Next Chapter! Time to see what's going to happen.
Chapter 20
He woke up the next morning and stretched pushing Daryl gently off of his shoulder. Rick was yawning in the tree and climbing down. Shane got up and walked over to him, "You gonna be awake?" Rick nodded, "Yea. I can go hunting today." Shane nodded, "Ok. Good." "I'll go. You said I could go anyway. Rick can take a break," Daryl's voice said from behind them. Shane sighed, "Fine Daryl. You go today." Daryl grinned, "Freakin finally!" The kid walked to pick up his crossbow and then gave Shane a nod before heading out into the woods. Rick watched him go. "That's where!" he said suddenly. Shane jumped, "What?" Rick nodded after Daryl, "I knew he looked familiar when I saw him. We've met him before." Shane looked at him like he was crazy, "What are you talking about?" Rick continued his theory, "Remember that one mission we had? We were starting out as cops about eight years ago. We were in that neighborhood to investigate a hint dropped by someone that there was child abuse going on?" It hit Shane like a rock when Rick said that. He remembered that day. They had been driving through that neighborhood to find the house they were supposed to investigate when it happened.
It was raining and Shane was going to kill Rick if he didn't stop driving through this neighborhood. "Rick are you sure this is the right neighborhood? I mean we've driven through this place five times," Shane said leaning his head against the window of the car. Rick nodded, "I know it's supposed to be here. We'll find it." That was when a door to one of the houses opened and a kid came stumbling out and landed hard in the grass. Rick slammed on the brakes immediately, "Found it." But Shane wasn't listening, "Do you want to get the kid or should I?" Rick looked at him, "You get him. I'll call for backup and then go into the house." Shane nodded, "Alright then let's go." Rick called over their radio to get another car down to the house and then they both leapt out of their car. Rick went running up to the house yelling at the inhabitants to open the door. Shane was next to the kid on the grass slowly picking him up. He heard Rick talking to the adults in the house, "Did you lose your kid out here?" Rick was mad. Shane stayed farther away from the doorway. He saw two more squad cars arrive at the scene and that's when the man shot at the kid in Shane's arms. Instinctively Shane turned away as Rick tackled the guy through the doorway. "Shit," he hissed as the bullet hit him in the shoulder. The kid in his arms shifted slightly and opened his eyes. Shane looked down at him, "Hey you're ok. We got you. Don't worry." The boy nodded slightly and stayed quiet keeping still in Shane's arms as the cop shifted his shoulder a few times. He had to talk to Rick about being the one injured in the field all the time. He waited while Rick hand cuffed the guy and led him back to one of the other squad cars. He sat there with his shoulder bleeding but he didn't care. He had to figure out what would happen with the kid. That's when a truck pulled into the driveway. The kid shifted again, "That's my brother." Shane hadn't heard the kid speak until now. "Yea? He good to you?" The boy nodded but still leaned into Shane. The guy getting out of the truck walked over to where Shane was sitting, "You want to give me the kid?" Shane looked down at the kid, "It's up to you buddy." The boy looked up at his older brother, "Yes. I want to go with him." Shane nodded and slowly set the boy down. The kid got up and hugged his older brother who smiled slightly and picked him up, "C'mon lets go." Shane watched the two get into the truck as Rick came back, "Who was that?" Shane glanced over, "Older brother. Been living on his own for a while. Came back to take the kid." Rick nodded, "Let's go and get that shoulder fixed. Nice job out there." Shane smiled, "You too."
Shane couldn't believe it. Had they really met Daryl before? Everything clicked into place. The older brother coming back and picking him up and the abuse. Then there was the one thing Shane realized. Had Daryl somehow recognized Shane before he knew who he was? Was that the explanation for why Daryl had trusted him from the start? Why he had curled into him when he had rescued him from the woods? "How'd you remember that?" he asked Rick. Rick shrugged, "I saw his eyes and remembered how he'd looked at you with that trusting look he still gives you now." Shane couldn't believe he hadn't recognized those looks. They'd been the cops to rescue Daryl from his family and here he was rescuing the kid once again. "I can't believe it. I know you're right but I can't believe it," Shane said softly. "Can't believe what?" a voice asked.
Shane spun around and saw Daryl standing there with his belt loaded with squirrels. "He can't believe that we were the cops that-" Rick began but Shane stopped him, "The cops that were going to be chosen to take over the station before the whole apocalypse happened." Daryl looked at them, "You guys are finishing each other's sentences? I thought that's what weird twins did." Rick smiled, "Yea well Shane's weird." Shane hit him in the head and nodded at Daryl, "How'd you get those so fast?" Daryl grinned, "I have a trait that no one else here does. I'm OBSERVANT. They're all over the place. I went about a mile out and came right back." The kid tossed Shane the squirrels and put his crossbow down, "So what were you guys saying about being in the force? I'm sure you got some exciting stories." Rick nodded, "There was this one where we saved-" Shane hit Rick in the head, "Will you shut up?" Daryl was smiling, "Why are you guys fighting so much? God. You'd think you guys were plotting on killing someone and one of you is just really bad at keeping secrets." Shane snorted, "That's Rick." Rick went after Shane again. Daryl leaned back on his hands and smirked, "So this story. Who'd you save?" Shane frowned, "Rick saved me. After I got shot when I was protecting innocent civilians." Daryl nodded, "Yea? Sorry to hear that." He muttered something that Shane couldn't catch after that. Rick nodded, "He was protecting a-" "God Rick shut up!" Shane yelled. Daryl was laughing slightly again, "A what? Kid? Girl?" Shane glared at Daryl, "A kid. He was in firing range." Daryl nodded, "Yea? Well that was nice of you. Do you know he was? Do you still know him?" Shane sighed, "He'd probably be dead wouldn't he? But yea I still remember him." Rick broke in again, "That's because he's-" Shane shoved his hand in Rick's mouth to shut him up but couldn't stop Rick's hand from pointing at Daryl. Daryl's eyes widened but that was it. The younger man slowly got up nodding, "Ok. I'm done playing along. What is this some kind of joke?" Rick shook his head and Shane didn't move. Daryl shook his head angrily, "I-I-I need some time ok? Just please leave me alone." Shane nodded sadly, "Go ahead." The kid grabbed his weapon and walked out to the woods kicking a tree as he left. Shane turned on Rick, "You happy now?" Rick rolled his eyes, "He was bound to find out sometime." Shane shook his head, "You just can't tell him something like that. He needs time to think. You don't get it at all." With that Shane walked away and waited for Daryl's return.
He waited a good hour in silence before he heard stressed calls from Andrea who was on watch, "Walker! There's a lone walker coming this way!" Shane, Rick and Glenn were already armed. Andrea pulled out a gun and aimed. Andrea, wait! Gunshots will attract more. We'll just go up and kill it with our knives. Then we can get it done and get out," Shane said. The woman sighed, "Whatever. I'll back you up."
Uh Oh. Walker. Thanks for reading! Reviews are welcome!