Chapter 97 One in Six Chance
Aaron and Gabriel had been out for almost two weeks now. They were tired, hungry, and had barely any morale left in them. It had been Gabriel's idea to take Maggie's map and go check the locations she'd drawn out; places she'd seen that might still have supplies for the community. She hadn't had the time to check them herself, but she marked them down. She gave the map to Gabriel and told him to find someone to go. Gabriel, needing a break from the depressing situation at home, decided to go. Seeing that Aaron was also in need of a reprieve, he invited his friend to join him. Aaron's first thought was to turn down the offer, but he was still mad at Daryl, and accepted with haste. The one thing he hated was leaving Gracie, but this wasn't the first time, and it wouldn't be the last. Gracie pleaded with him to stay, but he reminded her that this was part of his job. She understood that, but it still didn't keep her from asking him not to go. Aaron probably would have done the same thing had he been the child in the situation. No one wanted their parent to leave, but as Gracie got older, she understood better and pleaded less often. It was probably the length of time he told her he'd be gone that made her worry more than usual. And the fact that Daryl wasn't there made it that much harder to leave her behind. He figured it would only be another day or two before Daryl returned from the army base mission. Gracie wouldn't be without a parent for too long.
"Are you sure this is the place?" Aaron asked as he looked at the burned out remains of what was left of a house. Charred posts protruded from the ground like the blackened ribs of some giant mythical creature.
Gabriel looked around at the landmarks, and then back to the map. "Yes," he said sadly. He watched Aaron move forward to examine the ruins.
Aaron knew they wouldn't find anything useful, but he couldn't help the need to look. He walked around to what would have been the back of the house, and was disturbed to find three scorched bodies lying on the ground. There were two adults and a child between them. The scene hit too close to home for Aaron, as he thought of his own family. This was what he fought so hard to avoid, but for this poor family, their end had come. And by the looks of it, they had died by someone else's hands. All three bodies had a hole in their heads.
Gabriel came up next to Aaron and said a quiet prayer that the deceased had found their way to the Kingdom of Heaven, and that they suffered no more.
"Why would you assume they were suffering when they were alive?" Aaron asked. "Maybe they had a good life. They obviously had a child to raise, and in this ruined world, that speaks volumes."
"Can you say that your life is without hardship?" Gabriel asked with a dark undertone to his words.
"Of course not, but I'm not to the point where this," he said gesturing to the corpses, "is a better outcome than taking what's given to me and dealing with it." He paused and turned to look at Gabriel. "And neither is it for you."
Gabriel nodded silently and brought up the map again. He looked off in the distance and pointed, avoiding any further conversation. "That way."
They were tired and hungry, which made their travel much slower than usual. Because of their lack of energy, they did whatever they could to save what they had left. As they started to navigate a field of hip-tall grass, Gabriel set a kitchen timer and threw it away from their path. The timer went off, ringing loudly in the field, and walkers rose from the grass. While the walkers were distracted by the noise, Aaron and Gabriel crossed the field with caution, and kept going to their next destination.
As they traveled along a road, they passed a group of abandoned cars. Gabriel stopped to examine the remains of two horses and their riders, but Aaron was drawn to a decal on the back of a minivan. It had been popular back before the world died, a stick figure family that represented the people who had owned the vehicle. Aaron couldn't help notice the reoccurring theme of family. Was it coincidence or was he suffering from the guilt of leaving Gracie behind, even when she asked him to stay? Or leaving without settling his differences with Daryl first? He had to admit to himself that he'd thought a time or two what would happen to them if he didn't come back. Aaron was reminded of something his grandmother always told him, to never go to bed angry. Only now it was said that you never left on a mission angry with each other. He had left unfinished business with the two most important people in his life, breaking the paramount rule. However, he was confident he would make it home once again, and then he would sit down with Daryl and fix things between them.
"Everything alright?" Gabriel asked as he passed Aaron.
"Yeah, just thinking about things," Aaron said, not wanting to get into his private life. It could be exhausting, and his energy was already depleted. Luckily, Gabe didn't want to expand on it. Instead, he moved to the next car and peered into the window before trying the handle and finding it open. "What are you doing?" Aaron asked him.
"There might be something inside we can use," Gabe answered. He leaned into the car and came out with a can of vegetables. Aaron was hopeful until Gabriel held it up and showed him a bullet hole in the side of the can.
"So, this is what it's come to," Aaron said with disappointment. "We know there's nothing here. Probably hasn't been for years, yet we keep looking." Aaron shook his head. "It's pointless."
"Alexandria is overcrowded, we have no food, and the walls are still unstable. We can't afford to assume there's nothing left. And so, we keep looking." Gabriel checked the map again. "Two more places."
Aaron reluctantly followed Gabriel, and they were on their way once again.
The next stop led them to a smalltown grocery store that was still boarded up. Aaron knocked on the wooden planks nailed across the door, and immediately heard the sound of walkers. Arms reached through the empty spaces, grabbing for Aaron and Gabriel. They knew what they had to do, and pulled the boards free of the door. They killed the walker, but he blocked the entrance. Both men glanced at one another, knowing this would be harder than it should have been since they were stripped of energy. They each took an arm and pulled, but the rotten flesh pulled free of the body, and the men fell onto the sidewalk. As they looked up to the sky, they saw a lawn chair hanging partially out over the roof. It meant that someone had been living up there, and they needed to check for supplies.
"You draw them to you," Gabriel suggested. "I'll find a way up."
