Chapter 1
"Robert, are you sure this is the right road?" I ask, lifting the arrow in my right hand to point down the dirt road.
"Yes I'm sure, Ace," says the boy with shaggy black hair and blue eyes that stands to my right. I sigh and start walking down the dirt road. Mary holds a sleeping Raider, ready to run at a single command.
I was reluctant to let the fourteen-year-old blond, blue-eyed girl carry my baby boy, but it was faster than having him walk, and with me already carrying Samantha-Jay on my back, I was running low on options.
We walk in silence along the road in the shade of overhanging trees. After about twenty minutes, I see an end to the tunnel of trees.
"Please be true," says Mary quietly.
My grip tightens on my bow as the fences come into view. An infected approaches to my right, and Rob gives it quick mercy with his knife.
"Mary walk behind me," I say in a whisper, and she follows my command.
"You hear that?" asks Rob.
"People, engines. Yeah." I breathe.
I feel my heart beat faster as we enter the sunlight, and I see people, living, breathing people wandering around behind the fences. There aren't many infected, maybe twenty in the biggest cluster on the fence line, and other than them, only a couple of stragglers are spread along the fence line. Someone must have spotted us because people start yelling at each other, then us.
"If you want through the gates holster your weapons," demands a man's voice, but I don't see where it comes from.
"Okay," I say, slowly lowering my arrow into my thigh quiver. Rob puts his knife in its sheath.
"Are there only four of you?" asks a Korean man from the top of the gates' guard tower.
"Five," I correct, "my daughter is on my back," I add as we reach the gates. The gates open and I take Raider from Mary, pushing her to stand by Rob.
The gates clang behind us and there are three people there to meet us, a woman with short brown hair, a man with a crossbow and shaggy brown hair, and another woman with dark skin, dreadlocks and a katana strapped to her back. After a moment of staring at each other in silence the doors to the watch tower open and the Korean man exits.
"We have questions to be answered before you can be allowed any further," says the dark woman, as the Korean stands next to the other woman.
"It's only a precaution," assures the other woman.
"It's okay," I say, understanding the reason for precaution.
"How many walkers have you killed?" ask the Korean.
"Ya' mea' the infected?" I ask, brow crinkling slightly.
"Yeah, we call them walkers," says the brown haired woman.
"Okay well… too many to count. A couple hundred at least," I say, trying to work out if that's a good answer or not.
"Whadbout ya' boy?" asks the man with the crossbow, in a southern accent a bit thicker than my own.
"Maybe two dozen or so," says Rob, shrugging.
"I've only put two down," says Mary quietly.
"How many people have you killed?" ask the woman with the sword.
"One," sighs Rob sadly.
"None," says Mary, shaking her head.
They look at me for my answer, "Um… three wome' and nine men." The words hang in the air for a second or so.
"Why?" ask crossbow.
"Mercy for my father," says Rob, giving me time to think of an answer.
I sigh "Two women and a man were outta mercy. The others were bad people… I had no other options…"
They look at each other for a moment and share a slight nod. "Okay…" starts the Korean. "Well, welcome. I'm Glenn, this is Maggie my wife. And Michonne and Daryl, what are your names?"
"Thank you," says Rob smiling. "I'm Robert and this is my sister Mary," he says, placing a hand on the small girl's shoulder.
"I go by Ace this is m' son Raider and…" pulling the cloth over my shoulders off, "daughter Samantha-Jay."
"You are allowed to keep your bow and knifes but we need all guns handed over," says Maggie. I look to Rob and he shows the same confusion.
"We don't got guns," I say, confused at the asking.
"Don't play stupid girl, everyone has a gun these days," says Daryl.
"Daryl!" snaps Maggie.
"It's fine. But we don't have any guns, it would be a death sentence firing one of 'em, these days," I assure, looking back to the gate as an infected starts to bang against the gates.
"Okay then… We'll have to put you in different cell blocks due to the children," says Maggie and quickly adds, "it's so any crying won't wake more than one cell block. We have toddlers in cell block C so I'll take you and your children there and Glenn will take you two to cell block B."
We follow Maggie and Glenn up the gravel road. "So how long have you known each other?" ask Glenn.
"Two weeks, I found 'em at the ending of their last group," I inform.
"Yeah Ace saved our asses big time, we were goners till she showed up. I am forever in her debt," says Rob.
"You must be strong to have been able to survive with children, did you have a group?" Maggie ask me.
"I found a small group in the first weeks but they kicked me ou' after I had Samantha-Jay, couldn't blame them though," I smile at the sight of children playing in the courtyard and the smell of meat cooking catches my nose.
We part ways at the entrance of C block and Rob gives me my backpack. "How long 'ave you been 'ere for?" I ask Maggie as we enter the building.
"I was one of the original group that cleared this place of walkers, it has been probably just over a year ago now," Maggie answers solemnly.
"This 's a great accomplishment," I say on entrance to a room, with one wall lined in cells.
"It wasn't easy," she says, leading me up the stairs and to the right.
"Nothing is these days," I sigh.
We stop at the last cell – '50'
"This one is all yours, I'll go grab a spare crib. Be right back," she smiles, leaving.
I walk into the cell and can't help but have a chuckle. Lori always said I'd end up here. I place Raider, who has been sound asleep for the last few hours, down on the bottom bunk. I sit my backpack on the small chest of drawers, then I undo my quiver and slide off my bow placing them on the steel shelf on the wall. I sit at the base of the bed and undo Sami-Jay's harness, slowly lowering her on the bed.
I stand and smile at her sleeping face.
"Heavy sleepers," says Maggie. I look at the cell entrance to see her and another woman with short grey hair holding a blue plastic crib filed with various things from toys to clothes, both baby and some that look like they're for me.
"Nothing wakes 'em two," I say, moving back in the cell so they can fit the crib in the spare spot against the wall. "Y'all are way too generous."
"No such thing. Hi I'm Carol," I shake the new woman's hand.
"Ace, this 's Raider and Samantha-Jay," I say gesturing to each of them.
"God they're gorgeous. Ace, what's that short for?" she asks, out of the blue.
"Athena, but I haven't gone by that since I was fiftee'," I say looking to the stuff in the crib. "I haven't had this much stuff in years."
"Well we'll let you get settled and when you're done we can show you where the showers are," says Maggie.
"You have runnin' showers?" I ask, shocked.
"Yep," she says, leaving me in shock.
I laugh and start going through the crib. I take out the clothes and start filling the drawers, top drawer for me, the second for Radar, the third for Sami-Jay and in the fourth I stash some of the toys, leaving a few plush deer and an octopus in the crib. I put the other bits and pieces where I see fit.
Once that's done I open my backpack and pull out the few things that I have left of my old life. There's a waterproof bag filled with photos. I look at the bare wall in front of me, and smile. I pull the photos out and sit them on the top of the dresser, then grab a roll of tape from my bag and start taping photo after photo on the wall. I know I'm moving in here too fast but I would rather have a place feel like home for one night then live in nothing for the rest of my days.
Once I'm down to the last one I smile at all the happy moments. Their first ultrasound, Raider's birth, there's one of Seth tattooing my back, some of when I was fourteen at parties with my then BFF Samantha. The oldest one is from when my brother was born. It has dad and Lori sitting on the hospital bead, a blue blanket in dad's arms. I tape up the last photo of me with a just-showing baby bump from Sami-Jay.
"Mummy," I hear a tired voice behind me, snapping me out of my memories.
I look around and see Raider rubbing his tired eyes.
"Yeah babe," I say softly.
"Where are we?" he asks.
"A safe place babe, a safe place." I smile.
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