Sanctuary

Another supply run, and another gang of cutthroats looking to entertain themselves on the misery of the living.

Rick Grimes held still, the hard, cold barrel of a gun to his right temple. His son, Carl, was in the grip of a sweaty thug, while two more men held Michonne at gunpoint.

“Well, let’s see,” the man holding Rick said. His breath was sour from gum disease and cigars, and flowed across the side of his head in a hot, nauseating puff with each excited breath. “Irv, here, is partial to little girls around ten, but he’ll settle for a boy when he can’t have what he wants. This kid is a little older than Irv likes, but beggars can’t be choosers, can they, Irv?”

“Sure can’t, Ned,” Irv said, and licked the side of Carl’s face.

Carl, for his part, didn’t put up any resistance. He kept his eyes locked on his father, waiting for any order, as well as any opportunity. One would present itself, and when it did, Rick planned to put up a fight. So would Carl and Michonne.

“Turley and Calvin here aren’t very fond of dark meat, but they ain’t had a woman in almost two months.”

“Nigger bitch,” Turley said, and spat at Michonne. The disgusting brown glop hit her neck and slid down between her breasts. Carl made a noise like a growl. It was a perfect reflection of Rick’s own anger. “I’ll put you in your place before I put you down.”

“Lookie there, the boy likes her,” Calvin laughed. “What is she, your girlfriend? Or is she daddy’s woman?”

“As for me, well I hit the jackpot. I’m gonna get exactly what I want,” Ned said, and rubbed his crotch against Rick’s ass. “You’re just my type, if you know what I mean.”

“Yeah, Ned, I think I know what you mean,” answered Rick. This earned a smelly chuckle from Ned.

“Take off your shirt. I wanna see me some titty,” said Calvin. He was rubbing the front of his crotch with his free hand and had a full-on erection.

Rick felt his guts clench when Irv unbuckled Carl’s belt.

“You be good,” Ned warned, “and you might walk away from this. Can't speak for the woman or the boy, but I might let you live.”

Rick wasn’t a fool. He knew the men would kill them all rather than leave him to possibly seek retribution for Carl and Michonne. Still he nodded.

“Unbutton your shirt or get a bullet in the leg,” Turley shouted at Michonne. “Then you can take off the pants, lay down and spread ‘em.”

The opportunity to fight came when Irv suddenly screamed. Rather than see what had happened, Rick shoved at Ned, then elbowed him hard in the face. He gripped the gun, wrested it from Ned’s grip, and then swung the man around and used him as a shield. He shot one round, straight into Calvin’s head. That's when he realized Carl had stabbed Irv in the leg.

“Fuck!” Turley shouted, panicked. He tried to keep an eye on Rick, Michonne, and Carl all at once. 

Rick spared Carl another glance just in time to see him drive the same knife he’d used to stab Irv in the leg down into Irv’s head. He gave it a twist and then withdrew it. Turley made the mistake of watching Irv’s death, and Michonne used the distraction to scoop up her katana. She brought the blade down, severing the hand that held the gun. Blood sprayed across the ground as Turley screamed.

“Seems I’m putting you in your place before I put you down,” she said, and then drove the katana straight through his eye.

“P-p-please, don't kill me,” Ned begged. He’d pissed himself and was now sobbing. “Look, I’m sorry, okay? I’ll just leave and you’ll never see me again. Don't kill me, man, please!”

Rick didn’t bother wasting another word or another second on Ned. He had nothing else to say. He put a bullet in the man’s brain and then let the body drop.

“Everybody okay?”

He got nods from both Michonne and Carl.

“I wonder,” Carl said, wiping the side of his face and looking down at Irv. “Just how many freaking pedophiles are running around out here?”

“You would be surprised. Whoah!”

Carl and Rick both took aim at the newcomer who’d spoken. He now stood with his hands held up in a gesture of surrender, showing them empty. He was a tall, rotund man with a neatly trimmed beard, glasses, and clean clothes, which told Rick that this man had a good setup somewhere.

“My name is William. I go by Will. I was not with these men. Though I proudly confess to being homosexual I can assure you that I am neither a rapist nor a pedophile. I have a willing, adult, husband waiting for me at home. His name is Nathan. He’s a delightful fellow, as I am sure you are, sirs, when you’re not aiming guns at people.”

