Chapter 20: Changes
"Hey! Come on, you need to get up."
Riley's eyes flew open and she sat up quickly, looking up at Carl hovering over her. He would only wake her if something important was happening and they needed to move. His hand was resting lightly on her forearm and she instantly felt her face heat up. Her voice caught in her throat and she tried to form the words to speak, but they wouldn't come out. He seemed to realize that things got weird and shook his head.
"Someone's here... Some guy, a stranger...," he finally said, pulling back from her.
"What?!"
She sat up quickly, scooting back and taking notice of a very clean looking man standing near the door. All guns were trained on him and she jumped to her feet, whipping out her gun and joining the others. Sleep left her system faster than ever, which wasn't unusual. It was impossible to get a deep sleep now when things like this were always happening. Putting her guard down for one minute left an infinite number of bad things to happen.
"Hi. Nice to meet you," the man said, taking a step forward.
No one was messing around and they all cocked their guns to show him it wasn't a game. Judith started to cry, to which Rick handed the baby off to Carl and he retreated further back away from them. The weapon they took from him was handed off to their leader.
"He said he had a camp nearby," Sasha spoke, shooting a look over at the man. "He wants us to audition for membership."
"I...wish there was another word... Audition makes us sound like we're some sort of dance group. That's only on Friday nights," the man tried to joke, looking at each of them nervously.
A group? Why would they want them? Groups usually stayed away from each other and didn't bring in others or tried to kill them for supplies. It seemed odd that this man wanted to bring them in.
Seeing that he didn't get his point across, he continued, "and it's not a camp, it' a community... I think you all would make valuable additions. But it's not my call. My job is to convince you all to follow me back home. I know...if I were you, I wouldn't go either. Not until I knew exactly what I was getting into. Sasha, can you hand Rick my pack?"
Riley's eyes narrowed and she shifted her weight, breathing in a deep breath of dusty air as she watched Sasha hesitantly do what was requested of her.
"Front pocket, there's an envelope," he said, seeming to relax a little as Rick started to open the backpack up. "There's no way I could convince you to come to our community. That's why I brought those. And I apologize in advance for the picture quality. We just found an old camera-"
"-nobody gives a shit," Daryl interrupted.
The man seemed a little taken aback as he looked back at the hunter, but slumped his shoulders in defeat. "You're absolutely one hundred percent right."
The first photo Rick pulled out was a photo of a very high and sturdy wall. The stranger started to explain how seriously they took safety and said exactly what the wall was made of. She pressed her lips together, lowering her gun just slightly since it didn't seem like he was going to try anything.
"Together, we're strong. You can make us even stronger. The next picture...you'll see inside the gates. Our community was first-"
He couldn't even finish his sentence. Rick stormed forward and punched him hard across the jaw, sending him flying to the ground. Her eyes widened and she held her breath, standing on her toes to watch as the others went toward him to make sure he was knocked out cold and not waking up anytime soon. She was slightly confused because he hadn't been doing anything to try and start a fight. But she didn't have time to think about it because Rick was already giving orders, telling Carl to dump the backpack and see what was inside.
Michonne clearly wasn't happy with how things turned out. She tried to share a few words with Rick, but he dismissed her, turning to address everyone else.
"Eyes everywhere. We may not know how or when, but they're coming for us. We know they are."
Hesitantly, Riley moved toward one of the walls, peeking through the boards to see if anyone was around. After a long minute, she pulled away, tuning in to the others arguing about how everything went down.
Moving from the wall, she stood behind one of the beams, pressing her palms against the rough wood and watching as they sat the man up after he woke.
"You're being cautious. I completely understand-"
"How many of your people are out there," Rick snapped. "You have a flare gun, you have it to signal your people, how many of them out there are there?"
"Does it matter?" he answered.
"Yes. Yes it does."
"I mean of course it matters how many people are out there, but does it matter how many people I tell you are out there? Because, I'm pretty sure, no matter what number I say... Eight, thirty-two, four hundred and forty-four, zero... No matter what I say, you're not going to trust me."
"Well it's hard to trust anyone who smiles after getting punched in the face."
She had to agree. He was so unconcerned about the situation that it made her nervous. There was no way he could be that calm unless he had an army of people to back him up and come to his aid. It just didn't make sense any other way.
"How about a guy who leaves bottles of water for you in the road?" he queried.
The realization hit her. He was the one following them. He was the one who left the water they hadn't even drank yet.
"How long have you been followin' us?" Daryl hissed, his body tensing.
