AUTHOR'S NOTE – I am not the only person who wrote this chapter. For those who read apenny12's AMAZING fanfiction's, she helped me out with a scene in this chapter. She is my amazing pen pal and writing buddy. If you read her story called HOPE, her Dwight and Sherry are based off my Dwight and Sherry in this series. Vice versa with Daryl. I base Daryl off of her writing.

Also, HOPE & Many Hearts to Tread are sister books. Meaning that they are spin-off's of each other. HOPE takes place two years after what takes place in Cruel World. If you want spoilers, go ahead and read it. There is one BIG difference that we have in our books. Wonder if you can spot it (wink). Her books are based on Daryl and another character as a love interest. And the bromance is real with Dwight and Daryl haha.

Chapter 2

"I'm guessing there is a 98% chance we could die in here." Dwight said quietly as they sat on the metal carrier. The walkers were still constantly banging on the truck as they swarmed every side possible. Dwight sat hoping that the walkers would eventually leave but knew they would still linger around the area for a long time. He didn't know how many there were but knew he wasn't going to chance opening the door to find out.

Sherry used her flashlight as she rummaged through her backpack to find a scarf that she packed. When she pulled it out, she placed her flashlight in between her and Dwight and pressed the scarf on her forehead. She knew they didn't have anything else to do as they just had to wade it out.

Dwight stared at her as he picked up the flashlight. He looked around the truck to see if there was anything that he saw useful. There was a smaller crate in the corner as he walked over to it. It was upside down as Dwight put the flashlight aside and set the crate upright as he accidentally hit it against the side of the truck which made the walkers on the other side bang on the walls with more vigor.

"Oops." Dwight said but paid no them no mind. The walkers wouldn't be able to get in. His problem would be to get him and Sherry out.

He opened the crate and was pleased to see what he assumed was inside. Each loading truck was prepped to have water bottles and first aid kits inside for when the Saviors needed it on their supply runs.

Dwight picked them up and walked over to Sherry who still was sitting down with her scarf to her forehead. Dwight made a face when she removed the scarf and saw the wound. "That's a good one." He commented. "But I bet it'll be a little scar that will go away with time."

She smiled but was clearly in pain as Dwight sat next to her and searched through the first aid kit. He handed her the water bottle. "Here." He said as he gestured for her to take it from her. "Wet the scarf down. I want to see how deep the cut is."

Sherry took the water bottle and did what he suggested. "98% chance that we'll survive? That's not necessarily good odds." She said about his hypothesis earlier.

Dwight shrugged as he found the bandage he needed along with tape. "With any luck, the walkers will be distracted by something else. Other than that, they could stick around for days."

Sherry thought of the Alexandrians and felt confident they would help them out and wouldn't just abandon them. "I will disagree with you and say that we have a 10% chance of dying." She said as she removed the scarf when she saw Dwight was prepped with everything he needed to help dress her wound.

"You're more of an optimist, I suppose." Dwight said as he held the flashlight up to her face and nonchalantly held her jaw to get a good view and angle of her forehead. "This one time, Tak and I were stuck in a ditch during a blizzard. We swerved off the road. The Saviors that were with us? They didn't even attempt to help us. We had to dig ourselves out and walk back to Sanctuary. Everything about that night was fucking miserable."

Sherry listened to his story as she knew what he was thinking. "You don't think these guys are going to come back and help us out, do you?" She asked but knew the answer already.

Dwight shrugged again and grabbed the scarf from her hands. "Maybe you have a reason to be more of an optimist. I just don't think these people would risk their lives to carry out a rescue mission. They aren't obligated to help us." He said to show her the way he saw their situation.

"Even Jason?" Sherry asked.

"Well, sure, Jason would help us but can he convince the others to follow through with it too?" He questioned back.

Sherry thought to herself and could see where Dwight was coming from. Dwight only had a small circle of people that he trusted with his own life. Alexandria didn't yet make that list for him. A worry befell her as she started doubting the value she had with their new group. Their lives were in the balance and the only thing that guaranteed them survival depended on the Alexandrians saving them or not.

