Unbreakable threads

Chapter Thirteen: Back to Atlanta

The truck bumped along the dark road, the headlights casting long shadows as Rick, Daryl, T-Dog, Glenn, and Alyssa headed back toward the heart of Atlanta. The mood inside was heavy, the air thick with tension. Alyssa sat beside her father, her hands clenched in her lap, unable to shake the guilt that had clung to her ever since they'd left Merle behind. She tried to meet Daryl's gaze a few times, offering small, tentative glances in an attempt to convey her remorse, but each time, Daryl looked at her with cold, unreadable eyes. The anger in his face was palpable, and she felt it like a weight pressing down on her chest.

Rick kept his focus on the road, his jaw set in determination, but Alyssa could see the strain in his expression. He'd made a promise to himself, and to Daryl, that they'd make this right. She knew he wouldn't rest until he'd done everything he could to bring Merle back. But beneath his resolve was a flicker of uncertainty—a silent worry that their plan would endanger them all.

Glenn, sitting in the passenger seat, kept glancing back at Daryl and Alyssa, his face tight with concern. He knew the dangers that awaited them in the city, but he also understood that this journey was about more than just rescuing Merle. For Rick and Alyssa, it was a matter of principle, of proving that they didn't abandon people, even in a world that had given them every reason to. For Daryl, it was personal, his loyalty to his brother outweighing any risk. And for Alyssa, it was a way to make amends, a desperate attempt to ease the guilt gnawing at her.

Meanwhile, back at camp, Shane watched the truck's taillights disappear into the distance, a mixture of relief and resentment tightening his chest. With Rick gone, he had a moment alone to think, to process the tangled mess that had developed since Rick's return. Shane's mind kept returning to Lori, and he knew he couldn't let this chance slip by. He needed to talk to her—needed to know where things stood, now that Rick was back, now that everything had changed.

He found Lori sitting alone near the fire, her face illuminated by the flickering flames. She looked lost in thought, her shoulders tense, her gaze fixed on the distant woods. Shane approached quietly, taking a seat beside her, his voice low and cautious.

"Lori," he began, watching her carefully. "We need to talk... about us."

Lori's expression didn't change, her gaze still focused ahead, but he could see the subtle shift in her posture, a tension that told him she'd been expecting this conversation.

"Shane," she replied, her voice soft but guarded. "There is no 'us.' Rick's back. He's... he's alive."

Shane's jaw tightened, his hands clenching at his sides. "I know he's back, Lori, but that doesn't change everything that happened. I was there for you, for Carl, when you thought he was dead. We had something. You can't just pretend like it didn't happen."

Lori turned to him, her eyes filled with a mixture of sadness and frustration. "Shane, I know you were there. I know what we went through... but that was when I thought Rick was gone, when I thought I'd lost him forever." She shook her head, her voice strained. "But he's here now. He's back, and I have to focus on my family. My son. And... and Alyssa. She's his daughter, Shane. I can't just ignore that."

Shane's face hardened, a flicker of hurt crossing his expression. "So that's it, then? You're just gonna drop everything we had, just because he showed up with some kid?"

Lori's eyes narrowed, her voice low but sharp. "Alyssa isn't just 'some kid,' Shane. She's part of Rick's life, part of my life now, too, whether I like it or not. And Rick is my husband. I have to try, for Carl's sake, for our family's sake."

Shane looked away, swallowing back his frustration, his mind racing. He'd fought so hard to protect Lori, to protect Carl, to build a future he thought Rick would never be part of. But now, with Rick back, everything he'd clung to felt like it was slipping away.