Chapter Text
AJ was still a little nervous about meeting the group of survivors that Aasim had seen while hunting the day before. Their group had voted and decided to meet with them, to see what they were like and if they were willing to trade. AJ had voted against it, but after talking to Louis yesterday he was feeling a little bit better about meeting them. He hadn’t met many other people before and the few that he had weren’t nice, but Clem told him that there were nice people out there like the ones she’d met in Richmond. Maybe this group of people was like them, Louis had told him that these people might be able to trade things like seeds or medicine with them. He’d even said that they might be able to make Clem a new leg so she could walk without crutches again, AJ really hoped that they could. He was still nervous about meeting them though. Clem and Louis seemed sure of the choice but AJ was worried. Clem had met good people on the road but she’d met so many bad ones too. Ones like the Delta who hurt others instead of helping them.
AJ hoped Louis was right about this new group having the tools needed to make Clem a new leg to replace the one he’d had to cut off. He didn’t regret it, she was still alive after all. Clem still couldn’t walk without her crutches and she couldn’t move fast enough to leave the school. It made AJ sad, he was really happy that she was ok and that cutting her leg off worked. Clem had told him about her friend Lee before, he got bit and even though he’d cut off his arm it hadn’t worked and he’d still turned. Clem didn’t though and she was ok, even if she couldn’t walk. He knew that she was nervous about not being able to go with them but there was no way she could make it there safely and everyone else had told her as much when she’d suggested going with them.
“Look Clem, we all know you’re strong but you’re not stupid” Violet had said “You and I are demoted to inside work until we can adjust to working around our losses. You agreed with the plan so please just use your brain.”
Clem had sighed at that but hadn’t argued more, instead just saying “I worry, that’s all. I want to meet these people”
“And you will, if they’re good that is.” Louis said “Until then just trust me to handle them, I’ve got the skills to charm them over”
“Or scare them away” Violet said under her breath, making all of them laugh.
“I wanna go too” AJ said, “To see if they’re good”
“That’s just going to make me worry more” Clem said “We’ve never gone anywhere apart before”. She was right, he realized. Everything he could remember doing he’d done with Clem by his side. It was scary to think that she wouldn’t be with him on this journey but he was sure he could do it, he’d do it for her since she couldn’t.
“I’ll be careful, I promise” AJ pleaded “You’re worried that they’re bad and I am too, so I can go and check for you since you can’t. Besides Louis and Aasim will be there too I won’t be alone”
“If you’re alright I’ll take him,” Louis said. “He is my little friend after all, we need to hang out more often, and I promise not to let him do anything too dangerous.” He smiled at Clem then, making her smile in return. AJ liked that about Louis, he made Clem happy. Plus he was friends with AJ too, AJ liked having friends.
“You two hang out all the time, there’s like eight people here, we all hang out together literally every day” Clem said “And he shouldn’t be doing anything dangerous at all. He’s still a kid, remember?”
“Technically going out there at all is dangerous” Aasim chimed in “But we all know that A.J. is careful, he probably knows more about how to survive out there than we do.” Louis gave his friend a look at that.
“Dude, I get what you’re saying but you’re not helping” Louis said, giving his friend a shove “Seriously though Clem, if you’re willing I’ll watch over him and I won’t let anything bad happen to him. He won’t come over to talk to this new group until we’re sure that they’re not a threat and if we have any reason to think that they are we won’t talk with them at all. I really want to make this connection and reach out to other survivors but I won’t risk what we already have to do that. Just trust me, please?”