"Long enough to see that you practically ignore a pack of roamers on your trail. Long enough to see that despite the lack of food and water you never turned on each other. You're survivors. And you're people. Like I said, and I hope you won't punch me for saying it again, that is the most important resource in the world."
Rick didn't care. He wasn't listening to this man. He only wanted to know how many others were out there.
A small silence settled in the air before they got his reply, "one."
For some reason, the single word sent shivers down her spine. There was something about the way he said it, the way the words so desperately tumbled off his lips. He wanted them to believe him more than anything. It was clearly evident in the way he was speaking and acting.
"What if I drove you to the community? All of you... We leave now, we'll get there by lunch."
The proposition was a last resort. He was doing anything to make them believe. She didn't want to blindly trust her feelings, but something in her gut told her that this was legitimate. Ultimately, it was up for Rick to decide.
"If I wanted to ambush you, I'd do it here! Light the barn on fire while you slept. Pick you off as you ran out the only exit. You can trust me," he tried, one last time.
"I'll check out the cars," Michonne decided.
"They're aren't any cars." Rick shook his head.
"Only one way to find out."
"We don't need to find out."
"We do," she pushed. "You know what you know and you're sure of it, but I'm not."
"Me neither," Maggie piped up.
"Your way's dangerous. Mine isn't," Rick disagreed.
Michonne was quick to jump on him. "Passing up a place we can live? Where Judith can live? That's pretty dangerous. We need to find out what this is. We can handle ourselves. So that's what we're gonna do."
The room fell silent. Rick was always the one to make the rules. He told everyone what was going to happen and they went with it. But Michonne wasn't having any bullshit. She was telling him what everyone else was feeling and wasn't going to let him get away with it. Frankly, she was the only one who could do that out of all of them.
It worked though, because he agreed and then started to send certain people off. She was torn whether to stay behind or not, but she couldn't stay in this barn any longer.
"I'm going," she added, looking down to check her clip and then looking up at Rick.
She didn't wait for a response. Her legs carried her to the door, past the others, to join the small group set off to find the cars.
Unlike last night, the sky shone brightly down on them, acting as if it hadn't been shrouded by storm clouds only hours earlier. The bugs were back to their normal routine of getting stuck in her hair and cawing of birds surrounded them. None of them spoke as they headed up the dirt path and onto the road that they traveled along all day yesterday.
Glenn told them what to look out for and when to shoot, which caused a discussion. Michonne didn't think shoot first and ask questions later was the best idea. Because if people like them were the targets, people who just wanted to live, what good would that do anyone? Carl told her she wasn't a monster and the only way she could really believe it was if she didn't act like one of them.
"If we don't...if we don't give people a chance...then we're no better than they are," she murmured, looking down at her feet as they approached a large wreck of trees.
No one said anything about that, but she felt a hand squeeze her shoulder lightly. She knew it was Maggie and she lifted her head in a nod to acknowledge her presence.
As they approached the trees, she noticed a car and an RV sitting in the middle of the road, right where they were told to be.
"He was telling the truth," Michonne said, stepping over a log.
If he was telling the truth, did that mean this place was real? If it was, would the safety amount to anything? All the groups she had been in that settled down places always got attacked. Part of her didn't even trust this group to survive, but it was where she was stuck and some of the people she started to care about enough that she wasn't going anywhere.
Rustling caught her attention and she went on the defense immediately, raising her gun in the direction of the noise and spotting the bushes moving and snapping. For a moment, no one came out, but then two dead emerged, snarling and growling as they limped over. Her shoulders sagged, but she didn't lower her gun as Abraham and Rosita went to take care of them. It was only when they were dead that she relaxed and they continued to investigate the scene.
The RV turned up empty besides a lot of food. No doubt it was for Aaron and his buddy while they were out searching for people to bring to their group. Nothing exciting about the RV or cars happened until Michonne uttered the one question that changed the mood completely.
"So do you wanna learn to drive a car?"
At first, she was flabbergasted, but before she could protest or even think it through, she was placed in the driver's seat with the katana wielder in the passenger's. She could barely see over the wheel and out the window and only half of her foot even reached the pedals, but it didn't slow Michonne down one bit.
"Turn the ignition and step on the brake - the bigger pedal," she instructed, buckling up and getting comfortable.
Nervously, Riley turned the key and stepped as hard as she could on the brake. The car roared to life and remained stationary, which was a relief. She could feel her arms shaking lightly and her legs felt weak. How could she be so nervous about driving a car and so nonchalant about killing walking dead?
"Okay, take this right here, and you're going to move it to drive. The D right there."
