Here's chapter 4. Just to let ya know, the story isn't canon, but most likely gradually lead back to the main plot, Just with Shane around. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
"G'mornin," Shane muttered beneath his breath while rubbing his eyes. The only people awake he noticed were Carl, Daryl and Hershel.
"Shane." Hershel greeted. Shane shuffled down the steps and fell on to a seat next to Carl. Carl focused on Shane's overdeveloping fro and giggled.
Shane turned his head and caught Carl laughing. He raised a brow and smirked. "Wha's so funny, man?"
Carl shook his head in denial but failed to cover up his smirk. He knew Shane caught him so he decided it wasn't worth screwing with him. "You gotta cut that fro. It's makin you look like a bum." Shane laughed and rubbed his forehead.
"Yeah?" He turned his head back and forth running a hand through his mop hair. "Well, ya know Carl, it's hard ta fin' razors and barbers these days."
"You can just use your knife," Carl sarcastically exclaimed. Shane gazed back and shook his head with a smirk.
"Yeah yeah. It's easier with a mirror."
Carl laughed. "Bathrooms over there down the hall. Pretty sure there's some things you can use."
"A'righty then. I'll take a stroll there in a bit." He grabbed a piece of cooked squirrel and nodded a thank you to Daryl. Daryl nodded back. Shane took a snap at the meat and wandered his eyes around the cells. "So, s'everyone up?"
"Glenn and Maggie went out to get some more baby formula. Rick and Oscar is just outside patrolling the complex." Hershel pointed his gaze at the cells. "Beth and Axel are still sleepin."
"Carol?" Shane asked with a raised brow. Daryl dropped his head and closed his eyes. Hershel shrugged.
"Couldn't tell ya Shane. After the attack, she's been missing."
Daryl shot his head up and sprouted up to his feet. "M'goin t'go look for 'er." Without saying another word, Daryl rushed out the room into the inner hallway. Shane's looked over to Hershel and gave him a 'what just happened?' look. Hershel shrugged again.
"A'right, Carl. Show me where this bathroom is man." Carl happily nodded and motioned Shane to follow. Shane smirked, got up and followed right behind him. Suddenly he stopped in his tracks remembering something extremely important. Judith. "Hold up," he called to Carl. Carl stopped while leaning his body forward with an impatient expression. Shane turned around and pointed at Hershel. "Eh, Hersh, where's Judith?"
Hershel nodded towards the closest cell to him. "She's in there," he whispered. "Try not to wake her up, she needs to sleep until Maggie and Glenn get back with more formula." Shane nodded and quietly fast walked into the room. When Shane saw the baby in the bed wrapped in blankets sleeping peacefully, he fell to his knees and gaped at the sight of his 'possible' child. Carl stood leaning on the bars on the edge of the entrance.
Shane stared at the baby's small body. As he gazed over every detail in the baby's face, a tear began to fill in his eye. 'Is this my baby?' He repeatedly asked himself. He kept on thinking to himself, what would he do if he found out it was his child? What would Rick say? What would he DO? Shane bowed his head and rested his forehead on the bed in defeat. This was a lose-lose situation for him. The best thing to do is just leave it well enough alone even though he did love Lori. Didn't matter, she was dead.
He picked up his head and realized Carl was standing there next to him. Shane quickly shook his head and wiped the tear away. He took a last look at the slumbering baby and got to his feet. "Alright Carl," he whispered. "Let's go."
After walking down the hallway, Shane's guard started to go up. This place seemed a little too sketchy to him. Carl noticed Shane being a little skittish, "Shane it's fine. I cleared out this hallway when we got here."
Shane nodded completely ignoring his effort to comfort him. He let the words process in his head, 'Wait what..?' He glanced back to Carl with a shocked reaction. "YOU did?" Carl smiled back and boastfully nodded his head. Shane didn't know whether to be mad or impressed. "Carl, what did I tell you 'bout gettin yerself killed?"
"I know what you said," he groaned. "I'm not as weak as you think, Shane." Shane smirked and face palmed. Carl squinted his eyes. "Seriously Shane!"
"Kay okay man," Shane apologized with a smirk. He shoved his Glock back into his holster but kept it unbuckled just in case. He could hear distant moans, but he didn't pull out his gun because Carl wasn't very on edge.
"And... Here we are." Carl pushed open the door and walked in the bathroom. Shane walked in after him still a little on edge. To his surprise, the room didn't smell bad at all.
"Man I thought this place would be smellin like shit." Carl snorted and shook his head.
"You should of been here before we cleaned it."
Shane looked around for a cabinet or something that may have a razor. He noticed that showers were intact after all this time. "Got any hot water?" He asked still going through drawers and cabinets.
