Dead Days

Chapter Ten

Blurred Shadows

As I warned you in the last chapter this one is incredibly short. It doesn't quite reach 3,000 words which is why I've decided to update twice this week.

Regardless of the length, I hope you all enjoy this one!

Next chapter we experience some more heavy themes.

"Cut the wires, tangled, twisted

to find me again

Fracture, break me into pieces

'Til all that I am

Skin and bones,

Vulnerable."

-Skeleton by Set it Off

Shane knelt in the tent, his eyes trying to take in the scene playing out in front of him. Landon, distraught, leaned over a hysterical Remington, who was still in the throes of sleep. Her face was twisted in despair and tears left tracks down her cheeks. Shane shuffled forward, kneeling down, as he gently pulled the boy away. Remington's thrashing worried him. He didn't want Landon accidentally getting hurt.

"Come on, kid," Shane whispered. "Get back."

His hands hesitantly reached out, pressing against her shoulder, as he tried gently shaking her awake, but it caused a moan of terror to flee her lips, and he snatched back his hand as if she had bitten him.

"Remi, baby, come on," he called out, his hands hovering over her as he tried to apply his training to this situation. "Wake up." He was worried about harming her, the way she reacted to touch, or frightening her further.

He noticed when Landon was called away but had placed his full attention on the woman in front of him, no longer worried about shielding the boy, as he felt a new, familiar, presence join right behind him. Daryl hovered, unsure of whether to get closer, as Shane struggled with his next course of action.

This wasn't like the bad dream at the CDC. He now knew that had been just a bad dream, and this here, this was a nightmare.

"What do we do?" Daryl asked, relying on Shane's experience. This was like nothing he had ever experienced before. Shane never had to watch as the woman he was falling for struggled with invisible demons that quite literally sounded like they were killing her. How was he supposed to fight something like that? He had no clue but fuck if he was going to sit back and watch.

He gritted his teeth as he carefully drew closer, his hand catching one of hers in his own, as the other came up to cup her cheek as he shushed her quietly and began to whisper words of comfort into the air trying to calm her. His thumb soothingly drew circles against her skin as she shook violently.

"No," she whimpered. "Don't touch me!" She wrenched her hand from his own, her eyes shooting open, wide, panicked, and haunted. They were cloudy, full of haze, as she stared blurry eyed at the man towering above her. She scrambled to her knees, her body shaking furiously as she hunkered in on herself and escaped to the corner the furthest away from him.

Her body ached, her throat felt hoarse, and her mind played over, and over again what she had just been through. Eli was right in front of her. The two images, the one inside her head, and the one crouching near her smudged into one, and she couldn't distinguish them apart. She was fully clothed and could feel the way her pajamas brushed against her skin and confused about when that happened to her. Had she blacked out? It wasn't unusual. She had in the past. Her mind doing what it could to take her far away from the trauma, and fear. Had he clothed her? Was this a trap?

She hiccupped and sobbed, not daring to move, as she watched his every action like a caged animal would toward its abusers.

It was dark, she couldn't make out his expression, but she imagined it to be the cold blankness that always greeted her after an experience like this one. Regret was not something he showed, or, she thought, he could feel.

Remington missed the second person, her eyes locked on what she had deemed a threat and missed anything else. Her mind played her dream over in her head, mistaking it for something real, as it clashed with memories of those from her past.

"Please, not again," she begged, the plea escaping her lips, much like how she used to. "I-I can't." She pushed herself further into the corner, bordering on bending the pole, as she pulled her legs up to her chest, protecting herself, as she prepared for the worst.

It was never just over.

Shane had frozen from the moment Remington had woken and acted with such terror that his body naturally tried to diminish how big he looked, how much of a threat he appeared to be. He felt the breath shutter from his lungs, at the realization of what she was telling him, of how she was acting. She thought he was a threat. Remington was scared of him.

His hands slowly lowered to his side, and he crouched, bearing himself to her, showing that she had all the power, not him. Shushing sounds fell from his lips as he cooed out to her, trying to ease her worries, to bring her out of the nightmare she was experiencing, all while feeling as if his heart shredded to pieces. Shane was almost certain Daryl was experiencing the same thing as he watched on. He wasn't sure revealing another person in the small, enclosed space would be a good thing.

"Hey, hey," he whispered. "It's all right. Remi, it's me, Shane. Just Shane, darling."

He didn't dare move any closer, not until she told him it was okay, and instead, he backed up, giving her more space.

