Impregnable {A Walking Dead Fanfiction}

Eighteen

     I lay wide awake, staring at the ceiling of the Wrangler while Mable snored rhythmically next to me. It had to be past midnight and Shane hadn't come to bed. I hadn't seen him since I'd returned with Andrea. My thoughts kept wondering where he could be, who he could be with. I quietly exited the Wrangler, locking it behind me before walking the same path I'd followed last night. I found him sitting on the same tree stump, staring off into the darkness. He startled when he saw me. "Couldn't sleep?" I said, approaching him. "Nah..." I sat down next to him and laid my head on his shoulder, feeling his body tense. "Is something wrong?" I asked, he shook his head. There was a long pause before he responded, "Hollie...I don't know where to go from here." "I don't either, Dale does have a good point about the CDC..." "That's not what I'm talking about." "What do you mean?" "I mean that you kissed me last night, and I wanted nothing more than to..." His voice trailed off, "...but I couldn't. I don't want to use your body as a vice to forget the world for a while. I should've never spoken to her that night." "Why Lori? Why not Andrea or Lana? You've known her for so long." "It's because of how long I've known her, Hollie. I'm not just going to screw the first thing I lay eyes on just because it's the end of the world. It wasn't like that." "Oh," I said, unable to hide my shock. "The day shit hit the fan all I cared about was finding him. If I couldn't save him, I had to make sure that Carl survived. Lori was broken, she could barely walk after I told her. I had to step up and get them out of there. She was vulnerable and I took advantage of it. I said and...did things to get us out of there that I'm not proud of, Hollie...and then we met and I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. How I want to find a way out of this and make a home for us. I felt so broken and lost without you. Now I ruined something beautiful before it had the chance to be anything." "Shane, I'm not angry at you, you made no commitments to me," I said, looking up at him. "That doesn't change the fact that I used Lori. I told her that her husband was dead and then slept with her. She's been enraged ever since Rick returned." "You said you went to the hospital to try and save him. You went out of your way for him, you tried." "I still lied to her face, to Carl..." "Yes, you did, Shane. You also got both of them out of Atlanta, you stopped them from dying in that hospital." Shane didn't respond, staring off into the distance. "I still see why you would want to forget the world for a while," I muttered. He sighed, "Hollie, this isn't your burden to bear." His eyes looked glassy and dark. "It isn't, but I still care about you." I reached out to his balled fist, interlocking my fingers between his. He relaxed his shoulders and leaned into me.  

    We sat there for a while, watching the moon and stars slowly move across the clear sky. Shane put his arm around me, pulling him into him. I squeezed his hand, looking up at him. His eyes searched mine before glancing down at my lips. I leaned in, kissing him softly before pulling away. He followed me backward, kissing me as his soft curls fell on my face. We lost ourselves for a moment. I reached and ran my fingers through his hair before clenching my fist and pulling his head backward, kissing his neck. "You need to slow down." He smiled and let out a sharp exhale, placing his hands on my waist. "Why?" "Because I want to savor this." He said, kissing me slowly. Shane slept in the back of the Wrangler for the first time that night. I fell asleep in his arms, listening to the sound of his heartbeat. 

    We awoke the next morning to an angry man yelling. I sat up groggily and looked out the window, seeing that a small group had formed around Carol, Ed, and Sophia's tent. Shane sat up suddenly behind me. "What was that?" He asked, reaching into the floorboard for his rifle. "Ed," I muttered, opening the door and stepping out. Carol and Sophia screamed as the tent rocked violently. Shane sprinted past me in their direction. "What happen?" Mabel asked behind me. "It's alright, come on," I said, picking her up and following Shane. He'd unzipped the tent door and stepped inside, Ed staring angrily in his face. "What did I tell you? WHAT did I tell you?" Shane yelled. I stood away from them, trying to shield Mabel's view. Now I understood why Ed had been hiding. He had a nasty, swollen black eye that looked infected; he was covered in dark purple and yellow bruises. "Shane stop!" I yelled, everyone turned to look at me. "Ed, you are a disgusting parasite and I hope you burn in hell." Shane snarled before pushing Ed backward into the side of the tent. "What, you just gon' let you bitch call you off like that?" Ed scoffed, struggling to his feet. "You're not worth it," Shane muttered over his shoulder.