Aaron knocked on the wood planks, and Gabriel disappeared. While he waited, Aaron thought about how tired he was and how much he wanted to be home. Daryl would have returned by now. He needed to get back. He had to make things right again. Being angry at his husband was difficult and exhausting, even more so when they were apart. But every time he wished to be in Daryl's arms, a picture of him in another man's bed crept to the front of his mind. He would always refer back to the note he found, and those four simple words that ripped his heart apart.
I belong with you . . .
How could Daryl feel that way about anyone but himself. Daryl belonged with no one but Aaron, at least that's what he thought. A voice of reason would speak up and remind him that it happened years ago. The man he was jealous of had never returned, otherwise that note wouldn't have been exactly where Daryl left it. Will was probably dead by now, which was why Daryl found Dog at the cabin when he returned.
Aaron hated being jealous, but he'd never had to worry about Daryl finding someone else. They had proclaimed their love for each other many times over. They were married for God's sake, yet Aaron was resentful of a man he would never meet. Aaron hadn't considered that Daryl could love someone else, or would want to start over and spend the rest of his days with another man. But that note … that damn note and it's crucial wording made Aaron realize the truth of the matter. Daryl had found someone else to give his heart to.
The sound of a machete slicing down walkers brought Aaron from his thoughts, and Gabriel was suddenly at the door. He punched his way out of the store, empty-handed and shaking his head. More bad news, more negative energy had Aaron falling back roughly against the building wall. He heard the rustle of the map as Gabe pulled it from his pocket, and he wanted to strangle the man.
"Just one more," Gabriel said, but Aaron shook his head.
"No. I'm done, Gabe. We've been at it for two weeks, and I can't do it anymore. Let's go back, check the hunting grounds again," Aaron said with abjection.
"The hunting grounds are spent," Gabriel reminded him.
Aaron's recent thoughts of Daryl, Will and the note had mixed with his anger for not finding anything useful, and he exploded. "So is every other place on that goddamn map!" he shouted. His recent thoughts of Daryl, Will and the note combined with his frustration of continuously coming up emptyhanded, and he lashed out. Gabe stood his ground as Aaron pulled himself back together and calmed. "Look, I miss my daughter. I'm sure you miss yours too. And despite the bullshit putting a wedge in my marriage, I miss Daryl," he admitted.
Gabriel took a few steps toward Aaron, and laid a gentle hand on the man's shoulder. "One more," he pleaded.
Defeated, Aaron pushed himself away from the wall and fell in line beside Gabriel, once again on their way to another place, according to the map. That damn map.
It had rained, which was good for them. They could hopefully find a water source and refill their canteens. Aaron was keeping his eyes open for running water when Gabriel was suddenly knocked from his feet, landing in a huge mud puddle. He had stumbled over a walker, who was now hovering over Gabriel. As he struggled to get his machete free, Aaron came up from behind and stabbed it in the head. Before he could push it to the side, the walker slid free of Aaron's mace attachment, and it fell on top of Gabe, just as he pulled his machete from his belt. The walker fell upon the sharp blade, trapping Gabriel between the muddy puddle and the rotting body. Neither did it help that the blade sliced the body open and the entrails spilled out.
Aaron couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled up from his chest. The irony of the situation was too much. His quelled laugh turned into hysterical cackling. He knew it wasn't nice, but considering all the shit they'd been through, he just couldn't help it. As he tried to regain control, he held his hand out to Gabriel, offering to help him stand. Gabe took Aaron's hand, but as he stood, he fell against Aaron's chest, completely covering Aaron with mud and gore so that they were equally befouled. Aaron's laughter ended abruptly as Gabriel's started.
"Hey, thanks man, for helping me up," Gabe said between laughs. He pulled Maggie's map from his pocket, but it was so muddy and torn that it was unreadable. His laughter ends, replaced with silent defeat. He looked around them to gain his bearings. "There's a water tower near the last location. We just need to head north until we see it."
Aaron shook his head. "We're not doing this without a map," he insisted, noticing a clap of thunder in the distance.
Gabriel ignored Aaron's complaint. "It's only an hour away."
After two weeks of finding nothing, Aaron was at his wits end. He had agreed to check one more spot on the map, but not this. "We've been out here long enough. I was okay with finding the last place on Maggie's map, but I didn't sign up for wandering around aimlessly, just hoping we run into something worthwhile. I am tired and sore. I'm cold and …" he paused, looking down at his grungy shirt. "And I'm … I'm wet and disgusting. We're not taking another step further from home without a map."
Gabriel sighed with surrender. "Fine." He walked past Aaron, back toward the direction they just came from and examined the ground before him. "We'll follow our tracks back to the last place we–"
Just then, the skies opened up and turned into a torrential downpour, quickly erasing any tracks they had made. Gabriel, turned back to Aaron and shrugged. "The water tower is only an hour from here," he reminded him.
Aaron's shoulders slumped as he lost hope of returning home anytime soon. He gave a reluctant nod, and fell in step beside Gabriel.
Although the rain had ended, the sky was still thick with gray clouds. They were losing light sooner than normal, and in desperate need of a place to stop for the night. Being wet and cold, their energy was in the red. Their food supply had run out a day earlier. At least the rain had replenished their water supply.
Aaron knew it had been much longer than an hour, but they still hadn't seen a water tower. He was worried they had gone the wrong way, and now they were lost. Anger bubbled deep in his chest whenever he glanced at Gabriel. It was this man's fault that they were lost out in the middle of nowhere. As far as they'd walked in the wrong direction, they could have been walking back to where they came from and at least made it back to those abandoned cars lining the road. What Aaron wouldn't give to be able to lay in the back seat of a car, out of the weather, and get a few hours of sleep. Now, it was getting dark, and they had no place to hunker down for the night. But as soon as he thought it, Gabriel stopped and pointed.
