Of course, Shane had integrated Lauren into the camp right away, and subsequently Daryl and Merle as well. Merle had made himself at home pretty much as soon as he set foot in the camp, Daryl on the other hand was much more stand-offish.
Lauren spent the first few days at the camp trying to settle in and get the lay of the land, so to speak. The Dixons set up their tent as far away from the others as possible, parking their truck beside it. Luckily, there happened to be a few spare tents, one of which Shane set up for Lauren right beside his own. Carl slept in her tent most nights, cuddled up next to Tank.
Lauren met the rest of the campers, some a bit more weary of her than others. The two blonde women who she had seen the first day were sisters. Amy, the younger of the two, was around Lauren's age, maybe a few years younger. She was a nice enough girl. The two of them didn't talk much but she always flashed Lauren a smile when they would pass by each other. Her sister Andrea on the other hand clearly wasn't a huge fan of Lauren. She was never rude per-say but she kept her distance, always shooting Lauren weary glances.
Lauren took a particular liking to Glenn, the boy who had been atop the R.V. The two of them had grown very close very quickly. They had even ventured outside the camp together a few times the past month, mostly to a particular convenience store a few miles outside of the city. But now with supplies running lower and lower, their group had made the tough decision to move further into the city for a run.
A few people had volunteered to go on the run, as the plan was to take a small group. And to Lauren's dismay, she was told she couldn't go.
"You're kidding." Lauren stared in disbelief at the man in front of her. "Shane, I'm the only other person that's gone out on runs before, I should be there."
"This is the first time we're sending a group, Lauren. And they're going further into the city than you and Glenn ever have." Shane shook his head. "Besides, with half our manpower gone, I need somebody else who knows how to use these." He tapped the gun strapped to his hip.
Having two older brothers definitely had its benefits. When Rick and Shane joined the academy, they wasted no time getting Lauren familiar with guns and teaching her basic self-defense moves. By the time she reached high school, she was a pretty decent shot, but she still wasn't a huge gun fan.
"Just because I know how to use one, doesn't mean I'm going to." Lauren muttered, heading off to find Glenn.
He stood at the open door of the car they were taking out, packing what little supplies they could. They had managed to find two sets of protective gear on their last run so those were obviously being taken.
Other than Glenn, the run crew was pretty inexperienced which made Lauren quite a bit worried. T-dog had been the first to volunteer. T-dog and Glenn had been heading towards Atlanta together when the city was destroyed. T-dog didn't talk a lot, but when he did he always seemed to be the voice of reason. Although he had no family in their small camp, it was clear to everyone that he genuinely cared about the people there.
Morales had volunteered as well. Lauren wasn't too keen on Morales joining the crew, as he had a family in the camp. A wife, and two young children whom Lauren had grown quite fond of. She was also rather surprised to see Jaqui offer to go along as well. Jaqui was a kind older woman, who had taken on a mother-like role in camp. Andrea volunteered too, despite Amy's protests.
The final member of their run crew was Merle Dixon. That might have been what worried her the most. Merle was a good shot, Lauren had no doubt that he could protect himself. It was everyone else she was worried about. Merle was anything but a team player, the only time he did anything was if it could benefit him somehow. And she couldn't figure out what the benefit would be this time. Daryl was on an overnight hunting trip, so maybe Merle just figured it'd be better to go than be stuck here?
"Just be safe okay?" Lauren said, pulling Glenn into a tight hug.
A wolf whistle rang out from behind them. "Hot damn," Merle drawled. "Do I get a hug like that 'fore I go?"
"Shut up Merle." Glenn called back.
Lauren simply rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath as she walked away. "Asshole."
"This is Officer Shane Walsh, broadcasting to Person Unknown, please respond." Lauren saw Shane speaking into the old radio as she approached the camp. "He's gone."
"What's going on?" She questioned, setting down the buckets of water she had collected from the quarry.
"Someone came in on the radio. Said they were headed towards the city." Shane said. "We lost em."
"I've been saying for a week that we ought to put signs up on 85 to warn people away from the city." Lori said.
Amy nodded in agreement. "Folks got no idea what they're gettin' into."
"Well, that's a luxury we can't afford." Shane said. "We ain't got the time."
Lori placed her hands on her hips. "I think we need to make time."
"She's right." Lauren agreed.
"And who the hell do you propose we send?" Dale chimed in.
"I'll go." Lauren immediately volunteered. "Give me a vehicle." She bitterly directed the last words at Shane. He had refused to let her leave the camp multiple times and she was still pissed.
He shook his head. "Nobody goes anywhere alone. You know that."
Lauren rolled her eyes and stormed off towards her tent. She kept walking, hearing Shane following her.
"What, you're pissed at me?" He called from behind her. " You can be pissed at me all you want. It's not gonna change anything."
Still angry, Lauren unzipped the tent and began shuffling through her bag. Shane entered the tent after her, lowering his voice.
