For the Love of a Woman

Chapter 4

Connie, Kelly, Magna, and Luke convened in the kitchen. They only had forty minutes before the caravan left for Hilltop.

"Are you sure there is no other way?" Luke asked with a frown.

"I wish there was," Connie replied.

"Well, if this is how it has to be then I will follow . . . your highness," Luke said.

Connie snorted at the title that she told Luke never to call her again once they were miles away from Hampton only a year and a half ago. "I can't guarantee your safety," she signed. "He could charge you with treason and order your execution."

Luke didn't look phased by what she said. "I believe I got a fifty-fifty shot. His royal highness always said I was the best music director in the court. And I believe he will let me live if you state that having me around makes you happy."

Connie agreed with Luke's rational. He would want her to be comfortable and content to keep her calm and corporative. To him, if he made an effort to appease her, she would believe the lie that he told to cover up his unbelievable sin that killed any chance of ever loving him again. "What about the girl from Oceanside?" she signed.

Luke gave her a weak smile. "A crush that has never materialized. No reason to . . . continue to fantasize about something that will never be."

"Which leads me to my decision," Magna said. "I'm not going to Hilltop with you. I'm staying in Alexandria. Someone should stay behind just in case - I mean when Yumiko comes back. She should know what has happened. Plus, he will kill me for sure if he ever laid eyes on me again."

"No doubt," Connie signed. To him, Magna had committed an unforgivable sin by exposing the truth to Connie and abandoning her legion to runaway with her.

Kelly was the only one who was a hundred percent safe from his wrath. If he harmed Kelly, he knew that he would lose Connie forever whether she was by his side or not. Reality was he had already lost Connie when he decided to play God, crushing her soul in the process.

"If he asks, tell him I died," Magna instructed. "Tell him I was over taken by walkers trying to keep you guys safe . . . with the other four who had left with us."

"Okay, but what does that have to do with going to Hilltop?" Luke asked as he signed. "It will be our last few days of freedom. We should spend it together. All four of us."

Magna shook her head. "It will look suspicious. Have you guys thought about the downfall here when you 'come up missing'?"

Connie had. That's why she wrote a letter last night. "Don't worry. I left a letter for Father Gabriel. If he follows his regular routine, he won't find it until we have gone."

Magna nodded. "Well, there is only one thing left to worry about."

"What?" Kelly signed.

"Daryl," Magna said. "He's not going to take this well. Are you going to tell him what is going on when you get to Hilltop?"

"No," Connie replied. "He'd be hurt at first, but he'll be able to move on without me. It's not as if we are an official thing. In time, I'll be a distant, yet fond memory to him."

Kelly snorted with disbelief.

Magna shrugged. "Perhaps. He is a man. They get over women quick. For the exception of the one you got on your hands."

"You didn't see how he acted while you were missing," Kelly signed. "I don't think he is going to let it go once we're gone. You should tell him so at the very least he won't be surprised."

"I'll think about it," Connie said.

Luke looked out the window. "Everyone is starting to gather around the carwagon. I suspect we only have about ten minutes or so left."

Magna exhaled with regret and sadness.

Connie began to tear up. She couldn't help it. They had struggled since they've left Hampton but they were free. And in that freedom they fought side by side, worked together, laughed together, and bonded like a family. She opened her arms wide.

They all came together in an embrace as tears rolled down Connie's face.

Fifteen minutes later, Kelly, Luke, and Connie were sitting in the carwagon waiting to leave. Connie looked around Alexandria – one last time. Her sacrifice will save their homes and more importantly their lives.

"I ordered extra guards for your travels," Gabriel announced as he approached the wagon. "The prisoner we had here last night escaped. He picked the lock. With what, I don't know. We don't know how many is in his group so stay vigilant. We don't know what they want or if they want anything at all from us but better safe than sorry."

Kelly's eyes shifted to the left, and then right before she looked down at her shoes.

Geez, Kelly could you look more guilty. Connie casually faced straight ahead.

"Don't worry," Carol said. "We'll be ready if something happens."

Magna had used a lock pick to get the private out of the cell. Then, Connie, Kelly, and Magna snuck him passed the watch team and got him to a spot at the wall where he could scale it between patrols. Before he left, Connie gave him a message for the man who was coming for her. "Tell him, if he has arrived by the time you get back, I'll come without conflict. Have an escort wait for me an hour before sunrise to take me to the legion's temporary headquarters. Have them wait for three days. Just in case I can't get away without anyone seeing me during the first two," she had said as she handed him directions to the meet up location.