These Things: The world's gone to hell – there's just no other way to put it. A sickness spread across the US, infecting the young and the old alike. I'm a long way from home and I may never see my hometown again, but I have to keep fighting. It's them or us; the dead versus the living. Apocalypse: 1, Iva: 0. (OC/Shane)

Disclaimer:I don't own any of the characters from the famous comic book (turned television adaptation) The Walking Dead, but sometimes I wish I was a writer on the show's staff! I will be the first to admit that the characters are a mish mash of their comic book and television personalities. Some might even be horribly butchered, but I've done my best. Iva, Libby, and a few others are my creations, so please give them a bit of respect.

Rating: This story is rating M+ for Mature Audiences. Gore, violence, language, intense situations, sexual innuendo, and sexual scenes occur throughout the course of the story. Chapters containing sexually explicit materials will be properly labeled, but it is advised that children do not read this story.


"I'm not a bad man, I'm just overwhelmed. It's cause of these things, it's cause of these things." – She Wants Revenge, These Things

These Things

~Chapter Ten~

We were hailed as heroes when Shane lowered the tailgate of the Jeep and the others were able to see how much we'd scavenged from the Dollar General. As Glenn and Daryl helped Shane unload the supplies, I helped Lori and Carol organize the belongings on the large wooden picnic table they'd found in the backyard – Hershel, they'd said, had encouraged the women to take it for the group's personal use.

I sat down on the bench and watched the two women sift through the candy and cartons of cigarettes and saw Lori's eyes widen in shock. "Are you planning an end of the world orgy, woman?" Lori demanded, her tone playful. Carol peered over her shoulder and her eyes bulged. "Tampons, too. Good. We'll need those."

"Should we keep everything together in one place, you think?" Carol inquired as she studied the haul.

I shook my head. "I don't know, but probably not. It might be better to have a boogie stash ready, just in case you have to split quickly. Maybe keep an emergency supply in each of the vehicles." Shane dropped the case of canned tuna fish on the table and rested his elbow on the cardboard box. "Are you planning to offer some of the supplies to Hershel and his family, Lori?"

Her eyes darkened for a moment before she shrugged her shoulders and pushed her long brown hair back over her shoulder. "It seems only fair, since he's letting us stay on his land and they've given us a few things. We should see if they could use any of this."

"There's more where this came from," Shane promised as Rick strolled up to the picnic table. Rick's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked over the haul, pausing long enough to unwrap a Tootsie Roll pop and pop it into his mouth. "We left some supplies outside by the dumpster, under the tarp. But, there's more to be had inside the store."

"We could make one hell of a meal tonight, for everyone. You should ask Hershel if we can use his kitchen tonight, Lori."

But Lori didn't seem so sure that was a good idea. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind, Carol. Go ahead and ask him."

I watched Carol juggle two cans of peas that we'd managed to scavenge, her eyes alight with laughter. "I think it would be best coming from you. You're kind of the unofficial First Lady and all, being Rick's wife." After a moment's hesitation, I nodded in agreement. The show of support seemed to galvanize Carol's thought process, as she quickly forged ahead. "I would love to actually cook in a real kitchen again, and Patricia told me they use the generators an hour or two every day to do the washing and cooking, and to make sure the fridge stays cold enough."

I continued to sit at the picnic table and observed while Glenn and Carol and Daryl organized the supplies. Lori promised to talk to Hershel and wandered towards the farmhouse – I couldn't help but notice that both Rick and Shane stared after her for a moment too long. Daryl teased Glenn about the overflowing supply of contraceptives and I noted the blush on Glenn's cheek when he thumped Daryl on the arm and helped him carry a box of supplies towards the RV.

Once they were out of earshot, Shane rested a booted foot on the bench across from me and leaned forward, arms braced on his knee. Rick noticed his stance and pulled the sucker out of his mouth. "I know that look, Shane. What happened?"

In detached and clinical terms, Shane relayed our entire outing including his first impression of the small town and the exterior of the Dollar General. When he explained the presence of the unknown assailant, he wisely glossed over the details and insisted that we'd been taken by surprise while going through supplies.

"We forgot for a minute that the living still know how to sneak up on you. You can hear the dead coming, but the living know how to muffle their arrival," I offered dryly. "Shane's handgun was within reach and since he was between me and the other man, I had no choice but to take the shot. It was us or him."

Rick's face looked pinched as Shane relayed the man's words, his obvious intentions, and the tense situation. "You did what you had to do," he finally agreed, voice cracking a bit. "But, we gotta remember: we don't kill the living. There's too few of us."

"Couldn't agree more," I nodded, causing Shane to snap his mouth shut in surprise. "The dead outnumber us and it's impossible to tell how many people are left in the world. We know we're not it, but chances are there are just packs of people scattered throughout the world – likely in the more rural areas. But, I'm going to protect myself by whatever means necessary. I'm sure you'd have done the same in my position."

But Rick didn't seem so sure. Those dark eyes of his studied me intently for a few moments before he shook his head. "I'm glad you two weren't hurt. I'll be sure to tell the others to be careful when and if they go into town. If that guy was telling the truth, he might be camping with other people somewhere nearby. Don't want any confrontations."

