Chapter 3

Strangers were an uncommon sight at Littlechapel. Though the children went about their tasks as usual, they idled more, whispering amongst themselves like gossiping church ladies. The strangers were men who'd seen plenty of danger, and made-up stories were already swirling.

Lucy didn't know what to think about the newcomers. She eyed them as she cleaned up the old picnic table littered with bloodied rags and medical tools. Better not use this one for lunches for awhile, she thought as she scraped the bullet fragments into the disposal bucket.

One of the newcomers was tall and an obvious charmer with slicked-back hair, a leather jacket and a very amused smile perpetually twitching at his lips. Danger clung to him like a bad cologne. In his youth, he was likely the boyfriend that mothers hated. The skinny blonde man's eyes darted around erratically, his fingers always fumbling at something. Real nervous guy in general. His eyes flicked constantly at Leather Jacket for approval, and Lucy suspected if he was told to stop breathing, he'd comply until he passed out from lack of oxygen. The other two were blank slates, hard to get a read on. One was tattooed with snakes twisting up his arms, more interested in smoking his cigarette then the surroundings. The other one wore filthy sweats and looked out at his surroundings with watchful dark eyes. And the injured one was also an unknown, presently unconscious and being pushed in a wheelbarrow towards the Big House by a few of the bigger kids.

It is what it is. Too late to turn back now, they were already here and their weapons confiscated. Might as well feed them and send them on their way.

It was rare that the children bring back anyone from their trips. Be cautious, be alert, she taught them. Occasionally they would somehow find other kids, and bring them into the fold. Once they even found an infant, screaming in a treehouse while half a dozen walkers snapped and snarled from the ground below. No one else was found. There was an odd magnetism about these kids, Lucy always thought when another dirty, half-starved little face would arrive at the caverns. Perhaps there were a lot more kids out there, surviving and hiding on their own, wary of adults and for good reason. It was bad out there. Hell, sometimes it was bad in here, too.

Lucy rinsed her bloodied hands off in a spigot near the table. The kids had never brought adults back before, and never interfered with a gunfight. They were getting older, taking more risks. Something to talk about later, after these strangers were on their way home. Speaking of which…

"Your home far from here?" she asked the Leather Jacket. Negan, he said his name was. An unusual one. The other three strangers were hanging around a few yards away, taking in the scenery and blowing puffs of smoke in the air.

Negan shrugged. "Can't really say, seeing as these kids went fuckin' Taliban on our asses and covered our heads."

Lucy nodded and looked out over the settlement as she wiped her hands dry on a clean rag. "Sorry 'bout that. They're awful jittery, but they mean well."

"I bet you've got a good fuckin' story there, doll."

Lucy turned towards Negan. He was nearly a head taller than her, his eyes sparkling at some private joke. He looked like the kind who didn't appreciate bullshit. Speaking straight was likely the better course, and so she did.

"I hope you'll understand that I don't trust you as far as I can throw you."

"I do." Negan cocked an eyebrow. "Can't blame you, either. But we mean you no harm, and I guess all you've got is my fuckin' word on that."

Lucy tried not to wince at the swearing. She had managed to curb the habit herself, saving it for extreme moments of distress or whispering swears to herself when she was alone. When was the last time she'd had a real conversation with an adult? Too long.

She squared off and crossed her arms. "Well then, here is how this whole thing is gonna go. It's getting dark, and that brings danger."

Negan looked around, his eyebrows raised. "You've got some solid goddamn walls here, and I haven't seen any hint of walkers around here. You worried about bears?"

"Amongst other things. You and your men may come inside for supper. There's a banquet hall in attached to the gift shop as some sort of welcome center thing. We use it as our cafeteria and dining hall, and the gift shop is cleared out for the kids' recreation time."

The others turned towards her and listened in, their interest piqued. Lucy addressed them all.

"Here are my rules, so listen up because I will not repeat myself. None of you are to be alone with the kids, and don't talk to them unless they talk to you first. I see you harassing any of the kids, I hear about any funny business whatsoever, and you're toast. Let me clarify: I will shoot you, which means the kids will likely join in until your bodies are Swiss cheese."

Negan whistled. "Damn. You're a cold-hard bitch, you know that? Not that it's a bad thing."

She didn't flinch. "I know. There's an old detached garage that you will all go to and spend the night. If any of you are handy with a car, there's a busted-up Jeep in there that is all yours. If not, tomorrow morning we will drive you all some distance away, preferably in the direction of your home. And yes, either way you will be escorted a safe distance away and hooded until we deem it so. If you don't agree, we can take you back to the bar we found you at and you can figure out your plan home yourself. Deal?"

