The group stood there, looking at Rick, waiting for what he was about to say. Hannah kept her gun pointed on Gareth, waiting for Rick, until he stepped back, looking at her with a murderous, raging look in his blue eyes.
"Anythin' you wanna say?" Rick asked her roughly, grabbing her arm and standing her in front of Gareth. It was surreal; this wasn't how things were supposed to be. This was never, ever how it was supposed to be. This wasn't the plan. Life was cruel, and she supposed that it had been cruelest to those with everything to lose.
"Where is Gwen?" She asked, a lump forming in her throat. Gareth's eyes grew wider, tears filling them. Panic filled his features, as he nursed a bleeding, mangled hand, and he choked back a lump in his throat.
"She didn't make it." He managed to mutter. Her jaw tensed, she bit her lip so hard that she tasted blood.
"You don't have to do this. Remember us. Remember who we were. We can go back." Gareth sobbed.
It's funny that he was saying that; she didn't even know who he was anymore. She closed her eyes, swallowing hard, pushing back the sobs that threatened to escape. In her mind, she could see the last ten years, and she wondered how it had suddenly come to this.
Then, Ten Years Prior:
Hannah sat quietly, eating her lunch in the crowded Auburn University cafeteria. It was the spring semester of her junior year, and though she'd managed to adjust to college life, she was still painfully shy. She tucked her dark hair behind her hair as she pushed the lunch on her plate around, debating whether or not to skip her afternoon class. She was alone here in Auburn; all of her family was in Fort Payne, Alabama, and she hadn't talked to them much. She'd grown up with her grandmother, her parents divorcing when she was young, neither of them seemed to be too concerned about the only thing that kept them together. Hannah wished her parents would have kept her, loved her, or needed her. Since her grandmother had died over Christmas break, Hannah had felt as if a piece of her had died, too. Now she truly had no one, and this semester was proving difficult for the twenty-year-old.
"Excuse me, is anyone sitting here?" Came a voice above her. Hannah looked up to see a tall, slender young man with deep brown eyes staring at her, a smile on his face.
"No, no one but me. You can have the chair." Hannah replied flatly. The only time anyone ever asked if the other seat was occupied was when they wanted the chair.
"Actually, I can't find a free table anywhere. I figured I'd ask if you were up for company." The man asked. Hannah smiled a little, looking up again.
"I wouldn't mind. Feel free to sit." Hannah replied.
"Thanks. You're really nice to let me sit with you." The man said, smiling as he set down his tray, "I'm Gareth."
"I'm Hannah." Hannah said.
"What's your major?" Gareth asked.
"Biology. I'm a junior. What about yours?" Hannah asked.
"Psychology. I want to be a psychiatrist. I'm a senior." Gareth said.
"Wow." Hannah said, "You're really smart."
"Hardly. What do you want to do with biology?" Gareth asked.
"I want to travel, work with high-risk diseases. I want to go into epidemiology, work for the CDC or something." Hannah replied.
Gareth smiled. Hannah hadn't seen someone smile at her in a long time, and it made her feel safe. Comforted. Needed.
"Hey, do you have anything else going the rest of the afternoon?" Gareth asked. Hannah bit her lip. Yes, she did, but she didn't want to.
"I have a class, but I was gonna skip anyway." She said, taking a sip of juice as she chuckled. Gareth laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Wanna get out of here? Maybe take a walk? I know I'm contributing to your delinquency, but, I just figured..." Gareth began.
"I'd love to." Hannah responded, "I'd love to take a walk." Maybe she was too eager, but she didn't care. She hadn't talked to anyone other than short conversations in so long, she was needing the interaction.
"Let's go then." Gareth laughed, helping her up. The two left, talking a walk through the campus, through downtown Auburn, past Toomer's Corner. They spent the rest of the afternoon together, talking about everything under the sun. Gareth talked about how his father died when he was young, how it was just him, his mother, and his brother and sister. Hannah talked about her parents, how her father was in jail for robbery and assault, how her mother was living in Florida last she heard. She talked about her grandmother, and how she passed away suddenly over Christmas break. Gareth talked about how he wanted to help people suffering from depression, after how much his mother had suffered. He talked about how he missed his family back home in Macon, Georgia. They talked so much that they had dinner together, and he stayed in Hannah's dorm until two in the morning, when they decided it was time for bed, but they would see each other the next day, they promised.
