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Safe Haven in the Chaos	By : IdrilsSecret Category: S through Z > The Walking Dead Views: 6520 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the walking dead or any of the characters. No money is being made from the writing of these stories

Chapter List
- 58
- 59
- 60
Chapter 59 Out With The Old

As Aaron came to, the first thing he noticed was that his hands were bound at his sides. It didn’t matter because he didn’t feel like moving. He expected to be cold and wet, but found that he was warm and dry. He was dry because he didn’t have any clothes on, covered by a blanket instead. “W-where am I?” he asked.

“You’re at our camp,” she said. Aaron recognized the voice as belonging to Cyndie.

He opened his eyes to a candle lit room, the same room where they had taken him and Enid. “Thank you,” he whispered, closing his eyes, and falling asleep.

When he woke again, the candles were out and the dull glow of sunrise illuminated the windows. “We were beginning to wonder if you were ever going to get up,” Cyndie said from a corner of the room.

“Have you been here all night?” he asked.

“We took shifts. I just happen to be on again.”

Aaron started to lift his hand so he could wipe the sleep from his eyes, but they were still tied. Cyndie got up and went to him. “If I untie you, you promise not to try anything funny?”

“I’d be lucky to get out of this bed,” he moaned. “No, no funny business.”

Cyndie untied the ropes from the bedframe. Aaron rubbed his wrists, and turned his head to look at her. “Beatrice, bring some food,” Cyndie called out. A minute later, Beatrice came in with a bowl of soup, vegetable by the look of it.

Aaron was so excited by the scent of food, he almost fainted again. He pushed through and tried to sit up, but his muscles were refusing to cooperate. Cyndie rolled her eyes and took his arm. She helped him to sit up and swing his legs over the side of the bed. As he did so, the blanket slipped down, almost exposing himself to the women. Beatrice huffed a laugh from the side.

“It’s us who should be worried about you. We have a strict rule against allowing men in our encampment,” Cyndie said when she saw Aaron quickly cover himself.

“I assure you, you’ve got nothing to worry about,” Aaron told them.

“If I had a dime for every guy who’s ever said that,” Beatrice laughed.

“That’s why we have to tie you back up after you’re done eating,” Cyndie added. She handed Aaron the bowl of soup and a spoon.

Aaron took the first bite, and he couldn’t stop himself after that. It was the best thing he’d ever tasted in his entire life. The spoon only slowed him down, so he dropped it on the bed and drank right from the bowl.

“You better take it easy or you’ll puke it all back up,” Cyndie warned. “Go get him some water,” she called over her shoulder to Beatrice. When she was gone, Cyndie turned back to Aaron. “You almost died out there. We almost let you die,” she said.

“But you didn’t and that speaks volumes about you and your people,” Aaron said.

“Some of us, maybe, but not all. It’s dangerous for you to stay here much longer. I’m being nice by giving you food and water, but you’re going to have to leave, and I mean go home.”

Aaron lowered the soup bowl to his lap. “I’m not leaving until Oceanside agrees to join the fight.”

“Why should I put my people at risk for a bunch of bullies and thieves? First, Tara goes back on her word and exposes us to your community. Then you come in and steal all our guns. Now you want me to commit to helping you? Can you see how that might look from my point of view? You’re no better than Negan and the Saviors,” Cyndie argued.

“We gave you the chance to join us when we came the first time, but you refused. The Saviors came and killed your people without giving you a choice to join them or not,” Aaron defended.

“You killed Natania,” Cyndie said, staring him in the eyes.

Aaron hung his head. “I know, and I’m sorry, but that was never our intention. We just wanted to talk, but Natania took me by surprise. She knocked me down and was going to kill me before she would let me defend my reason for being there. Enid was just protecting me.”

Cyndie leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. “Where is she now?”

“I sent her home with instructions not to send anyone looking for me,” he said. “Please, Cyndie, we need Oceanside if we want to beat the Saviors.” He sighed and continued. “Rick wouldn’t want me telling you this, but we lost most of the people from one of our communities. It’s called the Kingdom, and–”

“The Kingdom?” Cyndie laughed.

“I know it sounds funny, but they were a strong part of our army.”

“They don’t sound so strong to me if they all got killed,” Cyndie challenged.

“They were ambushed by Negan’s men and some heavy artillery, which my people are going after as we speak. We have a whole plan in place. Negan is trapped inside the Sanctuary, surrounded by a huge herd of roamers. We took out their outposts so no one is left to help them. Now we’re preparing for one final stand against the Saviors, and the more people we have, the more chances we have of success.”

“Say your plan works and the Saviors are defeated. What’s to say Rick and your people don’t become the new Saviors?” Cyndie asked.

“Because this fight isn’t just about taking down the Saviors. It’s about want comes after, and that has to be the rebirth of civilization. We want to build a future where all of our communities work together, trading goods and knowledge. We can’t keep killing each other. The dead should be our only enemy, not each other. And by doing this, we can show others how to live in civility. By helping each other, we can get back to a life of promise, not fear. But it starts now, and we want you to be a part of that.”

Cyndie was silent, and Aaron could see that she was thinking this through. In the meantime, Beatrice came back in with a glass of water, and handed it to him. He drank deep, gulping almost the entire glass down.

“Everything all right?” she asked Cyndie.

“Give us a minute, alone,” Cyndie said. Beatrice nodded and left the room. She turned her attention back to Aaron. “I understand where you’re coming from. This was something I always wanted too, but then the Saviors came and destroyed all our hope. You were right when you said they took away our ability to live as we want. We’re scared … terrified of losing any more of our people. That’s why we went into hiding. Oceanside wasn’t our original settlement. We had another place where we were making a community, forging a future. Natania was our leader. She was the one who led us to that place, who was leading us to a promising future. When the Saviors came, they brutally murdered our men … all of them, young, old. It didn’t matter. They were going to force us to work for them, and do things that none of us wanted to be a part of. Natania told us we had to go into hiding. We got as far away from that place as we could, and stumbled across Oceanside. It was the perfect hiding place, and the Saviors never found us. Natania made sure we were well prepared, just in case they found us, or anyone else for that matter. And then one day, we found a woman washed up on the shore, Tara. Talking with her, I discovered that our original dream could still come true. She was living in a place like the one Natania had dreamt for us. But my grandmother was too distrusting by then. She’d become very callous, and a hardened leader. Anyone caught on our territory was killed without question because all it would take was one person to give up our location and the Saviors would find us. That was her thinking. She wanted us to kill Tara, but not before finding out as much about your home as possible. I didn’t like the way Natania handled the situation, befriending Tara, making her think we could be friends, and then sending her to her death. It’s one thing to defend yourself or your home and people. It’s another to kill someone who gained your trust.”

Aaron was glad Cyndie was opening up to him. It was an interesting story, but he was sure there was more to it. “Natania attacked me well outside your borders. Why was she out there in the first place?” he asked out of curiosity.

