The flames circled and licked the trees, consuming everything in sight. It was only a matter of minutes before the houses were up in smoke. The women were scrambling frantically to climb out, grabbing whatever they could. The flames leapt from one house to another swiftly, traveling across the bridges, hell-bent on destruction.
Netanya ordered everyone to get to the ground below and gather whatever weapons they could salvage. She knew this was arson and she had a feeling who was responsible.
The screams interrupted her thoughts. To her horror, she saw women aflame, leaping to the ground in agony. Others were desperately climbing down the ladders before those too caught on fire.
Netanya searched desperately for her granddaughter, trying to see if she made it out safely.
"Cindy!!" She cried out.
"Grandma!" A voice came from below. Netanya looked down and saw her granddaughter below, waving to her.
"GO! Get away from here!"
"Not until you climb down!" Cindy cried back. Netanya knew her granddaughter to be stubborn, but she couldn't just leave her women behind. She was the captain of this ship and if she had to go down with, she would.
"Netanya, please," Lauren told her. "You have to get down." She moved the woman to one of the last remaining ladders. "I can get everyone down and get some weapons." Netanya solemnly climbed down, looking up at Lauren who ran over the burning armory. Just as Netanya reached the ground, the house that held the weapons collapsed into a fiery heap.
"LAUREN!!" Netanya screamed, moving away from the flames and debris.
"We have to leave. It's not safe!" Cindy clung to her grandmother fearfully. Netanya could only watch with tears as the safe haven she built was devoured by greedy flames. Cindy led her away from the destruction, unable to hold back her anguish.
Elsewhere, Beatrice was already running away from the place that used to be her home. The glow from the flames provided enough light to guide her safely.
A pair of hands shoved her to a nearby tree roughly and hit her head against the trunk to knock her out.
She groaned as she went unconscious, not able to get a glimpse of her attacker. A man dressed in all black stood above her, a metal bat in his hand. He gripped it tightly with both hands, raising it up with full strength.
"I'm sorry it had to be this way," he whispered, not able to look at the woman. He wanted to spare her, but there was no door number four. This really was the only way to make this look like it was Negan's doing.
When Glenn returned to the car, he hid the backpack and bloody bat back under the carpet. He felt exhausted and wanted nothing more than to sleep. But he knew they had to get far away from here. He opened the driver's door and started the car, thinking Rosita was still asleep.
"Where have you been?!" Rosita's voice cut into the silence, startling him. He turned his head towards the back seat, only to be met with Rosita's fury.
"I woke up to find you missing! How do you think I felt waking up to see you gone?! Do you realize how scared I was?!" Glenn could only listen to her rant, feeling guilty and stupid for scaring her like this.
"I almost went looking for you!! I was about to when you suddenly showed up again! Where the hell were you?!" He didn't answer, infuriating her more.
"Glenn! What did you do?! Why... Why do you smell like smoke and blood?" Her voice started to quiver. "You just come back smelling like smoke... and there are stains on you... Oh, God. Glenn, what did you do?!" She started to sob. "Glenn... what have you done?"
Glenn embraced her tightly, letting her cry into him. Everything that happened that night overwhelmed him; he could no longer hold back his misery.
"What I did... was for all of us..." He cried with her. He finally let go of her, leaving her to weep alone. He drove off into the night, leaving his sins to burn and disappear into the smoke.
~
At The Kingdom, Rick decided to explore what this place had to offer. He wanted to see what this place had to offer. He wanted to see what Carol saw; he wanted to know some of the final sights of her life.
He went into a garden that had fire pits surrounding it. He saw different types of fruit: apples, pears, and pomegranates. He reached out to pick an apple when he heard a booming voice:
"I see you have found our garden!"
Rick quickly turned around to see King Ezekiel standing behind him. He was without his tiger, which gave Rick a sense of relief.
"I was just looking around. I didn't mean to-" Rick started to say.
"Nonsense. Do not apologize. You are free to look around," Ezekiel stepped towards him.
"Your kingdom is beautiful," Rick sat on a bench beside one of the fire pits. The flames danced around him in the night, making the garden look even more mystical.
