Sage sat on the roof top as she watched Rick and the others load up the cars. Guns, there were so many guns. Maybe close to half their stock… She was angry and upset, her eyes followed her brother, Aiden, from the front porch to the others; Her heart sank. He didn't want to do this, in fact none of the people of Alexandria wanted to. But Rick was somehow their leader now and what he said went, so all the men and eligible woman gathered in the center of the walls and prepared to go to battle.

For what?
Sage hopped off the rood, lowering herself down to the front steps slowly. She landed on her feet in front of her brother. "Aiden, don't go. This isn't our fight." She grabbed his arm as he went to leave for Ricks "motivational meeting" before the shit storm. "Sage, everyone else if going. They're all gonna go and fight with these people. I have to go." His face was stone cold. He was doing it to be brave and loyal, not because he wanted to or believed in the cause. "Then I'm going to come with you!" She sighed, grabbing a gun from rack as well. "No, little sister. You need to stay home… You're one of the only ones with medical training. You need to stay here." He looked pained, his eyes hurting for them both. "Thats bull shit and you know it! I'm a fucking army medic, not a damn nurse." She took apart the gun, checking its parts while they bickered. "But you're one of the only ones with medical training." He repeated, putting his hand on her shoulder as she reassembled the revolver. "I also have firearms training. More than anyone else can fuckin' say!" She growled, slamming the the rail with her fists.

"Sage… You can't. These people need you more, you have to stay." His shoulder dropped, a sigh of exhaustion escaping his lips.

A tear slid down her cheek. He was right… she knew that. These people, the ones that she had been with before Rick and his people came- They needed her. For them, she silenced herself. "Fine, Aiden." She whispered. "Please come home, I can't lose you."

Flashback to the night before, following a rally with Rick about attacking the Saviors

"Im fuckin' done with this dick." Aiden stormed into the house, kicking the small table that sat in the hall.

"Aiden what can we do?" Sage asked. "We're stuck here, we just have to deal with it."

"We leave, go off on our own. This isn't our fucking battle, little sister. This shit isn't our fault. He brought this to us!" "We.. we can't be alone. We'll never make it." She cocked her head as she watched Aiden pace around the living room.

"Then lets go to the damn Saviors! Hands in the air, white flag waving." He lowered his voice when he suggested it. It was something they would be exiled for if caught even thinking about it. "A...Aiden…" She didn't say no, the idea didn't seem too bad at this point. Rick and his people were bad news and the Saviors outnumbered them by maybe triple. "Lets just go, Sage. Right now! Take what we can carry and go right to them. You've got medical training, they won't turn us away." "We… we can't Aiden. It's too much of a risk, they could kill us on sight. The moment we mention Alexandria they may kill us." She wanted to leave just as bad as he did. Neither of them trusted what the safe haven had become- truthfully it had become anything but safe. "Fuck!" He yelled, his fist driving through the wall. He always had a short fuse.

"Aiden, stop it. That's enough!" She took his hand in hers and looked it over, only a few scrapes. "We can talk about this another time. You're upset, go get some rest."

The Present

She had sat on the roof top for hours, every minute seemed like an eternity. Her eyes fluttered as she became more and more exhausted. Though, no matter how tired she was there was no way she could sleep. Not with her brother at literal war, out fighting a battle that's not even his. Sage watched as others paced back and forth before the gates, children, wives, mothers and fathers. All for this prick and his group. She hated him, them, more and more every day. Finally she spotted the guards give the hand signal. Vehicles were approaching and immediately they began sending silent bullets whirling into the walkers that trudged at the otherside of the wall. The people gathered, hoping and praying that everyone came back alive. Sage watched as they unloaded the cars, first the injured got rushed to the infirmary. Next, those who came out unscathed hugged their loved ones; Happy tears. Then… the corpses. One by one they were pulled from the trucks and cars then laid side by side on the grass, all their faces covered in blood soaked cloth. She waited awhile, her entire body trembling. We wanted to see Aiden come from the back of the group, maybe he would be the last one to step forward. Instead, only more corpses. She was sobbing now, her eyes stung with anger. Once all the dead had been unloaded Rick shot her a glance, a solemn frown, a moment of eye contact, and a weak head shake. Aiden was dead… Sage leaped to her feet, emotions blinding her. Climbing back through the window she grabbed her backpack and filled it with her most important things then headed down the stairs. She grabbed the revolver she had inspected… before Aiden had left. She cursed. Then she reached for her machete that was sitting on the hearth, her eyes darted to the mirror and she stared at herself for a moment. Her red hair was a mess, her last hair tie had broke and she'd neglected to barter for another. Her face was pale, fresh tears still on her skin. If she was going to go to The Saviors she needed to look presentable, like someone they would want. Sage ran back up to her room and pulled a box out from under the bed. Inside was a leather and chainmail suit she had sewn and plated herself. It was antiquated, inspired from an old rogue character she had in a tabletop game she played while the world was still whole. Though it would have looked abnormal only a few years ago, now it was practical and extremely useful. Since Rick didn't let her leave the walls of Alexandria she had put it away, wearing such a thing around passive folk was frowned upon. Now… now she was going to need it.

She undressed, tearing a strip of cloth from her old shirt and tying her hair back in a ponytail before pulling the suit on. The leather kept her slick, it was tight to her skin to prevent from being caught on anything. It retained heat well and kept her warm, and the chainmail she had pieced together fell over her neck and shoulders, the parts that were usually bitten the most. She sat on the bed and pulled on her black military boots, tieing them tightly. Then, last but not least, she strapped the chainmail bracers around her forearms and looped the finger piece over her middle finger to secure it in place. Wearing the suit made her feel safe, but more importantly powerful. She knew she looked intimidating, hopefully it was enough to prove to the Saviors that she was a force to be reckoned with.