“After I helped Tara escape, Natania didn’t trust me. She became paranoid, even accused me of working with the enemy. I didn’t realize until it was too late that she had slowly been sinking into insanity since our men were murdered. Sometimes, her way of thinking was irrational. I tried to tell the others that I questioned her ability to lead, but I was shut down. It wasn’t until your people came and took our weapons that they saw for themselves the person Natania had turned into. We were scared at first, but we witnessed how our communities worked together to take down the dead. You didn’t have to stay and help us. You could have left, and we would have died without our weapons, but you fought with us. Afterwards, Natania was still raging, demanding that your people die. In the end, she couldn’t see past the pain. We had a meeting, and the women decided to make me the new leader. Natania couldn’t handle how everyone’s minds had changed. She blamed me, said Tara had brainwashed me or filled my head with lies. Because I helped her escape, Natania blamed me for losing our weapons. Things spun out of control, and we had to make the decision to banish my grandmother from the community. We knew she stayed to the borders, and didn’t cross over, fearing her own rules of shooting on site. Every once in a while, I would take a small group of close friends and we would walk the border looking for her. I gave her food and a spear so she could protect herself, and I kept hoping that she would eventually come around and see that her way would never work. We would go out looking for her just to make sure she was all right. That’s what we were doing when we came across you and Enid.”

“Listen, I feel horrible for what happened to Natania, and–”

“She was going to end up that way eventually,” Cyndie interrupted. “And I know it’s terrible to say it, but a part of me feels like she’s finally at peace. She’d been suffering for a long time.” She leaned forward with her elbows on her knees and spoke in a hushed voice. “You said you lost people, but not all to death. Did you know someone like my grandmother, someone unable to cope?”

“Yes,” Aaron said in a somber tone. “He’s alive, at least I pray he is. For a long time we’d seen things the same way, until recently. I’m afraid he’s following a path I cannot take, and it has everything to do with this war.”

“Is that why you’re here?” she asked.

Aaron thought for a moment. “Honestly, I’m here for someone else, for the person I lost to death. His name was Caleb. He was nineteen, smart, brave, braver than anyone his age. He didn’t let the bad things done to him affect him in a bad way.” Aaron paused and smiled at a memory. “He had a new girlfriend, and he was ready to move to a different community to be with her and start a future. That’s why I’m here, so that his death isn’t in vain, and so that others can have the future that Caleb was robbed of. The Saviors took that from him.”

“And now you want revenge on them for killing your friend,” Cyndie said.

“I want those responsible to pay for their crimes, but I don’t want all the Saviors to die. There are a lot of them that are there because they are scared of Negan. We call them the workers, people that just want to survive and feel safe, who don’t want to fight. Those are the people who deserve the chance to make up their minds as to whether they want to be part of our future or not.”

Cyndie nodded. “I get that. I do. But I still want the people responsible for killing our men to pay.”

“That won’t happen if you don’t fight. Hiding won’t solve anything, and it will only keep you safe for so long. Eventually you’re going to have to make a decision. Why not do it now, especially when you have likeminded people on your side?” Aaron drove the point home, and hoped for the best.

Cyndie didn’t say anything else. She got up from her chair and left the room. Aaron finished his soup and laid back down on his bed. His mind wandered to Daryl, and he wondered where he was right now. Had he been successful in his mission with Rick? Did he come to Hilltop? If he did, what were his thoughts about Aaron not being there? Had he been too hard on Daryl when he told him not to come home? Aaron just wanted to see him again, talk things through and make it right. He wanted to fight by Daryl’s side, to feed off of his energy. He wanted to come home with him, make up, make love, and start the future off on the right foot. He wanted Daryl to realize that what they were doing was the right thing to do, that not all Saviors were bad people. He just wanted things to go back to the way they used to be.

Eventually, Cyndie came back. She had two of her lieutenants with her, Beatrice and another woman known as Kathy. He feared they were here to take him back to the border. At least he had food in his stomach, he thought.

“We will fight,” Cyndie said.

Aaron released the breath he was holding and smiled. “You will. Oh, that’s great. That’s awesome.” By instinct, he started to get up, but quickly realized he was naked, and grabbed the blanket at the last moment. “I’d hug you, but I don’t have any clothes on. Speaking of which . . .”

Before he could finish his sentence, Beatrice brought her hand from behind her back and tossed his clothes at him. They looked like they had been washed, although some of the tougher mud stains were still visible. He laughed nervously as he gathered his clothes into a pile on his lap. He couldn’t help but wonder who had taken his clothes off when he was unconscious, but he didn’t wonder long, as Kathy quirked her brows at him.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “I had my eyes closed the whole time.”

“All right. We got work to do,” Cyndie said, not breaking from her character. “Aaron, as soon as you’re up to it, let’s talk about a plan.”

“Just give me a minute to get dressed, and … if it’s not too much to ask, could I get more of that soup?” he asked politely. There was no time to waste, and he needed to get his strength back fast.

>>------->

Aaron and Cyndie sat down to discuss business. He told her how everything had gone down so far, the walkers surrounding the Sanctuary, the outposts secured, Rick and Daryl on the hunt for the heavy artillery guns, and the plan to meet at Hilltop.

“Why Hilltop?” Cyndie asked. “What is this place?”

“It’s another community. It’s kind of our base camp for right now. We’re all supposed to meet up there, and then we’ll know where we go from there,” Aaron said.

“Good,” Cyndie nodded. “Now … what about guns?”

“Guns?” Aaron asked.

“All the guns you took from us. We’re going to need some of them back to arm ourselves.”

“I-I’m afraid we don’t have any to spare.” He was worried their deal might go south.

“What do you mean? You took everything we had, and that was a lot. And then you’re telling me that an army from one of your communities got ambushed. Where are their weapons?” Cyndie sounded impatient.

“Only three people survived that massacre, and I doubt they picked up guns along the way as they left.” Aaron looked past Cyndie to see her spear leaning against the wall. He pointed his chin at it. “You’ll have to use those,” he said.

Cyndie looked around and shook her head. “No. Bring spears to a gun fight? That’s not going to work, but I think I have a solution. Come on.” She headed out of the building and to the area where they parked their vehicles. The box van from the distillery was there.

Aaron knew right away what she was getting at. They could make bombs with the alcohol, Molotov cocktails to be exact. It was an excellent idea. When they opened the back door, they looked over the few cases of whiskey in the back. It was a lot, but not enough for what they faced.

“We need more bottles,” Aaron said. “And rags. Lots of rags.”

“Rags I can get, but bottles . . .” Cyndie said.

“We’ll stop at the distillery where I found the van. There’s bound to be empty bottles all over the place. We don’t need to fill each bottle completely, and there’s plenty of booze right here.” He pointed to the full cases.

Cyndie actually cracked a smile, the first Aaron had seen since meeting her. “I’ll gather our people and go over the plan. We can leave in an hour or two.”

They headed out with most of the Oceanside women armed with spears. Aaron drove since he knew where the distillery was. The van was loaded with seaside warrior women. What other vehicles they had carried the rest of their people. Everyone was unusually quiet, but that’s how it was when heading to war.

