22 (TWD Fanfiction)

Chapter 4 - Shoveling

  I open my eyes and the first thing I'm met with is the bright midday sun pouring through a window. There is a slight pounding in my head but the spinning from earlier is gone. I slowly sit up and look around, I'm laying on the bed in the back of Dale's RV; I can't see anyone else in here but me.

I try to remember what happened, I remember Ed being angry, then he hit me, I felt like I couldn't breathe, and then I remember Shane being there. He stopped Ed and then came to check on me. He must've been the one to bring me here.

There was an itchy feeling on my face and I try to scratch it but I'm met with a soft surface. Shane must've bandaged my face.

Hopping off the bed I make my way through the RV and head toward the door.

Shane is sitting on the RV's steps right outside the door, wearing his brown police hat. He heard me open the door and turns around, he gives me a smile before speaking.

"How you feeling Charlie?" He asks.

I sit next to him on the steps. "Fine," I respond.

Shane tilts my head to the side and checks the bandage. "Ed got you pretty good, but you're tough, you handled a punch like it was nothing."

"I fell and passed out though," I say quietly, I'm not tough like Shane says.

"You only passed out cause you panicked, not because of the punch." He takes his hat off and wipes his brow. He sighs and looks angrily toward the Peletier tent. "That son of a bi-" Cutting himself off he pauses and ruffles my hair. "Ed won't hurt you again, kid." He takes his hat and sets it on my head.

I adjust the hat on my head, it's too big to fit me properly and the bill keeps covering my eyesight but I don't mind. Eventually, I get it angled upward in a way where it won't immediately slip back down.

We sit side by side watching the camp.

Lori and Carol sit across from us stitching up some old clothing. Carl's talking to Jacqui while she hangs up some clothes. I see Morales leaning against a truck, he's fiddling with something in his hands.

After a few minutes, Andrea and Amy walk into camp both holding a chain with fish strung up on them. I haven't had fish in a long time, my mom hated seafood so we rarely ate it.

Morales takes the fish from them and thanks them both. "Ladies, because of you my children will eat tonight!" He cheers.

"Whoa!" Carl says in amazement. "Mom, look at all the fish!"

"Where did you two learn to do that?" Lori asks while backing away from the fish in Morales's hands.

Amy answers her, "Our Dad."

Carl runs up to them both, "Can you teach me how to do that?"

"Sure. I'll teach you all about nail knots and stuff. If that's okay." Amy asks.

"Of course. You won't catch me arguing," Lori says.

Dale begins walking toward all of us, rifle slung over his shoulder. He was coming from the direction of the hillside. I wondered where he was, he's always with his RV.

Andrea spots him too and asks him some questions about oiled line reels. He doesn't answer, his face is full of concern and worry. I hope it's not another walker issue.

"I, uh, I don't want to alarm anyone, but we may have a bit of a problem," He says.

Shane gets up from next to me and stands next to Dale who points at the hillside in the distance. I can barely make out a figure wearing a blue cap shoveling dirt, Jim.