The vehicle cruised down the desolate street, its engine humming as it journeyed back to the farm after an extensive search for Sophia. The once lively road now echoed with the solemnity of the quest, tyres rolling over the pavement with a subtle resonance that mirrored the weight of the unsuccessful pursuit.
The air inside the car hung heavy with a mix of exhaustion, disappointment, and the unspoken hope that lingered for the lost girl.
The landscape, devoid of the anticipated celebration, stretched around them in silent acknowledgement of the unresolved mystery that now accompanied their return. Shane had one hand on the wheel looking forward, with Andrea in the passenger seat. His only focus seemed to be on the road in front of him.
Andrea turned to the man with a sly smirk on her mouth. Putting her hand forward and grabbing onto the crotch of his pants. Turning his head and eyeing her; the only thought in his head was that Natalie had something going on with Glenn.
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Back at the farm, Natalie found herself in the confines of the bathroom, a sanctuary she sought after obtaining Hershel's reluctant permission. Her gaze fixated on the morning-after pill, her leg jittery as the weight of the decision bore down on her.
Natalie, guided by her respect for Hershel's rules, had reluctantly allowed her access. Yet, amidst the quiet walls, all Natalie could hear were the echoes of Shane's unwavering focus on survival.
Fearing the grim fate that befell Sophia, Natalie reached out, fingers trembling, and grasped the pills.
Red and blue capsules, nearly five of them, met her anxious palm. Lacking a water bottle, she leaned over the sink, letting the cold water from the faucet aid her in swallowing the pills. As she stared into the mirror, the reflection staring back at her revealed a myriad of emotions.
Her once blonde hair, now a faded brown, marked the passage of time and turmoil. Panic-stricken eyes, inherited from her mother, held a torrent of unshed tears. Natalie's gaze traced the contours of her body, uncertainty shrouding her as she questioned the efficacy of the pills.
Reality crashed down, and in a moment of desperation, Natalie hurriedly approached the toilet. Sobs erupted from her core as she inserted both fingers, attempting to trigger a reversal of the decision. Amid her anguish, she grappled with the weight of betrayal – betrayal to herself, to Carl, and the imagined betrayal she might feel if Lori were to make such a decision.
Bent over the toilet, sobs wracked Natalie's body. The world seemed to tremble with her, and she stared at her reflection in the toilet water. A knock at the door cut through her isolation, causing her body to shudder in response. Maggie's voice, concerned and curious, slipped through the door, reaching Natalie's ears.
"Everything okay in there?" Maggie's inquiry hung in the air, and Natalie felt the weight of her vulnerability.
"Ye- Yea," Natalie stammered, hastily flushing the evidence away and discarding the packaging in the trash. Seeking to cleanse herself from the pills, she hurriedly rinsed her mouth under the sink faucet.
As the door creaked open, Maggie's eyes scrutinized the dishevelled woman before her. "Sounded like you were throwin' up," she observed, stating the obvious.
Natalie, attempting composure, placed her hands on her hips. "I'm fine," she asserted, sniffling and panting heavily.
Maggie's gaze shifted to the discarded packaging in the trashcan. Both women recognized the truth simultaneously. In a swift move, they reached for it, but Maggie was quicker. "You're the reason we went out there... for your abortion pills," Maggie accused, her tone filled with a mix of frustration and fear. "Almost got us killed."
"I know, I'm sorry," Natalie met Maggie's eyes, her apology genuine. "My mom told Glenn to get them... He only had the best intentions in mind."
Maggie's eyes flickered between the packaging and the remnants of throw-up on Natalie's shirt. An unspoken realization dawned. "It's not Glenn's," Natalie quickly deflected, a tremor in her voice.
Unperturbed by the revelation, Maggie pressed on. "You threw them up... You're keeping it," a mixture of confusion and understanding lacing her words. Blinking away from Natalie's gaze reflected in the mirror, she added, "Get yourself cleaned up... I won't tell no one."
