M.S for Days Gone Bye

Stranger on the Radio

We were just relaxing, doing our chores, and trying to keep busy after the last communications with the scavenger party made on the CB radio Shane had brought with him. Most were sitting or talking, and the rest were either on watch on top of Dale's RV, like Jim, or working. I had gathered firewood, because I needed something to keep myself busy while my sister Andrea was in Atlanta with the rest. I was happy to hear from her last night and this morning; they would be on their way home soon. Then the radio turned on and someone, who sounded like a man, was calling on the other end.

"Hello! Hello! Can anybody hear my voice?" He was trying to get in touch with us; with anyone out here. Dale was rushing to get it, but I beat him there. It had grabbed everyone's attention, and I had dropped the wood I'd been carrying to run for the radio, picking it up quickly.

"Hey! Hello!?" I said hurriedly, hoping that he could hear me. This was the first time anyone, other than the scavenger party, had made contact. We were hoping to get other survivors. After all, safer in numbers right? Though some in our camp can be just as dangerous as the walkers, and I hate that Merle went with the scavenger party. He scares me

"Can you hear my voice?" he repeated. I wondered how far he was from us, and if he was alone or not. I also hoped he wasn't like the Dixons, 'cause it seemed that walkers could bring out the bad and the good in people. I prefer the good to the bad, in all honesty.

"Yes, I can hear you. You're coming through. Over." I waited for a response.

"If anybody reads, please respond." He couldn't hear me. I wish I knew more about CBs but what could I do except try and talk hoping he could finally hear me. There was quite a bit of static, maybe that was interfering. "Broadcasting on emergency channel, will be approaching Atlanta on Highway 85. If anybody reads, please respond."

He can't go to Atlanta it's crawling with walkers. "We're just outside the city-"The radio crackles, "damn it, hello? Hello?" I try to reach him again, with no success; I turn to Dale who's standing a few feet from where I'm on my knees by the CB. "He couldn't hear me, I couldn't warn him." It's not my fault, right. I silently ask myself.

"Try to raise him again." Dale suggests, Dale's a nice kind man who has taken my sister and me under his wing, he's become the father we lost when all this started. Before, Andrea was all I had, but now we're making friends who are becoming family in an impossible situation. He turns to Shane and Lori. "Come on, son, you know best how to work this thing." And it's true Shane knows how to work the CB better than any of us.

He places the ax he'd been using to chop fire wood into a stump next to the CB, he takes it from my hand to try and raise the guy, warn him about Atlanta. "Hello, hello. Is the person who called still on the air?" He asked, the radio continues to crackle. "This is Officer Shane Walsh broadcasting to person unknown. Please respond." We waited, and listened, I hoped, prayed even to hear his voice on the other end. It was nothing but silence; I was disappointed, mad at myself even for being unable to reach him. "He's gone."

"There are others, it's not just us." Lori said trying to lift our spirits maybe, I didn't know if that's a good thing or bad, because in the deep recesses of my mind, all I can think is that the more people we get close to. The worse it's going to be when they die, if they die that is, by the walkers.

"We knew there would be, right?" Shane reminded us, we can't be the only ones who have survived is a topic that's come up more than once around the camp fires. "That's why we left the CB on."

"A lot of good it's been doing." It has been doing good allowing us to stay in contact with Glenn and the others. "And I've been saying for a week we ought to put signs up on 85 to warn people away from the city." Lori's right, then this man this….Stranger on the radio wouldn't be heading into Atlanta right now. I keep these thoughts to myself.

"Folks got no idea what they're getting into." I say, it's less harsh then telling Shane straight up that Lori is right.

"Well, we haven't had time." That's partly true we have been busy trying to keep camp and work out some order, the Dixon brothers haven't helped, neither has Carol's husband Ed, but it still should've been a priority to warn survives, lead them to camp where they could help and contribute.

"I think we need to make time." Sorry Lori, isn't it a little too late, he's headed there right now, no telling how close or far he was from the city, he could be getting eaten as we speak. These thoughts start to depress me, I won't be happy until Andrea's back.

"Yeah, that—that's a luxury we can't afford." How is warning someone possibly saving their life a luxury, it should be a necessity, sometimes I think all Shane cares about is himself and Lori, he doesn't seem to care for anyone else's safety. "We are surviving here, we are day to day." He reminds us.

"And who the hell would you propose we send?" Dale asks Lori, it is true that it'd be a risk, I can't say whether it's a good risk or not, but I feel that saving a life, even just one, is better than letting a million lives die.

"I'll go, give me a vehicle." Lori volunteers, how can she, she has a kid. If anyone should go it should be someone who doesn't have a kid, a life to protect and keep safe. Like myself.

