Protector || Shane Walsh

Chapter 13

"Ed hit Mia, too." Amy adds from behind me.

"Walsh is not judge and jury." Jim retorts and looks down his nose at Shane again. "Who voted you king boss, huh?"

"I'm not here to argue with you, alright? Just give me the shovel, okay?" Shane moves forward, still calm.

"No." Jim steps back.

"Just give me-"

Jim swings the shovel at Shane.

Shane dodges the swing and tackles Jim to the ground. He kicks the shovel away as he rolls Jim onto his stomach and pins his arms behind his back.

"You have no right!" Jim yells as he struggles.

"Just stop. Hey hey hey, Jim? Jim. Nobody's gonna hurt you, you hear me?" Shane tries to soothe him. "Shh, nobody is gonna hurt you."

"That's a lie." Jim says, his voice weary and defeated. "That's the biggest lie there is.. I told that to my wife and my two boys. I said it a hundred times. It didn't matter. They came out of nowhere. There were dozens of 'em.. Just pulled 'em right out of my hands..."

I let out a shaky breath and blink back tears.

Oh my god..

I knew he had suffered a loss, I just didn't know how great.

"You know.." Jim continues. "..the only reason I got away.. was 'cause the dead were too busy eating my family.."

I cover my mouth with both hands.

My heart aches for him.

Shane turns his head and looks at me over his shoulder, his face sullen.

~

Dale and I look down at Jim, as he sits tied to a tree, between the tents and camp.

Shane squats in front of him with a bucket of water and a cup. "Jim? Take some water?" he asks.

"Alright." Jim replies quietly.

"Yeah? Alright." Shane says with a smile. He scoops up a cup of water and holds it up to Jim's mouth. "Here you go, bud."

Jim drinks his fill then looks at Shane. "Pour some on my head?" he asks.

"Yeah." Shane complies, pouring the bucket over Jim.

"How long are you gonna keep me like this?" he asks Shane after a moment.

"Well.. 'til I don't think you're a danger to yourself. Or others."

Jim nods.

He already seems to be more his cool and collected self but it has only been twenty minutes.

Jim glances over at the children, who are working on their math textbooks with their mothers.

"Sorry if I scared your boy, you're little girl." Jim says.

"You had sunstroke, nobody's blaming you." Lori replies politely.

"Your Momma's right. Sun just cooked my head is all." he says to the kids.

They all offer him small smiles and go back to their work.

"Jim, do you know why you were digging?" Dale asks him.

"I had a reason, don't remember.. Somethin' I dreamt last night."

I almost get goosebumps.

What kind of dream could he have had, to make him go and do that?