Pure Hope

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Echo's POV:

When Leslie and Carl agreed to take me back to their safe-zone, I was more than grateful. Someone can only live out on the road like this for so long, and my time was running out. Finding food, water and even a safe place to sleep became more and more of a challenge. So, Leslie and Carl running across me in the run down building was one of the best things that has happened to me.

They took away my weapon, a Wolverine/Freddie Krueger styled glove. I understood why, they don't know if I'm planning to kill them and take their things. Better safe than sorry. They had also asked me three questions, "how many walkers have you killed, how many people have you killed, why". Overtime, those three questions had become harder and harder to answer. Almost everyday I'm killing Walkers, and I don't know how many I kill daily, let alone how many I've killed all together. For me, it's easy to keep up with how many people I've killed.

No one wants to kill people, but sometimes, you have to. Sometimes, someone tries to kill you or someone you love, and they only way to protect your loved ones is taking someone else's life. It's not fun, it's something I think about for days on end. But, it happens. It's happened twice so far.

The girl, Leslie, gave me food. Actual food. Peaches, sweet, fruity, peaches. It didn't take me too long to finish those, and I probably didn't look too graceful eating them. She gave me water, too, which I gratefully downed within about ten seconds.

While I was quickly eating the peaches and drinking the water, I took in the appearances of the two teens standing before me. The boy, Carl, has brown hair, falling just to his shoulders and blue eyes, he's not too much taller than Leslie, and they both look extremely thin. They must've just arrived at Alexandria, since they gave me a can of peaches they must be eating well there. And the girl, Leslie's brown hair fell below her chest, her olive skin matched amazingly with her hair.

Before we actually left the building, they asked if I was only. The questioned shattered my heart, knowing I was. Just a few days ago, my little sister, Shay, died. That was something I'm still not over, and never will be.

After all of that, they look me to Alexandria. We had to climb over a big, metal fence to get in. I didn't mind doing that, it only reassured that I'd be safe here. If they let me stay, that is. If everyone else here is as nice as Carl and Leslie have been to me, then I'll probably get to stay.

A woman called Deanna interviewed me, Leslie told me she would. It was extra precaution to make sure I'm not here to kill everyone. She asked if she could record the whole "interview" which I agreed to.

The whole house was so clean. Everything was put into place, there was no trash, or blood stains on the floor or furniture, there was no funky smell. It felt like I was back in the old world, the world where the dead are still dead. The fact that Deanna was able to actually record it was also mind boggling. I always thought the closest I'd ever get to something like that anymore would be a Polaroid camera.

She asked me questions like how long I had been out there for, where is my family, how did I survive for so long, was I skilled at anything in particular. Seemingly unless questions, too, which must have some sort of meaning behind them. After the interview, Deanna told me I'd be staying with a couple called Aaron and Eric, apparently, Leslie lives there too. I was even able to shower and put on new, clean clothes when I arrived at their house. Those two simple things were so much of a rarity anymore.

Now, I'm happily laying on my side next to Leslie in her bed while we both tried to go asleep. I tried to remind myself not to get too close with anyone her in Alexandria, not know what their fate might be. Those thoughts were pushed out of my mind while grateful ones filled my head.