Safe haven, Rick Grimes

003. THE LOOMING PRESENCE

Chapter three

"The looming presence." 

Driving down the road, Morales was looking at Scarlett and Rick from the back "best not to dwell on it. Merle getting left behind. Nobody's gonna be sad he didn't come back..except maybe Daryl." he shared "Daryl?" Rick asked "his brother." Morales said "and he's just as crazy or.." Scarlett asked, as a car alarm could be heard, Glenn came speeding up behind them, and then passing, as he cheered "at least somebody's having a good day." Morales said, as he smiled, looking at Scarlett "but Daryl is..you'll see." he told her, as Scarlett looked back at the front, as they continued to drive.

They soon were heading through the mountains and down a hill to what looked to be a camp, as they parked behind a car, Morales patted the two on the shoulders "come meet everybody." he told them, as he turned heading out of the back of the truck with everyone else, Scarlett looked to Rick "we'll find them. I mean they could be here, we don't know. But if they're not then we'll go somewhere else." Scarlett shared, as Rick looked at her "you have so much hope." he told her "if I didn't, I wouldn't have been sleeping on that chair for weeks waiting for you to wake up." Scarlett told him, as Rick chuckled.

The two turned to get out of the truck "hey, helicopter chasers! Some say hello." Morales called out, as Scarlett walked around the truck, pointing at Rick "that nickname is your fault." she told him, as her and Rick laughed, and when they stopped laughing, they looked ahead of them and when they did, Lori, Carl and Shane were there, as Shane dropped his gun "oh my god." he said, walking toward's Scarlett, Scarlett began walking toward's him, as Rick went toward's Carl and Lori "dad! Dad!" Carl yelled, as Shane put his arms around Scarlett picking her up in the air and spinning her around, having thought she had died alongside when he left her behind at that hospital, where when he put her back on the ground, he didn't let her go.

Where that night, they all were sitting around the fire pit together, as Carl was lying in Rick's lap, Lori sat next to him, as Scarlett sat next to Shane "disoriented. I guess that comes closest. Disoriented. Fear, confusion..all those things but..disoriented comes closest." Rick shared "try being the one having to explain everything." Scarlett said "words can be meager things. Sometimes they fall short." Dale shared "I felt like I'd been ripped out of my life and put somewhere else. Scarlett was the only thing that made it seem real." Rick shared "mom, said you died." Carl said.

As Scarlett looked to Shane "you had so much faith in me.." she told him "oh come on, Scar. You remember what it was like! Bullets flying everywhere. Hell, I barely got myself and them out. How the hell was I supposed to believe that you would've made it out of there alive." Shane shared "cause I believed in you!" Scarlett voiced, punching him in the arm, Shane chuckled, putting his hand on top of her's and holding onto it "I can't tell you how grateful I am to you, Shane. I can't begin to express it." Rick told him, looking at him and Scarlett, Shane looked from Scarlett to him, not saying anything.

"There go those words falling short again, paltry things." Dale shared, as wood clattered, they all looked at the other fire pit, seeing a man and his wife and little girl "hey, Ed, you want to rethink that log?" Shane asked him "it's cold, man." Ed told him "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 asked "I said it's cold. Why don't you mind your own business for once." Ed told him.

And when he did, Scarlett was reminded of her husband and how when they went out for drinks with their friends from the rest of their residency program, she spoke to one of the guys for to long and Pete thought she was flirting with him and she laughed but his eyes went dark, where that was the last thing she remembered before she woke up the next morning with her eyes swollen shut.