The sound of the tent flap opening had him stiffening, and he watched the way her head snapped toward the noise, before zeroing back in on him.

"Hold on there, Merle," Shane said, his voice never raising.

Remi felt herself begin to hyperventilate at the thought of someone else joining them. Her eyes refused to focus, her ears taking in the names, but her mind had stopped filtering anything. There was only fear and a deep sense of survival.

"Sweetheart," Merle called out, his face falling at the new situation he found himself in since leaving her.

Remington flinched back. The voice wasn't clicking. All she saw was a faceless stranger.

"We're gonna take this one step at a time, calm, and easy," Shane comforted, his voice low, as he bounced his gaze back between Remi and Merle. Merle froze at the opening, not coming in anymore, but not retreating further back. "Isn't that right, darling? We're gonna calm down and figure this out. Can you do that for me, Remi?"

She drew in a ragged breath.

'Remi, you can't trust me, I'll say anything to lure you out, isn't that right, beautiful."

"W-what?" She shook her head, the voices had blended together, not sounding right. How could he be saying two different things at the same time? Her hands came up to clutch at her head, her fingernails biting into her scalp, as she shuddered, and tried to breathe through the panic flooding her.

"Breath for us," Daryl called out, noticing the confusion, as it mixed with the fear, diluting it. Having them speak to her went against whatever was going on in her head. "Can yah do that, angel?"

Another shuddering breath and the words slowly began to filter through.

"We won' do nuttin yah don' want, sweetheart," Merle spoke as he shuffled in place to ease the cramp forming in his leg.

"We can leave if that'll make you feel better," Shane said, still in that same defenseless stance, as her eyes zeroed back on him.

"I-I know you," she choked out, her eyes squeezing shut, as she forced herself to relax, and allow her brain to function. There were three of them. That wasn't Eli's voice. There were three of them and Remington knew who they were. They were safe. They had been safe. She shook her head and squeezed her eyes tighter as she tried pushing past the nightmare, cause that's all it was, it hadn't been real. She was no longer around Eli. The dead had begun to walk, and she was somehow within her favorite show.

Eli didn't exist here.

He couldn't.

She didn't want him to.

Her fingers turned white, and the pressure she was applying to her scalp had begun to burn, but it helped ease the fog from her mind, and she was beginning to come back down to reality.

"You're safe," she repeated, over and over again, until the words began to feel real. The three men continued to watch her, waiting for a signal, to know that it was okay, to be allowed to ease the ache in their chests, and the pain in her heart. "I'm safe." Her eyes darted back up to them, her vision clearing, as the night around them lightened, and her eyes grew used to the change. She could barely make out each of them, but her eyes fell on the familiar features she could make out. Only a trace of fear leaped up, crushing her throat, as she tried clearing it, and struggled to speak. "L-Light. I need to s-see you."

She had to be sure. Had to know that it was them beyond a doubt. Their faces were shrouded in darkness. Her mind could play tricks on her. It wouldn't be the first time she had taken a hit to the head and seen double. Triple could happen. Her mind would continue to play tricks on her until she could see them properly.

"'Course," Merle said, reaching over toward the lantern she had placed in the corner closest to him. It was battery powered, would give off a soft glow, and be allowed to brighten if she so demanded of it. He clicked the button, bathing the tent with light, and watched as her eyes blinked against the sudden brightness. He could clearly see the fear twisting her expression. The hopelessness, and hysteria that had saturated her features, were only just dissipating and were clearly still holding strong.

She locked her gaze onto Shane, the man she had mistaken for Eli, whom she had truly been terrified of, and felt a sob rise in her throat at the realization of the mistake she had made. She could now clearly see him, the way he shrank into himself, all for her, and her comfort. Tears that never truly went away built heavier in her eyes as she felt them boil over, and new tremors shook her violently.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed. The hiccups were escaping her faster than before and the scene around her blurred and distorted, but not before she had seen the devastation, the worry, and heartbreak that read clearly on each of their faces before they had been able to wipe it clean.

"No," Shane cooed. "No, darling, it's not your fault. There's nothing to be sorry about." He shifted carefully, still kneeling, as he took a hesitant step forward. His hand was placed in front of him, calmingly, palm out, as he offered it toward her. "You had a nightmare is all and got confused, I'm sorry for scaring ya."

That was the final straw. Listening as he apologized, his voice reflecting that, bearing himself to her. It was the complete opposite of Eli. These were not men who would harm her, purposefully, or accidentally.

