A/U: I jumped on starting chapter two cause usually I find when I post more than one chapter, people will read. I had worked on chapter one for a while and just today was tweaking it. I hope y'all do enjoy though, I really hope everyone will like this story.

Blueberrybunny3630: it actually is really hard to write Sophia for that reason. She's a child, her thought process is more limited but because she's a tween it's a tad easier. I'm re-watching her episode when she disappears and when said 'don't leave me' to Rick I got teary eyed. She's so heartbreaking.

Chapter 2: Shane

"Leave me here, forever in the dark."

x

Where the hell had he gone wrong?
Everything he had done since this all started, it all seemed to be right. Yes, there were choices made. No, he was not proud of many of them. But one thing was sure, he kept Carl and Lori safe, everyone else was just incentive. As long as they were safe, he knew he was doing something right. This was his responsibility when he had to leave Rick's corpse at the hospital. This would be his cross to bear, to give them some sense of stability.

To show that someone cared...that they weren't alone.

Shane sat in the Hyundai he found, thumb rubbing the cool metal of the handle for his Glock. His eyes moved up to see Lori in the distance with Carol as they had been moving around. Thanks to the herd, they had lost Sophia. He knew she was a sweet girl, she never bothered no one and kept to herself, thanks to her dad. The thought of that sick bastard still slithering around in his mind made him angry. Every punch still felt great to him, every blow that he delivered to that man. It was icing on the cake that he had been bitten. Shane knew that it was a dark thought, and he still felt bad for the death of Amy in parallel to Ed, but knowing that one sick bastard was gone from the world somehow put him at a small peace.

They had been out to look for Sophia, but to no avail it had been evening and they returned empty handed. All Daryl had found were a few tracks that had faded away.

Carol had seemingly spent the entire day staring off from the guard rail of the highway into the woods. Repeating in his head, the images of Sophia running and Carol screaming for her were burned into his memory and continued to repeat again and again. They had let this happen.
If they would have known anything about a herd on the way, if they would have gone to Fort Benning first instead of the CDC, this wouldn't have happened. Rick had spoken about the group needing to be stronger, and what they were fighting for.
This certainly wasn't a way to get the message across.

It had pounded his head for days now. Since Lori had scratched him in the CDC.

He wouldn't be able to stand being there, with her, with Rick, with all of them for longer. In his heart, it killed him to turn Carl away, but he knew that there was no other choice. If he stayed there, with Sophia missing and Lori and Carl and Rick, it wouldn't stay strong, the group would fall apart. In the woods, Rick had told him that they needed to get back to the highway before the group began to panic. Shane felt awful for Carol, watching her move back and forth and still without any sort of peace of mind.

Daryl and Glenn had stayed in the woods while Glenn and Shane returned to the highway. They had assured Carol the best that they could, even though Shane could feel the empty promises spew from his lips with remorse.

After speaking with Lori, he was dead set on leaving. She of course wanted to act high and mighty, and dangle Carl in front of him. Shane could still hear his telling him, as she put it, to 'stay the hell away from her and her son.' She wanted to dance on his heart, she wanted to take the pieces and stomp on them. If they were on fire, she wouldn't even put them out. Lori would probably even get marshmallows and invite Carl and Rick to roast 'em over what remained of him.

With bags packed he sat them in the back of the car, marveling at the fact it still had the keys in the ignition and fuel in the tank. Someone had probably ran off and no one even took the vehicle.

Now all he had to do was wait and slip away in the night. That was his whole plan, to just keep driving. He wanted to make it to Benning, and if the group got their after him, with Carl and Sophia, that would put his mind at ease. But, anymore, he wanted to get away from them. All the swirling emotions were hurting him and it wouldn't be long before someone broke down. Andrea was already falling off the saddle, he had agreed with Dale to take anyway her weapon until everyone had training.

When Carol had seen Rick and Daryl come through the woods, he wasn't sure what to think. Her face, he had seen so many mothers and sisters break down over their daughters and sisters going missing. This in so many ways was different.
The pain was so much worse on her face, especially when she had seen the blood on Daryl's pants.

In the pit of his stomach, he knew. Everyone had it in the backs of their minds, no one just wanted to talk about it.

A twelve-year-old girl surviving the night in the woods that had just been a part of a herd of walkers storming through on the highway?
And he was the king of everything.

He didn't like being around for Carol to figure it out, or to find her. That was something he was without a doubt sure he didn't want to see in this world. Watching Amy die...it was more than he could bear. Leaving Rick behind in the hospital? The hardest thing he had ever done.

Having more of that, more people to lose, more heartbreak.

It was like depression over and over. Something died a little in everyone because of it and you just felt number every time. Reality called and it had a grim message. There was no hope.

As Shane watched the evening turn into night, everyone retreated to their vehicles and Dale's RV to rest. The next day would be another search, and it'd most likely turn up empty. Carol would remain without answers and they'd be dragging out an inevitable truth. Nothing of that was what he wanted to coöperate with.

