Chapter 17
Carl has fallen asleep in the back seat of the truck. I'm sitting in between Rick and Michonne on a long log just a few feet away from the truck around a small fire. It's the only thing other than the moonlight that's illuminating where we are.
"It was one small rabbit…" Rick breaks the silence.
"It was something," Michonne says. "Gotta hand it to the thing…trap went well."
"Have you noticed?" Rick says after shaking his head. "It's all we talk about anymore…food…I forgot what this feels like."
"Yep…" I sigh.
"I hope we're able to forget again soon," Michonne says.
"We're close…" Rick nods. "Just gotta make it through another day…Folks there are takin' people in, they have to be strong. They have to have a system."
"I wonder if the whole thing's legit," Michonne states.
"I'm wondering the same damn thing," I say as I rub my arms.
We hear some sticks snap somewhere in the forest behind us. Turning quickly in the direction it came from, we sit there, listening and watching carefully. I grip my gun in its holster while Rick stands to his feet, gazing into the woods. We don't hear or see anything else, so we turn back toward the fire. Rick sits back on the log.
"We let people in…" Rick begins to say.
"We did…" Michonne replies. "So did the Governor."
"Yeah…It's always those things…We don't get to know until we know…"
"Let's hope things don't turn out like they did with the Governor…" I murmur.
"Maybe this place isn't even there anymore," Rick says.
Suddenly, the clicking of a gun being held to Rick's head on his right startles us.
"Oh, deary me…" we hear a man say to Rick from behind. "You screwed up, asshole."
I feel a gun being held to my head as well, causing me to halt from getting my gun from its holster. Another man takes Michonne's katana and kicks it some feet away.
"Throw your gun away in front of ya," the man behind me instructs.
My jaw clenches a bit but I then reach for my gun and toss it near Michonne's katana.
"You hear me?" the same man who's holding a gun to Rick's head says. "Ya screwed up."
I turn my eyes to Rick on my right, seeing that he's staying still, his mouth twitching a bit. A few more men appear holding guns to us.
"Today's the day of reckoning, sir!" the man behind Rick continues. "Restitution. The bouncing of the whole damn universe."
My attention turns to the truck as I see a large man peek inside, holding a blade in his hand. I feel my hands ball up hard on my sides.
"Shit, and I was thinkin' of turnin' in for the night on New Year's Eve," the man chuckles behind Rick, still holding the gun to his head. "Now who's gonna count down the ball dropper with me, huh? Ten Mississippi! Nine Mississippi! Eight Mississippi!"
"Joe!" a familiar voice calls out.
My eyes turn to the man the familiar voice belonged to. To my surprise, Daryl walks up toward us, his crossbow in his arms.
"Hold on…" he says to the man behind Rick as he gazes at us in worry.
"You're stopping me on eight, Daryl," Joe says annoyed.
"Just hold up…" Daryl continues to say calmly.
"This is the guy that killed Lou, so we got nothin' to talk about," another man says.
"The thing about now in days is that we got nothin' but time," Joe says. "Say your piece, Daryl."
"These people…you gonna let'em go," Daryl responds. "These are good people."
"Now, I-I think Lou would disagree with ya on that," Joe refutes. "I'll of course have to speak for him and all 'cause your friend here killed him in a bathroom."
There's a brief moment of silence.
"You want blood," Daryl says. "I get it…." He tosses his crossbow to the ground. "Take it from me, man…Come on."
I look up at him in shock and worry as he holds his arms out and faces Joe. Joe simply stares at him in disbelief with his mouth agape.
"This man killed our friend," Joe says. "You say he's good people…See, that right there is a lie. It's a lie!"
One of the men behind Daryl lunges forward and strikes him in the head with a rifle, knocking him down.
"No!" I blurt out.
Daryl is being beaten on the ground by two other men.
"Teach him, fellas! Teach him all the way!" Joe orders.
I watch in horror as they beat Daryl up against the front of the truck. The sound of the front seat door creaking open catches my attention. The large man with the blade drags Carl out on to the pavement. He holds Carl in front of him with a blade to his neck, shushing him and whispering into his ear.