And they did. They saw each other every day after that. They fell into dating each other, fitting together like two peas in a pod. They were soon inseparable, studying together, eating together, staying in each others dorms. Hannah loved Gareth, and Gareth loved Hannah. They were a perfect pair.
Once the semester came to an end, however, Gareth realized Hannah had nowhere to go. Tentatively, he invited her to come back home to Macon with him. She accepted, unsure if his family would like her. However, when she met Mary, Alex, and Ana, she was taken back. They loved her, accepting her as a member of the family. For the first time, Hannah was at home. She loved Gareth and his family more than anything, and for once, she had a family.
Then, Nine Years Prior:
The past year had been nothing but bliss. Gareth and Hannah had the occasional argument, yes, but those were few and far between, always being resolved with an "I'm sorry" minutes later. They didn't want anything coming in between them, and both realized quickly that they wanted to make what they had permanent. Gareth was now a college graduate, heading off to attend medical school in Birmingham, to remain as close to Hannah as he could. He wanted to be close to her for the rest of his life, and Hannah felt the same way.
That's why Gareth had taken his savings and bought Hannah an engagement ring, and that's why Alex was currently hiding in a trash can, ready to take pictures.
Gareth had walked Hannah to the waterfall in Chewacla State Park .It was her favorite place—their favorite place—and he wanted this to be as special as possible. She was blindfolded, and he had tried keeping it a secret. However, when she took off the blindfold, she knew something was amiss.
"What's going on, Gareth?" Hannah asked, nervously. She was terrified, but also excited. She wasn't sure what was going to happen.
"Hannah, I love you. I don't think you know how much. You're the best thing that ever happened to me. And I want to start my life with you. I don't want anyone else, only you. Hannah Jane Kirk, will you marry me?" Gareth asked, his hands shaking as he held the ring box. Hannah began to sob, a smile on her face that lit up the entire park.
"Yes! Yes! Always!" Hannah cried. Gareth slipped the ring on her finger, kissing her as she clung to him. They had everything that they needed, they had each other. They would start their lives together, and they couldn't wait to do it.
They married a year later, a late May wedding in an old, white Methodist church. It was perfect, all of their friends in attendance. Only Hannah's aunt and a few cousins came, but that was okay for her. Alex, ever the doting future brother-in-law, not only acted as best man but also gave Hannah away, her own father not being there. She didn't miss not having her parents there; Gareth's family was her own. Hannah walked down the aisle in a flowing lace dress, her dark brown hair in soft waves around her face. Gareth crying as he saw her. As they said their "I dos", everyone clapped and cheered. They knew the road wouldn't be easy, but Hannah knew it'd be worth it. She and Gareth had something special; and she was willing to fight for it.
Then, Five Years Prior:
"Hey babe! I'm home!" Gareth called. He was in his first year of psychiatric residency in Atlanta. Hannah had been accepted into the doctorate program at Emory, and was working on her doctorate in epidemiology. She had finished her dissertation, and was getting ready to defend it.
That's why the three positive tests on the counter were making her anxious.
"Hey, hon, can you come up here?" Hannah asked anxiously.
"What's the matter? Is everything okay?" Gareth asked. Hannah could hear him coming up the stairs, and her hands shook as he opened the bathroom door. She sat on the edge of the bathtub, her arms around her waist.
"What's wrong?" Gareth asked again.
Hannah couldn't respond, she just pointed to the counter. He looked at the tests, picking them up one by one.
"I don't know what to do." Hannah muttered.
"You're pregnant." Gareth said, bending down to look at Hannah.
"I'm pregnant." Hannah repeated.
"I'm gonna be a dad." Gareth said, a smile on his face, "And you're gonna be the best mom."
"You sure?" Hannah asked.
Without missing a beat, Gareth grabbed her hands. "I'm positive."
