WHITE FLAG
chapter fifty-one : after nightfall
{ one month after season three }
ONE MONTH AND a half had passed. After they had brought back the group from Woodbury, they had no choice but to actually do some good to the place and upgrade it. Winter wasn't that long away, and they needed to get gear to keep everyone warm.
The first group that were in the prison had all agreed on making a thing called 'the prison council'. People needed someone to lead them - after Rick had told them all that he would no longer be their sole leader, someone still had to.
Someone needed to keep everyone in control, give people jobs etc. Instead of having an actual leader, they decided to form a group council.
Everyone had decided that Hershel would be head of the council, and so he went around asking people he knew would be best for being great at the job.
The people he went to were Daryl, Glenn, Kloe, Carol and Vickie. Of course, they never had to have a meeting about anything yet, they were still preparing everything for everyone.
Hershel had offered Kloe if she would be a part of the council, which she agreed to the day before. The oldest man of the group told the small councilors that when he hosted a meeting, it would take place in the library - which they were still preparing.
Currently, Kloe was babysitting the two youngest children that were apparently the hardest to deal with. She couldn't lie, it was hard work. Mostly all the parents had agreed to help out with rearranging some things in the prison, so that's what they were doing.
Kloe had finished her jobs for the morning - so she was stuck looking after them. "Kloe?" the small girl, Nicole, whisper-shouted. Kloe, who was holding onto Nicole's brother, Jack, snapped her head over to the six-year-old.
"Yes, Nicole?" Kloe replied, watching the brunette. Her hair was just above her shoulders, and she had small freckles painted on her face. Her eyes were bright green, and were the most noticeable feature about her.
"When can we see baby Judith again?" she asked innocently, her short hair blowing in the wind since they were sitting outside in the grass.
"Beth's gonna come out with her in a few minutes. Then it'll be my turn to look after her while Beth looks after you and Jack," Kloe explained, poking the nose of the toddler, Jack, in her arms.
"You're leaving us Kloe?" Nicole wondered, sticking out her bottom lip as she watched the young woman. The only kids that were sitting with Kloe was Nicole and Jack, who were both siblings, while the other kids played tag around the field.
"Well, I have some things I need to get done," Kloe leaned forward, brushing a piece of fine hair out of the small girl's face. "I will be back though. I will see you all at dinner," she smiled.
"Okay," Nicole said, looking back down at a small daisy that bloomed in the grass. "Look Kloe! It's a daisy," she positioned herself so she was laying flat on her stomach as she watched the small flower.
Kloe gleamed, seeing the happiness in the six-year-old's face. "Here," she leaned forward again, wrapping her index finger and her thumb around the green stem, ripping it out of the ground. She looked back up at Nicole, bringing the flower toward her ear.
A large smile sprouted across the child's face as Kloe tucked the daisy behind her ear. Jack, who stirred awake in Kloe's arms, watched his older sister. "Nicki!" he beamed.
Kloe looked down at the three-year-old, smiling as his older sister knelt over him. "Hello Jack," she placed a small kiss on his nose, earning an innocent laugh from the toddler.
Hearing a gate that was recently fixed slide open, Kloe's head whipped over to it. Her eyes brightened as she watched her boyfriend make his way over to them.
"Look who's coming, Jack! It's Glenn," Nicole carefully shook her brother's shoulder, who instantly climbed out of Kloe's arms. Sometimes while Kloe looked after Nicole and Jack, Glenn had sat with her and watched over them too.
The two children smiled widely as they watched the Korean approach them. Once Glenn reached them, he crouched down beside his girlfriend, watching the two kids. "That's a cool flower you got there Nicole," he pointed at the daisy behind her ear.
"I know! Kloe put it there for me," she sang before walking over to her younger brother, tapping him on the shoulder. "You're tag, Jack!" she yelled before sprinting away.
Jack immediately stood to his small feet, running as fast as his small legs could after his older sister. Kloe laughed, placing her hands in her lap as she watched them chase each other.
"No idea what their parents were talking about," Glenn started, grinning as he also watched the children. "They don't seem like hard work at all. They seem easier than them," Glenn pointed over to the older kids, who were also playing tag.
"They are easier," Kloe snickered. "I tried to keep Molly and Lizzie from arguing, but neither were listening. Nicole and Jack barely argue."