At the distillery, they found what they were looking for, and everyone got busy making their bombs. There were empty crates strewn about the factory, also, and they used those to transport the goods. Aaron and Cyndie teamed up, stuffing rags into partially filled bottles, and placing them in crates. As they worked, it gave them a chance to talk and get to know one another better.

“You were telling me about someone, back at the camp. Someone you said you didn’t see eye to eye with. Who is he?” Cyndie asked.

Aaron finished stuffing a rag into a bottle before he answered. “His name is Daryl. He’s … he’s a … friend.”

“Sounds like he’s more than a friend,” she said, trying to draw him into conversation.

“If you must know, he’s my partner. Or he was. I … I don’t really know where we stand right now,” Aaron answered.

“And what does Daryl want that you don’t?” she inquired further.

“He … he doesn’t see a difference between the Saviors who want to fight and the ones just trying to survive.”

Cyndie thought a moment. “I’m not sure I see your disagreement.”

Aaron explained. “There are people at the Sanctuary who we call workers. They work for Negan, but they aren’t killers. They are young and old, married couples, families with children. They are people who are just scared. They stay because they are given protection in return for working for Negan. He believes that if he does something for you, then you owe him in return, and the obligation never runs out. To leave the Saviors means turning your back on the people who gave you food and shelter. It means that you’ve stolen from them. It’s a never ending cycle. Some of my people believe that we can work with them, and give them a chance to cut out a future for themselves where they aren’t under Negan’s thumb. There’s more of them than there are Negan’s soldiers. By trapping them all at the Sanctuary, it means there are no supplies coming in. People will start to get hungry and thirsty. They’ll get angry and demand a solution or threaten to pave their own way out. We are hoping that things get so bad, the workers will retaliate and overthrow Negan. This will weaken his army, and allow my people the advantage we need to win the war.”

“You make a good case,” Cyndie said. “They’ll lose trust and respect for him. However, there are still Saviors who don’t deserve the same chance.”

“I agree. There are some that are too far gone. They are a danger to everyone around them, and to the future we hope to achieve.

“I just want the ones who hurt us. Simon was their leader. I want to see him dead, and the others who came here and killed our people. None of them should be allowed to survive this,” Cyndie seethed. She looked at Aaron after her rant. “Your man doesn’t think like you. He wants to kill everyone?”

Aaron slowly nodded. He remembered the look in Daryl’s eyes when they split ways at Hilltop. “I’m afraid so. And that kind of thinking … I’m afraid it will get him killed too.”

“You care for him deeply,” Cyndie stated. She looked down and away, the threat of a smile at the corner of her mouth. “It’s also nice to know people can still love. It’s been a very long time since any of us have seen or experienced something similar. I don’t think we’ve ever stopped grieving our men. I know I haven’t. My father … my brother … I miss them so much. Maybe Daryl is grieving too.”

“He’s been through a lot, so much more than most people I know, but he’s always come back from whatever hell he went though.” Aaron paused and shook his head back and forth. “I’m scared that he won’t come back this time. I think I might have lost him for good.”

“You gotta keep hope alive, Aaron,” Cyndie said. She finished the last bottle and placed it in the crate. “Time to get to work,” she said, and she left to check on everyone else’s progress.

>>------->

They were getting close to the outskirts of Alexandria. Aaron knew where there was a drop off point for correspondence between the communities. He wanted to see if there was any new news since he’d been gone. He stopped at an old rusty mailbox that belonged to a burnt out house, jumped out of the van and looked inside the box. There was a partially folded letter within. He took it out and read it. “Shit,” he said. Aaron’s heart dropped, and dread washed over him. Cyndie came up next to him, concerned when she saw his reaction.

“What is it?” she asked.

“There’s … there’s been a change in plans. We need to get to Hilltop now. I hope we aren’t too late. We might be going to battle sooner than I thought.”

“I’m not sure I like this,” Cyndie said with caution. He narrowed her eyes at him. “If this is some kind of trick–”

“It’s not,” Aaron said rather loud with ire. Two of Cyndie’s people stepped forward, spears in hand. Aaron took a submissive step back and raised his hands in front of him. “It’s too dangerous on the road. We need to find another way to get there.” The women looked at him, confused by the change. “The Saviors aren’t at the Sanctuary any more. They got out.”

At that news, all the Oceanside people raised their spears and started glancing around at the immediate area. Everyone was suddenly on edge. “How did that happen?” Cyndie asked.

“Someone … some of my people . . .” He didn’t want to say it, but the women were looking at him for answers. “Daryl and some others took matters into their own hands. They rammed a truck into the side of the Sanctuary, flooding the place with the roamers. Negan and his people somehow made a path and got out. They’ve already attacked Alexandria and the Kingdom. Hilltop’s been untouched, but Maggie, their leader says Negan will retaliate in some way. It’s too late for the other communities, but we can help Hilltop if we hurry.”

“Where are the other people, Alexandria and the Kingdom?” Cyndie asked. “Are they … gone?”

“I don’t know, but my guess is that they got away before Negan showed up. We had people watching the Sanctuary. If they saw them get out, they would have gone home to warn everyone. Let’s load back up. I know of a way to get to Hilltop where the roads are less traveled. Negan and his people will be on the main roads, I’m sure.” Aaron still had Oceanside’s word and their trust. If they had decided to abandon him, he really would have been doomed, more so than he already was.

Aaron stayed alert as they made their way to Hilltop. He hadn’t seen any Saviors, and that was a good thing. They needed to remain unseen by their enemy. Negan didn’t need to know there was another community joining the fight. As he drove, he was quiet. His thoughts went to Daryl and his recent actions. Apparently, Daryl and Tara joined forces, took one of Alexandria’s garbage trucks, drove it to the Sanctuary, and smashed it into the side of the building. What the hell was he thinking, Aaron wondered to himself? Had he lost his mind? This was the worst thing Daryl had ever done. Why would he? Daryl was probably thinking that the herd would get inside and finish off Negan and everyone in the building, even the workers that Rick was hoping to save. The original plan was to save the lives of the people who weren’t involved. Daryl didn’t give a shit about anyone under Negan’s rule. Damnit, why the hell did he have to do it? Aaron should have been there. Maybe he could have stopped him, but lately, Daryl did what he wanted and to hell with what anyone else thought. That kind of behavior would get him killed, if it hadn’t already. Aaron was pissed off and worried at the same time. Daryl was out of control. This was not the man Aaron knew. This was a stranger, and it scared him.

“Sounds like Daryl’s gone rogue,” Cyndie mentioned to break the silence.

“He’s not himself,” Aaron said, but he didn’t truly believe that. Daryl was acting out and behaving erratically, and that made him a danger to himself and others. “Stupid,” Aaron said to himself. Cyndie huffed.

“Can’t wait to meet him,” she said being cynical.

>>------->

It felt like forever, but they finally made it to Hilltop. Aaron decided to park away from the community so they wouldn’t be discovered by any of Negan’s men. Cyndie sent scouts ahead to see what was happening while the rest prepared their homemade bombs.

