Safe haven | Rick Grimes

099. THE LONG WALK TO YOU

Chapter ninety nine

"The long walk to you."

Having made it to the island, Scarlett docked the boat and stood up, slinging her canvas bag over her shoulder. She grabbed Virgil's pack and threw it onto the wooden dock before leaning down to unlock the handcuffs binding him to the vessel.

"You couldn't have done that five hours ago?" Virgil asked, rubbing his stiff wrists.

Scarlett didn't give him an answer. She stepped out of the boat, her hand resting near her holster, keeping her eyes locked on him as he slung his pack onto his back.

"Come on. My family's inland," Virgil shared, gesturing toward the tree line before walking around her to the left.

Scarlett turned and followed him. As they headed deeper inland, they navigated through a dense grid of overgrown trees before stumbling upon a cultivated garden situated in front of an old military building. Virgil stopped, carefully plucking a flower from one of the thriving plants, and tucked it into his bag.

"Aren't you in a rush to get back to your family?" Scarlett asked, her tactical eye scanning the perimeter.

Virgil kept looking through the remaining crops. "Well, I can't show up empty-handed," he shared, turning his head to meet her gaze. "My wife wouldn't like that." He turned back to the garden bed.

"I think she'd be pretty happy with just finding out you're alive," Scarlett shared, her tone flat.

"This garden is her baby," Virgil shared, gently harvesting the leaves. "She's got herbs and teas in here for everything. Pain, nerves, sleep."

"Yeah, members of my group tried to force those on me after my husband vanished," Scarlett shared, a cold memory passing through her eyes. "All it did was make the nightmare worse." She shifted her attention to the concrete structure nearby. "Is that one of the munitions buildings?"

Virgil casually motioned toward the facility. "That's just an old research lab. It's got some heavy structural damage. Wild animals get in there sometimes, so it's best to just stay away."

Having collected all the plants he wanted, he hoisted his bag and walked past her. Scarlett whirled around and followed him, the quiet of the island doing nothing to ease her deep suspicion.

They walked alongside the chain-link fence that surrounded the old lab. On the rusted mesh hung a weathered warning sign. Virgil ignored it completely, but as Scarlett tracked it, her eyes locked onto the bold print: RESTRICTED AREA. UNEXPLODED ORDNANCE.

She knew right then that he was lying to her. Her jaw tightened, her protective instincts flaring as she turned and followed the direction he had gone.

The two walked into a desolate, abandoned parking lot. In the center, several empty chairs were arranged around a cold, ash-filled fire ring. The layout carried a sickening familiarity, instantly reminding her of the trap at Terminus. Scarlett defensively rested her palm flat against the grip of Rick's Colt Python.

"My boy seems to think the sailors must've left a buried treasure inside the grain silos," Virgil shared, gestures waving toward the looming towers. "I can barely keep him from trying to climb his way up the thing and jump inside. Kid's five. He's just like his mom. Once they decide to do something, there ain't a damn thing you can do to stop 'em."