SIX
Rick didn't trust these people. Why would he, for the past few weeks, since the prison fell, he and his family have had nothing but misleads of hope and safety, so why would this be any different?
Aaron and Lorelei remained restrained in the old barn, the group left to check on their vehicles, and search the perimeter in case of threats, this left only Lorelei, Aaron, Rick, and his baby daughter in their current housing.
After sitting in silence for a few minutes after the group's departure Aaron decided to try his luck, "When the world was still the world, I worked for an NGO. Our mission was to deliver medicine and food to the Niger River Delta. Bad people pointed guns in my face every other week. You're not bad people. You're not going to kill us. And we are definitely not going to kill you."
Rick looked at the man with a dark look in his eyes, one of past torment and paranoia, "Just because we're good people doesn't mean we won't kill you. If the five of them aren't back in an hour... I'll put a knife in the base of your skulls."
"Cant wait," Lorelei mumbled quietly, with a sigh. It was going to be a long day.
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Time passed about as quickly as when watching paint dry, Judith's cries ripped through the quiet as her stressed father attempted to mash something in a bowl, hoping for an edible result as he shushed her quietly.
"You did see the jar of applesauce in my bag, right? This isn't a trick. This isn't about trying to make you like me. It's self-preservation. Because if the roamers hear her and come this way, I know we'll be the first to go." Aaron spoke nervously. Lorelei remained silent when Rick looked at her, he wouldn't believe anything she said anyway.
"Shh, shh. All right, come here, come here. Shh." Rick cooed to the baby as he moved, grabbing the apple sauce from Aaron's stuff and getting a spoonful, bringing it to Aaron's mouth.
"You think I'm trying to poison your baby daughter? I'm tied up and you've already expressed a willingness to stab us in the head. How would cruelly killing your daughter in front of you in any way help the situation?" Aaron questioned in disbelief.
"Maybe she doesn't die. Maybe she gets sick. Maybe you guys are the only ones that can help her and I just lose."
"I am the only one who can help her because I have applesauce and we all win." Rick didn't care much for Aaron's statement, continuing to hold the spoon towards Aaron's mouth. "I hate applesauce. My mom used to make me eat foods I didn't like to make me more manly. Salmon patties, applesauce, and onions. She was a very confused woman who tried her damnedest..."
"Oh for god's sake just give me the damn apple sauce," Lorelei said, rolling her eyes, Rick looked at her and walked over, feeding her the contents on the spoon, then waiting to see if anything would happen. "See. Not. Poison." she said, giving him an innocent smile.
Rick brought another spoon to his own mouth anyways just to be sure. After he was positive that the apple sauce was fine for his daughter to consume, he fed it to her, easing her cries of hunger.
"The community is big enough. We can find a place for you to live where even when she cries, no one, nothing can hear it outside the walls." Aaron assured the man.
"You got 43 minutes," Rick said coldly.
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Another 15 minutes passed by in silence, not a word passed through the air, the only sounds coming from the small child or the shuffling of footsteps. The group finally returned, notifying Rick of the realness of their cars and lack of threat.
"This, this is ours now," Rick said, motioning to their supplies.
"There's more than enough," Aaron replied.
"It's ours whether or not we go to your camp."
"What do you mean? Why wouldn't we go?" The young boy questioned his father.
"My thoughts exactly kid," Lorelei said as Rick sent a glare her way too which she smiled.
"If they were lying or if they wanted to hurt us... but they aren't, and they don't. We need this. So we're going, all of us. Somebody say something if they feel differently." Michonne said, answering Carl's curiosity.
"I don't know, man. This barn smells like horse shit." The hunter agreed with the woman when Rick looked to him for input. His comment made Lorelei look down with a slight smile on her face.
"Yeah. We're going. So where are we going? Where's your camp?" Rick asked the pair.
"Well, every time I've done this, I've been behind the wheel driving recruits back. I believe you're good people. I've bet my life on it. I'm just not ready to bet my friends' lives just yet." Aaron answered.
Rick didn't look too pleased with the answer, looking at Lorelei as if her thoughts would be different. She shook her head in agreement with her friend. She believed they were good people, but as Rick said himself, that didn't mean they wouldn't kill them. That was a threat she wasn't willing to blindside her community with. They could barely hold knives, if these people wanted to they could wipe them out in seconds, no matter how outnumbered they were.
"Neither of you are driving. So if you want to get home, you'll have to tell us how." Michonne said.
"Go North on Route 16." Aaron started.
"And then?"
"I'll tell you when we get there."
"We'll take 23 north. You'll give us directions from there." Rick said, opposite to Aarons plan.
"That's a bad plan, we've cleared 16. It'll be faster, safer." Lorelei said.
"We'll take 23." he repeated stubbornly, "We leave at sundown."
"We're doing this at night?" Sasha asks.
" Look, I know it's dangerous. But it's better than riding up to the gates during the day. If it isn't safe, we need to get gone before they know we're there."
"We're not looking to hurt you, I get your concern I do, I get it you're trying to protect your family, but you're just putting them in more danger," Lorelei said, getting slightly frustrated.
"Tell me where the camp is, we'll leave right now." He looked at her knowingly. She said nothing, just shook her head letting out a frustrated sigh, leaning back in defeat. "It's going to be a long night. Eat. Get some rest if you can."
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VOTE & COMMENT PLEASE <3
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