Afraid of Being Alive (Shane Walsh Love Story)

Chapter 14: Reanimation

Chapter 14: Reanimation

The sun was burning; raging against my skin. It was so hot I felt like I was about explode up and into a ball of fire. I had been working for hours already and there was still so much more work to be done. I needed a break though as I would surely get heatstroke if I continued for much longer. I had been burning bodies of dead-ones since midday and it was almost three o’clock now. I was hungry and thirsty, meaning something had to be done about this.

Andrea was still there by Amy’s side, Lola accompanying her every now and then along with Dale who was almost a father figure to the Andrea and Lola. I spotted Shane sitting in the shade of the trees and the very edge of the forest, I of course deciding to join him. I kicked up dirt as I sluggishly dragged my sore feet along the sun-heated ground, the shade giving off immense relief as I bathed within it, taking a seat on my butt next to Shane and leaning backwards against the same, fat tree he was.

“Mind if I join you?” I asked, wiping the sweat from my brows.

“You right ahead misses.” Smirked Shane as he tilted his head back onto the tree, “can I ask you a little something?”

“Sure.” I stifled, as Shane subconsciously passed me his drink bottle which was filled with water.

“What’s happening with us?”

“I was actually going to ask you the same question.” I mumbled, sitting up straight as I took a sip from the bottle before relaxing back into the tree.

He laughed at my reply, then ruffling his dark brown hair, “well that makes things a whole lot easier, doesn’t it?”

I nodded sarcastically before replying, “I told you I’d fallen for you, so you know how I feel about you…”

“And I tried to kiss you without your go-ahead… so you know how I feel about you….”

“Well if we feel like that about each other…” I trailed off, realising this conversation was getting awkward without the slightest sense being made out of it.

“Okay, well, I think it’s pretty clear that we both want to be together…” continued Shane, finishing my sentence, “so question is-”

“I don’t think there needs to be any further discussion this actually.” I smiled, handing Shane his bottle back, “I like you, you like me and that’s that.”

“So, does that mean we’re… I dunno… together?”

“I guess it does.” I grinned, leaning on him and putting my head on his shoulder as the cool breeze cooled my sweaty face.

“Bye bye awkward talk, hello summer-fling.” Chuckled Shane, putting his arm around me.

“I reckon the two of us will make it for much longer than just the summer.”

“Let’s go see what the others are doing, hey?” he suggested, getting up before helping me onto my feet. I nodded and we left back off to see Rick and Lori chatting calmly by the extinguished fire-pit.

I sat down by them beside Shane and looked out to see Andrea and Amy still side by side, but this time something was different. Andrea was talking to her, patting her sister’s face and mumbling words unclear from this distance. But that wasn’t the only thing that was strange about the whole situation. I saw that instead of the two of Andrea’s hands moving, there were another two into the mix but they couldn’t belong to Lola and Dale seeing as neither of them were actually there. No, the extra pair of moving arms belonged to Amy. She had been reanimated. Amy’s dead arms moved in a jerky manor as though the thing that was once innocent Amy wasn’t quite sure how to use them. Finally, dead-one Amy had figured out how to use her arms and brought them up to Andrea’s head, wrapping its fingers into her hair and seemingly pulling herself up that way.