Two Weeks Later
The prison was cleaned. The bodies burnt. The weapons readied for another attack.
However, Ali still didn't feel content. Not in the arms of Rick, not with a gun in her hand and definitely not when they were all together in a big group. She was scared, not for her own safety but the safety of everyone else including her son and daughter.
Everyone had begun to notice how withdrawn she had become since she had killed the Governor. Especially Shane, who could feel it deep in the pit of his stomach the moment the knife ripped the Governor's neck in half.
You see, Ali couldn't handle things well. She would bottle up her emotions, not wanting to burden the others, and they would start eating away at her.
A good example is when Shane was first learning to become a police officer. He came home one day, bloodied and bruised. It was the first time Ali had seen her brother in so much pain and it had effected her more than it should have.
For days, she wouldn't eat and couldn't sleep. Every time Shane left for work, he would have to call her every few hours to say that he was okay to quieten her fears. Eventually, she had gotten over it and together they learned to see the signs when something was effecting her.
Walking into the main hall, Ali looked like a walker. Her skin was pale, supporting a greyish glow due to the lack of sleep; dark bags hung under her eyes making her look a lot older than she actually was. Her clothes were creased and Shane was sure she had wore the same outfit for the past week.
He watched as she looked around the room before shuffling to take a seat next to him. However, he noticed the distance she made sure to keep.
"Morning." He softly smiled, patting her shoulder. At the contact, she jumped slightly but regained composure and flashed him a fake smile.
"Hey. Where's Judith, Carl and Belle?" She questioned, looking around the room with a raised eyebrow.
"Carl and Belle took her outside a little while ago because she was getting fussy."
Ali just nodded her head in response, running a hand through her hair. Her bloodshot eyes settled back on her older brother as they studied his features. "Could I talk to you somewhere more private?"
"Of course!"
So he followed her outside and they begun walking around the empty fields before finding a suitable place to sit. Ali smiled slightly when she saw Carl and Belle playing with Judith a little further up.
"Are you okay?" Shane questioned as they sat down.
"Honestly? No." Ali admitted, chuckling slightly. Her eyes, once again, locked with Shane's and that's when he saw the tears building up.
"Is it bad?"
She nodded her head. "I keep having nightmares. I see myself killing you all. Most times, I wake up screaming but sometimes, I'm just trapped - not able to even move. They're the worst ones. And...I see his face every where! In food, in books, even in walkers for crying out loud."
"Hey-" Shane tried to make her stop as the tears began to role down her cheeks. However, she carried on spilling her darkest fears.
"When I'm in the shower, I can feel his blood dripping over me. And sometimes, the water turns red. I know it's all in my imagination but my mind won't sense that and thinks that its real. When I'm getting changed, I can feel his eyes watching me from every corner. Every shadow that moves, I think it's him coming back to finish the job." Ali's breathing began to pick up as her hand began to shake. Her heart hammered away in her chest as her lungs suddenly couldn't gain enough oxygen. "I can't take it anymore. I feel like I'm going insane. My life is being ruined by a man who was turned to ash. Deep in the very depths of my mind, I can feel myself being pushed to the limit and I know I'm going to do something soon and I'm scared! I'm so scared."
Shane pulled her into the tightest hug possible as she sobbed into his chest. Each sob, ripped his heart until it lay in pieces. However, the worst part, the part which made his own eyes fill with tears, was the fact that he couldn't help her. He couldn't take her pain away or suffer it himself. He couldn't take her away to a happier place where she could just forget everything for a little while. He was her brother - the only family she had left (besides Carl, Judith and Rick of course).
Suddenly, an idea sprung to mind. Pulling her back slightly, he wiped away her tears with the pads of his thumbs as a smile took over his features at the absurdity of the idea which was currently running through his mind.
"Why are you smiling so wide?" Ali questioned, her eyebrow furrowed with one slightly raised.
She watched in curiosity as Shane stood, dusted his pants before offering her his hand for a help up. She accepted.
When they were standing besides one another, looking out to the forests surrounding the prison, the resemblance was uncanny. Although Ali had blonde hair, you could see the roots beginning to turn brown; her eyes held specks of brown in them which was the same shade as her brother's; Shane stood a head taller but both were still taller than most.
"What was your idea?" Ali questioned, folding her arms across her stomach as her eyes locked with her brothers.
"We escape."
Confused, Ali waited for him to carry on.
"I saw a library further back when we were on the way here before the...fight. We could stay there for a few days to take your mind off things. Then when you are ready, we come back."
Ali shook her head. "I have my daughter to look after. My son. They need me here. I can't just go off on some adventure-"
"Rick's here! The group will look after them."
Ali scoffed and began walking back to the prison, shaking her head as she went. "I thought I was the one going insane."
"Wait!" Shane called, running to keep up with her. "Why can't we? The group's not going to mind. They've heard your screaming, they've seen the affect it's had on you."
"You don't understand." Ali cried. "I have responsibilities as a mother. I can't leave Rick to look after them on his own. Plus, Judith will not sleep. She gets extremely fussy and I can't put that responsibility on someone else. I have to be here, Shane."
As if on cue, Ali felt a weight on her left leg. She looked down to see her little girl staring up at her with beautiful brown eyes and a smile set firmly on her features. Ali picked her up with one swift movement. "Hey little one."
Soon after, Carl joined the three. "Hey mum. Hey Uncle Shane."
"Hey." Ali ran a hand through his hair, messing it up slightly.
As they began to walk back to the prison, Ali glared at Shane. "We'll continue talking later."
