~Rick~
"Everyone," Maggie calls from the door of the barn, and I look up as she steps through. "This is Aaron."
We all scramble to our feet, drawing our weapons, and I grab Judith, holding her close to me as I step forward. I glance up in the hayloft at Clary, who aims her gun at the newcomer from above. Daryl steps outside, looking around, then comes back in to pat Aaron down as Maggie adds, "Sasha and I met him outside. He's by himself. We took his weapons and we took his gear."
Aaron looks around at us, swallowing before he says, "Hi."
Judith starts to cry at the new voice, and I hand her off to Carl. She immediately stops crying once she's in her brother's arms. "It's nice to meet you," Aaron says, starting forward, then stops as we all aim our weapons at him.
"You said he had a weapon?" I inquire. Maggie steps forward, handing me a small revolver. I look it over, then tuck it in my jeans as I look Aaron over. "There something you need?"
"He has a camp nearby," Sasha says. "We wants us to audition for membership."
"I wish there was another word," he says. "Audition makes it sound like we're some kind of dance troupe." He cracks a bit of a grin. "That's only on Friday nights." When no one laughs, his small smile fades. "Um, and it's not a camp. It's a community. I think you all would make valuable additions. But it's not my call. My job is to convince you all to follow me back home." The others look at me at the sound of that, while I continue to keep my eyes on Aaron. "I know. If I were you, I wouldn't go either. Not until I knew what I was getting into." He turns to our sniper. "Sasha, can you hand Rick my pack?"
She hesitates, but eventually does what he asks. I take it from her, listening as he tells me that in the front pocket, there's an envelope. I kneel, putting it on the ground in front of me as he says, "There's no way I could convince you to come with me just by talking about our community. That's why I brought those." I pull out the envelope, feeling a stack of pictures inside. "I apologize in advance for the picture quality. We just found an old camera store last—"
"Nobody gives a shit," Daryl says, effectively cutting him off.
Aaron looks at the hunter, agreeing, "You're absolutely, one hundred percent, right." He turns back as I pull out the photos. "That's the first picture I wanted to show you because nothing I say about the community will matter unless you know you'll be safe. If you join us, you will be." He launches into a speech about how the panels are fifteen by twelve foot slab of steel. "Nothing, dead or alive, gets through those walls without our say so. Like I said, security is obviously important. In fact, there's only one resource more critical to our community's survival. The people." I glance back at Michonne, sharing a look with her. "You can make us even stronger."
I start forward as he continue his bullshit speech, throwing a punch that cuts him off mid-sentence. He drops to the ground, knocked out cold by the force of the punch. I shake out the pain in my hand, walking back towards Michonne. "So we're clear," she hisses, "That look wasn't a "let's attack this man" look. That was a "he seems like an okay guy to me" look."
"We got to secure him," I tell her, then turn to Carl. "Dump his pack. Let's see what this guy really is."
"Rick," Michonne pleads.
"Everyone else," I order, "We need eyes in every direction." I look up in the rafters. "Clary, be our eyes in the sky. They're coming for us. We might not know how or when, but they are."
"Me and Sasha, we didn't see him," Maggie says, looking up from where she kneels beside Aaron. "If he had wanted to hurt us, he could've."
"That don't give him a reason to be trusted," Clary says, startling a few people that forgot she was above us in the rafters.
"Anybody see anything?" I inquire.
"Just a whole lotta places to hide," Glenn says, leaning back from where he looks through a small hole in the wall.
"Keep looking." I walk over to Carl, who's spread Aaron's things out in front of him on a table. "What'd you find?"
He hands over an orange gun, saying, "I've never seen a gun like that before."
I flip open the chamber, noticing how wide it is. "It's a flare gun," I say after a moment.
I take it, stepping back towards Aaron as he comes around. He grins, saying, "That's a hell of a right cross there, Rick."
I look down at him, then order, "Sit him up."
"I think it's better—" Maggie starts, but Aaron cuts her off with, "It's okay."
