Chapter 56: Alexandria


RPOV

~16 years ago~

Whilst I was preparing for my first night shift as a cop, I had felt a great deal of worry and I was very nervous. Unsure of what the future would hold and what my first night shift would turn out to be, especially if I would come out of anything unexpected alive. Climbing down the stairs, my hair was perfectly cut, my uniform perfectly placed on me and I found myself feeling more nervous once I saw Lori and Kat stood at the bottom of the stairs, by the door with their eyes glued to me. "Stay safe," Lori whispered as she hugged me and kissed my lips softly.

Feeling her so close, it gave me courage and when I looked to Kat, I had expected her to have her bottom lip jutting out as though she didn't want me to go. Like she was scared or worried about me, instead, she seemed calm and ready for anything. "I'm going to miss you daddy," Kat whispered gently into my ear as I crouched down and wrapped her up in my arms.

Her small, delicate frame was nothing compared to her strong, comforting arms that wrapped around my neck and rested on my shoulders. "I'll miss you too Kit-Kat," I called her by her nickname, making her giggle. Slowly, she let go of me and kissed my cheek softly. "Be good to your mom," I encouraged her to do good, and always be good.

While Lori's farewell gave me courage, Kat's hug and kiss gave me strength. A strength I had never felt before. And it only increased once I had pulled away and stared into her bright blue eyes. A mirror reflection of my own blue eyes. What I saw in her blues were something I didn't expect and something that only fueled me to greater things. It was a look of admiration, silent and yet, everything screamed within them that I was her hero. "Always," Kat assured me in a strong voice. Moving away from the door, Kat stood beside her mother and watched as I stood up straight and walked to the door. It was time to be a hero, Kat's hero.


Present day...CPOV

Wandering over to the gate, Kat stayed close to me, her gun in hand and her eyes peeled for anything that would come too close to me, dad, Judith and the group. Just in case these people were bad, or if walkers would come out from nowhere. Judith was in dad's arms, everyone else was on alert and looking behind, I felt eyes watching us. Which turned out to be true, as I saw a girl stood in a broken house, her fingers clutching the window frame and eyes watching us walking towards the gate. When Michonne walked past me, the girl had disappeared. Was she a ghost? Or am I now seeing things?

Everyone stopped and didn't take a step further. Not even Kat or Michonne, who I would of believed would of gone first to make sure it was what they were hoping it to be. The sound of rattling made everyone jump, aiming their weapons at whatever was coming their way. A bolt shot out of Daryl's bow and hit the moving thing. The sound of an animal squealing was the last we heard of the moving object. Reaching down, Daryl picked it up and held it by it's tail. "We brought dinner," he informed the others, making us all stare at the group of men stood by the gate.

One of them, the one that had opened the gate to us looked disgusted by Daryl's actions. He looked disgusted at all of us, as though we shouldn't have been there in the first place. Clearly, he wasn't ready for us and what we had now become. A strong, tough group that had gone through hell and back together. "It's okay," Aaron assured the man who opened the gate. "Come on in, guys," Aaron encouraged for us to enter into the camp of his, while his friend looked at him confused.

Allowing us in, Daryl and Glenn were the first ones in through the gate while Carol and Abraham were the last to enter. Closing the gate behind us, we watched it shut and I felt uncomfortable, like something was bound to happen with something this well protected and secured. Everyone watched as the gate shut, others watched the men before us and I only looked at Kat, dad and Judith. They were my priorities, as both the job of a brother and a son. "Before we take this any further, I need you all to turn over your weapons. Stay, you hand them over," the man that had opened and closed the gate instructed us of how things worked here.

For us, handing our weapons weren't an option and I was hoping dad would of agreed with my thought. We didn't know these people and we couldn't trust easily, not after all that had happened to us since this world turned upside down. "We don't know if we want to stay," dad argued quickly, not deny the guy their rules, but not handing over our weapons without batting a single lash.

"It's fine, Nicholas," Aaron interefered again, attempting to reassure him that we were good people and that we were only looking out for ourselves. But we also weren't sure if this place is where we truly wanted to stay or not.

For the most part, it looked safe and secure. On the other hand, we didn't know the people and wouldn't until something either happened, or until we felt it necessary by any sudden threat. So far, we were only being instructed by the man so called 'Nicholas' while Aaron was keeping the peace. "If we were gonna use them, we would have started already," dad informed him of what we would of done if we truly wanted to use them for a bad intention inflicted upon them.

Aaron's head whipped from Nicholas, who began to fumble for words and to dad, who was making faint threats towards the town. Glancing between the three men, I looked to Michonne and Kat, to see their reactions. Kat seemed calmed, a stillness in her eyes, as though she was ready for anything to come. Michonne looked a little worried, but it was only because of what dad had said and how Aaron glanced at dad after he'd spoke. "Let them talk to Deanna first," Aaron suggested for us to do, which only confused some of us as to who the hell Deanna was.

"Who's Deanna?" Abraham voiced our thoughts loud and quickly.

Glancing at all of our faces, I could tell Aaron was just trying to keep the peace between all of us and I was unsure if it was working or not. At least, we knew he was trying and he did seem genuine about it. "She knows everything you'd want to know about this place," he informed us of who Deanna was briefly. "Rick, why don't you start?" Aaron suggested to dad.

The sound of a walker shuffling over to us, made us all turn and listen to it snarl as it came closer. "Sasha," dad called to our best shot. She was perfect with a sniper rifle and it showed in that very moment when she shot and the sound was silent, but the effect was evident. The walker dropping to the ground as the gates closed and no longer showed the outside of the gates. "It's a good thing we're here," dad commented before he handed over Judith to me and wandered past us, following after Aaron to meet 'Deanna'.


RPOV

Glancing around a house, I had walked into an empty house, but found myself alone in the livingroom. Told to have a look around while Aaron would go fetch Deanna, I did as he said. I looked, and everything in the room looked as though nothing had changed but I knew behind those walls, everything wasn't like it was before. "Hello. I'm Deanna Monroe," a woman's voice called to me, introducing herself.

Turning to her, I looked out the window and saw how my family were all waiting outside for me. How the others all sat together in a group, watching one another and staying either silent, or talking amongst themselves. "Rick Grimes," I introduced myself to her. She was small, thin and a little old. Her blonde hair and blue eyes screamed a woman of inteligence and she seemed like a capable leader, but she needed to know what the world was like now. How the world had to be.

Looking around, outside the window and seeing how peacefull the town looked, it made me feel strange. Remembering what civilization was like before the walkers, was something I didn't know how to process. I wasn't sure if it was something I could process anymore, not after all that happened to us. "You mind if I film this?" Deanna asked me, causing me to turn my head to her and question her with a 'What?' "Do you mind if I film our talk?" she rephrased her question for me to understand her clearer.

Looking to her, she seemed serious about wanting to film me. "Go ahead," I shrugged, not really caring what she had planned with the tape of our conversation. Glancing at the defenses, the walls looked tall enough, sturdy enough to hold off walkers, as long as it wasn't too many herds. I also could see that the towers were big enough to spy in, in case people who were bad would try and come in. "Why film this?" I asked her as the camera beeps when she pressed it to start recording our talk.

So far, Deanna seemed confident, strong and a capable woman to run a town. But, she had no idea of what the world was like out there and I had little faith that she'd survive in the world out behind the walls. "We're about transparency here," she answered my question quickly. "Please," she gestured for me to sit opposite her, in front of a camera and with enough distance between myself and Deanna. "How long have you been out there?" she asked.

Not needing much thought, I decided to give her a quick and straight forward answer. "Since the beginning," I told her.

She had just took her seat, while I was trying to get comfortable. My machete still in its holster and my hands gripping onto the armrests of the chair. Glancing at the camera, I wasn't sure how I felt about being recorded, but I didn't care much for it. She proved she had her reasons and I was going to respect them. "How did you all find each other? Did you know each other before or-?" she questioned me quickly, before I could even answer her first one, she already asked me two.

"We didn't know each other before," I had cut her off quickly.

For the most part, I was being honest and I was trying to co-operate with her. Telling her what she wanted and needed to hear. I wouldn't lie and I wouldn't keep anything from her, unless it was completely necessary. "I was a congressperson. Ohio, 15th district," she stated what her job was before the walkers came. "You?" she asked me what my job had been before.

The thought of my previous occupation wasn't something that made any difference to what I had done. To me, it was completely not needed for those who I could potentially kill in order to protect my family. "I don't think it matters anymore," I brushed it off, shrugging and glancing at her and then the camera. Part of me still wanted to be that good cop, it still showed with everything I did. As I wanted to be fair, I was still authoritive and I still tried to do good, even in bad times. But I still had my limits.

Somehow, she could see through the lie and it stunned me, but I kept it cool and stayed serious. Like I had meant what I had said, even though she could tell it was a lie. "Oh, I know it does," she disagreed with my statement.

Not wanting to agree with her, I looked around and couldn't believe the fact I was in a town, that looked safe enough and held people that seemed like good people. Which, was something I had always dreamed of for my families since I had got out of the hospital and reached the camp. "What is this place?" I asked her.

Once my eyes met hers, she began to tell me the history of this place. "This is the start of sustainability," she began. "That's what the brochures we found say," she chuckled as she spoke about where she was staying with others, or so we had been told. "This was a planned community with its own solar grid, cisterns, eco-based sewage filtration. Starting in the low 800,000s..." she explained and laughed "If there is such a thing. And they sold them all," she gave me a few more facts, not entirely needed but enough to show me what exactly this town was all about.

After hearing her small story about the place they were staying, in this 'Alexandria' town, it made me wonder what was the story behind the leader and how she got here. Wondering if she was lucky, or if she collected people to join her like the governor had. "How did you end up here?" I asked her, not looking her in the eyes as I spoke.

She would keep a watchful eye on me as she spoke, allowing me to glance around and when I'd look at her, I'd try and not be intimidated by how she stared at me. "Well, my family and I were trying to get back to Ohio, so I could help my district manage the crisis. And..." Deanna paused to explain her story and sighed deeply. "The army stopped us on a back road and directed us here. They were supposed to come later. They didn't. But there were supplies here and we made the best of it."

The story sounded convincing and I didn't doubt what she was saying was at all fake. Why would she try and lie about her family and what happened with the army forces. It's the same type of story Shane told me when I had arrived at the campsite. "You put up the wall?" I asked her, feeling my body tense up a little at the memory of Shane. He was my third kill, but his death will stay with me until my last dying breath.

Keeping a cool, calm expression the way she moved and talked, she knew how to affect people. She knew how to read them, but I was trying not to look in her eyes, from fear of giving too much away to her so quickly. "Well, there was this huge shopping mall being built nearby. And my husband Reg is a professor of architecture. And who he was mattered quite a bit," she continued her story, but I felt her poking into my side with the whole thing about jobs being a matter to people. "He got the first plates up with our sons. And after a few weeks, more people arrived and we had help. We had a community," she spoke proudly of her town and family.

Leaning in closer to talk to me, she was trying her hardest to get my attention and she had it. Just the thought that these people were untouched, clean, innocent and safe, it baffled me. We were never safe, but we are strong, smart and we work best in our group, better than being alone. "You've been behind these walls this entire time?" I questioned her, not believing that what she was telling me was true.

