A/N: I did not abandon you guys! Hi to all of you who still stick around, I was a horrible author and took a longer break than I wanted, but it was needed. I hope to be back to a more regular schedule, but I finally became a manager within my company and will have to see how my new responsibilities will go.

Anyway, enjoy the chapter and leave a review with your thoughts! Cheers :)

Day 519

The noises around me were growing, starting to get more urgent, and I grunted, burying my face deeper into the leather. Daryl's intoxicating scent flooded my nostrils, making me smile. However, it took me a moment to realize the leather was cold, nobody's heat coming from it, and I opened my eyes, blinking a few times to push grogginess aside. Slowly I sat down, glancing around and barely catching the jacket that was draped over me.

People were talking and walking, preparing for the new day. I gazed beside me, smiling lazily at Daryl's vest, which he must have prop under my head while I was asleep. I stood up, picking up both garments and moving towards him. Further into the barn, I saw Rick bouncing Judith on his hip, talking with Carol, who held Lucy. I froze for a moment but willed myself to not think about the past, to trust the woman just as I used to.

I threw my jacket on the table Daryl was sitting on and stretched my hand out towards him, grinning wildly. "Is this yours, handsome?"

"Comfy?" That was the only thing he said, his lips forming a smirk, and I brushed my fingers over the cool fabric.

"Hm... Not as good as the owner, but it was sufficient."

He scoffed, taking it from my hands and putting it on. "Ya were dribbling all over it."

"Was not!" I faint my resentment, bringing my hand to my chest and pout a little.

"Uh-huh. It was cute."

"I'm not cute, Daryl Dixon! I'm deadly," I stated, bringing my finger to his chest, poking him gently. He didn't even lift his eyes from the crossbow he was cleaning.

"Sure thing, Princess. Ya and yur dribble will kill me in my sleep," He commented, chuckling quietly, and I just rolled my eyes, leaning my hip on his thigh.

"I'm going-"

"Hey, guys. This is Aaron," Maggie's voice called over from the entrance, making me spin on my feet, and when I saw her, I immediately reached to my holster. Daryl already pushed past us, glaring at the stranger that accompanied Sasha and Maggie. I pointed my gun at him while Tara and younger Dixon glanced quickly outside before closing the doors. I nodded when my eyes met Georgia blue ones, and Daryl swiftly searched him for weapons.

"We met him outside. He's by himself. We took his weapons, and we took his gear," The brown-haired woman continued, and I glanced at Rick, silently communicating.

"Hi," The man said simply, and Rick passed Judith to Carl, coming to stand next to me. "It's nice to meet you."

Aaron made a move forward to shake our hands, and Daryl was on him, with Merle closing from the side, stopping the man in his tracks. I cocked my eyebrow, scanning him from head to toe, lowering my gun. He was clean; that was the first thing I noticed. Like, super clean. His face was clean-shaven, with no specs of blood or dirt on it, and his clothes, even though with holes in few places, were visibly washed.

"You said he had a weapon," Rick spoke up, and Maggie nodded, quickly coming over and passing it to him. It was a revolver, and I nudged my nose, Rick quickly checking it. All bullets still in the cylinder.

"Is that all?" I asked her, and she shook her head.

"He had a knife. We put it in his bag."

Rick stashed the gun in the back of his pants, glaring at the newcomer. "Something you need?"

"He has a camp nearby," This time, it was Sasha who answered, her face clearer and smoother than I saw in many days. "He wants us to audition for membership."

I raised my eyebrows, exchanging looks with Merle, who looked as dumbfounded as I was.

"I wish there was another word," Aaron said, his arms still high up, but he obviously was seizing the opportunity to state his case. "Audition makes it sound like we're some kind of a dance troupe. That's only on Friday nights."

I scoffed, blinking at his poor attempt at a joke. "Dude, read the crowd. You have twenty people ready to kill you."

"Right, right." He swallowed harshly and furrowed his brows, averting his eyes for a moment. "It's not a camp, actually. 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."

"So recruitment. And later what? An interview, to see if we fit?" I asked him, and his eyes widened a little, but then he smiled, still looking me straight in the eyes.

"Yes, exactly. But more, to get to know each other. If I didn't think you'd fit, I wouldn't approach you."

I turned slightly, tilting my head up. Rick was already looking at me, and I just nodded slightly, not saying anything more. The guy looked sincere, I didn't feel any danger from him, and I even admired him a little. I mean, it was kind of ballsy coming alone to the armed group of people who could kill you in a blink of an eye.

