Author's Note: A quick update here, but one that I'm really excited to share! The plan for this chapter was huge and when it came to writing it all, it literally reached over 10k words and so I had to break it up into three parts and I also changed a few little things to make it work. I'm really happy with how it turned out!
We're also introduced to two new characters. One who is completely OC and one who we've met in the show. I've decided to shake it up a little!
I really hope you enjoy it! Please let me know what you think!
Also, if you have any storylines from the show that you really enjoyed and you would like to see how Esther would cope with them then please tell me and I'll try and work them into this story!
Part Two
..
Seven
I've Got This Friend
.x.
The man introduced himself to them as Philip, the right-hand man of the leader. With a smirk that unsettled Esther to her very core, he welcomed them without another word which only seemed to cause the alarm bells in her head to ring violently. Every part of her wanted to drag the other two women out of the place, but she had to see this through. Andrea was desperate to find her sister, and she understood the urgency. If it was her sister, she would go to the ends of the earth to find her and make sure she was safe.
The corridor reminded Esther of something out of a horror movie; the winding maze of corridors causing a dull ache in her head. The narrow passage was lit up with emergency lights, deep orange shades illuminating against the concrete stone walls, casting shadows of wonderous beings upon the wall. Posters and photographs of past famous faces to ever set foot in and perform at the stadium decorated the walls, and Esther found herself wondering just how many of them still walked the earth now, having escaped the claws of death. Singers, bands, sports stars, all beamed down at her, which only caused her anxiety to peak.
Andrea was walking closely behind Philip who was taking the lead, as Michonne and Esther walked behind them with the former helping Esther with her balance, whilst two heavily armed guards took up the rear. They were walking for a while, with Esther and Michonne sharing a look as they both wondered whether he was just leading them along a merry dance. Philip, not even a minute later, pulled to a halt in front of a large double door, and turned to face them.
"One word of advice," he began, a sickening grin forming on his lips as his one eye searched the faces of each woman. "Listen to our leader. He is a man who requires respect, and you will give him that. You may never know when you will need him to bail you out."
He pushed open the double doors without another word to reveal an executive suite where Esther could only imagine once held extremely important board meetings or hosted events for the rich and famous. But what caught her eye most was the figure of a man standing in front of floor to ceiling windows that looked out the stadium below them. From where the three women stood, the people that milled around were as tiny as ants. Esther narrowed her gaze at the man illuminated by the bright lights that beamed down on the people below him.
"Please, take a seat," the man said, his back still turned to them. "Philip, leave us be."
Esther noticed the scowl—one filled with such anger—flash across Philip's face for a split second. As quick as it had appeared, it had dissolved into a fake smile. Without another word, Philip nodded mostly to himself before motioning for the guards to leave with him.
As the door clicked itself closed and signalling that they were alone now, the man turned around. Esther observed him as he moved to take the seat opposite them, his gaze falling on each of them for longer than they were all comfortable with.
"You will all do very well here, I can assure you of that," he began, his course voice unsettling Esther immediately. And that was it; that was how quickly it was to completely sign your life away to them, it seemed. His dark hair was streaked with grey, peppered mostly at the front on his hairline; a handle-bar moustache decorated his face; his green eyes seemed to burn a hole in them as he spoke. "May I ask… how have you come to find us on this fine day?"
Andrea opened her mouth to speak, but Esther beat her to it. This seemed to be picked up on by the leader. "I got injured, we were running and I… snagged my leg against a branch," Esther spoke, her voice feigning vulnerability. "We've been looking for a safe place for a while, and we stumbled upon this and we couldn't believe that this place exists. But we understand if you don't have room for us. To welcome three strangers in one day, it must be a—"
"—a rarity?" the man finished for her, and nodded slowly "Well, yes. But you are fine women, with weapons to match."
Esther found herself nodding, trying so hard to keep the fake smile going. She was aware of the way the man spoke immediately put her on edge; you just couldn't ignore the voice at the back of your head screaming at you to get out of there, and fast.
