Chapter 3
Well, they were going to see more. They only get as far as the wonderful aroma of cooking food when Zoey's stomach growls fiercely. Amused, Harry nudges her, "You sure you don't have a wild animal in there?"
"I might," Zoey growls playfully, baring her teeth at him.
Harry huffs a laugh, "That would explain a few things."
Zoey rolls her eyes but she’s smiling, too, "Let's go eat. Ma usually cooks for breakfast and supper, so we gotta grab some grub from the cafeteria."
"What about points?" Harry asks, following her to the wide entrance. A few people walk out and more walk in right after, greeting each other on the way. Again, Harry makes note of how relaxed and at ease everyone seems to be. He gets a few curious glances as they come to a stop outside the door and he nods at them in acknowledgement. They return the silent greeting before going back to their own devices.
Zoey glances at him before peeking inside, "Don't even worry about it. Even if Dad wasn’t my Dad, I do more than enough chores and runs to cover us for food for weeks."
Harry wonders just how much Zoey has been doing on the daily to make that statement. He ribs her gently with his elbow and asks playfully, "So, you're buying lunch then?"
"I suppose," Zoey snarks, flashing a grin. She looks inside again and then says, "Hey, it's kind of crowded right now. How about I just grab us some stuff and we'll eat out here?"
Nerves start up at that. Harry doesn't want to let her out of his sight but she won't be going far and she's been safe here thus far. She’s only thinking of his comfort, after all. He certainly would not be able to eat around so many people, especially if they start staring. Besides that, it's not like someone is going to take off with her or hurt her in the scant few minutes she's out of reach. Harry knows he can't keep her within arms reach forever; it's not fair to Zoey at all. She built a life here, grew into a responsible, strong young woman. Made friends. It's not at all possible for Harry to keep her back like that.
"Hey," Zoey says quietly, stepping closer. Harry shakes himself out of his thoughts, relaxing his hands from the fists they curled into. Zoey looks up at him in concern, "I'll just be a few minutes. It's okay."
Harry nods, trying to push his nerves away, "I know. Sorry."
Zoey smiles a little and then hugs him. Harry squeezes her tightly for a moment - and then she's gone. Harry stamps down on the surge of anxiety as she disappears, his fists curling tightly, his nails digging into his palms.
She'll be fine, Harry thinks to himself harshly.
"Hey!"
Harry turns in confusion, a younger teen in a black hoodie coming to a stop about two feet away. He has a scowl on his face, looking entirely unimpressed as he studies Harry from top to bottom. What he’s looking for, Harry can’t say but he seems to gain some confidence because his shoulders square out.
"Can I help you?" Harry asks, frowning. He’s learned through experience that Americans can be bloody weird and hopes this isn’t one of those instances.
The teen scowls more and answers, "Yeah, you can stay the fuck away from my girlfriend."
Girlfriend? Harry thinks to himself incredulously. Is he talking about Zoey? Did Zoey even mention seeing a guy? Harry knows she's been otherwise busy and the last few hours have been a bit of a rollercoaster but wouldn't she have said something about that?
"Funny, that," Harry recovers, drawling in a dry tone as he deliberately looks the other up and down. Harry doesn’t appreciate the implications or the controlling possessiveness this wanker is giving off. Zoey can talk to and interact with who she wants. "She never mentioned you."
The boy twitches, his face falling before hardening again, "Zoey is mine, understand you British fuck?"
Harry scowls as he straightens and steps closer to the teen, almost lording right over him. The teen pales a bit, trembling but stands firm as Harry carefully enunciates, "I think you've misunderstood something, mate."
"I saw that hug," the dark haired teen states, scowl deepening. "I'm not misunderstanding anything. Since I’ve never seen you around before, I'm gonna give you a warning, buddy. Back the fuck off or I’ll get you kicked out of Sanctuary.”
The mental image of this bonehead going up to Negan to complain about some kid and getting that kid kicked out for nothing is just ridiculous. Unable to help himself, Harry snorts and goads the other with a mean grin, "Okay, Twat. You go do that. See how far you get."
The teen's face reddens angrily and he opens his mouth to say something but Zoey's voice rings out from the door of the cafeteria, "Darren!"
The bad attitude drops like a hot potato. Darren's face lights up as Zoey approaches them with two plates in hand, "Hey, Zo!"
Zoey rolls her eyes as she holds out Harry’s plate to him and corrects, "Zoey, Darren."