Aaron wondered where everyone was. According to the letter they’d found, Hilltop was the rendezvous point. Negan was coming here to get Hilltop back in line after destroying Alexandria and the Kingdom. The plan was to wage war here, and hopefully ambush the Saviors. Aaron knew Maggie would have gotten her people out, but where was Rick and everyone. Where was Daryl?

After a while, the scouts came back. They caught a glimpse of a group of people heading into the woods nearby. It was a large group, and they were slow because of the elderly and the children. One scout said she could hear a baby crying. That had to be Grace, Aaron thought, the baby they rescued from the weapons outpost.

“That baby will give them away,” Aaron worried.

“It already has,” Cyndie said, pointing towards one side of the wall.

Saviors were marching along the outside of the wall, making their way toward the forest. They had their guns raised and ready to shoot the first thing they saw moving. “We can’t let them make it to the trees,” Aaron said. “We have to head them off.”

Instantly, Cyndie made a few motions with her hands. Women went in groups into the forest, everyone carrying bombs, and some carrying the filled crates. “We’ll cut them off through there,” she said to Aaron, pointing. “They’ll never make it close to the tree line.” Someone ran up and handed them bombs.

“Let’s go,” Aaron said.

Aaron was amazed by the women’s stealth. Everyone was focused and ready to fight. They were a different kind of army from the ones he was used to seeing. Oceanside moved quick and quiet. They got into position and waited within the trees, watching for the Saviors to pass by.

“Here they come,” Cyndie whispered. Word spread quietly, and everyone prepared.

A large group of Saviors was coming, traveling along the outer wall of Hilltop. Aaron looked for Negan, but he knew the man wouldn’t be here. So he looked for Simon or any other’s he might recognize. None of the lieutenants were here. Where were all the leaders?

Off in the distance, Aaron heard baby Grace. The Hilltop people weren’t very far from the Saviors. When the group of men heard the baby, they hurried. Aaron and the Oceanside women waited until just the right moment. Cyndie and Aaron looked at each other, giving a nod before signaling to the rest to attack.

It was almost surreal, Aaron thought. The forest was deathly quiet except for the sound of matches striking, or lighters flicking. The flames from the rags being lit made the surrounding area glow eerily. And all the while, the Saviors didn’t have a clue what was about to happen. In unison, everyone began throwing their bottles from the tree line. The whiskey missiles sailed through the air toward their targets. Upon impact, they exploded. The alcohol inside made the fire spread and stick to its victims. The Saviors were instantly engulfed in fire, screaming and running as they burned. Some tried to get away, but they suffered the same fate as their fallen team. Aaron didn’t know the Molotov cocktails could do so much damage and kill so quickly. Once all the bombs were thrown, Oceanside charged from the tree line, spears held in front of them. The maddening group of warrior women were all screaming in unison, running toward their enemy, and impaling them with their spears and tritons. They were finally getting their revenge for their loved ones, and there was no stopping them.

As Aaron charged, he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. He looked over and saw Tara with some of the ex-Saviors who had been staying at Hilltop. They were all armed with guns, and they put their bullets to any Saviors that weren’t currently burning like a pile of roasting meat on the ground. Within minutes, the Saviors were all dead, stopped cold in their tracks. The people of Hilltop were safe, for now.

Once everything was under control, Aaron, Cyndie and Tara met with each other. Tara looked relieved.

“You don’t know how glad I am to see you all,” she said.

“Where is everyone?” Aaron asked.

“As soon as I saw the Savior’s caravan, I sent Enid and Kal on ahead with the rest of Hilltop to a meeting point. Maggie, Rick and the others should be there by now. I stayed behind to slow the Saviors down. Alden insisted on staying behind with me,” Tara informed.

Alden heard Tara speaking with Aaron. He approached with his men, and they held their guns out to her. “You can have these back,” Alden said.

Tara hesitated, but she didn’t take Alden’s gun. “Keep it. You might need it again.” Alden nodded and he and his men stepped back and awaited instructions.

Tara returned to Aaron and Cyndie. “Dwight delivered a map with Negan’s plans and routes. Rick and the others should have headed him off by now. I volunteered to stay behind and keep Hilltop safe. We knew the Saviors were coming back here.”

“Coming back? You mean they’ve already been here?” Aaron asked.

“So much happened after you left,” Tara explained. “Simon and his men came and they attacked Hilltop. We were ready for them. We knew they were coming, and we took a bunch of them out. Sent the rest running away, including Simon. What we didn’t know was that they contaminated their weapons with walker blood. Anyone that got hit with arrows or any of their other weapons ended up dying and turning. We didn’t know until it was too late. The house was full of injured people. Siddiq was working around the clock helping them. Most of the injuries were minor, but they were dying in the middle of the night. They reanimated and started attacking from within.”

“Who all was here?” Aaron asked with desperation.

“Everyone,” she said somberly.

“Daryl?” he dared to ask.

Tara nodded. “He’s okay, though. He didn’t get injured.” She glanced at her arm. “I did. Dwight was here with Simon. Dwight shot me in the arm.”

Aaron was shocked. “But you’re all right?”

“He shot me with a clean arrow. I saw him running away with Simon. I … I think he saved my life,” she said.

“By shooting you?” Cyndie asked. She was unfamiliar with some of the people they were talking about. All except for Simon.

“Dwight was a mole. He was working with Negan while sending information back to Alexandria. That’s how my people knew where to find Negan and stop him,” Aaron explained to Cyndie.

“I was wrong about him,” Tara admitted to Aaron. “He’s been on our side this entire time.” It wasn’t that long ago that Tara wanted to kill Dwight for killing Denise, her girlfriend. “He knows what he did, and I think he regrets it. Risking his life for us was his way of getting retribution.”

“I’m shocked to hear you say this,” Aaron said to her.

“I’m not saying I’m going to forget what he did, and I’m still trying to find a way to forgive. But I’ve been in his exact situation. I was the one supporting the wrong side once. It was Glenn who gave me a second chance, and now it’s time I pay it forward,” Tara confessed. “Besides, I’ve made some poor choices lately, and I acted out of blind hate.”

“I saw a note about the Sanctuary, and the roamers getting inside.” Aaron knew it had been Tara and Daryl involved in that.

“It was a very bad decision, and it didn’t make a lick of difference. We thought we could use the walkers to end it, and save our people from having to fight Negan. The opposite happened. They all got out and more of our people died.” Tara looked up at Aaron. “Daryl was involved with the whole thing. We tried to recruit Rosita and Michonne, but they wouldn’t see it through. Daryl and I went through with it.” She paused and shook her head. “He’s really far gone, you know? He’s got blood stains in his eyes, and all he sees is red. After I realized my mistakes, I tried to change his mind. I tried to convince him that Dwight was with us, but he wouldn’t come around. He’s still out to kill Dwight, even after everything he’s done for us.”

“I’m afraid for him,” Aaron admitted. “I feel like I need to go to him, to be with him. Actually, I want to be with all of them. Do you know where they are now?”

“I think it’s best that you and your new friends stay here for now. We have to protect Hilltop in case any more Saviors show up.”

