Ch 8. Evening gone wrong

Emilia woke up disoriented stage inside RV, having minor headache. 'Where am I? What happened?'Suddenly everything came back her "Ed hit me" she said herself. Next she heard someone coming to RV. "Are you feeling alright" it was Jacqui who had worried look in her face. "Yeah. Just having little headache and babies are moving like crazy. What happened and how long have I been unconscious? Last I remember, I was falling unconscious and someone was yelling my name." Emilia told Jacqui who started explain what had happened. "It was Amy. You were out of cold only an hour. When you were hit by Ed, Shane came and started beating him into pulp." she told showing distaste in her face "After that we brought you to RV for resting. Amy and Andrea went to fishing down to quarry" Next she helped Emilia up and went with her to outside where the weather was still uncomfortable and hot.

Suddenly Dale came down to see Emilia. "Emilia. There's something wrong with Jim. He has been digging for hours at that filed" Dale said to Emilia pointing direction where Dale came from. Emilia walked to Jim who was digging holes in the field. "Uncle Jim what are you doing?" Emilia asked worriedly. "You should rest. You don't look so good."

Before he could answer, Shane suddenly came followed by rest of the campers. "Hey, Jim. Jim, why don't you hold up, all right? Just give me a second here, please." "What do you want?" Jim asked annoyed "We're all just a little concerned, that's all." Shane said and Morales continued "Dale says you've been out here for hours." "So?" Jim responded

"So why are you digging? Are you heading to China, Jim?" Shane inquired. "What does it matter? I'm not hurting anyone." Jim shot back "Yeah, except maybe yourself. Its a hundred degrees today. You can't keep this up." Shane started "Sure I can. Watch me." Jim said defiantly

"Jim, they're not going to say it so I will. You're scaring people. You're scaring my son and Carol's daughter and even Emilia." Lori said looking to Jim "They got nothing to be scared of. I mean, what the hell, people? I'm out here by myself. Why don't you all just go and leave me the hell alone?" Jim said to group

"We think that you need to take a break, okay? Why don't you go and get yourself in the shade? Some food maybe. I'll tell you what… maybe in a little bit I'll come out here and help you myself. Jim, just tell me what it's about. Why don't you just go ahead and give me that shovel?" Shane begged "Or what?" Jim, replied "There is no or what. I'm asking you. I'm coming to you and I'm asking you, please. I don't want to have to take it from you." Shane continued starting to get frustrated

"And if I don't, then what? Then you're going to beat my face in like Ed Peletier, aren't you? Y'all seen his face, huh? What's left of it. See, now that's what happens when someone crosses you." Jim said "That was different, Jim." Shane replied. "You weren't there. Ed was out of control. He was hurting his wife. He even hit Emily" Amy piped in. "That is their marriage. That is not his. He is not judge and jury. Who voted you king boss, huh?" Jim demanded to know. "Jim, I'm not here to argue with you, all right? Just give me the shovel, okay?" Shane replied starting to get agitated. "No, no, no." Jim said with pleading voice.

"Just give me the… Jim!" Shane said with his demanding voice. Suddenly Jim shoved Shane and tried to hit him with shovel, but Shane managed to tackle him ground. "Okay, shh shh." Shane said to struggling Jim who was begging "You got no right!" "Stop. Shh." Shane continued.
"Let him go Shane. Can't you see he is afraid?" Emilia shouted Shane who wasn't listening.
Jim: You got no right!" Jim said to Shane. "Jim, just stop it. Hey hey hey hey." Shane said and tried to calm him by telling no one will hurt him "That's a lie. That's the biggest lie there is. I told that to my wife and my two boys. I said it 100 times. It didn't matter. They came out of nowhere. There were dozens of 'em. Just pulled 'em right out of my hands. You know, the only reason I got away was 'cause the dead were too busy eating my family." Jim told with hurting voice, causing Emilia cry.

Later Jim was tied to a tree to protect him from hurting anyone or himself. Shane and Dale come up to him and Emilia, who had stayed with Jim to give him company, with some water.

Emilia took two water bottles and drinked one of the bottle half way. Other she offered to Jim "Uncle Jim you have to drink." Emilia said to worried tone. Jim drinked and asked her to pour water to his head. "Have you cooled down?" Shane asked Jim who nodded. "How long you going to keep me like this?" Jim asked "Until I think you aren't dagger to anyone." Shane replied

Next Jim apologized scaring kids. "You had sunstroke. Nobody's blaming you." Lori replied. "You're not scared now, are you?" Jim asked Sophia who said she wasn't, making Jim glad. "Your mama's right. Sun just cooked my head is all." Jim said to kids

Then Dale asked "Jim, do you know why you were digging? Can you say?" "I had a reason. Don't remember. Something I dreamt last night. Your dad was in it. You were too. You were worried about him. Can't remember the rest. You worried about your dad?" Jim asked Carl who was visibly worried and told Jim "They're not back yet." "We don't need to talk about that." Lori piped in.

"Your dad's a police officer, son. He helps people. Probably just came across some folks needing help, that's all. That man, he is tough as nails. I don't know him well but… I could see it in him. Am I right?" Jim said to Carl looking to Shane who agreed with Jim. "There ain't nothing gonna stop him from getting back here to you and your mom, I promise you that." Jim continued.

Shane went with kids and Carol back to camp preparing fish for lunch. Lori approaches Jim who said to her "You keep your boy close. You don't ever let him out of your sight." making Lori agree with him. Then she followed others to camp leaving Jim and Emilia talking.