"He's fine," I say. "Sit him up."
Michonne pulls him up, Maggie keeping a hand on his shoulder to keep him steady. "You're being cautious," he says, looking around at the group. "I completely understand."
"How many of your people are out there?" I question. He hesitates, and I hold out the flare gun. "You have a flare gun. You have it to signal your people. How many are out there?"
"Does it matter?" Aaron inquires after a moment.
"Yes. Yes, it does matter."
"I mean, of course, it matters how many people are actually out there, but does it matter how many people I tell you are out there? Because I'm pretty sure no matter what number I say—eight, thirty-two, four hundred forty-four, zero—no matter what I say, you're not going to trust me."
"Well, it's hard to trust a guy that smiles after getting punched in the face."
"How about a guy who leaves bottles of water on the road?"
Daryl looks at the bottles that Aaron was carrying, then inquired, "How long you people been followin' us?"
"Long enough to see that you practically ignore a pack of roamers on your tail," he answers. "Long enough to see that despite a lack of food and water, you never turned on each other. You're survivors and you're people. Like I said, and I hope you won't punch me for saying it again, that is the most important resource in the world."
The others are silent, looking to me and waiting for my next move. I repeat, "How many others are out there?"
"One." I shake my head, and Aaron sighs. "I knew you wouldn't believe me. If it's not words, if it's not pictures, what would it take to convince you that this is for real? What if I drove you to the community? All of you. We leave now, we'll get there by lunch."
"I'm not sure how the sixteen of us are going to fit in the car you and your one friend drove down here in."
"We drove separately. In case we found a group, we wanted to be able to bring them all home. There's enough room for all of us."
"And you're parked just a couple of miles away, right?" Carol inquires.
"East on Ridge Road, right after you hit Route 16. We wanted to get them closer, but then the storm came, blocked the road. We couldn't clear it."
"Yeah, you've really thought this through," I say, slightly impressed by all this.
"Rick, if I wanted to ambush you, I'd do it here. You know, light the barn on fire while you slept, pick you off as you ran out the only exit. You can trust me."
"The last time we trusted a clean, white hippie, he tried to eat us," Clary deadpans from above. Everyone, besides Gabriel, who never approved of our slaughter of the remaining Termites after they helped Bob be killed, nods their agreement. Aaron looks around for her, then back at me, inquiring, "Who's that? Batman?"
We're all silent for a while, reminded of Terminus, before Michonne volunteers, "I'll check out the cars."
"There aren't any cars," I say.
"There's only one way to find out."
"We don't need to find out," I reply, looking up at her.
"We do," she says. "You know what you know and you're sure of it, but I'm not."
"Me neither," Maggie agrees.
I shake my head. "Your way's dangerous. Mine isn't."
"Passing up someplace we can live? Where Judith can live?" Michonne questions. "That's pretty dangerous. We need to find out what this is. We can handle ourselves. So that's what we're gonna do."
"Then I will, too," Glenn decides after sharing a look with his wife. "I'll go."
I sigh, but give in. "Abraham."
"Yeah," he says, picking up his rifle. "I'll walk with 'em."
"Rosita?"
She nods. "Okay."
I turn to Glenn. "There's trouble, you got enough firepower?"
"We got what we got," he says, and I hand him the revolver the girls took from Aaron.
"The walkies are out of juice," I say, looking around at the group leaving. "If you're not back in forty-five minutes, I'll send Clary as our advance guard. If you're not back in sixty, we'll come. Which might be just what they want." As they turn to leave, I look around at the rest. "If we're all in here, we're a target."
"I've got the area covered," Daryl says, picking up his crossbow after moving Aaron to lean against a support beam.
"Alright, groups of two," I say. "Find somewhere safe within eyeshot. Clary?"
"Bird's eye, got it," she replies as the remaining group files out of the barn, pairing up to take watch. I close the door behind them, but not locking it.