Continuing to lean in, I watched as Deanna stared into my eyes, as though trying her hardest to sell me on a deal that would benefit myself and my family. Unsure of what I'd do, I knew I needed to be cautious, no matter how good it all sounded to me. "We need people who have lived out there. Your group is the first we've even considered taking in for a long time," Deanna tried to convince me that they hardly would bring anyone into their town.

After hearing her words, I knew she hadn't a clue what people were like beyond the walls. That if she weren't careful, she could of had a group of bad people walk into the gates falsely. I was more surprised that she had considered bringing us in, after all we had done and been through. "You should keep your gates closed," I said instinctively to her.

"Why?" Deanna asked me in a faint whisper.

I wasn't going to lie to her, because she needed to know the truth. All of the truth. "Because it's all about survival now. At any cost," I began to tell her what the real world was like beyond the walls. "People out there are always looking for an angle. Looking to play on your weakness. They measure you by what they can take from you. By how they can use you to live," I explained a little further what types of people were out there, the bad ones that didn't care about anyone and only did what they wanted, which was to destroy homes, rip families apart and take what they could. "So bringing people into a place like this now-" I went to further explain to Deanna.

Of course, she jumped to conclusions before I could even finish my sentence. "Are you telling me not to bring your people in?" she asked me and again, I couldn't answer her question. "Are you already looking after this place?" she turned the question upside down and tried to figure me out. "Aaron says I can trust you," she said out of the blue, hoping to gain the same beliefs from Aaron as he had towards me and my group.

Feeling my whole body tense up, not only at what I knew my group were capable of, but because these people were so clueless, I didn't know to either help them or take over. "Aaron doesn't know me," I told her bluntly. "I've killed people. I don't even know how many by now. But I know why they're all dead," I mumbled my words slightly, afraid to look Deanna in the eyes as I confessed all the bad things I had done. "They're dead so my family, all those people out there, can be alive. So I could be alive for them," I stated the reasons why I was alive and those that tried to hurt us, kill us weren't.

What I had said to her, didn't seem to make her disgusted with me, or hate me for the things I had done. All of it was bad, horrible and inhumane things. Things that went against everything I had previously believed and had taught my children. But in this world, it was either kill or be killed. "Sounds like I'd want to be part of your family," Deanna said with a warm smile on her face. "Rick, northern Virginia was effectively evacuated. Millions of people gone. For a long time, there's hardly been anyone here, living or dead, but still...we have lost people," she tried to keep convincing me that this place would be good for me, for my family. "And, uh, I've done things," Deanna sighed as she looked down at her clasped hands.

Leaning in closer, I wondered what was going on and what exactly Deanna had done for her community. I wondered if it would weigh up to all the bad things I had done in order for all of us to survive. "What have you done?" I asked her as I watched her carefully, studying to see if she was lying or telling me the truth.

Deanna was the one hesistant this time and with her own reasons, I could have imagined. "I exiled three men who didn't work out," she told me honestly as she didn't look me in the eyes, possibly from the pain of the fact she had left them for dead. "And we both know that's as good as killing them," she pointed out what was running in my mind. As I had done the same thing to Carol, but she still survived.

Worried for the type of people she kicked out, made me curious to if they were just as capable as Carol was in keeping themselves safe. Curious to know if they were capable of coming back and hurting Alexandria's inhabitants, along with the family I had to protect at all costs. "What do you want from us?" I questioned her motives in bringing us into her town.

No longer being able to stay seated, I felt a need to go, to get things done and keep the ones I loved safe. Following me to the window, I wiped at my face whilst Deanna looked out the window and stared out to her little town. "These families...these families should be able to raise their children in a safe environment. Your son, your daughter, should have a place to grow up," she spoke of something that I wanted too, especially for those who were the most vulnerable and innocent in all of it. "What do I want? I want you to help us survive. I know you can help us do that," Deanna said as she got closer.

The way she stared up at me, was as though she admired me. Why, I wasn't sure. How she knew I was capable in guiding a way, I wasn't sure. All I knew, was I wanted my family safe and I knew I had to do something to make that happen. "How?" I quizzed her, uncertain in knowing how she would think I was the one capable of being a leader. In guiding all the community to survive through all of this.

She stayed strong, confident and her eyes were glued to me. "I am exceptionally good at reading people. If I didn't win reelection, I was gonna be a professional poker player," she confessed, making me scoff in disbelief. "I'm not kidding," she whispered, all seriousness was still there. "Rick...it's 3:37 P.M. You're skeptical. You have a right to be. But it's time to decide if you're the one who's doing the deciding," she was encouraging me to make the final decision.

Pondering over the conversation we had just had, I realised that what I would of done ages ago, before all the bad things, I would of wanted a place like this to keep my children safe. Now, that I had the opportunity to do so, I wasn't going to let it go to waste. At least, the cop side of me wanted to be good again, to do good and protect the ones I cared about justly. "I was a sheriff," I answered a question Deanna had asked of me a little late. Spinning the handle of the watch I had been given, letting it spin and knowing full well, that the watch no longer served its purpose anymore.

Glancing up, Deanna acted as though she could tell imediately that it used to be the profession I once had. A wide smile on her face as she nodded and the deep wrinkles formed around her eyes. "Yeah, I knew it was something like that," Deanna agreed, making it out to be that she was smarter than I had once thought. But that moment, I believed when she'd say to me that she would have been a poker player and that she's good at reading people. That much, I knew was true because she could read me like an open book.


DPOV

It was my turn to go in for an interview, she had asked me if she could record our conversation and I told her simply that I didn't give a shit. Looking around, it was the type of houses I never imagined I'd be staying in, the types of homes I only dreamed I actually could of grown up in, rather than the dump I grew up in. Deanna so far seemed nice, but I didn't trust anyone thse days, not after what had happened with Beth. "You're welcome to sit, Daryl. I won't bite," Deanna encouraged me to get comfortable as I picked up marbles from a plate, rolled them inbetween my fingertips and dumped them back into the plate.

Not liking how she said she wouldn't bite, it was like she was trying to make a joke and that joke wasn't funny. Especially not under the circumstances we were all in, as one bite could lead to infection, death and return of the living dead. I didn't find her joke at all amusing as my eyes met hers, walking away, I looked out the window and saw my group outside, waiting their turn as they conversed between themselves. "Yeah, I'm all right," I assured her before I began to pace around the room.

Pacing was my only way of not losing my head, as I felt boxed in and under close watch from these people. The curtains were closed, but I could see through the cracks my group were all stood around, waiting for their turn and I had been asked to come in second. "Daryl, do you want to be here?" Deanna asked me as she looked up at me, sat down on her comfortable chair and her eyes glued to me as I wouldn't stop moving.

Stopping in my tracks, I knew that there were reasons why I didn't feel at home here, as this place wasn't like the homes I was used to growing up. But I did know one thing, that was that those I was travelling with, deserved a roof and somewhere safe to stay. "The girl, the boy and the baby, they deserve a roof. I guess," I nodded as I looked around and would never look to the camera as I spoke.

MPOV

As Deanna spoke and recorded our talk, I was staring at the shelf of books and was looking for one that I could possibly read. I needed something to get the cloud out of my head, to give me a sense of clarity, of normality. Picking up a book about crime and punishment, I wasn't sure if all the bad things we did were forgiveable, especially in a town as civilized as this. "If this is how you're saying it is...then this is what we wanted," I confessed to Deanna as I took a seat. "We're ready for this," I assured her that this was a hundered percent what we were looking for.

Leaning closer, her eyes were glued to mine and I tried my hardest to keep eye contact with her. To show her we were serious about it. That I was serious about this. Deanna's voice was calm, but authoritive and I knew she was the leader around here the moment I met her. "All of you?" she asked me, curious to know what my answer would be.

Sighing, I looked away and thought carefully about my answer. There wasn't anything I could say for anyone, but I knew everyone wanted this, despite all the bad things we had all done. It was something we all had to do in order to survive. "All of us," I answered, knowing that we had to change, we could and we would. But only if Deanna would let us all stay.


CPOV

Once I stepped through the gates, looked at the houses, myself and Kat looked at one another. The same look was reflected in our eyes as we both thought of our mother. She had wanted to live in a neighbourhood like this, she wanted a big house like the ones these people were living in. As I entered Deanna's home and sat down, I couldn't help but look around and feel a slight sting in my chest as I held Judith in my arms. "This is the kind of place my mom wanted for us," I informed Deanna as I placed Judith to sit comfortably on my lap.

"I'm sorry you lost her," Deanna apologised as she watched me. Her eyes glued to me and Judith as I stared down at my baby sister. Judith was beginning to look like mom, but Kat was almost exactly like her. Every day, Kat somehow reminded me of mom, either by something she said or something she'd do.

Thinking over what happened, I didn't regret what I had done. Because mom would of turned and killed us, I had to kill her and it had to be someone who mattered to her. I needed to step up at that moment, saving Judith and effectively, losing my mom at the same time. "I didn't just lose her. I killed her," I revealed to Deanna as I kept my eyes away from meeting hers, the memory of mom that day was as plain as day in my mind. "It had to be me," I spoke honestly and confidently as my eyes met Deanna's, showing her that it was a tough thing, but that we all healed, eventually. What's weird...is I don't regret what I did.


KPOV

Glancing around the room, I had taken a seat once 'Deanna' was in the room and had introduced herself. "Katherine, please take a seat," Deanna had encouraged as I did it whilst she insisted I get comfortable. "I hope you don't mind me recording this, it's all for transparency," she said before I could even request her not to, but I didn't really care for what she did. "I've heard great things about you from your family, and some of the others," Deanna began as she had finally switched on the camera and sat opposite me. "They say you've been through quite a lot," she continued. "Things that not most people would of been able to do easily."

The way she spoke of me, was like she had admired me for something. The creases formed around her eyes told me as much whenever she smiled at me. I could sense there was something in her that made her like the thought of us all staying with her and her group. "Like what?" I asked her, my eyebrows furrowing as I spoke to her curiously.

Her teeth began to show as her blue eyes were on mine. Staring at me, with a kindness in her tone that made me wonder if she was genuine or if it was all for show. "Carrying on without your family," she stated. "After finding your family, you had to leave them again in order to keep them safe," she continued a list of things I had done for myself and for the ones I loved. "They also say you've done some things, like...killing," she had drifted slightly when it came to the subject of voilent things.

Remembering all I had done, it wasn't things I was proud of, but it was things I was expected to do. Things I had to do. I wouldn't let myself die, get raped or get tortured. I also wouldn't let my baby brother get hurt the same way someone tried to inflict pain on myself. "I have, but I did it all in self defense and to keep everyone I care about alive...safe," I stated my reasons to my actions. "I'm guessing you heard how I killed them, who I had to defend myself from," I would tilt my head as I spoke, knowing that what I had done, what type of people I had killed weren't the most family friendly issues to kill people for, nor was it such a family friendly situations. "What and who we've lost..." I drifted off as the flash of familiar people crossed my mind.

The ones that struck most were my mom, Hershel, Beth and Andrea. "Some," Deanna agreed as she nodded her head, her eyes glued to me but her expression fell flat. "I don't care how those that had wronged you died, or why," she became suddenly serious. "What matters to me, is now," she explained what her main thoughts were. "How you think you'd make a difference to the community and any other thoughts that cross your mind when it comes to Alexandria," she stated what exactly came to her mind when she spoke to myself and most likely to all the others. "That to me, is what matters."

