Dead Silent

Chapter 7

"Come on, come take a break, you earned it," Simon smiles.

Kirsty tucks her knife into her belt and makes her way over to him. She had been put on watch while the saviors made repairs to the exterior of one of their outposts. It was hot out, and her vest was already soaked to the bone. She rubbed at her head with the back of her arm, blowing upwards in an attempt to cool herself.

"Here, take this," Simon holds out a bottle of water. "It's hotter than hell out here. Go get yourself something if you're hungry," he gestures towards the back of the truck.

Kirsty grabs a sandwich from the cooler.

"Is that the last one?" A woman asks from beside her.

Kirsty shakes her head, grabbing another sandwich and passing it to her.

"Thanks," she smiles, hopping up onto the back of the truck. "Christ it's hot!" She glances at Kirsty, then pats the space beside her. "You can sit down. I won't bite."

Kirsty smiles and sits beside her, munching on her sandwich.

"You're from Alexandria, right?"

Kirsty nods, taking a drink of water and coughing slightly.

"I had a sister that was deaf. I mean, i know it's not the same, but she couldn't talk either. Born that way, poor thing. I say poor thing, she was smarter than anyone of us. It fucking sucks though, she told me often enough."

Kirsty turns to her. You can read lips?

"Yeah. It was fun actually. None of the others could read lips, not even my mom, bless her. So we used to have entire conversations round the dinner table. Most of them using words that'd make a sailor blush," she laughs.

Kirsty laughs in the silent way she has.

"Anyway. I just wanted to say, i don't think you're dumb or anything."

Thanks, Kirtsy nods with a smile.

"Names Arat," she holds out her hand.

Kirsty takes her hand, shaking it briefly. Kirsty, she mouths.

"Yeah, i know. Negan's taken a real shine to you," Arat laughs.

Kirsty shifts uncomfortably.

"I'm guessing you don't like him that much," Arat tilts her head. "Suppose that's fair enough on your part. He's not that bad, you just think he is cos you're on the opposite side. Both our sides lost people, but we lost more. And yet here we are, sitting side by side eating a sandwich, being civil."

We were trying to save our people, Kirsty defends herself.

"Course you were. Ain't it funny, how everyone seems to think they're doing the right thing?"

I get what you're saying, Kirsty nods.

Arat's face softens slightly. "I don't mean anything by it. That's just the way it is now. A bunch of people running around, thinking they're doing the right thing," she moves closer to Kirsty, lowering her voice. "This is between me and you. But i think the world would be much better if it didn't have men leading it. All that testosterone," she shakes her head. "They're basically leading with their dicks. Men call each other pussies like it's a bad thing. But i'll tell you this for nothing. In a world full of dicks, i'd much rather be a pussy. All you need to take a dick down is a little," Arat flicks her finger. "Knocks em off their damn feet. But a pussy? That mother fucker can take a damn pounding."

Kirsty almost chokes on her food with laughter, tears streaming down her face.

Arat giggles. "It's true though. I'd take being a pussy any day."