"Do I keep my foot on the brake?" she asked, putting her hand gently on the shifter.
"Yes. Otherwise, we'd go rolling forward when you're not ready."
Taking a deep breath, she put the car into first gear and nothing happened. Phew. Okay that was a step. Her heart was racing wildly in her chest and she didn't even want to continue, but she was already too far at this point.
"We have to turn around, so turn the wheel all the way to the left and step on the gas, really lightly," she explained.
Now came the hard part.
Slowly, she turned the wheel all the way, hearing the tires crunch on the ground as they shifted. Ever so carefully, she pressed on the gas and nearly screamed when they went faster than she anticipated. Institutionally, she slammed her foot on the brake, causing Michonne to chuckle.
"Relax, you're fine," she laughed. "Just go. Get a feel for it and I'll tell you the roads you need to follow."
"Okay," she squeaked, braving the gas pedal again.
They still went faster than she anticipated, but this time, she kept going. The others in the RV behind her were no doubt laughing at her choppy driving skills, but she just tried to focus on the road and not going off it in any way, shape, or form. Given that they were going quite a bit faster than walking speed, they were able to get back to the barn within minutes, which was probably one of the reasons why she was prompted and allowed to drive the way back.
Putting it in park as instructed and turning it off, she breathed a sigh of relief, trying to calm her nerves and get the shakes to go away. It hadn't been that bad, but the thought of screwing up and crashing into something terrified her.
"You did good, kid. We'll have to teach Carl next," Michonne joked, patting her on the shoulder and opening the door.
Riley let out a shaky laugh and exited the car, shooting a glance at the other four coming out of the RV with boxes of food and water. Her jaw nearly dropped at the sight and she slowly followed the others inside, being mindful of her still wobbly legs from the drive.
Stepping inside the barn, she caught Carl's intense yet relieved gaze from across the room and she quickly ducked her head, flustered. She hadn't even said anything before she left and he was probably worried. But after what happened between them, she didn't even know what to say. Where were they supposed to go from here?
Taking a spot besides Eugene, she folded her hands in front of her and eyed Aaron as Rick went through the food and water, stacking it in one spot.
"This is ours now," he informed the stranger.
Aaron nodded hesitantly. "There's more than enough."
"Whether or not we go to your camp. It's ours," he clarified.
Carl was the one to jump in, clearly confused. "What do you mean? Why wouldn't we go?"
"If he were lying or he wanted to hurt us," Michonne started, "but he isn't and he doesn't. We need this. So we're going. All of us. Somebody say something if they feel differently."
The light mood from her jabs while teaching her to drive earlier were gone and seriousness seeped into her tone. She was taking control of the group right now and challenging anyone to say something otherwise. To her surprise, everyone else seemed to agree. Even Rick. Wow.
It was agreed on that they would leave at sundown and take an alternate route than the one that Aaron came from. They had the rest of the day to rest and eat, which she gladly took advantage of. After the long night of keeping the walkers at bay, she was both starving and tired. She got a little bit of sleep but, not enough to be fully rested.
So after she ate a bit of food, she settled back down on the ground in the corner of the barn on top of some hay that could cushion her. She lay down on her side and used her arms as a pillow. Everyone stayed fairly quiet, which was nice, but before she could even think about getting any sleep, Carl slowly approached, stopping a few feet away and looking down at her.
"Is it okay if I...?" He gestured to a spot nearby.
"No it's...you can," she said, swallowing thickly.
"Thanks..." Hesitantly, he lay down next to her, a few feet away, and looked up at the ceiling.
There was no way that she would able to get any sleep at this point with the awkward tension choking her with every rise and fall of his chest. Was he thinking the same as her? Did he feel awkward at all?
"I'm glad you're safe," he murmured, keeping his gaze on the ceiling.
"You too," she reciprocated automatically, burying her face in her hair.
"No I mean...you left earlier so suddenly and I was...worried. I thought you might be mad at me...but..."
"I'm not mad at you. I just feel..."
She couldn't even put her feelings into words and honestly it was a bit embarrassing. Especially given the fact that Rick caught them and Glenn even guessed what happened. Their moment was probably known by the rest of the group by now and she had no idea what to think about it. Stuff like that was supposed to be private and intimate, but now everyone knew. And when it came to Carl, she was struggling. Normally, she wasn't very open with her feelings, but over the past month or so, she had grown close to him, let him know about her and what she had been through. The shift in their relationship just caught her off guard and she wasn't sure what to say about it.
