𝑨 𝑯𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝑴𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒅𝒚. (𝒏𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒏)

{2} Trust Issues

"I'm only doing this cause I care for my people"

•••

Peering through the musty glass of the truck, Brooklyn let out an exhausted sigh, taking in the luscious greenery of the forest as they smoothly drove along the winding country road. Pale moonlight shone brightly through the crooked trees, an eerie whistling occurring whilst the branches swayed side to side in a rhythmic motion.

The gentle hum of the engine soothed her slightly, she fluttered her baggy eyelids, protesting against the idea of relaxing. The girl knew better than to stupidly allow herself to fall asleep whilst held captive by these strangers. They could do anything to her, even with an injured ankle, Brooklyn had to be ready to fight and fend for herself.

"Christ we've been driving for ages, where the hell is your camp?!" She moaned, her head aching from what she presumed to be stress.

To her surprise, the vehicle staggered and slowly rolled to a stop. Brooklyn witnessed Rick and his ninja friend carelessly jump outside. Panic erupted in her stomach as she saw their shadows drift further away and completely fall out of her sight.

Struggling to stay calm, Brooklyn huffed, her fingers numb where that prick had tightly wrapped a coil of thick rope around her wrists. "Hey?!" She yelled, wispy strands of knotted hair brushing over her eyes, "you can't just leave me here!"

Brooklyn bit her lip, chuckling darkly at her own fate. It was obvious. These people were going to kill her. She knew it. The world no longer inhabited civility, instead it belonged to cold blooded murderers. Everyone who was still alive had done something wrong. There was no such thing as a good person anymore.

She thought back to before the apocalypse, remembering her friends, the people she called family, and mostly her little sister. Those people were the reason she was still here, fighting against the battle of the dead. If it wasn't for them, Brooklyn couldn't imagine herself being alive.

"Brooke, help me please!"

Those words often bombarded her mind, and every time they did, Brooklyn had to remind herself to be strong, even though they also came close to making her cry. Especially now, the girl refused to let a single tear slip down her cheek. She had to keep it together, these people couldn't see her like this. They couldn't see her in weak state of mind.

A group of low murmurs were heard from behind the steel door of the truck, consequently breaking her thoughts. Brooklyn's ears perked up as she attempted to make out what they were saying.

"Can you just let me out?! I'm not gonna do-" the lock clicked and the heavy door was flung open. Brooklyn's lips curled, her coffee coloured orbs squinting at the group of scowling people stood before her. "God y'all look so miserable, you should try being in my shoes after the day I've had!" She grunted, her facial features easing in to a pompous expression.

"'Hell do we do with 'er?" Rasped one man, his greasy dark hair hung just above his shoulders as he narrowed his groggy eyes in suspicion.

The man known as Rick tilted his head, debating on what to do with the seemingly harmless girl, "till tomorrow I say we put her in a cell. She can't do anything cause of her ankle."

Samurai sword lady stepped forward, raising one brow and placing her hands on her hips, "what about what Dwight said? Negan'll be here tomorrow. Rick, this girl can't fight, things could get bad and she doesn't even know who we're up against!" The woman argued, sending Brooklyn a quick sympathetic gaze.

Rick pursed his lips, digging deep in to his brain for an answer that would solve their problems. "If Dwight was telling the truth, then him blocking the road with those trees will buy us some time to get ready," He then glanced over at the vulnerable girl who had failed to show any weaknesses as of yet, "Brooklyn we don't expect you to fight. You'll stay in your cell, then once Negan is dead, we'll deal with you."

Brooklyn scoffed and angrily shook her head, "why did you take me if all you're gonna do is put me in a cell?!" She hissed, gritting her teeth together as Rick harshly clutched on to her shoulder and dragged her to her feet. "I don't even know any of you, yet I'm stuck in the middle of some fucking war?! I feel sorry for that other bastard, Nagen or Negan is it? Weird name, but I honestly feel bad for him! You guys are complete psychos!"

The man with the scraggly hair ruthlessly lunged forward, spit flying from his mouth as he snarled at her. He bawled his fists, flames burning in his eyes, "I'mma kill 'er!" He growled, struggling to move as Rick's Ninja girlfriend held him back, "she don't know anything!"

"Daryl calm down, she doesn't know who Negan is," Rick butted in, tensing his muscles at the thought of that despicable man.

Shaking himself out of the woman's grasp, Daryl flung his arms up in the air and huffed, "Yeah? Well she should think 'erself lucky." He once more glared daggers at Brooklyn before storming off in to the opposite direction.

A huge smirk crept on to her face and her eyes gleamed, a tinge of enjoyment shining in them. Rick took a deep breath and sighed as he gently guided his prisoner towards where she would be staying.

Brooklyn limped alongside the man, her gleeful expression changing in to a shocked one. She gasped, her jaw dropping in awe. "Holy hell! This is your camp?!"

It was unlike anything she'd seen before. Beautiful suburban houses scattered around and cleanly wiped pavements without a single drop of that vermillion liquid sputtered all over them. Neatly cut emerald coloured grass stretched across the town with small plants sprouting from the crumbling soil. Rick ignored her comment and tugged her towards what Brooklyn imagined to be her cell.

"I'm not gonna hurt anyone, you're the one who decided to help me! But let's be honest, you sticking me behind a couple bars isn't really the best welcome gift!" She groaned as he took her down a flight of ceramic steps that were connected to a large white home.

Rick continued to block her whining out and led her down an eerie hallway laden with cracked stone and dusted cobwebs. "I'm sorry," He croaked, "with everything that's going on, it's hard to trust new people. I'm only doing this cause I care for my people, you have to understand."

A feeling of guilt sprung through his chest yet he tried his best to ignored it. He softly grabbed her wrists and used a jagged blade to cut the rope. Then, he used a small key that was smothered in rust, to unlock the cell door that blocked them from getting past.

Brooklyn bobbed her head down and willingly ambled in to the concrete room. She slumped against the wall, her back bumping against the rough stone as she settled down on the floor. Raising one eyebrow, she called out one more thing, "Hey Rick?"

Pivoting around on the ball of his foot, Rick turned around to face her. His silhouette marked out by the vivid light of the moon as he stood proudly in the doorway.

"Who's Negan?"

Rick clenched his jaw and his whole face became discoloured. Without a word he disappeared, bolting up the metal door that separated Brooklyn from the rest of the outside world. She held her face in her hands as his loud footsteps lightly faded away, leaving the girl in a deafening silence.