A/N: Thank you to everyone who has read, followed, and reviewed. You all make my day! I'd also like to say another giant thank you to my RL friend, M, for editing this chapter also! Enjoy!
Amy tried to focus on the turns she felt the car making, as if she might somehow piece together where these two strangers were taking her. That endeavor did not last long however, given the onslaught of fear she felt. Eventually, the car came to a stop, and the woman killed the engine.
Amy heard the car doors open and felt Glenn tug at her arm.
"Come on," he said.
Glenn led her out of the car and up a gravel covered hill. Metal clanked and scraped in what she guessed sounded like moving gates.
Glenn spoke to someone, "Thanks for letting us in, Carl. Go tell Rick we've got company."
"Okay," that person answered. He sounded like a teenage boy. Amy then heard the sound of running feet on gravel.
Glenn led Amy up some stairs with much difficulty, since she kept tripping. She heard another gate close and the opening of a door. In a few steps, what little light that previously seeped through the bag had disappeared. However, Amy welcomed the darkness, because she felt immediate relief from the scorching sun. After walking through a few twists and turns, Glenn brought her to a stop.
A male voice called out, "Well…what have we got here?"
Glenn responded, "Found her on the road after getting the medicine."
A different male voice, gruff and upset, added, "So ya brought her here?"
"We didn't have a choice, Daryl. A herd of walkers appeared before we could get things resolved."
Amy tensed hearing this, Resolved? What is the matter with these people? I wish they would explain who these walker people are.
The first man spoke again, "Alright. Put her in that cell."
Glenn led Amy a short distance and then stopped. He began to pat down her pockets.
While Glenn searched Amy, Maggie motioned to Rick.
In a low voice, Maggie explained the situation to him, "We found her running from a walker."
Maggie paused and looked puzzled, before whispering, "She has no clue what the walkers are. She thought we shot a man."
At this, Rick tilted his head and narrowed his eyes.
Daryl, listening in on their conversation, walked over to join them outside the cell.
Glenn held up the contents of the girl's pocket- a key and a cell phone - for all of them to see. He placed the objects on the table and then removed the bag from her head. Remaining near, he watched her while the others talked. Upon seeing her face, Rick looked to Maggie with one eyebrow raised.
"We found her that way," Maggie defended. "I actually think she was crying before she ran into that walker."
"Was she bit? Scratched?" Rick asked.
"We didn't get a chance to check or ask," Maggie replied.
Rick sighed before he entered the cell.
With a "Thanks," Rick dismissed Glenn. "I think we'll be alright," he added while glancing at the red-headed girl.
As Glenn turned away, Rick called to him, "Can you watch Hershel for the rest of the day?"
Glenn nodded to Rick and then walked out the cell toward Maggie. He gave her a long hug before retreating.
Free from the bag over her head, Amy found herself standing in a large room filled with round cafeteria tables.
This day is getting stranger by the minute.
A man with short wavy brown hair approached her and asked, "How many are in your group?"
Amy did not respond right away as she continued to take in her surroundings. She saw another man wearing a sleeveless shirt with a crossbow slung over his shoulder, who she assumed to be the owner of the gruff voice, and a curious teenage boy wearing a sheriff hat. The woman she first encountered on the road also stood with them outside the cell door.
Growing tired of their suspicion, Amy replied wearily, "I don't have a group. Before an hour ago, I was only with one other person. But now I'm on my own."
Amy looked around at everyone, noting their surprised expressions.
"Why won't any of you explain what is going on? No one has told me what's wrong with those people in the woods." Amy added, exasperated.
Without speaking, the brown-haired man just observed her for a minute. A wave of sympathy passed over his face before speaking again, "Were you held hostage by this person? Locked away?"
"No," she breathed.
He paused again, trying to make sense of her words.
"How can you not know what is going on?"
"Like I said, I'm just passing through. How should I know about your problems?" she replied in a biting tone.
"Okay," he merely replied as his features stiffened. He turned his attention to the people standing by the door, carrying out a silent conversation with them.
"Hey!" Amy interrupted. "You can't hold me here. Let me go!"
Looking back at with her set eyes, he replied, "Not going to happen."
Anger took a hold of her face.
Perplexed, he asked, "You don't understand what's out there, do you?"
Another vague reference, Amy thought. A slight unease showed on her face and he noticed it.