"Yeah but I think the water is heated by the sun. I don't think we have it in the winter."
"Good enough," he blatantly replied. He opened another drawer and discovered a couple of razors. They weren't good quality but at least they worked. "Founda couple." He grabbed it and took a closer look at it. "Eh, it'll do."
"What's it like shavin?" Carl suddenly asked.
"I toldja before man. Back in Atlanta. It blows, but you gotta do it." He walked to one of the sinks and looked in the mirror. He snorted and brushed his hand in his beard. "Yeah, I need it." He turned the sink faucet on, water began spewing out.
"I'd take it easy with that water. Dad says that he doesn't know how much we got."
"He's right. I'll go easy on it." He turned the valve making the water stop. He restlessly looked around for something else. "Damn, there's no shaving cream."
"Why do you need that?" Carl muttered crossing his arms.
Shane snorted. "It makes it easier t'do man. S'why it's called shaving cream." He shook his head, wetted his beard and began shaving away from neck to chin.
"You don't have to be mean about it," Carl timidly replied. Shane shifted his body towards Carl while still shaving.
"C'mon Carl, wasn't meant t'be mean," he stated. Carl glared back at him with his hands still crossed. Shane smirked and turned his gaze back to the mirror.
Carl quickly gazed around to see if anyone was near, "Shane?"
"Ya man?" He replied, his eyes glued to the mirror and continuing his shave.
Carl hesitated a little and wondered if this was a good time. 'Good time as any, right?' He thought to himself. "Why are you and dad not as good friends as before?" He asked as Shane finished his last stroke for his neck. Shane stopped in his tracks and gazed at Carl feeling caught off guard. He rested his hands on the sink, bowed his head and exhaled a long breath. He had no idea where to start.
"Thangs 'ave been rough between him an' me." He turned his gaze to Carl who was leaning on the wall. "Don't worry bout it man. I'm tryin to get thangs on bette' terms. You understan'?"
Carl nodded, "Yes."
Rick was patrolling around the gate glaring at the walkers outside the fences. "At least they aren't on this side of the fence," he murmured to himself.
Suddenly, he heard a motor coming towards them. "Finally, 'ey Oscar!"
Oscar looked down from the guard tower nodding, "I know Rick, be down in a sec." Rick acknowledged him and began opening the first gate. He grabbed the lead pipe and began popping some walkers in the face through the fence.
Oscar came rushing down the guard tower with another sharp poll. Glenn and Maggie's truck came into view and they beeped the horn. "Alright let's get this gate open." Rick and Oscar opened the gate quickly and the truck entered the gate. They then closed it back up. Rick and Oscar locked up the gate and began sprinting back to the complex.
Rick noticed that Glenn had his gun pulled out and was pointing it at something in the truck. "Rick, get over here now!" Rick pulled out his Python and cocked the hammer back.
Maggie came around the car with another girl at gunpoint. She pushed the captive to her knees in the middle of the courtyard. "What tha?" Then Glenn came around the truck with a man with a bag over his head and a prosthetic arm.
"Eh! Get this bag off m'head you fff- chinaman!" Rick couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Glenn, is that.."
"Merle," he blatantly replied. He pushed him to the ground and pulled the bag off his head.
"It's 'bout fuckin' ti'me yol took it off," Merle hissed. He took a look around and caught his gaze on Rick. His face dead then started forming a smile. "Officer Friendly eh?"
Rick smirked and crouched up in front of him, Oscar right behind in case Merle wanted to try anything. "Merle right? What're doin' here?"
"Your chink and his here little girlfriend kidnapped me and my friend!" Glenn pushed the barrel of his Glock up against his neck.
"Better be polite with a man with a gun. It's only logical," Rick reminded forming a smirk. Glenn looked down at him and smiled back.
"Fine. Now where's m'brotha?" He demanded.
"He's in the complex doin' something. I'm sure he'll be happy to see you like this," Rick sarcastically exclaimed. He got up to his feet. "Alright let's take em to one of the cells inside. I'll lock both of them up." Maggie and Glenn both nodded, brought the two captives to their feet and escorted them into the complex.
Rick locked both captives in different cells. Merle, being the loose cannon, was yelling and shouting for freedom. However, the girl just sat on the bed looking down what seems to look like she was lost in deep thought.
Shane and Carl came rushing in the cell block wondering what the yelling was all about. "Rick, what's the deal?" Shane quickly asked.
"Merle Dixon is alive," Rick replied with a low tone. Shane gaped and rushed to the cell he was in.
"Merle Dixon. It's been too long," Shane greeted with a smirk. He leaned onto the bars with hands around his belt.
"Officer Walsh eh? Thought you'd be dead by now. It's a shame you aren't," Merle jeered. Shane gazed back at Rick briefly. Rick looked down then back up at him with a defeated expression.
