Safety Zone || Negan

Chapter Two

How many walkers have you have you killed? How many people have you killed? Why?

Rick's questions weren't the best to answer on the spot. I also didn't want to take too long to remember just in case he thought I was making it up.

"Walkers?" I asked. Rick's glare bore into me.

"Biters, roamers, the dead.. whatever you call 'em," he elaborated. I sighed.

"I stopped counting after around 30. It's hard to get anywhere without killing them." Rick's expression softened; he seemed ok with my answer.

"How many people?"

"None," I responded. Though I could've killed the man who murdered my group. "It could've been one."

"What do you mean?" Rick asked with a concerned tone.

"This man.. he killed my group for our supplies. All I had was a knife and he had a gun. I could've at least tried.. Maybe even take his other eye out."

"Do you know if he's still alive?" Rick leaned into the table, eyeing me closely.

"I wish I knew. I'd like to see him suffer for what he did. That Governor was a sick f-ing prick," I ranted.

"The Governor?" Rick asked, surprised. "No shit." I shot him a confused look.

"What's your deal?" I said, not sure whether to be angry or not.

"It's a small world, Alex. We've dealt with the Governor too. He's been long dead thanks to our friend Michonne." No wonder he was surprised. It was weird yet oddly comforting to know that we had both been at the wrath of such a scum of a person.

"I trust you," Rick stated, looking straight into my eyes. "Can you trust this community?" I nodded. "You're gonna have to pull your weight around here."

"Yes I know. I'll help in anyway that I can," I assured him. After we finished talking, Rick showed me around. Alexandria was a nice place and ran efficiently on its own. I felt relieved that I could stay for a while.

"Hey dad, who's that?" a young boy asked. He had a bandage covering one of his eyes and he wore a large cowboy hat.

"This is Alex, he's going to be staying with us for a while," Rick told him. He turned to me. "This is my son, Carl." Once Carl strolled away, Rick relaxed. "The poor kid has seen a lot of shit. Too much to deal with, especially at that age."

Rick allowed me to stay in his house for the time being, considering there were enough rooms in the house to spare at least one. He showed me his infant, who was being taken care of by a woman named Carol. She was a sweet looking person and I felt welcomed by her. The three of us sat down in the living room with the baby, playing around in the bright room.

For the first time in a long while, I felt secure.

After a week of being in Alexandria, I had gained most of everyone's trust and I had met every resident. I learned that the two people who had finally let me in that first day were named Sasha and Abraham. I learned that a couple by the names of Glenn and Maggie were expecting a baby. I learned that Daryl Dixon was closed off until you gave him some cheap alcohol to get him to talk. We stayed up until we saw the sun start to rise. He was an interesting person. He shared a couple stories of his younger years. In turn, I shared some stories with him.

I was fond of Daryl but not in the same way as I was fond of my boyfriend. Daryl was comforting to be around and made me feel secure. Rick started to send us out hunting together the second week I was there.

"I hope we find something good today," Daryl said softly as we crept through the woods. "I'm feeling really hungry."

"Me too, man." The sun was high and unforgiving. Sweat poured down our faces as we searched for any animal roaming around. Though my appetite was causing pain in my stomach, I ignored it and continued walking. Daryl and I made sure not to snap any twigs once we drew close to a rabbit.

We returned to Alexandria with 3 rabbits, which Daryl slung proudly over his broad shoulders. "You're a great guy, Alex," Daryl said, patting my back. I felt happy that I wasn't alone anymore. Over the past week, I had barely been alone. I moved in with Daryl, and frankly, the only time I was alone was when I showered or went to the bathroom. It was a nice change.

That evening, Daryl and I prepared some rabbit to share. We took a portion over to Rick and another to Rosita and Eugene. I had overheard conversations of infiltrating a compound. I didn't ask. I wasn't sure I wanted to know.

Rick called a meeting before I could even ask my question. "We have to kill them before they kill us," Rick began. "We can't let them take what's ours. We can't allow that." There were a few murmurs of disagreement. "I need to take a group with me. Glenn.." I turned to see Glenn stand, nodding at Rick with acknowledgement.

"Daryl, Aaron, Sasha-" Rick rattled off several more names before concluding with me. "Alex, I trust you and I have seen how hard you work. Are you up for this?"

"I don't know how I feel about killing people," I answered truthfully.

"I wouldn't do it," Morgan piped up. "There's got to be another way." Rick wouldn't listen and his plan was set in motion. Thoughts ran through my mind that night. I couldn't sleep.

The house Daryl and I shared was dark. We shut all our lights off once we went to our bedrooms. I paced around, feeling restless. I exited my room and went down the hall to Daryl's. I knocked softly.

"Huh?" I heard Daryl reply groggily. "Alex?"

"Can I come in?" I asked from the door. "I can't sleep."

"Come on in," he said. I twisted the door knob, entering the room slowly. "Sit on the bed," he ushered, sitting up in the darkness.

"I'm scared," I admitted after a moment of silence. "I've never killed a person before."

"You still have a few days to prepare yourself. You'll be ok."

"But what if I'm not? What if I mess up?" I spit worriedly.

"You won't. I believe in you. So does Rick." I didn't say anything.

I felt Daryl sink back into the bed. Without intention, I dozed off at the foot of the bed. I woke to find the early morning sun filtering through the curtains. Daryl's light snores filled the room.

"Hey, Daryl," I whispered, shaking his shoulder. He jolted awake. "Do you want any breakfast?"

"Yea, sure," he responded with exhaustion.

"Thanks for not kicking me out," I said as I stood in the doorway. I walked down to the kitchen. I had some fruit set aside for our breakfasts for the next few days. I grabbed two apples, bringing them up to Daryl. I got back to his room and tossed one to him.

"I didn't realize you were so anxious," he admitted. "You seemed tough."

"I try." I bit into my apple swiftly. My appetite was starting to intensify.

A few days would've seemed like a lot more time, but they passed by in the blink of an eye. That night, Rick was going to implement his plan to get rid of the threat. "I'm scared," I admitted to him.

"I believe in you," he assured me. "You'll be fine, I promise."

A/N: Hi! I'm really happy and excited to be writing this. Warning- this is gonna get really gay.