Clem sighed “Fine, I trust you. Both of you. Just make sure to bring him back in one piece”
“Well we can’t have him copying your look can we” Louis said “You’re rocking the whole one leg thing but AJ? I’m not sure the little guy has what it takes to pull it off”
“Louis” Clem scolded but AJ could see that she was smiling. Louis was good at making her laugh, AJ was glad that she’d convinced him to let him go along with them to meet this new group. He was still worried but now was also feeling a little bit excited. These new people could bring new things with them, and if they were good then maybe they’d be willing to share them. New seeds to grow vegetables, new books for everyone to read and information about things like medicine for everyone to learn. It could help them a lot. And of course maybe this new group would be able to help Clem with her leg and Violet with her eyes. It was worth a shot to talk with them, even if they didn’t end up working with them. Besides, everyone in their group had agreed that even if they did make contact with this new group they wouldn’t change the way that they were running their school. It was their home and they weren’t going to let someone take it over. That happened in one of the places Clem had lived before, someone else had come in and changed everything and taken it away from the people whose homes it was. They wouldn’t let that happen here. They’d already fought off the Delta and they could fight off someone else too.
That night AJ couldn’t sleep. Aasim had watched the caravan for a bit the day before, he said there weren’t that many people traveling with it and that it mostly looked like it was transporting things. He said that probably meant there were more than one community out there and they were trading with each other. AJ wondered how many people were left in the world at all. He didn’t have anything to compare it to but the way the others talked the world used to be pretty crowded. The amount of walkers he’d come across seemed to suggest that as well, there were so many of them and so few living people left. But there were still people left, maybe more than any of them realized. He just hoped they were good people, he hoped their groups could be friends. It would be nice to meet more people. Maybe there were even more kids out there that were his age. He liked his group but it got lonely sometimes to be the only little kid. The others didn’t play with him the way that Tenn used to. He didn’t like thinking about Tenn though, it made him really sad and so he decided to try and think of something else before he fell asleep, like the new friends they might make tomorrow.
The next morning AJ got ready to leave with Louis and Aasim, he could tell that Clem was worried. She kept checking with him, making him repeat the rules even though he already knew them, checking to make sure he had a knife and reminding him how to use it even though he already knew.
“I’ll be fine Clem, I know what to do out there and I won’t be alone”
“I Know” She sighed, smoothing her hands down his jacket “It’s just the first time you’re going out there without me. I’m worried”
“I know, you’ve always been there to protect me before, but right now you have to trust me. I can do this. And besides Louis and Aasim will be there and Louis promised he’d watch me for you”
“I know, and I trust both of them and you. I know you can do this but it’s just hard for me to let you go. Promise me that you’ll be careful?”
“I will, I promise,” AJ said. Louis walked over, helping Clem to her feet as she used her crutches to stand.
“I figured you’d want to see you out” He said “And I’ve come to collect my little man, I promise to take good care of him”
“I know,” Clem said. “He was just telling me the same thing. I’m…working on being ok with him going out there without me. We don’t really have much choice right now, I can’t really go out there with him like this” She gestured down to her leg.
“And that’s why he’s going with me and Aasim, we’ll watch out for him and the rest of you. I feel good about this, I think reaching out to this group is a good thing” Louis said.
“I do too” Clem said “I’m scared but I think this is right, I think it’s time we start to reach out to other survivors, there’s not that many of us left it would make more sense if we worked together.”
“Yeah” Louis said “It would” He gave Clem a quick kiss once they reached the gate, something AJ stuck his tongue out at. Clem had explained to him that the two of them liked each other more than friends, that Louis was her boyfriend and that AJ would understand it more when he was older. He thought he understood it pretty well, even if he pretended to be grossed out each time they kissed. He liked Louis though and he was glad that he made Clem happy. They met up with Aasim at the gate, the rest of their friends looking at them with mixes of worry and hope. They didn’t have many people, Clem and Violet couldn’t really do much outside of the walls right now being hurt like they were so some of the others were focusing on hunting and fishing for their food while the rest stayed home in case they needed to defend the school. Three of them would be going out to meet with this group though, hopefully that would be a good thing.
“Be safe” Ruby said, she looked particularly worried “If they seem off come right back, we don’t need trouble.”
“Don’t come right back though, that’ll just lead them here” Willy said “Fight them if they’re bad, that’ll stop them from ever coming near us again”
“Or make them send their friends after us, we don’t need to be making enemies here” Violet said “We’re trying to make friends, remember?”