Hannah stood up, Gareth excitedly screaming as he twirled her around. Hannah was nervous, not knowing how to be a parent, afraid she'd make the same mistakes her parents did. But, then she realized that this child—their child—was already loved more than it could ever know. Hannah vowed she'd never abandon this child inside her.
"I love this kid already." Hannah said, as Gareth set her down.
"Me too, Hanny. Me too." Gareth said, kissing her cheek. The two were elated, they would have a family of their own soon.
Seven months later, Gwendolyn Opal Hammond was born, after twenty hours of labor. She was 6 pounds, 4 ounces, with Hannah's nose and Gareth's chin, and dark hair like both of her parents.
And Hannah and Gareth were completely head-over-heels in love with their perfect, beautiful, incredible little child.
"She's beautiful. She's so perfect." Alex said, holding his niece for the first time.
"Yes she is! I can't believe how tiny she is! It's easy to forget when you don't have little ones in the house for years." Mary said, holding the newborn's hand.
"She's incredible." Gareth whispered, taking his newborn daughter in his arms. Hannah couldn't believe how beautiful she actually was, how much she looked like her. Little Gwen already had Hannah's features, and she was only a few hours old. But Hannah made a promise, as Gwen laid on her chest, crying and new; Hannah promised she'd love her forever, that she'd never leave her. Hannah promised she'd always have her mommy and daddy, and she'd never feel alone.
That night, Hannah and Gareth laid in the hospital bed, holding their new daughter, after everyone had left.
"We'll always keep her safe." Gareth said, kissing the baby's forehead.
"Always." Hannah agreed.
"I'll always keep you both safe." He said,kissing Hannah.
"I love you, Gareth." Hannah said.
"I love you too, Hannah." Gareth replied.
The two fell asleep with the baby in between them, both content. The love they had for their little girl was infinite, and the love they had for each other had only solidified.
A year later, they added a little boy, Elijah, the spitting image of Gareth, to their family, and their happiness only multiplied. They couldn't imagine life getting any better. But, they had each other, and they had their children. That was all they needed, and they were both happy with that.
Then, Two Years Prior:
It had been three months since the epidemic spread so terribly that things fell apart.
It had been three months on the road for Hannah, Gareth, Gwen, Elijah, Mary, Alex, Ana, and a few other survivors.
It had been two months since they found the rail yard and station, the terminus of Norfolk Southern Railroad.
And today, they had finished clearing out the rail yard.
It had taken them three weeks, their group. They'd nearly lost Martin and Kayleigh in the process, but they had cleared the whole place. They were going to make this a sanctuary. They were going to make this a sanctuary for everyone. It had been Hannah and Mary's idea. Hannah was already four months pregnant, a third child on the way for them. Gwen was already three, Elijah already two. They needed a place to settle; they couldn't continue being nomads. No one could, and Hannah decided then that they would help the others. They had to. They had to be human.
"I think this place is perfect." Mary said, patting Hannah on the back. Ana had joined them, helping them set up a kitchen station for the community.
"This will be a good place for when the baby comes." Ana said. She had been the weird one, wearing skirts. Even when it didn't matter, she loved to show off her compass tattoo, and Hannah loved that about her.
"I know. We'll be able to take in lots of people here. All those seeds I found on the road, we'll be able to grow crops. I was thinkin', too, it wouldn't be hard to grab a boar or two from the woods around here and domesticate them. The deer around here are huge! We'll be able to have all kinds of good food. And we can store a lot for winter." Hannah said, grabbing the large pack full of seed packets and dried roots. She couldn't wait. Even in this terrible new world, there was good in it.
"It's amazing how people change so quickly." Ana said sadly. Hannah agreed. Not too long ago, the group had encountered cannibals on the road. Hannah vowed she'd never stoop that far. Living in a rural community with an old-fashioned grandmother had helped her learn what was edible and what wasn't, and how to hunt and grow her own food.
"People only eat people out of laziness, Ana, not out of necessity. I won't ever let my babies do that. Or me." Hannah said sternly.