"Thank you. I have done my best to provide a paradise for my people," Ezekiel sat beside him.
"Seeing this place makes me wonder if I shouldn't have been the leader... I failed so many times... I've gotten too many people killed," Rick wasn't sure why he was saying this. He wasn't known to open up to strangers.
Ezekiel looked at the man curiously. "Some of my people have been killed too. And there isn't a day that goes by that I don't feel any guilt. But what keeps me sane are the people I have saved."
Rick noticed Ezekiel had dropped his Shakespearean talk. "I thought you actually spoke Old English."
"Why, of course not! I used to be an actor before this all started," Ezekiel laughed. "But playing this role, as king, has kept everyone's spirits high. I didn't ask to be the leader, Rick. As you didn't either. That's what makes a leader though, in my opinion at least. You don't want this role, but you make do with it. Anyone who does want this only wants it for power, control, for the wrong reasons essentially."
Rick pulled out a paper from his pocket and handed it to Ezekiel. "Carol wrote this... before she..." he trailed off. Ezekiel read carefully, before sighing sadly.
"What you said about pretending and leadership reminded me of what she said," Rick looked at Ezekiel with bleary eyes. "I can't tell you how many times I've read that letter. Probably so much that I memorized it."
Ezekiel handed it back over to Rick, who folded it and put it gently in his pocket.
"Carol believed in me, in us. She believed in you. I'm not going to argue against your decision. Because I understand why you refused," Rick continued, thinking about their deal with Hilltop. There was a pause between them until Rick stood up to go to bed.
"Before I leave, I need to know how you got that tiger," Rick cocked his head. Ezekiel chuckled, "I rescued her as a cub. Since then, she's been my partner." Rick smiled at this.
"Rick, the letter you showed me really resonated within me. Carol is correct, we are the last ones carrying the fire. And if we let Negan extinguish that, we might as well be already dead. Carol didn't believe this life was worth living. She didn't consider herself strong, which was not true. She was one of the strongest people I've met," Ezekiel rose beside Rick, who looked at him in awe.
"Negan assumes he's stronger and smarter than anyone who serves him and that attitude will be his doom," Ezekiel stated confidently. "Rick, I will help you in this war against Negan."
"I appreciate that," Rick felt his heart flutter with hope. "We will prevail in this."
Ezekiel smiled warmly, "I am a fan of Lord of the Rings and as Sam says, There is some good in this world and it is worth fighting for." Rick agreed with this, remembering the faces of all who had departed. They were worth fighting for, what they lived and breathed for was worth fighting for. The people who lived on deserved to be fought for.
"Plus I do want to see Negan piss his pants when he meets Shiva," Ezekiel smirked.
~
It had been about a week since Negan had last seen the people of Alexandria. Since that day, he could not get them out of his brain. No other group had taken over his mind like this before; every decision he had made, every thought he had, every emotion he felt was linked back to Rick's group. And he hated it. He hated how he almost had a morbid fixation with the people of Alexandria. Why were these mere weaklings so interesting to him? He was above them in every way possible, but they were still rooted in his conscience.
"This feeling," he thought, "It's almost stranger to me. A familiar and unwelcome guest that consumes my every waking moment."
He could sense that The Saviors were worrying about their leader. He heard their whispers, he saw their glances, he could practically read their minds about what type of man he was turning into.
His wives were hardly around for him; he had to constantly search for them. Many times they would deny him and he couldn't do anything about it due to his "moral code."
The only one who was really around was Sherry, but even then he could feel the skepticism and terror radiating off her.
Even Dwight was pulling away from him. Negan guessed it might have been because he saw the bruises on Sherry. She made no attempt to hide them; she wore them proudly like a badge of honor.
He needed to get ahold of the reins again. Why was he so disturbed by the Alexandrians? They were just a bunch of pansies after all. It was time to pay them another visit and show everyone that he was their protector.
~
When Carl heard the sound of tires pull up the gate, he thought it was none other than his dad. To his anger, it was none other than Negan.
