Is This The End?

Chapter 10

TW: Mention of slight abuse (im putting a warning just in case it triggers some people!)

In Atlanta Glenn pulls the cube van up along some railroad tracks "He'd better be okay. It's my only word on the matter" Daryl said "I told you the geeks can't get at him. The only thing that's gonna get through that door is us" T-Dog said "We walk from here" Glenn said they get out and head up the tracks and into Atlanta. Back at the camp Dale is on watch up on the R.V. Lori, with a bundle of sticks in her arms walks up from the nearby woods "Dale? Have you seen Carl and Masie?" Lori asked "Shane took them down to the quarry. There was some mighty bold talk about catching frogs" Dale said Lori turns and looks down the bluff to the water.  Andrea, Amy, Jacqui and Carol are washing laundry. Ed Peletier, Carol's husband, is standing watch by their Jeep Cherokee Shane and Carl are in the water; Carl has a pole net, Shane a bucket and Masie is sitting on a rock watching them "I'm not getting anything" Carl said "Yeah. Being all wily, staying submerged. Little suckers, they know something's up. That's what's going on. Just going to have to do this the old-fashioned way. All right little man, look. You are the—you are the key in all this, okay? All I'm gonna do is I'm gonna go after one of them, all right; scare the rest of them off. They're all gonna scatter. I'm gonna drive 'em your way. Ok?" Shane said "All right" Carl said "Masie are you sure you don't want to do this?" Shane asked "Nope" Masie replied avoiding eye contact with him "Alright" Shene said "Are you ready? Here we go, boy. Here we go" Shane said Shane grins and pretends to find a frog. He goes under splashing. Carl, using the fishing net, scoops around in the water "All right little man. They're coming your way. They're coming your way. Go on; get 'em, get 'em. They're coming your way, come on. Catch them frogs. Catch them frogs. They're coming, little man! Get 'em! Get that net in there and get 'em!" Shane said "I'm beginning to question the division of labor here" Jacqui said "They're coming little man! Get 'em! Get that net in there and get 'em!" Shane said laughing and soaked, Carl is trying to find something with the fishing net "What have you got, bad boy? What have you got? What have you got? What have you got?" Shane said "Dirt" Carl said "Oh boy, all right. We've got to start over. Come on, let's find this bucket" Shane said "Can someone explain to me how the women wound up doing all the Hattie McDaniel work?" Jacqui asked "The world ended, didn't you get the memo?" Amy said Carol looks up and sees Ed. He's sitting on the tailgate of the Cherokee smoking a cigarette, watching them intently "It's just the way it is" Carol said

In Atlanta the four men run to the opening in the fence that Glenn made for his trips "Merle first or the guns?" Rick said "Merle! We ain't even having this conversation" Daryl said "We are you know the geography, it's your call" Rick said "Merle's closest. The guns would mean doubling back. Merle first" Glenn said the group jogs toward their goal.

Back in the quarry the women continue with the laundry "I do miss my Maytag" Carol said "I miss my Benz, my Sat Nav" Andrea said "I miss my coffeemaker with that dual drip filter and built-in grinder, honey" Jacqui "My computer... and texting" Amy said "I miss my vibrator" Andrea said "Oh!" Jacqui said "Oh my God!" Amy said Carol looks around furtively "Me too" Carol said the woman's laughter got louder Ed got up from the tailgate and walked closer "What's so funny?" Ed asked "Just swapping war stories, Ed" Andrea said "Yeah" Amy said still smoking Ed walks up behind Carol "Problem, Ed?" Andrea asked "Nothing' that concerns you and you ought to focus on your work this ain't no comedy club" Ed said Andrea huffs

Lori walks over to where Carl and Masie are down by the water "Hey, Guys. What did I tell you about not leaving Dale's sight?" Lori said "But Shane said we could catch frogs, remember?" Carl said "Yeah remember the whole talk about eating frogs" Masie said Lori smiles "It doesn't matter what Shane says. It matters what I say. Go on back to camp" Lori said Carl and Masie sighs but listened I'll be right behind you.

Lori walks up the path back to the camp "I've got to tell you, I do not think you should be taking this out on him" Shane said Lori doesn't even turn around "You don't tell me what to do. You lost that privilege" Lori said Shane gets up and follows her "Lori, could you just wait up a second? I think we should talk. We haven't had a chance—" Shane said before getting cut off "No. No no. That's over too. You can tell that to the frogs" Lori said "Damn it, Lori. Look, I don't know how it appears to you or what you think—" Shane said "How it appears to me? I'm sorry. Is there a gray area here? Let me dispel it. You stay away from me, you stay away from my kids. You don't look at them. You don't talk to them. From now on my family is off-limits to you" Lori yelled "Lori, I don't think that's fair" Shane said "Shane, shut up. Don't!" Lori said, Lori walked over to Shane and pushed him back and slapped him "I don't think that—" Shane said "My husband is back. He is alive" Lori said "He's my best friend. Do you think I'm not happy about that?" Shane said "How dare you? Why would you be? You are the one that told me that he died. You son of a bitch" Lori said Shane glares at her as she walks away.