This was her first kiss and it confused her to no end. He was just supposed to be her friend, but she was pretty sure at this point she liked him more than that. There was just something about his captivating blue eyes and his long brown hair and the way he acted that drew her in. She liked him, but she was confused on how to go forward and what he felt about it.
"Yeah I feel the same," he laughed, finally sparing a glance at her.
Those words were all she needed. They told her that he was trying to process everything like she was. After everything, it was a bit of a relief and she braved a smile. Yeah, it would probably be really awkward for a while but...
He turned on his side to face her. "Sleep. We're safe for now."
His voice lulled her and she took a deep breath, finally closing her eyes and trying not to think about his stare that was etched onto the back of her eyelids. Both of them fell asleep blushing and merely feet away from one another.
Time wasn't wasted when it came to leaving the barn behind. Everyone grabbed every last thing and piled into the RV, with a couple staying behind to take the car instead. The darkness concerned her a little bit, but there wasn't anything she could do about it and she just tried to concentrate on the headlights shining on the road in front of them. Everything seemed to be going smoothly until the walkers started to pile up around them and the car in the lead suddenly sped ahead and out of sight. Her heart clogged her throat and she stood, stomach twisting with anxiety.
She and a few others jumped when banging on the door reached their ears and a loud voice calling for help sliced through the metal. Was it one of the others? Maybe they'd fallen out of the car?
Daryl swung the door open and a man with blond hair limped inside, breathing heavily. Guns aimed at him and he put his hands up.
"I'm not gonna hurt you, my name is Eric. I'm with Aaron," he panted, struggling to stay standing. "If we head back to the water tower, I can signal the others. I have a flare and it's safer there. Please. I need to get back to Aaron."
All of them shared glances. What were they going to do? At this point, they had little choice and it was probably best to listen to him. Abraham, who was at the wheel, nodded his head stiffly.
"Let's go," he grumbled, quickly and roughly turning the RV around and ramming into zombies in the process.
"Thank you. Thank you," Eric breathed, leaning heavily against one of the walls as he favored his left leg.
"What did you do to yourself?" Maggie asked, voice slightly hesitant.
"I was trying to get away, tripped."
She motioned for him to sit down and he did as he was told. Riley watched with slight interest as the brunette began to ask questions and poke his ankle here and there. It was obvious he was in a lot of pain and Maggie concluded that his ankle was broken. As she fixed it up, they arrived at the water tower, with a small little town nearby. It seemed empty, which was good, but who knew?
Abraham parked and took a small group to inspect a building and make sure it was clear. Daryl kept watch outside and the rest of them waited for the go ahead. As soon as it was given, they all piled out of the RV and headed to the building that had been determined to be clear. Maggie stopped halfway there and took the flare from Eric to shoot it off. Sparks shattered in the sky and she watched briefly before being ushered inside.
Her arms shook lightly with the adrenaline rushing in the atmosphere. She couldn't sit still and decided to walk circles around the room as they waited agonizingly long for the others to hopefully find them. Carl didn't interrupt her like she expected, but seemed to be lost in worry himself. His dad had been back there after all.
The whole room was mostly silent, other than some conversation with Eric about Judith, as he had never seen a baby in the apocalypse before. It was only the roaring of an engine that caught everyone's attention.
Everyone split and headed outside. A small, relieved laugh escaped her lips as the others climbed out of the car. Carl and Rick hugged, as did Glenn and Maggie. Michonne went around to everyone, while Aaron started to shout for Eric.
After they had all been reunited, it was decided they would stay for the night and travel int he morning. Rick was very hesitant, but it was Glenn who was able to convince him. Though the tensions were high and there was still a lot of distrusting from their leader, it started to dissipate by morning and soon enough they were traveling once more on their way to this camp.
This time, she was in the smaller car with Rick, Michonne, Carl, and Judith. She and Carl hadn't been speaking much since their kiss, but just being near him was comforting enough to calm her nerves as they approached the large gate. They only had one minor hiccup through the trip, but it was quickly solved and they were now here. Right in front of the metal gate. The metal gate that was now opening.
Her eyes narrowed slightly and she focused intently on the houses that revealed themselves after the gate fully opened. She kept her gun clutched tightly in her hand as she slowly stepped forward, eyeing the new man that revealed himself. He had curly black hair and had to be no taller than Glenn.
Once they were inside, the gates shut behind them and she looked back, feeling slightly panicked at the thought of being trapped in here with no way out.
"Before you go any further, I'm going to have to ask you to hand over your weapons. To stay, you hand them over," the new man announced.
It only made her grip her gun tighter.