"What do you want, Negan?" Carl scowled, opening the gate. The others were looking on, fearfully and angrily. They allowed Carl to speak, as Negan seemed to enjoy his company.
"You are just adorable!" Negan grinned as he climbed out of the single truck he brought. Dwight climbed out of the other side, looking puzzled at the fact they only brought one vehicle and were not going to take their usual demand.
"And that's not any way to treat your guest, kid," Negan towered over the boy.
"You are not our guest," Carl tried looking tougher. "You're just a small inconvenience."
"Ohh! Such big words for such a small man," Negan chuckled darkly. "I'm here for your daddy. Why isn't he out here to welcome me?"
Carl froze. Shit, he had to think fast. "He's out on a supply run. For you. He should be back soon though."
"Ah, I'll just have to wait for him here then. You are such a bad host, not offering me anything to drink," Negan shook his head disapprovingly. "I left you some powered lemonade, the good kind. Make some for Dwight and me."
"No, I'm not your butler," Carl retorted, irritated.
"I did not just hear that come out of your smart mouth," Negan flipped Lucille in his hand. Carl continued staring him down.
"I showed you mercy, kid. I could've made you blind, leaving you to smell your way to the kitchen."
"And we could have killed you... leaving you to choke on your own blood and spit," Carl was not going to give in. "In fact, you should just take that bat and shove it up your ass before we kill you. It'll be a whole lot cleaner."
Dwight stared in awe at this boy, shocked at how he effortlessly held his ground and how stupidly he said all that. Someone might be hurt for the kid's recklessness- or killed. Dwight hoped it wouldn't come to that. He wouldn't admit it, but what the boy had just said earned Dwight's respect. Yet, he tackled the boy to the ground for his insults.
"Dwight! Calm the hell down!" Negan shouted. "Get the boy back up on his feet." Dwight followed orders, pulling Carl back up.
"Make. Me. Some. Damn. Lemonade," Negan pointed Lucille right in front of Carl's face. Carl nodded his head with a frown, turning around towards his house with Negan and Dwight behind him.
Dwight sat in the living room uncomfortably while Negan watched over Carl prepare the lemonade. Carl wanted to tell Negan to go away, he was creeping him out the way he was just hovering over him. But his logic decided against it, something told him he wasn't going to get off easy with what he pulled earlier.
"You need to take that crap off your face," Negan spoke. Carl looked at him, hoping he didn't mean the bandage. Negan looked at him expectedly, growing impatient as Carl continued looking at him.
"Did I stutter?!?! Take it off!!" Negan yelled. "Or better yet, I'll get Dwight to hold you down and I'll rip it off myself!"
Carl lowered his head in defeat, slowly unwrapping the bandage. Negan leered at him, while Dwight felt nauseous.
"That is disgusting! No wonder you cover it! You look hideous!" Negan cheered. Carl felt so ashamed, letting this demon see his vulnerability. Dwight looked away, wondering how Negan could get off to something like this.
"Can I touch it?" Negan whispered excitedly. Dwight wanted to vomit at this suggestion; this was beyond creepy and sadistic. Tears fell from Carl's eye, realizing that he really was at the mercy of Negan. He was not strong, he didn't intimidate him, he could never win against him.
"Damn... Kid...Negan's voice dropped. "I didn't mean to make you cry..." Negan sighed. "It's hard to remember that you're just a kid sometimes." His face turned into one of sadness.
Carl looked at him in disgust, wondering how Negan would actually think that Carl believed he actually cared. That he actually felt sympathy.
Dwight stood up and walked over to the counter. "Where is my lemonade? I've been waiting too damn long for it."
"Here," Carl shoved a glass at the man. "And here's yours." He shoved another glass at Negan. Carl started to wrap his face again, while Negan and Dwight drank their lemonade.
"Man, this is some good lemonade!" Negan exclaimed. Dwight nodded in agreement.
Carl stayed silent, feeling his rage growing in him. Suddenly, the sound of a baby crying broke the silence. Carl started panicking, knowing that Negan would want to see what was going on.
