Afraid of Being Alive (Shane Walsh Love Story)

Chapter 15: Good Shot

Chapter 15: Good Shot

The sun was rising, but it was still dark outside. I didn’t get much sleep last night as I was worried sick about leaving this place and heading to the CDC. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Rick or Shane, I was just tired of having to move. We had been at this place for quite a while already, but nevertheless it still felt like only yesterday I was helping two idiots stuck on a broken ladder.

I squirmed around on my mattress for a bit in an attempt to get comfortable, but nothing seemed to work. I decided to close my eyes and think of something nice until I drifted off to sleep, but that proved a difficult task. I moaned in frustration at my lack of sleep before pulling myself up and into a sitting position. I looked to see that Shane was fully dressed in a fitting Black top and black military style trousers with big black boots, a weak and sad un-Shane-like smile tainted his lips.

“Can’t sleep?” he asked, his morning voice husky.

“Nope.” I moaned, throwing the covers off of me. I crouched down beside my backpack and withdrew a pair of khaki green cargo pants and my beloved black tank top.

“Me neither.” Frowned Shane, “I’ll just step outside the tent while you change.”

I nodded and then tied my hair up and into a high pony tail, my natural ombre standing out in this style.

As soon as I was done changing, I met with Shane outside the tent, the dawn sky slowly beginning to grow lighter.

“Wanna head up to the lookout?” he asked.

“I’d like that.” I smiled, and with that we left off.

The walk up to the lookout was nice and peaceful. The camp was different at this time; it appeared to be illuminated and never before so quiet. It was very serene, but the lookout was beyond beautiful. You could see the destroyed vision of what was once my home, Atlanta, amongst a rising sun on a pale and dark sky.

I sat down on the luscious green grass beside Shane and crossed my legs, leaning my head on Shane’s shoulder as we sat together in silence, watching the sun rise before us.

“It’s so pretty.” I sighed.

“It is,” agreed Shane, “but it ain’t as pretty as you, ‘ats for sure.”

I blushed at his words, giving him a gentle slap on the shoulder, “stop.”

He chuckled at my reaction before leaning over and giving me a kind kiss on the cheek.

“What are your thoughts about leaving today, huh?” he asked, his nose grazing softly across my cheek.

“I don’t want to.” I said, taking a deep breath before continuing, “but I trust you and Rick, Shane. Especially you, I trust you with my life.”

“Well, lucky for you, I owe you my life.”

“Are you asking me to hit you again?” I sniggered.

He rolled his eyes at me in a joking fashion before leaning in for what was only the second actual kiss me had ever shared. The kiss was slow and passionate, something that every one of us was lacking in a world such as the one we live in today. We weren’t all over each other, which was probably good for the rest of the group’s mental health. If it were completely up to us, we’d be crazy with each other, but Shane had a tough job leading this group and I wasn’t about to give in and get in the way of it.