Harry takes his plate with a smirk playing at his lips. Darren glances at Harry, dark eyes catching the smirk and hooding with anger before returning to Zoey, "Sorry. Forgot."
"Hey, Zo," Harry says conversationally, his smirk sharpening. She looks at him without correcting him and Darren seems to notice it. Harry just can’t help himself and asks, "Who’s your friend?"
Zoey smiles, stepping closer to Harry - Darren's face pales a little - and says, "Oh, this is Darren. We met a while ago."
"Who’s this guy?" Darren asks her a little harshly as he thumbs Harry, unable to keep his feelings to himself.
Zoey frowns at Darren, eyeing him strangely, "Darren, this is Harry. My brother. You know, the one I told you I found?”
Harry watches, in silent, inappropriate glee, as Darren pales by a further five shades, leaving the natural pale skin to be nearly translucent. His dark eyes bug out little and his breath hitches in panic. “O-oh, right... I forgot.”
Harrystill can't help himself, he’s having too much fun with this. He holds out his hand and, with his smirk turning mischievous, says in a fake friendly tone, "It's lovely to meet one of Zo's friends."
Darren seems to be internally panicking about his massive misunderstanding. He shakily grabs Harry's hand and drops it after a single shake, "Uh, you too. Uhm," he turns to Zoey and asks, "Y-you busy today, then?"
Harry discreetly wipes his hand on his pants.
Zoey nods, seeming to be oblivious to the tension between the two, "Yeah, I'm showing Harry around. I was gonna introduce him to everyone later."
"O-oh," Darren stutters, grimacing and then hiding it with an obviously fake smile. "C-cool. Um. You… have fun, I'll-uh… catch up with you later."
Zoey's brows furrow as Darren flees before she can say anything. Harry's smirk grows, amused by the complete flip in attitude and subsequent retreat. Regardless of his amusement, though, Harry doesn't like Darren at all. Zoey deserves better than some possessive twat that feels the need to throw his nonexistent weight around to get his way. He didn't even know who Harry was before threatening expulsion from Sanctuary. Harry resolves to keep an eye on Darren and whoever his Father might be because that kind of behaviour isn't genetic.
"Wonder what's wrong with him?" Zoey murmurs in confusion, watching Darren go.
"He seems stressed," Harry answers lightly, finally turning to her. She looks at him as he asks teasingly, "Still with the Zoey, hm?"
Zoey rolls her eyes, "It's a full time job just reminding people. I'm getting kind of tired of it."
Harry nudges her as he turns, Zoey falling into step, "Get used to it. It's natural to shorten someone's name."
Zoey sighs in aggravation, "It's four letters and two syllables. It's already short. Jeez!"
"Strange, mine's five and two and nobody shortens mine…" Harry trails off and then grins. "Maybe it's because you're-"
Zoey smacks his arm, "Shut up!"
Harry bursts into laughter, feeling the mood from Darren's less than stellar introduction evaporate. Zoey pauses and then laughs too.
Zoey leads him to an empty spot not too far from the fences, between the table gardens and the ring. They are far from alone but there is enough distance from other people to talk privately. They sit down, Zoey digging into her lunch with gusto. Harry eyes his share; browned rice with sparse veggies and meat mixed in. It's… a pretty big portion, at least to his eyes and he doesn't know if he can finish it. He tries anyway, knowing he needs to eat as much as possible.
"What did Darren say?" Zoey asks through a mouthful of food, just barely legible.
Harry swallows and tsks, "I'm not too fond of seafood, you know."
Zoey pauses, tilting her head questioningly, "What?"
Harry smirks, using his fork to point at her still full mouth, "Don't talk with your mouth full. I can see your food."
Zoey rolls her eyes and swallows with some exaggeration, "Ha ha."
"Yes, I think I'm funny as well," Harry quips with a smile but then sobers, "You do have other friends than him, right?"
"Of course I do," Zoey scoffs, sticking her spoon in her food and waving her hand around vaguely. "Emillia and Jake are somewhere around here. Them and Darren are the only other teens here. I also hang out with the kids sometimes. Oh and I'm friends with a couple of adults in the Saviors. They're pretty cool. What did Darren say?"
Harry twists his lips, "This and that. Why?"
Zoey levels Harry with a flat look, "You were fucking around with him. I can tell. Stop avoiding the question, what did he say?"
