SUPPLY RUN MISHAP-054
"Glenn, Tara, Noah, and Matilda?" Aiden pointed to each of them. "Nice to meet you. I'm Aiden. You met Nickolas pulling gate duty."
"Hey." Nicholas greeted.
"You're Deanna's son?" Glenn questioned.
Aiden nodded. "That's right. I hear you got experience making supply runs."
"I saw your pantry. You guys seem to do pretty well." Glenn pointed out.
"Yeah, well, I had some training before this. ROTC. I was nearing lieutenant when this shit blew in." Aiden explained, confidently.
"My dad did ROTC," Noah commented.
"He didn't make it?"
Noah swallowed. "Nah."
"I'm sorry," Aiden says. " I'm sorry a lot these days. Come on, I'll show you the ropes." He said, taking off past them.
"We're doing a run today?" Matilda asked, in disbelief.
Aiden stopped and turned around. "Just a dry run. Show you the terrain outside the walls, see how you do. Weigh each other's sack a little, you know?"
"No, I don't, but cool," Tara replied with her crossed over her chest.
"What about weapons?" Tilly asked, standing next to Tara.
"Oh, yeah," Aiden said. "We pulled out some sweet-ass biscuits for today."
He pointed towards Nicholas, who pulled out handguns, and handed each of them one, making them all check it. It was full of ammo. Matilda glanced at her best friend and saw that he didn't look happy.
"Okay, let's go," Aiden ordered. He started walking to the gate with Nicholas following behind. They all looked at each other, before following.
***
Violet quickly walked down the street in frustration. She ran her hand through her now short hair before sighing. Why couldn't she just sucked it up and stayed? Bury her feeling for those damn boys even more than she already has. Violet climbed up the stairs and walked into the tan house.
She saw Carol in the kitchen making dinner, walking over and plopped onto the seat at the island. Violet layed her head on the counter and sighed loudly.
The woman looked up at her, in confusion. "What's up with you?"
"Boys," Violet muttered making Carol nod in understanding.
"Does this have to do with a certain boys?" Carol asked as she put the water on the shove. She was making stew.
"Yeah, and how do you know if you love one more than the other?" Violet asked.
"Well, how do they make you feel?"
"Carl makes me feel happy, loved, but so does Lee."
Carol nodded. "Okay, how about a spark? Do one of give a more aggressive spark? A thrill."
Violet thought for a moment before nodding. "Lee. Being with him gives me a surge of thrill."
"Then that's your answer. If Lee gives you a thrilling feeling. Go for him." Carol said.
"But what if I hurt Carl? Because I don't want to." Violet rubbed her head.
Carol dropped some carrots in the stew. "You're going to hurt either one of them, no matter who you pick. All I can say is pick who makes you feel special and give a thrill."
Violet nodded, standing up. "Thanks, Carol."
"No problem, Vi." The woman said, smiling at her. "I'll be here when you need to talk."
The raven haired girl hurried out the house, walking down the street, kicking the pebbles as a sudden movement caught her eyes.
She turned towards the fence to see Carl climbing over the wall and jump to the other side. Violet's eyes widened as she sprinted towards the fence, climbing it and landed on the other side.
Carl was a few feet in front of her as she followed behind, watching as he came to a stop and hid behind a tree. He was watching something or someone as Violet took this opening to rush over to him which scared him.
Carl wheeled around, his eyes wide. "Violet? What are you doing here?"
"I can say the same for you," Violet said, as she spotted Enid. "Why are you following her?"
"Because I saw her leave."
Violet stared at Carl. "So you went after her because?"
"Uh, because it's dangerous out here," Carl said, trying but failing to convince Violet.
Violet rolled her eyes and stayed quiet. Enid had run off when Violet and Carl were talking. The boy sighed before they walked through the woods. They got to a white house and heard walkers snarling.
Walking around the house, they came face to face with Rick. Rick stared at the teens before turning around and pulled out his knife. They stood at the ready as three walked stumbled towards them. Violet and Carl pulled out their knives.
"Get ready," Rick said, before charging at the walker. Carl did the same as Violet launched herself on the last walker.
She stabbed it on the brain causing blood to splatter on her clothes. Two more walkers came towards them, Rick held one back when another one grabbed his ankle.
Violet and Carl stabbed the walker in the head before Rick pulled the walker out from under the old rug.
"Dad," Carl spoke, motioning towards the pipe Rick picked up.
Rick gave the pipe to his son before Carl plunged to pipe into the walkers head. The father and son looked at each other before nodding.
***
"We've been increasing our radius mile by mile, spreading in a semicircle around the town," Aiden explained as they walked up a hill.
"We've made it 53 miles out so far," Nicholas added.
"We break into two groups when we step outside our vehicle. If shit hits, we fire a flare. One group gets the other." Aiden continued.
They walked into the woods, Matilda was walking in sync with Glenn while Tara and Noah were in front of them.
"Good system," Noah says.
"It is." Aiden starts. "Still, your standing here because we lost four people last month."
Glenn and Matilda glanced at each other as the man spoke. "What happened?"
"We were on a run, roamers came out, they didn't follow the system."
Nicholas glanced back at them. "They were good people."
