AS THE WORLD FALLS DOWN I RICK GRIMES

We Are The Reckless

We Are The Reckless

And if you're still breathing, you're the lucky ones
'Cause most of us are heaving through corrupted lungs
Setting fire to our insides for fun...

"I don't mean any harm," Alexis said quietly, taking a step forward, only for a bolt to hit the ground just in front of her foot.

"Next time, I won't miss, missie," the redneck holding the crossbow hissed.

Alexis stared at him, the blood boiling through her veins. "Thanks for the warning," she said sarcastically, trying to conceal her fear with flippancy.

"Anytime," the redneck growled.

A silence fell, drilling into Alexis's skull. Almost against her will, her gaze became drawn to the man balancing the baby on his hip, his authorative stance and ruthless gaze holding her attention hostage. His eyes were azure blue against the background of his weatherbeaten face, his grey beard flecked with black, his filthy t-shirt clinging to the thin contours of his frame. He radiated a danger that drew her in despite herself, making her straighten her spine, silently acknowledging the challenge he was offering.

"Strip her," the man said coldly, lowering his gun.

"You could at least buy me a drink first," Alexis snapped, feeling her self-control slip.

The man just ignored her, two of the women stepping forwards, their bodies tensed up like coiled springs. Yet their faces were wary, uncertain even, the elder glancing at the man with something like doubt. As they patted Alexis down, something like sympathy battled with suspicion in their eyes, yet it didn't stop them from taking her machete and guns, as well as her backpack and plastic bag, not even bothering to check their contents. They then backed away from Alexis, the man stepping forwards this time, moving almost mechanically, tilting his head to one side as he studied Alexis.

"Walk," he ordered, raising his gun once more.

~*~

With her hands raised behind her head, Alexis stumbled across the scorched ground, the others following behind, forming the uneven line of before, the roamers trailing in their wake. Where Aaron was now, Alexis didn't know, some instinct warning her that she was alone, utterly and completely. With bitter hindsight she realised the monumental mistake she'd made in acting on impulse, sacrificing all sense for a bunch of strangers who wouldn't hesitate to put a bullet between her eyes.

"Are you alone?" the man asked Alexis, almost as if he was flicking through her thoughts, making her glance curiously over her shoulder at him. Yet she didn't speak, suspecting silence to be the better part of surrender. "I said, are you goddamn alone!?" he suddenly exploded, making her jump violently, the baby letting out a wail.

"I'm alone!" Alexis yelled back, her voice shaking despite itself.

"Liar," he said from between gritted teeth.

"How am I a liar?" Alexis challenged, gritting her own teeth, even as she lied through them.

"Because you're obviously some kind of honey-trap," he snapped, his jaw tightening.

"A honey-trap?" Alexis said in disbelief, looking at him like he was mad.

"Yeah, a honey-trap," he drawled, looking at her in disgust.

"There is no trap," Alexis said, brow furrowing.

"How did you get that black eye, huh?" he demanded. "Your keeper kindly bestow it upon you?"

Alexis paled, suddenly thinking of her sister and nephews, how she might never see them again. Nobody would stand between them and Pete now, least of all Alexandria, the settlement only anxious to secure his services for itself, not caring what it might cost to have them. The man studied her again, something almost coldly methodical in his appraisal of her, like he was gathering evidence at a crime-scene. For a moment their eyes met, blue battling blue, and then Alexis turned away, staring at the long road ahead, the horizon shimmering in the heat as indistinct as a dream.

~*~

"We're not at our strongest," the man said quietly, surprising Alexis. But he wasn't speaking to her, but rather to the redneck with the crossbow who had fallen into step beside him. They had been walking for about twenty minutes now, each step taking Alexis further and further away from what she knew, reinforcing her certainty Aaron was lost to her. But she was grateful he was gone. All that mattered was that Aaron was safe from the strangers, nothing else. While she'd walked, she'd sensed the man's stare boring into her back, his silence unnerving her more than words ever would have.

"We can't keep walkin' the road," the redneck said distantly.

"I know," the man replied, "but it's been three weeks since we left Atlanta, and we've held out so far."

The redneck just scoffed, Alexis's attention caught by the mention of Atlanta.

"Look, I know you lost something back there," the man said in an angry undertone, "but I need you with me on this, brother."

The redneck glanced at the ground, refusing to meet the man's almost pleading gaze. "She's hungry," he said, gesturing to the baby without looking at it, "best git somethin' in her belly."

"There's nothin' to give her," the man said, his voice cracking.

The redneck strode ahead, his shoulders hunching, but as he passed Alexis, she saw rage in his ravaged face, belying his defeated demeanour. She watched as he left the road for the woods instead, raising his crossbow as he moved, the swiftness of the movement matching the swift stealth of his feet. As he disappeared from sight, she glanced over her shoulder at the man again, her gaze crashing into his once more.

"There's a jar of applesauce in my backpack," she said urgently. "Take it for the baby."

The man just stared at her blankly.

"For God's sake!" she snapped. "Take the goddamn applesauce!"

The man raised his gun again, his finger almost but not quite curling around the trigger. "You say one more word, I will sink a bullet into your skull," he said in a low voice. "Do you understand me?"

Alexis swallowed hard before nodding, sudden hatred coursing through her veins for him.

He then lowered his gun, dropping a fierce kiss on the baby's brow as he did so. "She's okay," he fired at Alexis, almost daring her to challenge him, "she's going to be okay."

Alexis faced the road again, sweat dripping down her spine, struggling with the urge to argue with him, to make him see sense so he would let her lead him and his group back to Alexandria. But he would sacrifice salvation for silence, sinking a bullet into her skull, just like he'd promised. So Alexis kept silent, her feet dragging along the parched ground, one of the walking dead.

And if you're still bleeding, you're the lucky ones
'Cause most of our feelings, they are dead and they are gone
We're setting fire to our insides for fun...