"Pessimism really is contagious." Sherry said as the gloom of their predicament started to sink in.

Dwight felt bad that he was raining on her parade. "Hey. If they don't help us, we'll figure our own way out. And when we get out, we'll just go wherever we want. Sound good?" He asked. He wetted down the scarf more with the water bottle.

Sherry smiled. "And bail on the war?" She asked but appreciated his effort of making her feel better.

"Fuck the war if they don't help us. Fuck 'em all." He said jokingly as she laughed quietly and nudged his shoulder slightly. Dwight noticed she winced slightly and had to shake her arm out gently to try and take the sting away.

"What happened to your elbow anyways?" Dwight asked. Sasha told him that Sherry was attacked in Alexandria by Negan and wanted to know more about it. He only felt awkward mentioning it upfront and thought his question sounded harmless enough.

Sherry looked away from him as she decided to stare at her lap instead. "I fell backwards and ran into a coffee table." She said honestly without telling the whole story.

Dwight paused and tried to read her. He gently held her jaw so she could look up at him again only so he could see her gash in a better light. While doing so, he could see the pain that read behind her gaze and saw she had more on her mind.

"Anything else?" Dwight asked.

Sherry didn't respond immediately as Dwight placed the scarf on her forehead to clean the wound as much as he could.

Dwight didn't take offense to her silence but worried about her all the same. "You don't need to tell me if you don't want to. I just want to know that you are okay and if you are still doing alright in Alexandria." He explained.

Sherry still didn't say anything but Dwight sensed she was thinking of something that she could convey from her mind to him. While Dwight put the bandage on her forehead with the tape, Sherry looked more confident as she took a deep breath. "Does the guilt ever go away?" She asked.

Dwight wasn't sure where her question was going to lead but he decided to continue on with it. "The guilt for what? You have to be more specific. I have done a lot of shitty things." He said mildly joking.

Sherry didn't know whether it was an inappropriate question or if he would take it the wrong way but she continued. "Killing someone." She said as he put the first aid kit on the floor and scooted closer to her. His shoulders tensed when she said it but quickly went back to being relaxed as he just wanted to answer her question with as much honesty as he could give her.

"No." Dwight said. "Sometimes it's easier to justify it. I don't lose sleep over it anymore, if that's what you mean."

Sherry folded her arms as the banging on the outside of the truck continued. Even though Dwight was sitting right next to her, she felt miles away. He wanted her to feel she could talk to someone without holding back. He wanted that someone to be him. "Sherry, what's wrong?" He asked.

"A month ago when Negan and the other Saviors ambushed Alexandria…" Sherry paused as she tried to collect her thoughts. "I killed some people that day." She whispered as she tried to get ahold of herself and act as if it didn't weigh on her as much as it did. But this was the first time that she spoke of it with anyone since it happened. She tried to shut the memories of that day out and pretend it wasn't yet another life changing juncture in her history.

Dwight could feel the pain that she felt and knew exactly what was going on in her head. The first kills were raw and haunting. That feeling always lingered in the back of his mind as he remembered the day in Hilltop where he killed a boy named Drew. Every memory played out as if it happened minutes ago. Every death was something Dwight remembered but Drew's death was the most prominent. He knew that would never go away.

"Saviors?" He asked.

She nodded and wiped at her eyes. "The bastards." She mumbled.

Dwight reached for her hand in comfort as she tensed at first but held his hand back. "Who attacked first? Them or you?" He asked.

Sherry grimaced and looked at him. "I think I did." She said.

Dwight tried to hide how impressed he was but continued. "Did you have a good reason to kill them? When you answer that question, you will want to go back and forth on your reasoning but when it boils down to why you did what you had to do, was it still a good reason?" He asked. "Don't think about it. Just give me your first answer."

"Yes." She said but then fell silent.

"What happened, happened. I'm sorry that you had to make that choice in the first place." He said and held her hand tighter.