After Rick walked away, I finally relaxed. I appreciated his point of view, but he didn't strike me as being wholly realistic when it came to the ways of the world since the dead had started eating one another. Shane shook his head as he watched his friend's retreating back, then eased a hip onto the picnic table, feet on the bench, and faced away from me.

I hesitated for a few seconds before I scooted off of the bench and began to fill a small cardboard box with supplies. I felt his eyes watching me; no doubt he was looking over his shoulder at me. But, I ignored him as I tucked as many supplies as I could manage to fit into the small box. It wasn't much, but I could just fit the box in my pack if I was careful, and it would be enough if I had to leave in a hurry.

My cheeks flushed when I shoved two forty count packs of condoms into the box. As I strode towards my tent, I heard Shane chuckling under his breath. As anticipated, the box just fit inside of my bag, so I pulled out the three sets of dirty clothes with the intention of washing them before shoving the box down into the bottom.

When I crawled out of the tent and zipped it back up, I immediately began to walk towards the farmhouse. As I trekked through the tall grass, I made sure that my hatchet, knife, and gun were still in place – though I knew the moment Hershel saw me he would ask me to remove my weapons in his presence as he had the day before. Maybe he wouldn't notice me.

I hopped up the steps and knocked lightly on the screen door before I slipped inside. "Mr. Greene? Hello?"

He walked out of Carl's room, shutting the door behind him. As he wiped his hands off on a white towel, I leaned against the antique side table against the wall. "Miss St. John. How may I be of assistance?"

"I was just making sure Lori had a chance to tell you about the supplies we were able to scavenge." His brows furrowed and he glanced back towards the closed door before he nodded his head. "There's more left, and we'll probably make a return trip soon. Oh, and Carol-"

"Yes, Lori already asked about preparing dinner, and I find myself unable to disagree. It would be a pleasure for us to all share a meal together this evening." He slowly folded the towel into a tiny square before he dropped it on the table I was leaning against. When his gaze traveled down, I shifted my body so that he couldn't focus on the gun strapped to the left side of my waist. "I can't in good conscience accept stolen goods into my home, Miss St. John."

"You've given me leave to call you by your first name, so please call me Iva," I implored with a shake of my head. "And I get where you're coming from, but I don't think this qualifies as stealing. The world as we know it has been altered, likely irrevocably. Now it's a matter of survival."

"Thou shalt not-"

"I know," I interrupted, frustrated. "And I think that still stands when it comes to the living, Hershel. Whatever's happened to the world, whatever's caused people to come back in this manner, I don't think it can be fixed. I won't steal from another person unless I'm starving, but we have to survive. Would you rather allow the supplies to rot and perish?"

He frowned. "This illness that has-"

"I am a nurse. You're a vet." I lifted a hand and then immediately lowered it to my side. "We both know that this isn't something as simple as the flu. This goes beyond anything in medical history. What's happened should be impossible; but it's happening. We have to think beyond what we want to be the truth and focus on the here and now."

"The here and now being a group of people camping out on my front lawn, you mean?"

Lips pursed, I tilted my head to the side and tried to get a good reading on the man in front of me. He struck me as religious based mostly on the Christian decorations in his home and his scripture quoting, but he also seemed leery and realistic.

"I am sure that Rick and the others feel indebted to you and yours for your generosity, Hershel. 'Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God'. Hebrews 13:16. Don't look so surprised, old man; I know my scriptures, too. Raised a proud southern Baptist by my Mama, God rest her soul."

He smiled wryly and I knew that I'd just won some small battle. "Very well. The boy is recovering; I'm sure that's the real reason you were looking for me, after all. He woke up for a few minutes when his mother was speaking to him. I think that he needs to remain on bed rest for the next week, but he's going to recover nicely."

"Good. He strikes me as a good kid." Hershel seemed confused, and I hesitated for a moment before I explained the circumstances. "Two days ago now – wow, it's only been two days – I was traveling up the highway on foot with a friend. A large herd of the dead marched towards us and we quite literally stumbled across T-Dog. We hid near the rest of Rick's group. It seemed like it took ages for the wave of them to wander past. And then, towards the end, this little girl crawled out from under a truck and Libby, my friend, saved her. She got bit in the process," I added quietly.

"I am sorry to hear that. I have seen the effects of the bites."

"It took such a huge chunk out of her that there was arterial bleeding, but I thought I could save her life if I amputated her arm. She lost too much blood. Died right in front of me." I looked away and focused on the closed door that locked me away from the Grimes family. "We were burying her when Carl wandered off – and you know the rest."

Hershel seemed very troubled and empathetic, but didn't offer to console me in any manner. "I am sure that Rick and his friends are grateful for your assistance. Forgive me for assuming that you had been part of their group for a long time. I went simply on observation; you all work together quite well. Please remind the others that come dinnertime, I would appreciate them not bringing weapons into my home."

He nodded in farewell and began to jog up the stairs, leaving me staring after him for a few moments. Once I heard an upstairs door open and close, I sighed with relief and closed my eyes. The last two days had been absolute chaos, and I could only hope that things would calm down. Perhaps a large group dinner would mend fences and increase the likelihood that Hershel would be more willing to allow the group to stay through the winter months.

One could hope.