Afraid of Being Alive (Shane Walsh Love Story)

Chapter 13: Zero Tolerance for Walkers

Chapter 13: Zero Tolerance for Walkers

I woke up due to the feeling of heat leaving my body, an arm slowly unravelling itself from around my waist. I could feel the warmth dissipating as the body beside me shuffled around slightly before it appeared to pull itself up. My first thought was that Shane had curled up on the mattress with me during sometime in the night, but I then was able to feel that these arms were thin and belonged to a slender body. I shifted in my strange state between consciousness and sleep before managing to open my eyes and see a wave of blonde hair fly across my face.

Lola was the one snuggled up to me. The memory was clear in my head now. After Amy had passed away last night, Lola wouldn’t leave Amy’s side. I didn’t try and pry her away either, but when Lola saw that I was leaving the site where Amy’s fallen body lay, Lola sprinted over to me and begged me not to leave her.

“Zelda?” she sniffed as her hand was wrapped around Amy’s shoe, “where are you going?”

“To sleep.” I sulked, shaking my head as Shane wrapped his arm around my shoulders, “if I can get any, that is.”

“Oh no! Zelda, don’t leave me, please!” wailed Lola as she now was stroking Amy’s bloody leg.

“I’ll be in the tent baby, come find me when you’re ready.” I replied, turning to walk.

Lola nodded her head and remained at Amy’s feet in her mournful state.

I entered the tent and sat down on my mattress, Shane talking a seat right beside me, but his arm never left my shoulders. I leaned my head on his shoulder as he held me closer, lowering his hand to rub my arm as a form of comfort.

“It’s all my fault.” I wailed as the tears started back up.

“Naw, now why would you say that?”

“It’s my fault that Amy died. It’s my fault that Ed died. It’s my fault that all those other people died.” I sobbed into the dirty black fabric of his tight t-shirt.

“Now darlin’, listen to me. This ain’t your fault. I can’t believe you’d think even for a minute that it may be your fault. It’s not, no matter what you say.”

“No, Shane, it is.” I said, leaning back out from pressing my face into his chest, “Daryl and I… when we were out on a run yesterday we saw a dead-one eating a deer that Daryl shot. It wasn’t even that far from camp, barely a ten minute walk. According to Lola, no one was on watch when they were feasting, meaning that nobody could say whether or not the dead-ones for coming. If I had said something, Amy wouldn’t be dead. Ed wouldn’t be dead. Nobody would have had to die.”

Shane’s face was shocked as his eyes were wide, staring right at me.

“Zelda, listen to me, please.” Said Shane as he held my limp hands in his strong ones, giving them a comforting squeeze as he spoke sternly to me, “This. Ain’t. Your. Fault.”

I looked him in the eyes as he held my hands, “Nobody could have predicted this. Nobody. You saw one walker. What is a walker to a herd of them, aye? Nothun’.”

I nodded my head shakily and bit my lip as I fell back into his arms, trying my hardest to stop being as weak as I was acting and stop crying.

“Thank you.” I whispered as I leaned my head closer to his, fishing for comfort and need.

“I’m just telling the truth.” He mumbled as his lips brushed solemnly against mine, want and desire filling the chilling night air that was present.