We ended up going to my room. There was another officer waiting there.
"Shepherd. Everything go smoothly?" Dawn asked.
"Yes. Ma'am. We found a few useful things. A new ward I'm assuming?" Shepherd said looking over at me.
"That's right. Yours now that you mention it," Dawn said.
"Ma'am I thought I had told you that I wasn't comfortable with having one," Shepherd said.
"I understand. But the others have enough. It'll just be her, Shepherd. I'm sure she'll try to make this as easy as possible. Right?" Dawn said looking over at me.
"Yes ma'am," I said simply.
"All right. I'll leave the two of you to get acquainted. I have some things to go and check on," Dawn said.
She left and awkward silence filled the room.
"What's your name?" Shepherd asked.
"Amelia. If you don't mind me asking, why aren't you comfortable with having a ward around?" I asked.
"Well, Amelia, I never liked the idea of it all. Before the world ended, we never had wards. I don't understand why Dawn decided that we should," she said.
So not everyone was happy with the boss.
"Why do you stay?" I asked her.
"What do you mean?" she replied.
"You can leave whenever you want. When you're on runs, why not just leave and never come back?" I asked her again.
She thought about that.
"I guess, I've never known anything besides this place. The thought out there on my own doesn't sit right with me," she said.
Was she being serious? Or was she just messing with me? I couldn't let my guard down. She was an officer. For all I knew, whatever I told her, she'd report it to Dawn and then she'd make sure I never got out of this place.
"Well, I've been out there. It changes you. Pretty soon all you care about is surviving. And you find yourself doing things that you may not have done before all this. I guess that's maybe what happened to Dawn," I said.
"She do that to you?" Shepherd asked looking at the small cut on my cheek.
I nodded.
"Lately, she hasn't been doing things the way she ought to. Me and some of the other officers think that she's losing it," she said.
So, Dawn was growing a reputation.
"So what are you all going to do about that?" I asked.
"We aren't sure. If she finds out we're questioning her authority, I'm afraid she'll do something rash," she replied.
"Do you really mean all this or are you just saying it?" I asked.
"Why would I ever not mean this? Do...Do you think this way too?" she asked.
I didn't want to say yes. I didn't want to trust anyone in this place.
"I don't know. I just got here. I really haven't seen how things work around here. All I know is that Gorman asshole has been warned not to mess with me," I replied.
"Oh. I'm sorry you met him. He really shouldn't even be in his uniform," she said.
"Then why does she let him? She knows what he does right?" I asked.
"I'm afraid she does. Joan, that poor girl. I wish there was something that I could do for her," she said.
"You know you could right? The solution is all very simple. Kill Gorman before he does that to someone else," I said.
"It isn't that easy," she said.
"The hell it isn't. Why has there not been someone who rebels against this place?" I asked.
"There are some people who don't like it here but then again there are others that don't have a problem with it. If we start something, there'll be bloodshed. Maybe more than necessary. There are some good people here. I'm not ready to put those people's lives at stake. Are you?" she said.
I was familiar with the point of view in which she was seeing all this. Not all of the people here could be bad. If I wasn't mistaken, there were a few elderly people. I automatically thought of Hershel. What would he do if he was in my position? In an instant, I knew exactly what he'd do.
"No. The last thing I want is innocent lives lost. Thank you, Officer Shepherd. You've opened up my eyes in ways you'll never know," I said.
"You look as if you've already started to plan something. I won't stop you. Whatever the plan, just make sure there isn't any bloodshed," she said.
I nodded. She was about to leave but turned back around.
"And I know that as my ward, you're to do everything that I ask of you but I won't. Just do whatever Dawn expects you to be doing. I'm hardly here anyway. I'm pretty sure you should be resting that ankle anyways right?" she said.
I looked down at my cast.
"Yeah. I shouldn't strain it too much I guess," I said.
"Well, it was nice meeting you. Don't be on that ankle for long okay? Oh and I would suggest you grab another pair of scrubs," she said.
I looked at the perfect pair that I was wearing.
"What's wrong with these?" I asked observing them.
It was then that I had noticed a small oil stain. From the bucket more than likely.
"Dawn likes things neat. She's very particular about that," Shepherd finished.
"Where do I go to get a new pair of scrubs?" I asked her.
"The last door to the left of this hall," she said.
I nodded. And with that she took off and left me to my thoughts. So if Shepherd was rarely here, it made me wonder how many other officers were hardly around. I had to find out exactly how many officers there were and when they went out on runs. Then I had to find the storage room where they had my belongings. I wasn't leaving without that picture. And I had a right to my stuff. They couldn't stop me from getting it back. I waited a few minutes more before I went out to find the room with the fresh scrubs.
YOU ARE READING
A Fresh Start
FanficAmelia's story continues.... After the events that took place with The Governor, Amelia and the rest of the group have finally found a place to call home. But just like their life in this world, it's not always a sure thing.