traded my life [TWD]

『23』

A sob rips from my chest as Shane pulls me into a tight hug. "I thought you were fucking dead!"

Shane was still heaving and panting like his life depended on it.

Carl was attatched to Lori's waist, crying in her shirt.

"What the hell happened? What was with the wild goose chase?" I question.

"Let's talk over here.. away from Carl," Shane whispers.

Shane pulls me into the kitchen. He rests his palms on the table and takes slow, deep breaths.

"Are you okay?" I worry.

"Did you see those things? Those people?" he asks.

My mind flashes to those rabid people that followed us to the house.

"They're fast.. they go to noise," I note. "I barely got Carl and Jacqui out of the hospital.

"That disease we've heard about here and there.. the one that had airports shutting down.."

I nod as I remember my flight back from Incheon. I was one of the very few people on the plane as the countries were shutting down borders.

"It kills people, And it does it fast. But, then they come back-"

"Back?" I repeat.

"I-I don't know.. Something. The military was at the hospital. They.. They were gunning down patients in the halls and.."

My chest feels suddenly hollow yet burdened with an invisible weight.

"I got Lori to a secretary's office and-"

"And that's when we spoke," Lori chimes in as she walks into the kitchen.

I peer over her shoulder to see Jacqui showing Carl her charm bracelet and him listening intently as she explains what each one means.

"You said you were at my house," I recall.

"I just wanted you and Carl safe.. I know that you'd never let anything happen to him and.. Well, I didn't know if I was going to make it out alive."

"And what was I supposed to do if you didn't?" The anger was bubbling up like a volcano now. "I didn't even know what the hell was going on and you just wanted me to take over and protect myself and Carl without knowing if you two were even alive?"

"Hyejin-"

"I blared the fucking sirens because I was trying to handle shit and it could've gotten me, Carl, and Jacqui- a woman who trusted me when she was blind- all killed?"

Lori holds her hands over her mouth. I could tell she was picturing the amount of people that must have followed us because of the sirens.

"And you send me on a hide-and-seek game throughout the city because, what? You wanted to spare my feelings over our survival?"

"Hyejin," Shane speaks, firm and final. "We don't know the answers, either."

I lean my back against the table and cross my arms. I try to calm myself down with a breath similar to Shane's.

"So.. what now?" I ask.

"Atlanta is safe. But, we need to go now before the streets are packed and we aren't guaranteed a spot in the safe camps."

"Safe camps?" I repeat.

"They broadcast it over the phones and radio," Lori helps out.

That emergency warning.. right.

I nod slowly, digesting the words. I look back into the living room at Carl. He was now showing off toys in his backpack to Jacqui.

A thought crosses my mind and my throat swells.

"What about Rick?"

Lori purses her lips and takes slow steps out of the doorframe, staring at the floor.

"Did they airlift him? I saw the helicopters," I add.

When Lori doesn't meet my eyes, I look to Shane instead.

Shane exhales sharply and shakes his head.

My eyebrows creased in confusion.

"That's not an answer," I urge.

Shane places a hand on my shoulder, throwing a look at Lori as he shakes his head again.

"You can't mean-"

"He's gone, Hyejin," Shane whispers.

Lori sniffles and that's when I realized she was crying.

My brain couldn't quite catch up and understand the situation.

"No.. No, he-"

Shane squeezes my shoulder to quiet me down. My words fall flat and I glance at Lori who is crying into the palm of her hand. She was trying to stay quiet. I knew why. Because without hesitation, my eyes dart to Carl.

Carl looks over at me from his spot on the couch and smiles.

Like glass dropped recklessly from someone's hands, my heart shatters.