"Me too." Sherry said and leaned on his shoulder slightly. Dwight felt a smile form on his face as he was able to be with Sherry for the first time in a month. Before then, they would hardly exchange glances towards each other for fear that someone would let Negan know. In two years, he had only spoken to Sherry twice. It still amazed him that he was able to have a moment such as the one he was experiencing now when it seemed impossible not too long ago.

"I just want this whole mess to be over with. I'm worn out." Sherry confessed.

"Do you have any plans if Negan ends up dead?" He asked curious as to what she would say.

Sherry was caught off guard by the question as she smiled. "I haven't really thought about what life would be like if that happened." She said.

"What would you like to do then?" He asked.

"I would want to see my friends get settled. Takuya and Megan actually talking to each other. Seeing everyone get into a good groove. That would be nice." She said as she smiled thinking about it.

"Yeah, that's what you want for everyone else. What do you want?" Dwight asked. Sherry cared about a lot of people before she even thought of herself. He wanted her to just think about what made her happy.

She shrugged. "I guess I just would want to stay busy with things. I want to stay productive and be useful for everyone." She said.

"Any examples on how you would do that?" He asked noticing that she was still was thinking of everyone else.

"Alexandria has me in charge of grape vines right now." Sherry said and Dwight could see how vibrant she looked when she brought them up. "I like doing that a lot. I like helping Deanna form a steady community."

"I think Alexandria suits you." Dwight said. "Maybe I need to make a move when this is all over."

Sherry looked to him wondering what he was getting at. He smiled at her. "Oh, come on. Wherever you go, I'll go too." He said.

She smiled at him sadly as the feeling of being inadequate settled in. Dwight picked up on her attitude change and quickly tried to make her feel comfortable again. "Unless you don't want me to." He said.

"Of course I want you to, Dwight." She said. "But…"

"But what?" He asked as he sat up straight and faced her.

"I can't help but feel that you deserve someone better." Sherry said and let go of his hand. "Dwight, you should have someone who doesn't remind you of Sanctuary. Someone who still has been untouched by the new world."

Dwight knew what she was getting to. She was saying it without saying it. When she said that he should have someone who still has been untouched by the new world, he just replaced the words new world with Negan instead. She wanted him to be with someone who hadn't been with Negan; the man who was their mutual source of turmoil.

He thought of what to say next and knew his next statement would be bold but he needed to continually reiterate his feelings for her. "What if I don't want anyone else, Sher?" He asked.

"You haven't once entertained the idea of being with someone else?" She asked.

"Since I have met you? No way." Dwight said firmly. "Have you thought of being with someone else?"

"No." She said quickly before he could even finish asking the question.

"Then what's the problem?" He asked. "Sherry, I have no intention of being with anyone else. No one else is you. I have invested way too much to throw it all away. What can I say to convince you that I'm not going anywhere?"

"Dwight, what if I can't be the person who you deserve? What if I can't function the way that a partner should?" Sherry asked.

"What do you mean?" He asked with his eyebrows scrunched in slight confusion.

"Some days I get sick to my stomach when someone touches me." Sherry said quietly. "Physical contact with people or too many people makes me anxious. Every night I close my eyes and dream about Negan. The things that he made me do. Dwight, I can't imagine being with someone if I have days where a hug can send me in a panic attack. And I can't expect you to wait for me until things are better. I don't know when I will be normal again. You should have someone who would give you everything that you wanted in a relationship." A tear escaped as she quickly wiped it away.

Dwight got off the crate and knelt in front of her. "Do you feel uncomfortable with me now?" He asked.

She shook her head but closed her eyes as more tears fell. Dwight's heart broke for her as he could feel the struggle that befell her. She felt he didn't deserve a complicated person. But he didn't care in the slightest. He gently put both his hands on the sides of her knees as she put her hands to her face and started openly crying. Dwight knew a conversation like the one they were having was going to pop up sometime. He knew Sherry thought the same thing but neither of them knew it was going to be that day. She wanted him just as much as he wanted her. She just didn't want him to deal with her life and bring him into the struggles she faced day to day.