"We don't know if we want to stay," Rick said, stepping forward. "If we were gonna use them, we would have started already."
"It's fine, it's okay, Nicholas," Aaron assured. "Let them talk to Deanna first."
"Who's Deanna?" Abraham interrupted.
"She knows everything you would want to know about this place. Rick, why don't you start?"
A silence fell over the group before Rick instructed Sasha to kill a lingering walker and the gates shut further. Nicholas looked unsettled, but Aaron was used to this by now and led them forward. They came across a larger house and Rick was the first to go inside, leaving Judith with Carl and the rest of them as they waited for him to finish his talk with this Deanna woman. Before Rick went away, they briefly saw this community's leader.
She was older, with wrinkles lining every square inch of her face, but she still held a confident and strong air about her. Shoulder-length chestnut locks framed her face and her lips formed a tight smile as she assessed each of them for a few seconds before striding back into the building with Rick behind her. They didn't see her again until they were done talking and she took place on the top of the stairs, telling them that their weapons needed to be handed over.
Riley was extremely hesitant to give over her gun. She still had a knife hidden in her boot, which she would hold onto her no matter what, but guns were instant - quick and able to save a life more quickly than a knife.
When it was her turn to put her gun into the bin, she stood still, studying every crevice. The walls were strong, sure. But that didn't mean they were impenetrable. Glenn noted her hesitance and carefully took the weapon from her hands, as he was beside her at the time. She looked over at him, pressing her lips together as he gave a small nod and placed it among the rest of the guns. It was a bit easier to place her first knife in the bin after that, but she wasn't going to reveal her second. That was for her to keep. There was no way she was going to have no weapons whatsoever.
After the bin was rolled away, Rick and Carl specifically were taken away to see the houses that they were going to be living in. The rest of them stayed behind to be interviewed by Deanna. Daryl went first, still clutching the possum in his hand from killing it outside the compound earlier.
The fact that they were being asked questions made her uneasy and the more that went in and came out, the more she dreaded being picked and going inside. She lingered close to Michonne and Maggie until Deanna motioned for her with a kind and curious face.
Slowly, she followed, hands clenched around her belt-loops as she entered. Her curiosity got the better of her and she took a moment to glance around the living room. Everything seemed so normal. The house looked just like it would have before the dead started walking. Clean and domestic. Not overflowing with growth and collapsing from weather and dead hands.
"Go ahead and sit. I'm going to be recording each of you. Just to maintain a level of transparency," Deanna said, sitting down on a larger couch.
Riley took a careful seat in the chair opposite, but didn't get comfortable. Instead, she sat stiff and straight, eyeing the woman across from her.
"I'm Deanna. I run this place. I've met quite a few of your friends, but I don't know you yet. What's your name?" she asked, crossing her legs.
"Riley," she muttered, shifting her grip to the arms of the chair.
"I don't think I've ever met a Riley before. It's nice to meet you."
Silence settled in the air. What was she supposed to say about that? This woman was acting as if this was a job interview.
"I was involved with congress before all of this happened. I'm guessing you were in school before? How old are you now?"
"Fifteen."
"That young? You look like you could be older. I was guessing either sixteen or seventeen."
It was possibly Riley was sixteen by now. She didn't know if it was October yet or it had already passed, so it was likely she already was. At this point, she didn't know or particularly care.
"How did you come about the group? You're too old to be the daughter of the others. Were your parents part of the group?"
The question silenced her immediately. The first two had been standard, but asking about her parents...no. There was only one person in the entire group who knew the whole story, and it was Carl. Telling him had been painful enough and she wasn't about to tell this woman she barely knew all of her life story. So she stayed quiet, lifted her chin slightly, and stared blankly at her.
"I know you may not be comfortable here just yet, but I promise that you can find a place here. There are others your and Carl's age. You can grow up the way you were supposed to," Deanna promised, leaning forward slightly.
There was no normal life. There was no growing up the way she was supposed to. All of that was gone now. These people didn't understand what surviving was like.
"I just have one more question. Do you think that you can fit in here?" she asked.
"Where they go, I go," she replied simply, getting to her feet.
Deanna stared at her for a moment before nodding and stopping the film. "Alright, let's get everyone settled."
Riley practically booked it out of there, feeling relieved when she was reunited with the group. Rick and Carl had returned, probably due to the fact that they had everything checked out. One thing she noticed in particular was that the beard was completely gone and his hair had been cut. It was wild seeing him look so much younger and cleaner than before and it made her eager to shower and maybe saw off a bit of her own hair as well, since it had grown quite long and neared her waist.
