Alyssa Chávez has felt alone for most of her life. She was never good at making friends. She always felt a distance between her and her family. So when the apocalypse happened, her social life didn't take much of a hit. After losing her family, Alys...
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Chapter Four Unpacking Ghosts
Soft singing could be heard throughout Cell Block C in the early morning. Beth's angelic voice hummed a lullaby to put Carl's younger sister to sleep. She bounced Judith softly up and down on her hip, supporting the child's head with one hand while the other held her in place. The way she cared for the young Grimes would have led someone to mistake her for her sister, and in some way she was.
Beth loved Judith in a way Alyssa had only seen family members care for each other, the way her aunt used to care for her. Even in a world like this, Judith had so many people who cared for her like that. Most of them weren't even related by blood.
Alyssa walked closer to the cell, hypnotized by the blonde's voice. It was so simple, yet so innocent. Just a girl singing to a child. Beth's curtain was open. The sunlight from the windows created something similar to a halo above her head.
Beth looked up from Judith, giving Alyssa a smile that warmed her heart. "Good morning."
"Hey." Alyssa gave her a nod. "I was just passing by and I heard your singing. Were you a musician before?"
Beth chuckled, shaking her head slightly. "Not really, but I played piano and the guitar."
"Do you miss it?" Alyssa asked, even though she already knew the answer. She sure as hell did.
Beth nodded. "I used to play all the time before. We found a guitar a while back, but we lost it." Judith grabbed hold of the collar of Beth's shirt. Beth gently lifted the baby into the air, something she seemed to enjoy.
"She's growing so fast." Beth gushed. "Too fast. She's outgrowing clothes so fast we can't keep up. There's another run tomorrow." she explained with a soft chuckle.
Alyssa sighed, averting her gaze toward the ground. She did have her brother's old clothes. He was a little older than Judith when he passed, a little bigger too. She probably fit in them, but did she really want to give something so personal away? It might put her in Rick's good graces, which could work in her favor later on, but it meant she had to unpack her car and all the personal belongings she'd hidden away from herself and Rick's group. But in the end, could she really put herself above an infant?
Alyssa took a deep breath. "I might still have some baby clothes in my car. You think she likes dinosaurs?"
Judith let out a joyful chuckle, making a smile appear on Beth's face. "I think she loves them."
After having handed Judith to Carl, Alyssa guided Beth to her car. She opened the trunk to reveal a bunch of boxes and crates of various sizes and materials stacked to the roof. "Wow," Beth exclaimed. "That's a lot of stuff." she chuckled.
"I never had the heart to throw any of it away," Alyssa said quietly, sorting through the boxes of memories until she found the right one. "Guess now I know why." She muttered, pulling a crate with various items for young children. Buried under a blue and green dinosaur plushie were a bunch of old clothes. She handed Beth the box and quickly shoved the plushie into another crate. She'd almost forgotten about the thing. It had definitely seen better days, but it was the last thing her baby brother held in his arms. She'd hidden all those boxes away in the trunk of her car and with that, her pain as well.
"Did these belong to a family member?" Beth asked softly.
"My brother," Alyssa sighed, placing both hands on a box of dried pasta. "I should give these to Carol," she said, deciding to change the subject rather than elaborate in the hope that Beth would take the hint.
Beth nodded. "I'm sure she'd appreciate it. Have you ever thought about putting this stuff in your cell? You could take your car on runs, they're always looking for more vehicles."
"I probably should," Alyssa agreed. "I could sort through them to see if I have anything else I don't use anymore that someone here deems useful."
"Let me know if you need any help," Beth told her. "I'm gonna go bring this to Rick."
Alyssa nodded, her gaze lingering on Beth for a while as she walked off and eventually disappeared into the walls of the prison. Alyssa started off by taking all the boxes out of her car and taking a seat in the trunk. She sorted through each and every box until she had two piles of boxes, the one meant for the prison significantly taller than the one with stuff she'd keep. There was a lot of food, hygiene products, clothes, and some medical products.
Her keep pile was a mix of things with sentimental value and stuff she might need if she had to make an escape. She planned on putting some of the old books her aunt gave her on anatomy, edible plants and first aid in her bag. She had a bow and a set of arrows, but she had yet to master the skill. Aunt Nia had planned to teach her, but their time was cut short before she could. Alyssa wished she could put it to use, but her attempts at teaching herself had not gone well. It wasn't as easy as throwing knives or axes. With her history in baseball, she'd picked that up easily.
Alyssa's thumb traced over the dents in the black locust wood of the bow's upper limb. She remembered the way Nia's hand held onto the bow's grip as her dominant hand pulled back the string. The chipped black nail polish on her nails stood out on the smooth surface of the wood. She made piercing the rotting skulls of the undead look so effortless. Alyssa had lost half of the arrows in the forest while trying to teach herself.
"Beth told me you were unpacking, we thought you might want some help."
Approaching the car were Maggie and Glenn Rhee. Maggie held one hand up to keep the sun out of her eyes. Two strands of her hair were tied back to keep her hair out of her face. Glenn had rolled up his sleeves to expose his forearms. He had a knife strapped to his leg for easy access.
"Uhm, yeah, thanks." Alyssa nodded. "I'm taking those to my cell and I thought Carol might know what to do with these," she explained, gesturing to the stacked boxes.
"What's even in all of those?" Glenn asked, taking one of the boxes in his arms.
"Food, medical supplies, clothes, hygiene products, personal belongings, and some weapons." Alyssa shrugged. "The usual."
Glenn picked up a set of Whetstone Cutlery knives. "Woah, these are cool. Where did you find them?"
"I think those are from one of those stores where they sell hunting supplies." Alyssa stood up and took one of the knives. "They're not my favorite, but they're lightweight and have a nice grip. They go pretty far, though." she continued. She threw the knife into a wooden platform a couple of feet away from them to demonstrate.
"Did you know how to throw them before?" Maggie asked, fiddling with the knife in her hands.
Alyssa shook her head no. "Only axes, I learned knives later."
Glenn stacked two boxes on top of each other. One contained dried beans and pasta, the other had some folded clothes. "Let's bring these in, shall we?" he proposed. Maggie smiled, grabbing a box and handing it to Alyssa.
It took about an hour to clear the car, having to walk back and forth the entire time. It did go faster with Maggie and Glenn's help. They were nice people, always making an effort for her when they didn't have to. Alyssa liked that about them. They were good people, which seemed to be the case for most residents of the prison.
After getting everything inside, Glenn sat down next to Alyssa in the trunk of the car. "Much better, don't you think?"
"Yeah, it's just getting very real now," Alyssa admitted with a chuckle. Her hands rested beside her, palms on the fabric lined inside the trunk. "It's like I'm actually saying I live here now."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Glenn asked. "There's food, nice people, your best friend Glenn." He grinned, nudging her with his elbow.
"Yeah, I guess it's pretty great," Alyssa rolled her eyes with a smile. "Hey, uhm, Beth mentioned something about a run."
"Are you interested in going?" Glenn questioned, looking curiously at the teenager, who nodded. "I'd have to check with the council, but they'll probably be okay with it if you're sure."
"I am," Alyssa confirmed, nodding. "Laundry's great, but I wanna do more if I'm gonna live here."