Carl immediately rushed off towards the upstairs nursery, leaving the two men behind. They followed him, curious as to why the tiny child was crying.
"Shh. It's okay, Judith," He rocked his sister. "What's wrong? Are you hungry?" He turned around in horror to see the men standing in the doorway.
"Isn't she precious?" Negan went over to Carl and took her from Carl's cold hands. "I've always wanted a child. Being a father has always been one of my dreams." He cooed at Judith who looked up at him with big eyes. "I know Sherry's wanted to be a mother for a while. Maybe she can give me a child" He grinned at Judith. Dwight's mouth dropped, appalled at this. "If I screw her enough that is."
"How can you even talk about being a father when you killed a child!?!" Carl screamed. "You took away a man's chance of being a dad!!!"
"Your damn screaming is scaring her," Negan started rocking Judith, who started crying again. "What are you even talking about? I didn't kill any child...Wait, are you talking about that Asian? His wife? She was..." Negan's voice dropped low again. He sunk into the chair beside the crib, startled with this revelation.
"Pregnant," Dwight finished for him. Carl looked at the men with pure hate. "Yes. We were on our way to get her to a doctor," he confirmed.
The dam had finally broken for Dwight. That was the final straw for him. He could no longer blindly follow this tyrant after knowing what he had done. What he does. What he says. What he thinks. Everything. It was all too much. He had never wanted to hit Negan with Lucille as much as he did right now. Even when he saw Sherry kissing him. Even when his face was burned with an iron. He vividly imagined striking Negan with the bat he carried, savoring each gruesome detail.
"Wow... I didn't know..." Negan continued soothing the baby.
"Would it have mattered if you did?" Carl scoffed. "Now I'm going to get Judith something to eat if you don't mind."
Once Carl exited, Dwight asked, "Are we taking anything, sir?"
"Take whatever you want, Dwight. I don't care," Negan responded grumpily. Dwight left and went downstairs to the kitchen. Carl glared at him as he opened some baby food jars.
"Kid, the man, the Asian one, is he Japanese or Chinese or what?" Dwight asked, this question confusing the hell out of Carl.
"What?" Carl narrowed his eye.
"Just answer the question," Dwight said impatiently.
"He's Korean," Carl responded.
"Now, I wasn't good at geography. But that's in East Asia right?" Dwight continued his weird questions.
"Yeah?" Carl looked on at Dwight in bewilderment.
"You said east right?"
"Yesss," Carl became impatient by these stupid questions.
"Is he about twenty years old? He looks pretty young."
"I.. I guess?" Carl started to go up the stairs.
"Where is he right now?" Dwight stopped him from climbing.
"He's on a run. A long one," Carl wanted to punch this annoying man.
"So several miles from here? A young twenty-something-year-old miles away from his home. That's dangerous."
"Whatever," Carl continued up the steps, while Dwight grabbed several useless utensils and the powdered lemonade before heading back to the nursery.
Rick and Aaron returned to see a truck parked outside, recognizing to belong to The Saviors. They immediately broke into a cold sweat, hiding the guns Ezekiel had provided under the seats. They took out the supplies and food they gathered and were gifted, carrying them.
"Michonne," Rick could barely breathe. "Is Negan here?" He asked as she approached the gate quickly.
"Yes, he's with Carl in the house," Michonne answered, relieved Rick and Aaron had returned safely. "He ordered him into there."
Rick handed her the supplies before running to his house. He fantasized over what Negan might be doing to his son... torturing him... bludgeoning him... or even worse... Rick pushed that last thought away, unable to comprehend the sheer horror of that.
"Carl!! CARL!" Rick busted into the house. He ran up the stairs, yelling. He was full of sweat when he reached the nursery, seeing Carl, Dwight, and Negan.
"Ca-" his voice caught in his throat when he saw Judith on Negan's lap.
"Shh, Rick. You'll make her cry," Negan grinned up at him. Carl looked at his dad in agony at this display.
"It's about time you came back. You better have brought me some neat shit," Negan handed the baby to her brother.
