Easy, Soldier.

Chapter Five

"Is that it up there?" Rosita asked Abraham as we drove down the road, pointing towards what looked to be a large wall. I noticed how when she dropped her hand, she placed it on his thigh, and something inside me gave me the urge to slap the hand away. The car Rick shared with Aaron and a few others stopped in front of us, and Abraham eased the RV to a stop before shutting it off. "Guess so," he replied gruffly before climbing out, and I opened the side door to follow as my boots scraped against the pavement. The gate opened up after a few moments, and Aaron stepped through as we followed behind. I kept my firearm ready in case this was a set up, looking around as a few people stop to look at us.

Aaron turned around to face us once everyone was inside, and one of the residents closed the gate behind. "You'll need to hand over your guns." he spoke, and I frowned wearily, remembering being stuck in a similar situation at Terminus. "It's just a safety precaution-- until you decide whether or not you're staying." he explained quickly licking his lips as a few people carry Eric, who I assumed was Aaron's partner, into a house. "And Deana is going to want to talk to each of you separately." he continued looking over our group. "Who's Deana?" Abraham asked him, leaning to the side a bit as Aaron turned his attention to him. "She runs this place. You'll find out more soon enough, but please...your guns." A cart was brought out as Aaron walked off, and we cautiously placed our weapons onto its surface, Carol putting on a weak front as the woman who brought the cart out sighed. I looked over at Abraham, who was already watching me as I placed my guns on top of the others. He looked as though he wanted to tell me something, but when he frowned I wasn't so sure anymore.

    My interview didn't last long, and afterwards Aaron led me to the two houses my group and I would be sharing, shoving his hands in his pockets. "They're pretty big, everyone should be able to have their own room. Let us know if you need anything," he said softly, and I nodded silently as he flashed me a warm smile before walking off. I let out a long sigh, walking up the porch steps to the front door, reaching out to turn the knob. Finding it unlocked, I pushed it open, stepping inside. Aaron was right, just the kitchen alone was bigger than my old house in entirety. I looked around the first floor for a few minutes, finding the furniture to be somewhat new and a basket of food on the coffee table in the living room, with a note that read 'welcome to Alexandria'. It was most likely placed here by Aaron, as the writing matched the note attached to the jugs of water on the road.

    There was a thud at the door, and I quickly spun around to find Abraham walking into the house, holding his hands up playfully. "Easy, Jones." I narrowed my eyes as he chuckled, my body relaxing as I sighed. "What do you think of this place?" I asked him, and he looked around. "Looks like a good place to live, but I can't say the same for this town...not yet," he replied with a grunt, and I nodded in agreement. "Guess we'll camp out in here tonight, just in case." I spoke softly, biting my lower lip in thought before clearing my throat, heading upstairs to pick out my room. I just hoped this place would be different.