Glenn nodded, averting his gaze away from the two children and toward Kloe. "Maybe they're happy when they're with you," he suggested, earning a shrug. "Anyway, how're you doing?" he asked her, lifting his hand up to her shoulder as he began to massage it gently.
"Been doing great," she replied, turning her head to the side to face her boyfriend. "You?"
He nodded and pouted his lip. "Yeah. I helped Zayn and Rick earlier. Michonne, Vickie and Daryl brought back a lot of equipment yesterday while you were preparing food. They found this whole town that's clear and untouched."
Kloe's brows lifted. "You mean there's a town that hasn't been looted?" she wondered, getting a nod in return. "We have to go one day. Imagine just...walking into a town that is filled with so many things."
"Yeah, I can imagine," he chuckled. "They also brought back lots of stuff for the kids. Like toys and books. Isabelle has a few new tapes too."
"Wow, talk about being spoiled," Kloe half-jokingly said, resting her chin in the palm of her hand. "We need to find a place that has flashbang arrows. Or even a compound bow. Having one of them would be really cool."
"Sure as hell would look really cool," Glenn agreed and nodded his head. "Hey, are you busy helping out later?" he inquired.
Kloe shrugged again. She only had to help out with dinner for the kids, then she was free for the whole night. "Uh, only to make food for the kids. I'm doing nothing after."
"Okay, great. After dinner- or, uh, after nightfall, meet me here. I have a surprise for you," he told her, sitting straight up as a large smile formed on his lips.
"Oh, God. What are you planning?" Kloe asked, slumping her shoulders as she watched her excited and somewhat nervous boyfriend. "You know I don't like surprises."
"Well, you're gonna have to deal with it," he added. "Zayn and I are going to one of the towns nearby in about an hour. Gonna get a few supplies and whatnots."
Kloe playfully threw her hand to her chest offensively, her jaw dropped. "Wow, I'm being replaced." Glenn laughed and shook his head. "Is it the new town that you said the others found?"
"Oh, no," he replied instantly. "That's like fifty miles away. The one we're planning to go to is twenty." Kloe's lips formed an 'o' shape as she turned back to Nicole and Jack, who were now arguing.
"Shit, so much for barely arguing," she whispered, standing to her feet with Glenn by her side. Jack was on the verge of crying while Nicole was yelling at him. "Take my eyes off them for one second and they're already at each other's throats... Hey!"
The children's heads snapped over to the two young adults that were approaching them. Kloe came to a stop as she tried to catch her breath, which was wheezy from her asthma.
"What's going on?" Kloe asked them with a serious expression, kneeling down onto her knees in front of the two children.
"Jack cheated!" Nicole shouted, pointing at her younger brother who only broke out into more tears. "He said I was tagged but-but he never touched me."
"But I don't wanna be tagged anymore!" Jack whined, many tears streaming down his small cheeks. "It's unfair."
"Okay, right. How about you take a little break from tag, yeah? Calm yourselves down and maybe we can do something else?" Kloe suggested, placing each hand on each of the children's shoulders.
Glenn stood beside her, unsure on what to do. An idea then plunged into his mind as Jack began to nod. "Kloe's brother and me are going out soon, how about we get you each a toy to play with when we get back?"
Jack's tears disappeared within an instant, the same with Nicole's anger. Their faces were now filled with excitement. "Yes!" Nicole jumped up and down. Jack ran straight over to the man, wrapping his arms around his leg.
Kloe laughed loudly as Glenn pried the little boy off, but nothing worked as Jack held on tighter. "Guess you're not going anywhere now, Glenn."
After three minutes of trying to get Jack off of Glenn's leg, a new figure appeared out of nowhere with a one-month-old baby in her arms. A confused smile grew on Beth Greene's lips as she watched them all.
Kloe was on the ground, holding onto her stomach as she laughed. Nicole was holding onto Jack's shoulders, trying to pry him off of Glenn, who was laughing too.
"What's going on?" Beth wondered, chuckling at the sight. Everyone's heads snapped over to the blonde teenager. The baby, Judith, in her arms was reaching up at the teenager's chin, grazing it gently.
"Glenn's gonna get us a toy when he gets back!" Nicole exclaimed, rushing over to Beth to see the baby in her arms. "Can I see her?"
