ALEXANDRIA-051
Lee sat in the back between Michonne and Aaron, while his father and Glenn were in the front with the Korean man driving. Rick would glance back at his son still not trusting Aaron. It was dead silence as Glenn drove down the deserted road, the RV was following closely.
Lee glanced at Aaron kept muttering under his breath before looking back towards his father who opened the glove box and pulled out a stack of license plates.
"Um, I'm trying to collect all 50 states," Aaron explained. "Put them all on a wall in my house."
"You have your own house?" Michonne asked, glancing at him.
"See for yourself," Aaron said, motioning towards his lap.
The envelope of pictures sat on his lap as Lee picked them up, before scanning through the photos. He leaned closer to Michonne, the teen and woman looked at one of the houses.
He frowned before looking back at Aaron. "Why don't you have any photos of your people?"
"Oh, I took a picture of the whole group, but I didn't get the exposure right. When I tried to develop it later, it just—"
"Did you ask him the questions?" Michonne interrupted.
"No," Rick replied.
It went silent until Lee spoke. "How many walkers have you killed?"
"I'm sorry, what?" Aaron says, confused.
"How many?"
"I don't know. A lot." Aaron answered after a second of silence.
"How many people?" Lee questioned.
"Two."
"Why?"
"Because they tried to kill me," Aaron replied as Rick pulled out a weird listening device.
"You were listening to us?" Glenn asked, glancing back at Aaron.
Lee took the device out of his father's hand before examining it. It looks like a microphone that was connected to a cone.
"I already said I was watching you. Yes, I was listening." Aaron answered.
"That's creepy, Dude," Lee muttered, as his father spoke.
"It means his people could have one, too," Rick says, glancing at his son and Michonne. He turned back to Glenn. "They could've heard out plan. This isn't safe."
The car jerked harshly making Lee to shoot forewords. Michonne grabbed the boy, pulling him back as they hit walkers and blood splattered on the windows.
"They were right behind us," Glenn shouted. "They would have hit us. Now they can get out."
The man floored the car before coming to a harsh stop, this time Lee hung on to something.
Rick rushes out of the car, looking for the RV, while Lee climbed over Aaron, jumping out of the car and rushed over to his father.
"I don't see them," Rick called, grabbing onto Lee's arm.
Glenn climbed on top of the car and looked in the distence, but it was blocked by herds of walkers.
"No, they're gone. They got away."
He climbed down the car and wiped off some of the blood from the windshield. Lee climbed back over Aaron, who moved back to give her room as his father and Glenn got back in the car.
Rick took out the map. "We can take a left a couple of miles up 23. Jefferson Avenue."
"Jefferson Avenue," Glenn repeated, starting up the car. The engine sputtered before it dies. Lee looked out of the windshield and saw walkers heading their way.
"Dad! Walkers!" He cried making Rick look up at the window.
Glenn mumbled a few curse words under his breath, the car refused to start. The snarling of the walkers got louder as they stumble towards them.
"We got to get out of here!" Aaron shouted. "They're coming right for us!"
Michonne said something that Lee didn't catch. He was panicking. Lee realized he wasn't as brave as he thought, they might die and never see his siblings again.
Lee started hyperventilating at the thought of not seeing them. His breathing began to come out in wheezes causing his father to snap his head back to him.
"Lee! Hey, it's alright. Baby, breathe." Rick says, reaching back to him.
"D-ad, I'm-I'm not—I can't—shit." Lee stuttered, holding onto his father's arm.
"Hey, it's okay. Just breath." His father said.
After few long minutes, Rick and managed to calm his son down. He was panicky, his dark eyes wide, but he calmed down enough to focus.
"Hold up." Glenn said as a red flame flew up in the sky.
"Shit," Aaron whispered making Lee look at him.
"Who did that?" Lee asked.
Aaron grabbed the door handle ready to leave but the teen grabbed him roughly by the shoulders.
"Who the hell did that?!"
"I need to leave," Aaron says, ignoring Lee. "This is over."
He ripped away from the boy before struggling against the ties.
"Let me out. I need to get outta here. It's over."
"What's going on?" Rick asked, but Aaron continued to struggle.
"Let me out!"
Michonne came back and peered into the car. "Did you see that?"
All of a sudden, Lee was pushed back, hard, into other door. His head hit the window as Aaron got out the other side and ran through the woods.
"You okay, Lee?" Michonne asked, as she came over and helped her leader's son out of the car.
Lee nodded, placing his hand on his head. Warm liquid ran down the side of his head from where he had hit the window. He looked around from the man but was only meet with woods. The teen and woman looked at each other before taking off into the woods.
"Michonne, Samual! Leave him!" Rick shouted as his son and the woman he had feelings for disappeared into the woods. Rick and Glenn ran after the duo.
Lee spirited as fast as she could to catch up with Aaron. His shoulder length hair whipped behind his as he spotted Aaron running through trees.
A surge of braveness shot through the teen as he watched him stumbled, taking this opening to tackle him.
Maybe he was as brave as he thought.
They rolled over each other before Lee ended on top. The teen straddled the man, placing his forearm across his throat. "What the hell is wrong with you!?"
"I-" Aaron tried choking out, but Lee pressed his arm harder, putting all his weight on the man.
