Chapter 38: Apology
"Tsk—" Shawn said, looking at Hershel's back. It was a matter Hershel had to face sooner or later. Being forced to make a choice wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Dispelling his notion of keeping walkers early would prevent any awkwardness for everyone once they reached the Prison. At the very least, protecting Maggie and Beth was far better than protecting those corpses he called 'family'.
"Shawn!" Carol jogged over and gave him a hug.
"Thank God you're back!" A hint of gratitude was well hidden in her eyes. Upon seeing Shawn, the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.
"In this damn apocalypse, thanking God is useless," Shawn said, readily accepting the hug.
"I'll go make something for you and Carl. You must be starving out there." With that, Carol blinked her slightly red eyes and was about to jog back to the camp. But a hand suddenly grabbed hers.
"No rush to eat, Carol. Carl and I brought back some water and food. Take them and help me unload some of it," Shawn said, pointing to the fire truck behind him.
"Hey, Shawn, you're back!" a bright voice called out. Andrea arrived with Amy in tow. But, as expected, they were also roped into being laborers by Shawn.
Shawn opened the Red Tyrant's storage, and started passing things out one by one.
"That's enough, that's enough, man! Are you trying to work me to death?" T-Dog said in his peculiar cadence, his arms spread wide, holding two barrels of water in each hand.
"Who told you to have such big hands," Shawn retorted with a laugh.
The amount of resources they brought back wasn't actually that much. For the entire camp, it was less than two weeks' worth of rations. But when they saw the cakes, smiles couldn't help but appear on everyone's faces. These unspoiled and delicious foods were as good as hard currency like cigarettes and alcohol in the apocalypse. High in sugar and calories, they were much better than canned food, aside from the small portion size.
Glenn put down the last barrel of water, caught his breath, and then furtively sidled up to Shawn. "Shawn, next time you go out, can you help me find some instant noodles?"
"Any brand, any flavor is fine, as long as it's instant noodles."
Seeing Glenn's embarrassed look, Shawn finally realized that Glenn was a fellow Instant Noodle enthusiast.
"To hold out for so long before asking, you've really suffered," Shawn said, patting Glenn's shoulder with a sigh. At least in his impression, these kind of people felt miserable if they went a day without eating instant noodles. For them, it was the highest banquet.
About half of the resources in the truck were unloaded; the other half was left inside as a reserve.
Back at the camp, Shawn went to Rick's side. Carl's quiver had been removed by Rick, and he was now sleeping soundly in his father's arms.
"The little guy has had a rough seven days."
Rick looked up at him upon hearing this, said nothing, and then lowered his head again.
"Rick, you're not angry, are you?" Shawn asked with a half-smile. Of course, Rick had every right to be angry. Shawn only asked to break the silence. A 'silent Rick' was clearly not the most rational version of Rick.
Hearing his question, a muscle in Rick's eye twitched, and he finally spoke.
"Originally, I was thinking that if you came back but Carl didn't, I would slit your throat with my knife." Rick didn't look at Shawn, just turned his head slightly, his eyes calm.
"Later, when I saw Carl, I just wanted to punch you hard for taking him into the walker-infested world for a whole 7 days!"
"Do you remember what we agreed on? I thought you would at least bring him back once in the middle!" Rick seemed on the verge of exploding, but he forced his voice down, not wanting to wake the sleeping Carl.
"But when I saw Carl, when his eyes met mine, when I rubbed the calluses that had formed on his palm..." Rick's fingers stroked the primitive bow Carl was still clutching tightly. Feeling its rough texture, Rick let out a sigh of relief, his tone no longer harsh or angry.
He looked Shawn straight in the eye and said seriously, "At least from my standpoint... I have to thank you."
"Thanks, Shawn. Although I don't know what Carl went through, I can definitely feel that he's different."
Hearing Rick's thanks, Shawn was about to wave his hand and hide his merit and fame; he was not one to gloat. But in the next second, he heard Rick's voice again.
"But!"
"You took Carl away for a whole week. Lori was so worried about him she couldn't eat anything and would often wake up terrified in the night."
"In just a few short days, Lori's condition has deteriorated rapidly. She's still lying unconscious in the tent."
"Shawn, you don't owe me, you don't owe Carl, you don't owe anyone in this camp. But you do owe Lori an apology." Rick frowned, staring at Shawn without backing down.
Over the past few days, watching Shane's actions, Rick had already formed a vague suspicion. But no matter what, Lori had had no choice at the time. She was, at the very least, a good mother. Rick loved Carl, and Lori's love for him was only greater, not less. Shawn taking Carl away for seven days was like taking half of Lori's life. Combined with Shawn's previous attitude toward Lori, it was what prompted Rick to say these words.
"Got it."
Looking at Rick, then at the sleeping Carl in his arms, Shawn thought for a moment and nodded slightly. He turned and took a few steps, then suddenly stopped.
"Get ready to settle everything at the camp. Whether Hershel and his family are willing to go with us or not, we should at least get moving."
With that, Shawn walked straight toward his tent. He had given his tent to Rick's family, and Lori was now lying there.
When Shawn reached the tent, he saw Shane, wearing a dark brown, tight-fitting short-sleeved shirt. His hair had grown a little longer and was slicked back, which, combined with his rugged face and strong build, made him look more and more like a 'thug' who feared nothing.
"What is your problem?!"
Upon seeing Shawn, Shane immediately stood up from outside the tent, suppressing his anger. "Do you have any idea how much chaos you caused by not coming back with Carl?"
"Watch your tone with me." Shawn's voice was calm, not intimidated in the slightest.
It was true, as Rick said, that he owed Lori. But that didn't mean he would swallow his anger when faced with Shane.
'Just because I was gone for seven days... has Shane forgotten who's the boss?'
*****
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