Cyndie stepped forward. “But we can help fight.”

“We need to gather the others and tell them it’s safe to return. They’re vulnerable out there in the woods,” Tara advised. “Cyndie, you and your people can set up patrols around the perimeter and at the gate. I need to have a word with Aaron.”

Cyndie nodded and commanded her people. Aaron watched Tara’s expression, trying to figure out what she knew that he didn’t. He got worried when she wouldn’t look him in the eye. “What is it?”

Tara led Aaron back towards the gate, and took a few steps before she spoke. “A lot has happened. There’s some things you don’t know about yet.”

“Like what?” he pried.

“Negan really put an ass whooping on Alexandria. I think it’s going to be a while before we can go back. Looks like Hilltop is going to be our home for a bit,” she told him.

“My house? Is it–”

“I don’t know, but a lot was destroyed by fire and explosives.” She took a moment and tried to gather her thoughts.

“There’s something more. What is it?” Aaron asked.

“It’s … I-It’s Carl,” she said and stopped.

Aaron felt his stomach drop. “Is he . . .?” Tara nodded. “Was it Negan?” Aaron asked, anger building in his heart.

Tara shook her head. “It happened before all of this. He found a guy, Siddiq, killing walkers, alone. Carl helped him and he … he got bit. It just … happened. He’s gone,” she said with tears in her eyes.

Aaron ran his hand through his hair. Then he bent forward, putting his hands on his knees. “Christ,” he whispered. “Not Carl.”

“He saved a lot of people before he died. Alexandria was being attacked. The ones who stayed behind had no way out because of what Daryl and I did when we took the garbage truck. But Carl got them all to safety, using the sewers under the town. By the time Rick and Michonne arrived, Carl was pretty heavy with the fever. After Negan left, Daryl led everyone out of the sewer to Hilltop. Rick and Michonne stayed behind with Carl until he . . .”

“Daryl was at Hilltop?” Aaron asked. He wondered if he had gone back there or not. “Did he … did he wonder–”

“Yeah,” Tara said quickly. “He asked where you were. He was kind of distracted with everything that was happening though.”

Apparently, Daryl wasn’t too concerned about Aaron’s whereabouts. It hurt to know he didn’t react with more worry. And even though Aaron told Enid to make sure no one came looking for him while he was at Oceanside, he at least would have liked to know Daryl made the effort to go after him. Maybe Tara was right about him being distracted. There were more important things happening besides wondering where Aaron had gone. And with Carl’s death Daryl was probably not thinking straight.

“What about Rick … Michonne. They must be . . .” Aaron’s words trailed off.

“There’s been no time for anyone to grieve. But I know that they were with Carl in the end, and they buried him back home. So now we wait and see who returns from the war, and hope there’s more of us than there are of them. Either way, I’ll fight to the death to protect Hilltop. This is all we have left.”

That hit Aaron hard. To think Alexandria was gone was too much for Aaron. Everything had changed so fast, and he wasn’t mentally prepared for any of it. “What do we do now?”

“We wait,” Tara said with a sad smile. She left Aaron to flag someone down and told them to go after the rest of Hilltop, and to let them know it was safe again.

Aaron stood before the open gates and looked at the great house inside. This was his new home. Everything else was gone. His house, Alexandria … Daryl, all of it. “Like a clean slate,” he said to himself. “But I never thought the old one that dirty.”

After a while, people started filing in through the gates. The Hilltop community was back. Aaron watched the people come in. They still looked scared, and some in shock. He heard a baby crying in the distance. The child’s cries got louder, and soon Enid came inside the yard carrying Grace. Enid’s eyes went right to Aaron, and she came to him.

“Thank God you’re all right,” Enid said. “I’ve been so worried about you ever since I left you at Oceanside.” As she spoke, she bounced the baby in her arms. “I can’t get her to stop.”

“Let me have her,” Aaron said. He carefully took the baby from her and rocked Grace in his arms. The child looked up to see who was holding her, and almost immediately stopped crying.

“Wow,” Enid said amazed. “I think you found your calling. Have you done this kind of thing before?”

“Not really. I used to hold Judith every once in a while and she never cried either.” He looked down at the tiny bundle, moved the blanket aside and stroked her fine hair. She was so small and innocent. He took a moment to think about Grace and Judith and how they would only ever know this world and its monsters. At least Enid would have memories of life before hell opened up. His brain quickly thought of all the young people he knew, Carl, Caleb, Henry from the Kingdom. Now, Carl and Caleb were gone and they would never see what happens next. Aaron turned his attention to Enid. “How are you doing? I … I heard about Carl. I’m still in shock.”

Enid’s eyes turned down to the ground. “I keep expecting him any moment. I don’t think it’s sunk in yet. There’s been no time to process, you know?” She looked up at Aaron. “Daryl was here.”

“I know. Tara told me. Apparently he wasn’t concerned that I wasn’t here.” He unwrapped the baby blanket a little more, just needing to check her and make sure she wasn’t hurt in any way. Grace grabbed Aaron’s finger and squeezed, sending a jolt to his heart.

“It’s not like that,” Enid said. “He was preoccupied with everything going on. We all were.”

“Yeah,” he replied without hope.

“Want me to take her? I’m sure she’s hungry. There’s formula in the kitchen,” Enid offered.

“I think I’ll take her. I need something to do. Besides, she’s got a good grip in my finger.”

Enid peeked at the baby and smiled. “I don’t know, Aaron. I think you might have found another job title besides recruiter. Baby whisperer.”

He smiled down at Grace. “She’s pretty cute, isn’t she? But I’m sure there’s someone here who would make a better mom than me. Maybe someone who couldn’t have children of their own.”

“Um, that kind of sounds like you. Just saying.”

Aaron playfully nudged Enid with his shoulder. “Come on. Show me where the formula is.”

They spent a long time together. Enid showed Aaron how to mix the formula and fill the baby bottle. She showed him how to hold the bottle to lessen the air bubbles so Grace wouldn’t get gassy. When they needed to change her, Enid showed him how and where they kept the cloth diapers.

“I don’t envy you there,” she commented, watching Aaron change his first diaper. “Disposables are so much better, but they also run out. Maybe we can get Jesus to go on a run and see if he can find some. Otherwise, it’s back to the old days of cloth diapers and a lot of laundry.”

“Well, it’s not like it’s forever.” He finished putting the last safety pin in and picked Grace up to inspect his work, her chubby baby legs dangling in the air. “Not bad for a first time.” As soon as he said it, the diaper slipped right off the baby. Enid laughed. “I didn’t want to wrap it too tight.”

“You’ll get the hang of it,” she said, taking Grace from him so that she could put the diaper on correctly.

“How do you know how to do all this?” Aaron asked, watching her for directions again.

“I used to babysit before. And Carol taught me how to make a cloth diaper. Sometimes we had to do that for Judith.”

Aaron hoped Carol was all right. He started to worry about everyone, and wondered where they were, how they were holding up, and whether or not they were successful. Spending time with Enid and Grace was a brief but pleasant change from the worry.

