Chapter Fourteen: A New Look, A New Reality.
Maggie couldn't help but feel pretty good about herself. When Alison made her way upstairs that morning Maggie's eyes went straight to her hair. Without all the dirt and grime the damage was clear, dry brittle ends that frizzed out with noticeable split ends. The girl looked like she hadn't had a trim since the world ended. Once breakfast came to an end she got the girl's attention "Alison, I was wondering if I could give you a little haircut? Might feel nice to get it cleaned up." Maggie explained as she continued to wipe down Hershel's highchair who had mostly played with his food instead of eating.
Alison immediately looked uncomfortable at the request. She shifted in her seat, her body growing tense and rigid. Her shoulders bunched up as if she was trying to hide herself away. She flicked her eyes to the side, avoiding direct eye contact with Maggie as she clutched her hands tightly in her lap. "...I don't know." Alison mumbled, her voice barely audible.
Maggie gave Alison a reassuring smile. She understood the reluctance, learning to trust someone after being alone for so long would be hard but she was willing to take it at Alison's pace. "How about this, if at any time you need a break you let me know and we can take a break. You can stop me as many times as you like and I won't question it." Maggie offered.
Alison was still a little hesitant, but hearing that she could tell Maggie to stop whenever she wanted did eased her mind a little. "Alright…" She agreed, allowing Maggie to guide her over to one of the kitchen chairs that she had pulled out.
Maggie wrapped a towel over Alison's shoulders before brushing out her hair and pulling it over and letting it cascade down her back. "I'm just gonna do a little trim, alright?" Maggie reassured, seeing how tense Alison's shoulders were. Maggie wasn't sure if it was the cut itself or having someone she barely knew holding a sharp object near her throat or a combination of the two, that made Alison so nervous but it was an understandable reaction. Grabbing the scissors from the table, Maggie placed them slightly above Alison's shoulders "Remember, you can stop me anytime you want." she reminded, before she started to cut a straight line, around 7 to 8 inches from the bottom of Alison's hair.. It was more than Maggie had planned on cutting, but she wanted to remove all the damage to give Alison a fresh start.
Alison couldn't help but hunch her shoulders as she felt the scissors glide across her neck. It was definitely a feeling she wasn't used to. Strands of long brown hair fell to the floor as Maggie worked her way through, giving Alison a shoulder-length bob. She started on the layers. After a year of cutting Judith and Carl's hair, along with her own, she had gotten pretty good. Maggie skimmed the scissors through Alison's hair, giving her a shaggy look as she cut off the rest of the split ends, making the hair look healthier.
Once she'd finished, Maggie ran her fingers though, ruffling up the hair a little to give it a more natural look. "There, that wasn't so bad." Maggie said with a slight smile. She was actually very proud of Alison, Carl would have put up more of a fight and getting Daryl in the chair was like pulling teeth. She brushed off the remaining hair before taking the towel off. "How does that feel?" Maggie asked.
Alison reached up and touched the ends of her hair, the strands running between her fingertips. They were soft, smooth, almost like silk. It was different from how it normally felt. Usually, her hair was rough, brittle. "...It feels different." Alison answered. Was this how hair was supposed to feel?
"You still look very pretty." Judith chimed in with a smile.
"She looks great." Maggie added, ruffling Alison's hair one last playful time before stepping away. "I was thinking…" Maggie paused for a moment, cleaning up as she continued, "Carl could take you to our storage. You can pick out some clothes and shoes for yourself." Maggie explained, hoping she wasn't pushing too hard. The last thing she wanted to do was overwhelm the girl.
"I have clothes…and shoes." Alison replied, scrunching up her face a little in discomfort at the idea as she continued to run her fingers though the ends of her hair.