“Just, be safe” Ruby said “And don’t bring them back if they’re bad I guess. I trust your judgment on this” She gave a deep sigh. AJ pretended not to notice the way her gaze lingered a little on Aasim. They weren’t together like Louis and Clem were but AJ was pretty sure they both liked each other as more than friends. He’d heard Louis tease Aasim about it before, telling him to make a move already, whatever that meant.
“Well thank you, I know I’m smart” Louis said, flashing a grin at her that made the rest of the group laugh.
“I wasn’t talking to you” Ruby said smartly “Aasim is the smart one, you let him make the decisions you’re just there as muscle.” Aasim smiled at that, blushing just a little. Louis was definitely right, he liked Ruby.
“Just muscles? Not even charm” Louis said, holding a hand to his heart as if he’d been hurt “You wound me”
“We’ll have to ask Clementine here about charm” Violet said “jury’s still out on the rest of us but it seems that you’ve charmed her well enough”
“That I have,” Louis said with another grin.
“That you have” Clem agreed “Just be safe, and watch out for AJ for me” She turned to AJ then “you listen to them, I trust you to make your own decisions but the others are trying to keep you safe too. Work together if anything happens and follow their lead while I’m not there”
“We’ll watch over him” Aasim promised “And we won’t bring anyone back if we can’t trust them. I’ll tell all of you how things go once we get back.”
“I know you will, now go before we all worry so much that we call this whole thing off” Ruby said, gently shoving them towards the door “We all know you’re going to do great at this”
“Thanks Ruby” Aasim said with a smile as their group left the school. AJ waved goodbye at Violet and Clem and everyone else still behind the walls before turning to face forward as he walked. He looked out for monsters as he did. There were more of them in the woods now, the explosion and the fight with the Delta had made a lot of noise and drawn more of them towards their area of the woods. It was making hunting harder, another reason that trade might be helpful. Before the area had been quiet and secluded enough that they’d been able to fight off the small groups of walkers they encountered before they were able to reach the school and become a problem. As they made their way to where Aasim had seen the other group they encountered a small swarm of walkers, only about five of them. AJ grabbed his knife though Louis motioned for him to stay back.
“Let us deal with these ones right now, watch our backs and don’t let any of them sneak up on us' ' He lifted Chairles and Aasim loaded his bow, shooting down the closest one. AJ listened even though he knew that he could help them fight. It was easier for Louis since AJ was still too little to reach the monsters heads without knocking them down. He knew how to fight though, Clem had taught him how to knock the monsters down before going for their heads. He wished he had his gun, but he was out of ammo and the noise would just draw more of them anyway. Maybe he could learn to use a bow like Aasim did, he watched as the other boy made quick work of a few of the monsters, covering Louis as he batted down the rest. Together they were able to kill the monsters in just a few minutes, making it safe to keep walking.
“I want to learn to use a bow” AJ announced “I can fight them just fine with a knife but I’m too little to reach the head without knocking them down. And I can’t use my gun since I don’t have any bullets.”
“Guns would just attract more anyway” Aasim said “though we might be able to trade for some bullets as a last resort. I think we might have some smaller bows you could learn with anyway.”
“Yeah, I could teach you” Louis said “Though maybe that’s not the best choice, I’m a pretty crappy shot. Aasim can teach you the bow, but if you ever wanna learn to use something like this” He swung Chairles around for affect “I’m your man”
A.J. laughed at that, “I don’t think I’m big enough for that just yet, I can hardly lift Charlies up”
“We’d have to make you a smaller one obviously, we could match” Louis said “I’ll find you a smaller chair and make a matching set, maybe we could even get Clem and Vi into the club. Or you could use a bow and match with Aasim”
“I think I want to use a bow,” A.J. said, laughing more when Louis pretended to be wounded again.
“I see how it is” he said “You think Aasim is cooler”
“I don’t blame him” Aasim said “I am cooler, and bows are pretty cool too. Maybe if you practiced more he could match with both of us”
“Maybe, although I guess we’ll never know since I don’t see myself practicing any more than I already do,” Louis said in response.
