tell Carl. Please don’t tell him. The only thing that’s going to get him through this is if he believes that he did it to save your life. If he knew the truth…..I don’t know what that would do to him.
Rick: I wasn’t going to tell him. How are you doing with this? All the time we’ve spent together over the years. He was the one that drove us to the hospital when Carl was born. He saw how nervous I was....was afraid I’d drive us into a ditch or a tree or something (Rick chuckles a bit at the memory) He saved you and Carl’s life when I was in that hospital. I told him once that was a debt I could never repay…he deserved better. He deserved better!
Lori pulls Rick to her and holds him tight their heads on each other’s shoulders.
Lori (tears flowing though she holds back her full emotion): I loved him, too. I’m so sorry. I loved him, too.
Part 6
Morning in the camp. The mood is somber. Carl is sitting next to the dead campfire looking down at it with a blank stare when Rick comes up behind him and puts a hand on his shoulder.
Rick (gently): How are you feeling?
Carl (in a low, slightly monotone voice): Ok, I guess.
Rick: You had anything to eat yet?
Carl: I'm not hungry.
Rick: You sure? You need to eat something. I know we don’t have much….
Carl (cutting Rick off abruptly) : No! Dad, I’m not hungry.
Rick (patting Carl on the shoulder) : I understand. You change your mind, you let us know. Where's your mom?
Carl (pointing): She went that way. She didn’t tell me where she was going.
Rick: All right. You stay here.
Rick walks in the direction that Carl had pointed. He sees Carol packing up some clothing in a bag. He walks up to her.
Rick: Carol, you seen Lori?
Carol (in a somber voice): Yeah, she’s over there. (pointing to Lori who’s sitting under a tree, her back against it and to the camp) She’s been there for about 10 minutes or so. I went over to talk to her....she said she wanted to be alone.
Rick: Thanks.
Rick walks over to Lori and sits down next to her. She's sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest and her face resting on her knees,her arms wrapped around them. She’s trying to hide it, but it’s evident from the slight shaking of her body that she’s crying.
Rick (gently and quietly): Lori? Are you ok?
Rick puts a gentle hand on the back of her head and strokes her hair. Lori raises her head and wipes her eyes quickly, taking in a quick sniffling breath.
Lori: No, Rick. I’m not ok. Are any of us ok? Will any of us ever be ok again? It’s my fault. I should have thought about what I was doing. I should have known.
Rick: What’s your fault? Shane? Carl? What should you have thought about? It’s not your fault.
Lori: No, I’m not talking about Carl.
Rick: Then what are you talking about? I was the one that took him out there yesterday. I was the one that started the argument.
Lori: Shane....we’re alive....we're alive because of him. He tried to save you in the hospital....I didn’t know that, I thought he lied to me when he told me you were dead, but even after he told me what had happened, I kept it up…..kept pushing him, pushing him….
Rick: What do you think you did to him? Do you know something....something about why he'd been the way he'd been lately? If you have any idea, .....he was my best friend...like a brother, you know that.
Lori (after a moment of contemplative silence): I…..we……after we left for Atlanta, Shane and I...(she looks up into Rick’s eyes and sees a hint of fear mixed with his concern and grows quiet then looks down at the ground) Before you found us, Shane...he was there for us, especially Carl, he gave Carl a sort of....cushion to fall on. Then you found us….I think he thought I didn't appreciate it. I don't know.
Rick looks puzzled but at the same time a bit relieved as if he were expecting her to say something else entirely.
Rick: And…..you think that’s why....because he thought you didn’t appreciate what he’d done for you and Carl? That’s it?
Lori nods looking down, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.
Rick: Lori......Shane cared about you like family. The last thing he said.....you and Carl.... he was afraid I'm going to get you killed.
Lori: What??
Rick: At the time.....pissed me off, but now.... gotta admit, I’m afraid of the same thing. Maybe he's right. Maybe that’s why it made me so angry. What's important is his last thoughts were about you and Carl.
Lori dissolves into tears. Rick looks confused and alarmed at her reaction.