When my eyes met hers again, her gaze was soft, kind and I knew she meant what she had said. That what we had done wasn't at all bad, nor good, but things we had to do in order to survive. Staying in the comfortable silence for a few moments, I nod and looked at her directly in the eyes. "I think it's a good place to start fresh, but I know some of us will never lose our memory of what it's like out there," I balanced it all out for her, so she could see we wouldn't change so quickly or easily. "Good people, they eventually die because of the bad ones," I touched briefly on what I had been seeing happen out there, time and time again. "You need to make sure people like that don't come through those gates," I encouraged her to take note of my words.

I was giving her a free warning of the world she had no clue about. Of all the twisted people we had met, from claimers, to high powered systems, two men who lost their way all to way to a group of cannibles. We had met plenty of types of people out there and not all of them were nice or members of our group. "People like those within your group? People like you?" Deanna asked as she leaned in closer to me, her hands still clasped around her knees that enveloped one another, her front leaning in to listen to my words better or more clearly.

The way she moved, spoke, I knew she was smart, but I didn't know if she knew how dangerous the outside world really was. "I can't answer that," I answered her the best I could. "All I can say, is I'm a mother figure to my baby sister and brother," I gave her the only facts that I could. "I'm also a daughter, and a part of that big, diverse family," I continued to give her statements as I pointed behind me, to the bookself but refered it all to those who I had been travelling with and had lost along the way. "We're strong, but only if we're together and what we have to say, matters," I finished my brief warnings for her.

Our advice was cheap and I could only hope she'd listen to what we were all saying to her. That she was being encouraged to take caution when it came to people who would come in here, take advantage of it and rip it apart. "Why's that?" she asked me, her eyebrow arching and her head tilting slightly to one side as she stared me down.

Taking a deep breath, I knew I needed to give it to her straight. And that was what I was going to do. "Because we've been out there, we know what it's like. This world is vicious and we need to make a stand if we're to survive," I explained what it was like out there vaguely. "All we'd do, is try and make this place safer, better," I included the others, as I knew they'd co-operate if we would. By we, I meant myself and my father. "All I want, is for my sister to be able to cry at night and not fear what could be around the corner. I want somewhere where we can all be safe and happy. Where we can build our lives without fear of no tomorrow," I told her my vision, of what I wanted most in this world, even before a cure or some type of miracle, all I needed was everyone safe and happy, with nothing else to fear.

Deanna's smile formed wider, stretching her face in a familiar way. She kept her light blues on me and didn't waver her stare from my own. Her expression kind, as though she was pleased with the words I had just said. "Sounds good to me," she shrugged her shoulders and showed her top row of teeth in a small smile. "Now, let's talk about your time on the council back at the prison," she suggested we'd talk about this topic, to which then lead her to giving me a job on the council, along with herself and Maggie.


DPOV

After our interview, we were told to go to another building, where they would take our weapons and were being watched by Deanna. Her body leaning against a railing, so that she could speak to us as people placed their weapons on a table that would role them away somewhere 'safe' and I had little faith they would keep them safe. "They're still your guns. You can check them out whenever you go beyond the wall. But inside here, we store them for safety," Deanna explained and assured us at the same time that no one else would use our weapons while we were here.

Carol was the one taking the longest, as she had the most weapons on her. From her small hand gun, to her huge sniper, everything she had she would place it onto the table. Watching Kat place her bow and arrows onto the table, didn't convince me to hand over my weapons, especially not my crossbow, so I had refused to turn over my weapons. "Should have brought another bin," the woman joked once Carol was finished handing over all her weapons. The woman struggling a little to carry all our guns in the safe place they all spoke of.


KPOV

Stood before two houses, they looked as big as mansions and reminded me of a time when I was younger. Of a time when Carl was just a baby, how mom and dad would stare at houses like these and hoped to have one in the future. To have a house like this when mom was around, before the walkers came, it would have been a dream come true for my family. So staring at the houses, made me a little uncomfortable and instinctively, like mom would do, I had my hands tucked away in my back pockets, hidden from sight. "Both of 'em?" dad questioned Aaron, who told us that these two houses were empty and would be for us to live in.

Glancing at Aaron, the sunlight shone into my eyes as I looked ahead at the houses, causing me to squint. "At your disposal," Aaron assured that they were ours for the taking. "I'd call dibs on that one. It's got more curb appeal," he suggested for us to use the one on the right. "Listen, I know you're still feeling us out, but I'm glad you came," Aaron spoke with a smile on his face, my head turned to look at him and I smiled kindly back to him. "Anyway, Deanna's asked everyone to give you your space so they aren't all coming at you at once. Take your time. Explore. You need anything, you call me," he continued this friendly, welcoming talk, but the final part made us three look at him confused. "I don't-we don't have phones. I-I meant...I'm four houses down," he tried to rephrase it all, stumbling over his words and unsure how to fix what he had started.

Stopping Aaron from further making himself look a little bit like a fumbling fool, Carl did something I didn't expect him to. "Thank you," Carl had said politely to Aaron, which made him wander off towards his home. Smiling at Carl, I placed a hand over his shoulder and squeezed it. I was proud that he was still polite and had his manners. Mom would of been proud of him. Entering the house, the three of us were silent as we looked around. There were empty frames, books on shelves and everything looked untouched, like it was waiting for us to use. Perfect, like a brochure I had once seen mom looking at. Carl was the one to step into the kitchen, turning on the faucet sink slowly, we watched as eventually, water started running and a smile formed on all of our faces as we watched Carl look to us.


RPOV

Washing off all the dirt off of me, I knew I needed to clean myself and keep an appearance. One that people wouldn't fear, because of the size of my beard, the blood on my skin, the dirt on my body, all of it could be reason enough for people to fear me. Once I was clean and draining my thoughts out, whist I was shaving my beard, there was a knock on the door. Going to answer it, I looked to the door and saw a young, blonde stood outside with a basket of things in her hands. "Hey. I work in the pantry. Deanna asked me to bring these over for you and your friends," she said as she handed over the basket to me.

Inspecting the basket, I saw there were a few things in there. Things like toys for Judith, kitchen rolls, toilet paper, food and other goods to use around the house. "Thank you. We're just cleaning up," I was being polite to her, as I didn't want to seem like an asshole, but because she was kind of attractive. Blonde, young and green eyes.

Smiling kindly, she was inspecting me just as much as I was inspecting her. Hoping I didn't look too bad, I was still wet from the shower, my hair wet, my beard shaved and I was only in my pants and underpants. "I can see that. You still have some shaving cream on your chin," she informed me, which made me quickly wipe my chin against my shoulder to get the cream off. "I'm Jessie," the woman introduced herself.

If I had to get along with anyone, at least I could start with her. I couldn't keep my eyes off her and was mesmorised by the green of her eyes. "Rick," I introduced myself back to her and moved myself to one side. Seeing her a little better, I could see she was slim, curvatious and quite beautiful in my eyes.

"You know, I used to be a stylist. And 12 other things. I could give you a cut if you want," she offered her services in hair cuts, which surprised me further.

Looking to her stunned, I didn't know how to process it all and how friendly all the people were being here. It didn't feel real. And now, this woman was offering to give me a hair cut, without knowing who I was and what I could do to her the moment she'd close the door behind her. "You don't even know me," I argued.

The small smile on her lips that played, didn't seem to be all that honest and I could tell something was going on inside that head of hers. "I can take care of myself," she assured me, which caused me to invite her in and shut the door. Finding a towel, a comb and some scissors, she began her work on my hair. "I have two boys, Ron and Sam. Ron's my oldest boy. He's about your son's age," she informed me about her family in comparison to my own. "I could introduce them. If that's okay with you and-" she drifted, possibly attempting to include 'my wife' in this conversation, but of course, Lori had died a long time ago.

Cutting her off before she could say the words I was dreading to hear, I lowered my head a little and shook it. "It's just me," I assured her that I was more or less alone in this. "But his sister is a lot like his mother too," I explained how Kat's opinion for matters about Carl impacted us all too. I wasn't alone when it came to raising him, as Kat was taking on the role of a mother figure for both Carl and Judith. "I'll talk to her," I reassured her that it would work out the way she wanted it to.

"Oh, that'd be-that'd be great," Jessie fumbled for anything she could say in reply to my calculations and explanations. Kat was a big part of Carl's life and I couldn't deny her the chance to look out for him like she always did.

Kat was as much of a parental figure to both Carl and Judith, it was only right if I consult with her about what they should and could do. "I'm sorry," I apologised to Jessie, as I was still in shock with everything that was going on. "Electricity, showers, haircuts...I never thought I'd see those again," I explained why I was so baffled, why it took me a while to respond to her.

Scoffing a little, she would run her fingers through my hair and it relaxed me, in ways it shouldn't have. I was always meant to stay alert, because relaxing got people I cared about killed. "Come on. Haircuts were never going away," Jessie teased. "It's okay if you're not okay with this yet," she assured me that she understood if I wasn't prepared to let what happened go, as it was what kept me and the others alive. "That's better," she said as she ran her fingers through my hair and handed me a mirror, allowing me the chance to have a look at the results of this haircut.


CPOV

Kat was one of the last ones to go have a shower, as she was the one to wash Judith, change her and get her comfortable. Once someone else, like myself or dad could look after her, she went upstairs and took a long time to come back down. When she came down, she huffed like she was pleased with the amount of time she had spent in the shower. "Ugh, I've missed having a hot shower," she commented, her clean face and body shone a tone of brown I had missed seeing since we had left the prison. Her bright blues wide, her hair fresh, straight and long. "And I never knew how much I'd miss the feel of my smooth legs," she spoke of her legs, possibly implying that she took a long time because she was shaving her legs.

Dad was the one to start looking after Judith while Kat was having her turn in the shower. Clutching her against him, he bounced Judith lightly as she babbled and smiled a toothy smile at Kat. Dad's smirk grew as he heard my sister talk of the things she had missed and couldn't believe she would experience again. "Careful, sounds like you're ready to trade your comfortable jeans for a dress or a skirt," dad teased her.

Daryl and Carol were stood on the porch with us, Carol snickered at dad's joke and smiled at Kat. Hiding my smile, I knew Kat would have something witty to say back to dad about her jeans. Her jeans were her life, there was no way in hell she would ever let them go. Daryl was sat down on the porch, gutting the possum he had killed earlier. "My jeans? Never," Kat snickered as she replied to dad's teasing. "Like you said, they're comfy and comfort comes before my smooth legs," Kat pointed to him before she glanced around, Daryl was keeping his eyes on the possum, while Carol smiled at Kat. I smiled at her and dad laughed softly at her playful banter.

It went silent, I was staring at the home we were offered to stay in, the one that Aaron had said had the curb appeal. I wanted to go in there, to have a look and see what the house held. I wanted to see if it was similar to the house we were staying in at that moment. "You can look. Just be quick," dad told me after he had glanced between myself and Kat.

There was a feeling inside me, that told me that Kat and dad were agreeing on letting me go in there and having a look inside. That it would be okay for me to go in there and check it out. "Okay," I agreed with their terms. Carol had followed me in, noticing how big the houses were and how they were so empty, there were lots of rooms and I knew that being here was something mom would of wanted for us. "These are like mansions," I commented as myself and Carol inspected the house.

