A/N All characters belong to the writers and creators of The Walking Dead. Except those that arose from my own twisted imagination.
Going forward, as we get into the show & comic canon storylines in my AU, I will try my best to stay as close to both comic and tv show source material as I can but I think my AU has deviated enough that if I try to stay as true to the source it won't make sense and I won't be able to keep writing. I have stories mapped out all the way to the end and I'd like to finally get there. Time jumps will happen, some storylines will be skipped, new ones added, and I just hope that those of you who are still reading at this point (either those who started back in 2012 or just joined) enjoy what I do. I am going to try my absolute best to keep all non-OCs personalities as true to canon as I can and just tell the best story that I am able to do.
Thank you!
Chapter 61-Someplace Safe
From a distance, Rosita was sure they looked like walkers. Spread out across the road they staggered along as the sun fell lower in the sky, barely even picking their feet up. They had been walking for hours with barely any water and no food. What food and water they had they gave to the children. She was exhausted. She remembered running endless miles during boot camp, the PT drills in the Missouri summer, doing pushups until her arms almost gave out and then climbing the rope while a drill sergeant screamed at her that she was weak and should go home. She had never been so relieved to be done with something like she had after those ten weeks. She was more exhausted now than she had ever been back then but still, she kept going. She glanced over at JR. The burns on his arm and leg were angry red and blistered. She turned to her other side and saw Eugene still trudging along, refusing to give up. Were she not so tired she'd probably be angry with him.
After running from the house, they'd found it was too dangerous in the woods. The trees were thick, they were too noisy on the underbrush, and it was difficult to see anything coming towards them. They'd gone as far as they dared before exiting the trees and walking on the highway. Rather than walking in a tight group, they spread out across the entire highway. The late afternoon sun beat down on them and reflected off the asphalt. She could feel the heat burning through her boots. The heat had shimmered on the horizon, creating a mirage that the dehydrated part of her brain was convinced could be real. The sky had begun to darken as the sun fell lower. Suddenly the wind shifted, and a cooler breeze hit them. She looked to the west and saw the black thunderheads reflected off the sunset that signaled a storm.
"It'll be night soon and we've got to find some shelter before that storm hits us," she heard Daryl say from somewhere down the line. His voice seemed so distant though Rosita knew he was probably only five feet away from her. She listened for anyone to respond but heard nothing. Her vision turned dark and she felt hands grab her arms as she stumbled.
"Rosita honey, are you ok?" JR's voice sounded hollow and she tried to clear her vision.
"She needs water," that was Dani. Rosita felt the warm water on her lips and responded quickly. She was so thirsty. Her vision cleared and she realized she was sitting on the asphalt. She pushed the water bottle away.
"You need that for Jesse's formula. I'm ok." Dani shook her head.
"We need you and you need water. Drink." Rosita took the bottle back and smiled slightly.
"Thank you," she took another drink and tried to get her head back on straight. JR looked at Rick.
"We've got to find somewhere to go. We can't keep goin' like this. How 'bout me and Daryl scout ahead, see if we can find somethin'." Rick shook his head.
"No. No one is goin' off on their own right now. We have to stay together. We can't take the risk of…" Dylan's scream cut him off. A large herd of walkers poured out of the woods straight for the group. JR hauled Rosita to her feet. Alice took Judith from Carl and Father Gabriel picked up Dylan. Andrea protested but Gabriel shook his head.
"You can fight. I'll protect the boy." Dani, Alice and Gabriel got into the center of the group with the kids and they all started running as fast as they could. They headed into the trees, feeling like hunted prey. Dani turned once and saw the walkers were still behind them. They couldn't run fast. They couldn't hide. This was it, this was how they were going to die. After all of this, they were going to be rotting corpses walking through the woods looking for fresh meat.
