traded my life [TWD]

『102』

"Absolutely not."

"Could you at least let me make a case before you just-"

"Absolutely not," Shane repeats.

My jaw ticks in annoyance as I place my hands on my hips. "You expect me to just sit back and deal with this bullshit? When have you ever known me to do that?"

"Do you understand how big of a risk it is to go on a wild goose chase?" he asks, standing from his desk.

"It's not just a goose chase. It's your piece of shit officers assaulting women on the daily and getting away with it. You covering for them is no better than the crime they're doing."

"What I'm doing is saving people's lives. You want to drag you, Daniel, Beth, Sophia, and Woojin out there? Get yourselves killed? I won't allow that."

"Oh, fuck you," I roll my eyes, beginning toward the door.

Just as I reach for the handle, Shane grabs my arm and pulls me back. At the contact, I jerk out of his grip, holding my finger to his face.

"Don't put your hands on me," I warn sternly. "Don't you fucking touch me, Shane."

"I am looking out for your well-being. Your son's well-being."

"I don't need you telling me what I can and can't do. I'm not a kid anymore. You helped me and I'm grateful for that. But, I am a grown-ass woman and I can make decisions for myself- especially when it comes to my family."

"We are family, Hyejin," he reminds, pointing between us.

I shake my head. "Not anymore."

His face twitches a bit as he takes a single step back, lip quivering in a mix of anger and sadness.

"You ruined that. You ran off when all you had to do was own your shit and be a man," I remind. "I'm not going through this shit again. I'm taking my people and I'm leaving."

"I can't allow that," he says, voice sounding colder than I'd ever heard- especially when directed to me.

I take a bold step closer, holding a tense contact of our eyes as I stay strong myself. "You can take your authority and shove it up your ass. We're leaving."

"You're my kid."

"I'm not your problem anymore," I deny. "And you're sure as hell, not my problem. I'm done. The second Carol wakes up, I'm taking my people and we're leaving."

There's a squeak of shoes on the clean floors, gaining our attention. Throwing a look over my shoulder, I see Beth standing awkwardly in the doorway- eyes wide at being caught. Pursing my lips, I look to the ground for a second before squaring my shoulders and meeting Shane's eyes once more.

"Make sure your things are packed," I say, words directed to Beth.

I could feel Beth's presence linger for a few seconds before the soft sound of her footsteps fade down the hall.

"You're going to get yourselves killed out there," Shane shakes his head.

"Better than getting killed in this place," I respond, beginning to the door as I recall the injured woman's words. "Or worse."

"What could be worse than dying out there? Watching the people you love die out there?" he asks from behind.

I pause at the door, the feeling of the Officers' hands on me- their words and intentions they always made clear. How Beth was on that same list as would other women who wound up here.

"There's always worse, Shane," I state, stepping into the hallway. "You know better than that."

--

As nighttime rolled around, I had already gotten my own bags as well as Woojin's packed. As we gathered in the dark cafeteria, I could only force myself to stay strong despite the aura around us.