CHUPACABRA PART 1

"How're you feeling?" Hershel asked while pulling up a chair beside Natasha's bed. She was still pale but not as ghostly white as the night before. "Head still hurts?" He placed his hand across Natasha's forehead to try and gauge her temperature.

Natasha groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Yeah, still do. I do feel better though," she answered softly.

"That's good. You were severely dehydrated, so remember to keep drinking water throughout the day."

"Right." Natasha nodded and laid her head back against the soft pillow. She glanced out the window beside her and saw a couple members of her group wandering around outside, trying to set up what she thought was a camp. "Everyone's here?" she asked while turning back to him.

"Yes, but we still haven't found your missing girl yet," Hershel responded apologetically.

This was clearly not what Natasha was expecting. Her eyes grew wide in shock, and her mouth hung open. "We still haven't found Sophia?"

Before her anxiety could grow, he reached down and placed his hand on her shoulder. She didn't need to stress herself right now, not with her bruised legs and poor health. "They're all working hard out there to try and find her. Got people out looking around every day. I'm sure we'll find her," he said with great certainty.

Natasha wished his words could've assured her, but she, unfortunately, wasn't. She had to suck her negative words back down her throat and restrain her restless doubt. Natasha would've had a lot more confidence if the world wasn't such a mess. It was now the fourth day since Sophia disappeared, and the likeliness of ever finding her was getting lower and lower. It was petrifying to think that an innocent little girl was still out there alone with walking corpses around every corner.

"Please…" she begged quietly. "Please tell me some good news. What about Carl? Did Shane manage to make it back? Did-"

"He's fine now," Hershel answered back quickly before she could panic even more. "I had everything I needed to go through with the surgery. He's weak right now, but he has already gained consciousness and is getting stronger."

After hearing that, Natasha took a deep breath and rubbed her eyes. "Good. That's good. Really…good," she said under her breath.

"I'll let everyone know you're awake," Hershel said and sat up. "I'm sure they're going to want to see you."

Natasha nodded. "Thank you."

She watched Hershel leave the room, but the moment he was gone, she was hit with this overwhelming sense of dread. Her memories overtook her, bringing her back to the events that transpired at the school. About what happened to Otis and what Shane did. It was such a stomach-turning thing to recall, and the memories were still so vivid. She could remember the sound of Shane shooting a bullet into Otis's leg, a sharp ringing in her ears, and the sound of screaming mixed with growling as everything turned red.

Natasha felt like she could hardly keep herself together. She sat up in bed and pulled her legs together, hunching over and hiding her face. "Shh. Just relax. Just…relax," she whispered while closing her eyes tightly. She had to open them back up though when she heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Natasha lifted her head and saw Lori jogging into the room first, followed by Rick and everyone else. Including Shane, who kept his head low the whole time.

"Natasha," Lori said in a single breath. She walked over to Natasha and, without word or explanation, leaned down and pulled her tightly into an unexpected hug.

Natasha was a little confused at first before succumbing to the familiarity and hugging her back. The bruises on her stomach caused her to flinch in pain, but Natasha didn't care. She was just glad to be back. "Lori…" she said softly. "I heard about Carl. I'm glad he made it through alright."

Lori pulled away. "Yeah. Shane made it back just on time. Hershel said everything went fine. But…are you feeling alright?" she asked nervously

"Yeah. I'm a little beaten up, but…" she said while glancing over to the rest of the group. She finally made eye contact with Shane and looked him dead in the eye as she spoke calmly and coolly. "I'm fine…really." They broke eye contact after Shane looked away and walked to the back of the room.

"We all thought you were gone," Daryl spoke up while shaking his head. He walked over to Natasha and clapped her hand. "Should've known you weren't."

Natasha shrugged and smiled. "I'm surprisingly resilient," she said light-heartedly as the room slowly fell quiet with this unnerving tension, filled with unanswered questions and doubt.

"So then…what happened?" Glenn asked awkwardly, reluctantly breaking the silence first. "Shane said you tried to lure them away…and he didn't see you again after that."

The uncomfortable silence captured everyone's attention. They looked between the only two survivors of the school incident, pressuring them with suffocating unease. Shane lifted his head and stared right into Natasha's steely eyes, sweating profusely, and began to twitch nervously. He didn't say anything, not because he didn't want to, but because his words were lost, and his mouth was dry. He couldn't explain himself even if he wanted to.

Natasha took a breath and opened her mouth slowly. "It's like I said…I'm pretty stubborn when it comes to staying alive. I did try to lure them away…and somehow, I managed to get away despite the numbers," she answered, visibly seeing Shane relax and breathe out with relief. He looked perplexed though.

