Disclaimer: I own nothing.
– – –
Pentaghast walked through the house with Judith in her arms, growing slightly fond of the child. She was quiet, unlike Ellie. She was content to be held and to be fed. She liked to have her hair stroked. She was sweet. It would be a shame to kill her, but it had to be done. At the end of the day, she was a stranger's child, and she couldn't find a place for her. Death was the only option, the only release and goodness she could give the child. How cruel her parents were to concieve her.
She sat down on the couch and let the girl sit beside her, watching her. She moved her gazed upward and out the window where the others were preparing for the ceremony. She had the boy moved into the house. He was out of it from the drugs, but they would wear off by the time she was ready. She had waited long enough, and it was time. After the conception, they would all die. She had no use for them then. It would be the final straw, what broke any hope they had, and then it would truly be their home. This was the moment she had been waiting for since she walked away from her parents. It was finally becoming a reality. She was coming home. Finally.
Judith tumbled off the couch, Josephine had just come to tell her the news about Maggie escaping and hurried to catch the toddler while Pentaghast just watched her fall. Judith began to fuss at the sudden downward motion, Josephine held her close and soothed her, and Pentaghast walked out of the room.
"Ssh." Josephine stroked her head and the child began to calm. "It's okay. It'll all be over soon." She looked over her shoulder at Pentaghast, who smiled widely at their general Fin and went over their plans for the ceremony. "I promise."
She carried the child upstairs to her bedroom where Ellie was resting in her crib. She placed Judith down in the play pen and bent down, her fingers still being held by the child's, and she smiled softly. She had made a vow to a woman that she intended to keep. Her meaning might not have gotten across to her, but it would. She'd see. Sometimes death was the only option. A permanent rest. She believed it'd been long enough since they rested.
––
Neva entered the clinic to find Fin standing in the middle of the room, wearing that toothy smirk that instantly brought a smile to her face. It reminded her of Josephine's father—rest his soul—and it made her feel safe, relaxed. And for a moment, she felt safe and trusted and comfortable. She rarely let her guard down around these people, but Fin just brought her walls down. She'd saved his life and patched him up countless times. They had a bond. A friendship. She knew he had a different bond with Pentaghast, and that was why she forced her guard to be up, even just a little. She prepared herself for the worst and braced for impact. There were no good men here. They were either aligned with a nutcase or a coward, who played a part in the murder of countless innocents, who stood back and watched. She was a shadow that could change the course of many lives, but she remained in the shadows. A coward, a whimp, a blood-covered fool. Maybe one day she'd learn.
"How are they?" Fin inquired.
"Good. They had their first real meal this morning, and they ate all of it. They're gaining enough strength for tonight."
"Great. We'll send the girls in soon to give them a final washing and to ready them."
She gripped her clipboard tightly. "Is that all you came to ask? You could have just sent someone."
"No, actually it's not." He stepped towards her. "Pen has...made a change in the claims."
"Meaning?"
"She wants...Jo to take the curly-haired one. She intends to keep the pregnant woman after all is done, and she'll take Jo's place for a time."
Her stomach churned. "What?"
"I know it's sudden, and I don't want it either, but she's made up her mind. Josephine will have given birth by this time next year. She is adamant. I tried to sway her, but... I'm sorry."
"She's just a kid." Her voice was tight. "She can't have a child. She is a child."
"I know."
"She's never even had sex before. I—There's no way I can just let that little cun—"
"Watch your tongue," he interrupted her, stepping closer and lowering his voice. "I have been beside you and Jo since your first day, and the girl is like a daughter to me, but watch your tongue. Not everyone is as understanding as I am when it comes to Jo."
Her eyes burned. "My daughter isn't a rapist. She won't touch him. You know that. She's too gentle. Pentaghast will beat her for disobeying her. If not worse."
"I know. That's...why I have a plan." He peered at her, and Neva narrowed her eyes. "Just hear me out. I know...some of the boys who fancy Jo, and they could—"
"No. It's her decision. It's her body. I won't have us discuss ways to get my daughter pregnant. I won't let this happen."
"Unless you want to stand in, it's going to happen. Pen isn't fond of you. She won't listen to you. Hell, she doesn't listen to anybody."
"Fin." It was Miller. "I need to have a word with you.
"I'll be right there." He looked at Neva. "I'll be back, okay?"
