Fan Fiction The Walking Dead – Shane slaying Rick

Part 3

By Dan Pettersson

The tattered group of civilians newly made homeless had stopped and made camp by a crossing in the road after about an hours drive. Glenn had thought of the place as they were going past several in there flight. He had stopped suddenly and called out for Daryl to circle back. Shane pulled up and after a short chat they had moved their vehicles in to position. The cars stood close to each other in the shape of a V with the front of one car almost touching the back of the next car. In the middle of the formation was Daryl's bike pointing away from the cars. The logic was that they had one vehicle directed toward each of the three roads that was possible to go down. They got a small fire going and gathered up with the cars at there back. In the back seat of Shane's car Lori was lying down curled up with no hope of sleep. The tears had dried of her face and no more were left to be shed. Carrol had volunteered to nurse her while keeping a lookout in the front seat keeping guard of what might be coming down the road behind them.

A new dawn broke and there was little merriment to be had. No one had said much of anything all night waiting for someone else to be first.

"Say, what the hell happened when you were gone last night… with Rick?", Darryl said with some measure of tension.

"Happened? What's there to say? We were going around in the woods and fields. Then there was a horde of walkers right beside us before we could blink. They got to Rick. Then…", Shane lost his track as he recalled the details of the night clearly.

"Then what?", Darryl said frustrated.

"What the hell do you want? You know what happened. Carl was in the tick of it following us around instead of keeping himself back. One creped up on him and got him. Bit a chunk out of his face! Is that what you wanna hear!"

Shane stood up and paced away from the makeshift camp of theirs. He was itchy all over his body. He was dying for a hot shower. He got no sleep during the night and there was no hunger. With what little energy he had left his mind wandered. It was the night of the police exam and they all were having a party, all the good old guys from the past. Rick was hammered trying to match old Huck Stephenson at his tequila game and fell off the stool almost landing chin first on the hard wood floor of the cop's bar. Shane had walked him home that night almost carrying him some of the way. He remembered how Rick said: "Shane, we go a long way forward you and I brother."

Shane had chuckled at that drunken slur.

"You mean back buddy? Hell how many of them shoots did you take?"

"I mean… I know we gonna have a long road in front of us. I feel you in my heart and we gonna beat'em streets… together!"

Shane had thought of those words every time they drove of on their patrols even though Rick probably had forgotten them by the time he was hung over the morning after. Shane squatted down in the middle of the road in the clothes that were misfit and that he cursed himself for wearing. He rubbed his head were the hair was starting to grow longer leaving an ever darker shade of black. So little was left, he thought, of the life he had learned to love. Rick was gone and he was taking all the happiness with him.

"It's not your fault Shane.", Andrea said leaning over him and hugging his shoulders.

"No one could have seen this coming. Rick was strong and capable but no one is immortal. You shouldn't blame yourself for his death."

Shane's eyes started to tear up for a bit. He clichéd his fist and took a stand. He started back to the group and every one was looking at him now. He was staring at Daryl that was looking back cautiously from the ground. Shane stood there like a statue hoping for the right words to roll of his tongue.

"I now you are all hurting right now. Pain so deep you could cloud the sky with it. I fell it too. I got nothing but a hole in me and it is growing every minute. Rick was my blood brother and I didn't know how much he was to me until this moment. When I left him for dead in the hospital he was never really dead to me. You see I used to think that memories were nothing but fantasies in these days we are living. Fantasies that blinds us from what terrors we are facing and that is best forgotten. But I know now the difference between fantasy, dreams and a true vision. I remember Rick and I will always remember my brother. He was good. Too good for this world. Too good for sure for us to deserve him. But I know that he would have wanted us to hold together for whatever the road have in store for us. And maybe, long down the road, some of the past will not only have to feel like a memory but instead be part of a good life to come."