“Well I see you practice just about never so I guess we won’t see” Aasim said, even though he was scolding Louis he was still smiling. The way AJ saw it they made a good team, like he and Clem did. Even if Aasim sometimes got annoyed with how much goofing off Louis did. They worked together well, Aasim and his bow were able to take down walkers that were further away and thin them out while still covering Louis when he attacked them by hand. It was like the way that Clem and AJ used to fight, with Clem and her knife and AJ and his gun.
They were approaching where Aasim had seen the other group and the older boy motioned towards them to stop.
“Let’s approach them quietly,” he said. “We know they’re here already so we have the upper hand should something go wrong”
“Wouldn’t that make them distrust us?” Louis said “I wouldn't like being snuck up on”
“It’s not the best situation but it’s the safest for us.” Aasim said “We don’t sneak up on them, we make ourselves known and approach without weapons. We don’t want them to think that we’re a threat. AJ, stay hidden until we tell you it’s safe to come out. If something goes wrong, run back to the school and tell the others, ok?”
AJ nodded, he didn’t like having to hide but if something bad happened he would run really fast back to the school and bring the others back here to help. He liked this plan, it was safe.
“Alright, let's get a little closer then and go and meet our potential new friends.” Aasim said. Together they walked up to an overgrown road. AJ could see a could of wagons with stuff on them, lots of stuff. He wondered if Aasim was right and they were taking it from one community to the next. He could see horses too, to pull the wagons. And three people so far, though he was sure that there were more out of sight. He stopped in the trees and crouched down so that they wouldn’t be able to see him as his friends got ready to go and meet the new group.
“I can do the talking” Louis said “Or some of the talking maybe”
“We can both do the talking, but you’re welcome to introduce us. You’re louder anyway” Aasim replied. He was trying to do their usual joking but it was clear he was nervous. Louis too seemed more on edge than he usually was, his joking demeanor fading just a little.
“Ouch, but fair” Louis said “Stay here until we tell you to come out AJ.” Walking forward with Aasim he announced “Hello, We’d like to talk with you. We don’t mean any harm.” as he and Aasim walked out onto the road. The other group was instantly defensive which made AJ a little worried, though they didn’t point any of their guns at his friends. Instead all of them came towards them, he had been right earlier, now he counted five people.
“Who are you kids?” one man spoke, A.J. thought maybe he was the leader. “Where are you from?”
“We live around here, we spotted you passing through the area” Aasim said “You’re one of the first other groups of survivors we’ve seen”
“How many of you are there? You’re not from one of our communities are you” The man said. AJ could see his friends exchange a look, the man had referred to “our” communities, so it seemed there were multiple other groups of survivors out there.
“We aren’t sure we want to answer those questions” Louis said “The other group we met wasn’t exactly friendly and we don’t really want to get attacked again. I’m sure you’ll understand. We want to come to an agreement but don’t want to put the rest of our people in danger.”
“I understand” The man said “Though I’m sure you’ll understand that we’ve run into bandits before. We don’t mean you any harm either though we’re cautious. Still I think a show of faith could help build a little trust. My name is Paul, though my friends here call me Jesus. You can call me that too”
“Alright Jesus, My name is Louis and this here is my friend Aasim, we’d like to get to know your group a little if you’re ok with that.”
“Glad to hear it, let’s talk I suppose. Though I don’t suppose you’d mind answering a question of mine first?”
“We don’t mind” Aasim said “though I can’t promise we’ll answer”
“I’ll try it then, does your group always send out kids on missions like this? You two can’t be older than 20, younger than that I’d guess. It’s just a little surprising to me that your group is willing to trust you with something like this. A little suspicious even, though don’t take any offense to that. Like you we’ve been facing some rather…unsavory enemies lately.”
