So Mel spots Sharon on TV during a raid, a news report so likely live, in chicago, but six months later when she and Wanderer arrived in the caves, sharon and her mother are already there. So they're about as new to the caves and Jared and Jamie.
What are the odds she and Maggie just happened to need to leave their Chicago hiddey hole at the same time Melanie was there looking for them, totally separate? Like it could have been that same news report that sent seekers after them, or Maggie finding out Sharon was seen on tv and wanting to be safe so they bolt before they find out if anyone spotted Sharon on the TV at all.
So they COULD have already been gone before Mel even left to go look for them.
But just as likely, because Wanderer did get Mel's full name on day 1, that the Seekers where able to find information on her family, and went checking Magnolia Styder's known Chicago residence/s and that's what forced her and Sharon to have to leave.
And just, you know either way, there was a conversation in those caves when they met, between Jared and Jamie, and Maggie and Sharon.
There was probably a lot of shared grief. There was probably blame being slung back and forth, too.
It's your fault for being see that she went after you.
It's you fault for not going with her.
That sort if thing.
And if it was Wanderer that sent seekers aftert them, that would explain so much of Maggie and Sharons personal animosity towards her. They had it all worked out and were surviving and one parasite took their niece/cousin and sent them off to the DESSERT.
And if they left because they were being cautious, how guilty they must feel that Mel got caught because she saw Sharon and wanted to find them, and then they weren't even there by the time she arrived.
Dang I bet that's stung.
Or, for all we know, Jared and Jamie could have gonr after them when Mel got caught, we don't know that Mel didn't share the location of the hiddey hole with them, though in a world were your mind can be taken over and riffled through by the enemy, I feel like sharing that sort of info is dangerous and she likely didn't. But it's also interesting to imagine all four of them traveling and arriving at Jebs door step together.
And also, you know what, Sharon and Maggie were surviving in a CITY.
Why was Sharon never on raids? Honestly if she was walking around in broad daylight, surely she'd figured out that a pair of sunglasses and nice smile were all it took for a regular shopping trip among the ever so trusting souls? Even if she is a snappy, mean person, you'd have to learn to fake doing what it takes to survive, even if that's smiling at the enemy and making small talk about the weather at the regester so you could eat that night. And all the styders strick me as survivers.
So why was hot-headed lived-on-his-own stealing-food-from-a-lone-house Jared the miracle worker and not her??