Chapter 40 | The Whisperers
Episodes 9x9(Adaptation), 9x10(Omega), and 9x11(Bounty)
"I know just the last time I waited for someone to come through those gates it didn't end up happening."-Ava Reid
-------------------------------------------
-September 4th 4026 days since the start.
-Rosita woke up last night and told us news none of us could believe. The walkers were whispering to each other. Michonne, Yumiko, and Magna. Went out to go look for Daryl and the others because they should have been back by now.
-Now we are looking over a map to search for all of them.
-"Shouldn't we give it a little longer. Michonne's only been gone a few hours." Alden says.
-"I mean it's almost been a full day since they went out looking." I say talking about Aaron, Daryl and Jesus.
-"And given what Rosita said." DJ says.
-"Marco?" Tara says.
-"Maybe we have two-two person teams loop around their part of the grid, see what we see." Marco says.
-"Okay let's do it. One loop no risk. And get Oscar from the gate. We're gonna need a fourth." Tara says.
-"I'll do it. Hey uh, Luke here. Just say you need an extra hand because I got two. Um you need help I'm your guy." Luke says and walks over to us.
-"I'll go check with Oscar." Marco says.
-"No, no, no, no, um Connie and Kelly they're in the gardens already. And Magna and Yumiko they're out there. I just wanna do my part." Luke says.
-"He can ride with me." Alden says about Luke.
-"Cool. Alright." Luke says.
-"Alden." Alden says introducing himself and shakes Luke's hand.
-"Two hands. Hey how you doing that was a bad joke." Luke says.
-"Just be safe out there." I say to Alden and kiss him.
-"Always." He says.
-"Come on professor saddle up huh." Alden says to Luke and they go on their way to get horses for their search.
-------------------------
-"You and Alden made it official." Tara says.
-"Yeah I thought about what you told me Carl would want me to be happy. He wouldn't want me not moving forward." I say.
-"Seems like Jesus won the bet." Tara says.
-"What bet?" I say.
-"Oh we had a bet on how long it would take you and Alden to get together." Tara says.
-"Was it that obvious." I say.
-"Everyone knew it was going to happen, it was just the matter of when. Jesus said this year I guessed next year so it looks like he won." Tara says.
-We hear the loud rumbling noise of a motorcycle and that gives us the cue that Daryl is back.
-We walk out of the barrington house and they all come through the gate. They have a girl tied up and blindfolded on a horse and I look at the horse behind them and see Aaron escorting it with the slumped body of Jesus on it.
-I give Aaron a hug. This is a huge loss on the hilltop. Jesus was an amazing person. I have explain to Maya that Uncle Jesus is dead too so it makes it even worse.
-"What happened." Tara asks.
-"He was killed by someone in this girls group." Michonne says and pulls the blindfolded girl off the horse.
-"They wear the walker skins." Magna says and shows a peeled off face of a walker.
-"What the hell." I say.
-"Yeah, I know we got some lunatics out there." Yumiko says.
-I help Siddiq get Eugene to the infirmary.
-"I need to talk to Maya before she finds out from someone else about Jesus." I say to Siddiq.
-"I'll get his knee back in place. Go find her." Siddiq says.
-I run to Joannas.
-"Mommy." Maya says when I open the door and gives me a hug.
-"Hey princess." I say.
-"Mommy you seem sad." She says.
-"I let you two talk." Joanna says and walks out of the room.
-"What's going on." Maya says.
-I get on one knee to be on her level.
-"Uncle Jesus went out yesterday to look for our friends. He didn't make it back." I say.
-"He's dead?" Maya says.
-"I'm afraid so sweetheart." I say.
-"What happened. How did he die?" Maya says.
-"Someone took his life." I say.
-"What. Why would someone do that?" Maya says and starts crying.
-I pull her in and she holds on to me tightly. "There are bad people in this world Maya."
--------------------------
-We have a funeral for Jesus and Maya holds onto my side the whole time. Michonne and everyone else from Alexandria head back to warn their group about what's outside the walls. That girl that was part of the group that killed Jesus still hasn't talked. I am very worried about Alden. He's still out there and he doesn't know about the threat him and Luke are up against.
