Charlotte still felt sick to her stomach after managing to get Hannah to sleep. She'd thrown the bloodied shirt outside the tent, fully intending to burn it, and desperately tried to get the blood off of her fingers. She put on a new shirt and looked over at the sleeping form of her daughter. Her face was stained red from the tear tracks. All this time Charlotte spent keeping Hannah safe but she still kept getting hurt. The people that they loved were dying off.
One thought came to mind at this point, Daryl. Sorry brother. He'd killed Dale. He'd put the old man out of his pain. Daryl, who, up to this point, had never killed a person. She looked up at Hannah once more, sound asleep, and left the tent. She had to see him. When she got outside, Glenn was still sitting by the campfire, his eyes were red from the tears. Glenn had admired Dale for as long as she knew them both. She remembered him showing the younger man how to fix the RV.
"What're you still doing up?" Charlotte asked. Glenn's head snapped up and he wiped away the few stray tears that were falling.
"Can't sleep. Not in there. Not w-when…" he drifted off trying not to cry once more. Charlotte looked at him sympathetically.
"You can sleep in our tent tonight. Take my bed," she suggested. Glenn looked like he was about to say something but she cut him off. "I need to look in on Daryl."
"You sure that's a good idea?" Glenn asked. "After what went down, going out there alone?"
"I gotta. Glenn, you might not get it now but one day you will. I'll be back, I promise," she reassured. "'Sides, I got my knife and my gun. I'll be fine."
"You're gonna go no matter what I say," he'd deduced.
"Get some sleep, Glenn," she told him ushering him to their tent. "Love you kid."
"Love you too," he hugged her before going to inside.
Charlotte made her way down the familiar path. Her hand rested on her gun and she walked, as fast as she possibly could, to Daryl's camp. She could see the orange of the flames from Daryl's fire, which meant he was still awake. When she walked up, she saw him staring blankly into the fire.
"Hey," she said swallowing the lump in her throat. Daryl looked up at her and she tried her very best to smile, only it wouldn't hold.
"Hey," he replied. "How's Hannah?"
"Asleep," she answered. "Glenn's sleeping there tonight too."
"And you?" He asked.
"Been better," she said taking a seat next to him. "You?"
"Been better," he copied looking back down. Charlotte could finally see her hands now. Most of the blood was gone but she still saw little flecks under her finger nails. She swallowed her own grief knowing that Daryl needed her right now.
"I killed him, Charlie. I killed Dale," his voice was tight as he spoke.
"He was sufferin', Daryl," she tried to reason. He was still looking intently at the ground. "There was nothin' we coulda done. He'd've died either way. You did what needed to be done," she reassured.
"Maybe if I'd'a been faster…" he mumbled.
"What happened ain't on you," she reassured.
"I'm the one who put the gun to his head, looked 'im in tha eye 'n pulled the trigger," he argued.
"Daryl look at me," she said while putting a hand under his chin and guiding his head up so his blue eyes stared intently into hers. "Yes, you pulled the trigger, but you put Dale out of his misery. He was in agony and there was nothing any of us could do to make it better. If you hadn't've done it, Rick woulda had to, and it would've destroyed him. But you, you're stronger than that. You'll get past this. We all will, and we'll be alright." She was holding his hands at this point. "You're a good man Daryl Dixon. I don't want you to ever forget that."
She leaned over and kissed his lips. She kissed him like a junkie that needed a fix. It was as if he was the one keeping her breathing at that very moment. Soon enough, they were heading back to the familiar tent, falling into each other just as it was always meant to be. It felt right being with him. He was her first real love, the one that she could never shake off no matter how hard she tried. And she did try, she tried very hard, but she failed miserably at it. Maybe it was because they had a kid together. Or because it was the end of the world, but the fact still remained the same, Charlotte Connor was completely in love with Daryl Dixon.
The Next Morning:
The group gathered around the freshly dug grave. Charlotte had one hand on Hannah's shoulder. Her other hand discreetly held Daryl's. That morning, Charlotte remembered waking up, forgetting completely about the grief she'd felt the night before. At least she had for just a minute. She stared into his blue eyes and managed to smile.
"I get it now," she'd started. "I get why Willow left." She'd been thinking about her sister a lot the last few days.
"Yeah?"
"If ever I lost you or Hannah and there was even the slightest chance that you were alive, I'd do anything to find you," she explained. "I just wish… I wish I hadn't said what I did. She left thinking that I hated her."
