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— PART TWO of THREE —
THERE IS NO HOPE ANYWHERE
– "YOU'RE GONNA TELL HIM TONIGHT? ARE YOU NERVOUS?" Maggie asked her friend.
Emerson shrugged. "I don't know. . . You don't think he'll break up with me, right?"
Glenn ran up to Maggie and Emerson. "Wait, who's breaking up?"
"No one." Maggie laughed. "Why don't you go set your stuff up in my room?"
"With your dad in the house?" Glenn mumbled, trying to be discreet.
This made Emerson chuckle.
Maggie just rolled her eyes and told Glenn she'd meet him there.
"Daddy's talking about kicking Shane off the farm." Maggie admitted. "After that stunt he pulled, he's found forgiveness to be real hard."
Emerson stayed quiet. "Shane's. . . Lost. He's been lost for a real long time."
Maggie just nodded in agreement. "We'll catch up before dinner, alright? I'm gonna go check on Beth."
Maggie was referring to the scare that had happened only months ago. Once Hershel slipped off the wagon, Beth had a depressive episode herself. Maggie always watched her as best she could.
Then Dale passed and the rest of the group followed Beth into a depression. Rick was quick to pull them out of it.
After all, he was a great leader. No one would say different.
"Emerson." Rick called from behind her. "When I'm out with Daryl, mind helpin' Hershel keep an eye on things?"
"You mean we get to stir up some trouble?" Emerson smirked. "What do ya say Hershel? Shall we skip dinner and go right to dessert?"
Hershel smiled at her lame attempt of a joke, and nodded. "As long as it's vanilla."
"Afraid Shane's gonna stir up trouble again?" Emerson asked rather bluntly.
"Shane's got a way of letting things get out of hand. Especially when he's all. . . Torqued up." Rick explained.
"Hey, you don't have to explain it to me. I've been wanting him out on his ass for weeks." Emerson spoke in agreement.
With that Emerson ran up to the house to get a head start on bringing their items inside.
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"Here, I got it." Maggie said to Emerson. "Grab this one."
"Rick and I are taking the corner of the living room." Emerson said, as her and Maggie began to head that way.
"Actually, it can go upstairs in my room." Hershel said, speaking out from behind the two women.
"Huh?" Emerson asked confused.
"You'll need a comfortable bed to sleep in. Considering your. . . Condition and all."
"You told your dad?" Emerson asked Maggie.
Maggie's face fell. "I was just trying to help. You can't be mad."
Oh, I can and I will, Emerson thought.
"We can't take your room." Emerson argued. "Besides, Carl and Lori need it more."
"They've already been taken care of. Now, let me help you." Hershel argued.
Emerson just smiled gratefully and hugged the man. She was secretly happy about not having to sleep on the floor.
When she saw Rick next, Emerson walked up to him with a smirk. "Guess what?"
"What?" Rick asked, setting the bin of clothes on the ground.
"I got us a bed. You're welcome."
Rick laughed. "How'd you pull that?"
Emerson shrugged. "I just said I wanted to have hot sex in a bed instead of hot sex in a sleeping bag."
Rick suddenly became flustered. "You did not say that."
"Of course I didn't." Emerson rolled her eyes and smiled. Rick picked up the bin once more as Emerson told him she'd meet him upstairs in the first bedroom on the right.
"Is sex all you think about?" Rick chuckled.
Emerson smirked, "Is sex all you want me to think about?"
"You're insatiable." Rick told her as he walked up into the house.
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Emerson looked around the shed.
"He musta slipped his cuffs." She said.
"Yeah, but how?" T-Dog retorted.
Rick then spoke up and replied, "Dislocate your wrist and it's pretty easy. Hurts like hell, but it gets the job done."
Suddenly, the group came together to discuss the situation and assess it together.
"He couldn't have gone far. He–" Lori began.
"Rick!" A voice boomed from the woods, "Rick!"
"What the hell happened to you?"
"Are you okay?"
"Shane?"
"I'm fine. Little bastard just snuck up on me. He clocked me in the face." Shane replied.
Rick then began barking orders, "Emerson, T-Dog, get everyone back in the house. Keep the doors and windows locked. Daryl, Glenn, come with us."
"Just let him go." Carol begged. "Wasn't that the plan?"
"The plan was to cut him loose far away from here." Andrea told her.
Rick walked up to Carl and Emerson. "You come back in one piece, you hear me?" Emerson gulped as she grabbed a hold of Rick.
"We've got this." Rick eyed Emerson. She nodded as a silent response and began taking everyone up to the house.
Emerson looked over to Lori, who just stared back. She wasn't a good liar, and Emerson knew this.
As the two stated one another down, Emerson knew that the time of reckoning had come.
Only one of them could come out of this alive.
Emerson was determined to make sure it was her.
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