Alone

Chapter 15

Enid and I followed my dad for what seemed like forever.

"What were you doing in that building where we were being held in the first place?" I asked him.

"I haven't exactly gotten over my rage towards them." he said.

He said it with finality, which meant the conversation was over. He would offer no further explanation.

I looked at Enid. She simply shrugged.

Eventually, I started to see a building in the distance. It was gigantic and it had brick walls around it.

I looked at my dad incredulously. "Is this where you're staying?"

He smiled slightly and nodded.

After a few minutes, we were walking up to the gate.

Enid and I were making our share of "oohs" and "aahs" which made my dad laugh. Even Judith was giggling.

Suddenly, I saw a woman appear at the top of the wall. She was pointing a rifle at us.

My dad put his hand up to her. "It's alright, Maggie," he said. "It's just Carl and Enid."

Maggie! She was alive!

I saw her eyes widen and she lowered the gun. She then disappeared behind the wall.

The gate opened a moment later and she ran through them before enveloping me in a bear hug.

I returned it. I was so happy to see her again.

She let go and looked at me for a moment before walking over to Enid and hugging her tightly.

When she stepped away from us, I could see tears in her eyes.

"I'm so happy you guys are okay," she said. She then took Judith out of my dad's arms and lightly hugged her.

Once the hugs were done, she shook her head, smiling. "Come on, guys," she said. "I gotta show you around."

We walked inside the gate and I was awestruck at the interior.

There was a thick circle of grass surrounding the building that they were obviously using for farming. And the building, about six stories high, was enormous. It was shaped like a cylinder and it was dotted with tiny windows. The building was painted pitch black. Honestly, it looked a little like Azkaban.

Overall, the place wasn't as big as Alexandria, but that didn't matter, as long as it was safe.

"What did this place used to be?" I asked.

"We're not sure," my dad explained. "We thought that it might have been a juvenile prison of some sort. We found it and saw that it was unoccupied. So we decided to take it. We had to kill a few dozen walkers, but after that, the place was ours."

We walked inside the building. It was extremely dark but it lit up when Maggie turned on the light.

"Hey, everyone!" she called, cupping her hands around her mouth. "Come say hi to the newcomers!"

Soon enough, people came rushing down the stairs.

I recognized them as soon as I saw them.

An older woman with short gray hair.

Carol.

A man with bright red hair and a big mustache.

Abraham.

A man with a slightly darker completion, brown hair, and a little facial hair.

Glenn.

A woman with dark skin and dreadlocks, a katana strapped to her back.

Michonne.

A man with long dark hair and a crossbow slung on his shoulder.

Daryl.

A heavier set man with a mullet.

Eugene.

A woman with dark brown hair that was pulled into a ponytail.

Rosita.

I also recognized Sasha, Tara, Gabriel, Denise, Spencer, Aaron, and even Deanna.

Once they recognized me and Enid, they all ran forward at the same time, squishing us in a huge group hug.

We heard people shouting "We thought we'd never see you again!" and "I'm so happy you're alive!" and finally "Y'all weren't poring the Bisquick while you were alone were you?" (that one had obviously come from Abraham).

When everyone finally let go, they were all silent.

After a few moments, Rosita was the first to speak.

"Well," she said to us, gesturing to our surroundings. "Welcome home."