-I go up to the watch post. Maya told me she wanted to play with her friends. She knows what happened and I think the funeral gave her some closure. I'm glad she's able to move on. I was worried that she wouldn't get past it. Lucky she doesn't have my inability to move on.
-"Hey." Magna says coming up to the watchtower.
-"Hey you're one of us now it's good having you." I say.
-"Thanks. What's got you up here?" Magna says.
-"Alden he's my... Well I don't even know what to call it. It's all so new, so." I say.
-"I got one of those too. Lukes a survivor. Alden's in good hands." Magna says.
-"Lukes in good hands too." I say.
-"Can I ask you a personal question." Magna says.
-"Shoot." I say.
-"Is Maya yours yours?" She asks.
-"Yeah she's mine." I say. "You met Judith before I heard she vouched for you guys. Judith has well had an older brother."
-"I'm sorry to hear that." Magna says.
-"What makes you ask?" I say.
-"You just seem young and I don't mean that in a way to be rude." She says.
-"I was 15 when Maya was born so you are right. I'm 24 now." I say
----------------------
-September 5th 4027 days since the start.
-Tara took a group to look for Alden and Luke. They came back with news that was not the best to hear. They found their horses skinned and being eaten by the dead.
-I've been doing shifts listening to Henry talk to that girl. Her name is Lydia Daryl told us she was talking to Henry. Henry was put in a cell two nights ago for drinking and sneaking out. I listened to her telling Henry about her mom and her abusive dad that's dead but the thing is her story never stays the same each time she talks.
-"Are you worried about Alden? I heard Ms Joanna and Addy saying he was outside the walls and they don't know where he is." Maya says when I'm putting her to bed.
-"I am worried." I say, telling her the truth.
-"Do you think the bad people killed him like Jesus." Maya says.
-"I don't know princess. I know you have to get to bed." I say.
------------------------------------
-September 6th 4028 days since the start.
-"It's a little arthritis flare up and you two are acting like I'm on my deathbed." Earl says while I'm examining his arm.
-"You damn well could have been, spilling all that hot metal like you did." Tammy says
-"Well I'm gonna give you Eucalyptus for the pain and inflammation and aloe for the burns. We'll start with that and see how you do. You should really think about taking a break." I say.
-"How about for good." Tammy says.
-"Tammy Rose." Earl says.
-"I've been telling him this was going to happen for years. What he needs to do is retire." Tammy says.
-"I'm not gonna retire and I don't need a break. Are we done here? I have another two dozen horse shoes to finish before we leave for the fair. Thanks Doc." Earl says and walks out.
-"Appreciate you coming by and dealing with Earls crabbing." Tammy says while we walk outside.
-"I get it. His works important to him." I say.
-"It ain't just that. In all these years since our Kenneth has passed it's been his way to fill the empty you know. Alden being gone it just brought it all back." Tammy says.
-"Yeah, Earls has always been a father to him. To both of us." I say.
-"Don't you lose hope you hear me? Alden will turn up a million things could have happened all right." Tammy says.
-"I know just the last time I waited for someone to come through those gates it didn't end up happening." I say.
-There's a lot of commotion going on.
-"Hey Marco what's going on?" I ask.
-"The ones that killed Jesus they're here." Marco says.
-I throw my first aid bag to the ground and run to the gate.
-"Does she have Alden and Luke?" I ask Daryl.
-"I don't know." Daryl says.
-"What does she want? No Daryl we can't do that." Henry says talking about Lydia.
-"She ain't getting her." Daryl says.
-"Then what are you doing?" Henry says.
-"She's done talking, I'm not." Daryl says and walks out the gate.
-I climb up to the watch tower to look out to see what the hell is going on. A large number of those people in walker masks are out there. Two of the skins walkover with two tied up people. The mask are removed from them and it's Alden and Luke. I climb down from the watch post and Tara and Yumiko follow me. Daryl might not want to give them Lydia I understand her mom is a abusive monster, but I'm not risking Alden for her.