Carl looked cleaned up as well, with his hair slick and damp from the shower. For once, his hat was off and she felt her cheeks redden the longer she stared.
After a few words were exchanged, the group headed out down the street to the two homes they were assigned. On the walk, Rick mentioned that for the night, they would be staying together in one house. She felt a little more relaxed at the thought since they would all be ready to protect one another if something did happen.
Both homes were large, but welcoming. Upon deeper exploration, she found that each of them had enough bedrooms to accommodate all of them and the tap water ran hot. The last time she had hot running water was at the very beginning. This was almost surreal, like they weren't living in an apocalypse anymore. Could it be a dream, perhaps?
The rest of the day flew on quickly. New surroundings overwhelmed her senses and time kicked it up to fast forward. Everyone got a turn in the shower and she felt completely relaxed for the first time in ages as the hot water worked the knots out of her muscles. For once, she wasn't covered in sweat and blood. The place was starting to look better, but that didn't mean anything and that point was proved when they all settled down in the living room to sleep together for the night.
She helped everyone set up their sleeping bags and pillows from the couch lined the floor to make things more comfortable. She picked a spot in the corner of the room so she could face her back to the wall and feel safer as she slept. As she finished padding down her pillow bed, Carl approached somewhat awkwardly with a sleeping bag in his hands. She looked up, trying not to blush for the seventieth time and make things more awkward than they already were. After what happened, they didn't even know how to move forward.
"Hey um...is it alright if I set my sleeping bag beside yours...?" he asked, scratching the back of his neck and looking down. The dimmed lights almost hid his blush.
"Uh sure," she agreed, gesturing to the space next to hers. "Go ahead."
"Okay, uh...cool." He flashed her a tiny smile and spread out the sleeping bag next to hers, keeping as much distance as he could, but it wasn't much considering how crowded the floor was.
"Alright, if you hear anything in the night, wake us up. We need to be alert," Rick instructed, his eyes sweeping the room and stopping a few times on herself and his son.
The lights turned off and Riley settled down on her make-shift bed, pressing her back against the wall and getting as comfortable as possible. Carl took up his spot and laid on his back with his gaze to the ceiling. She tried not to watch him, but it was hard not to since he was right next to her. Eyes shifting in the dark, she tried to concentrate on something else. Her gaze found the bookshelf across the room and she occupied herself with trying to count how many books were there. By the time she got to the end of the shelf, snores could be heard from all around.
Her eyes flickered back to Carl and she noticed that his eyes were shut and his breathing deep. He was fast asleep and his features were so relaxed and peaceful. For some reason, she didn't feel as embarrassed watching him while he was unaware and continued to study every inch of his face. She didn't know what would have happened to her if she didn't meet him. Would she still be searching for food and water? Would she still be all alone?
These thoughts swirling in her head brought a rush of gratitude for him and his group. A lot of them she still didn't know well, but they were all good people.
Her fingers twitched toward his arm and she held her breath as her hand came in contact with his cool skin. He moved slightly, but didn't wake, and she gently brushed her fingers along his skin. The action was comforting and she shifted slightly closer so that their shoulders were touching. She felt the strong urge to rest her head on his chest, but the mere thought had her blushing like a madwoman. After all this time, they had been so close and so comfortable with each other, but now they were awkward and trying to figure things out.
Thinking back to the kiss, she couldn't help but feel oddly giddy and nervous. Gosh, the thought made her feel so weird but she couldn't help it. Her stomach was doing somersaults all over the place. Was this a dumb little crush? It had to be, right? They kissed, they both felt awkward and smiley around each other. Did Riley Wilson really have a crush?
As she tried to figure this out, her eyelids began to get heavy, and seeking comfort, she finally pushed the boundaries and settled her head on his chest. It was the last thing she remembered before falling asleep.
When she woke, everyone was gone. Well, not exactly everyone. Tara still remained on the floor in the corner with a book in her hands. Everyone else seemingly disappeared. If Tara wasn't panicking, everything had to be alright, so she relaxed and stretched out her muscles, gaining the attention of the black-haired woman.
"Morning. Everyone else went out to explore. Figured I'd stay while you rested a bit," she explained, putting the book down.
Riley nodded and got to her feet. "Thanks... I'm...gonna go find the others. Are you coming?"
"Yeah. I suppose it's a good idea to look around." She smiled slightly and rose.
The two of them exited the house and headed down the street. She spotted a few of the others exploring here and there or talking to some of the other people. It was so weird to be in a place like this and she couldn't get over the feeling, but as long as nothing happened, maybe this would be a good thing.