"She knows that you don't," Daryl reassured.
"Still don't change the fact that she's gone," Charlotte argued. "But now, with Dale gone… I want her back. I want my sister back here, safe, alive."
"I'll find her," Daryl stated.
"Yeah?"
"You're right," he said. "She's family 'n now we need family."
Charlotte and Daryl had made their way over back to camp just before the sun rose. Still, there were people awake. Over by the stable, she could see someone digging a hole. She knew it was Rick. And then, the grief of losing Dale once again rose in her chest. Hannah, Glenn, and the rest of camp had all woken up a few minutes later. They'd gathered around Dale's grave to say their goodbye's. Charlotte was tired of saying goodbye. She was tired of putting the people she loved in the ground.
She looked down at her feet and listened to Rick as he went on about how Dale was a good man. How he always tried to keep the group grounded, human, and that they'd prove him wrong. Dale had said this group was broken but they weren't and they would prove that. From now on, to honour Dale, they were going to do things his way. The ceremony didn't last too long after that. Charlotte let go of Daryl's hand and led Hannah, who's shoulders were shaking as she cried, back to camp. They needed to pack up their stuff seeing that they were moving into the house.
Charlotte was putting away the last of the bedding when Daryl came in the tent. Hannah was somewhere with Carl. It was better that she was with a friend.
"Hey," she smiled looking mildly surprised to see him.
"There's a group goin' to check the perimeter. Shane said he noticed a few walkers around there this mornin'," he said.
"You don't need my permission to go, Daryl," she teased. She smiled at him once more. "Just be safe, ok?"
"Always am," he said before exiting the tent once more.
A little under an hour later, Charlotte was loading her's and Hannah's things in the back of Hershel's truck. She had a moment of panic when she saw Carl sitting alone. She walked over to the sad looking boy.
"Carl, where's Hannah?" She asked worry etching her voice.
"Um… she said she was going to the stables," Carl stated just looking down at his feet. It couldn't be easy for him. Seeing Dale all ripped open like that, it was enough to give any grown-up nightmares let alone a kid. Except, she knew the only thing that he needed right now was his parents. She was a mother but she wasn't his mother. Nothing she said could have impact on him.
She walked away from the sulking boy and went towards the stables. She could hear the faint sounds of sniffling. Charlotte walked in and saw Hannah's knees up to her chest. Her heart broke at the sight of her daughter crying alone.
"Hannah?" She asked while crouching down. Hannah lifted her head and wrapped her arms around Charlotte. She pulled her little girl in closer and let the tears fall as Hannah sobbed into her chest. "Shh, shh, shh, it's okay baby."
She kept muttering how it was all going to be okay. She stopped crying a little while ago but Hannah still sniffled in her chest. She knew how close her daughter and Dale had gotten. Hannah was attached to the people in this group and her little girl wasn't good at saying goodbye.
"Everythin's gonna be alright," she repeated. Hannah broke away from her.
'I let Dale down.'
"What are you talkin' about?"
'Yesterday, when he came to talk to Glenn about Randall, I was there. I said he should die. And now Dale's dead. He died thinking that I wanted to kill someone. Maybe if I hadn't said what I did, he wouldn't have gone out last night.' She blamed herself. It was irrational but she truly was her father's daughter.
"Hey, stop that," she told her. "There is absolutely nothing you could've done. Dale loved you 'n all he ever wanted was for you to stay who you are. And I know that it may not seem like it now, but you're gonna be okay."
'How?' She signed. 'Amy, Jim, Jackie, Sophia, Dale, they're all gone. How can everything be ok? People I love keep dying. I don't want to lose anyone else. I don't want to lose you.'
The words You won't died on her lips. She remembered something Hannah had said back when they were in Henessey. She was tired of lies. Charlotte was just trying to protect her from the harshness of this world for so long. She tried to keep Hannah as the sweet and innocent girl she knew but the sad truth was, Hannah didn't get to have the same kind of childhood that Charlotte had had. Hannah was going to lose more people she loved, eventually she'd probably lose Charlotte too.
'I wish I could tell you that you won't lose anyone else,' Charlotte signed. It was their own way of communicating that they had but no one else in the group had. 'But you asked me not to lie anymore, so I won't. Since everything started I have been trying to protect you but it is not that simple anymore. It breaks my heart because all that I have ever wanted for you is that you grow up feeling safe, loved, happy… The truth is that one day I'm going to die.' Hannah's eyes were tearing up at the thought. 'But that does not mean I won't be with you.'