"Then…you don't know what happened to Otis?" Hershel asked.

"No, no…I did. I circled back around and saw…" She bit down hard on her lips to try and rid herself of the memories. "I saw enough. I'm sorry about what happened to him. I wish there could've been some way to prevent it," she apologized to a sorrowful Hershel and Maggie.

Hershel just bowed his head and gave her an appreciated pat on the shoulder. He didn't need to go into it anymore and decided to leave it there. "I think it's about time we let her rest. Give her a couple hours before she gets up and starts walking around," Hershel announced to the rest of the group.

Rick nodded in agreement. "Alright." He turned to Natasha. "Let us know if you need anything though."

Natasha waved at them as they began to cycle out of the room. "Thanks. I'll talk to you guys in a few hours."

She observed everyone closely as they began to leave but kept a close eye on Shane. Once he was gone, Natasha quickly reached out to Daryl and Dale to stop them from leaving. She held onto their arms tightly and kept them in place, waiting for the rest to exit the room.

"Rick," she called out softly to him before he could leave too.

Rick stopped at the doorway and looked back to see Natasha quickly motioning him over. He knew something was wrong when he saw the look on her face. He could see the panic rising in her eyes, desperately gesturing him over with a frantic wave of her hand. She was trying to keep as quiet as possible but still wanted to get his attention.

"Something wrong?" Rick asked suspiciously.

"Close the door. I can't let anyone else hear this," she whispered anxiously to him.

Rick could easily recognize the severity in her voice and did what she asked. He walked over to the door and closed it so the four of them could have some privacy to talk.

"Listen to what I'm about to tell you," Natasha began while glancing out the window to check and see if Shane was out there. Which he was, stomping off towards the edge of the woods. "I gotta be quick before anyone notices you three are gone," she said grimly.

Dale began to grow concerned when he heard her anxious voice, which wasn't something he'd typically hear from her. Natasha was always the calm and collected one, not someone to get worried or anxious usually. "Something happened at the school, did it," he dared say.

"Yeah…" Natasha nodded sharply before bracing herself for the impact her words would have. Already knowing that once they were said…the whole dynamic of the group would be on the brink of changing or crumbling. "Shane…Shane killed Otis."

Rick blinked and stared straight at Natasha, trying to process her words, but a bit afraid to ask for further details. He didn't know what to say, and his brain wasn't keeping up with him. "What?" was all he could muster

"Shane killed Otis and tried to kill me too," Natasha repeated more firmly.

It took another couple seconds before Rick finally recovered and began to take this much more seriously. His eyes narrowed, and they all leaned in closer to listen. Daryl's face was flat, but he also didn't look all that surprised to hear this. While Dale, on the other hand, turned pale and sick.

"You can't be serious. So Shane was lying?" Dale said, completely dejected.

"What happened?" Daryl asked, getting right to the point.

Natasha swallowed hard and had to think back to those ugly but fresh memories. They weren't going away, and every time she closed her eyes, she felt like she was reliving the experience over and over again. "We were nearly out of ammo…so Shane used his last bullet to shoot Otis in the leg, letting the walkers eat him so he could get away." She forced the words out while rubbing her hands against her bruised face. "There was a struggle between him and me, and he would've killed me too if he had the time. He ran off while they were eating Otis alive, and he probably thought I would die back there too."

Dale looked puzzled. "How'd you get out then?"

Natasha continued to look reluctant as she sank further and further into regret. "They were…too busy eating Otis to pay attention to me. I could've shot Shane. I had him…" she said through growls and clenched teeth. Anger began to shoot up inside her and burn away the sorrow and regret. "I had one bullet left. I had him in my sights, but…Otis was still alive, so…" she trailed off.

Rick closed his eyes tightly, already knowing what she was going to say. "You mercy killed him."

Natasha didn't say anything and just nodded her head. She sat back against the bed frame and pulled the covers over her, wrapping them in her arms, similar to what a child would do when they felt uncomfortable.

"I can't believe this…" Dale slumped down on the edge of the bed and physically looked like he was deflating. "I didn't think…it would come to this."

Natasha, on the other hand, could easily believe it. She always felt that Shane was different from the rest of the group. He felt unsettling to be around, and his unhinged nature was starting to rear its ugly head every day. She thought it was only a matter of time before he would snap, but she didn't know it would come in the form of Shane leaving a man to be eaten alive. Never that far…

Rick looked beside himself. He shifted around and found it hard to look Natasha in the eye. "I should've never had let him go. I should've just left it to you…like you wanted."

