Holding the cold metal of the gun in her grasp, Natalie stood amidst the sounds of nature, where birds' melodies and the buzzing of insects blended into a symphony around her.
The tent's sheltering fabric shielded her from the elements, and inside, she pondered the prolonged absence of Rick and the others returning from their city mission. Confusion gnawed at her, wondering why Merle's retrieval was taking so long when they knew his last known location.
As the morning unfolded, she carefully stowed the gun into the waistband of her jeans, adjusting the oversized grey shirt that concealed the concealed weapon. A further layer of camouflage came in the form of Rick's jacket, enveloping her frame, attempting to mask the imprint of the firearm beneath.
Emerging from the tent, Natalie lowered her head to shield her eyes from the gusts of wind that carried whispers of the world beyond. The chill air tousled her dirty blonde hair, and as her eyes scanned the camp, they settled on Dale perched atop the RV. Lori and Carl were engrossed in chores nearby, leaving Dale as the only potential confidant in her quest to learn the art of handling a gun discreetly.
"There a problem, Iris?" He questioned furrowing his eyebrows.
"Where can I practice shooting the gun you gave me," Natalie asked looking up, squinting her eyes away from the sun. "I don't want Shane, or my mom to hear it and scare them."
Dale rose, hands on hips, surveying the surroundings for a secluded space where Natalie could hone her skills without causing undue concern. "Uhm," looking through his binoculars and moving himself around to see if he saw any empty spot in the distance that was still in his view. "That's weird." Stopping what he was doing. "Jim's digging..."
"The world's ended, everyone has to find hobbies" Natalie mentioned climbing up the ladder going over and joining Dale so that she didn't have to keep looking up at him hurting her neck.
Dale chuckled shaking his head a little; "Digging Graves is a hobby?" Putting the binoculars up again and seeing Jim in the distance just digging and digging not seeing to stop any time soon.
"So no shooting..." Natalie complained with a sigh.
"Over there, I can still see you- and it's quite a distance." Chuckling at the notion of grave digging as a post-apocalyptic pastime, Dale raised his binoculars again, scrutinizing Jim's relentless labour in the distance. Natalie, eager to find a discreet shooting spot, suggested the northern outskirts, away from the city's threat and Dale's watchful eyes. "Don't tell your mom either, she doesn't want you or Carl leaving the sight."
Grateful for Dale's understanding, Natalie flashed a smile and concocted a cover story; "Tell her I'm looking for those weird, nasty pink berries." Natalie made her way to the other end of the RV where the ladder was.
Dale had let out a chuckle; smiling towards the girl. "Poison."
Shrugging her shoulders just saying berries that her mom had her look out for when she was berry searching with Amy a couple of days ago. "You can come up with something," Natalie commented smiling with her hands on her hips. "You've probably got stories to pull up your sleeve."
As she lowered herself climbing back down to the ground. With a chuckle, he continued observing Jim, who showed no signs of halting his relentless digging.
𓇻
Venturing into the heart of the woods, Natalie found herself in the secluded spot Dale had recommended. The lush foliage enveloped her in a cocoon of nature, and the murmur of leaves rustling played a backdrop to her solitude. With the gun firmly in her grasp, Natalie squared her shoulders, positioning herself at the nexus of her makeshift shooting range.
Her singular focus narrowed her vision, shutting one eye to enhance precision. A lone tree, already marked by time, stood in her line of sight, presenting itself as the perfect target. As she steadied the gun, the wind danced around her, teasing loose strands of her dirty blonde hair that swirled and floated in the air.
Hesitation lingered for a moment before Natalie's finger found the trigger, initiating a sharp and resounding bang that reverberated through the woodland. The force of the recoil jolted her slightly, causing her to stagger backwards. The sudden noise startled the birds nearby, prompting them to take flight, wings flapping in a flurry of startled escape.
With both eyes now wide open, Natalie inspected the aftermath of her shot. The target, the already weathered tree, bore the mark of her attempt, but not precisely where she intended. The echo of her gunshot lingered in the air, dissipating into the natural symphony of the woods.
"Jesus" Muttering to herself and walking up to the tree; using her fingers to pull the bullet that was halfway in the tree and place it into her pocket. Turning back around she had held the gun in front of her looking at it; messing with the loads that were inside of it.
Natalie knew that a gun wasn't something that she could learn by herself, but it was the only way to since Shane didn't even want her carrying a gun, and Rick was never around to help her with something. Sighing and bringing her hand back up aiming the gun forward before pressing down on the trigger a sound of twigs breaking was heard. Quickly turning around to the sounds of this; aiming her gun in that direction lowering it a little bit so that she could see whatever was going to be in front of her.
In this moment, the woods carried a different weight than before, a shift in the atmosphere that unsettled Natalie. The memory of the last encounter with Shane lingered, and even though he wasn't the reason for her current unease, the mere recollection made her stomach churn. The distant snap of tree branches disrupted her thoughts, prompting her to pivot and scan the direction of the disturbance.
