We get to the fence of Terminus before sundown. We all peak through, overgrown vines and trees are our cover. "We all spread out, watch for a while, see what we see, and get ready." Rick directs us. We all start to move "we all stay close." Rick adds on.
"Hey" Daryl calls out to me as we walk. I turn to face him and he moves something off his back. He rifles through the trash bag he's been carrying and pulls somethin' out of it "here" he hands me a bow. It's not as simple as the one he taught me with but it's an upgrade.
"Were'd you get this?" I ask him. He looks down, and I know it was from one of the men who attacked us last night. I shake my head not accepting it "you got a gun?" I ask him.
He tilts his head, knowing I don't use guns "what?" he asks.
"I killed someone last night with a bow. I've killed someone with a gun. Doesn't really matter what I use anymore." I explain blankly with no emotion.
"No.. take the bow." he urges further. I sigh frustrated but don't want to keep arguing with him. I sling the new bow around my arm and move along side the fence for another view of Terminus.
We decide to go in a bit later, seeing nothing to stop us otherwise. We hop over a side fence and walk slowly down an alley way. We make our way inside a building and see people working. It's a large warehouse, no dead bodies, no walkers, just people. There's a women sitting in the middle talking over a radio. "Sanctuary for all" she says.
Rick interrupts her "hello" he says loudly. She stops, as does everybody else and stares at us. We all keep out hands on our weapons, ready to fight if we have to.
One of the men working puts his supplies down "well, I bet Albert is on perimeter watch." he walks over a bit closer to us "you here to rob us?" He asks.
"No." Rick responds "we wanted to see you before you saw us." he puts his gun in his holster.
He sighs out "makes sense." He starts to walk closer again "usually we do this where the tracks meet. Ahem." He makes sure he has everyone's attention in the room "Welcome to Terminus. I'm Gareth." he introduces himself. "Looks like you've been on the road for a good bit."
"We have." Rick states back. "Rick. That's Carl, Daryl, Sadie, Michonne." He introduces all of us.
Nothing but silence follows our mouths. Gareth catches on "you're nervous. I get it. We were all the same way. We came here for sanctuary. That what you're here for?"
"Yes." Rick says quickly back.
"Good. You found it. Hey, Alex." He calls back to someone. "This isn't as pretty as the front. We got nothing to hide, but the welcome wagon is a whole lot nicer." The man steps up next to him "Alex will take you, ask you a few questions. Uh, but first, we need to see everyone's weapons. If you could just lay them down in front of you." I look to Daryl, who looks to Rick. I follow suit when Rick nods and starts to lower his weapon. "All right. I'm sure you understand." Gareth encourages us.
Rick answers back "yes, I do."
We all lower our weapons and the two of them come over to search us, making sure we put everything down. "I'd hate to see the other guy." Alex comments while checking Daryl out.
"You would." Rick answers for us. Alex moves over to me now, and I can see Daryl from the corner of my eye stare him down.
"They deserve it?" he asks when he's patting me down.
"Yes." I grit through my teeth.
Gareth finishes checking Carl "just so you know, we aren't those kind of people, but we aren't stupid either. And you shouldn't be stupid enough to try anything stupid. As long as everyone's clear on that, we shouldn't have any problems. Just solutions. Okay." He finishes. He looks at us all before moving away.
Alex picks up Michonne's sword and hands it back to her. He goes to pick up my bow and Daryl steps forward just a bit. When he leans down to pick it up Daryl leans down to pick his own up, eyeing him hard. He returns Carl's and Rick's weapons before stating "follow me."
We follow him through a different door, out into the day light. The smell of food is overwhelming and I spot the women behind a stove flipping something over. "So how long's this place been here?" Rick asks as we pile out one by one.
"Since almost the start." He tells us. "When all the camps got overrun, people started finding this place. I think it was instinct, you know? Follow a path." We get closer to the food, to the women. "Some folks were heading to the coast, others out west or up north, but they all wound up here."
The women stares at us "Hi." She greats us. "Heard you came in the back door. Smart. You'll fit right in here." She smiles.
"Hey, Mary, would you fix each of these new folks a plate for me?" Alex tells her.
Michonne asks "why do you do it? Why do you let people in?"
The man grabs a plate "the more people become a part of us, we get stronger." I look over to Rick who is looking around the area. I spot what he's looking at, a poncho once worn by Daryl. It was packed away in the bus, not needed after winter. I look to him, worry crossing my mind. "That's why we put up the signs, invite people in." He stares at the man in front of him now. "It's how we survive. Here." He hands the food to Carl who accepts it.
"No." Rick quickly slaps it out of his hand and pulls the man to his chest. Michonne, Daryl, Carl and I take his lead and pull out our weapons, ready to fight off whomever comes after us. "Where the hell did you get this watch?" He demands. He has a gun to Alex's head, Glenn's watch in front of him, gleaming at us in the sunlight.