Suffering: Male Reader x TWDG

Chapter 5: For As Long As You Live

After some time reflecting by the lake, you decide that it must almost be time for dinner so you start to walk back up towards the cafeteria. Sure enough it was and after queuing up for your food you take what appears to be a bowl of some sort of vegetable stew and make your way to the others, taking a seat next to Harvey who had saved you a spot next to him. As you start eating you notice that Alfie, who you haven't talked to yet is missing.

"Where's Alfie?" you ask spooning stew into your mouth.

"He and Ethan are like best friends so he's probably in the infirmary with him" replies Mia who is the oldest out of the kids and will be turning fifteen this year. Everyone is engrossed in conversation as you just continue eating. You worry slightly. If Ethan and Alfie are good friends they may try to beat you up and you certainly don't like your chances in fight against both of them at once.

Maybe Harvey could help you as he seems to be making an effort to try to be your friend. On the other hand, Harvey doesn't look like the fighting type. With all these thoughts in your head you don't even notice the shadow looming over you from behind. You turn to see Edwards standing holding something. "Sergeant" you say standing up with a salute.

He hands you something made out of leather. "A holster, everyone here has one except you. Considering you will be given your own gun tomorrow I thought you could do with one". You look around and realise that everyone, except Oliver the ten year old, has a gun on their hip. "Thank you" you say slightly surprised as you take it and strap it to your right hip. Edwards turns to go but pauses for a moment opening his mouth to speak.

He thinks for a few seconds before turning away and walking off. Weird, you think as you sit back down and examine the holster. It seems a lot stronger and of a higher quality than everyone else's which all look like something Hank made. You reckon yours must have been one professionally made before the apocalypse.

"Damn, someone has a favourite student" you hear Chloe say from across the table. You smirk at the statement before carrying on with your meal. Whilst eating you take a look around at the cafeteria. Big yellow lights glow from above you casting an eerie but slightly cosy atmosphere. You can also see the stars above you through the skylight which reminds you of when you used to look at the stars sometimes back at the camp.

As a kid you always wanted to have two jobs, to be a marine and an astronaut. Being with The Militia puts you a step closer to one of those goals but you decide the other was clearly never meant to be. All of a sudden you hear Chloe's voice from across the table. "Yeah, I'm surprised you told Y/N first". You see her looking at Jessica.

"Huh?" you say realising you had zoned out and wasn't listening to anyone.

"When she told you about Ethan walking into a door" replies Ella, a girl who despite being introduced to you, hasn't really talked to you yet. Great you think, how long will it be now before Ethan and Alfie try to beat me up for spreading rumours. Jessica looks a bit flustered and is trying to keep her cool "Oh, well ummm. Yeah I saw Ethan walk into a door. I didn't realise everyone wanted to know about it".

Everyone at the table looks a bit confused. "That guys an asshole, of course we'd want to know" said Harvey. Everyone seems to mutter in agreement as both you and Jessica exchange looks with each other knowing the real reason for his injury. As dinner ends and everyone files out of the cafeteria, the boys and girls start to split up to go to their separate cabins.

As you start to walk off with the boys you hear Jessica loudly exclaim "Hey you girls go ahead I need to use the toilet". You see her walk off around the side of the cafeteria and motion you to follow. "Oh me too actually, you guys go ahead" you say to the boys as you turn to follow her. "Do you want me to come with you so you don't get lost" asks Harvey, "After all it's getting quite dark and I...".