"𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙧 𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙚" What comes after? Jane's journey continues but it continues without someone well... without a few someone's. What comes after? What comes after death? Jane may never find out but she knows...
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While Jane and Maggie stand outside together looking through the binder that was given to them by Georgie they hear the sound of a horn and know it's time to prepare for battle. That same night, Maggie and Jane stand together with Jerry and Jane holds a radio knowing Simon and multiple other Savior's are outside the Hilltop, ready to storm right in.
"We want to talk to Negan. Where is he?" Jane asks over the radio, waiting for a response. "Well, hello there. You are speaking to Negan, but my birth certificate says Simon. With whom do I have the distinct displeasure of speaking?" Simone replies over the radio and Jane rolls her eyes before she clicks the raido back on. "Jane Rhee and Maggie. The widow as you call me" Jane replies over the radio and looks out at the gates of Hilltop just in case they come in unexpectedly.
"Ah... the pregnant one and the one who looked like she was dying. Allow me to offer my condolences. You lost your sister right? and husband?" Simon replies and Jane sighs and grips the raido tightly in her hand as she looks over at Maggie who knows she's getting upset. "In case it's not already plain as Hilltop potatoes, yours truly is speaking on the behalf of Negan this go round. And I assure you that the man himself personally received your care package next day delivery. I noticed it was the box that I gave you in good faith— tricks on me. That man's head was smashed in good!" Simon cheers over the raido and Jane rolls her eyes waiting for his annoying, dictator speech to be over with.
"The bills come due honey bun, and you and your people are gonna have to pay. Quite dearly, I'm afraid" Simon states and Jane hands the walkie talkie to Maggie who clicks it on. She threatens to kill the thirty-eight Savior prisoners unless Simon retreats. Simon writes off the prisoners as "damaged goods" and proceeds with his attack.
As Daryl approaches from the rear on his motorcycle and opens fire with his machine gun, Hilltop opens the main gate. Simon's convoy follows Daryl through the gate, but Hilltoppers block the convoy with a bus and fire at the Saviors. The battle begins in earnest and Jane watches Savior's go down with such happiness on her face. The Saviors fire arrows from outside the walls, raining down on the miltia inside Hilltop. On the balcony of the Barrington House, several Saviors are hit by arrows, "Shit!" Jane calls out as she pulls Maggie into cover with her and Jerry.
"Take the prisoners to the office and hold them there until this is done" Jane orders and Dianne does as she folds and the Savior's follow her in. One of the prisoners, Alden, offers to help defend Hilltop, but Maggie and Jane both ignore him while Dianne drags him away. "You guys coming?" Dianne asks and Jane waves her off. "Lookouts, fall back! Front line, give 'em cover!" Maggie orders and the group does as their told before Maggie rushes off the balcony. "Jane! Let's go!" Maggie shouts and Jane groans in anger before following Maggie.
Ezekiel and Rosita shoot out the headlights on the Savior vehicles and Hilltop goes silent and dark. Simon assumes the Hilltoppers have fled and prepares to enter the Barrington House. As they spread out to surround the house, a row of headlights turns on and blinds the Saviors as the house's windows light up with gunfire directed at the Saviors. Meanwhile, Rick and the other lookouts charge into Hilltop from the gate with guns blazing.
Simon, Arat, Gary, Dwight, and the other Saviors flee Hilltop while Rick, Maggie and Jane continue firing at their vehicles until they have run out of bullets. "Dammit!" Jane screams out in anger as she catches her breath. "Jane—". "No! I needed them dead!" Jane shouts as she throws her gun down on the ground. "Especially, Negan! But he's nowhere to be found!" Jane shouts as she looks to Rick who nods his head. "So did I" Rick agrees weakly and Jane swallows a large lump in her throat. "Did you see him? At all?" Jane asks and Rick nods his head and tells Jane that he saw Negan earlier in the day and tried to kill him.
"I didn't, but I tried" Rick says and Jane shakes her head as her eyes begin to fill with tears. "Trying isn't good enough. Not anymore" Jane breathes out before she starts to walk away.
The next day, Hilltop cleans up in the aftermath of battle. Jane wipes the sweat off her forehead as she helps people build tents before Maggie walks over to letting her know they lack the resources to fight off another attack. "Trust me. I know" Jane breathes out as she wipes her sweaty, dirty hands off on her pants. "You seem upset" Maggie says as Jane starts walking beside her while they survey the community. "Negan isn't dead. I'm not gonna be happy until then" Jane declares as she rests her hands in the back pocket of her jeans. "You're good leader Jane. We're good leaders" Maggie informs as they both stop in their tracks.
"Good leaders eliminate the threat. We haven't eliminated the threat. We're okay leaders" Jane says before she leaves Maggie's presence.
That night, Maggie checks in with the Hilltoppers as they prepare beds on the floors of the main house while Jane looks down at them from the top of the staircase feeling bad that they have to live like this for awhile. Jane lets out a sigh of disappointment before walking into a room she shares with Maggie and lays down in the makeshift bed that has been laid out for her.
Jane still wasn't able to sleep, but how could she? A war just broke out not even 24 hours ago. She's worried about her people and herself. How long can they survive like this? A scream breaks Jane out of her trance and brings her to her feet. "What was that?" Maggie asks and Jane shrugs her shoulders as she grabs her knife from underneath her pillow and quickly leaves the room and looks down stairs seeing Mayhem break out as walkers attack the sleeping survivors. "Jane! A little help!" Rick calls out as a walked is close to biting him at the bottom of the stairs. Jane throws her knife down the stairs hitting the walker right in the head, killing it before it could attack Rick.
Jane rushes down the stairs with her hand resting on her stomach before she pulls her knife out of the walkers head. After several of the walkers are killed, they notice that the walkers were all their people: Wesley, Kurt, Dr. Dana, an Alexandrian woman, and a few others. "What the hell.." Jane breathes out as she bends down at the people she recognizes. All of a sudden the group hears screaming coming from a room and quickly rush to see what is going on. In the room they see that Carol has killed Tobin who was a walker.
"He wasn't bit" Carol states and Jane scoffs as she lets out a sighs before pushing hair out of her face. Rick recalls that Negan's bat was covered in walker blood, leading them to realize that the Saviors used their weapons to infect them. The injured Bruce who didn't turn yet overhears and realizes that he is infected as well. Bruce requests the group to kill him since he will soon turn and he doesn't have the strength to kill himself. Sadly, they honor his request.
Maggie and Jane and several members of the Militia show up, Alden explains that he and several other Saviors chose to stay at Hilltop of their own free will even though they have no more strategic value to the Militia anymore. Alden points out that the captured Saviors mean nothing to Negan and Simon. "Those of us that stayed, stayed. We had plenty of chances to run." Alden states. Seeing the defecting Saviors struggling to close the gate against a herd of walkers drawn by the gunfire of the battle, Dianne and several Militia members rush to help while Maggie appears to accept Alden's explanation and Jane is slowly trying to accept it so she still keeps her guard up.
The next morning, Maggie, Jane and Rick look on as Jerry and Jesus dig more graves for the dead in the ever-expanding Hilltop cemetery. "Like I said. We have eliminated the threat... we're okay leaders" Jane states reciting what she had told Maggie yesterday before she leaves the area not wanting to see anymore.
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