Harry pushes his rice around on his plate, weirdly reluctant to broach the subject, "You guys dating?"
He glances up just in time to see Zoey's face flush spectacularly, "What? No! I don't-why would you-we're just friends!" She drops her plate on her lap and her hands fly to her cheeks, like she’s trying to hide how dark they are.
Harry feels amusement at her reaction and relief that she didn’t hide the fact that she had a boyfriend. Though it doesn’t seem that far off, going by how she’s now avoiding his eyes. He replies in a bone dry tone, "That was certainly convincing."
Zoey scowls, glaring at Harry petulantly. Her cheeks are still flush from what he can see between her fingers, "No, we're not dating,” she says again, glowering at him. “We're just friends."
Harry raises a brow and hums, taking another bite. He’s starting to get full already and he’s not even halfway done.
Zoey's foot jerks out and impacts Harry's leg, "Stop it. What did Darren say?"
The pain is minor and fades in seconds. Harry swallows and sighs, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, "He was trying to make sure the new guy wasn't moving in on his girl."
Zoey groans, burying her face in her hands. Her flush spreads further as she mumbles, “That dumbass.”
Harry chuckles a bit at her reaction but sobers quickly, "I don't like him. You deserve better than someone like that."
Zoey looks up, brows furrowed, "What does that mean?"
Harry gives up trying to eat the rest, the food sitting almost uncomfortably in his stomach and replies, "Just be careful around him, alright?"
"Harry?" Zoey ventures, eyeing him oddly. "Did you feel something?"
Harry shovels the rest of his rice onto her plate, "No, this is just my big brother instincts trying to make a big deal out of nothing." It's not really nothing to him. Zoey can clearly take care of herself; Darren looks far too much like a wet noodle to have some kind of physical threat to her. However, Harry is of the opinion that Zoey deserves better than Darren as a partner, more so for the fact that he's so two faced and jealous. The two aren't even dating yet and Darren is trying to act like they are. No, Harry is just wary and worried for his little sister. As much as he'd like to tell her she can't date the guy, Harry knows it's not his place.
Zoey will figure things out. She has so far.
"Hey, you're supposed to be eating that," Zoey halfheartedly complains but doesn't move her plate away. She must be still pretty hungry, then.
"I'm full," Harry says, shrugging. He waves at her to eat it, "Don't need it going to waste."
Zoey scoops more into her mouth, giving him the stink eye. He smiles at her puffed out cheeks as she glares at him.
"Just be careful, yeah?" Harry ducks his head a bit to look her in the eye.
Zoey pauses, opening her mouth but then snaps it shut and nods instead. Harry smirks at her catch, gaining another eye roll.
"Where to next?" Harry asks once Zoey finishes her last bite. Somehow she managed to pack away not only her portion but the rest of his. Harry stacks the plates together and stands.
"Well," Zoey says, standing as well and doing a small stretch. "We should take the dishes back first." She grabs them from Harry, "Well, I will. I'll be right back, okay?"
Harry keeps himself from reaching out to grab her as she turns heel and runs off. He shakes his head, she's fine.
Zoey comes running back a bare minute later and pants as she asks, "Anything you want to see?"
Before Harry can even think about it, a childish voice cries out, "Zoey!"
They both look; three children around ten and below come running up, genuine happiness and excitement on their faces. The youngest and oldest are girls and the third is a boy, all three pausing when they catch sight of Harry.
"Erin! Rachel! Ryan!" Zoey calls back happily, holding her arms up and out in welcome. The girls continue their approach, watching Harry as they hug Zoey but the little boy, who Harry assumes is Ryan, stops entirely to stare. His eyes are large and grey, cute freckles dotting his face and his loose curly light brown hair just long enough to touch his shoulders.
"It's okay, Ryan. That's Harry," Zoey says soothingly, the girls tucked under each arm. The older one has long, straight blonde hair and green eyes, the younger has brown eyes and black hair. "Harry, that's Ryan and this-" she gestures with a pat to the older girl's shoulder. "-is Rachel and the littlest cutie is Erin." Zoey squeezes Erin to herself briefly and then frowns as she rechecks the area, “Hey, where’s Jody?”
Erin points towards the tower, “Her Mommy come got her.”
Zoey glances up, “Well, that’s earlier than usual.”
"Harry? As in…?" Rachel looks up at Zoey and then back to Harry, eyes bright and curious.
"Yeah!" Zoey chirps. "My big brother! We finally found him!"
