Solitude -> The Walking Dead

59

"Eyes open, everybody. Weapons up. You see someone coming at us, you fire." Glenn ordered.

I gripped the rifle in my hands as I searched the trees for any movement. Choosing to believe Aaron and feeling comfortable with it wasn't the same. My heart was beating unsteadily with each step we took away from the barn.

Trusting strangers was a new page in my book and it didn't come naturally. The fear of being wrong was almost overwhelming.

"So if we see someone, we just shoot them?" Michonne asked.

Her voice had a hint of sarcasm as she glanced at Glenn. According to Aaron, there was one more person out here. If we shot them, I don't think that'd be a very productive start to our integration into that community.

Maggie hummed. "It's a good question."

I took a deep breath before glancing behind us. We were so far that I couldn't even see the barn anymore. If we were to shoot someone, I wondered if they'd even hear it.

"What if they're someone like us? What if Aaron is telling the truth? What if they're someone who has nothing to do with this?" Michonne asked one question after the other.

All valid questions. As someone who's new to all this 'not shooting strangers at first sight' thing, I had no idea where to start. Not entertaining the idea of shooting them felt strange, too exposed to the dangers of the outside world.

"We're six people walking with guns. No one's coming up to say hello." Glenn protested.

I frowned. "Aaron did."

It was the first time I'd spoken since his arrival was revealed to us. My voice sounded coarse to my own ears. I cleared my throat as I adjusted my rifle.

"If it's someone like us, we should be afraid of them. He said he was watching us, right? It means he saw us yesterday. And after everything we've done, why would he want us to join his group?" Glenn pointed out.

I hummed in agreement. That was a fair point. We've killed a lot of people, most of them deserving of that harsh sentence. Yet from a stranger's point of view, we were the psychos.

"People like us saved a priest. Saved a girl who rolled up to the prison with the Governor. Saved a crazy lady with the sword. He saw that." Michonne insisted.

I bit my lip as I pondered her words. There were plenty of times that I felt like an outcast in the group, plenty of times that I was the outcast even if it wasn't spoken out loud.

No one was ever unkind to me, though. Unless provoked and I did tend to do that a lot.

Glenn sighed. "I don't know what he saw."

We continued walking in silence for a few moments but my mind was anything but silent. I kept thinking about Aaron and what reasons he could possibly have to want us.

Most important resource, he said, survivors.

"Potential. Even after everything we've done, who we've become. He saw what we could be." I said.

The knowledge spread warmth in my chest. I wanted to see what was beyond this, beyond who I've had to be. My way clearly wasn't working but it's not too late to make up for it. It can't be too late.

Abraham frowned. "And what's that?"

I took a deep breath and glanced at Michonne. She was looking at me with approval written all over her face. She and I were on the same page concerning this matter.

"Something better."

----

I lowered another batch of cans onto the ground as I watched Abby help arrange them. The hungry look in her eyes was difficult to miss. Pride sprung up inside me as I realized it was my actions that brought her food.