[b]Shannon - Campsite[/b]

She spoke softly to James, telling him to get inside Emma's tent and out of the rain. She assured him that they would look for Valentina in the morning, though she could not promise him that they would find her. The boy looked dismayed and shell shocked as he left her side. Then, Shannon rubbed at her arms and tightened the strings on her sweater as she watched Rob pop Finch's arm back into place. "We've been through a lot. After Haywood and Daniel, well..." She grimaced and stole a look back toward Emma's tent. "I know how she feels, and I don't expect her to be herself any time soon."

As the rain began to pick up, Shannon groaned to herself. This was not a night to be dealing with all of this. With Valentina gone, Shannon wasn't in the mood to speak with anyone. "If you two are stuck out here, then use my tent for tonight. James and I will sleep with Emma." She left the pair to hop into her tent so that she could gather her stuff. She made sure to grab James' small pack as well. "We'll talk in the morning," she said, returning to them. She pointed to her tent before heading toward Emma's and unzipping the entrance. She found both Emma and James asleep, though Shannon didn't know if they were just pretending. Either way, she tried to be discreet as she placed what she was carrying in the corner of the tent and made a place next to James.

She lay awake for a while, listening to the rain pelt against the tent. She thought of Valentina, lost and scared out in the storm. She also thought of Danny ever so briefly, wondering if he was okay.

***

The rain had stopped in the morning, but the sky maintained a dreary grey look. Shannon sat before the fire pit and gingerly touched at it with her foot. She would have to gather some more wood, but she certainly wasn't feeling up to it at the moment. Before anyone else had awoken, Shannon had wandered away from the camp in search of Valentina, but a horde had kept her heading too far outside the area. She was no outdoors person and had no experience with tracking individuals. As far as Shannon knew, the rain had washed out any sign of Valentina from their lives.

It was with a heavy heart that Shannon returned to camp to gives James the bad news. The boy had looked about ready to cry again, but managed to say that he wouldn't give up on her. Shannon agreed to go out with him again to search after everyone had gotten up. So, the pair sat beside the fire and nibbled at some of their supplies. Shannon ran a hand through her hair as she steeled herself for what she had to say. "James, we're going to try our best, but we may never find Valentina. I just need you... Need you to--"

"I know," he suddenly said, his eyes staring upward. "I need to prepare for the worst. I know. I just don't want her to turn out like mom and dad."

Shannon stared at him for a moment, but eventually nodded. If they never found Valentina at all, surely it would be better than finding her as a walker.