"Look!" he said with enthusiasm, and he picked up his pace.
Aaron followed, and soon a white metal warehouse building emerged through the trees. "Was this place on the map?" he asked.
"No," Gabriel answered without stopping. He got no argument from Aaron.
As soon as they found an entrance, they took out their weapons. When they were ready, Aaron gave a quick nod, and Gabriel pushed on the door, finding it unlocked. They cautiously entered the building, and discovered that it was a storage warehouse of some kind.
"It looks like a distribution center," Gabe whispered.
There were tall racks housing boxes of all sizes, some large, some small. Some of the boxes had been pulled down and opened, exposing their contents. What they could see were things useless to their plight, but it didn't mean there was nothing here worthwhile. It was a large building and there was a lot to explore.
Aaron gestured that Gabriel go one way and himself would go another. Gabe nodded in compliance, and they went their separate ways, but always aware of where the other man was. With his mace hand attached, and his flashlight in the other, Aaron moved further down the aisle. As he was about to look inside a box sitting on the floor, he heard noises coming from the end of the row. He aimed his flashlight straight ahead. The beam illuminated a door, and the sound was coming from inside.
Aaron cautiously, but slowly walked down the aisle. When he was close enough, he called out. "Is there somebody in there?" He waited for a response, but got none, only more bumping and shuffling sounds. "I come as a friend. Do you need help?" he asked, but received no answer. "Hello?" By now, he was sure there was a walker inside. It was the usual scenario. Someone either locked themselves away so they wouldn't harm anyone after they died, or someone had shoved a walker inside to trap them. But just in case, he made one more announcement. "I mean you no harm. I'm coming in."
He reached for the door handle, and found the door unlocked. Taking a deep breath and bracing himself, Aaron pulled the door open and went inside. Before he knew what was happening, something smaller but much faster than a walker shot out from a dark corner. It was a wild boar with long tusks and sharp teeth, and it had its sight set on Aaron. He backed up, thinking he would exit the room and shut the door, but it had closed on him. Now he was trapped inside a small storage room with a very angry wild pig. He couldn't afford to get sliced open by this dangerous animal, but it was coming right at him. Aaron screamed, and blocked the animal with his metal mace arm. The beast took his forearm in its mouth and bit down, and violently shook its head. Aaron dropped the flashlight and tried to reach for his knife as the animal released his arm. It backed up, and glared at Aaron before charging again. Aaron braced himself and let out a primal scream. He hit the boar with his mace, sending it reeling backwards, but the monster came at him again. Aaron swung just before it bit his leg, and knocked it to the ground, but it wasn't dead yet. Before the animal could get its bearings, Aaron brought his mace down on the side of its head. He repeated the move several times, sending blood flying. Luckily, the blood was not Aaron's. After about the fourth or fifth hit, the wild boar stopped moving and lay dead in the center of the storage room floor.
Just then, the door flung open, and there stood Gabriel, weapon in hand and ready to help. Aaron just stood there, breathing heavily, trying to comprehend what had just happened. Gabriel looked confused at first, until it registered in his brain that Aaron wasn't being attacked by walkers.
"I, uh … I thought it was … and then … it … I . . ." Aaron stammered, trying to catch his breath.
Gabriel just stood there, looking from Aaron to the dead boar. "That was quite a scream," he commented before losing his composure to uncontrollable laughter.
Aaron didn't find the situation one bit funny. "I thought it was a walker when I . . ." There was no point trying to explain. Gabriel was in hysterics. "Alright. Fine. Get it out of your system. Have a laugh at my expense, but I'll have you know that wild boars are very dangerous animals."
"I'm sorry, Aaron, it's just … I've never heard your voice go so high before," Gabriel said between laughing fits. "Oh Lord," he cried, doubling over at the waist. Eventually he recollected his senses and calmed. "You know what I want right now? Dinner. And how about a drink too?" Gabriel held up a bottle of whiskey and smiled at Aaron.
"Are you done?" Aaron asked.
"No more laughing. I promise. But you have to admit, this was pretty damn funny," Gabriel said.
"Yeah, real funny," Aaron said with sarcasm.
"I saw some empty drums over there. We can burn some of these cardboard boxes, get a good fire going, and have ourselves a barbeque," Gabriel said with a smile.
"I'll take care of that. You clean my kill," Aaron demanded as payback for being made fun of.
"I guess I deserve that, but it was worth it," Gabe jostled.
A few hours later, the warehouse smelled delicious. Gabriel carried a pan of pork over to a table he had set up, and Aaron joined him. He had done some more exploring and found a box full of stuffed animals. He carried a few in his hand.
"Remember these things?" Aaron asked, showing the toys to Gabriel.
"I remember hearing the stories on the news about people getting into brawls while waiting in line to purchase one," Gabe said.
"Gracie's going to go nuts over them," Aaron smiled. "I got one for Coco too. I'll grab a bunch for the other children."
"Lord knows they can use a little sunshine in their lives right now," Gabriel commented, and the moment turned slightly solemn.
Standing next to the table, Aaron looked down at the feast in front of him. "It doesn't feel right."
"What's that?" Gabe asked as he set two glasses on the table and opened the bottle of whiskey.
"Us … here … about to fill our bellies while the people we love are back home starving," Aaron answered.
"If we weren't so far away, we would bring all of this back with us. Unfortunately, it will spoil before we get home. But we need to keep up our strength so that we can bring home the big score," Gabriel said to lighten the mood between them.
