Chapter 8: Brutality

I was woken by a knock at my door and it didn't matter how many weeks I had been here or how often I knew it was just a person on the other side, I still jolted awake thinking it was a walker. Groaning as I rolled onto my side, I glared at the sun light that was pouring in through my curtains, straight across my eyes and I growled as I heaved myself up. My hair felt like a birds nest and I straightened my overly large shirt I stole from Vincent, my legs bare as I padded across to the door. It was already another warm day but then again it was probably late morning, I seemed to have a knack for sleeping in.

Half expecting Vincent at the door I unlocked it, rubbing my eyes as I yawned and opened the door, turning to head back to bed when the unfamiliar voice made me stutter.
"Goo, good morning." Hughes said from the door way and I hesitated; did I stand there in pride or did I scatter like a terrified mouse and find pants? Of course I was wearing underwear but that still didn't mean I liked showing off my skin to strangers. Hughes had adverted his eyes at least and I managed to move my legs, finding my pants draped over the dressing table.
"S, sorry, I thought you were dressed."
"I thought you were someone else, it's ok." I said, buttoning up my pants and pulling the brush through my knotted hair quickly. By the time I was at least decent, Hughes had looked back up at me and I shifted under his gaze.
"Did you want something?"

Hughes snapped back from whatever day dream he was having, I didn't want to know what it was about and cleared his throat.
"The towns throwing a picnic today, the Governor wants to make sure you'll be attending."
I scowled, why did he care if I went or not?
"Picnic?"
"Just a get together for the town, with so many new people he thought it was a good way for everyone to get to know each other better."
I nodded after I blinked a few times.
"Sure, I guess I'll be there."
Hughes lingered in the door way and I sucked on my bottom lip, not sure what else there was he wanted to say.
"Are you going with anyone?"
"With me." Vincent said behind Hughes, who snapped around and gave a nod.
"I just wanted to make sure, sure that she wasn't going to be lonely."
"Thanks anyway Hughes."
With a quick flash of a smile at me he scurried away and Vincent watched him leave down the corridor.

"He's a good guy, Vince, don't terrify him."
"It's my job," he said, closing the door behind him as I sank back into the mattress, "I have to make it difficult for them."
"I think I do a good job of that anyway."
Vincent chuckled, taking a seat and patting Trix that welcomed all the attention. I quickly went into the bathroom, getting dressed properly and tying my hair up out of my face; I wanted to braid it but it was just too hot to have so much on the back of my neck.
"So what's this picnic thing today?" I asked as I stepped back out, watching as Vincent thought hard for an answer.
"Just a way for the Governor to keep everyone happy, so that they don't want to leave."
I scowled slightly, lacing up my boots before I joined Vincent on the street.

I could see how tempting today was for people to stay in Woodbury was, but I hoped that it was also just a way to take everyone's mind of everything else. Children were playing games and the adults were enjoying cold drink, actual cold drinks! This place did just seem to keep getting better and better and the smell of cooking sausages made my mouth water; now I know why Mrs Richardson and some of the other older ladies were baking so many bread rolls. I was looking around for Trix, who had leapt off to play fetch with some of the kids when I bumped a lady. The cold drink spilt onto my arm, missing my black shirt luckily but it made a sticky patch on my purple shirt and I groaned.
"I'm sorry, I didn't meant to-"
"No I'm sorry," she said, the blonde lady turning around and looking at my shirt, "At least it won't stain, but I'm sorry."
"Nah, it's nice and cool at least." I chuckled and she nodded her head slowly, wide eyes looking around at the scene and I tried to think if I had seen her before but I couldn't place it, she must have been one of the two new people Vincent was telling me about.

"Isn't this place great?"
I tried to nod genuinely and she gave me a laugh, running the cool cup over the back of her neck before holding her hand out to mine.
"I'm Andrea."
"Jasmine."
We shared a smile before she wandered off, probably bored with my silence and began to speak with Milton. I watched, my eyes drifting over the two of them before I saw another lady looming in the background, dark dreadlocks hanging around her sharp face, arms crossed as she scrutinised the area before pausing on me. I didn't flinch away, and neither did she; I was about to go and introduce myself to her when she turned away, storming off with her hands in her pockets.

