It's been a few days in Alexandria. I woke up this morning with the brightest smile in my face, Maggie was already awake and staring at me. " Staring's rude." I said smiling at her. She shrugged, " I can't help it. I've got to take in all nine missed years of staring." I chuckled as she got up. She patted my chest, " remember when we used to walk around the place each morning. Get up." She said. She went to get dressed. I opted for some plain black jeans and a grey shirt.
I walked downstairs. " Hey Ma!" Hershel called from the kitchen. I gave his back a pat and grabbed some water. We finished up and took a short walk around Alexandria. People were still working, everyone was out and about. " You used to walk around thus early every day?" Hershel question to which i laughed. " Even earlier you little rat." Maggie poked his shoulder. " Remember the song you used to sing me?" She asked. Hershel beamed at me as I nodded, " you are my sunshine, my only sunshine..." I sang with a smile. They finished it off, " ...you make me happy when skies are grey" Maggie cut Herself off and glared at something a bit away, Negan. " You'll never know dear, how much I love you." Hershel continue but I was now glancing between the two too. " Please don't take my sunshine away." I sang along while squeezing Maggie's hand. She gave me a small smile and continued on.
We walked on in small talk. It wasn't a long walk, we soon got back to the house in time to see King rounding the corner. " Yn, damn. I have to put a tracker in you." She smiled. I shook my head and turned to her, Hershel walking in. " We need some help on the wall." She asked.
-
I helped at the wall untill I heard a commotion. " Lets check it out." I nodded and jogged after King. We stopped when we got to the gate. Everyone was throwing insults at Negan. He just smiled at me and walked off, into the yard.
Both me and King gave one another a knowing look. This guy isn't gonna end well.
-
We were strapping up. Maggie had us go in a new mission with a few of our people. It was dark out, they pried the glass roof window open and we slowly lowered in. I wasn't exactly happy with this idea, Maggie and King having to come with but I was there nonetheless.
There were bodies all over the floor, we made our way over to a wall. Crates lined it. I was just behind Rosita. Magna picked the lock on a door while we stood in alert. The lock snapped loudly making me subconsciously grab onto my crossbow. We walked in, going around. It was like every other mission I did back with King and them.
I helped magna open a crate. We packed in as many of the bags we could. Carol and King were helping to haul them back up with the wire. Another one got sent, me and Maggie anxiously making eye contact. I heard a snap, Daryl grabbed onto the wire and held the bag up. I was now on alert with my knife out, crossbow slung on my shoulder.
One groaned, I went to end him but King stopped me. He had alerted the others around him. I glanced at Maggie who looked worried. They began standing. I got my crossbow out and started what I could. King went in melee so I focused on her and Rosita most. Carol shoved a gun into my hand but they were empty. I saw Maggie fighting off one making me rush to her and kill it. She gave me an unbelievable look and turned back to the group. I went in with my knife but carol's gunshots cut me off. She handed me a gun with a fresh mag. I let out on the group, watching Daryl and them lift our people up slowly. I nodded to King and back to the rope. She shook her head but I did it again making her throw up a middle finger at me and run towards it making me smile. She went up after Magna.
What's left of us went up, carol being last. She unclasped and ran off somewhere. I sighed and helped Daryl take some out from above, my arrows running low. She grabbed mire packs and clasped herself in. I helped Jerry pull her up. I sat back with a sigh.
The walk home was silent. Maggie gave me a look each time I tried walking next to her so I opted on walking with King. The place was peaceful. I bent down when Judith and RJ came running up, giving them a hug. I walked back to Maggie when Hershel ran up. " Hey bud." I smiled. " Cole has a surprise." He told maggie just in time for me to see a group of strangers walking up. They exchanged greetings while I just stood back. Hershel walked up to a big man. " Shoulders." He said. The guy laughed and lifted him up. " It's good to see you Mags." He said. " Good to see you, Duncan." He glanced at me but Maggie ignored his glance.
