Stop Falling (Rick Grimes Romance)

Chapter 6

Chapter 6......puzzle pieces

Before the a world went to shit people spent their days caught in there own life. Living inside their own box, never looking out. Many times peoples lives would be mysteriously entwined together but yet nobody notice. No we were to busy with our own drama, agendas and needs. Life passed by at an alarming rate as nobody stopped unless it served them.

It wasn't just life's little mysteries that went unnoticed but life's little charms as well. We were to caught up on colour, race, religion and wealth. As a planet we pigeon holed and labeled every person who walked the earth. Based on what ever idiotic standards we as individuals had we blatantly looked down on others. Weather it be the popular kid dressed in designer clothing snubbing her nose at the girl in hand me downs. The jock who bullied and felt superior next to the nerd. Maybe it was you who ignored someone who grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. Perhaps it's the uptight church lady at the end of the street who gossips about the struggling single mother. Looking the other way as you saw the bruises on her check thinking she was stupid enough to go back. It was far easier to judge than to get to know this person. To find out their storey as you walked a mile in their shoes. No it was easier to stay wrapped in your own world.

We all liked to say that discrimination was more or less conquered and rarely existed. The truth of it was discrimination was rampant and constantly bubbling just below the surface. How many people saw a bum and just walked by thinking you did something to put yourself there. That mentally ill people should just pop a pill and they would be fine. The hooker that got raped and beaten well what did she expect based on her profession. The junkie laying near death behind the dumpster shouldn't have used in the first place. We were so busy judging without knowing.

Life was little more than a game in which we raced around the board until the grime reaper removed our game piece. It was all about who could get the best grades, be the most popular and earn the most money. Who among us could acquire the nicest house and most toys. Which one of us could acquire that life that everyone envied. It was a game everyone lost at in the end. For when all was said and done everyone ended up on the same place...six feet under.

To a great extent this had all changed. Now people fell into one of three main categories. You were a walker, a survivor or criminal. From here if you were a survivor you became a part of a team and within this team you found your place. I had just spent my morning working with Hershel. In our group he was the moral compass. The elder or wise one. Hershel tended to see things differently from an overview. Possessing the ability to stand back and refrain from judgment. Instead choosing to guide with a patient hand.

We had been sorting different herbs that had been collected from the surrounding area. What looked like a simple weed to me when combined with something else actually became medicine for a cold or perhaps a headache. I actually found it to be extremely fascinating and I bombarded Hershel with question after question. At one point my inner nerd even started taking notes. Time had flown by and the morning had already disappeared when Bob stuck his head in the door to remind us of lunch.

Passing Hershel his crutches I could resist asking, "Do you think I could come back and help you some more after lunch."

Slipping his crutches under his arms he gave me a curious look, "Your really interested in this stuff aren't you. Didn't you use to be a dental assistant?"

"Ya back in the good old days." Holding the door open for him I smiled, "I just find it fascinating how you know all this stuff. I guess with so much wrong in this world it's sort of amazing to be able to help people."

"Most people want a gun and some bullets. They see helping people as killing walkers." Hershel sighed

"I'll leave that to Rick and Daryl. Between the two of them and some of the others there seems to be more that ample protection." I debated unsure if I should say any more, "This place runs like efficient machine and everyone has their roles they play. The only problem I see is....." I glanced at Hershel trying to read his reaction.