Rachel and Erin gasp and and clap together. “Yay!” Rachel exclaims first, Erin quickly chiming in as well.
Harry crouches down, smiling at Ryan and offering his hand, "Hey, nice to meet you. Ryan, right?"
Ryan's eyes widen, nodding shyly.
"Ryan is really shy," Zoey states, going to say something else when Ryan walks right up to Harry. Her brows shoot up when Ryan wordlessly takes Harry's hand, eyes still riveted to his face. "Well, he usually is."
Harry shakes the small hand with a slightly bigger smile. Ryan suddenly smiles back, melting Harry's heart. Just a little.
"Can you play with us, Zoey?" Rachel looks up at Zoey beseechingly.
"Please?" Erin asks quietly but looking at Harry as she does.
Zoey looks at Harry a little helplessly, obviously not wanting to let the children down when they asked so nicely. He just nods, returning his gaze to Ryan to ask, "Think I can join in?"
Ryan's face lights up and he nods vigorously, looking at Zoey almost pleadingly.
Zoey loses the battle before it could even begin, sighing with a smile, "Okay, okay. What should we play?"
Rachel and Erin also light up, excitement gleaming in their eyes.
"Tag!" They exclaim together.
Ryan tugs on Harry's hand eagerly. Harry stands and allows the little boy to pull him towards the girls, "Tag it is, then."
"Yay!" Rachel and Erin exclaim, grabbing each other’s hands to jump up and down in excitement.
Zoey and Harry glance at each other in amusement.
—
Harry bends over and rests his hands on his knees, attempting to catch his breath. Ryan giggles maniacally as he slows and turns to watch Harry, both of his hands clenching out of excitement. “Why do you have to be so fast?” Harry complains as he pants, his legs shaking from the exertion.
“It!” Ryan answers succinctly as he points at Harry, his red cheeks bunched up in the biggest grin.
Harry groans as he sends the little boy a fake glower, “Well, you don’t have to rub it in.”
Ryan giggles some more, “Chase!”
“Come on, Harry!” Zoey’s voice is taunting. “You’re not that old, you can’t be slowing down already!”
Harry waves her off, planting his butt on the ground with another groan, “I can’t keep going. Go on without me. Save yourself!”
Ryan, Rachel and Erin laugh at his theatrics, joined by others. Harry looks over and sees four adults – three women, one man - standing a few meters away, smiling and laughing. The children see their parents at the same time and their faces light up. Rachel and Erin call out, “Mommy!” and Ryan, “Daddy!” as they run towards their parents. Rachel is scooped up by the two women standing next to each other. Erin runs right into the third woman’s arms and Ryan smashes into the man’s legs, hopping up and down excitedly.
“Oh, hey,” Zoey calls to them as she heads for Harry.
“Hello, Zoey,” Erin’s mother replies with a smile.
“You guys have fun?” One of Rachel’s Mom’s asks her daughter.
Zoey offers Harry a hand with a smile, “Save ourselves, hm?”
Harry takes her hand and allows her to pull him to his feet, “Think it was dramatic enough?”
Zoey giggles a little, “They liked it. Come on, I’ll introduce you.”
“You feeling okay, big man?” Ryan’s father asks him, bouncing Ryan in the crook of his arm. One hand is already on Ryan’s forehead. Harry didn’t sense any sickness in the kids... was Ryan sick recently?
“Zoey, thank you for wearing them out,” Erin’s mother smiles gratefully. “Is this who I think it is?”
Zoey nods, beaming again in excitement, “Yeah, this is Harry! He’s been resting a lot, so I’m showing him around Sanctuary today. Harry, this is Justina.”
Harry offers his hand to Justina with a smile, “Nice to meet you. You have a wonderful daughter.”
Justina softens and flushes a little, taking his hand, “Nice to meet you as well, Harry. I’m glad they finally found you. Welcome to Sanctuary.”
“I’m Bobby,” Ryan’s father interjects before Rachel’s parents can hop in. Harry immediately takes his hand with a firm shake as the man continues, “I was watching for a few minutes, it really struck me how Ryan took to you.”
Harry looks at Ryan, who stares at him unabashedly with wide grey eyes, “Oh, I think he just wanted a guy mate to play with. Isn’t that right, Ryan?”
Ryan just nods seriously, making Bobby crack up, “That’s funny.” He presses a kiss to Ryan’s temple and nods at Harry again, “Sorry, we need to go. Thanks again.” He nods at the other parents and turns to go.