"When the world was still the world, I worked for an NGO," Aaron shares. "Our mission was to deliver medicine and food to the Niger River Delta. Bad people pointed guns in my face every other week. You're not bad people. You're not going to kill us. And we are definitely not going to kill you."
"Just because we're good people doesn't mean we won't kill you," I say, turning to look at him. "If the five of them aren't back in an hour, six if we send Clary, then I'll put a knife in the base of your skull."
I keep watch from inside the barn, stopping about a few minutes later to feed Judith, who has started to get a little fussy. Seeing as we have no soft foods for her to eat, I try to use the handle of my gun to crush nuts for her. I balance her on my knees as she cries, and after a minute, Aaron asks, "You did see the jar of applesauce in my bag, right?" I look up at him. "This isn't a trick. This isn't about trying to make you like me. It's self-preservation. Because if the roamers hear her and come this way, I know I'll be the first to go."
I holster my gun, picking Judith up as I stand. I pick up a spoon, opening the jar, then pause, remembering how we thought that the water was poisoned. Applesauce could be the same way. I put some on the spoon, taking it over to Aaron. He looks up at me in disbelief. "You think I'm trying to poison your baby daughter?"
I say nothing, waiting for him to eat it. If it's not poisoned, then he should have no problem eating it. Granted, he could be allergic to apples, but then why would he even have a jar if he was?
"I'm tied up and you've already expressed a willingness to stab me in the head," he says. "How would cruelly killing your daughter in front of you in any way help the situation?"
I kneel beside him now. "Maybe she doesn't die. Maybe she gets sick. Maybe you're the only one that can help her and I just lose."
"I am the only one who can help her because I have applesauce and we all win." I hold the spoon up to his mouth, and he tries to move away. "I hate applesauce. My mom used to make me eat foods that I didn't like to make me more manly. Salmon patties, applesauce, and onions. She was a very confused woman who tried her damndest. I just bring the jar to show we have apple trees nearby."
"Like you said, you'd be the first to go. Eat it," I tell him, and Aaron continues to shake his head. We both turn as there's a thump, Clary finally coming down from the rafters. She lands on her feet, straightening as she looks over at us. "I'll be your damn quality assurance," she snaps.
Before I can stop her, she grabs the spoon from my hand, sticking it in her mouth as she steps away. After a moment, she says, "It's not poisoned."
I take the spoon from her, tasting a bit myself to double check. Clary looks at me, then shakes her head. "What more do I have to do to get you to trust me?"
I look over at her, silent, not sure of what to say. She continues, "You think I'd let Judy die? You think I'd do that to Carl? You know, I might've killed those people, Rick, but they were gonna die either way. I'm just glad I had the balls to end it for them, to do something, while you were off playin' farmer." Clary looks down at Aaron. "You still want me to join your group? Even now that you know what I've done?"
"We need someone like you," he tells her as I get up, going to feed Judith.
"You don't even know how many people I've killed. And you want to bring me to a place where there's children. You want a monster like me there? Damn, you must be desperate to get this group there."
"You're not a bad person. I've seen how you are. This group matters to you, a lot. I trust you, Clary. Enough to bring you where there's children. I know my judgment's not wrong."
After a moment, she turns away from him and looks at me. "He's good."
We watch as she climbs back up into the rafters, and Aaron looks at me, eyebrows creased in confusion. "What was that? Was that some kind of test?"
"You passed, Aaron," Clary calls.
"Clary approves of you," I explain. "She has a, um... unique way of testing people. It varies from person to person."
"Huh, I like her," Aaron muses with a chuckle. He turns his attention to me. "The community is big enough. We can find you a house where no one, nothing, outside those walls can hear your daughter cry."
"You got forty-three minutes," I tell him, then look up into the rafters. "Clary? Will you come down here?"
She climbs down near us, asking, "What is it?"
