"Judith." I shook my head as she cried, RJ hugging my side, "Judith I won't be gone long, you need to stay here."
"P-Please stop leaving." She sniffed, wiping her nose on her sleeve, "You fight and fight but you don't get anything in return."
I smirked sadly, fixing her hat. "We don't always get something in return honey."
"They why do you get hurt? Why don't you get sanctuary? Why don't you just relax and let everyone else do it!" She yelled as RJ nodded, "Stay here, with us." He mumbled.
I looked at RJ, "You guys-"
Lydia walked up to me. "You stay here. You've done enough for us. If you continue doing this, there won't be much of you left." She nodded, "Rick needed someone like you. But now you don't have someone like him."
"Mom please stay here, with us." She pouts.
I sucked up my tears, hanging my head down as I kneeled down at level with Judith and RJ. "I'll stay, snipe and watch. Everyone, watch your backs and remember what to do. This cement building is stable, but not when something breaks inside. Stay quiet, stay safe." I nodded, "Run back here if something goes south."
They nodded, Negans eye lingering on me for a moment with curiosity. "Yes ma'am." He almost glared.
"Okay, kids," I nodded, taking their hands, "RJ, you be a good boy and watch your sister." I nodded as I handed him a knife, "I haven't trained you yet, but after this I will."
He held the knife, admiring it. "This is your knife momma." He says.
"It's yours now." I nodded, "See? It has my markings." I smiled.
"Thanks mom." He smiled, "Judith, get behind me." He stands tall, "Shut up squirt." She glared, "Why does he have to be in charge?"
I give her a look, "Just listen to him."
She playfully rolled her eyes, Gabriel staying with them as Negan makes a longing look at me, and disappears behind a nearby wall.
"I'm going to talk to Negan, stay here." I smirked, kissing their heads as I followed him.
"Negan what-" I was cut off as I felt a hand tug on mine, bringing me behind the wall.
"Isabella." He whispers, his breathing rough and labored, "Isabella I love you."
I paused as he held my hand, hidden us behind this wall, "Negan... I..." I paused, "This isn't right."
"Yes it is." He smiled, "I want us."
"When did you think this was... this was a thing? A good idea?" I asked, "I love Rick."
He paused, looking away from me, "I might as well speak before everything goes down."
I laughed sarcastically, "Excuse me?"
"Isabella, I saw that look in your eye." He smiled, touching my cheek, "You have feelings for me."
"I never did, Negan. Don't force my hand." I glared, "I care about you as a ally."
"I just wanted to tell you that before the war." He smirked. "You might never see Rick. Why do you hold such feelings for him? Such hope in this world? Please tell me."
"This is a test." I whispered, pushing on his chest threateningly, "Step off."
"Why?" He asked, "He was nothing but a baby looking for his mother, I want you to show me that rage." He smiled, "I know that you've been hiding some-"
I slapped him, my arm radiating a stinging sensation down into my shoulder. I huffed, tears stinging my eyes as they threatened to make way. "He is my husband. He is the only person I have after my kids... our kids." I glared, "And you'll never understand. No one will."
He smiled, "I knew you were stronger than you are letting on."
I glared, "Is it because I have tears in my eyes?"
He chuckled, "It's because you finally told the truth. The entire time that you spoke words of wisdom or told your kids you were fine I know for a fact you weren't. You wish you could find their dad, set everything straight. Because you can't handle war." Negan glared, "Why do you lie?"
I stood stiff, my shoulders slouched, "Because it's for everyone's safety."
"Stop lying."
"I am not lying you psycho." I glared.
"Why do you lie?"
"I'm leaving." I laughed, walking out from behind the wall I wiped the tears in my eyes, grabbing my sniper I loaded it, seeing that the walkers have already swarmed in.
I look around, no alpha. But whisperers.
Beta was no where in sight.
I can't shoot the sniper or I'll draw attention and split up the swarm. So I'll watch, try and shoot with a bow and arrow, even though I'm not great at it.
"Careful." Gabriel says, tucking me behind the wall, "They have snipers of their own."
