In Church.

We were all hiding in Church....well, we were hiding Eugene since now everyone was out for his head.

Rosita had been taken by Mercer for interrogations.

There was a knock on the doors and Daryl opened it.

Rosita walked in.

I hugged her "How'd it go?"

Rosita " A lot of repeat questions and intense staring. You?"

Daryl " Same. "

Rosita "You talk to the others?"

Daryl nodded " Yeah. We're gonna leave at dawn if we can get out. "

Rosita "Alright. Mercer's gonna be watching. "

Daryl "I'm counting on it. "

Eugene walked to us.

Rosita "Hey. How you holding up? "

Eugene "Reckon better than I deserve. I don't suppose you have any news on Max's whereabouts? "

Rosita "I don't. I'm sorry. "

Eugene "It may seem trivial in light of all the melee and mayhem, but I'm the one who should be truly sorry. It's my actions that put you both in extremely compromised situations."

Daryl " No, don't be. That prick had it coming. "

Rosita nodded "Alright, what we need to do now is figure out how to get you out of here."

Daryl " I know a way. The east gate. I know when the shifts change. Might be a window we can slip out."

Rosita nodded " Alright, good. We can meet up with the others on the road to Alexandria. Eugene, what's up?"

Eugene " At the risk of sounding ungrateful for all your efforts on my behalf, I cannot leave without my beloved. I need to go find her. "

Daryl "You got every trooper in the city looking for you. You wouldn't make it a block. "

Eugene "Well, be that as it may, I cannot... I-I will not leave without her. At the very least, ascertain her safety. "

Rosita nodded "Okay. You stay here. I will go look for Max. If I can find her, maybe we can get both of you out. Is that a deal? "

He nodded "Deal. "

Me "" Be safe. Yeah. "

Pamela on P.A. "Attention, my fellow citizens. The perpetrators of these horrific events cannot be allowed to go unpunished. Anyone providing information on the whereabouts of these individuals will receive a generous reward, while any persons found aiding and abetting these fugitives will share their fate... That of swift and final justice. "

I breathed out annoyed "here we go"

Night.

Eugene was looking out of a window.

Me "You trying to get yourself caught? "

Eugene " I was merely peeping at trooper activity levels so as to allow my assistance in Rosita's search for Max. Tired of standing on the proverbial sidelines. "

He walked to the door but i stepped in his way.

Eugene glared at me "You'd be wise to step aside, boss. No need for this to get ugly. "

I eyed him before smiling.

Eugene nodded "Very well."

Then he went in fighting position.

I held back a laugh "adorable. you wanna go? go"

He looked at me confused "You're not trying to stop me."

Me " You ain't going. "

Eugene " Because I'm a coward. "

Me " because you're smart."

Eugene " I'm a liability. Always have been. Relying on others to survive, counting on their courage due to a dearth of my own. Hell, the only way I bucked natural selection was my penchant for prevarication. Means lying. "

I nodded "I figured."

Eugene "Yeah, well, I'm ashamed to say it's my only discernible skill. Do you think people are born brave, or do they become it? "

Me " Both. "

Next day. morning.

Daryl and Rosita walked inside.

Eugene "Max?

Rosita "she's not coming. "

Eugene "You found her?"

Rosita " I did, but it was too late. She's already in police custody. I'm sorry, Eugene. "

Daryl "Shift's about to happen. We should get going. "

Eugene "Then it's time I bid you adieu."

Me " I'll check on the others. Meet you back at your place."

i walked out while Rosita and Daryl stayed.

At the warehouse.

I was fighting a guy who was trying to kill. He came with a partner but i was able to kill the partner.

The guy was choking me while his partner turned into a walker.

I was barely getting any air.

Suddenly he was killing and pushed off of me.

I coughed out.

It was Daryl, he also killed the walker.

He walked over to me and kneeled down in front of me "you okay?"

I coughed out "They took the kids. "

Daryl "They took everyone. "

I looked at him shocked.

We walked down a path.

Me "I don't know. They jumped me. They even took Dog. You think they were Troopers?"

Daryl " I think they were working for Pamela. We got to find Mercer. "

Me "Well, you don't think he would turn us in? "

He didn't say anything.

I sighed " There is one other person. "

Daryl "Hornsby?"

Me " He's Pamela's little bitch. He knows all the dark shit that goes on here. "

Daryl "You know where to find him? "

I nodded "Yeah, but this isn't gonna be easy."

Daryl " When is it ever? "

In the cell's.

Daryl and i had taken care of the troopers.

I grabbed the keys and we looked through the cell doors to find Hornsby.

I found him in one.

He was saying something " Always a path. Always a path. Always a path. Always a path. "

Sebastian, walker Sebastian was chained to one side of the cell while Hornsby was curled up in a corner.

Daryl killed the walker.

--

Daryl held Hornsby against the wall " Where'd they take 'em? Where?!"

No answer.

Daryl ripped open the sewed shut wound Hornsby had on his cheek.

Me "Hornsby, We can't leave you here alive. Either you tell us where our friends are, or you're dead. "

Hornsby looked at me "I'll... I'll show you. You don't trust me. I get it. But I know a way out of the city. "

I looked at Daryl.

Daryl looked at him "move"

Hornsby "wait"

Then i looked at his ankle "what is that?"

Hornsby "It's a radio-frequency monitor. It'll set an alarm off if I leave this place. "

Daryl took his knife out.

Hornsby "You're gonna have to cut off my foot. You gonna carry me? "

Me "You better be ready to run fast. Go. "

Hornsby "Wait. I need to do something first."

---

We ran down the hall when troopers started shooting at us.

Daryl shot back at them.

i yelled "Daryl !"

