FEARLESS ➳ TWD¹ [REWRITE/COMPLETED]

4 ➳ HOME

AS we walked inside the gates of the Hilltop, Paul immediately began to inform the new group of the history behind this place. With the large manor house and a farming community, he explained the house was once a living history museum.

"Local schools, before the turn, used to come from all over for field trips," I informed them, momentarily stealing the spotlight from my brother.

He smiled and nodded towards me, placing his hands together. "Exactly, she's right," he concluded, nodding. "Anyways, I want to properly introduce you all to my twin sister, Tess."

Both Glenn and Maggie nodded, already knowing me, while the rest stepped up and into view. Pointing to the leader, my brother introduced him as Rick Grimes. His second-hand man would be the man in the sleeveless vest, Daryl Dixon. Then, the tall and muscular ginger man as Sergeant Abraham Ford. And, alas, a black woman with a wicked sword is named Michonne.

Now that I knew their group, I felt better and safer in a way. Everyone knew everybody now, thankfully. And, on top of all that, Paul wanted to introduce them all to Gregory, which I believe is going to end up bad because that man is a total dick.

Before we could enter the manor, Paul stopped me at the door and whispered, "You should go get your stuff ready."

I pulled my eyebrows together and asked, "Why? What's wrong?"

He sighed, which caused Rick's group to all look at us in question. Rick walked in between us and asked, "What's wrong?"

My brother said to him, "What Tess did out there isn't going to look good to Gregory. He has been wanting to kick her out for a while now, but hasn't because of me. He is getting tired of her."

I stepped up and hissed, "You don't seriously think that he would, do you?"

To my surprise, Paul nodded slowly and Rick scratched the back of his head. "He's had it out for you for some time and I don't think that he's about to miss this opportunity to get you banned from here," he continued, explaining all the little details. "There's that little place from here you could stay in until things simmer down here."

"Where—?"

"Jesus," came Rick's warning tone, butting into our conversation and cutting me off completely. "Really? No, she can come stay with us at Alexandria."

"Alexandria?" I asked, turning to glance back at Rick in question.

"Our home," Glenn answered before anyone else could. "That's where we came from."

I turned back to my brother with my eyes wide and, then, gulped. "Paul... I... I can't do that. I mean, I trust these people, but I don't actually know any of them, either. Is their place even safe?"

"It is," Rick stated, reassuring. "It's probably more safer there than it is here, to be honest. I don't feel comfortable – and I know that your brother doesn't, either – with you being somewhere off by yourself when we have plenty of room at Alexandria for you."

Again, my eyes met Paul's in an intense staredown — which I was winning, by the way. I shrugged and quietly asked, "No, but is it safe from them?"

"Them?" Rick questioned, turning to my brother for answers than myself. "Who's them?"

Paul gulped and simply lied, "Uh... She means the Walkers." Walkers? "That's what they call them, by the way." Oh... "But, yes, Tess, you'll be okay there. Safer there than here, alright? I checked the place out, myself, and it is secure from all over."