𝐏𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐔𝐌 (𝐷𝑎𝑟𝑦𝑙 𝐷𝑖𝑥𝑜𝑛)

𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑦 𝐹𝑖𝑣𝑒

The man named Kenny made me walk in between him and Lee. He wanted to keep an eye on me in case I decided to pull a "fast one." I didn't know exactly what he thought I would do. They obviously had the upper hand on me in terms of weapons and height.

"How come you were out there by yourself?" Kenny wondered suspiciously. It was the first thing either of them had said to me since leaving the abandoned camp site.

"I got separated from my group," I forced out quieter than I meant to. We'd been walking for some time along an unfamiliar road and my fatigue had continued to worsen. Speaking felt like it took up all of my strength.

"Can't hear ya," the man pressed on.

"Give it a rest, would you?" Lee turned and scolded his friend. "We can all ask each other questions once we're back home."

"Fine," Kenny grumbled.

The three of us kept on for a while longer until Lee suddenly strayed from the concrete and walked into the dense brush surrounding the road. He held back long arms of leaves and let me go through the little gateway first. On the other side was another forest and the air felt cleaner somehow. The trees wore bright fabrics of moss and vines, mushrooms poked out from underneath ancient logs, and in the middle of it all stood a long dirt path leading deeper into the woods.

"Watch your step," Lee said to me. I furrowed my brows and sent him a questioning look. There were no boulders or fallen trees obscuring the dirt road.

"We get a lot of coyotes here. They like to shit on the path," he explained.

I nodded in quiet understanding and Lee took point once again. It wasn't long until a large wall made of mismatched panels and metals came into view. A portion in the middle was covered in fabric, like the type you would see at construction sites so people wouldn't be able to look in. At the very top of the wall, a young man with untamed brown curls looked down at us. In his left hand, he casually held a rifle.

"Kidnapping Lee? Is this the new low you've succumbed to?!" he slightly leaned over the wall and peered at me curiously. The man spoke in a dramatic yet serious tone that made it hard to tell if he was kidding or not.

"Open the gate Connor," Lee told him, unfazed by the man's outlandish remark. Connor broke into a sly grin and disappeared. A moment later, the fabric covered portion of the wall slid open. The chain link hiding behind it rattled as it moved.

The dirt path faded into cobblestone that led up to fractured stone stairs. Beyond that, an ancient looking Queen Anne mansion sat peacefully. Climbing vines were slowly taking control of its faded walls and a garden of overgrown grass wrapped around the base of the house.

"It's pretty cool, right?" Lee noticed my awestruck face.

"You live there?" I asked the obvious.

"It ain't the Ritz, but it's better than sleeping in the cold," Kenny chimed.

"I slept in the cold once," the young man named Conner spoke up.

"So has everyone else. You ain't special, kid," Kenny shook his head and continued on by himself.

Connor made a face at Kenny's back before turning to me with a heightened interest. He wore a dark coat with a lavish amount of black fur lining the cuffs and chest area.

"And who might you be?" He held out a hand.

"Charlotte," I placed my palm in his and felt him shake my hand loosely.

"Charlotte, huh? I don't think I've ever met a Charlotte before," he released my hand gently. "I'll have to write that down in my diary."

Lee cleared his throat and Connor snapped his head over to his.

"Aren't you still on watch?" Lee asked.

"Oh, right. Lemme just close that gate for ya," Connor laughed nervously and went back to the chain link.

"We should get inside," Lee motioned to the house. I nodded and felt a nervous pull in my gut. I remembered how Rick's group first treated me. Glenn was the only one who treated me kindly at first while the rest of them sent me side eyes and glares for a good while after. And then, there was Daryl. Now, I'd have to do the whole thing over again.

"But first, I'm gonna need your knife," he continued.

My throat tightened and I stared at him blankly.

"It's just a security measure. Once everyone decides you can stay, you'll get it back," Lee reassured me.

"I thought you were in charge," I said slowly, trying not to let my voice quiver.

"I am. But we still like to make decisions as a group," he explained. "Tomorrow, once you're settled in, we'll have a meeting where everyone can ask you questions and get to know you."

"Sounds like an interrogation to me."

"Think of it as more of a job interview," Lee offered with a slight smile. I turned away and frowned. My safety and future are going to be up to a bunch of strangers. I heard him sigh.

"You're not a prisoner here. You can leave whenever you want," he tried again. "But we have rules."

I bit my lip and inhaled deeply through my nose. I needed this. I couldn't fuck it up. Spending another starving night alone in the woods was not an option. My fingers hesitantly went over to my knife and removed it from my waistband. I looked down at the sheath and found the initials carved into the leather. I swallowed the lump in my throat and handed Lee the knife.

"Just, please don't lose it. It's really important to me," I looked up at him as I spoke. Lee nodded earnestly and slipped my knife into his back pocket.

"Follow me," Lee gestured towards the house and the both of us made our way to the front doors.

✯✯✯

(𝑷𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏 3/8/21)