Ties In The Torn World

Alexandria

the huge gates shut behind us and I saw a group of people waiting for us outside. I furrow my brows as I examine "Alexandria". 

houses, real houses that looked well taken care of, greenery, gardens and... a dog!

I hadn't seen a dog since my second year into the apocalypse, where I was alone after my group had been split up due to a horde and I had to kill it for food. in an apocalypse, you make do with what you have.

I step out of the car, adjusting my shirt as I subconsciously follow my dad towards wherever he's going. I look around the entire place in awe, my eyes skipping over the people with terrified looks on their faces. 

Alexandria was ten times nicer then the Sanctuary, I had to admit. 

"June" my dad got my attention and I looked at him. 

"go check out their weapons stash, I don't want anyone seeing you" he said to me as he pointed towards a small shed. I nodded and walked over, going undetected by the group of people who my dad was now talking to. 

I got to the armory with ease, no people with scared faces to get in my way.

I opened the door to the weapons shed and was met with a plump looking girl, holding a clipboard and having a scared expression on her face. I tilted my head to the right and narrowed my eyes. it seemed to make her squirm, she averted eye contact. well there goes not being spotted by anyone 

it pissed me off. 

"who are you?" I asked her, stepping closer and she stepped back. she looked at least a decade older then me and she was the one scared and stepping back? 

"I-I'm Olivia" she stuttered. 

"you work here?" I ask, she nodded.

"does that mean you could show me where the weapons are?" I ask her. she nods and scurries off. I follow her, she takes me to a room with guns lined up on the walls, on tables and ammo on the shelves. 

I give her a curt smile and step closer to the table with an array of handguns spread across it, one of them catches my attention. I pick it up and run my thumb over the engraved baseball bat with barbed wire swirling around it, its my dad's gun. 

I turn around and expect to see Olivia but someone else took her place. I barely get a good look at them before they pounce at me the table full of guns falls down and hits the floor with a loud bang. they follow me down to the floor and punch me square in the face, I'd admit, it hurt like hell. 

 I drop the gun and fall to the floor. they raise their fist to punch me again but I move out of the way and their fist punches the ground. 

they wince in pain and I knee them in the gut, wrapping my legs around their hips and pushing up to the left so they fall on their right. 

their brown cowboy hat falls off to reveal a boy, my eyes scan his face. he had a bandage over his right eye, and he stared at me in fury with the other. 

I put my knee on his chest as I reach for the gun I dropped.

"this yours?" I ask, my hair falling in front of my face, so he cant see what I look like as he grips my knee. he nods as he flexes his jaw in anger. 

"liar" I whisper as I punch him back and stand up, rushing out of the armory, Olivia looked like she wouldn't be a threat, she's the only one who saw my face. thank God for hair, it was the only thing that kept that boy from seeing me. 

I ran to the side of the armory, controlling my breathing as I heard the door bust open and footsteps slowing down. 

he doesn't know where I am, good. he didn't see my face, also good.

I peek out of the corner, I see him, his hat is back on and he's scanning the surroundings, looking for me. he runs off to the open where he must think I left. idiot. 

I move towards a bush, from here, I could see the saviors carrying loads of stuff and filling the trucks, so that's how these "hand-off's" work. my dad is talking to a bearded man who is surrounded by a group of people.

I make direct eye contact with my dad as he starts to move towards the car and he whistles, its a two toned whistle. one higher pitched and one lower, over the years I've learned to call it the "saviors whistle".

he gives me a signal with that whistle that I can't come out, I'll find a way out, there has to be another gate, right?

I move carefully, making sure to keep close watch of my surroundings, watching out for the boy. I feel against the cool metal walls, keeping watch for anything, any signs of a door. 

I stop in my tracks as I feel a bump, a line. I crouch and push against the wall. the small opening comes apart with a creak. I crawl through, my knees being wet from the dewy grass. I get out and look around, there's a grass patch before it goes straight into the woods. 

I shut the opening behind me as my heart skips a beat. I hear a soft bubbly groan. I stand up and un-sheath my knife, moving closer to the rotter coming closer to me. 

I kick it to the ground and pin its arms down with my boots, driving my knife through its skull with a squelch. I take the knife out and wipe it on its clothes, starting to walk to the woods. 

I walk slowly and stealthily, looking for any rotters. 

I hear the rumbling of a truck engine and the squealing of tires. I step out of the forest as I see its the saviors truck. the trucks screech to a stop and I give give a knowing nod to the savior truck driver as I move down the line and see the red car. I hop in and we get on the road again.

"so was it fun?" my dad asks sarcastically.

"oh shut up" I chuckle "almost got caught" I say as I reach into my back pocket to take out my Walkman.

"what?" he says sternly and I look at him with a confused look.

"yeah, this boy with a bandaged face" I say as I put an earbud in.

"and?" he asks.

"I don't know, I'm not in a storytelling mood" I say sarcastically and he scoffs.

"who gave you that bruise?" he says as his grip on the steering wheel tightens.

"the boy with the bandaged eye" I repeat.

"Carl?" he asks.

"sorry, I was a bit busy punching him to ask him his name" I say jokingly.

"you guys fought?" his eyes narrow and I nod.

"did you win?" he asks after an awkward silence, I give him a look and he laughs.

"nevermind, I know you did"