The early morning unfolded with a gentle embrace of sunlight, its golden hues seeping through the fabric of the tents scattered across the campsite.
The entire group was already a hive of activity, a symphony of rustling fabric and hushed conversations as they diligently dismantled their temporary shelters and packed belongings into the waiting cars. The camp, once bustling, now showed signs of imminent departure, with only a few tents standing resilient against the awakening day.
Natalie, a silent figure amidst the organized chaos, clutched a bag tightly against her chest. It was the same bag she hastily filled with clothes when the urgency to leave the safety of the house gripped them all.
Her fingers grazed the fabric, a tangible reminder of the life she once knew, now reduced to the essentials carried in that simple bag.
Ducking her head as she navigated through the maze of tents, Natalie found herself standing before Shane's tent. A subtle sense of hesitation lingered in the air as she unzipped the entrance and slipped inside.
The confined space was filled with the scent of canvas and anticipation, and she momentarily hesitated before proceeding.
Shane, having completed the task of packing his belongings, turned to face the tent's entrance, locking eyes with Natalie. His gaze lingered on the young woman who stood amidst the folds of the fabric, surrounded by a mixture of his scent and the remnants of a life they were leaving behind.
The tent, a temporary cocoon amid the changing world outside, held an intimate tension. Natalie, still clutching the bag, met Shane's gaze, and a silent exchange unfolded—a moment suspended in time, fraught with unspoken understanding.
The morning sunlight cast a warm glow, revealing the contours of uncertainty etched on both of their faces. The outside world, with its challenges and dangers, awaited beyond the confines of the tent.
Yet, in that shared space, a silent acknowledgement of the bond forged in the crucible of survival lingered, as they prepared to face whatever lay ahead. "What happened yesterday, to change your mind?" Shane looked up confused about what she was talking about. "in the forest with Rick."
"Oh, nothing-" Shaking his head and standing up from the makeshift bed. "Rick told me to trust my instinct and I think if the C.D.C. does have something then we should grab it, and then maybe go to Fort Bedding."
Natalie stood looking up at him with her arms crossed as he unfolded her arms for her. "We need to get away from the infection not towards it." He instructed. "We're walking into the storm, Nat."
Grabbing the side of her face; "Am I right?" Nodding her head slowly before stepping on her tippy toes and connecting their lips. Shane held onto her tightly grabbing onto her ass softly. "Now come on, the quicker we're done this the faster we can be on our way."
Natalie had rubbed the side of her mouth ducking and walking out of the tent and going towards the group of people in the distance. Lori watched her walk out of the tent with Carl next to her learning and trying to tie a knot into rope inside of his hands.
Walking over to the group as she handed her bag to Lori. "Thank you" Lori had simply said. "Rick's finishing a few things and then we'll be on our way."
"You think this is the best option" Natalie questioned her mom for a second wanting to know her thoughts.
"We're listening to your father Iris." She had finished between the two of them putting Natalie's bag inside the car they were driving. "Rick knows what he is doing...He survived out there for a reason."
Walking over to the group Shane had put his final bag inside of the Jeep he was taking. "We're not going" Morales had notified everyone in the area causing the group to grow silent turning and looking at him and his family.
"We have family in Birmingham." His wife spoke looking at Shane almost waiting for a reaction. "We want to be with our people."
"You own your own, You won't have anyone to watch your back." Shane pointed out, that Natalie had watched him noticing that he was angered by this not wanting the group to split up since they would have fewer men to help if something had gone wrong.
Morales nodded; "We'll take the chance, I gotta do what's best for my family."
"You sure?" Rick asked.
"We talked about it." Morales had continued defending his choice. "We're sure."
Shane had turned to Rick almost not wanting to do it but the man had agreed bending down and grabbing a gun from his bag before walking over and handing it to Morales, ducking into his bag Shane took out the box of bullets making Daryl annoyed as he paced in place.
"Thank you all...for everything" Lori had gone over hugging the wife of Morales.
Natalie turned looking at her brother crying, Holding one hand on Carl's shoulder and pulling him closer to her as he cried into Shane's shirt. Everyone was saying goodbye to Morales and his family since they were almost their family as well. Natalie didn't stand up holding Carl since the boy was crying because he was losing a friend.
"Let's go" Lori muttered softly rubbing the back of Carl.
Carl had listened following along with his mom. "I'm going to ride with Shane," Natalie had informed her seeing Sophia in distress that one of her friends was leaving the group.
"Natalie, That's not the smartest opinion right now" Lori said through her teeth standing face-to-face with her daughter. Eyeing Rick talking to Shane about something. "We ride with family."
"Sophia seems to need to be with Carl more than I do..." Natalie commented seeing the little girl hold onto her mom. "It's platonic, we're going to be right behind you."
"And Rick."
Lori didn't want Natalie going with Shane as she bit the inside of her cheek. "Sophia is taking my spot to help Carl, it's not a lie." Natalie shrugged her shoulders. Lori grabbed onto Natalie and hugged her kissing the top of her head as Natalie nodded her head for a second.
"Let's go!" Shane had announced to the group as they all got into their cars.