"I know you don't trust me. I wouldn't either if I were you. Not until I knew exactly what I was getting into," The man continued, turning gently towards the Black woman that brought him here. "Sasha, can you hand Rick and Elena my pack?"

He knew our names. Fuck. He was definitely following us, maybe listening in on our conversations. With everything abandoned, it wouldn't be that hard to get hands-on basic spying equipment. After a few short moments and another explanation, Rick was holding an envelope, reaching inside of it, and pulling out a bunch of photographs. They looked poorly developed, in some places spots of light instead of what is supposed to show. I leaned closer to the sheriff to have a good look, and I tried really hard to not let my hopes rise up.

"That's the first picture I wanted to show you because nothing I say about our community will matter unless you know you'll be safe." I had to admit that he knew what to say. Having a roof over your head meant nothing if you couldn't protect it in the current world. "If you join us, you will be."

Rick had his usual blank face on, but I could see his upper lip twitch slightly, and he looked up at me. I gave him a nod because everything the man said so far was truthful. The sheriff glanced over his shoulder at Michonne, and they also had a silent conversation for a few seconds.

"Each panel on that wall is a fifteen-foot high, twelve-foot wide slab of solid steel, framed by cold-rolled steel beams and square tubing. Nothing alive or dead gets through that 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. Together we're strong. You can make us even stronger."

Rick rechecked the photo but started walking towards Aaron, and I sighed, closing my eyes because I knew what was coming while the man was still talking. "The next picture, you'll see inside the gates. Our community was first construc-"

I expected a noise, and I heard body tumbling to the ground, Maggie gasping, followed by a yelp from Beth. I pinched the bridge of my nose when I felt Rick returns to his spot.

"When I nod, it means they tell the truth, Officer, not the other way around," I commented, opening my eyes and giving him a disapproving look.

"And my look meant that we can trust him, not knock him out," Michonne added, and I sighed, walking away.

Maggie and Beth were already crouching next to Aaron, checking him out.

"Everybody else, we need eyes in every direction." I scoffed but mentioned for Glenn to take the north wall, doing the same to Oscar, but pointing at the opposite one.

"Rick. If he was to attack us, he'd already. And he wouldn't just show up for a chat," I told him firmly, but there was already a familiar look on his face, the one from the prison when he chased Sasha and Tyreese away.

"They might be coming for us. We might not see them, but they are."

"Or you should trust me, my experience, and my gut, just like you did since you joined us at the quarry."

We stared at each other for a moment, and I saw him run his tongue over his teeth, clenching his jaw tightly.

"It's dangerous, Elena!"

"I know!" I told him more softly. "But- it might not be. Let me judge his answers, determine if he's lying. But, Rick... If he's not, this might be the thing we were searching for."

He was beating himself for a moment, I could see it in his eyes, but finally, he nodded, running a hand through his hair.

"Anybody see anything?"

"Just a lot of places to hide," Glenn answered, and I watched Daryl and Carol tie Aaron's wrists behind his back. Rick went back to check Aaron's bag, and I stretched out my aching bones before going over to Red to see if he saw anything.

"Any movement?" I asked him, and he shook his head.

"No," He answered curtly but faced me for a moment, a ghost of hope creeping over his stone-like expression. "You think it's real or another fairy tale?"

I shrugged at his question, unsure what to think. "He's not lying. That doesn't mean it's safe. But he's clean, and the picture looked real enough. Gates looked like something done after the turn, not before."

"It might be another Terminus."

I looked up at him, pressing my lips together. "Yes. But this time, we'll be ready."

When I heard a groan coming from behind me, I patted Abraham's shoulder before moving back to the center of the barn. Aaron chuckled and moved his jaw to the right then to the left, checking for any permanent damage. "That's a hell of the right cross there, Rick."

"Sit him up," Rick ordered, coming closer, and Beth snapped her face towards us.

"He's injured!"

"I don't think it's a good idea," Maggie added.

"Any dizziness or nausea?" I asked, and Aaron grunted before he answered.

"No."

"Sit him up, please."

Daryl wasn't very gentle when he grabbed the man's collar, shoving him upwards and standing behind him, with his crossbow loosely in his hand.

"You being cautious. I completely understand."

"How many of your people are out there?" Rick asked, his voice dropping and sounding more dangerous than before. "You have a flare gun. You have it to signal your people. How many of them are there?"

That's when Aaron's shoulders dropped, and he wasn't as cheerful as he was before. His voice was more tired than before. "Does it matter?"