"I will say this, however—" the man continued. "This place has rules put in place that you must abide by. And there are consequences if you break them. This place has worked for as long as I've been in control of it, and it will continue to thrive. A chink in the armour will not destroy this place. However, you scratch my back and I scratch yours in return. If you behave, you'll be rewarded and thus we will go easy on you."
"Like animals?" Michonne interjects, her jaw tense and eyes dark. The man simply shrugged but never ushered another word.
A knock sounded on the door, breaking through the tense atmosphere.
"Enter," he called out.
The door opened at his command to reveal Philip and the two guards. Philip nodded at him. "It's ready for them, sir."
The man stood to his full height and clapped his hands together once. "Great! Philip, take…" he motioned towards Esther who simply raised her brow at him.
"Esther?"
"Yes, take Esther to the infirmary and get Samson to check her injury out."
Esther stood up and leaned forward, extending her arm out across the table. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."
The man looked towards her hand then back at her, a look of confusion flashing across his face. He moved towards the table, his hand moulding around hers tightly and his eyes almost challenging hers. "It's Simon," he said, flashing a smile.
"Simon," Esther repeated, shaking his hand once before releasing him. Today isn't your lucky day, Simon.
Philip beckoned Andrea and Michonne to follow behind the armed guards and head to the area that seemed to be ready for them, whilst Philip waited for Esther to limp out of the room. The guards that led the two women away both looked as if they had never held a gun before in their life, let alone being allowed to dress themselves. Philip directed and navigated Esther down to the medical bay, and she knew he was growing impatient and frustrated with her as he kept stopping and waiting for her to reach him. She smirked as she knew she was doing it on purpose; the one way to see someone's true colours was to test them. Words and actions held so much weight, and it seemed as though Philip wasn't as nice as he portrayed himself to be.
He came to a halt in front of the medical bay that was situated beside the locker rooms. His hard fist pounded against the heavy door. It was a mere second later when the door opened to reveal a tall man with dirty blonde hair, exasperated and annoyed.
"How many times have I told you not to bang on the door like that?"
Philip simply shrugged. "Got another patient for you to see," he said, all but ignoring the doctor. "She's one of you."
He turned on his heel and walked down the corridor, back the way they came. Samson's eyes fell on Esther as she leaned against the door frame, giving her uniform a once over with a nod before he beckoned her inside, and closing the door.
Samson motioned for her to sit on the medical bed in the corner of the room, and she made her way over to it. She took a seat on the edge, positioning herself carefully before lifting herself onto it. Esther remained silent as he collected everything he would need, her observant gaze searching the room.
"How did you do it?" Samson asked, motioning towards the ripped material of her trousers with a nod. He took a seat on a moving stool beside her. "You weren't…"
"Bitten?" Esther raised her brows, shuffling as she pulled her trousers off enough for him to get to the wound. She shook her head. "No."
Samson raised his brows for her to elaborate and she dragged her teeth along her bottom lip.
"One of your groups shot at me."
The colour drained from Samson's face, paling at her words. "You shouldn't have come here. You should've kept walking. This place… it isn't what they portray it to be."
"Yeah, I kinda got that when they tried to kidnap the women and children in my group," she kept her eyes on his, silently challenging him. "Can't say they were that lucky with their attempt."
"You… killed them?"
Esther shrugged. "I did what I had to do."
"But you're still here," Samson challenged her. She was taken aback that there was no surprise on his face at the knowledge that she had essentially killed a convoy of his men.
"You got me there," Esther said, running a hand through her hair.
Samson was quiet for a moment as he inspected her wound. He pulled back the gauze and tape, his brow furrowing for a moment. "Seems to me, someone took exceptional care of this thing before you came here," he commented, as he began to clean the wound. "Still bleeding which is to be expected for the type of wound."
"You don't seem like one of them," Esther remarked after a moment.
Samson met her gaze. "That's because I'm not one of them."
