Heartless ➳ TWD² [COMPLETED]

Chapter XX ➳ Questions

➳ THE very next day, the church is packed with residents while others are peering through the windows as Magna's group stands before the Alexandria council - which was Michonne, Gabriel, Aaron, Siddiq, Laura, Nora, and Kyle - for questioning. I sat in the church, with Mollie beside me, and watched on.

"As you can probably tell from our turnout here, it's been a long time since we've seen new faces inside these walls," Gabriel started to announce, being in the dead middle of the table. "We're a fair community of decent-minded people, but we are not soft. And that's not going to change today. So, let's begin."

With that said, Gabriel smiled to soothe them and started to ask the questions. "Which one of you is the leader?"

It was dead silent for a moment before Magna finally spoke up for her group and countered, "What makes you think we have one?"

Gabriel understood with a nod before asking, "Did you know each other before?"

"No," Luke responded for his group. "It was, uh, Magna and then Yumiko, uh, first; and then, uh, Connie and Kelly. And, then... And, then, me and Bernie." Bernie? Must of been someone they lost, as Luke revealed his hidden scars. "I'm sorry. Bernie was the one that we lost yesterday. Um... There were others, of course. But, like Bernie, they just..."

Luke started to break down and whimper, just like his other group members did. They had recent scars from losing the one that they cared for deeply. I could easily understand his pain and inner suffering.

"They didn't, uh... They didn't make it," Luke concluded, almost bringing tears to my eyes; even though, I hadn't cried in over six years ever since that damn bridge blew up and the time after that.

Aaron showed emotion in his face, too, even e asked them: "Who were you before?"

"Me? Before all this?" Luke quizzed, just to be sure, and Aaron modded. Now, he smiled through the pain to remember what life was like before. "I was a music teacher."

It was Magna's turn and she said, "Waited tables at a truck stop."

Connie started to use sign-language to speak up for herself, but her little sister, Kelly, had to translate for her. "She says she was a journalist, but she's just being modest," Kelly spoke up for her older sister. "She exposed a bunch of sleazeball politicians and put them behind bars."

Aaron nodded before speaking out, "And you?"

"I was in high school," Kelly claimed, shrugging. I felt for that kid. I honestly did. "Stressin' about stupid shit that felt like the end of the world."

I already admired this group of strangers, but the council wasn't trying to show approval yet. Gabriel looked to Magna and asked, "And who are you now?"