"They were." Aiden agreed. "They were just scared. Look, I can be hard-ass. And I know I'm a douchbag. Someone's got to call the ball around here and that someone is me. If you're on this crew, you do exactly as I say."
Matilda nudged Glenn. "I have a bad feeling about him. He's too full of himself and that might get us killed."
Glenn nodded. "Yeah, we need to watch out."
"Sorry, you lost your people," Tara spoke.
"Yeah. We got ours." Aiden says, walking further into the woods.
"Managed to snag one of the deadheads that took them down. Strung it u there." Nicholas explained, pointing to the direction they were heading.
"What? Why?" Glenn asked, in disbelief.
"Now we have a little pregame ritual. Get our heads on straight." Nicholas replied.
They got to the place and Matilda instantly smelled rotten flesh.
"Son of a bitch!" Aiden shouted, as a stringy piece of flesh hanged from a tree. "Help me find it."
"The blood is still wet. It's nearby." Nicholas says before he started whistling.
Glenn stormed up to him.
"Hey! It's gone,"
It took down one of our friends." Aiden snarled. "It's nearby, we're not letting it go."
Nicholas whistles again, followed by snarls of a walker. It came out from behind Aiden, who tried to lead it to the chain. The walker stumbled towards Nicholas, before Aiden ties to catch it.
Tara and Noah aim their gun at the walker ready to shot it, but Nicholas glared at them. "No, don't touch it."
"The rest of you, back off," Aiden growled, grabbing one of the arms.
The arms being to rip apart as Matilda stalked up to them and pulled out her knife. The walker turns and tries to bite Aiden but the woman latch onto it.
Aiden swang his hand causing his knife to slice open her cheek. "Back off, Matilda!"
Matilda didn't listen as she stabbed the walker in the head making it falls limp. All of a sudden, Aiden swung his fist, punching her in the mouth. She landed on the group, holding her mouth as the man stood over her.
"Hey! Back up!" Glenn growls, pushing Aiden and stood in front of his best friend. "Stay away from her!"
"What the hell?!" Aiden says, staring at Glenn.
Tara helped Tilly stand as their boys stood in front of them, protectively. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, blood strained her mouth.
"Yeah, what the hell? Why the hell did you punch Matilda?" Glenn spoke, glaring at Aiden.
"I told you all to stay back! And she didn't!" Aiden snarled. "I told you to listen to every damn thing I said. I told you that."
Glenn and Noah glared at him before her best friend grabbed her arm and dragged her away with Tara and Noah following.
Once they were far enough away, Glenn stopped.
"You alright?"
Matilda nodded, wiping away the blood from her cheek. The blood smeared across her face and her mouth was coated with blood. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just stings."
Glenn examined her cheek. "It needs stitches. Let's head back."
Once they got back to the gate, Glenn stormed in, pulling his best friend along as Aiden and Nicholas rushed in behind.
"You four need new gigs," Aiden says. "You're not ready for runs yet."
"Yeah, pretty sure you got that backwards." Glenn spoke as Aiden ran to catch up with him.
He grabbed the Korean man's shoulder and pulled him back.
"Look, we got a way of doing things around here."
"You tied up walkers," Matilda spoke, standing next to Glenn. She had enough of this too-fall-of-himself man.
"It killed our friend," Aiden said, getting closer to the two. "Look, I'm not having this conversation."
A crowd started to form as Aiden's voice got louder as he pointed at Matilda. "You obey my orders out there.
Aiden stepped closer to the woman but she stood her ground.
"Then we're just as screwed as your last run crew." Matilda comments as their group walk over.
"Say that again," Aiden warned.
"Aiden, back off," Glenn ordered as his best friend and Aiden stare down each other.
Aiden pushed Matilda roughly causing her knock into Glenn who caught her. Before anyone could interfere, she swung her fist correcting it with his nose. A sickening crack was heard as Aiden stumbled back holding his nose.
Arms wrapped around Matilda's waist when she lunged at the man again. She pushed herself out of the arms to see her husband was the one who the arms belong to.
Matilda moved hair out of her face as she looked towards Aiden. He was nursing his bleeding nose, which was most likely broken.
"Aiden! What is going on?" Deanna called, walking over to the scene.
Aiden pointed towards Matilda, his voice coming out odd. "Glenn and Mwtildw have a prowlem with the way we do twings. Why did you let twese peoplw in?"
"Because we actually know what we're doing out there," Matilda stated before Aiden turns around goes to punch her. She ducks at the lazy weak move before punching him in the nose for a second time.
"That's enough!" Deanna shouted as Nicholas tried to attack the woman to defend his first, but Daryl quickly tackled him.
Matilda didn't stop her husband as her father, Carl, and Violet stormed through the gates with a red-haired girl. Kelly and Lola pulled Daryl off Aiden, pushing him towards his wife.
The dark haired woman wrapped an arm around her husband's waist, holding him back as Deanna spoke.
"I want everyone to hear me, okay? Rick and his people are part of this community now in all ways as equals. Understood?"
She sent a hard towards her son and pulled him towards their house, leaving the group standing alone.
Daryl eyed the young redhead girl. "Who the hell are ya?"
"Hi, I'm Rosewood Jackson." Rosewood greeted as the group looked towards her. "But you can call me Rosie."