"I have to go and get water for everyone," Shane's voice delicately pierced the stillness, rousing Natalie from her slumber. In the dimly lit tent, she found herself almost instinctively drawn to him, the contours of her body leaning into his as he lingered at her side, gently stroking her.
The tent's interior was cloaked in the soft, diffused glow of the early morning, where the sun's feeble rays barely penetrated the fabric. Natalie reached out, entwining her fingers with Shane's, a quiet connection in the hushed ambience.
A low groan escaped from Shane's lips as he grappled with the desire stirring within him, one hand steadying against the curve of her body, attempting to restrain himself. His voice, laden with a mixture of longing and uncertainty, murmured, "Can I kiss you, right now, Nat..." His calloused fingers brushed aside a strand of her dirty blonde hair, his gaze locking onto hers.
In response, Natalie, her eyes mirroring his intensity, silently shook her head. Despite her nonverbal protest, Shane leaned in, bridging the gap between them, their lips meeting in a tender union. The sensation of his lips, full and warm, pressed against hers left an indelible mark.
Shane's touch, protective as he cradled the side of her head, created an intimacy that seemed to linger in the air. Cupping the side of her face, he gently opened his mouth, deepening the connection between them in the quiet sanctuary of the tent.
Grabbing onto her waist; Shane had flipped her so she was straddling him feeling the uncomfortableness of his jeans below her underwear. "Did you not just come into the tent..." Natalie questioned tilting her head to the side and looking down at him.
"Told Jim not to wake me," said Shane; rubbing the sides of her thighs as she felt tingling inside of her stomach. "I have to go and get water, why don't you come," The woman had turned down and pressed a kiss into the side of his stubble with Shane smirking pressing his lips to the side of her head.
Sighing and pulling away from him. "I and Carl have chores to do" Shane moved her off of him and flipped her back on the bed, as she let out a little squeal not expecting to be moved again so soon. She lay on her back a little bit with the blanket going over her body again.
Snapping his tongue in a teasing matter. "Excuses." Shane patted on her ass before standing up and adjusting himself. "Why don't you join me and Carl later for frogs?" Leaning into her ear as she lay there; kissing the back of her ear lightly. Feeling his hands on her ass as he lay on top of her a little holding himself up since she was smaller than him a little bit.
Her voice shuttered feeling his belt go into her back. "I'll think about it." Moving herself and turning to remain eye contact with him Shane kissed her one more time standing up as he did it. "Glenn wanted to go on a ride with the new car."
"Mhm, I see" Shane nodded his head biting the inside of his cheek; and putting on a new shirt grabbing his hat in the process putting it on his head. "Well Have fun with Glenn then," It was obvious, he was kind of jealous from since since Glenn was closer to her age than he was.
Ducking out of the tent, Natalie watched as Shane left with a sight; straining her hands through her hair. Thought that Shane was now mad at her for mentioning someone who she was friends with. Pulling herself up and out of bed, she grabbed the clothes that she changed yesterday so that no one suspected that she and Shane slept with each other.
When she had finished getting changed; Natalie had ducked out of the tent with people already walking back and forth from each other. By the time she had walked out, Shane was already on his way to get water.
The sounds of destruction had filled her ears, turning to see Glenn watching Jim and Andrew take apart the car he had stolen. "Damn"
"Yeah," Glenn muttered sighing deeply. "Dale wanted to use it for the RV, and Shane didn't want me to fight back."
"You'll get a new one soon" She tried to say positively, as Dale pulled off one of the wheels. Glenn had shaken his head almost as if he was also hurt by this interaction. "They're using it for electricity?"
Cassie hummed joining the two of them crossing her arms. "Your mom thinks you were sleeping with me" Her voice hushed towards, Natalie who lifted her head and turned to Cassie. Both of the girls moved away from Glenn walking to the main site again. "But-"
"Shane let me sleep in his tent."
Stopping in her tracks while holding onto Natalie's shoulders. "Do you not see what is wrong with this? You sleeping with your dad's best friend...I mean- Why not go for Glenn or...Well not Ethan but-"
"We're just having fun, the world is ending" Taking a second to explain the situation in a little bit. "Something positive has to come out of it."
A small sigh came out of her parted lips, as the tanner girl had turned her head looking at Rick talking to his wife about something. "You happy he's back?" Humming to not get questioned about anything.