"I've seen your clothes, they've seen better days and your shoes…sweetie, they have holes in the bottom of them." Maggie explained, remembering taking them off of Alison in the infirmary. The poor girl had stuffed pieces of cardboard and duct tape in her shoes in an effort to hold them together. They couldn't have been comfortable to wear and no doubt they didn't protect her feet from the elements. "Don't you think you would be more comfortable in some fresh clothes?" Maggie paused, waiting for a response. "And shoes that don't have holes in them?" Maggie added, a small smile playing on her lips.
Alison was silent for a moment before shrugging. "...I guess." she muttered, feeling uncomfortable. She had already taken so much from this community and now she was taking their clothes. It was too much in her mind. She figured she could just take a few items in order to make Maggie happy.
"Can I come?" Judith asked, "I can help!" She said excitedly.
"If it's alright with Alison." Maggie said, not wanting to hand over a four year old to Alison if she was uncomfortable with it. She knew Carl would be more than happy to take Judith along, he would even take Hershel if she asked.
"You can come, I could use some help." Alison said, watching how excited Judith got. A smile lit up her face as she jumped up and down with excitement.
Half an hour later Alison found herself in a garage filled with clothes and accessories. Pants and shirts were folded neatly on tables. Shoes filled rows of wire shelving, sneakers and boots lined up neatly as if it were a store. Other things filled the space as well. There was a rack of warm coats and hats and mittens filled baskets beneath. There were also more personal items. Underwear, bras and socks were in plastic bins underneath the shoe rack. It was everything that someone might need.
"As you can see, we have a lot." Carl said, gesturing around the large space "Take a look around. I'm sure we have something you would like." He explained.
Alison looked around in bewilderment, how was she supposed to choose between all this stuff. There was so much, she didn't even know what she liked. She made her way over the shirts and ran her hand over the fabric, feeling how soft and dry it was, not to mention, the lack of blood stains. "I…I don't know." Alison stuttered a little as she continued to look around, feeling overwhelmed by so many choices.
Carl nodded, seeming to understand what was happening. "My flannel shirt looks good on you, we have lots of those." Carl explained as he showed Alison to the box where all of them were kept. "One of our groups raided a hunting shop awhile back. They had a lot of flannel and camouflage jackets," he explained, "They brought everything back, we have more than enough."
"Flannel is good," Alison said, feeling comfortable enough to take from the overflowing box of shirts. There were dozens upon dozens of shirts, surely no one would care if she took some. She began to dig through the box, picking out the colours she liked best. Favouring the blues and reds and a muted burgundy that caught her eye, placing them all in a pile on the floor next to her.
Carl looked around, grabbing one of the many boxes and emptying it out. "Here." he said as he passed the box to Alison.
"...thanks." Alison muttered as she picked up the pile of shirts and placed them in the box, stuffing them down to the bottom.
"What about this?" Judith asked as she held up a shirt like it was a prize she won from an arcade game. Alison stared, it was the ugliest shirt she has ever seen. The shirt was a bright purple with sparkles covering it. Clumsy butterflies dotted the fabric and the word "Beautiful" was spelled out in fake gemstones across the chest. The shirt was definitely something someone would see miles away.
"Nice," Alison forced out, biting her cheek as she held back a laugh, "but I don't think it's really my style. I think I'll stick with the plaid." Alison explained, not wanting to hurt Judith's feelings since she really seemed to like the shirt.
Judith simply shrugged as she put the shirt back where she found it before continuing to look for things she thought Alison might like.
While Judith pointed out random things, Alison worked on filling the box, tossing in a few pairs of jeans and sweatpants along with a pair of overalls. She found a pair of sneakers that fit her, surprising Carl at how small her feet were. Her dad always said she had tiny feet, always calling her his little ballerina. She also got a pair of boots for the winter that was just around the corner. She grabbed some socks and to her embarrassment, underwear, shoving them to the bottom of the box before Carl could see.
"Maggie wanted you to pick out a coat. She also wanted you to get mittens and a hat, and probably a scarf as well." Carl explained. He had been watching Alison, noticing how she seemed to be avoiding the winter clothes. It was obvious that they didn't have much when it came to the colder weather clothing. He guessed that was the reason why Alison was avoiding it. She didn't want to take away their limited rescues.