The blonde nodded, carefully kneeling down to the ground as she positioned Judith in her arms. "It's the time of day where she starts to cry. Kloe, her bottles were moved into her cell."
"Got it," Kloe stated as she stood to her feet. She tried to take a deep breath, but there was nothing but wheeze. Jack released Glenn's leg, hurrying over to see the baby with his sister.
Glenn, who heard Kloe's asthma acting up, quickly reached into his pocket, pulling out the small blue item. He placed his hand on her shoulder, making her look up at him. He handed her the reliever inhaler - the one he made sure he kept on him at all times.
"Thanks," she said, bringing the inhaler to her mouth. Beth stood up after the kids had finished cooing at the baby, stepping over to the young adults. Once Kloe handed the inhaler back to Glenn, Beth carefully placed Judith in Kloe's arms. "Hi, Judith."
"I'm gonna go prepare lunch for Nicole and Jack. Get me if you need anything," Beth stated, turning around and making her way to where the two children waited for her.
She knelt down as picked Jack up and held onto Nicole's hand. Kloe started to move when Beth did, Glenn by her side. Once again, a large smile sprouted across the infant's lips as she looked up at Kloe.
Kloe began talking to the baby, making Judith make noises normal babies make. Things were going well.
...
Zayn halted the car to a stop in the middle of the town he and Glenn had spotted on a map. Glenn gripped onto the gun that he had brought with him by his feet, pushing open the door.
Both men shut the doors behind them, their weapons tight in their hands. The last time Glenn had gone out on a run with just one other person was when he and Kloe encountered Merle - who then took them to Woodbury and held them hostage.
It made Glenn anxious obviously, but he tried to think of the better things he would have thought about. The Governor hadn't appeared in almost two months, making it likely that he had gone forever. That's what he hoped for anyway.
"So..." Zayn started, making Glenn look over at him, "what store are you gonna start in first?" Glenn looked back ahead of him, eyeing all the stores that were there to offer.
One of them surely had to have rings in it. Glenn turned back to Zayn, gesturing over to the store that was behind the Schmidt. "I have to get some other stuff too. I made a promise."
"To who?" Zayn snickered as he placed his hands on his hips.
"Nicole and Jack. Promised them I'd get them something to play with," he clarified, a small grin playing on his lips. "You should go to that store over there. Try and find some supplies," he pointed over at one of the stores that were opposite them.
Zayn nodded, beginning to make his way over to the specific store. Glenn pursed his lips, facing back to the first store he planned on searching in. "Good luck!" Zayn shouted over his shoulder.
Glenn winced, not liking how loud Zayn had raised his voice. Neither of them knew if there were walkers around or not. They had never been to the place before. But somewhere nearby there was a herd - so they guessed that there would be no walkers in the town.
With his pliers, Glenn snapped open the lock that was on the entrance to the store. With one hand, he pushed it open, a quiet screech erupting in the air from the door that hadn't been touched for an entire year.
Clicking on his torch, he raised it high up so he could inspect the room. He watched the dust hover around in the air from the haze of his bright white flashlight.
He crouched down, gripping onto a rock that was the size of his palm and slightly weighty. He stood back up, throwing the rock into the center of the room.
For a second, there was nothing but a deafening silence. But then there was a growl that came from the back of the store. Glenn took a step back, holding his breath as he waited for the walker to appear itself.
The second he laid his eyes upon the walker, he went down a different aisle, his gator pro tight in his palm. As he got closer and closer, his chest tightened. As he got close enough, the walker turned around, facing him.
Glenn swung his melee weapon across the face of the walker's decomposing one. The walker snarled loudly before Glenn lunged forward, shoving the weapon deep inside the walker's skull, the snarls coming to an end.
He panted heavily, wiping the blood off the weapon on the walker's jacket. He looked back up, whipping his head in every direction. His eyes landed on a section filled with untouched toys.
He walked over to them, scanning his eyes over the collection. He grabbed onto a basket that coincidentally happened to be next to him on top of another. He grabbed anything - anything he knew that would make the two children happy.
Walking into another aisle, his new search was the main priority of why he was there in the first place. A ring. He was looking for a ring.
If things were made to be difficult, the store had no rings. One's that weren't cheap, fake rings anyway. Most of the jewelry he found were all only a few dollars. Money didn't matter obviously, but by just looking at the price meant that it was definitely not worth it.
