Walking Between Dead (EN)

2.

Window. I kept this way only for the most extreme situations. I'll go over there one day and I'll get the window bars. Was this an extreme situation? Yeah, it was.

A few days passed and things got tough. This new gang, led by Rick - as we found out, was pretty brash and downright trouble-making.

My dad will take care of them tonight.

Today was a big event to corner them. But my house arrest was still in effect. And I had to be there.

I sneaked out the window onto the roof like before. From there, there was a 'way' full of intricate, dangerous-looking ladders and staircases that led all the way to the back of the main factory building.

If my dad or someone catches me, I'll be in a pretty mess.

I believed in the best and snuck out.

I hid in the trunk of someone from Simon's group. I slammed it behind me, hoping that when we got back they'd leave the car unlocked and I'd be able to climb out the door. The trunk was quite spacious, and when I leaned my hands on the back seats, I had a nice view. Just to make sure someone notices me.

I sat in silence for a while and waited. Then two men got in and we drove off. After a few miles we stopped and everyone went off into the woods. I knew that during the grand finale the cars would also go into the forest, so I stayed seated and didn't worry that I might accidentally miss something. After a while they came back and they were dragging a beaten man with them. He and his band joined us recently. His group disobeyed our rules, so we hung one as a warning. It could have ended there, but they kept making trouble and tried to fight us. WITH US.

Now the fighter slumped to the ground, writhing in pain from his multiple wounds. At that moment, a RV appeared on the road towards us. He stopped several dozen stops from Simon, standing the middle of the road. I leaned my hands on the back seats to see better. Six people got out of the caravan, all armed. A dark-haired man in his forties, wearing a brown jacket and carrying a rifle and an axe. A tall redhead with an army rifle, apparently an ex-soldier. A dark haired boy with a hat, about my age, a black woman and two other men. A man in a brown jacket raised his hands with a rifle above his head and walked closer to us, he was apparently their leader. Maybe it's our Rick.

Simon spoke first and looked at the man lying on the ground in front of him. ‟This is someone who has been with a lot of some who didn't listen.‟

‟We can make a deal,‟ the unknown man said. "Right here. Right now."

‟Right,‟ agreed Simon, ‟we can. You give us everything and we'll have to kill one of you, that's just the way it is, but then you can safely proceed to negotiations. All you have to do is listen,' he smiled.

‟No,‟ the man lowered his hands with the rifle and grabbed it like a baby,‟ such an agreement does not suit us. I actually wanted to ask for all your stuff, I just don't think we need to kill any of you. No one else,' he said matter-of-factly.

One of the Saviors took out an orange spray and sprayed the man on the ground × on his stomach.

‟Unfortunately, my offer is unchanged. We don't negotiate,' Simon shook his head.

The man circled his hand above his head. "Then me and my people are leaving."

‟Well, my friend, there are many roads leading to where you are going.‟

We knew that they were heading to Hilltop, our farm community, and that it seemed to be coming from Alexandria, a place we came across fairly recently. I think my father sent some people there too. I don't know if they ever came back. The plan was to block all roads and force them to go where we wanted. And set up a trade like in Hilltop and Kingdom. They give us half of what they have and we won't kill them. I haven't been to either of those places. I just knew that Alexandria would suffer the same fate.

Before getting into the RV, the man called out and asked: ‟Do you want to experience your last day on earth?‟

"No,'' Simon replied confidently, "But I'm glad you brought it up. Think what if it's YOUR last day on earth. Or someone close to you. What if it is. You should probably be extra nice to the people in the RV. You never know." He snapped his fingers. "That's it. Be kind to yourself. Like it's your last day on earth"

‟That applies to you too,‟ the man nodded his head.

As they disappeared into the distance, Simon's men loaded the battered man into the back of his car and we moved on. I knew that similar groups were on every road. Warning.

There was a bridge and a giant pile of wooden logs across the road. When we arrived, they were dousing it with gasoline to keep it burning when they'll lit it.

Someone took the mutineer to the bridge. They all went behind a pile of logs so that no one could be seen from under the bridge. After a while, something big came from under the bridge. We heard the same man talking as before at the caravan. From the bridge behind them they shoved the traitor on a chain around his neck.

"Stop it," a voice said. Someone must have been aiming for the chain.

"I'll try to shoot it over," replied other as he aimed.

"You can't do that," announced the first voice.

"I'll try!" the second voice escalated.

"That's useless. And we need the ammo," the first voice ended the small dispute.

The man on the chain choked himself. Then someone from us lit up the pile of wood.

Simon spoke to the people behind it: ‟Do you treat your people nicely? Like it's your last day on earth, or maybe theirs? You should go, it's getting hot. Go where you are headed.‟

There were instructions to leave, then they started up and drove off.

Simon echoed to my father that everything went according to plan. Little by little it started to get dark and we left for the predetermined place.

Most of the Saviors parked their cars in an imaginary ring to create a lighted area in the middle when all the spotlights turned on. There were enough spaces between the cars to walk comfortably. There was a very large lot out front and my father was standing by one of the vans talking to Dwight. He must not have noticed me. That would be a fucking bummer. The car I was sitting in would be dark when the lights came on, and I might not be seen. The half-open windows played into my hands, thanks to them I can hopefully hear everything.

Simon and a few other people went somewhere else and before long came back, to my surprise, with the RV that belongs to those people from Alexandria. They were dragging a man who I had seen get out of the caravan before. They parked the caravan in a large spot and thus completed the circle. The man was forced to kneel, he had a few bruises and didn't protest much.

Dad got into the RV and closed the door behind him.

I settled comfortably in the trunk and rested my chin on the seats.

It was already completely dark. No one could notice me.

A few Saviors went into the forest. Gradually all the lights went out. No one moved or made a sound. I almost couldn't breathe because of the tension. The men in the trees began to whistle. All the same tune, just each in a different key. Whistles echoed from all sides. Now the sound of several people running could be heard. The whistling guided them and led them all the way to our spot. There, all the tones united as a group of people ran into the spotlight. The Saviors surrounded them from all sides, each armed with pitchforks as well as firearms. Dark clothes and tattoos. Almost like some kind of mafia gang.

I recognized a dark-haired man in a brown jacket, a boy with a hat, a redhead and a black woman. There was another man and a sick woman being carried by the redhead and the leader on a stretcher. They all looked very scared. Their leader looked the most down. As if he had just climbed into Hell, right in front of Lucifer himself. The whole scene must have been quite startling and terrifying for him, and we weren't even at full strength. Some would be scared of the Saviors even in a pre-apocalyptic world.

Simon strode towards them. ‟Good. You made it. Welcome to where were you going. We'll take your weapons.‟ He pointed the gun at the boy. "Now‟

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