They sat down, and Gabriel poured a scant amount of whiskey into each glass. Aaron looked questioningly at his serving. "Is that it?"
"This is a very expensive whiskey, costing as much as two thousand dollars a bottle," Gabe said like a man who knew his drink.
Aaron picked up his glass, examining the small amount of amber liquid. "The fact that people would spend that much to get drunk was a part of what was wrong with the world."
"The point isn't to get drunk. Here," Gabriel gestured, picking up his own glass. "Lift it to your nose, close your eyes and sniff it. Tell me what you smell. What does it remind you of?"
Aaron did as he was told and inhaled deep. He was actually surprised by what he found. "Maple syrup, vanilla, breakfast as a kid."
"Now, with that in mind, take a sip," Gabe instructed.
Aaron sipped, his brows furrowing with amazement. "Wow, I didn't expect that at all. That's incredible."
Gabriel smiled, happy to share his knowledge with someone. "Now, the meat will taste better."
Aaron opened his eyes, and took a bite of pork. His eyes rolled up with pleasure as he hummed. "Mmm, delicious."
"And that is why people paid so much for a good whiskey," Gabriel said, taking a sip from his glass and savoring it.
As good as the food, drink and company was, Aaron still needed more, a reward for the hardships of the past couple weeks. This was the biggest score they'd found since they left Alexandria. He nodded in gesture to the bottle of whiskey. "I get that it's rare and all, but … we've had a rough day. Hell, we've had a rough everything." Aaron held his empty glass out and gave it a wiggle.
Gabe looked hesitant, but gave in and poured them both another shot. Aaron wasn't satisfied with the amount and wagged his glass once more, giving Gabriel his puppy dog eyes. Again, Gabe succumbed to Aaron's silent begging, and filled both glasses to almost half way.
Aaron sipped again, eyes closed, and gave himself over to the experience. "Daryl would have loved this. I'm sure he's never had anything like it. He's more of a moonshine kind of guy, but he would have liked this." After finishing his comment, Aaron realized he had spoken of Daryl aloud. When he opened his eyes, he found Gabe watching him like the priest waiting for the parishioner to confess his sins.
"Want to talk about whatever is going on between the two of you?" Gabriel asked.
"No," Aaron replied, and he drank a few more sips of whiskey. The liquid purled with warmth in his stomach, and his head lightened a bit. He knew it wasn't good to drink on an empty stomach, but they had food now, even if Aaron chose the whiskey first. When he finished off what was in his glass, Gabe poured him more and waited patiently. And like he'd been shot up with truth serum, Aaron opened up.
"Daryl met someone, back a few years ago when he was living alone by the river … when we were split up," Aaron started.
"And that has you upset?" Gabriel asked when Aaron took a long pause.
Aaron slowly shook his head back and forth. "No. I was with Jesus back then, so it's not just that. It was the fact that he never told me about it. That is to say, he never told me it was serious between them. He knew most of everything about me and Paul. I even told him about the proposal, though I turned him down. I wanted to make sure Daryl understood everything … no secrets, as we always say. But Daryl never had any intention of telling me about this man he met. I found out by accident when we were out scavenging, and came upon this fishing cabin where they lived for ten months. Even when Daryl told me about it, he made it seem like it was just a quick fling, nothing serious. And then I found a note. It was written in Daryl's hand, so it wasn't lengthy, but it said more than I ever could have expected."
Aaron paused from his story and took another drink while Gabriel waited patiently to hear the rest of the story. "Daryl told me they had an argument right before he left to go looking for Rick, like he had been doing since that horrible day at the bridge. Part way to his destination, Daryl had a change of heart and went back to the cabin, only to find Will … that was his name … had left. He left Will a note before abandoning the cabin, tucked beneath a floorboard. I found it and . . ." Before finishing, Aaron swallowed what was left in his glass. He looked at the cooked boar meat in front of him, and even though he hadn't had much to eat in the past two weeks, he found he had no appetite. However, the drink was making him forget about his growling stomach. Aaron looked up from his empty glass, and looked at Gabriel. "I belong with you. That's what it said, and I can't get those four words out of my brain."
"It sounds like a note written after a lover's quarrel. It may refer to how he was feeling at the time, but who is Daryl with now?" Gabriel said.
"It's more than that. It says that Daryl was in love with this man. If Will hadn't left, Daryl might still be with him," Aaron argued with a slightly raised voice.
"You of all people should know better than to dwell on the past. That wasn't the path that Daryl took. He didn't just come home. He came home to you. He married you. He loves you," Gabriel said with a peaceful smile. "And I'm sure if this Will guy ever came back, he wouldn't have a snowball's chance in hell. Don't forget that Daryl loved you first and foremost. Maybe he should have told you about this relationship, but this is Daryl we're talking about. He's the most aloof man I've ever met, but he's good and he's honest." Gabriel placed the whiskey bottle in the center of the table and leaned forward. "Like I said before, it's all in the past. You have nothing to worry about. Now," he said, pulling something from his pocket. "What do you say we play for the rest?" He gestured toward the bottle, as he laid a deck of cards next to it.
Aaron felt a little more at ease now that he'd talked it out. "What's your game?"
"Gin?" Gabriel suggested.
"Poker," Aaron said. He knew both games, but he was better at Poker. And since Gabe suggested Gin, Aaron figured he would have the upper hand with a game he knew. He was sure Gabe wouldn't stand a chance.
A couple hours later, Aaron smiled deviously and laid down three Aces. "Three of a kind. Let's see you beat that," he challenged, slurring his words. He had been watching Gabriel carefully, and he was sure his hand would win.
