New Beginnings (Sequel to 'Torn Apart')

Chapter 15

Daryl's P.O.V

"What do you mean you need us?" Rick asks, tilting his head to the side, his eyes narrowed as he glares at the man.

Aaron doesn't seem phased by Rick's intense stare but instead takes it all in his stride, "The most important resource we need nowadays is people. Yes, food, water, shelter and protection are important but people?  People are more important than anything else we have in this world."

"Why us?" Travis asks and I look over at him as well as the other two men.

He looks at Rick and I for a moment before turning back to Aaron, "I'm just saying, why do you specifically need us?" He asks, voicing our silent question.

Aaron looks at him as if he has asked a stupid question, "Isn't it obvious?" He asks, looking between the three of us.

"Not to us." Rick says, turning back to Aaron.

He looks at the three of us, "Look at you, you're survivors. We've been watching you, seeing how you interact, seeing if you could play nice. We only approach those that we think will fit into our community, that will help us expand and grow into something better than we are. You've been out here and we can see that you can handle yourselves, you are what we need to become stronger, better. Survivors." He explains with a passion.

"How many of you are there?" Rick asks, looking Aaron right in the eye.

Aaron looks at him for a long moment before speaking, "Does it matter? No matter how many I say, you're not going to be believe me are you?"

"Try me." Rick says with a strong voice.

Aaron's eyes never leave Rick's and he speaks after a long drawn out moment, "One."

Travis and I both look at each other exchanging our belief of him lying but Rick never looks away, "One? You travel with one guy? That's it." He asks, us being able to hear the accusation in his tone.

"That's all we need." Aaron states firmly.

Rick steps forward, "I don't believe you." He says, getting into his face.

"It's the truth." Aaron says, his voice firm and his eyes never leave Rick's, "If we were trying to threaten you, perhaps even kill you we'd have more than one person. Hell we would have already done it by now. But to just talk to you, perhaps save you? Why would we jeopardise that?"

He turns and looks between the three of us, "I know how much struggle you have been having trying to find a place for your people. You barely have enough food to last you another day, you have no permanent shelter outside of your cars which you all barely fit into and hardly any bullets for the guns you have pointed at my face. You have four children amongst you, one of them a newborn. Why would you pass up an opportunity to keep them safe?" He asks seriously.

"You don't know us. You say you have fifty or so people in your community that you have to protect. You have no idea idea of who you're talking to, what we've had to do to stay alive. What makes you think we won't just take everything from you?" Rick asks, a threatening tone underlying his words.

He speaks immediately without missing a beat, "Because you need us just as much as just as much as we need you. Like I said, there's safety in numbers. You would risk your groups safety, you children's lives because you're scared?" Aaron asks.

Rick looks at him for a moment before turning to Travis, "Tie him to that tree over there, check him for weapons as you go." He instructs.

I keep my crossbow aimed on his chest as Travis begins to pat him down, seeing what he has on him. He pulls out a single gun, a hand pistol with six bullets. I glance at the weapon and wonder why the hell he doesn't have a better gun, something better to protect himself with. Travis also pulls out a knife before he finishes searching him. He leads Aaron to the tree and proceeds to tie him up. Aaron's eyes never leave Rick and I turn to notice Rick doing the same thing.