The Third Dixon [The walking dead]

Chapter seven

Morning crept into the barn slowly, pale and uncertain, seeping through the cracks in the wood like it wasn't sure it was welcome. Measi sat with her back against one of the support beams, knees pulled to her chest, fingers absently worrying the strap of her pack. Her arm ached beneath her sleeve—not sharply, just enough to remind her it was there. Of everything that had been lost.

Morning sunlight crept through the cracks in the barn walls, dust motes dancing lazily in the air. Measi was the first to notice Maggie's voice.

"Hey. Everyone..."

She snapped upright, moving instinctively toward the sound. 

There was a man standing there.

He looked... normal. Clean jacket, open hands, posture careful but not fearful. Sasha stood beside him, watchful. Maggie hovered just a step away, tense but unharmed.

"This is Aaron," Maggie said, her voice steady. "We met him outside. He's by himself."

Measi's hand instinctively went to her sniper, scanning the area through the open doorway. No shadows moved, no other figures lurked. Nathan stood beside her, rifle at the ready, eyes flicking between Aaron and the tree line.

By himself was never just by himself.

Measi moved instinctively, stepping past the group to get a clearer view of the woods beyond the barn. Her scope swept the tree line, the road, the shadows between trunks. Nothing stirred. No birds. No walkers. No people. The silence felt deliberate.

Behind her, Daryl was already patting Aaron down, rough but efficient.

''We took his weapons and his gear,'' Maggie added.

Aaron smiled, awkward but calm. "It's nice to meet you."

He lifted a hand toward Rick, a gesture of goodwill, but Daryl's hard stare pinned him in place. Measi's eyes didn't leave him; Nathan mirrored her cautious gaze.

"You said he had a weapon?" Rick asked.

Maggie passed the gun over. Measi closed the barn doors quietly, the sound echoing in her chest. Everyone still had their weapons up—Nathan included, standing just off to her right, jaw tight, eyes flicking between Aaron and the shadows outside.

''There's something you need?'' Rick asked.

Measi watched him for a second. He hadn't slept either.

Maggie nodded. "He has a camp nearby. He wants us to audition for membership."

Aaron winced. ''I really hate that word.'' He let out a breath. ''Audition makes it sound like a dance troupe. That's more of a Friday night thing.''

No one laughed.

Aaron cleared his throat, pressing on. ''It's not a camp. It's a community. And I think you'd all be valuable additions. But it's not my call.''

Some of the group turned to Rick. Measi didn't. Her eyes stayed on Aaron, weighing him, reading the tension in his shoulders, the honesty in his stance. Nathan shifted closer, quiet but present.

Nathan leaned closer to her, murmuring under his breath, ''You buying this?''

''I'm listening,'' she whispered back.

"My job," Aaron continued, "is to convince you to follow me back home. And I know—if I were you, I wouldn't go either. Not until I knew exactly what I was getting into."

He glanced at Sasha. "Can you hand Rick my pack?"

Sasha did. Rick opened it carefully, finding an envelope in the front pocket. Aaron continued, voice steady, "There's no way I could convince you to come with me just by talking about our community. That's why I brought these. Apologies in advance for the picture quality. We just found an old camera store last—"