*Couple of Weeks*
"There's a herd of walkers coming this way we have to do something about it," Rick said with a stern tone.
It's been a couple of weeks since the incident with Pete. It had calmed down a little, but Rick just always seems on edge to me. I met the man Daryl brought back, his name is Morgan. He knew Rick, well the old Rick.
We were standing in Alexandria by the entrance while Rick told us of the plan. He and a group went to see the herd of walkers while I stayed behind. When they came back everyone seemed on edge. I stood next to Daryl as Rick told everyone the plan. Daryl wanted me to stay back and be a lookout while the others dealt with the herd. I wasn't against it, but I wanted to be with Daryl. I was going to protest until I saw the look Daryl gave me. It was a mixture of pleading and pain. So I kept my mouth shut.
A couple of minutes later people were packing up and getting ready to head out with Rick and the others. I stood by the watch-out post stairs waiting for everyone to start heading out. Daryl walked up to me, his head hung low.
"You gonna be ok without me?"
I reached out for his hand, holding it tight in mine.
"I think so. Come back to me."
I said trying to dip my head down to make eye contact with him.
"I promise." He said as he looked up at me, giving my hand a final squeeze. He turned and headed out with the rest. I ran up the stairs of the lookout post and watched them all leave out of my sight.
I had no idea what was going on with the herd but I really hoped it would work out. All of a sudden I heard a horn in the distance. I stood up and tried to figure out where the noise was coming from. All of a sudden a truck crashed into the church through the entrance causing the wall to shake and me to fall out of the lookout post. I hit the ground hard. It felt like the world just slowed down. I looked around to see people running and others following. I watched as these dirty people ran into Alexandria with the letter "W" on their foreheads. I got up as I tried to process what was happening. I took out my gun and started shooting at the people with W's on their foreheads. Other Alexandrians started joining me as we fought back. I ran towards a shed and hid behind it as we started killing the intruders one by one. I saw Carol in the distance by the line of houses and decided to run to him. He called my name in a joyful voice when he noticed me running towards him. Together we took out the intruders as others fought back as well.
When it was over, I walked around Alexandria looking for any people who turned into walkers. This couldn't be happening. I went up to Ricks's house to the front door to see if Judith was ok and if Carl was too since I left him to check out the town's damage.
"Carl?" I yelled holding my gun in my hand just in case it wasn't him coming out.
"Hannah?" Carl yelled back. I smiled knowing he was ok. I walked into the house to see him standing there with a note.
"It's from Enid. She left." Carl said.
I nodded not knowing what to say. I had only met her once in passing
"Hopefully the horn didn't attract the herd," Carol said to me as she walked through the front door.
"There you are," Carl said to her.
"She was out helping me when you went to check out the town," Carl said to me.
I nodded and went over and sat down on one of the dining room chairs.
"How many do you think we lost?" Carl asked.
"I have no clue, but we lost a lot of Alexandrian. They couldn't fend for themselves."
We both just sat there in silence as we both tried to process everything that happened today.
"Do you think Daryl and all of them are ok?"
"I'm sure they are," Carl said patting me on the shoulder.
I then heard a noise coming from outside. I didn't recognize the voices. I aggressively grabbed Carl as I pulled him into the dining room and around the corner as Carol followed. I told them to be quiet as I pressed my back against the wall waiting for them to enter the house. I waited to see if they would call out a familiar name to let me know if we knew them. They continue to talk to each other about the invasion so I knew then that they were not Alexandrians. I then turned around firing at them until they were all dead on the ground.
Daryl's POV:
I sped away from Sasha and Abraham. I was heading back to Alexandria to help them. I can't lose this place and I can't lose Hannah. Rick began to talk over the radio telling us about Alexandria. He was right. They could fend for themselves possibly and I had to stick to the plan. I heard gunfire over the radio with Rick. That's when it hit me I have a job to do and I can't let Rick down or Hannah, I have to keep her safe. I headed back to Sasha and Abraham meeting them halfway to 20 miles.