"I need to talk to you," I say, shifting Judith to feed her. "I know that you won't ever forgive me for kicking you out. I sent you out to this hell and then I joined you. But I realize now that it was a mistake. One of the worst mistakes I've ever made. I'm so sorry, Clary."
"You betrayed my trust, Rick," Clary says slowly, glaring at me. "You know that trust and loyalty, that's what I value above all else. I was never disloyal to you, to this group. The Governor nearly killed me back in Woodbury, did things to me that I thought would never happen again, and I never broke, never told him where the prison was, until he threatened Glenn. Before that night, I would've taken a bullet for you." She snaps her fingers. "Just like that. Without even thinking. Now, hell if I know. If I did, it'd be a reaction that was drilled into my head. I always follow your orders, no matter what you tell me to do. Why? 'Cause I'm the good little soldier servin' under General Grimes. And hell, that's all you see me as. A weapon."
I nearly drop the spoon I was using to feed Judith, then set it down in the applesauce, before walking over to Clary and wrapping my free arm around her. She tenses up underneath me, then very slowly, wraps her arms around my waist. "I'm so sorry," I whisper, pressing my lips to her forehead. "God, Clary. If I knew you thought of yourself like that, I never would've had you do all that. You've gotta stop me if it's too much for you. You never do, and I forget that you're still a kid. I'm so sorry."
"Rick," she mutters. "We've gotta go. We've been out here too long."
"I don't know if this place is real," I tell her, and I'm reminded of the moments before Terminus. How the last time I lied, saying that I had faith in the place. This time, I really don't know. "But no matter what, we'll be okay."
"Will we?" she questions. "In the past month alone. Everyone we lost at the prison. Hershel, Bob, Beth, Tyreese. Can we do this?"
I pull back, bending down to look her in the eyes. "Did you trust me before?"
"Yes."
"Do you still trust me?"
She hesitates, then says, "Yes. I have to."
"That's not what I mean," I tell her, shaking my head. "Clary, I trust you. But have I earned your trust?"
"Hell, Rick, I don't know," she says. "I want to say yes, but dammit, the answer's no. Something like that, how you told me to get out and never come back, I can't trust you after that. I've put my life in your hands, I've stayed quiet and done your bidding. I've killed for you, Rick. And then you go and betray me? No, Rick, you haven't earned my trust. It's gonna take a hell of a lot more. I'll still follow you, but I don't trust you."
I wrap my arm around her again, apologizing yet again. "I'm so sorry for kicking you out, Clary. I didn't know what else to do. I thought I was protecting you from Tyreese."
She laughs softly. "Rick, didn't you know Ty? He'd never hurt me. He never did." Clary looks up at me. "I get why you did it, Rick. I've said that much to Carl. It's hard, but I forgive you. I don't have any other choice, so I have to let it go. But please, never do it again." She closes her eyes, sighing. "I can't leave this group again. I wanted to before, back in Atlanta, but I came back. Don't make me leave again, Rick."
~Clary~
There's still twenty minutes left, five before I'm sent, when we hear the sound of vehicles approaching. "Clary?" Rick calls up to me, and I scramble to my feet to look out the hole in the roof. "What do you see?"
"Two of 'em," I reply. "Car and RV." I look down at Aaron and Rick. "Two cars. Just like he said."
I stay in the rafters as the search party wanders in, all carrying cans of food. I jump down at that, taking a can of S'ghetti Rings from Abraham, which he lets out a growl at, and I immediately hand over the pasta to him. Okay, Sergeant Brooding likes his S'ghetti Rings. Got it. Do not touch. "Where'd you find all this?" I inquire.
"Camper," he replies, and the rest of the group files in, carrying the rest of the food. We gather around the back of the barn, and Rick takes a can, holding it up for Aaron to see as he says, "This is ours now."
"There's more than enough," Aaron says.
"It's ours, whether we go to your camp or not."
"What do you mean?" Carl questions. "Why wouldn't we go?"
"If he were lying or if he wanted to hurt us, but he isn't and he doesn't," Michonne says, looking around at us. "We need this. So we're going. All of us. Somebody say something if they feel differently."