She didn't look at him or speak, but she did whisper to herself once he was out of earshot. "Maybe I won't have a word with her." Her eyes moved to the cracked door where Daryl, Aaron and Glenn were being held. Perhaps she wouldn't be having words at all, especially as words meant nothing in the end. Actions... They were everything.
– – –
Morgan parked the truck about a half mile from Alexandria, he checked on the kids who were resting, and he was reluctant to wake Maggie. She looked so peaceful, all snuggled up with Enid, but she had to be woken up. They all had to wake up. This was war. People were dying. People were being tortured. It was time...he accepted that. Mercy wasn't always an option. All life was precious...at one time, but not anymore. They had taken their lives and made them into something vulgar, something that threatened innocents. He couldn't stand by, not with an unborn child on the line, not with his family, his people, on the line.
"Most of the kids have never held a gun," Maggie told Morgan. "I'll just take Enid with us. I'll give Ashley one of the guns, just in case. She's the oldest after Enid, and she's used a BB gun before. It's the most experience out of all of them, so I'll take it."
"I doubt they'll come this way, but they might have some runners in their group. I'll make sure Denise and I are prepared."
"We'll need to get to the armory first," Enid commented. "I can fit in through the window, get use some weapons and take care of whoever is inside."
"We'll do that together," Maggie remarked. "Then we'll free the others."
"Leave that to me," Morgan stated. "You just secure the armory."
"You sure you won't need backup?" Maggie searched his face.
"I won't. They don't have as many people watching our group as they do watching our guns. I'll send the majority of the others to you, and I'll take Tara and Abe to get the rest at the clinic. Daryl will want to get to Carol and Judith immediately, so he'll need backup. Pentaghast keeps a large number of men in her house."
Enid nodded. "I'll stay and work on cleaning up the streets. Maggie, you should go back him up."
"I'll take Sasha and Rick with me. He'll want Judith and Carl, and I have a feeling that bitch has Carl in her house too." Maggie checked the chamber in her gun. "We'll have to use our knives to keep it quiet until we're ready."
"Gotcha." Enid pulled one of the two knives Flissa had on her. The other was a machete, but Maggie had already called dibs, so she went with the hunter's knife. "I'm ready."
"Then let's go."
Maggie spoke with Ashley about protecting the others, giving her a brief lesson on driving should any runners from Pentaghast's group come in overwhelming numbers. Morgan and Enid slid the back of the truck closed to keep the kids from being exposed to gunfire and any walkers that should be drawn their way from the noise of battle that were about to sound.
"Aaron showed me this way back when Glenn hadn't returned home after things went to hell with the horde." Maggie opened the gate for them. "I took care of the walkers with him once things calmed down. It was an escape route just in case."
Enid smirked. "Sounds like something I'd do."
"It's where I got the idea, actually." She set a hand on her hair and smiled affectionately at her.
Morgan close the gate once they were all inside, casting one last look at the world before turning away. He didn't like to break rules that brought him long sought after peace. He didn't like to kill. He didn't like the sights or sounds of war, but war had come. War was here, in his home, holding his family hostage. War wasn't one to play around. He knew that. In war, decisions had to be made. They had to quick and sure. He had to be quick and sure. The time wasted on second-guessing could result in someone losing their life, and there was no going back from there. There was no rewind. Dead was simply dead, and he wouldn't let that happen. All life was precious, and sometimes...fighting was a necessary evil. Sometimes one had to fight in order to keep those precious lives going. It felt like a loophole but so be it. War had come and made a hell of his home, and he could fight war. He would fight war and all of its little bitches.
Maggie dropped her hand from Enid's hair and guided them through the murky waters. She remembered her emotions the last time she trudged through these cold waters, walkers at every turn, Aaron fighting to protect her. She had been foolish, putting her baby at risk like that, putting Aaron at risk like that. She didn't regret it. She wanted to get to Glenn. She had to know if he was all right, or if he was dead. She knew that in this world they didn't get to know. They didn't get closure. She hated that, but she had to know. It was Glenn. She couldn't lose him, too, not after all of the other losses. She wouldn't lose him, and because of that drive, she found a way to conquer this new enemy. She would show these fuckers the exit, with a gun or a knife or just her fist. They were not welcome here, and they would never return. She would make them pay for what they'd done here and at any other camp. There were no heroes here, but she would ensure they were no villains either.