A thunderclap overhead caused Rick to look up. The sky was turning black and the wind was picking up. He heard the rain on the leaves before he felt the drops. Suddenly, the sky opened up and he was almost instantly soaked to the skin. The steam from the rain hitting the hot ground was both beautiful and terrifying. Over the sound of the wind and the moans of the walkers he could hear Jesse and Judith crying. They had nothing to cover them, no blankets and the babies were as soaked as the adults were. The lightning flashed at the same time another clap of thunder sounded. As soon as the storm hit, the evening had quickly turned to night. The woods ended into a large open meadow. The wind blew stronger and made it harder to walk let alone run. Lightning lit up the sky enough that he could see the rotation of a tornado forming in the distance. He grabbed Daryl's arm and pointed.
"Tornado! We've gotta find something now!" Daryl nodded and looked around. Another flash of lightning and Daryl saw a barn.
"This way!" He urged the group towards the barn, not knowing if they'd even be able to secure it but it was their only option. They made it into the barn. Daryl and JR pushed the doors shut and looked for something to secure them. Maggie pulled a flashlight from her backpack and looked around. The barn was empty, save for several old bales of hay. No walkers, no animals and no other way out. They were trapped there.
The wind howled outside and the barn shook. Gabriel was on his knees praying loudly. Andrea held Dylan and watched Daryl, Rick, JR and Glenn fight to hold the doors shut against the walkers. The barn roof rattled and the sound of a freight train drowned out everything. Andrea's ears popped and she closed her eyes, covering Dylan's head.
Eugene was terrified. He'd been terrified for the past two years. He was at work in Baton Rouge when the army came through to push everyone south to the Gulf. He remembered vaguely hearing about walking corpses but he worked sixteen hour days at the office and then worked on his various projects in his messy apartment. He didn't own a television, didn't listen to the local radio stations, and thought the internet should have remained a government owned communication tool. Eugene was a mechanical engineer who loved older technology. At night, he dabbled in transistor radios, read old issues of Popular Mechanics, and tried to recreate some of the projects he read about in the magazine. He talked with others on his transistor radio who said there was word of a government group in Washington DC who were working on a cure so Eugene wasn't too worried that it would affect him directly. When the army came through, he stayed with his coworkers and boss. The first convoy was overrun with the dead and Eugene escaped with a small group. That group was overrun and Eugene stumbled upon another group. That group had been attacked by men with guns and Eugene had hid like a coward. When the men left, his group was dead and Eugene was all alone. A member of his last group had a military issue radio and Eugene took it off the man's body. He tried to use it but quickly realized the battery had been damaged. Eugene kept the radio anyway though he had left the damaged battery behind. He was sure he could find another one and call for help. He wasn't far from Baton Rouge but he was afraid to move on. He hid from most groups and successfully hid from the dead until one day he accidentally made too much noise. He ran out into the open, blind with fear, the dead on his heels and that was when he met JR and Rosita. Remembering what he had heard on the radio, he told them his big lie hoping they could get to the relative safety of the nation's capital. He figured if JR and Rosita made it to DC and were safe, they'd forgive him for that lie. Now, here he was cowering in a barn from the dead and a tornado. He pressed his hands against his ears, squeezed his eyes shut and held his breath. Suddenly, it was quiet. He opened his eyes and brought his hands down from his ears and looked around. The babies were crying. JR, Daryl, Rick and Glenn were sitting with their backs against the doors. The wind still blew hard outside but it was obvious the tornado had moved on.
When the sun rose early that morning, they carefully opened up the barn door. The walkers were gone. The tornado had passed within twenty feet of the barn, cutting down trees and apparently sweeping away the walkers. Rick was amazed.
"The damn things must have walked right into it." Daryl nodded.
"It makes sense. Hell, they'll walk towards any noise. They just got too close and got sucked up." Suddenly, JR started giggling. He tried to stop it but only laughed harder, doubling over. He sat down on the ground and laughed until he cried. Rosita hurried to him, concerned.
"JR are you ok?" JR nodded and wiped the tears from his eyes.
"All I could think of was the tornado sweepin' up that whole herd of walkers and carryin' 'em miles down the road only to drop 'em on some poor sonofabitch who was just mindin' his own business. I could just see it rainin' walkers and it was the funniest shit," He looked up at Rosita and his laughter trailed off. "It's really not funny is it?" Rosita shook her head and helped JR to his feet. They went back into the barn to take stock and found Dani frantically looking through her backpack. Daryl hurried over to her.
