Observe (the walking dead)

Trust issues

       "Can you shoot?" Rick asks me, but I'm not sure what to answer.

       I can shoot, but I wouldn't say it's accurately. "Um.. not really."

       ".. okay, well you might have to. Take this, just spray and pray. They'll have protective gear on most likely, so don't worry about killing them." Rick hands me a rifle, a large one at that.

       I stand there awkwardly with the clunky protective gear that had been given to me, between Glenn and Maggie. "What's the plan? I wasn't here for it." I ask, looking between the two.

       "I'll be up on the bridge, Maggie will be over there," he points in a general vicinity, "and you will be hidden down there." He points to a far corner of the gravel pathing between the courtyard and the open land. My eyes widen.

       "What? That— I'll die." I furrow my eyebrows, thinking about how stupid it is to put me there.

       "No, you won't," Rick walks over and pats my shoulder, "you'll be on the ground. They won't see you until it's too late."

       "What about the walkers?" I question, confused at how they aren't considering all the possibilities.

       "They'll deal with the walkers, they won't storm in here with a bunch of walkers roaming around." Rick explains.

       I look down and pick at the skin around my thumb, unsure and weary of the plan. This feels like a death sentence. "If you're sure..."

       "I am. And I'll show you what to do before all this starts so you aren't in the dark about it."

       Rick walks me over to the spot, "so lay down right here on your stomach, facing towards the gates."

       I do as I'm told, laying the gun down beside me.

       "Okay," he kneels, grabbing my gun and bringing out a kickstand thing and resting it on the ground, "now keep it like this, don't stand up unless you have to. Look into that to aim a bit better, though it won't be perfect either way." He reassures me.

       "Oh, it'll be far from perfect." I grumble, not very happy that I have to be doing this. "Is there something closer I can do? I don't want to be all the way over here by myself."

       Rick looks at me as he thinks for a second. "You're an observer, right? That's what you do? Watch people?" He questions. I nod wearily, suspicious of where this is going.

       "You'll see them, they won't see you. You're out of the line of fire. You can watch, you'll have a walkie," he gestures to the walkie talkie strapped to my hip, "and if you want to fight, you'll be able to do that too. It's the perfect spot for you. Trust me on this." He tries talking me into it. I nod, still a bit nervous about it but nonetheless going with the plan.

       Rick nods, patting my back before he stands up and jogs away. I stay lying there anxiously, waiting for this governor prick to stroll up to our doors. I don't know if I believe Rick when he says this is the perfect spot for me to be in.

       I look over my shoulder at the car in the woods, seeing Hershel, Beth, Carl, and the baby, Judith. Why couldn't I have gone with them? Is it more experience? Or is it because I'm expendable.

       "Everyone in their positions?" I hear over the walkie. I grab mine and bring it to my face as a stream of 'yep's and 'yeah's come through. "I am, not sure I want to be though." I joke, earning a few chuckles.

       "All right guys, stay tight. We don't know exactly when he'll gonna be here." I hear from Rick, making me even more anxious. You mean I'm gonna be sitting here alone with my thoughts for god knows how long?

       As if on cue, I hear rustling of big vehicles strolling down the gravel of the mouth of the road to the prison. "Guys, there's some vehicles coming up this way. I'm guessing it's them." I say into the walkie.

       "Be careful down there, Ava." I hear from Maggie, but I don't respond, frozen in fear as they roll up closer.

       They start outside the gate, spreading out shots, killing all the walkers in the courtyard. My breathing quickens in anticipation. Next, the watch tower in front of me explodes, followed by the one beside it. I cover my mouth to prevent my own screams. I hear them shouting to move in and clear the prison. "They're heading in." I whisper into the walkie before pressing my eye to the scope and looking at them as they barrel into the prison doors with the big military grade trucks, busting the gate off its hinges.

       They told me not to shoot until they start leaving the prison, so I watch. I watch as they file out of the trucks and into the prison building, our block. I watch as the prison alarms begin blaring. I wait with anticipation for them to leave the building. It takes a few minutes, but eventually they come out and start heading to the trucks again, making me nervous because of how close they are to where Glenn said Maggie would be.

       Glenn starts shooting at them, I see him peak out of the boards on the bridge before dunking back. Everything happens so quickly. I hear screaming and shouting, the truck engines starting, gun shots. It's all so loud.

       As they barrel down towards the courtyard to leave the prison, I begin shooting at the windows of the car. It takes a few tries, but eventually I hit the window and it does nothing, at all. "Fuck." I curse myself for wasting the bullets. They're military trucks! Of course a bullet isn't gonna break the window!

       I start shooting at the sides and back of the trucks in hopes of scaring them, making sure they stay gone. Once they're out of my view, I hear Rick speak up over the walkie, asking if everyone is okay.

       I pant, out of breath from the adrenaline itself. "Ava? Ava?" I hear a stream of my name being called over the walkie, making me realize I never responded to the question.

       "Yeah. Yeah, I'm— I'm good." I say breathlessly.

       "Good. Head back up here." Rick calls. I stand up, grabbing the gun and the stand and making my way to the prison.

       I'm at least glad I didn't have to kill anyone. Just scare tactics. Maybe Rick placed me over there because he didn't trust me being alone with the other minors and Hershel, but he also didn't want me to get hurt... who knows, maybe I'll ask him about it.

       I get up to the prison to find them already talking. "We should go after them, end this," Glenn urges, seemingly adding on to something someone had already said, which I missed.

       "Okay, okay. I'll take a group out in ten. Be ready." Rick walks off, but I quickly tail him.

       "Rick?" I grab his attention.

       He looks back but doesn't stop walking, "yeah?"

       "Did you put me over there because you don't trust me yet?" He freezes, looking at the ground.

       "I just want to make sure you're on our side, not theirs. But you shot at them, and you didn't leave with them. I trust that you're, at least, not with the governor now." He says, turning to me in the middle of his little speech.

       I nod carefully. "Okay. I'm glad you didn't give Michonne up, by the way. It was the right call." I confirm, remembering back to how Merle had gotten himself killed and let Michonne go, the story was far too confusing for me to keep up with when it was recounted to me.

       He nods. "I couldn't stop thinking about what you said. People are valuable, Michonne definitely is. She's one of us, and so are you."