One of the women from Hilltop walked into the foyer of the great house and saw Enid and Aaron sitting on the couch with the baby. She approached them with a smile and tickled Grace’s cheek. “She is just adorable. May I?” she asked.

Aaron didn’t understand at first, until the lady put her hands out. “Oh, yes of course,” he said, and he handed Grace to her. The woman cuddled the baby, making cooing noises and bounding her. “Careful, she just ate,” Aaron warned.

The woman smiled and changed the position of the baby, holding her on her shoulder and lightly patting Grace’s back. After a little while, the baby let out a tiny burp. Aaron smiled as he watched the interaction. “Do you have children?” he asked her.

“I used to,” she said, still smiling at Grace, but it didn’t reach her eyes as it just had. Aaron knew from her reaction that she’d lost her children to the world. So much loss, he thought to himself. “I’ve been helping Maggie take care of her. She’s very precious.”

Grace looked up at the woman holding her, and tears filled her eyes. Her bottom lip stuck out, and she took a deep breath. Next came a loud cry. The woman tried to comfort her, but she just wouldn’t have it. Aaron took her back and cradled her. When Grace looked up into his face, she stopped crying, the tears disappearing like magic.

“Would you look at that,” the woman said.

“I told him he has the gift,” Enid said.

“I think it’s more than that,” the woman commented, and she gave him a wink.

Suddenly, someone was shouting from the gates. “They’re back!”

Everyone at Hilltop ran out to the yard and waited to see who made it home. A few moments later, people started trickling in through the gates. Aaron watched the reunions and hugs. He also felt heartbroken for the people who were told their loved ones weren’t coming back. Those people were falling to their knees crying or holding on to the people they still had left for comfort. It took a while before he saw anyone from his group of people.

Carol was the first. She came in with Ezekiel. They both looked worn and dirty. They stopped, looked around at the great house, as though making sure it was still standing, and gave a sigh. Ezekiel turned to Carol and cupped her face. They looked at one another for a moment, lost to the world around them. Then he released her and she went on her way. That’s when she spotted Aaron standing in the yard, holding a baby. She seemed to smile and tear up at the same time, as she made her way to Aaron.

“Are you all right?” she said with concern.

“I’m fine. Oceanside came. We took out the Saviors here and brought back the Hilltop residents. We’ve just been waiting for everyone else to come back,” Aaron told her.

“Carol!” Henry shouted from across the way. He came running to her and grabbed her around the middle. Carol hesitantly hugged him back, but Aaron could see she didn’t have much of a wall left to protect her. She really cared about the boy. It was nice to see.

“Where’s Ezekiel?” Henry asked.

“Right over there,” Carol smiled and pointed. Henry took her hand and pulled her along with him. She looked at Aaron and shrugged, letting Henry take her with him.

Next, Aaron watched Rosita and Eugene walk in the yard together. Aaron hadn’t seen Eugene in a very long time. He’d been taken by Negan during one of his visits to Alexandria. It seemed like an age since then. Eugene parted from Rosita, and she spotted Aaron. “I see Hilltop is still standing,” she commented.

“Thanks to Oceanside,” he said. “So what happened out there?”

“Well, we were ambushed. The map Dwight gave us was actually a fake, planted by Negan. He found out Dwight was working with us, and set us up. We were outnumbered, surrounded by Saviors. I thought that was the end.”

“What happened?” Aaron asked eagerly.

She looked over her shoulder to Eugene, who was talking to some people by the trailers. “Eugene happened.” She smiled as she told Aaron how it all played out. “He sabotaged the bullets so that they exploded when Negan gave the order to open fire. Almost half of them went down, the other half lost fingers, hands, eyes, whatever the shrapnel tore up. That’s when we ran in and started taking care of the rest. Our numbers were more even on the battle ground, but it was still a difficult fight. And then, I don’t know what happened. Maggie and her Hilltop army joined the fight. One look, and they knew they’d lost. They surrendered.”

“What about Negan?” Aaron wondered.

Rosita glanced at the gate as a pickup truck drove in. She gestured with a nod of her head.

“I hope that’s his body they’re bringing back,” Aaron said, but he had a bad feeling.

“Rick and Michonne made the call. Not everyone is happy with their decision,” she said.

As the truck passed them, Aaron saw Rick and Michonne in the cab, and Siddiq in the truck bed sitting next to a bandaged up Negan laying in the back.

“Rick messed him up, but he didn’t kill him,” Rosita said with disdain. “Siddiq is going to patch him up, and Rick and Michonne are taking him back to Alexandria while he’s still too weak to fight back. They’re going to stick him in the jail cell in the basement of the townhomes, and make an example out of him. Rick said it’s part of our return to society.” When she was done talking, she took a look inside the blankets.

“Want to hold her?” he asked.

She gave a faux smile. “Babies, not my thing, but thanks and good luck with that. I gotta go wash up.”

Rosita walked away, and someone called out to Aaron. He looked up and saw Paul approaching.

“Thank goodness, you’re all right. I was worried about you after you left. You were gone so long. And then Enid came back and told me what happened with Oceanside and Natania. I was scared for you. I thought they might kill you,” Paul said with relief.

“I almost died trying to convince them to come, but Cyndie, their new leader, finally came around. We got to Hilltop just in time,” Aaron said.

“I saw the burned out area outside the walls. Must have had one hell of a fight,” Paul inquired.

“Nothing that we couldn’t handle,” Aaron said. He looked down at Grace as she started to squirm. Paul reached in and tickled her chin.

“She’s cute,” Paul commented. “Maggie got some good practice time with Grace while you were gone. Kept a lot of people up at night though.” He smiled. “She likes to grab my beard.”

“Paul?” Alex called with a look on his face.

Paul turned to see him standing a few yards away, and excused himself from Aaron before he went to Alex. They hugged and Alex began a quick look over, checking Paul for injuries. Perhaps there was still hope for them. They definitely cared about each other.

Another truck pulled into the yard and parked to the side. Aaron watched as Daryl got out. His heart beat rapidly. He wanted to go to him, but he wasn’t sure where they stood with each other. Instead, he watched and waited to see if Daryl would look for him. And then Dwight got out of the passenger side. He was wearing a disgusting jogging outfit, sweats with a letter A spray painted on the shirt. He recognized it right away. Daryl had told him about it after being captured by Negan and held prisoner. It was the same clothes Daryl had worn. Aaron was confused at first as to why Dwight was wearing it, until it dawned on him that he had been caught helping Rick, Maggie and Ezekiel. He’d been punished, apparently, and forced to wear the Sanctuary’s prison garb. Aaron was surprised Negan hadn’t killed him. He must have had another use for him. Probably wanted to rub it in Rick’s face, maybe even execute him in front of everyone to further prove a point.

Daryl said something to Dwight, and pointed to the trailer that was used as a medical station. Dwight nodded, and his eyes went to Aaron standing across the yard. He said something, which made Daryl turn around and see Aaron. For a moment that seemed to last an age, Daryl just stood there. Aaron thought he might not come over. Just then, Enid came up to him.