Rick: I’m sorry. I thought that knowing that....
Lori: I want to be alone, Rick, please, just….I need to be alone.
Rick (bending down and kissing the top of Lori’s head): All right. All right. I’m sorry.
Rick gets up and walks away, stops and looks back at Lori with a puzzled and concerned expression, before walking over to Daryl.
Daryl (handing Rick a rifle which Rick slings over his shoulder and a shovel): You ready to do this, man? Glenn and I can take care of it if you don’t feel up to it.
Rick: No. I need to do this. Let’s go. I don’t want to be gone too long.
Rick and Daryl walk towards Carl.
Rick: Carl, we’ll be back as soon as we can. Stay where everyone can see you, ok?
Carl nods and goes back to staring at the dead fire.
Rick (to Daryl): Let’s get this over with.
Part 7
Rick and Daryl emerge from the woods into the field from the day before. They look towards where Shane had fallen in astonishment to see a female figure there, shoveling the last piles of dirt over a grave. They run towards her. As they get within feet of her, she sticks the shovel into the freshly dug grave and spins around, a pistol pointed at the two men.
Rebecca is a woman in her early 30’s, her blond, almost white hair is pinned up into a slightly unruly pile at the upper back portion of her head. Two tendrils of blond locks frame her face. She’s not knock-out beautiful, but not an ugly woman, the sort of woman that would be pretty with the right hairstyle and make up, but she looks tired and there are smears of dirt on her face. Her blue eyes are bright and piercing. She handles the pistol confidently like someone with experience with firearms. Her body language is strong, fearless, confident. There is clear anger in her eyes and her voice. She wears a faded men’s button up shirt over a T-shirt and jeans. The T-shirt is black with a yellow logo of the Sun Records company in Memphis, Tennessee. She is a somewhat tall woman with broad shoulders and hips, with a look of being deceptively strong and able to endure physical labor and hardship.
Rebecca (looking at the two men with hostility and distaste): I have to say this is a surprise. Figured the way you just shot him down like a dog and took off that you were just going to leave the poor guy out to rot. You gonna shoot me now too?
Rick (keeping his voice level but with evident anger): Where’s Shane? What did you do with him?
Rebecca looks from one man to the other, sees the shovels in their hands and puts down her pistol, holsters it, and grabs her own shovel, tapping off the last clumps of dirt clinging to it.
Rebecca (a bit sarcastically): Think it's obvious where he is and what I’ve done with him, isn't it? The same thing that you were coming to do, from the looks of it. I really didn’t think anyone was going to come back for him. Not many murderers come back to bury the victim. Thanks though, at least I know what his name was now. It was bothering me that I didn’t know his name.
Rick (a hint of anger in his voice): It wasn't murder.
Part 8
Rebecca: That’s funny, sure looked like murder to me. From looking at the footprints, you two came up here together, side-by-side. I’d have to think if this was some sort of justified execution, he wouldn’t have been walking here with his hands free and carrying a rifle…looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, you know. You won’t mind if I keep this, by the way. (Rebecca picks up and shoulders Shane’s rifle so that it lies across her back.)
Daryl: Listen…..(Daryl starts forwards towards Rebecca, Rebecca doesn’t even flinch but in a flash pulls out her pistol, aims it and locks eyes with Daryl. Rick puts an arm out in front of Daryl, stopping him.)
Rick (his voice calmer): Daryl, back off. Ma’am, I’m afraid you've got the wrong idea. You’re right, we came here together and both armed. We found this place and decided to stop here for the night. Shane and I were just checking out the area. We had an argument, that’s all it was. My son followed us. He thought he was protecting me. It wasn’t murder. Shane was my best friend. I'd known him for a long time.
