Broken Road »» Rick Grimes (TWD)

Chapter 58

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I took a deep breath and approached the extremely tall, white gate which read 'White Oak Sanctuary'.

I know Rick didn't want me to come, but I can at least check on him and leave.

"Hello, please place your weapon on the ground and someone will be out to greet you." I glanced around, finding that the robotic voice came from the speaker above the sign.

I slowly placed my rifle down onto the ground before taking a step back as the automatic gate opened on its own.

"Hello, I'm Janice. May I ask who you are and why you are here?" A lady dressed in a black pantsuit asked me as she glanced down at a clipboard.

"My name is Jessica Grimes. Richard told me to tell someone at the gate that—"

"Ah, yes. I have you down here. Welcome to White Oak, Mrs. Grimes." She replied, giving me a warm smile.

"May I?" I asked, pointing to my gun.

"You may. We normally seize weapons at the gate, but considering who you are, you're welcome to keep yours on you if it makes you feel better." She replied, tucking a strand of her black hair behind her ear.

"Thanks." I muttered before picking my rifle off of the ground.

"Come on in. I'll fetch Richard for you." She replied, motioning for me to follow her.

I took another deep breath and slowly followed her inside the community. My eyes widened as I took in the scenery in front of me.

"Richard, Mrs. Grimes is here to see you." Janice stated, pressing a button on the earpiece in her ear.

"Wow." I breathed, glancing around at the beauty of the community.

The beautiful landscaping immediately caught my eye, followed by the many people walking the sidewalks.

I turned my head toward the contagious laughter from children before studying the buildings down the long street to the left of us.

"Down that street we have our bank, post office, and grocery store." Janice stated, pointing to the left of us.

"A bank?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows.

"We find that our community thrives off of normalcy. Everyone has the same amount of a monthly allowance to spend on groceries, rent, etc. Sounds crazy, I know, but it does bring normalcy back to our lives and helps people cope." She explained.

"And a post office?" I questioned.

"It's how we properly deliver our weekly newspaper, important mail, and other events happening in the community." She answered.

"How long has this community been here?" I inquired.

"Since the very beginning." She replied.

"Ah, Jessica! Good to see you." Richard exclaimed as he quickly approached us.

"Hi." I replied.

"Here is your visitor pass, by the way." Janice stated, handing me a sticker to place on my shirt.

"Thanks." I mumbled, awkwardly patting it onto my chest.

"Take you long to get here?" Richard asked.

"Not too long." I answered.