"I can handle this." I nodded, "Wheres RJ? Judith?"
"They are playing with the others in a separate room. They are safe." He nods, "The lord made way for us today."
I smiled, "I lost my religion a long time ago."
He cocked his head, "What made you loose it?"
I sighed, peeking and looking out in the crowd, seeing Daryl and everyone killing walkers as I shot one whisperer in front of Daryl with the arrow, hiding behind the wall again. "Lost it when Philip Blake killed my best friend."
Gabriel shook his head, loading his shotgun, "Because of one man?" He asks.
"He was a faker. He wanted to rule and have a grand image." I sighed, "But the thing is, I learned everyone can turn on each other. Even kill each other." I said, peeking out and shooting again. "I lost my hope when he threw me out of the car for dead."
Gabriel sighed, "Let me guide you."
I laugh, shaking my head. "I'm too far gone."
Gabriel shook his head, "No you are not."
I leaned and peeled out the window, looking around the arrow, then saw one whisperer in the crowd of dead, pointing a single shooter at me.
Milliseconds before he can shoot me, I shot an arrow right when he shot his bullet. I duck, the bullet skimming my short head of hair, making my gasp slightly, touching my head.
"You are careless, know that right?" He asks.
"Yep." I nodded, seeing a little dot of blood. Not a major injury, but enough for a warning. "I've been told before."
He shook his head, ducking behind the door.
-
"They are breaking in!" One yelled, peeking out as I see him immediately fall onto the ground, his blood spewing out and his hot flesh sprinkling Gabe and I's face.
"Get out." Gabriel nods.
"What?" I cocked my head, "No."
He shoved me, "Get out of here."
"No, Padre. I wo-"
A grenade was thrown in here, he hides us behind a pillar, it blows and shrapnel cuts our face, our blood dripping down between us. "Leave."
I paused, then nodded, "Be careful." I nod, using the rope as I climbed down the elevator.
It went dark, then felt hands help me down.
It was Negan.
I step away from him, taking Judith and RJ, grabbing gut smothered coats and putting it on us. Sprinting out.
I crossed the road, seeing Daryl as he shook his head violently at us in a warning manner. "Some are over here!" He whispers, "Stay in the herd!"
I nodded, "You two, keep close." I whisper, "We are going in."
I squeeze their hands in mine, taking a deep breath. My breathing soft yet deep in anticipation for something- or someone to attack.
But it was silent.
RJ hugged me with fear, holding his knife close as we walked sluggishly in the herd, the smell abominable as we stepped into the dead Whisperers trail of bodies caused by our team. Though, to my surprise, one of our team was getting eaten, their sloshing and squishing of guts and chewing noise made me silently gag as I led us through the herd.
"The deserter." The word radiated around us as Negan and everyone behind me looked around in confusion, who was saying that? And where?
"Mommy I'm scared." RJ whispered.
"Shh honey." I whispered back.
Then Negan fearfully looked ahead of us, grabbing my collar as I tightly held onto Judith and RJ as we were tugged at least 5 inches away from Betas double blades that threatened to split us in half.
"Take them." I nodded to Negan and Lydia, "Keep them safe."
Lydia almost objected, yet nodded, her and Negan running over to Daryl just 30-50 feet away behind the trees as the herd slowly cleared out ahead of us. Betas cold stare now clear.
"Deserter." He chants, "Alpha has given me sight."
I notice her skin on his mask, making me cringe. "I notice you liked my style." He smirked down at me, putting his blades down and away, "Before I slaughter you, might I do one thing?"
I held my knives in my hands, "As long as you don't kill me, you have 5 seconds to do what you want before I slit your mask off and blind you." I cocked my head, my blades sharpened and held stiffly in my hands.
He bows, grabbing my neck and slamming his lips onto mine.
For a moment, I almost puked. The scent of the mask flaring up into my nostrils as I pressed my blade into his back, coughing as my hands shook terribly. A yelp escaped his chapped lips.
Shock waves over me as I gagged, vomiting on the street. "What is wrong with you!" I cried, "Why did you?-"
He yelled furiously, running at me with speed as I grabbed my knife, holding my knife outward towards his stomach, as did he.
