[b]Shannon - Haywood[/b]

Emma had been in no position to see to Daniel's burial, so Shannon and Riley were the ones to make sure his and Lauren's bodies were properly tended to. It had been a gruelling and sorrowful process to oversee, but thankfully some of Outpost's scouts had offered to help with the physical labor. They'd declined to bring back their own dead to Outpost for the walk would be too long, so the graveyard received ten new bodies in all. Emma managed to attend when both Daniel and her friend, Bex, were put into the ground. Fresh tears were shed by all, for many had lost people that day.

The scouts wanted to leave that evening, as many were feeling guilty about what had transpired. It was an awkward exchange, but Riley had talked them into resting for the night. Haywood still contained enough resources fit for fifty people, so there were no hard feelings when it came to sharing. Still, there had been tension all into the night between the scouts that supported Tyler the longest and those that turned on him quickly, but thankfully no fights had broken out. Perhaps that was due to the fact that a baby was now amongst their midst, who had a large number of people ready to stare and coo at it. None of them had seen someone so young in almost half a year, after all.

The one scout to receive the most wary looks had been Enrique, the man who everyone knew to have been closest with "Thomas" beforehand. Though he had expressed disgust over what Tyler had done, the scouts believed that time would eventually tell if he meant what he said. This wariness did not extend to James, who asked Shannon if he could meet with the man once he spotted him in the courtyard. It was a small world, Shannon thought. She remembered Enrique as the man who had given James chocolate back in Daniel's auto garage. Though she wasn't there, she'd heard he had also participated in the raid on Tyler's hideout. She begrudgingly allowed James to go see the man, though she had asked Riley to watch over them in her absence. Danny wanted to talk to her that evening and she knew it was a talk that was overdue.

She brought him into Daniel's house (Well, it wasn't his anymore, she was bitterly reminded), where they could talk privately in one of the unattended rooms. A heavy silence stretched between them as Shannon observed Danny's face contorting while he tried to find words to say. She cut him off by placing a hand on his shoulder. "So, what now?" she asked "What happens with us?"

Danny looked down and observed his hands in his lap. "I'm not really sure, but... I know we need to stick together. It's been too... too goddamned long. I missed you so much." He paused then, while Shannon thought of something to say. She agreed with him, but she knew what he was about to say next. "But I've been with Outpost for all that time," he continued. "It's my home now, and I love the people there. What I would like to happen is for you to come back with me, to live in Outpost..."

Of course, she hadn't expected him to say anything but that. She truly wished he hadn't said it. "You mean the place that made that evil man a leader? How long did you possibly know him before he had you ready to kill us all?"

That made him wince and shrug off her hand. She knew it hurt him to say that, but she couldn't contain herself. She was so tired of being weak and watching her friends die around her. She was [i]so angry[/i] at this stupid hellish world they lived in. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. "We're all fucking sorry, Shannon. I'm not excusing our mistake, but you weren't there. You can't possibly understand why we did what we did."

Shannon deflated at his tone. She didn't like being angry with him. "I guess not."

He turned to her, taking hold of her hands. "But things will be different now. Outpost will be better, especially with you there. We can't go our separate ways after all of this. Fuck, Shannon, we need to make up for lost time!"

"Dan..." She stared at him for what felt like ages. She'd made up her mind already, and there was nothing he could say that could convince her. She wanted her best friend back in her life, but she couldn't go with him to Outpost. "... I can't. I'm tired of groups and I'm tired of walls and communities. I've had to... I've had to--" Tears began to sting at her eyes. She thought she had cried everything out already, but clearly that was not the case. She tried to abate her sobbing, but her voice took on a gross choking noise. "I've had to bury way too many people. Every group I've been a part of has just died out around me, and I can not deal with that again, even with you there. Emma and I plan on leaving Haywood tomorrow, Danny. You-You could come with us, but I know you won't budge either."

He shook his head, his eyes closed shut. She knew he was not one to cry. In all the years she'd known him, she had seen Danny Heidecker cry only once in his life. That's why she felt all the more worse when he opened his eyes and she saw that they were watering. "God... Damn it. I fucking..." He suddenly let go of her hands and stood off the bed. "I can't believe we're fucking doing this. We're such dumbasses." With a heavy breath, Danny left the room, leaving Shannon to sit in silence.