Alison shook her head, "...I'm alright, I got some sweaters. I should be fine." Alison said softly as she avoided looking at Carl. She already survived one winter with just a sweater, she could do it again.
Carl let out a slight sigh, shaking his head. "If you don't come back with a coat, Maggie will drag you right back here. Make it easy on both of us and pick one," Carl explained, giving Alison a small smile, "Trust me, you don't want to experience Maggie's wrath."
Alison nodded, picking out a dark brown parka before grabbing a pair of mittens from the box, pausing for a moment as she realized that she really only needed one. The other mitten would never be used, strangely it was kind of sad. She grabbed a hat along with a scarf and stuffed them into the box in hopes of not being dragged back here by an angry Maggie.
"I think I got everything." Alison said, about ready to leave when Judith let out a squeal.
"Look at these!" Judith yelled happily as she picked up a pair of bright pink, light up shoes that were on the lower rack. She sat down on the floor, kicking off her old shoes before slipping on the bright pink ones.
"Other way, Judith." Carl said as Judith started to put the shoes on the wrong feet. She let out a loud sigh, taking the shoes off and swapping them around before putting them on the right feet. She did up the velcro straps before standing up. "Are they lighting up?" Judith asked as she jumped up and down with the shoes flashing each time the heels touch the ground.
"Wow!" Carl said, drawing out the word.
"Real fancy," Alison added, "I bet you will be able to run super fast in those."
Judith smiled at the reaction she got from Carl and Alison. "I trade them." Judith said as she put her old shoes on the rack, in place of the ones she just took before looking over at Carl and Alison. An evil smirk stretched across her face. Her eyes gleaming with mischief. Suspense built up before Judith broke the silence "I'll race you!" Judith yelled before bolting out of the garage.
Carl merely shook his head. "Here, I carry the box for ya." he offered as he took the box from Alison.
On their way back home, Alison couldn't stop herself from glancing over at Carl every few seconds, her eyes landing on the bandage that stretched across his face. Her mind came up with different scenarios on what happened. She would quickly turn her head away whenever Carl looked her way. It was like he had a sixth sense whenever she was watching him. Every time Carl caught her staring, her face would flushed with embarrassment and guilt.
"You can ask," Carl finally broke the silence as he looked over at Alison, "I don't mind." Usually, he would have snapped or brushed someone off if he caught them staring but Alison was different. Aaron had told them that she asked about his arm. She was trying to make sense of what happened to her, trying to find a reason. The same way he did.
"I wasn't…I was just…" Alison paused, feeling her cheeks turn red with embarrassment, "...What happened?" Alison finally asked once she gained the courage.
Carl looked straight ahead, his voice calm but carrying a lot of weight "I was shot." He simply said, leaving out all the details of the attack. "The bullet went into my eye and out the side of my head." His tone was steady, almost matter-of-fact, revealing the severity of the injury but not dwelling on it. "My dad got me to the infirmary, I'm honestly lucky to be alive." Carl explained.
Alison nodded slowly, a look of surprise on her face. She didn't think anyone could survive being shot in the face. "Why do you wear the bandage?" Alison asked cautiously, "I mean…wouldn't an eyepatch be easier?"
Carl shook his head. "Maggie got me one but I didn't like it. I prefer the bandage." Carl explained.
Alison nodded in understanding, "There was a guy in my community who had a glass eye. He used to take it out and put it in his food and say 'I'm watching what I eat.'" Alison laughed, the first genuine laugh since she got to Alexandria only stopping when she noticed the puzzled look on Carl's face. "I guess you had to be there," Alison muttered.
"No, it's funny. Just a little weird is all." Carl explained.
"Well, he was a weird guy, but he was funny. He always had some kind of joke." Alison explained, chuckling to herself as she remembered all the ways he made her laugh.
