1.
Ana Sanchez arrived at Alexandria wearing little more than an assortment of dirty, bloody rags. Her weapons were nonexistent, save for a small pocket knife that she held onto at all times. Her black hair was matted against her bony olive cheeks; her hair was coated in a thick layer dried blood and grease. Her eyes appeared sunken and tired.
She came across the gate after a few days of traveling on her own. It was reluctantly opened by a tall man holding a rather large gun in his arms. Ana eyed the weapon cautiously and raised her hands in defense. The man raised the gun until it was pointing directly at Ana's small head. Her heart rate quickened as she stared down the barrel.
"Who is this?" a soft voice came from inside the gate. The man lowered the gun quickly and turned around. Ana peered inside, seeing a small blonde woman who was in her late sixties. She had a kind smile plastered across her face, and advanced towards Ana as soon as the two made eye contact.
"Ana Sanchez," Ana said politely, reaching out her hand to meet the woman's. Her hand was warm and welcoming.
"Deanna," the woman said in response. "Spencer, you can keep the gun lowered."
"Mom, we don't know who she is," the man named Spencer spoke up. His voice was smooth.
"I don't want to hurt anyone," Ana said. She quickly fiddled with the knife in her hand and handed it towards Deanna. "This is my only weapon." After days of being alone in the wild without food, Ana would take whatever came her way. Although…this might have not been her smartest decision. She let her eyes slide over the view of the community inside the gate. Many houses were built along cleared streets. Kids played outside in freshly grown grass. A short-lived feeling of confusion rushed through her aching bones.
"Welcome to Alexandria," Deanna said in a happy tone. Ana wondered how people harbored such a happy voice anymore. Nonetheless, she forced a smile.
"What is this place?" she questioned. Deanna sighed in response but continued smiling.
"Why don't you come on in first? I'll have you seated, you can have some food and water."
Ana mumbled a quick thank you and followed Deanna through the gates. An air of calm set in as she entered the compound. Was it safe to call it a compound? She followed the shorter blonde to a decent sized house situated on a large plot of land. As Deanna opened the front to the house, Ana noticed groups of people peering from windows across the street, and a few of the kids that were playing were now watching her. She crossed her arms quietly and headed into the house.
Deanna seated Ana onto a hard wooden chair. She instantly felt regret as she looked down at the floor and noticed all the mud she trekked into the house.
"I'm sorry about the mud," Ana offered an apology as Deanna walked towards the sink, grabbing a glass and turning the faucet on. Ana quieted as soon as she saw the running water. How…
Deanna turned the sink off and sat on a comfy couch across from Ana. She handed Ana the glass of water as she lowered herself onto the cushions.
Ana desperately brought the glass to her lips and gulped down the water. "How did you get running water?"
Deanna laughed. "We have our ways. That's something we can discuss later, but for now-" Deanna groaned lightly as she stretched her arm towards a camera sitting on a tripod. Ana hadn't noticed it previously, but the idea of her being recorded made her rather uncomfortable.
"Don't worry, it's just for future reference. Now, could you state your name for the record?" Deanna questioned.
Ana's eyes darted around the beautiful house. Sunlight poured through the windows behind her head, heating her back and her neck. She nervously reached for her hair, twirling it in her fingers.
"Ana Sanchez," she said.
"How long have you been out there?" Deanna pushed.
Ana sighed, trying to think of the very beginning. "Since the beginning, I suppose."
Deanna raised her eyebrows. "And is it just you? Or do you have a group."
"Had a group," Ana smiled with sad eyes, "Actually a family."
"What happened?"
"A fire," Ana's eyes hardened as she took a deep breath, moving her nervous hands to her lap.
"I'm sorry."
Ana offered the smallest hint of a smile at Deanna's condolences. She shifted in her seat a bit, crossing one leg over the other.
"You don't seem very talkative now, I get that." Deanna leaned forward on the couch. "I'll have someone show you your house and you can get settled. There will be a small get-together tonight."
"Okay," Ana whispered, rubbing her arms in order to comfort herself. She stood up as soon as Deanna did, and followed Deanna to the front door. Before opening it, Deanna handed Ana her knife back.
"We don't let our people hold onto guns…but we have had a few walker incidents recently."
Ana took her knife and slid it into its holder. Deanna opened the door, allowing Ana to walk out into a small crowd of people anxiously waiting outside. All of their faces were clean, well-shaven, and sophisticated. Their clothes were intact, their hair was shiny and healthy.
"Aaron, show Ana her house. Next to Rick's," Deanna called to a young man in the crowd. He instantly left the group and climbed up the small steps onto the porch, smiling as he introduced himself.