"You want us to trust you. Yes, it matters," I told him calmly, but his eyes were focused on Rick.

"No. Of course, it matters. But does it matter what I tell you? If I tell you that there's eight, forty-four, I'm pretty sure no matter what number I tell you, you won't believe me."

"It's hard to trust someone who laughs after being punched in the face," Rick announced, and I rolled my eyes at that.

"What about a guy who leaves bottles of water on the road?"

I froze, my suspicions confirmed, and I wanted to scream, fighting with my instincts.

"You've been following us," Daryl stated quietly, moving closer to Aaron. "How long?!"

"Long enough to know that you ignore a bunch of roamers. That no matter what, you don't turn on each other." His eyes fell on me when he spoke his next words. "Long enough to know how much you love each other."

I sighed and looked at Rick with a stern gaze. Yeah, the guy was following us, but we already suspected that or at least I did, but getting hostile with him was shutting him off. If that place was real, if they wanted us to join, it seems as Aaron finally understood what kind of trust issues we have. I came closer and crouched down, gathering his attention.

"It matters how many. Are we untrusting? Yes. You'd be too after what we've been through. But the fact is that you're still alive. So, please. How many people are you traveling with?"

Aaron looked at me for a second, his expression not changing, until his face fell, and he closed his eyes for a moment before answering quietly. "One. Just one."

I heard Rick scoff behind me, and I had enough. I stood up and took his elbow, pulling him with me further inside the barn. "The fuck is wrong with you?"

"How can you trust this guy?" He countered, and I clenched my jaw at that.

"I don't trust him. But he is telling the truth. Was I ever fucking wrong about that?" I asked him, placing my hands on my hips.

"No, but we can't believe it. Last time we did-"

"Don't you lecture me on it. I might not have been in that container with you, but I know. Rick, listen to me. I'm not saying to not be careful, but if there is even a tiny chance that this is real... We have to take it. For Judith, for Lucy, and for Carl. Because... and this behavior proves me right- I think we've been here too long."

I saw an understanding shine in his eyes, and he breathed out heavily, pressing the heel of his hand to his eye.

"If that doesn't convince you, then how about I'll show you?" Aaron's voice interrupted our little discussion, and I turned back towards him. "Let me take you to our community. All of you. We leave now, we going to be there by lunch."

"I'm not sure how twenty of us going to fit in the car you and your one friend drove down here in," Rick snarled, but Aaron was shaking his head, a renewed hope on his face.

"We drove separately. If we found a group, we wanted to be able to bring them all home. There is enough room for all of us."

"And you parked just a couple miles away, right?" Carol asked, her voice laced with suspicion.

"East on Ridge Road, just after you hit Route 16. We wanted to get them closer, but then the storm came, blocked the road. We couldn't clear it."

"You really thought this through-" Rick started again, and I groaned in frustration.

"Of for God's sake. If he wanted to kill us, what better way than ambush us here, Rick?" I asked him. "They could come at night, set us on fire and whatnot. But he came here, by himself, clearly knowing that he's outnumbered twenty to one."

"I'll go check," Michonne pitched in, looking pleadingly at Rick.

"There are no cars."

"If there are not, then at least we know. But if there are..." She trailed off, and Glenn stepped forward from his post by the wall.

"I'll go too."

"And me," Maggie and Beth added at the same time, finally making Rick scoff and nod slowly.

"Abraham?" The sheriff asked the ginger man, who stood up straighter, pushing himself off the wall.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'll go with them."

"Rosita?"

"Sure, I'll go," The woman nodded and moved towards the door.

"We need scoop the area, make sure that there's no one else out there," Rick added, and I wished myself for patience with this man.

"El, come on." Daryl motioned for me, but I shook my head, getting up and crossing the room towards him.

"I'm going to stay," I told him quietly, running my hands up and down his chest to keep him calm. "I need to keep Rick in check, plus I want to prove to him that I know that Aaron wasn't lying."

"Ya sure?" He laced our fingers together, and I brought them up, kissing his knuckles one at a time.

"Sure, sure. I'll be fine. I know it's hard, but- you know I trust my gut. And it tells me to trust him."

"I trust ya."

"Come on, Darlina, stop kissy mushy shit with Doll and move yur ass," Merle yelled from the door, rifle on his shoulder and smirk on his lips. I rolled my eyes and pushed Daryl gently towards the exit.

"Be careful, Big Boy."

"Always, Princess."