As she turned her attention back down, an unexpected growl resonated inches from her ear, causing her heart to race in a frenzied rhythm. Startled, she emitted a small scream, instinctively raising her gun and firing without a second thought. The shot struck the Walker's leg, causing it to stumble, blood oozing from its injured limb. Despite the initial shock, the creature persisted, growling and moaning with an eerie tenacity.
Natalie seized the advantage, her trembling hands grabbing onto the gun. A swift cock of the weapon preceded another precise shot, this time aimed at the walker's head. The impact sent it sprawling to the ground, blood and remnants of its decimated skull painting a gruesome tableau. Natalie, still cringing from the recoil, took a moment to process the scene that unfolded before her.
As the fallen walker lay motionless, Natalie's breath caught in her throat. Opening her eyes, she confronted the aftermath of the encounter. A surge of adrenaline urged her to step back, quickly retreating from the eerie solitude of the forest. The weight of being alone amidst the trees overwhelmed her, and she hastened her return to the safety of the campsite, leaving the haunting encounter behind in the depths of the woods.
Back at the campsite, Amy and Andrea had come back with piles of fish from their one-way fishing journey. Everyone was sitting around doing their own thing, "Mom, Look. Look at all the fish!" Carl had exclaimed with Morlas moving the fish towards Lori who flinched away from it.
"Thank you" Her small chuckle had come out of her mouth.
Carl continued to admire the fish from next to it; "Whoa" Commented the little boy astonished by this.
"Yea, Whoa." Lori was also impressed by this. "Where did you two learn to do that?"
Grabbing a sip of her water bottle; "Our dad" Amy smiled nodding her head.
"Can you teach me how to do that?" Carl questioned.
"Sure!" Amy continued. "I'll teach you all about nail knots and stuff." Her head had tilted to the side for a second; eyeing Lori who was still looking at the fisk. "If that's okay."
"You won't catch me arguing." The mother had smiled a little bit, but her smile dimmed looking around at the group noticing that Natalie was nowhere to be seen with Amy and Andrea where she thought the girl was the whole time.
Along with Cassie making her way over to the ground with wood planks in her hand that her dad had recently cut. "Where's Natalie?" Lori asked around. "Dale told me she was going with ya'll fishing."
"Wasn't with us." Andrea shook her head opening her water bottle. "Check with Shane." She sipped the water.
Lori had swallowed the lump that was in her stomach, but quickly it was fine when she saw Shane sitting at the RV by himself with his hat inside of his hand looking around with Natalie to be nowhere near him. Which also made her heart sink since she was nowhere to be found.
"Hey, Dale" Andrea had called with the older man walking over with worry taunting his face. "You need to oil up those line rails, they are a disgrace." Finishing up and smiling towards him Morlas showed off the fishes that were inside of his hand.
Lori had studied the worry on the man's face scared; "Uhm I-" He had strolled over to them. "I don't want to alarm anyone." But right in time, Natalie was walking down the hill making sure the gun was hiding in her belt; fixing her shirt and jacket. Lori let out a loud sigh nodding her head thankful. Shane had noticed the girl raising his eyebrows cause whatever was going on with her didn't seem normal. "But we may have a bit of a problem?"
Turning on his heels, Dale gestured towards Jim, whose tireless shovelling continued to carve holes into the earth. Natalie, now back on solid ground, placed her hands on her waist, attempting to regain her breath after the brisk walk. Dale's indication led the group to ascend the hill, where Jim was entrenched in his ceaseless excavation.
As they approached, Lori walked beside her daughter, casting a concerned glance in Natalie's direction. Natalie lost in contemplation, mulled over the recent events in the forest, reluctant to share the details of her first Walker encounter with anyone. The adrenaline coursing through her veins lingered, a palpable reminder of the rush that accompanied the discharge of her weapon.
Aware of Lori's watchful eyes, Natalie offered a strained smile, disguising the turbulence beneath the surface. Returning her focus, she observed they were nearing Jim, who remained immersed in his relentless digging, oblivious to their arrival.
Shane halted in front of Jim, hands nonchalantly tucked into his pockets. Natalie scrutinized Shane's demeanour, noting the subtle gestures – the habitual licking of his lips, the casual yet attentive stance. Her gaze traced the veins etching patterns on the back of his arms as they flexed with every shovel thrust. The rhythmic symphony of metal meeting dirt filled her ears, creating an eerie soundtrack to the scene unfolding before her.
"Hey Jim," Shane called out. Tilting his head to the side to maybe get the man looking at him. Jim was sweating, through his shirt and the hat that was on his head. "Jim, Why don't you hold up, all right? Just give me a second here, please."
With attitude laced through her voice; "What do you want?" Finally stopping putting the shovel inside of the grave.
