The Rest of your Life

Chapter 3

"You put your hands on your wife, your little girl, my daughter or anybody else in this camp one more time, I will not stop next time. Do you hear me? Do you hear me!" Shane uttered. "I'll beat you to death, Ed."

Carol then ran over to her husband, apologising and crying over his beaten body. Rory didn't understand how she could apologise when he hurt her. She then looked up and stumbled to her father, ignoring the look Andrea was giving him. She wrapped her arms around him and he picked her up and cradled her face.

"Come on baby, let's get you patched up." Shane muttered as Rory rested her head in the crook of her dads neck as he walked off towards Dales RV.

•••

Later on in the day, Shane and Rory were sat on the steps of the RV, Rory with a bandaid on her eyebrow and cream on her split lip. She was also getting a dark bruise on her cheekbone.

The father and daughter looked up as Amy and Andrea brought over dozens of fish and started to talk to Dale about his fishing rods.

"I haven't had fish in ages." Rory told her dad.

"Now that's a lie, we had it like the other week." Shane laughed.

"By the other week do you mean before the dead started to walk?" Rory asked innocently. Shane was about to reply to his daughter when Dale approached.

"I uh.. I don't want to alarm anyone, but we may have a bit of a problem." Dale confessed quietly. Shane ruffled Rory's hair and stood up, walking towards the older man. Dale then pointed over the hill to Jim who looked to be digging holes?

A few minutes later and a short walk over to Jim's hill, the group was gathered around the man. Rory was stood next to Lori and Carl. When Carl saw Rory was hurt, he decided that he was sorry about their argument and that they could be friends again. Lori had already fussed the girl.

"Hey Jim?" Shane questioned softly. "Jim, why don't you hold up, alright? Just give me a second here, please?"

"What do you want?" Jim panted while digging his shovel into the ground.

"We're all just a little concerned, man, that's all." Shane replied.

"Dale says you've been out here for hours." Morales commented.

"So?"

"So why are you digging?" Shane pressed.

"What does it matter? I'm not hurting anyone." Jim defended, going back to digging.

"Yeah, except maybe yourself." Dale phrased. "It's a hundred degrees today. You can't keep this up."

"Sure I can. Watch me." Jim replied.

"Jim, they're not gonna say it, so I will." Lori started as she came forwards. "You're scaring people. You're scaring my son, and Shane and Carols daughters."

"They got nothing to be scared of." Jim promised, looking towards the three children who were leaning against Carol. "I mean, what the hell, people. I'm out here by myself. Why don't you all just go and leave me the hell alone?"

Shane took a look around at the adults before speaking up again. "We think that you need to take a break, okay? Why don't you go and get yourself in the shade? Some food maybe. I'll tell you what... maybe in a little bit I'll come out here. I'll help you myself. Jim, just tell me what it's about. Why don't you just go ahead and give me that shovel?" Shane reasoned, while reaching for the tool.

"Or what?" Jim sassed.

"There is no 'or what.' I'm asking you. I'm coming to you and I'm asking you, please." Shane spoke softly. "I don't want to have to take it from you."