Negan had beat and raped her. After which he opened a place for her to trust and care for him by isolating her from other people. He violated her trust in the most horrific way possible. Dwight wanted her to separate Negan's way of loving someone versus his own way that he loved her. She may have felt that he deserved someone better but he couldn't think of anyone better. No one even came close.

"Sher, if there is ever a day where you need space, I will give it to you. You say that you don't want to be touched and I will not touch you until you say it's okay to again. You aren't inconveniencing my life because you are working through things. I would be happy knowing that I am someone you could turn to when you needed it. I will never put you in a situation where you felt scared." Dwight said. "I can promise you that. I'm not Negan."

Sherry took her hands from her face and looked at him. He looked back to her with conviction on his face. He needed to let her know that he didn't have any intention of leaving her.

"Even if you decide you need space throughout the rest of your life, I will wait for as long as I need to. You decide that you want to be with someone else, I will still be there for you." Dwight said.

Sherry leaned forward to kneel in front of him and put her head on his shoulder as she silently cried. Dwight put his arms around her and caressed her back slowly as he rocked her side to side to soothe her. "This is all if we ever get out of this truck." Dwight teased. "We could still die in here."

She snorted at his making light of their dire situation while her face was still resting on his shoulder. He loved being as close as he was to her. It felt right for him to be with her.

Suddenly a loud explosion was heard outside of the truck in the far distance. They both were still as they waited for another noise to follow but what continued was less and less noise altogether as the banging on the truck was less prominent.

Dwight stood up and helped Sherry on her feet as he looked to the truck's sliding door as noises of bullets flying were heard in the distance. Sherry started smiling as she wiped at the tears on her cheeks and looked up to him knowingly. "What did you say about there being a 98% chance of dying?" She asked confidently.

Dwight looked to her but grabbed for his crossbow on the floor just in case as they heard the walkers banging against the truck cease completely. Sherry grabbed for her gun as they waited for the right opportunity. Soon they heard talking.

Dwight walked to the sliding door and reached for the handle but it opened before he even touched it. Sunlight poured into the truck as Sherry and Dwight saw Daryl with his face reading worry.

"You came back for us." Dwight said in surprise. He knew Daryl was a good person but didn't expect him to come back for the two of them.

The man nodded to Dwight but his hands rose cautiously and slowly to the air behind his head. "Well, now we have other problems." Daryl said. Dwight walked out and saw all the Alexandrians were surrounded by a group of people at gun point.

"Well, well, well." One man said that held a gun at Dwight and glared at him. "Negan's right hand man. Looks like luck is smiling down on us."

Dwight knew this group of people. It was the group of twenty that Negan taxed. Dwight didn't know that they were as close to their settlement as they were. For the last month, Negan had been taking more than half for the Saviors to get by. He could imagine how much that wore on the people. Now they were out for revenge and that they weren't going to put up with anymore.

"You Saviors run into some trouble?" The man asked. "Well, you're about to run into some more."

…

They were all stripped of their weapons as they all had to sit on their knees with their hands behind their heads. The leader of the small group conversed with some of his people while they waited in the midst of the fog that still hadn't faded away from the day.

"What happened while we were in the truck?" Sherry asked Daryl who knelt next to her.

"We started leadin' 'em away." Daryl said. "By the time we got back to the truck, these assholes were already here. Came outta nowhere."

"Who are these people?" Sherry asked Dwight.

Dwight sat on the other side of her. "They are part of a smaller community that Negan taxes. He has several small groups that he takes fifty percent of their shit. Apparently we came on a day where they decided they had enough."

"Hey!" The man in charge yelled in Dwight's direction. "You shut the fuck up!"

Dwight wasn't used to being on the other end of being ambushed. Nor did he try and relent to their requests. "What are you going to do? Kill me?" He taunted.

Sherry looked to him with worry as if he lost his mind. "Dwight!" She nearly scolded in a hushed whisper. "Don't push them!"

