Trusting

Carol spent the night on the living room sofa. She had plenty of time to look at the kitchen, dining, and living room area to try to learn more about the two men who lived in the house and who held the key to their survival in this compound. The kitchen was clean and orderly but in a casual way. There was food in the refrigerator and some wine.

The dining table was an inexpensive standard type model and looked as if one half was used as a table and the other half as a desk. There was a computer on one side without password protection. It seemed to be used by Caleb to do schoolwork.

The television in the living room was used for video games and dvds. The video games were pretty typical for a house with a teenage boy in it and the dvds were basically Nazi propaganda. She was pleased to see that the dvds were covered with dust. The bookshelves were filled with books supporting the Nazi movement in the United States and Europe. They were dusty as well. She did find several books written by Dr. Allen James and she saw Allen's smiling face one the book jacket. He looked younger and happier then, but who didn't she thought. There was a comfortable chair with a table with books piled beside the reading lamp. Carol scanned the books, medical texts, first aid manuals, and a bible. She looked through the Bible; there were notes in margins, underlining, and wear on the pages. Someone here spent time studying the Bible seriously. Was it the boy or the man? Or both?

Carol had settled onto the couch and covered herself with a quilt that was folded up on a small armchair. She finally fell asleep out of exhaustion. She dreamed of walking with Daryl up to the summit of the hill where they had been married. She was happy in the dream and holding tight to Daryl's hand, he kept telling her to just on tight and they would be there soon. Carol woke up in a strange living room with Allen sitting in the chair reading a book. He looked up from his book to see her frowning at him. He smiled at her and she could see in the early morning light that he looked to be close to her age. "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty, are you ready for some breakfast?" She kicked the quilt off and he motioned for her to follow him into the kitchen.

Allen cut up some apples and put the slices into a blender. He spoke to her quietly over the noise of the appliance, "Not sure if we are being bugged or not, we will talk later when we take a walk outside. Just go with this."

Carol had gained more confidence in her ability to determine who to trust and who not to trust; her instincts were going with trusting Allen. She decided just to play this along but not trust him with much information. She had hidden her wedding rings in her boots when she woke up in the truck. They were still there this morning. He didn't need to know that she was married. Allen talked with her about the compound and how he had come to be here. He was very grateful for these brave men and women who had built this haven from which a New America would spring. Carol asked polite questions that sounded as if she was impressed with what they had accomplished. They cooked breakfast together for themselves and the others.

Caleb, Ariel, and Arya walked into the kitchen and Carol was relieved to see that the girls looked calmer than they had the night before. Carol found herself studying Caleb; he was telling the girls that he would take them on a walking tour this morning. His voice was light and cheerful but his eyes were sad. Carol found herself liking the boy: there was something about him made you think that you could trust him. His eyes reminded her so somebody but she couldn't think who it was.

Caleb and Allen both worked at the infirmary. Allen had worked as a paramedic when he was in college and Caleb was interested in medicine. They promised to take them by the infirmary on the tour. The two men said they would do the breakfast dishes while the girls got ready to see "Eagle's Nest".

Carol and the girls went into the bathroom to talk. They turned on the shower and talked in low voices. Ariel assured her that Caleb had not touched her and she had slept in Arya's room. Caleb had told her that he wanted to escape but had nowhere to go. He had been interested in her lives and Carol was afraid that they might have talked too much. She could see that the girls trusted him already. Ariel said that Caleb had sneaked out last night very late and checked on Jo. He had talked to someone in the barracks and she was unharmed but very frightened.

Eventually they went back to the living room dressed to go out into a cool morning. Carol was dressed in jeans, books, and short leather jacket over a blue sweater; she caught Allen's appreciative look and wondered if he was trying to flatter her into trusting him. They started off together with Caleb between the two girls in front, she and Allen in the back.

Allen spoke to her, "If we meet anyone, don't say much. If I hold your hand, don't pull away. As long as we are out here I don't think they can hear us". She nodded as she looked around; this place was bigger than she had thought by Michonne's description. They were walking down a street toward the main headquarters, but Allen said that he wanted to show them the school and the infirmary. The school was a steel structure with four classrooms inside. The infirmary was well equipped and very clean. There was a woman working there this morning and she greeted Allen and Carl warmly. She eyed Carol rather spitefully and Carol realized that she might be jealous. They didn't stay long and Allen bitterly commented that the infirmary for the slave labor at the barracks was not that well equipped.

Allen wanted information about life outside the compound; he had been here two years and had no idea what life was like off the mountain. The view from the fence was trees and monsters. He told her that they used the German pronunciation of monster to mean the voracious undead. Carol gave him general information; there were few people and a lot of monsters. Life was difficult but survivable in a few places. Allen said, "I understand that you don't really trust me and that's smart of you. I want you to know one thing, see that boy in front of us." Carol nodded when he pointed at Caleb, "I want him to get out of here to someplace where he can have a life with good people. Right now he lives with monsters outside the fence and monsters inside the fence. The monsters outside can't stop being monsters and the monsters inside don't want to, he deserves more than that."

