the claimed child-the walking dead

chapter seven//the unknown helper is our enemy

water. glorious water had been placed in jugs up ahead. who had done this? tilly didn't care-she ran, feet pounding on the smoldering pavement, towards the heavenly liquid. but shouts stopped her in her tracks, and she turned, wild gaze fixed on those behind her who were catching up to stare at the clear drinks. "we can't." rick advised. it could be poisoned, he said. tilly felt her heart sink, but only for a moment, as rain began to patter down. laughter spread through the group, but some stayed solemn, maggie daryl and sasha staying stone faced. father gabriel began to weep and cry out for the lord. the joy that some held only lasted for so long-thunder crashed and it became clear they needed to seek shelter. daryl shouted out to them. "there's a barn!"

//

tilly tossed and turned in the hay. the scent reminded her of the horses on her papa's farm. she shoved down the familiar ache in her chest, turning to gaze at the fire that was slowly dying out-daryl had announced that they were too wet to burn. lightning flashes, wind whistled, and rain pattered against the barn. tilly felt her eyes grow heavy when rick began to tell a story about his grandfather, and the war. "this is how we survive. we tell ourselves that we are the walking dead." rick said firmly, trying to keep hope alive as always. "we ain't them." daryl said gruffly. "we're not them. hey. we're not." rick affirmed to him, as daryl stood, grabbing his crossbow and padding away in the soft hay, repeating "we ain't them." one more time. tilly fell asleep, wondering what he meant. 

//

daryl grunted, throwing himself against the door, holding it shut. the others began to wake, helping them hold it. the storm was getting worse, and now there were walkers at the door. tilly awoke, leaning over judith as carl set her down to run over and help hold the doors shut. 

//

they had actually made it-it was morning, a tangle of bodies strewn through the barn. tilly slept, leant against a haybale, not far from where daryl sat still, awake. she stretched, yawning, as she was awakened by the small sound of a music box. "the gearbox had some grit in it." daryl handed it over to maggie, having fixed the small gift carl had given to her. he had found it on the road. tilly watched as daryl lay down, and maggie and sasha stepped outside to asess the damage from the storm. 

//

the barn door creaked open, and tilly awoke for the second time that day-only to see the silhouette of a man with raised arms, as the sound of weapons cocking made themselves known. he was frisked by daryl, and locked inside quickly. judith decided this strangers presence was cause enough to let out a shrill cry, and tilly silently agreed with judith that this was not a good way to wake up for the day. she sat up, pulling her knees to her chest and watching keenly from the dirt floor, pulling her fingers to her mouth and chewing in anxiety, before deciding to stand at attention like the rest of the group, in case she needed to run. "there something you need?" rick questioned dryly, shoving this unknown man's weapon into his waist band. "he has a camp. nearby." sasha spoke, her tone sounding tired and disbelieving of this newcomers claim. it sounded like a broken rhyme, at this point-come with us, we have food and shelter. "he wants us to audition for membership." sasha continued, staring straight ahead at rick, who was looking more tense by the second. "i wish there was another word. audition makes it sound like we're some kind of dance troupe. that's only on friday nights." the man tried to joke, but it fell flat into silence and suspicion. he was beginning to see that this was not a trustworhty group. he gulped. "and-it's not a camp-it's a community. i think you all would make valuable additions. but it's not my call. my job is to convince you all to follow me back home." he paused as rick shifted on his feet, wary. tilly tasted blood, realizing she had chewed her bottom lip open. she grabbed hold of a nearby beam holding the slatted barn roof up, needing something to support her nervous body. "i know-if i were you wouldn't go either-not until i knew exactly what i was getting into...sasha can you hand rick my pack?" he turned, asking nicely like a child would ask for another serving of dinner. but he was no child, he was a full grown man, and tilly knew better than to trust one right off the bat-hell, she still even flinched when rick got too close, and she had seen firsthand all he would do for their group, and he had saved her life. but she could only hold enough trust for daryl-it was just the way her heart was, after joe tore her apart and put her back together a new girl again. she could never be the same again. she watched, timid, as sasha handed rick the knapsack. rick followed the mans direction, searching the pockets. "there's no way i could get you to come with me just by talking about our community. that's why i brought those. i apologize in advance for the picture quality-we just found an old camera store last-" the man continued, gesturing to a crinkle of paper holding what tilly assumed must be fuzzy photos. "nobody gives a shit." daryl cut him off, the blutn truth hitting hard, but this stranger nodded, turning to daryl. "you're absolutely, one hundred percent right." he acknowledged, feeling awkward. he went on to explain the pictures-there were walls tall and strong. he continued on his speel, but he was unable to get to the next description of the other photo, as rick advanced too fast to be a calm approach-this tilly knew, because she had observed rick grimes behavior by now. she jumped, darting behind the beam as rick tossed a heavy punch, knocking the man out with a single blow-and the group surrounded him like vultures around fresh roadkill. 

//

"they're coming for us." rick announced. he had it set in his mind that these people were out to get them, although michonne seemed to disagree, wanting to check things out before going on the defense. tilly's hands shook, and she fisted them behind her, not wanting to display her fear. she watched from afar, moving herself atop a haybale, peering at the man as he awoke, slowly. maggie was wiping his forehead with a cloth, and it reminded tilly of when the woman had gently cared for her when she awoke at the church, in unfamiliar surroundings. maggie and michonne set him up carefully. "how many of your people are out there? you have a flare gun-you have it to signal your people-how many of them are there?" rick insisted. "does it matter?" the stranger asked. "yes. yes it does. " rick spoke through clenched teeth. "it's kind of hard to trust a guy that smiles after getting punched in the face." rick hissed. "how about a guy who leaves you bottles of water on the road?" he shot back. daryl grunted, advancing. "how long you people been following us?" he asked. "long enough to see that you practically ignore a pack of roamers on your trail. long enough to see that despite the lack of food and water you never turned on each other-you're survivors-and you're people. like i said-and i hope you won't punch me again-that is the most important resource in the world." he explained. tilly narrowed her eyes, watching. her gut swirled with the wonders of what today would hold.

//

"alright, groups of two find somewhere safe within eyeshot." everyone filtered out, and tilly paused, the last to go, eyes connecting with rick. she glanced at baby judith, still with rick, and then leaped from the hay bale, running outside to join up with someone safely. she trailed after daryl, of course. they made their rounds, returning in time.

//

it turns out the man hadn't lied about the person and the vehicles out there. "we need this, so we're going. all of us. somebody say something if they feel differently." michonne insisted. " i dunno man, this barn smells like horse shit." daryl muttered. rick nodded, slowly, blue eyes taking in the group around him. "yeah. we're going." he agreed. 

//

tilly plastered her hands against the glass window, nose touching the humid pane. they drove, until they had to stop. tilly squinted against the harsh sun, hand raised to block the rays as she hopped out of the rv. she was patient. and they were on their way again.

//

tilly couldn't believe it. the gates were real. they had made it. she felt nausea swirling, and she heard children inside-kids that sounded her own age. could she live life again? a normal semblance of what she used to have?