In a softer tone, he assured her, "We won't hurt you as long as you don't give us a reason to. I promise you that."
"How can I trust you?" Amy asked, "Your people just up and shot a guy while driving by."
"Yeah… you don't get it," he simply answered.
As he turned away from her, the man with the crossbow watched her closely. The brown-haired man locked the door and motioned the brown-haired woman to follow.
Immediately after the group left, Amy snatched her phone and key from the table and stuffed them back into her pockets. She walked over to the door and was quite surprised to see the insides of a large prison. She saw the brown-haired woman and man walk down the cell block talking amongst themselves and that the other man and boy had disappeared from the view her cell allowed. Trash lay everywhere on the floor and the only source of light came from the sun through dirtied windows. Amy found the disarrayed state of the prison disturbing.
Where are the prisoners? And why is this lot mad enough to live in a prison?
Everything that happened thus far did not sit well with her. She wrapped her hands around the bars and pressed her face against the cool metal while she analyzed her surroundings.
While walking, Rick said to Maggie, "Here's a girl who has no weapons, no group, and no clue. How could she not have been holed up somewhere, like those prisoners? I'm not liking how vague her story is."
"I don't think she's a threat," Maggie said without emotion.
Rick sighed, rubbing a hand over his tired face. "For now we can't let our guard down. If she is lying, we could all be in trouble. Regardless, there is no way we can let her go. Give her some supplies, check for bites, see if she has anything else to say."
"Alright," Maggie replied curtly and turned to walk away.
"Hey," Rick said gently as he reached out and caught her by the arm. He craned his head in an attempt to make eye contact while she avoided his.
"He's still here," he said placing a hand on her cheek.
With her eyes squeezed shut and anguish on her brow, she nodded several times. She brought her hand up to his and squeezed it in thanks before walking off.
Maggie gathered some more practical clothes for the girl along with a water bottle. On her way to the cell, she passed Daryl and nodded to the cell. He followed her and stood outside, keeping watch again. When Maggie entered, she found the red- headed girl sitting on a small bed, staring dully at the floor. The girl had since removed her leather jacket, only wearing a t-shirt underneath.
"Hey," Maggie said to the girl.
Amy looked up. "Hey," she replied. She noticed the same man in the sleeveless shirt watching from outside. Amy felt slightly disgusted, They already searched me.
"Brought you some clothes and water," the brown-haired woman said. She paused before speaking again, "Will you tell me why you were on that road?"
Amy simply stared unblinking at her. "Thank you for the stuff," she replied.
The woman before her let out a frustrated sigh. Mechanically, she asked, "That guy on the road, did he scratch or bite you?"
"No. Looked like he wanted to though. He grabbed my arm, but I don't have any marks," Amy replied, annoyance evident in her voice.
The brown haired woman glanced at her arms while Amy said this, confirming no scratches marred her skin.
"Good, you're safe then," she said with a hint of bitterness.
Amy felt even more puzzled than before.
"I'm Maggie by the way. What is your name?"
Amy replied hesitantly, "Amy."
"It's nice to meet you," she said behind a forced smile before she headed to the door. As the man with the crossbow opened it, she turned to Amy adding, "Let me know if you need anything."
Amy remained unresponsive.
As the man locked the door, she looked up at him. They shared a cold stare for a moment, before he stalked off.
Upon hearing a slight commotion outside the cell door, Amy approached it.
She saw a teenage blonde girl whose eyes shone with unshed tears. A pregnant woman looked to Maggie, her face lined with concern.
Maggie's voice dropped in pitch, thick with worry, "How is he?"
The pregnant woman shook her head. "Still out."
Maggie covered her mouth with her hand and bent slightly at the waist. The young girl wrapped her arms around Maggie as the girl stifled back a sob. The other woman gently embraced them both.
Maggie had her face buried in the girl's hair for quite some time as she held her. Eventually she looked to the pregnant woman. "I'd like to go see him now," Maggie said thickly.
"Of course," the older woman said. She placed a hand on Maggie's back, ushering her and the girl along the cell block row.
Amy watched the trio somberly enter a dark cell. The grim atmosphere had settled over Amy also. She could not but help wonder what had happened and selfishly she worried for herself too.
For a long time, Amy only heard the occasional sound of murmuring, until a scream pierced the air.