"What is it?" Dani didn't look up and continued her search.
"I thought I had four bottles of water in here for Jesse's formula but there's only one left." Daryl took the backpack from her and emptied it out, confirming there was only one bottle left.
"You gave one to Rosita and Jesse's been eating regularly. You're not rationing his formula. Have you drank any?" Dani's eyes teared up.
"Maybe? It was so hot yesterday. I can't remember what happened." She sat back and put her face in her hands. Daryl knelt and held her.
"Hey, it's alright." Dani snapped her tear-stained face up to look at him.
"No Daryl it's not alright! How we gonna feed our son?" Daryl looked over at Jesse sleeping on a shirt on the ground.
"We'll figure something out. We've made it this far. Me, Rick and Michonne are goin' out to look for food and a better place to go tonight. We'll find someplace safe." Dani started to argue and then shook her head. "Dani, what is it?"
"Nothin'. Y'all just go if you're goin'. Maybe we'll still be alive when you get back," Daryl frowned.
"Don't you talk like that. We always figure somethin' out." Tears welled up in Dani's eyes.
"I'm so damn tired Daryl. I just want this to be over. We're just dyin' slow and it's torture." He pulled her into his arms, and she cried on his shoulder.
"It's alright Dani. We'll be ok. We'll get back just as soon as we can." Dani nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes. Rick walked over.
"Daryl, we've got to go," Daryl nodded and got to his feet. Rick looked down at Dani. "We'll find somethin' together. We're family, you know that." Dani nodded. "Alright then." He motioned to Daryl and Michonne. As they left the barn, he stopped by Glenn.
"Keep the doors closed and try to stay quiet. We don't know where that herd went last night or if there's another one around here. Enough walkers push on these doors, they'll break them down easily." Glenn nodded. He and Maggie pushed the doors closed.
It was hot and humid. The thick, black storm clouds in the south signaled another thunderstorm and a possible tornado was tracking not far from them but was currently heading west. They stayed away from the woods, heading out along the flat, open farmland that stretched out in front of them. On the horizon, they could see a city or town ahead but didn't know which one. They knew they were close to several large cities and probably only a day or two walk to D.C. but suspected they didn't want to go there. Their best luck would probably be to find an empty farmhouse and secure it and the property surrounding it. That would give them some time to rest, recover and be a safe place to scout the area for something more permanent. Daryl kept glancing over his shoulder but Rick didn't think much of it until Daryl stopped and turned around.
"What is it?" Rick asked. Daryl jerked his chin in the direction they had just come from.
"Someone's followin' us," Michonne frowned and looked hard but didn't see what Daryl saw. Still, she was immediately on guard. If Daryl thought someone was there, they were probably there. Daryl took a step forward and raised his crossbow.
"You might as well come out!" he yelled. "We know you're there!" The waited and sure enough, a man rose up with both hands raised. He smiled warmly.
"Hello!" Daryl kept his crossbow pointed at him, Michonne unsheathed her katana and Rick raised his gun. The man didn't move but did noticeably flinch. "Please don't shoot. My name is Aaron Roberts. I represent a community nearby and I'd like to talk to you."
Dani used the last of the water she had to prepare Jesse's last bottle. She only fixed him four ounces even though he had been taking six. She should have rationed the water yesterday but he was still doing ok. Glenn found a water pump on the outside of the barn but they couldn't trust the water to drink until they could figure out a way to make a fire. It did come in handy to wash off Jesse and Judith both since they had to reuse the four cloth diapers they had between the two babies. The dirty ones were now clean, the babies bathed and the clean but still wet diapers drying quickly on the warm hay. But that didn't solve the drinking water issue. Later, they huddled together in silence in the barn as a small group of walkers passed by. Seeing Dani's face creased with worry as she fed Jesse the last prepared bottle, Eugene got up. He reached into the inside pocket of his vest and pulled out an unopened bottle of water.
"Ma'am, I want you to keep this for Jesse. Make sure he gets fed." He limped over and handed her the water. Dani took it with a half-smile.