A small hand grabs Harry’s left hand. Rachel stares up at him, “Meet my Mommies, Harry.”
Harry quirks a grin, “Of course, of course.” He tilts his head at them with a smile, gaining small grins in return, “Hullo, nice to meet you.”
“Poppy,” the taller one offers her hand. Harry shakes it and takes the other woman’s hand as she offers, “Holly.”
“Both flowers,” Harry comments with a raised brow.
Poppy rolls her eyes, “A family tradition on both sides of our family, if you can believe it. One we’ve broken with Rachel.”
“Rachel is fun to play tag with, she’s so slippery,” Harry grins down at Rachel, who beams proudly. Not once did anyone manage to tag her.
“That’s awesome, Rach’!” Holly exclaims, grabbing Rachel in a bear hug complete with sound effects.
“Mommy, I’m hungry,” Erin quietly complains.
“Me, too,” Rachel’s muffled voice from the depths of Holly’s hug.
Justina, Poppy and Holly all look at each other with helpless smiles. Poppy is the one to say, “Well, I guess the bosses have spoken. Are you two hungry?”
“Ma’s got supper covered, we’re gonna head up soon,” Zoey smoothly turns them down. “Thanks, though!”
“Have a good supper,” Harry tells them with a wave.
“You, too,” they reply as they herd their children towards the cafeteria.
“Well, that was fun,” Harry comments after a few moments. “Does everyone know about me?”
Zoey shrugs, brow furrowing in thought, “I don’t know, probably. Secrets have a hard time staying secrets here.”
That bothers Harry a great deal. Not the part where people know who he is but the lack of secrecy. Sure, it would be a boon to have a place be as transparent as possible but with Zoey’s blood holding the antibodies for the virus ravaging the world, secrecy is a must. No one can discover this little tidbit. No one else should know about it.It cannot go beyond the penthouse.
“Well, let’s hope that isn’t as true as you’re making it out to be,” Harry gives her a particular look and she seems to get it by the way she wilts a little.
Zoey kicks the ground, “Yeah.”
“Whoa, Zoey! Where the hell have you been?”
“Emillia?” Zoey calls back in confusion, staring at another teenager running up to them. “Oh, hey,” Zoey greets properly when Emillia comes to a stop in front of her. “What’s up?”
“Don’t what’s up me, you-” Emillia scowls at Zoey unhappily, glancing at Harry and then doing a double take. “-uh, hi. Zoey, who is this?”
“Harry,” he offers, wondering if this is the Emillia Zoey mentioned earlier.
“Wait!” Emillia raises her hand at Zoey as she opens her mouth to speak. “Shut the fuck up. Really? That Harry?”
Zoey obviously isn’t very happy about being cut off like that but the bad mood blows away in the face of Emillia’s excitement, “Yeah!” Zoey grins as she motions to Harry. “My brother! Harry, this is Emillia. She’s my best friend.”
“The best friend,” Emillia corrects, ribbing Zoey a bit. “Is this why you disappeared for over a week?”
Zoey flushes in embarrassment, eyeing Harry warily as she replies, “No, I was going through... some stuff. What’s been going on with you?”
She was going through some stuff? Harry wonders what led Zoey to holing up for so long. Harry’s sure he didn’t sleep for a week... though, maybe he did. He’ll have to ask someone later.
“I’ve been trying to hang out with Jake but he’s being a jerk,” Emillia scrunches her nose unhappily. “Darren’s been his usual loner self, he doesn’t wanna hang at all. I’m so bored, Zoey! Lemme hang out with you guys!”
Harry can very much see that Zoey would not like that. If he’s being honest with himself, he doesn’t want to, either. She’s had however long she’s been here to hang out with Zoey, she can wait a little longer. Harry wants to spend as much time as he can with his sister before she inevitably calms down and starts doing her own things again.
“Actually, Emillia,” Harry interjects before Zoey can open her mouth. He smiles apologetically, “I haven’t actually spent any time with her since I got here. Do you mind hanging out a different day?”
Zoey seems far too relieved to make a fuss about Harry stepping in.
Emillia actually pouts as she looks at Zoey, “Really?”
Zoey raises her hands in supplication, “Sorry, Emillia. Ma’s probably already got supper on the stove, we need to head back up soon anyway.”
