Odd Man Out

Being with a new group felt so foreign to me. I couldn't figure out how to act. For a year and a half, I was with Rick, and Daryl, and Glenn, and anyone else who meshed well with us along the way. Yes, there were times that the group had been torn apart and split up, but I always had someone from my group there with me. Now I felt alone. I am forced to start over. The fear of being completely alone was the only drive for me to stay with this group.

On the outside, they appeared kind-hearted, genuine people. Although I know better than to truly believe that. Each one of them had a past, a story of their own that brought them to this very moment together. And I was afraid to find out exactly what skeletons they held in their closet. Likewise, as they should be for me. But perhaps they don't care what my past held though? Or perhaps they haven't been through what I have and didn't know the extent of human nature when they are at their most vulnerable and most fearful state.

What worried me the most though, was my lack of knowledge on how they worked together. With my group, I knew every person through and through. I knew how they moved, how they fought, how fast they were. I knew their strengths and more importantly, I knew their weaknesses. I knew that if I ever screwed up when taking on walkers Daryl would always have my back. I knew that Rick would always put our well-being before ever trusting someone else when it came to encountering other groups. I knew that if we were ever stuck in a situation that seemed almost impossible to maneuver out of Glenn would always have a plan already formulated. And I knew that no matter how dangerous it would be, nobody would get left behind.

"What are you thinking about?" Roni asked me. She slowed down her pace to the point where I caught up and she could walk beside me. We had been following the tracks all morning. They had shown me a map that appeared every once and a while along the route, a large black star marking the location of Terminus camp.

"Just thinking about life before all of this." I lied.

"Anything in particular?" she questioned, trying to make conversation. I think she was just trying to make me feel comfortable with her.

I decided to tell the truth about my life beforehand. The old world we lived in felt like a dream at this point, but nothing that happened before the dead rose to walk the earth was going to reveal much about my life now.

"I was thinking about where I'd be in life if things didn't turn out the way they did. Probably just graduating university and starting a job in my field," I explained.

"And what would that be?"

"Communications--" I was cut off by an exhaled snort coming from Rigs. "What?" I questioned his amusement from what I had said.

"I just think it's funny how you studied Communications and we can barely get a conversation out of you," he explained, a stupid smirk dangling on his face.

"Yeah, coming for the guy who hasn't said a single word until now," I snapped back.

I could see him glaring at me now. I waited for another remark back. "Oh, I've got a lot to say. I just don't think you wanna hear it."

"Really? Why don't you try me out?" I narrowed my eyes.

"Fine. I don't think you were alone in that graveyard. I don't think you had a damn dog. I think you had someone and you're just trying to save your ass. I think you're a liar," he said, stepping up to me.

I was silent for a moment, but I was fuming. Where does this guy get the nerve to say that to me? To want me to just spill my guts about my situation after they whacked me over the head and tied me up.

"You don't know anything about me," I spat.

"Exactly! We don't," he said. He then turned his attention to Roni. "And I'm sick and tired of you acting all nice to the new girl who could very well get us all killed. Just because you felt like she needed saving."

"Alright, that's enough Rigs--"

"I can assure you I can handle myself just fine," I cut Roni off, wanting to say my piece to Rigs.

"Knowing that takes trust for us," he said, his tone harsh.

"You can trust that I won't get you killed."

"Fine, then an easy question. How'd you get that scar on your face?" He brought his finger up to my cheek.

I was taken aback for a moment, that was not something I wanted to answer. I was quiet for a moment. He stared down at me waiting for me to speak up. "That's not an easy question," I said, my voice much lower now. I could feel everyone's eyes burning into me, or more so burning into the deep laceration on my face.

Rigs laughed in disbelief, "There's not a trusting bone in your body," he said before walking away from the fight he picked.

My mouth moved faster than my brain had time to comprehend what I was saying, "They called him The Governor," the words rushed out of me. Rigs stopped in his tracks, as did everyone else. I don't know why I said that. I didn't have to prove anything to Rigs, but I knew myself. Although I didn't trust them, I knew that they could trust me when it came down to it. And the fact that it was in question got me to say what I did. "One of his men had captured me and The Governor did this to my face when I wouldn't talk."

Rigs walked back up to me, staring down at me for a long while, studying my face, "No, not just you. Your people. You were with Rick," he said.

I was completely taken aback, stumbling on my words. How did he know Rick? How did he know my people?

"How do you-- how do you know Rick?"

"As I said, there's not a trusting bone in your body." He glared at me before walking up ahead.

The rest of the group remained silent, letting Rigs and I work this argument out ourselves. They continued walking along with us, listening as they were also connecting the dots the same way Rigs was, but that still left me out of the loop.

"Hold on!" I ran up beside Rigs, "You're talking to me about trust. How about you tell me how the hell you know Rick?"

He laughed, "We lived in Woodbury before your people came along and lit the place to shit."

"We managed to escape the night they were trying to fight your people off," Juliet finally spoke up. I looked over to her, furrowing my brows. She seemed scared of me now, hesitant to even speak up and say what she did.

"Fight us off?" I shook my head. "From what I seem to remember your town was all huddled around the area cheering on Merle to fight his brother, one of my people, to the death by the order of The Governor."

"What?" Roni gasped. "We weren't there for that. The first round of shots went off and while they were fighting your people off at the South entrance we left through the North."

"They weren't fighting us off," I grew angry at them. "Rick went on a rescue mission for me and two of my people who your Governor had locked up and tortured to find our camp. That's how I got this scar. That's how Merle's brother Daryl ended up in a ring with him. That's how my friend Oscar died. That's why you were able to escape," I said, putting them in their place with every word.

"How could we be sure if any of this is even true," Juliet spoke softly, speaking to her group.

"You know Lincoln? Lincoln Jensen?" I asked. She nodded her head, afraid to speak. I put my index finger to my chest. "Scarlett Jensen. I'm his sister. He's the only reason I got out of there alive." I then looked over at Rigs, my glare cutting right through him. "So next time you wanna talk about trust, maybe take a little more time figuring that out for yourself first before coming at me."

My eyes then trailed to the right of Rigs, landing on the next map along the tracks. In large block letters, smeared on the sign with walker blood read 'GLENN GO TO TERMINUS.' Maggie, it was a message from Maggie. She's alive.