"Thank you." JR, who had been glaring at Eugene off and on since the sun rose, snorted.
"You know, if you hadn't been a lyin' shit we wouldn't be in this mess," JR got to his feet, ignoring Rosita's pleas to stay quiet. "If you'd spoken up when we ran into those walkers south of here, we coulda gone somewhere else. Wouldn'tve gone on the back road and we wouldn'tve wrecked. Now my baby cousin is gonna starve 'cuz you're a goddamn liar!" His voice rose with each word.
"JR keep it down, please," Rosita whispered. JR turned on her.
"He already kept me from lookin' for my brother and now the rest of my family's gonna die because of him! So I ain't gonna…" Glenn tackled him and clamped his hand over JR's mouth.
"Shut up!" Glenn hissed through clenched teeth. "You're gonna bring those walkers right in here and they will definitely kill your family! Is that what you want?" JR stopped struggling and shook his head. Glenn removed his hand and JR sat quietly, glaring at Eugene. Maggie looked through the cracks in the barn wall to see if the walkers had been attracted by the noise. Miraculously, they hadn't and were moving on. She looked over at Andrea.
"Rick and them need to get back soon. We need food and water." Andrea nodded.
"Dylan is in so much pain. Alice re-set his wrist but it's never going to heal right if we don't get the right supplies." She stroked the little boys hair as he slept fitfully with his head in her lap. She put her hand on his cheek and forehead. While he was warm, she could tell it was from the heat of the day and not a fever. She loved this little boy like he was her own and understood Dani's fierce sense of protectiveness she had over Jesse. She looked around the barn. Everyone was nodding off in the heat though JR was jerking himself awake.
"JR?" he was alert immediately at Andrea's voice. "When was the last time you slept?" He frowned.
"I'm fine."
"Not since we were in Tennessee," Rosita sounded exhausted herself. "He needs to sleep but he won't." JR snapped his head around.
"Don't you tell me what I should and should not do!"
"Dammit Jasper!" Dani didn't even open her eyes as she addressed her cousin. We've all been able to rest but you won't and you won't be no good to us if you're like this. So listen to Rosita and get some sleep!" JR opened his mouth to argue but quickly decided there was no point. He crossed his arms and lay back, muttering something about going days without sleep and within minutes he was out.
Rick, Daryl and Michonne exchanged looks. Rick kept his gun raised and slowly walked towards the man. The man kept smiling and took a step towards Rick. Rick cocked his gun.
"That's close enough!" The man stopped and nodded.
"I understand you are hesitant. I don't blame you at all, especially with the children, I expect that you'd…" He trailed off as Rick approached him quickly.
"Get down on your knees!" The man complied. "That's good. Now, put your hands on your head." The man's brow furrowed.
"Please understand, I mean your group no harm. I'm with a local community and we…" Rick cut him off.
"Shut up!" He secured the man's hands and proceeded to pat him down like he was a suspect. Rick tossed the backpack to Michonne who quickly went through it. In the backpack was a first aid kit, several plastic bags of dried fruit and meat. There were also several bottles of water and two canning jars filled with what looked like applesauce. She put it down on the ground.
"No weapons Rick. Just food." She stood over the man. "What did you say your name was?"
"Aaron Roberts. I represent a town not far from here called Alexandria. I go out and look for survivors and who could help grow and protect our community." Rick hauled Aaron to his feet though he didn't release his hands from behind his head. "I saw you on the road the other day and I've been watching you. Your group seems like you'd fit in well in Alexandria and I'd like to take your there." Aaron looked over at Daryl who still had his crossbow trained on Aaron's face and swallowed hard. Most of the people he approached had readily returned with him to Alexandria but this group was extremely cautious. Aaron looked from Rick's gun to Daryl's crossbow.
"I'm offering a safe haven for your children, for all of you," Daryl snorted and narrowed his eyes.
"Last time people offered that, we ended up in a slaughterhouse with our heads over a trough." Aaron looked bewildered.
