Rick opened the door and his vision was flooded with light. They all cautiously stepped into the Sheriff's Department locker room, where Rick tried the showers. The water came out clean and strong. Henry grinned at his mom.
"Pilots still on," Rick told.
Henry soaked in the shower his eyes closed shut. His mother on the other hand washed the grim and dirt out of her dark locks. Rick stood in front of the mirror to shave. Little things can sure go a long way. After their shower, Rick and the women sat on a locker room bench. "Henry the dressing room is back there," Rick directed.
"What do we say Henry?"
"Thank you," Henry smiled.
"Mm-hmm,"
After a brief moment of silence Rick said. "Atlanta sounds like a good deal. Safer anyway – people,"
"That's where we were headed." She hummed. "Things got crazy. You wouldn't believe the panic. Streets weren't fit to be on. And then his –his mother couldn't travel. Not with her hurt. So we had to find a place to lay low. And then after she died, we just stayed hunkered down. I guess we just froze in place."
Rick nodded. "Plan to move on?"
"Haven't worked up to it yet," she admitted.
Rick was the last to change. He slipped on his uniform, straitened his badge and sighed. He was going to find Lori and Carl. He just had to. Nothing would stop him, not even the dead.
Henry and his mother waited outside for him holding hands. As soon as he returned she felt a relief lifted of her shoulders. Why? Because this man made her feel safe, especially now with the knowledge of him being a Sheriff.
"Cool," Henry gawked. Rick smiled
"Follow me," he led them both in to a weapon cage. Jackpot. "A lot of its gone missing."
Rick took a rifle down and checked it.
"Can I learn how to shoot? I'm old enough," Henry begged his mother.
Rick turned to watch her response. "Yeah, you're going to learn. But we have to do it carefully."
"That's right. It's not a toy. You pull the trigger; you have to mean it. Always remember that, Henry."
"Yes sir,"
Rick handed her a rifle with a scope. "Here. Load up, you take this one. Nothing fancy, the scope's accurate." He leaned closer to her. She looked intently at Rick and checked the weapon herself. Henry finished loading ammo while Rick looked at a shoot gun.
All of them hurried back to the lot with their hands full of supplies. Both mother and son followed close behind Rick. "Conserve your ammo. It goes faster than you think, especially at target practice." Rick veered back at them.
"Henry?"
"Uh-huh?"
She handed him a bag. "Take this to the back,"
"Okay,"
"Are you sure you won't be coming along?" Rick asked for the third time since the station.
"A few more days, by then Henry will know how to shoot," she smiled looking back at her son aimlessly tossing things in the trunk. Rick moved to open the patrol car door. He pulled out two black walkies-talkies handing one to her.
"You've got one battery I'll turn mine on a few minutes every day at dawn. You get up there, that's how you'll find me." He said pointing to higher ground.
"You think ahead," she said taking it from him.
"Can't afford not to, not anymore."
"Listen, one thing –They may not seem like much one at a time, but in a group, all riled up and hungry – You watch your ass." She put in.
"You too,"
She was expecting a firm handshake but instead Rick went in for a hug. He took her body in quickly and let her go carefully.
"You're a good man, Rick. I hope you find your wife and son." She said honestly. Rick looked down at his shoes trying to say something nice in return but he strained to think.
Henry came and stood between him and his mother with a cheeky grin. "Be seeing you Henry," Rick brushed his hands through his hair. "Take care of your mother," he added sternly.
"Yes sir,"
As they are about to part ways the woman turned to look over her shoulder to catch a last glimpse of Rick, the man she saved. Quickly, she noticed his face expression change in to horror and looked further down the street to see a walker shuffling towards Rick.
"Leon Basset?"
She pulled Henry close to her.
"I didn't think much of him –Careless and dumb but I can't leave him like this," Rick moves around the car to get a better view.
The walker seemed to get angrier at the sight of him. He growled loudly, picking up his pace.
"You know they'll hear the shot." She cried.
"Let's not be here when they show up" something inside her body made her jump. He included 'them'.
She had a feeling he wasn't going to leave Henry and her. She hurried her son towards the car without giving it another thought. More were coming, she could hear their growls.
"Let's go. Come on." Rick maneuvered around to open the passenger side for them both.
Once they were shut in, she and Henry watched him make his way back to the walker who was nearly there. He aimed at its decaying forehead, then cocked the gun.
Rick pulled the trigger on target. Henry flinched as the body felt lifeless to the ground.