He left the store, shoving the children's toys in the backseat of the vehicle him and Zayn had been in. His next stop: the store beside it. Most of the names of the stores had rusted away, either covered in thick dirt or were just not there anymore.
Store after store after store, killing more and more and more walkers, he still didn't manage to find a ring that wasn't limited to five dollars. He wanted - needed - a real ring.
He sighed heavily in the last store on the one side of the street after thirty minutes, finding nothing. He really thought that he would manage to find at least a ring that was worth a lot.
He stepped out of the store, having only picked up a few supplies that the group back at the prison could use. As he made his way back to the car, he noticed that Zayn hadn't returned yet, making him puzzled.
Zayn was only looking for groceries - not anything else. Although, the moment Glenn set down his basket beside the car, a whistle blew out in the distance, catching his attention.
Glenn's head snapped over into the direction, squinting his eyes to figure out who was waving their hands at him. His eyes went back to normal as he realized it was Zayn who was motioning him to follow him.
Without hesitation, he jogged over to the Schmidt man. He stopped by his side. "D'you find anything?" Zayn asked, his voice in a hushed tone.
"No. Nothing," Glenn clenched his jaw, annoyed with himself that he didn't manage to find a single thing. "You?"
"Uh, yeah," Zayn replied instantly, raising his brows. He gestured his head over to the store that looked the most abandoned out of the lot. "I think we found the store you might want to scout out." Glenn moved forward, making his way to the store that Zayn had motioned to. "But..." he came to a stop, turning to face Zayn to listen to him, "there are eight walkers in there."
"Okay," Glenn said, unfazed. He wasn't letting a few walkers stop him from getting the main thing he needed. He turned back around, walking over to it. "I don't care what I have to do."
"Sure, it might be the best chance you have at getting a ring. But isn't it a little dangerous?" Zayn pondered, his hand hovering over his shotgun.
"We've dealt with worse," Glenn responded, sharing a glance with the wary man beside him. They came to a stop outside the store. Glenn placed the side of his hands against the window as he pressed his head against them, looking into the store.
Zayn was right - there were definitely walkers in there. He already managed to spot five. But, the moment Glenn looked at what was on display on the shelves, hope instantly danced around in his eyes.
It was a jewelry store.
Glenn gazed over at Zayn. "We have silencers for our guns, right? We can take them out easily," Glenn reached down for his own small gun, the silencer on the end of it.
Zayn pulled out his own gun, eyeing the silencer that was on his. "Alright. Okay. Yeah, we can do this," he assured himself, taking the safety off his gun. Glenn did the same, hurrying over to the door.
They only had little time left. They told the group they'd only be an hour, and it had already been forty minutes. They had twenty minutes left to; take out the eight walkers, get a ring and drive back.
It only took a three second countdown before Glenn pulled the entrance to the jewelry store open, the walkers' attention setting onto them. "Okay, take a few steps back," Glenn instructed, causing Zayn to do as he said.
The best friends both raised their guns high, aiming head height at the open doors. The first walker that stepped out Glenn almost immediately shot down. The walker tumbled down to the ground lifelessly, the next walker trampling over its body.
Glenn took it out again. Then another came out and Zayn dealt with it. It didn't take long before no more walkers left the building, and when Zayn counted the amount that laid on the ground, blood pouring out of their skulls, there were seven.
One was still inside. Glenn rushed over to the door, thinking they were in the clear. "Glenn!" Zayn whisper-shouted, making Glenn snap his head over to his best friend. "There's only seven on the floor. There's still one in there. Be careful."
Glenn gave him a single nod, facing back toward the entrance. He took a deep breath, his gun clutched in his palms. He stepped inside hastily, raising his gun high.
He scanned the area, not seeing a walker in sight. He still kept his gun trained high though, not taking any chances. He checked every aisle, still not finding the remaining walker.
While checking for the lone walker, Glenn's eyes caught onto a particular shiny item in the corner of his eye. He was drawn toward it straight away. He walked over to it, the corner of his lips lifting at the ring that sat directly in front of him, waiting to be wrapped around a finger.