"Well I ain't. You better keep it down or we ain't never going to let you out again." Shane noticed his prosthetic. "So how's th' arm Merle?" He asked sarcastically forming a bigger smile.
"Screw you man. If it wasn't for your Officer Friendly, I would still have my hand and be with you fellas."
Shane snorted and shook his head. "Nah man, you'd probably wouldn't be with us. You'd be dead. You should be happy you weren't with us all this time."
"Is that a threat, officer?"
"Maybe it is. Be careful what you say around here," Shane warned while pointing at him. Merle chuckled and laid down on his bed resting his head on his real arm.
Suddenly a big crash erupted and Daryl rushed in the cell block with Carol in his arms. Shane quickly ran to him and felt her forehead. "She alright man?"
"Dehydrated," he replied while placing here in her bed. He crossed his arms and leaned back on the wall with a very faint concerning reaction.
"I'll take care of her." Hershel moved himself into the room. She's been missing for a few days. She was parched, starving and exhausted. Hershel started to treat her wounds and gave her a bottle of water. Daryl stood at the doorway with his arms crossed and a very concerned look. He really cared for Carol.
Rick came up behind the hunter and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Daryl, there's someone else here."
Daryl cocked an eyebrow. "What, find another prisoner?"
Rick slightly smirked and bobbed his head. "So to speak. Come with me." Rick motioned Daryl to follow. Daryl gave one last concerned look at Carol and then followed the leader of the group. They walked next to a closed cell and the hunter took a look inside.
"That the prisoner?"
Rick looked over towards the hunters gaze and shook his head. "That's one of them, but not the one I want you to see. He is over here." Rick stressed the word that slightly confused the hunter.
As Daryl walked towards the cell, he heard a familiar voice. "Need something Officer Friendly?" Rick looked back to Daryl and motioned him to come over.
He came around the corner and saw his brother for the first time since the incident in Atlanta. "Merle?"
Merle smiled widely and got to his feet. "Daryl, boy it's good t'see ya in the mists of these pansy asses."
Daryl snorted and put down his crossbow. "Ain't no pansy asses here. How did you get here?"
"Tha chinaman-"
"Glenn," Daryl coldly corrected.
"Glenn whatever, yeah, he and lil' squeeze kidnapped me and brought me here."
Daryl shook his head in disbelief. "Somethin tells me ya ain't tellin me th'whole story." Merle glared back at him.
"Don't tell me ya don't believe your own big brotha!" He practically shouted at him. Daryl smirked and walked away.
"There's some things that jus don't change," he quietly said to himself.
"Hey no Daryl! Come back here man! I haven't seen you in forever!" He banged his steel stub against the wall and began pulling on the bars.
Daryl turned around and glared at Merle in the eye. "Neither have I. But I managed to survive without ya."
"But brotha, were the same kin!"
Daryl squinted his eyes and growled beneath his breath. He threw down his crossbow and charged at Merle's cell. "Since when?! You haven't cared for me at th' slightest f'yer entire life! I had to fend for m'self for my entire fuckin life!" Daryl spat with all the rage in his body. Merle just stood there, not knowing what to say back. "Quite frankly Merle, you didn't give a shit for me up to now. Yer reason now, is 'cause of yer own survival." With that, Daryl gave Merle one last deafening look and walked off back into Carol's cell.
Rick looked back to Merle with an expressionless reaction. Merle didn't even look back at Rick and he laid back down on his cot. Rick shook his head and walked off to the other cell containing the other captive. He took one long look at the girl and noticed that she conflicted about something. She sat on the cot looking down at ground. Getting her inside the cell was no problem considering that she didn't even fight back.
"So, what's your story?" He coldly asked the girl. The brunette girl slowly turned her head to meet Rick's gaze. Rick crossed his arms and raised a brow. Her blue eyes stared back into Rick's without any sense of emotion.
"Don't have one," she whispered. Rick scanned back to Merle's cell then back to the girl's cell. 'How the hell did this happen?'
Shane walked over from Carol's cell. "Hershel says she's gonna be alright.." His tone faded as his eyes focused onto the girl. "Stephanie?" Rick quickly turned his head back to Stephanie then back to Shane.
Stephanie took a quick look at Shane then turned her head away from the cell's door. Rick didn't know what to think. "W-wait.." he demanded, waving his hands, "you two know each other?"
Shane looked back to Rick and nodded slowly with a half pissed expression. "Yeah, we're ol' pals."
Yeah yeah I know, a filler chapter.. Sorry about that. I promise there will be more action and eventful scenes in the later chapters to come. Please Review and comment! Thanks for keeping up with the story!