"Oh man," Gabriel said, seeming defeated. "Three Aces. That's good … that's really good."
Aaron laughed and started to reach for the bottle when Gabe laid down his hand. "But I'm pretty sure a straight beats that."
Aaron looked on with amazement. "Damnit." He pulled his hand away from the bottle. "You win again." He watched Gabe smirk as he picked up the bottle and drank directly from it. The whiskey was almost gone. "Something tells me I got played. You're better at Poker than you led me to believe."
"You're just now figuring that out?" Gabe jested.
With full bellies and well into their cups, Gabriel and Aaron stood from the table and crashed onto a couple of beanbag chairs. Aaron smiled and wiggled into the chair. "This reminds me of the lookout tower at Hilltop. Daryl and I had a little love nest up there … and a bunch of these," he gestured to the beanbag. "I miss those days, before Negan, before Whisperers, before … Will." He said the name as though it tasted bitter on his tongue. He looked over at Gabriel, whose eyes were closed, and was beginning to fall asleep. He knew one of them needed to stay awake and keep watch, but Aaron was sure he wasn't going to make it. "Hey," he called out. "What do you think God thinks about you drinking and gambling."
Gabriel opened his eyes and huffed a laugh. "Considering the times we live in, he's probably okay with it."
"And do they teach you about card sharking and $2000 whiskey at the seminary?" Aaron teased.
"Extracurricular activities," Gabriel smiled. "Did I ever tell you about my mentor, Father George?"
Gabriel went on to tell Aaron a story about his time at seminary, and what he learned from his mentor, things that shaped him into the man he was today. "Be in the moment, he always told me. Don't talk to them. Talk with them. It's about reaching out and talking one on one on their terms, relating to them. I always remembered that story from Father George. He helped shape me into who I am today."
"You should start preaching again," Aaron advised as he struggled to sit up. "It helps some people. It's like when I used to find people and bring them back to Alexandria. It felt right doing that. I was making things right in the world. We haven't done that in a really long time. We should get back to that."
Gabriel sat up and tilted his head to the side. "If we're being honest, I don't want to preach anymore."
"Why not?" Aaron asked.
"Do you really think things will ever go back to the way they were?" Gabriel said with skepticism.
"It has to," Aaron told him.
Gabriel shook his head. "That's where you're wrong. The world is no longer built for the way things used to be. We'll never get back to that way of life."
Aaron stared at him doubtfully. "Come on. You don't really believe that. Your head's still messed up after the shit with the Whisperers, who they were and how they survived. They were the exception to the rule. Most people aren't like that."
Gabriel looked sideways toward Aaron, and the cloudiness of the whiskey seemed to clear a moment as he spoke. "Evil people aren't the exception to the rule. They are the rule. It's the rest of us who had to change."
"Well, now that your dark take of the world has sobered me up, I think I'll go up to the roof and jump off," Aaron jested.
"Shall I perform last rights?" Gabriel said to lighten the mood.
"I'll get back to you on that," Aaron replied.
They grew silent after that, and eventually both men fell asleep. After a while, Aaron awoke with a start. He was dreaming about walkers inside the warehouse when he realized the gurgling sound he heard was just Gabriel snoring. "How does Rosita put up with that?" Aaron said as he struggled to stand up from the beanbag chair.
"Hmm? What?" said Gabriel, disturbed by Aaron's movement. "Where are you going?"
"Gotta take a piss. I'll be right back." Aaron walked away to find a place to relieve himself. He was going down one of the dark aisles when he thought he heard footsteps behind him. "I'm fine, Gabe. I don't need a chaperone to go take a–"
As he turned, Aaron saw that it wasn't Gabriel following him, but a strange man with a disfigured face. Still groggy from the whiskey, Aaron reacted too slow, and the stranger hit him in the head with something hard, and his world went dark.
Aaron came to in a dark room. The first thing he noticed was that he was tied to an office chair, and he was gagged. His arms were tied to the arms of the chair, and his feet were securely fastened to the metal base. His mace attachment was missing, and it was nowhere in sight. He tried scooting around using momentum from his body, but he didn't get far. He bumped into something, and realized it was a desk. There was a manager's office near where they had set up their table and the beanbags, and he wondered if that's where he was. But how did he get here? Then he remembered the stranger and being hit in the head. It brought back memories of that night in Alexandria, the meeting and the firepit, Doctor Pete and his henchman Gerard, getting hit in the head and losing his memory. The first thing Aaron did was ask himself who he was, who he was with, where he was. Fortunately, he knew all the answers. He still had his memories. Now to figure a way out of here so he could see if Gabriel was alright, and get away from this stranger. Then, he heard voices outside the office.
"We were just looking for food. We meant no harm," he heard Gabriel say.
"Does this look like 'no harm' to you?" said a man's deep voice.
"That belongs to my friend. What did you do to him?" Gabriel demanded.
Aaron tried to yell, but the gag muffled the sound. This was not a good position to be in.
". . . part of a larger group of twenty armed people who will come looking for us if we don't return soon," he heard Gabriel saying.
"I don't bluff as easily as your buddy did in your card game," the man commented.
He was watching us, Aaron thought to himself, and he wondered how long they had been spied on.
"You're a gambling man. Do you think it's loaded?" the man asked.
Now Aaron knew what he'd been hit in the head and knocked out with. It was a riffle, he thought as he remembered the man coming up behind him.
"I know there aren't a lot of bullets left in the world," Gabriel answered. "Odds are in my favor, I think." He spoke very calmly, sounding very much like the priest trying to talk a man down from a ledge.