Carol saw two men coming to meet them; one was the man with the dead eyes and the other man had been one of the men who captured them. Caleb and the girls had turned off a side street and she figured that Caleb was keeping the girls out of their way as much as possible. She didn't resist when Allen took her hand. She looked down not wanting to meet their eyes. Allen greeted them warmly, thanking them both for letting him have "my beautiful wife" and giving Caleb a chance to father handsome children that will be a blessing to New America.

Allen introduced her to both men; the one with the dead eyes was Commander Morris who asked to be called "Thomas" and the other man was "Jason King". Allen introduced her as "Carol" and she remembered that she had never been asked her last name. Thomas asked if she had formal training with a sword and she responded that she had not had formal training but life outside these fences had given lots of practice. They both seemed pleased her with answer and Allen squeezed her hand gently. Allen laughed and said that if they didn't mind he was ready to go back to his house and get more acquainted with Carol. The men laughed lasciviously and patted him on his back. Carol waited until they were out of earshot and squeezed his hand hard enough to hurt. Allen laughed and released her hand, "Carol, you look really good this morning, what man would believe I would rather be walking around looking at trees when I could be in bed with you?" Carol just shook her head at him; Allen was determined to keep a light heartened approach to this. She realized that he and Caleb were risking their lives with this charade; that is when she began to trust Allen. She wouldn't leave this place without Caleb. He had earned his chance for a life with good people.

She and Allen strolled back toward the house and she got a chance to look at the fence because their house was the last one on the street and the fence was about 50 yards away. It was high with concertina wire at the top. She didn't see any "monsters" but figured they were fairly close. Carol wished she could just grab the fence and start climbing up, but that would leave the others behind. She would have to trust that Daryl would find her like he did in the Tombs. Carol and Allen paused on the stoop and she could see that the two men were still watching them. Allen saw it too and put a hand under her chin and raised her face up to meet his gentle but lengthy kiss. He opened the door and they slipped inside.

TWDTWDTWD

Michonne and Daryl were standing back in the brush on the outside of the fence when they saw Carol walking toward them with a man. Michonne was using binoculars and could see that Carol was talking with the man in a comfortable manner. He was smiling at her and she didn't appear bruised or battered. They were headed toward the fence and Michonne could see that Carol was looking for a way over the fence. Michonne could hear the hiss of Daryl's breath as Carol looked at the fence. She grabbed his arm; they were here to gather information not to mount a rescue operation. Carol was safe and from the way the man looked at her in no immediate danger. Michonne put the binoculars back on. She could see Carol look up the street at two men watching them and the man with her saw them too. She could tell by the way he tensed up when he saw them. Michonne saw the kiss for what it was; acting a part. Daryl saw it as a stab through the heart; Carol allowing another man to kiss her like that broke his heart. Michonne pulled him away before his pain turned to rage and go them both killed. They needed to see more of this place to make a plan to take it down. They couldn't stay here and stare at that house. They had about an hour left before they met the others.

Daryl allowed her to pull him away. He remembered that he had once told Carol that she must do everything she could to survive in any situation. Some part of him trusted her that whatever that had been it had been so that she could survive until she could be rescued. He dragged his sleeve through his eyes and vowed that he would find a way to bring her and the others home.

Daryl and Rick had found Ashton unconscious by the road. There were three dead walkers and Ashton's vehicle. They found Carol's sword and soon found out that Carol, Jo, Ariel, and Arya had gone into town with Ashton. Patrick and Josh took Ashton to the hospital while they figured out what to do.

It was too late to leave that evening; the Nazi compound would be difficult enough to reach during the daylight and impossible after dark. This was a scouting mission; they didn't know for sure that the Nazis had taken them or not.

Ashton had finally regained consciousness but had a serious concussion. He wasn't able to give any real information. Michonne volunteered to the lead the team and Patrick, Josh, Jonathan, Daryl, and Rick packed their weapons and headed out before dawn. Michonne and Daryl, Patrick and Josh, and Jonathan and Rick fought through the thick underbrush and walkers around the fence. They had allowed ninety minutes to investigate. It was a big facility and they were looking for a weak link in their defense system.

They all made it back to the creek and then back to their vehicle. They didn't talk much on the way back. Patrick didn't say anything; he was going over scenarios in his mind. There were many people living there, some innocent and some not. There were so few safe places that it seemed a shame to bring down a place that could be a refuge, but leaving it there in Nazi hands would be a death sentence for his family and new found friends.

Patrick had been part of a secret fighting team in the army. His team had been all over the world and into some very hairy situations. This might be his must difficult battle, he had a ragtag bunch of fighters and a well dug in enemy. He let his mind whirl through different ideas; he couldn't depend on superior fire power, intelligence, or position. He did have people that knew how to fight in tough situations and he would just have to trust that they could pull off the plan whenever he found one that had a chance to work.

Daryl didn't talk to anybody; he concentrated on the good news. Carol was alive and unharmed. The others had seen Jo working unloading supplies from a truck. She seemed all right. He and Michonne had watched the two girls walking around with a big blond guy. He had used the binoculars this time and watched the girls. They seemed comfortable with him and he had been more protective than possessive toward them. That kid looked like someone he knew; the link was just so close but he couldn't get it. Somehow he just knew he could trust that kid;