Negan squinted, looking out over the horizon. The kids were back at their duties, happily chattering away and singing, bored now by the strangers who just stood around. The fading light gave everything an orangish haze, and a chill breeze was beginning to stir the trees. Every so often, a shrill laugh would pierce the air, followed by more giggles. Negan closed his eyes. It smelled like camp, pine trees and smoking fires.

"It's the laughter that you fuckin' miss first," he said.

"I know."

"We got us some kids too, only a couple, but they look like beat dogs all the time. Big eyes and shaking all the goddamn time. Too much fuckin' trauma. It's a shame."

"They'll come around. It takes time. Some of these guys were in the same boat."

Negan nodded slowly, his eyes faraway. He was older than Lucy, by a good fifteen, maybe twenty years. Maybe more. He looked younger when he smiled, but right now he looked tired. Tired and sad.

A bell clanged, five slow rings that heralded the end of work. The scene around them froze while the children listened, some holding out their fingers to count each ring. Once they got to five and the bell stopped, each kid seemed to sigh in unison. A few whooped in excitement, followed by frantic shushing. They chattered in low voices and collected their tools, cleaning up their areas with a speed known only to children who have fun on the horizon and chores in the way. Then, like little dutiful ants towards the hive, they marched towards the main building, the large welcome center and gift shop.

Lucy watched the stranger as he looked out over her settlement. There was danger there, she didn't misread that, but the danger was not for them. Still, proceed with caution was her motto.

He looked over at her, and she glanced away, embarrassed to be caught staring. "I'll take your deal," he said finally. "With one caveat."

"And what's that?"

He broke into a grin. "I'm fuckin' coming back." He raised his hand as she opened her mouth to protest. "Not to stir shit up, just to help. You'll see."

"Hah! Aren't you the confident one. But no, I'm sorry. You aren't. We're just fine here." After a split second: "But thanks for the thought, if you're genuine."

Negan shrugged and began to walk towards the welcome center in an easy swagger. "You'll change your mind, darlin', don't worry," he called over his shoulder. He began to whistle a slow, low tune that faded as he walked away.

Lucy looked back towards his men, her eyebrow cocked up. Kevin, the nervous guy, shrugged apologetically. "He's probably right. Sorry. Changing minds is his speciality." Then he and the others shuffled after Negan.

Lucy shook her head, then wrangled the last of the dawdlers in towards the welcome center. Something told her to believe them.

/ / / / /

Inside the Littlechapel Gift Shoppe was a spacious entry room. Shelves that once held knick-knacks and miscellaneous goods for tourists had been shoved against the wall, now filled with board games, puzzles, and art supplies. A long counter still had a dusty cash register on it, but instead of keychains and lip balm for sale, now bins lined the top filled with dirty work gloves and hats disposed by the kids. One counter held a basin with clean water and rags where some of the kids were wiping down their faces and hands, dropping the wet rags in a bucket below. One side of the room had card tables and a hodgepodge of chairs, the other side was bare except for a big stack of carpet squares and an old TV strapped to a wheeling cart with an even older VCR beneath it.

Negan stepped aside from the entrance, trailed by his men, watching the goings-on with a deep fascination. A cluster of kids were going through the carpet squares to select the best ones, then set them down in neat little lines on the empty half of the room. Little ducklings all rowed up. The bigger kids helped the smaller ones in some sort of a buddy system, and the few teenagers he saw were constantly scanning and counting heads.

The Saviors were on the harsh end of some very suspicious glares, stranger danger, they seemed to say, so he chuckled and waved the men towards one corner where they'd be out of the way. Kevin hopped up and sat on a small square of free space on the countertop, and Snake was rummaging around in his pockets for cigarettes. He nearly lit it when a dramatic gasp from one of the little ones sufficiently shamed him into abandoning his endeavor with a sheepish grin. Instead, he twirled the lighter in his hand and clicked it occasionally, until Negan elbowed him to knock it off.

The last stragglers hustled through the door had Lucy in tow. Slung over one hip, she carried a toddler with blue eyes that seemed permanently fixed in a state of shock. A little bowl of crackers were clutched in her tiny hand and she shoveled them down as if it were here last meal. If Negan hadn't guessed the little tike had probably seen hell, it would have been an almost funny.

A hush fell over the kids after a few more moments of squirming and shushing. Lined up, eyes on Lucy, mouths closed.

She smiled at them all, a genuinely happy smile that lit up her face. "Anyone missing a buddy?" Dozens of heads shook no.