Deciding to slip away, Vincent off chatting with a group of people, I looked at the wall, armed with only one or two people. Something looked off as I stared at them, something wasn't sitting right and then I noticed the weapons that they were holding. They were some serious guns, when the hell did they get them? Where would you find something like that?
Then I remembered when the Governor took some people to find the army camp that the helicopter survivor belonged to, returning to say that unfortunately they had died from walkers. It had scared so many people; if the National Guard couldn't stand up against these things, how were they meant to? And so now I could see how the Governor worked, eradicating anyone on the outside for the good of those on the inside, power hungry.
I had to be wrong though, maybe it was just my mind in over drive, and maybe I was trying to find something, anything wrong with this place. As I turned, contemplating on asking Vincent and grabbing a drink, I bumped into something hard, my ring making a metallic sound as it bounced off something.

"Careful there doll face,"
I looked up at the tall man, his face shallow and thin and eyes hard as they looked down at me. I tried to take a step back but his hand reach out and stopped me and I felt my eyes widen when I saw the state of his other hand, covered in some sort of metal with straps to hold it in place. It made him look even more like a barbarian, and I forced a smile to my face.
"Sorry, I'm a bit clumsy." I tried to explain, rolling my shoulder and he dropped his hand back to his side. His white singlet and dress shirt were stained with dirt, but other than that he was neat, grey stumble along his jaw and I realised he was yet another red neck when he spoke again.
"No worries, it was my fault. Can you accept an apology from a crippled red neck?" he said, pulling a sad face and I chuckled slightly, nodding my head.
"Of course, besides, I think I'm a little accustomed to redneck mannerisms."
He tilted his head, curious written all over his face and he shifted his weight slightly to block me from walking away.
"How's that so? A pretty white thing like you, you shoulda been sheltered from my kind."
I debated about telling him the truth or making a lie but what harm could it really do? He was just a nosey redneck.
"I was with a group, one of them happened to come from a similar background."
His eyes narrowed and I felt like swallowing my tongue as he took a firmer stance, watching me as though he could read every detail of my life from my face.
"What was his name?"
"Da, Daryl."

The mans stance, Merle I believed I heard Armstrong talk about, a brutish man with a club for a hand, changed to something a little more curious and I felt my arms become light with adrenalin.
No way, could it be?
"Hey Dixon!"
Merles eyes locked on mine, not leaving for a second as he tilted his head slightly, calling over his shoulder.
"Yeah?"
My blood pumped faster through my veins, I don't know why but suddenly I was afraid, I was terrified. A small smile grew on Merles face and I was sure mine melted into something like shock as I stared at him, not sure what to do or say, but all I knew was that I had to trust my gut; it had helped me live this long and right now it was screaming for me to run.
"Excuse me." I said quickly, stepping around Merle, not looking back even though I knew he was watching me leave. I didn't stop, heading straight back up to my room and closing the door behind me. I leant against it for a minute, unsure why I was so afraid, suddenly so angry.

I marched over to the bathroom, using Vincents door to enter his room and I looked around until I found a small duffle bag, heading back to my room. I didn't have many things to pack, but I would take what I could, I couldn't stay here. I wanted to be out there, I wanted to be with Daryl and my friends; maybe I could convince Vincent to come with me. I looked out of the window at the people still enjoying their day and suddenly the cheerfulness of everyone around me was unsettling. No one should be happy, the world was violent and nasty and decaying! People out there were struggling to get by each day and then these arseholes were sipping cold soft drinks and icy poles without a worry or care in the world? It made my blood curdle and I slammed the bag onto the bed, dropping myself onto it and putting my head into my hands. Even if I did leave, which way did I go? How was I ever going to find Daryl and the group again?
It may seem strange, but as grateful as I was to these people for accepting me and healing me, I was happiest out there, I was happiest with something to do other than hide behind a wall bored, waiting for the day it crumbled. I knew that when out there all we would be looking for is something like this but that was exactly it, something like this, but not this, this place was just wrong.

