Sprinting through the small clearing atop the wooded hill, Rowen was met with fences. Tall fences that seemed to reach well into the clouds.
Behind the large fences was a community, of people all ages, walking around the large courtyard, talking and laughing with one another. "Slow the hell down girl." Rowen's father finally caught up with her, standing beside the young girl in the clearing.
"I'm sorry." Rowen responded, staring wide eyed at the prison just twenty feet in front of her.
"Well I'll be damned-" Rowen's father began walking down the small hill, if it could even be called that. Rowen followed closely behind him, the closer they got the taller the fences seemed, she didn't like it.
"What are you doing." Rowen heard the unknown man's, southern drawl. Her head turned, looking up at her father who simply stared ahead. "Who are you?" The man's question was more demanding than it was inquisitive.
"I don't see how that's any of your business." Rowen knew better than to speak, the man behind them was a stranger, she wasn't allowed to talk to strangers. As much as she'd like to tell her father that the man behind them probably belonged to the rather large community in front of them, she didn't. She kept her lips sealed in a thin line, her eyes glued to the ground.
"Seein' as you're staring at my home-my family. It is my business." The man stepped in front of the two. He was taller than Rowen's father, he had curly brown hair and a full beard. Rowen thought he looked nice, he didn't sound nice, but he looked it.
"So I'll ask you again," the man paused looking back and forth between the father, daughter duo. "What are you doing here." The man now looked solely at the father.
"We don't mean no harm, just lookin' for a safe place for my daughter." Her father's tone had changed, instead of the hostility he originally held towards the man, he seemed.. genuine.
Rowen thought what he said was strange, he never cared much for her safety before.
"Well then, I have some questions for you." Rowen looked up at her dad once again, this time he was looking back at her, and she looked down again.
Her father nodded "What's your names?" The man asked softly, almost as if he was threatening the two.
"I'm Mark Pierce, and this is my daughter, Rowen." Rowen felt the man's eyes on her, she didn't look at him.
"I'm Rick, Rick Grimes. It's nice to meet you both." The man-Rick paused, when nobody said anything, he continued.
"How many Walkers have you killed?" Walkers? What the hell was a Walker. The man must have noticed the small furrow of Rowen's brow that replaced her previous blank expression. "The dead people walking around." Rick clarified
"Don't keep count no more, gotta be more than a hundred now" That was a vast understatement, Rowen's father probably killed a hundred biters, in a day.
"How many people have you killed?" Mark seemed taken aback, seemed being the keyword here, her father had killed four people- that she knew of.
One when somebody in their last group got bit, Mark killed the man before he could say anything. The group kicked the two of them out.
One when a woman stumbled into the house they were staying in.
And two when they stumbled into a house somebody else was staying in.
"What? None!" Mark sputtered out, Rick nodded, gesturing for them to follow him.
Mark began to walk and when Rowen didn't immediately follow, he smacked the back of her head. "Pay attention, girl."
Rowen mumbled a sorry before following closely behind her father. The group of three walked around the fences, trying to not draw the attention of the walkers lining the fences. They managed to only draw the attention of a few.
They neared a dirt road leading to the main gate of the prison. "Open the gate!" Rick yelled, the gate swung open right after. A woman with dreads and a sword greeted Rick at the gate, asking him who they were, she eyed Rowen's father wearily, before looking at Rowen and smiling.
Her smile reminded Rowen of her mothers, how she would smile and reassure her she was fine after her fights with Mark.
Rowen didn't return the smile, which resulted in yet another slap to the back of her head "Don't be rude." Her father hissed. Rowen looked up at the woman smiling, then apologizing.
The woman led the duo away from Rick as she introduced herself. "My name's Michonne, you'll have to talk with the council before you get settled in.." The woman, now known by Rowen and Mark as Michonne led them into the prison.
They walked through multiple hallways, many people watching them, whispering to each other. Michonne left the two in a library, saying the 'council' would be in soon.
Rowen didn't know what she meant by council, she decided to keep the question to herself, opting to stare at her hands that sat limply on the table.
And just like Michonne had said, the 'council' soon came in. They asked the pair questions, albeit separately. They had taken Rowen into a smaller room right off of the small library. She assumed it was an office before everything.
Once the 'council' was satisfied with the answers they got, they had a boy lead them to their cell. He was Rowen's age, He wore a cowboy hat, Rowen liked the cowboy hat.
The cell was rather small, a bunk bed and a cement desk. There was a curtain over the door, for privacy Rowen assumed, and without a word, the young boy walked away.
Rowen decided she liked his hat, but she did not like him.
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[EDITED]
-Sadie⭐️
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