Hey guys, next Chapter. I hope you're all good and staying healthy! Have a great weekend!

Music danced through the air. A guitar was playing a long forgotten song. Smiling I hummed the song silently. Someone caressed my face and I opened my eyes to see sunshine greeting me through the open window. Looking around there was no one in the room. It was just me alone in bed. The bed under my body was far too big to fit just one person and the pillow next to me looked used. The sun must have awoken me. Sitting up I stretched myself and walked to the window. Kids were playing in the garden. Their laughter joined the happy guitar sounds. "What a lovely day." The girl who was chasing after an older boy looked familiar. They both looked so happy. A dark haired boy joined their game of chasing and they laughed together. I couldn't stop smiling looking at this madcaps. Their happy laughter was music to my ear … music. Someone had played a familiar song. In a close distance I still heard a guitar playing silently. Throwing a hoodie over my shoulders I walked down the stairs to see Merle sitting in the kitchen drinking coffee.

"What a lovely sight of a woman." He chuckled.

Something was wrong about him. "What do you want?" I stuck out my tongue and laughed.

"Can I not just compliment my sister in law?!"

"You can, but still …" I stopped. Something was too familiar to be true. I was dreaming, wasn't I?! The kitchen looked just like my grandmother's. I looked out of the open backdoor to see the boy and a girl were still playing in the garden. Behind them the sun shimmered in the lake I had been swimming in so many times.

Someone embraced me from behind. Closing my eyes I knew it was the one man I loved. His breath on my neck tickled my skin. "You look even more beautiful than yesterday." He whispered in my ear. His hands found their way down to my middle.

"I think she grows bigger by the hour." Merle laughed and I opened my eyes at his comment.

Daryl's hands caressed my belly and I looked down on myself. There was a bump …

Suddenly the children screamed happily. Looking up I saw the girl catching the boy who giggled on and on. My brother laughed wholeheartedly when a little version of myself threw herself on him. They rolled in the high grass while the little dark-haired boy followed them screaming. Then I realized it wasn't the boy screaming. Turning around Merle was still at the kitchen table. Now he was holding a guitar playing that song I had been hearing earlier while blood ran down his throat as if someone had ripped off half of his neck.

"Not so much of a lovely day …" His smile faltered while Daryl caressed my stomach holding me close.

The camper stopped and we looked at each other in silence. At first no one moved but we stared at each other. Were we really at the end of our journey? Would we find a home when we opened the door? Maggie was the first to stand up and without hesitation she excited the camper. Glenn followed her.

I soaked in a deep breath and followed after them. The sun was shining, it was a lovely day. "A lovely day …" There were no sounds of walkers around. Burned down houses and ruins were standing at the sides of the street and in front of us was a wall. A wall and a gate. Taking a closer look, the wall seemed solid. It was supported by metal rods and something that almost looked steel girders. I suppressed the upcoming feeling of hope.

Aaron said they lived here since the beginning without an overrun-scene or a governor-incident. When you look at this, you know why …

Aaron helped Eric to walk to the door and we followed. Sasha held her gun tight, Daryl had his crossbow at the ready and Merle played nervously with his gun. I only felt my rucksack on my back and the knife on my thigh. We needed this place to be safe and I couldn't believe myself … but I was praying to God that when this gate would open we would find a solid peaceful home.

Praying to God that early in the morning. It is not even Sunday. My brother chuckled. Did we really know it wasn't a Sunday?

Suddenly a rattling pulled my out of my daydreaming. Everyone had their weapon at the garbage bins at the left side of the street. Even I had immediately grabbed my knife but Daryl had already fired an arrow. Something squealed escaping in the bushes but Daryl picked up an opossum. The arrow went right through its ass. It wasn't dead yet, Merle took his knife to kill it.

"Ya used to do better!" Merle clasped his little brother's shoulder and laughed. "At least something to eat …"

Suddenly the gate opened and my heart started to beat faster. A man was standing behind the gate, he didn't look happy to see us but at the same time he didn't look frightening. "We brought dinner!" Merle laughed loudly. What the hell was going on with him? At first he was all 'no walls will ever save us' and now he acted all happy-go-lucky.