Lori reached the camp and sat on one of the chairs close to the fire pit. She put her head in her hands to think for a moment "Mom?" Lori looked up to see Masie standing in front of her "Hey Sweetheart" Lori smiled "Are you ok?" Masie asked "Yeah" Lori replied "Is it because of me?" Maise asked "What?" Lori asked confusedly, "Is your fight with Shane because of me?" Masie said "What! No, what would you think of that?" Lori asked "Well because of the way I've acted and treated you lately" Maise said "But that's not your fault honey you were going through something and i shouldn't of given up" Lori said "I'm sorry mom" Masie said "It's ok honey" Lori replied Masie hugged her mom and walked back over to where her brother was.

The men are in a darkened building. It's the sales floor of the department store they'd been in before Rick gets Daryl's attention and points out a walker that's still inside Daryl gets in close so as not to miss the shot "Damn, you are one ugly skank" Daryl said he takes her down with a headshot Daryl pulls out his arrow.

Shane continues to watch Lori, Maise and Carl walk up the road. Ed, still standing behind the women, lights another cigarette. Andrea, exasperated, gets up, a wet piece of clothing in her hand "Ed, tell you what. You don't like how your laundry is done, you are welcome to pitch in and do it yourself. Here" Andrea said Andréa tosses the laundry at Ed. He catches it and throws it back at her, harder "Oh!" Andrea said "Ain't my job, missy" Ed said "Andrea, don't" Amy said "What is your job, Ed? Sitting on your ass smoking cigarettes?" Andrea said "Well, it sure as hell ain't listening to some uppity smart-mouthed bitch. Tell you what come on. Let's go" Ed said Carol gets up to follow Ed "I don't think she needs to go anywhere with you, Ed" Andrea said "And I say it's none of your business. Come on now. You heard me" Ed said "Carol" Andrea said putting her hand on Carol's shoulder "Andrea, please, it doesn't matter" Carol said "Hey" Ed said Andrea turns back around to face Ed "Don't think I won't knock you on your ass just 'cause you're some college-educated cooze. All right?" Ed said Andrea gasp "Now you come on now or you gonna regret it later" Ed said "So she can show up with fresh bruises later, Ed? Yeah, we've seen them" Jacqui said Ed laughs and Shane hears their argument and turns back from watching Lori, Masie and Carl "Stay out of this. Now come on! You know what? This ain't none of y'all's business. You don't want to keep prodding the bull here, okay? Now I am done, talking. Come on" Ed takes Carol by the arm "No. No. Carol, you don't have-" Andrea started "You don't tell me what!  I tell you what!" Ed strikes Carol across the face.

"You think you can-" Ed said "Get off her!" Amy yelled "Come here! Come here!" Ed said "Get off her! Get off her!" Andrea and Jacqui yelled, none of them notice Shane until he's grabbed Ed and is hauling him away from the women "Get off me! Get off me!" Ed yelled "Ed?" Carol asked "It's okay. It's okay" Amy said "No!' Carol said Shane throws Ed to the ground and starts beating him with his right fist. Ed tries to shield himself but Shane pulls his hands away from his face and beats him more. Ed loses the wits to fight back "It's okay" Amy said trying to comfort Carol Shane, holding Ed by the shirt front, keeps beating him with his fist until the left side of Ed Peletier's face is swollen cut and bloody. Shane, full of rage, didn't stop the woman yelling, got a certain person's attention and went to go see what was happening. Amy looked up to see Masie standing there with a scared look uncertain what was happening "Shane, stop!" Amy yelled Carol is crying.  Andrea and Jacqui have to hold her back to keep her from running to Ed, Amy is overby Masie trying to distract her from what was happening "Just stop!" Amy kept yelling "Stop it! Stop!" Masie yelled and Shane finally stopped beating Ed. Still holding on to him he puts his finger in Ed's face "You put your hands on your wife, your little girl or anybody else in this camp one more time, I will not stop next time. Do you hear me?" Shane said taking Ed's face in his hand he pulls Ed up closer Shane hits him in the face one more time "Oh God! No...God!" Carol is crying As Shane gets up off Ed he kicks him Masie is now looking at Shane with a shock look on her face "Masie what the hell are you doing over here get back to your mom" Shane said "But" she started "NO, No but go now!" Shane yelled Masie is taken back because he had never snapped at her like this but proceeded to head back to where her mom and brother were, Ed lies on the ground choking on blood and spitting.

The four men in the city run up the stairwell. T-Dog cuts the chain that he had bolted to keep Merle safe. As soon as the chain is loose Daryl kicks the door open and runs out on the roof "Merle! Merle!" Daryl yells T-Dog Rick and Glenn follows him out. Merle doesn't answer and the men run around to the side where Merle was handcuffed "No! No!" Daryl is beside himself with grief. Pacing around, he cries and cries out. No one says a word. On the roof is Dale's hacksaw, bloody. Nearby lays Merle's right hand in a puddle, a bloody handcuff still hanging from the pipe "No! NO! No!" Daryl kept yelling.