The Walking Dead | Genesis

"Safe"

ANDREA | POV

Night set in and there wasn't any sign of the others. Damiens brother and cousin were no where to be found.

I sat with Imani on the steps outside the trailer, waiting for some sort of sign of Damien and the others showing up, but there was nothing but darkness.

Imani's Mom was also no where inside the safe zone we had cleared out so far. There was still a possibility that they were here because we hadn't cleared the entire place yet, but still even then, things didn't look good.

If they were here they would all be together I'm sure.

"Where is brother?" Imani begged for probably the seventh time in the last hour or so.

My mind couldn't help but stutter when I was thinking of how to answer her question. That's when Deja stepped in.

"He's out looking for things to help us." She lied.

While Imani was distracted with Deja I slipped back inside through the front door. -- "How do we know he's still alive out there?" I overheard Ray conversating in the other room with Monique.

I knew from the moment he told us that Damien was okay, he didn't believe it. I just tried to convince myself otherwise, but now I knew, I knew what kind of man he was.

The wind outside swindled and produced jingles from the overhead bells outside. Midnight set in and everything and everyone seemed to be settling down for the night.

I flopped myself into the couch. Tears started to flow from my eyes like an elegant waterfall. My pain and suffering was muffled by the fabric of the pillows on the couch.

Miguel was still out there, and I wasn't doing a damn thing about it. I felt terrible. I knew it was dangerous to leave alone, but in that moment it was decided.

I was leaving tonight.

DAMIEN | POV

The front entrance to Bush Park was finally within sight.

For the first time in what seemed like forever we were all in high spirits. Bush Park looked promising as ever. We couldnt be sure until we got inside though.

I just wanted to see my family, my mother, brother, cousin. All of them needed to be safe. Not only for their sake, but mine as well.

"You think they cleared the place yet?" Miguel asked me.

"Oh yeah, Ray definitely put already put them to work." I answered. -- Ray wasn't always in the right sure, but if I said he wasn't holding the group together I'd be lying.

Carmella raises a brow. "So this place is like safe, like for, real?" She asks.

"That's the idea." I confirm to her.

The night sky loomed over us. The cold sent shivers up my arms and back, making me stutter as I walked. It hadn't been this cold in a while.

As we got closer to the front gate I saw Andrea hop the fence and come running towards us yelling out to Terrance while he was on watch at the other tower.

"You guys scared the fuck out of us!" Andrea shouted.

I stopped and smiled. I looked back at Carmella then at the others. We were all together again. After a few minutes Deja and Desarie showed up.

We all hugged each other tight.

Tears flowed down many of our eyes. Some of us were bound, not by blood, but something deeper within ourselves.

"I can't believe this." Deja whimpered.

Everything was silent for a while. Out of the blue footsteps approached. I turned around. My heart dropped to the very bottom of my chest.

It was my Brother & Derrick. It didn't feel real. I closed my eyes tight and then opened them again as if it were some sort of dream.

Real. Everything was real.

I sprinted as fast as I could to my Mom and hugged her tight. My brother followed into a hug with my cousin, but even within all of this comfort, it was cold.

Winter was coming.