"It's okay." Aaron told us and mentioned for us to enter. "Come on in, guys!"

The man at the gate had a gun on his back but he made no attempt to draw it. When I walked passed him he seemed to turn up his nose on us. Abraham was last to enter and the gate was immediately closed as soon as we were all inside. I looked through the bars to see the outside world. Bars … nothing ever good came from these.

You should better look in the other direction. Look what is awaiting you!

"Before we take this any further, I need you all to turn over your weapons." The guy suddenly started to talk. The way he was looking at us wasn't to my liking. "Stay, you hand them over."

"We don't know if we want to stay!" Rick stepped towards the guy.

"It's fine Nicholas." Aaron told the guy. I kept his name in mind. He didn't look friendly.

"If we were gonna use them, we would have started already." Rick was on top of our group talking to Nicholas. Rick was our leader, taking over the talking.

"Let them talk to Deanna first!" Aaron turned towards Nicholas who didn't seem to be happy about our arrival at all.

"Who's Deanna?" Abraham asked.

"She knows everything you'd want to know about this place." Aaron explained to us.

This place … I started to look around. There were streets, intact houses, trees, benches, flowers, new-mown grass. This looked rather like a picture of a newly planned community. I almost waited to see all the housewives coming out these shiny houses to greet us with freshly baked apple pies and lasagnas. I just couldn't believe my eyes and chuckled lowly at the picture in front of me. This almost looked like Eden … a paradise after the apocalypse. And as if Merle had read my thoughts he shook his head.

"Rick, why don't you start?" Aaron told Rick. Baffled I looked from Aaron to Rick and then to Daryl who still held a dead opossum in his left hand.

Snarling arouse on the other side of the gate. Through the bars we could see a walker approaching us. "Sasha!" Rick ordered and she raised her gun to head-shot the walker. I wondered why no one of Aaron's group made an attempt to kill the walker. Watching Nicholas who looked a bit too astonished I wondered what position he had in this community. Suddenly another gate closed to cover the place from being seen.

"It's a good thing we're here." Rick followed Aaron while I still wondered about this place.

We waited in a backyard for Rick's return. I couldn't help but look around, look for escapes and hideouts. My instinct still told me of defense and how to survive.

Quite right.

It was right, right?! We hadn't met anyone nice in the apocalypse … why was it different now?

Did you forget about Alex? Did you forget about Daryl and Merle?

What about all the other times?

Let's just call it bad luck …

We almost chuckled together.

"What are you smiling about?" Merle sat down on the bench next to me. "Already picking a house?"

"This is a dream … This all looks so perfect." I looked over the bushes to see people walking the streets like they were taking a stroll or on their way to go shopping. "I am afraid there is someone around the corner who will knock down this picture any minute." I whispered more to myself. "But on the other time this would be a relief after the years that had passed … it would be …"

"We are not gonna let our guard down." Daryl told me. He was still holding the opossum like it was something he needed. "We have to wait and see." His eyes scanned our surroundings like we were still on the outside, like we weren't safe.

"Why are you all hopeful and joyous?" Merle asked.

"I was hoping to find you … and after all that had happened …" I sighed. "My hope hadn't been turned down. We found you. So why should hope fail us now?"

What was that all about?

That was what I really thought. I knew I had been helpless and hopeless, but after we had been reunited with Merle, there was something like a silver lining.

A few minutes later Rick stepped out of the house. Almost at the same time a dark-haired woman entered the backyard with a cart.

"I am glad you are here." My eyes wandered to the woman standing on the porch of the house. This must be their leader, the one Aaron had been telling us about. "I am Deanna Monroe and I'd like to welcome all of you to Alexandria." Deanna stood on the stairs to her patio while Rick joined us in the yard. "We have rules here. Inside here we store weapons for safety." She pointed to the woman with the cart. "She will take your guns. They are still your guns. You can check them out whenever you go beyond the walls."

I watched Rick putting down his revolver. The others slowly walked to the cart to lay down their guns. Carol put down her guns like she had never held one before smiling all motherly. Why was she acting like she didn't know what she was doing? I took out the small gun Carol had given to me days ago. But the knife on my thigh remained in its place. I would never give this one away.

