The Life After: Volume One

Episode Four, Chapter Five. "Reunions"

When we arrive back at Wiltshire, Ryan nearly plows through the gate, but Jordan opens it just in time.
He pulls up to the infirmary and gets out.  When I get out, everything around me seems to fade.  The ground before me begins to sway side to side, then the rest of everything fades to black.

One Day After...

I wake up to Glenn and Ryan speaking silently downstairs.  I try to sit up but don't have the strength, my wrist throbs in pain.  Looking at my hand, I open my eyes to see that my hand is gone.  The nub is wrapped in a white bandage.

After I gain my strength and become aware of my surroundings again, I stand up and start to slowly make my way downstairs.  My head throbs alongside the wound.

Ryan raises his gun aims it at me.
"Ryan, put it down!"  Glenn demands.  Ryan gives a quick look over and lowers.  I nod and Glenn smiles.

"Nice to see your awake."  He says.

"What happened to my hand?"  I ask.

"You were bitten."

"I know that, I mean what happened after I blacked out?"

"We had to cut it off, I'm surprised you didn't turn.  Usually the infection spreads quickly.  You got lucky."

"I guess so."

"I'm sorry about what happened though, just take a break.  From going out on those runs, I'll take over."

"I can still go."

"I get that, Jake.  Just for a day or two, just rest.  Give you some time to get used to the whole one-handed thing."

"I'm fine, Glenn. Really, I am."

"Whatever the Jake, the three of us are going then."

We walk outside to the blue pickup truck and I climb into the drivers seat.
"And what are you doing?" Glenn asks.

"I'm gonna-" I stop myself mid sentence and look at my hand. "I can drive with one hand you know."

"I know, it's just best I drive. Better to have someone with two hands over one. I'm not trying to put you down or anything, Jacob. I just wanna play it safe."

I get out of the truck and let Glenn take my place, my empty backpack still remains in the back seat where I climb in.

-

When we arrive at the Citgo, the three of us climb out holding our knives.  The walkers that surrounded the building yesterday are gone.

"I'll go check around back, you two check in the building."  I order. They nod and head inside while I work my way around back. I put my knife back in it's sheath and unholster my .22, slightly raising it so I can shoot to kill.

I jump when I turn the corner as a shout fills the air, a walker falls with a knife sticking out of it's head. A figure stands above it, shading himself in the darkness of the overhang above. I raise the pistol to eye height, ready to shoot.

"Hello?" I say. I keep my finger on the trigger and grip the pistol tightly.

"Jacob?" The man says. The voice is familiar enough for me to recognize. Shane.

"Shane? Is that you?" The man steps out of the dark with a small grin on his face. He closes his knife and clips it to the side of his belt.

"Well I'll be damned." He says.

"There's no-" I cut myself off to try and process what I see. "How? I saw-"

"Walker fell on my back, the glass broke after y'all left me. I got out. I looked like some dumb college bitch had her period a thousand times over, but I got out." He glances down at the bandage covering the nub of where my hand once was and looks back to me. "The hell happened little brother?"

"Walker. Took a big chunk out, had to cut it off."

"That actually works?"  He smirks.  "Well I'll be double damned.  You do it yourself?"

"No.  I was out cold when they did it, I haven't bothered to ask who did it."

"Is Ryan alive?"

"Yeah, he is.  He's been looking towards me as a father figure since you were gone..."

"Has he?"  Shane tries to hide his frown.

"Yep."  I let out a deep breath.  "You got anything on you?  Ammo, meds?  We're low and the whole town is in trouble."

"Trouble?  What do you mean trouble?"

"There's this guy, Garrett...  He and his men might try to take our town if they find out where it is.  I'm surprised they haven't already."

"I'm sorry to hear that, if you need help, then I'm in.  But where's everyone else?  It just you doing these runs?"

"No, Glenn and Ryan are inside."

"Ryan's with you?  You brought him out here?  Are you-"

"He's a man now Shane."

"He's ten years-"

"I've seen the shit he can do.  Kid slightly scares me.  You can go in and talk to him...  He might not be how you remembered."  I sigh.

Shane pats my shoulder and walks past me to the front of the gas station, I follow.  When we enter Shane walks up behind Ryan and taps his shoulder.

"Ryan?"  Shane says.  Ryan turns around and his face is filled with shock.  He keeps silent and hugs Shane.  I look down to my feet, then back to Shane and smile.

"Your alive?"  Ryan says.

"Of course."  Shane replies.

"But, Dad-"  He stops himself mid sentence.  "Uncle Jacob said you were dead."

"He had every reason to believe that...  Don't you ever doubt him."  Shane takes a quick glance at Ryan's eye and kneels.  "The hell happened to your eye?"

"Remember how I told you about Garrett and his men?"  I question.

"Did he-"

"Yeah...  With a spoon."  Ryan answers.

"That son of a bitch.  Where the fuck is he!?"

"We know where he lives Shane, but he's got twenty or thirty or so men living with him.  We aren't prepared for that.  Even if we were we don't have enough people to survive it."

"We gotta do something."

"I know Shane.  I know...  And we will, just as soon as we can."