"I don't know, man," Daryl says after a moment, and I look over at him in surprise. I thought that he'd be one of the last to object to going. "This barn smells like horse shit."
I snort at that, reminded of his statement about the painting. "At least it doesn't look like a dog sat in paint."
"That's not goin' away," he sighs.
"No, it's not," I agree, then look up at the group. "We should go."
"Yeah," Rick decides. "We're going." He turns to Aaron. "So where are we going? Where's your camp?"
"Every time I've done this, I've been behind the wheel," he says. "I've driven the recruits back. I believe you're good people. I've bet my life on it. I'm just not ready to bet my friends' lives yet."
"You're not driving," Michonne tells him, walking over to look at him as Rick grabs the map. "So if you want to get home, you'll have to tell us how."
"Go north on Route 16," Aaron gives, looking over at Rick.
"And then?" I question.
"I'll tell you when we get there."
"We'll take 23 north," Rick decides. "You'll give us directions from there."
"That's, well—I don't know how else to say it—that's a bad idea. We've cleared 16. It'll be faster."
"We'll take 23," Rick repeats, getting to his feet. "We leave at sundown."
"We're doing this at night?" Sasha inquires.
"It's dangerous, but Rick knows what he's doing," I say. "It's better than ridin' up to the gates durin' the day. If this place ain't what we think it is, if we don't want to stay, then it's better to get the hell out of there before they know we're there."
"No one is going to hurt you," Aaron tries again.
"Aaron," I say, kneeling by him. "I believe you, but Rick knows what he's doing. He wants to keep us safe."
"He's trying to protect your group, but he's putting them in dangerous."
"Then tell me where the camp is," Rick says. "We'll leave right now." Aaron shakes his head, and Rick looks around at the group. "It's going to be a long night. Eat. Get some rest if you can."
Rick heads outside, and Michonne follows him, while I take a seat on the ground next to Aaron. "You're loyal," I say after a few moments, then look over at him. "I like that, Aaron. You won't tell us where your camp is. I get it, man. You gotta protect the people back home. But the thing that I don't get is that if you're gonna take us back, then why won't you tell us? You're plannin' on takin' us there, so you might as well tell us now. We're gonna find out sooner or later."
"I know," he says. "I realize that. I know what kind of people you are. Yes, I've been following you because I need to learn who you all are. But I haven't been following you long enough to know what you're capable of. What you'd do to another group."
"Depends on who they are," I reply. "Most of the ones we've run into, hell, they ain't friendly. Rather, weren't friendly. We took them out 'cause they were a threat to us. No other choice." I yawn, then lean back against the support beam to his right. "Do me a favor and wake me up when we're gettin' ready to leave."
I close my eyes, dozing off and on for the day. I look up as I feel someone shaking my arm, and I see Rosita leaning over me. "Wake up," she says softly. "Rick said we're leaving soon, so you might want to get your stuff. He said to tell you that you're gonna be in the car."
"Thanks, Rosita," I reply, and she pulls me to my feet. I follow the others outside, joining Glenn by the white car. Rick and Michonne join Glenn and I, Aaron in tow, and I watch as Carl and Daryl join the group riding in the RV. I inquire, "You're splitting up us Killjoys?"
"Did you just call us Killjoys?" Glenn asks.
"Well, are you ready, Rhee?"
"Yeah," he says.
"How about you, Carl?"
"Oh, I'm there, baby," he calls.
"How about you, Darry?" I ask.
"Fucking ready," Daryl says, trying not to grin too much.
"Well, I think I'm alright," I say. I glance up as the sun starts to disappear, the sky already becoming closer to black. "We should go."
Glenn climbs in the driver's seat, Rick joining him up front as the others climb in the RV. Michonne and I put Aaron between us in the backseat, his bag at his feet. We lead the way down the road, passing a sign marking the road 23. Rick rifles through the glove compartment, pulling out a group of license plates. "I'm trying to collect all fifty states," Aaron explains. "Put them all on a wall in my house."