"Let's find out, shall we?" the stranger said. Suddenly, the riffle was going off and bullets were tearing apart the door and the wall at the front of the office.
Aaron screamed and tried moving, but he was a sitting duck. Luckily, he was at the back of the office, away from where the bullets shredded the wall partition and the cheap office door.
The gunfire stopped and the man spoke. "Do you think he made it?"
"What?" Gabriel asked, confused.
"Your friend is in there," said the man.
Aaron heard a scuffle, and worried for Gabriel. After a few moments, the door opened. The light that filtered in hurt Aaron's eyes after being in the dark for so long. The stranger stood in the doorway. "I think he's still breathing."
"Can I see my friend?" Gabriel asked while staying self-composed.
The stranger continued to ask Gabriel questions about being a priest in these times. Gabriel continued to speak with the man, answering his questions as best he could. Aaron tried moving his arms and legs, but he was tied up good and tight. Through their conversation, he learned that this warehouse belonged to this man. The boar and the booze were his too. Aaron grew very worried. In this day and age, what him and Gabriel had done was enough to kill a man over. He hoped this stranger would give them the chance to explain and make things right.
"Those bibles are my toilet paper," the man said after Gabriel guessed the reason for the stack of bibles he'd found nearby was to repent and read the word of God.
"Instead of wiping your ass with it, maybe you should try reading it," Gabriel said.
"I did read it. That's why I wipe my ass with it." The man stopped to laugh at his own comment.
As they continued their conversation, Aaron heard the man repeat things that himself and Gabriel talked about last night. This stranger had been watching and listening all night. They had fallen asleep, but they had been left alone. Aaron began to wonder what the man wanted with them. If he was really upset that they had invaded his home, he probably would have killed them as they slept. But they were still here, and that meant the man didn't want to kill them. Not yet anyway.
"I was drunk when I said those things," Gabriel defended himself.
"As my father always said, a drunk tongue is an honest one. You and I both know there's no one left but thieves and murderers."
"If you look, you'll still find goodness in the world," Gabriel said convincingly.
The conversation ended, and Aaron heard footsteps. The man entered the office and approached him. He got a better look at the man's face. It looked as though he'd been burned or had acid splashed on him. It was a shock at first, but Aaron made sure not to stare. It might anger this stranger, and he didn't want that.
The man wheeled Aaron out of the office and up to the table where he'd been eating, drinking and laughing with Gabriel not but a few hours prior. Gabriel was sitting at the table, and looked relieved to see him, but Aaron felt helpless tied and gagged. To his surprise, the stranger took off the gag and untied his good arm. Aaron was shaken and remained silent as he observed the room around him. He saw his mace laying on the ground, and made a mental note of where it was so that he could make a move for it when the time was right. He noticed Gabe looking at his head, and reached up to touch it. His adrenaline had numbed him so he hadn't felt the bloody wound until now.
The man stood at the table and pulled out a pistol. Aaron leaned away, wishing he could make a mad dash for his mace, but he was still partially tied up. The stranger then emptied the pistol, and returned one bullet to the chamber. He picked up his riffle, aimed it at Gabriel and demanded him to pick up the gun.
"One round, one in six chances," the man explained. "Aim it at yourself or at your friend. Winner goes home."
When Gabriel refused to play, the man threatened to kill them both. Aaron knew he needed to try and plead with the man. They were still alive, and that said a lot. "Look, we're sorry about the booze and the boar. We'll bring you another one if you–"
"It's not about that. This is about enlightenment," the man said, aiming the riffle at Gabriel. "Now, choose."
Aaron came to the conclusion that there really wasn't a way out of this. The man had all the power right now. They had no other choice but to play his game. Once he came to this conclusion, he watched Gabriel lift the gun to his own temple. Aaron was about to protest, but the man lifted a finger to his lips in a gesture of silence. He watched in horror as Gabriel's hand shook, his finger on the trigger, barrel against his head. Beads of sweat broke out on both of their foreheads. Gabriel closed his eyes and squeezed the trigger. Even though it clicked and didn't fire, they both jumped in their seats. Gabriel's expression turned from fear to anger as he laid the gun on the table and glared at the armed man. And then it was Aaron's turn.
After being threatened, Aaron lifted the gun and copied Gabriel's exact movements. He clenched his teeth until they hurt and closed his eyes. "Please, I have a daughter," he begged.
"And so do a lot of other people. Go on or I'll end this for you," the man complained.
All Aaron could think about was Gracie's despair when she learned that her daddy wouldn't be coming home. Daryl would raise her. She would be in the best possible care, but how would it affect her? There was still a chance there was no bullet in the round, but if he didn't do as he was told, he would for sure be dead. "Please God don't let this be it," he prayed silently and pulled the trigger. Nothing. "Thank you, Jesus."
Once again it was Gabriel's turn. It was the slowest torture either one had ever been through. Unable to stop himself, Aaron challenged the man. "Why are you doing this?"
The man stared at him before speaking. "Tell me, who did that to you?" he said, gesturing to Aaron's missing arm.
"It was crushed in a construction accident," Aaron answered honestly.
The man laughed and turned to Gabriel, looking him in his fog-covered eye. "Who blinded you?"
"No one. I caught an infection," Gabriel answered, but he wasn't done. "Did you want to hear that someone plucked my eye out or chopped my friend's arm off? Why? To prove how evil man is? Is that what this is all about? Do you think that I'm going to shoot him or he's going to shoot me?"
"Shut up and take your turn. You or him. Let's go," the man said, ignoring Gabriel's short interrogation.