There wasn't even a group meal, everyone had gone to sleep...or tried to sleep.

Holding the key in the ignition he turned it to start, smiling at the sight of the radio clock coming on. It was still functioning. The neon numbers shined with '1:47 A.M.' in their digitized pattern. The car wasn't too loud, it was one of those new ones that was supposed to quieter and run easier.

Rolling up his windows he smiled, they were somewhat tinted. This car just kept on getting better and better. He had ciphered some fuel and the tank was up past half. With an empty gas canister and hose in the back with his stuff he wouldn't have much trouble getting fuel since they were on the highway. All he had to do was turn the other way and take off. Pulling out from the blocked side of the road he looked both ways of the road. Chuckling to himself he shook his head, stupid instinct, there would be no need for junk like that anymore. Turning left he drove down the highway and took off into the night.

Looking back in his rear view mirrors there was no light from any of the vehicles. It was black the second he drove away from their sight and he frowned.

It was that easy, to get away?

Shane didn't want to think about what would happen the next morning, what they would say or do. All he knew was that it was no longer his priority or business. He had driven for a bit before he pulled off to a dirt road and stopped for the rest of the evening. The group wasn't going to move for a while, not until they at least gave up on Sophia. He could rest for the night and sleep a bit easier with the separation.

Clock reading '3:01 AM' he groaned and hit the button to push his window up. Turning the starter off he glanced over his shoulder and climbed into the back seats to sleep. Locking the doors he rested his head on the back of his arm and closed his eyes, finding some sort of relaxation in the cushioned seats. Newer cars were more comfy for the past few years, and he was grateful for that as he drifted off into a dreamless dark sleep.

That morning he woke up to a bright blue sky and his skin damp in sweat. Harsh curses escaped his throat as he realized he barely cracked the windows. At least it wasn't ninety degrees at night yet or he would have been as good as those walkers. If worse got to worse, he'd have to break down and get a cutter to make a sunroof but in the mean time it was something he didn't have the time to dwell on.

Waking up was difficult from the place he was in, burly frame sprawled out on the seats. On his side facing the seats his leg had thrown itself over the seat with an arm dangling off to touch the floor of the vehicle. Hair a nappy mess he pushed the humidity drenched waves back and climbed to the front of the vehicle to begin driving again.

Staying on the highway or going off on the dirt road were his options. Glancing back he turned on the car and backed it up. Quickly he pulled back off into the highway and continued down the ways. If he could find an exit before Atlanta and find another way to Fort Benning he'd be set. That road block wasn't going to get moved any time soon so a detour would have to be taken. Getting hold of a map would be his biggest priority for the moment.

He had passed a few things he recognized before turning off the highway to the left to take a road that seemed new. It wasn't a dirt one, but it was street and it still connected to the woods. In a weird way he held out that maybe Sophia would emerge from there, but he had driven for about twenty minutes and she would have had to survive the night and start walking in the morning to get there by the early afternoon.

He had passed houses that were in good condition and some in poor condition. His arm propped out the window he rested his temple against his knuckles. The houses disappeared and he returned to an all woods surrounding yet again.

Looking both ways again on instinct he stopped for a second. Turning left he pushed on down toward the woods. Now surrounding him he kept an eye out. Shane thought it would be easy to just take off and leave, but he found himself holding some hope out. Maybe it was for Carol, or maybe it was that Rick and Daryl would find her, or maybe it was for himself, to see that innocent little girl was alive and safe.

Of course, if it was Carl, he'd still be there and searching all day and night. Guilt washed over him in that thought, choosing favoritism by nature to find a child in this hellish new world they were sucked into. It wasn't like he didn't like Sophia, it was just an opinion on the fact he had been around to watch Carl grow up since he was little. If he would have been around Sophia, maybe he would have felt the same...

...or maybe he would have taken her out of that family.

Regardless, he had to keep on driving. For all that he had in him, not turning around and going back was one of the most difficult things he was facing. The frustration he felt in both situations was immense, and deep in his heart he felt the pain sear him. Shane knew this was abandonment, but it was what Lori wanted. She could sugarcoat it any way she wanted, she wanted him gone and he was more than happy to oblige with the way things were going since Rick was in charge.

Ever since he waltzed in, everything seemed to go south. This was a complete turn of what had gone on before he showed up. Everything was orderly and peaceful, well...

...with the Dixons it was as good as he was going to get.

But at least they had a system going. Sure, they had issues with Ed, and of course Merle and Daryl were about as asinine as rednecks were going to get. Through all of that Shane had kept the group together and they thrived at the quarry.

Shane's disdain for Rick seemed to pop up the second that he had gotten back to his camp and started running the place. After all of Shane's hard work he was the deputy again, just like in police academy and just like all the years he had worked with him.

Nothing in their world really could change...

Rick was always the top dog and he was the lackey. Rick had the perfect family, even when he told him about all the struggles and fights. They were tight-knit and nothing could break the bond they had built. Shane wasn't stupid, he noticed all of those details, and he watched with a wary eye and a heavy heart.

