VITRIOL | Shane Walsh

𝐈𝐕

"Pricilla, we haven't seen each other in two damn years, the dead have risen and you can't find one conversation topic?" The ten-minute drive to the high school dragged and the tension between us was suffocating.  As the sun was setting at the end of the deserted road, Shane had his arm perched on the door frame, his fist closed and leant on the side of his head.

"I never apologised..." he spoke in the low tone she once found comforting.

"Well, I sure as hell don't want you to now," I snapped, causing us to slip back into silence. It wasn't long before he tried to break it again. 

"I know what I did was selfish- stupid even. I've paid the price. I deserved to be left with nothing. I owe it to you...and to Caleb to protect the both of you from here on out." He was clearly torn up that we had rushed back into his life with such a turbulent force. For all he knew, we could've been dead and yet here we were, on the farm untouched by the outside world.

"I do just fine protecting him myself."

"But who's been protecting you?"

"Look- I said the world will end before I forgive you and I'm keeping my word."

"It did end, baby."

"Don't call me that," I snarled, swerving the car onto the sidewalk and ramming into a walker. 

We climbed out, and as the rotting corpse was trapped under the wheels, I quickly swung my bat, splattering its brains across the pavement. As we looked over the grassy hill into the parking lot, we cursed at the sight of it being overrun. The route to the medical trailer was blocked.

Stalking behind the cars, my misplaced hand landed on an unsecured trunk, causing it to open with a squeal that was way too loud for anyone's liking. The noise turned the heads of the undead but luckily, they didn't find the sound interesting enough to investigate. However, something red caught my eye...flares. I gently tapped the back window alerting Shane and making him walk around to see what I'd found.

"Would this work?" I whispered which caused him to grin, grab a few and toss them to the opposite side of the lot. The walkers were like moths to a flame as they cleared a path for us to get to the med van. Once we were inside, we ransacked through supplies and stocked up on the medicine and equipment desperately needed. Not wanting to waste any time, Shane burst through the door. 

"Shit" Shane suddenly spread his arms out in the doorway, causing me to crash into his back. The flares had burnt out, causing the walkers to look for something new to growl at- that being us. Dying or getting trapped would result in Carl's death so we were left with to do but...
"RUN!"

Sprinting towards the school, we found an opening with a weak metal gate to separate us from the walkers dying to rip us to shreds. A single bolt was the only thing balancing us on the fine line between life and death. Our son was going to become an orphan.

"I can't believe I'm saying this but if we die-"

"We're not going to die- I won't let us die."

- - -

Nice try Shane but we are dead. Finished. Any other word that describes our lives ending. After Shane had fallen out of a window with a walker making his fall awkward, he was seriously injured. It was just our luck the stronger one of us was wounded when physical strength would've come in handy. My heart was pounding as I could do nothing but watch him struggle forward. 

Our backs were pushed up against a fence crawling with walkers. I had one bullet and Shane had five. Three more of the undead rounded the corner, clawing after us when one of them was shot to the ground. As I looked at Shane who hadn't even raised his gun, the next two fell to the ground with a figure emerging from behind them. Otis?