western nights ( shane walsh )

1.01 ; the words of disaster

                 Losing wasn't something common, the act of losing someone was familiar to a lot of people. Yet, navigating the intricate terrain of loss remained a nuanced and tricky endeavour. The question lingered: should one succumb to perpetual sadness, or should they embrace the transient comfort offered during the poignant moments of grief?

For the Grimes family, the spectre of loss wasn't an unfamiliar presence. Grandparents had bid farewell, and other departures had marked their journey. However, the family had learned the art of moving forward, casting loss aside as a chapter in the book of life. Natalie, the stoic observer within the Grimes clan, refrained from baring her soul to her family. The unspoken understanding hung in the air, a silent agreement that delving into the depths of loss would only lead to conversations steeped in yearning.

The one who held the key to this reticence was Lori, the matriarch concealing a world of emotions beneath her composed exterior. The Grimes family, in truth, remained unfamiliar with the profound layers of loss. While they had encountered the departures of grandparents and others, it was a mere prelude to the profound impact true loss could inflict. Natalie, sensing the unspoken anguish within her mother, understood the futility of attempting to breach the walls Lori had erected.

Even during the tender juncture of carrying a life within her, Lori remained tight-lipped about her emotions. The pregnancy with her little brother, Carl, unfolded against unshared sentiments. Lori, in her maternal silence, held back the torrent of feelings, offering no confessions about the complexities of welcoming a new life amid the lingering echoes of loss. In the intricate dance of life, where joy and sorrow intertwined, the Grimes family faced the perpetual challenge of deciphering the unspoken language of loss. Lori, as the silent orchestrator, held within her the symphony of emotions concealed behind a veil of maternal strength.

"Speak! Say something, Rick!" The sounds of Lori yelling through the house were heard, it had to be around seven o'clock at night with Rick coming home late from his night shift as the sheriff of the small town they had lived in. "You had Carl waiting hours for you!" 

It almost seemed like there were so many arguments between the two of them that Natalie had to stop keeping track of them. Rick had winded up getting more shifts that were happening during the time. But instead of hanging around family he went to the local bar and had a couple of drinks with Shane one of his best friends and co-workers 

"Natalie barely sees her dad anymore! Don't you think an eighteen-year-old almost nineteen teenager needs that?" Lori continued to shout, over words; Rick stood there wanting to get a word out but not knowing when the right moment was almost frozen since he knew that she was right. "She's failing school, Rick; she's been skipping" 

Natalie had listened to this from the top of the hallway, turning her back she looked at Carl who stood at his doorway after hearing the yelling coming from his mom. "Wh-" Before he could get out a word, the dirty blonde-haired girl had put her finger to her mouth and motioned for him to go back into his room knowing that it wasn't okay for a child to hear their parents arguing. Even though it had been happening more than often. 

Carl didn't seem to want to move wanting to know what was happening causing Natalie to sigh and make her way in the direction of her brother. "Go to bed, before mom gets more upset." She muttered walking him back into his room. 

"Not fair." 

Closing the door again as her face disappeared behind the door and into the hallway. "Too bad." 

With the sounds of footsteps coming up the steps, Natalie didn't think she ever ran so fast making her way towards her bedroom which was a normal white, and rustic bedroom that had a cross over the bed and a vanity resting in the corner. Going into her bed she had jumped in and laid under it, acting like she was getting ready for bed. "I know you're not sleeping- Iris" Not even able to get her head under the blanket just in time the sound of her dad's voice echoed in her ears. "And I know you overheard all of that,"