"Help! Help! Do something!"
Amy jerked to attention. The voice sounded like it belonged to the young girl. She backed up against the wall and craned her head in an attempt to get a better look into the cell, but she still could not see anything.
Her mouth went dry and her stomach sunk. The day had proven intense at best.
Amy settled on the floor by the door, awaiting more information. A half hour later, the boy with the sheriff hat led the blonde girl out of the cell, and Amy scrambled to her feet upon seeing them. She held the bars and looked at the pair expectantly. The girl appeared a bit dazed, unaware of Amy watching, but the boy noticed. Annoyed, he briefly glared at Amy, before looking back at the girl. He held open the door for her, and they exited outside.
Amy returned to the bed and tucked the new clothes under it. With nothing better to do, she lay down on the lumpy mattress. Letting out a tired sigh, she twirled a lock of her red hair while staring at the bland ceiling above her. Tired of twisting her hair, she raised her hands to inspect them. She had her favorite color nail polish on, red.
As the hours of waiting slowly got to Amy, her suspicions of the group and their actions grew. She looked around the cell, hoping to find something that could ensure her escape, but such a thing eluded her. She could not understand why they would lock her up for nothing. Suddenly, she realized all may not be as dire as she thought.
He'll come back.
It was just enough hope to help calm her racing thoughts. It was something for her to hold onto, to get through whatever may come.
He'll realize he made a huge mistake and will have to come back. He doesn't really expect to just get on without me like nothing had happened, does he?
A slight disturbance arose in her thoughts, though. It was not even formed into a recognizable idea, but she did not want to admit it. As a blanket of fog blocks the sun, this too diminished her hope.
Even if the Doctor immediately decided to return, he would probably mess up his times. That was almost guaranteed. However, he intended for her to start a new life and that meant him staying away.
Even still, this would not stop a part of her from waiting and hoping.
Growing restless and stiff, she rose to sit on the edge of the bed. Her eyes glazed over, after she had stared at the floor for what seemed like an immeasurable amount of time.
A rattling of keys startled Amy out of her daze, and her eyes shot to the door to find that Maggie had returned. This time, the young boy wearing a sheriff hat silently kept watch from the door. He remained alert, his hand never straying from the small gun at his hip.
Amy looked to Maggie with wide eyes, "What happened up there?"
Maggie ignored her question. "Brought you some food," she said flatly as she handed it over.
"Thanks," Amy said warily.
Awkward silence stood between them for a moment before Amy spoke again, "Will you tell me who, or I guess as I gather, what those things were in the woods today?"
Maggie took a seat on the floor leaning up against the wall. Sadness filled her eyes before she closed them.
"We call them walkers, as I'm sure you heard earlier."
Before Maggie could continue, Amy asked, "Are they people?"
Maggie dryly replied, "They were."
A distinct heaviness in the air settled over the woman as they sat in silence for a long time.
Maggie finally spoke again, "The person they were before is dead, only to be replaced by a mindless walking corpse that would like nothing better than to eat us all. They are everywhere and far outnumber us. No place is safe."
Maggie paused and looked at her seriously. "The main thing you need to know is this: don't get bit or scratched by them. If you do, you will soon turn into one. You got lucky today," she said grimly.
Like a vice, the horror pressed in on Amy's chest. She could not even think.
"I'm sorry, Amy. This is the world we live in." Maggie bluntly told her.
Amy's already pale face turned a few shades lighter.
Maggie rose to approach her and gave her shoulder a squeeze.
"You should get some rest," she said.
As Maggie and the boy left, Amy could only sit in shock. Overwhelming terror suffocated any thoughts. After a while, Amy noticed that shadows had overtaken her cell. She rose and walked to the cell door. Wrapping her hands around the bars, she saw darkness creeping through the cell block also. Still disconnected from her mind, she paced back and forth within her cage for a few minutes. Oddly, it seemed to help.
When her mind caught up with itself, her thoughts began to race, and in turn, her pace quickened. She eventually felt dizzy from the mad path she followed around her cell. When her fatigued body protested walking, she lay back down and fixed the blanket around her. Amy wanted nothing more than to just fall asleep, but her restless mind would not allow it. She tossed and turned for several hours, desperate to find sleep. Stranded between sleep and wakefulness, the hours did not quite feel like an eternity, but she could not find relief in sleep either.