"We're all just a little concerned, that's all." Shane tried to talk to him calmly.
"Dale says you've been out here for hours." Morales had come forward almost hiding behind Shane, peeking over the man's shoulder.
Jim looked at Dale almost with disgust. "So?"
"So why are you digging?" Shane had continued to question him. "Are you heading to China, Jim?"
Shane had laughed as if it was a joke with Jim becoming more aggressive towards Dale. "What does it matter?" Shrugging his shoulders. "I'm not hurting anyone." Grabbing the shovel again and continuing to dig holes inside of the ground.
Dale had pointed out. "Yeah, except maybe yourself. It's 100 degrees today; you can't keep this up..."
"Sure I can. Watch me." Continuing to shovel.
Lori had moved from beside Natalie who was staring into space. The sounds of the Walker followed her ears. "Jim, they're not gonna say it so I will." Lori stood beside Dale now. "You're scaring people. You're scaring my son, daughter-...Carol's daughter."
"They got nothing to be scared of." Jim pointed to the side, eyeing the children. The young woman looked up at the mention of her furrowing her eyebrows confused. "So why don't y'all, go back and leave me the hell alone?"
Shane held onto his hips and looked at Natalie; who connected their eyes for the first time since their small argument. "We think that you need to take a break, okay?" Now demanding the man in the nicest way he could, turning away from Natalie and strolled closer to Jim. "Why don't you go get yourself in the shade? Some food maybe. I'll tell you what--Maybe in a little bit I'll come out here. I'll help you myself...Jim, just tell me what it's about. Why don't you just go ahead and give me that shovel?"
"Or what." The man was tired of being stopped, held the shovel looking at Shane show wasn't looking for a fight.
"There is no or what." Shaking his head. "I'm asking you. I'm coming to you and I'm asking you, please. I don't want to have to take it from you."
"And if I don't," Jim shrugged. "Then what? You're gonna beat my face in Like Ed Peletier, aren't you? You all saw his face, or what's left of it." Shane had put his head down knowing the reason why he did that was different than anything Jim was making it out to be. "See, now that's what happens when someone crosses you."
"That was different, Jim" Shane had stared into the man's eyes.
"You weren't there!" Amy went to the man's difference. "Ed was out of control. He was hurting his wife."
Jim became angered putting the shovel into the dirt. "That is their marriage, that's not his." Pointing towards the older man. "He should be focused on whatever he has going on with the new guy's daughter!"
"Okay, that's enough Jim," Shane warned ducking his head. "I'm not here to argue with you, all right?" He continued to try and stay calm, Natalie was now paying more attention to the conversation, holding onto herself not wanting to say anything but words were about to explode from her mouth if Jim kept talking about a relationship he didn't know about.
"Now you don't like people getting into relationships they aren't in!" Jim continued turning to Carol as she hid her scared daughter. "Isn't she nineteen?" Continuing to question the man, with Shane putting his hands on his hips.
"Twenty" Shane corrected remembering Natalie's birthday being somewhere close to them now.
"Enough," Lori stopped them from talking about her daughter.
Jim chuckled shaking his head. "He is not judge and jury. Who voted you king boss, huh?"
"Just give me the shovel okay?" Shane went reaching for it for the man to move it out of the way; as he shook his head. Pushing Shane away and using the shovel as if he was going to hit him with it. "Just give me the-- Jim!"
Shane swiftly dodged, ducking and then decisively tackling Jim to the ground. As Jim thrashed about, unleashing screams of agony, Shane grappled with him, seeking to bring some semblance of control to the chaotic moment.
"You got no right!" Jim's defiant shout echoed, his struggles persisting.
Shane, now atop him, endeavoured to restrain Jim, his tone shifting to a soothing whisper. "Okay, shh, shh... Jim, nobody is gonna hurt you," Shane reassured, his efforts aimed at pacifying the tormented man. The aggression that marked their previous confrontation at the quarry seemed tempered, replaced by a desperate attempt to calm the distraught survivor.
"That's a lie." Jim's anguished voice reverberated, his face pressed into the grass. "That's the biggest lie there is. I told that to my wife and my two boys. I said it 100 times, it didn't matter. They came out of nowhere, there were dozens of 'em. Just pulled 'em right out of my hands. You know, the only reason I got away was 'cause the dead were too busy eating my family."
Natalie, repulsed by the heartbreaking revelation, instinctively wiped the side of her mouth and retreated down the hill.
The weight of Jim's traumatic disclosure lingered in the air and the realization that he had allowed his family to perish to secure his escape gnawed at Natalie's conscience. The haunting memory of the walker's near-fatal encounter intensified her inner turmoil, a silent spiral unfurling within her as she sought solitude away from prying eyes.
jules' talk ♱ ; heyyyy, i hope you're enjoying this book.
ohhh the drama, kidding...
but I'm trying to make the power dynamic
between the two very high so I don't know if that's noticeable.
xx.