Shawn had a bigger issue as his blood brought walkers to him even as they were stiff from the cold and trodded through the snow drifts to get to him. The bright side was that any one following him would have to contend with the walkers first. leaving a blood trail that dripped from underneath his jacket Shawn continued toward the boat. If he could reach it, he could sail off the coast to heal with Olivia. Safe from the land locked walkers. His steps started to falter as he lost blood. The walkers of the city began to follow him. First there were seven then from the alley ways and crashed vehicles they came. Shuffling in a large herd making it almost impossible to keep unnoticed. The herd now more then twenty shuffled in his footsteps. Reaching for him with outstretched arms. He forced his feet to move. The loss of blood made his temperature drop making every step a fight to live. The heard gaining ground with every step. The gap became shorter to soon he had no choice but to lock himself in an abandoned car. 

There were no keys and the herd quickly surrounded it. Again Shawn smirked at the thought of being safe from the living. The car rocked side to side and the slapping of hands against the glass was the last thing Shawn heard as his eyes closed. He dreamed.. Of the days before the out break, where he had bought his home after his tour of duty. The cutting of the grass and getting the right flowers for his garden. The random emptiness of the home becoming a concern and how he heard noises from under the ground. Shawn knelt close to the soil, closer still unable to make out the words. Then bursting through the ground the dead hand and a half decomposed face of an old boot camp buddy. Shawn's eyes shot open to the reassuring sight of the dead still encircling the car one of them had managed to put a hole through the back passenger window and its arm desperately trying to reach Shawn. Most of the skin was cut from the glass. Shawn pushed in the lighter and while he waited searched the car for a miracle. Nothing but a map, some pens, fast food receipts and a lighter. Grabbing the cars cigarette lighter he started to heat the metal with the hand lighter getting the metal red hot. Lifting the jacket and shirt Shawn hovered the lighter over the wound before gritting his teeth and pressing down. "Oooooww! Son of a bitch! Damn!!" A few punches to the door panel and he lifted the metal only to have a little of the skin melted to the metal tear. "Damn!!" Shawn's mind screamed louder, telling Shawn how stupid it was to try some shit he saw in a movie.

Shawn sat there now more awake then he was previously and pissed. The thought came to him, He rolled a window down a crack and lite the map on fire. Shawn held it to the side of one of the walkers face lighting the hair watching as the embers fell to their clothes. Spreading the the pact together walkers until most of them were burning. Now heated from the fire outside Shawn looked at his watch 215 pm. "Damn I'm late." Trying the radio he found the battery was dead from leaving it on and the volume turned up. "Damn..Well..." He sighed trying to think Shawn rolled up the window to cut the smoke and looked around. Taking the knife that was taped from his arm he cut the cover off the passenger seat. Holding it in front of him Shawn opened the door to the fire pushing his way out he tried to hurry across the mob now to burned to give chase. The flames growled and snarled as he left them. 

"Shot, burned, nearly eaten by a pack of damn roamers and now, now to top it all off, its going to be dark soon!" Shawn limped down the side walk hopeful the move would seem like a walker and not worth anyone's time. A few time a walker trapped inside one of the streets store would try to lung at him either cracking the glass or reaching out from the security metal fence to keep looters out. He fought to beat the night. Stopping to take a drink of water from his pack or stab a roamer that came from an adjoining alley he could see the docks and sighed in relief at the boat still being there. Stumbling over his own feet hunched over and exhausted he walked closer to home. 

Shawn leaned against the ladders rapping his arms around like a lost friend found and appreciated. Taking a deep breath Shawn let his wall down and let the tears fall. Letting the fear creep in that she wasn't there, that something happened to her, that she was wandering the streets just another face in the shuffling swarm of death in the city. He climbed up slowly and each step was a fight to stay the course. As his eyes reached the deck Shawn's chest grew tighter. It was quiet on the new boat. The lights were off on the main deck, only the moon showed the silent scene. No blood trails or holes, the dock was quiet except for the night winds and the lapping of water against the hull. His hand reached out to the latch handle and pulled it open as he shut his eyes. 

Shawn heard Nothing. His heart sank. Opening his eyes he looked about to see nothing. The boat was empty and he was alone. Grabbing his head he screamed and started to kick anything near by. After a moment of this Shawn slumped against the wall. Silently still letting the tears run down and disappear into his beard. He looked around and shook his head. She was real the clothes and things they shared were real. he would wait on the dock the next couple of days as his side scabbed over. Still stiff from the pain he sat in the same clothes watching for her. Telling himself it was real it was real. 

Recharging the radio on the following day he would leave it on waiting wanting to hear her voice. So soft in its southern kindness. A week went by, nothing. No sign of Olivia and he had already started fishing again to keep from going into their supplies. Each day the numbness grew. His love still their within Shawn just sinking deeper within him each night. Stowing the gear on the boat and put the clothes he had in his pack away safe in one of the storage spaces. Shawn had a few batteries as back up and a few 5 gallon gas tanks filled. The river froze him in place and ice fishing became the new challenge of the day. No matter what he did he kept the radio on and the volume turned up carrying it like the hope for Olivia's safe return. 

After a month had past the ice thawed and Shawn keyed the radio. "Olivia ...I love you. I made the choice to find you. I'm not going north. My side healed and is tender. I took the bullet out after it became infected. I made some sewing stuff from the fishing equipment. I used all the alcohol to clean it out and help numb me up some. You would of had a good laugh. First time got too drunk and passed out on the floor. I know you were real and I'll find you darlin. One way or the other I'll find ya."