Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect., are the property of their respective owners.  The original character and plot are the property of the author.  The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise.  No copyright infringement is intended.

Summary: When the world ended the only thing Birdie Grimes wanted to do was to get home to her family.  When she finds her sister-in-law and best friend on the outskirts of Atlanta, will she finally get the chance to tell him how she really feels?  Will love blossom?  *No evil Shane* 

Warning:  This fan-fiction is rated Mature for Language, Gore and Adult Situations.  Readers under the age of 18 are strongly discouraged from reading.

Pairing: Shane Walsh x Birdie Grimes

Chapter Thirteen

 

Nothing really surprised me from that point on.  I could tell from the time I had first laid eyes on Andrea that she wasn’t the type of woman to be submissive and that was going to cause a big problem sometime—most likely in the very near future.

Even though I had never been in any type of an abusive relationship, my college roommate and only real girlfriend—Becky—had married a physically and mentally abusive man.  I had not only been around him when he was violent but I was also around to see the head games that men like Ed liked to play—they didn’t impress me at all.

Ed remained, lingering just behind me, making everybody nervous—myself included—and I desperately looked across the quarry to see that Shane had stopped talking to Lori and was now watching me and intensely staring at the situation around me. 

It was easy to discern through his posture and tone, that Ed was looking to pick a fight with someone.  Ed may have looked stupid to everyone here, but I knew that he wasn’t.  He was a master manipulator of the weak minded.  He knew that if he prodded a woman like Andrea—strong and independent—she’d take the bait and then he’d punish Carol later for it.  It was sick, but I had witnessed it so many times throughout Becky and Andrew’s relationship. 

Andrea didn’t disappoint. 

“Problem, Ed?”  Andrea asked with a huff as she dropped the shirt she was washing into the water with a loud splash.  She was clearly done putting up with his intimidating attitude but I knew she was about to go poking the sleeping bear and I could guarantee she was nowhere near as tough as she thought she was. 

He took a long drag off his smoke, blowing it straight into my face as he spoke, “None that concerns you,” he sneered, turning his nose down to his wife.  “You ought to focus on yer work, this ain’t no comedy club.” 

What an asshole?  So what if his wife was trying to enjoy whatever she could in this new and terrifying world?  God, did he not love her at all? 

Andrea scoffed, and I knew by this point that she wasn’t going to let this go.  Discreetly as I could, I leaned over Carol—pretending to grab another scrub brush–and quietly whispered to Andrea that this probably wasn’t the best time to start an argument with a man who was clearly violent and who also outweighed her by a good hundred pounds or more. 

I was by no means a coward, but I certainly knew how and when to choose my battles…this battle wasn’t a good one to pick at all.

Carol nodded frantically, completely agreeing with me. 

Andrea looked at the both of us and sneered, haughtily stating that she could take care of herself and that if I were scared, I could go run back to my boyfriend. 

Well, alright then, bitch—I thought irritably.  I’d let miss macho think what she would about me, but I can guarantee the first time Ed really showed her what he was all about, it was gonna scare the daylights out of her.  That stupid woman just didn’t realize that anything she said in the next few minutes was going to wind up adding to the bruises on Carol’s body later—well, that would be Andrea’s burden to bare when the time came, wouldn’t it?

Completely ignoring me, Andrea stood, snotty look on her face and everything as she swaggered towards Ed like she was Queen Bitch of the Jungle.  If I wasn’t so scared that Ed would really hurt her, I would have laughed at her attempts to seem manly. 

“Ed, I’ll tell you what.  If you don’t like how you’re laundries done, you’re more than welcome to pitch in and do it yourself.”  She said sounding mighty pleased with herself as she tossed the shirt she’d been scrubbing into his chest.  “Here.”

His whole demeanor changed instantly—just like I knew it would—turning dangerous as his lips curled up over his teeth in a snarl.  He tossed the shirt back at her with force, smacking her straight in the face with it.  Andrea let out a surprised yelp and looked at him stupidly, as if she were saying “You’re not allowed to hit girls”.  Some people really are just too stupid for their own good. 

It escalated quickly after that.  Andrea kept running her mouth, taunting Ed—despite Carol and her sister begging her to stop—until finally Ed was a full on raging bull.

I cast my eyes around the quarry, desperately searching for Shane, but I couldn’t see him anywhere.  I could only hope that it meant he was on his way over here. 

My knees began to tremble with a rush of adrenaline as Ed stepped forward and grabbed Carol by the arm with bruising pressure.  When Carol cried out in pain, the dam in Ed broke and he turned quickly and backhanded her across the face, knocking her to the ground. 

In that moment, something inside me cried out to protect her—she was just like Becky—innocent, and I threw myself in front of her, if only to keep her from getting hit again.  “Stop hitting her!” 

It only took one look in his eyes for me to understand that I had made a serious mistake getting between him and his prey.  He howled in outrage, calling me some foul name before his hand shot out and struck me with a force I didn’t know human men possessed. 

White light exploded from behind my left eye and my ass hit the dirt seconds later, my head bouncing off a rock with a resounding crack that left my ears ringing.  The hit itself stung, but it didn’t hurt nearly as bad as the rock that met the back of my skull when I fell.   

Suddenly screams erupted all around me and I looked up just in time to see Shane storming the beach with murder in his eyes.