The moon now high in the darkened sky, I take up the rear with my swords tight within my grasp while Daryl leads our small group. The frigid wind sends a chill through my soul. I drag my coat closed, hating that even through the hood and mask, I sense the winter creeping up on us in the upcoming weeks. The deeper we get into the forest, the bigger the pit in my stomach grows. Call me paranoid, but I can't seem to shake the feeling of dread slithering across my flesh. The air is incredibly still; its almost like a calm before the storm.
"I don't know if there's a happy ending here." Carol finally breaks the silence descending on us.
"The trail," Daryl gestures towards the ground, "goes off in three different ways. Don't make sense." The sounds of the twigs snapping followed with the foreboding groans of the dead fill the air. I spin on my heels, raising my blades. Though, ice shocks my veins when the walkers stumble into view. "Come on, head back. Let's go!"
Cue the downpour of rain. Hopefully the storm doesn't follow, I quietly muse.
"Whoa, they're from Hilltop." Yumiko points to the dead, reaching the same conclusion I have.
Michonne demands, "watch their hands. They could be skins." You don't have to tell me twice. Paranoid is quickly becoming my middle name.
I raise my swords, cutting down the dead closest to me. Swing. Slice. Swing. Slice. I allow the fear to take a backseat while Kelly's training begins to take over. I run head first into a group of three. I raise my leg, forcing the middle one to stumble back while I silence the two around him. I drag my bloodied swords back, cutting the head of the last one.
"Back to the road. Come on!" Daryl's tone faint over the moans of the dead. I keep my back turned on the group, hoping they can find and clear a path out of this chaos.
I let out a stream of creative curses, realizing each direction out of here has been blocked by the walkers. This wasn't an accident. Someone very alive had to set this up, knowing we were coming. I raise my swords for the second time as we close rank, fighting back, turning the tide on the corpses as they begin to fall. Soon, the air falls quiet after my blades silence the last one.
Beside me, Daryl glances in my direction. We share an uneasy look, an unspoken conversation passing between us. More sounds of twigs snapping drags my awareness as the skin walkers stalk out of the trees, and into our line of sight.
Fuck.
There's the fucking storm.
"It's a fucking trap," I snarl, but Daryl grabs my arm, rooting me in place before I could dart in, massacring each and every feral fucking animal surrounding us. The skin jobs train their various weapons on us.
"Drop them. I won't ask twice." The Goliath looking asshole I saw a few days ago, stalks out of the trees. He stops in front of me, glaring down at me with malice and hate. I raise my chin, narrowing my eyes as I drop my blades at his feet. Daryl shoves me behind him, stepping protectively between myself and the giant. I realize it doesn't pass his notice. "You just had to give me the girl. No one else had to die. Now that deal is done."
Hands tied behind my back, I stand between Daryl and Michonne. Anger clouding my vision as the skin walkers begin to step aside as Alpha struts through, finally gracing us with her presence.
"Ya ain't getting her back." Daryl growls.
Alpha shrugs, "you think this is about my daughter?" She shakes her head, "I ran into some trouble on the road. It was unavoidable. Do you like my new camp? My people like to keep moving, keep roaming." Her movements remind me of a snake, waiting to strike.
"We've granted Lydia asylum." Michonne declares, staring down the dirty, bald cunt. " Any attempt to take her by force will result in retaliation."
"What's your name?" Alpha inquires, cocking her head.
"Michonne."
Alpha steps in front of me, "does she speak for you?"
"We speak for each other." I bare my teeth, matching her amused gaze with one my own, filled with hatred. My fingers twitch, remembering the promise I made to her. I'd kill her with my hands if they weren't bound behind me.
"My daughter isn't a concern anymore. She was weak. She never lived up to expectations." Alpha announces.
I glance around, noticing a small twitch of surprise in the giant's reaction at the news. He detects my curiosity in that second. He growls, stepping towards me, attempting to intimidate me. I let out a small, dangerous chuckle. His hands reach for me, but Alpha sends a look of warning in his direction. He nods, taking several steps back, but not taking his gaze off of me. I raise my chin, refusing to show that he might scare me even a tiny bit.
Daryl drags us back to the conversation at hand, "was? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
Alpha unfazed, she raises her shotgun on my husband, "to be clear... Your group is in no position to threaten me. That is a habit that needs to be broken." Her gaze meet mine, amusement dances in her blue eyes before facing Daryl. "Come with me. Just you."
Anxiety courses through my veins, watching him stalk out of the camp with the cunt holding him at gun point, trailing after him. I whimper, taking a step towards in their direction. The giant stops my advances, shoving my small frame the ground. "Not you."
"If she kills him, I will send fire to your precious fucking camp, asshole, snuffing out the life in each and every one of you." I warn, growling.