"I'm sorry, what?" His bewilderment turned to shock as he realized what Daryl was saying. "Wait! No, no, no! We're not like that! This is a safe community with families…" Rick cut him off.
"We'll see about that." He hauled Aaron to his feet and headed back towards the barn.
Dani woke up and reached for Jesse, bolting upright when her hands closed around the shirt he had been laying on. She looked around and relaxed when she saw Alice walking him around the barn and feeding him. Dani wiped the sleep out of her eyes and squinted out the barn window. It appeared to be late afternoon.
"How long was I out?" Alice smiled down at Jesse.
"A few hours. He woke up not that long ago and needed to be changed. Now he's eating and is just as fine as he can be." Jesse grinned back at her around his bottle. "Yes you are. You're just fine aren't you? We just let Mama have a good rest didn't we? Because you like hangin' out with Alice. Yes you do!" Dani smiled, got to her feet and walked over to Maggie and Glenn.
"They aren't back yet?" Maggie shook her head.
"Haven't seen them. We walked around awhile ago tryin' to see if there's a house nearby but the nearest one looks like it burnt down awhile ago. There's more walkers across the field so we didn't want to go too far and risk bringin' them back here." Dani nodded, too tired and hungry to be scared. Her throat was dry and her lips felt blistered. Her stomach was knotted up and she felt weak. Looking at Maggie, Glenn and the others she could see they weren't much better off. Carl was feeding Judith the last of the food they had for her. Dani was sure there was now only enough water for one more bottle for Jesse. She hoped Daryl, Rick and Michonne came back soon with good news or at least some food and water.
Glenn scrambled to his feet when he heard footsteps outside the barn.
"Everyone quiet!" He hissed. He looked out the window and ran to open the barn door. Rick walked in quickly, pushing a man in front of him who had his hands tied behind his back. Rick walked him to the support beam in the center of the barn and quickly secured the man to it. Daryl and Michonne quickly entered the barn and Glenn pushed the door closed.
Aaron looked around at the group, fearful yes but confident they weren't going to kill him. He understood they were cautious. His eyes focused on a little boy with his wrist in a splint sitting up against a hay bale, tears streaking his dirty face as he cradled his wrist. Aaron nodded towards the blonde woman standing protectively in front of the boy.
"I have ibuprofen in my bag if he's in pain. Some food too…" Rick squatted down in front of him.
"You don't talk to them. They're not taking anythin' from you." Aaron nodded.
"I just want to help you all. That is all I want to…" he trailed off as Rick cocked his gun and put it in Aaron's face. Michonne put her hand on Rick's arm.
"Rick, don't. We should hear him out." Rick was shaking and Michonne knew that the weeks of being on the road, the trauma they'd all endured, the lack of food and water and watching his children fading before his eyes were taking a toll on him. She made him lower his gun and put herself between Rick and Aaron.
"Tell us about Alexandria." Aaron nodded.
"Of course. Right after 9/11, a proposal was brought before Congress to build a secure community that could be used to safely hold government officials and their families in the event of another terrorist attack so that basic government could still function. It was originally supposed to be built in either Wyoming or Colorado, but Congresswoman Deanna Monroe from Ohio sat on the House Armed Services committee and was able to secure land in her district and the funds to get it built," Alice gasped.
"Bill…," she trailed off and looked at Dani who nodded.
"Coldwater Hills. We know who designed it. Bill Olsen was killed at our last home. He was Alice's fiancé." Aaron's eyes widened and he looked over at Alice.
"I'm so sorry to hear that. I was a congressional aide for Representative Monroe at the time and worked closely with Bill Olsen until he resigned from the project. He was a good man." He cleared his throat and continued.
