Survivors Folly Part 1
It seemed ages ago since she had left the campus up in Michigan with the rag tag group of friends, and some not so much. Being here now, reunited with the only family she had ever known, was almost cosmic in its irony. Half the populace dead now…well, dead and walking about craving human flesh. Yet in all this carnage and devastation she had managed to find her brother and nephew…and now a niece. Rick had been half out of his mind when she got to the prison, and Carl, the little trooper he was, continued to try and grow and mature. Judith, by her very nature, was innocent. But the child had a profound affect on Alexis, and as much as she tried to let the past remain as such, she simply couldn't. Judith represented innocence, preciousness, the smell of lilacs and baby powder. The same thing her now dead little girl had possessed. And the uncertainty of Judith's parentage was another wound she was trying desperately to cover.
In days gone by, she had a plan. A plan to become a doctor. To be the kind of person who saved lives by day and came home to a loving man at night. And for as long as she could remember, she had believed that man would be Shane Walsh, her brother's best friend. Alexis's crush on him grew steadily from the time she was thirteen years old, and it was all too apparent to Rick, who teased her constantly about it. When she had turned seventeen and during her all too dreaded wild phase, she had began seeing him. Of course, this was a secret held between the two of them. No one, especially her parents or Rick were to know. Rick had married and moved out long ago. But Alexis…Well, her parents were concerned for her. She seemed reckless, unfocused and more than a bit wild.
Of course, as with all things, changes came as she grew older and graduated from high school. She had a direction and a path, and despite her wild ways, had made pretty good grades in high school. She was smart as a whip, and as pretty, in a tomboy sort of way, as anyone could desire. Long chestnut locks highlighted in auburn always cascaded down her back over her shoulders, framing her almost angelic face in a flattering and ethereal way. But jeans and tank tops were her apparel of choice. Sure, she had put a dress on a time or two, and everyone told her she was absolutely stunning. But Alexis, or "Cherry", as she had been nicknamed so long ago, as her middle name was "Cherise", never ever seemed to pay much attention. She was in love, she had a path and she was destined to do great things.
She had been accepted into a fantastic program for med students up in Michigan. Of course, the idea of leaving Shane was one which caused her endless nights of tears but he promised he would wait for her because, as he said, she was his everything. And she had believed him. Even though she knew he took other women into his bed from time to time, he told her it was just to keep up appearances so her family would never ever learn the truth, until she was older, educated and ready to be married. Looking back now, she should have known it was all bullshit.
As she stood up in the guard tower of the prison, she sighed, leaning against the railing, out toward the sight line of the woods. The occasional walker always showed up ,but reserving ammo was of paramount importance. Two days in and she already felt as if she could breathe. They had spent almost a year on the road on their way down and most of it was fraught with despair, hunger, danger…But when the bus they had stolen from the campus crapped out about 10 miles out, all twelve of them were hoofing it.
Of course, with any group of reluctant travelers, there were a few bad apples, and in this case, a few weak ones. Silas, whom she had tried to have a relationship with at one point, was one of the weaker ones. Brought up in money and prestige, he was a pain in the ass that never stopped aching. And of course there was Krystal, the attention starved groupie chick who would do anything to take her mind off of what was really happening. If sleeping with the dead would keep one safe, Alexis was quite sure Krystal would lay down in the field, spread eagle and let them come at her like an assembly line. Not exactly a useful skill right now, but boy, she had to give the girl credit for trying.
Then there was Bela. Such a sweet soul, but too naïve for words. Alexis had taken to looking after the girl, as she didn't seem to be able to on her own. Only by the grace of the helpful males around them were they able to make it this far. Not that her best friend, Cecelia, wasn't like a weapon herself. She and her boyfriend, Jamie, reacted quickly when the virus first hit. They stole the bus, along with Casey, Jeremy and his older brother, Kyle. Most the males, with the exception of Silas, were busy already working with Rick and the others, as was Cecelia. But Alexis, whom knew what she had to do and had been doing it for months, simply needed some quiet. A respite for mere moments. She liked the others Rick had taken in as family. She liked them quite a bit, especially Hershel. Kind, understanding and a healer of sorts, he and Alexis bonded immediately. And Maggie, his eldest daughter, seemed on par with Cecelia. But she stayed away from Judith…she had to right now. She couldn't look at the child without seeing flashes of her own…the one she had lost. And knowing she could be Shane's…? Well, it was more than she could bare, since Shane denied his own child with her. And her, as well, when it was clear she was indeed knocked up.