Emillia sighs in disappointment, “Fine, I guess so.” She perks up hopefully, “Tomorrow?”
Zoey tilts her head and nods, “I don’t see why not. Is it okay if Harry comes?”
“I don’t have to, you can spend time with your friends without me,” Harry replies in a dry tone. The last thing he wants to do is intrude on Zoey’s friendships.
“Yeah, bring him,” Emillia answers like Harry never spoke, giving him a considering once over. “Maybe Jake will actually wanna hang with us.”
“Sounds good,” Zoey nods, offering her hand up and smiling when Emillia immediately high fives. “See you tomorrow!”
Emillia waves as she heads towards the planting tables.
“She seems like a good friend,” Harry murmurs to Zoey as they turn to head back to the tower.
Zoey glances back towards where her friend went and replies, “She is. Her dad died a bit before they managed to get here, so it’s just her and her Mom. I didn’t really like her at first but she grows on you.”
“How come?” Harry wonders, interested. There weren’t very many people under the age of twenty at the Vatos, so Zoey’s rarely had the chance to connect with other people her age. He figured she would have jumped right into the friendship, not hesitate.
Zoey shrugs, looking away from him as she answers, “I dunno, she was just... weird, I guess.”
Harry feels like she’s not telling the whole truth but doesn’t call her out on it, “I guess that’s fair.”
"Z!" A chirpy voice calls out.
They turn, Zoey's face lighting up as she cheerfully replies, "Cindy! Diego!"
A man and a shorter woman in the garb Harry has seen on Negan's Saviors come walking up to them. The man, Diego, has a bow and quiver strapped to his back, taped glasses sitting a little lopsided on his face. His skin tone is similar to Felipe and Guillermo's, making Harry wonder if he’s the same as them. The woman, Cindy, has a large, blue wrench of some kind that seems to be permanently stuck in an open, claw-like state. Her hair is very short, though longer than Harry's but stuck out in every direction as if she had been zapped. Her bare arms are covered in tattoos from shoulder to knuckles, fully colored with stars and lines that flow in a way that's pleasing to the eyes. Harry studies her artwork with some appreciation, not used to seeing tattoos that aren't graphic in some sexual or negative way.
Cindy eyes Harry back, jutting her chin in greeting but addressing Zoey, "Hey, Zorro-" Zorro? What the heck is a Zorro? "Is this who I think it is?"
"Yeah!" Zoey nods with a wide grin, nudging Harry, "This is who we've been looking for! Harry, this is Cindy and Diego. They're my friends in the Saviors I mentioned."
"It's nice to finally meet you, man," Diego says in a friendly tone, offering his hand.
"Same," Harry replies easily, taking the hand. Diego's grip is firm but not tight, palm dry with noticeable calluses on the tips of his middle fingers.
"Yeah! Nice to know we don't have to look for you anymore," Cindy offers her hand with a grin and when Harry goes to take hers, she grabs his hand in an odd way, pulling him in for a quick half-hug. A solid pat to the back and Harry is released.
"Thanks?" Harry says with a touch of uncertainty. He's never been greeted that way before by anyone. It was certainly an experience, though.
"Don't mention it," Cindy replies with a wink.
"Where's Sandra?" Zoey asks, looking between the two.
"Esperando por nosotras," Diego replies smoothly. Harry doesn't know what was said but Zoey seems to understand. The language sounds familiar, though.
"Too bad you're grounded, L'il Z," Cindy lightly punches Zoey's shoulder.
Zoey scowls faintly, "Yeah, yeah.”
“Nah, I’m just joking,” Cindy laughs as she waves her hand like she’s trying to clear the air. “We’re doing a shift at Outpost Two. We’ll be back tomorrow.”
“Be careful on the roads,” Zoey tells Cindy while glancing at Diego.
Cindy blows a raspberry teasingly, flapping her hand dismissively. Diego nods with a smile, "We will."
"Let's chat later, H," Cindy says as she turns to go. "Wanna get to know ya and shit."
Bemused, Harry replies, "Sure." They watched the two Saviors head away with one last lazy wave over their shoulders. Harry can't say his name was ever shortened to H before, which is also a novel experience. Cindy seems to be the kind of person that’s laid back and easy to get along with. Harry kind of looks forward to getting to know her; he wants to know where she got such an interesting weapon. “They seem nice.”
Zoey rolls her eyes in fond amusement, "They're really cool. I like them more than the other people Dad has in the Saviors. Some of them can be real malditos idiotas."