“Want me to take her?” she asked, already reaching for the baby, and Aaron handed her over, his eyes never leaving Daryl.

Once he was free, he started a slow approach. Daryl stayed where he was for Aaron’s first few strides, and then he began walking toward Aaron. Aaron’s steps quickened, and he thought Daryl’s did too. They met each other half way and stopped in front of one another, but neither one made the first move. Daryl looked at the ground, his long hair full of dirt and grime hanging in his face.

“I know you told me not to come home, but technically, this isn’t home,” Daryl said.

“I don’t care about that,” Aaron said. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah,” he whispered, still unable to look at Aaron. “You?”

“Fine,” Aaron answered. “I’d be better if you’d look at me.”

Daryl seemed to struggle to look at Aaron, but he did. He looked so lost, Aaron thought. “You brought Dwight back,” he said.

“Wasn’t my call, but yeah.” Daryl hesitated before he continued. “I came to Hilltop, but you weren’t here.”

“I went to Oceanside to convince them to fight for us. They did. We spared Hilltop,” Aaron told him.

“Good,” Daryl said tersely.

Tired of the small talk, Aaron had enough. “What are we doing?”

“You tell me.”

“I just want things to go back to the way they were,” Aaron pleaded.

Daryl shook his head. “I’m not sure that will ever happen. Alexandria is destroyed. The Kingdom lost probably half its population.” He stopped and looked towards the trailer where he sent Dwight. “People are still here who don’t deserve to be.”

“The war is over. Everyone needs time to regroup. Then we start paving the way for a better future. We can rebuild Alexandria. We can go home again. I want that, Daryl.”

“I … I don’t know,” Daryl hesitated.

“We’ve all said things we didn’t mean, and done things we regret doing. Now we can start to heal and move on.”

“That’s the thing,” Daryl said, his voice deep and dark. “I don’t regret anything I’ve done. As a matter of fact, I don’t think we’ve done enough. Dwight’s been offered a place at Hilltop. Negan’s still alive. The Saviors surrendered and went home like none of this mattered. But Caleb’s dead, Carl’s dead, Glenn, Abraham … Denise, and no one is speaking up for everyone whose voice was extinguished by the same people we’re showing mercy to. It’s all bullshit.”

“You’ve got to give it some time. Let’s just see where it goes now. I agree with Rick about bringing back society, and that includes being the better man and showing mercy,” Aaron argued gently. “We can start by going back to Alexandria and help with the rebuilding.”

“I won’t go back there, not as long as Negan is there. I’ll end up killing him. I know I will.” Daryl was absolute in his statement. “And I won’t stay here with Dwight or I’ll kill him too.”

“Why are you being like this?” Aaron said angrily. “What about us? There was a time when you said you didn’t care where you were as long as we were there together.”

Daryl started to pace like a wild animal that’s been cornered. Aaron knew his body language, and it was clear that Daryl was feeling trapped. He needed time to himself, so Aaron backed off. Daryl must have felt the switch because he instantly started to calm. “You gave me an ultimatum instead of trying to understand where I was coming from. You wanted me to do things your way or don’t come back. Those were your words. Remember? You want to know what happened to me? What happened to you, Aaron?” Daryl put his hands up, palms towards Aaron, and took a couple steps backwards “I can’t do this right now. I need some space. I need to do things for me, and I’m sorry if I’m being selfish, but that’s how it’s got to be.” He kept backing away. “I gotta go. See you around.” He turned and walked away from Aaron.

Aaron couldn’t do anything but watch him walk off. This had never happened before. All the arguments, all the disagreements they had in the past never ended like this. It felt so final, and Aaron couldn’t chase after him this time. Daryl had made himself very clear that he wanted to be left alone.

Enid, who had gone off to let Daryl and Aaron have their reunion, now came back when she saw Aaron standing alone. She was still holding Grace, the baby starting to complain a little. Aaron heard her and took Grace back. She calmed instantly, giving Aaron a slight feel of comfort. However it was overshadowed by the dread and sorrow beginning to creep into his heart.

“Where is he going?” Enid asked about Daryl.

“I don’t know,” Aaron answered.

“Is he coming back?” she said curiously.

Aaron shook his head. “I don’t know that either.”

Feeling like his heart was tearing in half, Aaron needed to get away from everything. Grace was wiggling in his arms, and he had the feeling she was going to start crying real soon. Aaron used it as he excuse to be alone. “I’m going to take Grace inside, and put her down for a nap. I’ll see you later, Enid.” He left the yard and disappeared into the house.

>>------->

A couple days went by with no incidents. Aaron kept to himself, deciding to take on the responsibility of caring for baby Grace. His original thought was that it would occupy his time so he wouldn’t have to deal with Daryl or their relationship. Aaron decided to stay at Hilltop and take care of Grace. Enid volunteered to help him, and he was glad for that. People were regrouping. Carol returned to the Kingdom with Ezekiel, Henry and Jerry. A group of Alexandrians would leave in another day or two, going back home to begin the cleanup and rebuilding of their home. Rick, Michonne, and Siddiq were getting ready to go back to Alexandria with a sedated Negan, where he would be treated while being held in jail. The Oceanside women had already left to go home. Alden had told Maggie that his men wanted to go back to the Sanctuary and try to make it a better place now that they were no longer under Negan’s rule, but Alden asked for permission to stay at Hilltop. Aaron spoke with him briefly one day, and he was very clear about his decision to stay. He mentioned the fact that he’d never really felt he was a part of the Saviors outfit, but he thought he could make a bigger difference in Hilltop. He had knowledge of construction, and he wanted to help Maggie make a better, more efficient Hilltop community. Aaron was glad to hear that Maggie agreed to let him stay. For a long time she didn’t trust him. She seemed to be coming around, he thought, but as he was walking past her office, the door cracked open, and heard her having a meeting with Paul, and Aaron realized he was wrong about her.

“You were right to advise me about letting the prisoners live, and I understand your reasoning. Rick was right about not killing all of the Saviors. From what I’ve seen, those that went back to the Sanctuary really want to make it their own, and they seem very willing to work with the rest of us. Only time will tell, but I admit it looks promising,” Maggie was saying to Paul. Aaron could see them sitting at her desk through the partially open door.

“I’m glad you feel that way, Maggie,” Paul said.

“However,” she said quickly. “I think Rick and Michonne were wrong about Negan.”

“I think they just wants to–”

“I don’t give a shit what they think. Negan murdered my husband. My child will never know his father. I’ll never hear his voice or feel his arms wrapped around me again. Negan doesn’t deserve to live,” Maggie said.

“What do you mean to do about it then?” Paul asked, careful of how he worded his question.

“There’s a lot to do around here,” she began after a slight pause. “We have to build up Hilltop, and make it better than before. We need to build up our strength, and our ability to defend ourselves. We don’t want to have to depend on Alexandria or the Kingdom to come to our aid.”

“That’s a good plan,” Paul said.

“We take care of Hilltop first,” Maggie continued, but her tone turned dark. “We bide our time, and wait for the right moment, and then we show Rick that he was wrong.”