"Thank you," Natalie whispered, tears brimming in her eyes. Unmindful of the throw-up on her shirt, Maggie enveloped Natalie in a comforting hug, offering solace to someone grappling with an unimaginable decision.
Time slipped away as Natalie retreated into the room, shedding the weight of the past moments. The air inside felt cool against her skin as she exchanged her stained shirt and pants for something more comfortable.
A black tank top clung to her frame, revealing glimpses of a white bra beneath. Rick's jacket enveloped her, offering both warmth and a sense of familiarity, while comfortable shorts completed the ensemble.
Emerging from the confines of the room, the sun hung low on the horizon, casting a serene pink hue over the landscape.
The world seemed to pause, caught in the gentle transition between day and night. The quiet beauty of the evening unfolded around her as she stepped outside, a silent witness to the subtle dance of colours in the darkening sky.
Natalie walked down the steps from the house going more towards the people that were walking around.
She didn't want to tell anyone if she was keeping it or getting rid of it. But the sound of a car pulling in at a quick speed grabbed her attention, looking over to see Shane and Andrea getting out of it.
Not wanting to waste a second doubting and being jealous about everything that was happening. Taking a second to look at Shane who saw her and looked right away taking detail to Andrea's messy hair; it was like her gut was kicking her telling her what she didn't want to think.
A small unbelievable chuckle came out of her mouth since she had been here all day deciding if she wanted to keep his baby or not and he was just out with Andrea, doing whatever they were doing.
Carol had guided Andrea into the RV wanting to get the women cleaned up. Dale watched Shane with nothing but disgust on his face; with the man walking towards Natalie; "Natalie..." Were the words that came out of Shane's mouth ducking his head and stretching it.
"Don't look at me, or touch me until you take a shower." The words bit back in venom; shakening and damaging him. Shane knew that she knew about him and Andrea. Going to grab her she moved smacking herself out of his grip. "Shower..."
"Shane, Shane" Dale called the man giving Natalie the moment to walk off and get away from him. "The new ride of yours has plenty of fuel, more than enough for you to get far from here." He snapped towards the taller man.
Shane didn't say anything smirking at this. "What, you telling me to leave?"
"I know you've been planning too" Dale shook his head. "Maye now is a good time..." A small laugh came out of his mouth looking to the distance confused where this was going.
"Is this about Andrea?" He questioned.
Knowing the truth about Natalie and everything. "Why don't you tell that to Natalie? Rick...Or Lori...If you think this group will be better without me." He started lowering his voice dangerously for the man. "Their boy would be dead if I hadn't put my ass on the line."
"And Otis's" He saw right through Shane's act, unlike everyone. Biting on his teeth, Shane had started to walk away. "You've been vague about that night, about what happened."
"Otis died a hero" Ducking his head and defending himself. "A little boy lived because of what went down that night. I think you ought to show some gratitude. No man you weren't there."
Dale got closer not scared of Shane one bit. "But I was the time that you raised your gun on Rick." He exposed him. "Does Natalie know about that? You had her father in your sights and you held him there...She doesn't know that does she? Does she know anything, Shane?" Dale continued to look him in the eyes with the man rubbing the side of his face not liking how this was being turned on him
Taking a deep breath looking to the side, "I know what kind of man you are...and soon enough so will Natalie."
Moving his head giving Dale this glaring look in his eyes hooding his eyebrows. "You think I'd shoot Rick?" Questioning him. "That is my best friend. That's the man that I love." Shifting on his feet more staring at Dale with an evil glint in his eyes. "I love him like he's a brother. You think that's the kind of man I am?"
Tilting his head up smiling ever so slightly. "That's right" Dale muttered. "The same man to sleep with his best friend's daughter...Shane,"
"Well, maybe we 'ought to just think that through," Shane thought not moving or changing his gaze. "Say I'm the kind of man who'd gun down his own best friend. What do you think I'd do to some guy that I don't even like-...When he starts throwing accusations my way. What you think..."
