Chapter Ten
A few hours after the event's down at the lake, Kylie decided to hide away in her tent. She didn't want to answer any of the questions that were sure to coming her way. With a sigh, Kylie glanced at her bruised hand as it fiddled with one of the golden colored bolts for her small crossbow. Apparently, Ed's gut was harder than it looked.
A part of her wished that Shane hadn't stopped her from stabbing Ed. But she knew that killing the man wasn't the right thing to do. Even though he was a woman beating peice of trash.
Amy had been by to check on her, and to see if her friend wanted to go fishing with the sisters. But Kylie declined. She knew that Amy and Andrea need the time together doing something that the two of them loved.
Once afternoon hit, Kylie took down her hair, hoping to hide the large red handprint that she knew was on her cheek. Though it did nothing for her split lip.
After making sure her crossbow was hanging safely from her belt, and that she had all of her bolts in her pockets, Kylie left her tent and went to go up to the fires.
"Kylie, are you okay?" Lori asked her niece as she sat down on a log across from her.
"Yea, I'm fine. I've had worse" Kylie shrugged. Lori simply nodded and knew that it was true. It seemed as if every weekend, or anytime that Kylie went to the bar, she would come home riddled with cuts and bruises.
They were silent for a little while and Kylie could tell that Lori and Carl were both worried about Rick.
"Oh baby would you look at that?! Hey check it out." Kylie heard Morales say happily. Curious, Kylie turned to see both Amy and Andrea walking towards them. Both with at least a dozen fish in their hands.
Lori applauded in shock as she watched Andrea handed her catch to Morales.
"Ladies, because of you my children will eat tonight. Thank you" he told them happily.
"Thank Dale" Andrea responded as Kylie handed Amy a bottle of water. "It's his canoe and gear"
"Mom, Kylie, look! Look at all the fish!" Carl said excitedly from next to his mother. "Whoa" he said quietly, as he walked over and started poking one of the dead fish.
"Yea whoa. Where'd did you two learn to do that?" Lori as the sisters.
"Or dad" Amy said with a smile.
"Can you teach me how to do that?" Carl asked.
"Me too!" Kylie put in, sure she knew how to hunt fairly well thanks to Daryl. But it couldn't hurt to know more about fishing. Especially in the world that they were now living in.
"Sure!" Amy said happily. "I'll teach you guys all about nail knots and stuff." At that she shared a look with her sister and Kylie knew that it was probably an inside joke between the sisters. "If that's okay" she added, directing her words towards Lori.
"You catch me arguing" Lori said.
"Hi Dale!" Kylie chirped a minute later when she saw the older man walking towards them with his shotgun over his shoulder.
"Hey Dale" Andrea started, turning towards the man. "When's the last time you oiled those line reels? They are a disgrace." But her question was ignored.
"I, uh… I don't want to alarm anyone, but we may have a bit of a problem" he told them as he turned and pointed to a far off ledge. Peeking over the man's shoulder, Kylie saw Jim furiously digging into the ground. "He's been up there digging for a few hours now. I thought he would stop after a while, but he hasn't yet."
"We should go and check on him." Kylie said and Shane nodded in agreement. With that, the group made the short trek up the hill and over to where Jim was still digging. As soon as she was close enough, Kylie could see exactly what he was doing. Jim was digging graves. Enough for everyone in the camp.
"Hey, Jim" Shane said when the man didn't seem to notice that they were all there. "Jim why don't you hold up, all right?" he asked. "Just give me a second here, please?"
"What do you want?" Jim asked as he stopped digging.
"We're just a little concerned, that's all" Shane told him.
"Dale says you've been out here for hours" Kylie said softly from her spot behind Shane.
"So?" Jim asked.
"So why are you digging?" Shane responded, wanting answers. "Are you headin' to China, Jim?" he added with a light chuckle.
"He wouldn't end up in China" Kylie spoke up. "If anything he'd end up in, like New Zealand or in the middle of the ocean" she said, causing Shane to roll his eyes at her.
"What does it matter? I'm not hurtin' anyone" Jim directed towards Shane as he began to dig again.
"Yea, except maybe yourself" Dale told him, and Kylie nodded in agreement. Being out in the hot Georgia sun, doing hard labor without any form of hydration wasn't good for the body.
"Jim, it's a hundred degrees out today" Kylie told him. "You can't keep this up"
"Sure I can, watch me." To Kylie, his voice sounded almost cheerful. And that unnerved her just a little bit.
"Jim, they're not going to say it, so I will." Lori said as she walked over to stand next to Kylie. "You're scaring people. You're scaring my son, and Carol's daughter" she told him, glancing back to where Carol stood with Sofia and Carol, the woman's arms wrapped protectively around the children.
"They got nothing to be scared of" Jim told them. "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?" Kylie rose her eyebrows as the man started digging the grave again.
"We think that you need to take a break, okay?" Shane suggested after a moment of silence. "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. I'll help you myself."
"Me too" Kylie pitched in. "I'm no stranger to manual labor and hard work" she shrugged.
"Jim, just tell me what it's about" Shane said, but Jim didn't respond, he just kept digging. "Why don't you go ahead and give me that shovel?"
"Or what?" Jim snapped, driving the blade into the dirt.
"There is no or what. I'm asking you. I'm coming to you and I'm asking, please" Shane said. "I don't want to have to take it from you."
"If I don't, then what?" Jim asked. "The you gunna beat my face in like Ed Peletier, aren't you? Maybe Kylie could get a few good cuts in with that buck knife of 'll seen his face, huh? What's left of it." he addressed the group. "See now that's what happens when someone crosses you."
"That was different Jim" Shane stated calmly.
"You weren't there" Amy spoke up. "Ed was out of control. He was hurting his wife and tried putting his hands on Kylie."
"That is there marriage, That is not his!" Jim snapped. "And we all know how Kylie is, hangin' around with the Dixon's. Has quite the anger problem herself if I'm not mistaken" he added. "Shane is not judge and jury. Who voted you king boss, huh?"
"Jim, I am not here to argue with you all right?" Shane said, his voice still calm. "Just give me the shovel, okay?" he continued as he stepped towards Jim, who just backed away with his grip on the shovels handle.
Suddenly, Jim swung the shovel, hoping to hit Shane. But it was easily avoided and Jim was tackled to the ground. There was a small struggle between the two men as Shane tried to restrain the overheated man. Kylie tuned there words out, however as she watched them, hoping things didn't escalate too far.
"Jim, nobody is gunna hurt you, okay?" Shane said, trying to calm the other man down as he pulled out his pair of regulation handcuffs.
"That's a lie. That's the biggest lie there is" Jim almost sobbed. "I told that to my wife and my two boys.I said it a hundred times, it didn't matter" he explained, trying to keep himself from sobbing. "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."
Kylie's heart broke for the man. He was truly alone in this world. His family was gone and there was nothing left. Jim had told her what had happened to his family, that the walkers had gotten to them. But seeing the man, broken and face down in the dirt….it broke her heart.
AN: omg guys I am soooooo sorry for not posting yesterday like I was supposed to! Honestly I was super distracted by an impromptu TrueBlood marathon lol. But still I remembered and posted and yea haha. Anyways I hope you guys liked this chapter, even though not much really happened and stuff. Other than Jim going frigign cuckoo banana's. Still thanks to all of you who have read reviewed, favorited and followed and stuff. It makes me happy. Even though I wish more of you would review.
Coming up: the camp has a good dinner of fish and enjoy another night of life only to have it ruined. So stay tuned!
As Always, Leave Love
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