My head whips to the side as his back hand connects to my cheek. "Shut up, you insolent little girl."
I allow a smile to paint my face without glancing back at the asshole, "Suck my dick, Godzilla."
Shortly after my outburst, Beta allows us to leave, and return to our weapons. The sun is shining while I pace back and forth, awaiting my husbands return. My boots quietly crushing the grass along the ground, while I feel the weight of my blades on my back, safe and sound. Carol has tried to distract me in the mean time, but quickly gave up upon realizing I won't calm down until I see he's alive and unharmed.
I let out a sigh of relief when I see the redneck stalking in our direction. I rush over, allowing my body to crash against his. He takes a step back on impact, catching himself before we fall back together. I rest my head against his chest, listening for his heartbeat.
"I'm okay," he grunts, fingers tangling themselves inside my hood, seeking out on my hair.
I pick up my head, surveying his face, but his eyes darken with concern. I'm sure some of the damage from the Giant's fist can be seen peeking over my mask. "I'm okay," I whisper. He nods, pressing a kiss to my forehead.
He steps out of my embrace, I glance over, watching Carol greet him, while handing over his beloved crossbow. Michonne quickly follows, but he wraps his arm around my waist upon the rest of your trek, deeper into the woods. Muffled shouts send goosebumps dancing across my flesh, soon we pick up speed. I pull a sword free, spotting Siddiq tied to a tree, face covered in blood.
Michonne works quickly to free him, "Siddiq! What happened?" She questions.
Unable to form words, he points frantically into the open field not far from us. Fear shadowing his handsome face. I share a look with Carol, unsure if I want to follow the crumbs to whatever is waiting for us. I stumble, keeping close to Daryl as eleven pikes come into view.. holding eleven heads.
My mouth falls open in horror, still hidden behind my mask, as I creep closer, getting a better view.
Ozzy.
Alek.
D.J.
Two of the highway men and our trusted savior lead the grotesque procession of newly animated heads. I feel ice fear cut into my soul as I force myself to keep looking.
Frankie.
My hand flies to my mouth, spotting one of Negan's wives growling faintly. Shit.
Tammy Rose.
Rodney.
Addy.
Three members of Hilltop that I barely knew, but recognized them in passing. Tammy helped us aid Connie return safely with the skin walkers baby that was left for dead. The two teenagers were trouble makers, but they were children nonetheless. They had years to live, but now their time has been cut short.
Soon, I feel the fear morph into anger as I spot the last four of our fallen friends. Time seems to stop as I lock eyes with the all too familiar one that's second to the end, shock and pain electrifying my veins, rooting in place. All I can hear is the blood pumping to my ears while I feel my heart breaks further into pieces. I clutch my chest, hoping my sight is deceiving me.
Enid. Tara. Charlee. Henry.
I feel my lungs close in on each other as I spot my best friend among the dead. My last connection to Kelly. The woman who stopped at nothing to protect me from the moment we met in childhood until now. Rage swirls around me like a hurricane ready to take everything and everyone down with me. Charlee braved the new world, to return to my side, deciding to take our adventures with the group that saved me all the way back in Atlanta. She barely slept while I was missing, spending all of her energy and time to bring me home, and now she's gone.
The monster I share my flesh with begins to roar, pounding against the wall, begging to get out.
"Let's hope you two are still breathing when that time comes." Alpha's words dance on the air around me like a ghost, taunting me. I tighten my grip on my sword, toying with the idea of upholding my own promise. Alpha doesn't deserve to fucking live a second longer for the damage she's done to our communities and lives.
"You know your timing is just too coincidental," Michonne whispers.
Without thinking twice, I thrust my blade to her throat. In the corner of my eye, I observe Siddiq stumble out of her embrace, coming to lean against my side, wrapping his arm around my waist for support. I raise my chin as her katana rests against my exposed flesh of my neck in the blink of an eye. I let the monster stir and awaken, allowing her to stare back at the darker female who dared to challenge my loyalty. Michonne's eyes widen, spotting the difference in my deposition.
"Michonne, don't." Siddiq gasps.
"You really think I'd work for these animals?" I ground out, cocking my head, "allowing them to kill my best fucking friend for what? A twisted sideshow?" I sneer. "You all left me to die for five fucking months." A flash of emotion stirs her face for a brief moment. "Not once did any of you, but her," I point to my best friend's decapitated head without taking my gaze off of Michonne, "search for me. My own husband left me to die," I snarl. I sense the tension radiating from the left of me; I assume my words got the best of the redneck himself. "Why the hell would I sacrifice her for any type of revenge? Once again, I put my life on the line for people who wouldn't care if I was up there, too. Even through the rage, I still gave a shit. You got me fucked up, Michonne." I growl.
