Chapter 33
•Joslyn•
My arms wrapped around Aaron's neck, and they were crossing in the back. The hug felt so unreal. He could have been dead, but I knew he wasn't.
When the world wasn't shit, when kids walked on the streets with soccer balls instead of guns, and before everything wasn't taken, I had an amazing life.
Other than the problem with my parents protecting me than the wrong things, and also barely deserving that tittle, I was fine. Aaron was at least two years older than me, and he was like a big brother I never had, so he kind of was a replacement with my parents. That's how I knew he wasn't gone.
When this whole waste of earth started, this virus among the world spread, Aaron sat with me in a tree as I did some...thinking. I was my eight year old self and I was scared. I didn't want to admit it, but I was. He made it better. He sat there with me in complete silence, but I knew what he was doing. He knew it somehow comforted me. Walkers were below our dangling feet as we sat there, trying to escape as they came, and I will never forget what he said to me...
"Go. I'll find you and we can actually talk. I'll distract them. I learned this in a video game..."
Maybe I was the smarter one, but he was the bravest.
"I'll find you again. We can talk...."
-
My mind checked in again as I released my grip on Aaron.
"I can't believe it."
He began.
"What..."
"I actually found you."
A smirk formed on his face and I smiled back. We broke our stare as we looked back to the boy who attempted to kill me earlier. He scratched the back of his head as he began to step foreword.
"Oh...you...you know each other."
My lips squeezed together and I raised my eyebrows sarcastically, nodding my head.
"Yea...uh- sorry about..."
"It's okay."
I nodded.
I turned back to Aaron, smiling as he looked down to me. His eyes were still as bright and brown as I remember with a refreshing gold tone in the middle. His hair was just as jagged as it always has been and his skin never looked so tan.
"Did you come up here to see me?"
He asked, almost surprised.
"Yes, yes I did, Aaron, I just really needed to retrieve that promise."
"What promise?"
My face went blank as my whole body went in shock. I couldn't believe what he just heard.
Maybe he never really listened to what you were saying to him.
Maybe you should have stayed.
And why should I have stayed?!
Carl listened.
Did I make the right decision on coming here? The only reason I came is that I knew that Aaron could protect and lead. But, this world can get emotional, and Aaron did not lime tear stains on his shirt.
"Hey,"
I looked to see a man head in the door, followed by two girls who looked about eighteen. The man who wore the blue bandana walked over, in a moss green jacket with a whole bad ass outfit, to Aaron. His face looked a bot beaten, yet he didn't have a look of a bad ass. His brown hair was perfectly trimmed and he had no beard, sideburns, or anything. He was tough though...right?
This was a bad idea.
This was one more person I would have to grow to, along with the rest of the group.
You barely even know Carl's, let alone even know the rest of their personalities.
Two women.
An asshole.
Blue eyes.
Toughie.
The man reminded me of Toughi- Daryl. Was this man tough?
Was Daryl even tough?...
-
"Joslyn, this is Manny,"
I waved to the man in the blue bandana and he gave half a smirk, nodding his head to me.
"He's kind of like our leader."
Asshole.
"Oh, and that's Ash and Missy, Manny's kids."
The two stood there, not doing anything. They didn't look like they gave much, or say much at that matter.
Two women.
But Michonne and Maggie seemed like so much more than that.
This group was not what I was expecting. I was expecting me to get here and then I would be able to talk to Aaron again. I expected to come up to Illinois and receive that promise I've been waiting for for so long, and even see some things from memories.
Is that what you are going to do?
Judge everything?
Places, objects, people...
I could say one thing for sure: I did not want to stay with these people. As we all stood near the screen-less door, not one word was spoken. No words came out, not thoughts were given, and no feelings were shared. I wanted to go back. I have no idea why I preferred Aaron over Carl. I guess I get nervous...
"Oh, Lord, little lady, what's that from?"
Manny leaned down a notch, examining the front of my neck. I didn't know what he was looking at until my hand reached up, and as it pulled back, it was stained at the fingertips with blood.
"Parker..."
"Yea, sorry..."
The blonde haired boy, who I will now know as Parker, bit his bottom lip as Manny looked at him.
"It's just, our rule..."
I felt confused, probably looking what I was feeling, as I looked around and stuttered.
"W-what rule..."
"Oh, well, we have a rule in this group..."
Aaron motioned to Manny to finish his statement that he started.
"If they look like a threat, you become the threat."
"Otherwise meaning you don't let anyone kill you, but you kill them first."
Parker added. My heart almost fell from my chest as we heard multiple gunshots come from outside, not sounding like they were from too far away.
Aaron and the rest of the group pulled out their guns as Manny leaned out the door, looking side to side before he motioned us all to follow. As we all headed out behind him, I tugged on Aaron's old grey shirt.
"Hey, what are we doing."
"We're gonna go check it out."
Wow, maybe Manny's just a dumbass.
"When we get back, can we talk? There's so much I have to-"
"Joslyn, why the hell do you keep bringing up talking and promises?!"
"You...you don't remember?
Aaron shook his head no, shaking my hand off of his shirt. I took a deep breath and followed him out, hiding how I felt.
So this is what you have to deal with. The whole time you've been here, you've been worried and judging. Are you really going to bring that back from before?
Before, the way you look at people was your first impression of them, and I'm sticking with it. It's not like I want to, but I might have to.
"If they look like a threat, you become the threat."
How awful.
As I kept running, trying to be caught up as they ran through the woods, heading in a different direction then where I came from, it occurred to me how similar this world really was to the other one.
The walkers and people are considered threats to each other. Almost treating each other so differently.
Being tough in this world is considered being a good thing.
Hell, here I thought Manny was a tough guy, but is he? What if he just wants to look that way in front of his kids.
Toughie.
I hadn't caught up to them. I looked around as I was seeing nothing but shadows of branches and crumpled leaves.
"Aaron?!...Manny?!..."
I heard one last gunshot as I turned, seeing a faint grey line behind the edge where the woods ended. I ran, seeing a better view as I got closer and closer.
Every time I got closer, I saw the colors and direct texture of everything. I also noticed that there were more people who had guns pointed to their temples.
This is what I mean. Why can't everyone just come together instead of fighting for independence and selfness?!
I took another couple steps as I his behind a tree, peering my head around it. It was definitely my group, yet they were the ones pointing the guns. People were just sitting at the ground, not doing anything, yet as I looked to the left, I saw Manny apart from all the others as his gun pointed to a boy on the ground. His body looked shy, weak, and helpless, but his eyes and face looked angry and determined. It was all hidden inside of him, and he probably, like everyone else, hid his feelings and he was hiding his face behind the rim of his ha-
Blue Eyes...