Better Days

Chapter 279

Author's Note: Thank you so much for all the support on the past episodes. Let's go check on some of the others. Please review.

Noah, Glenn, Tara and Summer's POV:

Summer adjusted her crossbow and walked with the group. "Have any of you seen Jes? Or is she still standing guard?" she asked.

"She came in about five this morning, walked upstairs, took a shower, grabbed some food, and went back out. I asked her if she needed anyone to take over and she said no. Said she'd join us for dinner tonight," Glenn said. "Are you absolutely sure you want to do this? You don't have to, not anymore," he told Summer.

"Yeah, I do Glenn," Summer told him. "I've earned my spot to be out there, just like all of you. Now, please let's get this over with."

Tara bumped her shoulder. "Hey, I take the girl who rocks the crossbow any day of the week to be on my team," she said.

Summer looked at her. "Tara, I love you but not like that," she said with a smirk.

"She got you there," Noah said as two men came up some stairs.

One of the men looked at them. "Glenn, Tara, Summer and Noah," he said as he pointed at each one of them. "I'm Aiden and you met Nicholas at pulling guard duty," he told them.

"It's not like we did formal introductions," Summer said as she glanced at Nicholas.

"Nice to meet you," Nicholas said. "I hope you all don't have the attitude that your pal Jes seems to have."

Glenn put an arm up to keep Summer from saying something. "You're Deanna's son?" he asked Aiden.

"That's right. I hear you got experience making supply runs," Aiden told him.

Glenn nodded. "Summer and I have been with the group since the beginning," he told him. "I saw your pantry, you guys seem to be doing pretty well," he told them.

"Yeah, well, had some training before this. ROTC. Was nearing lieutenant when this shit blew in," Aiden answered.

"So you played soldier while you were in college?" Summer asked.

"It did prepare me for this," Aiden answered as he looked at Noah.

"My dad did ROTC," Noah said.

"He didn't make it?" Aiden asked.

"Nah," Noah answered.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry a lot these days," Aiden said as he started walking away. "Come on, I'll show you the ropes."

"We're doing a run today?" Tara asked.

"Just a dry run. Show you the terrain outside the walls, see how you do. Weigh each other's sack a little, you know?" Aiden asked.

Summer and Tara looked at each other then at him. "No, I don't, but cool," Tara said.

"You do realize we just came from the outside right? That we've been doing this for a while, right?" Summer asked.

"We do things a little different around here. I'm in charge, so I need to see what your made of," Aiden answered. "So, the crossbow is for show or you actually know how to use it?"

Summer started to say something before Glenn shook his head softly at her. "Alright, we can understand you being in charge, we get it. But, her parents put me in charge of her while we are out there."

"She's not a kid," Nicholas pointed out.

"Thank you, I've been trying to get them to realize this," Summer told them.

Glenn looked at her then at them. "It doesn't matter. Her mother scares me more then the two of you COULD ever. I gave her my word that I would take care of her, and that's what I plan to do," he said. "What about weapons?" he asked making sure they knew that this topic was settled.

"Oh, yeah. We pulled out some sweet-ass biscuits for today," Aiden told them as Nicholas handed them pistols. "You can leave the crossbow here, it won't be needed," he told Summer.

Summer looked at Glenn. "Glenn can I keep my crossbow and not use these pathetic 'biscuits' they are trying to give us?" she asked as she gave the Dixon glare to Aiden to make a point.

"Yeah, the crossbow goes with her," Glenn said as they started to walk. "You stay close to us, I don't trust them," he told Summer.

"Way ahead of you there," Summer told him.

Beth and Mitch's POV:

Mitch stood in front of the garage that was meant to be a school and looked at Beth. "Explain to me again why I have to go to school, why any of us do. Book learning isn't what's important anymore."

"You sound like Daryl more and more each day," Beth told him. "Look I don't like the fact that I got assigned to be a teacher, I'd much rather be doing something else. But, at least you and I are doing this together, with Mika. Think of this as a scouting mission, we're checking it out, getting the feel of things so we can let everyone else know what it's like," she told him.

"This is still pointless. The whole idea of learning math and writing, when they should be learning how to survive," Mitch said stubbornly.

"Well, writing and reading is still important. I agree with you that they should be learning how to protect themselves," Beth told him. "You can kill walkers', and I heard from Glenn you held your own against Abraham while after the fall of the prison, so a little learning shouldn't scare you. We're not going to stay long, just a hello, look around. You with me or are you going to let me go in there myself?" she asked him.

"We don't do things alone, you know that," Mitch said as he looked at her. "You just tricked me, that is so not fair, Beth," he told her.

"Ah, but it worked," Beth told him. "Come on let's go in before we both chicken out," she told him as she walked inside. "Hello?" she called out.

"No one's here, we should go," Mitch told her.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I was just in the other room. I'm Noel, and you must be Mitch. I was expecting a girl about your age too," he said as he looked at him and Beth. "Phoebe told me."

"I'm Beth, Deanna assigned me to teach some art classes, singing and stuff. Mika is helping at home, we're just here to check things out," Beth told him.