"I'm not pushing them. They aren't going to hurt us." Dwight whispered back to her. He then looked to Daryl to bring him in the conversation. "We need them to talk to us. They are involved in all of this now. They either join in the war or they are gone."

"I thought you wanted to keep them away from the war." Aaron said overhearing their conversation and brining himself into the mix. Sasha, Eugene, Jason and others did the same.

"They've seen Dwight with us. That could ruin a couple of things going for us." Sasha said.

"Negan doesn't have Hilltop or the Kingdom for supplies anymore. Those two were the biggest communities that no longer serve him." Dwight explained. "These people are suffering. Negan will run these guys dry sooner than later. The best option for them is to join up with a bigger community. It's a win-win for everyone. If they join up, it's more people to help fight with you."

"Should we ask the other smaller communities to help as well?" Jason asked. "Strength in numbers and if Negan is now taxing them more than 50%, that means we could run the Saviors of all of their food and supplies."

"I didn't see the value in it before but if these people are desperate enough…" Dwight said but was soon interrupted by the leader of the small group.

"Hey!" The man yelled to Dwight again. "I thought I told you to shut your fuckin' mouth!"

"You did! And?" Dwight said back.

The man started walking towards them as he saw Sherry look from the man and back to him in slight panic. "Do what the man says, Dwight." She whispered through gritted teeth.

Dwight was touched that Sherry was worrying so much for him but he rolled his eyes at her. "Like these guys are gonna do anyt..." He was cut off as a boot came into contact with his stomach. He leaned forward and groaned as he took deep breaths from the wind being knocked out from him.

All the other Alexandrians looked alarmed but didn't know what to do in their situation but mutter to each other how Dwight wasn't so great at being a hostage or how they could get out of their current situation. Sherry put her hands down from the back of her head to help Dwight as the man pointed his gun directly at her.

"Put your hands back up, sweetie." The man said to Sherry. "You're making me nervous."

"Get that gun out of her face!" Dwight said in between pants as Sherry begrudgingly put her hands back up.

"You should listen to your girlfriend, man." The man said as he stood in front of Dwight and pointed his gun back to him when he was pleased that Sherry wasn't going to move a muscle. "Should we bring your body back to Sanctuary to send a message that we are done with your boss' 'protection?'"

"Do you know how many men you'll be facing if you do that?" Dwight countered. "You have never seen all of his men at once. They will kill everyone in your group."

"Hank," Someone said behind the man addressing him. "Why don't we just leave this area? Be rid of the Saviors by taking off and not looking back."

"We fought for our area fair and square." Hank said. "We will continue to fight for it."

"We could help each other." Sherry spoke up. "Your group can come to our community and be protected. We have food."

"What? To Sanctuary?" Hank asked. "No thanks."

"We don't belong to Sanctuary." Aaron said. "We are leading an attack on Sanctuary."

"Then why is this dick weed with you?" Hank questioned as he stared Dwight down. Rightfully so. Dwight had helped attack their group long ago and made examples for everyone to follow Negan.

"He's helping us from the inside." Sasha said. "Giving us information. We are here because we just took some Saviors down before they came to tax you."

Hank looked around them at the carnage and what was left of the men that the herd nearly picked clean. His face wore a different disposition as he considered what they said. "Is that so?" He commented as he thought to himself the benefit of they presented to him. Clearly, they weren't Saviors. Their demeanors were a lot less menacing besides Dwight who decided to keep his mouth shut to stop pushing Hank's buttons.

"If you come with us, we can help each other out." Daryl said. "Saviors ain't gonna tax you no more if you help us fight 'em."

"Is that your intention?" Hank asked. "Get rid of Negan once and for all?"

"That's the plan." Jason said. "You in?"

"How can I trust that you are telling the truth? How can you trust him?" Hank asked as he continued to eye Dwight.

"Because he hasn't betrayed us so far." Aaron said the same time Eugene was going to say something that was obviously not in favor of Dwight.

Hank considered their proposition and walked away to converse with some of his men. Dwight could count at least 25 men and assumed their numbers had grown within the last several months. He knew they had families at their camp.

