Safe haven, Rick Grimes

004. SUN STROKES A DANGEROUS THING

Chapter four

"Sun strokes a dangerous thing."

Having gone back up to camp, Scarlett was sitting in the RV, as Shane was crouched down in front of her, holding her face in his hands as he looked it over, Scarlett hadn't said a word to him "Scarlett? Scar?" Shane asked, as Scarlett focused on him "you've got a red mark on your face but that's..that's it." Shane told her, as Scarlett brought her hands up "then I call myself lucky." she told him, taking his hands off her face, she looked at them, seeing how cut up the one was from him punching the crap out of Ed and she wondered why nobody ever did that for her, having not noticed she spaced out again.

"Scarlett, what..what's going on? I mean you..you were defending Carol just like everyone else I.." Shane shared "no, no, I wasn't defending Carol like everyone else. I..I..I was Carol. I was Sophia." Scarlett told him, taking a deep breath, having never spoke about this sober, Shane looked at her with furrowed brows "growing up my..my mom died so it was just me and my dad and he..he was a mean man.." she told him, closing her eyes "and I..I thought going to college would be my way out, you know? But..but I only fell for a guy just like him and he..he told me if I ever tried to leave, he would kill me and he meant it." she told him, her voice breaking.

"So the day I went to take my residency exam to be become an attending. It was at a hotel so I made sure to have my bag packed so when I finished my test. I did what I always do and ran away. Ending up in king county which it was a small enough town where I thought I'd be safe but then you and Rick and everyone wanted to start to know me so..so I thought he would come find me and I was gonna leave at the end of my first year of being there but..but Rick one drunken night I had told him at the bar and he told me I would be safe." she shared, looking up at him "and I was." she told him.

As Shane ran his hand down his face "and the way your looking at me right now is why I didn't wanna tell you. You..you wouldn't have talked to me the same way, I mean you flirted with me and I..I liked it. But I always turned you down because I was scared." Scarlett shared, shaking her head "and since I've been here and seen Ed and the way he talks, the way his wife was sitting there with her daughter and then right now. It all was just an awful reminder of the life that I tried to escape. So I wasn't just gonna sit there and let him drag her off so he could beat her and take it out on his little girl. Cause that was..is me." she shared.

Shane brought his hands up to her face, leaning his forehead against her's "I'm glad you told me. Okay? I see you." he told her, as Scarlett nodded "even more now then I did before. And I..I may look at you differently but it's not in the way you think, alright? i am here for you like I've always been and..and before you tell me you can protect yourself." Shane told her, chuckling "I know that. But that's not gonna stop me from protecting you." he told her, as the two sat there in silence with their eyes closed.

"I don't want to alarm anyone." Dale said, as the two pulled apart and stood up, walking out of the RV and over to him and the others "but..we may have a bit of a problem." Dale shared, turning around, he pointed up, as Shane and Scarlett stood next to him, seeing Jim up there digging.

They all then walked up there, as Jim was still digging not even acknowledging any of them "hey, Jim. Ji, why don't you hold up, alright? Just give me a second here, please." Shane told him, as Jim stopped digging "what do you want?" he asked "we're all just a little concerned man, that's all." Shane shared "Dale says you've been out here for hours." Morales shared "so?" Jim asked "so why are you digging? What you heading to China, Jim? What.." Shane asked "what's it matter? I'm not hurting anyone." Jim shared, as he continued to dig.