The Night

While driving in the dark, Damian asked, "So, how is your leg now?".

"Better. The doctor you guys brought, Kayla. She did magic, man. I thought I would never be able to walk again, but she looked after me for days. I can walk thanks to her", Shawn said as he touched his thigh. "Take left from here", he said telling the direction to Damian. "And what about you? Beth said you were taken by the military. Calling you Captain", Shawn said smiling. 

"Well, I don't know about the Captain stuff but yes, they came to escort me somewhere", Damian replied. "Well, the place they took me in was already infested with those walkers", he added.

"So, you got your memories back?", Shawn asked, and Damian nodded.

"Your name's Wolfe? really?", he asked as a jab.

"Damian. Damian Wolfe", Damian replied. "Your place looked nice, man. It's untouched by those creatures", Damian said.

"Not quite. The day the accident happened. Maggie, my half-sister, came along with my mother and my cousin. You guys had already left by then, I think. My mom, she was bit by a... walker, you call it?", Shawn asked, and Damian nodded. "It was night. The doctor, she was with my mom, when mom suddenly attacked her. Beth friend was nearby and when he heard the noise came and separated my mother from her. He too got bit. Everyone was devastated. No one knew what to do. Dad tied my mom and tried to talk to her, calm her down. Nothing worked", Shawn said with sadness in his face. 

Damian looked at him and tried to console. "Sorry for your loss, man".

"No. The thing is, my dad thinks they are just sick, and the government would soon find a solution", Shawn said.

Damian stopped the car and looked at Shawn. "The government's gone man. Cities and towns are filled with them now. There is no US government working for public. The army bombed Atlanta few days after people went there for shelter. Outside, there is no cure. Only Chaos", he said.

"There has to be someone. Right? Someone working for a cure?", Shawn asked with expectant eyes.

"We went to CDC before coming here. There was only one man working there. He is dead. The CDC is also gone. Self-destructed itself from inside", Damian put it harshly. "There is no cure man. We have to live in this world from now on with dead walking around". 

"Dead. What do you mean dead?", Shawn asked confusingly.

"You don't know? The walkers. They are all d-", Damian was about to say it when they saw a light in front of them. Damian blew horn and indicated to stop the car approaching them. The pickup truck stopped and Shane came out.

"Shane. Did you find the materials? Where is-", Damian was about to ask but Shawn interrupted. 

"Where is Otis?", he asked. 

Shane looked at both of them in confusion. He looked like a mess. "Hey man, you okay?", Damian asked. 

"Huh? Yeah. Yeah. I am alright. But Otis. He... he didn't make it. I... I don't know how he got left behind but when I looked back, it was already too late", he said in a messed up expression not looking in the eyes. As Shawn didn't know how to react.

'He is hiding something', Damian thought as Shane was never this unsettled before. 

"How come you guys are here?", he asked changing the topic.

"We were coming there to help. I thought you guys might be in danger", Damian said. "Well, you guys were late", Shawn looked at them angrily.

"We gotta go back. Carl's still gonna need these", Damian said as he noticed Shawn's condition and looked at Shawn. "Shawn, you come back in my van. I'll drive the truck with Shane". "How are we gonna tell Pat, Damian?", Shawn asked. "I don't know", Damian replied as he hurried back to the driver's seat of the truck. The van and truck soon hit the road quickly.

When they drove back to the farm, Damian asked Shane, "What actually happened there? You look unnerved". 

"No. Nothing. I'm fine, man. Don't worry. It's just... he was a good man, you know. And he died, just like that", Shane said.

"Don't worry man, at least you made it out alive", Damian said as he took the turn and entered the farm following the van.

Shane rubbed his face with his palm, removing his sweat before stepping out as he saw Rick, Lori and others come running out.

"Carl?", Shane said as soon as he stepped out.

"There's still a chance", Rick replied as Shane gave a breath of relief. 

"Otis?", Hershel who took the bag of materials from his hands asked Shane after he didn't see him.

"No", Shane said trembling.

 "We say nothing to Patricia. Not till after. We need her", Hershel said as he ran back inside. 

Maggie, Rick and Lori didn't go and looked at Shane, who said, "They kept blocking us at every turn. We had nothing left. We were down to 10 rounds. Then he said-- he said he'd cover me- and that l should keep going. So that's what l did. l just... l kept going. But l-- l looked back and he-- l tried". Rick hugged him in response and said, "He wanted to make it right". Shane looked at Lori and Maggie in the back who was devastated by that.

 Damian listened to Shane quietly from inside the truck and looked at Shawn, who had also not gotten out of the van. After a while, they came out and walked together. 

"Mom. She is still here. Dad kept her in the farm along with the others that Otis found in the forest. He says, they will return back to usual after government comes up with the cure", Shawn said. Not wanting to dishearten him, Damian patted his back and entered the house. Inside it was dark and Shawn took Damian to his room to rest. Damian closed his eyes and quickly went into slumber.