"Wonderful! Alright, head count?"

The child at the head of each row jumped up and began to count the kids that sat behind them. Then, the last child in each row jumped up and repeated the process. The two numbers were compared for accuracy, then reported to Lucy, who tallied in a large notebook.

"Great, looks like we got everyone- 'cept the four on the wall back there. We'll have a little talk, then it's potty break before supper. Cupcake? You're excused. Take a few helpers, if you need 'em."

A lanky teenage girl stood up, searching for particular faces in the crowd. Many eyes were hopeful, longing, but they would be crushed soon enough. The girl named Cupcake pointed to two girls. "Uh, Sophie P and Sophie D. That's all I need, I think."

A collective sigh of disappointment. Apparently, helping in the kitchen was highly coveted here, and a source of disappointment to those excluded.

Lucy turned to the Saviors, explaining. "Cupcake's our resident chef. She's a genius in the kitchen, and we're very lucky."

Cupcake blushed a little, but looked rather pleased.

Wish I could get my people that fucking excited about kitchen duty, Negan thought. He'd have to speak with this woman about her methods. Well, about lots of stuff, including how 'bout they knock boots, do a little horizontal tango, but Negan guessed if he stared with that, they'd have their asses out on the road.

Lucy set the toddler down. The little girl wobbled shakily over to a nearby lap, and plonked herself down, grinning a half-toothed smile before leaning down to pull on the Velcro on her shoes.

"Okay gang," Lucy said. "Today, you'll notice we have some new… friends." She gestured over towards the Saviors. "Our group ran into their group getting shot at by some bad guys. Billy thinks it may have been the Diamondbacks from Macon looking for trouble. If so, that means they're getting further up the mountain and closer to us. They are bad news, so we gotta be extra careful and cautious, okay? All trips need to be cleared with me first, and let's keep our eyes peeled on patrol. We're far from the main road, but just in case, let's remember to keep things quiet, even outside, within reason. Got it?"

Dozens of nodding heads.

"Great. Now, onto our new friends. One of their guys got hurt today, so he's resting up in the big house. Little Lucy's making sure he stays stable and Fletch is with her for protection. The rest of our new friends are going to spend the night in the old workshop, then we're going to take them home tomorrow."

A hand shot up. "They'll wear a hood?"

Lucy nodded. "Yep, always. Now, we haven't gotten many outsiders, especially not for awhile. I know you got a lot of questions for them, and after supper maybe we can ask them. But first, we gotta take care of business. I got the next five guards scheduled to relieve Wall Duty, but any volunteers? I think we should have a few extra out tonight, just in case."

Billy, the serious kid that seemed awfully comfortable having Negan at gunpoint, raised his hand. "I'll go. Don't have any interest in the newcomers anyways." The corner of Lucy's lips twitched, but she just nodded and jotted in her notebook.

Well, fuck you too. Negan couldn't help but like the little shithead.

Another hand shot up belonging to a young girl with taped up glasses. "What about the Offering?" she asked in a small voice. "It's tonight. We didn't pick who has to go."

The room grew quiet. Negan snapped to attention. He checked his own men's reaction: Kevin was pulling at a thread on his sleeve, Snake was staring out the window looking bored. Only Daryl caught his eye, then shrugged imperceptibly. Lucy froze for a moment, her face paling. Her eyes flicked over to the Saviors and she dropped her voice a little. "Oh. No, you're right- it's that time again. With the hectic day I nearly- let's just do same group as last week. Who was it?"

A few voices groaned. Lucy scanned the crowd for the source. "Ah, the Doubles. Sorry, guys."

"Thanks a lot, Rach!" said a set of scowling twin boys in unison. "We always have to go." Curiously, another set of twins, a boy and a girl, also shook their heads in displeasure.

Negan had spotted the scowling twins earlier, hulking teenagers that were nearly his own height, though they couldn't have been older than sixteen. Little hints of facial hair peppered their upper lips in an attempt at puberty, though even at their young age, they'd put up a hell of a fight.

"Hey, now, be nice," Lucy said. "The Doubles are our set of twins. Two different families, though." She explained to the Saviors before turning back to the kids. "Sorry, time got away from us- from me, I mean. I'll make it up to you. Hang around after and we'll talk." The twins, both sets, nodded.

Negan was intrigued, if not also highly annoyed. An offering? Sounded like someone got here before Negan did, but maybe not. It could be some weird ritual thing, but the younger kids look almost…scared when it was brought up. Lucy acted cagey about it, which meant Negan wanted to- no, needed to pry a bit more.