Rebecca (holstering her pistol again): With friends like that, who needs enemies as the saying goes. So we’re handing out guns to little boys now? I thought this world had gone down the beep before this, couldn’t get any crazier, but I guess I’ve been proven wrong. (Rebecca steps back away from the grave facing it, leans on the handle of the shovel and gives a resigned sigh.) Well, anyway, whatever happened, I made him a decent grave. I haven’t quite lost my humanity yet, at least not enough to leave a dead man lying out to rot. Came out at first light this morning. I wanted to do it last night, was afraid the animals might get to him before I had a chance to get back here, but as I’m sure you know, wandering around in the woods at night is not the brightest of ideas these days. It’s not much smarter during the day to be honest. Those gunshots are not going to make things any easier around here for me. I probably won’t get any decent sleep for a week. Anyway, here he is. I’m guessing you’d like to pay your respects. I’ll be on my way….(Rebecca turns with the shovel and rifle and starts to take a step towards the woods.)
Rick: Wait. (Rebecca turns) I’m Rick, Rick Grimes. This is Daryl Dixon. (Rick walks closer to her and extends his hand. Rebecca takes it.) Thank you for what you’ve done. To be honest with you, I wasn’t sure how I was going to get through it, seeing him.... (Rick releases his hand from the handshake and turns towards the grave.) He was my best friend….my……(Rick slumps to the ground with his head bowed at the foot of the grave, unable to hold back the tears. He puts his hand up to his eyes trying unsuccessfully to hold back sobs then pounds the ground with his fist.) Dam it, Shane! Dam it! Dam it!
Rebecca kneels next to Rick and puts a hand on his shoulder. Her expression towards Rick has softened substantially from when they first met. She pulls a handkerchief from her pocket and puts it into Rick’s hand. She sits on her knees next to Rick for a few seconds in silence, her hand still on his shoulder. Rick pulls himself together, then takes a deep breath.
Rick: I’m sorry...I don’t even know your name.
Rebecca: Rebecca Powers. Don’t worry about it. At least wherever he is now, he’s safe. Remember that.
Daryl: Rick, we should get the others if they're comin' out here. We need to break camp and move on soon.
Rick (getting up off the ground. Rebecca follows him to her feet.) : I know Andrea and Dale wanted to say a few words and I know how important this kind of thing is to Lori.
Rebecca: Go get your people. I’ll leave you all alone.
Rick: No, please, stay. I’d like you to meet everyone.
Part 9
The funeral is over. Carol, Sophia, Dale, Andrea, Glenn, T-dog, and Daryl walk away with their heads bowed, everyone except Daryl can be seen wiping tears from their eyes, though Daryl does look morose. Glenn and Daryl pick up a couple cardboard boxes sitting at the edge of the woods near the entrance to the trail. They contain food that Rebecca returned to her cabin to bring for them. Various packages and bags can be seen sticking out of the top of the boxes. Lori says something to Carol. Carol nods and Carl follows her and Sophia. Rick waits for everyone else to disappear on the trail back to the camp, then sits next to the grave. Lori kneels beside Rick and puts her arm around him.
Lori: I’ll stay with you.
Rick: No, it’s ok, Lori. I think I’d like a little time alone with him.
Lori: All right. (Lori looks up to see Rebecca still hanging around at the edge of the woods.) I think I’m going to go talk to the new woman. What did you say her name was?
Rick: Rebecca.
Lori: Ok. Let me know when you’re ready to head back.
Rick nods and continues to stare at the grave. Lori gets up and looks down at him for a second with a look of concern, then turns and heads towards Rebecca.
Lori: Hello. I’m Lori, I'm Rick’s wife. Rebecca, right? I just wanted to thank you for what you did for Shane….and I guess in a way for Rick, too.
Rebecca: So you’re Lori. (there’s something in the way she says it that makes Lori feel uneasy.) Shane, was he a good man?
Lori: He was Rick’s best friend. They’d been close for a long time. They worked together. They were both deputies. He saved me and my son’s life when this whole thing started. Yes, he was… (the words seem to catch in Lori’s throat and she looks down) he was a good man.
Rebecca: You were sleeping with him, weren’t you? (Lori's head snaps up. She looks shocked and aghast, she stands in stunned silence staring at Rebecca, her mouth agape. Rebecca smiles knowingly.)