'I don't understand,' Hannah signed.
Charlotte's hand went down to the locket around her neck. She remembered how much comfort it had brought her after her mom died. When she wore it, she was never alone. Though, perhaps it was time to it on. Charlotte knew she wasn't alone anymore. Maybe Hannah needed it a little more than she did. She took the necklace off and handed it to her daughter.
"Your Nana gave me this just before she died," Charlotte explained vocally now. It was hard to sign with something in her hand. "Whenever I miss her, I just held the locket in my hand, squeezed it, and I knew she was there. I want you to have it." She put the locket over her daughter's hair and let it drop down to her neck. The chain was a little long so it reached just past her chest area and landed just above her stomach.
"There, now no matter where I am, no matter how hopeless or lonely you feel, you just squeeze that locket and I will be there, even if you can't see me," she explained before kissing Hannah's forehead. "I love you so much, baby."
'I love you too,' Hannah signed.
"Alright, c'mon, we gotta go help move into the house," Charlotte said pulling her daughter up with her.
When they reached the house, the group that had left to check the perimeter had returned. She smiled seeing Daryl with all his stuff driving up on his motorcycle. She and Hannah began to unload their things from the back of the pick up. The group was taking the main floor to sleep.
"Hannah, why don't you pick out a corner for us, ok?" She told her daughter. Hannah nodded and headed deeper into the house.
"Charlotte," Rick's voice rang from behind her. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Yeah, sure," she said following him out of the house.
They stood on the porch, a little ways away from where the group was unloading their luggage.
"What is it, Rick?" She asked.
"I needed to ask you somethin' about Randall," he started. "Well, more like what we're gonna do with him."
"You aren't havin' second thoughts, right?" She asked. It was decided that they weren't going to kill Randall.
"No, no, nothin' like that. It's just… I was hopin' of dealin' with all this today but I don't think Shane's ready to go back out yet. He's comin' back to bein' himself but he's not quite there yet."
"And this applies to me, how?" Charlotte asked.
"Well, I was thinkin' 'bout askin' Daryl to go. 'Xcept I thought I should talk to you first," he said. She gave him a confused look. "C'mon Charlotte, I'm not an idiot, I saw the two o' you this mornin' and yesterday too. I know what's goin' on." Charlotte felt the blush rush to her cheeks.
"Who else knows?" She asked.
"Just me," he said. "But, it doesn't take a genius to figure it out. So, should I ask Daryl?"
"I think he's your best option," she said. "And it'll do him good to stretch out his legs."
"I appreciate that," he said. "'Nother thing I wanted to ask, while I'm out, I asked Andrea to take the lead, but I think she could use some extra support."
"You're askin' me to be in charge with Andrea?" She asked in disbelief. "In case you haven't noticed Rick, I ain't exactly all gun-ho like Andrea."
"That's exactly why I'm askin'. The group'll listen to you. They respect you," Rick explained. "Right now, the group needs that."
"Okay," she agreed. "I'll do it."
She barely had time to get to the front door when someone else was calling her name. She looked over to see Shane standing there. She stiffened at the sight of him. She remembered him smacking her yesterday. The swelling in her lip had gone down a considerable amount but the cut hadn't shrunk. She thought about going back into the house and completely ignoring him but her momma raised her better than that. So instead she walked down the steps and stood in front of him.
"What d'you want?" She asked, she attempted to keep her tone civilized but she couldn't help but be a little bitter.
"Look, Charlotte, I just wanted to apologize," he said. "I didn't mean for you to get hurt. I still think of you as my friend, 'n I know the way I've been actin' lately ain't exactly shown that, but it's gonna change. Things are gonna change."
"It's okay Shane," she said. Charlotte always liked to see the good in people. It was what drew her to Daryl in the first place. She could see the good in him when no else did, not even himself. And maybe that was why she'd decided to forgive Shane, because in her mind she could still see the man that she joked around with and that kept them safe at the quarry. Looking at him now, she could see that there was still good in him. "We're good."
"Okay, I just wanted to make sure," he said.
The conversation ended after that. Shane went to the windmill to keep building the lookout platform. She ran into Andrea on the way into the house, she said how Rick came to talk to her about how Charlotte was going to help her out.
