My Secrets In The Apocalypse

Chapter 3

Riley had spent longer down by the water than she had planned to, thinking over her current situation. She had decided that stressing herself over everything wouldn't do her any good. Jim knew her secret and there's nothing she could do about it that wouldn't just cause more problems for herself in the long run.

She made her way slowly back up the hill pausing when she heard a strange noise coming from camp, it sounded almost like...a car alarm. She picked up her pace making it back just in time to see a red sports car come speeding up with the alarm sounding loudly. Glenn jumped out looking like a kid on Christmas until he noticed all the glares he was getting from the group as they yelled at him to turn it off. He quickly popped the hood so Shane could unplug the battery, effectively silencing the deafening noise.

As soon as the commotion over Glenn's car died down a white box truck pulled up behind it. The other members from the supply run started trickling out of the truck one by one including a new guy who slid out of the driver's seat.

She noticed Merle wasn't with them and couldn't help wondering what happened to him. Of all the people in the group that left, he was the one she knew would be able to survive almost anything and she had a hard time believing that he would die so easily. She decided she would actually pay attention to the menial conversations around the camp today for clues on what had happened.

Riley  watched as everyone had their reunions, celebrating the safe return of their loved ones. What caught her attention was when Carl and Lori ran to the new man, Carl calling "Dad!" as he ran. The man scooped Carl and Lori into his arms holding them tightly. She watched the tearful reunion with mild interest.
Riley would never have anything like that. She had been alone since she was a kid, not really having a real family since the day her father gave her up. She never had any friends either, being taught through the years that friends made you weak. Friends were just people who could be used against you or betray you, they were liabilities. The only person you could rely on is yourself, the only person you need is yourself. That's why this 'living in a group' nonsense was so difficult for her. She hated relying on other people for anything, let alone protection from what the world had become. It made her feel weak, and she feared that over time these people would eventually make her weak too, but she wasn't stupid either. She knew that chances of survival in a world like this were minimal if you went at it alone.

Once the reunions were over, the introductions started. The new guy introduced himself to the group as Rick Grimes and everyone in the group took turns introducing themselves to him. Riley took the chance to slip away from the group settling back in her usual place by the campfire to observe the newcomer for a while.

Later on, once the sun had gone down, everyone was settled around the campfires eating dinner. Riley had been sitting with them for a while, half listening to the conversations going around the fire waiting for the subject of her interest to come up.

"Has anyone given any thought to Daryl Dixon? He won't be too happy to hear his brother got left behind," Dale suddenly spoke up, catching Riley's attention. She instantly tuned into the conversation curious as to what exactly happened to Merle Dixon.
"Ill tell him," T-dog said, "I'm the one that dropped the key"
"I'm the one that cuffed him, that makes him mine," Rick stated.
"Guys, its not a competition. I don't mean to bring race into this but, it might sound better coming from a white guy." Glenn glanced between Rick and T-dog.
"I did what I did. Hell if I'm gonna hide from it," T-dog shook his head.
"We could lie," Amy threw in.
"Or tell the truth," Andrea interjected. "Merle was out of control. Something had to be done or he would have gotten us all killed. Your husband did what was necessary," she said looking at Lori. "And if Merle got left behind, it is nobody's fault but Merle's."
"And that's what we tell Daryl?" Dale questioned. "I don't see a rational discussion to be had from that, do you?" he asked looking between the three men. "Word to the wise, we're gonna have our hands full when he gets back from his hunt." He shook his head.
"I was scared and I ran. I'm not ashamed of it," T-dog said.
"We were all scared, we all ran. What's your point?" Andrea asked.
"I stopped long enough to chain that door. The staircase was narrow, maybe half a dozen geeks can squeeze against it at one time. Its not enough to break through there. Not that chain, not that padlock." He shook his head. "My point is Dixon's alive, he's still up there stuck on that roof. That's on us," T-dog said before getting up and walking away.