I trembled, not registering the wound as I repetitively stabbed him, seeing Negan and Daryl come running into view with fire burning in their eyes.
Everytime I stabbed him, I felt and heard each of his ribs break as he let me stab him. "I-" he chokes on blood, "- I kissed you because-"
Daryl yells in anger as he jumped at him, planting two of his blades into Betas eye sockets.
The noise of his eyes squishing and being penetrated made me gag, but that wasn't the reason why I was gagging.
"Oh god." Negan whispers, running over, "He did you dirty, Sister." He smirked, "Kissed you right then and there."
I gagged as he cocked his head in confusion, "Why are you gagging?" He says, checking me for any wounds as Daryl picked me up, running with me over his shoulder as the herd started to descend away.
"That's not a blade." I coughed, "He opened my stitches I don't know what he did-" I wheezed, "I hate this."
"You let him have 5 seconds to do something, why?" He panted, letting me down as Judith tried to reach down to me from the wagon that moved us to Alexandria.
"Can you walk?"
"It's only three inches deep, Daryl."
"Isabella you are bleeding." He glared, "not a lot but what did he do?" He asks, handing me a cloth as I pressed it under my shirt. Reminding me of Ricks wound.
"He ran at me when I stabbed him in the back, I held my blade out to stab him and I think he jabbed his fingers into my stab wound." I nodded, "It just started to scab over too." I groan, "it's not a big deal, let's just go."
-
3 weeks later...
"Let's go check out that building and head north." I nodded, Daryl and Maggie on both of my sides, Judith holding my hand. "The only lead we haven't checked is 2 miles north of the bridge." Maggie nods, "I'll take Judith with me to check the river again." Daryl nods, "I'll stay with you." Maggie says as Daryl departures with Judith.
"Where have you been?" I asked as we walked towards a nearby building, Maggie sighed, "You know, I left and found a community that took us in. Sooner than later I became the leader." Maggie summarized, "What have you been doing?"
"Uh..." I thought as the building came into view, "... I helped RJ learn how to hold a gun, and let him have my knife..." I thought, "Oh yeah, and I think I'm stepping down."
Maggie briefly paused, "What? Why?"
I shrugged, "Let's be honest here, I don't have the mental stability to be guiding anyone at the moment, and I used all my energy for almost 8 years doing so." I explain, stepping on the deck of the worn down building, "I can't do it anymore, and I got kids and a husband to look for and look after."
Maggie nods, "ok I get it."
"Want to look upstairs?" I asked her.
"Yeah." She nods, holding her blade as we rammed into the worn down building.
Not a peep, for some odd reason I had a funny feeling about this area.
I walked up stairs, the building so creaky I thought the wood would collapse, drawing walkers. But I was wrong.
"There's nothing up here." I say, looking up and around the place, "Where would Rick be?" I asked.
"Dunno, see anything outside?" Maggie asks, "There's nothing down here, just mold."
I look outside, and my jaw drops.
"What!" She says from down the stairs, "What do you see?"
I blinked, rubbing my eyes as I let out a exhausted sigh, my legs shaky. "I see a helicopter." I whisper.
"Oh wait really!" She smiled, running upstairs, "Maybe they took him in."
I nodded slowly, realizing they were coming to our location, "I'm going to talk to them." I nod, loading my gun and putting it in my belt, "Stay here. If something happens make sure to not let anyone go out in the open." I pat her back.
She looked at me confused, "Okay?"
I ran outside, waving at them. "HEY!" I yelled, "Down here!"
The helicopter paused, "Who are you!" The voice yelled from above. I put my hands on my hips, "Do you know a Jadis? Or-Or a Rick Grimes? Maybe?" I yelled, "Please!"
The helicopter didn't respond, it almost seemed like they were contemplating on something. "What is your name?" They called down after a moment.
"Isabella Grimes! I am looking for my husband!" I yelled, "I just want to know if he is safe!"
The helicopter lowered, the wind blowing my short hair back as I scratched my head, seeing two pilots and a single girl in the back.
"It's about time." She said.