He was about to say something, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. Lee whipped around to see Glenn standing alone, behind him.
"Lee. Let him go." Glenn spoke, but Lee only stared at him. "Let him go."
The teen hesitated before standing up. Aaron coughed, holding his throat. "Jesus, you're strong."
"Run if you want. We got other things to worry about." Glenn spoke, grabbing Lee's bicep and pushing him forwards.
"We can make it together," Aaron said, rubbing his bruised throat. The teenager had choked him so hard that it left a bruise.
"We can only make it together. Like you said."
***
"Lee! Glenn! They got to be somewhere around here." Rick said, walking back to back with Michonne.
He had met up with the woman when his so and Glenn went missing. Michonne told him that Lee was too fast for her, she lost him through the trees. Now it was Rick's turn to panic, not only they can't find the Rv but now he lost his son and group member.
"Lee! Glenn!" Michonne yelled as Rick shot at the incoming walkers.
He ran out of bullets so he took out the flame gun and shot it in a walker's head. The pair started fighting off the walkers when gunshots happened. The walkers went down, Michonne and Rick turned to see Lee, Glenn, and Aaron holding their guns.
Aaron held up his hands and handed his gun over to the teen. "If you really want to tie me up again, that's fine. But Lee almost choked me out. So I won't run again."
"There's no time. We're going that way. Lee with me." Rick says as his so rushed over to him as they take off again. They got the main road, it was silence except for the heavy breathing.
"Where are they?"
"I don't know," Aaron admitted. The two men stood in front of each other.
Lee stood next to his father, he looked around to see a water tower. His dark eyes widen when he remembers that's where the flame went off.
"If this is a trap to get us back where you want us, your people are going to die tonight." Rick threatened as they began walking again towards the water tower. He looked over his som and saw the dried blood on the side of his face.
"I hit my head when Aaron pushed me against the door. But I'm fine, Dad." Lee spoke walking in sync with his father.
Rick wrapped his arm around his shoulder before planting a kiss on his son's head. "The flare was towards the water tower,"
A couple of mintures later, they walked down an alleyway below the water tower. Rick whistled gaining any of their group members. It wasn't long until they heard a familiar whistle before Daryl and Matilda came out of the shadows.
Daryl waved them down to a big rusty door as his wife checked over her younger brother as Carl and Violet came over to them.
"Eric? Eric?" Aaron spoke, walking into the building.
Matilda glanced at Aaron before Eric who was inside called out to him. "In here!"
Aaron rushed in which made her father follow with Judith in his arms. Lee quickly followed, entering the small room that laugher came out. He walked up next to his father, taking his baby sister.
"Hi. I'm Eric." Eric said, looking at the father and his childern.
"Rick." Lee's father said.
"Lee." Lee greeted, shifting Judith on his lap.
"And who's that little girl?" Eric asked, smiling at Judith.
"Judith," Lee replied.
"Is she yours?" Eric questioned, looking at Rick who nodded. "She's beautiful."
"Excuse me. Everyone. Thank you. You saved Eric." Aaron started, looking at the group. "I own you. All of you. And I will make sure that debt is paid in full when we get to our community. When we get to Alexandria. Now, I'm not sure about you, but I'd rather not do any more driving tonight. Maybe we can hit the road tomorrow morning."
"That sounds fine. But if we're staying here for the night, you're sleeping over there." Rick told Aaron as the man looked at him in disbelief.
"You really think we got to do that?" Kelly asked.
"It's the safe play we don't know you," Rick says.
"The only way you're gonna stop me from being with him right now is by shooting me," Aaron stated firmly.
Glenn turned to his leader. "Rick, he told us where the camp is. And he really was only with one other person. They're both unarmed. One of them's got a broken ankle. I want us to be safe, too. I can't give up everything else. I know what I said, but it does matter."
Rick didn't say anything for a moment, he looked between the kids. They needed a place to live, especially his youngest daughter.
"All right."
***
The next day, everyone crammed into the Rv. Matilda, Carl, Lee, Michonne and Rick were all in the car that followed the Rv. Tilly was held Judith.
The Rv came to a stop, Abraham cursed before getting out of the Rv as the redhead punched the Rv as Glenn and Kelly looked at it.
"Can't win. Might as well paint it red, put a ladder on it."
"Battery is fried. All we need is another one." Kelly says, making Abraham look at her.
"Where in the hell are we gonna find another battery?"
Glenn walked over to the entrance of the RV, he lifted up the cupboard. A new battery was sitting there.
"How'd you know those were there?" Abraham asked, the woman and Glenn. The best friends didn't answer, before motioning the redhead into the Rv.
"The fight's over," Michonne spoke. You've got to let it go. I know it's hard. After it's kept you warm and fed and alive. But the fight it turned on you. You've got to get it go."
Rick nodded. "That's what Bob was trying to tell me and Tilly back at the church. What to risk. When it's safe. When to let someone in. The rules keep changing."
"They did for me," Michonne said, before the Rv came back to life. Everyone got back into their rightful places, as Abraham took off again down the road. Not before long, they got to a large gate in front of Alexandria.
Everyone got out of the Rv and car, Matilda walked over to her father, shifting her sister on her hip.
"You ready, dad?"
Rick looked down at his daughters before glancing at his boys.
"Yeah. Yeah. I'm ready."