OUTLIVE.
❝The dead were never the enemy.
It was the living. ❞
THE WALKING DEAD.
DARYL DIXON.
BOOK TWO of the LANCASTER SAGA.
[ SEASONS 4 - 6 ]
*****
*I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters. I simply write to write. Astrid, any addi...
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[ xliv. love of my life ]
august 7th, 2012
➸➸➸
ASTRID LANCASTER HATED ALEXANDRIA.
But, as soon as she thought it, she supposed, that admitting such vehement detestation for a place so pure and protecting felt like an admission of guilt, so she settled on the word "dislike" instead, to veil the seething contempt that seeped so openly and heatedly through her veins.
It was not the safety of the safe zone itself that she found abhorrent, however. It was its inhabitants. The people of Alexandria, to her dismay, epitomized a distressing naivety and childishness that surpassed even little Judith. Grown adults seemed to fumble through their days as if they were still in the olden world, unaware and vulnerable, and entirely incapable of defending themselves.
And Deanna Monroe, their very leader, had officially gone over the edge.
Astrid had attempted to meet with her properly that morning, yet actual conversation proved useless as Deanna wallowed in her grief. Until, in a brash and unexpected assertion, only ten minutes into their first exchange, the leader decided, without any input from the Lancaster woman herself, that Astrid would now claim the title of the town doctor, simply because the man Rick had slain the prior night was their sole surgeon.
Now, accepting the role was not the issue for Astrid. It was the lack of trust it earned her. She was an outsider. It had taken numerous promises and reassurances before one of the townspeople, a woman named Olivia, the keeper of the pantry, would even just hand over the keys to the infirmary.
Astrid was still not entirely sure of the reason behind Alexandria's collective disdain for her . . . but she had suspicions. Her arrival, drenched in walker blood, followed by an embrace of Rick, an alleged murderer all his own, in plain view of the townsfolk, likely contributed to their trepidation. Yet, what could they fear now, given that four days had passed? They had already long since taken her weapons.
In the end, after her run-in with Olivia, Carol became Astrid's rescuer, guiding her through the standoffish town. They visited the infirmary, where Glenn, Tara, Rosita, and Eugene awaited. However, innocent conversation soured when mention of Noah's death reached her ears. No one seemed to have the heart to tell Astrid just how the kid had died exactly, and Glenn's haunted expression urged her to let the matter rest.
So, Astrid dropped it altogether. And moved on.
Turning attention elsewhere, she quickly came to understand that, in the realm of responsibilities and expectations to follow within Alexandria, the infirmary proved a lesser evil compared to other mundane tasks like construction or politics. When she had finally begun to survey the infirmary's supplies, Astrid was relieved to find that she was still well-versed in its many medications. Moreover, she also learned she would not be working alone. Another woman, Denise Cloyd, had volunteered to help her as an assistant of sorts.