"You leave him be!" Rick growls as he stands but Joe quickly forces him back down.
"I broke your friend's neck! Don't you dare hurt him!" I yell as I attempt to stand up but the man behind me sits me down roughly and moves in front of me.
"You'll get yours…" one of the men says to me and Michonne. "Just wait your turn."
I watch in horror and disgust as the large man nibbles on Carl's right ear.
"Listen…" Rick says to Joe. "It was me. It was just me!"
"See, now that's right! That's all some damn lie. We can settle this, we're reasonable men," Joe responds coldly. "First, we're gonna beat Daryl to death. Then we'll have both girls…then the boy. Then I'm gonna shoot you and then we'll be squared."
Joe begins to laugh maniacally as he continues to hold the gun to Rick's head. I glare at the man holding Carl as I grit my teeth and breath hard. The large man pushes Carl to the ground and climbs on top of him. I watch in panic as Carl squirms around under him, trying to defend himself. An image of what could've been Elena with the man who raped her flashes in my head.
"Hijo de puta!" I shout as I attempt to get up.
The man in front of me grabs me by my collar and throws me on the ground and kicks me in the stomach. I try to get to my feet but he hits me with the back of his rifle straight on the back of my head. He grabs a hold of me from behind and has his gun to my head, preventing me from moving.
"Stop your squirmin'…the large man mutters to Carl before he chuckles.
"Let him go…" Rick firms states as he watches the large man subdue Carl.
Watching and hearing Carl struggle and whimper makes me picture Elena. Anger boils inside of me as I helplessly watch him cry.
"Let him go…" Rick mutters again.
Rick abruptly head-butts Joe with the back of his head, causing Joe to fire a bullet to the ground right next to Rick's right ear. I can see that the immense sound of the shot has dazed Rick, seeing that he looks out of it and is moving slowly and shaking his head. He then quickly turns around and strikes a punch at Joe's face. Joe responds by hitting Rick across the face with his gun, knocking him on his back.
"Rick!" I yelp out in worry.
"I got him," Joe walks beside Rick and kicks him. "Oh, he's gonna get it so much worse now!"
I tense up as I see Rick struggling to get to his feet. Michonne tries to take the gun away from the man in front of her, but fails and is knocked to the ground. I glance at her and Daryl in worry as my breathing fastens.
"Come on! Get up!" Joe yells at Rick.
Again, Rick struggles to get to his feet. I see that he's rolling his eyes back a bit, obviously still dazed from the firing of the gun shot next to his ear and the strike to his head.
"Come on!" Joe taunts him. "Let's see what you got."
I turn to Carl and see that the large man has him faced down on the ground. He is unbuckling his pants as he chuckles and breathes hungrily. Carl is whimpering underneath the man, completely helpless.
"Pedaso de mierda!" I holler at the man holding Carl down. "Don't you fucking touch him!"
"Let them be!" Rick growls as he gets up and runs into Joe.
"Whoa! Hey over here!" Joe says as he roughly holds Rick in front of him. "What the hell are you gonna do now, Sport?"
Rick then darts his head forward and bites Joe's neck. I am taken aback from it and watch as Rick rips flesh out of Joe's neck and spits it out on to the ground. Joe gurgles and collapses to the ground as he struggles to breathe. Everyone watch in shock at Rick's action. I see that the man holding me is distracted by this, so I head-butt him with the back of my head, grab his hand he's holding the gun with, and twist it hard enough for it to crunch. A bullet manages to escape the gun from his finger slipping, but misses me and hits the pavement. I pull him by the back of his head toward my knee with brute force, and he collapses backward from the hit. Michonne has also taken this opportunity to escape the man who's pointing the gun at her. I quickly reach for my gun some feet away and walk over to the man who held me. He attempts to punch me, but I quickly block the hit and elbow him in his bloody nose. I take my gun and shoot the man straight in the head, his brains splattering out the back. Michonne has now shot the man who held her and one of the men who's beating on Daryl. I turn and shoot the second man who was beating on Daryl in the head. Michonne and I turn our attention to the man holding Carl.
"I'll kill him," he says with fear. 'I'll kill him!"
He stands up with Carl and holds the blade to his neck.
