Something To Fear | Glenn Rhee

[열여덟] Blood of a New World

"People with nothing to hide don't usually feel the need to say so."

-Michonne

Freshly fallen snow blanketed Alexandria, putting an end to the warm streak it had been having. No child could be seen playing outside and no family dinners were held again.

The flowers that had covered the graves were frozen and dead; their hues now discolored and dark. Just as the city had become.

The only things that provided evidence of life were two figures walking side by side through the still neighborhood.

One stood shorter than the other; not a very noticeable difference, but one nonetheless.

The taller one spoke quietly towards the other, careful to not let their words be carried by the wind.

The shorter figure listened intently, wanting to hear every word that came out of the elder's mouth.

They suddenly paused in front of a house; a house that once held a man and his wife and their future child, but currently belonged to only a man.

The figures looked at the brooding house, whispering solemnly under their chilly breaths.

~

"It looks like you're nearly healed," Irene smiled as she finished inspecting Glenn's wounds.

"It sure hurts like hell," Glenn gave her a half-smile back, lowering his shirt and pants leg. "How are Dwight's injuries?" He knew the man was in much worse condition than he was.

"He'll still need some more months to rest," Irene had her back turned since she was cleaning up.

"And Abraham?" Glenn's mind raced to several of the injured people, fearing that they might have taken a turn for the worse without his knowledge.

"Glenn, he'll live. So will the others," Irene turned to face him, seeming to read his mind. "It'll take weeks, even months, but they will all be okay."

"Yeah, sorry," Glenn stated, looking away from the woman's soft gaze. "You're the doctor here... not me. I should trust your word."

Irene's almond-brown eyes widened in amusement as she started to chuckle. "I'm not a doctor... at least I wasn't yet. I was studying to be over here until... until there was no here. Or there."

"I always thought you looked a little too young to be a doctor," Glenn chuckled with her.

"Yes, I am...I was just a medical student," A sudden sadness overcame her as she remembered her home country and the family she left there. She had come to the U.S. as a foreign student in pursuit of a better education.

Glenn was unsure what to say, sensing she was thinking deeply about something personal.

The silence was broken as Sherry walked in. She looked worried, but seeing Glenn there her expression suddenly became happy.

"Glenn," Sherry smiled warmly as she approached him. "How are you?"

"Exhausted, still. I feel like no amount of sleep will be enough," he joked.

"Dwight says the same thing. Must be a man thing," Sherry giggled. She turned her attention towards Irene, who wondered why she was here. She assumed she wanted to know something related to Dwight.

"I need to talk to you about something," Sherry's eyes shifted to Glenn. "It's something personal. and..." She trailed off, but Glenn understood.

"Yeah...I'll just go," Glenn took his leave, not wanting to put her in an uncomfortable situation.

~

Trying to keep his body heat in him, Glenn stuck his hands in his black jacket. He exhaled, watching his breath take form in front of him.

He noticed a group of Oceanside women walking in the opposite direction; they were about to pass each other. Glenn, trying to be friendly to the new residents, waved at them.

However, the women gave him a strange look and huddled closer together. He heard them whisper harshly as they walked away. He stood in the middle of the pavement, eyes blinking in confusion.

An ominous chill ran through his spine, warning him that something was wrong.

Movement from the nearby church caught his attention. Rick was leading Morgan to the cemetery whilst talking to him about an important matter.

Rick's midwinter sky eyes met Glenn's, but before Rick could call out to him Glenn quickly walked off.

~

Once in a safe environment, Glenn locked the door, paranoid that someone was watching him. He turned on all the lights, making sure no corner was covered in darkness.

He slowly climbed the stairs to his bedroom, shaking but not from the cold.

His eyes skimmed across the room, feeling more unnerved as the seconds ticked. He couldn't figure out why he felt this way- he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

From behind him, an all too familiar voice was heard. A voice that shook Glenn to the bone. A voice that he wanted to forget. A voice that should have been silenced.

"Hey, batter-batter. Swing!"

Glenn spun around to see nothing was there. No taunting or grinning man was there. All that stood there was a wardrobe.

Glenn sighed, feeling as if his heart had stopped beating for a minute. He wanted to forget Negan's voice as soon as he could. But he feared that even if he had grown so old he became deaf, he would still hear it.

He had been staring at the wardrobe absentmindedly, realizing that the room had gotten warm with his heavy jacket. He stripped his jacket off, opening the wardrobe door to hang it up.

He heard his heart pound loudly in his ears as he looked at the wardrobe bottom; a knocked down backpack that should have been standing upright. That should have had two bats on the sides of it.

Glenn could only stare in panic as that damned, mocking laughter rang throughout the bedroom.