Eyes Wide Shut

[rick grimes]

Rick's body rocked with the movement of the truck as he and his new group made their way to their camp. The events of the past few hours had pushed them all to the limit. The adrenaline pulsing through his body had significantly dropped since they'd taken refuge inside the truck. Fighting for his life was taking a toll on his aging body but for now he was safe. Those precious few minutes of peace was all he needed to regroup and continue to search for his wife and child. In the back of his mind he wondered if the woman and child Glenn had spoken of were Lori and Carl but he wouldn't get his hopes up. The world had been turned upside down and finding them now wouldn't be that easy. If he started slacking and letting down his guard they could be ripped from his life forever. He couldn't allow that. 

These people seemed alright. They worked together to survive and he knew that he'd stay alive alot longer with others around. He'd taken to the road with the intention of doing this alone but now that he had Glenn, Andrea and the others, he couldn't imagine being out there surrounded by all of that death by himself.  

Listening to the directions given, he drove the group back to their camp on the outskirts of Atlanta. Trees grew in thick and it roads were long and deserted. It was the perfect place for a camp. Miles away from the city but close enough to make supply runs if they needed to. He wondered whose idea it had been to stop here.  

Glenn in his red Charger arrived sooner than they did. Watching him speed ahead with wreckless abandoned almost made him forget how bad the world was now. He smiled for the first time in days. 

Driving the truck toward their camp, he braced himself for the questions that would be tossed his way. These people would be scared. They'd want to know where he came from, why he was with them. He'd tell them the truth and pray that they let him stick around. Maybe they'd be willing to even help him find his family... He pulled the truct to a stop and shut it off. 

"Come say hello to the group." Morales said, smiling softly at him. He clambered from the truck and rushed to his family who welcomed him with open arms. 

Loosening his grip from the stirring wheel, Rick took a deep breath before climbing out of the truck. Nervous butterflies filled his stomach and he felt a bit sick but he didn't let it show. This was his group now. They were the closest thing to family he had now; until he found Lori and Carl.  

He climbed out of the truck and closed the door. His eyes darted around to the people standing around tents and make shift camp fires. He took a few steps forward.  

This was it.


Tag: lori grimes, @shane, glenn rhee, amy smith, daryl dixon, carol peletier

[glenn rhee]

Glenn exited the car, a spring in his step as he gently shut the door. "Haha.~", he whispered, making his way over to Carol. "Made it back.. and in style.~" The pizza delivery boy smirked, crossing his arms and standing beside her. "You should've been there.", he glanced over at Sophia, giving her a smile as his tone grew softer. "That thing goes FAST!" Glenn gave a dorky smile, but when he looked at Ed, he gulped, eyes frantically searching for another topic. 

He looked over at Rick, and nodded his head to show Carol who he was talking about when he said, "We brought a new guy with us.. Other than covering me with geek guts.. He seems like a good man. He's a... sheriff.. lookin' for his kids." Glenn then looked back at Carol.




rick grimes, carol peletier, @edpeletier

[carl grimes]

We visit a life we both left behind
^{We know the heart}

Carl dragged his feet kicking a stone. Him mother would often warn him about walking to far away from the camp and in truth sometimes the idea of exploring on his own was scary. But, there wasn’t much to do for him in here. He could go and play with Sophia. They were always playing together. Carl enjoyed her company. She was a good friend; very often they would invent games names or just simply laugh at their own jokes. Carl smiled. His mother was nearby so, Carl turned to look at her and said. - “I am going to go play it Sophia.”

If he were to take off without a word his mother would draw his attention and ask him to get back. Sometimes Carl felt she always kept a watchful eye on him. All of the adults did. Carl knew they just wanted to protect them but, he still resented the lack of freedom a little bit. He walked toward the vehicle where Sophia and her family stayed. Her mother was alright; her father not so much. Carl didn’t know what was wrong with him but, he scared him. He scared Sophia too and her mother. Carl came around to play some more with Sophia.