Within the next month, they had put up signs. They had taken in people, asking them questions, making sure they cleared. They had planted food in raised beds, and had hunted. They'd found some gardens near by, and had managed to take away quite a few vegetables. They were hunting game, eating lots of deer and boar. They had also been fishing, and had plenty of catfish to do them for months. They had secured the fences, established electricity, they were doing so well. It really was a sanctuary.
"We did it, Gareth. We all did it. We made it." Hannah said, tucking the kids into bed.
"I can't believe we did it." Gareth said.
"I can." Hannah replied, smiling widely, "We're human. We need to be human."
"Yeah. It's been hard." Gareth whispered, "Harder than I ever thought it could be."
"But we made it." Hannah said, smiling, "We'll always make it."
"I know. As long as I've got you and the kids." Gareth said, placing a hand on her growing stomach.
"I swear, this has to be the last one." Hannah joked. For the first time since it all began, Gareth laughed a real laugh. She'd missed his smile.
"Yeah, yeah. Last one. That's what we said the last time." Gareth replied, joking back. Things had lightened up since the walls had been raised.
"Gareth, the world is ugly. Don't be bitter. I guess, this whole thing has just made me realize how quick people can forget to be human. This world turns people into monsters; ones that are alive and ones that aren't." Hannah said, her eyes locked on her two small children.
"We'll always be human. We'll fight for that." Gareth promised, "I'll always keep you guys safe."
Hannah smiled as he kissed her. They could be safe here.
Until they came. The human monsters.
They'd locked them in train cars, torturing, raping, killing. They'd killed nearly everyone, except for a few. Hannah, the children, Gareth, Mary, Alex, and Ana all cowered in the train car. Hannah's blood boiled. They'd killed Ashley, one of her dearest new friends. They'd killed her, left her to turn in the train car. Gareth had put her down, and the kids had watched, Gwen screaming in terror until she vomited. Hannah had had enough. She had hidden a knife in each of her shoes, and in the chaos, hidden one on Gwen. She hadn't liked doing it, but they were going to get out. They had to.
"Alright. You guys know the plan." Hannah said, standing up. Her own eye was black. She wasn't going to let these monsters take her children. They'd already beaten Gareth to near death. She wasn't going to let them take their humanity.
"What is it?" Alex asked again, holding Mary as she lay unconscious.
"We're going for their eyes first. Then their throats. One by one. There aren't that many anymore." Hannah said. She was on the look out. She'd broken off pieces of wood for Ana, Mary, Sam, and Martin. They were going to fight back.
"What happens if it goes south?" Alex asked.
"Then you jump the fence. Get out. Run toward the highway. We'll meet up." Gareth promised, holding a knife. Gwen was right behind him, but he ushered her to the corner. Elijah was cowering in the corner next to Gwen, his big, brown eyes filled with tears.
The first man, with tattoos on his face and his hair slicked back entered. Hannah couldn't reach his eyes, so she went for his throat. He was dead in a matter of seconds. The second entered, and Gareth took him down. However, it had gone south. Gareth grabbed Gwen, running toward one of the rail yard buildings, as Hannah, Ana, Sam, and Elijah ran toward the fence.
"Meet us by the highway!" Hannah called. All she could remember was some of their attackers chasing them, until they jumped the fence, running. They ran and ran, until a herd separated her and Elijah from Ana and Sam. Hannah had her son, and her unborn child, but she didn't have Gareth or Gwen, or Alex or Mary. Her heart broke as she waited by their spot for three days, hoping they'd eventually show up, but they didn't after three days, Hannah realized that they probably had been killed, and that she and Elijah were the only surviving members of their family left. She clung to her young son, making a promise to keep him from all the evil people who had come into the world. It was only her and Elijah, and she began to trek to somewhere, anywhere, hoping to find people.
Soon, she found a group, fifteen people, and they were good. She made her home among them, and they all found an abandoned house to make into a home. It wasn't long after that Hannah gave birth to her third child, a little girl. She named her Eve, being the first girl born into the new world. However, bad people attacked again a month later, while Hannah was out scouting supplies. She returned to see everyone slaughtered, utterly, and instantly feared that her two children, her last two remaining ties to Gareth, were gone. However, she was overjoyed to find that one of the women had sacrificed herself for the children, hiding them in the cellar. Soon, Hannah found herself searching for another home, another safe place, to protect her children. She made it her job to save those she could, and kill those who threatened her family or anyone elses'. She was always well armed, though she rarely used a gun. She lived by what she said at Terminus: eating people was never an option. She aimed to protect her children from the monsters of the world, both alive and dead. She'd run across another group of cannibals on run once, and killed all seven of them. She was willing to do whatever it took to make the evil leave the world.