Aaron didn’t like where the conversation was heading, and he was surprised by Maggie’s dark side. He’d never heard her speak like that before. But he was even more surprised when another voice spoke out of the dark. He caught movement of a shadow come forward, Daryl.

“I’m with Maggie,” Daryl said.

Paul was quiet. He didn’t add anything more to the conversation, and waited for Maggie to speak next.

“So,” she started again. “Starting tomorrow morning, we’re going to have a meeting and begin plans for rebuilding Hilltop. That’s our focus for now.”

“You’ve got it,” Paul agreed.

Aaron heard them get up, so he hurried away from the office and went into the kitchen. He didn’t want them to know he’d been listening. He was going to wait a few moments before he emerged from the kitchen, but he heard the door squeak open, and Paul came in. He seemed lost in thought, and didn’t notice Aaron right away.

“Hey,” Aaron said.

Paul looked up with surprise. “Oh, hey Aaron. I didn’t know anyone was in here.”

“I, uh, I was just looking for something to eat,” Aaron said. He started looking in baskets and bowls, trying to make himself look busy.

Paul gave a smirk as he watched Aaron. “You heard our conversation,” Paul accused lightly.

Aaron nodded but he wouldn’t look at Paul. “Um, well, I might have heard voices as I walked past Maggie’s door.”

Paul gave a chuckle. “It’s all right. Your secret’s safe with me. So, how much did you hear?”

“Pretty much all of it. What’s this between Maggie and Rick?” Aaron asked.

Paul looked around, even though they were the only ones in the kitchen. He moved closer to Aaron so they could speak in hushed voices. “She’s not happy about Rick’s decision to keep Negan alive.”

“Do you think she’s going to act on it?”

“Not any time soon, at least I don’t think so. I don’t support it,” Paul admitted.

“I don’t either.”

“For now, I’m just going to go along with it, but I’ve got my eye on her. If she starts leaning that way, I’ll do what I can to head her off. Rick needs to know, if he already hasn’t guessed it. Maggie was pretty distraught after the fight,” Paul said.

“I heard about it. I can’t blame her for her rage, but I don’t agree with going against Rick either,” Aaron confessed. “Well, I guess we just wait and see how it plays out. Hey, I was meaning to ask if you could put me up while I’m staying at Hilltop, at least until I can move back to Alexandria.”

Paul furrowed his brow as though confused. “I thought you’d be going with Daryl.”

“I’m not sure I know what you meant,” Aaron said. Now he was the one who was confused. “Is he going back to Alexandria?”

Paul shook his head. “No, he’s going to–” Paul froze. “You know, maybe it’s better if you talk to Daryl.”

Aaron left the kitchen and rushed outside. He just caught sight of Daryl flinging a duffle bag and a backpack into the back of a pickup truck. He was going somewhere. Aaron started to walk toward him, and find out where he was going. Then, Dwight came out of one of the trailers and made his way to the truck too. Daryl was waiting for him.

“Daryl,” Aaron called as he rushed over. He saw Daryl’s body stiffen before he looked to the ground. He still hadn’t turned his attention to Aaron, who called out to him again.

“What?” Daryl said, slowly turning to face him.

“Where are you going?”

Daryl looked back at the truck. Dwight was standing by the passenger door. “Get in,” Daryl demanded. “And stay the fuck there.” He took Aaron by the arm and pulled him a short distance from the truck. His grip was tight, and he was rough with Aaron.

“Hey,” Aaron complained. “What the hell?”

“You don’t say a word about what you see here,” Daryl said at a low growl.

“Why? Where are you taking Dwight?”

“None of your fucking business.” He released Aaron and started back to the truck, but Aaron grabbed his arm to stop him.

“So what now? The fight is over and you’re going to follow through with that promise you made to yourself?” Aaron accused.

Daryl jerked his arm from Aaron’s grasp. “You ain’t a part of this.” He started to walk away again, but Aaron got in front of him and put a hand on his chest to stop him.

“Jesus said you’re leaving. Where are you going? What’s this all about? Why won’t you talk to me?” Aaron insisted.

Daryl’s eyes narrowed on Aaron, and he was chewing the inside of his bottom lip. Aaron knew he only did this when he was angry and frustrated, but he wasn’t going to let Daryl go without an explanation. “I gotta do something, and then . . .” He paused and looked away from Aaron, unable to meet his eyes. He shook his head with frustration. “Look, Rick and I talked things over. There’s things that need seeing to, and … and I’m going to the Sanctuary.”

Aaron’s brows furrowed. “The Sanctuary? Why the hell would you go back to that place?”

“No one’s in charge there. Rick’s afraid that without an authority figure, they’ll fall back on their word. So … I’m going there, and I’m taking charge. I don’t like it much either, but I’m doing it.”

“Tell Rick no,” Aaron said, almost pleading. “If you don’t want to do this, tell him how you feel. You don’t always have to do what he tells you to do.”

“There’s no one else gonna do it,” Daryl said, and his voice rose slightly in anger. “All the other communities have leaders except for the Sanctuary. Besides, I get these people. I grew up around these kinds of people. I can handle it. I know how to keep them in line. Hilltop and the Kingdom don’t need me, and I can’t go back to Alexandria. And . . .” He stopped short of completing his next thought.

Aaron gave him a moment to finish what he was saying. Daryl wasn’t talking so Aaron insisted. “Go on. Finish what you were going to say.”

Daryl didn’t want to say it out loud, but Aaron wouldn’t let it go. “I think we need a break from each other.”

His statement hit Aaron like a cannonball slamming into his chest. He rolled his eyes up and shook his head. “You’re leaving me? Just like that, we’re through?”

“I didn’t say we were through. I said we need a break. We don’t see eye to eye anymore. We’ve changed … I’ve changed. I don’t know who I am anymore. I need to get away from everything, and that’s why I agreed to Rick’s idea.”

“You’re running away. That’s what you always do instead of dealing with the problems right in front of you. I know we’ve had our differences, and we did things our own way, but we came back to the same place just like we always do,” Aaron argued.

“Not this time,” Daryl said, and Aaron backed away. Turning to the truck, Daryl spoke with his back to Aaron. “I’m sorry. I gotta go.”

“What about Dwight?” Aaron called out, one last effort to talk to Daryl.

“Don’t worry about it,” Daryl answered.

As he said it, Aaron noticed that Daryl’s hand went to the knife at his belt. “Daryl, don’t. He was on our side.” Daryl didn’t respond. “I swear, if you … do something to him–”

“Not your problem,” Daryl called back, as he stopped.

“This isn’t you, Daryl. This isn’t the man I fell in love with,” Aaron tried again.

“This has always been me,” Daryl said. “Maybe you’ve just never wanted to look that deep.”

“Don’t kill him. Don’t become what the world has tried to turn you into. I know that’s not who you are. You’re better than that.”

“Goodbye, Aaron.” That was the last thing Daryl said before he walked to the truck, got in and left Hilltop. And just like that, Daryl was gone.
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Safe Haven in the Chaos