Lovely Bones

feisty

chapter five
feisty

5. feisty

Rick went first. He grabbed onto the fence and hauled himself up and over carefully. Then went Michonne and Carl. Prim stood there, fingers wrapped around the chain link fence. Her eyes burned holes into the building in front of them, thoughts stirring in her head. This fence could be the difference between life and death and she wasn't completely sure that she was ready to take the risk of death before her so soon. She felt Teddy's eyes on her sister as she looked up towards her for the next step. Where Prim goes, she followed closely behind.

Daryl watched her as well, not sure if he should speak and encourage her over or let her choose her battle herself. He decided on the latter, patiently giving her a moment to decide her fate. Jude was the first to make a move within the pause. His hand grabbed the bow she held, taking it from her grasp. Her head raised to watch him throw the strap over his shoulder. He sent her a nod.

"C'mon, i'll give you a boost," his nerves were racking up his spine. Terminus was meant to be hell, every part of him knew it. He couldn't stand there and let the anticipation kill him. Half his group was already in the death zone, and he sure as hell wouldn't leave them to die alone. Prim took a minute to watch him nod towards the fence before she agreed. Hand on his shoulder, her foot pressed against the chain link fence and she climbed over the fence. Jude bent down to Teddy's height. "You ready kid?" With a look of approval from Prim, she nodded. Jude grabbed her by the sides and helped her over to the other side where Michonne and Prim helped her down.

Lastly, the Dixon brothers joined them on the other side. They all sat on the other end for a moment, watching every single movement the air made around them, guns, katanas and bows raised. Rick and Daryl led side by side around the building to a red door where Rick pulled it open and Daryl moved in first.

"Those who arrive survive." A woman's voice spoke out, sounding like a intercom in which made Prim's eyebrows furrow. Daryl had his bow raised, he peeked behind a small doorway and into the large garage before he moved forward, the rest following with the same wandering eyes. The garage had been filled with tables and different technology — some in which they didn't even know existed anymore. They stood spread out, looking around in curiosity towards the people in the room, no need to raise their weapons.

"Hello," Rick spoke up, catching the strangers' attention. One specific guy stared at them before he spoke up.

"Well, I bet Albert is on perimeter watch." He quipped sarcastically. He moved around the table, stepping forwards towards them slowly. "You here to rob us?"

"No," Rick declined, taking his own steps forwards. "We wanted to see you before you saw us." He holstered his gun and as Prim watched, her bow hesitantly dropped. The man up front chuckled weakly with a nod.

"Makes sense," his hands spread out. "Usually we do this where the tracks meet," he cleared his throat and moved forwards a lot quicker from before with a welcoming gesture around him. "Welcome to Terminus. I'm Gareth. Looks like you've been on the road for a good bit."

Prim raised an eyebrow at that as Rick spoke. "We have." A pause. "Rick. . . that's Carl," he nodded towards his son that stood besides him a few feet away. "Daryl, Michonne, Jude, Teddy, and Prim."

Awkward pause before Gareth spoke. "You're nervous, we get it. We were all the same way. We came here for sanctuary. Is that what you're here for?"

"Yes."

"Good. You found it. Hey Alex!" He called over a man. "This isn't as pretty as the front. We got nothing to hide but the welcome wagon is a whole lot nicer. Alex will take you, ask you a few questions. Uh, but first, we need to see everyone's weapons. If you could just lay them down in front of you." One by one each looked towards Rick, the man wordlessly taking charge. He nodded after a moment before he unclipped his holster.