Tara stopped to talk with someone, but Riley continued on, searching intently for Carl. It was almost instinct that she wanted to know where he was and be near him.
The sun warmed her skin, but it was still early enough that it wasn't blistering. For once, she felt at ease and it slightly scared her. But she was mostly focused on finding Carl at this point, so she pushed those thoughts out of her mind and continued on.
Finally, she spotted him, Rick, Judith, and a blonde woman walking down the street and heading toward a house. She picked up a light jog to catch up, making it to them before they got to the door. Her footsteps made heads swivel and she tried her best to summon a small smile and be somewhat civil toward this new woman.
"Oh, uh hey, Riley. I figured I'd let you sleep, you were really tired. Sorry I didn't wake you," Carl apologized, rubbing the back of his neck and looking down at the pavement beneath his shoes.
"It's fine," she assured, taking a glance at the blonde woman and trying to deduce what was going on.
"Sorry I don't mean to be rude!" she started, smiling, "I'm Jesse. I was just bringing Carl to meet my son, Ron. You're welcome to join in."
"Um...okay thanks..."
Jesse's smile grew and she gestured for them to follow as she opened the door. Inside the house was just as large as the outside, but this house had more of a lived-in feel than the one they were staying in currently. A stairway wound up the wall to their right and the left led to what seemed to be a hall and then a kitchen area on the other side. The colors were neutral - whites and beiges mostly.
"Ron! You have visitors, I'm sending them up!" Jesse shouted up the stairs. "You guys can go on up, he'll meet you there."
Nervousness settled into her stomach when she realized that she was going to actually be socializing with others her age. Someone other than Carl. Maybe she zoned out or maybe he noticed her anxiety, because he placed a gentle hand on the small of her back to guide her. It mainly shocked her at first and she blinked, realizing where exactly his hand was and how much more these small exchanges meant to her now.
As they went up the stairs, she tried not to think about his hand or the fact that she literally cuddled up next to him last night while he was sleeping. A boy greeted them at the top. He had slightly longer brown hair and he walked in a really casual way.
"Hey. I'm guessing you're the new ones? Carl and...?" Ron started, glancing over at her.
"Riley," Carl finished.
"Yeah, okay. Hey come on, let me show you my room." He turned and started to walk, leaving the two of them to follow. "We're almost always here after school, so you can come by any time."
"You go to school?" Carl asked curiously.
"It's in a garage. Little kids go in the morning and then it's us in the afternoon. I mean probably you guys too, right?"
"Probably..."
She merely nodded in response, brows furrowed at the thought of school. School was such a foreign concept now. But since they likely hadn't left the security of this place, they went on with their lives as normally as possible, and that included the kids going to school and trying to continue education.
They reached the door and she practically pressed her face into Carl's back, peeking over his shoulder at the other two in the room.
"Guys, this is Carl and Riley. Carl and Riley, this is Mikey and Enid," Ron introduced, pointing to each.
Enid was the only other girl and she didn't seem really interested as she read a book on the bed. Mikey, however, got up and greeted them with a friendly hello. Enid greeted them as well, but it was flat and cold.
"Enid's from outside too. She just came a few months ago," Ron explained.
Riley pressed her lips together, tuning out the boys as they talked about some comic. This girl seemed like them. She didn't care about all of this. It was too much. Her expression betrayed her, no matter how serious she tried to be. She turned back into the conversation as Ron and Mikey were suggesting different things they could do, which left Carl a bit speechless. Instinctively, her hand found his because she was feeling overwhelmed too. It was almost like they'd traveled back in time.
Her touch seemed to jerk him out of his head and he let out a breath, finally looking back at them. "Let's...let's play some video games."
Letting go of his hand, she slowly made her way around to the other side of the bed, taking a seat on the edge and alienating herself from them as they picked something out. Something drew her to Enid, but she couldn't make herself say anything or start up a conversation. She didn't really know how to, if she was being honest with herself.
"I know how you're feeling," Enid murmured suddenly, not even looking up from her book. "It's a cage."
She pressed her lips together, looking over at the girl. "Yeah. I don't...it's just..."
"I'm going out over the fence tomorrow after school. If you meet me at the fence across your house, you can come."
All of this was...weird. Enid seemed very closed off at first, but...well maybe it was because they were alike that she was offering this. And honestly, getting out of here for a bit wouldn't be such a bad thing. Could this girl be trusted, though? She seemed smarter and more savvy about this world than everyone else here. If worse came to worst, she could probably take her on...