To his surprise, Natalie had got up into his jeep closing the door behind her as he pulled the roof off of the car. Getting up and sitting inside the car, Shane started the engine following along with Rick's car that was in front of them. "I have Sophia in my spot; Carl needed to be around a friend." She informed the man.
Shane ducked his hat as they pulled onto the street with trees finally going out to the city. But time passed with the drive feeling like it was going forever in a good way.
Natalie smiled a bit with her elbow on the window place of the car, the air flowing into the air. "What you happy about?" Driving with one hand on the wheel, the feeling in her stomach was almost nostalgic looking at the houses that they passed, trees and hope flying through the air.
Her hand had moved over resting on his legs, feeling the rough jeans below her fingertips. Shane had moved his free hand grabbing onto Natalie's hand and squeezing it. "Jesus." Shane cursed as the two of them looked in front to see the RV stop directly in front of the group.
Smoke was coming from in front of the RV with Shane getting out of the car. "Stay here." He commanded her to get down and close the door.
"No." Natalie simply stated shaking her head and getting out of the car as well, putting on Rick's sheriff jacket and following behind Shane with him shaking his head not approving it just understanding that she wasn't going to just sit there for a while.
"I told you we'd never get far on that hose. I said I needed the one from the cube van." The two could hear Dale rambling to himself as they approached the front of the RV.
Shane had used his binoculars looking in the distance. Natalie stood next to Andrea with her hands on her hips. "Can you jury-rig it?" Rick questioned standing in front of Dale.
"That's all it's been so far. It's more duct tape than hose." Dale huffed throwing down the rag he used to clean off his hands. "And I'm out of duct tape."
"I see something up ahead. A gas station if we're lucky." Shane suggested at the same time that the door to the RV flew open.
Jacqui rushed out looking at the group. "Yall, Jim...It's bad, I don't think he can take anymore."
Natalie had turned to the worried glistening woman. "I'll go," Commenting before following Jacqui into the RV.
The soft morning light spilt into the small living area of the RV as Natalie entered. Jim lay sprawled on the couch, towels covering his fevered body. His weakness was palpable, and an ominous aura hung around him, evident even to Natalie's keen senses.
A faint, rotting stench lingered in the air, signalling the encroaching danger that had settled in their midst.
"I think the men are going up to see if they can find anything to fix the car," Natalie informed Jim, leaning against the wall with a watchful gaze. Jim didn't move his head, but his eyes followed her as she spoke.
"Oh. No. Christ..." he pleaded, beads of sweat forming on his weakened frame. "My bones—My bones are like glass. Every little bump kills me. God, leave me here." He gestured weakly towards the outside, where the group bustled with their preparations.
The entrance of someone else interrupted the solemn moment. Jim's eyes turned toward Rick. "I'm done. Just leave me," he finished. "I want to be with my family."
"They're all dead," Rick responded, crouching next to him. "I don't think you know what you're asking. The fever—you've been delirious more often than not."
"Dad," Natalie interjected, trying to dissuade him from convincing Jim to stay. The awareness of the danger that an infected person posed to Carl and Sophia weighed heavily on her, with the lingering smell hinting at the potential threat.
Jim continued to plead, "Leave me here. Now that's on me."
Natalie gripped Rick's shoulder as they exited the RV, drawing the attention of everyone around. "He knows what he's asking for," she informed her father, crossing her arms as they reached the gravel below. "It's safer if we don't have a walking risk on board."
"He's not gone yet," Rick argued, standing next to the RV. "There is no reason to leave him here without trying to get help."
Natalie surveyed the scene, noticing Shane driving back with T-Dog in the Jeep. "You don't know that in five minutes," she tried to emphasize. "Dad, the safest option for Carl, Mom—everyone is to leave Jim here..."
"What's going on?" Lori interrupted, stepping out of the car, and leaving Carl and Sophia asleep in the back seat. She approached them, sensing the tension in the air.
The group circled Rick and Natalie, even Shane leaning on the door of the RV. "Jim wants to be left here," Rick informed them, setting the stage for a difficult decision.
"Is he lucid?" Carol questioned, squinting her eyes.
Rick fiddled with the hat in his hand. "He seems to be," he softly stated, trying to maintain calmness for the sake of the group.
"He is... Rick won't say it, but I will." Natalie placed her hands on her hips, standing next to Lori. Dale's advice echoed in her mind, urging her to speak up more during group discussions. "As sane as someone who was bitten by a Geek can be."
Dale took a moment to explain his earlier suggestion. "Back in the camp when I said Daryl might be right and you shut me down, you misunderstood. I would never go along with callously killing a man. I was just gonna suggest that we ask Jim what he wants. And I think we have an answer."
Carol shook her head, not agreeing with the idea of leaving Jim behind. Shane muttered his thoughts, contemplating the moral dilemma. Lori stepped in firmly, "It's not your call, either one of you."
"Jim wants to be left," Natalie spoke what everyone was thinking but hesitated to say. "He wants to be dead."
The group stood by the RV, watching as Rick and Shane carried Jim out and across the road to a nearby tree. It was a sombre moment as each person said their goodbyes to Jim, leaving him beneath the shade of another tree where flowers decayed before his eyes. The group, grappling with the weight of their decision, left him there to face his fate alone.