Enid kept her knife close as they neared the exit. She was ready to fight. She wanted to make them pay for what they'd done, for what they'd tried to do to her and the others. She was ready to retake her home. She wasn't going to let anyone chase her off, because it was too difficult or her odds of survival were slim. This was her home. Her family was here. They needed her to fight. Glenn needed her to fight. She couldn't run anymore. Just survive somehow now meant to stay and fight. It meant to survive as a human, not just saving her own skin and turning tail. It meant to remain herself, to be true to herself and her family, to be strong and to protect. It wasn't an armor to wear to keep others away. It wasn't the last thing her parents said to her. It simply was words to remind her that there was so much more to surviving than running. It was a tough lesson to learn, but Carl, Glenn and Maggie helped her learn it. She would never forget, and she would never run if she could fight. Odds be damned. These people were her family, and she would fight for them. Fight for them in a way she hadn't fought for her own parents. She wouldn't relive that mistake, and she would survive. Somehow, someway, with the aid of her family and friends, because that's how people survived in this world—by pulling together and fending off all those who dare to threaten their lives and the lives of their loved ones.
Maggie scanned the area before helping Enid through and then Morgan. They knew their respective plans and split up. Maggie and Enid dove for cover behind the houses, grateful for whoever thought to build them so close, and for the big ass bushes every two feet. It make crossing the place a lot easier. They could cover more ground quickly, which was great, until they neared the armory.
There were at least ten of her people on patrol on both sides, two people at the door to the armory, and two people walking around the building. It looked pretty bleak until Enid saw a break in the patrol, and without even speaking bolted towards the armory. Maggie nearly called out to her, but hastily caught her tongue and stayed down. She had been watching a different part of the patrol and missed what Enid had saw, so she'd wait and catch up to her.
Enid found the window she had used many times to break out of the armory since it doubled as Olivia's home, and she crept inside. She could hear people inside, and from the sound of it, it was a lot of people. They were getting ready for something, and she neared the door, tiptoeing carefully, and she could hear them talking about some ceremony. She didn't want to know, because they would all be dead before it could happen.
The group dispersed, Enid peeked out the door and saw the hallway was clear, so she kept low. She kept her weapon close, and she slipped down the hall, where she found a man on guard in front of the pantry door. He was facing with his back to her, leaning causally against the wall. Apparently nothing exciting happened on pantry duty. Lucky her.
She tackled him from behind, stabbing her knife into his throat to keep him from shouting to anyone, and he went down, choking on blood. She jumped up when he collided with the floor, thrusting the blade through his skull to keep him from coming back, and she searched his body, finding a Glock. She checked the clip and found it was fully loaded. She smiled to herself and heard movement up ahead. She inhaled, wiping the blood from her face and rose. This was her home. She wasn't going to let anybody take it from her, not today, not ever again.
She moved on, finding a pair standing guard in front of the armory doors, and she didn't want to alert those outside or inside the armory of her presence here, so she ran her eyes over the hall, spotting the "decorative" pillows Olivia left lying around the house. She thought they were cute, but Enid thought they were stupid and better left on a couch. Sure, a kitty playing with yard was cute, but not in the foyer or the hallway, however; right now they were a god sent. A makeshift silencer.
She snatched it and readied herself, summoning ever ounce of fight in her, and she pushed off the wall.
Outside Maggie had caught on to their pattern and moved into position, bouncing on her back leg to build up a boost for her attack, and when the patrol of two came, she sprang up and slammed the bigger one against the house. She dropped like a stone, a blood splatter left on the house, and the other had readied her gun, but Maggie was already on the move. She grasped her arm and twisted it, just as the asshole who first kidnapped her and Denise and Daryl had done, slapping a hand across her mouth to keep her cries of pain muted.
The gun fell to the ground, Maggie snapped her arm like a twig, and the woman's eyes rolled to the back of her head as she blacked out. Maggie took out her knife and ensured they were gone before collecting the gun and waiting on the next patrol. It was a group of three, but she had a gun now, and a silencer, so she didn't have to play the quiet game. She wanted this over, and a gun made things end pretty damn quickly. This wouldn't be a war. It would be just another battle.
––
Enid secured the armory from the inside, blood clinging to her clothes, her face and her hair. New bruises were surfacing along her jaw and around her eye. Claw marks tore across her chest where her shirt had been ripped, blood seeped from the wound on her side where the bullet had grazed her, and she was breathing heavily, but the armory had been secured.
