Young Survivor

Chapter 4

I was about to doze off until I heard a knocking at my cell door. I looked up and saw a old man with white hair and a white beard. "You must be Amanda" he spoke in a calm tone with a weak smile. "Im Hershel, Hershel Greene" I just nodded as Im really nervous meeting new people. "Daryl told me about the injury on your face but I didn't know it was this bad!" He sort of laughed while he told me that, it was comforting. I laughed back as I could tell Hershel was a genuine nice man.

While Hershel was cleaning up my face it hurt like a bitch. He had to remove all of the glass from my cheek and forehead and then close the wound somehow. He mostly used paper stitches. "There all done, try to avoid touching stitches the though" I nodded in reply and said "Okay, thanks so much Hershel". He was about to say something else, but before he could Lucas started to cry.
I stood up and walked over to him in his box and picked him up.
"Whats your baby's name?" asked Hershel while standing up. "His names Lucas and he's not mine, he's my nephew" I really hated people thinking he was mine.
"He looks about the age of another baby we have here" "Really??" I was utterly surprised. "Yes, her name is Judith, shes our leaders daughter" he spoke while still smiling at Lucas, Lucas had that effect on people somehow. "Oh, I still have meet him, Daryl told me not to get to comfortable here, in case he doesn't let me stay." I said the last part in a sad tone as I couldn't imagine just being out on the road alone.

"Rick is a good man so don't worry, he just wants to keep his family safe" Hershel spoke with such a comforting tone it made me relax and not be so nervous to meet this 'Rick' person. Woah I seriously needed to stop being so nervous.

When Hershel left my little isolated cell, I just went back to sitting on my bunk. I didn't know what else to do really.

Suddenly I heard footsteps coming up the metal stairs. My heart started beating faster and my breathing picked up a pace.

Then he was there, standing outside my in my doorway. A man with black hair that curled at the ends, blacky grey stubble and gorgeous blue eyes. He was wearing a dark shirt with dark trousers and a magnum 357 in a holster. "You must be the kid from the mall" he had a very Georgia accent. "Oh yeah, thats me" I bluttered out while standing up and extending my hand. He didn't shake it.
"I have to ask you 3 questions to determine whether you can stay or not." I nodded eagerly in reply.

"How many walkers have you killed?" I froze. I didn't exactly keep count. I eventually spoke. "I dont know, maybe like 80?, I had to protect someone who was pretty much defenceless before we found the mall."

"How many people have you killed?" I froze again. This could blow it for me. I eventually spoke. "Two, two people."

"Why?" I had never spoke to anyone about the people I had to kill. I was ready to talk about it now. "One of them was someone who was going to hurt and take advantage of my sister. The other one...the other one was my sister." I started to tear up but held them back. I knew I had to continue talking or I would look like a physco killer. "My sister had just had her baby, she was out, hadn't turned yet...I ended it."

By now I was just staring at my shoes, trying not to cry. After a long silence Rick spoke "Im sorry for your loss, that must have been hard considering you're just a kid-" "It was fine, Im a tough kid, people have told me that" I interrupted Rick. I started to cry. I had never been able to process the feelings of loosing my sister. I would just brush them off.
"Look kid its okay, you can stay here, you're gonna be alright" Rick spoke with a smile. It was reassuring and comforting.
"Listen I'll leave you here in your cell to settle in, you could try make it to dinner, if not I'll introduce you and your nephew to everyone at breakfast tomorrow" I smiled a huge smile and nodded, tears still in my eyes.

As Rick was just about to exit my cell, he spun around and spoke "Oh I didn't catch your name?"
"Its Amanda, Amanda Dixon"
"Dixon?!" He sounded intrigued.
"Er, yes that's my name, why?" I was so confused.
"Oh um no reason"

Rick then left my cell and as he was going down the stairs I could hear him saying "Dixon" over and over again.
I was still confused. I wanted to know what was so special about having Dixon as a surname?

I just ignored it and went to bed, thinking of all the new things tomorrow would bring.