When she found Father Gabriel's church, she didn't trust him. However, she learned he wasn't evil, he was just a coward. He decided to give her sanctuary, because of Elijah and baby Eve. They'd been with him a week when he said that he'd needed to go get more food, and he left them there at the church. So she awaited his return, but what happened next was the beginning of her worst nightmare.
Now:
The doors of the church burst open. Hannah grabbed her gun, and put the children in the office. Her hands her shaking, and she hoped it was Gabriel returning. It was, though, he had returned with a group. A large group. Soon, Hannah found herself staring at the leader, a man with blue eyes and a ragged beard, a revolver pointed in her face.
"Who are you?" He asked. She reached to grab her machete, but a man with a crossbow stopped her.
"Answer the question." The leader asked again.
"My name is Hannah." Hannah replied coolly. She was trying to stare him down, convince him not to mess with her.
Until she heard Eve's cry, and she knew he'd heard it, too.
"Who's kid is that?" The leader asked.
"Mine." Hannah replied, "I have a little girl and a little boy back there, my babies. If you go near that door, I swear I will put you down quicker than you can think."
Then, she saw another baby, being held by a young boy in a Sheriff's hat. Eve cried louder, and Hannah grew visibly anxious. That made Judith cry, too.
"Get 'er outta here." The man growled.
"Wait." Hannah said, "I have baby food. Toys. I have enough for her, too." The leader pulled back his gun, looking at her quizzically. "Why would you do that for a man pointin' a gun at you?" He asked.
"Because, you have a baby, and she needs food. I have a baby, too. You can't be all bad if you've got kids with you." Hannah surmised.
"How many walkers have you killed?" The leader asked.
"Too many." Hannah replied.
"How many people have you killed?" The leader asked.
"Thirteen." Hannah replied.
"Why?" The leader asked.
"The first, because he attacked my whole group. The next two, because they killed a woman, and I was hiding and saw it. The next seven, because they were cannibals, eating their own children. The last two, because they tried to kill my children." Hannah replied.
"I'm Rick. This is Daryl, Michonne, Sasha, Bob, Glenn, Maggie, Abraham, Rosita, Eugene, Carol, Carl, Judith, Tyreese, and Tara." Rick said.
"I'm Hannah. You already know Gabriel, I guess. My kids are back there, the little boy is Elijah, my baby's name is Eve." Hannah said. The group came in, and for the first time, Hannah was hopeful that she'd met good people.
That night, the group ate real dinner. Hannah shared some of her food, too, and Eve and Judith played together. Elijah made friends with Carl, and Hannah was actually relaxed.
"So Hannah, what's your story?" Glenn asked. Hannah looked up, handing Eve to Michonne.
"Well, I was separated from my group, about a year ago. I had a husband, another little girl, she'd be five now, her name was Gwen. We knew, in the beginning, that we couldn't stay nomads. So we found a place, and we cleared it out, put up fences. Started putting up signs, it was going to be a great place. I'd found seeds, we started growing food. We had supplies. But then this nasty group came in, put us all in train cars, killed a few of us. We escaped, killed a few, I got separated from my husband and my oldest daughter. I haven't seen them since. I've seen the signs we put up, though, they're still there. I've taken a few down, but I mostly stay off the road. Since then, I just, keep going for these two. I have two. There's a lot of ugly in this world. Lots of monsters. That's the bad thing about this world, it's turned a lot of people into monsters; ones that are alive, and ones that aren't." Hannah explained.
"You said you put up signs?" Michonne asked. Hannah nodded. "Yeah, we called the place Terminus, because it was the end of the line."
Soon, everyone's gun was pointed at her, and she screamed in surprise. "What the hell is wrong with all of you?!" She asked.