Hornsby " Keep going! Come on! Come on! "

Daryl "Go! Get him out of here! "

i yelled "Not without you!"

Daryl " I'll figure it out and find you! go!! "

He looked at me for a second and nodded.

I ran out.

Outside the walls.

Me "How much farther? "

Hornsby "Just a couple miles up. Just never realized until now how much it looks like a prison from out here. You were right to leave him behind. "

Me "careful"

Hornsby "He was slowing you down. Just like everyone does. "

Me "What's that supposed to mean? "

Hornsby "You're not like most people. You're always thinking 10 steps ahead. It's what makes you special. I mean, who else could've done what you just did? Anyway, I hope Dixon's okay. "

I aimed my gun at him "I know what you're trying to do. "

Hornsby "I'm just making conversation. "

Me "Where are we going? "

Hornsby "I told you I'd take you there."

Me " I'm done with your mind games."

Hornsby " I'm not lying to you! "

Me "as if you give a shit about Daryl"

Hornsby " I was just locked in a cell and forced to feed my colleague piece by piece to Pamela's rotter son. I might not be moving at full speed here! Fine. Do it. And then good luck finding your friends."

We heard cars and kneeled down.

I saw two bikes and a car driving down the road.

Hornsby " I know how we can lose them. "

Me "How? "

Hornsby "Come on."

Night. In front a mine.

I asked confused "You expect me to follow you in there? "

Hornsby "I do if you don't want to get caught. "

We walked inside.

Hornsby " This was an infrastructure repair project dating back from the early days of the Commonwealth. After a series of cave-ins, it was considered too unstable. I meant what I said back there, about hoping Dixon's all right. It's hard to find someone like that, that you'd do anything for. I felt that way about Pamela once. Thought I could make her feel the same about me. By helping her build the Commonwealth, run it... letting her take all the credit. Even by bringing in your communities, which, I admit, was... mishandled. But it was never enough. I know there was nothing I could do that would ever change how she saw me. Just her chauffeur's son. More importantly, there's something I wanted to ask you. What comes after? "

Me "After what?"

Hornsby " The unrest in the Commonwealth. Let's say Pamela doesn't survive it. That's going to open up a power vacuum. And when that happens, well, just look at history. The people who suffer the most in revolutions are the civilians. "

Me "What is your point? "

Hornsby "You and your people will hold 50,000 lives in your hands. "

Me "Until I find my people, there is no "after." "

Hornsby "You'll find them. I know you. And then you'll have a choice to make. Will you let the Commonwealth burn? "

Me "That's not my problem. "

Hornsby "Sure. Yeah, you want to leave all this behind you. I... I get it. Me, too. But what about the kids? Are you really gonna deny them their only chance for the kind of life we took for granted? Doesn't the next generation deserve better than the one before? Otherwise, what's the point? ♪ ♪ "

I sniffed something and grimaced.

Suddenly i saw skin lying there.

Hornsby " Is that skin?"

We heard walkers growling and coming our way.

The flashlight went off and walkers were coming closer. I shot all of them and looked around.

Hornsby " Sorry. The lights went out. I thought you were right behind me. "

More walkers showed up and we ran out of the mine.

I stopped running and tried to catch my breath.

Suddenly four troopers were there aiming at us.

I raised my hands.

Trooper to other trooper " Radio back to Command that we found them. But they put up a fight so we had to put 'em down. "

They were ready too shoot at us but then Daryl showed up and shot them all down.

i looked at him relieved and he nodded at me.

--

Daryl "There's two of 'em, taking shifts walking the perimeter. "

Hornsby "Shouldn't be a problem to take them out. Not for you, anyway. "

Me"Then what? "

Hornsby "We head for your friends. The tracks fork a few times on the way, but I know the route the supply train takes to get there. "

Daryl looked at me confused.

I asked confused "Commonwealth has a working train?"

Hornsby " It was part of a plan, a vision, to expand the Commonwealth's reach. Connecting communities like yours all the way to the sea. "

Me "Connecting or conquering? "

Hornsby looked at me " We should move before dawn. "

DAryl "We will. But you won't."

Hornsby asked confused " What? B-But you can't get there without me. "

Daryl "Yeah, we can. "

Hornsby "How's that?"

Daryl " You just said it. There's a train."

Me " We wait for it to come, and then we see where it goes"

Hornsby ". But you still need me. We talked about this. Not burning the Commonwealth down. Creating a-a better future for the children, for everyone. I know you heard me."

I nodded " Yeah, only because you wouldn't shut up. "

Hornsby " I helped build the Commonwealth. Don't you see? Together, we can make it better. A place where everyone can truly have a shot. I can see the campaign for it... "Here, you aren't defined by who you were but what you can become." It... It'll signal a new day has come, a new age where everyone, all of us, can start again. "

Me "Not everyone. "

Daryl stepped in front of me "Not you. "

Hornsby "So, you're just gonna kill me then? A-After everything I've done for you?"

Me " You can run."

Hornsby "R-R-Ru... Run whe... Run where?"

Me " It's up to you. But that's all you're gonna get... a chance"

Daryl " It's more than you deserve. "

Hornsby "All right, look, I've made mistakes, I know. But that's not who I am anymore. Th-That guy is gone. He died back in that cell. I won't make it out here. "

Me "Why do you make it sound like that's our problem ?. You're a smart guy. You might survive. "

Hornsby "Wait. Please, just.. Just hear me out. "

Me "We've heard enough. "

Daryl walked to him.

Hornsby walked to the car and grabbed a gun from it.

Before he could to anything i threw a knife at his head....hitting his throat and killing him.

Daryl and i walked to the car.

He picked up my knife on the way and we got in the car.

then he stared to drive away.