ᵀᴴᴱ ᴱᴺᴰ ᴬᴺᴰ ᵀᴴᴱ ᴮᴱᴳᴵᴺᴺᴵᴺᴳ
Life had never been easy for Shepley Jameson O'Connell. From an early age, one could have argued that he was bound for great failures. His mother had done her best with what little she had, but truth be told, the misfortunes of his upbringing had prepared him for a cold and empty world — a world where order failed to exist and wrongdoings weren't in short supply. His criminal history, forged by the hand of another or not didn't matter. Truth was, nothing mattered outside of the two people he'd searched for as if his life depended upon it... upon them. Most days, it did. For years, he'd replayed the final moments over and over in an attempt at finding out where he'd gone wrong. If he'd made a different choice, if he had listened to Liv — if if if. Against every suggestion made by others, Shepley had held on tightly to the idea of finding them. It was the only thing anchoring him to the broken world, the only true reason he hadn't given up. It was an unexpected group that had swiftly taken him in, their compound safe from the outside world. Dangers lurked within, but after weeks of settling in and being promised aid in search efforts, he'd made his spot permanent. Everything that followed was a means to a particular end — find Liv, find Anya. It was impossible to harbor any guilt with such blindness, despite the stomach turning tasks bestowed upon him at times. News of another settlement had spread like wildfire through the compound, some curious, some furious, and some uncaring. Negan, the self-proclaimed leader that instilled fear in those who questioned him, was among the curious. If the other settlement, Alexandria as it were named, was a threat, he needed to know for the safety of his people. It was the very reason that Shepley found himself face to face with the barbed wire bat carrying leader who wore a smirk as often as his leather jacket. The plan was simple, as was the story. Shepley would stumble within range of the settlement, obtain an invite within, learn from the settlement, and report back. If he failed, the implication was just as simple — failure meant becoming walker bait and becoming walker bait meant losing every chance to find them. ( CURRENT TIME ) "Your kindness is appreciated. Not many people offer that much anymore." For two days, he'd sat in a dimly lit cell. He'd been questioned gently by members of the settlement, each as worried as the one before them. A part of him wanted to spew the truth, but doing so was a far bigger risk than he cared to take. He'd barely gotten off the string of gratitude when the un-oiled hinges of a door sang with the arrival of someone else. The man slowly turned, a smile on his mouth as a sign of good faith, but said smile faded as everything grew quiet around him. Before him stood the very woman he'd been searching for. His heart dared to beat out of his chest, his gaze unwavering. It was the gentle tug at his flannel that anchored him to the moment. According to the woman, Liv would be the one to show him to his sleeping quarters. After all, she was responsible for recruiting and hunting, the latter being why she hadn't been the one to bring him in. "Thank you," he muttered, his dark hues only moving towards the door as it offered the same unpleasant noise upon the other stepping out. "Is she..." he breathed, unable to ask the full question as his gaze glossed over. If Liv was there, Anya was too. Unless... no.














