Next day. Morning. At Alexandria. In the infirmary.

Dante had killed Siddiq. Then he tried to kill Rosita while baby Coco was around. Rosita managed to beat him up and killed Walker Siddiq, stopping him fro killing his baby.

Daryl punched Dante "hope that hurts"

Rosita was out for blood.

Dante "it doesn't matter. none of this matters. Watch enough people get incinerated, devoured alive, you see how ridiculous it is getting attached to ourselves. But knowing that sets you free"

Me "is that what you're doing? setting us free?"

Dante "if you learn that lesson, it'll only help you"

Daryl lit his cigarette "what, so we can be more like you?"

Dante "accept the future"

Gabriel " Siddiq depended on you. Why put him through all that hell in the barn just to kill him months later? I-I can't see an ideology behind that. "

Dante "I liked Siddiq. "

Rosita "Oh, you liked him? "

Dante nodded "He wasn't part of the plan. But he found out who I was, so I had no choice. "

Me "What plan? "

Dante "Encourage your paranoia about us which will push you into bad decisions. Places like this are cruel promises to their people, and they crumble at the smallest nick. Hell, I'm gonna enjoy watching you rip each other apart over what to do with me. Just like with Negan. "

Gabriel "Is that what you want? A public reckoning? A chance to be heard?"

Dante "That's what you'll give me. Because it's right. "

Rosita " We helped you. "

Dante " Why? 'Cause you wanted another doctor around? You got something from me, too. Don't pretend you didn't. "

Rosita growled "pedaso de mierda "

Dante " No one is actually kind. We are selfish. We are brutal. Come on. Even seeing all those heads on spikes didn't teach you what people are? "

Rosita kicked him in the back and he fell off the bed.

Aaron walked in as Rosita walked out in tears.

--

Aaron "He's been here four months. How didn't I know? "

Daryl "None of us did. "

Aaron "We all ate together. Talked about training the militia. He treated Gracie."

I shook my head "You can't do that to yourself. "

Daryl "Yeah. Especially now. We gotta keep our heads straight, try to figure out what's going on. "

Aaron " Mary, the Whisperer I've been talking to, um, told me where Alpha is keeping the herd. Just over the border, on their side. It's this sunken field on the edge of the national forest. "

Me "We can leave right after the funeral. "

Daryl "We're gonna trust a Whisperer now? "

Me " You wanna do nothing? "

Daryl "Lydia's still gone. We don't even know what that means yet. "

AAron "Alpha doesn't know that. With Dante locked up in a cell, she never has to. "

Daryl "We ain't gonna talk about how this is probably an ambush? "

Aarron "Well, the baby that Connie rescued apparently that's Mary's nephew. She wants to see him. I don't think she's lying."

Daryl nodded " Alright. Get a group from Hilltop and meet us there. Second we're done, we're going looking for the girl. "

Aaron nodded "yeah. I'll radio them. Maybe they can get the news to Michonne, too. "

Daryl nodded.

Aaron walked out.

Daryl looked at me " Why don't you stay here? I'll go. "

I asked confused "Why? "

Daryl "You gonna tell me what really happened out there?"

Me " I told you. Lydia didn't want to come back. I couldn't make her."

Daryl " Her being here protects us. You know that. "

Me "So, that's it for her now, to be our shield? Just lock her up again? I showed one of Alpha's people that their leader lied to them, and that's good for us. We can push on their wounds, too. "

Daryl "You still should have told me. "

I nodded "and i told you i was sorry. How many times do you want me to apologize for that?"

Daryl "sorry doesn't bring her back, princess"

I scoffed and walked out.

Outside. At the funeral.

Gabriel "I remember this passage from my studies. Written by a scholar centuries ago who was trying to understand the impossible "Let me live if life is better for me and take my life if death is better for me. " He had surrendered himself to fate because his world defied logic. Defied justice. We created you from it and return you into it and from it we will raise you a second time. "

Rosita looked down in tears.

I sighed.

In the woods.

Daryl pulled the over and hid the bike behind a tree. Carol and Aaron got off the horses.

Suddenly Jerry, Kelly, Connie and Magna showed up from behind the bushes.

I smiled "hey, guys"

Jerry nodded "hey, boss"

We all hugged each other.

Magna "Let's get to it. Screw these freaks. I say that in Siddiq's honor. "

Daryl nodded to Connie "Thanks for helping. "

Connie took out her notepad and showed it to Daryl.

Daryl nodded and i smiled a little.

night.

We were still walking through the woods.

Daryl suddenly grabbed me and pulled me back "Hey, wait!"

I looked at him surprised before looking down. There was a bear trap on the ground in front of me.

Daryl "Coulda lost a foot. "

Me"They laid traps. Means we're getting closer. I saw something over there. "

Daryl "Will you stop this shit? "

I looked at him confused.

Daryl "Please. You want her dead so bad, you don't even care what happens to you. "

I shook my head "That's not true."

Daryl "since what happened on that hill....you've never been the same since then. It's been like talking to a goddamn ghost."

Me " I'm doing the best I can."

Daryl " you can tell that them idiots but not me "

I sighed "Daryl, i'm okay. "

Daryl shook his head and hugged me "no, you're not. come here. She's not worth it. She's not."

He let go of me "Look at me. She's a dead woman, anyway. We have a future. you and me. Don't let her take that, too. "

I nodded and my voice cracked "i am sorry about Lydia"

Daryl nodded "just don't mention it"

I nodded.

He went to walk again.

Me "Daryl?"

He turned to me "mhm?"

I just hugged him.

he hugged me back.

Next day. Morning. At a clearing.

We looked down.

Daryl yelled, pissed off "God damn it! "

Aaron " Wait. "

Daryl "For what? "

Aaron " This doesn't mean Mary lied to us, alright? They were protecting this place. T-They put a trap in the road as a deterrent. "

Daryl "Yeah, from some hunter a decade ago."

Aaron " No. That thing was rigged more recently than that, and you know it."

Daryl " You wanna stand around and figure it out? "

Aaron "Look, the herd could have been here last week or yesterday. We had an obligation to come check this out. "

Daryl "Nah. Time to find Lydia. Let's go."

Then he walked away.

---

Daryl "Lydia would have taken this river downstream. Back to our side. "

Carol stopped walking.

Daryl "Hey. Carol, let's go. "

Carol "You go on. I'll meet you. "

She had stopped to look at something on the other side of the clearing.

Daryl "Nope. We all stay together."

Alpha was standing there, watching us.

I looked at Carol "Carol"

Carol took off running after Alpha who ran away.

Me "Carol!"

I ran after her. The others followed me.

Carol and i ran into the cave while the others stayed outside.

Me "Carol!"

She turned to me "are you gonna stop me or help me?"

I looked at her, catching my breath before taking my blades out.

Suddenly the ground beneath me gave in and i rolled down the cave.

I groaned and sat up.

Suddenly the rest of the group rolled down to me.

The last one to roll down was Daryl.

We all stood up back on back.

There was part of the horde underneath us on the last level. they were reaching for us.

I groaned out annoyed "oh fucking hell"