She was on the floor, tightening a shirt around her mid section to control the bleeding, and she winced, clenching her jaw as she pulled it tighter. She felt dizzy from the pain and the lack of food, water and sleep she'd gotten the past few days. She wasn't sure she was going to make it, to be honest. The adrenaline had faded, and she was exhausted. She could hardly keep her eyes open.
"Enid." Maggie hurried to her side, hand moving to her wound instantly, and Enid looked up at her. "Hey, I'm right here, okay." She grasped Enid's free hand and held it to her chest. "Let me get you upstairs. I'll take it from here."
"No." She licked her lips. "No, I'm okay. I just need a moment."
"You don't have to fight and be brave all the time. Let me protect you." She tucked hair behind her ears.
"We need to get them out of here. I can fight."
"I know you can, but you need to rest. I'll bring Denise to you once this is over."
"I'd say it's over now." Reyes stood in the doorway, armed to the teeth, with six other people at her side. "It was a good try. I'll give you that. You killed quite a bit of ours, but it's over. There's no more confinment. There's no more kind words. You'll die here, like the dogs you are."
Maggie felt Enid grip her hand, and she looked at her.
"Not before you." Enid chucked a flash grenade at them and covered Maggie's head and her own as it went off, smoke filled the room, anguished cries along with it, and a string of blind shots came forth. Maggie instantly raised her head and took them out before either of them could get hurt. It was far too late for a surprise attack, so Maggie took an automatic from the wall behind her and fired it once the blind shooter was taken out.
The house was rittled with bullet holes, blood, and bodies, smoke oozing out the doorways and an open window. The sound of hurried feet and shouting came running the moment the first series of bullets echoed throughout the town, and soon the armory was filling with Pentaghast's people and the lady herself. The house was filled with just under a dozen bodies, blood dripping down from the walls. It was a gory scene here.
"It's Reyes." Fin dropped down to her side, his chest aching. "Damn."
"Sonya!" Maya went to her sister's side. "No, no, no."
Pentaghast watched her people study the dead underneath and rolled her eyes at the sorrow filling the room. They were missing the true tragedy here, so she'd just have to show them. The dead were dead, plain and simple. They had to get over that shit right now. They had a true problem on their hands.
She stepped forward and walked over the bodies, blood spilling out of the exit wounds as she did so, and her eyes fell upon the empty walls of the armory. She put her hands on her hips and exhaled softly, a dark smile crossing her lips. "Little birds come to chirp. How adorable." She turned to her men. "Kill them all."
They nodded at her orders and bolted from the house to execute them, Pentaghast walked over to a small pool of blood and dipped her fingertips in it. It had to belong to one of the birds, not her people. She brought her fingers up to the light, seeing how it brought a glow to the liquid, and she painted her lips with it. It wouldn't be the first blood of the enemy she wore today, that was for sure.
––
Daryl looked at Glenn and then to Aaron, who had heard the automatic fire, and they smiled to themselves, cheering on whichever of their family was raising hell on these bastards. They would be on the street to give them even more hell soon.
Across town, Rick and the others heard the same spray of an automatic. However, like the three in the clinic, they were in the house with Pentaghast's men. Rick exchanged a look with Michonne, who nodded and lifted her leg, tossing the base of crumbled up biscuits at Miller, who was on duty. She screamed as they flew into her eyes, Rick and those linked to him then moved as one so he could knock her to the floor and slammed his foot through her head with a sickeningly wet crush.
Michonne slipped her legs through her chains and dug through the woman's pockets for a key, which she didn't find. She cursed and told the others of the lack of key.
"We'll just have to make due." Rick looked at his family. "We'll get the key when we get the key, but for now we have to move. It won't be long until they come to kill us. We need to get downstairs to the others."
It was easier said than done due to the narrow halls and the linked chains, but they managed. They were able to get downstairs, finding Eugene strangling the redhead on duty down there. He was out of his chains and using them to kill this woman. It was impressive, especially for him, and he gave a smile to them.
"You found a key?" Abe eyed him.
"I made a key," he replied, holding up a makeshift bobbie pen key. They'd been given to him as a joke from some of the kids. Who's laughing now?
"You smart son of a bitch." Abe chuckled.
He got to work immediately on freeing them. Sasha searched the body of the woman and found a knife and not much else. Abe collected Miller's ax from Francine who had taken it on their way out of their cell. Denise looked over the people who were too weak to stand. Tara and Michonne broke down the chairs their guards were sitting on and passed out the legs to use them as clubs. Rick looked for Carl but didn't see him, so he decided to check outside to see how much time they had.