Ah, Diego speaks the same language as theVatos. He vaguely remembers it to be Spanish? Maybe? Because of that, he knows she's swearing by her tone and insulting them by her sneer. He doesn't really like it when she swears but has long lost the will to correct her on it and instead of doing so, he asks, "Any in particular I need to have a conversation with?"
Zoey sighs, waving him off, "Nah, it doesn't matter anymore. Let's go back up. Ma should have started supper by now."
Harry nods, glancing around to get one last look around the frankly amazing community Negan, Lucille and Zoey built. Not for the first time does he notice how relaxed and happy everyone seems to be. The air is light and free of tension. There are no signs of oppression or fear, no abuse and jeering, nothing to indicate that Sanctuary is anything other than what the name proclaims. The Commune, from the moment they drove in to the moment Harry escaped with those men, was the polar opposite of Sanctuary. The matriarchal system was oppressive and terrible from the go, enslaving and abusing men for nothing but the faint chance of the men abusing them. The community had been built and maintained on the idea that men are bad and should be punished, even if they hadn't done anything of the sort and certainly did not deserve the treatment they got. The Matron hated men because of the actions of one man and took her grief and anger out on all the men she could.
It was deplorable and sickening.
Harry hopes the community is run and managed far better now that the Matron is dead, even if he plans on never stepping foot back inside.
They are passing a shack with a metal door and a Savior standing guard in front of it when a tortured scream suddenly blares out. The sound makes goosebumps erupt on Harry’s arms and he’s briefly taken right back to the basement in the Mansion, where four tortured souls lay shivering in their cages. Then, he’s right back in the moment when another scream rends the air.
Harry stops short, head whipping to the door where the bored looking guard doesn't bat an eye at the sound. Harry focuses- dozens of Wills spark into existence at the back of his mind. They’re everywhere, behind and to the side, ascending before fading out and fading in while descending. Where he’s physically looking, though, is where the scream originated. There is only one Will down a ways and to the right. It flickers dangerously, as if deciding on whim whether they want to live or die. No other Wills present, so whoever is down there isn't being hurt or tortured, as far as Harry can perceive. He then looks at Zoey, who now seems anxious and asks, "Who the bloody hell is that?" Her Will is strong but seeming a tad dim compared to how bright it usually is.
Zoey's lips thin and she looks beyond him at the door. Unhappiness drags her shoulders down and then she sighs, eyes dropping to the ground, "My Mom."
"What?" Harry blurts flatly, utterly taken aback. Her Mother? The wretch of a woman that abandoned Zoey all those months ago? Here? What were the chances of that cunt making it all the way here from Atlanta? Also, why is she down there and why is she screaming?
Zoey bites her lip and then looks up at Harry, "I ran into her a few weeks ago. She came here… I don't even know when and we crashed into each other one day. Dad sent her down there when he found out who she was and they refuse to let her out until they figure out what to do with her. She's…" Zoey pauses, seeming like she's trying to find the right word to use and then settles on, "Unstable."
Another scream reaches them. The guard is now eyeing Harry oddly.
"She sounds like she's in pain," Harry states, frowning as he returns his attention to the unstable Will. It's so small and dull, flickering constantly. Harry doesn't know if she is in pain or not. He doesn't know if he should care or not. That horrible woman had abandoned her daughter at the beginning of the end of the world; she abandoned a little girl in the middle of the city with little food and water, without a word, without a care. Albeit, if she hadn't, Harry never would have met Zoey and it's likely that whatever happened to the woman over the months would have befallen Zoey as well.
It's a conundrum of feelings; Harry is of the opinion that every life matters now more than ever but that hadn't stopped him from killing the Matron. It didn't stop him from abandoning those men in that house in the dark.
It won’t stop him from protecting his sister from the one person that should have kept her safe.
"She keeps hurting herself on the bars," Zoey replies in a small voice, prompting Harry to look at her again. She’s miserable as another shriek echoes up. "She didn't make any sense when I talked to her and she was really nasty about everything. I…"
Harry's frown deepens as she trails off. His eyes return to the flickering Will, watching it shutter and blink rapidly. It flares brightly for a few seconds and then goes out, slowly alighting again only to flicker some more. In comparison, the now frowning guard's Will is bright and powerful, unmoving in its resolve.