I smiled and walked over to Aaron, helping him stand up and directing him towards the chair propped against one of the pillars. Carol passed me before she left, and I took Lucy from her arms, thanking her quietly.

"So what now?" He asked me, his eyes darting to Rick. I smiled at the girl in my arms, and she hid her face in the crook of my neck when we got closer.

"That's Aaron, Lu. We going to play a game with him, what you think?" Lucy giggled and tilted her head to glanced at the man but quickly hid again, her shy personality popping up.

"I meant-"

"I know what you meant, Aaron," I cut him off. "What happens is that you have an hour, and if they are not back by then, I'll kill you myself. But I also really, really want to believe you. So, do you know Two truths and a Lie?"

He looked at me as if I was crazy, but I just cocked my eyebrow, keeping my face blank. "Yes, I know it."

"Alrighty. I like to think of myself as a kind of master, so we will play by my rules. Think of two lies and one truth. I'll give you a few minutes to think about it."

"I have to start with a statement that I don't like lying very much," Aaron announced when I took a seat on a wobbly stool in front of him. Few minutes turned into twenty, in which Judith cried from hunger, and Lucy was jealous that the other girl got the apple sauce. Yes, apparently, they have fucking orchard in that place. After settling both girls and sharing the sauce between them, I went back over to the man, Lucy, on my hip.

"It's alright. Before we start, I have one question. The dew yesterday morning..." I left it hanging in there and watched Aaron's reaction. There was a slight blush spreading on his cheeks, and a shy smile appeared on his face. He glanced quickly over to Rick, and when he was reassured that the sheriff doesn't pay us any attention, he nodded quickly.

On the one hand, I was kicking myself for being so stupid and not going with my gut. But on the other, we were still here. If there was poison inside, obviously there was not enough to kill us, or make us sick, yet. And there was no sleep inductor as we would collapse on the road yesterday.

"OK, you ready?" I asked him finally, bouncing Lucy on my knees, making her giggle a little.

"Yeah, um... sure." Aaron cleared his throat and looked at me. "Once I went backpacking in South America, catching a ride from strangers."

I looked at him with my face blank, his shoulders were tense, and even though his eyes stayed glued to mine, his brow twitched slightly.

"I'm collecting plates from all the different states. I have only two left." There was no twitch this time, but his eyes clouded a little, and I could tell he was hiding a smile when he said that. I nodded and urged him to continue.

"And I have a wife waiting for me back home, and we're expecting our first child." I didn't bother looking around him for a ring; I already knew it's not there, but what was interesting was that he really tried to control himself. The only thing disturbing his natural expression was a quick scrunching of his nose and his lips parted after he spoke.

"That's it?" I asked him, and he nodded but tilted his head a little.

"Aren't you gonna ask me anything?"

"Nope. Second is the truth." I answered confidently, hissing a little when Lucy pulled on my hair a little too hard. "Lu, not that hard. What's up?"

"I wanna play too," The girl admitted in her soft voice, and I couldn't stop the grin on my face.

"We're going to play in a little bit, alright? But we promised to play with Aaron first, and you always should keep your promise."

"OK, mama."

I looked over at Aaron, and he had the look of bewitchment on his face. "How did you know?"

"It's not that hard to control your micro-expressions when you know how your face reacts to certain things. What's your tell, blah blah. You're not bad. With some practice, you could pass or make it much harder, but it's not just about the tell; it's also about controlling subconscious emotions."

"So, how did you spotted it?"

"Well, was I right?"

"Yeah, you were."

I smiled broadly and licked my lips. "Well, the first one you tried hard, but your shoulders were tense, and your brow twitched upwards. I would associate it with fear, which could mean that it was either a bad experience or that a mare thought frightens you a little."

Aaron chuckled and shook his head in disbelief. "The second one. I never was good with strangers."

"Well, you're here now. Anyway, the second was interesting. Your face stayed straight, but your eyes softened, and I could tell you were fighting a smile. Which told me it was the truth after I heard the last one. With that one, you scrunched your nose. Just for a second, but it was there, and your lips parted."

"And what does it mean?" He cocked his brow and shifted in his chair, trying to get a little more comfortable.

"Hm, in this instant, I would go for disgust. There could be few reasons for that. Either thought of a wife or a child produces that reaction out of you. It might be the thought of commitment. But what I truly think is that I'm sitting here only in my tank top, my boobs nearly hanging out, and yet you never once glanced at them, not even now as I said it."