"Then how did you get here?" Esther asked. "Philip… he mentioned that I was one of you. Did you serve?"
"You bet I did," he answered with a smile. He busied himself with stitching the wound up. "I was stationed here at the arena at the start of the outbreak. It was a place for testing, in a way. More and more people came here as it was a safe zone, but these people quickly took it over. Simon, Philip, Greg… there are others you haven't met yet. The other soldiers found their voices and either joined them or were… disposed of."
Samson let his words hang in the air, and Esther furrowed her brow. She remained silent, knowing her words would fail her now. She felt nauseous at the thought—and reality, it seemed—of a place like this existing so close after the outbreak.
"How do I get out of this place?" Esther asked, her voice low as she became aware of light footsteps approaching the room.
Samson sat back in his stool, once he was finished patching her wound up. He swallowed the lump in his throat, one that always seemed to strangle him when he thought about what he was involved in. He stood up, moved closer to Esther and whispered in her ear. "Nobody has ever managed to leave this place."
A knock—soft and delicate—sounded against the door and Samson left Esther's side. "Come in," he called out. The door opened and a blonde woman entered the room holding folded clothes in her hand.
"I have some clothes for our new arrival," the girl said, her soft voice filled the room. Her gaze washed over Esther as she laid them on the edge of the medical bed with a smile that never quite reached her eyes. Esther offered a smile back, her eyes falling on something that glinted against the lights that lined the wall around them. And she felt as though the whole world around her was beginning to shake uncontrollably.
"Have you seen a young woman, blonde, a little taller than me, she was wearing a mermaid necklace?" Andrea's voice filled her mind then as she was transported back to being on the highway, Daryl's kiss still burning her lips. She had found her; she was sure of it.
The mermaid necklace was shining brightly against the white dress she wore.
Amy.
The blonde woman gave her one last look before she turned to leave, and Esther knew she was running out of time.
"Amy?"
The woman slowed to a stop, her hand hovering in the air as she had begun to reach for the handle. She turned slowly; her composure being compromised at the fact that a complete stranger knew her name. Her eyes were wide, panicked almost, as they met Esther's gaze.
"Your sister Andrea…" Esther began just as loud bang on the door sounded, startling all three of them in the room. Samson clenched his fists.
"I can't talk now," Amy rushed, looking towards the door. "Is she… okay?"
Esther nodded quickly. "She's here. She's come to find you. We're here to get you out of here."
Another knock sounded, and Samson was quick to move towards the door. He raised a hand at both Esther and Amy, silencing them instantly, as he pulled the door open. "Again, how many times do I have to tell you to now knock so loud?"
Philip sneered, his eyes falling on Esther on the bed and the folded clothes on the end of it. She watched as his face became red with anger. "Why aren't you dressed yet?"
"I…" Amy began but Samson cut him off.
"The wound was worse than I thought," Samson filled him in. "I needed to clean it to prevent infection, and then put a few stitches in."
Philip looked towards him. "And will she be okay for duties?"
"Not immediately, but yes," Samson nodded. "Give her a day or two."
"Well it seems I've come with good news regarding that," Philip commented, pushing Samson aside and striding over towards Esther. "You've been bumped up a number, especially in your condition. You're a fighter, right?"
Esther dragged her teeth against her bottom lip. "I can handle myself, if that's where you're going with this."
"You've been bumped up to a one," he smirked.
Esther observed Samson's face drop. The doctor was quick to reach them. "She's injured. I told you she was injured…"
"She can manage, doc," Philip said with a sneer, standing to his full height. Toe to toe, the two men were nearly the same height as each other but it seemed as though Philip believed himself to be a foot taller with the power he demanded from the room. He motioned towards the clothes and Esther. "Get dressed. You don't want to be late."
.x.
Esther was led out into main area, a dress—white and virginal—flowing from her body. She was bare foot, the soles of her feet delicate against the rough ground. Philip had walked her out of the bay, down the corridors and down towards the stalls. As he pushed open the doors, she took in the scene around her and she was taken aback, her eyes not knowing where to look first.