"Let him go, or I will be sure to put you down," I firmly state as I aim at the man.
"He's mine," I hear Rick mutter from behind me.
I turn to him. His mouth and the top of his shirt and jacket are drenched in blood. He is eying the man who's holding Carl with rage as he approaches him. The man lets go of Carl, drops the blade, and holds his hands up. Carl runs to me and I embrace hi in my arms, caressing his head.
"Please, no!" he shouts.
Without hesitation, Rick drives the blade into the man's stomach. I hold Carl close to me as we watch his father stab the man repeatedly, listening to the man's yelps of pain. Rick drives the large blade up the man's torso, and slowly lets him fall to his knees as he continues to stab. Michonne stands beside me and Carl and also watches the scene. Daryl leans against the front of the pickup and watches as well. I feel Carl trembling in my arms as he grips my shirt.
"It's okay, honey, it's okay," I whisper to him as we both continue to watch Rick. "You're safe, chiquito."
Rick doesn't cease to stop driving his blade into the man, the gushing sound of his flesh being pierced is all we hear in the silence of the dark night.
Carl is laying his head on my lap as I sit in the back seats of the blue truck with him. He's sound asleep, still a bit disturbed from last night's events. I caress Carl's hair slowly as I gaze down at him sadly. We sit in silence, the faint sound of a hawk screeching being the only thing we can hear. The door opens slowly and Michonne peeks in.
"How's he doing?" she whispers as she looks at Carl.
"Still dozing off…" I respond as I see Carl grimace in his sleep.
"Why don't you take a break…You can use some fresh air."
"Is it that, or do you want me to see Rick?" I turn to her.
She stares at me for a moment and nods slowly.
"How is he?" I ask in worry.
"Doesn't look too good," she replies. Hasn't cleaned himself up yet."
I stare at the back of the driver's seat in thought.
"Stay with Carl," I say as I slowly move his head off my lap and set it gently on the seat.
"Wha…What's going on?" he murmurs as he wakes up. "Are you leaving?"
"It's okay, I'm just going to get some fresh air," I reassure him. "Michonne will stay with you."
A look of relief shows on his face. I climb out of the truck and let Michonne inside and close the door after her. I sigh deeply as I rub my head where the man hit me with his gun last night. After brushing my sleeves and pants, I make my way to the other side of the truck. There, sitting on the ground and leaning against the truck, is Rick. His face, jacket, and shirt all bloody. He is staring off into the distance ahead of him in deep thought, his arms resting on his slightly bent up knees. I take a seat beside him on his left, laying my legs straight out in front of me as I lean back against the truck.
"How's Carl?" he asks still gazing ahead.
"He's doing well…" I respond. "He's a tough kid. You know that."
He lets out a sigh. Daryl then approaches us and sets his crossbow against the grill of the truck. I give him a small wave and he returns it as he takes a bottle of water and pours some on to a red cloth.
"We should save it to drink," Rick tells him.
"You can't see yourself…" Daryl says as he hands Rick the wet cloth. "But he can."
Rick takes the cloth and begins to wipe his face. Daryl and I glance at each other for a second but then look at the ground.
"I didn't know what they were…" Daryl begins to say.
Rick continues to wipe the blood off the side of his mouth and nods. Daryl is feeling a bit bad after having been with the group who attacked us.
"How'd you wind up with'em?" he asks.
"I was with Beth…" Daryl explains. "We got out together. I was with her for a while…"
I look at Daryl as he stares at the ground sadly. There's a moment of silence, knowing what's going through our heads.
"Is she dead?" Rick asks.
Daryl turns to Rick with a sorrowful gaze. We wait for him to continue.
"She's just gone…" he finally replies.
Rick and I stare at him, understanding and taking the sad news.
"After that, that's when they found me," Daryl continues. "I mean, I knew they were bad, but…They had a code. It was simple…stupid. But it was somethin'…it was enough."
"And you were alone," Rick comforts him.
"They said they were lookin' for some guy…And last night they said they spotted him. I was hangin' back, I was gonna leave…but I stayed. That's when I saw it was you four. Right when you saw me… I didn't know what they could do…"
He lowers his gaze in shame and guilt.