The whole proceedings were fascinating, if he was being honest. They talked a bit more about stranger danger, don't leave their buddy without saying something, blah blah blah. Negan wasn't paying attention anymore. After a few more reminders, Lucy dismissed the kids. Those who hadn't washed up yet scampered to the washing basins, the others scattered to restrooms somewhere deeper within the building. The creaky wooden floors shuddered at the stampede of tiny feet, followed by the rattling of old pipes and chittering voices.

The lights flickered momentarily but stayed on. Judging by the solar panels and several generators outside, Negan judged them to be fairly self-sufficient in terms of power. Likely in most other ways, judging by how long they'd lasted so far.

"You got quite the set-up," Kevin said to Lucy as she slipped some papers into a folder on her clipboard. "How do you get 'em all to listen?"

Lucy laughed. It echoed in the large, and now empty, room. "It wasn't easy, if I'm being honest. But we've had plenty of practice by now. I've learned by now not to keep 'em sitting for too long, they get squirrelly. Can't keep them inside for too long either. Let them mix-up together, big kids and little kids. The little ones watch the big ones and try to mirror their behavior. Sometimes that works to my advantage, sometimes not. With this many kids, I have to trust a lot of them now, and they comply for the most part. It was a lot tougher in the early days."

Daryl nodded. "Seem like good kids," he mumbled.

"They are. They just want to survive, same as anyone. I can't keep them on too tight of a leash or they'll try to break away. The rules I do have are strict, and we still act like civilized people. It's been easier now that the older kids are teenagers, though that does come with problems of its own, of course. Now come on, I'll show you where you're staying tonight."

She led them outside. The sun was low now, swallowed by the towering pine trees that surrounded the settlement. A cool air, crisp and earthy, stirred dry needles on the forest floor. They scratched the paved walkways like brittle nails, clawing after Lucy and the Saviors as she herded them towards a large detached garage and workshop a few minutes' walk from the gift shop.

Negan shot the others a look and they slowed their pace, letting him catch up to Lucy.

"So, doll: inquiring minds and all. What's this about an offering? You in some kind of cult or something?"

Lucy kept looking straight ahead, but her jaw clenched in response. Her eyes glowed in the low light, bright little pinpoints that missed nothing and saw everything. "No, not a cult. Listen, I can't talk to you about that. No offense, rules and all."

"Your rules, or someone else's? Is it those Diamondback pricks?"

Lucy didn't say anything for a minute. "Not mine," she said finally. "Not the kid's, either, or the Diamondbacks." She snorted, the thought was amusing to her. "As if I'd be scared of those jacked up dumbasses. Now, here we are." Keys jangled momentarily and she unlocked a side door to an old workshop. The roof was coated in old pine needles, and the outside was in desperate need of a powerwash. A few decades of mud and dirt splattered up the sides of the wall, but the building itself seemed solid.

Negan pushed down irritation. He'd have to settle for just that little tidbit, for now. Just for now. He wasn't in his usual setting with his usual advantages to leverage. You're a guest here, asshole. A million fucking kids and one lady in charge. No fucking trust.

Well, he'd have to make her trust him, then. Make. He shook that out of his head. Sounded creepy when he repeated it. Earn. Better. Fuck, was he getting soft already? It was all the damn kids around, being cute and precocious and shit. He had to get out of here before he started singing campfire songs and cooking s'mores. He felt a pang from old memories, long shoved away in the recesses of his mind. That wasn't the same man he was today. Or maybe it was. He'd always been an asshole, that hadn't changed with the collapse.

The air was stale in the garage, a vague smell of old paint and chemicals. Heavy dust tickled their noses. Kevin sneezed violently before running back outside. Lucy struggled with cracking open the windows, years of weather and dust had practically sealed them. Negan let her try for a few minutes longer, enjoying the view of her hopping around trying to free the latch, but grew impatient and finally shooed her aside. After a brief struggle, the first window groaned opened, then he worked on the others.

Lucy rummaged around before finding a few lanterns that turned on after a good slap or two. "Sorry guys. You'll have to help me get down some cots. I'll put the lanterns over there- careful, some of them have broken glass. I don't want the kids using them, but you can if you'll mind yourselves. You may use our facilities at dinner to relieve yourselves, but at night, just go somewhere around the side, away from the buildings. Don't get too close to the fence or one of the kids might get spooked and shoot you."

Kevin finally wandered back in, his eyes watery and red.

"Thanks," Daryl mumbled finally.