He was about to tap on her shoulder when he noticed that Glenn was back and he was talking with Sophia’s mom. He listened into their conversation just in time to hear Glenn speaking with Carol about a new guy. Curious as he was he raised his eyes to look for this new person, among the group. He quickly saw… Carl screamed and suddenly just like that he was sprinting at full speed in his dad’s direction. Carl wasn’t sure if maybe he was dreaming or not. He was just overwhelmed with happiness. As soon as he reached him he jumped up to him with both arms extended. Since everything has changed this was the first time, Carl had been this happy.

Never not ever, never not ever again

Tagged: lori grimes, @shane, glenn rhee, amy smith, daryl dixon, carol peletier @edpeletier

[carol peletier]

It was a little early for conversation, wishing she had some good coffee to go along with the twinkies her and Lori managed to scrounge up.. Of course Sophia and Carl loved them, smiling to herself as her daughter and the young Grimes boy came back into view. Ed was breathing down her neck again no surprise there, shooting him a quizzical look as the car pulled up into their midst. She already knew who it was, hopefully he brought some pizza this time. Watching as Glenn got out of the car, eyes sweeping towards the other man a nameless face in a nameless world.

She was happy to see Glenn had made it back ok, smiling once as he walked up Sophia darting shyly around the side of the car. A Kodak moment, if such shit still existed. " I can see it clearly now." a small little nod to the car, trying not to draw too much attention from Ed. She was about to inquire further, when Carl let out a shriek to raise the dead, literally, blinking once as it all started to add up like fireworks in her head. She looked over at Glenn, and shrugged once.

" That must be Rick." Lori had mentioned him once, but he was supposed to be dead or something in the hospital. " Surprise. We better go get Lori." curiosity getting the better of her, even as Ed grunted his distaste. Well, this was going to be a good one she could feel it. Better go say hello. Motioning Glenn to come along she walked up to Carl and the sheriff, lingering a few feet off and watching them both with mixed reservations.

[Deleted]

Shane closed the trunk to the car when he heard a vehicle move up the path that was across the way. Tilting his head a bit, he watched as the car was parked and Glenn got out of it. He smirked a little and shook his head at the boys words. He remembered a time when he had gotten a thrill from driving a car almost like that. He moved a hand through his hair, placing the gun that he had in his hands on the back of the car as he stepped up to the other side of Glenn as he said that there was a new guy. Shane of course was not going to complain about new folks being brought in, but he already dealt with enough like the redneck brothers and the wife beater.

But now as he was hearing people talk, he turned his head still not seeing the new comer watching Carl run past them. His eyes were greeted with a sight that he did not think he was ever going to experience before. A wave of mixed things washed over him as he stood there just watching them. Shane crossed his arms over his chest tilting his head at the pair. Rick was a tough bastard. How he had gotten out of that much less alive was just a feat that Shane did not think was possible. His eyes then scanned the area for Lori. If she was there he was not seeing her just yet, maybe because he did not want to at all. He did not want to think that all of this was going to end now, but deep down he did. Shane knew that she was going pull away from him. He knew that things that this was going to end and there was nothing that he could do about it.

[lori grimes]

---

Lori had been folding a shirt that she had just removed. Even though it was dirty, she still liked to try and keep things neat. The sound of vehicles brought her to attention, but she was fumbling with her t-shirt.

Quickly she began pulling at her shirt. Her fingers were shaking as she pulled her over shirt on, plaid purple, and her eyes went wide as she heard Carl screaming. "Carl?" She hollered. She would know her son's scream anywhere. Having raised him since he was a small boy. She knew it all to well.

Lori shot out of the tent she had been in, and as she rounded up toward the group her eyes searched for Carl. First, she saw Shane. Whom seemed to be confused, and feeling all sorts of things by the look on his face and the way his head was tilted. Slowly, her eyes followed everyone else's until they landed on a sight that literally knocked the wind out of her.

Frozen in place, she wasn't sure how to feel. Horrified, relieved, overwhelmed, happy... Everything was shoving into her heart at once, and she felt tears pulling at her eyelids. Without really knowing what she was doing, Lori started edging herself forward. Until she broke into a slight sprint, and she grabbed hold of both her son and Rick.