"They're comin'." Rick accepted the club from Michonne. "Those who can fight need to come with me."
"We'll stay with the others." Tara spoke for her and Denise. "We'll keep them safe."
Abe reached over and took the wooden chair leg out of her hand, Tara started to protest when he handed her the ax, and he winked at her. "Give 'em on hell of a show."
She smirked back. "Same to you."
"We need to move." Sasha gripped her weapon.
"Move where?" Gabriel asked. "Some of ours have some of our guns, they'll take the rest, and we can't win with chair legs."
"We'll go to the clinic," Rick answered. "That's where they took Daryl and Glenn and Aaron."
"And since Maggie got out," Eugene added, "she'll go to Glenn first. She'll have weapons. We don't need proof to know it was her in the armory."
"Maggie got out?" Rick's brows rose. "When? How?"
"When Roy tried to assault her," Eric swallowed. "I heard Miller talking. She killed him and got out. I don't know where she went, but she's probably the one who fired, like Eugene said."
"He didn't...did he?" Rick dared to ask.
"I don't think so," was the best Eric could give. "I...was asleep. I didn't wake up until I heard Miller shouting for Maggie. I'm sorry."
"Don't be." Rick set a hand on his shoulder. "We'll make 'em pay for it."
He nodded, absorbing some of Rick's confidence and strength. "We will."
"We'll split up." Abe stood by the doorway. "We're too easily taken down in this large group, so half will go to the clinic, and half will find Carol, Carl and Judith."
"From what I've overheard," Eugene remarked, "they're keeping the three of them in Pentaghast's house. I believe that house is Tobin's house. They mentioned what a pain it was to walk from here to there, so it's quite a distant, and the only houses that far are Tobin's, Olivia's and what used to be the Anderson's. She's not holed up in the armory, and they seem to be using the Anderson's house to sleep as it has the most beds. With that being said, it's easily deduced that they are in Tobin's house."
"I'll lead the team to go to Tobin's." Michonne adjusted her makeshift club in her hand. "Rick will lead the team to the clinic."
Rick wanted to protest. He wanted to find his kids and hold them so tight and kill this enemy, but he had to keep a level head. They had no time to argue. They were her kids as much as his these days, and he would hold them, just later. He could hold on for that. "I'll need you, Abe."
"And you got my ginger ass," he returned. "You in, Eugene?"
"I am completely in." Eugene nodded.
"I'll go with Michonne." Sasha stepped back towards her.
They divided up into two teams, Gabriel and Francine hung back to help Tara for when the group coming their way arrived, and they spread out. Francine and Tara readied their weapons by the door, Denise and Gabriel helped the weakened move to a more secure location inside the house, and Francine and Tara exchanged a look before the front door blew open.
Michonne's group were instantly met with part of the massive group of Pentaghast's men come to likely kill them all, and it was brutal. They had no real weapons to use on the group, but they made due. They had a lot of rage build up over the past few days, and they used it. They summoned their rage and their adrenaline to make up for the lack of food, water and rest. Pure reserved energy was what kept them going as they bashed in heads with the chair legs, fist fought and busted knuckles on faces, and Eric took a bullet to the arm. He didn't stop fighting, and Sasha knocked a rifle out of the hands of an asshole older man, taking his life with it before lending Eric an arm.
Sasha broke off from the group then with a shout to Michonne, who knew what she was going to do, and Michonne's group collected the weapons from their enemies and sprinted across the yard to give cover fire for Rick's group, still moving towards Tobin's house.
Eric couldn't feel the pain shooting through his arm as adrenaline coursed through him, Sasha guided him to the watchtower to help lend a hand to her family from above, and they took out a few stragglers trying to rejoin their group. Eric got his hands on a semi automatic, and they were in business. Sasha ensured he wasn't going to pass out from his injury, and they sped towards the tower. Luckily most of their adversaries were in the heat of battle or moving there from across town. They had a clean path for the most part.
Sasha had him climb up first to give him a boost should he need it, and they took their positions. Sasha propped her foot up and peered down at the town through her scope, and Eric watched their backs from assholes who would try and shoot them down.
Meanwhile Rick's group made it through with the aid of Michonne's group, they picked up guns and knives on their way, and they collided with Pentaghast and her men on the way to the clinic. The little girl wore dried blood on her lips and a fucking grenade belt. She didn't reach for her grenade but the machine gun strapped to her back, and Rick didn't wait for her to shoot first. He took out the older man beside her, which rattled her for only a moment, and Abe charged her to get that belt. Eugene and Rick began to take out her men from a slight distance while the others went for the throat.
