Always (A Daryl Dixon/ The Walking Dead Fanfiction)

Chapter 49 - Remember

After a long drive and a mishap with the RV, we pull up in front of a large gated community that's in the middle of a suburb. The walls are extremely tall with brown rust on it, looking as if they can withstand anything. You can see the top of buildings poking out over the top towards the back of the complex, the buildings outside either burnt or forgotten. We all stare at it in awe for a moment before we all begin to step out.

My feet hit the asphalt and I look around for a moment, taking it all in. I turn and begin to make my way after the others, with Aaron and Eric leading the way. The gate slides open and Eric slips through before turning to face us. We are all on high alert when something makes a noise to the side. On instinct, we all turn and aim our guns towards it until we see it is a possum. Daryl lets out an bolt and kills it instantly before walking over and picking it up. The gate slides open the rest of the way and reveals a clean shaven man, looking on in a mixture of shock and disgust.

"We brought dinner." Daryl mumbles.

"Its okay." Aaron says to the man before turning back to look at us, "Come on in guys."

We all look at him for a moment before slowly making our way inside the community. My eyes stare in a mixture of awe and wary as I take in the sight before me. The place is spotless, not a trace of the surrounding apocalypse inside the walls. There are a few streets that are filled with luxurious homes and backyards. This place doesn't have the smell of the world now, it's almost as if I've gone back in time to when this all began.

The glare slides shut behind us and soon the man begins to address us, "Before this can go any further, I need you all to turn in your weapons. You stay, you hand them over."

"We don't know if we wanna stay." Rick says.

"It's fine Nicholas." Aaron says, trying to defuse the situation but Rick continues, "If we wanted to use them, we would have done it already."

"Let them talk to Deanna first." Aaron says.

"Who's Deanna?!" Abraham pipes up from the back, voicing all collective question.

"She knows everything you'd wanna know about this place. Rick, why don't you start?" Aaron suggests, turning to him.

Rick looks back behind us, "Sasha."

I glance back and see a walker making its way towards the gate. Sasha turns and aims her gun, taking it down quickly. I turn back and see Rick begin walking further in, "It's a good thing we're here."

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I sit on the step and stare at the bricks in the path when I hear someone walk up behind me, "You're next." Carl says, looking down at me.

I nod my head and get to my feet, turning and making my way inside the house. I walk in and look around at the immaculate interior I could only dream about when I was younger. Now, in this world, it seems unrealistic. I step into a spacious living room and see a red headed older woman standing behind the couch and fiddling with a video camera.

I clear my throat and she looks up, a smile spreading across her face, "Welcome, my name is Deanna Monroe." She says, walking forward with an outstretched hand.

"Bree Winchester." I say, shaking it back.

"Please Bree, have a seat." She says, gesturing the armchair across from her.

I turn and walk to the chair as she goes back to the video camera, "I hope you don't mind that I record this, transparency reasons."