"Nobody goes anywhere alone, you know that." Shane said setting his foot down on the subject. Shane can be unmovable as steel and expects everyone to do as he says, but in his defense he has been keeping us alive, creating order.

Lori walks off with a quick. "Yes sir." Shane's direction, Carl her young son follows.

Shane moves to stop him. "Hey, hey, hey. Go on, take a seat, bud. Your all right, go on, you're all right." He tells Carl, who does as he's told, he looks up to Shane, it's so easy to see. And I don't blame the kid, losing his father; it must be hard on him right now. I go back to my chores hoping to forget that poor man possibly dying out there.

Nothing but chit chat.

I run after Lori, she's not happy about what I said. It's been difficult with Rick gone and the dead trying to eat us, I can understand that. What I don't understand is why she wants to risk her life to save some guy on the radio from going to Atlanta, a complete stranger.

"What, you pissed at me?" I asked as I walked after her, after telling Carl to stay with the rest of the group. We had gone around to where the tents are set up, hidden by the trees and plastic canvases that have managed to grow in the past couple of weeks. She doesn't answer as she angrily goes into the tent she shares with Carl. I still call after her. "You can be pissed at me all you want. It's not gonna change anything."

She has her back to me still, it's clear she's upset by the way she's standing, "I'm not putting you in danger, okay?" Can't she understand that all I care about is her and Carl, ever since Rick got put in the hospital and then the walkers that all I've wanted to do was care for her, growing to love her and Carl more each day. I love Lori so much that sometimes I can't breathe it hurts so bad to think of them getting hurting. "I'm not doing it for anything. That make you feel like sometimes you want to slap me upside the head—tell you what, girl: you feel that need, you go right ahead. I'm right here, go on." She's still not looking or talking to me.

She finally turns around, so we're face to face. "You cannot walk off like that, all half-cocked." She's not happy I can see it written on her face, but she needs to understand. "Look, you do not want to do it for my sake or your sake, that's fine. But just—you do it for him." I remind her that Carl still needs his mother; he already lost his father he doesn't need to lose her to. It's dangerous out there, she needs to think, and realize that she's safer here with me. "That boy has been through too much, and he's not losing his mother too, okay?" I ask her.

She nods, the understanding of the situation reaching her eyes, but she still needs to answer my question, let me know that she gets it now. "Okay?" I ask again hoping to get a vocal answer this time.

"I'm a good mom." That's still not the answer I'm looking for. No one's questioning her parental ability, I certainly am not.

"You tell me 'okay.'" She nods more fervently then before, she still doesn't say it thought. "Hmm?" I chuckle slightly as I bite my lip the tension in the room lessoning. I can't hide the love for her in my eyes. "It's not hard." I tell her, its two syllables, but I let it go. "Alright? Hey."

She slips her fingers in my belt pulls me in as she comes foreword our lips meet in a kiss, my hand comes up, a cap I'd forgotten about still in my fingers as I grab the back of her head and show that all's forgiven and forgotten in that one kiss as our tongues twirl each other, tasting and mapping out the concave of our mouths.

We break up as Carl's voice is heard outside headed for the tent, "Mom?" It's pretty obvious he thought we were gone too long. I look out the slight opening of the tent flap and see his feet, I push it open and walk out with Lori still in the tent behind me. "What's up, bud? She's in there, go on." I tell him before walking off as if nothing but chit chat had been going on.

Free of Homework

Shane ruffles my hair as he walks off after telling me Mom's in the tent. We've been here for a while; I've sort of a lost track of time with no school, or TV, or homework. I'm kind of happy about that last part. I headed to the tent I've been sharing with Mom which kind of sucks but with all the death I've seen recently I can understand, incase we're attacked she wants to know I'm close by. We haven't seen anyone, Glenn calls them Geeks or Walkers, I prefer walkers to be honest, since we set up camp here.

Mom meets me at the entrance of the tent, kneeling down to my eye level. "Hey, I don't want you to worry. Your mama's not going anywhere, okay?" That's good to hear, I had been scared that she was going to leave me, like dad did. I know Shane's said it wasn't his choice and I get that, I still miss him though, and I cry when I'm alone or mom's asleep. It's hard not to be sad when my friends and family are dying around me.

I nod my head with hers. "Yeah, yeah?" She says with a small smile, it makes me feel better to see her smiling. At least we still have each other. "Go finish your chores." She tells me.

"Okay." I run off to do them; I still have chores even though it's pretty much the end of the world as we know it. I thought that if the world ever did end I'd be free of homework and chores along with anything else I didn't like doing. Oh well, at least I don't have homework that's a plus.