Whisper In The Dark (TWD-Final Season James Fanfic)

Training

Elianna's P.O.V.

I found myself apart of a group that lived among the thing that humans now feared. There was a central camp for those who were too young or too old to be apart of the main group, but anyone who wasn't injured or ill would be forced to be like them.

The people had a system. If you were over fifteen years old, didn't have a medical condition, younger than 60 years old, and didn't have any sort of injury or illness, you would be put into what they called Training. The 'Instructors', as they were referred to, weren't any older than most of the people in Training.

Training lasted two weeks. The first week was to grind the trainee into whispering when outside of camp grounds. I had picked it up within two days of going beyond the camp, but it didn't mean I got to skip the rest of the week. Many of the people who were drilled into whispering continued to speak in low and hushed voices even when speaking to those who weren't capable of being apart of the Human Herd.

The second week of Training was the harder part. It required trainees to wear the standard 'gear' the Human Herd wore. Walker skin could be added to the body in any way possible, including arm sleeves, leg sleeves, and masks. Nearly every Herd member owned a mask, each one being different from others.

"You coming, Two?" One of the older Instructors snapped at me as I wrote in my journal, his voice no louder than a whisper.

I closed the journal and slid it into my bag before getting to my feet. I easily put my bag on my back and followed behind the Instructor.

"We're nothing but numbers until we prove we're worth something, huh?" Another trainee said as he joined us.

"What's the point if we learn your name and you end up dead or gone?" The Instructor replied.

I found myself smiling slightly as we reached the starting point of the Outer Training. I didn't know the names of the trainees or the Instructors, but I had grown close to one of the Instructors. He was around my age, and had long dark hair. It had been ridiculously long when I had shown up at the camp, but it had been cut a few times since then.

"We have a few less than last time. Four, six, and eight were cut." The Instructor that led me and the other trainee told the one with dark brown hair.

"Three at once? That hasn't happened in a while." The man replied.

"Two left, two died."

The smile immediately left my face, and each trainee lowered their heads as we all thought about what could have happened. All of us reacted when the Instructors spoke to each other.

"You're taking One, Two and Three?" The dark haired man questioned.

"That's what I was told." The other replied.

"How about a trade?"

"Is this really something you wanna put up for negotiation?"

"Yeah. Trade me. Two for Five."

"Two for Five?"

The Instructor looked at me, and I looked between the two of them. He looked back at the dark haired man before nodding.

"Sure. Take the mute." He said.

"Mute? She talks to me. I don't know why you called her mute." The dark haired man looked surprise as he looked at me.

I shrugged, and the two groups formed in order to leave. I found that the Instructor who had original been in charge of me glared at me throughout the entire explanation of what was going to happen.

"Let's go. We're heading down to the river. Don't forget your mask." The dark haired Instructor mumbled, nudging me toward the gate that was always locked.

I was quick as I pulled my mask out of my bag, gasping as my journal fell into the puddle below me as I tugged too hard. The dark haired Instructor picked it up and handed it to me.

"It doesn't look damaged, but I'll try and find you one if I can." He whispered.

I nodded once before I returned my bag to my back and put on my mask. The inside of it no longer smelled like a dead body, or I had just gotten used to the awful stench of the rotting skin. I followed after the others as they walked beyond the safety of the walls, the dark haired Instructor following after me.

~

"Is there a reason why you don't talk to the others?"

I wasn't surprised by the question. I glanced at the Instructor as I manipulated a small group of Walkers. I looked away after the others decided to kill the stumbling creatures.

"Is there a reason why you're curious about me not wanting to talk?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest.

"I understand that you don't trust us because of what we're putting you through, but communication is key when it comes to being out here." The Instructor, who wasn't wearing his mask like the rest of us, raised an eyebrow at me.

The wind picked up, making his hair blow around in the breeze. I turned my head in the direction of the distant sounds a wind chime must have been making. I listened to the sound until the forest was once again quiet as wind died down.

"Wind chimes?" I whispered.

"Must be on a house nearby." The Instructor muttered.

I pulled my bag off of my back and took out my journal. The Instructor raised an eyebrow as I pulled a pen out of my pocket and started writing.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"I write down possible ideas. I'll most likely just keep it to myself, but it's easy to write it down in case I....don't make it and someone finds this journal." I replied.

"What kind of things are in it?"

"How to fish, hunting tips, gardening advice. Things like that. There's also a few strategies to take out walkers or make it difficult to find your campsite."

I finished writing, taking up a few pages. I held the book out to him, and he shook his head.

"I wont look at that until you're actually one of us. I wouldn't steal your ideas." He said.

"You won't have to think of it as stealing. If I don't make it through training, I'll most likely die out there." I replied.

"Why don't we focus on the reason why we came out here?"