"I'm not putting you in danger, okay? I'm not doing it for anything." Shane lectured. "I make you feel like sometimes you wanna slap me upside the head? I'll tell you what, girl. If you feel that need, you go right ahead. I'm right here."
Upon hearing the offer, she quickly whipped around, giving him a half-assed smack on the side of his head. He looked at her, a bit taken aback. He clearly didn't expect her to actually take him up on that. Lauren glared back for a moment before they both broke. A small smile appeared on Lauren's face as she let out a small laugh.
"You feel better?" He asked.
"A little." She smirked. After the giggles died down, he became serious again.
"Look, you can take care of yourself. I know that. But I've been lookin out for you since you were five years old. It's a hard habit to break." He smiled softly. Lauren knew Shane was only trying to protect her, but god he was so irritating sometimes. She wasn't five anymore. "Look, if you won't do it for me, or for yourself, do it for Carl. That kid worships the ground you walk on. And you and Lori are the only family he has left. So be safe okay?"
"Okay." Lauren begrudgingly agreed, giving Shane a quick hug before exiting the tent. Lori entered the tent on Lauren's way out, presumably about to get a similar lecture.
Lauren couldn't take it anymore, Amy was killing her. Daryl had taken Tank with him overnight and her best friend was out on a run without her. So she had nothing to do but listen to Amy worry.
"It's late, they should be back by now," Amy said, pacing back and forth.
Dale looked up from the RV hose he was attempting to fix for the fifth time. "Worrying won't help."
And suddenly, as if Amy's worrying had somehow summoned them, T-dog's voice came in on the radio. Lauren scrambled up the RV ladder, hurrying over to the device.
"T? Is that you? Are you alright?"
The group gathered under the RV to hear any news. The signal was weak, but enough got through for the group to get an idea of their situation.
"...Trapped... Department store... Geeks... Hundreds... Surrounded." Was all she heard before the signal cut out. It was silent as the group tried to process what was just heard.
"They said the department store." Lori said.
Dale confirmed, "I heard it too."
Lauren locked eyes with Shane. He shook his head, already knowing what she was going to say. "Shane..."
"No. No way. We do not go after them." He said sternly. "We do not risk the rest of the group. You know that."
"Shane, they're trapped in the department store." Lauren pleaded. "I've been there, I know where it is. I can-"
"No, Lauren!" He shouted. "Enough! No one goes, that's final."
Lauren felt her cheeks flush and she wasn't sure if it was from the embarrassment of being reprimanded like a child, or anger at Shane for leaving them to die. Either way, she wanted to get as far away from him as she could. So she slid back down the ladder and retreated into her tent.
Lauren emerged from the tent a little while later to find her family sat around the unlit fire pit. Lori sighed as she tried to keep a very antsy Carl still while she attempted to trim his hair.
"It is an art, my friend. It is not to be taken lightly." Shane said to Carl as she approached. "There are ways and means. Few people know about it. I'm willing to share my secrets."
"Oh god." Lauren rolled her eyes, plopping herself down beside Shane. She had heard this speech before, years ago when Rick and Shane had first brought her to the lake. "Are we talking about frog catching?"
"Oh, you know we are." Shane nudged Lauren before turning back to Carl. "You know, your Aunt Lauren used to be the master of frog catching."
Carl laughed "Really?"
"Yeah." Shane reaffirmed. "She caught twice as many frogs as me and your dad combined." Lauren watched her nephew's eyes widen, looking at her like she was the coolest thing he'd ever seen.
"Yeah, I always let 'em go, though." Lauren smiled, remembering the summers she had spent with her brothers down by the water. The three of them would be out all day trying to catch as many as they could.
Shane nodded, giving a small laugh. He was clearly reminiscing about those days as well. "Always the animal lover."
"Well, we didn't need them back then." Lauren shrugged. "Guess we do now."
"Why do we need them now?" Carl asked, tilting his head.
Lauren paused, trying to say it in the least gross way possible. "Well, those cans of beans are gonna run out eventually."
Carl didn't even have time to react before the faint sound of a car alarm began to echo throughout the quarry.
"Talk to me, Dale." Shane called up to the man atop the RV.
Dale took a moment to squint through his binoculars before answering. "Stolen car is my guess."
"Is it them? Are they back?" Amy asked anxiously. Yes, it had to be them. But why the hell were they driving a stolen car?
The red sports car skidded to a halt at the edge of the camp, the car alarm still blaring.
"Holy crap. Turn that damn thing off!" Dale shouted at Glenn as he exited the vehicle.
Glenn glanced back at the still-blaring car and then back to Dale. "I don't know how." He admitted, throwing his arms up in defeat.
"Pop the hood please." Shane requested. Just as he said this, Amy began berating Glenn with questions about Andrea.
"Pop the hood." Shane repeated. His words were once again drowned out by Amy and the car alarm.
"Where is Andrea? Is she okay? Is she coming back?"
"Pop the damn hood!" Shane barked.
"Move it, Speed Racer." Lauren said, shoving past Glenn, who was still trying to take in all 500 questions Amy was asking. Lauren reached into the car and popped the hood, finally appeasing Shane who quickly cut off the alarm. Climbing back out of the car, she heard Glenn frantically trying to reassure Amy that her sister was, in fact, alive.