We were six miles away from 20 miles, our goal when we were shot at. I fell over my bike but quickly got back on trying to avoid the gunfire. I saw Sasha and Abraham go down as I rode away trying to get away from the car following me.
"Damn it!" I yelled trying to avoid the walkers I rode through. When I got back to the forest, I outsmarted them hiding in the woods. I collapsed from my bike. The adrenaline was too much and I need to calm down. I just laid there next to a burnt walker and rested. When I finally got up, I pushed my bike through the forest which looked to be burnt. I was so tired. I tried to contact Sasha and Abraham but no answer. I hurt my arm and had to do something about it. There was a rustle in the woods. I began to sneak my way over to the noise to see what it was with my crossbow in hand.
As I got close I found two strangers just before I was then knocked out by another.
When I started to come to. I realized I was in a campsite the strangers I saw built.
"Hey get up." Some man said with a gun to my head.
"We're moving."
"I ain't who you think I am," I said.
He didn't listen to me. He made me follow the two other women as he followed behind me.
"Have it." One of the girls said randomly, offering me water. I walked by ignoring her.
"Take it. We can't have you falling." I looked at him and took the water bottle.
I had no clue who they thought I was, but they wouldn't listen to me. I listened to them talk. Apparently, they were the ones that set the fire. I wasn't sure what they were talking about, I only knew that they killed the dead with the fire. We walked until we got to a gated place. I had no idea what it was.
"Patty." The man said.
I looked around trying to figure out what was going on.
"We have to make a new plan."
As one of the girls collapsed when they were talking, I grabbed the bag of weapons and took off running. I fell to the ground far away from them and pulled off the rope around my wrists. I tried to contact Saha and Abraham but no answer. Soon a walker came towards me. I struggled to get the weapon out only killing it right before it came on top of me.
I saw what they put on my back. It was insulin. I felt bad. I knew I needed to be better than this. I stood there for a while until my guilt took over, so I decided to go back to them. I tracked them and gave them back the bag. Once I handed the bag to them. I heard a loud noise. It was the truck. They came for the group. I watch them walk towards them and talk to them about something.
"I'm not going back." The man yelled. I was conflicted. I didn't know whether to help them or not. Before I could think it through I helped them. I told them to follow me. We hid behind a fallen tree. I didn't know how many people were there. I saw a man walking by. He got attacked by a walker. The man just chopped his arm right off. I did not know what to think about these people.
"I thought you were with them." The man said to me.
I grunted.
"We did all those things to you and you still come back." The woman said to me.
"Maybe I'm stupid too," I said.
We began walking again. For what felt like forever. We found a greenhouse. One of the girls knew the two dead people in there. She walked over to them only to be attacked by them. I pulled the walkers off of her. As the other woman ran over to her and held her as she died. The man and I stood there before starting to dig graves from them.
I wanted to help. I brought them to my bike before they turned on me. He told me to give the girl my crossbow. I stared at them as the man picked up my bike and got on.
"Patch yourself up." The girl said throwing some bandages at me.
"I'm sorry," she said as I continued to stare at her.
"You're gonna be," I said as they took off.
I then began to walk back the way I came. I found the truck covered by trees. I opened the driver's side door and killed the walker there and headed back to where Sasha and Abraham were last seen. When I picked them up. I radioed Rick. There was a faint voice.
"Say it again?" I said.
"Help." The voice said.
Hannah's POV
I helped Maggie and the others pick up the bodies laying around Alexandria. We walked up to Michonne and Rosita as Michonne told us about what happened outside the walls. I began to tell Michonne about what happened here when Deanna started yelling from the watch post. I could hear some screams from the other side of the wall. Michonne ran over and opened the gate. It was Rick! There was a herd of walkers behind him. I froze in my spot staring at the front entrance as everyone worked to close the entrance and get Rick in.
We then all stood there staring at the wall and listening to the noise. I walked up to Rick with tears in my eyes that I wouldn't let fall
"Please tell me Daryl and the others aren't dead."
Rick walked past me and started his speech. He told us that we have nothing to worry about we have a job and the others are alive and will come back. Everyone nodded, but I just stared.