The grave. Rick sits beside it, facing it.
Rick: I have to go, Shane. I’ll never forget you, man. I can promise you that. At least for however long I’ve got left. Maybe I'll be joining you soon. There’s a part of me.....just wants to dig a hole for myself right here next to you. But I can’t do that. You know that. I don’t think you’d want that. I have to keep Lori and Carl safe, keep them alive. I know that’s what you’d want. When you said they were like your family...I didn’t understand before, I do now. You were part of our family, Shane, always had been, always will be. I never realized until now just how much. I’m sorry, Shane. You deserved better. At least it should have meant something. You deserved that much.
Part 10
A few yards back from the grave. Lori and Rebecca stand together, Lori still looking in shock at Rebecca, her eyes wide and fearful.
Rebecca: You can always see it in the eyes. The eyes don’t lie. I was a nurse before this, patched up many a man who had taken a bullet over a married woman. Truth is, none of us are good people, none of us are bad people. We’re all just people. We need to feel loved, wanted…..especially now, now more than ever. (Rebecca looks over to see Rick getting up from the grave) Well, looks like he's finished with his goodbyes.
Rick walks over to Lori and Rebecca.
Rick: Time to be moving on. I’d like to get as far from here as we can before nightfall. Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?
Rebecca: Thanks for the offer, but no. I’m in a good place here, I think. I’ll make it. I’ve survived here this long, This land has been in my family for over a century. My dad had a hunting cabin built not far from here a few years before he passed. I’ve made some modifications to it in the interest of security. If all else fails I have the storm cellar, too. I keep it stocked in case I have to retreat there for a while if the beep really hits the fan around here. I’ve always loved this place. Whatever happens, I’m not leaving it, at least not yet.
Rick: Ok. We’ll be around for another twenty minutes or so if you change your mind. I was thinking….Shane’s jeep….it’s nothing fancy but it runs fine... always made me more than a little nervous for him to be driving around in it, being open like that. We're leaving it behind. If you need a vehicle or just want to siphon the gas out of it, use it for parts....
Rebecca: Thank you. I have a truck, but it’s always good to have a back up. I appreciate it. (Rebecca extends her hand. Rick takes it) Good luck, Rick, and to the rest of your group. Good luck to you, Lori.
Rick and Lori turn towards the trail. Lori looks back over her shoulder at Rebecca and then takes Rick’s hand. Rebecca turns and taking another trail disappears into the woods.
Part 11
An opening in the woods. Sitting in the opening is a cabin. It is big enough for there to be two rooms, but it isn’t overly large. A rough dirt road leads up to the side of the cabin A large newer model truck has been pulled off the road and is parked a few feet to the side of the road in the grass. The road itself leads downhill not far from the cabin. The windows have been covered from the inside with wooden shutters. Rebecca approaches the cabin, fishing a key out of her pocket. She unlocks the door, goes inside, shuts it, relocks it, and puts down a heavy wooden bar that she also chains and padlocks. Only small slivers of light enter the cabin through the edges of the shutters. She unlocks one and opens it up, then unlocks the other, doing the same, letting in the sunlight. She walks to the corner of the main room and sits down at the edge of a bed. A man’s arm can be seen lying still. She lifts the wrist and takes a pulse before laying the arm back down and taking his hand. His shirt has been cut off and it lays draped over the bedpost, stained with blood. Lying there unconscious is Shane. A bandage is taped over the side of his neck.
Rebecca: So, you’re Shane.
Part 12
Inside the cabin. Rebecca is sitting in a rocking chair reading a book by the light streaming in from the window. She turns a page. She hears a slight stirring sound coming from the bed across from her. Looking up, she puts a bookmark in the book and sits it on the small table next to her chair. Rising, she goes to the bedside and pulls another chair up and sits down.
Shane’s P.O.V. His eyes are only open slightly and his vision is blurred. He sees the outline of what seems to be a female figure leaning over him but can’t make out any real details.
Shane (his voice weak and raspy): Lori?