"It's not on you Daryl," Rick says looking straight at him. "Hey…it's not on you…You been back with us, here, now…That's everything."
Daryl turns to me and Rick, his face showing a look of comfort as I give him a nod.
"You're my brother," Rick finally adds, prompting Daryl to turn to him in surprise.
Daryl is deeply moved by his words. I give him a half smirk as I watch him process what he's just heard.
"Hey, what you did last night…" Daryl says. "Anybody woulda done that."
"That and more…" I sigh leaning my head back.
"No, not that…" Rick replies shaking his head.
"If somethin' happened…"
"Daryl, you saw what I did to Tyrese," Rick interjects. "It ain't all that, but that's me…That's why I'm here now, that's why Carl is…I wanna keep him and you safe," he turns to me while taking a hold of my right hand.
I look into his now visible blue eyes as we exchange a warm smile.
"How long 'til we leave?" Daryl asks.
"We should get goin' now. Best we get there as soon as we can," Rick replies as he begins to get to his feet as he finishes cleaning the blood off his face. "Go wake Carl so we can go," he pats my arm.
I nod and make my way to the other side of the truck. I'm surprised to see Carl sitting up in the back seat next to Michonne.
"Up and ready to go?" I ask him with a smile.
He gives me a nod.
'He must've overheard us talking…' I think as I notice the pensive expression on his face.
Michonne exits the truck with Carl after her. We walk toward the train tracks through the woods.
"Ready?" Rick asks Carl as he rubs the top of his head.
He gives him the same nod he gave me, lowering his gaze. Rick eyes him for a moment but then understands and adjusts the blue duffle bag over his shoulder. He and I begin to lead the group in the direction of the tracks. Michonne walks behind us, Daryl behind her, and Carl right behind him. I walk beside Rick on his right, my gaze down at the leaf covered tracks in deep thought.
"You okay?" he asks after eyeing me for a moment.
"Yeah…" I answer and then stare at him.
"I'm okay," he answers with a reassuring smile, as if he read my mind. "I know that what happened with Carl…it reminded you of Elena."
I lower my eyes to the ground as we continue to walk.
"I wanna know if you're really okay," he whispers.
"It did bring back the memory of her…and what happened," I answer. "If I had to watch that happen to Carl last night…It'd be like watching what happened to her."
Rick looks down at the ground as well. He then takes me left hand.
"I'm sorry you had to see that…" he mutters.
"I'm just glad Carl didn't have to go through that," I give him a small smile.
He leans toward me and plants a kiss on my forehead, which surprises me.
"What?" he asks after noticing my response.
"Well…it's the first kiss gesture we've had since…what we did the other night at the prison," I bite my lip, trying to hold back my sheepish smile.
"Yeah, well…too bad we won't be doin' somethin' like that again for a while," he admits with a smirk.
"After what you did to Joe, I'm not so sure if I want ya nibbling on my neck."
We laugh as I playfully hit him on his arm.
"I'm seriously surprised you've lasted without a sweater," he comments.
"This shirt is pretty thick..."
"Don't worry. We'll be at Terminus soon."
"Come on – I'm soldier. I can handle this."
A sign that marks Terminus on a map is laying on the tracks. Rick and I stop as he kicks some leaves off of it.
"We're getting' close," Daryl remarks. "We'll be there before sun down."
"Now we head through the woods," Rick states. "We don't know who they are."
"Alright," Daryl agrees as we all nod.
Daryl walks into the woods first, Michonne and Carl following after him. Rick and I continue to stand on the tracks for a moment before following.
After a long while, we finally reach the gates of Terminus. It's gotten much colder to the point our breaths form a white mist. Daryl is walking up in front with his crossbow ready while Rick and I walk behind him, our guns in our hands. Carl and Michonne are behind us, also with their weapons ready. Rick stealthily leads us further, placing the duffle bag on the ground. We follow after him toward the vine and plant covered gate, and peek through it. A building with Terminus spelled out on the windows sits far ahead.
"We all spread out," Rick instructs. "Watch for a while. See what we see…Get ready….We all stay close."