"In all honesty, I'm just glad he trusts two women to look after the group," Andrea said.
"Yeah, Rick's good like that," she agreed. Andrea proceeded to tell her about the watch schedule.
"So I was thinking you do a check of the area before relieving T-Dog for watch?" Andrea suggested.
"Sounds good," she agreed. Charlotte had never taken watch before but she got the idea. Everyone had to pull their weight around camp, and Charlotte had proven herself capable of handling herself. Andrea knew what went down at the bar in town. She hadn't expected Charlotte to be such a badass. Andrea always thought Charlotte was exactly like Lori, and it wasn't that she had any negative feelings towards the other woman, it was just that Lori didn't get it. Charlotte did.
Charlotte went back in the house to finish unpacking her stuff after her brief conversation with Andrea. She made her way to the living room. She could see out of the corner of her eye Maggie talking to Glenn. She smirked, the two sort of reminded her of a less messed up version of her and Daryl. She could hear Maggie telling Glenn to put his things in her room, only to have the young man brush her off completely. She watched Maggie's expression fall as she mournfully went back up the stairs. Charlotte huffed before following the younger man. He was putting his things in the dining room when she came up.
"Glenn, can I talk to you for a second?" She asked trying to make her voice sound as sweet as possible.
"Y-Yeah," he said. It was almost as if he could sense the false-sweet-mom tone.
She led him outside, around the porch where no one could hear them.
"What the hell's the matter with you?" Charlotte snapped.
"Um… I… what?" Glenn stuttered. She rolled her eyes. Men, she told herself bitterly.
"I'm talkin' about with Maggie," she clarified. Glenn huffed and leaned back on the railing. "Don't give me that look, Glenn. I saw the way you just brushed her off back there. What was that?"
Glenn shrugged looking down at his feet.
"Why are you bein' like this? You know how she feels about you. You know how you feel about her," Charlotte stated.
"And how do I feel about her exactly?" Glenn asked.
"Oh don't give me that," she scolded. "Any idiot can see how you two feel about each other. Hell, I think even Hershel knows."
"What am I supposed to do Charlotte?" Glenn asked. "Say I tell her how I feel. Say I tell her I love her, then tomorrow we get overrun by walkers and she dies. Do you know how what that'll do to me? Or what'll happen to her if I die?"
"Glenn…" She drifted off.
"I don't want to hurt her," he stated. "But we're all gonna die someday, and I don't want to depend on a person so much that when they die, I won't be able to keep moving. Cause I know that if Maggie dies before me, I won't be able to keep moving forward."
"Glenn, stop," she told him. "Just stop. What your telling yourself right now, it's absolute bullshit. Trust me, I've told myself enough bullshit to know. You're just makin' excuses because you don't wanna get hurt. But listen to me very carefully, you're right, we don't know how long we got until we bite it but that hasn't changed from before.
"You never know when time'll run out, but you can't stop livin' 'cause you're scared. 'cause you'll regret that more than anythin'," she told him. "The minute we forget that is the minute we stop bein' human."
"So, you're saying…" Charlotte interrupted him.
"Tell her how you feel, Glenn," she said. "Don't be like me. Don't wait to tell the person you love how you feel. Trust me, you'll be a lot happier."
After Hannah had found a somewhat comfy spot on the floor, she dropped her bag, she wandered around to find Carl. They hadn't spoken a word since Dale's funeral, though that was mostly because she wanted to be alone. Only now, she needed her best friend. There weren't many places where someone could be completely alone on the farm. Hannah had claimed the stables as hers, while the shed was occupied by Randall the prisoner, so that left the barn.
Hannah made her way to the big building that still very faintly smelled of walker. Even with all the windows open, that smell wasn't leaving anytime soon. It lingered on the walls, in the hay. The entire building was just a reminder that Sophia had died while Hannah lived. She saw Carl with his brown cowboy hat sitting on the second level at the massive opening. Hannah couldn't recall what it was called exactly, but she had memories of watching her mother put hay bales on a large sort of conveyer belt that would bring them down so they could be used to feed the animals. Now, it served as a lookout perch.
She went and took a spot next to him but didn't say a word. Hannah knew sometimes that silence was the way to go. One thing she'd noticed since becoming 'hearing' was that hearing people always felt the need to say something. Carl knew that she was there, she could wait until he broke the silence. Besides, body language said a lot. She moved her hand slightly so their pinkies were touching. They sat in silence, just staring off into the distance when Carl finally opened up.