Pentaghast screamed as Abe ripped the belt from her waist, she kicked his stomach and shot him in the chest. Abe tossed the belt to Eugene, who was able to catch it, staring in horror as blood soaked through his sweater. Rick told him to move, to keep pushing, and Eugene tried to take out Pentaghast, but by the time he snapped out of his daze and aimed, the girl had vanished. It was just her men now, and while he wanted to tend to Abe's wound, he fought on. Abe would need the meds in the clinic, so they had to get to the clinic. That was the goal.
Rick headbutted a woman who was about ten percent fat and the rest was all muscle, and he felt his nose twitch, blood running from a nostril. Not surprising her head was hard as a fucking rock, and he shook his head to try and shake out the haze the force of the headbutt had brought, but it only made him dizzy. She took that chance to kill him.
Or attempted to. Morgan appeared and brought his staff down so hard on her hand that they could hear the bones break, but she didn't have time to acknowledge that as Eugene shot right through her temple, blood splattering onto Morgan's face.
"We need to get to the clinic," Rick informed him.
"Is Denise there?"
"No, she's back with the others, keeping them safe with Francine and Tara." His eyes fell to Abe, who was still blasting shots at these fuckers to make a path for his family. "We need to get to the clinic for his sake and the others."
Morgan followed his gaze. "I'll get him. You take care of the rest."
They parted ways, Morgan pulled some gauze from the pack on his hip and applied pressure to the chest wound, and Abe told him to go, but he didn't listen. Instead, he dragged him over to a parked car for cover and checked for an exit wound.
He reached into the pack for more gauze when a bullet passed over his shoulder, he heard a body fall and saw he was about to killed by one of Pentaghast's men. He turned his head towards where the shot had come from, and it was from the tower. He was semi-grateful to that person, his beliefs conflicting with the knowledge that this had to happen.
"Stay with me." Morgan changed the gauze.
"I don't plan on goin' out like this," Abraham ensured him.
"Good." He chuckled. "'Cause it might be a while before we can get you help."
"Just gives me reason to watch your back." He lifted his arm and shot another approaching woman. "Fuckin' bitches, man. They won't get off my dick."
Morgan didn't know exactly what to say to that.
"I'm spoken for, and she'll shoot all your asses!" he shouted. "They got nothin' on her. Beach ball-sized lady nuts."
He honestly couldn't tell if he was saying this from blood loss, because he talked like this all the time. He'd just have to tend to the wound as best he could. They would get to Denise soon. If only they had more doctors. They had the kids, the weakened townspeople, and Abe on their hands, not to mention whoever else might be hurt. This was going to be rough. It was already hell, but it just kept getting worse.
––
Neva could hear gunfire outside and shouting, and she tried her best to make sense of it. It was a blood bath, bodies falling here and there, blood running down the streets. A few of Daryl's people were injured, a lot of Pentaghast's were dead. She couldn't believe it'd finally happened. She was nearly glued from the terror and joy of it.
A man was lying wounded in the streets, shot in the chest. She had to get to him. She knew what side he was on, and if he didn't get aid soon, he might not survive. She had to get out there. She had a kit prepped for this precise moment. She had to use it. She just let the others go. She knew Pentaghast would come here. She would try and kill them simply because she was losing. Her childish tantrums ended in massive losses and fires. That was the only way that girl knew how to handle things. She couldn't let that happen to them. It was time to fight back.
Besides if she wanted any chance of getting to her daughter and getting out of here, she had to help them. They could save her later on. It was selfish, but she didn't want to get caught up in their war. It was her war, too, wasn't it, though? She had chosen a side in it, and she couldn't claim to be innocent. She was just as guilty as Pentaghast, just as much as a killer as her too. She didn't help, not either side, and because of that people were slaughtered. They were made to be less than people. They were just play things to her, as she danced there, laughing, covered in their blood. It was an image that haunted her to this day. The day she encountered Pentaghast.
