CHAPTER FOUR
A LITTLE TIME later that day, after Athena had finally calmed herself down, the young woman stood under a tree with a cigarette hanging from her mouth. It was a nasty habit that she had gotten into as a teenager, it helped to calm her down whenever she felt stressed or scared — and right now she was beyond stressed.
Only merely a few a minutes ago, another voice had come through the radio, it was the group they had sent into the city. The rest of them had learned that the group were trapped in a department store after being overrun by walkers and that was enough to send everyone back at camp into a spiral — especially Amy. Andrea was one of the people to leave and after a heated discussion with Shane about how no one was going to leave, she was understandably upset. Athena was starting to grow tired of his orders, all she wanted to do was help the people she had grown close to and not being able to do that made her feel helpless.
The brunette took a deep inhale of the cigarette before blowing out the smoke, watching as it disappeared into the atmosphere. As the smoke cleared, Athena saw Shane walking in her direction, immediately she rolled her eyes and continued to take another puff. "You still pissed at me?" He questioned.
Athena scoffed, folding her arms over her chest. "Is it that obvious?" She asked sarcastically.
Shane sighed, running a hand through his hair as he began to shift his weight. "Look I'm sorry, the way I spoke to you wasn't right, I get it. But you know for a fact that we can't let people come and go as they please. If we send out more people and they run into trouble, there's a huge chance that they won't come. I can't risk losing the people we already have."
Athena glanced to the ground in thought, thinking over his words as she put out the cigarette and threw it away. Everything he was saying made sense, they had spoke about it many times before, but it still didn't make it right in her eyes. "I know it may seem like it at times but I'm not a total bitch, okay? I get what you're saying, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't at least try to help them. If it were Lori or-or Carl out there you'd be the first to one leave. It can't just be when it suits you. The first thing you should know about me Shane is that I hate being controlled, so when your tell me I can't do something I'm gonna want to do it even more."
"I know." Shane chuckled as he recalled back to the night they met. "You're still that same girl on the highway who was full of fire and ready to take on anyone or anything. I mean, man, sometimes it drives me crazy but most of the time it's what keeps me level headed. You tell it how it is and I respect that."
Athena couldn't lie, she felt relieved that Shane appreciated her outspokenness. It was the main thing about the woman that deterred most people away from her, her honest opinions often drove everyone insane but she couldn't control herself. "Well I'm glad you think so cause you're probably not going to hear the end of it as long as I'm around."
Shane smiled a little. He really did love Athena's quick wit and feistiness, she was different compared to most women he had met in his life. She was strong and didn't care much for drama, he considered her a breath of fresh air which was why they had grown so close so quickly. He enjoyed her presence. "You know you were right before, if Lori or Carl were in danger, I would be the first to leave." He paused, his body language signifying nerves. Athena furrowed her brows a little at this. "But, if it's any constellation, if it were you out there, I'd leave without a second thought."
Athena was surprised at his words, she didn't think he cared about her that much to openly admit he would go against his own rules. They cared about each other, there was no doubt about it, the group had often spoke about how they got along so well and it was becoming more noticeable by the day. Athena nudged him playfully "Same here. Someone's gotta save your ass."
They both began to chuckle at their back fourths. It was becoming a common occurrence for the pair to share many humorous moments. It was pretty much the only thing keeping her sane at this point. As their laughter died down, they both sent each other a weary look after hearing the faint sound of a car alarm. The closer the vehicle got to the camp, the more they were exposed to attracting more walkers. The pair began to move towards the centre of the camp where they would find a bright red sports car with none other than Glenn Rhee sat in the front, instantly it gave her relief — they were safe.
Athena was fond of the Korean man, she found his social awkwardness quite humorous. They had spoken on many occasions during the time they spent together with Dale, learning about his RV and how to fix up vehicles. So seeing Glenn speed up the hill with a blaring sports car gave her an unreal amount of amusement, despite the fact it could seriously attract walkers. "Holy crap. Turn that thing off!" Dale yelled from the roof of the RV.
Glenn shrugged, shielding his eyes from the bright sun as he looked up. "I don't know how!"
From there it only erupted into chaos. Shane was yelling for Glenn to pop the hood as Amy pounded him with questions about her sisters whereabouts. It was starting to give Athena a headache, but thankfully a few seconds later, the siren was silenced. With the siren turned off, everyone could finally breathe and get to the bottom of where the rest of the group were.
Glenn went on to explain that Merle, another member of the group, had lost his mind and was wailing a gun around like a maniac. This didn't surprise Athena whatsoever, previously before the outbreak, the young woman had hung around with people like Merle for most of her life. Men who took what they wanted when they wanted it and expected no consequence. Learning that they had left him on the roof made Athena dread what was to come when his younger brother, Daryl, returned to camp.
