For You // R.G.

Chapter 7

I woke up in the bed again. I saw that it was day now. It was probably seven or eight in the morning. I got up from the empty bed and walked out.
Carol was folding clothes, Lori was doing something with the clothes and then I saw Rick walk up from his tent. He had a clean white shirt on and blue jeans. He went over to Lori. I then saw Andrea and Amy also folding clothes, they were looking at Rick and Lori, giggling. I rolled my eyes the thousandth time and walked away to find Shane.
"Hey."
I turned around to see Shane. He was smiling
"Hey, when are we going out?" I asked
He looked back
"Right now should be fine-I mean, are you ready?" He asked. I looked back at Sena and Jamie, they seemed fine. I looked at Shane and nodded.
"I just need to say bye to Jamie." I say. Shane nodded hesitantly, he let me go.
I made my way down the hill and called Jamie. Jamie looked up and ran over to me.
"Hey, I'm going to be back, be careful while I'm gone. Okay?" I say. She nodded and hugged me. I hugged her back.
I let go of Jamie, I walked over to Sena. She stood where she was while I went over to her.
"I'm going to target practice with Shane, just make sure you keep Jamie safe." I say. She nods
"Is Rick going?" She asked
I shook my head
"Why?"
She nudged my arm, I sighed, tired with her accusations that I had a crush on Rick.
"Don't even try, I know you have a hard on for him."
"I don't, I hate him."
She nodded with her eyebrows raised. I looked away
"Max!"
I turned around and saw Shane waiting on the top of the hill for me. I turned to Sena again
"Keep her safe." I say. I walked away
When I made my way up the hill, Shane got a gun bag. He threw it over his shoulder and started leading me to his jeep.
"Hey, Shane. Where are you guys going?" Rick approached Shane in front of the truck. Rick looked a little concerned, he glanced quickly at me before walking toward Shane.
"She needs to learn how to shoot a gun." Shane said
Rick furrowed his eyebrows
"Why? You know she's injured?"
Shane huffed. I was surprised he remembered.

"How's your wound?" Rick asks me.

"It's good." I said shortly, caught off guard from his kindness.