"Yes, Aaron and Michonne have it," Rick answered, still shaken.
"As long as it's better than Dwight's crap," Negan stood up exiting the room. "Who do you think you are with those spoons and forks? Chef Boyardee?"
Rick and Carl exchanged glances as they followed Negan and Dwight out.
Negan took the stuff happily from an enraged Michonne, before reminding them that he'd be back here soon enough. It was a good thing he visited Alexandria again. He needed an occasional reminder that he was still on the throne.
~
That night, Dwight laid awake, thinking about his betrayal. A part of him hoped that the kid was too dumb to figure out what he meant. But the other half of him, perhaps the burnt half, fantasized Negan's death over and over again. One thing was for certain, he would not shed a single tear if that fantasy became reality.
In Alexandria, Carl laid awake thinking over the day's events. What kept coming to his mind was Dwight's tirade of questions. He had noted how Dwight placed emphasis on certain words.
"East... Twenty... Miles..." Carl repeated over and over, desperately trying to make sense of this. "Twenty miles east," Carl whispered. These weren't random questions... but clues.
They were the keys to Negan's base.
~
Something unexpected happened the day after Glenn and Rosita's return. Virginia was blanketed in snow.
In Hilltop, Sasha watched from the outside as the snow gently fell to the white ground. It had been so long since she had witnessed snow; it brought back memories of her brother and how much he loved snow. She had always despised it, but enjoying from the comfort of her new office was peaceful. It was beautiful; a word she had not used in ages. She thought of her friends in Alexandria and what they were doing as she often did.
In The Kingdom, Shiva was burying her face and back in the snow, trying to eat it. Morgan and Ezekiel laughed at this silly sight. Morgan thought of his deceased family and how winters were rare for them in Georgia. He wondered if he should have gone with Rick back to Alexandria after everything that happened. But for now, he would enjoy the company of his new friends. It might be the last certainty of this world.
At The Sanctuary, Negan was cozying up with Sherry. He was kissing her, but her thoughts and eyes were elsewhere. She was looking out at the snow, thinking of her ex-husband.
"Baby, what's wrong?" Negan asked, sensing she was not into this as he was.
"Nothing," Sherry responded, kissing him in reassurance. He kissed her back with even more passion, enjoying the mood this snow was setting. Especially with the fireplace nearby.
In Alexandria, Glenn was walking through the snow by himself. He had received a strongly worded lecture the day before from Rick about leaving. This did bother him somewhat, seeing that Rick was understandably upset.
Glenn stopped beside a tree, leaning his back against it. What mainly bothered him were his actions against Oceanside. He could not stop thinking about how his actions mirrored Negan's. The intentions were different, but it all led to the same result.
He sighed, watching the snow fall around him. He felt as if what he was changing into Maggie would have hated- even feared. Yet everything he was doing was for her. Everything he had ever done was for her, never for him. If he knew that none of his actions mattered, he would have given up a long time ago.
"Glenn," a female voice whispered in the snowy air. He immediately looked around, trying to figure out who said that and from where.
"Glenn," it said again. He looked straight ahead, the snow now coming down hard. But he could still see a female figure in the distance.
"M-Maggie?" He cried out, frozen tears running down his face. The figure in response opened her arms out wide.
He couldn't control his sobs as he ran towards it. As he got closer, the figure started to resemble his wife more and more.
"Maggie, I-" He called out, but as he did he slipped. He fell hard onto the snow, reaching out to her as he did. He scrambled to his feet, but saw the figure slowly recede.
"NO! MAGGIE!" He shouted, reaching out again.
"Glenn?" a small voice came up behind him.
"Maggie!" He spun around in joy, only to see Enid. She looked at him curiously.
"It's only me," She grabbed onto his arm. "Come into the church. Rick is having a meeting." He allowed her to cling onto him. She seemed to find comfort with him and he didn't want to interrupt that. He didn't dare look back, scared he would see her again and he would run to her.
The snow continued to fall in Alexandria, the marker of a new season, an upcoming war, a new hardship, and eternal mourning.
But also the eraser of Glenn Rhee.