"You okay?" Holly repeated, even softer than before. "Can't you say something?"

Just as with her last questions, Winter remained silent.

Arms crossed, Forest watched Autumn as she stared through the peephole. "Does she look o-okay?" he stammered, already knowing the answer.

Instead of responding, the twin gave him a lasting look.

This was not good. Having had enough, the boy came forward, then pushed her aside. There, standing in the corner, was Winter, shuttering violently. Ushering her was Holly, a hand over her shoulder.

The woman met with his eye, equally concerned.

"Winter?" Forest pressed. "What did they do to you?" When she didn't reply, the boy tried to catch her gaze. "Why are you shivering?"

"I don't know, but we best let her sleep tonight. Knowing Matthew, I bet he'll make her work with us tomorrow morning."

Nodding slowly, he continued to study Winter, his heart broken. "You'll take care of you, won't you, Holly?"

"You know me. Of course, I will."

-

"Rise and shine!" came a thunderous voice, a pair of feet drawing near. "You are just anxious to start, I know it." Matthew's smirking self appeared, five guards stopping along with him. Then, after a glance their way, he unlocked Jade and Skylar's cell. "Alright, you come out first."

"Why do I think he's about to handcuff them?" Forest asked from the back of the room.

"I think they'll take them off when we get outside." The twin shared a look with him, shuttering from the corner. "Otherwise, how can we work?"

As a confirmation, they heard the clink of handcuffs.

"Guess we were right," Forest muttered.

When the man came to their cell, each found their feet, reluctant.

"Happy today, aren't we?" Matthew said, gesturing for both to turn around. "Well, I can assure you that you'll be even happier outside!"

"What did they do to her?" Autumn asked with dread. "She won't even talk."

"Be more specific! I see my fellow people all day, every da-"

"Don't play dumb. You know I'm talking about my sister."

"Who?" he quizzed, turning each to face him. "Oh, that... Winter person? Hmm, you tell me!"

The boy's blood boiled. "Answer the question! We've gone through enough. Why do you have to make our lives so miserable?!" But when Matthew's face twisted, he held his tongue.

"You want to know, huh?" he pressed. "It was water torture. We just dripped cold water over her head for about an hour. So, no, it wasn't that bad. It only hurts mentally; not physically. In case you were just too stupid to realize, she's still fully capable to work today. Plus, she's learnt her lesson. The method is quite effective!"

"I don't understand," came a murmur from the cell over. "I don't get it."

"What?" Matthew questioned, surrendering Forest and Autumn to the guards. Then, all too slowly, he came forward. "Winter, what did you say?"

"I don't get it."

"Wha-"

"I don't get it! Why does your real name bother you so much?!"

His face clouding with hurt, Matthew showed a fist. "You want to know what I think, Blondie? I think you should learn to keep that mouth shut. It could get you into a lot of trouble one of these days. Next time, maybe I won't be so nice."

-

Shuffling down the row of cells, Forest could only stare in awe. The room dark and gloomy, many lights from above flickered with tease. All the while, the boy peered into each and every one of the twenty-something chambers, only to find not a soul. They were the only ones.

Coming to a halt, the others followed suit behind Matthew. Giving his signature grin, the man threw the captives a glance. Then, chuckling, he opened the door at the end of the hall. "You all look so dumb when you're nervous," he said. "It's laughable, really."

Forest bit back a remark.

But not everyone did.

"If I weren't in cuffs, I'd slap you right here; right now," Skylar deadpanned.

If not for the situation, Forest would've shared a laugh with Matthew. Instead, however, he just facepalmed.

The man waved her off, before finally moving forward. "Oh, don't act so tough. I'd beat you in a fight any day."

Can't everyone just be qui-

Stepping through the opening, Forest's jaw dropped. There were four doors in total, including the one he'd just come from. Two on either side, they were each on opposite ends on the same wall. Meanwhile, in the center of this all-too-spacious room, was a staircase, leading God-knows-where.

There was an ill silence, all lingering by the door. Only when a guard slammed it shut did anyone form a sentence.

"What's inside of the other doors?" Jade asked, uncomfortable. "More cells?"

"Bright one, you are," Matthew said sarcastically. "Maybe you'll know one of these days. As for now, however, we better get outside!"

Just as before, this place had poor lighting, the majority of them blinking with age. As he rounded its railing, the boy slowly proceeded down the long, taunting steps. Upon reaching the bottom, he barely had time to observe when he was hurried through the double-doors of outside.

Wow. Speechless, Forest looked to the sky and smiled. It had been too long, he realized. The feeling of the sun on his face, the breeze's soft whistle, the chirping of the grasshoppers - he missed it all. Wow.

"Come on," Matthew pressed, roughly gesturing them forward. "You've got work to do."

At the voice, Forest snapped back to the present. And came to yet another halt. Easily 50-feet-wide, the yard had to be around 100-feet-long. This much space - he wasn't used to it. Never had the boy been in such a wide, open area. Catching his attention next was the tall, sturdy fence; clearly made from steel. After a moment, he decided it to be about 50-feet-high.

The boy shivered.

"What, are you gonna stand there gawking all day, or are ya gonna get some work done?" came a familiar voice.

Searching for its owner, Forest then resisted the urge to show a fist. "Kara," he mumbled, "it's been a while."

Covered in dirt, the woman wiped at her forehead. She eyed him coldly, leaning against a shovel. "If I had the choice, you'd be dead" -she pointed at each captive- "every last one of you. Unfortunately, however, I know Master wouldn't allow it." Kara glanced to Matthew. "You have him to thank."