We nod in comprehension. Daryl walks off and examines his crossbow while Michonne examines her katana.
"You wanna stick with me?" Rick asks Carl.
"It's all right," he responds before walking off behind Michonne.
Rick turns and watches him with a pensive gaze.
"Don't overthink it," I tell him. "He's just taking a break."
"Do you ever regret doin' the things you've done to survive?" he suddenly asks looking straight at me.
I stare up at him for a second, bite my lip and look at the ground.
"If it's to survive…no," I answer looking back up at him.
"You think what I did to Joe…do you see me any different?"
"I would've done the same," I firmly state.
He gives me an unsure expression. I place my hand on his cheek and plant a profound kiss on his lips.
"Listen… it's ride or die with you and me, Rick. I'm with you no matter what, through the good and through the bad," I say, looking deep into his blue eyes.
He stares at me, processing what I've just said, and then nods. We turn to head in the direction the rest are walking. Carl and Michonne are talking up ahead, so we stop by a tree.
"I know you've seen the way he looks at me…" Rick says as he leans his right elbow against the tree.
"I don't think he's afraid of you," I say. "He's just…thinking is all. Give him time and space. He's a smart boy. He knows what you did had to be done."
Michonne embraces Carl. Rick looks down and places his colt in its holster. He walks over to the blue duffle bag on the ground, hauls it over his shoulder, and walks beside me as we head over to where the rest are. He drops the bag on the ground and begins to dig up a hole beside it.
"We'll leave this stash of guns here," he says as he digs with a small shovel. "In case anythin' happens, we'll have this to come back to."
"Sounds like a plan," I say as I kneel down and help him dig.
Once we've got a hole dip and wide enough, Rick sets the bag in and opens it. He pulls out a hand gun from the bag, loads and cocks it. He then reaches for his colt python and places it inside the bag.
"You might wanna leave that CZ P-07 Duty of yours," he says to me. "I know it's your favorite, and who knows what'll happen if we run into trouble."
"Good idea. I love this baby too much to have it get lost," I say as I place my CZ next to his colt.
"Take this one," he hands me another hand gun.
I take the gun, load and cock it while Rick zips the bag closed. Daryl has walked over to us and watches.
"Just in case," Rick explains.
Daryl nods as Rick and I begin to bury the bag. Once we're done, we all gather in front of the gate.
"Everyone ready?" Rick asks as he glances at all of us.
Giving him nods, he turns to the gate and begins to climb over it. I follow after him, then Michonne, Carl and Daryl. We hold our weapons read in our hands as we scan the area. After seeing it's clear, we lurch our way over some tracks and toward an ajar door. Rick swiftly opens the door, giving Daryl the signal to move in and see if it's clear. He proceeds in and we follow.
"Where all lines intersect…" we hear the voice of a woman echoes. "There are maps at the crossings to help guide you in your journey."
We follow Daryl through the doorway that leads to the large area where the woman speaking is sitting at a desk. Scanning around, we see it's a warehouse. Some other people are standing and who appear to be working on some stuff on tables. We make our way toward the woman at the desk.
"Sanctuary for all. Community for all," she continues to speak through a microphone. "Those who arrive, survive. Terminus. Sanctuary for all. Community for all."
"Hello," Rick says as he approaches the woman.
She turns to us in surprise.
"Hello," he calls out to the rest of the people, making their attention turn to us.
The five of us stand in a horizontal line: I'm at one end nearest to the woman at the desk; Rick is on my right, then Carl, Daryl, and Michonne. There's a moment of silence as the people in the warehouse gaze over at us in wonder.
"Well, I bet Albert is on perimeter watch," one tall, slender man says as he tosses a pencil down on the table.
He walks forward in our direction.
"You here to rob us?" he asks.
"No," Rick responds. "We wanted to see you before you saw us," he begins to walk forward and stops after a few feet.
"Makes sense," the man replies as he begins to walk forward. "Usually we do this where the tracks meet…" he clears his throat and holds his arms out. "Welcome to Terminus…I'm Garreth."
He looks at us with a friendly expression and examines us.
"Looks like you've been on the road for a good bit," he continues.