She just said guns …

True, even Merle didn't give away his knife. He didn't really hid it but let his arm hang nonchalantly behind his back.

One after one we were let into the house to talk to Deanna, some took more time some were back sooner. They told us about a normal talk and her interest in our jobs before all this. Sometime later Aaron joined us again.

"How is Eric?" Maggie asked him.

Aaron smiled about Maggie's friendly behavior. "Thank you. He's doing fine." He looked around. "I will show you your accommodation." Rick approached him with Judith in his arms. And before he could say something, Aaron spoke on. "Deanna told me to show you a place to stay for the night, no matter if you want to settle or not. Tonight you are going to rest with a roof over your heads."

Rick nodded and took Carl with him to follow Aaron ordering us to wait.

When it was my turn to talk to Deanna I wasn't sure what would be awaiting me. The others all had important and helpful jobs before all this, had a benefit. I still felt like I was missing something.

You don't, you got it all. You survived.

"I am Deanna Monroe." The elderly woman in a fresh dress told me.

"I am Ella." I looked out of the window to see tress, a beautiful plants and the wall.

"Is there no last name?" She asked friendly. "Don't be afraid, we have no records about criminals in here." Her reflection in the clean window smiled at me. This whole place was cleaner than my old apartment.

"I … what?" I started when I realized what she had just said but Deanna laughed at me.

"I was only joking. I am sorry, I wanted to ease the tension." She mentioned for me to move over to the couch where I a camera was positioned. "I would like to record our talk."

"Why?"

"It's all about transparency." She sat down next to the camera. I wondered why it would only be me on the tape and remained staying at the window. "Please, sit down." She mentioned for me to sit down on a chair in front of the camera. "Please!" I hesitated and my mind played scene after scene what could evolve out of this but I finally sat down. "How long have you been out there?" She started but I was frozen to the couch.

I couldn't speak but stare at her. There were many books on the shelves and cupboards. The room was tidy and bright. "Did you know each other before …" Deanna started asking on but my ears were deaf to her words. My eyes roamed the room until I looked at Deanna again. "Are you ready to start now?" I slowly nodded not really sure of what she was talking about. "I was a congressperson. And you?" She still smiled.

"I …" I seemed to have forgotten what my life before the apocalypse had been like.

Her eyes had a sympathetic touch and when her eyes examined me, I felt naked. "You have been through a lot …" I didn't want to talk about any scar and pressed my lips tightly together. Deanna leaned back. "You look rather young. Maybe in your thirties?"

"Last time I checked I had turned thirty … but that was years ago." Months had passed and turned into years on the road. What year was it? And what month? Again I looked around the room in search for a calendar but all I saw was a huge clock telling me it was 5:30 p.m.

"What have you been doing?"

"Why do you care about my CV?" It felt like in a job interview. I felt uncomfortable in this cozy chair. The red light of the camera blinked on and on. Daryl and Merle wouldn't like anything of this. I looked over my shoulder out of the window where I saw the wall in the distance. If this people had built up this place and the walls, they could not be bad …

"My husband is a professor of architecture. He helped building the wall. More people came and helped. That was the start of our community." She still smiled. She really was a congressperson. There was a charismatic touch to her face and voice. I hadn't seen any nice person in the last months … not a helping hand but beating and killing hands … This was a dream … I thought back and forth about trusting her and couldn't think of any logical reason why they would take people in. "We need people who have lived out there."

Now you got your answer. There is always a backdoor.

That is what she wanted from us. She wanted our knowledge … Was it like a give and take? If we shared our experiences with them and protected them they would let us live in here. I couldn't sit any longer in the chair and stood up to explore the shelf with the most books.

Deanna didn't follow me but turned to look at me. "So you like books?"

"I love reading." I told her inspecting the books. There was nothing wrong about giving her this information.

"Looks like you haven't touched a book in years." I only laughed at her words. "You must have been out there a long time."

"Yeah …" I absently retorted. She had classic books and some books I never heard of, books you would read in university and some rather helpful books if you had a mental breakdown.

