The Walking Dead: What Rests Ahead

Chapter 4:

There were twelve of them in total. The person closest to me was tough and had some stubble and brown hair. Next to him was a boy about my age with the same colored hair as the first. They were probably related. There was a red neck standing next to a black girl with long hair.  Then, a Korean man with slick black hair protected a girl older than me, about in her twenties. Beside her, stood a dark haired short girl. Others hid in the shadows and I couldn't quite make out their features.

Suddenly, the first man pulled my arms behind my back restraining me. I pulled away and struggled for a bit, starting to yell. He pressed his hand against my mouth, stopping the noise. "We don't want to hurt you. Are you from Terminus?" His grip loosened around my mouth. He was firm, but not in a painful sense.

"No." I said, calm and defiant.

He released me, but his gaze never wavered. I fell onto the floor in front of him and the group of people in the strange box car. "Who are you?" He asked, his southern accent making him sound like he's from a movie or something.

I held my head up and stared him right in the eye. "Who are you?" I challenged.

He cleared his throat and looked back at the red neck from earlier, then to the boy my age. Finally, he looked down. It was obvious he was trying to make heads or tails of me. I'm scrawny (who isn't these days?) with long brunette hair that falls in my face. My clothes are covered in dirt and blood and my skin is an olive tan. The end of the world is hardly a place for being vain, but old traditions are hard to get rid of. I felt a pinch of embarrassment due to my appearance, then pushed it down. It doesn't matter how I look. It matters if I survive or not. After one last glance, the man said in a low tone, "I'm Rick. Rick Grimes."

"And who are they?" I asked warily and pointed to the remaining people inside.

"That's Daryl," he points to the redneck, "and Glenn," then to the Korean, "and Maggie, his wife." Then, he listed off names without me knowing which one's which. "Michonne, Bob, Sasha, Abraham, Eugene, Tara, Rosita." He pauses and looks at the boy my age. "And Carl."

I nod, trying to remember at least a few of the names. Before I can reply, he examines the door I had used to enter. With a slight nudge, the door opens. Rick closes it again immediately. The one named Daryl began, "Should we just make a run for it?"

Rick answered, "No. Too risky."

"We could sneak out in the night once it gets dark." Glenn suggests.

"Possibly." Rick's face contorts, thinking hard. "We can't stay here much longer."

By now, I'm thoroughly confused. Were they coming up with escape plans? "What's so bad about Terminus?" I pipe up. Again with the curiousity, I swear it'll kill me one day.

Everyone looks at me long and hard. Silence falls on the whole room. Surprisingly enough, it's the boy, Carl, who explains. "Terminus is a trap."

"How?" I wonder, scanning for anything out of sorts.

Rick chimes in. "The people here are sick and deluded. Their views were changed by this world. They-"

"They eat people." Carl finishes. I peer up at him. His eyes were crystal blue and his hair, though matted with sweat, was still a fluffy mop on top of his head. Over it, he wore a sheriff's hat. Though he was smaller than all the adults, I could tell through his shirt that he was strong. Before the world ended, I'd have thought he was hot. But that was before. This is now.

His words rung through my brain. Does that mean they're... Cannibals? Have people lost all their dignity? The idea of flesh on being ripped my hungry mouths sent shivers up my spine. Jesus. I could never consume someone, even if I was starving. It all sounds like crazy town and I'm not going to be a resident. My gaze falls on Carl and I say boldly, "Alright, then. How do we get out of here?"