Athena folded her arms across her chest before her attention was drawn to the van driving into the camp. A huge wave of relief passed over her, she exhaled and shut her eyes briefly before a smile appeared on her face. No words could describe how happy she felt to see the two sisters reunite as well as Morales with his wife and children.
Even though Athena was thrilled to see the rest of her group, a part of her felt a little sad that she didn't have the same thing that most of these people had — the joy of coming back to the people she loved. Athena had no family left in the world, the only thing she had now was this group and for now that was enough.
As much as the scene warmed her heart, Athena felt empathetic towards Carl, Lori's son whom she was comforting. He missed his father and seeing everyone reunite with their families made him feel the exact same way as Athena was feeling.
"How'd ya'll get out of there anyway?" Shane questioned as he propped his gun on his shoulder.
"New guy." Glenn said casually, earning him many concerned and curious looks. Athena couldn't see anybody new when they first rolled up the hill, therefore it increased her questions. "He got us out."
"Hey, helicopter boy! Come say hello." Morales yelled as he held onto his family. Athena glanced Shane's way to see his brows furrowed together in confusion to who this mystery man was. Athena didn't know who he was but the one thing she did know for sure was that she was thankful he had helped bring the group back in one piece. "Guys a cop, just like you."
Hearing this, Athena looked over at Shane with a slight frown, but he he was frozen in place. His eyes locked on the man that had hopped out of the van. Athena was beyond puzzled, did Shane know this man? Within a second, she watched as Carl left his mother and ran towards the man with his arms wide shouting Dad. Athena quickly put the pieces together to work out it was Lori's supposedly deceased husband as well as Shane's best friend and Carl's father, Rick. He was alive.
Her heart felt warm and full she witnessed the young child run into his fathers arms before he spotted his wife. They all embraced tightly and Athena couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face — the world really wasn't as cruel as she thought it was.
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Shane couldn't believe that his best friend was alive and well. After the incident at the hospital, Shane was sure that Rick had died right in front of him, but he had never been so wrong. The whole group was gathered around the fire, listening to Rick's story that started as soon as he left the hospital.
Shane was overjoyed with happiness that Rick had returned, there was no doubt about it. But, the smallest part of him wished that Rick stayed in that hospital after everything that had happened with Lori. He knew full well now that Rick had returned there was no chance he was going to the girl, and maybe that was for the best what with all the guilt eating away it him each time he looked at his old partner.
No matter how much he tried to convince himself that what he did was wrong, something in him wished he could go back and do it all again. Shane was drawn out of thoughts once he heard a feminine giggle, his attention immediately being drawn to Athena who was sat opposite him with a cigarette in hand. She was talking to Dale about her grandfather.
"So he really scared away your boyfriend with a shotgun?" Dale asked inquisitively with an arched brow.
Athena smiled and nodded "Yep. That's grandpa. He always was protective of me especially after the trouble I got into as a kid. My parents didn't want me so my grandpa took me in, he was the only person who actually gave a shit about me. I mean if he saw me now with this cigarette god knows what would happen, I can still hear him now 'Athena Willow Daniels, those rotten things were made by the devil himself. You should quite before it's too late."
They both began to chuckle lightly at her impression. Athena's grandfather really played a big part in her life, and no one would ever compare to him. He taught her so many lessons in life and made her the woman she was today. "Even though he drove me crazy, he helped me through the drug addiction and got me the help I needed. He saved my life."
Dale adjusted his hat and gave the young girl a soft smile. "You're grandfather sounds like a remarkable man. I'm sorry you lost him."
"Me too. I'm sorry you lost your wife." Athena replied with a sad expression before taking another puff of her cigarette. As they turned back to listen to Rick, Athena exhaled a cloud of smoke — completely unaware of the pair of eyes that were on her.
Shane watched the young brunette intently, narrowing his eyes a little as he studied her. He had to admit, Athena was a stunning woman, there was no doubt whatsoever. Ever since he picked her up on the highway and they grew closer, he often found his mind wondering to her — conjuring up thoughts that he would never admit out loud. But that wasn't the only thing, Shane loved how fearless she was and how she lit up at the sound of danger. He had never met anyone like her before.
Athena moved her eyes so she was looking at him, catching him in the act. His eyes snapped to the fire instantly, regretting the long period he spent staring at her, or more importantly getting caught. But he couldn't himself as he glanced back, their eyes locking for a brief moment before she sent him a small smile and looked away. He was a handsome man, she had to admit. But that simple act would be the start of something she'd never experienced before.