"It's my fault Dale's dead," he said. Hannah's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. She didn't say anything, she just let him talk. "Yesterday, I was tired of being treated like a little kid so I snuck away. I went over to your dad's camp and found his gun." She wasn't liking this story very much. "And then I went into the woods. I made it to the creek bed and saw a walker." The pieces started to click together.
"Was it…" she drifted off not wanting to say the one that got Dale?
"Yeah," he said miserably. "I was going to shoot it but then I fell and it got loose so I ran."
Hannah wasn't sure how to react. She wanted to tell him that it wasn't his fault, even though she didn't fully believe it. She wanted to yell at him for being so stupid and going out there alone, but she couldn't summon the energy to do it. She tried to think back to Dale and what he would do. He'd come up with something wise and thoughtful to say. He always did. But now, looking at Carl, she had absolutely nothing to say.
"Say something," he begged. She huffed trying to think of something.
"Like what? You want me to yell at you Carl? To blame you?" She asked. "Why? Nothing's gonna change. Dale's still gonna be dead."
"But it's my fault," he emphasized. She thought back to the highway, to hiding under the cars, to Sophia.
"I was going to stop Sophia from getting out from under the car," Hannah said. "But by the time I went to do it, it was too late. If I had stopped her, then maybe the two walkers would've gone by and things would be different. Or maybe if I had run with her, I could've stopped her. Maybe, if I hadn't been scared, she'd be alive right now. So I guess, Sophia dying was my fault too."
She'd been holding those feelings back for quite some time. Or maybe she never really felt them until now.
"You were scared," Carl comforted. "It wasn't your fault."
"You were scared," she repeated only telling him this time. "It wasn't your fault."
"So we both ran when we were scared and people died. What does that make us?" Carl asked. Hannah shrugged, she really didn't know.
Later, Charlotte was leaning on the railing waiting for Rick and Daryl to be done. Glenn had gone back to get the RV with Andrea. She hoped that she'd said stuck. Charlotte wanted that kid to be happy and Maggie made him happy. He deserved it, now if only he could get his head out of his ass long enough to accept it that would be fantastic.
"Hey," she heard Daryl say.
"Hey," Charlotte replied.
"Where's Hannah?" He asked.
"I saw her leave a little while ago. She's with Carl," she answered. "So, you and Rick all ready to go?"
"Yeah, we're just waitin' for Carol to finish makin' up supplies," Daryl explained.
"Good," she looked down at her hands. The closer he and Rick got to leaving, the more Charlotte felt herself getting nervous. She was regretting letting Rick ask him to go, but it wasn't like she could really tell him no. Charlotte wasn't in charge of Daryl.
"You okay?" Daryl asked drawing her attention back.
"Hm… oh, yeah. I'm good," she lied. "Promise me you'll be safe out there."
"Of course, I always am," he said. "Sooner he's gone the better."
"Then we can look for Will," she stated.
"Yep," Daryl said.
"And we can tell Hannah," she added.
"Soon as I get back," he confirmed. "You seen my gun? I can't find it."
"Nope," Charlotte shrugged. She pulled the gun Monroe gave her from her waistband and held it out to him. "Here, take mine. I'll feel a lot better knowin' you got it."
"Thanks," he said taking it from her hands. She held his gaze for a little while longer.
"Listen, I gotta go relieve T from watch," she told him.
"You're takin' watch?" He asked. "Since when?"
"Rick asked me to help Andrea out while you two are out," she explained.
"Charlie." He looked down at the gun in his hand, as though ready to hand it back over.
"Keep it. You'll need it more than me. I got my knife," she shrugged.
"Be careful, okay?" He ordered.
"I'll be okay," she said. She leaned over and kissed him. At this point, she really didn't care if anyone saw them. The group was going to find out sooner rather than later. "See you later."
"See ya," he said.