Meanwhile, Maggie was up in the radio tower as she continued to search for any survivors from Alison's community. It felt like the hundredth time she changed the channel before radioing out. "This is Maggie Rhee, leader of Alexandria. I'm looking for anyone from the community GreenHill. We have Alison with us." She messaged out, repeating herself a few times before stopping but all she got in return was static.
"Still not getting an answer?" Maggie spun around to see Aaron standing by the door "Hey," Maggie smiled. "When did you get back?" She asked.
Aaron entered the room, sitting himself down in the spare chair that was beside Maggie. "Just now, I came to tell you we got what we needed. Gabriel is taking care of it now." Aaron paused for a moment before asking the question they were all thinking for the past couple of days. "Do you really think anyone is still alive?" Aaron frowned.
Maggie returned the frown with one of her own, shaking her head. "Alison said she saw her whole community get destroyed. I mean…there's a chance someone got out alive, she did. But I have been trying and I haven't gotten anywhere. If someone is out there then they aren't near a radio," Maggie rubbed the bridge of her nose, "I think it's time I tell Alison." She gave Alison hope and now she would have to be the one to take it away.
Later Maggie lightly knocked on Alison's door before pushing it open to see her putting away the clothes she had gotten. Maggie watched her shove the clothes into the draws, not bothering to fold them first. "Hey," Maggie said cheerfully. "How did it go with Carl and Judith? Did you get everything you needed?" Maggie asked.
Alison gave Maggie a small smile as she nodded. "I think so," Alison answered, "Judith got those light up shoes that were there."
"Someone must have recently brought those in." Maggie said, not recalling seeing them before. She would have gotten them for Judith if she knew they were there. "Do you think I can talk to you?" Maggie asked as she gestured towards the bed.
"...Sure." Alison said nervously as she made her way over to the bed and sat down.
"Don't worry," Maggie reassured as she tried to keep her voice calm and free of worry, "you're not in any trouble." Maggie sat beside Alison "Remember back in the infirmary? You told us about your community," Maggie paused for a moment, trying to think of the right words to say before continuing, "I offered to use the radio to send a message around." Maggie explained.
"Ya…?" Alison asked, sitting up a little.
Maggie's heart broke when she saw hope in Alison's eyes. She was expecting good news, she was expecting Maggie to tell her that she found someone. "Sweetie….I'm sorry but I haven't gotten a response from anyone, it's dead air." Maggie explained, each word felt heavy. She watched as the spark in Alison's eyes disappeared, the once hopeful look tuned to disappointment. "I'm sorry, but I don't think there's anyone out there." Maggie admitted.
Alison was silent. She knew that everyone she cared about was dead, but hearing someone else say it was different. It was more real coming from someone else. Before, the loss was a bad dream, a dream she could wake up from at any moment.
"Alison?" Maggie asked, worried that the girl had stayed silent for so long. "I'm here if you want to talk."
Alison shook her head. She didn't want to talk, there was nothing to talk about. Her silence hung heavy in the air before she finally spoke. "I just want to be alone." Alison couldn't help but to snap the words out. A lump formed in the back of her throat. She could feel that she was about to cry any second. The tears felt like they were just behind her eyes. She squeezed them shut, hoping Maggie wouldn't notice. She didn't want to cry in front of her.
"Alright, just know that I'm here if you want to talk." Maggie said softly. She wanted to comfort Alison but knew she couldn't force it. Maggie showed herself out, shutting the door behind her. She turned to Daryl, giving a small, sad smile as she shook her head. "She needs some time. Let her be for a bit." Maggie said, gently patting Daryl on the shoulder before heading upstairs for the night.
Daryl stood silently by Alison's door for several minutes, wanting to make sure the girl was alright. He was able to hear faint sniffles coming from the other side of the door. The small, shaky breaths told him everything he needed. He debated whether or not he should enter but decided to take Maggie's advice. Alison needed time alone with her emotions.