"Something’s weird," Harry says finally, turning back to Zoey. She looks conflicted and sad, eyeing the door and wincing when another scream sounds out. Harry doesn't like seeing her like that but he wants to go dow to see what’s going on. He asks her, "Are you up to coming down with me?"
Immediately Zoey shakes her head, taking a step back, "No, I don't want to see her."
Chest feeling tight from the fear Zoey is exuding, Harry immediately pulls her into a one armed hug. She sighs into his shoulder, easily going along when Harry begins to walk away from the door and the suspicious guard. "Sorry, Zo."
He should have known better. The last thing he wants to do is make Zoey feel like that again. The woman can rot down there.
"You can go… if you want…" Zoey says in a stilted voice. "I just… she's…"
Harry stops, moving Zoey away a little to look at her face, "Zo?"
She doesn't make eye contact, looking down and away, "I tried to ask her why she left me. She wouldn't give me a straight answer. Called me names... screamed at me." With every word, fury ignites in Harry's chest. He suddenly, viscerally, hates the woman with the flickering, dying Will. How dare she? "Ma set her straight, I think but… I… just don't think it's a good idea for me to see her at all. She's not… my Mom. I don't think she ever really was."
Harry sighs, dragging Zoey back in for a full, comforting hug. It sucks that Zoey had to go through all of that. He guesses it was naive to think she’d die on the road somewhere from Karma coming back to bite her in the arse.
"I think something is wrong with her," Zoey continues into his chest and then turns her head aside.
"There's definitely something wrong with her," Harry agrees sagely. "Do you want me to go see her? I can just as well leave her alone until Negan and Lucille decide what to do with her."
Zoey pulls away and glances at the door behind Harry with a conflicted expression. Right at that moment, a blood curdling scream pierces the air and the Will down below snuffs out instantly. The guard straightens, equal parts concerned and bewildered as he turns to look at the door. Another horrid scream- then another and another has the guard hurriedly pulling out a ring of keys. Zoey's breath hitches and she steps around Harry to approach the rattled guard. Harry follows, his own concern growing when the Will doesn't come back. Then, one long, agonized scream rings out as the man opens the door, only to cut off chillingly.
Zoey's breathing is fast and panicked as they follow the guard down the stairs. He runs past a door into a circular room with cells. Harry tries to overtake her before she makes it in but the glance into the side room they pass distracts him.
The guard yells out, "Get Doctor Carson! Now!"
Zoey stops with a small, terrified sound, the man continuing to the cell with blood leaking out from between the bars.
Harry pulls Zoey behind him and keeps her there as the guard unlocks the cell door. The keys rattle together with the force of the guard’s shaking hands, drowning out his heavy breathing. Zoey clutches the back of Harry's shirt with tight fists, her face pressed into his back. Harry doesn't move to follow the order, knowing that there is nothing Doctor Carson – or anyone, Harry included - can do for the woman now.
Death glides through the guard, unnoticed as he tries to resuscitate the unmoving woman. It reaches down with one chillingly bleach-white bone hand to gather the dimly glowing ball hovering there. Harry watches as Death studies the soul for one long, terrible moment before depositing it into Its chest bone prison. Death's hood turns to Harry, staring at him from the void for a few moments before bowing It’s shadowy visage and disappearing.
The guard suddenly sits back, hands and knees bloody, revealing a dark skinned corpse. The face of the woman laying there is half gone under blood and gore, the other bearing a vague resemblance to Zoey. The dark brown eyes stare, sightless, blank, carved deep into gaunt cheekbones with bags so deep they’re nearly black. Blood and grey matter leak out of the vicious, self inflicted head wound, the wall and floor splattered with bits of flesh and bone. The entire scene is horrible and gut wrenching, even to himself.
How could she do this to herself?
The guard glances over his slumped shoulder, "Nevermind, I guess. You should get Zoey out of here, she shouldn't be seeing this." Harry hums with a nod, turning and wrapping his arm around Zoey to keep her from glimpsing any more of the mess. He keeps her face tucked into his shoulder, drawing her away and to the door, hearing the guard request, "Want to send Negan down here?"
"Yeah, will do," Harry answers, more concerned about Zoey's lack of reaction thus far. However, as soon as that thought passes through his head, Zoey suddenly starts trembling. Tears wet Harry's shirt, hot sobs muffled in the fabric.
Harry holds in the sigh and leads Zoey up the stairs with his head leaning on hers.
The day started out so well. Harry should have known something would go terribly wrong.