Choosing to Begin (7)

Chapter 1: Lines in the Ashes

When everyone starts to wake up, Maggie tells me she has to go back to get her people. I tell her I'll go with her to help anyway I can and she thanks me before heading off to get ready. Before leaving the group, Negan says, "so, ya just gonna leave me the first chance you get?" He jokes with me.

"Hey, at least I'm telling you where I'm going. Besides, someone's gotta put in a good word for you on Maggie's behalf, don't really see anyone else lining up to do that." I lightly push him in the arm.

He smirks, "be safe out there."

"I will" I say back with my own smile, about to try and head off.

Negan calls my name, "Sadie-baby!" And I turn back around to see what he wants, "when ya get back there, I won't be in a cell or on prison watch anymore. Don't keep me waiting, darling."

I roll my eyes, but answer, "you've waited years, you can wait a few more days." Although I know Negan is joking about us, I hope deep down he knows I was only joking back. Although I feel better and lighter with alpha and the horde being gone, I can't just forget he spent intimate time with her. I didn't know to what extent, but any extent is too much for me right now.

I meet Daryl and Carol at the tail end of their conversation about Oceanside taking in some of the survivors of hilltop, "Luke's gathering up about a dozen of them. We can take the rest." Daryl tells her.

Just after I approach, Maggie does and I say "hi."

"Hey." Maggie returns, Daryl and Carol turning to see her.

Footsteps from behind grab our attention and a man comes out of the woods calling to get her attention, "Maggie."

"Who's that?" Daryl questions, his stance tightening as they approach.

"These are my people" she responds to him to assure to us they are okay, then she asks him, "is everybody okay?"

He answers quickly to calm her, "Hershel's fine. Don't worry."

"Everyone else?" She follows up.

He adds, "holding tight at the rendezvous."

She nods a few times, "let's bring them back." She looks to daryl, Carol and I and says, "come on. I want you to meet my friends. Carol, daryl, Sadie, --elijah and cole." She introduces the two men to us. The man, Cole was the one talking and the other behind him has a mask covering his face. Maggie's explains to us, "Hershel and I were living with their people until recently. We lost the village. And now we need to live with you. I thought I'd take them to hilltop." Daryl looks at me and then Carol. Maggie catches on to the awkward silence and glances and pushes, "what is it?"

"Come on" Carol simply says, and we all head off towards what we all knew as the hilltop. As we get closer, Carol and I take turns explaining what happened with Alpha from the start. Jesus, Henry, Lydia, Siddiq and I, the barn, and the attack.

When we get out of the woods and walk up through the fields, it's clear as day their is no more hilltop. Only a tower stands behind a broken and burned down fence. Hundreds of bodies dead on the ground. Carol steps forward to her to explain, "Maggie. Negan was with the whisperers. That night. I wanted you to hear it from me, because --"

"It was you?" She interrupts with anger, "you let him out?"

I keep my eyes on Maggie but try not to show my frustration with Carol. We still haven't had the opportunity to talk further about what happened. Carol quickly explains, "Alpha needed to die, and Negan was our best chance."

It stays quiet for a bit too long so I add, "we were gonna lose everything. Negan's the reason we didn't."

Carol nods and confirms, "she's right."

"So, what now?" Cole asks unsure of what this means.

"What?" Dark mutters back to him.

"Everyone's just supposed to go to..." he asks Maggie, "what was it?"

"Alexandria." Daryl harshly replies.

"Right. So, we all go to alexandria and live next door to the guy who torched this place?" He asks with heat in his voice, "same guy who killed her husband -- Is that right?"

"We're still figurin' things out." Daryl mutters.

Maggie sighs and thanks Carol, "thanks for telling me." She turns to her friends, "we need to get to Hershel and the others."

She walks off with them and Daryl lingers behind with Carol and I. He tells Carol, "you didn't have to do that."

"I did. "I owe her that much." She responds

"I'll go with her, try to smooth things over." Daryl says to us.

"I told her this morning I'd help too." I tell them both.

"She's never gonna come around on him, you know." She replies to us about Negan.

"Have you?" He asks Carol, knowing what my answer would be.

Carol says nothing and just slightly shrugs but also shakes her head slightly. She says, "it's good to see her, though."

Daryl nods and agrees, "yeah" and turns to head off, I wave and follow behind him so we can catch up to Maggie.

We don't get very far from the hilltop when Kelli rushes over through the trees, "Daryl! Sadie! Hold on!" We both stop to see what she wants, "you're gonna pick up Maggie's people, right?"

"Yeah." I nod to confirm.

"I wanna come with you." She mentions, "you're gonna cover some new ground where we could... You know, keep an eye out, for connie."

Daryl quickly nods, "come on." He turns to walk off again and the three of us follow, picking up our pace to catch up to the others.