AS THE WORLD FALLS DOWN I RICK GRIMES

Samson & Delilah

Samson & Delilah

Alexis carefully carried the cardboard box down the sidewalk, fighting the urge to turn and run, knowing she had to face her fears. She had brought these people here, Rick the whirlwind she'd reaped, and there was no turning back now. She'd already stalled for time by taking a detour to Eric's house to check on him and clean herself up, her apprehension over Aaron being there allayed by the knowledge he'd gone on another wild goosechase after Buttons, who had been seen running past the walls again that morning during their absence.

Sam had first spotted the black horse galloping past the gate a month or so back, instantly christening it Buttons on the spot, Aaron taking it upon himself to bring the horse within Alexandria's walls. But he was no horse wrangler, and so far his attempts at horse whispering had failed miserably. Alexis had been a keen horse-rider during her teenage years, so fancying herself quite the expert, she'd stepped into the fray, only to be thoroughly humiliated, almost earning a kick in the head for her pains. The fall of civilization had turned the horse wild, and now it was out of control, lashing out at anyone who came near it, before taking off into the wilderness again.

Nursing a cup of coffee, Eric had sat on the sofa with Alexis, his ankle propped up on a footstool, intrigued and upset all at once, curious about those she had saved, whilst giving her a thorough dressing down for putting her life on the line to do so. But even though Aaron was angry at Alexis for what she'd done, despite everything, Eric approved of her actions. They couldn't play God with other people's lives; sometimes they had to make that leap of faith, gambling on a slim chance.

Afterwards, she'd taken a quick shower, washing the blood and dirt away, ridding herself of reality. For a moment, she'd stared at her reflection, remembering the girl she'd been, not recognizing the woman she'd become, before turning away from the mirror, denying the darkness within. Ditching her denim shorts and cow-print vest, she'd donned an ankle-length khaki skirt, teaming it with a long sleeved red top and her favourite battered blue tennis shoes, before piling her damp hair atop her head, the style accentuating her slanting eyes, making her look decidedly feline.

Since Aaron was out of the house, she'd lounged about Eric's luxurious kitchen for a while, stuffing herself silly with her favourite cinnamon monkey roll bread whilst Eric propped his ankle up on the kitchen counter, telling Alexis about the residences Aaron had picked out for Rick and his group, wondering which one they would choose, talking at length about which one he would go for based on the fireplaces alone, extolling the virtues of adjustable light intensity and flamespeed rolled louvers, madly in love with the idea of a mature-fire log presentation and coal-style grate.

After that interlude, with her stomach straining against the waistband of her skirt, Alexis had finally forced herself to leave the shelter of Eric's domestic prattle and home cooking, and now here she was, walking straight into the lion's den. Gritting her teeth, she took a shortcut through the Miller family's backyard to avoid going past her old home, if it had ever even been that, before stepping back on the sidewalk again.

As she walked, Enid came round the corner, her face its usual blank mask, eyes deliberately empty of expression. She passed Alexis without acknowledging her, pretending to be absorbed in straightening the strap of her rucksack, Alexis ignoring her in turn. She'd been the one to let the teenager in, only to regret it, something about Enid's sullen silences setting her on edge. Ron was now enamoured of Enid, but it was obvious the emotion wasn't reciprocated, Alexis not knowing how to warn him to guard his heart.

It was hard to reconcile the Enid of now with the girl at the gate, the memory of Enid's bloodstained lips and haunted look reminding Alexis of Rick and his group. They were both from out there, that uncharted territory Deanna sought to subjugate with her walls and words, Alexis infecting Alexandria with the outside, allowing it entrance, not knowing if she was sowing the seeds of its salvation or downfall.