"You know damn well what's wrong. Terminus." Rick growled.
"No, I don't. I haven't been there since I got out, a year ago!" Hannah cried, clutching Eve to her chest. She began to sob, knowing she was no match for a group this large.
"Rick, I really think she doesn't know." Daryl said quietly.
"I don't know what you're talking about! Are you talking about those people? The guy with the tattooed face? There were no women in their group! Just men!" Hannah sobbed.
"So you really don't know?" Rick asked. Hannah nodded.
"Terminus is a shit show now. They're monsters. Cannibals. Eating people. Slaughtering them, lockin' 'em in train cars. Their leader is nuts—some guy named Gareth." Abraham explained. Hannah stopped, standing stark straight.
"What the hell did you just say?" Hannah asked.
"Their leader, this guy, Gareth, he's runnin' a slaughterhouse." Abraham replied.
"This guy, what'd he look like?" Hannah asked, holding onto Eve for dear life.
"Tall, dark hair, dark eyes. Thin. He had a guy named Alex with 'im, lady named Mary runnin' the welcome wagon, till they herded us into a train car." Rick replied. Hannah fell to the floor, sobbing and screaming hysterically. They couldn't know, they couldn't know her past, who her husband was. They couldn't.
"What's wrong?" Maggie asked, taking Eve from her.
"G—G—Gareth! T—T—That's my h—h—husband!" Hannah screamed. A look of horror crept onto everyone's face.
"What?" Rick asked. He waited until she'd calmed down before he asked her again, and she composed herself enough to speak after a few minutes.
"My husband, Gareth, we got separated. He grabbed Gwen, our three-year-old and ran in a different direction. Mary was his mother, Alex was his brother. I thought they didn't make it. I thought they all died. We were supposed to meet up at the highway. I waited three days, they never came. I thought they were dead, all of them." Hannah cried, "Did you see a little girl? About five now? Dark hair and eyes?"
"No. We didn't. We're sorry." Rick said. Hannah cried, rocking back and forth.
"They're monsters. The things they were doing, the way they were doin' it? They aren't human anymore." Rick said, trying to explain it to her.
"It can't be true. This is a nightmare." Hannah cried, trying to catch her breath.
"I know it's a lot to take in, but it's the truth." Rick replied.
Moments later, they realized Bob was missing, along with Daryl and Carol. When Bob was found in front of the church missing a leg, horror filled everyone.
"It was Gareth! The group from Terminus!" Bob screamed. Hannah fell back, vomiting. She couldn't believe it. How could the father of her children, her soulmate, her best friend, be the very person she'd been trying to rid from the world? How could he have turned into such a monster? How could it be true? Rick decided it was time to hunt them down once and for all; and Hannah, reluctantly agreed.
They trapped them. They knew it would be a long shot, but they led Gareth's group to the church. They waited. They baited them. Rick shot the two standing by the door with his revolver. They entered the church, and Gareth was cocky. Hannah had to keep herself in check when Rick shot two of his fingers off.
"Put your guns on the floor and kneel." Rick ordered. There was Martin, someone she knew.
Rick and Hannah walked forward, eyes trained on Gareth. Hannah couldn't believe it. This was her nightmare.
"No point in begging, right?" Gareth asked. He didn't see her.
"Gareth?" Hannah asked. His head turned, his jaw dropped.
"Hannah?" Gareth asked.
"Yep. I made it out. Me, Elijah, your sister. The baby." Hannah said. He began to cry. Hannah wished it didn't have to be this way.
"The baby?" Gareth asked. Hannah nodded. "A girl. Eve. I had her on my own." Hannah said.
"Can I...?" Gareth began to ask.
"No you can not." Rick growled, "Remember all those teddy bears?"
"You could have killed us when you had the chance. There had to be a reason for this." Gareth whimpered.
"Did want to waste the bullets." Rick replied. The group stood there, looking at Rick, waiting for what he was about to say. Hannah kept her gun pointed on Gareth, waiting for Rick, until he stepped back, looking at her with a murderous, raging look in his blue eyes.