Carol seemed just as surprised and entranced by the building itself. Every book, every shelf, every surface and detail, Carol stared at it and tried to figure something out in her head. I could read it on her face, she was trying to piece it together, just like we were. "Mm-hmm," she hummed in agreement with me. "And they're just giving them away," she commented, which was something that bothered me a little. Mom and dad were working hard providing for me and Kat, all while saving up for a bigger house, a house like the one I was stood in now. "You coming?" Carol asked as she turned her head, to look at me from over her shoulder.

Looking at the books in the shelf, I wondered if there were any comic books and found none that I wanted or liked. It was only old books, like the ones Kat used to read when we were younger. Truthfully, I wanted to read the books again, the same ones that Kat would read to me as a child. "Yeah, in a sec," I told Carol she could go on without me, that I'd be out of the house soon enough. Then, the sound of footsteps made me glance to the sound quickly. What was that?...


RPOV

Carol had wandered out of the door, her eyes searching for us as her body was drawn towards myself and Daryl. Something didn't feel right, like it was all too good to be true and I needed to make sure we were all on the same page. Michonne still seemed to be focused on keeping us here, in making it all work. "They're right next to each other, but-" Carol began, but she didn't know how exactly how to finish it.

I understood what she meant though, as we were all unsure how we felt with the situation we were in. Between the fact that we were new, survivors and had plenty of weapons and knowledge, I didn't know if we could trust these people just yet. "They took our weapons and now they're splitting us up," I grumbled, not liking the fact that they were already trying to divide us into a smaller group.

"Yeah," Daryl mumbled in agreement with me.

Not liking how they were restricting us and keeping us separated, I didn't want to completely reject them, but I also didn't want to fully trust them. Especially not when my family were put in possible danger, which was something I couldn't allow. "Yeah," I mumbled in equal agreement as I glanced around, making sure no one could hear us or were spying on us. "We'll all be staying in the same house tonight," I made the decision that we'd all be under the same roof that night, which meant a great deal of us would all sleep on the floor, but we were all used to that by now.


CPOV

Wandering towards the stairs, I felt my heart pounding and I had tried my hardest to not make a single sound. As to not frighten anyone upstairs, if they were and if it was a walker, to not alert it that I was here and coming closer to it. My fingertips gliding across the surface of the hand-rails, my eyes glued to whatever could pop up around the corner and my breathing quiet. Trying to steady both my breathing and my heartbeat, it was slowly becoming something I'd grown used to doing. It was a way of surviving.

Checking the opened doors, nothing seemed to be living in them and I felt safe, but didn't ever trust that feeling. It was a promise I had made dad and I was going to keep to it. Seeing a door shut, my mind painted an image of walkers being behind the doors, making me slowly creep up towards it. Knife in hand, as quick as a flash, images of walkers came to my mind. I had made the mistake before of opening a door, unprepared, I wasn't going to do that again. Certainly, not anytime soon. Opening the door quickly, I kept a firm grip on my knife's handle and when I saw the empty room, I relaxed. Through the window, I saw the metal wall, inside the room, there was a different story to be told. It looked as though it had been lived in, food, drinks, posters, puzzles, games, music, coloring pens and comic books laying around. Instantly, I knew who they must have belonged to, and that was if there were any kids the same age as me or younger.


MPOV

Abraham and Sasha were taking first watch, staring out the windows as I made my way over to them. Sighing, I was one of the last people to finish having a shower. Enjoying the feel of a good shave, like Kat had and a good long brushing of my teeth. Everyone was preparing to bunker down for the night. All of us were staying in the living room. Kat was placing Judith in her cott, while Carl was reading a comic book he had found in the other house. Rick made his way towards me. "How long was I in there for?" I asked whoever was willing to respond to me.

Rick was the first person to respond to my question, as he was more or less keeping track of all of us and how long we'd take in the shower. "Twenty minutes," Rick informed me of how long I took in the shower. Truthfully, I had believed I spent longer than twenty minutes in the shower, as I couldn't stop with the water, the warmth of it, the way it cleaned me and how good the brush felt against my gross, gunky teeth.

Sniffing, I smiled proudly of how long it took me and was deliberating on going for another round in the shower. "God, I could not stop brushing," I confessed how good it really felt. I still kept my sword, as did Daryl keep his crossbow. Kat, on the other hand, handed in her bow because she felt it wasn't necessary for her in that moment, but that she may take it back in a day or two. Keep it close and possibly teach Carl how to use it. "Huh. I've never-" I drifted once I had a good look at Rick. His clean shave, cut hair and bright blue eyes were dazzling. "I've never seen your face like that," I smirked, liking how he looked and possibly even more than what I should have.

Moving closer to me, he brushed past me and rubbed at his chin. I couldn't help but watch and stare at him. He looked amazing, like a new man that I wanted to get to know better. "That's what I felt before and after," he commented as he walked past me. Damn...he looks good.

Stopping him before he could pass me by, I gently touched his shoulder with my fingertips. "Look...I get why we're playing it safe," I began to agree with his methods of keeping us safe and keeping our guards up. "We should. I just-" I didn't know how to word what I felt when it came to this place. "I have a good feeling about this place."

Taking a moment to digest it, I could tell Rick too hoped it was what we were hoping it would be. That it would be a safe place to raise the kids, a place to rest our heads without fear of losing someone in the middle of the night because of a starving walker. "Well, I hope you're right," Rick agreed with me.

"Yeah, me, too," I agreed with him and myself.

The sound of a knock on the door pulled Rick away from me. We were keeping the door closed, held down with a chair, so that if someone came in during the night, we would hear them. Removing the chair, Rick opened the door and revealed that Deanna was behind it. "Rick, I-" she was going to finish whatever she was going to say to us. "Wow," she reacted to the view of his clean, fresh, cut hair and face. Rick groaned with a nod, possibly getting annoyed with the attention he was getting from everyone. "I didn't know what was under there," Deanna joked teasingly. "Listen, I don't mean to interrupt. I just wanted to stop by and see how you were all settling," she excused herself. "Oh, my. Staying together. Smart," she commented once she looked inside and found all of us huddled together in the same room.

Everyone stayed quiet, listening and watching the interaction between the two heads of two seperate groups. Deanna seemed happy with this new found discovery, while Rick seemed to act like this is what any normal group would have done. "No one said we couldn't," Rick argued with a small shrug of his shoulders.

Deanna kept looking between all of us and then Rick approvingly. Pleased with this outcome of what she was offering us, we were sticking together and nothing was going to change it. "You said it, you're a family. That's what you said," she pointed out to Rick. "Absolutely amazing to me how people with completely different backgrounds and nothing in common can become that. Don't you think?" she asked as she gazed around the room and then back to Rick.

Rick began leaning in closer to the door, watching Deanna closely as she would edge in closer and closer to the house. Peering in and seeing all of us together, all of us ready for sleep and unsure of what would come in the morning. "Everybody said you gave them jobs," Rick subtly pushed Deanna to give him a job, knowing that he wouldn't be saying that unless he didn't have one, like myself, Daryl and Sasha.

Glancing around, you could see how Deanna's eyes bounced from face to face. It was as though she was figuring out some of us and studying each of us to make sure each job suited us. "Mm-hmm. Yeah," she nodded in agreement to Rick's statement. "Part of this place. Looks like the communists won after all," she laughed as she looked back up at Rick.

"Well, you didn't give me one," Rick spoke and had his eyes glued to the floor. Something wasn't adding up and I didn't know where any of this was going.

Once Rick finished talking, he nodded and looked to Deanna, waiting for some type of response. A response was what he got from her. "I have. I just haven't told you yet," she assured him that she had a job for him prepared. "Same with Michonne," Deanna said as she looked to me. "I'm closing in on something for Sasha," Deanna said as she looked to Sasha, who stood still and stared out the window until her name was said. "And I'm just trying to figure Mr. Dixon out, but I will," Deanna continued to list the people who still hadn't gotten jobs, Daryl sat silently and was chewing on his nail and looked to the window. He sat close to Judith's crib, possibly to look after her while Carl and Kat were silently staring at Deanna as she spoke. "You look good," Deanna complimented Rick before she wandered out the door.

As Rick closed the door behind her, the strangest sound escaped Deanna as she walked away. Happily, she was whistling a tune that made all of us look at each other, unsure if the woman was sane or not, as we weren't used to this type of happiness anymore. "That was strange..." Kat broke the awkward silence. "But she's not kidding. You look good," Kat said as she got up from her seat and made her way towards her father. "So come over here and let me plant a kiss on that hairless cheek papa," she playfully said as she took hold of her father's face, getting on her tip toes and planting a loud kiss on his cheek. Rick was chuckling, trying to force her off, but he was only playing with her. He too, evidently, enjoyed her teasing and the pair of them made all of us in the room laugh. All except Daryl, who scoffed and looked back out the window. What is wrong with Daryl?


RPOV

Laying on my matress, I could hardly get any sleep and kept my eyes shut, trying hard to get some shut eye. It didn't seem to work, as I could only sleep for a few moments at a time, until I could no longer stand faking my sleep. Getting up, I saw everyone was fast asleep in the last spots they were resting on, Kat and Carl had removed their covers during their sleep, making me want to keep them warm, I threw their covers over them.

Watching them peacefully sleep for a moment, I couldn't believe this was happening and wanted it to always happen. But another part of me didn't want them to lose their strength, their alertness and their capablity to survive. Shaking away my thoughts from my head, I walked over to the kitchen and pulled out a knife from the drawer. Examining it, rolling it between my fingertips, I stored it in my pocket and kept it hidden for the rest of the night. Allowing it to replace my machete, but only for the time being, until I could retrieve the weapons I needed to keep myself and the people I cared about safe.


DPOV

All of us were ready to go out, to look around the town, meet new people and some of us were ready to meet those that we were going to work with. All of it were things that I wasn't planning on doing, as I didn't have a job and I didn't want one. Being here, only kept reminding me of the time before the walkers roamed the earth, the time when people judged me just by my background and what I used to be. "They said explore. Let's explore," Rick encouraged me as he stopped by the door and watched his children walk with Judith in a pushchair.

Kat always looked beautiful, but more so here, clean, fresh and wide eyed. She smelled and looked great, she would walk around and looked like she truly belonged here. "Nah, I'll stay," I rejected Rick's offer. Sitting on the front porch, I didn't want to do anything and meet anyone, all because I knew I'd be rejected by people once again.

The only ones who didn't reject me, was my group. They knew me, respected me and saw me as a member, even when I hadn't. We were family and yet, I didn't want to follow any of their leads. And Rick saw it and still respected it, as did all the others. "All right," Rick nodded as he walked to the front steps. Stopping, he took in the sight for a second, saw his kids making their way down with the others and just admired the view of it all. "Lori and me, we used to drive through neighborhoods like this. Thinking, 'One day...'" Rick spoke of a time with Lori, of when he and the kids were working to get to live in a place like this.

Hearing this small story, of what the family wanted for themselves, how they desired to live in a small town like this. Where they could continue to build their family and enjoy their time together, to be surrounded by neighbours and other types of posh people. Something told me that what they wanted, wasn't what they really wanted now. "Well, here we are," I mumbled, shrugging my shoulders slightly.

I knew that where we were wasn't what Rick wanted, that it wasn't the same without Lori there. Nodding, he looked to me and then back to the street. "We'll be back," he assured me before he walked down the stairs and started to 'explore' the town.