With that, she left them to go get the children corralled once more as the Saviors dusted off the cots and aired out some moth-balled old blankets preserved in big plastic bins. Negan finished the last window and the air already felt cleaner. He dusted off then sat in a sturdy lawn chair, deep in thought, while the others set up.

"This is fuckin' weird," Snake finally said, clicking his lighter idly. "Isn't it? All these kids here? How'd they survive so long? Most settlements crash quick and easy, even if they'd been around for awhile, but they've been here for years."

Daryl nodded. "We got kicked from place to place. Overrun by walkers, other people, disease, lack of food or water. It's not easy to maintain." It was probably the longest Negan had ever heard Daryl speak to date. He had never asked Daryl, or Rick, about life before Alexandria. He assumed they'd been there for a long time, but it occurred to him now that might be untrue.

Kevin shook out a blanket so hard he tumbled backwards a little. "I dunno, I think it's kinda cool. They seem to be doing okay food-wise, defense-wise. Kids look healthy and happy. That Lucy seems firm, but nice. Kinda like a good mom, or whatever she is to those kids."

"Nice ass," Snake said.

"Yeah. What do you think, sir?" Kevin asked Negan.

"Hmm? Yeah, great ass."

"No, I mean about this settlement. Are we coming back, full force? Daryl here probably knows already where we are at."

Daryl grunted. "Littlechapel Caverns," Daryl said in a low tone. Everything Daryl said was in a low tone, though.

"Well no shit, the sign says that. But where the fuck is Littlechapel Caverns?" Snake said.

Daryl just looked at him.

"Aw, shit. You already fuckin' know, don't you?"

Daryl shrugged. An affirmative, in Daryl-speak. Maybe. Negan hadn't quite cracked the code yet.

"Goddamn, he's like a fuckin' bloodhound," Kevin said.

"Dunno exactly," Daryl said.

Snake looked at Kevin and shook his head. "Man, bloodhounds just smell really good. You're thinkin' of something that can track well. A hawk or a jaguar or some shit. I don't fuckin' know."

"No, dummy, the cops use bloodhounds to find lost kids and escaped murderers and shit. They track good because of their good noses."

Kevin and Snake continued to bicker over what animal Daryl best represented. While they were occupied, Daryl crouched near Negan, setting up the final cot.

"You think there's another group out here?" he asked Negan. "One that's collecting dues?"

Negan smiled. "You caught that too? Tweedle-fuckin'-Dee and Tweedle-fuckin'-Dumbass over there are more concerned about your goddamn spirit animal," Negan said. "If there is another fuckin' group out here, I need to talk to them about their goddamn methodology. Taking from a group of kids and creeping them the fuck out, it's not cool, man."

Daryl grunted in agreement and finished locking the legs of the cot. Negan sighed and stood up. "Come on, assholes. Let's get back. I assume we'll have to drag fuckin' Simon out here in the pitch fuckin' dark and I'm-"

A soft knock at the door interrupted him. Negan strode over and cracked it open. A little scowling face turned up to meet his.

"Well, if it ain't Billy the Kid. What can I do for you, chief?"

Billy peered behind Negan with a cocked eyebrow, as if he might find nefarious dealings in the garage. "Hmm. It's just Billy. And this is yours."

From behind his back, he extracted Lucille, pristine and glittering in the moonlight.

"Oh, my," Negan said, a huge grin pasted on his face. "Well, isn't this kind."

Billy's scowl deepened. "Not my idea. I wanted to keep it, but Lucy said hell no. But if you even try to use that thing, I'll put a bullet between your eyes so quick you'll think it was a mosquito bite before you realize it was me."

Negan nodded. He resisted ruffling the little scamp's hair, thinking the kid would likely break a finger or two. "Got it."

Billy spat on the ground, a little too close to Negan's boots, then turned around and walked back towards the front gate. "Supper's about to be served," he called over his shoulder.

Negan chuckled and closed the door. The others looked back, curiously. All Negan could do was smile back.

I fucking love this place.

/ / / / /

AN: Thank you all for the support so far, I hope you're enjoying the story! A settlement of mainly children has been an idea kicking around for awhile, and a fascinating situation to write. I want to acknowledge that in part of the inspiration for Littlechapel (especially the name) comes from the video game Fallout 3: Little Lamplight, where a group of children form a settlement in caverns in a post-nuclear apocalyptic world. However, Littlechapel is also inspired by numerous churches and chapels that formed within caverns (Google it, there are some way cool pictures!).

It's also a very different atmosphere for Negan, who is used to exerting his authority over adults, but has a soft spot for children. Let me know your thoughts and impressions in comments/reviews if you'd like. Have a lovely day xoxo