Aaron averted his eyes for a moment before smirking a little, and I laughed. "But your eyes wouldn't leave Daryl's arms when he was prancing around you. They're great, right? First, I thought he's crazy for cutting all his sleeves, but damn that's a treat."

"Um- I..."

"It's fine. But he's mine. So you can look, and that's it," I teased him a little more, happy with how his face was covered in a deep red, and he wouldn't meet my eyes. "So tell me more about that community."

"Um- it was built shortly before the turn, still unoccupied. The first people were urged there by the military, and they stayed. Build those walls you saw. We have solar panels, direct connection to a river and sewers."

My eyes widened, and I looked over my shoulder at Rick, who was definitely listening. He looked as shocked as I was. Sure back in prison, we had little things, and made use of the nearby creek, connected few solar panels, but nowhere near enough to actually have electricity inside. The thought of having a shower, a fucking hot shower, was trilling. At the same time, it was scary, reconnecting with the past of sorts. And that was dangerous; easy to forget that past is just that, and things aren't as they used to be.

"That's... incredible," I settled on that answer instead of actually telling him all of my other thoughts.

"Yeah. Everybody got some kind of contribution, you know? Watching the gate, doing inventory, we have doctor and school for kids. Few groups for runs, and then I and one other person are recruiting." I listened to what he said, but it was what he didn't say which worried me. What about the security, parameter checks?

Before we could talk any more, Oscar came back inside the barn, nodding at me, smiling. "They're back. With two vehicles."

I stood up, Lucy throwing her arms around my neck, while I grinned at Rick and mouthed 'I told you so', which made him press his lips and clench his jaw.

Traveling during the night was stupid in my personal, humble opinion. Of course, there are times when you don't argue with Rick, even if you really want to. But I knew our limits, and I felt like I already stretched mine for the day, or maybe even a week. And so it was decided that we will travel during the night, so it's harder to hit us, but at the same time it will be harder to see, and who knows what's on the road.

Another concern of mine, who nobody seemed to share, was the lack of that other person. When the others came back by themselves, I could see that Aaron was concerned, but he just sighed and said not to worry, when I asked about it. His partner probably hid, and they agreed on a spot for that purpose, so Aaron will come back once we're safe in Alexandria. That's the name of this community of his.

While Rick, Glenn, and Michonne took Aaron in the car, the rest of us scrambled inside the RV, following them through the empty streets. We had enough gas, and when others came back after finding vehicles, we also ate. Like really ate something which wasn't weird, possibly poisonous roots, old granola bars, or worms. Though the last one was purely Daryl, and the view nearly made me gag. Anyway, Aaron was stocked, and the fact that he could take that much food with him told me they were really stored.

A sudden screech of tires and the fact that we stopped made me jump to my feet, just like all the others, except for Beth and Maggie, who took care of the kids.

"Son of a dick!" Abraham had definitely colorful vocabulary, and if not for the view in front, I'd probably laugh. There was a herd, no other way of describing it, marching right at us. And the other car was driving right through them. Fuck.

"Reverse Red!" I shouted and pushed past Dixons to stand next to the driver's seat. "There was a side road, about a hundred yards back. It connects back to this one about after about four miles."

Abraham didn't need further explanations while he revved the engine and slowly navigated back until we reached the split in the road. I felt eyes on me, and I looked to the right, Rosita already staring at me with a confused glare.

"You didn't joke about the memory thing, right?" She waved her hand in which she had a map, and I shook my head.

"Nope. I already saw it. Now it's all here." I tapped my temple, observing the narrow dirt road we entered. I looked behind me and spotted Sasha near the back of the vehicle in the doors to the small bedroom.

"How does it look there?"

She quickly moved into the room and came back moments later with a grim expression. "Not bad. Some are following us, but not all of them."

"What the hell is that?" Red gasped, and I refocused on the road. In far, we watched red light shoot into the night's sky, only to disappear shortly after.

"That's either Rick or that other recruiter."

"Look's like water tower," Daryl added, and I nodded.

"It might be a small town or something. Go in that direction, Abraham."

"What if it's a trap?" Beth asked from her seat, and I sighed.

"I know. It can be. But as far as we know, that's how we found each other. Others will think the same unless they are the ones who shot it."

It didn't take us long to get to the area, it looked industrial, and while Red navigated the streets towards the water tower, others started getting ready.

"Alrighty, team! Once we there, Dixons, you're with me, to the front. Red, Rosita, Maggie, and Oscar, you take back. Sasha, I want you to climb the RV and look out. Rest stay here, protect the others."