"What books have you read?" She tried to engage me in a conversation again. At once all the books I had read were in my mind. I wanted to answer her but saw the bible. Sure this book would be in the house of an American congressperson. "Maybe I should tell you more about me and how this place evolved."

I turned around to face her. "Why do you trust us like that?" There had been a lot people who had killed on first side who had fought us for no reason or all the reasons.

And again: Some didn't …

She sighed. "Trust is important. It forms relationships."

"True." Silence fell upon us and I turned to read the cover of the books. I took out one book 'A Brief History of Time'.

"You can have it." Deanna came to stand behind me looking to the book in my hands.

"Thank you." Did she mean borrow it?

"What about your parents?"

"Dead." I told her without even trying to think of my brother. "My family is right here." I looked to the door where I knew they were still standing.

"You all are so different." Her eyes roamed my face. "Yet you stick together through this time of losing faith."

"Why all the interviews and recording?" I asked her now looking straight at her.

Her smile didn't falter. "I am trying to find out what job you fit in."

"Job?"

"Everyone here has a job to do. Just because there are roamers outside it doesn't mean we have to stop being civilized and have a daily routine." She retorted. "That is why I ask you some questions."

I'm looking forward of your answers here … Do you think our gaming sessions will bring you any job?

"I did a lot of things … I worked at a bar, gave dancing lessons … nothing you would need in here."

"Oh I think I can work with that." Deanna laughed. "But it looks more like you have been a helpful person in a world where the dead are walking."

"I know how to defend myself." I crossed my arms in front of my body as if it could protect me from her questions.

"I can see that." Her smile reminded me of my mother. "You look like a tough ass kicker."

I wasn't sure to laugh or to star at her in disbelief. "This is weird …" I finally stated. "We have been out there since the beginning. We have killed and lost friends and family to the apocalypse and yet here we stand in a community that looks untouched from death." Deanna studied me while I talked.

"You are finally save. We haven't had a problem with the roamers." She told me after some seconds of silence. "You should rest and I will see to you later. But I might have an idea for a job." She walked me to the door. She opened the door and before I stepped down the stairs she patted my shoulder. "I wish you'd found our place sooner."

Walking down Daryl passed me to be next to talk to her. He tried to eye-contact me but everything was like in a blur. I found myself at the end of the stairs looking into the book in my hands.

To be honest: I like her. She doesn't seem to be lying, but still, this all sees too perfect to be true.

"Jo Scar Girl!" Carl ripped me out of trance. I looked up to see a giggling kid. What had happened? "I have to show you something." He took my hand but Rick stepped in our way out of the backyard.

"We'll wait for Daryl and go together." He told Carl.

"But Dad …"

"We stay together." Rick cut his sentence while Carl rolled his eyes.

Waiting in this backyard was strange. We stood together talking lowly about what Deanna had asked us. I saw hope in some eyes and distrust in others. Sasha was still not talking, only stared dead ahead.

Daryl came out of the house still carrying the opossum. He hadn't let go of it since he shot it. It almost appeared to be part of the world we knew … he couldn't let go of the outside world. I wanted to say something to him but saw Deanna behind him, towering above us. She was watching us. They would probably watch our every step. And watching was what she did. Deanna watched us from her porch. Was she afraid to join us in her yard, afraid to stay in our midst? "I think you guys should rest first before I go on with the others. There is a shower awaiting you and of course food." She smiled and nodded towards Rick. Did they already had a silent arrangement?

"Let's go!" Rick stated and we all set in motion. Our group followed him and Carl as if we were going through unknown territory fearing for walkers in every corner. Some people stood at their houses looking at us bewildered. When it was true what Deanna had said then they hadn't seen any new people in many months.

We walked wordlessly as if we didn't want to make a sound to attract more people staring at us. "Got a job yet?" Merle asked me to my right.

"No." He was smiling at me. "You?"

"Let's see what good ol' Merle can do in a town like this." He looked around. "Ya think they have a brothel too?" He laughed.

"Okay …" I wondered.

"Keep your guard up badass." He winked at me with an honest face. Was he playing a part? I looked over to Carol who looked as shy as back then at camp. She seemed to be doing a show as well.