There was so much to see, and yet her vision couldn't quite comprehend everything laid out in front of her. The first thing that unsettled her, however, was the cages that she recognised so well. She remembered her first moments when she stepped out of the army truck and saw the set up at the safe zone where she was stationed at. The cages where humans—infected—would reside in until they were transported elsewhere. Now, they held women with numerous numbers that hung around their necks. She understood the army was based here from what Samson had told her, but for a facility to be used in this way was almost incomprehensible.
They stopped in front of a cage and her eyes fell on Michonne who wore the same attire as she did now, and who was now noticeably without her katana.
"I'll be back for you," Philip told her, unlocking the door and almost pushing her inside. With one last glimpse at her, his figure disappeared amongst the guards milling around.
Michonne was seated on the floor, her legs crossed. "It's cosy, isn't it?"
Esther grimaced as she noted her surroundings. "This place is not what I was expecting."
Michonne shrugged. "And all thanks to Andrea here, this will be where we die."
Andrea ran a hand through her hair, avoiding Michonne's gaze. "I'm sorry. I didn't kno—"
"I found Amy," Esther announced to them. Andrea's eyes grew wide, her mouth opening in shock, tears threatening to fall.
"Is she okay? Is she safe?"
"I'm guessing so," Esther told them, easing herself to the ground, cautious of her leg. "I couldn't really speak with her but she's okay. There's just… eyes and ears everywhere. We'll talk later about it."
Andrea nodded gratefully, aware of the attention they were receiving. Michonne found herself nodding too, her dark eyes quickly panning the area around them. Eyes from afar met her own and she shuddered internally. Her gaze fell on Esther again, her brows furrowing at the number around her neck. She looked at her own then at Andrea's.
"Why are we all different numbers?" Michonne asked, motioning towards them.
A woman in the cage beside them turned to them, and sighed. "I'm guessing you're all new here, huh? There's a hierarchy here. We all aim to be one of three numbers, that means we get the easy jobs. Less attention from these insufferable idiots."
"What do you mean?" Andrea moved closer to the cage wall.
"Five is laundry," the woman said, motioning towards Andrea's number. "That's the easiest job, the one every single one of these ladies here would kill for. Four is cleaning, which isn't so bad as long as you aren't old, and you can handle yourself when it comes to their requests. The same goes for three, which is cooking; maybe if we're lucky enough these son's of bitches will be poisoned."
Michonne noted that she had the number three hanging around her neck. Cooking was never her forte.
"Two is… let's just say, it's left to the young, attractive ones," the woman continued. "They whisk the girls away at night and they return in the morning. It isn't nice to see, if you know what I'm trying to say."
The three women collectively nodded; with them all feeling nauseous at the prospect of women having to endure that.
The woman's gaze fell on Esther's and she offered the soldier a solemn look. "One is for entertainment…" she began before she faltered.
"What does that mean?" Esther urged.
"You're the main event, sweetie," the woman continued after a moment. "You fight to the death."
Two guards approached the cage then, smirks forever carved into their faces. "Alright ladies, enough chit chat. Five and three, you're coming with us. Your chores are about to start."
Michonne and Andrea stood, with the former resting a hand upon Esther's shoulder as she passed her. The cage was locked behind them and Esther watched as they walked out of sight. Esther took a moment to look around at her surroundings, her hairs on the back of her neck constantly standing on end.
"Hey," the woman they had been speaking to said. "Maybe it isn't all bad."
"What isn't?"
"We have to work like dogs until we die," she began. "You can decide your fate the minute you get out there. Whether you stay alive and fight for your survival, or if you decide to take yourself out. I know what I would do."
Esther stared at the woman, watching as she nodded at her own words. But Esther wasn't quite sure what she truly meant by that.
"I'm Esther," she said, moving her hand through the gaps in the chain.
The woman looked at it before taking it in her own, squeezing it tightly. "Names are meaningless now. I call myself Alpha."
