Future Ghosts • TWD

79. Disheartened.

Rosie wanted to tell Aaron that it wasn't his fault. It was the bad people's faults. "It ain't your fuckin' fault," she wanted to say sternly. And if he cared enough about what she said to argue, she would say, "No. Nothin' that you say is gonna make it your fault. Those people did what they did because they wanted to. That makes it their fault. It had nothin' to do with you. Nothin'. Now, are you hearin' me?"

Bad people did bad things because they were just that: bad. It wasn't Aaron's fault. All he wanted to do was bring back food to feed his people. He didn't know that there would be a trap, and he didn't know that he would drop his pack, and he didn't know that bad people would follow him back home. If he would've known, of course he wouldn't have done it. He shouldn't have to carry around that weight.

"There'll be more to talk about," Rick said, nodding his head. Deanna began to walk away, and despite Tobin yelling her name, she didn't stop. She was disheartened, just like everybody else. Rosie didn't want to be disheartened like everybody else, so she decided she wouldn't be.

•

There was a wall on the north side of Alexandria. Stretched across the panel were the names of the people they lost, and the list was getting longer and longer. Three women were out there, painting the names in black. In Our Memory was painted big and bold at the top. Then there were two columns. Dinesh, Jeffery, Carter, Holly, Shelly, Richards, Helen, Stacy, Michael, and Barnes were listed in the first column. Bobby, Samantha, Park, Charlyne, Ohara, Sturgess, Adrian, and Nicholas were listed in the second column. Rosie was just walking past, and she thought she might help. But before she even got close enough to offer, she noticed that last name in the second column.

Nicholas.

Nicholas wasn't dead. He was with Glenn. That's what Rick said, at least. So why was this woman writing Nicholas's name on the wall of dead people? Rosie stepped closer, silently watching as one of the women began writing a new name, below Nicholas's name. Her hand moved slowly and steadily, leaving behind a smooth, clean G. Then an L, then an E.

She was spelling out Glenn, Rosie realized.

"Glenn ain't dead," Rosie finally spoke up, just as the woman was painting on the last N. The woman jumped a little, not having known that Rosie was there. She gave Rosie a sad sort of look- a look of pity. Rosie didn't need pity, because Glenn was very much alive. "Glenn ain't dead. He's comin' back. Just like Rick said," Rosie said again, fully believing her words. "You don't gotta write his name."

"We don't know that, sweetheart. Chances are-" the woman began to speak.

"Don't call me sweetheart," Rosie interrupted. She didn't like being called sweetheart, and she only made exceptions when people deserved exceptions. This lady was writing an alive person's name on the dead people's wall. She didn't need an exception. "Glenn ain't dead. Stop actin' like he is," Rosie said.

The woman put her hand up to her heart, still giving Rosie that pitying look. "I don't want to give you false hope, Rosie. It just isn't likely that they're coming back," the woman said.

Before Rosie could even argue, someone came up behind her and grabbed onto her hand. Turning around, Rosie could see that it was Maggie. "Come here," Maggie said. Her voice was still nice and kind, like it always was when she spoke to Rosie, but it had a hint of seriousness in it this time. Rosie did as she was told and followed Maggie to the food pantry.

Still holding onto Maggie's hand, the two of them went past the food,  through the house, and into the armory; where most of the guns were now kept. Maggie finally let go of Rosie's hand and went to the table. She picked out a gun, checked to see if it was loaded, and then picked out a holster. She turned back around and clipped the holster onto Rosie's belt before placing the gun in Rosie's hands. Rosie could now see that the gun and holster were hers, from before they got to Alexandria.