Except it wasn't Maisie's body that fell dead on the pavement, it was Negan's.

At the last second, Maisie turned the gun on Negan and fired, sparking a battle between the Saviors and the Alexandrians.

Maisie jumped off the flatbed and pressed herself against the thick tires as gunfire filled the air.

As she was about to get up, she hastily threw herself back down as an enormous tiger leapt over her and the flatbed, roaring as it barreled through the Saviors. Standing up, she saw Maggie and Jesus leading people wearing chest plates and some on horseback in through the back streets with their guns drawn.

The gunfire was thick in the warm Virginia air.

Bending almost double, she ran away, firing over her shoulder when she knew Saviors were pursuing her. Even in the chaos, she didn't miss a single shot, and she thanked her father for that. When someone let off smokebombs, it became difficult to identify the bodies that ran out of the haze until they were almost dangerously close.

The biters hadn't gotten in yet, but with the thick fog clouded around her, she couldn't tell where she was, forcing her to abandon the thought of closing the gate.

When barks erupted from within the walls, Maisie almost screamed. She prayed Jackson had been locked inside as she and the Saviors drew near, but as she heard multiple windows breaking, she couldn't hold high hopes.

She focused when she heard hurried footsteps and whipped around, fully prepared to end the lives of the angry Saviors, but when she pulled the trigger, the gun only clicked. She was out. Her clip was already empty. Tossing the useless gun aside, she drew her knife and fought with a speed that left the Saviors unable to anticipate her next move until their throats were slit.

Abandoning their twitching bodies, she continued on, her knife held tightly in her hand. While she wanted Jackson to be her priority, she knew it was Daryl instead. Running down the street, she stopped when she came face to face with a man pointing an automatic weapon at her.

"I am Negan, and you're gonna pay for what you did, you little skank," the man threatened, leering at her while Maisie kept her cool. What the man didn't see was the large tiger stampeding to his right until it leapt on him.

She gasped as a fiery pain spread from her thigh. The man the tiger attacked held his finger on the trigger and the gun was firing wildly. I'll be okay, she told herself, limping onward with her teeth grit.

〄

The smoke bomb had cleared in time for Maisie to witness the ones on horseback chasing away the remaining Saviors that had managed to get away in the trucks.

"Maisie!"

She turned to the sound of the familiar, gruff voice and saw Daryl running up to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and embraced her in a strong hug that lifted her off her injured leg. When he set her down again and pulled away, he held her small face in his large hands and swept away her crocodile tears before she clashed her lips against his.

When they broke apart, his blue eyes studied her bloodsplattered face.

"If you ever pull another thing like that again, I'll kill you myself."

"Noted," Maisie laughed, putting her hand against one of the large hands that was still on her face.

"Maisie!"

The woman's pained face cracked into a wide smile as she heard the boyish shout, before another tall body slammed into hers, wrapping their arms around her neck. She held the back of Carl's flannel tightly in her fists, as Rick joined the hug on her other side. Soon enough, she was trapped in a group hug.

The group all smiled and laughed, many wanting to get an individual embrace from the woman. It was a happy time for Alexandria.

"Maisie..?"

The group went silent as Maisie looked up to the choked voice, and her heart shattered.

Tears shined in Tara's eyes as she approached Maisie slowly, a black ball of fur held in her arms and blood soaking her shirt. Maisie's face contorted as she stumbled from the group, pushing away those who reached out to steady her.

"No..." Maisie sobbed, reaching out for the small dog that had been her beloved companion for his entire life. Tears pooled in her eyes and slipped down her cheeks in an endless cycle as she cuddled the small body to her chest and ran a hand down his back, smoothing down the blood slicked hairs.

She couldn't save everyone she loved.

"I'm sorry," Tara cried, bowing her head.

Maisie ignored her, limping forward and past her. The pain in her leg should have been unbearable, but compared to the pain that resigned in her broken heart, it was merely a dull ache.

Maisie dug the small grave under Glenn's flimsy wooden cross with her hands, more tears dripping off the tip of her nose and into the earth. She picked up the little dog again, pressed her lips to the spot just above his eyes and placed Jackson in the grave, covering him with the soft dirt.

"There you go, baby. You always liked Glenn... Glenn, take care of my baby for me. Rest easy, boys."

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