Walk With Me

Felicia and Shane knew they weren't the only ones who had seen the helicopter crash. But this didn't stop them from going to investigate. Shane, drawing his gun, approached the line where the trees ended and gave way to the clearing where the vehicle had fallen. Felicia followed suit, yanking the rifle she was still learning how to use off her back and pointing it at the ground as they moved forward. What they saw was… unsettling. The remains of the helicopter were scattered around the clearing, with smoke and debris cluttering up everything in sight. "Should we…?" Felicia prompted, turning to Shane. But he silenced her with a hand, taking her upper arm and pulling her forward.

That was when she saw what Shane had seen earlier: there were humans entering the clearing. There were at least four, possibly more, but it was hard to tell through the thick foliage. They were quickly assessing the damage, and beginning to take out the Walkers in the clearing with cold and calculated efficiency. The tall, debonair-looking one seemed to be the leader, and he had a certain calm about him that contrasted sharply with his minions.

"What the hell?" Shane murmured, reaching out and brushing one of the branches out of his face to get a better look. This was just in time for them to catch sight of the mystery group assassinating the still-human crash victims, and that was enough to put Felicia on edge. She grabbed Shane's wrist, panicked, and he just nodded in understanding.

The two were about to turn around when all of a sudden there was a Walker in front of them. Where had it even come from?! Making a noise that sounded like a cross between a hiss and a gurgle, it lurched forward, and it was all Felicia could do not to scream. Teeth was hanging back, a low growl erupting from between his jaws.

There was no time. Shane put a bullet between the Walker's eyes before they could even think, and the sound echoed through the clearing. The mystery group's members' heads shot up simultaneously, with the handsome leader's eyes narrowing, and looking directly at Felicia and Shane. He muttered something to one of his lackeys, the one with the bow, who drew an arrow and cautiously approached Felicia and Shane. "Shit," Shane said, raising his gun. They might be able to take a single bowman, but… No, that wasn't happening. Felicia heard the safety click off a pistol directly behind her head, and shut her eyes, lowering her own gun. They were screwed.

Seeing not only Andrea and her katana-wielding cohort, but the now one-armed Merle, back at the mystery group's base was almost too much for the sleep-deprived, filthy couple to handle. Teeth had been confiscated at some point during the trip over, which upset Felicia, along with their guns, which upset Shane. Not that he really needed guns when it came down to it, but he wasn't fond of power trips. Felicia could only nod weakly as Merle, Michonne, Andrea, and Shane argued over their future, as well as discussed what had befallen their old group. Eventually the reason for the mystery man's attack of humans came out, and this was the most unsettling part. Shane practically tackled Merle when he heard this, but was stopped by Felicia, who found the redneck surprisingly civilized given everything that had happened.

The man they would eventually come to know as "The Governor" was next to enter the room where they were being held. What followed was a tense explanation of where they were- Woodbury was the name of the town- and then a tour of the premises, during which all four captives were shown the so-called paradise. Michonne and Andrea separated and headed for their sleeping quarters, while Shane and Felicia were escorted to theirs, a second-story room in a rustic, inviting cottage, a place Felicia would have found blissful if they weren't in the middle of the apocalypse.

Shane shooed their guide out of the room as quickly as he could. Felicia could see the veins sticking out from his neck as he fought to keep a handle on his temper. Shutting the door forcefully as soon as they were alone, the ex-cop put his hands on hips the way he always did when he was either pissed off or really stressed. "This is bullshit."

"Which part?" Felicia asked dryly. "Them taking away our guns? Or this whole hotel setup? 'Cause right now I'm a little freaked out by all of this."

"We're not prisoners," Shane said, ignoring her sarcasm. "That asshole wants to lock us up. We didn't do anything."

"No, we didn't," Felicia agreed. "What do you wanna do?"

Shane pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling. "We're getting out of here."

"What about our weapons?"

"Tomorrow we're gonna get them back. Then we're gonna grab Andrea and what's-her-name and get the hell out of this place. I'm not staying here any longer than I have to."

"You don't want to…?" Felicia asked hesitantly. Shane looked at her. "You just want to leave?"

"Why? Do you wanna stay?"

"Nope," Felicia replied, not missing a beat.
"Good," Shane said, pulling her close and kissing the top of her head.

"Good," Felicia echoed, and the two of them, in agreement, got into bed and let themselves relax. It was the comfiest she had been in a very long time. She could almost imagine things were back to normal…