Dale looked nothing but worry inside of his face causing Shane to smirk nodding his head satisfied by this reaction he had gotten. "What would Natalie think." He continued to bring up the young women, Shane didn't say anything else chuckling and turning around and walking away.
Natalie experienced a tumultuous wave of emotions as she observed Shane stepping out of the car with Andrea.
The knot in her stomach tightened, and a whirlwind of conflicting feelings surged within her. Rick, already seated on the steps to the back of the farmhouse, sensed his daughter's internal turmoil. With a heavy heart, she settled beside her father, both immersed in an uneasy silence.
Fidgeting with her hands, Natalie pressed her fingers together, grappling with the weight of a promise made to Glenn. The realization that Shane, her confidant, might not offer the support she needed left her feeling vulnerable. Taking a deep breath, she turned to her father, her eyes conveying a mix of fear and uncertainty.
Leaning in slightly, she placed her hands on her lap and confessed, "I'm pregnant." The admission hung in the air, laden with apprehension and the unspoken complexities of the situation.
Rick had waited for a second standing up from where he was. Natalie didn't know what was going to happen. "I tried to get rid of it, Mom helped me...." He just stood there not knowing if he should be moving or not.
"You're mother knew." Sitting back down trying to calm himself down. Rick placed his hands into his hair trying to wrap his head around it. "Is it Ethans?"
The weighty silence hung in the air, a silent accomplice to the betrayal felt by Rick. Natalie, unable to find the words, turned to her father with teary eyes, a tacit acknowledgement of a truth she struggled to convey.
Each moment passing felt like a pinprick to Rick's consciousness, shattering his heart as he grappled with the realization that his daughter was pregnant, and he seemed to be the last to know.
His gaze shifted to the crumbling foundation of a broken shed in the distance, a reflection of the fractured state of his understanding.
Desperate for answers, Rick mustered the courage to pose the question that lingered in the tense air. "Is it Glenn's?" His inquiry hinted at the suspicions arising from glimpses of Natalie's interactions with various individuals.
Shaking trying to hold her own hands; "Shane's" Her voice cracked. "It's Shane's..."
Opening her mouth and just saying it; Rick placed his hand over his mouth walking down the steps and forward towards the empty plot of land the two of them were looking at.
He didn't look back at Natalie just standing here with his hands on his hips looking up with his eyes closed collecting himself. "Dad,"
"No" He sharply pointed towards her shaking his head as she teared up. "No...Your mother allowed this?.... You and S-" Not even being able to finish his sentence.
His rage surged like an uncontrollable storm, propelling Rick forward with a visceral intent to confront the man he considered his best friend.
Natalie, however, positioned herself resolutely, a barrier preventing the eruption of violence that loomed ahead. The intensity of the moment manifested in Rick's almost desperate attempt to bypass her, the urgency fueled by a profound sense of betrayal.
In the charged atmosphere, Natalie shook her head in a silent plea for restraint, her eyes reflecting the turmoil within. Rick's voice thundered a mix of anger and hurt echoing through the air.
"Don't stop me!" he demanded, the weight of perceived betrayal fueling his need for action. "He laid his hand on my daughter! I trusted you and him!" The accusation hung heavily in the air, a testament to the shattered trust and the unravelling of a friendship that had weathered the apocalypse.
"We were both stupid, I was stupid...But dad" Natalie tried up pleading for him to just listen to her. "I'm an adult...It was my decision,"
Rick had taken a second just listening to this nodding his head and stepping away for a second trying to understand everything that was being told to him. "I knew...I should've known...." Blaming himself now for the situation in front of him. "Now you're pregnant..."
"Yea..." Her head nodded a bit.
Rick enveloped his daughter in a protective embrace, his strong arms providing a comforting shelter. Natalie clung to him, seeking solace in the familiar warmth of her father's presence.
In this moment, Rick couldn't help but recall the times when Shane had offered Natalie solace during moments of pain, especially when they believed he had perished. The tangled emotions within Rick hinted at the complexities of their relationships, aware that such comforting gestures could give rise to complicated feelings and potential consequences.