"You have your own house?" Michonne questions.
He nods, and gestures to the bag at his feet. "See for yourself."
Michonne reaches down, pulling out the envelope with the pictures. I lean over Aaron, looking at them with her. After she flips few a through, I say, "'chonne, can I look at those?"
She hands them over to me, and I quickly flip through them, looking to see if it's in there. I look over at Aaron when I don't find what I'm looking for. "Why are there no pictures of your people?"
"Oh, I took a picture of the whole group," he answers. "I didn't get the exposure right. When I tried to develop it later, it just—"
"Did you ask him the questions?" Michonne inquires, looking up at Rick. I close my eyes, cursing under my breath. I knew there was something I was forgetting.
"No," Rick answers.
Michonne turns her attention to Aaron. "How many walkers have you killed?"
"I'm sorry, what?" Aaron questions.
"The dead," I say. "How many have you killed?"
"I don't know. A lot."
"How many people?"
"Two."
"Why?" Michonne asks.
"Because they tried to kill me," Aaron answers simply.
I look up ahead as Rick lifts something up from the floorboard, and I ask, "The hell is that thing?"
"You were listening to us?" Glenn questions, glancing over his shoulder to look at Aaron.
"I already said I was watching you," Aaron replies. "Yes, I was listening."
"It means his people could have one, too," Rick rushes. "They could've heard our plan. This isn't safe."
"Shit!" Glenn shouts, and I look ahead as a walker appears directly in front of us.
"Punch it!" I bark, knowing the rest of the group is right behind us. "Keep going!"
"Glenn!" Rick barks as Glenn presses down on the gas, pushing through.
"Clary's right!" he replies. "They're right behind us! They would've hit us. They can get out!"
We keep pushing through, trying to make it through the herd on the road. In no time, the blood on the windshield is so thick we have trouble seeing through it. When we don't hit anything for a few seconds, Glenn hits the brakes, spinning the car around as it comes to a stop. Rick's immediately out, and Glenn inquires, "Everyone okay?"
"We're good back here," I answer after sharing a nod with Aaron and Michonne. I follow Glenn out of the car, drawing my knife as he climbs on top of the car. "I don't see them!" Rick calls after scanning the herd.
"No, they're gone," Glenn says, able to see over the top of it. "They got away."
"Circle back," I say. "We'll find 'em that way."
Michonne, Rick, and I climb back in as Glenn wipes off the windshield, climbing back in as Rick looks down at the map. "We can take a left a couple of miles up 23," Rick says. "Jefferson Avenue."
"Jefferson Avenue," Glenn repeats.
"We gotta get outta here," Aaron says.
"Thank you, Captain Obvious," I say, glancing over at him. As Glenn tries to turn the key in the ignition. The engine sputters, refusing to start. He pleads with it, trying to start it, as walkers stumble towards us, Aaron still insisting that we get out of here right now. I reach for the door handle, saying, "Let me see what I can see."
I scramble out without waiting for an answer, heading over to the hood, glancing over my shoulder for the approaching walkers. I pull arms out from under the hood, tossing them away. "Do you need a hand?" Michonne asks from inside the car.
"No, I got one!" I call back, tossing another arm away. I glance over my shoulder again, and something by the water tower in the distance catches my attention. I turn, watching as a flare goes up. I start back towards the car, leaning down to look in the window at them. "Did you see that?"
Suddenly, the door is kicked open, and I yelp in surprise as it hits me, the force sending me backwards. I try to regain my balance just as I reach the edge of the road, letting out another yelp as I fall down into the ditch. "Clary!" I hear Glenn cry, and I push myself up as he scrambles down to meet me. "You okay?"
"I'm fine," I tell him, accepting his hand and letting him pull me to my feet. "Aaron. Where is he?"
