Broken Sundown

"Feeling any better?" Glenn asked me, his face lighting up as Rick returned with me.

"Better." I nodded. "Thank you, Glenn."

He smiled and took my bags, leading me to Shane's tent where Shane said I could sleep. There were a few small confires set up throughout the camp for light, but mostly everyone was gathered around one. I could smell a can of beens being cooked on the fire and the smell of some sort of meat. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until the smell assaulted me. Shane handed me a plate with beans, cooked mushrooms and what appeared to be three small, cooked fish. I thanked him quietly, sitting beside him. He had also offered me a blanket and set it beside me. Rick was explaining the same story I had heard that morning to the rest of the group. Shane seemed tense and nervous sitting beside me, but I was never close enough to him to comfort him or ask what was wrong.

"It was a blessing when I found Delilah." I heard Rick say, which made me look up. "When I found her, it gave me hope that I'd find everyone else."

Rick was looking straight at me, a smile on his face. When I didn't return it, I could see him frown, as if he expected me to say something back. But instead, I continued to eat. I was starving, and my body need nurishment more than it needed pity.

"Slow down, you'll make yourself sick." Shane whispered beside me.

I glances at him and nodded, pausing to search my bag for something to drink. When I found my flask, which I knew to still be full, I shoved it down to the bottom of my bag and grabbed a bottle of water. When I finished my meal, Shane took care of the plastic plate and also yelled at a family in camp, claiming that their fire was too big and could give the group away. It was clear from the moment we arrived in camp that Shane had assumed leadership of this group, but as the night went on, he seemed incredibly tense, and I wondered what was wrong.

"I'm going to bed." Shane said to me directly. "Do you remember which tent we're in?"

"I'll go with you." I said quietly, looking up. I pulled my blanket around me tighter, feeling the cool metal of my pistol on my back and remembered that I still had it on me.

"This sleeping bag is yours, I put your bags there." Shane said quietly, obviously more in thought than conversation.

"Shane, is everything alright?" I asked, looking him in the eyes.

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"Well, your thoguht-to-be-dead best friend found you today and you seem more angry than anything else." I started, trying not to push it.

He looked at me, thinking about what to say. "Just tired is all."

I nodded slightly and set the blanket down on my new sleeping bad. I pulled out a pair of clean jeans and socks, changing quickly in front of Shane. Who cared is he saw at this point? I'm sure it was nothing he hadn't seen before, and the world was too shitty now for me to worry about a man seeing me in my underwear. I made a pile of my worn clothes when I finished, I would have to wash them tomorrow.

Shane was already in his sleeping bag, so I crawled into mine and shut the lantern off.

"Goodnight." I whispered.

"Night, Delilah." He murmured, and I smiled.

---

When I woke up in the morning, sweat plastered my hair to my forhead from the already rising temperatures. I was alone in the tent, so I took the opportunity to slide shorts back on and gather my clothes that need to be washed.

"Dirty clothes?" A small woman with short, graying hair asked me, holding a basket in her arms.

'Yeah, I was about to go wash them." I said.

"Well here, I can take them." She smiled.

I smiled back slightly. "Thank you, ..." Shit what was her name?

"Carol." She said, still smiling.

"Delilah." I nodded and placed my clothes in her basket.

"They'll be done in a few hours, Delilah."

"Thank you." I nodded again.

In camp, everyone seemed to have a job. Glenn was helping Dale fix the RV. Andrea was on watch. Carol, Lori and Amy were washing clothes. Morales' wife was teaching her kids math while Morales was helping another man prepare some food. Carl and a little girl were running around and playing. Everyone seemed to have a role.

Someone said that Rick was still asleep, which was understandable. Shane didn't seem to be anywhere around either, so I asked Carol before she was out of sight.

"Might be off hunting." She smiled.

I nodded and retrieved my bow and arrows from my tent. Might as well make myself useful.

"Glenn, I'm going hunting." I said, not knowing who the leader was without Shane.

"Want me to go?"

"No, that's okay." I smiled.

"Just be careful."

"Will do."

Out in the woods it was peaceful. It was hard to believe that there was still land out there untouched by humanity, and finding one of those places was a relief. Humanity hindered the natural beauty of the world, and now look at what we did. We ended the world.

I was able to snag too rabbits. Pretty good sizes, enough to help with dinner but not enough to feed anyone. I hadn't realized how many were actually a part of the camp until this morning. Three squirrels were eventually added to my catch, but I enjoyed being out in the woods too much to return to camp so soon. I climbed a tree, tying my kill over a branch. I rested with my legs on either side of a large branch and my back against the trunk. I climbed trees often when I was younger, but the skill was quite handy now.

"Let's sail away, find our own country. We'll build a house and beds out of palm trees. Let's get away, let's push our lives aside." I sang quietly, remembering the tune in the back of my mind.

"I'll sport a smile, take in some color. Under the stars, I'll be your lover. With no distractions, I'm gonna treat you right."

"That's a lovely voice you've got."

"Jesus Christ, you scared the shit out of me." I said, looking down to find Shane.

"What are you doing up there anyway?" He laughed.

"Relaxing." I smiled and started climbing down. "I caught dinner." I said proudly, holding up my catch.

"Damn." He murmured. "Impressive. We could use someone like you around here."

"Got no where else to go." I shrugged.

"Look, you're not the only one upset about yesturday's reunion." He muttered.

"What do you mean?"

"I remember your crush on Rick."

My face turned red and I could feel my cheeks burning. "How did you-"

"King County was a small town." He smiled.

"Why are you upset then?" I asked. When he looked down, I nodded. "Lori."

He nodded slightly. "Don't tell Rick."

"I won't." I shrugged. "It's not my business anyway."

"Well, let's get back to camp."

"Sounds good."