Daughter of a Dixon ✔️

54: Aaron's Community

When I woke up sometime later, I was lying on the floor of the barn, I realized. Dad must've had to get up and do something, I figured, and had let me continue to sleep.

Rubbing my eyes wearily, I sat up, pressing my back against the barn wall. I fluttered my eyelids open, and when I was able to see, I tilted my head to the side in confusion.

All of our group members were absent from the barn, except for Rick, Judith, and some strange man tied up to a pole. Furrowing my eyebrows, I looked over to Rick, who seemed to be going through the man's bag.

"Uh, Rick? I asked, and he spun around to face me. "Who's your friend?"

Rick turned back to look at the unknown man, his eyes narrowed. "He's not my friend," is all he said before turning his attention back to the man's bag.

"Hey, I'm, uh, I'm Aaron," said the man nervously.

"Sidney," I said skeptically, standing up and scanning him with my eyes. "Rick, where's everyone else?"

"They went out, to make sure this guy doesn't have anyone set up to ambush us."

I gave him a nod before turning my attention back to Aaron, who was sitting quietly, tied up against the pole. "So, uh, how'd you get here, exactly?"

"Oh. Well, you see, I belong to a community, called Alexandria. There are photos, in my bag there. It's truly a remarkable place, a safe place, and my partner and I have been following you guys for awhile. We were hoping to bring you back to Alexandria, to stay."

I took a moment to process what he'd said before narrowing my eyes even further, nodding doubtfully. "Right, well, the last time someone said anything about a 'safe place', we all almost became lunch meat, so..." I shrugged. "We're not too big on that anymore."

I heard Rick snicker from behind me. "You really are Daryl's daughter," he muttered, smiling to himself.

"Yep," I agreed, walking over to stand beside him. There, I saw the contents of Aaron's bag, which were surprisingly neutral; there were a few cups of applesauce, a whistle, and a collection of photos. Curious, I picked up the pictures, and began to sift through them.

One that particularly caught my attention was the second one in the pile. From what I saw, it looked like they had built tall, metal walls surrounding the community.

"Oh, those walls? They're made of pure steel plates. We're always working on expanding them. No one gets in or out of Alexandria without us knowing," Aaron explained, smiling slightly.

I was about to ask him a question about the community, but before I could, Rick stepped up, holding a spoon of applesauce in his hand. "Eat this," he commanded, and Aaron made a face of disgust.

"Do you honestly think I'd poison the baby? Who do you think I am?"

"You're a stranger, which makes you dangerous," I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

Aaron sighed, and slightly shook his head. "I-I don't like applesauce."

"And I don't like worms, but I did eat one... it was gross... anyway, just eat it already," I replied.