Safe Place // TMR|TWD

2 | The Glade

MinHo and I arrive at the front of sturdy 20 foot walls at twilight. The walls stretched out far and wide. The site of the walls made an astonishing first impression on me. If the outside made me feel safe by the looks of it, the inside must be even more so.
There were two guards at the door with what looks like machine guns from afar. MinHo and I approach the gates; me being a bit more cautious. The guards looked down at us from their outposts, pointing their guns at us.

The first guard speaks up first, "Who's there?!"
MinHo rolls his eyes, "Will you slintheads open the gates already? We're tired!"
The other guard squinted his eyes in an attempt to see through the darkness.
"MinHo? MinHo, is that you? Who's that with you?"
"She's just a lone survivor I came across. Now open the gates!"

The guards nodded at each other before signaling to someone behind the walls. Next thing I know, the gates are sliding open. MinHo turns to me and smiles,
"Welcome to The Glade, Sam."

MinHo leads me beyond the gates into the world within the walls. The sight made me awestruck. It was several football fields in length worth of land. I can hear the animal sounds of the dozens of livestock they tend to. I can see multiple groups of people farming and building; people working together. MinHo was right. They weren't just surviving. They were improving. They were thriving as a group. Another man about my age in similar attire to MinHo, ran up to us.

"You're back!"
"I'm back. So I better hear some good news."
They started walking away, so I assumed I was supposed to follow them. I couldn't help but to eavesdrop on the conversation as the stranger continues,
"Everyone is accounted for. All the Runners made it back before the time limit. Some of them found a gas station a couple miles out. It wasn't raided yet, so they took what they could. All supplies went into the Box. Those shanks brought enough for us to last for a week or so, if we include the crops into our rationing. Alby wants some of us to go back tomorrow to get the rest of the supplies before someone else find them. But the final decision is yours."
"How many Runners do they need?"
"They want about five of us to go. Said there's no point in sending everyone since they didn't leave much behind."
MinHo nodded and hummed in approval before answering,
"We'll just send the same people who found the gas station. If they need more people, they can talk to me tomorrow morning."
The stranger said his farewells before running away to a big hut that was concealed within the trees. MinHo turned back to me and smiled reassuringly as he walked backwards,
"I know you must be tired from our run here, so I'll let you sleep first. You can sleep in my hammock for now."

MinHo turns back around and heads for a large building crowded with hammocks, pillows, and blankets. He led me to a dark blue hammock near the front of the household. It was prepared with a blanket that wasn't bothered to be folded. MinHo leans against the tree holding it up,
"I know it's not much, but I think it's a better choice than the floor."

He gestures for me to get on the hammock. I hesitantly walk towards the hammock, MinHo watching my every move. I caringly place my machete and guns underneath the hammock.I press down on the material. It was sturdy enough. I sit down on it to test its sturdiness. It could hold more pounds than what I weighed. I shift my body to a comfortable sleeping position on my side facing MinHo.
"Where will you sleep?"
"Right here."

My eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. If he meant where he stood; then he either has to fall asleep leaning against the tree or lying down on the grassy ground besides the hammock. I shook my head in protest,
"No... You said so yourself, the ground is uncomfortable."

MinHo ignores me as he begins to relieve himself of his gear, placing them down beside him. He turns to me, "I'd rather sleep on the ground than to force a woman to sleep on the ground. It's fine, Sam. Just rest."
"How can I rest when I know you'll be sleeping uncomfortably because of me?"
"Then I should tell you that I'll actually be sleeping cozy and snug because of you, since I know you're comfortable as well."
I giggle and try to cover my mouth to stop the sounds from leaving my lips. I flip onto my back and look up at the sky through the gaps in the branches,
"Why do you care so much about a stranger?"
"I don't know. Maybe because I want you to trust me."
"Good luck with that."
"Challenge accepted."
I scoff before I pull the blanket up to my chin,
"Just go to sleep already."
"Okay. But in an attempt to earn your trust, I'll just go ahead and warn you that I sometimes snore."
I laugh quietly at his witty remark about himself,
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Goodnight, Sam."
I glance over at MinHo, sitting on the ground and leaning his back against the trunk of the tree. I look back up at the night sky.
"Goodnight, MinHo."