Charlotte felt almost naked without her gun. She was the one who offered it to Daryl, she shouldn't complain. Charlotte worried about him going off with Rick. He needed it more than she did. They had only just started again, things were finally being fixed. If something bad happened out there, Charlotte didn't know what she'd do. She couldn't lose him again. She told him that. If anything ever happened to him or Hannah, Charlotte wasn't sure if she could survive it. They were a family now. Hannah couldn't lose him just as she was starting to know him. You're being ridiculous, Charlotte. He'll be fine. He's Daryl. He always pulls through. He'd managed to climb up a freaking ravine after being stabbed by an arrow. He could handle this. After, they would try and find Willow, just like he'd promised. Randall would be dealt with and she could go and find her sister.
Charlotte was doing one last sweep before taking watch when she noticed, out of the corner of her eye, Shane walking into the woods. What the hell's he doing? She wondered before silently following him. She made sure to stay a back so that Shane wouldn't be able to hear her. She could see that he wasn't alone. Randall was there too. What was he doing with Randall? They were letting him go. That was the plan as far as she knew. Though maybe, that's what Shane was doing. She ducked behind a tree. She counted to sixty before continuing her trek. Daryl had taught her basic tracking back when they'd dated the first time. She remembered very little but she could follow whatever tracks were left. She knew that it would be better to give Shane that distance so she wouldn't get caught. She wasn't scared though, this was Shane. He was her friend. He wouldn't hurt her. He'd been acting weird but she knew things were going to be better. He was going to be better.
When she'd finally caught up, he'd taken off Randall's blindfold and was helping him up.
"Man, you're gonna like it with us. Sometimes, when we go out, they get a little crazy," Randall explained walking ahead of Shane by a few steps. He was leaving them? He couldn't. Shane was angry with some of the calls that were made but he wouldn't just leave. Not without at least telling them why. She held her breath as the footsteps shuffled behind her. She was careful not let out any noise. She didn't know what was going on or if she could trust Randall if Shane's guard was down. She let out a yelp though when Randall was cut off mid sentence by a loud snap. She covered her mouth to keep from crying out. She heard something hit the ground.
"You can come out now," Shane's voice pulled her out of her daze. She stepped out from behind the tree cautiously. She could see that he had his gun raised but lowered it upon seeing her. "Charlotte, what're you doin' out here?"
"I could ask you the same question," she stated as she looked behind him to see Randall's corpse laying in a heap on the ground. Her eyes widened in surprise. "Though, I guess I've got my answer," she tried to keep her voice under control.
"I know how this looks, but you've got it all wrong," he started. "Rick asked me too. He didn't want anyone else to know."
"I thought the plan was to let Randall go?" She questioned suspiciously.
"No, no, that's just what we told the others. We knew there'd be some protest from the group after Dale 'n all that. We were gonna tell everyone after it was done," he spoke smoothly.
"Rick wouldn't keep somethin' like that from us," she countered.
"He wanted the kid dealt with quietly and quickly," he argued. Charlotte was still hesitant about it. "Charlotte, have I ever lied to you before?" She thought about it and she realized that no, he hadn't. He'd lost his way but he was coming back now. That was what he had told her. Shane was her friend. He'd protected them. Charlotte shook her head to signal that he was right. "Come here," he gestured. Charlotte stepped closer to him and went into his arms. "It's gonna be okay. Just trust me. Everythin's gonna be fine," he soothed and she believed him. She trusted him. Shane was her friend and she had faith in him. She knew that he was good. Everything would be just-
Her thoughts were cut off by the a white hot pain erupting through her body. She looked down at her stomach and saw blood starting to drip out. She stared back at Shane with gaze of absolute betrayal. Her legs started to go limp as Shane stabbed her once more, and twisted the knife in her gut. He gently placed her on the ground, leaning her up against the nearest tree.
"Why?" She whispered.
"I had no other choice," he lamely stated. "I'm sorry Charlotte. I'll make sure your girl's looked after."
"Go to Hell," she spat. "They're gonna find out."
"No, they're not. See, here's what happened. You told me you saw Randall slip out of the shed. We followed his trail but he got the jump on us. We got separated. I tried to find you but he clocked me in the face n' took my gun. I barely made it back myself. I have no clue where you are," he told the story so well that she would've believed it, had she not been trying not to pass out from the pain. Things are gonna change. This was what he meant. It wasn't about his behaviour at all, it was about this.
"Screw you, they'll see right through it," she lied. She knew they'd eat right out of the palm of his hand.
"I'm sorry about this. It really didn't have to be this way. You should've stayed at the farm. I just need to get my family back." He was sounding crazier by the second. Shane then stood up and walked away. She coughed, the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. Shit.