Shane’s P.O.V. A small pen light shines in one eye quickly and then the other. After it’s gone, his vision begins to clear as his eyes focus.
Rebecca (in a quiet, gentle voice): No. Rebecca. Call me Rebecca, or Becca or even “hey you”…just don’t call me Lori. You’ve said her name enough times since I found you I was starting to think that maybe I was having an identity crisis. How do you feel? Are you in any pain?
Shane starts to try to sit up. Rebecca gently but firmly pushes him back down with both hands on his shoulders.
Rebecca: No, no. Not yet. Don’t try to sit up.
Shane (confused): What’s going on? Where am I? How did I get here?
Rebecca: First thing’s first, I asked you how you were feeling.
Shane: Road kill comes to mind.
Rebecca chuckles a little.
Rebecca: That’s not surprising after what you just went through. You’re going to be light headed and maybe a bit queasy for a little bit. You lost a lot of blood and I haven’t had any way to replace it or hydrate you as much as you should have been. Stupid… brought all this other stuff here and didn’t think to grab any IV bags. If I had you in the hospital, I would have given you at least a couple pints of blood. I thought I was going to lose you a couple times. I’ve kept you sedated to give your body a chance to rest and keep you from shock. That and the blood loss are why you feel like death’s beep right now. You’ve come through the worst of it though, I think. How much do you remember?
Shane thinks for a second like someone trying to put together the jumbled images of a dream that’s slipping quickly away upon awakening.
Shane: I was in this field, with Rick, we were arguin'....I was on the ground.....Carl….Carl!
Shane struggles to sit up. Rebecca puts her hands on his shoulders.
Rebecca: Calm down. He’s fine. Everyone’s fine. You need to lie as still as you can. I don’t want you busting open those stitches and bleeding out on me.
Shane: (Shane suddenly seems to become aware of the discomfort in his neck and puts his hand up to feel the bandage.) What the hell is going on? I remember Carl standin' there, a walker....it was right there---
Rebecca: You were shot. The boy, Carl, he shot you. You’re lucky he wasn’t a better shot. As it stands, he was good enough to nearly kill you. He would have killed you if I hadn’t gotten there when I did. You see these? (Rebecca grabs a metal clip and a lighter from the bedside table and holds them up. The clip is covered with congealed blood) That’s what kept you alive. The bullet nicked the artery. Even perhaps a millimeter closer and you wouldn’t be here. I clipped the artery before getting you back here to fix it right. I’m still not that confident of my work having to do it by oil lamp, but seeing as you’re here, I must have done something right, but let’s not push it by moving around too much.
Shane: Carl? Carl shot me?
Rebecca: Yep. And for good measure, your “best friend” ran off and left you. Didn’t even bother to check to see if you were still alive.
Shane looks defeated. He puts his hand up over his eyes.
Shane: Carl…..why? Why would he do that?
Rebecca: No sense in getting yourself all worked up over it now. We can talk about it later. What’s important right now is that you rest and let your self heal. Here, take this.
Rebecca puts her arm behind Shane’s neck and shoulders and gently lifts him up while handing him two pills and grabbing a glass of water.
Shane (a bit suspiciously): What’s this?
Rebecca: Antibiotics. I sanitized the clip with the lighter, and the needle and sutures were already sterile, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.
Shane puts the pills in his mouth and takes a drink, swallowing them with some obvious difficulty.
Rebecca: I’m sorry. That probably hurts a bit. Here, finish up the water and I’ll get you some more.
Rebecca puts the glass down and props a pillow up and gently lowers Shane down into a slightly more upright position. She picks up the glass and walks over to a small kitchenette area where she fills the glass from a water cooler and brings it back to Shane.
Rebecca: I’m sorry it’s not cold. It would feel better if it were. If I could run the generator I could use the fridge and have ice, but I can’t risk the noise. I’m just glad I have the well. Drink as much as you want, there’s plenty more.
Shane downs the water and Rebecca takes the glass from him.
Shane: Everyone else, they back at camp?
Rebecca: They’re gone. They hit the road probably about half an hour ago if they stayed on schedule. It’s just you and me now.