"Why didn't you tell me truth?" Emilia asked Jim, Referring her aunt and cousins. "I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to think me as murderer." Jim replied. "Uncle Jim. You are not murderer. You did only thing you could and because of that I have a chance to be whatever is left of my family. OUR family." Emilia said starting crying. She cried a while and when she stopped she said to Jim "I'm alright. Let's get you out of these ropes and let's go back to camp. I need your help to prepare dinner." Jim nodded, waited as Emilia cut the rope and they both walked back to camp.

When they arrived to camp Jim started to help Morales to prepare fire for cooking fish. Emilia went to inside RV and noticed as Andrea was searching something inside cabinets. "Hey. What are you looking?" Emilia asked "Wrapping paper for Amy's birthday present. Her birthday is tomorrow. I have marked days on calendar" she told Emilia and showed her both the calendar and mermaid necklace "I totally forgot her birthday. I don't have present to her, but I know she will love the necklace." Emilia replied and looked calendar "Oh look at that tomorrow is also day I'm entering 22nd week of my pregnancy." Emilia said wondering how fast time flies, even after end of the world.

"Hey. Are you looking for something?" Dale asked as he entered RV. "Do you have wrapping paper, color tissue, anything?" Andrea asked Dale"Seriously?" "How can you not have any?" Andrea asked "Had I been informed of the impending apocalypse I'd have stocked up." Dale answered. "Why do you need it" he asked "It's Amy's birthday tomorrow. I've been marking days on the calendar just to make sure." she told Dale and showed the present. "You don't give a gift unwrapped." Andrea continued. Dale started looking in cabinets and said "Deep breath. I'm sure I'll find something here."

Later in the evening.

It was getting dark. People started gathering around fireplace to start eat dinner and having good time. "I've got to ask you, man. It's been driving me crazy." Morales said to Dale "What?" he asked. "That watch." Morales pointed Dale's watch. "What's wrong with my watch?" Dale asked. "I see you every day, the same time, winding that thing like a village priest saying mass." Morales replied"I've wondered this myself." Jacqui joined conversation. "I'm missing the point." Dale replied "Unless I've misread the signs, the world seems to have come to an end. At least hit a speed bump for a good long while." Jacqui said and Morales continued "But there's you every day winding that stupid watch."

"Time… it's important to keep track, isn't it? The days at least. Don't you think, Andrea? Back me up here. I like… I like what, um, a father said to son when he gave him a watch that had been handed down through generations. He said, 'I give you the mausoleum of all hope and desire, which will fit your individual needs no better than it did mine or my father's before me; I give it to you not that you may remember time, but that you may forget it for a moment now and then and not spend all of your breath trying to conquer it.'" Dale replied. "I agree with Dale. If we don't follow time, we wouldn't even know what season we are entering." Emilia said gaining grin from Amy "You both are so weird." Amy said making everyone laughing.

"It's not me. It's Faulkner. William Faulkner. Maybe my bad paraphrasing." Dale said. Then Amy stood up and started to walk towards RV. "Where are you going?" Andrea asked. "I have to pee. Jeez, you try to be discreet around here…" she replied making everyone laughing. "Wait Amy, I come with you." Emilia said getting up with help of Morales and started also walking to RV.

When they entered RV Emilia started to speak." I don't have anything to else offer you as a present, but would you like to be godmother of the babies?" Emilia asked Amy who was amazed. "Of course. I would be honored and you know that is best birthday present ever." she said and hugged and went to toilet. After she had done her business she started to walking back to step outside, Emilia following her. When Amy stepped outside of the RV she asked out loud that did they have any toilet paper.

What happened next happened really fast. A walker that either Emilia or Amy hadn't seen came directly to Amy and took bite out of her hand causing both Emilia and Amy screaming. Emilia screamed out of the horror seeing her best friend being bitten and Amy out of the horrible pain cause by the bite at her arm.

Then Emilia heard panicked screams around the camp and gunshots as Shane started shooting walkers. Both Morales and Jim picked up a baseball bat and killer walkers while everyone took cover and Dale picked up his rifle. It was total chaos and people were bitten and killed by walkers.

At the same time Emilia watched horrified as the walker that had bitten Amy's arm, bit her in the neck. Andrea came running toward Amy and Jim killed the walker who had bitten Amy twice. Andrea kneeled down her sister who was dying "No! No! Oh God! Oh my God!" Andrea screamed in horror. "Help me." Amy begged as Andrea said she didn't knew what to do. Emilia came to Amy and tried to stop bleeding. It was too late as Amy was losing too much blood.

At the same time survivors were fighting their way towards RV. The men killed walkers but there were too many walkers. Suddenly someone started to shoot walkers down. It was Rick, T-Dog, Daryl, and Glenn who had arrived just in time to kill more of the walkers. They managed to kill all the walkers. When the shooting stopped survivors gathered to RV.

Both Emilia and Andrea were with Amy "Amy. I don't know what to do, Amy. Oh, Amy. Oh no no." Andrea said. "Look after babies…" Amy managed to say weakly and managed touch weakly both Andrea and Emilia, showing them both she loved them, looking last breath and dying. "I promise" Andrea said to her sister and start yelling her name while crying. Carl and Emilia both also started crying seeing Amy dead and mourning Andrea.

Daryl came to crying Emilia and hugged her "I'm here. Everything will be alright. "He said in soothing tone and started taking her inside RV to rest. At the same time people looked around and saw multiple dead walkers. "I remember my dream now, why I dug the holes." Jim said watching horrifying scene around them.