"You take us to your camp. What's it called?" He asked.

"Alexandria." Sherry said.

"You take some of us to Alexandria with you. We'll see for ourselves if what you are planning is true. If it is then we are in." Hank said. "Negan has taken everything of ours. We didn't have anything to give him for his next supply run. We only have what we need to survive."

Hank gestured for his men to return their weapons to the Alexandrian's as they did so. When they had their weapons back, they each stood up and waited for everyone else to get situated.

"What do you call yourselves?" Aaron asked. "Every group has a name. What's yours?"

Hank smiled to Aaron and shrugged. "Some people in our group have called the area we occupy New Haven. I guess that makes us the New Haven Colony." He said.

Aaron smiled back. "Our cars are pretty full. Do you have any cars with your group?" He asked.

"We do. If you don't mind, I want our people intermingled in cars. That way neither of us can try anything if we both have people on the line." Hank said.

"Fair enough." Jason said and shook Hank's hand. Hank shook it back a little unnerved at the friendliness he received.

Dwight looked to Eugene and spoke up as he pointed to him. "He was just saying that he wanted to drive with you guys anyways." Dwight said to Hank.

Eugene looked from Dwight with outrage but didn't say anything. "I guess I can learn a thing or two from New Haven. Or y'all can learn a thing or two from me." He said not opposing the idea.

Daryl looked to Dwight knowingly and nodded his own approval of the new driving situation. Sherry smiled and started walking towards Daryl's car. Dwight followed her as everyone else made arrangements for who was driving with who. Others got what they could salvage from the wreckage and brought it with them to bring to Alexandria. When he caught up to Sherry, he walked next to her for a while and just stared at her.

She gave him the side eye and then looked up to him. "What?" She asked as they continued to walk.

"I meant what I said in the truck." Dwight said.

"I know." Sherry said with a smile.

Dwight smiled in return and reached for her hand as they walked the rest of the way to the car with everyone following behind them. Others went with New Haven to where their cars were parked. Sherry's hand relaxed as she held onto his fingers and then interlaced her hand with his. Dwight looked at her again with a hopeful smirk as she looked at him with a small almost apologetic smile.

"I meant it." He repeated. She squeezed his hand as he took it as her way of trusting him. He was glad she was going to give him a chance to prove himself. Dwight knew the reason for Sherry creating distance wasn't because she had trust issues with him. It was because she was at a time in her life where she didn't want to bring anyone down while she was working on herself. Dwight was all about giving her space if she needed it but he wanted her to know that he was always going to be there when she needed it. He wanted to be there for her and let her know that she didn't have to be alone. For two years, they had to be alone while they lived their lives in Sanctuary. He was tired of dealing with things all by himself. He wished he was able to speak to Sherry when things seemed too difficult to bear.

Sherry was trying to give him a way out so her burdens didn't have to be something that he needed to carry. But what she didn't know was that he already carried that weight on himself for a very long time. With every moment he was given to be with her, he wanted to show that he could be somebody that she could lean and depend on.

They made it to the cars as they saw Daryl walking with Hank as he assumed that Hank was driving with them.

"Can we trust them?" Sherry asked.

"Oh, yeah." Dwight said. "They are desperate for a solution. And we can give it to them."

"I hope that we can." Sherry said as she leaned against the car. Dwight stood next to her and got a cigarette out. Sherry made a face as he took two steps backwards so she didn't have to be bothered by the nicotine smell and smoke.

"It'll work." Dwight said less than confidently as he thought of everything that could go wrong. The possibility of overthrowing Negan was still slim when he thought of the hoops they had to jump through to even get to that point. Dwight still thought it unwise that every community didn't stay in one spot. Rick told him that many members of the community couldn't comprehend leaving Alexandria. They didn't understand the gravity of the situation that Alexandria was outnumbered without the help of Hilltop and the Kingdom. Even if New Haven stayed with them until the war was over, they still needed more numbers.