I looked right at Carol, who folded her arms over her chest. "Carol, if shit goes sideways, take them out of here, get back to the barn. If we don't come back in three days, go."

"Eli-"

"I'm for real, Carol. We don't know what's there. I trust you with them. I know you'll take care of others if needed." As soon as I spoke, I realized how true that statement was. Yes, she fucked up, back at the prison, and that will always gloom over her, but she was a fierce protector ever since Sophia died.

She bit on her lower lip and averted her eyes but nodded nonetheless. With relief, I pulled the machete out, leaving Barrett behind. I didn't have enough ammo, and I wasn't sure when we would be able to get any more.

When we came around the corner, right onto the street with the water tower, I immediately spotted a small group of walkers, growling and pushing against a vehicle in the distance. Red pulled over and stopped the engine, and I moved to the doors.

"Ok, just as we planned. Red, make sure no more walkers come around." With those last words, I pushed the door open.

As I stepped out, I whistled, gathering the attention of two of the geeks, making them stumble in our direction. First was shot down easily by Daryl, and Merle charged quickly at the second, using his fake hand to stab the rotting corpse under the chin.

I circled both men and made a mocking kissy sound. "Hello, boys. Come on!"

Another three walkers moved away from the car, leaving one who tried to get under it. I slashed at the first one, sinking my blade in its forehead. Instantly pulling it out, I dodged to the left, avoiding outstretched hands, swinging the machete at the back of the geek's head. The other one was taken down by Daryl, and Merle was pulling the last one from under the car. I jogged over while the hunter was reloading and quickly pushed the blade down.

"Help!" The sound came from under the same car, and I exchanged a surprised look with older Dixon, getting on my knees to see who was hiding there.

"Well, hello." The man underneath the vehicle was slim and dirty. He pushed himself as close to the wall as he could, but if we didn't show up when we did, he would probably be dead. "Any chance you're with Aaron?"

At that, he chuckled, and I saw him close his eyes, relaxing immediately. "Yeah, I am."

"Lovely. Can you get out?"

"No. I think I sprained my ankle pretty bad."

I furrowed my brows and sighed heavily. "Alright. can you at least shift a little, so we can reach your arms?"

"Um, I'll try."

"Goody. Be right back."

I stood up and faced the Dixons and others who came closer after we finished the rest of the geeks. In the distance, I could see Sasha watching out, her rifle up for a quick response.

"There's a guy there. The other recruiter from Alexandria. Can you guys help him get out?"

Daryl mumbled something under his nose but shoved his precious crossbow into Merle's arm. Alongside Red, they kneeled on the pavement, working swiftly to get the man out. I glanced around the dark alley, noticing the doors on the other side of the street was wide open.

"Did you try to get there?" I asked the guy as soon as he was leaning on the car, his ankle lifted slightly in the air.

"Yeah. My name's Eric, by the way. Thank you so much for your help. You must be Elena, right?"

I cocked my brow, still unsure how to feel about the fact that he was spying on us for days, but I pushed that thought away.

"Pleasure. Guys, we need a place to stay, at least until others will come. Let's check if there are any other walkers in there before we bring kids."

Slowly our group moved towards the doors, leaving Oscar in charge of protecting Eric, with orders to shout if they need help. It was a small supply space with two separate rooms; luckily, it was empty once we swooped through it.

Rosita, Maggie, and Beth set up a comfortable area for Eric, where he could rest and elevate his leg, managing and securing his ankle the best they could. With Daryl standing guard outside, others searched the place for anything which we could use. Some candles, batteries, but for the rest, it was mainly paints and oils, not much of usefulness there.

It was nearly two hours later when Daryl finally banged on the doors, and Maggie was first through it, quickly followed by Beth and Carl. I also stepped out to promptly welcome others and tell Rick what happened and who we found.

The rest of the night was uneventful, besides the fact that my suspicions regarding Aaron's sexuality were confirmed when he kissed Eric and wouldn't leave his side. Something the sheriff tried to oppose, of course. We decided to stay the night, start again in the morning, but Rick was still so stressed and untrusting that he wanted to separate two men.

At that point, I gave up, throwing my hands in the air and going outside to have a quick cigarette before going to sleep. At the end of the day, Glenn convinced Rick to let go, but the bitter taste in my mouth was still there. Sure, I also was suspicious, but those guys... I mean, we met terrible human beings, but Aaron and Eric were harmless. One glance at them could confirm that even Carl was more deadly than those two. I just hoped at that point that once we reach that community, Rick will be able to let go.