HEART FOR BRAINS • the walking dead

041: the wrong people

Everyone in the car waited for Rick to continue. For him to explain how exactly they were the 'wrong people' to be messing with. There was a crack in the car, light falling into him. Only him.

Someone finally asked, breaking through the silence. "What are we gonna do?"

Rick turned to Sasha and studied the hopeless look upon her face. He looked at everyone in the train car, noticing they all wore too.

"We're going to fight." The man concluded. "Anything useful that you have, get it out. Belts, laces. We need to be prepared,"

Rick took off his own belt, dropping it to the floor and stomping on the clasp. The top fell off, leaving him with three spikes that slotted perfectly between his fingers. Like a DIY Wolverine. "You do that." He told them. He then wrapped the rest of the belt around his hand and wrist. "Then, sharpen it. Rub it against the floor, wall, anything."

Rio just pulled the knife from his pocket, tucking it up his right sleeve.

Everyone began to get to know each other, sharing stories of how they ended up here. Each of them had one thing in common: they'd followed the train tracks.

Talking seemed to ease everyone's nerves a bit, Rio still clung to Daryl's arm but that didn't stop him from speaking to the new people. More accurately, they were speaking to him. At him, if you would. He just nodded along, not really being able to hear but picking up on some words. DC. He definitely picked up on that.

"They seemed nice enough, but I was ready to go. We just got here but damn, it was time to go." The man who'd introduced himself as Abraham laughed. "When I told them about DC, a wink and a nod from the head asshole in charge they pulled their guns and it was right back to our regularly scheduled shitstorm."

"What's in DC?" Rio asked, looking down as the man sharpened the metal of his belt, turning it into three spikes.

"Well, young man." He began and Rio held back a sigh, Abraham seemed to like talking. At least he was loud. "Up there they are working on a cure. Or soon will be."

"I know someone who was fleeing from DC." The boy pried. "Said the riots turned the place to a shithole."

"Well they must've been stupid people not to have pushed through. DC is about to be the best place you can be."

"I guess..." Rio trailed off. "The people tried to rob me and my brother in our sleep."

"And you didn't let them? Good on you."

"Good on my brother."

"Where is your brother?" Abraham asked. Rio just pointed up to the sky awkwardly, not giving any further explanation. The point was explanation enough.

"Well I'm sorry, he sounded like a fine kid."

"Uh-huh."

Maggie clasped a hand on his back, pulling his coat sleeve. "What happened to you?" She asked, looking down at his arm.

Rio didn't want to tell her the truth. He just looked up to Daryl.

"What happened to him?" Maggie repeated, now directing her question at Daryl.

The man's eyes darted around quickly before falling on the boy's untied shoes. "He fell."

"Well," Maggie sighed, kneeling down on the floor. "Let me tie your laces extra-tight so you don't go falling again."

When she wasn't looking, Rio signed 'thank you' to Daryl. The man just nodded, giving his shoulder a squeeze before walking towards Rick. Rio watched him go, only turning back around when Maggie tapped him