"Aaron," he said, shaking Ana's hands. She reciprocated her introduction and then followed him. The small crowd was hushed as the observed Ana's dirty clothes and face. As soon as Ana was out of earshot, they began started asking Deanna questions. Aaron noticed Ana glancing over her shoulder constantly, trying to figure out what they were saying.
"They're curious as to who you are," Aaron explained in a calm tone. His navy blue jacket blew lightly from the wind, hitting Ana's side as he led her to her new house. "We just lost a large group of people. I'm sure they're simply concerned about how trustworthy you are." Ana nodded in response, looking forward again and glancing at the rows of huge houses that crowded one block. They reminded her of houses she constantly admired along the boardwalk in New Jersey. After a minute or two of walking, Ana and Aaron came across a large two-storied grey house with a magnificent layout.
"This is where you'll be staying," Aaron informed Ana. She couldn't help the small smile that crept onto her lips. She would be staying in the house that resembled her dream home. She walked to the curb, placing her hands on her hips and squinting as she observed the architecture.
"Thank you," was all she could manage.
The soft sound of a front door closing brought Ana's attention away from the house. She gazed two houses down, at a man in a dark brown shirt and jeans who was staring straight back at her. He quickly descended the stairs of his porch and marched angrily in her direction. His stride was long and calculated, his feet smacking on the pavement with some sort of quieted rage. Ana crossed her arms and looked down at her feet, hoping to stay out of this ensuing fight.
"Who is this?" the man said when he was within earshot. His voice was raspy with a hint of a Southern accent. Ana refused to raise her eyes to his level and instead took a step behind Aaron. Aaron forced a small smile and gestured to the woman.
"This is Ana Sanchez, newest member of Alexandria," he informed the fuming man.
"And you're inviting new people in here without telling me? What if she came to kill us all?"
Ana furrowed her brow and closed her eyes. She knew Southerners were judgmental but…
"You can talk to her all you want, just let her get settled," Aaron pleaded.
"I'd like to talk to her before she gets settled."
A hand shot out and grabbed Ana's wrist. The man's hand pulled her wrist away from her chest and towards him. He hauled her away from Aaron, his feet slamming on the pavement as she was basically dragged towards his house.
"Rick!" Ana heard Aaron call. She looked over his shoulder at Aaron. He stood stagnant, his feet mounted in place as he called for Ana's return.
"Tell Deanna I'll be at her house in an hour," the man called Rick shouted in Aaron's direction. His calloused fingers held onto Ana's wrist with force, with anger. He led Ana up the stairs to his house, and flung open the door. Fresh, cool air greeted her face as did an array of faces sitting in the living room. Their eyes instantly drifted in her direction. One woman with short gray hair stood up from her seat amongst the others and walked towards the front door.
"Rick, who is this?"
Despite her words, Rick continued dragging Ana towards a staircase, muttering something about informing the group later. As Ana was dragged from the bottom stair to the top, her wrist started throbbing. Rick's grip was getting tighter as he led her around the corner to a bedroom. At once, he let go of her wrist and shoved her in the direction of a patterned sofa. It resided in the corner of the large bedroom, facing the king sized bed. Rick closed the door behind him, swiftly locking it and removing a knife from his waistband. Ana fell on the sofa and reached for her wrist, rubbing away the red hand marks.
"Who are you?" Rick demanded, raising his knife and approaching her.
She raised her hands above her head as she informed him of her name for the second time. "Ana Sanchez."
"I know that," Rick muttered. "Your best bet of getting out of here is by not being a smart ass. Are you alone?"
"Yes!" Ana shouted in fear, curling into a ball on the sofa. "I'm alone, there's no one else."
"How did you get here?"
"I-" Ana stuttered in fear.
"I said how did you get here!"
"I came upon the wall while looking for food. Please don't hurt me, I don't mean any trouble," Ana begged.
"I can tell," Rick lowered his knife and took a seat on the edge of a bed. It caved under his weight. He placed his hands on his lap and looked at the girl.
Ana placed her hands down as she uncurled her body and got a good look at Rick. He was squinting in her direction, his blue eyes quickly running over her tired body. They paused when they saw the knife at her waist. Ana slowly reached for it, removed it from its holster and tossed it on the floor. Rick retrieved it, making eye contact with Ana. His eyes were terrifying, cold and distant. He quickly placed the knife next to him on the bed and ran his hand through his dark brown hair.
"This place is my family. Hurt them, I hurt you," Rick threatened, boring a hole into Ana's eyes. She nodded in response.
"I need to have a talk with Deanna. You can go back to your house." In a second, Rick had unlocked the door and left the room. Ana sat speechless for a moment or two. Is this what a safe haven looked like?
reviews/critiques are welcomed and appreciated.