While Rick and Louis returned to Atlanta and experienced that thrilling rescue, undercurrents were quietly stirring in the quarry camp.
"Got it!"
Carl's excited cheer was accompanied by a "splash" of water.
Shane grabbed a fat frog from the weeds and held it in front of Carl, and the two burst into hearty laughter.
Water droplets slid down Shane's strong arm. He wiped his face, about to teach Carl how to catch more frogs, when a familiar voice came from the shore.
"Shane."
A calm female voice interrupted him.
Shane's movements stiffened. He slowly stood up and looked at Lori approaching.
She didn't look at Shane, but first spoke to Carl:
"Carl, didn't I tell you not to leave Dale's sight? Go back to the camp."
"But Shane said yesterday he'd teach me to catch frogs," Carl tilted his head, a little confused, "Did you forget?"
"I remember, but you've been playing for a long time." Lori had already reached out to pull Carl closer, "Let's go back first."
Seeing his mother's somewhat serious expression, Carl didn't say anything more, just nodded obediently and ran towards the RV not far away.
After Carl left, Lori finally looked at Shane and spoke first:
"I'm very grateful for everything you've done for us during this time." Her voice was devoid of emotion.
Hearing this, Shane's heart sank little by little.
He knew that what was coming would eventually come.
"Rick is back."
Lori's gaze was like two thin sheets of ice, piercing directly at Shane in the lake water.
"And before that, you told me of his death."
She had thought that when she faced him again, she would use all her strength to question him angrily.
After all, the news of Rick's death had caused her and Carl immense grief, and it was this "death news" that made her lean on Shane in despair.
In fact, when Rick first returned, Lori was very angry with Shane.
She believed he had deceived her. If he hadn't asserted that Rick was dead, she would never have been with him.
However, after hearing Rick recount all his experiences last night, especially learning that the child Louis had risked returning to the hospital to repay Shane's kindness, the anger in her heart gradually subsided.
Knowing that Louis's actions indirectly led to Rick's survival also made her view of Shane more complex.
She began to believe that Shane might not have intentionally deceived her at the time, but merely made a misjudgment out of despair, as Rick's chances of survival were indeed slim then.
Shane's Adam's apple bobbed. His voice was hoarse: "...Rick is my best brother. I also hoped he would come back."
"Very good." Lori nodded, her expression as if confirming an irrelevant fact.
"Since you understand, I'll be direct."
She took a step forward, her beautiful eyes now filled with undeniable resolve: "I hope you can stay away from me, and Carl... from now on."
"Lori, that's not fair!" This cold remark pierced Shane's heart like a thorn.
He couldn't accept it, and his voice held a plea he hadn't even noticed himself, "You can't... you can't just erase everything. We..."
"Listen! Shane!"
Lori abruptly took two steps closer, her voice extremely low, as if using all her strength to control her emotions on the verge of collapse.
"What we had, from the very beginning, was born from a mistake! A misunderstanding!"
She took a deep breath and turned her face away: "You... perhaps you can still be his brother, and Carl's uncle, in the future."
"But we, are over! Okay?"
She didn't wait for Shane's answer. After speaking, she turned and left, her back showing no lingering attachment.
Shane reached out, as if to grasp something, but ultimately let his hand fall weakly.
Because he knew Lori was right.
Although he had come to regard them as family during their time together, they had to think of their true family. He also had to consider Rick's feelings... Meanwhile, on the other side of the camp.
He also had to consider Rick's feelings... Meanwhile, on the other side of the camp.
An old man with a fisherman's hat and gray hair was sitting on a lounge chair on the RV roof, keeping watch.
He frowned, looking towards the entrance of the quarry.
The midday sun was so scorching it felt like it would burn through skin.
Jim, a lean and gaunt man, stood at the intersection like a stubborn statue, holding a shovel, unmoving.
Sweat streamed down his sunken cheeks, forming rivulets, soaking his gray vest, and creating dark spots on the muddy ground beneath his feet.
But he didn't care, just staring intently at the empty road in the distance.
Dale put down his binoculars, feeling vaguely worried.
It seemed this guy had been standing here ever since Rick and the others left the camp.
So the old man thought for a moment, got down from the RV, and found Shane.
Shane was currently dealing with a minor dispute in the camp.
He coldly warned the domestic abuser Ed, who wanted to hit his wife, to behave himself, and then Dale called out to him.
"Shane! You'd better come see Jim!" He explained what he had just seen.
Hearing this, Shane walked over with several other camp members who had also noticed the anomaly.
Jim seemed not to hear the footsteps behind him, maintaining his motionless posture.
"Jim?" Shane tentatively spoke, "Are you alright? Everyone's a bit worried about you."