"We have," Rick responds as he studies the brunette, slender man. "Rick. That's Michelle, Carl, Caryl, Michonne," he motions to us.
I study Garreth carefully as he gives us a brief wave. The five of us feel the tension and awkwardness as there's a brief moment of silence.
"You're nervous! I get it," Garreth exclaims. "We were all the same way," referring to his friends. "We came here for sanctuary. That what you here for?"
"Yes," Rick responds.
I notice how carefully he is staring at Garreth.
"Good. You found it," Garreth assures. "Hey, Alex!" he waves over at another man. "This area is pretty, so is the front. We got nothing to hide, but the welcome wagon is a whole lot nicer."
The other man walks up next to Garreth while giving us a welcoming smile.
"Alex would like to ask you a few questions, uuhh…but first," Garreth continues. "We need to see everyone's weapons…If you could just lay'em down in front you."
I glance over at Rick and the rest as we then turn to Rick.
"Alright…" Rick says as he kneels down and takes his handgun out and sets it on the floor in front of him.
"I'm sure you understand," Garreth says.
"Yes I do," Rick replies as he gazes up at him while taking his blades from his pockets.
We follow Rick's lead and set our weapons down. After setting my handgun on the floor, I take my blades and set them next to my gun. I stand up straight, eyeing Garreth and Alex closely. Garreth holds his arms up to signal he's going to pat us down for any more weapons. He walks in my direction as he eyes me up and down.
"You don't pat her down," Rick disapproves.
"Don't worry! I'm aware it'd be inappropriate for me to pat a woman down," Garreth assures. "Just a bit curious."
I look Garreth straight in the eyes as he returns the gaze.
"Were you in the military?" he asks as he points to my dark army pants.
I simply nod with a straight face. He gives me a slight smirk.
"Cool," he simply says as he walks in front of Rick and begins to pat him down.
"Hate to see the other guy," Alex comments as he pats Daryl down, referring to the cuts and bruises on Daryl's face.
"You would," Rick says.
"Did he deserve it?" Alex says as he goes on to pat Carl down.
"Yes," he answers firmly.
Rick and I turn to Carl.
'He understands…' I think as I stare at Carl.
Rick turns to me, also taking note.
"Just so you know, we aren't those kind of people," Garreth says as he stands in front of us. "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."
I continue to watch Garreth and then turn my eyes over to Rick who's staring at him intently.
'He's feeling something odd, too…' I think.
"Okay," Garreth confirms and dismisses himself.
Alex begins to pick up our weapons and hand them to us one by one, Daryl being the exception as he picked up his crossbow himself. Alex picks up both Rick's and my guns and hand them to us with a friendly but timid smile.
"Follow me," he says.
I place my gun in my holster as we begin to follow Alex. I allow Daryl, Michonne and Carl to walk first and Rick stands beside me.
"I'm not sure how I feel about this place…" I mutter to Rick.
"Yeah…that makes two of us."
We make our way down the warehouse to a door that screeches open. Alex leads us outside into a courtyard.
"So how long has this place been here?" Daryl asks.
"Since almost the start," Alex replies. "Camps got overrun, then people started finding this place…Think it was instinct, you know? Follow a path…Some folks are headin' to the coast, others out West or up North, but…they all wound up here."
We stop once we reach a woman with long, dark orange hair standing behind a large grill. My eyes scan around the courtyard where there are tables set up and a few people sitting at them.
"Hi," the dark red-head woman greets. "Heard you came in the back door. Smart. You'll fit right in here."
"Hey, Mary, would you fix these folks a plateful," Alex says.
Mary uses the silver tongs to flip some meat over the grill.
"Why do you do it?" Michonne asks. "Why do you let people in?"
"More people become a part of us, we get stronger," Alex answers as he takes a plate with a large chunk of meat sitting on top. "That's why we put up the signs. Invite people in. It's how we survive."
I stare at Mary as she serves chunks of meat on to paper plates.
"Here," Alex says as he hands Carl a plate then another to Michonne.
I continue to watch Alex. Rick then walks forward to him and slaps the plate of meat to the ground. He reaches into Alex's pocket and turns him around, holding a gun to his head in a choke hold. Daryl and I immediately react and hold our weapons up at the other people who've also turned their guns to us. I stand close next to Carl as he also holds his gun ready.