We came to a halt in front of two big houses.

You mean mansions.

"What's that?" I asked.

Carl smiled at me walking to the left house. "Come on!" He was so excited to show me something, but I waited for Daryl to approach the house too. I nudged him in the side and together we started to walk upstairs the porch.

When I entered the house I couldn't believe my eyes. This was indeed a mansion. I entered the living room to see a huge TV and DVDs lying in front of it. I would have rushed towards it but stood still at Daryl's side. When he moved in closer into the house I followed him like a shadow. The house was completely furnished. There was decoration, empty picture frames, candles and other stuff. Just like a storybook.

Carl stood at the stairs smiling at me. With a nod he told me to follow him. I watched the others walking into the living room exploring the house. But Daryl stepped back out on the porch. I wanted to join him but was curious what Carl wanted to show me. Merle sat down on the bench next to Daryl on the porch and I left the brother's to spend some quality time together.

I joined Carl at the stairs and he rushed up the stairs. I followed slowly. On first floor were many doors. Carl still had a big grin on his face. "Come one!" He stated impatiently. We walked the hallway, passing closed and open doors. Looking into the rooms they look just as unreal as the rest of this place. Suddenly Carl opened the last door. "Tada!"

At first all I saw was a not-so-much-finished room, but then my eyes began to see. "Oh my God!" I almost screamed. There were comics lying on the floor.

"I told you you had to see it!" He laughed. "See this!" He handed me some papers. Someone had started to draw a comic.

We sat down and examined the comics. The self-made comic was well drawn. On the walls hung posters of movies from the good old days. I looked at the stash of comics next to me. "See this one." I showed him a comic I had read when I was a teen. "I loved this when I was young."

"What is that?!" He looked at the cover where a Japanese woman stood with not so much clothes on and a deadly weapon in her hand.

"It is about a Japanese-american woman who …" I started to tell him about SHI.

"Ah, here is the kid's room." Suddenly Maggie entered the room. "Shower is free now!" She looked at me. "There are fresh clothes too."

"A real shower?!"

"They have running water here. There is a whole system behind all this." Carl told me standing up. "I'll show you the bathroom."

"I'll do that!" Maggie told him with a smile.

I stood up and handed Carl the comic. "Read this, I wanna know what you think about it!" He smiled at me while I followed Maggie out of the room.

"This is a real house." She told me. "They have running water, warm water!" She really looked good, all fresh and dressed up nicely. "This can be a start!" She stopped and knocked on the door. There was no answer so she opened the door. "You can even look the door!" She laughed. "It is all like back then …" She was really happy.

I looked curiously into the bathroom. Dirty clothes were lying around. Maggie handed me a towel. "Take your time!" She told me and switched on the light. "Don't forget to lock the door!"

She closed the door and I turned to the shower. I tried the tap on the sink next to me and it was running. Touching the water I almost burned my hand. It was really warm water. I laughed and looked up to see my reflection in the mirror. My smile was gone. Whom was I looking at?

A tough bitch-ass fighter.

I touched my nose and lips. The touch didn't hurt but something hurt deep inside me. I slowly undressed myself, starting with the shirt and then the trousers. I stared at my body … that is what my body was looking like now … a lot thinner and with too many scars. In the end I took of the bandana and looked at what I saw in the mirror. I carefully touched my throat where still a red line was visible. Would it ever fade? I had almost forgotten about what had happened … Almost …

I turned to the shower and stepped in it turning on warm water. I closed my eyes when the water started to rain down on me. I think I was crying …

"Hey Ella, I …" Someone came in. I immediately went down grabbing my legs tight to protect me from being seen. Maggie looked at me ashamed. "I am sorry, I …" She looked down on me and rushed towards me. Without words she held me tight. We both sat in the shower while the water soaked her clothes. "I love you girl." She suddenly told me. "We deserve this place, we'll be safe here. We'll make it save." I finally looked up to meet her glance. A warm smile met me. "Outside you saved my damn ass, now I'll show you what I can do." Maggie winked and I had to smile.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! See you soon :)