RPOV

Walking away from Daryl, I knew he was just keeping to himself because of his own personal reasons, when I saw Jessie and her family run by, I watched them. Saw how happy they were, which then crashed my world when I realized the streets were empty. My own family no where to be seen. Fear coursed through my veins as I ran after them, running towards anywhere, I needed to find my children, which were no where to be found. My heart pounding, head spinning with possibilities and my body restless as I tried to find my family. Colliding into something, it clattered to the ground and Jessie then made her way towards me. "Rick, you okay?" she asked me, looking at me with an equally worried stare.

Losing my mind, I needed to keep my children close to me, out of fear of someone taking them, hurting them and using them against me. I needed them close to me, as I knew I had to keep them safe from anyone who could cause them harm. "Did Carl, Kat and Judith walk by?" I asked her, needing to know if she had seen my children by any chance. "We were out and they were ahead of me," I tried to explain what was going on, but my mind kept spinning with images of them hurt, tied up and kidnapped.

The visions were too much to bare and I couldn't stand the thought of them hurt because of me. Because I wasn't paying them enough attention. "It's okay. I think I know where they are," Jessie reassured me, leading the way. Glancing down at what I had destroyed, I jogged after Jessie and tried to keep a look out for my kids. "That's Natalie and Bob Miller. They had five kids and 12 grandkids," she explained who the couple were as Judith was in Kat's arms, bouncing and the couple stared happily at them. Carl stood beside his sister, with Judith's hand wrapped around his fingers. "It's been a long time since anyone around here has seen a baby. She's gonna have to put up with some pinched cheeks," Jessie teased.

Just seeing my children were alright made me relax and sigh out a breath of relief. They're okay. I don't need to worry right now. They're all right. No one has hurt them, or will, Kat won't let them and neither will I. "Thanks. I just, um-" I tried to explain what was going on, but I couldn't form the right words to explain how I felt in that moment in time.

Jessie was staring at me in a way that proved she understood what I meant. That she knew what it felt to worry about our kids, as any other normal parent would in times like these. Kat may have been grown up and capable of looking out for herself, as she had proven to us time and time again, but I still worried about her too. Carl, I was always worried about him, same with Judith, but it's because they are both so young. "It's okay. I get it," Jessie assured me that she understood where I was coming from.

Stepping away from Jessie, so I could get a better look at her, I knew Kat and Carl were safe and looking after Judith. Turning to Jessie, I wanted to ask for forgiveness in breaking whatever it was she had in her garage. "Look, I'm sorry I broke whatever that was I broke," I apologized for what I had broke back in her house.

Jessie would glance back and fourth between myself and my kids, as though she too was keeping an eye on them, just in case. For me, it was hard to readjust to this world, to a life that I had before, minus Lori and including Judith. "It's a sculpture I'm making with the boys," she explained what exactly it was I ran into. "It's an owl. I mean, it will be. I just can't get the eyes right," she confessed on where she was going wrong when it came to the sculpture.

"Right, the eyes," I mumbled in agreement, despite not having a clue it was supposed to be an owl as I didn't get to see it before crashing into it. I only saw it when it was broken on the floor because of the impacting collision I had with it.

Pulling a face of both a smile and of playful teasing, I could tell she was only messing with me. Although, I did feel a little bad that I didn't pay much attention to where I was going and what I was actually doing. "You didn't even get a good look at it," Jessie pointed out.

Sighing, I didn't know if I should tell her the truth, or if I should have joked back or lied. Instead, I decided to just answer her truthfully. Although, it was difficult for me to connect to anyone who wasn't my family, as they didn't know me or respect what I did the way the others did. "I was in the middle of losing my mind. Thank you," I thanked her and explained briefly that I was losing it over the thought of losing my kids to a bunch of strangers.

Pursing her lips, she nodded and stared at me. "You're welcome," she replied kindly and I began to walk away. Turning my back to her, I made my way to my kids and wanted to spend more time with them. "Hey, Rick. Would it be okay if Carl came over now?" Jessie stopped me with a question, making me turn to look at her. "Ron really wants to meet him," she gave a reasonable suggestion as to why our kids should meet.


CPOV

Dad had come up to us, saying that I should go over to Ron's house, to meet him and his friends. Agreeing, I was going to head there alone, until Kat handed Judith over to dad and said she was coming with. I knew she was only looking after me and I knew that this way, we could spend small quality time together. Walking back to Jessie's house with both Kat and Jessie, I kept my eyes glued to my feet as we walked. "So, Kat...how old are you?" Jessie asked Kat, a small smile playing on the young woman's lips.

Kat looked to Jessie, her brows furrowing and her lips forming a thin line before she spoke. "21, why?" she questioned why the woman wanted to know anything about her and her age. Truthfully, wanting to find out Kat's age made me curious too, as not many people cared about age anymore. Unless it came to me and Judith, then everyone cared how old we were and how much shit we had seen.

"You just...seem older than that, more mature," Jessie shrugged as she smiled warmly to Kat, it was a smile that didn't measure to Kat's or anyone else I knew and cared about. Jessie seemed genuine, but I didn't care that much for her to be affected by anything she did or even said.

Walking up her porch steps, I looked to the pair and kept my gaze on Kat. Wondering if she would respond horribly or with a kind tone in her voice. Before we had showered, she had said she was proud of how polite I had been with Aaron, which made me wonder if she'd follow mine and mom's examples. "I guess the world made me this way," Kat shrugged.

As we entered Jessie's home, we found Ron was climbing down the stairs, wanting to get himself a drink and Sam was coloring in a book quietly. Introducing us to her children, we all exchanged polite hello's and Kat turned to leave me alone with them. "You want to stay for some coffee?" Jessie stopped Kat, possibly to talk to Kat about us and herself, maybe she even wanted to discuss our dad.

Kat glanced between myself and Jessie, but when she looked to me, it was as though she had already made her decision there and then. Truthfully, I didn't want her to go, just in case something happened to either of us. Something told me, she felt it too. "Sure," she accepted Jessie's offer to drink coffee together.

Telling me the others were upstairs, I followed after Ron and could hear Kat chatting with Jessie downstairs. Hearing Kat's voice gave me a little bit of comfort and strength to keep this act up. "Hey, your sister...she's pretty hot," Ron commented, which made my blood boil a little bit under my skin. Why is it that ever guy we come across, one of them always wants to stare at my sister like she's a piece of meat.

Feeling protective over my sister, I stopped in my tracks and stared at Ron. My muscles tense and eyes glued to him, hiding a glare from him that I knew was piercing his soul as he stopped beside me. "Here's somethings you need to know, don't talk about my sister like that and two...she's already practically with someone," I warned him, thinking of Daryl and how he looked at Kat with love, respect and adoration in his eyes. Daryl hardly ever looked to Kat as a piece of meat, he mostly looked at her like she was the most beautiful girl in the world.

Ron then looked at me with slight surprise, as though he was shocked to hear my sister could find a man that could be better than the boy he was. Kat had Daryl, and Daryl had Kat, the only thing was, they couldn't see it. But the rest of us could. "Who?" Ron asked with his eyebrows raised, curious to know who the lucky guy was.

Of course, to not put my foot in it, and to keep our business ours, I didn't feel the need to gossip about issues that he didn't need to know. So, I kept what I knew to myself. Not to mention, I didn't want the pair of them to hate me because of not needed and unknown gossip. "None of your business," I grumbled before I walked past him and continued to where he was going.

Upon hearing my response he shook it off as though the conversation never existed, which proved that they didn't care unless it was something that would either effect them or if it was gossip juicy enough for them to sink their teeth into. "Anyway, we're almost always here after school, so you can come by any time," he tried to encourage me to come to his place more often.

Just hearing the word school surprised me, which made me think back to a time without walkers, where instead of waking up in the middle of the night, I would wake up early morning to get ready for school. When Kat would take me and mom would pick me up. Memories flooded my head both good and bad. "You go to school?" I asked him, surprised to hear this town still ran an education system.

Laughing softly at the thought, Ron nodded and kept walking to wherever he was taking me. "It's in a garage. Little kids go in the morning and then it's us in the afternoon," he explained how the hours and classes went. It made me wonder if it was a teacher or if it was like when I was a kid, when mom would sit with me and help me with my books. "Probably you, too, right?" Ron asked me, curious to know if I would be joining him and the others.

Unsure if I was ready for that, I didn't want to reject the offer, but I didn't want to agree with the thought of going back to school, like nothing had happened. "Probably," I laughed, not denying the possibility of going to school and not accepting it either.

Wandering into a bedroom, I found a girl sat on the bed, reading a book and a guy sat on a chair, playing video games. "Guys, this is Carl. Carl, this is Mikey and Enid," Ron introduced me to the pair and pointed to each of the kids. Mikey got up, but Enid stayed still and wouldn't look at me. "Enid's from outside, too. She just came eight months ago," Ron gave me a little bit of Enid's history.

Glancing around the room, I realized it looked very similar to the room that I had found next door to the house we had been staying in. How the room was filled with comic books, music, coloring books and posters, very similar to the one in this room. "Oh, um...is this yours?" I asked as I pulled out the comic book I kept in my back pocket.

The way Ron had his hand on Enid's back, showed that he was clearly eiher romantically interested in her, or they were already together as a couple. Juding by how she didn't mind him touching her, she was comfortable with him and already seeing him. "Sorry. We didn't know you guys got that house," Ron apologized.

"We mostly just hang out there and listen to music," Mickey spoke up. "That's Enid's," he informed me of who owned the comic book I had read all through the night until I fell asleep. Even Kat fell asleep before I did and truthfully, I was comfortable with it.

Pointing towards the TV, I could sense Ron was going to ask me something and I wasn't sure how I felt about it all. "Want to play some video games?" he asked me. "Or Mikey's house has a pool table, but his dad's kind of strict about it," he tried to explain the situation and how things happened here.

"It's okay. He's at work," Mikey reassured us that we'd be fine if we wanted to go over and shoot some pool. Yet, I didn't have any experience or interest in it.

On the other hand, I didn't know how to respond, didn't know how to act. It was so strange to be talking to other kids, especially since the prison fell and I was the only kid surviving. I was left speechless, overthinking everything and how bizzar the whole situation was for me. "Sorry, I guess we come on kind of strong. We can just hang out," Ron both apologized and gave me an alternative.

"You don't even have to talk if you don't wanna," Mikey said.

As the pair spoke, the more I realized I wasn't like them. How I wasn't weak and used to this unexpierenced world. I'd been out there, I fought against walkers and bad people. I kept survivnig, while they kept hiding. "Yeah, took Enid three weeks to say something," Ron informed me more about Enid.

Not looking at any of them, I then realized further that since Enid had got here, she too had been out there, like I was. She too knew what it was like to be out there and I still couldn't readjust to the type of life we all wanted. "Pull it together, sport," Enid encouraged me as I saw her watching me from the corner of my eye.

Her words gave me a sort of strenght I hadn't felt, an ecouragement to go back to a life I didn't know I could relive. She too knew what it felt like to be out there, to survive and keep surviving. She too may have met bad people like I had and I needed to pull it together like she had enocuraged. "Let's, um-let's play some video games," I nodded and looked to the video game Mikey had been playing before I came into the room with Ron. The pair of them agreeing before we all sat down and played a few games while Enid watched or read quietly to herself. She seems very...reserved.


RPOV

Walking up the stairs, I had spent some time with Judith and Kat had come back home early. Earlier than Carl and said she'd come pick him up later. When Carl and Kat came back, Kat was talking to Carl as they went up the stairs, to their rooms. Leaving Judith with Michonne, I wandered up the stairs and could hear Kat and Carl talking quietly. "Carl you-" Kat tried to say something, but Carl cut her off.