As she contemplated this, she heard someone climbing the stairs. She pursed her lips slightly and turned. The two that had brought them all back to the prison seemed kind enough, but the one on the bike didn't talk too much. But all of a sudden he was here, carrying a plate of food.
"Rick said I was to come and bring this to ya", he spoke, almost softly. "Said ya wouldn't eat unless someone forced ya to. I get it, kid. Being cooped up in here, or anywhere for that matter with all these different people, hell, we all need time alone just to ponder shit."
Alexis nodded, not even looking at the food. She was lost in her memories, lost in the pain of what she had lost. She inhaled deeply as she looked at him.
"What is it tonight? Deer? Rabbit? Plain old spaghetti noodles?", she asked her eyes shimmering with tears, which she quickly wiped away. But he had seen them, but had the good grace not to pry.
"Chicken noodle soup…Canned shit, ya know? Rick said ya liked it when ya was a kid. Hell, I been craving a baked potato for months…Sometimes, ya gotta just survive on whats around, ya know?", he answered, sitting the plate down on a small table and walking over next to her, resting his elbows on the tower, much as she was, looking out over the sight line.
"I know all too well", she whispered, those memories tearing at her from the inside. He looked at her, his head cocked to one side, as they both spotted Silas aimlessly walking about, muttering to himself. The man laughed, his Southern accent soft and yet a bit sarcastic.
"Ya know, if he don't get his head out his ass, he ain't long for this world…Spoiled little kids usually don't last. I am guessing he doesn't understand the severity of the situation. Or he does but he is just blocking it out by bitching because he ain't eatin' caviar or some other bullshit.", he chuckled.
She nodded, with a small smile. Silas was, and could be a huge asshole. Especially when he was forced to do things he didn't want to do. Part of the reason he and Alexis couldn't, and wouldn't last. It wasn't for lack of him trying to sweet talk her into it, though. Sighing , she leaned back against the corner of the tower, the wind down picking up slightly.
"Silas is….well, he is a special kind of imbecile. He'd be dead already if it wasn't for the rest of us. We been protecting his ass this whole year. You think he'd be grateful, with the prison and all, but no, he has to grimace and complain. It isn't like the Four Seasons is still standing. If it was, I probably would have dropped his ass off there, and went on without him.", she said, her voice slightly softer than she had intended, but with more humor than she had portrayed in awhile.
He turned and looked at her, his eyes focused on her. Despite his dirty appearance and somewhat toughened attitude, at that moment, he had lowered his guard some. He placed a hand on her shoulder and looked deeply into her eyes.
"Nah, that ain't you. You're a Grimes. That ain't in your nature. Besides, you got awful far in this shit storm. I wouldn't bet against ya. But just sayin'", he said, moving closer to her, his voice softening, "we all got our demons. Difference is now, theres the ones that are in our memories, and the ones all around us that are a real threat. Ya got to learn to deal with both….I know its rough. Rick told us ya lost your little girl. I am sorry to hear that….But she would want ya to keep fightin'. Cos that's all life is now, little Grimes….Its fightin'. Its war daily. In our minds, and in this thing we got called life. Ain't nothing' perfect anymore…Hell, ya know that. Don't give up on yourself, girl. Rick just got ya back…and hes happier than hes been in a long time cos of that. And hes like…my best friend.", he smirked, almost embarrassed.
She graced him with a small grin. Men always had to try and find a reason to harden themselves to everything, but for some reason, he seemed gentle, almost. And from what she had gathered, that wasn't much his way. But he took her hand, and picked up the plate, leading her down the stairs.
"Come on now", he said, " lets go eat that cold chicken soup with everyone. Leave sour puss out here to wander. If we're lucky, he'll find a personality somewhere." Alexis couldn't help but laugh. The first time she had done so in a very long time.