Natasha shook her head. "Maybe things would've been different. Doesn't matter anyways. What's done is done. Shane is becoming unhinged…and I fear what he might do next."

"I'll keep an eye on him. Makes sure he doesn't do anything stupid," Rick said to assure her.

Natasha frowned but nodded in agreement. "Alright…but be careful," she said sincerely.

"I'm not worried. He's like my brother."

Natasha gave him a pressing look. "Rick…I don't think Shane's the same person anymore. I'm serious. Be careful. All of you," she said firmly to them.

Natasha held her tongue back and refused to say anymore. Regarding the fate of the group, Shane was like a fracture, running down the middle and splitting everything apart. He was the start of it, and Natasha was afraid he might be the end of it too.

Needless to say, Rick had A lot to think about regarding what Natasha said to him. He didn't want to believe that Shane, his best friend and brother, was capable of doing something so unfathomable like murder. Shane was a cop, after all. Just like him. Yet, Natasha wasn't the lying type either, and the bruises on her face and stomach only made her story more genuine.

"So what do you think?" Rick asked Daryl while walking beside him. "If Natasha's right, then…"

Daryl cocked a brow. "You're doubting her?"

Rick chewed the inside of his cheek and shook his head. "I'm not doubting her. Natasha's not a liar," he stated firmly. His mind soon drifted to another question though. Something that had been placed in the back of his mind. It was when Shane arrived back at the farm with Natasha's bag that was full of pills. Knowing what he knew now, he was a bit suspicious if Shane was lying about that too. "Daryl, can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"The…the day Shane came back. He said something to me that I'm not sure if I believe or not."

Daryl raised a brow and turned suspicious. He knew if it had something to do with Shane, then there was room for doubt. "What is it?"

Rick had to force himself to get the words out. "He…he accused her of being an addict."

Daryl just stared at him, blinking and not processing anything for a moment. "What?" he said flatly, struggling to believe it himself.

"Her bag was full of pills that she got from the school. Shane said her face lit up when she found them and started stuffing them into her bag like her life depended on it," Rick explained further.

"Where're the pills now?"

"Hershel had hidden them for the time being. I wanna ask her about them…but I don't know how. I wanted to ask what you think."

"You're the cop. What do you think?"

"I think she's clean, but that doesn't explain the pills in her bag. I wanted a second opinion, and since you guys are getting pretty close…I figured you would know more."

Daryl scoffed and rolled his eyes. He didn't even wait a second to answer back. "Then she must be the most well-adjusted addict on the planet. I don't know the deal with those pills, but I know she's not an addict. I've been around those kinds of people my whole life. Tasha's not one of them though. Shane's full of shit. She's not," he stated firmly.

Rick listened quietly, and once Daryl finished, he nodded his head and patted his shoulder. With that, nearly all his doubt had vanished. There was still the problem with the pills though, but he figured that could wait for another day. He still had to find a way to deal with Shane and find Sophia. He'll get around to asking Natasha about the pills later when he gathered what he wanted to say.

"That's all I wanted to know. Thank you," Rick thanked him.

Daryl nodded and began to head back towards the farmhouse. On his way, he noticed someone sitting on the front porch. It took him a second, but he realized that it was Natasha. He nearly didn't recognize her at first because of the clothes she was wearing. She had a loose-fitting white top with shorts and no shoes, and the closer he got, the more he noticed the dark bruises on her legs too. They were very prominent because of how pale her skin was.

"I thought you weren't going to move around," he asked while strolling up to her.

Natasha looked up at him briefly before turning back to the wide-open field. "I wasn't…but felt antsy. Don't worry; I'm not going anywhere."

Daryl sighed. "I'm not worried." He sat beside her and pulled out the expensive cigarettes from his pocket. "Here."

"What's this?" Natasha cocked a brow and took the case. She looked down at it, and her eyes immediately grew bright and wide when she saw it was the Treasurer brand. Her lips stretched far into a warm smile, and a joyous laugh escaped her lips. "You gotta be…." She quickly opened the case that saw that it was a full pack. Brand new. "Thank you, Daryl. You really didn't have to go out of your way to find these for me. I was joking about them."

Daryl shook his head and awkwardly waved it off. "Nah. I, uh…found them in a car back at the highway. It wasn't any problem. I did owe you a pack, so…" He turned to look ahead when Natasha suddenly waved a cigarette in front of his face. He didn't say a word and just took it and placed it between his lips.

Natasha reached into her pocket and tried to fish out the lighter that she found on the walker, but after a couple seconds of fruitless searching, she realized that it wasn't on her. Both her pockets were empty…even though they shouldn't be.