"This way," Glenn says, taking my hand and pulling me with him as we run through the forest. "Michonne and Rick went after him. Our people are gonna think we shot that flare."
We catch up to them about fifty feet in, finding them only because Rick has started firing at the walkers in the woods. I stumble back as I feel a hand on my arm, turning and driving my knife into the walker's forehead. I quickly look around, not seeing any of my group. "Glenn?" I call as I hear gunshots not to far off to my left. "Glenn!"
I take off towards them, seeing his silhouette illuminated by the gunshots. Then, I see the walker nearly on him from behind. "Glenn!" I call out in warning as I run, leaping over a fallen log to reach him or the walker first.
I arrive just as it grabs his arm, and I grab its head, yanking it back. I fall to the ground with it, driving my knife down in its head. He pulls me to my feet as we both take a second to catch our breath, and I ask, "You bit?"
"I'm good," he answers. "You okay? You disappeared there."
I nod once. "I'm fine. Let's go find the others."
We move on, walking through the woods and listening for any signs of Rick, Michonne, or Aaron. We come into a worn path as I hear snarling, and turn to find Aaron, his back against a tree, struggling to keep a walker off of him. Glenn and I look at each other for a moment, and then I start forward, grabbing the walker and pulling it off of him, sticking my knife through the base of its skull. "Hands," I say.
Aaron looks at the two of us in confusion for a second, then turns around. I slice the rope binding him, and we turn at gunshots in the distance. "Run if you want," I tell him. "But we're gone."
"We've got other things to worry about," Glenn adds, as we start off towards the gunshots.
"We can make it together," Aaron says, and we both pause, looking at each other. "But we can only make it together." Glenn and I turn to look at him. "That's what you said. I was listening. We can do this, but we have to stick together."
"Then you tell us what that flare was for," I demand, starting towards him. He struggles for an answer, and I aim my gun at him. "Tell me, or I swear to whatever god you believe in, I will shoot you where you stand."
"Eric's in danger," he says after a second. "He's my boyfriend. It's our system. You get in trouble, you fire a flare. Please, we've gotta get there."
Glenn and I look at each other, and I nod once. He hands over the gun Rick gave him, the one that was originally Aaron's, as I holster mine. "I know what it's like to have the damsel in distress boyfriend," I tell him. "Let's go save yours, Prince Charming."
"Thank you," he breathes, following us as we head towards the gunshots.
"Don't thank us yet," I say, staring ahead. "He ain't safe yet."
Up ahead, there's a gunshot, and then a bright flash of light. We all look at each other, then, realizing it's Rick and Michonne, take off towards it. We arrive as Rick tries to pull his machete out of a walker on the ground, Michonne standing with her sword raised, waiting for the walkers. The three of us stand in a line, firing on the walkers approaching. Rick and Michonne turn as soon as they're all down, and Aaron holds up his hands in surrender. "If you really want to tie me up again, that's fine, but hurry," he says, putting the gun on the ground.
Rick takes the gun, then says, "There's no time." He gestures in the direction the walkers came from. "We're going that way."
Rick takes the lead while I stay in the rear, covering us from behind. We come out onto a road, a sign making me realize that this is Route 16. The road is deserted, and Rick questions Aaron, "Where are they?"
"I don't know," he answers.
"If this is a trap to get us back where you want us, your people are going to die tonight."
"It ain't a trap, Rick," I say, starting forward, and Aaron follows beside me. "Flare was towards the water tower. They're gonna think we fired it, so that's where they're gonna be. That's where we go." I glance over at Aaron, who looks down at me in gratitude, and I mutter to him, "He's gonna be okay."
As we enter the small town, nearing where the water tower is, Rick starts whistling, waiting for the signal to come back to us. It echoes quite eerily in the alleyway, and a short, high-pitched whistle comes back. A figure appears, waving us towards them. As we draw nearer, I see that it's Daryl, and run to meet him. I wrap my arms around his neck in relief that he's safe, closing my eyes as I hear the others run out to meet us. "You okay?" he inquires softly, his words muffled by my hair.