"Oh my god..." It was all she could say. The only thing that had escaped her lips. She was still breathless, and uncertain about the entire situation. Her stomach started to churn, and she felt a bit sick. What on Earth was she supposed to tell him? Her thoughts instantly fell to Shane, and she was afraid in that moment. Would Shane tell Rick? What on Earth would Rick do if he did find out?

One thing was for certain... Lori wasn't going to be playing anymore cat and mouse with Shane. Not due to her feelings toward him changing, but she was still technically married. She wasn't a widow anymore. Lori was relieved, but still shaking with all sorts of emotions. "I can't believe it..." Her voice was breaking up as she was still trying to bring herself back to the surface. This was reality! Rick was alive, and Carl wasn't without a father. If her husband could make it out of Atlanta... He could survive anything...

---

TAG || carl grimes, rick grimes, @shane, carol peletier, & everyone else too.

[Deleted]

The world had gone to hell in a hand basket, the army tried to save the normal folks but after a while it was not working because those things were killing the soldiers so the army killed anything that could walk or run. Ed with his wife and child were heading away from Atlanta after all that shit went down. Now here he was in a group with Mister Shane the officer, a scrawny Asian kid, two blonde women, some blacks, hicks, and an old guy. There were probably a few more in the group but Ed did not care. He did not to even be around these people after all the crap they give him especially the other woman. They did not know there place. Ed was man and they were beneath him, they should not be talking back making him do chores that was woman’s work. Ed was standing by his wife watching her carefully now-and-days, she was starting to think that she could disobey him.

The other half of group came back from running supplies but that was not all that they brought with them. This man was in uniform. “Great another one.” He muttered. Just because there was going to be two law enforcement in the group did not mean he was going to treat his woman any different or pretend to be nice that was just not Ed. He would beat his in front of anyone it did not matter who they were. Ed stared at Glenn as the kid spoke to his wife. He was the kind of guy that did not want anyone talking to his wife or his wife talking to anyone.

[amy smith]

---

Amy really had no idea whom these new comers were. She was honestly just relieved to see their return. Her eyes instantly fell on her sister, and she rushed over. "You made it out!"

Of course, her sister was smug with it. That didn't matter though. Amy was more of a lover than a fighter, and instead she shared a sincerely happy moment with sister. That was until she heard Carl screaming.

When she turned she discovered that the boy was grappling on to some man. She had no idea whom the man was. Maybe a friend, or something of theirs? An old family friend, maybe an uncle? It all grew clearer as Lori shot over too, and Amy's eyes went a bit wider. "Well all be damned..." She was honestly surprised that this man was alive, but she knew now it must be Lori's husband. They had thought he was dead, if she remembered correctly.

---

TAG || Everyone

[rick grimes]

This must be a dream. He's awoken from his coma to find that God was playing some sort of sick joke. He couldn't possibly be standing mere feet from his family. Could he? The sound of Carl's voice piercing the warm Georgia air sent chills down Rick's entire body and he felt his muscle tense and then relax as the realization finally hit. This wasn't a dream. He had finally found his family.

Rick knelt low and captured Carl in his arms. The familiar softness and innocence surrounding his son overwhelmed him and tears filled his eyes. His son was alive. That was all that matter. He could hear murmurs as everyone began to put two and two together. He paid them little attention as he stroked his hands through his son's soft hair and pulled him in close. He never wanted to let him go.

"Where's your mom? Where's Lori?" He asked as he pulled back to gaze down into Carl's eyes. Lori's eyes. Brown and shining. His question was answered when Lori stepped into his line of sight. It wasn't possible for him to smile any wider. He didn't have to move an inch. Standing tall, Rick braced himself as Lori rushed to his side. She was in his arms and her arms were around him and he broke down. All of the fight he had left disappeared in a puff of smoke. For those short moments he forgot about surviving and fighting. All of the pain he;d gone through had brought him to this moment.

"I can't believe it."

"I thought...I thought I'd never see you again." His voice sounded muffled as he rested his face in the crook between Lori's neck and shoulder. He pulled her in close, his grip on Carl unfaltering.

"I thought I'd lost you both."

Never again.

Tag: carl grimes, lori grimes, glenn rhee, carol peletier , everyone else
Note: Sorry for the long wait. My muse has not be cooperating with me.