Without taking his eyes off the man, Gabriel returned the gun to his head and immediately pulled the trigger. The hammer clicked and nothing happened. Aaron understood why he questioned the man, as he was trying to get into his head. Gabe also realized that if the man really wanted them dead, they would have been by now. There was still a chance to make him see that they were all just men trying to survive in the world.
"Please, sir, we're not thieves or murderers," Aaron negotiated. "We don't kill each other. We protect each other like family."
"It's your turn, unless you want me to take care of it for you, in which case your friend can return to tell your daughter why you didn't come home," the man threatened.
Aaron glanced at Gabriel, and then to the gun laying on the table. The man held the shotgun at Aaron, and he picked up the pistol, brought it up and pulled the hammer. Sweat rolled down his face and into his eyes, burning them and making it difficult to see.
"Ah, did you hear that?" the man whispered to Aaron. "It makes a different sound when the chamber loads. You got a choice to make, son."
A lump rose in Aaron's throat, choking him and bringing tears to his eyes. All he could think about was Gracie, and how distraught she would be to learn that her father wasn't coming home. Or how his death would affect Daryl, who would no doubt be unrelenting in his search for revenge upon all who were responsible for his family's despair. Aaron couldn't abandon him now, not while things were still unsettled between them. And how stupid of him to leave Daryl without resolving their differences first. They had promised each other they wouldn't do that.
Aaron's hand began to shake as he imagined a bullet coming out of the barrel. He never imagined his life would end this way. Was the man right about the sound the hammer made? It definitely sounded different. Or was he trying to manipulate him? Was he hoping Aaron would choose to aim the gun at Gabriel instead of himself? It was nothing more than a game to him.
Aaron's eyes turned to Gabriel, pleading to him. "Tell my family that I love them … so much," he whispered shakily.
Gabriel slowly shook his head back and forth. "Aaron–"
"Family," the man interrupted. "Family is bullshit. They're no different than the evil that the padre here spoke of. I had a family, my brother. I was with him after the fall. We helped each other out at first. I mainly brought food back. I scavenged. I hunted. I shared it with him and his wife and kid. Then food became sparse. I rationed out what we had left, though it wasn't much. One day, I caught him stealing the last of the food. Next thing I know, he comes at me with a knife. And after all I did for him." The man paused to recollect his memories.
This explained the man's disfigurement. He'd fought his brother, and his brother had fought back. "What happened to your brother?" Gabriel asked, hoping to buy more time and maybe change this man's mind.
"I handled it," the man said in a dark tone. "But I don't blame him because he gave me something valuable that day."
"You weren't given anything," Gabriel said. "This is just you trying to make sense of what happened to you that day. So you walled yourself off in this warehouse believing that the only people left in the world are evil. It's easier to accept that than the truth. That you meant less to your brother than some scraps of food. You search for validation that everyone is out for themselves. You look at us, and our disfigurements, and come to the conclusion that someone did these things to us, but we don't tell you what you want to hear. Keep searching for the meaning of it all, but I'll warn you. Most of the time, there is no meaning, no answer, no grand design. Your brother didn't give you any enlightenment, just a disfigured face. Now, here you are, about to murder two good people, and for what? To prove what?"
"That you aren't any different," the man shouted.
"Yes, we are," Aaron said in a whisper, lowering the gun away from his temple in hopes that the man would hear what they were telling him and stop.
But this just angered the man. He stuck his shotgun barrel in Aaron's face, demanding that he pull the trigger. "Him or you! Who's it gonna be?"
Aaron's sight kept switching from Gabriel sitting across from him to the pistol in his hand. This psychotic man told him to make a choice, but Aaron knew there was only one right choice he could make.
The man leaned down and whispered into Aaron's ear. "What about Gracie? What about your husband? I heard what you said last night. Don't you want to see them again? You know what you have to do, son."
Aaron reluctantly put the gun barrel back to his head. His hand shook as he did. The gun was cocked and ready to fire, which made him even more nervous. So this was it. This was how things were going to end. "Tell Daryl that I tried … up to the very end," he said with a quiver in his voice and tears emptying from the corners of his eyes. Gabriel looked on with confusion. "He'll know what it means."
"Aaron," Gabriel warned.
"I'm sorry," Aaron whimpered.
"Don't you talk to him!" the man screamed. "Don't look at him! Think of your family. Do you want to see them again or not?"
"Yes, I do!" Aaron shouted as the pressure and anxiety mounted.
"Then what are you waiting for?" the man demanded. He began counting down from three.
Aaron knew these were his last moments on earth. He knew when this all started that he could never shoot Gabe. It was always himself that he would sacrifice, whether it was for a friend or family. He would always choose death if it meant life for them. Aaron turned the pistol on himself, bringing it to his temple as the man continued to count. Just before he called out 'one', Aaron screamed and put his finger on the trigger.
"STOP!" the man shouted, and Aaron immediately took the gun away from his head. He took a deep breath and shock settled upon him. Why was he stopped? Wasn't this what the man wanted? He looked up at the man to see what he would do next, and feared that the shotgun aimed at him would fire at any moment. Instead, the man pointed to his scarred face and screamed. "This is who people are! This is the truth!"
"You're wrong," Gabe said calmly. "I was wrong. Not everyone is evil or does evil things. People still love. They still sacrifice for those they care for. Aaron is proof of that. Now, from what you told us, it seems that your brother betrayed you. That was wrong, but it wasn't proof that everyone is like that. You can't go on punishing others for your brother's sins. Then you are no better than him. You weren't always like this. None of us were. You have to remember who you were."
