Ch. 10: Bree - Among the Living
(Lol this title is pretty fitting for my reappearance on this story! Thanks to some encouragement from fellow writer and reader, I've decided to post some more chapters on this story! I am so, so, sooo sorry for those of you that I left completely hanging but, hey! I'm back! Which means I haven't abandoned this story! So, please, enjoy! :)
Shane is the leader here.
I figure that much out fairly quickly when I'm led out of the makeshift tent I was being detained in. People, as bedraggled as I must look, all crowd around the tanned police officer, each of them wanting to know what he found out about me. Shane addresses them all in the calm, assertive manner required to be on the police force. Even though I still don't trust any of them, I find that little inkling of respect I have for Shane growing.
I cower behind the bigger man, keeping my head ducked low, not wanting any members of the crowd to catch a good glimpse of my face. These people could be associated with Negan, for all I know. That doesn't really seem to be the case, though, I'll admit. It just doesn't add up.
Firstly, judging by the looks of their rundown camp, these people just banded together recently, and purely for the sake of survival. There's only about twenty people here, a huge difference from the city Negan created. This camp basically consists of a few store-bought tents, a ragged RV, sticks, stones, and a burnt out campfire. Negan likes to live in style and safety, two things this camp is missing.
Secondly, Merle.
Negan wouldn't drag a lady anywhere without her consent (rather it was coerced or not) and he certainly wouldn't lay a hand on her without good (or what he considered to be good) reason. Merle, that loud-mouthed, annoying hillbilly, would never be allowed to be part of Negan's band of somewhat polite thugs.
So these people aren't associated with Negan. Good. I think I can actually breathe a bit easier now, despite the fact that I feel I may be suffocated by all of the people pressing in on me.
"Are we really going to let her stay here?" A blonde woman with a pretty but sour face asks this. Her arms are folded across the front of her light-colored dress shirt. Her narrowed gray eyes stay focused on me.
"She's a stranger," she points out. "You aren't our boss, Shane. You can't make decisions for all of us. We can't just let her wander in from out of nowhere."
"Since the outbreak, everywhere is nowhere! Besides, she's just a young girl! Look how afraid she is," a familiar voice speaks up. I raise my head and see that it's the grandfatherly Dale who has spoken in my favor. He looks distressed when he sees the majority of the faces around him don't seem to agree with him.
"I'm one hunnit' percent with Blondie," another, less likable, but just as familiar voice tosses in their two cents. It's Merle, of course. He's sitting on a large cooler near the back of the crowd that's formed, grinning at me like the Cheshire Cat. "We've already got more minorities than we can hold around here."
This sparks fury from the other minorities in the group and pretty soon, Merle is arguing with a group of about five people. A younger man with similar features to Merle but darker hair stands beside the loudmouth, watching me with brown eyes filled with distrust. He's skinning a squirrel with his blood-covered knife but something in his eyes tells me that he's thinking the squirrel is someone else. Namely, me.
I'm starting to think about making a run for it.
"Now, everyone, calm down." Shane's voice rises above all, bringing a quiet hush over everyone in the crowd. Everyone besides Merle, that is, who yells, "Man, what now?"
Shane gives Merle a warning look before giving his attention to the rest of the crowd.
"When did our camp become so exclusive? Aren't we from the south? Where are our manners?" he asks.
"Manners went out the window when dead people starting trying to eat us!" the cranky blonde yells back. "This girl could be infected and we're just inviting her in for dinner!"
Talk about overdramatic. I chew on my thumbnail and sneakily glance around for a means of escape.
"Then, we just need to check her for bitemarks, right?"
A new voice enters the foray of bickering people, this one younger and less sure of itself. All eyes fall on a small, young man with jet black hair tucked beneath a worn-out baseball cap, who seemed to be just another face in the crowd until a moment ago.
Seeming a bit shy now that all of the attention fell on him, the young man shrugs and tries to keep his focus on Shane. His cheeks have turned the faintest hint of pink.
"Th-That's how it spreads, right? So, shouldn't we just check her for bites?"
Everyone begins to murmur again and I actually hear a few whispers of agreement. I'm not sure who this guy in the baseball cap is, but right now I'm grateful he decided to speak up. I would rather let them decide I'm innocent now so I can leave later rather than have them decide to burn me at the stake because of fear.
Shane nods and looks towards a dark-haired woman whose body is as thin as a pole. "Lori, round up all the women and take Bree here into one of the tents so you can check for bites. Make sure you're thorough. The rest of us will be deliberating on rather we're going to keep her or not."
