At the camp, Lori was giving Carl a haircut while Melody sat nearby, remembering when her mother used to cut her hair. Carl was struggling to sit still, but Melody smiled at him.
"I'm trying," Carl said, getting more and more frustrated.
"Well, try harder," Lori said, trying to keep a light tone.
"If you think this is bad, wait until you start shaving. That's going to sting. That day will come and you'll be wishing for one of your mother's haircuts," Shane said, trying to lighten the mood.
"I'll believe that when I see it," Carl said, a hint of frustration in his voice. Shane chuckled as Melody smiled.
"I'll tell you what... tomorrow, I'll teach you something special. I'll teach you to catch frogs. And you," Shane said, addressing Melody, "you'll need this," he added, handing her something.
"I've caught a frog before," Carl said, and Melody nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, me too!" she said excitedly.
"I said frogs, plural," Shane explained, emphasizing the fact that catching more than one frog is an artform. "It's not something to be taken lightly. There are ways and means, and few people know about it. I'm willing to share my secrets," he continued, a twinkle in his eye.
Carl looked at Lori, unsure of whether to accept Shane's offer. Melody too, was unsure.
"Oh, it's a one-time offer, bud," Shane said, addressing Carl. "Not to be repeated. I'm already taking Melody, aren't I?" he asked, smirking at her.
"Yes, you are," Melody said excitedly, grinning from ear to ear.
"Why do you need frogs, plural?" Carl asked, seeming confused.
Shane responded, "You ever eat frog legs?"
Melody jumped in, "Yes, daddy used to get frogs all the time. They're so good."
"Amen, girl," Shane agreed, nodding in approval.
Carl, however, was not convinced and said with a disgusted expression, "Eww!".
Lori agreed, saying, "No, he's right. Eww."
Shane couldn't help but laugh at the exchange.
"When you get down to that last can of beans, you'll be loving those frog legs, my dear," Shane said with a mischievous grin. "I can see it now...
"Shane, do you think I could have a second helping, please? Please? Just one?" he mimicked Lori's voice, eliciting a smile from her.
"Yeah, I doubt that," Lori said, still smiling.
Shane chuckled. "Don't worry, Lori. I know me and my girl Melody are going to be dining on some delicious frogs," he said with a wink.
"Don't listen to her, man. You and me, we'll be heroes. We'll feed these folks cajun-style Kermit legs," Shane said, teasing Carl as he leaned back.
Lori smiled and said, "I would rather eat Miss Piggy."
Shane laughed, "That came out wrong. Sorry, Carl."
Melody looked confused, unsure of who or what "Miss Piggy" is.
"Heroes, son, spoken of in song and legend. You both and me, Shane, Carl, and lil ol Melody," Shane said, trying to convince Carl to take him up on his offer.
Carl and Shane share a laugh before their conversation is interrupted by a car alarm beeping. Suddenly, someone yells, "Hey, Dale, can you see what that is?" Dale, who is perched on top of his RV looking through a pair of binoculars, is startled and turns around.
Shane runs over, shouting, "Talk to me, Dale!" Dale lowers the binoculars and climbs down from the RV, updating the group on what he has seen. Melody turns to Lori, asking, "Do you think they're back?" Lori responds, "Not sure."
As the group awaits the news from Dale, the tension builds.
The car's alarm continues beeping as the group watches with keen interest. Suddenly, Carl, Lori, and Melody stand up and begin to move towards the source of the sound. Amy asks nervously, "Is it them? Are they back?"
Glenn, the owner of the car, finally arrives, stepping out of a red car with a grin on his face.
Dale scolds Glenn, saying, "Holy crap, turn that damn thing off!”
"I don't know how!" Glen yells, still struggling to figure out how to turn off the alarm.
Shane walks over, exasperated, and says, "Pop the damn hood, please." He reaches for the latch, ready to help Glen if he needs it.
"My sister Andrea..." Amy asks, her voice breaking as she tries to get the words out.
"Pop the damn hood!" Shane yells back, trying to drown out the sound of the alarm.
Glen finally relents, popping the hood with a sigh. Shane jumps in, disconnects the battery, and the alarm finally falls silent.
"Is she okay? Is she all right?" Amy keeps asking.
"She's okay! She's okay!" Glen yells, clearly relieved.
Melody interjects, eager to get some answers, "What about my daddy? Archie, are they ok?"
Glen, clearly stressed, ignores her and keeps his attention on Shane. While the initial tension has been replaced with relief, everyone is still on edge, wondering what the next steps will be
"Why isn't she with you? Where is she?" Amy asked, concern etched on her face.