"Where the hell did you get this watch?" Rick asks Alex.
Alex just holds his hands up. I aim my gun at a man sitting by a table who's pointing his own gun at us.
"Where the hell did you get this watch?" Rick repeats.
"You want an answers?" Alex replies timidly. "You want anything else?! You get'em when you put down the gun."
"I see your man on the roof with the sniper rifle. How good's his aim?" Rick continues. "Where'd you get the watch?"
Still no answer.
"Where'd you get the watch?!" Rick shouts.
"Don't do anything!" Alex calls out to the sniper. "I have this! You just put it down! Put it down!"
I watch as the man on the roof sets his sniper down.
"You listen to me," Alex continues. "There's a lot of us."
"Where'd you get the watch?" Rick repeats his question.
"Got it off of a dead one! I didn't think they'd need it!"
Rick nods at his sarcasm, still holding Alex in a choke hold from behind with a gun to his head.
"What about the riot gear?" Rick asks. "The poncho?"
My eyes turn to a man who's wearing riot gear and pointing a gun at us and then to a woman with the poncho.
"Got the riot gear off a dead cop," Alex replies.
Rick then turns around to see Garreth standing a few feet away.
"Found the poncho on a clothesline," he says.
"Garreth, we can wait…"
"Shut up, Alex," he interrupts him.
"You talk to me," Rick says as he gazes at Garreth.
"What's there left to say? You don't trust us anymore."
"Garreth…Garreth, please."
"Shut…up," Garreth interrupts Alex again, holding his hand up to him. "It's okay. It's okay…Rick, what do you want?"
"Where are our people?" Rick responds.
"You didn't answer the question…." Garreth stares back at Rick.
He then closes his open hand into a fist, prompting one of his people to shoot at Rick. Rick darts around and the bullets hit Alex instead, who then drops to the ground. I shoot at them man aiming at Rick and hit him in the chest. I move close to Carl and shield him behind me.
"Carl! Get down!" Rick tells him.
We begin to make a run for it back down the courtyard, but we are stopped by bullets being sprayed onto to the pavement in front of us. Daryl motions for us to go the other way and we follow him. I glance behind us and all around to see if we're clear as we run. We head to another pathway, but we are stopped again by spraying bullets. I cover my face from the concrete flying from the bullets hitting the pavement. Rick takes my arm, shields me, and shoots up at the man shooting from the rooftop. Carl and I do the same. Rick and I keep Carl close behind us as we scan the area, trying to find a place to run to. The sound of spraying bullets comes from all around us. Rick then leads us into a small warehouse and we run toward a garage door, but it's being closed.
"Here!" Daryl calls out and points to a gate.
We run to it, but it's locked.
"Over there!" I shout as I point to a door where a large white A is painted.
We make a run to it. Rick opens the door and allows the rest of us to pass through first. Daryl leads us through another court yard as bullets are being shot close behind us at the ground. We run through large wooden boxes as we cover our faces, averting the bullets. Rick makes sure Carl and I are in front of him.
"Come on! This way!" Daryl points to another door.
"Get'em off D!" we hear Garreth shout.
Just then, bullets are sprayed again at the pavement in front of us. We stop and head in another direction. I aim my gun at the man shooting from the rooftop and fire. Rick pulls me by the arm to continue running. We make our way down another courtyard, passing a gated area. Gazing past the torn plastic sheets covering the gated area, we see large piles of bones that are stripped of meat. Not having any time to think anything of it, we continue to run past. We turn a corner as we hear voices shouting.
"Help!" the voice of a girl calls out from inside a large storage container.
More shouts of help and banging are coming from large containers nearby.
"What the hell?!" Daryl exclaims.
"Keep going!" Rick instructs.
We run toward a small garage door that has a white A painted on the wall next to it. Running through it, we reach a door and head inside. It's another large warehouse with dozens and dozens of white candles lit. There are names of people painted in white all over the floor. I read large words painted in black on the wall: NEVER AGAIN. NEVER TRUST. WE FIRST, ALWAYS.