Dwight knew Sherry was safer in Alexandria than she was in Sanctuary but that wasn't saying a lot. Sherry was vulnerable in both places. And Negan was still hell-bent on bringing her back to be with him. Dwight had a lot of faith in the people of Alexandria but knew even as great as they were, they would be unable to prevent Negan from getting to Sherry with how their situation was.

That brought something up in Dwight's head as he preferred separation between Negan and Sherry. He knew of Rick's plan of attacking Sanctuary and an unsettling feeling started to form in his stomach. "Sher, the communities are going to attack Sanctuary soon." He started but smoked his cigarette without finishing his thought.

Sherry nodded as if she wasn't surprised. "Rick thinks we're ready and wants to attack first." She said.

"Are you going?" Dwight asked already knowing the answer.

"Well, yeah." Sherry said. "I have friends in Sanctuary that need to get out of there before that fence goes down."

Dwight scowled at her answer and shook his head. "Can I convince you to stay behind?" He asked.

"I'm sorry but you can't." She said. "I have a plan. Negan won't even know that I'm there."

Dwight didn't look too persuaded by her reassurance but she walked to stand directly in front of him. "I promise, Dwight." Sherry said. "I'll be okay."

He inhaled more nicotine and turned his face away so as not to blow smoke in Sherry's face. He threw the cigarette on the street and then looked at her. "I trust you." Dwight said. He knew it wasn't his place to tell her where she should be or not. "Just be careful."

"I will." She said with a smile.

Daryl and Hank made it to the car as Hank stared at Dwight warily. "I might be a little sold on everything going on but I don't think I'm sold with you just yet." He said.

Hank was a man in his early fifty's that started out as a father figure to his group. Everyone trusted him which led him to be the appointed leader of New Haven. Dwight understood Hank's reservations. Dwight had killed a member of their group when the Saviors found out about them. Dwight knew it was never a great first impression and was seldom forgotten.

"He's workin' for us on the inside." Daryl said as he got into his car.

Dwight shrugged but nodded to Hank. "It sounds bizarre but it's true." He said.

Daryl threw the car keys to Sherry as she caught them. "Your turn t'drive." Daryl said. "My turn t'sleep in the back."

Sherry walked to the other side of the car and slid into her seat. Dwight got into his seat as he was mildly disappointed that Hank already went for the front seat beside Sherry. He got into the seat behind Hank as Sherry started the car.

"I remember how to get to the meeting place." Sherry said as she turned to Dwight. "You can fall asleep to, if you want."

Dwight was planning on falling asleep but nodded to her in response. She smiled as she turned towards the windshield and put the car in drive.

…

Sherry drove with Hank in the front seat as they were making their way back to the corner of Adlard and Hurd to drop Dwight off. Dwight and Daryl were in the back seat as both of their crossbows rested on their laps.

Dwight turned to Daryl. "Hey, thanks for coming to our rescue back there." He said. "It was appreciated and unexpected."

"Weren't nothin'." Daryl said.

"Why did you come back for us?" Dwight asked. He knew Sherry was a good person and everyone in Alexandria saw what efforts she made for the community but Dwight wasn't a person who needed to be saved. The Alexandrians didn't have to risk their lives for him yet they did.

"You're one of us, man." Daryl said. "You didn' have t' try an' shoot Negan and coulda killed us when he asked ya to. You didn'."

Dwight nodded as he remembered the confrontation in Alexandria a month ago when Negan asked him to prove his loyalty by shooting one of the Alexandrians that knelt before him. Rick, Daryl, Jason and a man named Heath all had their lives on the line. When Negan turned his back away for a split second, Dwight aimed the gun at Negan but was surprised to find out the gun wasn't loaded. It was all a mind game.

"Someone told me once that there were still good people in tha' world," Daryl began, smirking fondly at the memory.

"Think it's true?" Dwight asked beside him. He looked to Sherry as she drove but thought of himself. He didn't know if he fit into the category of a good person anymore. His record wasn't the cleanest.

"There ain't many of us left. People, I mean. Most of 'em are pieces of shit, only lookin' after themselves and takin' what they want no matter tha' cost," He continued with a far off look in his eyes. "I was like that once. Before tha' world went t'shit."