Her instinct was telling her to say no, but the outside world was just too alluring and free.
"Okay," she agreed, nodding slightly.
This agreement turned out to be much scarier the next day when she was waiting outside at the fence for Enid. Mostly everyone was off doing something else, like exploring, or heading outside of the walls for a bit, so no one noticed her slip away. The fact that she and Carl had been rather awkward the past few days helped as well since they weren't at each others side constantly.
Her hair was tied up in a ponytail and she had her knife on her and a water bottle with some snacks in the small backpack strapped to her back. The wall itself didn't look the easiest to climb, but there were enough outcroppings that would make it feasible.
Nearly silent footsteps caught her attention and she whipped her head around to see Enid heading her way. The girl didn't smile, but acknowledged her with a nod.
"Hey. This is where I climb up. If you keep up, you can come with me, I guess," she muttered, locking eyes for a brief moment before turning and starting to climb.
Riley was a bit taken aback, but she caught on quickly and followed, mimicking the girl and getting comfortable as she rose higher and higher. At the top, a small rug covered the metal to block from injury, indicating she had done this multiple times. Getting down was a bit harder, but she managed just alright and started quickly after Enid as she was already halfway into the woods.
Leaves crackled under her feet, but she soon fell into a pace where she was more quick and quiet. At this point, she didn't think going back was the best idea, so she just kept following, only coming to a stop when a loud noise came to their attention. She turned, looking for anything behind them, but nothing was there. Probably a squirrel or something.
Enid stayed poised a little longer, but soon found pace again. Neither of them said a word to each other. It was weird, but strangely comforting at the same time. Both of them knew what to do without having to say a word. And it made it less awkward not having to speak. This girl was still a stranger to her, so conversation was uncomfortable.
Even after getting to a small opening with a fallen log for sitting and a tree with a large hollow split, they didn't talk. She took her time to soak in the environment while Enid carved a stick. When words were spoken, they made her jump.
"You and Carl...you aren't like the others. You know this. And they're weak," she murmured, stabbing the stick into the ground.
She sucked in a breath. "Yeah well...your group...they haven't been out there before."
"They're not my group... Just...people I live with."
It made strange sort of sense. Enid was so different than them and she never really seemed to associate herself with the others much. She wasn't a part of them. Just blending in with them.
After that, words were few. They stayed in the clearing for a little while before heading back. Riley made sure to remember the route they took in case she ever wanted to come back here alone. The thought of maybe even coming out at night seemed thrilling and relaxing at the same time. She'd just have to snatch a gun from the armory and hop over the fence. It seemed too easy.
Everything was fine until they got back to Alexandria. The shouting was easy to hear and she didn't hesitate to take off in a run to where it was coming from. Near the gate, stood Glenn and one of the others, locked in some sort of stand off. She only got halfway there before Glenn defended himself and punched the guy to the pavement. Everyone scrambled and started to settle in a pile of fighting on the ground. Carl and Rick ran inside the gates just as everything was going down.
Instinctively, she came to Glenn's side, unsheathing her knife in case anyone else tried to come at them. Rick pulled Daryl off Nicholas and kept him at bay as he paced. Adrenaline was already high and she was raring to go, but everyone soon separated and kept a distance as Deanna took her place between them.
"I want everyone to hear me, okay? Rick and his people are part of this community now, in all ways! As equals! Understood?" Deanna questioned, looking toward her cocky son.
"Understood," he agreed with a small smirk, shrugging.
"All of you, turn in your weapons, and then you two come talk to me!" Deanna pointed at her sons.
Both of them gave her a small look before backing off and heading away from the mess. She slowly sheathed her knife, letting out a breath and looking at the woman as she spoke directly to Rick.
"I want you to be our constable. That's what you were. That's what you are." Her head shifted to Michonne. "And you too. Will you accept?"
They were quick to accept, which made her slightly surprised. Daryl didn't seem satisfied with this answer and snorted, turning his back and walking away. Wait did this mean they were staying?
Her eyes drifted between everyone and it seemed to sink in. This was going to be where they were living. This was going to be where they came back to.
This was going to be their home.
A/N: So sorry for the wait guys! Things have been crazy busy and this monster chapter took lots of time to finish! It's over 8,000 words, so I think it's understandable why it took me so long haha. Anyway, I'm hoping next week will get a chapter up as well, but I'm not sure since I just finished this particular chapter a few minutes ago. Sorry I've been so slow and I'm going to try and stay on schedule, but at this point it's up in the air. Anyway, thanks so much for reading and leaving such kind and encouraging reviews! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!