“Yeah I guess our group does sometimes send kids out” Louis said, skirting past the question of why. It was another thing they’d talked about, it would be dangerous to outright admit that they were a group of kids living on their own. People might see that as weakness and see them as an easy target for it, like the Delta had. Hiding that would keep them safe, as long as this Jesus guy thought they were a tough group he would keep from attacking them.
“We’re responsible” Aasim said “Our group trusts us to do this, that’s all that matters. Besides, we all grow up quick out here. We might be young but we’re not weak, we can handle ourselves.”
“Ok then” Jesus said “I believe you.” AJ thought he heard one of the other people mutter something about “kids” and “traps” but she didn’t voice it any louder. “Was there anything in particular you wanted to talk about?”
“Trade” Aasim said “There are some things we need that we just don’t have access too, we thought that maybe your group might be able to help us with that”
“We certainly could, depending on what you need.” Jesus said “Food? Medicine? Building materials? What are you looking for and what do you have in return”
“Medicine” Louis said “Our buildings are probably fine and we’ve been doing pretty well with food. Seeds maybe so we could grow some instead of just hunting.” He was silent for a moment before speaking again “And you wouldn’t know of anyone who could help us with prosthetic limbs would you?”
Jesus raised an eyebrow at that but smiled a little “We would, you got someone without a limb back at your place?” Louis nodded, AJ leaned forward, he was growing impatient with hiding. He didn’t think that Jesus was dangerous and he might be able to help them get Clem a leg. He wasn’t looking though and didn’t notice one of Jesus’s companions scanning the treeline. Seeing the brush move where AJ had walked closer he yelled out to his group.
“Jesus, there’s someone in the woods. It’s a trap” instantly guns were drawn and pointed both at AJ and towards his friends. He froze, Jesus’s group thought it was a trap. Now they were in danger.
“Alright boys, have your friend come out and meet us. I had my suspicions but I thought you were better than this.”
“It isn’t a trap we swear” Louis pleaded, his hands were raised as were Aasim’s.
“If it isn’t a trap then why is your friend hiding out in the trees?” One of Jesus’s friends said harshly “Seems that if you were being honest you wouldn't need to sneak around like that. All of you out there come out now” AJ was still frozen, Clem had told him to run back if anything bad happened, did this count as bad? They were pointing guns at his friends but they’d also been talking before. Maybe if they were able to convince them it wasn’t a trap they could keep talking and get the things they needed.
“Promise us that you won’t hurt him” Louis said “He’ll come out if you lower the gun”
“Look kid, we don’t want to hurt any of you, but we can’t promise you that.” Jesus said “We won’t shoot unless we have to, I can promise you that. You and your friends are an ambush aren’t you? Sending kids out, I should have guessed. It’s a coward's move, you in the trees, come out now?” Louis looked conflicted, sharing a look with Aasim before the two seemed to come to an agreement.
“AJ you can come out” He said, and then looking back at Jesus “Please just don’t hurt him”
AJ was still a bit frozen but he started to move forwards, Louis and Aasim thought it was ok for him to come out so he would, even if he was scared. He watched as the eyes of Jesus’s group grew wider as they saw him.
“Holy shit, he’s just a kid” Jesus said, his grip on the gun loosened a bit “is he the only one”
“I am” AJ said “And you can stop pointing the guns at my friends, it wasn’t a trap. I was only hiding in case you guys were bad.”
Jesus took in a deep breath, turning towards his group “I believe them, what about you guys” he asked.
“I guess it seems alright, still a bad way to go about it kid” a man said “I don’t really want to hold a bunch of kids at gunpoint though, it feels wrong. You kids really haven’t met that many other people have you? Hiding out in the trees like that was risky, we thought you were bandits. You could’ve gotten hurt” AJ just noticed now that the man was standing funny, as he got closer he realized that his leg was gone too. Maybe he’d been bitten like Clem was, but he could still stand like he was now without using a crutch . AJ really hoped they were as nice as they’d seemed before and that they were willing to help even after they’d thought they were being robbed.
“Let’s talk some more kids” Jesus said as he lowered the guns “I think we can work together.”