"I'm good," I answer, looking up at him. "Are you guys okay?"
He nods once, and I turn as I feel a hand on my back. "Clary," Carl says softly, and I wrap my arms around him, resting my head on his shoulder. He kisses my cheek, muttering, "You're not hurt, are you?"
"I'm not hurt," I tell him, then look up as I hear Aaron questioning, "Eric?"
I glance up at Carl as I look around, not seeing anyone new. "Is he..."
Carl's reply is cut off by a new voice calling, "In here!"
"Eric!" Aaron cries, rushing into the building where the voice came from. Rick starts forward to go after him, but I reach out, grabbing his arm as I say, "Rick, wait!" He stops, turning to look down at me. I remove my arm from out Carl, stepping towards Rick and lightly keeping my hand on his arm. "Let me, okay?"
"Go," he orders, and I remove my hand from his, turning and hurrying inside. I step into the room, staying silent, as I see Aaron on the floor with a guy I'm guessing to be Eric. He pulls a license plate out of his bag, studies Aaron for a moment, then says, "You lost the plates, didn't you?"
"I lost the car," Aaron says, looking up at him.
Eric laughs. "Maybe it's for the best. That monstrosity out front can run. It's so ugly, it'll scare the roamers away."
Aaron chuckles at that, and I find myself smiling slightly in amusement. After a moment, I give in, laughing at it. They turn at the sound, and I quiet down, afraid that I was interrupting. Eric and I study each other for a moment, then I say, "So you're the damsel." He looks up at Aaron as I step in the room, and I chuckle at them. I look down at Aaron, grinning slightly. "You did good, Aaron. He's cute."
They both blush, and I walk over, kneeling beside them. "Hi," I say, holding out my hand. "I guess it's time I formally introduce myself. Name's Clary Dixon."
"Eric," he replies, shaking my hand. "It's nice to meet you."
I sit back on my feet, looking over at the other newcomer. "Aaron, I hate to make you leave him, but Rick's gonna want to talk to you."
"It's okay," he says, squeezing Eric's hand. He looks down at him. "It's okay. I'll be back."
I stay for a moment more after Aaron gets up, then follow him out to where the others are. "Excuse me," he says, getting everyone's attention. "Everyone. Thank you. You saved Eric. I owe you. All of you. And I will make sure that debt is paid in full when we get to our community. When we get to Alexandria. Now, I'm not sure about you, but I'd rather not do any more driving tonight." There are small chuckles of agreement throughout the group. "Maybe we can hit the road tomorrow morning."
"That sounds fine," Rick agrees, stepping to block the doorway. "But if we're staying here for the night, you're sleeping over there." He points to a spot across the room."
"You really think we gotta do that?" Maggie questions.
"It's the safe play. We don't know you."
Aaron turns to look at him, telling our leader, "The only way you're gonna stop me from being with him right now is by shooting me."
He takes a step forward, and I put out a hand to stop him. "Let me talk," I tell him, then turn to Rick. "He told us where the camp is, Rick. Everythin' that he's said, it's checked out. Eric's the only other person he's travelling with." He gives me a look out doubt. "They're unarmed. One of 'em's got a broken ankle. I want us to be safe, too, but they ain't a threat. Not like this."
"She's right," Glenn says, stepping to stand beside me. "I can't give up everything else. I know what I said, but it does matter."
Rick's still doubtful, and I slam my hand into the wall. "Goddammit, Rick! You're not gonna stop him! If that was Carl in there, nothin' would stop me from bein' with him! So let him through!"
At that, Rick slowly steps aside. Aaron mumbles his thanks to me as he passes, and I nod once to acknowledge him. I join Carl on the other side of the room, resting my head against his shoulder as he wraps his arm around me. "You think we can make it?" I ask him, keeping my voice quiet.
"We have to," he replies, his voice low as well. "We're so close. We'll make it."