Jim's body trembled violently. He slowly turned his head, wiped the sweat from his face, his eyes full of anxiety: "What do you want?"
"Dale said you've been standing here for hours." Shane patiently said.
Jim: "So what?"
"What are you looking at? Is there a threat there?"
"Am I bothering you?" Jim's voice suddenly rose, "I'm just standing here! I'm not hurting anyone!"
"But you'll hurt yourself like this."
Dale chimed in, "It's almost 40 degrees Celsius today, you can't keep standing, at least drink some water."
Lori also walked over, frowning: "Jim, you standing like this is very strange, it will scare the children."
"I haven't done anything wrong!" Jim's emotions completely ignited, and he clutched the shovel, "Can't you just leave me alone?! Just let me be here by myself!"
"Alright, calm down, okay?" Shane raised his hands, trying to appease him, "We just want you to rest, or maybe you can find a shady spot to sit?"
"Why should I listen to you? Are you a judge? Or our leader?"
Jim suddenly roared, he violently swung the shovel in his hand, smashing it towards Shane!
Shane's eyes narrowed. He dodged sideways, grabbed the shovel handle, and kicked Jim in the back of the knee!
"Bang!"
Jim immediately fell to his knees. Shane took the opportunity to snatch the shovel and throw it far away, then pinned him to the scorching ground, his knee pressing firmly into Jim's back.
"Get some rope! He's gone crazy from heatstroke!"
The camp erupted in chaos.
Several members frantically found ropes and, with many hands, tied Jim securely, dragging him to the shade of the large oak tree in the center of the camp.
Jim stopped struggling, merely tied to the tree trunk, breathing heavily, his eyes unfocused, and muttering to himself.
The camp's atmosphere became somewhat awkward due to this sudden conflict.
The adults exchanged glances, unsure how to deal with their clearly deranged companion, and the children hid behind their parents, not daring to make a sound.
In this suffocating silence, the roar of a car engine, approaching from a distance, broke the camp's rigid atmosphere.
Shane immediately stood up alertly, and the others also gripped their weapons, nervously looking towards the quarry entrance.
"Don't be nervous!" Dale shouted from the RV roof, holding binoculars, "It's Morales! He's back!"
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Morales drove his car into the center of the camp, and three other people got out–
A tall black man, a black-haired woman, and a boy about Carl's age.
"They are Morgan, Jenny, and their son Duane."
Morales introduced them to everyone, "They're the family Rick asked us to pick up."
The arrival of new members temporarily eased the tension in the camp caused by Jim.
Everyone came forward to greet the Jones Family, asking about their journey.
Mr. and Mrs. Morgan showed worried expressions when they learned that Rick had returned to Atlanta to rescue people, but could only choose to wait safely at the camp.
Duane was about the same age as several children in the camp. Seeing new companions join, the children, with their parents' permission, quickly overcame their initial unfamiliarity and started playing together.
After settling the Jones Family, everyone's mood seemed to have improved, but Shane's mood still hadn't calmed down.
He glanced at Jim tied under the tree, thought for a moment, then walked over with a bucket of water.
He fed Jim a few sips of water, and then, at Jim's request, scooped a handful and poured it over his head.
The cool water made Jim shiver, and much of the frenzy in his eyes receded.
"You should be better now, right?" Shane observed his expression.
Jim nodded.
He looked at Lori and the other parents watching the children not far away, a hint of guilt on his face: "Sorry... I scared your children."
"You had heatstroke, no one blames you." Lori shook her head.
"Yes, I was lightheaded from the sun." Jim gave a bitter smile.
"Jim," Dale still couldn't help but ask, "Why were you standing there the whole time? What exactly were you looking at?"
"I..." Jim's eyes began to glaze over, "I have a reason. But I... can't remember..."
He no longer paid attention to the others, just redirected his gaze to the empty mountain road in the distance, and began to mumble:
"I had a dream last night, a very long dream..."
"I dreamed... I kept digging holes here, many, many holes... The sun was strong, and I was very thirsty..."
His breathing suddenly became rapid, his eyes unfocused, as if he had fallen into a state of delirium:
"Then... I saw... the truck... it drove from the end of the road..."
"Carl's dad, Rick... came back..." He frowned, then suddenly paused.
"Jim?" Shane saw his face was wrong and quickly shook him, "Are you okay?"
"It's different now... Those pits weren't used..."
He ignored Shane, however, and continued to mutter, "It's different now... Rick brought back... hope...!"
Jim's voice grew softer and more indistinct. Finally, his head slumped, as if all his strength had been exhausted, and amidst everyone's exclamations, he completely fainted.
"Jim?!"
The people around him were all frightened by his sudden change and rushed forward to check on him.