When Carl was done crying and they had sat around watching the people working inside of the fence for a bit, they met back up with Rick who was burying their extra guns. He was signaling them to be quiet and then climbed over the fence with Michonne behind him. Daryl stayed back to help Carl and Skylar over it and was the last one over. They slowly made their way into the factory, Daryl leading the way and Rick behind them. The hallway they entered was dark except for the light coming from a room. A voice also echoed to them, most likely coming from the room with the glow.
"Those who arrive survive. Terminus. Sanctuary for all. Community for all." Repeated over and over again. They walked the wall with Daryl leading and he peered around the corner to look in. He gave it a once over and gave them the go ahead. When Skylar stepped in, she could tell it was a warehouse. There were people working at a few desks scattered about and a map of the United States was hung up on a wall. There was a woman sitting at a desk in the middle of it all with a large set of headphones and a microphone of sorts in front of her face. She was the one speaking the mantra. Everyone's boots were so soft on the hard floor that no one took notice until Rick said hello.
The people working jumped and stared at Rick's dirty group. No one said anything, just stared, trying to figure out what to do with each other.
"I bet Albert was on perimeter watch." A man with a fed up tone threw his pencil on the desk he was at. He then came around it to walk up to them, but not too close. He was tall and skinny with brown hair plastered to his forehead. "You here to rob us?"
"No," Rick replied. "We wanted to see you before you saw us." He holstered his gun, but Daryl kept his crossbow out, so Skylar kept her own pistol out as did Carl. Skylar's gut felt like it had so many butterflies she was going to explode. She didn't like the feeling and wanted to leave.
"Makes sense," He nodded his head and moved a little bit closer with his arms spread out. "Usually we do this at the entrance; Welcome to Terminus. My name's Gareth. Looks like you have been out there long."
"We have," Rick nodded his head. "Rick. That's Carl, Skylar, Michonne, and Daryl." Gareth waved to them and smiled, but something about his smile made Skylar feel uneasy.
"Chill guys. We all know it's a little nerve-wracking. But just like us, you came for sanctuary, right?" He sounded calm and almost amused by the situation. Rick nodded again. "Good. 'Cause you found it. Alex, come here. He will show you around, answer and ask questions. Ah, but first we have to take the weapons." The five all looked at each other, having a silent conversation. Of course, none of them wanted to put down their weapons in a strange place but what choice did they have? Rick nodded so they all put them down. Gareth and Alex then proceeded to pat them down. Skylar always hated pat downs. On the occasional airplane trips her parents took her on, she hated going through security. Having old, smelly women get in her face was not a pleasant experience and now having a guy grope her sides was even worse.
"I'd hate to see the other guy," Alex, a smiley man with short curly hair and a small beard, commented towards Daryl.
"You would," Rick spoke with authority. Skylar remembered hearing it if Carl was in trouble.
"They deserve it?" Alex asked Skylar.
"Yes," her mouth moved before she could actually think of the answer. But she squared her shoulders and tilted her chin up. She could see both Rick and Carl glance at her out of the corner of her eyes.
"Just so we are clear, we aren't stupid. And neither are you. So don't try anything stupid, and we won't have any problems. Just solutions." Gareth told them. He then turned his back on them to walk off and Alex gave them their weapons back. Skylar looked at her gun and then Carl. Were they really giving back their weapons? Alex told them to follow him out a door in the back of the room.
"How long has this been here?" Daryl asked.
"Since the start. Camps were getting taken over. People came here. People were heading everywhere." Alex told them. Skylar walked in the middle of their little herd with her head lifted towards the top of buildings, looking for a sign of danger. But she brought her head down when someone grabbed her hand. Carl.
"It'll be okay," he whispered and she almost felt that he was right. He gave her a squeeze and they continued their walk with Alex hand in hand. Alex brought them into a little common area that had round wooden picnic tables with umbrellas sticking out of them. People were eating food and talking until they noticed the new group walk in. There was a woman standing at a barbeque handing out plates of food.
"Mary, can you please make a plate for them?" Alex told her. Alex was handing out plates when and talking to Michonne when Rick came up and knocked a plate out of his hand. He grabbed something out of Alex's pocket and held him at gunpoint. Skylar dropped her plate and pulled her pistol out with Carl. Not even ten minutes, Skylar thought, and something's already wrong with the place.