I could hear a loud sigh before Carl's voice took over Kat's kind and warm voice. Kat's voice was also filled with something I hadn't heard in a while, and that was concern for her baby brother. "It doesn't matter," Carl reassured her of whatever it was they were talking about. "It's hard to explain anyway," he told her.

Stepping into their room, the pair of them grew quiet and Kat was sat on Carl's bed. Her lips pursed and blue eyes glued on Carl. Carl was chewing on the inside of his cheek before he sat down and laid out on his bed. Kat shuffled a little to give him some leg room and glanced up at me with the same look. "Hey. How was Ron's house?" I asked the pair of them.

Carl had sighed deeply. His head was propped up on the pillow, his gaze glued to me and he would glance at Kat from the corner of his eyes. Kat was being unpredictably quiet and I wasn't sure what they were talking about prior to me coming into the room. "What do you think of this place?" Carl asked me.

"Well, I think it seems...nice," I answered, unsure exactly how I felt about it all in general. Knowing that there was lots that needed to change and more things needed to be improved.

Nodding, Carl then looked to Kat and she kept her prused lips as they were, but smiled kindly to Carl as she watched him. "Yeah. I like it here," Carl agreed with me. "I like the people. But they're weak," he confessed his thoughts and feelings to the majority of the people that lived here. "And I don't want us to get weak, too," he spoke with worry in his voice and I look to Kat, humming in agreement as I stood beside them. Thinking about his words, I too was worried for us and our strenght. But part of me told me that I shouldn't be. All I knew, was that they were weak here in Alexandria in comparison to us.


MPOV

The second night, we all agreed to stay under the same roof and in the same room that night. Waking up, I was alert once more, I propped myself up on my elbows and glanced around. Everyone was asleep, everyone except Rick and myself. Walking over to him, he was staring out the window, staring into the streets of Alexandria. "Deanna hasn't given me a job yet," I said.

My arms were crossed over my chest, as I stared between the streets to Rick. He seemed out of it, like he wasn't sure if this was the right or wrong place to bring us all here to. Like he didn't trust anyone here, just in case it was all an act. "You want one?" he asked me.

Not needing to think too long about it, Rick stared at me and I kept my eyes glued on his. As best as I could, considering it was dark out and not much light was coming into the room. "Yeah. Do you?" I answered and asked him a question at the same time.

Waiting for his answer, he looked away and laughed faintly through his nose. It was as though he couldn't believe I would agree to living in a place like this. This had been the exact place we had been looking for, all we could ever have dreamed of and he was just pushing it away. "That's signing the papers," he told me. "That's saying yes, this is how it is," he spoke of it like it was a bad thing.

Something about how he held himself, of how he didn't want to agree with how things were worried me. It made me wonder if he was all here and if he was willing to let go of how close we were of losing ourselves. We had been out there long enough and Rick needed to come back to the man he was back at the prison. "You afraid to do that?" I asked him.

"Aren't you?" Rick threw back at me, quirking a brow up at me and looking down at me.

The way he stared down at me, made me curious and I thought over everything. I understood how he wanted to protect his family and protect us, but I then worried about how he didn't think of the facts, that this place was us taking back the world. This was succeeding, not just surviving. It was an ongoing process of returning to the way we all once were. "No," I answered him honestly.

I didn't trust the people here blinding, but I did have a feeling that this place would be good for us. A place to rest our heads without needing to keep an eye opened. It was a place Judith could cry and not worry that a walker was around the corner. It was a place where said walkers couldn't pass, if we took good care of making sure no one or thing could pass the gates or walls. "So then why are we both awake?" Rick questioned me, getting under my skin with the questions he could throw at me at times. "I'm gonna take a walk," Rick said after a long sigh, before brushing past me, he placed his hand delicately on my shoulder, as though to comfort me in my lingering thoughts. But, it was no help as multiple questions circled inside my head.


RPOV

Zipping up my jacket, as I knew it was warm during the day, but at night, it was mostly always cold. Tonight, it was a cold one. Wandering the streets, I needed some fresh air and some time alone. Not that I didn't enjoy Michonne's company, but I needed to clear my head. The voice of a man called to me. "You're Rick," it said.

Looking to the direction of where the sound came from, I saw it was a man sat on the front porch of a familiar house. It was Jessie's house. "Yeah," I agreed, slowing my pace and nodding in the direction of the man.

Sat on a seat, his skin glowed a little from the light and the shadows still covered more than half of his face and body. I could hardly tell what he looked like, just that he was big and his face long enough to show very faint signs of his facial features. "My wife cut your hair," the man said.

As I looked to the porch, it became even more familiar to me as to who's house it was. It was Jessie's house and the man out front was her husband. Her husband was sipping on his beer, smoking his cigarette, enjoying the cool night air and I could tell something wasn't quite right about him. "Yeah," I agreed. Jessie would of mentioned him...right?

Something didn't seem right about her husband and I couldn't point out what it was. All I knew, was I didn't like how he sipped his beer carelessly, how he smoked his cigarette and spoke without introducing himself. Something told me, he was drinking for all the wrong reasons. "Welcome to Alexandria," he welcomed me before having another drag of his cigarette. Nodding, I walked past him and knew best not to continue the conversation with him in that state. Something doesn't feel quite right.


DPOV

Fixing up my bow, I was trying to clean between the wires and fixing it up a little to kill some time. I didn't like staying here in Alexandria, as I didn't feel at all accepted and I didn't know what to do. People that passed, would look at me with fear and uncertainty. Something inside me made me feel like no one wanted to get to know me, so I kept to myself, like I had done when I would be around people before the walkers roamed the earth.

The sound of a door opening made me look to it, seeing Carol step out and Kat shortly after, the majority of our group had showered and got ready for work. All except the few that got ready, just to go out and explore until they needed to do something else, for example, Carl was up and would later go to school. "Time to punch the clock and make the casseroles," Carol said as she fixed up her clothes.

Carol was wearing a blouse, a cardigan and some pants. Her shoes were no longer her comfortable shoes, but pumps that I would of imagined her to wear before Ed was around and before the walkers roamed. She looked good. Kat, she looked beautiful as always. Her hair up in a hair tie, she wore a dark green shirt that wasn't buttoned up, and a top that was white and loose. She didn't get rid of her jeans and comfortable boots, but she did keep some small things she did alive. Like her hair up, her boots and tight jeans. "What?" I asked Carol.

The tone Carol had used was one that sounded too high and neighbour friendly to be her. I didn't buy her act one moment, but I knew the people from Alexandria would. But that was only because they didn't know Carol like I did. "Make dinner for the older people, moms who need a break, people who can't cook," she told me what her job was. "Get to meet a lot of the neighbors that way," she said as she nodded.

The look in Carol's eyes made me realize she was trying to convince me to do the same. To follow her lead and get to know people in a friendly way. Yeah, I'll bake these assholes a cake. Scoffing, I kept fixing my bow and looked over to Kat, her arms crossed over her chest as she watched mine and Carol's interaction. "All right," I replied to Carol, unsure of what she actually wanted me to say.

Looking me up and down, I knew Carol was taking in my dirty, filthy self and taking the time to compare herself and the others to myself. I didn't want to shower or change for these people, as I was me and that wasn't going to change. It hadn't before it all started, so I wasn't going to start it now. "Have you taken a shower yet?" Carol asked me. Humming and nodding, I could only hope she'd buy my lie. "Take a shower. I'm gonna wash that vest. We need to keep up appearances, even you," she ordered me around, treating me like she was my mother.

Listening to her, I knew she wouldn't of bought my lie, just like I wasn't buying her act. Yet, I knew she was only trying to look out for me this way. But I was always an outsider and it wasn't going to change today or tomorrow. Because a shower wasn't going to change who I am. "Hey, I ain't starting now," I called out to her as she walked down the steps.

"I'm gonna hose you down in your sleep," she threatened, which gave me a dark image in my head. Carol was capable of anything and I wouldn't have been surprised if she did it.

I couldn't come up with anything smart or funny, so I decided to throw her an insult and knew she wouldn't take it to heart. It was just my way of being me, that she understood and enjoyed the playfulness of our talks. "You look ridiculous," I called back to her.

Watching as she walked away, she was acting all happy and chipper. Her hips swaying a little and a small spring was in her step. It was like she was actually excited for the day to come. "Thank you!" she shouted back to me as she kept walking.

Kat giggled, biting her bottom lip, she shook her head and looked to her feet. "You do know I'll hold you down while she hoses you, right?" Kat questioned me, but I stayed silent and would look at her shyly. It felt just like the time when I had met her. I hate this feeling, I can't be myself around her with all these...normal guys and people around us. "Have a shower and clean yourself up, we all need to keep appearances, like Carol said," Kat repeated Carol's words. "I'm going to head over to Deanna's, start making plans for the future of Alexandria," Kat said as she placed her hands on her hips and sighed.

When she'd place her hands on her hips, she reminded me a lot of Rick and her bright blue eyes only struck out more when she'd act this way. There were flecks of Lori in some things she did and said, but I knew Kat had her own small things about her. Things we all could point out and identify her with. "You're both insane!" I called to her as she too walked down the steps and went the same direction Carol went.

The way Kat was, it was like she fit perfectly in this world, in a world where she could be normal and surrounded by equally normal people. People that were nothing like me, I was a savage and animal beside them all. An outcast. But I couldn't help the connection I had with her, along with other people as we all got on well and were a family. "We know, thanks for reminding us!" Kat called and waved to me before she left me alone. Women...scoffing, I continued with fixing my bow and tried to keep myself busy for as long as I could.


KPOV

Listening to our work, I had made a few decisions with Deanna and Maggie. One of them, was deciding for Deanna to name my dad and Michonne as contables, but to keep it quiet until she was ready to tell them. Which, Deanna decided for it to be tomorrow in the morning. Moving away from the table of plans we had wrote down, I walked over to the front porch and saw Deanna and Maggie follow after me. I needed time alone, but I knew they were both being concerned about me. "Deanna, I thank you for giving me this position on the council, to help you build Alexandria to something bigger, better," I thanked her, keeping my back to her.

Taking a step closer, she leaned against the rails and looked to me. A kind look lingered in her eyes and I knew she was being genuine about being the understanding leader she was playing out to us. "But..." Deanna teased a little, but knew that this was what was going to come out of my mouth.

Trying to hide a smile, I was glad she could point out these things, she was showing me bit by bit that she was a smart woman. Maggie slowly approached me too, her arms crossed but when she came up beside me, she placed one hand on my shoulder, as to comfort and encourage me. "But I do need my space, time away from sitting around all day and making these plans for the future," I stated what I needed in order to stay sane, to continue on the way I needed to, I needed to have time to myself and away from both family and this...familiar yet, unfamiliar world too.

Deanna nodded, listening to me and taking in what I was saying. Something inside of me told me that she truly did understand how I felt, that I just needed a breather and to be away from some things, from some people. "I understand, there may be days where you'll want to go on a run and other days where you might just want to go out with Daryl and go hunting," Deanna pointed out just the things that I would need in order to stay sane, to stay alert, to not become weak like Carl was worried about. "Maggie's told me all about the variation of tasks you do," Deanna said as she glanced to Maggie, who looked to Deanna with a pursed lipped smile.