Changes impacted them immediately and he could only go along with them. Or he could walk away from it all and do his own thing. Shane knew leaving behind Carl would kill him, but at least he'd be leaving behind any feelings he had left.

In this world he had nothing else to give but his abilities with a gun and his emotions. Ammo would be limited over time and his feelings would most likely cost him down the road. That would get him absolutely no where. If he wanted to live and survive, he needed to abandon those things that kept him restrained and tore his mind away from the task at hand; living.

Window rolled down he glanced down at the radio console. Pressing the power button he frowned at the constant emergency broadcast signals. A loon with his radical ideas and Woodstock music sounded pretty damn good to him at the moment. Even if it was elevator music, in this case something was better than nothing. The thought of Woodstock music had him craving a joint, the memories of being the high school 'bad ass' and doing whatever the hell he wanted floated around his conscious.

Still eyeing the radio console he took a chance and hit the eject button, a smile pushing over his lips as a disk pushed out. Slowing down he grabbed the CD to see what it was a gave a sigh of relief at what it was. Whoever owned this before had decent taste in music. It was one of those 'mix' CDs that people bought cause they didn't want to pay an arm and a leg for CDs that only had one song they liked on them.

Popping it back in he watched the light flash before a small disc symbol began to spin and the dial came up for the song to start playing. A little Judas Priest never hurt no body and before he reached for the volume dial he stopped himself. This was no place for blasting music, sure as hell when walkers would be roaming around him. Pushing his window up he turned the fan in the vehicle on and hit his hands lightly on the steering wheel. In some weird way it was a peaceful break from the struggle that he fought for so long since Rick had joined them again. Immediately the idea of enjoying something small seemed selfish in his given situation, quickly he realized how asinine that sounded and dropped the negative feelings that had wrecked his mind since he had woke up.

Shane continued to drive throughout the morning until he had found a small cabin right on the side of the road, it had been in better condition than the houses he had passed. Pulling off into the short dirt driveway he turned the engine off and slid the keys into his pocket. No broken windows, the door wasn't busted in at the front.

Glock on the dash he grabbed it and unlocked the safety as he climbed out.

With weary stealth he circled around the back and found the door there was also in tact. This place remained, a clean mark on the destroyed area. Reaching the door he touched the doorknob. Locked. At the front he met the same until he threw his shoulder into the door and busted it open.

He quickly scanned the area, finding the first floor empty. Returning to the door he shut it and pulled the small table next to the wall against it and climbed up the stairs. There were only three rooms and a dangling string hanging from the ceiling at the end of the hall with a pull out. Shane knew that was to the attic and eventually he'd handle that. This place had been a small two bedroom cabin with one bathroom. This would be a perfect place to bunker down when the weather wasn't great. One thing he had looked for was any sign of Sophia, but he knew that she wouldn't have even made this far in one night if she had no walkers and full experience with a weapon. The master bedroom wasn't even that big, but it had a decent sized bed with a nice quilt on it and a dresser and closet with a tv on top of the dresser.

Across the small hallway was the other bedroom, it was smaller and had a twin bed on it. Probably for a child or something. It was simple with a red comforter over it and two dressers. Moving back downstairs Shane continued to move around, clearing the tiny living room and kitchen before he returned outside to get his bags. Whoever had been here, it was like they packed and probably went to an evacuation zone. The beds were messy, stuff was on the ground around him, and a bag had been left with some men's clothes in it.

Sitting on the couch he shrugged at his surroundings. The blinds had been closed on all the windows, and it was a lot cooler in the small space compared to the heat outside. Kicking his feet back on the sofa he wished he would have grabbed one of the gallon jugs of water that been in that truck he opened. For all he knew Glenn let everyone take a shower in each of them and then whatever they had left they'd keep.

A tall glass of water, hell, even an ice cold beer sounded damn good to Shane, as it probably did to almost every person that had been alive this long. Sliding his shirt off Shane finally took a breath, finding time to relax and kick his feet up. Arms raised above his head he let a sly grin take over his face. He wished Rick was right there so he could gloat about what he found, but then again Rick would try to move everyone in and then it'd be the god damn Brady Bunch and he had already put up with that before.

No way in hell was he doing it again.

A/N: I just don't know how this came along so quick. I finished Sophia adjustments and then Shane's idea hit me immediately and I just started writing. I personally think Shane should still be alive. I thought of the idea of the house based on my surroundings where I live. The road and the house are based on what I saw when I used to take my old bus route. It was one of the only houses on a road that was hardly used. But yeah, Shane should still be alive :'( Shane and Merle would be my zombie apocalypse cause they get stuff done and they're hot as hell and then I'd add Michonne, comic book Andrea and Carl. That'd be one bad ass team right there. This is a little bit longer, Shane is a lot easier to write than Sophia. Next chapter will be pretty obvious and then we'll build toward the collision!
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Lots of love xo