Memory Lane
Shane threw Dale one last disdainful glare before turning around to find a quiet place among Hershel's fields. That old man kept sticking his nose where it didn't belong! Shane's mind wandered back to Dale and the swamp. His thoughts became an angry torrent.
"If that's the kind of man you think I am, what do you figure I'd do to someone I don't much like?" Shane had uttered, malice running wild in his eyes. "You won't like what happens next, you keep this bullshit up." In a less sinister tone but no less serious, he'd commanded, "Now gimme those guns." The ex-deputy had made sure there was no compromise to be found in his face during the ensuing minutes.
As Shane walked with the bag of guns slung over his shoulder, the sun reached its zenith. At last he came to a tree atop a small grassy mound; out of view from the old man and anyone else who would deign to bother him. He sat against the rough trunk with the guns beside him. From his seat the gently sloping ground afforded him a distant view of the camp.
Shane could make out Lori walking among the tents with a basket of laundry in her arms. She disappeared inside the tent she shared with Carl and Rick. Shane knotted his jaw and spat on the grass beside him. He could still remember when women would throw themselves at him for less than what he had done for Lori! Shane had saved her goddamned life! And her son's! But as soon as Rick had come back from the dead she'd thrown Shane away like yesterday's garbage. For a moment, red was the only color in the world. Shane relaxed suddenly, leaning back against the tree. Yeah, he thought, I remember when I'd throw women away like that.Maybe it was karma. He laughed.
He was back in his home, before the world had started eating itself to shit. Back when things were good.
Shane and the woman stumbled out of the shower together. She laughed like a giddy girl after her first beer. Shane didn't care much for that but she was good for other things. Otherwise, he never would have gone on the second "date."
Wet skin glistened in the soft yellow glow of Shane's bathroom light. She slipped seamlessly down to her knees to put her lips around him. Shane gripped the edge of the counter to steady himself and slowly entangled his other hand in her hair.
Shane could still remember the sensation that had come over his body. How he moved rhythmically to the bobbing of her mouth, accentuating each stroke of it with a jerk of his hand in her hair.
Her soft lips and teasing teeth got Shane off like a pro. His knuckles whitened as he squeezed the counter. Then slowly his grip loosened.
In a jagged breath Shane, voice cracking, whispered, "Hold up, girl. Take it down slow."
When Shane opened his eyes he looked down to see his hand down the front of his pants. He slowly pulled his hand away, letting a sigh escape his lips from the aftershocks that resulted.
"Now that's one way to greet someone," called up a girl with a perky southern drawl.
Shane's eyes flew to find the voice whilst hastily wiping his hand across the grass.
"Sorry, didn't mean to spoil your alone time," she went on.
Shane looked up at her sharply. "Who the hell are you?"
"Name's Daisy."
He looked down at her soiled white sneakers, up to the bow slung across her shoulder and lastly to the straw hat on top of her pretty little head.
"What you doin' out here?" he asked, rising to his feet.
"Same thang e'eryone is doin'; survivin'." Before he could say anything else she continued, "We can finish the pleasantries later, when I tell you and your people the rest o' my story." Daisy gave a curt nod of her head and simultaneously went to tip her hat. But as soon as her hand had went up, Shane's had brought pistol to bare.
"Whoa, easy boy!" she called softly, lowering her hand.
His eyes never left hers as he holstered the gun. "How'd you find us?" Suspicion dripped from his every word.
"I don' got time to explain it twice. Take me to your people and make 'em help me. I always return a favor."
Shane brought his hands together, lacing his fingers. His eyes were cold and mocking as he spoke, "I don' need favors from the likes of strangers. You ain't got nothin' to offer me." His deep drawl lowered, "Now get yourself outta here before I decide you're a threat to my people."
A sly smile spread across her rosy lips. "Are you sure 'bout that? I can make the Tug and Palm show obsolete." Her big hazel eyes went directly to his unbuckled belt.
After a moment of silence her confidence, if ever she'd had any, began to dissipate until Shane said, "You're offering to sleep with me if I help you save who? Your ma and pa? Somehow I don' think they're gonna like that."
Daisy's mouth curved into a grim smile. "Who said they were my parents?"
After Shane had made himself decent and disarmed Daisy, he had taken her to Rick. Everyone had watched with silent eyes as he had prodded her back in the right direction. Now she was cuffed to an old grate heater in Hershel's bedroom as Rick gathered the others in the main room.
"Before the questions start, I don't know anything about this girl," Rick explained while patting down the first assault of questions in the air. "All I know is she came to Shane, without threat, and is asking for help. We can all guess as to what that means," he said solemnly.
"How exactly, may I ask, are you going to handle this?" Hershel asked.
All eyes went to Rick. "We're all going to listen to what she has to say, ask questions and then decide amongst ourselves what to do. Within reason," he added. Then he called, "Shane, bring her in if you would."
There was a moment of shuffling and then Shane appeared, guiding a young woman to the center of the room.
A flutter of voices rose and fell as Rick said, "Your story now, Miss."