"Rick," Shane continues after our side conversation, "There's a whole world full of flesh eating monsters-she needs to learn." Shane said a little annoyed. I knew they had a dispute right now.
Rick looked at me again then licked his bottom lip. He then took Shane over to the side and started saying something to him. I couldn't hear what they were saying. After a minute or two I got out.
"Hey, Shane. Let's go." I say. I then looked at Rick who gave me a look. I looked at Shane. He glanced back at Rick then led me to the jeep. Rick stood in his same spot as we drove off.
"What was he saying?" I asked
Shane kept his eyes on the road and then looked at me.
"Nothing... He's just..."
"What?" I asked
He shook his head, dismissing the subject.
.
When we arrived at the target area, there was already targets set up. Shane got the guns ready.
"Here."
He handed me a hand gun. It was heavy but he said I needed the weight, it was easier to control.
I raised the gun to the target and aimed as best as I could. I missed the target by a long shot. I sighed, Shane came behind me and wrapped his body around mine when he lined his arms with mine, aiming for me. I felt my cheeks redden, I tried to stay focused on the target but I jumped when I pulled the trigger.
"Wooh! You got it!" He exclaimed excitedly. I smiled
"See, you just do that and with a little practice, you'll be perfect in no time."
..
When we pulled up, there was a scene by the camper. Everyone was in a circle around Rick and another person.
We walked up to scene, I walked over to Sena
"What's happening?"
"That guy's name is Daryl, he's Merle's brother. They told him he's still up on the roof." Sena explained
"He'll show you. Isn't that right?"
I looked up to see Lori looking at Rick with a shameful expression. I paused
"I'm going back." Rick said, Lori went inside the camper. I felt a little dizzy when he said that.
Everyone was silent, Rick walked away then came back a few moments later in his uniform. Shane started talking to Rick, I walked over to listen to their conversation.
"...Well, look, I-I don't, okay, Rick? So could you just- could you throw me a bone here, man? Could you just tell me why? Why would you risk you life for a douche bag like Merle Dixon?"
"Hey, choose your words more carefully." Daryl dropped into the conversation
"Oh, no I did. Douche bag's what I meant. Merle Dixon-the guy wouldn't give you a glass of water if you were dying of thirst." Shane muttered
"What he would or wouldn't do doesn't interest me. I can't let a man die of thirst-me. Thirst and exposure. We left him like an animal caught in a trap. That's no way for anything to die, let alone a human being." Rick walked away
"So, you and Daryl, that's your big plan?" Lori asked
Rick looked at Glenn,
"Oh, come on." Glenn sighed
"I'll go." I say
Rick looked back at me
"No-"
"Why are you doing this?" Sena asked frustratedly. I didn't answer since Rick walked right up to me
"Why not?" I asked
He sighed
"You can't come with us."
I threw my hands in the air
"And why the hell not?"
He looked away
"The only reason why I'm asking Glenn is because he knows the way-he's been there in and out. And you're injured, remember?" He says into my eyes. I stared awhile longer until Lori stood up and stared at us. I let it go, I stepped away from him
"That's just great. Now you're gonna risk three men, huh?" Shane said sarcastically
"Four." T added in
Daryl huffed while cleaning his bolts
"My day just gets better and better, don't it?"
I walked away, upset. I could hear Sena walking right behind me.
"Why are you always putting yourself up for danger? Why can't you just stay here with us and be safe-why-" Sena was saying. I turned around and cut her off
"I'm not putting myself up for danger." I say
"Yeah-yeah, you are. The Atlanta thing and now this-"
"Maybe I want to help!"
"Bullshit." She said, I rolled my eyes and went down the dirt path to where Jamie was playing in the water.
"Rick is married, with a kid, he's 20 years older than you, why are you trying so hard to be with him all the time?"
I turned around once again
"Can I just sit in peace? I'm not going." I say tiredly
She was silent for a moment
"And you're the one always teasing me about me liking Rick-"
"So you do like him?" She asked eagerly
"Oh my god." I groaned
She chuckled a little, she paused
"Why won't he let you go?"
I sighed, I rubbed my face
"I don't know!" I exclaimed, I then look up to see Shane approaching us.
"Max, I need you, now." He snapped. I looked at Sena, she was urging me to go.
I got up and went over to him, he led me to where no one could hear him
"Rick, Daryl, T, and Glenn are going to the city to get Merle, which leaves me, morales and you to guard camp. So, I need you to be on the look out at all times and to be armed." After he said that, he gave me a hand gun.
"You cannot tell anyone this, we can't cause a panic or-or-"
"Okay, Shane. I won't." I say
He nods and looks away, scrubbing his head. He looked at me again and patted my arm then went up to where everyone was.
..
"What do you miss the most?" Was the question of the hour around the camp fire that night. Most the answers were their washers, showers-hot water. I looked back at Shane who was on top of the camper keeping watch. I touched my gun to remind myself that it was there. I then looked up at Sena who was laughing with the rest of the group about something. I then see Amy get up.
The bonfire crackled, I noticed that it was very low.
"Shane, do we need another log?" I asked, I didn't want the fire to get too big but Jamie was shivering.
"Sure." He said carelessly. He put his hat to where it was covering the top half of his face. I got up to get some firewood.
While I was trying to find the pile, I heard a twig snap. I looked in front of me, I saw a dark figure that was around five feet ahead of me. I froze. It then growled at me, I knew it was a walker. I then hear gunshots from the camp and screaming. I began to panic and I started to run away from the walker. I ran into camp and tried to find Jamie and Sena. Morales ran behind me and shot a walker. I then saw multiple walker bodies lying around the camp. I saw Jamie and Sena running into the camper, I then see Andrea crying over someone on the ground, the blonde hair and the recognizable seashell shirt and knew that it was Amy. I felt my heart drop and my adrenaline rush. I turned around, only to be faced with a walker. It pushed me down, I yelled and scrambled underneath it. Then someone shot it in the head, they took it off of me, I was faced with Rick. He helped me up, he had his hat on and looked into my eyes for a few moments until Carl yelled for him. He snapped away from me and hugged Carl. Carl was crying and so was Lori, they all hugged. I looked around the now silent camp. Dead bodies were everywhere. The sobs of Lori and Carl were no match to the ones from Andrea. I then saw Sena and Jamie emerge from the camper. I dropped my gun and hugged Jamie, she cried into my shoulder.