"Blue -" Daryl begins.
I cast my hardened gaze to Daryl with Carol wrapped in his arms, burying her head in his chest. He swallows hard at my sudden attention. He clams up, noticing something else has taken over. "Shut up, Dixon."
"She's right," Siddiq offers. "Carol and I both have seen her often through the last few years. Carol, the most, meeting with her several times a week. She was with her family and the Kingdom, not off with some new group."
"If you believe I'm a traitor, slit my throat, right here and now. But when you realize you're wrong, you'll have my blood on your hands. You'll get to live with that thought for rest of your life." I promise, dropping my sword, allowing it to fall to the ground with a soft thud. I step into the tip of the blade, feeling it trying to cut into my skin, daring her. "I mean, you already left me for dead once before." I wrap my fingers around the blade, gripping tight.
Silence descends on us; the only thing that can be heard is Carol's sobs from losing her adopted son. My soul hurts for her, but right now, rage is in the front seat.
"That's enough!" Yumiko announces, "there's no point in losing anyone else right now."
Michonne drops her katana, putting it away. I let out a dark laugh, not taking my gaze off of her. "If anyone is a traitor, it's you." I spit, picking up my sword from the grass, stalking ahead, away from the group.
The skin walkers might've been the storm, but I'm a god damn hurricane. For fucks sake, I'm the fucking Reaper, and they will reap the consequences of the actions they took tonight.
The rest of the group stayed behind to take down our dead, putting them out of their reanimated states, while I let the anger guide my body towards The Kingdom. The King met me at the gates, taking in my deposition. All I offered was, "we lost eleven people," before finding a spot where I could be alone. I spent the time trying to reign myself back in, attempting to put the ugliness of what I felt behind the wall. A wall that's barely standing from the all the trauma I keep raking up, and stuffing behind it. That's healing, right?
How much more can I take before I snap?
I begged the universe that this is all some sort of twisted nightmare, and I'll wake up next to Kelly. Everyone I loved was still alive and kicking.
Jerry found me curled up in the corner of my room, letting me know the group is back. He hugged me before we walked back side by side. Now I'm standing alone, away from the group, leaning against the tree while Siddiq takes the stage to deliver whatever message Alpha sent him with. I blindly rub my arms as his words settle into my bones, listening to what Charlee had to endured before she was taken from me.
"I was there." He begins, "I was taken with the others. And I saw I was supposed to die with them. I was ready to. Then, Alpha whispered in my ear, 'Tell them.' Something hit me, and everything went black. And when I woke up, I was alone. What happened was evil. It was evil. And I think she left me alive to tell you that story. To scare you and to drive us all apart again. But I want to tell you a different story. See, before the end... Ozzy, Alek, and DJ found us... and they gave us an opening. And everyone fought back... They fought like hell. And what they did... Was more than brave... 'Cause they defended each other. And they sacrificed for each other... And some of them... they didn't even know each other, but they still fought like they did. Like they were family. 'Til the very end. And, uh... And in the end, they..Their time was cut short, but ours keeps going. So we have to keep going. For them and... for all of us. We need to honor them. We need to honor them, and we need to remember these friends, our family, died as heroes. That's the story that I want to tell you. That's the story that I want us all to remember."
I send a glance towards Michonne, wondering how the hell she could question my loyalty. Maybe it's selfish, but I'm pretty sure it's quite the opposite from where I stand.
With Siddiq's speech over with, I approach my bike, ready to return to my family at Hilltop. "shit," I swear, remembering I'm suddenly the stand in leader at Hilltop, a position I never asked to be put in.
"Leaving so soon?" I peer over my shoulder, spotting Zeke heading in my direction.
I turn, facing the King, nodding. "Yeah, duty calls, I guess," I shrug. Sighing, "I don't know what the hell I'm going to do. I'm no leader. How the hell am I supposed to do this?" I quietly question. Remembering Michonne's words, how am I supposed to lead a community when now I realize some of these people question if I'm truly a traitor? How the hell could she even consider for a second that I'd work with people as feral as the skin jobs?
"You got this, Vanessa." His face serious, but I spot redness around his puffy eyes. He's in mourning, too. He lost Henry, a boy he took under his wing and considered his own son. "Rick trained you well."
I bow my head, "Zeke, I miss her already. Fuck, I still miss Kelly. I feel so lost and broken. I'm no leader when I can't even seem to put myself back together."
He shakes his head, resting his hand against my shoulder, "don't doubt yourself. You aren't alone. You still have Wren and James, and those babies of yours. Daryl, too." He pulls me in for a hug, "safe travels, my friend."
"Lets hope next time you see me, it won't be on the battlefield or with terrible news." Without another word, I kick my legs over the bike, racing off towards Hilltop, dying to be reunited with my children.