"Where the hell did you get this watch?" Rick asked. The people who were peacefully eating were also pointing their guns at Rick's group. "I see the sniper up there. Now, where did you get this watch?"
"Put it down!" Alex yelled at the sniper. He obeyed and Rick asked the question again. "I got it off of a dead one, I didn't think he needed it!"
"What about the riot gear? The poncho?"
"We got the riot gear off a dead cop." Gareth was in the picture now. "Found the poncho on a clothesline." Skylar knew he was lying, she knew that riot gear belonged to their prison and the poncho came from Daryl.
"You, talk to me." Rick ordered Gareth.
"What's left to say?" He was so calm, standing there with on hand over the other.
"Gareth, please." Alex was sweating profusely and almost seemed to be crying.
"Shut up, Alex." He put his hand up to silence his friend. "What do you want, Rick?"
"Where are our people?" Rick asked.
"You didn't answer the question." Gareth made a fist and Rick spun, a shot ringing out. Alex was shot and everything started moving quickly. Skylar ducked and ran towards Michonne with Carl at her heels. Rick was yelling at them to move faster while snipers shot at their feet. Daryl lead them into a door that was open that lead them into a garage where the large door was dropping too fast for them to get through. Michonne called them to a door that was unlocked and once again thrown outside where the snipers shot at their feet, almost herding them. Daryl ran in the front trying to keep them moving and trying to find places to hide. They ran were some rectangular cargo boxes Skylar had seen on trains stacked together. As Skylar ran by she heard screaming: "Some get help!" But everyone else was moving too fast she couldn't stop and ask questions.
They barged into a room full of candles. they were placed on the floor or on shelves or hanging up. Large block letters on the wall wrote Never Again. Never Trust. We First, Always. Names were written on the floor.
"I don't think they were trying to kill us," Michonne said, trying to catch her breath.
"No, they were aiming at our feet," Rick said and spun in a circle looking for a way out of the weird room. There was an open one that he pointed to and they ran for it, but it closed just as they reached it. Daryl pointed to another one and they ran a little faster just in case and weren't stopped that time. But they were outside again with bullets flying in front of their feet. But they had found a fence they could jump. Skylar's heart leaped in her chest and she pushed her sore leg to drag her a bit faster, but almost ran into Daryl. Then she saw the men lift themselves from the thick grass, aiming guns at them. They were surrounded.
"Drop your weapons!" Gareth yelled from above. They stood there, but they didn't have much of a choice again. They put their stuff down.
"Ringleader, turn to the left." Gareth called to Rick. "To the train car!" Rick looked at Skylar and Carl. Skylar was terrified. She didn't want Rick to go, she wouldn't know what to do then. "Do what we say and the kids go with you! Anything else, and they die." Rick gave them one last nod and walked to the train car where steps lead up to the door. "Now the archer." Daryl gave them his signature glare and followed. "Now, the samurai." Just Carl and Skylar left.
"Stand at the door! Ringleader, Archer, and Samurai, in that order!" Skylar grabbed Carl's hand again and they looked at each other. Skylar has never felt so small before, everyone was looking down and watching her with weapons pointed at her, ready to kill.
"The kids!" Rick shouted.
"Go," Gareth told them. Skylar wanted to run to Rick but Carl held her back by holding her hand even tighter, almost crushing it.
"Ringleader, open the door and go in."
"Not without them!"
"Don't make me kill them now." Gareth sounded bored. Rick did as told, watching the two as he went in. Daryl and Michonned followed close behind. Carl paused at the steps and looked at Skylar with wide blue eyes. She squeezed his hand and they walked up the stairs together. Rick took them the second they stepped foot inside. The door shut behind them, making the train car black except for the little light coming through the cracks.
Rick had pulled them to the corner of the train car when they heard a thump and movement from the other side. A figure made his way slowly into the dimlight and they saw a familiar face.
"Rick?" Glen couldn't believe his eyes. "Is that you?" Then Maggie, Bob, and Sasha came out of the shadows. As well as new people.
"You're here," Rick nodded his head. "You're here."
"They're our friends," Maggie said when she saw Rick staring. "They helped us."
"Now they're friends of ours," Daryl spoke.
"For however long that is." The big man with the handlebar mustache was about to turn away.
"No." Rick's voice made him turn back. "They're going to feel pretty stupid when they find out."
"Find out what?" Big guy asked. Everyone looked at Rick as he moved to look out a crack in the car.
"They're screwing with the wrong people."