Natalie knew that she was happy, Rick was back but she still felt like something had left her the moment she found out he was shot. "He's going to go back for Merle..." Natalie inquired, her eyes not leaving the two that were in the distance from her. "And I want to go with him."
Waiting for a second to answer her, Shane drove back into the site full speed slowly the jeep down for a second in the back of it had jugs of water inside of it that he drove back from the Quarry. Shane hopped out of the car; "Water's here, y'all. Just a reminder to boil before use." Shane announced as his eyes scanned towards Rick as he nodded at him. Rick nodded back at him before the man with a hat's eyes scanned over to Natalie scanning her.
"He's not using you?" Cassie had waited a second; looking at Natalie turn away from Shane. "We're sure of that..."
"Yeah" Trying to stay sure of herself, the two best friends looked at each other for a second trying to read each other's eyes. But it was obvious that Natalie had felt more confident when it came to since she started seeing Shane, there was almost this adulthood that was pulled to her.
Cassie gave up trying to talk Natalie out of anything. "Then have fun, I guess" Shrugging her shoulders. "Buttttt, not too much- or I'll tell you, Mother." Her tone was nothing but joking, pointing a finger towards Natalie who fake acted like she was about to bite it, causing the two of them to laugh. Cassie had hit her shoulder before something had broken the two of them out of this moment of happiness.
A blood-curdling scream ripped through the tranquillity of the camp, sending shockwaves through the Grimes family. "MOM!" Carl's voice echoed the distress, prompting Rick, Lori, and Natalie to abandon their current tasks, urgency etched on their faces as they sprinted toward the source of the little boy's cries. Natalie's heart sank, and she quickened her pace, trailing closely behind her father.
"Baby!" Lori's frantic scream echoed, attempting to navigate through the chaos, with Shane hot on her heels as they chased Carl's desperate pleas.
"Mama! Mommy!" Another young girl's terrified shrieks joined the cacophony, and Natalie, propelled by fear, ran alongside Rick, her focus solely on reaching her distressed brother. The grass beneath her feet and potential obstacles faded into the background as she raced forward.
Amidst the chaos, Glenn's voice cut through, calling out Natalie's name. "Iris!"
Reacting almost instinctively, Natalie caught a spear thrown her way, her attention still fixed on the unfolding crisis. The terrain changed as she descended a hill, plunging into the deeper woods without pausing to contemplate. Carl's cries for help lingered in the air, creating an agonizing symphony of distress.
The group halted midway past the bushes in the distance, a collective tension palpable in the air. Lori instructed Natalie to stay put, but her grip tightened on the spear Glenn had provided.
Moving uphill, Natalie stood beside Glenn, whose eyes were fixed on a point beyond the bushes. Shane pointed his shotgun forward, Jim and Rick flanked him, ready to confront whatever awaited them. Natalie surveyed the scene, her eyes landing on a subtle detail—a dead deer lay on the ground, and above it, a walker feasted on its entrails. Groans and moans emanated from the grotesque scene, capturing the attention of the approaching group.
It was hunched over, oblivious to their presence, engrossed in its macabre meal. Two arrows lodged in the deer's hindquarters caught Natalie's keen eye, signalling the possible presence of Daryl and Ethan, who had been hunting in the woods for days. Suppressing the urge to gag at the gruesome sight, she covered her mouth with her hand, averting her gaze. As the men cautiously approached, Natalie followed suit, clutching the spear tightly.
The grisly tableau revealed itself—a walker devouring its prey, the horror magnified by the silent, shocked gasps of Amy and Andrea behind Natalie. The trio of blondes shared a moment of horrified realization, eyes widening at the gruesome sight before them.
A walker shouldn't be this close to the camp, that was the point of them being outside of the city it was the safest that they could think to stay. But once the walker had heard the footsteps that were behind it, now surrounded by people holding weapons. Turning its head, with blood leaking from all over it's pale and dirty skin. It turned looking at Rick; before a hssing sound had come out of its mouth.
In the charged atmosphere, adrenaline coursing through her veins, Natalie seized the spear, delivering a forceful blow to the back of the walker's head. It grunted, teetering on the brink of collapse, only to pivot toward Natalie with the intent to retaliate. Shane, swift and determined, snatched up the shotgun, smashing it against the walker's skull. The men, driven by a collective instinct, rained blows upon the fallen creature. Andrea, sensing Natalie's distress, gripped her shoulder, urging her to step away from the gruesome scene.