"We have a couple instruments, bits and pieces. There's a couple boys your age in class. Sam is about your age, and Liam is a little younger," Noel said as he bent down to Mitch's level. "We meet a couple hours in the morning, do some science, some math, some reading. I teach a couple classes every other morning. Sometimes the boys and I meet after school, do science projects, blow things up. Use what we learned in school that day, math skills, science," he explained.

"I know all the math and science I need, thanks," Mitch answered.

"Mitch," Beth warned. "Sorry, we've been through a lot. School is something neither one of us thought we'd do again."

"I get it. Liam was the same way when he came in. Didn't see the point," Noel answered. "I'm sure we can find something to keep your interests. Like building a volcano, and letting it explode," he told the boy.

"Yeah that sounds cool," Mitch said with a roll of his eyes. "Have you ever counted seconds it takes for a smoke bomb to explode, or the breaths you take before you slam a baseball bat in the head of a walker? Or the minutes of silence when you realize someone else has been killed? Or how many minutes you are separated from someone, not knowing if you'll ever see them again? Or how many steps a certain person takes or how they walk so you can identify them at night? I do. Beth walks lightly but she always walks like she's about ready to start dancing. You can barley hear Jewel's steps, but she walks determined, stops every 25 seconds to make sure she knows where everyone is, at all times. Jes, if she doesn't want you to know she's around, you won't know unless you listen for her breaths. Her breath increases the more concerned she is, but she doesn't show it. That's what you should be teaching, how to identify your own people, not some fractions on an old chalk board or blowing something up. You do know noise attracts walkers' right? It also attracts the people you want to keep out," he said as he looked at Beth. "Are we done here? Can I go now please?"

"Yeah, go back to the house. How many steps is it going to take?" Beth asked.

"Forty five and half til I'm at the bottom step," Mitch reported. "Less than a minute if I walk, faster if I run."

"Straight home," Beth instructed as he took off.

Noel straightened up. "Is that something you taught him?"

"Not me, totally. Daryl started teaching him back at the farm where they met me. To recognize our footsteps in the dark. Count how many steps in between one place to another. Summer says it's a tracking trick. It's something we all learned, consciously or subconsciously. I'm real sorry about his attitude, there was no call for it. You were just trying to make us feel welcome," Beth said.

"Like I've told Phoebe since she came to Alexandria, never say your sorry for what happened out there. It made you who you are, and it made you stronger for it. Phoebe and I will just have to think of a more challenging lesson plans for them. I'm sure that the older kids in your group are going to be more adamant. I like challenges. Welcome to Alexandria Beth," Noel told her.

"Thank you," Beth said as she turned around and left the garage.

Abraham and David's POV:

David sighed as he looked out at the building equipment. "You feel like this is some whacked up dream that we're going to wake up from?"

"Can't be soon enough for me," Abraham said. "Do you know anything about construction or did Deanna put you out here just cause she didn't know what else to do with you?"

"I did summer jobs at my uncle's construction company. Saved the money to get to Atlanta, go to college, hoped to marry my high school girlfriend. Kept putting it off, even when she got pregnant. There was never enough money, just a couple more months, thought I could get her a nice ring, maybe a house, then woke up one day and shit had hit the fan," David said.

"You see your baby to be every time you look at Judith and Hope, huh? I've seen you staring, but afraid to even hold them," Abraham told him. "Think this is the most I've ever heard come out of your mouth."

"Yeah, well, I prefer to be alone, keep to myself. It's easier that way, easier not to get attached," David admitted.

"So why the hell did you stay when they found you? Why the hell are you inside these gates?" Abraham asked.

"Same reason you did after you found out Eugene was lying about Washington," David told him. "You had to have a reason to stay alive, you're fighting demons the same as the rest of us. I stayed because Joey, he's my brother. But he's made a new family, doesn't really need me. Feel like he wouldn't know if I went out one night," he told the older man.

"That's bullshit and you know it. You're looking for a damn reason to bolt," Abraham told him. "But you're still here. You're finding a damn reason to stay, and that's good. It's good for your brother, it's good for you and it's good for all of us."

"You so don't want to be alone on this construction crew with these people alone," David said as he gave a weak smile.

"Well hell, you figured me out. You I know," Abraham told him. "You're right, you aren't the only one to have lost someone out there. I was almost ready to end it, swallow a bullet, then Eugene showed up with the promises of curing this damn thing, promising a safe world, and I never doubted him, not for a minute. Then it all ended, all with the admission he lied. Hell, I think I was more depressed and ready to end it all, then I knew I couldn't just leave all your sorry asses. That day on the road, when Jewel marched up and demanded the booze, I wanted to tell her to back the hell off," he told him.

"But you didn't. Why?" David asked.

Abraham laughed. "Hell that woman scares me, and not a whole lot of things frighten me, but that woman can hold a baby and throw a knife and not even break a damn sweat. Probably sure she just popped that kid out without a sound," he said. "If she could do it, not tempted to empty that bottle, then I should be able. Guess we're meant to be here, doing this damn ass busy work."

"But we're not alone right?" David asked with a small smile. "Guess we better go introduce ourselves."

TBC