Ashes (Clementine X Male Reader Book 2)

Aftermath-Why

You didn't expect to stay in the community this long. It's been about a month since you arrived. Your leg is feeling better. Occasionally it'll hurt a little, but it's nothing like it used to be.

The community doesn't trade, and no one knows about them, so they don't have a name. The downside is that you can't hope to hear about the rest of your group. You'll have to go out and find them. You'd have to leave, and you and Brooklyn have decided that when Linda asks, you'll tell her you're staying... On one condition.

It's a nice community. For the most part, everyone is kind and respectful. You're sure that they'll have your back in about any situation. They have excellent farms and great hunting strategies, so you won't starve here. There are more pros to staying here than cons. The only real con is that you'll have a harder time finding the others.

"Good morning." Brooklyn meets you on the porch of your house. "Ready for me to show you the ropes?"

"Can't wait." You're happy to be up and moving around. After your wound closed, you still had to stay down for a while. The shrapnel had done quite a bit of damage. You were limping for about a week until yesterday.

You and Brooklyn set out into the community. "There's not much to do. First is patrolling. We patrol the streets. If anyone has a problem, we help them out. Sometimes we're on watch, which is pretty simple. Most of the time, we won't be. We also get to go outside the walls to check the surrounding area every day. Not much out there, but it's nice to have a walk." Brooklyn has told you all this before.

"That's simple." You tell her.

"It's boring sometimes, but now I don't have to walk around alone, so I guess it's better." Brooklyn's mood has brightened significantly since you first arrived. Yours has too. You're moving on, even if you still think about how you're going to find them.

"Look at you," Don says behind you. You turn around. "How does it feel?" He's got the biggest smile on his face.

"It feels good." You can't help but smile back.

"If you have any problems, make sure you stop by. My door is always open." Don has taken a liking to you. You have too.

"Do you know where Linda is, Don?" Brooklyn asks. "We're supposed to meet up with her at some point today."

"She was at the meeting hall last I knew. You might check there." Don looks between the two of you. "Is it about your residency?"

"Yes." You haven't told him whether or not you're staying. He hasn't asked and was probably told not to.

"I do hope you stay. I know you have friends out there, but you have a place here. You've earned it." Don stopped by your house a week after you arrived and convinced you and Brooklyn to stop by the bar with everyone else. You made it a habit to drop by every few days. While you haven't made any close friends, you're no longer a stranger.

More people stop you on your way to meet with Linda. The community will feel like home soon. You don't want to admit it.

The meeting hall is a single-room building. It was built to fit about a dozen people during a meeting, and that's all it is.

"Hello?" You say as you open the door.

Linda is sitting at the table. "Come in." She doesn't look up from some papers in front of her. "I'm just going over our stockpile. We'll need to boost our gains before winter, or we may be in for a tough time. I'm trying to figure out what we can do."

"You did want to meet with us today, right?" Brooklyn asks.

"Yeah. So long as he's feeling better." Linda starts organizing her papers and then looks up. "I want to let you know that we'd love for you to stay. We understand if you don't. If you have concerns, we can talk about it."