Looking to Maggie, she gave me a sad but warm look in her eyes. I knew she was looking out for me, even when she didn't have to. "And you also must know that being a carer of my sister is one of them," I incuded as I looked to Deanna. "I've already lost her once, I don't plan on doing that again and there has been plenty of time lost with her," I tried to explain my situation with Judith. "I only hope you understand," I sighed and looked to my fingers which were subconsciously running along the rails.

"Completely," Deanna assured me.

Maggie's hand squeezed my shoulder and across my shoulder blades, causing me to look at her. Her eyes were kind and her smile sweet as she looked at me comfortingly. Maggie was someone I trusted since day one and I knew I could still trust her. "If you ever need us Kat, we're here," Maggie said as she nodded once to me.

Deanna's hand gently touched my elbow, as though trying to get my attention and give me comfort at the same time. Turning my head to Deanna, I saw her reflect the same expression Maggie gave me. "You know where we are, when you decide to come back to us," Deanna said in a strong and confident voice, sure that I'd be back sooner than I'd possibly plan.

Uncertainty was something that always stayed with me, as I wasn't sure if I'd be back at all. All I knew, was I needed to get behind the wall and experience the threat again. I needed it, as it was what kept me, Carl, dad and Judith alive. "Right now, I need a break," I told them. "And my bow and quiver, I need some time out, behind the walls," I stated to them what I needed. "I'll also be keeping my weapon, Carl wants to learn how to use it," I tried to convince Deanna to let me keep my bow and quiver.

Deanna nodded and gave me a look of understanding, but something behind her eyes made me doubt if she was truly happy with my decisions. I didn't know if it was because of my choice in keeping my weapon, or because I was going to teach my brother how to use it. "We'll handle this," Maggie said, which made me look to her once again.

Each time, Maggie was proving to be someone I could trust and admire. She was already family, but she was also a really good friend of mine. She had helped give birth to my sister and she was there for my family when I couldn't be. I admired her for it all, even more so now, that she had lost everything but us and Glenn. "Thanks Maggie," I thanked her and then looked to Deanna. "Deanna," I said both their names, not only out of respect but as a way to thank both of them. Leaving the pair of them, they watched as I left and headed to the armory.

Before heading over to the house, I went to get my weapons and checked them out, also informing them that I was going to keep my bow and quiver. Daryl was still sat outside the porch, focused on fixing his bow and not paying any attention to me. Entering the house, I found Michonne and Judith sat on the couch together, Michonne was reading her a nursery book and was making her way to the kitchen. "Hey Michonne," I greeted my best friend. "Hey baby girl," I greeted Judith as she called me 'mama' and smiled at my sudden presence.

Michonne laughed softly at Judith's reaction and leaned Judith closer to me. Kissing Judith's cheek, I listened to my baby sister giggle and laughed softly. "You're back early," Michonne commented as she watched me take off my green shirt and tie up my top. Making my top tighter, I also allowed my top to rise a little, this way, it showed off my waist and belly-button.

The heat out there, walking around in the sun and with walkers coming closer wasn't going to help me stop sweating or to run easily. Clothes added weight and heat, that much was what I had learned from Andrea and Rosita. "I'm going to go out for some fresh air," I told her as I tightened up my boots laces. "Have you seen my dad? Carl?" I asked her for my brother and father.

Knowing Carl had his first class today, I wondered what time he would finish and could only hope he'd be back home soon and safely. "Carl's supposed to be in school, but he would be back by now, he must be at Ron's house," Michonne shrugged it off, which I could possibly believe to be true, but something in my gutt said otherwise. "As for your dad, he went to check the walls, but that was some time ago," Michonne gave me more information about my family members.

Redoing my hair, I made sure my hair was tied higher and tighter. Keeping hair out of my face, I readjusted my bow and quiver, prepared to go out. Checking my ammo, I had a full clip and made sure for the time being, my gun was on safety. "I was heading out myself," I informed her of my plans and leaned over to give Judith a kiss on the cheek goodbye. "Take care of Judith while I'm gone?" I asked her, to which she nodded in agreement and walked me to the door. Walking past Daryl, we nodded to one each other in an exchange of both a greeting and assureance to stand gaurd in both places. He'll take care of Judith too. I know he will.


CPOV

Messing around in a spare room in the house next door, I didn't want to be with Daryl or Michonne in the house. I wanted to spend some time alone, I told him to tell Michonne I was going to be hanging out with Ron, Mikey and Enid later. A figure out the corner of my eye caught my attention, when I looked to the figure, I saw it was Enid. She had a backpack on her back and was looking around, as though looking out for people who were watching her. Following her, I saw how she used what looked like sticks or metal rods to pierce into the holes of the walls, so she could climb up and over the wall.

Following her lead, I sneaked out of the house and took my hat with me. Watching Enid, I saw how she moved, how she would brush past trees and sneak around the branches that could snap under her feet. Hearing something to one side, Enid went running and left me behind the tree, watching her and no longer knowing where she disappeared to. Running after her, I was trying not to be loud and pulled out my knife, in case a walker came in my direction and I wasn't being alert enough.

Looking through the trees, I couldn't find Enid anywhere and wondered where she had gone. I wondered where she would go. There were lots of questions in my head that were left unanswered. I didn't want my presence to be unknown, but I didn't know if she would trust me enough. The smart move, was to not trust me to be capable of keeping her and myself safe. I'd lost her, sighing, I decided to keep walking and just stay out in the woods for a while. To reconnect to the danger of the world outside the walls. To not be weak like I feared would happen to myself and the others. As long as I could provent it, I would.


RPOV

As I wandered out the gates, I thought about my plan and what I needed to do. I had to find the gun and store it for the plan I had later. If these people wouldn't or couldn't change, we'd take the place from them and I knew that it was either that, or something else. So far, I felt the first choice was the best plan. Seeing the walls, I saw how they were being supported by bars, the metal surrounding strong enough to keep walkers out. Tapping them, I was checking to see how sturdy and strong it was.

Walking through the woods, I was staying alert and when I heard something collide into a wooden door, I looked to where the noise came from. Instinctively, my gun was in my hand and cocked to the threat, once I saw it was just a walker, I then saw another walker make its way towards me. But it was too far away, I could walk away from it quick enough to not need my gun or to kill them. They weren't a threat to me, not anymore.

Lowering my gun, I turned my back and kept walking. Finding the place I had stashed my extra gun, I picked up the blender and crouched down. Pulling off the lid, I found the blender to be empty. Glaring at a spot, I was breathing heavily and wiping the sweat from my top lip. Throwing the lid to the gound angrily, I wanted to scream and kill something. Someone is still watching us! Before long, I could hear snarling coming towards me. Looking to the sound, I could see four walkers making their way to me. Standing up straight, I knew it was time to prepare and kill the walkers.

Placing my gun back into my holster, I removed my bag of ammo and water from my torso and pulled out my knife. Looking to my right, I saw Carl appear from the trees and approach me. His hat on his head, I was surprised to find him out here, but I knew he was just wanting to stay strong, just like I was. Instead of scolding him, I knew it was better to work together and to keep ourselves alert. Instinctively, we both made our way to stand together, to fight against the walkers.

Not needing to tell him to get his knife out, he had pulled it out and began swaying on his feet. As though he was warming up, his arms up and fists clenched tight. Doing the same as him, I glared at the walkers as they were making their way towards us. "Get ready," I ordered, and that was when it all began. We both fought off two walkers each. The first one, I bumped into it and pushed him back, digging my knife into its skull, the second one came running, to which I drove my knife into the side of his skull.

My third walker was making its way to Carl, as he was dropping a walker and it was taking his knife with him. Grabbing hold of the walker, I was waiting for the right moment to use my knife on him, but he kept pushing me back and I had removed the attention he was giving Carl, to place it onto myself. What happened next surprised me. A hand reached out and grabbed my leg, bringing my back and the other walker pushing me back to bite a chunck out of me. Just as I was going to kill the walker with my knife, as was Carl about to save me, a heard an arrow cut through the air and the tip come out of the walker in front of me's forehead.

Dropping the walker to the ground, myself and Carl looked up and saw it was Kat. Her bow in hand, eyes wide, chest rising and falling and an arrow placed back in her bow. Stepping forward, I got out of the walker's hold and pulled the walker out at the same time. Finding a metal rod, I picked it up and went to use it. Kat had already aimed her bow and arrow at the walker's head, but Carl placed his hands on both Kat's arm and mine. "I got this," he assured us, taking the metal rod from me, Carl sliced the rod into the walker's head. Killing it and the rest of us were panting.

Kat pulled out her arrow from the walker's head, looked between me and Carl. The way she looked to both of us, I knew she was thinking we were both crazy. Rather than saying a single word to their myself or Carl, Kat turned around and walked back to Alexandria, getting a good, long headstart. Something told me that Kat wasn't pleased with how myslef and Carl had handled that.


KPOV

At the moment I walked past the gates again, to come into Alexandria, I no longer knew how I felt. Considerin my brother was out in the woods and so was my dad. Before I saved the pair of them, dad hadn't even told Carl that he had to stay in the walls. Not that I didn't have faith Carl could handle himself, but I had fear that Carl wasn't capable of surviving without someone with him. Someone we trusted. Entering the gates, I knew dad and Carl were following after me, but what I saw, was Glenn and the others storming away from Deanna's run crew.

Once behind the gates, I saw the group of them were arguing. One of the guys was pushing Glenn around and Glenn was being passive about it all. Daryl was in the far back, watching the scene too and getting closer, just in case things got too out of hand between the asshole and Glenn. "Aiden! What is going on?" Deanna shouted from across the field as Deanna and Maggie made their way towards us.

Keeping my distance, I was spectating and I would only intervene if I needed to. I knew Glenn could take care of himself, especially with a lanky, dark haired boy that was holding the gun as though it were a prize. "This guy's got a problem with the way we do things," Aiden had answered Deanna. "Why did you let these people in?" Aiden asked his mother as he bit his bottom lip.

Michonne too was making her way towards us, which left me to believe Carol was taking care of Judith. And I knew I could trust Judith with Carol. Watching this conversation, I couldn't help but hate how arrogant Deanna's son was. "Because we actually know what we're doing out there," Glenn said, which only made Aiden react the way an amature would.

Scrunching up his face, Aiden went to punch Glenn, but it only caused Glenn to duck and connect his clenched up fist against Aiden's face. Knocking the young boy on his ass, I got closer and watched as this all played out. "Aiden, no!" Deanna tried to stop her son from hitting Glenn. "That's enough!" Deanna tried to command the rest of us. "I said that is enough!" Deanna screamed when she saw Nicholas drop his things and rush to attack Glenn.

Before Nicholas could attack Glenn, Daryl was already there. Tackling Nicholas, Daryl pinned Nicholas down and Michonne stood beside Glenn and over Aiden. As though she was trying to take control of the situation and defend her friend. "Whoa, whoa! Hey, hey, hey!" dad shouted as he ran towards Daryl and wrapped his arms around him from behind, whispering something in Daryl's ear before trying to pull him back. "Tell him," dad looked to me as he sucessfully pulled Daryl off of Nicholas.

Moving forward, I placed a hand on Daryl's chest, to bring him back to the situation in front of him, and to the impression he was giving on those that watched us. Trying to look in his eyes, once his met mine, he would quickly look away and back at Nicholas. "Daryl, please, calm down," I had pleaded with him. "Stop, please," I asked as he panted, he then looked to me and kept my gaze. Calming down, I noticed he was listening to me and was coming back to his senses.