They talked more but got cut off by some commotion. Two people were fighting but Gabriel broke it up. He walked past us, motioning for us to follow. " One week." He said when we sat down. " We can make it work." Aaron said. " How?" King asked him. " Yeah, we just took in two new communities. We have no crops, no back stock." Carol agreed. " We can make it work." Arron said again. " We've got people out there right now. They're scavenging." He added. " And they're slowing down." Gabriel cut in. " It's hard to put up a wall with broken tools and an empty stomach." I nodded at his words. " Out people are good hunters. Frost and i could take a group out." The new woman said. " The ground's all spent. That last big horde scared all the animals away." Daryl said. " We can find new territory." I suggested. Gabriel shook his head. " We dont have time. We need food, lots of it." He said. " I know one more place." Maggie cut in. We all turned to her. " The olace we lived before all of this. Meridian. Its got plenty of food, water, crops and animals." The new guy shook his head. " But now it's gone." He said. Maggie glanced at him " what happened out there?" Rosita asked. Maggie sighed, " we were on a mission. Leading walkers away. Duncan, Agatha and frost took the last shift at the front of the horde. Going miles out. I circle back with Elijah on call. Back home things were going sideways, we got stuck on the road. I don't think it was an accident." She took a breath. Sighing. " All of a sudden we heard these screams in the distance. We race back home but it was too late. Most of our people had been slaughtered. The rest of us barely got away with our lives." She then turned to me and Daryl. " The people who attacked us, we only knew teo things about them. They comw at night and by yhe time you see them you're already dead. That was before we caught one. Daryl and Yn was with me." By now almost everyone around knew me as Maggie's though to be dead wife who came back from it years later. " He came after us alone. Why?" She questioned. I nodded, " cause there's not many of them left." I concluded to which Maggie nodded.
" They're at meridian now. There's plenty of food, that's why they took it. We just need to take to back." She said. I knew I was gonna go with her, even if I didn't completely agree to her plan. " So you're running off to fight ghosts? That's the plan?" Aaron asked to which maggie shrugged. " You have a better one?" She asked. We stayed silent, giving her plenty answers. " Alexandria need us more." He said. " This is for Alexandria. My son is here." I nodded at her words. " Yeah but if they slaughtered everyone once what makes it any different?" Rosita asked. I nodded, validating her questions. Maggie glanced at me before answering. " Duncan, Agatha and frost are meridian's best fighters. Now I have them, hopefully some of you too." She glanced around. " Maggie, this sounds like a suicide mission." King now spoke up. We all glanced at one another knowing it very well might be. " Well if we dont have food it's not gone matter anyway." Daryl stood up. " I'll go. Anyone else?" Most of us raised our hands, Maggie glanced at me once more. King, carol, Rosita and Aaron stayed still. " Alright, let's go." We all followed Daryl.
-
I didn't get time to talk to King. The group wanted to be on the road as soon as possible. It was raining, storming while we walked. I had my cap on, Negan and them wanted to take cover. " Maggie you know they're right. Let's just stay till it's over." I yelled at her over the winds. She grabbed my arm to stop me and pointed to an old Metro station. " Let's go." I yelled.
Once inside I shrugged my cap off and shoot the excess water off of it. " This way." Daryl said but Negan spoke up. " Not to sound like a broken record but we need to hunker down and wait for this storm to pass." He said. I looked down at my crossbow, knowing I agree with him. " You don't wanna go in there?" Maggie asked him. He shrugged. Eventually we were back on the road.
We walked side by side until we heard loud creaking sounds. " The fuck?" I muttered. " The storm's pushing air through the pipes. Nothing serious." Alden said. I didn't feel any more comfortable. The sounds made me feel paniky, usually King was here to help me with my panic or anxiety but not now. I went against her and left her. " You know what that really is?" Negan started. " That's God telling us to turn around." He said. I glared at him, he wasn't making my case any better. " Waterline mark. Means this tunnel floods on a regular basis." He now had a point. I felt my heart become pressured.
" Let's just keep shit moving." I muttered and walked forward. How I should have listened to King before running face first into a pile of shit like this.
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Had to cut this one short. I'm gonna have to take a little break on this book. It's taking so much time off of my studies and I've been so stressed lately. I was told to not think about it as a failure because I'm ending it but as a success because I've come this far but I'm disappointed in myself nonetheless. I'm sorry.
~S