In Another Life• TWD

Chapter 2

Cricket chirp loudly as I tuck myself further into my father's side as I look into the fire holding Carl's hand while he sits in dad's lap.

"Disoriented. I guess that comes closest. Disoriented." Dad describes the time he woke up in the hospital.

"Fear, confusion – all those things but..." He continues but is cut off by a loud beat of thunder causing me to flinch slightly into his side. "...Disoriented comes closest." He continues rubbing my back comfortingly. "Are you okay?" He asks me softly, but I just ignore it shrugging lightly. "I felt like I'd been ripped out of my life and put somewhere else. For a while I thought I was trapped in some coma dream, something I might not wake up from ever." He finishes.

"She went to school that day.... The day of the outbreak... We found her walking home... She's just a little shaken still." Shane explains calmly.

"Oh... I'm glad you're okay, that all of you are okay." He says kissing my mom then kissing the crowns of me and Carl's heads.

"Mom said you died..." Carl says sadly as he clings to dad.

"She had every reason to believe that. Don't you ever doubt it." He says in that stern way he does that makes you want to listen to him; it has no malice in it only care.

"When things started to get really bad, they told me at the hospital that they were gonna medevac you and the other patients to Atlanta, and it never happened." Mom explains sighing and leaning into dad's other side.

"Well, I'm not surprised after Atlanta fell." Dad sighs and mom just hums in agreement kissing his shoulder softly. "And from the look of that hospital, it got overrun." Dad ends sighing.

"Yeah, looks don't deceive. I barely got them out, you know?" Shane says like he trying to defend himself in some way.

"I can't tell you how grateful I am to you, Shane. I can't begin to express it." Dad says bringing all of closer to him.

"There go those words falling short again. Paltry things." Dale chuckles trying to lighten the mood and it works for a second.

For a rare split second all of us can agree on one thing, words can't describe what we are all feeling. The collective pain, whoever said there's strength in number was right in multiple ways. Because knowing we all have lost someone or something important to us makes it hurt just a little bit less.
Its like being in a club, like the Goonies! I think excitedly to myself with a small smile.

But the bubble of comradery is broken with the sound of crackling fire. I look up quickly from the fire to see Ed throwing in a couple extra logs. I could feel the tensions start to rise along with the fire.

"Hey, Ed, you want to rethink that log?" Shane says roughly.

"It's cold, man." Ed shrugs leaning back.

"The cold don't change the rules, does it? Keep our fires low, just embers so we can't be seen from a distance, right?" Shane says glaring clearly getting annoyed.

"I said it's cold. You should mind your own business for once." He snaps back.

Shane gets up with a huff storming over to the Peletier family. "Hey, Ed..." Shane says standing over them menacingly.

Dad and mom exchange a quick look of worry, I move closer to my dad. I'm not scared of Shane I know he'd never hurt me, I'm just plain old worried about what he'll do.

"Are you sure you want to have this conversation, man?" Shane says with scary calmness the irks me more than I think yelling would've.

"Go on. Pull the damn thing out. Go on!" Ed grumbles huffing and leaning back further.