I sat there for hours, trying to think and calm myself down. I couldn't be comfortable here anymore, Daryl's brother was alive and here, he needed to know but for some reason my instincts told me to steer clear of Merle, he was trouble, the Governor was trouble and I couldn't bring myself to stand another minute of it. I spent the rest of the day packing, still unable to calm myself down when there was a sharp knock at the door. I hadn't even said to go away when the door opened and my brother slipped in.
"There you are, what's wrong? What happened?" he asked and I faced him, my hands swinging uselessly at my side as I shrugged.
"I can't stay here Vince; this place, these people, it's just wrong and you know it is to! Leave with me!"
"And go where?" he asked and I frowned at him, surprised. For days on end he had been tense and on guard, dropping hints about how much he despised this place and now that I was confirming I felt the same way, he had a change of heart?
"Jasmine you aren't well enough to go running around the forest like you had been, do you honestly think you will survive a month out there? A fortnight out on the roads in this heat?"
"You can't say that now, you've wanted to leave for ages! Practically since we got here and don't deny it, I'm your sister, I know you."
"Nobody leaves, Sierra." He growled and I stood back, a little surprised by the anger in his voice.

After he said that, his face became something more passive and I wondered if someone had told him to say that, threatened him to convince me to stay.
"Please, Sierra, just give it another couple of weeks, after all you had been on your own for months, of course this place is going to make you a little on edge."
"It's Jasmine." Was all I could force out of my mouth as I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor sadly as I felt myself calm. Maybe he was right, maybe I was just seeing trouble and danger everywhere because that's what I had been doing for such a long time. Trix sat at my feet, his black face looking at me lovingly; at least he would never let me down.

Feeling silly, I avoided looking at Vincent as he took a spot next to me.
"What's really going on, Jasmine? Did Merle scare you? Cause he scares everyone."
I tried to keep my smile small, shaking my head.
"I could ask you as well. Don't you think that it's odd that this place can keep standing but soldiers couldn't defend themselves?"
Vincent bit the corner of his mouth, but then he slipped on a mask I had seen him build over the few weeks and he shrugged.
"We're just lucky here."
I sighed heavily, I guess it was just me being all over the place. We sat quietly for a minute, the only light coming in from the torch lights outside and slowly I began to hear music, looking to Vincent for answers.

"It's, just a thing the Governor does every now and then, you don't want to go."
"Why not? It might take my mind off things."
Vincent gave me a long hard look but I held it and he let out a sigh himself.
"Fine, come on. But I warned you."
I just rolled my eyes, what could it be that could be so bad? I followed him towards the back of the buildings, a small arena set up and people were already crammed in, shouting and crying out with their fists in the air. With no idea what was going on I stepped closer, edging my way through the people to see what was going on in the middle, my eyes widening with shock at the sight.
Walkers circled two men, trying to grab them but held back by heavy chains around their necks, but the two men fighting in the middle were more focused on beating each other. One of them was Merle and I stood there, paralysed as I watched him fight Martinez, the crowd cheering him on. I looked at all the faces that were cheering, all of them bloodthirsty and I spotted the Governor enjoying himself with Andrea, who looked pale and sick from the sight and I knew how she felt.

Spinning on my heels I marched away from the fight, straight past Vincent who was leaning on the wall, giving me a look like 'I told you so.' And yeah alright he was right but still, I wasn't angry at him. Picnics and lollipops during the day and walkers and blood at night, what the hell was this place?
As I walked back to my room, I slowed my pace as a relieving breeze blew from the surrounding forest, and I sighed as it cooled my burning skin.
Merle was Daryls brother, but yet they were both so different! It seemed impossible they were from the same family, other than the strong jaws and deep eyes and the accent but then with a messed up family like his that I could relate to, it wasn't a real surprise that one of them turned into a thug. The thought of Daryl made me feel lonely but I managed get into my bed, curling in on myself, knowing that tomorrow Merle would be asking questions; I knew I would be if it was my brother.

I hope everything is making sense :)
Thank you for reading!

Silver Kirin xXx