Dilemma

[AN: How about leaving a review. Or maybe giving a powerstone to this fanfic]

At night, lying down on the roof of the barn, Damian observed the stars alone for a long time before sitting back up. As he flexed his shoulder, feeling its remarkable recovery, a swirl of conflicting thoughts flooded his mind. Should he tell the others? They deserved to know, didn't they? This strange, almost miraculous ability to heal so quickly was beyond anything they could imagine. Could he be their beacon of hope, their anomaly in a world gone mad? He thought.

But then he thought of the other side. "If I tell them, will they see me as a freak? Will they think I'm dangerous or leave me?" He clenched his jaw, the fear of being left out pressing down on him. The risk was too great. The bond they shared, forged through shared suffering, could shatter in an instant. He had just told them that they were all infected, each one of them. He couldn't just go and reveal that he was immune. That he got lucky. Cause he was not. He felt like even after these blessings, he was just as unlucky as the group down below. He still had to live in the world. He'd have to fight others to protect his. Just like them. He may also lose them just like Rick could lose his son, or Amy could lose her sister.

He thought of situations where he might get rejected, feared or worse. The fear of unknown was powerful, and he couldn't afford to be on the receiving end of it. "Not now", he decided, his heart heavy with the burden of his secret. "I can't risk it. I am one of them, not something else". He forced a smile and pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind. For now, he would carry this secret alone. He would continue to fight the dead alongside them and heal in the shadows. Until the day he finds the cure.

He stood up on one end of the roof and jumped down straight before grabbing the window in the hayloft. Randall inside heard the sound and asked, "Hey anyone in there? I am just so sorry, guys. I was wrong. I shouldn't have shot at you guys. I know now. I regret it".

"It's me", Damian walked down from the hayloft.

"Oh, Damian. I am telling the truth. These people are good people. I am too. Please man. Help me here. I'll be more helpful to you guys out there", Randall said.

"I know. But you should recover for now. And people still don't trust you. Don't do anything that makes you untrustworthy. you'll be free in no time", Damian said.

"Sure. Trustworthy. Okay. I can do that", he said.

"It's just like how they took us in", Randall said.

"Who? The people you were with earlier?", Damian asked.

"Yeah. Me and my dad, we asked them to let us join them. They tested us you know. Kept us in a room for 3 days with others. We survived somehow and then they took us in", he said.

"You know, Nate. He was a good man. Stopped people like Jim from corrupting others while also stopping Hunter from taking over and starting his militia", Randall continued.

"Jim? Whom did he corrupt?", Damian asked joking.

"He... didn't you know? He was the man I wanted dead the most in the group. He was a serial rapist. That bastard killed my dad, I know it", Randall said with true hate in his eyes.

"What are you saying? Jim? Rapist? I heard it was Hunter who did that", Damian said with a serious face.

"From whom? Jim or his people? They played you real. Nate was right about it. He wanted to tell you about him and ask you to join him instead, but you were not even on Jim's side were you? You had your own group", he said.

"Jim. Is he really the...", Damian tried to confirm again but before he could finish, Randall nodded.

"He was. You were staying with a rapist. How sick is that?", Randall blurted out.

The words hit like a physical blow, leaving Damian stunned and disoriented. He felt disgust, a visceral repulsion at the thought of being near Jim. Anger followed next as he thought how he got used by him at the end although he knew that since beginning, but it still didn't feel good. He questioned his own judgement, wondering how he hadn't seen any signs, how he could have been so unaware. Doubt crept in, making him second-guess his own perceptions and instincts. Thinking all these, he walked out the barn closing the gate.

Next morning, Damian woke up pretty early not being able to sleep. He quickly took out a machete in a hand and walked outside the farm. He jogged down the road and then entered the forest from there. He found a place where he could use the trees for his workout. While he was in the school with the Living, he had used the gym and analyzed himself. He had gotten weaker than he was before all this. He wanted to quickly regain his lost strength and stamina. The following days followed the same routine. He would wake up early in the midnight and leave the farm and come back after nine in the morning. He also asked Shawn that he wanted to learn to ride a horse after seeing him teach Kayla one morning when he was returning. The man refused clearly while the woman was embarrassed for some reason. Damian still didn't give up and tried to learn by himself but couldn't even climb on one. He postponed it for later. His other chores included, alternately cleaning weapons and running downtown making supply runs. Then he would go talk to Amy whenever he had time as he liked spending time with her and talking to her. He always felt that he connected to Amy better than others, like they both understood each other. Moreover, she always had something to talk about whether it's about her family, life, college friends or her experiences with her sister.

It had been more than a week without any incident except for Shane who was dogging Rick every step of his way. Damian felt like Rick had stolen something from Shane. Although it was just a thought. But looking at the hate filled in his eyes towards Rick, Damian had kept his distance from the matter, although Shane tried to talk to Damian about how Rick is putting everyone else in danger and this place wasn't that safe. That Fort Benning could still be there, and Randall's group could've been lying. Damian just told him that they were trusting Rick because his decisions kept them alive and if he thought Rick is wrong, he would say so in front of him and not behind his back.

It was time for the supply running to the town. Damian asked T-Dog to accompany but Amy barged in and sat inside with Damian. T-Dog smiled and left the duo for the trip. As they sped down the desolate road in their car, Amy put in a CD and turned on the CD player, someone started singing a song that Damian didn't recognize. A pop song.

"You like these kinds of songs?", Damian asked as he neither knew the singer nor the song. He looked at Amy who started singing along while happily looking at Damian.

Yes, I'd love it if we made it

"And poison me, daddy," I got the Jones, right through my bones

Write it on a piece of stone, a beach of drowning three-year olds

Rest in peace Lil Peep, the poetry is in the streets

Jesus save us! Modernity has failed us

Filled with the soothing melody of her voice, Damian glanced over, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. Her singing was beautiful, and it brought a warmth to the cold, harsh reality they were in. As she sang, Damian felt a wave of emotions wash over him. They had only known each other for a short time, but in this world, time seemed to stretch and compress in strange ways. Every shared moment felt profound, every laugh, every glance, a precious treasure. Her presence had become a source of comfort and strength, something he hadn't realized he needed before.

Without a word, he pulled the car to a stop at the side of the road. The sudden quietness made Amy pause, and she turned to him, her eyes questioning but full of trust. He reached out, gently cupping her face in his hand. For a moment, they just looked at each other, the unspoken connection between them stronger than any words could convey.

He leaned in slowly, giving her time to pull away if she wanted to. But she didn't. Instead, she closed the distance, her lips meeting his in a tender, heartfelt kiss. It was a kiss filled with all the unspoken fears and hopes, a promise that even in this broken world, they had each other.

When they finally pulled apart, Amy smiled, her cheeks flushed, and her eyes shining with a mix of joy and relief. Damian felt a surge of happiness, something he hadn't felt in what seemed like an eternity.

"...", no one said anything. Damian smiled and looked at Amy, his hand finding hers, before he started the car again. He drove on as the melody of their shared moment echoed in the air.