Author's Note:
Well… Last chapter was originally intended to be the conclusion to this story. Last few weeks I've tried to come up with new characters and start a new story in the Walking Dead universe but couldn't really get the excitement I got from this story and writing about Mason's journey. That's why I've decided to throw in a little plot twist and revive the story. Hope everyone can still enjoy it after the "original" ending.
…
[Chapter 25] Arkadia
'Mason, are you still in there?' a voice from the void asked from a long distance. The words were barely intelligible. The voice belonged to a woman. Mason tried hard to recognize the voice but couldn't fit an image of a face to the tone.
'Wake up, Mason.' a distinct male voice spoke to him. His head felt like it got hit by a train. Shots of pain burst through his head as he blinked a few times. His eyes got hurt by the bright light.
'Where am I?' Mason mumbled to the unknown voices. He slowly clawed around in the wet dirt underneath his body, digging a tiny hole with his fingers.
'Safe.'
Rapidly blinking seemed to help clear his vision in an attempt to figure out his current location. He remembered talking to his grandfather about the life he had and how the man was proud of what he did, before the lights went dark and he started hearing the voices.
'There he is.' the recognizable voice of Merle laughed from a distance. He and his brother were staring at the small group in front of them while they tried to awake Mason from a deep, dark nightmare.
'What happened to me?' Mason mumbled.
'You passed out, kid. Right when you saw that other kid being eaten alive.' the voice of the unknown man they met in the container spoke to him.
'I was dead… Bitten… My grandfather… he talked to me… What's happening to me?' Mason cried out in fear. He did not know how to separate reality and imagination. He knew Thomas died, but also that he got bitten himself while trying to fight his way through a small herd to get to that grey haired man that caused all this bullshit. Locked in a cage while the walkers got pushed in. When he got bitten, he had nothing lose and eventually slashed the throat of the man. It was Lincoln who explained him none of that ever happened. It all happened inside his head. Daryl confirmed it by saying that Mason passed out when he was staring through the little hole in the container right when Thomas was eaten alive.
'Everything is going to be fine. You witnessed something horrible and your mind couldn't handle it anymore after all the shit you've been through.' Addison smiled at him, stroking his left cheek to calm him down.
Mason turned his head slightly to the left. The man who caused the death of his best friend was tied to a steel column sticking from the ground. The ropes were cutting his wrists and he had deep scratches around his hands. Anger replaced the fear and pain. With all the energy his body had left, Mason managed to get up. He was shaking on his legs and Opie jumped in to support him before he tripped.
'Give me your knife.' Mason pointed at Jackson with a stinging voice.
'What are you going to do with it?' Jackson hesitated. He did not just want to give a dangerous weapon to an unstable person.
'I've killed that man in my nightmare while I was unconscious. Now he's going to die while I'm awake.' Mason swore, 'Thomas deserves it.'
'Just hand him the blade, Jax.' Opie said to his friend. Jackson was surprised by the words of his childhood friend. Realizing this had to be done, he handed the long bladed knife to Mason who stumbled his way towards the captured villain.
'You think killing me will end this? Stupid decision to kick off a war you're not going to win.' Jeffrey Wellington grinned, his eyes twinkling behind his broken glasses. His task here was completed. Now it was time for the other leaders to step up and complete his work.
'A war against a dead man?' Mason replied. The answer that followed shocked the group but did not turn Mason away from his intentions.
'I'm part of a much bigger enemy…' Wellington grinned as he felt the sharp knife being stabbed right underneath his ribs, piercing the bottom part of his lung. Breathing got harder with every passing second and the blood dripped out of his chest.
'Dad!' one of the girls that lured Mason, Daryl and Merle into the trap cried out from the other side of the area.
'Lea? Oh, sweet-' Wellington started crying out to his daughter. Mason stopped him from talking by slashing the blade sideways against his throat, cutting it deep and taking his life quicker than intended.
Lea Wellington burst in tears, making her grief clear to everyone by making a lot of noise. She swore on her dad's legacy that she would end Mason's life on his behalf. Mason was not affected by the threat.
'Her crying will attract unwanted company to this place.' Daryl grunted. He had not said anything to Mason's group until this moment.
'Shut her mouth, Ope.' Jackson said to the tall, intimidating man helping Mason to stay on his feet. He helped Mason to sit down on the wet ground before he walked up to the girl and knocked her out cold with a single punch against the side of her head. The knock was hard enough to knock her out, but not to further injure her.
'What's next?' Mason asked.
'If I'm allowed to interrupt. I know a small community not far from here that might take you in. Odds are slim, but you could give it a try.' the unknown man from the container, known as Paxton McCreary, brought in. The appearance of the man fitted to his voice. Rough, rude and willing to do whatever it took to safe his own life. Even if it cost sacrificing people he trusted.