Rick didn’t lower his gun; neither did Carl, though he believed the man when he said he hadn’t traveled with Ned’s gang. Those men had clearly been living hand-to-mouth. This man looked like he could have stepped out of a time machine, having come from the world that was before the Turn.

“Where would home be?” asked Rick.

“Sanctuary One. I would really like to get back to Nate, so if you could try not pointing those guns at me.”

“I don’t know you well enough not to keep my gun on you,” Rick answered. He thought it unlikely Will had a weapon that he was ready to draw, but he wasn’t taking the chance.

“Okay,” Will said, nodding. “I’m a recruiter, if you will. I go out and look for survivors to offer shelter to at Sanctuary One.

Rick spared a glance at Ned. “These the kind of people you let into your sanctary?”

“No, but you are. I’ve watched you and your group for two days now, while avoiding these men. I wanted to approach you first but I saw you’d run into them. I was going to leave to alert your friends to your predicament when you fought your way out of it,” Will explained.

“We heard shots! Is everybody okay?”

Glenn had arrived. He was alone but armed with two pistols. He looked over the carnage and then back at Will. A second later, he also pointed his gun at the newcomer.

“He’s okay,” said Rick, deciding to cut the man some slack. He lowered his gun. Glenn and Carl followed his lead. “Tell us more about this sanctuary.”

*****

 

“You can’t be serious. After Terminus, you really want to risk another so-called safe place?”

Rick understood Michonne’s skepticism. He felt the same way, but the truth was, they needed food and shelter, and the pickings were practically nonexistent. He rubbed her back and pulled her close while listening to the sound of a few stray walkers meandering by on the street below. The sky was clear and the half moon gave them some light through the open window.

“I get it,” he said. “After all we’ve been through, this could be another trap, but think about it, Baby. Every living person has picked through the stores and houses for anything that can be eaten. Every other group has degenerated into rape gangs and murderers. Ammo is nonexistent. Walkers have formed herds sometimes a thousand head strong. We saw a few hundred of them tear into a house to get at two people just last week.”

“I know…”

Rick’s eyes went to Judith, who slept on her little mat a few feet away. She looked like an angel, wrapped up in her blanket, but he knew it wouldn’t be long before she woke and insisted on cuddling up to Michonne. “I really don’t see how we have a choice. Judith isn’t old enough to understand to be quiet. A cry at the wrong moment could get everyone killed. We’re gonna die out here without safe shelter.”

“We could also die in there,” she answered.

“Then again, these people might be genuine. I don’t see how we’re going to avoid the risk.”

She looked up at him, ready to suggest one or two of them going for a look of the place, when someone knocked at the door.

“Who is it?”

“Me, Dad.”

They sat up. Rick pulled his shirt on. “Come in.”

Carl opened the door and leaned in. “Food’s here.”

“What food?”

“That man, Will? He came back, with food.”

Michonne picked up Judith and went with Rick and Carl down the hall to the main room of the store they’d sought shelter in to find Will had come bearing gifts, along with another fellow that Rick assumed was his husband, Nate. Candles had been set up, along with a couple of lanterns, making the room glow warmly with flickering golden light. A veritable feast had been set up in the center of the table, but no one had started to eat.

“Three roasted chickens, mashed potatoes and gravy, rolls, green beans, stuffing, and apple pie for dessert,” said Will. “Nobody will touch it. I was told you hadn’t eaten in two days.”

“It could be poisoned, or drugged,” said Rick.

Will and his partner looked at one another and burst out laughing. “My God. Why on earth would we poison you?” asked the new man with Will. He offered a hand. “I’m Nathan, Will’s husband.”

Rick shook his hand. “Rick Grimes. Have you tasted the food?”

“No, but we will.”

They made themselves a plate and tucked into it. Rick decided the food probably wasn’t poisoned, or drugged, and he gave the go ahead to the others to eat. The sound of chewing finally overshadowed the sound of rumbling bellies. Rick made his plate last, after he made certain Carl and Michonne had food, and Judith woke up to the smell of it.

“I have to ask,” Michonne said. “Why would you want us to join your people in this sanctuary of yours? We’d just be a drain on your resources.”