-"What are you doing?" Tara asks me while I'm walking to the prison.
-"Making an executive decision. Don't bother trying to stop me because I won't." I say
-"I wasn't planning on it." Tara says.
-I get in the prison and the key is in the lock and Lydia's gone.
-We run back outside.
-"She's gone." Yumiko says to Daryl.
-"Hell you mean she's gone." Daryl says.
-"The door was open and the key was in the lock. Daryl you know we have to do this." I say.
-"All right, split up, find Henry we find the girl." Daryl says.
-We run around to look for Henry. I see Daryl and dog at the secret exit.
-"They snuck out." I say.
-"Yeah tell the others I'm going to track them." Daryl says.
-"You don't have to. I know where he probably took her." Addy says.
-People start banging and shouting at the wall.
-"See what that is." Daryl tells me.
-"I can get Henry and Lydia." I say.
-"No it's my problem." Daryl says.
-"And Alden's mine look this is how we get him back. Look, I know Henry, I think he'll listen to me. I can talk to him." I say.
-"Go." Daryl says.
-"Come on." I say to Addy and we make our way out through the exit.
-Addy leads me to an old cabin.
-"Henry come on." I say.
-He opens the door.
-"Henry." I say.
-"I didn't want to tell her." Addy says to him.
-"Just just go. Tell them we weren't here, please. She doesn't want to go back. Her mother, she, hurts her." Henry says.
-"Henry, if there was something I could do to help her I would. No one wants this. But Lydia, she doesn't belong to us Alden and Luke do. Her mother has them. She'll kill them if she doesn't get her back." I say.
-"No there's got to be another way." Henry says.
-"There isn't. I'm sorry." I say.
-"No it's not fair, it's not right." Henry says.
-"No I know it isn't but it's something we're just gonna have to live with." I say.
-"How?" Henry asks.
-"When I was about your age I saw the start of everything I saw people I loved die. It changed me and it became just about surviving somehow. And then someone else close to me died. Maya's father. He had a big heart. He left me a letter reminding me that just surviving isn't living and it took me way too long to get what it really meant. You live with it by staying who you are. By not letting the bad things change you." I say.
-The door to the cabin opens and Lydia walks out.
-"Henry it's okay. I'm gonna go. I have to." Lydia says.
-"What? No no we can-
-"I want to. She's my mother. They are my people. I miss them. I'm gonna miss you too. And I'm gonna be okay. So will you, okay?" Lydia says and kisses Henry.
-"Okay." Henry says.
-The four of us head back to the hilltop.
-Daryl walks out the gate and delivers Lydia to her mother. They let go of Alden and Luke and I run into his arms.
-"I never want to let go of you." I say.
-"I don't want you to. Come on." Alden says and we walk back into the safety of the gate.
-When we get in there I look at Lydia and she gets slapped across the face by her mother and then she brings her in for a hug.
-I feel really bad for Lydia. No child deserves to be hit by their parents. I know all well how she feels. Miranda might not have been my mother but I understand.
---------------------------------
-"They just left the baby to die." Alden says.
-"Good thing Connie got him in time." I say.
-"Alden." Maya says and runs over and gives him a hug.
-"Hey feathers. How have you've been." Alden says.
-"Good. Good thing your back mommy was so worried." Maya says.
-"I bet she was." Alden says.
-"Mommy can I stay at Ms Joanna's tonight. She said it was fine as long as you're okay with it." Maya says.
-"Yes you can princess." I say and give her a big hug.
-"Thank you Mommy." She says excitedly and skips back to Joanna's trailer. Me and Alden walk into the Barrington house and into my room.
-"They didn't hurt you." I say to Alden.
-"No. I thought I was going to die." He says and sits on the bed.
-"I was so scared that they were going to kill you. I thought I was going to lose you and I don't ever want to lose you." I say voice shaky.
-"You don't have to be scared anymore I'm right here." He says and puts his hands on my waist and pulls me in.
-We kiss each other everywhere and then our clothes come off.
Word Count 2279