The thin woman named Lori nods and then looks at me. Her eyes remain neutral; I can't tell if she's for or against me staying.
"Come on," she orders while jerking her head back towards the tent I just came out of.
I suddenly feel like a lost puppy being tested for rabies. Will they keep me? Do they want me?
I follow Lori and the five other women that trail behind her into the tent. We silently file into the big tent and then proceed to stare cautiously at one another. I continue to bite at my thumbnail as my eyes go from glaring at the women to watching my feet.
The blonde woman who spoke out against me so vehemently before is the one to secure the tent flap behind us all. She then spins around and faces me.
"Undress. Now."
I look at her as though she's sprouted two heads and a tail.
"E-Excuse me?" I sputter. "I am not getting undressed in front of people I don't even know!"
The blonde steps closer to me until her nose is right next to mine.
"I'm sorry, did I say you had a choice?" she asks. Her voice is like ice. "Take. Off Your. Clothes."
I glare up at the older woman for a few moments just to be defiant, but eventually start removing my clothes. I keep my eyes glued to the floor and try to ignore the fact that my face is on fire.
A younger blonde girl, who looks suspiciously similar to the blonde that's still standing in my face, tries to add a beam of sunshine to the tent full of angry, suspicious women.
"We're all girls here, no need to be shy," she says with a kind smile.
Girls, schmirls. They're still strangers. But I guess now is not the time to be picky. I strip down to my black panties and cami and then stand there with my arms folded over my chest, trying to cover as much of myself as possible.
The women circle me like a pack of vultures, scanning every inch of me, prying at what little clothes I have on. I squirm around and stare at the roof of the tent, wondering all the while how in the world I ended up naked in a tent filled with strangers.
"She's all clear," Lori says after their inspection ends. She gives me a small smile. "You can put your clothes back on, hon."
"Thanks," I mutter. I'm already pulling my shirt back over my head. I pull my head through the hole and shake out my wild bangs, which flutter down over my eyes. My fingers push them aside, only to reveal Andrea glaring down at me.
She dips her head closer to me so that I can have a better few of her narrowed eyes. "Who exactly are you?"
The younger blonde and a woman with cropped gray hair pull Andrea away from me.
"Stay calm, Andrea," the gray-haired woman murmurs. I can tell right away that she's a mother, judging by the worry lines creased into her forehead and her soft, kind voice. "Dale is right; she's just a girl."
"Yeah, what's your problem, sis?" the sweet-faced blonde asks. "She's so tiny! It's not like she could hurt any of us."
Andrea shakes off the two women but seems to have calmed down somewhat. She shoots me a glare and then looks back at the other women.
"I know, Amy, I know. It's just…. I like what we have here. I don't want anyone messing that up for us."
"I don't want to mess up anything for anyone," I assure her. A mental image of Harry flashes in front of my eyes and I grimace. I press my hand against my sweaty bangs. "I just… want to find my family," I mumble. Right then, my stomach, which has been ravenous for days, decides to let everyone else know of its mistreatment by growling at them.
Sympathy flashes across Andrea's silvery eyes and I see her body relax, if just by a small bit. After a brief moment of hesitation, she reaches into her pocket and tosses me a granola bar, which I just barely catch. I fumble it around some before claiming a good hold on it. I stare at the wrapper a moment, drooling over the prospect of strawberries 'n cream entering my mouth, before I cast a cautious look up at the fiery Andrea.
"Let's go tell the others that she's clear," she says.
Everyone files out after Andrea, faces a bit less somber than they were when they entered. I'm among the last to leave the tent. The gray-haired woman brings up the rear. As I'm fumbling to zip up my jeans, my granola bar drops to the ground. I'm about to reach down to retrieve it when a pale hand swoops in first and grabs it.
I stand back to find the gray-haired woman holding the bar out to me. She's wearing an apologetic smile and is struggling to meet my eyes.
She holds the bar closer to me. "Here," she offers, still unable to meet my eyes. "You should hold onto this. It seems as if you haven't had a good meal in a few days."
I take the bar from her hand and return her smile.
"Thanks," I say. "I'm… Ava. It's nice to meet you, ma'am."
The woman finally meets my eyes and her smile grows a bit wider.
"You can just call me Carol," she says.
She puts a supportive hand on my shoulder and guides me out of the tent, which is exactly where I come face to face with the muzzle of a shotgun.
Thanks to all who r&r'd last chapter! 3 I will start back with answering your reviews next chappie :)