Glen finally managed to turn off the alarm, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Yes, fine. Everybody is, well, Merle and Archie... not so much," Glen said, the weight of the news hanging heavy in the air.
Before Melody had a chance to ask about her father, Shane interrupted her, scolding Glenn with a harsh tone, "Are you crazy? Driving this wailing bastard up here? Are you trying to draw every Walker for miles?"
Dale, however, tried to defuse the tension, saying, "I think we're okay, guys."
"You call being stupid okay?" he asked, not letting up on Glenn.
Melody tried to interject again, asking, "What happened to my daddy?" But her question was ignored once more.
"Well, the alarm was echoing all over these hills. Hard to pinpoint the source. I'm not arguing. I'm just saying. It wouldn't hurt you to think things through a little more carefully next time, would it?" Dale said
Glenn, still clearly proud of his car, said, "Sorry...got a cool car," glen said .
melody couldn't deny that the car was nice, but the fact that her questions about her father were being ignored was frustrating.
The group watches as a truck pulls up, and the doors slowly open. Andrea exits, and walks over to her sister, Amy.
"Amy." she says, and Amy responds with an enthusiastic, "Andrea!" The two sisters embrace tightly, holding on as if they’ll never let go. Tears well up in their eyes, and for a moment, all is quiet as they simply enjoy the moment.
Morales steps out of the truck, and his wife and children rush to greet him. They wrap him in hugs and kisses, their excitement palpable in the air. Melody watches closely, hoping that her own father will come out of the truck, but he doesn’t.
The children are overjoyed to see their father, and he picks them up in his arms, smiling and laughing.
"Daddy! Papi!" they cry out in excitement, throwing their arms around him.
Morales's wife rushes over to greet him, and the two embrace warmly.
"I told you I'd be back, didn't I?" Morales says, his voice filled with love and happiness.
Lori leans in to whisper something to Carl, and Dale steps forward to greet Morales. The two men embrace, laughing with relief.
"your a welcome sight," Dale says, a smile spreading across his face.
"We thought we had lost you folks for sure," he continues, looking genuinely relieved.
Melody calls out,
"Daddy! Archie!" There's a moment of tense silence
Shane pipes up, "how’d y'all get out of there anyway?"
Glenn responds, "New guy... he got us out."
Shane raises an eyebrow, intrigued. "New guy? Everyone seems confused, unsure of what Glenn's referring to. The tension in the air lingers as the group waits for more information about what happened and who this mysterious new guy is.
"Yeah, crazy Vato just got into town," he shouts. "Hey, helicopter boy! Come say hello. This guy's a cop like you."
a man in a cops uniform walks out his hands on his hips
Shane is the first to see the man, followed by Carl and Lori. The man's eyes widen as he realizes who he is looking at, and his voice catches in his throat.
"Oh my god. My god." He is visibly emotional, with tears welling up in his eyes.
Carl and Lori run over to the man and throw themselves into his arms, tears streaming down Carl's face.
"Dad! Dad!" Carl yells, his voice breaking with emotion.
Rick immediately takes Carl into his arms, holding him tightly and hugging him fiercely. He's crying too, his face full of joy and relief.
"Carl," Rick says, his voice choked with tears. He kisses Carl on the cheek and then turns to Lori, hugging her too. Shane can't help but feel a pang of jealousy, even though he's trying to conceal it. He returns Rick's smile thinly, not able to match the genuine joy he's seeing in Rick and Lori's reunion.
Melody can't help but smile, tears running down her face. The overwhelming emotions of seeing Rick reuniting with his family, and the realization that her father may not be with them, hit her all at once. She feels a deep sorrow, a weight on her heart that she may never see her dad or her brother again.
Lori kisses Rick again, taking a moment to take in the moment before she turns to look at Melody. It's clear from Melody's expression that she's been crying, but the tears continue to fall.
"Mellody," Lori says softly, reaching out a hand towards her. But just before Melody can respond, she runs off into the forest, leaving Rick and Lori looking after her in concern.
Melody didn't run very far, just far enough to find a quiet spot where she wouldn't be heard. She sat down under a tree, tears streaming down her face, and buried her face in her knees. Her heart felt like it was shattering into a thousand pieces. The last thing she said to her brother was "I hate you," and now he was gone. She felt a deep sense of guilt, combined with the heartache of missing him. Feeling overwhelmed, she curled up on the ground and fell into a deep sleep.
Later that night, Rick is sitting down with the group around a fire camp.
"Disoriented. I guess that comes closest. Disoriented. Fear, confusion... all those things but... Disoriented comes closest." Rick said
Words can be meager things. Sometimes they fall short.