"The hell is this place?" Daryl asks.
"They're on some crazy cult shit," I state as I glance around at the lit candles.
"These people," Michonne says. "I don't think they're trying to kill us."
"No…they're aiming at our feet," Rick says as he scans the room. "There."
He points to a door on the other side of the room. We make a run to it, but someone quickly shuts it from the other side.
"There!" Daryl points to another door.
"Go!" Rick shouts.
I notice another white A painted on the wall next to the door before we run through it. We end up back outside and guns are shooting at us again. Rick and I stand on Carl's sides as we continue to run, covering our faces from the debris of shattering wooden boards. To our dismay, we reach the gate that leads to the woods where armed men are standing in behind of it and aiming their guns at us. We halt and see that we're surrounded. I glance around at the men standing on the rooftops with guns. Rick turns to me and Carl, then the five of us gaze at each other.
"Drop your weapons! Now!" we hear Garreth shout from atop of a roof.
I grip the handle of my gun as I watch the men on the roofs.
"NOW!" another shout from Garreth.
With no other choice, we toss our weapons to the ground. I glare up at Garret as he stares down at us, a gun in his hand.
"Ring leader! Go to your left!" he orders. "The train cart. Go."
Rick doesn't move and only looks over at the red train cart with the A painted in white.
"You do what we say, the boy goes with you," Garreth continues. "Anything else, he dies, and you end up in there anyway."
Rick looks over at Carl and me, giving us a small nod before walking toward the train cart.
"Now the archer," Garreth instructs.
I look over at Daryl who's glaring up at Garreth for a moment before walking.
"Now, the samurai."
Michonne stares hard at Garreth before following Daryl and Rick's lead. Carl and I are left standing there. He and I look at each other, both unsure of what's to come. There's a long silence before Garreth says anything else. This causes Rick to glance over to us in worry as he approaches the steps of the train cart. I glimpse up at Garreth, who's staring at me with a devilish smirk.
"And now, the soldier," he states.
I shoot him a death glare as he continues to smirk. I turn to Carl and give him a comforting gaze before walking toward the cart. My eyes land on wrappers of powdered milk that are strewn by the train cart on the ground. My attention turns to Rick who's staring back at me in worry. I reach where Rick, Daryl, and Michonne are lined up and stand at the end of the line.
"Stand at the door! Ring leader, archer, samurai, soldier, in that order," Garreth instructs.
Worry runs through my mind as I wait for Garreth to let Carl come over.
"My son!" Rick calls out.
"Go, kid," Garreth finally instructs.
Carl begins to make his way over to us.
"Ring leader! Open the door and go in," Garreth shouts.
"I'll go in with him!" Rick answers.
"Don't make us kill him now!"
Rick hesitates until he finally walks up the steps to the train cart door. He slides it open while keeping an eye on Carl and walks in. The rest of us follow after. It's dark inside. Rick stands next to me by the entrance as we wait for Carl to enter. My jaw clenches a bit and I fiddle my fingers as I stare at the entrance. After a short moment, Carl final walks in. Rick and I reach our arms out and pull him in between us with relieved sighs. The door slides shut, leaving light to pour in from cracks. Rick holds Carl and I by the arms, keeping us close.
"Rick?" we hear someone say from the other side of the cart.
Surprisingly, it's Glenn. Maggie appears close behind him.
"You're here," Rick says in disbelief. "You're here."
More people appear from behind Glenn. I recognize Sasha and Bob. Two other men and a young woman are ones I don't know.
"They're our friends," Maggie says. "They helped save us."
"Yeah…Now friends of ours," Daryl comments.
"For however long that'll be…" the man red-headed man in an army tank top and pants retorts as he turns away.
"No…" Rick responds, prompting everyone to look at him.
There's a moment of silence as we wait for him to continue.
"They're gonna feel pretty stupid when they find out…" he says as he walks over to the door and peeks out the crack.
"Find out what?" the red-headed army guy asks.
Again, Rick takes a moment to respond. I study him carefully as he stands by the door.
"They're screwing with the wrong people," he finally states.
I stare at him for a moment, and then a smirk spreads across my face.