"Anythin' you wanna say?" Rick asked her roughly, grabbing her arm and standing her in front of Gareth. It was surreal; this wasn't how things were supposed to be. This was never, ever how it was supposed to be. This wasn't the plan. Life was cruel, and she supposed that it had been cruelest to those with everything to lose.
"Where is Gwen?" She asked, a lump forming in her throat. Gareth's eyes grew wider, tears filling them. Panic filled his features, as he nursed a bleeding, mangled hand, and he choked back a lump in his throat.
"She didn't make it." He managed to mutter. Her jaw tensed, she bit her lip so hard that she tasted blood.
"You don't have to do this. Remember us. Remember who we were. We can go back." Gareth sobbed.
"You ate a person, Gareth!" Hannah said, crouching down to look at him, "Why? Why? I was hungry, your son was hungry, but we were never, ever that hungry! Terminus was supposed to save people!"
"Things changed. We used to help people, save people!" Gareth growled.
"I WAS THERE!" Hannah screamed, "Where is Gwen?"
"I told you, she didn't make it." Gareth replied.
"I want to know. I want to know what happened." Hannah snapped. Gareth began to tremble, his face contorted. Everyone in the room took a breath in, Rick's jaw was tensed.
"They got her. They grabbed her. They killed her. Is that what you wanted to know? Those people? They killed her. Our daughter." Gareth growled, "And they made me watch. After that...I know all of you have been out there, but I can tell, I can see it. You don't know what it's like to be hungry."
Hannah hit her knees, tears streaming down her face. Rick pulled her to her feet.
"You can come with us. You, Elijah, the baby. We can go. And I promise you, we'll never cross paths again." Gareth pleaded.
"But you crossed someone's path. That's what happened to Bob." Hannah said, "You're a monster, Gareth. That wasn't supposed to be you. You promised me that would never be you."
"Things changed." Gareth cried. Hannah snapped; all she could see was rage.
"I promise, we can leave. We can go back to how it was. We can fix this." Gareth said. If it had been in the beginning, she could have believed him.
"Murder, I could forgive. Theft, I could forgive. This, eating people, I can't." Hannah said, "You're gone, Gareth. You can't come back. You're gone. And after this, I can't let you go. If you let evil go, it'll just get worse. This world is full of monsters as it is. I promised I'd always love you, and I do, still. People eat people out of laziness, not necessity. We had plenty of food, you just let the world turn you into a monster too. You can't come back from that."
"We can go back." Gareth cried, "We'll never cross paths, I promise you, it'd be us, I love you, Hannah."
"Yeah, but you crossed paths with someone, right? You'd do this to anyone, right? Besides, I already made you a promise." Rick said. Whatever Rick had promised, Hannah noted that Gareth remembered. And as Rick grabbed his machete with a red handle, he led the slaughter. She watched him kill Gareth, and she herself killed Martin, after Tyreese told her what he'd done to Judith. Hannah was on autopilot through the night and into the morning as they buried Gareth and the group, and as part of the group went to DC. Hannah walked back inside with her children, and Rick sat down, joining her.
"I'm sorry you had to see it all." Rick said.
"It's okay, Rick, really. I always thought I'd wanted to find him, but not like this. He wasn't human anymore." Hannah sighed, leaning her head back.
"I know. But you saw that. You're a good person, Hannah." Rick said.
"You are too, Rick. For what it's worth, me and my kids, we'll follow you all. We'll fight with all of you. We're behind you. I'll follow you're lead. But, just remember, if you turn into a monster, you try to hurt my kids—any of your group—I'll kill you. I know that's unlikely, but you should still know." Hannah said.
Rick smiled softly. "I know you love those kids like I love mine. I think we'll be good."
The group stood up, taking in the events of the past few days. It was hell, true, but at least Hannah knew now. Hannah knew this world wasn't perfect, she knew she wasn't going to be able to go back to the old world, the perfect like she once had with the person Gareth used to be. But, she had two perfect children with her, and though her heart would always ache for Gwen, her perfect beautiful baby, she had Elijah and Eve, and that was enough for her to keep going.
Yes, life was cruel, crueler than it had ever been. But Hannah wouldn't let herself become a monster, she would keep fighting to be human.