As the walker struggled to rise again, Dale intervened with a shovel, severing its head with a swift, practised stroke. Blood sprayed, painting the ground in grotesque hues. Andrea broke the tense silence, her voice cutting through the shock that gripped the onlookers, questioning the unexpected intrusion of a walker from the city.
"I'm fine," Natalie asserted, masking the internal turmoil, and gingerly set the bloodstained spear aside. The severed head lay on the periphery, a macabre reminder of the recent confrontation. Panting, she tried to make sense of the surreal events unfolding around her.
Dale, ever observant, noted the anomaly. "It's the first one we've had up here," he pointed out, prompting a sombre acknowledgement from the group. Rick, breaking away from the collective gaze, approached Andrea, who held onto Natalie's shoulder. The fatherly embrace sought to offer comfort, and Natalie clung tightly to her dad's arms, seeking reassurance.
"They never come this far up the mountain," Dale emphasized, underlining the rarity of the occurrence. Shane, catching his breath, added, "Well, they're running out of food in the city. That's what."
As the forest seemed to echo with the aftermath of their encounter, a snapping branch disrupted the eerie quiet. Rick, reacting instinctively, seized the spear Natalie had used. Everyone tensed, the footsteps growing closer. Andrea, protective, guided both Amy and Natalie away, anticipating the possibility of another walker. Shane, vigilant, advanced with his gun aimed forward.
To their collective surprise, it was Daryl emerging from the forest, Ethan trailing behind him, burdened with a haul of dead animals. A wave of disapproval swept over the group at Daryl's return, evident in Rick's stern expression. Ethan, attempting to lighten the mood, engaged in banter with Daryl about the deer, revealing the camaraderie that had developed between them.
However, Rick's welcome was laced with scepticism. "Nice to see you too, Kid," he remarked, a hint of disdain in his tone, undoubtedly influenced by the complex history and concerns he held for his daughter.
Daryl's focus shifted from the banter to the gruesome sight before him. "Look at it. All gnawed on by this... motherless, dead bastard," he spat, delivering a swift kick to the walker's lifeless form, frustration evident in his actions and words.
"Calm down, Son" Dale tried to talk to him.
He had stormed over to Dale, with Shane putting his gun in front separating the two of them. "What do you know about it, old man?"
Ethan had made his way towards Natalie with furrowed eyebrows keeping an eye on Rick while he walked around the body stepping over the head of the Walker. "Your dad's alive?!" Shocked by this, turning to look examining the face of the dirty blonde girl next to him.
"I didn't notice." Natalie had waited. "What took ya'll so long?"
"Worried about me?" Ethan had flirted, his eyes travelled over and down to her lips. Natalie didn't turn and look back at him but eyed the men who were having a conversation about the walker that was in front of them.
"Very" Her words came out sarcastic; pouting a little and crossing her arms.
Daryl had gone over to the deer eyeing it. "I've been tracking this deer for miles. Gonna drag it back to camp and cook us up some venison. What do you think? Do you think we can cut around this chewed-up part?" Pointing down at it with the arrow he had pulled out of the deer's butt.
"I would not risk that." Shane shook his head inspecting the deer.
Snapping his tongue into the roof of his mouth. "That's a damn shame. I got some squirrels...about a dozen or so. That'll have to do." Daryl sighed looking at the group that was surrounding him holding something back.
A collective gasp rippled through the group as the seemingly lifeless head of the walker stirred, its teeth gnashing together. Amy's reaction was visceral, her gasp punctuated by the firm grip on Andrea's arm. The macabre spectacle prompted a wave of nausea in her, and she averted her gaze, unable to witness the grotesque movement.
"Oh god," Amy choked out, her voice strained with a mix of fear and repulsion, her eyes desperately seeking refuge from the unsettling sight.
Daryl, ever the pragmatic survivor, scowled at the unnerving turn of events. In swift defiance, he reached for one of his arrows, moving with purpose toward the reanimated head.
"Come on, people. What the hell?" His frustration echoed in the air. "It's gotta be the brain. Don't y'all know nothing?" Daryl chided, his gaze sweeping across the group as he prepared to dispatch the walker once and for all. His gaze met with a troubled Rick, who, in the wake of the unsettling revelation, stood frozen, grappling with the harsh realities of their post-apocalyptic existence.