The man lowered the shotgun from Aaron, but he wasn't sold on Gabriel's speech either. "I know who I am," he demanded in a raised voice.
"I know too because I know people just like you. We both do," Gabriel said, referring to Aaron. "Good people who were broken by this world. You don't have to be like this. You can come back from it." Gabriel looked to Aaron to continue.
"We have a place, a real community full of people who were lost and found their way back. You can too. We can help you if you'd let us," Aaron persuaded.
The man looked from Aaron to Gabriel. He seemed like he was on the verge of breaking. "Father … I … don't believe you," he said passionately, and they knew he wanted to believe but he wasn't quite there yet.
"You should," Aaron said, replacing the pistol to the center of the table. "Because that's who we are."
Slowly, the man set his shotgun down, took the pistol from the table and placed it back to the holster at his hip. He turned Aaron's chair to the side, got down on one knee, took out a knife, and cut the remaining ropes that tied Aaron to it. "Mays," he said to Aaron, looking up at him. "My name is Mays."
Aaron kept his eyes sharply turned to Mays and watched him as he stood. He was about to welcome him to their group when suddenly Gabriel was behind him holding Aaron's mace attachment. He was so focused on Mays, he hadn't seen Gabriel get up from the table or retrieve the prosthetic.
Using all his strength, Gabriel silently brought the weapon down on Mays' head. The man fell to the ground in a heap, never knowing what happened. He was dead. Aaron was in shock, and Gabriel seemed unfazed.
"It's okay," Gabriel said in an eerily calm manner for someone who just killed another human being. "We're good now."
"Are we?" Aaron answered appalled and angered. He couldn't deny that a part of his was actually frightened of Gabe in that moment. He'd never known the pastor to behave like this before.
"We couldn't take him back with us," Gabriel justified. "He killed his brother's family."
Disgusted, Aaron stood and walked away. "Let's just go." He picked up his mace hand, covered with Mays' blood. He grabbed his pack with the stuffed animals he'd found for Gracie. Lastly, he took Mays' shotgun and handed the pistol to Gabe. As they were gathering their things, he thought about something Mays said. "You know, he heard everything we said last night. Where do you think he was hiding?"
Both men looked up and around until their sight fell on a ladder leading to a trap door in the ceiling. They went to it, climbed up and opened the door, finding a storage area. A small lantern sat lit next to the door. Gabe picked it up and they moved further into the hidden room. Aaron immediately noticed a horrid stench coming from the back. The closer they got the stronger the smell was. They found a makeshift bed and some shelves that held a few cans of food. Gabriel continued on and Aaron followed him into the dark space at the back of the area. Suddenly, the light illuminated the shape of a man cowering in a corner. Gabriel lifted the lamp, and they could see he was handcuffed to a set of pipes that ran vertically from floor to ceiling. He looked emaciated, and his hair and beard were very long and unkempt. His skin was grey from dirt and lack of sun. He looked like a wild man. He was frightened and crammed himself as far as he could into the corner, using the pipes as cover. When he finally turned to face Aaron and Gabriel, there was no mistaking who he was. The eyes were an exact match to Mays. This was his brother … his twin brother.
The man looked down to his right and back again. Aaron and Gabe followed his sight and found two decaying bodies on the floor, a woman and a child, the brother's family that Mays killed as punishment for his betrayal. It was then that Aaron realized Gabriel was right not to bring Mays back to Alexandria. Anyone who could do something like this was probably too far gone to rehabilitate and introduce back into normal society.
"He made me play," the man whispered over and over. They realized he was talking about Mays and his game of Russian roulette.
"We're not going to hurt you," Gabriel said, raising his hands in the air to show his submission. He saw a set of keys hanging on a nail across the room and moved to pick them up. Aaron watched with caution as Gabe approached the man and unlocked the handcuffs. He released one hand, but as he started to unlock the other, the man lunged toward Gabriel and grabbed the pistol tucked in at his side.
"Drop it!" Aaron threatened, aiming the shotgun at Mays' twin brother.
Gabriel backed away to stand beside Aaron. "We just want to help you."
"Help?" the man questioned.
"Yes," Gabe answered. "We want to get you out of here. You can even come with us if you want. We have a community."
Aaron watched the man as he glanced down at his long dead wife and child. In one swift movement, he turned the gun on himself. Aaron heard the sound the hammer made, the same sound it made when Mays made him play the game. 'It makes a different sound when there's one in the chamber.'
"No! Wait!" Aaron shouted, but it was too late. The gun fired and the man fell to the floor in a limp heap. Both Aaron and Gabriel stood there a moment, shocked by what they had witnessed. Neither man knew what to think or say.
In the end, Gabriel picked the pistol up from the ground and replaced it at his side. They left the way they came, and as they passed the shelves, Aaron grabbed the cans of food and stuffed them in his pack. What shocked him most was that it did even feel wrong. Both men were dead. Aaron and Gabriel had a community to get back to. Life moved on.
The last thing Aaron saw before he climbed down the ladder was a framed picture of Mays, his twin brother and his wife and daughter. They were all smiling and happy, not a care in the world. It was true that no one left in this world was the same person they were before the fall. No one. But some adapted better than others, and that's what was important to remember.
Walking along a trail they followed after leaving the warehouse, they suddenly saw the water tower they'd been looking for all along. It had been the last place on Maggie's map.
"What do you think?" Gabriel asked.
Aaron gave a deep sigh. "One more," he answered. "And then we go home." And he silently thanked God that he was still able to go back to his family. Nothing else mattered.