Another sob tore through her throat as she was suddenly airborne, tossing herself toward him, before plowing into his stomach, nearly knocking him over if it wasn't for Daryl being right beside him. The other man reached out, steadying him, as Shane regained his balance.

Something tore inside him, the way she buried her face into his stomach, the sobs wracked through her body, as she whispered apologies for hurting him. His hands reached out, to pull her up, into his lap, as he began to rock her back and forth. Comforting 'Shhh' fell from his lips as he felt her curl into him, latching onto him tightly, as the tears continued to fall.

"You're all right," he whispered in between his soft coos. He kissed the top of her head as he watched Merle enter the tent properly before coming to a stop in front of them. His hand reached out, gently pressing down on her back, and when she didn't ask him to stop, he began to rub at her back.

Remington recognized the touch, melting further, as her frantic apologies faded away, and a desperation for all three of them snatched at her consciousness. Blindly she reached out, her hand smacking at thin air, as she searched for the last piece of the puzzle in her heart. Daryl reached out, intertwining their fingers, as he allowed her to pull him closer, so she didn't have to stretch out as far.

"We're here for you Rem," Daryl spoke, his grip tightening around hers.

"Let us take care of yah, sweetheart," Merle asked, pleading with her. "Let us in." Remington shuddered against his words, her dream rearing up, but not bringing forth the fear that the ending had caused her. She collapsed against Shane, feeling weak, tired of struggling, of fighting, when it felt so good, safe, to be this close to them. Her bones felt like jello, and she simply lay there, letting their words of reassurance wash over her, as all thoughts of building a wall over her emotions, of those feelings for them, drifted away.

"Okay," she murmured. "Don't go nowhere." Her mind felt heavy, her thoughts sluggish, as a wave of exhaustion washed over her. "Don't leave me. I need you here. To stay with me."

"You've got us, angel," Daryl said, using a nickname for her that she found melted her heart further.

"We're all yours," Shane confirmed.

"All yah gotta do is say yah want us," Merle agreed.

"I want you," she said tiredly. "All of you." Her eyes, which had been fluttering open and shut, grew heavier, and she collapsed completely into their touch.

"We'll stay with 'er tonight," Merle said, taking charge. "Make sure she don' have any more troubles. Give it a little while and I'll go get ta kids. She'll wanna wake ta 'em."

"Yeah," Shane said, as he shifted, watching as they pulled back. He cradled her closer to him, gently laying her down back on the sleeping bag. She had ditched the cots in this tent. It left very little room for the dogs, and instead, she and the kids had found the pile of blankets turned into a nest was more comfortable. Tonight, it would be the only thing that allowed all of them to cram into the tent with the small family.

"The two of yah should git some sleep," Merle continued. "Yah had watch right before tis. I'll keep an eye on things."

"You sure?" Daryl asked as he began stepping over Remington, settling in on the opposite side Shane was still kneeling at.

"Don' question meh. I'm fine on sleep. Go on. Rest. Make sure sweet cheeks don' wake up due ta those dreams again." His words grew gruffer the longer he spoke, twisting with anger at the phantom that caused this in Remington.

Exhausted, Shane barely questioned it further, finding that the awkwardness he thought he would experience in this situation was absent. He wondered if it was due to the trauma Remington just showed them, or if he truly just felt this much at ease around the Dixons. He listened as Daryl followed his brother's orders, shifting under the covers on the other side of Remington before he moved to press into her back. Shane rolled closer to Remington, facing her, as he softly trailed a finger up and down her cheek, feeling as she sought his hand out, even in her sleep.

He fell asleep like that. Merle watching over them, and Remington sandwiched between them.

Later that night Jackson dropped off the kids and the dogs, Maisie passed out, so Merle laid her above the three sleeping adults, while Landon settled in beside him, at their feet. The dogs huffed as they slid into the tent after the children, moving to sniff at Remi before settling down in a part of the makeshift space that they could fit in.

"Is Remi okay?" Landon asked, a yawn in his voice, but he looked unable to sleep until he knew the answer.

"She's gonna be," Merle soothed, as he watched the boy settle back down.

"That's good. Nightmares are scary, but we're here for her. That always makes me feel better after a bad dream."

"Yeah, kid, we'll all be here for her."

Landon moved to snuggle closer, moving the slightest bit between Daryl and Remi so that he was practically cocooned under the blankets. Soon Merle could hear the soft snores escape his lips, telling him he had fallen asleep, and he was left as the last one awake.

He gazed at each of them. Protectiveness filled him as he settled in for the night, taking his job seriously, watching over them, and making sure nothing else happened that night.