"Where is she?" Amy demanded.
"Amy, I'm sure she's fine. I promise." Lauren told the young woman, taking the pressure off of Glenn who was obviously overwhelmed.
He shot her a thankful look and took a breath before finally saying. "Everybody's fine. The others are right behind me."
"See?" Lauren said, trying to relax everyone. "Everyone's fine. Speed Racer here just got back faster."
Once Amy was finally appeased, Shane turned his attention to Glenn. "Are you crazy driving this wheeling bastard up here? You tryin' to attract every walker for miles?"
"I think we're okay," Dale observed. "It echo's up here. There's no way to pinpoint where the sound is coming from."
"You call bein' stupid 'okay'?" Shane countered, not breaking eye contact with the young man. He was upset, clearly, and angry Shane could be intimidating. Especially for someone like Glenn.
"Well, that alarm was echoing all over these hills." Dale pointed out. "It'd be hard to pinpoint a source." Shane broke his eye contact with Glenn to send a glare to Dale. "I'm not arguing, I'm just saying. But it wouldn't hurt you to think things through a little more carefully." He added, turning to Glenn.
"Sorry," Glen said weakly. "...I got a cool car?"
The focus was taken off of Glenn when everyone turned their attention to the packing truck that the others were pulling up in.
"It is a cool car." Lauren admitted and Glenn shot her a small smile.
"Right?"
The truck parked and Andrea barreled out, running straight to her sister. The women tearfully embraced and the interaction sent a pang of jealousy through Lauren. She was happy that Amy's sister was okay, of course, but her heart ached as she watched the reunion. Lauren would give anything to see her brother again, even just once more. But she couldn't. He was gone.
Lauren watched as Morales emerged from the truck next, heading straight into his family's arms. It was too much for her. She quietly slipped off towards the RV as the rest of the run crew returned. Glenn followed close behind.
"It would've been better to have you with us out there." Glenn said as they entered the motorhome. "Would've been nice to have someone else who knew what they were doing. These guys almost got me killed."
"How'd you get out anyways?" Lauren questioned. "Last we heard from T, you were trapped in the department store."
"New guy got us out." Glenn said almost nonchalantly.
"New guy?"
"Yeah, he seems nice enough. He's a cop, like Shane."
She wanted to question Glenn further. Find out who this 'new guy' was, but she wasn't able to say much before Carl's voice shouted something from outside. Lauren couldn't make out what he was saying, but she assumed it was something like "help". That's all anyone seemed to yell these days. She hopped out of the RV and scanned the camp for any signs of danger. Once she spotted them, she realized that Carl, in fact, hadn't been yelling for help. He had been yelling "Dad".
Lauren blinked in disbelief, seriously considering the possibility that she may have accidentally ingested some of Merle's cocaine. There was no other explanation as to what she was seeing. There, in front of her, was her brother. Her brother, who was supposedly dead. Yet here he was mere meters away from her, locked into an embrace with his wife and child.
He hadn't spotted Lauren yet. It wasn't until he pulled away from the hug that they locked eyes. She wasn't sure what her face looked like, but it was probably similar to the one he wore. One of pure shock. Lauren didn't run at him like she had Shane. She moved slowly, fearing that if she moved too fast he might disappear. It wasn't until she reached him and felt him pull her into a tearful embrace that she actually allowed herself to believe it. He was here. Shane had been wrong; Her brother was alive.
After a moment, Lauren broke the embrace, pushing Rick towards Carl and Lori. Lauren would ask him a million questions later, but right now he needed to be with his son. Her eyes glazed over the camp. Now that everyone was done watching their family reunion, they had all continued on with their business. The Morales family were exchanging embraces, Andrea had broken off with Amy; undoubtedly filling her in on the shit show that they had just endured. Glenn was begrudgingly helping Dale strip the sports car for parts for the RV and Shane had now joined the Grimes family in the center of the camp.
Everyone seemed to be relieved; either to have their loved ones return or to be the loved one that returned, but something felt off. It was too peaceful. There was no lingering smell of cigarette smoke, no lewd remarks being made, and no obnoxious southern drawl commenting on Lauren's ass.
"Where's Dixon?" She asked wearily after a minute.
T-dog locked eyes with Lauren from where he stood, against the truck. His eyes were filled with guilt.
"I dropped the damn key." He said solemnly. Lauren felt her stomach drop.
"You left him up there?" T-dog nodded, not meeting her eyes anymore.
"I chained the door to the roof, but that's about all I could do."
Lauren didn't like Merle by any means, and it was probably his fault he was cuffed in the first place. But the thought of him dying of starvation or dehydration alone up on that roof was enough to make her stomach churn. She didn't say anything else. The remorse in T-dog's eyes was enough to show that he was already beating himself up about this enough, she didn't need to make him feel worse. Besides, if his own guilt didn't kill him, Daryl sure would.