Aaron then stepped forward telling us about the man that Daryl and he encountered out there. At the sound of Daryl's name, I thought I might burst into tears. I watched as Deanna walked away from us. I just stood there as people started to clear out.
I ran up to Rick again with fear written all over my face. He turned to me and finally spoke to me
"We got split up, but I'm sure he's fine."
Rick said to me as he walked past me to check out the damage done by the intruders. I didn't know what to do, all I could do was think about Daryl, so I walked back to my house and sat down on the couch. I just wanted to be alone. I slowly laid back on the couch, trying to be careful of the back of my head that was bleeding from when I fell from the watch post and the bruises that were definitely on my back from my fall. I soon ended up falling asleep because of the long day we had all just experienced.
I was then woken up by a loud crash. I shot up from the couch I fell asleep on and grabbed my gun that was on the floor. I ran outside to see the church tower outside the wall had fallen. Soon walkers started to enter Alexandria. I saw people running so I followed. I caught up with Rick as just then Carl ran up to me, hugging me. There were so many coming in from the fallen wall.
"Everyone get into your houses," Rick yelled as I took off running with Carl. I looked back to see Rick and Deanna shooting at the walkers coming in.
"Carl! What do we do?" I said as we ran. "We have to help Maggie and the others!"
"We have to save ourselves first." He yelled back.
I then saw Michonne and followed her as she ran over to Rick and Deanna helping them. We were surrounded until Jessie started shooting and lead us to her house. Carl came over to us with Judith in his arms. We all ran inside out of breath and in disbelief. I turned back and saw Rick struggling with Deanna. I ran out of the house to help them inside. I helped Rick carry Deanna into a room and tried to stop the bleeding. Michonne came to help as Rick went over to Judith. Jessie went to talk to her son who's the name I didn't remember.
Michonne was checking her wounds when she noticed a bite mark. I stepped back in disbelief and turned to look at Rick.
"Well... shit," Deanna said.
Michonne and I sat there and watched Deanna and let her crack jokes as Rick went to talk to Jessie.
"The plans you gave Rick. I've been looking them over. They will work." Michonne said to Deanna. I just sat there and listened to them talk. Once in a while, I would look out the window causing myself to shutter a little bit at the sight of the walkers.
"I want this place to work," Michonne said, causing me to pay attention to their conversation again.
"What do you want for you?" Deanna said.
"I don't know."
"You better."
Gabriel paced back and forth, not really knowing what to do.
I looked back and forth at Michonne and Deanna listening to their conversation and smiling, trying to think about what this place means to me. I then was interrupted by the sound of banging. I went to check it out to find Carl and Jessie's other son running out of the basement as Rick and Carl then tried to hold the basement door closed. I ran away to try and find something else to hold the door closed.
"All that noise, it's drawing more."
I looked out the window to see what they were talking about. Rick went upstairs to calm down Judith as we all stood there watching the walkers coming closer. Soon a herd of walkers pushed into the house. I grabbed an ax that was used to keep the door closed and hit a walker causing it to fall back.
"I'll get this one and you get the one behind it. We need at least two." Rick said to Michonne. I stared at him confused as Michonne did as he said.
"What's going on."
"We need to think of something fast. There's too many."
Rick started hacking at the walkers he grabbed. There was so much blood and guts.
"Cover yourself with this stuff. It will work."
I nodded as I was the first to follow his instructions, Carl soon after. When we were all set, we started making our way outside. I held on to Judith as we made our way out of the house. Everyone held hands to stick together.
"Alright new plan. We need to get cars." Rick said.
"What about Judith," I said holding her tightly.
"I'll take her to my church. I'll keep her safe." Gabriel said. I looked at him and then back at Rick. I nodded in response and handed her over.
"He's gonna make it Rick," I said reassuring him. Gabriel took Judith and was off. We watched before we started moving again. It started to get dark as we slowly made our way to the cars. As we started to make our way through the herd, one bad thing happened after another.