'And how do you know about that place?' Lincoln wondered suspicious.
'Used to live there before I decided to join these sick fucks.' Paxton said, pointing to dad and daughter.
The perimeter between the walls of the cult community were still filled with innocent survivors. Addison stated that they couldn't just let them rot away here but Mason reminded her that everyone had to fight for themselves in this world.
'You want these people to die?' Addison lashed out at Mason.
'I don't have any right to interrupt you, but I have to do it anyway. Your friend over here is correct. The place I can you take you to does not have enough room or supplies to care for all these people.' Paxton stated.
Addison looked at him with a stare of death, ready to smash his brains in. If it wasn't for Mason who came with the statement before him, she would've done it.
'What about the body?' Opie pointed to a hill of corpses that was being made by the survivors. A hill that would soon burn away when it was doused in gasoline and lit with fire. Thomas' corpse was laying on the ground next to the hill.
Mason couldn't bear to look at the shredded skin and eaten guts of his friend and turned away from the sight with tears rolling over his cheeks once again.
He saw how Lucille was brutally raped and murdered and did not shed a tear. He saw how Linda Esquivel was beaten to death by Negan in front of his own eyes. How Finn Collins suffocated in the smoke when the garage was blown to bits. And not to forget how Mack Thompson was shot in the neck by Rais. And maybe the worst death of them all was how Barbie ran back into the CDC and gave up on his own life. Many of his friends perished in front of his own eyes and he had not cried. Somehow Thomas' death unleashed a completely different reaction.
'Put him in some rags. Cover it. He deserves a proper funeral when we get there.' Addison said, tough as nails and swallowing her grief because she had to be strong for Mason. She knew if he couldn't make the calls anymore, it was her turn to decide what had to be done.
'Time to leave.' Addison said loud. Two vehicles were taken from the settlement with enough fuel to make it to their next destination. The wrapped body together with the unconscious Lea were loaded in the back of a light-grey pick-up truck with Opie there to make sure nothing was dropped on the rough road.
The only noise during the road was Paxton giving directions and Addison cussing at him when they bumped into groups of walkers.
'Are you trying to get us killed?' she sighed in disbelief when they turned into another herd.
'Haven't seen the outside for weeks, you know?' Paxton grinned amused. It was not his intention to send them into harm's way but her reaction made him smile.
Considering the recent events it was a relief to hear the stranger and Addison fight over driving into blocked parts of the road. A simple, nonsense thing to argue about but they did it anyway. Mason was trying to sleep but enjoyed their arguing too much to do so.
'I should just kick you out of the car when we're almost there.' Addison cussed, 'Can't even tell if you're one of the good guys.'
'Obviously I am. Have you seen my face? No terrible person there.' Paxton laughed. He may have become a better person but he wasn't always like that. The man was incarcerated for lots of attempted murders and actual murders. When he was doing time inside a heavy guarded prison, he got his back tattooed with all sizes of gravestones. The other inmates gifted him the nickname Graveyard because of it. He did not see the time fit to tell that story but knew he had to share his past with these new people if he wanted to stick around a little longer. It was inevitable that someone would see the gravestones on his scarred back one day.
Merle and Daryl had a rough argument before leaving with them. Merle did not want to join a group or community and believed that just the two of them was enough to survive. Daryl thought they would be better off with other people looking out for them. Caring for them. It came from a long desire of having someone to care for them. In the old world they had to figure everything out on their own, without help from loving parents or good friends. Merle realized Daryl was going with them and he did not want to leave his little brother behind and go his own way thus going with them as well.
'There it is!' Paxton said excited, pointing at a wall in the distance. Mason opened his eyes and looked through the window at the settlement.
The gate was made of heavy steel plates and the walls were a combination of the same steel together with lots of wood and other materials. Two large wooden poles stuck from the ground on both sides of the entrance door and a sign was attached to welcome newcomers. The sign showed one word: Arkadia. It was the name of the community, according to Paxton.
They were halted a decent distance before reaching the walls by a guard patrol asking for their business. An explanation of why they were here by the diplomatic Addison was enough to get their attention and they radioed the counsel of the community. A few minutes later the heavy door slowly opened, making a lot of creaking noise while doing so.
Two heavily armed men followed a smiling man who apparently was the leader of the community. A short summary by the head of the guard patrol followed before he wanted to talk to the leader of the new group.
Addison took a hesitating look at Mason in the back of the car but he had already closed his eyes again. He wasn't asleep and knew she was looking at him, so he made a loud snoring noise to answer her unasked question. She nodded, took a deep breath and stepped outside of the car again after waiting for the leader to appear. Jackson Teller followed her just in case things started to drift away. Paxton tried to hide his face somewhat.