Shane looks stunned and closes his eyes as his head sinks deeper into the pillow.
Part 13
The RV is on the road with Daryl and T-dog following behind in their vehicles. The landscape is empty, no buildings, no houses, just wooded land interrupted every so often by fields. Carl and Sophia are sitting in the back of the RV coloring pictures with Carol nearby. Dale drives with Andrea in the front seat. Glenn sits in another seat staring out of the window. Rick sits with his arm around Lori. He looks haggard, emotionally spent. Lori has her head on his shoulder. Suddenly, the RV comes to a halt, almost jerking them out of their seats. Glenn looks up with an anxious expression.
Dale (a hint of fear and astonishment in his voice): Rick! I think you’d better come up here and take a look at this.
Rick walks up front to the driver’s seat. Lori follows him. Andrea sits with her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide. Glenn comes up behind Rick.
Glenn: What the hell is that? Are they on their way to a convention or something?
Ahead in the distance, just within visual range, a line of walkers stumbles and staggers across the road. They emerge from the wooded area on the far side, cross the road, and head into the woods on the other side. There seems to be about 20 of them or so but there’s no way to know how many had already crossed into the woods before Dale spotted them.
Glenn: What do we do?
Rick: Dale, shut off the engine, Andrea, get on the CB, tell everyone else behind us to shut their vehicles down, stay quiet. We’re still a ways back maybe they won't notice us. Let’s see if we can wait them out. Let them pass.
Andrea is on the CB giving directions to the others. She finishes and stares as the walkers cross the road and disappear into the trees.
Lori: Where are they going?
Glenn: As long as they’re not coming this way, who cares?
Daryl sits in his truck. He shuts off the engine and picks up the CB.
Daryl: Why don’t we just take those sons of beep out? Doesn’t look like that many.
Inside the RV. Rick takes the CB from Andrea.
Rick: No. It’s not worth the risk. There may be more of them up in those woods that we didn’t see. If we’re lucky they won’t notice us, they'll move on. We need to conserve our ammo.
Rick hands the CB back to Andrea.
Dale: We’ve only been on the road a few minutes. Changing that flat put us more than a bit behind. We’re only a couple miles from where we were camped. We’re lucky we left when we did.
The last of the walkers disappear in into the woods. Rick waits a couple more minutes, scanning both sides of the road.
Rick: Ok. Let’s get moving. Andrea, call the others and tell them we’re moving on.
Andrea picks up the CB set again as Dale starts up the RV. Soon the vehicles are on their way once more. Glenn goes back to his seat looking relieved. Rick and Lori stay standing up near Dale as the RV nears the area where the walkers were passing. Dale notices a sign. It says “Florence 2” with an arrow pointing down a small two lane road a few yards ahead in the direction the walkers had come from.
Dale: That must be where they came from. What do you think, Rick? We could use some supplies.
Andrea: From the looks of the road it’s probably a pretty small town. Might not have been looted as bad. I’m sure they probably have a grocery store....something. With how many were up here, if they were from there, it might mean fewer to deal with in town.
Rick (shaking his head): No, I don’t think so. I don’t like the idea of going down that road in the RV. There may be no where to turn the RV around if we run into trouble and there's no way of knowing what we might find there.
Andrea: I wonder where they were going. There’s nothing around here.
Rick (looking and sounding grim): I think I know where they're going.
Andrea looks at Rick, getting ready to ask him what he thinks attracted the walkers but before she can get the words out of her mouth, Rick turns and walks back to where he had been sitting and slumps down, a look of worry and guilt on his face. He props his forehead up with his hand. Lori sinks down beside him, looks over, and notices there’s something wrong.
Lori: It’s ok, they’re gone. We’re past them now.
Rick: I know, that’s not what’s worrying me. Dam it! (Rick makes a fist and punches it into his knee.) If they’re heading towards the direction of the camp, they must have been attracted by the shots last night. Probably been wandering around through those woods since then until they made it up here.
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New Chapter Every Days.... |