“Quite the contrary. We’re not just gathered together and going out on raids. We’re using the resources at hand to build. The more people we have, the more energy we produce, the more we build, the better off we are. We’re located five miles from here. You almost found us on your own,” said Nathan.

Will nodded in agreement and cleaned the meat off a drumstick. “We have a lot of educated people in Sanctuary One. We have secure access to the Ocmulgee River, we’ve got fresh water being pumped in twice a day. We’re farming solar energy and sharing that with Sanctuaries Two and Three--”

“How many of these places are there?” Abraham asked.

Will grinned, looking proud. “Sanctuary One was the first. We started it when the Turn first began. Since then we’ve expanded and have two more. We have a total of two hundred forty-five survivors in all three Sanctuaries. We’re farming, we’re fishing, we’re using natural renewable energy to keep the sanctuaries powered.”

“Sanctuary Three is mostly a wind farm that was set up just as the Turn broke out. Our people are doing good work but we need more to grow. My God, there’s a good chance we can start rebuilding humanity right here in Georgia,” said Nathan.

It was hard not to get caught up in their enthusiasm. It sounded wonderful. It sounded too good to be true. Rick showed nothing outwardly. Instead, he looked to Daryl, then to Tyreese. They looked back, trying to play it cool, but he could sense the hope in them, too. He could see it in their eyes. They wanted to try.

“We hope you’ll join us,” said Nathan. “Honestly, we thought you’d jump at the chance to have a safe home and food.”

“We thought we’d found that last year,” said Rick. “Turned out they were a gang of cannibals, luring victims in by promising safety and food.”

Will and Nathan looked genuinely horrified. “No wonder you’re wary,” said Will. “I can only offer you my word that we’re not cannibals, though, I realize my word means nothing to you since you don’t know me.”

“You’re welcome to come back with us, check the place out, see if you like it, and then, if you judge us to be trustworthy, bring all of your people with you. At the end of the day, however, it really comes down to trust. You can stay out here, in danger, or you can come to Sanctuary One and help us try to beat this disease, and help us try to rebuild civilization.”

*****

It was easier to fall asleep on a full stomach, but Daryl Dixon wasn’t in the mood to sleep. When the others went to settle down for the night he took Beth’s hand and led her up to the roof of the building. He spared a glance at the street below and saw that the light from the candles had drawn about fifteen walkers. They’d have to worry about that in the morning.

Turning his attention to Beth, Daryl reached under her skirt and pulled down her panties. He was desperate to be inside her, and she was equally desperate to have him. They’d mastered the art of quiet sex. Now they had a hard, fast rhythm established and they muffled their moans by breathing them into one anothers mouths. She tore her lips from his and bit into his shoulder as he moved inside her, pumping his hips and gripping her legs to keep her lifted off the ground. He thrust hard, driving her over the edge before he followed her.

“What do you think of this so-called safe haven?” Daryl asked, zipping up when they were finished.

“I think I want to check it out,” Beth said, pulling her panties back on. “I’d rather be slaughtered and slapped on a barbecue pit than live another day out here.”

“Rick has agreed to go back with Will and Nate tomorrow. I’m going with them to see how it looks.”

Beth put her arms around Daryl’s neck. “Can’t you stay with us? Let Abraham go.”

He knew she’d say that. She always came up with an excuse to try to keep him by her side rather than let him go out to try to provide for the group. He understood her fears. She’d watched the Governor cut her father down, and she’d seen so much shit since then. Still, he couldn’t put all the risk off on Rick, Glenn, and Abraham.

“You know I’ve gotta go, Baby,” he said. “Rick needs me.”

“We need you.”

“Glenn is gonna stay,” he assured her.

Beth heaved a sigh. She knew it was pointless. This was an argument she almost never won with Daryl. She kissed him, slow and deep, and then lay her head on his shoulder.

“Be careful.”

“I’m always careful. I’ll come back. Promise.”

He took her hand and led her back inside. They found their place on the floor of the main room and curled up together. To his relief, she was asleep in seconds. Unfortunately, he couldn’t wind down so easily.

Sanctuary. Was it another trap, or was it for real? He prayed, for Beth’s sake, that this time it was real. He didn’t just want to survive anymore. He wanted to live. He wanted a family of his own. He wanted this place to be the real deal. 

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