Addison introduced herself to the man who was known as Marcus Kane. He had long, wavy dark hair and a greyish beard. His face showed signs of age and struggle but he had a welcoming smile to make up for it. A calm, deep voice followed his appearance when he introduced himself and the two men standing behind him.
'My name is Marcus Kane. And these are James and Tyler. How can I help you?' Kane asked.
Addison took a deep breath once again before telling their purpose this close to the community. She explained they were looking for a place to stick around for the foreseeable future and hoped Arkadia could offer them that.
'You understand we can't just take you in without proving yourself? For now we can offer you a place to stay but you have to earn your keep. Each and everyone of you. Including that guy.' Kane stated as he looked at one of the two cars. He already spotted Paxton McCreary and was not particularly happy to see his face again.
'Just tell us what we got to do and we'll do it.' Addison smiled, shaking Kane's hand.
'Welcome to Arkadia.' Kane said to them when they walked through the entrance. The cars were left outside until their trust was gained. Weapons were handed over to James and Tyler for safety precautions.
Mason gazed through the settlement with his eyes wide open. His mouth fell open from the prosperity of Arkadia. People were growing crops in small fields. A group of men was working on vehicles to get them back on the road for raids and supply runs. Kids ran around, playing together as if the world outside did not exist. And that's exactly what those kids believed.
Most of the people in the settlement had been there since the outbreak, Kane explained to them as he gifted them a quick tour. Since the start he and another man worked on rebuilding civilization and hoped of one day creating a prosperous place where children could grow old without facing the hazards of the apocalypse. A place people would tell others about to gather everyone to live happily ever after. An optimistic vision it was, but they tried hard to make that vision reality.
'Is there a place we can bury our friend?' Addison asked. Thomas' corpse had been carried around by Opie since they entered the walls.
'Follow me.' Kane nodded, immediately taking them to their cemetery close to the northern wall, hidden behind a row of brick houses. The amount of crosses told the story of the people they lost while fulfilling their dream for this community. Mason counted more than twenty wooden crosses, and thought that was a high amount of deaths for only a few months of apocalypse. He ignored the fact that his own eyes had probably seen double the amount of people dying. Not all of those were his loved ones. But he saw them dying non the less.
'I'll give you a moment to bury your friend. James will return you to me when you're finished.' Marcus Kane said to them with the utmost respect. He believed these people were good and willing to help them in their cause but he could not take the risk just yet. Not after all they achieved in Arkadia.
James handed a shovel to Lincoln and Daryl, who volunteered to help him before others could pick up the shovel, and the hole was dug. Addison carved the name Thomas into the wooden cross with James' knife together with the amount of walkers he managed to kill during his survival. 143 walkers faded to the afterlife because he killed them. Sent to a better place, far away from the endless roaming in the search for fresh human meat.
Thomas' body was slowly put in the grave and the same two men started filling the hole with the dirt they dug out. Addison spoke a few words to say farewell in name of the group. She hoped Mason would take that hard part from her but he could not bare to speak. He only spoke two simple words and a single character after she finished her speech: 'Rest easy, T.'
He turned around when the cross was put on top of the grave to mark Thomas' final resting place. Again, tears wiggled down his face, falling on the ground beneath his feet. The ceremony concluded with everyone saying their goodbyes. It was then that James returned them to Kane for the second part of their tour.
'This tent is used for surgery and medical appointments. We have a young but very talented doctor.' Kane laughed.
'She's able to provide help for mental problems?' Mason broke his silence. He wanted someone with experience to talk about the nightmare he had just after he passed out. He felt like he couldn't really talk about that story with his friends. A neutral opinion from someone he never met could help him.
'Mental problems are health problems. And health problems is what she can help you with.' Kane nodded. Mason nodded back and said he was going to check if the doctor had time for him.
He walked into the tent. A young, blonde woman was measuring a little child's temperature and he apologized for walking in on them. She laughed and said it was all fine. That he could wait in the corner for his turn. She was almost finished checking on the kid who experienced symptoms of the flu.
'Don't believe we met? What's the issue, stranger?' she asked when Mason sat down on the sterile chair.
'My mind is raging.' Mason sighed. He explained his problems, from passing out to waking up and everything in between.
'Sounds like your unconscious wants to tell you something. Your deepest desire is just taking yourself away from this world.'
'Kill myself? I've tried that before. As you can see I'm not particularly good at it.' Mason laughed.
'No, it's not exactly like that. Your unconscious tells you to get rid of this world by taking your own life because of all the terrible things you've seen. It's traumatic. But when you're conscious, you know it's not what you are going to do. It's a difficult philosophy. Not sure if I completely understand myself.' the doctor smiled.
'Well, that helps a lot, doc. Name's Mason, by the way.'
'Clarke.'