Dwight waited in silence as Daryl thought to himself. The hum of the car continued as they drove closer to their meeting spot. Dwight was in amazement that the new world could have changed people in such drastic ways. Before this world, he was a lot like Eugene and talking to someone like Daryl, or even relating to him, would have never happened.

"People changed when tha' world ended. We gotta' stick together, those of us that're left." Daryl declared quietly. "I'd like t'think there are still good people left. I do what I can t'help those who deserve it. It's what she'd want me t'do."

"Who was she?" Dwight inquired tentatively.

"One of tha' good ones." Daryl answered vaguely.

"What happened to her?" He pressed; curiosity getting the better of him.

"What always happens." Dwight sneered. "This world takes anything good an' snuffs it out."

Dwight just listened as Daryl gave him the reasoning behind the rescue. He didn't know a lot about Daryl. He hardly knew anything about the guy but knew the words he spoke weren't empty. It was his way of telling him that Dwight had proven himself enough to Daryl and that Daryl trusted him enough to save him and Sherry.

Dwight looked at the rearview window and saw that Sherry was already looking at him. She looked back at the road as if she didn't hear what just transpired in the back seat. Hank also appeared to be listening but didn't say a word.

They drove the rest of the way in silence as they all thought of the heaviness of their situation. They all lost people that were important to them. Family members, friends, and group members were taken away by their world. A war was happening and people from both sides were going to be gone without any warning. Dwight wished that it could be different. He wished for a long time that Negan was nonexistent. But that was the way life was. And because of Negan, more people were going to lose their lives as they fought for a better tomorrow.

Dwight had to think that they would succeed. If they didn't, even more good people were going to go away from this world. Sherry would be dragged back to Sanctuary and Dwight's would be killed if Negan found out that he double crossed him.

It'll work, Dwight thought to himself. It'll work.

…

They made it to their meeting place as Dwight got out of the car. Sherry got out as well along with Daryl and Hank.

"Where are we?" Hank asked. "This better not be a fucking trick."

"Just droppin' off Dwight." Daryl explained. "He needs to get back on the inside 'fore they think somethins' up."

Hank shrugged knowing that his opinion of Dwight would be rendered useless if he said anything about the situation and chose to say nothing. Hank partially heard what Daryl said about Dwight trying to shoot Negan. Even though he didn't know the whole story, it counted for something on Dwight's moral character.

Sherry walked to Dwight as he made it to his truck that waited nearby. "You know what I am going to say." She said.

"That I don't have to leave?" Dwight asked with a smile.

"I hate seeing you go back to that place." Sherry confessed.

"Then you know how I feel about you going when the communities attack." He said with a wink. "But we both need to do what we can to help everyone, don't we?"

Sherry nodded as they both stood next to his car.

Dwight took a deep breath and stepped towards her. He leaned down to meet her eye line and kissed her on the cheek quickly. "I love you and I will see you soon." He said.

She blushed as she tried to act cool. "I love you too." She mumbled.

Dwight held the side of her face as he contemplated kissing her on the lips but realized Alexandrians and members of New Haven looking on in their cars wasn't the appropriate time. He hoped he would have another time like that with her.

"Be careful." Sherry said as she repeated what he said earlier in that day.

"Likewise." Dwight said back to her. Sherry started walking away as Dwight watched her. He didn't want to go back to Sanctuary but knew that with Takuya still there, he couldn't possibly leave him to fend for himself on his own.

It'll work, Dwight repeated in his head but knew there were so many other things working against them. It would take a miracle for Negan to be rendered powerless. With that, he got into his truck and started it as he started making the drive back to Sanctuary and saw as all the other cars drove to Alexandria.

AUTHOR'S NOTE – The scene where Dwight and Daryl are talking in the car is coined by Miss apenny12. Let's all take a moment to bow at the greatness….

Anywho…Chapter 2 is fin! New Haven is a group created by myself…Hope you like them!