He examined it, liking the way it looked. It had a real diamond in the center of the ring and had a few diamonds spotted on the sides. Kloe would love it. To his luck, the glass that was supposed to be covering it was already smashed. But right before he could grab onto the ring, the walker he had previously been searching for cut him short
The creature growled loudly, making Glenn's heart race as he spun on his heel, facing the walker. He lifted his gun, pulling the trigger. Nothing fired out, making the walker reach out its arm for Glenn. "Shit!" he hissed, not having time to reload his weapon.
He clutched onto his gator pro, prepared to slash the walker across the face with it, only to be stopped by a silent but loud gunshot to pierce through the air near him.
The walker fell to the marble flooring, Zayn stood right behind where it was originally. He lowered his gun, a look of concern on his face. "You okay?"
Glenn nodded instantaneously. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm good." Glenn's eyes fixed onto the ring he had found, stepping over to it. He grabbed onto it carefully, holding it like it was the most valuable and fragile thing in the world.
"Found your winner?" Zayn wondered, noticing the look on Glenn's eyes.
"Yes. I think I have."
...
Kloe finished cleaning up the room where everyone ate. She forgot that it was her duty to tidy up the small cafeteria after everyone had finished, but that didn't stop her from rushing it.
She just grabbed onto every single plate she saw in sight and threw them in a black trash bag. She had almost forgotten that Glenn wanted to meet her in the field - which confused her majorly, but she did anyway.
She slid open the gate, leaving it ajar behind her. It was dark out, using her flashlight for light source. She scanned her eyes over the dark field, not spotting her boyfriend anywhere.
He wasn't there yet. Which meant he was still helping out Rick, Daryl and Jayce with the firearms, keeping them in a room that was very difficult to enter unless you had a key. There were in total of seven keys, and Kloe luckily managed to get one.
She made her way through the long grass, her left hand in her jacket's pocket while her other one held the flashlight. Once she reached the spot that she was sitting in a few hours beforehand, her eyes drifted over to the gate that she heard re-open again.
She smiled widely as she watched her boyfriend walk over to her. It felt like déja vú, considering she had gone through this moment earlier in the day. But this time, it was night time and she was alone.
"Hey," Glenn greeted, stopping in front of her.
"Hi," she replied, smiling at him. She looked up at the sky, her heart leaping when she watched the stars shimmer. "Look at the stars..."
He did as she said and tilted his chin up, a soft smile plastering his own lips. "Woah," he whispered, the full moon making it ten times better. There were a mixture of colors shining bright in the sky.
"It's a full moon, too," Kloe added, amazed at how beautiful the sky was that night. She hadn't had much time to look at the night sky, but when she did, she sure as hell spent a lot of her time just staring up at it.
The bright, large moon - that had come out of a cloud - gave them a bigger light source than the current ones in their palms. Without hesitation, Kloe switched hers off, Glenn following her actions as he did the same thing.
"Is this the surprise you had for me?" Kloe wondered, giving him a heartwarming smile.
He chuckled quietly. "Not quite," he shook his head. She looked back up at the sky, still in love at how it looked. "Hey," he caught her attention, causing her to face him. "I, uh..." he trailed off, making Kloe's dimples form in her cheeks as she began to see the slight nervousness in her boyfriend's expression.
He gently grabbed onto one of Kloe's hands, his eyes trained on her soft hand. He massaged the back of her hand with his thumb.
"Here..." he reached his hand into his pocket, earning a confused expression from his girlfriend, but still continued to smile softly at him. He pulled the particular item out of his pocket. "I've been meaning to do this for a while," he started, Kloe watching him deeply. He looked back up at her, holding her eyes. "I love you. And I will always love you. You mean the entire world to me." Kloe's eyes dropped to her palm that was now covered by Glenn's, who placed an item that she knew instantly what it was. "Will you marry me, Kloe?"
Kloe's lips etched a loving smile, her palm opening so she could take a look at the piece of jewelry. She looked up at Glenn, not taking two seconds to place her lips onto his while she held the ring tightly in her hand, too scared to drop it.
She pulled away, resting her forehead against his. "Of course I will, Glenn."
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words: 4411
17th november 2022
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I ACTUALLY COMPLETELY FORGOT THAT IT WAS WHITE FLAG'S 1ST ANNIVERSARY ON THE 13TH. so in honour of white flag's 1st birthday, have glenn and kloe's marriage. :')