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Summary: When the world ended the only thing Birdie Grimes wanted to do was to get home to her family. When she finds her sister-in-law and best friend on the outskirts of Atlanta, will she finally get the chance to tell him how she really feels? Will love blossom? *No evil Shane*
Warning: This fan-fiction is rated Mature for Language, Gore and Adult Situations. Readers under the age of 18 are strongly discouraged from reading.
Pairing: Shane Walsh x Birdie Grimes
Chapter Twenty-Nine
"One tiny moment, a millisecond…no pain."
"My daughter doesn't deserve to die like this," Carol yelled, fresh tears streaming down her face as she looked to her husband who still did nothing to help.
"Jesus Christ, he's really gonna kill us. We're really gonna die." I whispered, turning my face away from the suicidal doctor.
Shane turned me away, pulling me close to his chest as I sobbed. He kissed my head tenderly, cooing into my ear. "No baby, nobody's gonna die. Shuhh."
"Wouldn't it be kinder, more compassionate to just hold your loved ones and wait for the clock to run down?"
Suddenly, Shane's body tensed beneath my fingers, a growl building in his chest and I saw more than heard him pump a shell into the barrel of his shot gun. He broke away from me and charged forward.
"Shane no!" Ricky yelled, stepping forward to block Shane.
"Out of the way, Rick!" Shane demanded, pushing past my brother and raising his loaded shotgun to Jenner's head. "Open that door, or I'm gonna blow your head off! Do you hear me?!
Ricky tried again, rushing forward to back Shane off. Lori was screaming at Shane to listen to him and then began screaming at me to do something.
"He dies…we all die." Ricky said calmly.
"Arrrggghhhh!"
The yell was one full of rage and hurt. It was terrifying to see the man I loved so out of control. He wasn't acting rashly anymore…I understood that, but he was trying to protect his family, perhaps in the only way he knew how. As scary as it was to see him point that gun at another human being…nothing horrified me more than the shot that rang out not a moment later.
"Shane!" I screamed, waiting for the moment Jenner's brain matter would connect with the wall behind him…it never did. He had shot the computer next to Jenner.
My brother, scared and pale snatched the gun from Shane's hand, smacking him across the face with the stock and knocking him to the ground.
"Ricky—
"Are you done now?" Rick asked, pointing a finger in Shane's face. "Are you done?"
"Ricky!" I yelled again, smacking him across the face and pushing him aside.
"Yeah, I guess we all are." Shane sneered as I helped him to his feet, running my finger along the harsh bruise already maturing on his left cheekbone. He pulled me to him roughly, his arms wrapping around my waist as if he were scared I would disappear before his very eyes.
"I think you're lying." Rick said suddenly, still holding his stinging cheek as he turned to face Jenner.
"What?" He replied looking confused and surprised.
"You're lying about hope." My brother said. "If that were true, you'd have bolted with the rest or taken the easy way out. You chose the hard path. Why?"
Jenner shook his head, turning his eyes down downward. "It doesn't matter."
"It does matter. It always matters." Ricky argued. "You stayed when the others ran. Why?"
"Not because I wanted to. I made a promise…to her. My wife." Jenner said, smiling sadly at me. "You really do remind me so much of her."
"Test subject 19 was your wife?" I asked, not really surprised by this revelation. I knew in when he explained how the infection spread that the TS was someone very close to him.
"She begged me to keep going as long as I could." Jenner commented softly, taking a step towards me, "How could I say no?" His hand was raised as he took another step looking like he wanted to caress my cheek, but I was pulled backwards.
Pulling forward a little, I pled my case. "Your wife didn't have a choice. You do. And that's all we want. It's all I want. A choice…A chance."
Rick stepped up shoulder to shoulder with me. "Let us keep trying as long as we can?"
Jenner sighed, stepping forward despite Shane's warning and putting both of his hands on my shoulders. "Topsides locked down. I can't open those."
"Thank you for letting me see your face again, if only just this once." He leaned forward, his head angled down and for the moment I was glad Ricky had taken the gun from Shane's hands, because Jenner was no longer speaking to me.
"What was her name?" I asked, not pushing him away.
"Candace. Her name was Candace." And with that he lowered his head and pressed a soft kiss to my forehead before backing away and running his card through the keypad and unlocking the doors.
"Come on. Lori, Carl…let's go!" I yelled at them, grabbing Lori by the arm and rushing to the doorway.
In passing, I saw Jenner lay a hand on Shane's shoulder, whispering something too low for me to hear, but I did catch Jacqui and Andrea say that they were staying. I wasn't listening anymore; I was too busy getting my own family out.
"Get them doors open!" I heard Daryl yell as we approached the glass doors at the entrance. Those same glass doors that we thought were our saving grace just might be the death of us now.
"The glass won't break!" I heard Sophia yelled, her father panting and holding onto his knees just feet from her…tears streaming down his fat face.
"Get off your ass and help your family!" I screamed at him as Shane blew passed me, shotgun in hand and yelled "Get back!"
He unloaded several rounds on the glass but it only ricocheted.
"It's bulletproof!" He exclaimed, hanging his head.
"Rick," Carol said, digging through her bag. "I think I have something that might help." She pulled a grenade out and handed it to my brother. "When I washed your uniform, I found this in your pocket."
Ricky eyes were wide, looking at the woman with a dumfounded and hopeful grin.
"Birdie, get down!" Shane yelled as Rick rushed forward, the grenade launching from his hand. I took cover, throwing myself against Lori and Carl, both of us shielding him from any fragments of the blast.
And then we were running again. Trusty barked, running at my side as we dodged walker after walker, shooting some and outmaneuvering others until we reached the safety in the cab of the large Semi.
Shane was hauling himself into the driver seat when the explosion rocked the ground, and he threw himself down on the floorboard. Trusty barked wildly, yipping and whining as the noise became deafening to even human ears.
We sat up in unison—Shane and I—and watched with wide eyes as a mushroom cloud as large as a skyscraper rocketed towards the sky. I had never seen anything like it and I doubted I ever would again. Shane pulled me to him, kissing my lips fiercely as we watched what the other ahead of us welcoming Dale and Andrea back. Jacqui was dead.
"I love you, Birdie…whatever happens from this point on…till the end, I love you."
"I love you, too." I told him, meaning it with all my heart as Shane put the truck into gear, and followed the convoy to wherever the road might lead.
The End
~ Author's Note ~
Well, we've come to the end my friends…but this is not over. By the time most of you have read this message at the end of Chapter 29, I will have already uploaded Chapter 1 of the sequel: Wherever the Road Might Lead, so if you wish to continue on this insane road that Shane and Birdie are on…you'll have to check it out.
Now hugs and kisses to all my peeps who've reviewed.
DamonSalvvatorelover789, gypsykl79, iLoveBeckAndAvan, Leyshla Gisel, deelove1, ThereAre666Ways2Love, angellic dragon, Paperlanterns86, Little Black Earrings, and Beldoge…
Thank you all so much for all of the support you've shown me and I hope to see all of you at the sequel.
LittleRin26…Out! :)