"What are you doing?" Daryl asked, noticing her struggle.

"I thought I had…" First, she was perplexed, then a haunted look swept across her face for a second. She closed her eyes tightly and sighed with defeat, slapping her hands back onto her lap. "You got a lighter on you?"

Daryl nodded and rummaged through his pockets. He pulled out a lighter and quickly lit his before tossing it to Natasha. In a swift motion, she flicked it open and lit the end of her cigarette, watching smoke haze up and dissipate against the gentle breeze. Natasha took a breath and felt like she had to appreciate the calmness around her right now, but she feared that this was the beginning. The calm before the storm.

"I guess this is gonna be some kind of tradition now. Talking and smoking. We did this back at the CDC, remember?" she asked.

Daryl shrugged. "Barely. I think we were drunk."

"No, that was just you," she said with a small laugh. "You really think we're gonna find Sophia?" she asked much more seriously.

"Yeah. I do," Daryl answered confidently. He took his cigarette out and tapped the ash off the end. "We got the whole group out there looking for her, and you'll be out there too once your legs heal up. We need someone else out there who can track."

Natasha smiled a little and pulled her legs close so she could lean against them. "Hm. Sounded like you missed me."

Daryl scoffed at her teasing. "Nah. That wasn't it," he said while shaking his head.

"It wasn't?" Natasha playfully said while cocking a brow. She looked back forward and placed the cigarette between her lips. "That's too bad. For me…I'm pretty sure I'd miss you."

Daryl blinked and just stared at her, a little stunned by what she said. "You would?"

"Yeah." Natasha nodded. "Believe it or not, but you're actually the easiest person in the group for me to talk to. Think about it for a bit here." She raised her hand and made a gesturing motion between her and Daryl. "Redneck. Street brat. Those two worlds are closer than you think."

Daryl sat on those words for a bit, never considering those two kinds of people ever coinciding until now. And really, he had to agree with her. For him, Natasha was easy to be around, and he felt most comfortable when beside her. She wasn't judgmental about others because of her own rough past, but also had grace and charisma to make him feel like he could let his guard down a little and be at ease.

"Hm. Guess so," Daryl muttered in agreement.

They sat silently together for the next couple of minutes, watching the tip of their cigarettes slowly burn down and turn into ash. Natasha was nearly finished with hers when Dale suddenly rushed out of the farmhouse, looking panicked. He whipped his head around but relaxed when he saw Natasha sitting on the porch with Daryl.

"Natasha. Good. You're here," he said with a deep sigh of relief.

Natasha blinked and turned confused. "Course I am. Why do you look like you're in a rush?"

Dale took a breath and sat down beside them. "It's because of Shane. Do you know where he is?"

Natasha nodded and pointed her cigarette towards the field, where they saw Shane's distant figure. He was by one of the water pumps, taking an axe wildly to a bunch of firewood. "He's over there. Chopping up wood."

"He's really going at it," Daryl said, regarding the amount of aggression Shane was using.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he's imagining that it's my face right now," Natasha said flatly while putting the cigarette back between her lips.

Dale rolled his eyes. "Which is the point. Don't you think we should tell more people than just the three of us. You said it yourself, Tasha. Shane's…becoming unhinged," he said lowly.

"Which is why I'm not going to go blabbing the truth to everyone. Shane's a ticking time bomb right now. We don't need him going all nuclear on us if he starts to feel cornered. Trust me; I've had a lot of time to think this over. Which is why I believe we need to take this slow," she assured.

This didn't comfort Dale at all, and he was surprised to see how calm Natasha was about all this. "Natasha. Shane already killed someone…what makes you think he's not, you know, going to wanna tie up loose ends," he said dreadfully.

Natasha kept her keen eyes closely on Shane while taking a long drag of her cigarette. "Absolutely nothing. I know his type, and I know that look in his eyes," she coldly replied while tapping the ash off. "He wants to kill me."

"You think he's bold enough to do that?" Daryl asked.

She shrugged. "Anything's possible."

Dale tightened his jaw and placed his hand on Natasha's shoulder, speaking softly but firmly enough to get her full attention. "Natasha. I beg you. Do not ever find yourself alone with that man. We all just got you back…Don't make us lose you again."

Natasha smiled weakly and reached up to grab his hand. "I promise I won't," she said while tossing her cigarette away. She watched Shane closely as the man looked up from his work and stared right at her with deadly intent in his eyes. Natasha didn't waver under his heavy gaze and glared right back, reminding herself that she just needed to stay calm and think the situation through. If she did that…then she knew she'll always be one step ahead of him.