The Ruins Part 2 (Sequel to The Ruins)

Chapter 3

The next morning Mal walked with Alec who has been staying over the Tradepost for guarding duty, constructing with Lugh and few other men and Saviors on houses and warehouse for the Stock-quart, a greenhouse, and coming over to the metal factory that been used on the Infected fences in Sanctuary and making more bullets.

The grey clouds were dissolving into pale white wisps that looked like wet tissue paper over a grey ceiling. From the looks of it there might be some snow coming this week. Alec was announced that Negan and the Saviors are coming back for news about Glory and the Claimers' perimeters. They were searching for chains in case it snows heavy this first winter season and some of the tires are not winter proof.

Then Alec said, "How's Lugh?"

"Good, although a bit timid in the war. Speaking of which," Mal hummed, "You two seem to be gettin' close lately."

Alec caught her wry grin and laughed aloud, cheeks flushed just like Lugh's. "What? Yer mean like you and Negan have been gettin' close?" He teased.

"No."

Alec quirked an eyebrow but didn't push. "It's not like that. He just- uh, we're good pals. We've been spending a lot of time together, talking a lot when working on the machinery. Good on his motors, asked him if he could fix my bike. He's talking about the war, how it's a bad place."

"He told you about him as..."

"A Flyer Frontier. Yeah, scared on what I say. We have few survivors that were them, but we gave them peace, others, not likely. He stills remembers it clearly; many lives lost, the damage of destruction, how much blood there is. He know wars happen for reasons. I'm trying to help him, just being there for him, you know?" There was an unmistakable fondness in his voice, and Mal couldn't help but wonder if there actually was something more there than Alec was letting on, that he does care for him, but she decided not to pry too much.

"Wars are ways to fight against a foe. The Ruins is a constant war, death, and survival."

"Not all the times. Before Black Night was great, but we barely had so much green in the world or quietness. Yer got those kids, they matter."

Striding towards the path of the street, she recognize the people in the Tradepost selling their gears. Clouds of smoke filled the air of boiling water, smoking jerky. Alec goes to a woman, trading a gun stock hide for chains; Mal kept staring in fear down the street of the large apartment that's now covered in dust, vines wrapping itself on the muddied brick walls. "Any place where chains are?"

"Black market, Whip would sell them and..." She froze on her sentence, still staring at the abandon apartment. "Go find Whip. I'll be in the mansion."

She heads over the house where Charlie stayed in those door, keeping all the lies and pain inside the house. She stood for a minute at the open door; the stairwell broken in splinters at the edge of the floor, overgrown grass through the cracks of the wooden floors, mold crawling on the wallpaper walls, and the mass of dust that suffocates Mal. The air and the room hasn't change in the last months and no one has ever laid their foot upon the apartment. Entering, the air is thick than outside, an uncontrollable anxiety takes over Mal. As she takes the first step of the creaky stair, her mind took her back to this house and it's history. Charlie beating her black and blue. Charlie always trying to be affectionate, to love her yet is consumed of power and pain that brings pleasure upon him. She could still feel him behind her. Charlie's words still echoed in her head. The repulsive words spewing out of her mouth like vomit. Staring down on her. Eyes glowing with malevolence.

Stop. He's gone.

She took small steps to the apartment. All doors closed and behind them had the stories of tragedies in each and every one. Mal was anticipating Charlie to walk out the door and drag her back to the dark room. Inhaling and exhaling, reminding herself Charlie's dead, she getting the chains that- that she wore before.