( @betterfather said: "you look like you iust saw a ghost." //😬 / spooky starters )
A ghost would’ve made his throat less dry, would’ve been less of a shock. Easier to rationalize a ghost — to call it a hallucination and move on ( maybe a stumble first, then to proceed forward ). But, there was nothing that could’ve prepared him for Shane’s appearance. He’d had to come to terms with what had happened at the farm, even if he avoided analyzing it too deeply. It was hard to reconcile the memories with the end.
Hell, he thought he’d died that night, wore the blood on his hands because he hadn’t had any other choice.
And now, he’s there. With them. The group’s in a fragile state, shaken by the Saviors. Rick himself feels like his jaw might break with the way he’s clenched it, like he’ll boil alive with the anger he’s suppressed to survive.
The rest of Alexandria becomes a distant hum, Saviors picking through their things, while Rick stares at Shane. A ghost was close enough. ❝ Considerin’ how I last saw you? ❞ He remembers how to speak again, powering through the shock. ❝ You could be. ❞ A dozen questions come to mind, but he reminds himself who he’s come with. The enemy that, for all intents and purposes, he is.