Jessie's son stops dead in his tracks attracting the dead, soon he was just gone. Next was Jessie. She held on to Carl's wrist. I watched as she was torn apart. The shock kept me from moving. Carl and I were held in place. I couldn't move because of the shock and Carl couldn't move because of Jessie and her grip. It never loosened as she was eaten. Rick came over and chopped her arm off to free Carl. I slipped my hand into Carl's hand to hold his hand. His grip was so tight on my wrist from the fear I thought it might break. Then there was a gunshot. My eyes were on Carl the whole time, watching the bullet enter his eye.
"Dad."
He said as I let out a scream, trying to hold Carl close to me. Rick came over and picked him up out of my arms and brought him to safety with me close behind him. I stayed with Carl as everyone started to get rid of the walkers. I sat in the corner of the room afraid to move. So much had happened I didn't have time to process everything that happened.
Some so many people died. I could hear others talking about people that died. Deanna was one of them. She believed in all of us and now she's just gone.
After what felt like forever, Rick came back into the infirmary with Daryl. I didn't even know he was back. Rick turned to Daryl and said something to him. I watched Daryl's face as Rick talked. I was trying to figure out what Rick was telling him was good or bad by his facial expressions. Daryl kept a hard look on his face that I couldn't read. He walked over to me reaching out his hand.
"You've been here all day with Carl and Denise. Let's take you home."
I didn't say a word as Daryl didn't wait for a response. He just yanked me up off the ground and guided me to the house. We walked around all the dead in the street as some people were cleaning them up.
"Where were you." I finally said.
"We got separated. I'm sorry I wasn't here. When I heard the horn and Rick said that a pack of walkers was heading to Alexandria I wanted to come back for you. I'm sorry I didn't, but I had a job to do."
I nodded as we neared the house.
"I tried to get the herd to where we were going as quickly as I could, but a lot of things happened. I found some survivors, we were attacked by walkers and some Negan group and..." He paused and looked at me, "sorry I don't want to stress you." Daryl said as he could see my face getting paler as he spoke.
As we walked up the stairs, I grabbed Daryl's arm to turn him back to me.
"I wasn't scared, Daryl. I was handling myself just fine, but then so many things started to happen at once and I just froze."
Daryl just stood there listening to me.
"First it was Jessie. I thought she was gonna break Carl's wrist she held Carl so tight as she died and then Carl. Oh god, Carl. He was right there and all I did was watch. I didn't even help or I don't know."
I didn't even realize I was crying at this point. Daryl reached out and held me close. I sobbed into his chest as he tried to walk me backward into the house. When we got into the house, I immediately turned and went upstairs. Daryl reaches out and grabs my wrist pulling me back to him.
"I'm here for you. You know that right?"
I nodded and went in for another hug. We stayed like this for a while until I was the first to pull away. I grabbed his hand and dragged him along to follow me upstairs. When we got to the room, I threw myself on the bed and buried my face in the pillow. Daryl lightly sat down on the bed and turned to face me. His hand reached out and started to rub my back. I softly cried in my pillow, trying to calm myself down.
"Are you gonna sleep in your jeans?"
I shook my head in the pillow but didn't make a move to do anything about it.
"Where are the clothes you sleep in?"
I pointed to the corner of the room where a pile of clothes was. I flopped my arm back down on the bed and continued to lay there with my face in the pillow. I felt the bed move as Daryl got up from it. A few seconds later I felt a presence next to me by the side of the bed.
"I'm gonna change you, ok?"
I hesitate before nodding yes with my face still in the pillow. He slowly started to roll me over. My hand flung up to my face to cover my ugly crying face. He slowly started to take off my clothes as I just laid there. He was gentle and being the secret gentleman he is, didn't look when we were taking my pants off. I then rolled back over to have my face in the pillow again. I could feel him stop and just stare at my back. I remembered the fall from the watch post, but I didn't care if I was hurt. Everything hurt right now and the images of anyone just being torn apart haunted me. When he was done putting on my pj's, he went back to his side of the bed pulling the covers up over us. He held me tightly as I tried to force myself to fall asleep.