"Before that project was fully completed, another community was built here in Northern Virginia and an earmark was added to a defense spending bill that allowed the public to buy spots in either community and secure transportation there in the event of the country's collapse for ten million dollars. It was passesd without so much as a peep before anyone actually read the full language of the bill. That was what made Bill Olsen and a number of others resign from the project. When the news came out, there was the public outcry against it and congressional investigations but both communities were completed as the money had already been spent. They each sat empty and guarded like a military facility. Fast forward to the outbreak and I was a newly elected freshman congressman from Maryland living in D.C. with my husband Eric. I had barely begun work when the first reports came out of Asia and Europe. Next thing we knew, we were swept up by the military in the evacuation of D.C. and taken to the Alexandria community. If any of the wealthy people who bought spots ever made it to the Ohio facility, I don't know but none of them ever arrived in Alexandria. Deanna Monroe, her husband Reg and their two sons were some of the only politicians who stayed. Thankfully, Deanna's husband Reg understood the infrastructure and was able get the solar power and the well working so we have electricity and water. We have a strong wall of course, as that is what the community was designed for, we grow our own food…we actually have a decent farm with animals. We have housing for about one to two hundred people in a combination of single-family homes and apartments. We only have about forty people at last count though but there is obviously room to grow," Aaron realized he was talking rapidly but the stone-faced looks from the people staring at him made him nervous. He'd never had to sell Alexandria this hard before. "There are families, children, there. We have a town square with a playground, a wonderful clinic that is run by a former surgeon. We've even started a school." That elicited a smile from the dark-haired woman holding the infant who exchanged a look with the man with the crossbow. Aaron saw his face soften some, though he didn't lower his weapon, and Aaron realized that the baby must be his. A father protecting his child. Though he didn't have children, Aaron could completely understand how he felt. He looked at the black woman standing between himself and Rick. She had taken all of this in and was processing it. From her stance, Aaron could see that she believed him, and he also knew that she was his way through the guard of the group.
"Please," he said looking at her. "Feel free to give the food and water in my backpack to the children. As I said, we've been watching you since yesterday afternoon. I would have approached you sooner but between the rotters in the woods and that storm, it wasn't safe. I was so grateful that you all survived."
Michonne pursed her lips and looked at Daryl. Without a word, each understood the other. Daryl nodded and lowered his crossbow. Michonne walked over to Aaron and untied him. Rick stared at her in disbelief and protested when she pulled the food out of the backpack and gave it to Carl, Judith and Dylan. Rick rushed over to Carl and took the bag of dried fruit out of his hand.
"Carl, no. Don't eat that," Michonne saw that the heat, the lack of food, the fear and the lack of sleep had taken its toll on Rick. He was in constant fight or flight mode and he wasn't in a position to make decisions for anyone right now. She put her hand on his arm to stop him from throwing the fruit on the ground.
"Rick," her soft voice began to break through. His arm trembled as he stared down at Carl and Judith. "Rick, look at your children. They are starving. Give them the fruit." Rick shook his head.
"No," he walked back over to Aaron and removed a piece from the bag. "Here, you first. I want to see you eat it." Aaron kept eye contact as he took the fruit from Rick. He glanced down and smiled.
"Apricots. I really hate apricots." He had hoped the joke might lighten the mood but Rick's face remained serious. Aaron ate the apricot and tried not to grimace at the taste. Rick waited a moment and then seemed to relax. He nodded.
"Alright then," He handed the bag of fruit back to Carl, gave him a bottle of water and then gave another bag of dried fruit and water to Dylan. He took Judith and fed her from the jar of applesauce. She ate every bite that was put in her mouth and tried to take the spoon from Rick. She grinned up at him.
"Dada." Rick's face crumbled and he dropped to his knees next to Carl, embracing both his children as his shoulders shook with sobs of relief.
While the sun was just as hot that day, Rick and Daryl walked faster with Aaron. They were going to get the RV Aaron had hidden nearby to keep the rest of the group from having to make the long walk.
"So how far is Alexandria?" Daryl asked.
"A few hours," answered Aaron. "Honestly, if you hadn't wrecked, we probably would have crossed paths eventually." As they reached the outskirts of the town Rick and Daryl had spotted earlier, Aaron had them cut through an old processing plant.
"The town is overrun," he explained. "And there are other groups out here that you don't want to meet out here too. We do our best to avoid them but…" Nearby gunshots cut off Aaron and he stopped. His face went white, and fear crossed his face.
"Eric!" He ran in the direction of the continued gunfire with Rick and Daryl right behind him.
