Afraid of Being Alive (Shane Walsh Love Story)

Chapter 16: 194

Chapter 16: 194

As promised, Shane allowed me to drive the car back to the base where we were currently situated. The place where we were stuck was certainly not a permanent solution, and I personally wouldn’t even call it a temporary solution as we’d be out of there and moving as soon as we got back. Shane had managed to find another abandoned cube van at the gas station and taken the hose from it. I was able to get my hands on some duct tape too, so that if we needed to jerry-rig it, we could. There wasn’t much duct tape, so it would probably only be enough to fix it up once or maybe not even that.

The ride back was smooth and quiet, as Shane and I’s drives usually were. My hands were placed firmly on the wheel, and for only having started driving three years ago, I had to say I was doing a mighty fine job. I managed to drive around a dead-one gone astray without hitting it, the snarling monstrosity sticking its hands out to grab the car but the vehicle was much too quick for the dead creature.

“Good with a gun and a steering wheel?” smirked Shane, “you’re a hard core chick, I tell ya what.”

I giggled at his compliment and continued to drive until we had reached our destination. As soon as we arrived, the entirety of the group was huddled around in a circle directly out front of the RV. I parked at the back of our queue of cars and then hopped out with Shane, the two of us jogging over to our fellow pack of survivors.

“What seems to be the problem?” I asked, lifting my hand to my eyes to block the suns harsh rays burning my eyeballs.

“Not sure what to do with Jim.” Replied Lola as she leaned her arm on Andrea’s shoulder.

“He ain’t doing too well, aye?” I sniffled, placing my hands on my hips.

Rick shook his head vigorously before replying to my query, “Lola and I had a bit of a… chat with Jim and Jim doesn’t think he’s going to make it.”

Everybody was silent, Rick then continuing on with his predicament, “Jim says he wants us to leave him here. That this is how he wants to go.”

“And he’s lucid?” asked Carol, holding her frightened daughter Sophia closer to her.

“He seems to be,” said Rick, “I would say yes.”

“Back in the camp when I said Daryl might be right and you shot me down…” started Dale, “… you misunderstood! I would never go along with callously killing a man. But I was just going to suggest that we ask Jim what he wants. And I think we have an answer.”

“We just leave him here? We take off?” huffed Shane, “Man, I’m not sure I would live with that.”

“It’s not your call.” Butted in Lori, placing her hands sternly on her hips, “either one of you.”

Shane shook his head in defeat and let out a long sigh, before Rick motioned for Shane to enter the RV with him.

I stayed behind, not wanting to get tangled up in what I knew to be a delicate procedure. A few moments later, Jim was being hauled out of the caravan by Rick and Shane, Shane’s muscles bulging with the heavy lifting. They carefully and gently towed Jim along to a big and very tall tree by the edge of the forest with a view of the road, and set him down very cautiously, not wanting to make any sudden movements and hurt the dying man.

Jim groaned with what I thought to be a mixture of both pain and relief as the two men set him down.