Michonne watched over Aiden as he got back to his feet. Glenn had moved away and Tara and Noah got closer to him. Maggie was beside Deanna, watching as dad moved closer to her aswell and slowly, I positioned my body to look to Carl, near the far end, which also had Deanna and Aiden in my way. While i kept my hand on Daryl's chest. "You want to end up on your ass again?" Michonne questioned Aiden threateningly.

Keeping Daryl back, he would pace, but he was starting to slow down his pacing and would glance between myself and Nicholas. "I want everyone to hear me, okay?" Deanna called out, getting everyone's attention the way she should have. "Rick and his people are part of this community now in all ways as equals," she declared to everyone who was hearing and those that weren't possibly around because of other reasons. "Understood?" she questioned as she glanced at her son.

Aiden shied his gaze from his mother, knowing he had done wrong and that his mother's rules were the rules. It was how things were done and how they were to be done. She was the one that cracked the whip, and we were all to do as she had said. "Understood," Aiden agreed with her.

Looking to all of us, Deanna kept her eyes firm and would keep her voice firmer. She was a woman of power and secretly, I did admire her. "All of you, turn in your weapons," she ordered. "Then you two come talk to me," she pointed to Aiden and Nicholas, letting everyone go their separate ways. "I told you I had a job for you. I'd like you to be our constable. That's what you were. That's what you are," Deanna said to dad as she smiled as she spoke of his job offer. "And you, too," she informed Michonne that Deanna wanted her to be constable too. "Will you accept?" she asked of them.

Dad and Michonne agreed to her request of them taking the job offer. Seeing how the pair looked to one another, dad then glanced to me and gave me a look that was asking me for my opinion. Nodding, I smiled at him and he took that as his final nudge to accepting. Daryl scoffed when he saw the pair accept Deanna's request of them being the town's constables. "Thank you," Deanna thanked Glenn as she looked up at him.

Daryl had picked up his bow and walked off after dad and Michonne accepted the offer of the job. Watching him walk away, I worried for him and I was more concerned about him than what I was for the situation that was going on. I hated how he was pushing other people out of his life, how he was isolating himself, even around us. "For what?" Glenn asked her, confused as to why she'd be thanking him.

"For knocking him on his ass," Deanna stated the reason as to why she was thanking him. Smiling, I looked to Maggie and saw she too was smiling. Despite the fight, she was sticking up for us, she made us authority here and made us do certain jobs that could have been given to others from this town. I like Deanna, a lot.


DPOV

Since Aiden and Glenn began arguing, I was already there, waiting and watching. Knowing something was going to go down, I saw how Kat watched the discussion taking place too. She had come through the gate, which worried me a little. Unable to help it, I did give her flat, smooth stomach a glance. The skin reveal was a little distracting, which was another reason why I couldn't look at her. "Why did you let these people in?" Aiden had asked Deanna after she had asked what was going on between him and Glenn.

Glenn was staring at Aiden, as though he was pissed off with him and it made me wonder what had gone on outside on the run. Aiden was looking at his mom, as though he would convince her he was right, but that was uncertain of. All I could hope, was she'd see we were right. "Because we actually know what we're doing out there," Glenn said, which only infuriated Aiden.

Before I knew it, Glenn had ducked Aiden's hit and punched him square in the face. Knocking Aiden on his ass, I saw Nicholas drop all his things and I followed his lead by dropping my crossbow. Nicholas was going to attack Glenn for defending himself, before he could even touch Glenn, I had tackled Nicholas and pinned him to the ground. Deanna was screaming for us to stop, but I wasn't going to let this asshole get up to hurt Glenn. "Whoa, whoa! Hey, hey, hey!" I heard Rick from the distance. "Let's not do this now," he said into my ear once he had wrapped his arms around me and pulled me back. "Tell him," Rick ordered Kat to come over and handle me.

Kat wandered over to me, putting her hand on my chest and stared at me. Her bright blues trying to find mine and I could see how she was trying her hardest to get my attention. Attempting to calm me, but I couldn't stay still as I kept pacing, panting and kept my glare on Nicholas. "Daryl, please, calm down," Kat pleaded. "Stop, please," she had tried again.

Looking into her eyes, I saw how she was trying her hardest to calm me down and without warning to myself, it was working. My pulse slowed down, as did my pacing and I was no longer glaring down Nicholas, but glancing around me and seeing how some people were watching all of us like we were a group of animals. "You want to end up on your ass again?" Michonne questioned Aiden threateningly as he got back up on his feet.

Looking to all of us, Deanna stood firm and tall. I could tell she was going to make some powerful speech to everyone about how we were a part of this town. That we were a part of their community. "I want everyone to hear me, okay?" she demanded for attention. "Rick and his people are part of this community now in all ways as equals," she said what I knew she would say. "Understood?" she questioned anyone who would try and object to these words spoken.

"Understood," Aiden agreed with his mother's demand and delcaration.

Kat had turned her body to be able to look to both sides of the conversations, rather than keeping her back to me. Her hand would still graze my chest as I'd pace around. "All of you, turn in your weapons," Deanna ordered. "Then you two come talk to me," Deanna pointed to Nicholas and Aiden. "I told you I had a job for you. I'd like you to be our constable. That's what you were. That's what you are," Deanna told Rick what his job was. "And you, too," she said to Michonne, who would also become a constable. "Will you accept?" she asked them and both of them exchanged looks. But the one that sealed the deal, was Kat as her dad looked to her for the final opinion. Scoffing, I shook my head and turned to pick up my crossbow.

Walking away, I didn't want to hear anything else. Seeing as Rick was going to play cop again and I was still without a job. Still without a place in this shit town. In a place I was rejected in minutely. This place was nothing like the prison, people there respected me and knew what I was like out in the woods. I would feed them, here I can't feed anyone, unless its myself and my group. Here, I felt like that outcast again and like someone who was of no use here. Walking back to the house, I'd prefer to be with Judith and Carol as everyone spoke of their jobs and spoke to other normal people.


CPOV

Watching the fight, everyone was dealing with things in their own way. Dad had stopped Daryl from what he was doing, but Kat was the one to calm him down. When dad and Michonne accepted Deanna's offer, Daryl wasn't happy. Just seeing how divided everyone was, I wondered what was going on and how anything would get fixed. As I glanced to Enid, she looked at me like she knew I was following her, she would hardly look into my eyes. "You don't like me, do you?" I asked her.

Not saying a word, or giving me a glance in my direction, she clutched her backpack tighter and began walking away from me. Taking a few steps, she stopped and turned her head to look over her shoulder. Yet, she still didn't look at me. "Because you scare me," she told me quietly and turned her head to look forward before she continued walking again. Hearing this, it made me confused as to what she would be scared of me for.


RPOV

Climbing down the stairs, Kat was the one beside the door as everyone else was sat around. I was ready for my first shift as a cop, doing my job and keeping my footsteps slow. I didn't know what I was to do, but I'd keep watch for anything that would try and hurt us all. Climbing down the stairs, I saw how everyone looked at me, some with pride, some with uncertainty. Kat was near the door, near Daryl, who was taking a smoke. "Stay safe," Kat said as she pulled me into a hug, which was what Lori used to say to me. "I'm going to miss you dad," she whispered, much like when she was a child.

This was the type of ritual we would always have when she was a kid. Even as she was growing up, we would always do this. Especially on my night shifts, as that was the time Kat always believed was the most dangerous. "I'll miss you too Kit-Kat," I told her, following our ritual and it made her laugh softly. "Be good to your brother and sister," I said as we pulled away slowly, gently, Kat kissed my cheek and let her lips linger there for a moment longer than she normally did.

Hearing my words, Kat pulled away and smiled widely. She too knew we were following our ritual and it made me smile down at her. Flashes of her when she was a kid, her big curles, big blue eyes and sweet smile flashed behind my lids when I would blink. But when I looked at her, she was that beautiful grown woman I was proud to call my daughter. "Always," she replied to me.

Walking away from her, I couldn't help but notice how she would stare at me with that same look again. Adoration, like I was her hero and it always gave me courage. Gave me strength and I couldn't help the swelling in my heart at the thought and feelings that rushed into me. Much like the past, but in different circumstances. Everything was strange, but I cherished this moment, like every other. Kat had closed the door behind me and walked away from the door. "We good?" I asked Daryl, who was enjoying the night air with a cigarette between his lips.

Wondering if Daryl was mad at me, I didn't want him to be, but I would respect him if he was. But the way he looked at me, it showed different. He already forgave me for holding him back, but he was doing it for a good reason. "Yeah," Daryl replied to me. "You a cop again?" he asked, possibly wondering what my game plan was now. I already knew what it was, I knew it the moment I realized just how weak these people were and how they tried their hardest to fix things, but the only one that seemed the most reasonable, was Deanna and maybe even Jessie.

Sighing, I was wondering if Deanna was doing this to get people seeing us as a part of this town, or if she was doing it to benefit all of us. I knew how to do my job, but things had changed and this all felt like some type of game. These people needed to change if they were to survive beyond the walls. "I'm trying it on for size," I looked down at my feet and then at Daryl as I answered him.

Hearing a door open, I heard footsteps come closer and saw how Carol was getting closer to us, listening to our conversation and possibly trying to figure out what was going on with all of us. "So we're staying?" Carol asked me after a few moments of us three being silent. Daryl was twirling his cigarette in his fingers before he began to continue smoking.

Knowing what I was about to say could either come across as good, or bad, I didn't know how to paint out what was going on in my head. But I trusted both of them enough to know that they'd stick by me, no matter what happened. Especially seeing as they too were looking out for my family and our entire family. "I think we can start sleeping in our own homes. Settle in," I encouraged them to start putting their own belongings in their homes, to get used to being here and to live here.

As I spoke, I kept nodding and getting closer to Carol. She had her hands overlapping each other, looking between myself and Daryl, I could tell she was wondering what was happening. She too didn't think this place was capable of staying up for long, unless we changed it. "If we get comfortable here, we let our guard down...this place is gonna make us weak," she was concerned about how we'd forget the fight, how we'd forget the survival we'd been through out there.

Thing was, I knew we were stronger now and that it was in our bones, survival was a natural thing for us now. "Carl said that," I told them, knowing they might be surprised by how my son could point this out too. "But it's not gonna happen. We won't get weak. That's not in us anymore," I explained it the best way I could. "We'll make it work. And if they can't make it..." I hesitated for a moment, waiting to give them time to let everything I've said sink in. "Then we'll just take this place," I shrugged and had walked away to look at the town, turning to face them, they both looked calm with my decision and plan of action.


I hope everyone liked this chapter. Now, I will say this...keep your eyes peeled for the next chapter that will hopefully come up sooner than you'd expect. Because...the next chapter is going to have something we've all been waiting for. It's going to be one hell of a chapter. Chapter 57, watch out for it! I've already planned out all season 5, so prepare yourself. Anyway, you guys know what I'm going to ask for...5 reviews please. Next one, I will definately require 10 reviews, as it will be a massive chapter. Anyway...


Questions for the reviews:

1) What did you think of this chapter?

2) What are your opinions about Daryl?

3) Did Kat get the job you expected?

4) How do you feel about Kat asking for time off sometimes?

5) What do you think is going to happen in the next chapter? Three guesses!


Until next chapter,

Much love!

HeroJustInTime90 xxx