"Master?" The word slipped out before he could stop himself.

"Yes," Matthew said, siding next to Kara, "that's what I'm called here. Instead of my name, everyone calls me by what I should have been named at birth." At the staring faces, he shook his head. "Must you always give such looks? Like I said before, it only makes you look stupid."

"Okay, Master, let's get to work." Words venom, Winter gave him an equally nasty glare. "Isn't that what you keep saying, Master?" Then, impatient, she tapped her foot. "Gonna say something, Master?"

"You keep overusing that word, and we'll have ourselves another session, hmm?"

At this, she remained silent.

"Good." Sharing a smile with Kara, the man continued forward. "Come along."

Though there were roughly a dozen others in the yard, each to their own tasks, the boy was too blown away with everything to care.

After stopping before the tiny garden to the far right, Matthew spun around. "Okay, I'm going to trust you lot to be smart, yeah? We're taking those cuffs off, but if you so much as think of being trouble, they are back on. Understand?"

After a moment, everyone murmured with agreement.

"That wasn't very convincing," the man scoffed. "Listen here: if those cuffs go back on, you won't miss yard duty. We'll find a different job for you, and you'll be worked like a dog. Got it?"

This time, the captives were an octave louder.

Matthew looked them over, then nodded to the guards. "Go on, take 'em off."

When his were undone, Forest gave a thank you. In return, the brunette nodded and disappeared from sight.

"Okay," Matthew continued, "in case you people didn't realize, we only have seven rows to our little plot here, each row with a dozen crops. Since there are so many of us, we need to make our garden bigger." Pausing for effect, he then cleared his throat. "You'll be in jobs of two."

"Can you just get to it?" Skylar huffed. "All this talk, and we're still standing here."

Smirking, the man gave her a stare-down. "I was so close to telling of your jobs, Blondie the Second, but you just had to give your little remark. In case you're oblivious, Skylar, it's best I'm feared. As Niccolo Machiavelli once said, 'It is much more secure to be feared than loved.'"

"No one loves you here, do they?" she pressed.

Suddenly, Matthew's face twisted, his eyes cold. "None love me here; not really."

"No wond-"

"But that's okay. A ruler... no, a master is in charge of leading his people. And though I have my faults, I'm brilliant at that. How else would these senseless idiots have lived so long? If not for me, they'd be six feet under; I am to thank, and I alone."

Exchanging looks, the captives shared an uneasy quiet.

"What have you done that is so heroic?" Jade stiffened under his gaze. "Actually, never min-"

"When all were helpless and death was inevitable, I found them. At the time, I was by myself," Matthew said, smiling at the memory. "As I told you, they should all be dead."

"You are a real mystery," Winter muttered. "A big stupid one."

The man locked with her eyes. "I can tell you're going to be a tough one, Blondie the First, but you'll get there." At that, he chuckled. "Look around you. These people all respect me; every last one of them. I tell them to do something, and they do it. Once they were just like you, but they've learned. And you will too."

As before, Winter was silenced.

"Good, now let's get started," he said, looking everyone over. "Winter and Holly will pluck weeds, and I expect them to be gone by sundown. Shouldn't be too difficult. As for Forest and Jade, you both will tend to the crops and make the plot considerably larger. Afterward, go along the fence and look for a build-up of walkers. If you see any, then tell somebody."

"Who?" Forest asked, then swallowed hard. "Who would we tell?"

"Literally anyone. You people are not to be trusted with weapons, but everybody else is." When the boy nodded, Matthew went on. "Autumn and Skylar, you both will help with a building project. Today we're going to start the construction of a stone hut. Before you start, however, heed my words: I better not regret this. Got it?"

"Wh-" Autumn tried.

"Actually, not just them, but all of you. I better not hear of any issues. None." Studying the captives, he then waved them off.

"No, sir," Forest muttered. "You will not regret this."

"That's master to you." Scowling at him, the man finally faced Autumn. "You were saying?"

Shifting, the twin met his gaze. "Where are we going to build?"

"Over there."

Forest followed the man's look, then cocked his head. Against the wooden fence were a variety of materials, each a necessity for the project. How did I not notice that before? I don't-

"Three others will be working with you on the hut," Matthew continued. "Just ask them what to do."

-

Wiping at his forehead, the boy struggled to his feet. Then, after grabbing the metal watering can, he turned to his partner. "How long do you think it's been?"

"Maybe two hours," came her drained reply. "Maybe more."

Forest looked up to the sky and sighed. "I hope lunch is soon. I could really go for a break."

Rising to his level, the woman tossed her gardening gloves aside. "Yeah."

The boy eyed her, then waved her over. "Do you think it's good enough? We've added two rows." After a moment, he crossed his arms. "Jade?"

She jerked at the tone, finally giving him her full focus. "What?"

"Come over."

Slow and steady, the woman stepped over the crops until they were side-by-side. "I think we should work for another hour at least."

While dusting off his pants, Forest continued to watch her. "You seem... distracted. Are you?"

Jade nodded stiffly. "Remember that one woman from yesterday? The one who smiled at us funny?"

A chill ran down his spine. "Yeah, why?"

"Well, she's been staring at us this whole time." She then shivered. "I just want to know what she wants."

"Where is she?" Forest questioned, locking with her gaze. "Where?"

Jade gave a pointed look and he followed it. "She's over there, working on the construction."

It was his turn to jump. There, on the opposite end of the fence, was the woman. The same one with the blue eyes and crooked smile. And Jade was right; giving her signature grin, she glared in their direction.

"I don't know what to do, Forest," Jade went on. "I just don't know."

"I'm gonna talk to her."