Promise? »» C.G.

Chapter 34««Leave

Maggie

I looked out the window. Then to Glenn.

"Maybe they're just behind us," I said. "Maybe Daryl and Carol came back, with (Y/n). Maybe they took the map, found some cars, and they're just down the road."

"They'll catch up," he said. "We're clearing the way for them."

"How long will it be? After you get on that terminal and do what you have to do?" I asked Eugene.

"Depends on the number of factors including density of the infected around target sides worldwide," he said.

"Wait, target sites?" Glenn asked. "Are you talking about missiles?"

"That's classified."

"I thought we were over that."

"What if we all live?"

"The secrets will matter then?"

"They might. Anyway, the speed with which things will normalize depend on the number of factors including worldwide weather patterns, which were modeled without the assumption that cars, planes, boats, and trains wouldn't be pouring hydrocarbons into the atmosphere this long. Change the game quite a bit when it comes to air-transmissible pathogens." We both stared at him because we had no idea what nonsense he just said.

"Why the hair?" Glenn asked.

"Because I like it," he stated. "And no one is takin' scissors or clipper to it anytime soon. Do you hear me Miss Espinoza?"

"Yes, loud and clear," Rosita said. We all chuckled.

"Y'all can laugh all you want," Eugene said.

"No one was makin' fun," I said.

"The smartest man I've ever met happened to love my hair. My old boss, T. Brooks Ellis, the director of the Human Genome Project. He said my hair made me look like, and I quote, 'a fun guy,' which I am. I just ain't Samson." There was a loud bang and we started to a stop. Going all over the road.

"Bitchnuts!" Abraham shouted. We flipped on the side. I started to hear the snarles. We got up and tried to get out. Glenn and Abraham started to clear the way so Rosita and I to get out. We started to fight. After it was over, the bus caught on fire. We kept on walking. Kept going. We had found a place after a while and stayed there. The next day, we debated on staying, but we kept on going. We found a firetruck and used it. We had to fix it though. Also, clear some walkers. Eugene had used the water to take almost all of them out. We did a lot of traveling, but took a stop because of the truck. We kept walking. There was a horde in front of us. A big one too. On a farm. We had to go back. Abraham wanted to keeping going straight. We did go back. Then, we started fighting. In the mix of it, Eugene kept getting pushed around.

"I am not a scientist!" He shouted, twice. They stopped fighting and we looked at him.

"I lied," he said. "I'm not a scientist. I don't know how to stop it. I'm not a scientist." We stood there for a second in awe. All this for nothing.

"You are a scientist," Rosita said. "I've seen the things you can do."

"I just know things," Eugene said.

"You just...'know things'?" Glenn asked.

"I know I'm smarter than most people, I know I'm a very good liar, and I know I needed to get to DC."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because I do believe that locale holds the strongest possibility for survival, and I wanted to survive. If I could cheat some people into taking me there, well, I just reasoned that I'd be doing them a solid, too, considering the perilous state of the city Houston, the state of everything." Abraham lowered himself of the ground. Sitting on his feet.

"People died trying to get to get you here," Rosita said.

"I'm aware of that--Stephanie, Warren, Pam, Rex, Roger, Josiah, Dirk, and Josephine. And Bob. You see, I lost my nerve as we grew closer, for I am a coward...and the reality of getting to our destination and disclosing the truth of the matter became truly frightening shit. I took it upon myself to slow our roll. Find time do finesse things so when we got there...but at this moment I fully realize there are no longer agreeable options. I was screwed either way. I also lied about T. Brooks Ellis liking my hair. I do not know T. Brooks Ellis. But I did read one of his books and he seemed like the type of guy who wouldn't blink twice at a Tennessee Top Hat. Again...I am smarter than you. Now, you may wanna leave me here, but--" Abraham punched Eugene. Twice. Three times. He knocked him out. We had to keep him from killing Eugene. I turned him over and he had blood on his face. We tried waking him up.

Carl

We had to have defenses, so we took apart the church. Daryl came back, but no Carol. He came back with someone named Noah. I had asked him if he seen (Y/n), but he didn't. He did tell us Beth was there. I stood in a doorway. Dad hugged me before he left.

"We'll be back soon," he said.

"I know," I replied. Michonne held Judith as they left. She cried so she put her down. We blocked the door and I put the nails in. Judith hated it. Poor little baby. We just sat there, waiting for them to come back. Gabriel tried washing away blood. I laid out weapons and asked him to pick one.

"You need to learn how to defend yourself," I said. "We can teach you." He looked up at me.

"Defend myself?" He asked me. "They said they'd go."

"They were liars and murderers."

"Just like us."

"We protected ourselves. They wanted us dead. You're lucky your church has lasted this long. You can't stay in one place anymore. Not for too long. And once you're out there, you're gonna find trouble you can't hide from. You need to know how to fight." He picked up the machete.

"Good choice," I said. "But you're not holding it right. You've gotta be able to drive it down because sometimes the skulls aren't as soft and you need to be able--"

"I'm sorry," he said. "No. I need to lie down." Then, he walked away.

Beth

"There's nothing I can do," Dawn said. For a second, it sounded like Daryl. When we left. He told me that he couldn't find (Y/n). That there was nothing he could have done.

"So you'll just to have to do it," Dawn finished. That's when I snapped back to reality.

"You're gonna save that woman's life," she said. I couldn't express how much I missed my niece and how bad I wanted to

leave.