The girl had long hair down her back, blood dripping down the bridge of her nose, splattered onto her cheeks, and she was laughing as though someone had told the most hilarious joke. She danced among the bodies of the fallen and eventually made her way to Neva and Jo. Fin had found them hiding and dragged them to her, and Pentaghast bit her lip and hummed at them. She tapped her fingers together and giggled once. It was a soft sound, like the laughter of a small child. It would have been precious had her eyes not been so dark. That giggle spoke words Neva knew would come: She was going to kill them. Her eyes were dilated, her hand reaching for her bloody knife, and she was itching for more. More bloodshed, more bodies to dance through—simply more. Nothing would ever be enough to sate her need, her hunger.
But luckily Fin had stopped her. She yanked Neva up onto her feet by her arm, as gentle as he could be without showing a soft spot for a mother and child. He had arrived late to this fight, and they were all he could save. He told Pentaghast about her medical background, about the tools and medicine found in her office, and Pentaghast began to smile for a new reason, but it was still a twisted smile. Dark, disgusting, so white against the red painted on her lips. And it was then that she pushed back her poncho and revealed a small bump. She was about four months pregnant with Ellie, and she wanted to know how the baby was doing. That was all that had saved her that day. Her brain and her training. Now it was time to use her conscience. It was so heavy... No more.
She tore herself away from the window, taking the first aid kit from the counter, and she saw one of the guards still posted. He was shooting out the door, and she knew her plan would fail as long as he was there. She had to take him out. There was no other way. It wasn't as though he was a good guy. She snuck up on him and pulled a scalpel from her coat pocket. She was supposed to use it on Carol. Pentaghast had decided to keep the woman, so the deed of extracting her baby was left to her, to ensure the survival of the mother. Of course Pentaghast also wanted the baby. She wanted to see how it'd turn. Twisted little bitch.
She raised her arm to stab him in the back of the neck, having a clear path, his attention was elsewhere, but she faltered. Her hand began to tremble at the thought of her actions, and her breathing increased. She couldn't do it. She wanted to, but she couldn't. Oh, shit. She had to do this. She had to kill him. There was no other option here—
A bullet cut across her cheek, she fell sideways to the floor, the man she was about to kill falling dead out the door. She looked back to find Pentaghast standing there, panting heavily, raging, her eyes burning. Neva's heart stopped cold as she raised the gun.
"You finally grew a backbone." She stepped closer. "I'll be sure to show Jo what it looks like."
Neva grit her teeth and threw the scalpel directly into Pentaghast's hand, she dropped the gun as blood gushed down the front of her hand, but she didn't make any cries of pain. Neva grabbed the gun from the floor and held it an inch from her forehead, her hand still.
Pentaghast's lips curled to the right in a dark smirk.
"Go to hell." She pulled the trigger.
Nothing happened. It simply clicked. Unfortunately, Pentaghast had emptied the gun on her way here and had one last bullet. She intended to beat the life out of Nevaeh with her own two hands and feets.
Pentaghast shrugged. "You first." She struck Neva's nose with the heel of her head, sending her tripping backwards as blood spewed from her nostrils. Pentaghast grunted and brought her leg back, smacking her right in the gut with the tip of her heavy boots, and Neva folded like a box. She knew it wouldn't take much to knock the old girl down.
"You get to die like the worthless coward you are." She towered over her, and she cocked her head to the side. "I'll tell Jo one of their people did it, and she'll be none the wiser. The girl practically eats out of my hand, after all. She'll have your first grandchild, and you won't know them."
There was a distant clanging that stopped Pentaghast from repeatedly mashing her foot down onto Neva's face like she'd dreamed of every day this week. It was a familiar sound. Like a screen door swinging shut as someone slipped through it. It was to leave, not to enter. There was too much force behind it for entering. Who had left? And why leave now?
Her eyes fell on a chuckling Neva. "What's so funny?"
"They're gone," she spat. "I let them go."
Her eyes widened, and she ran to the exam room to find all three beds vacant. "No!" She slammed her already injured hand against the wall, leaving a print there and knocking the scalpel out of her flesh. "No!"
Neva rolled onto her side. "They'll kill you. All of you."
She growled. "You don't know what you've done!"
"But I do know what I've done, and it's been a long time coming." It wasn't too late for this bold move, but it could have come sooner.
"You'll ruin this earth for petty revenge? Over scum you didn't even know? They were all dark and twisted and unclean. They deserved to be purged. They deserved their deaths. It is what was meant to become of them." She looked in at the empty room. "I try and cleanse this world, but the world will not let such purity stand. My son, my daughter... All the possible children... This world wants to burn, but unlike you, I won't let it."
"That's where you're wrong. I don't want the world to burn—just you." She pushed herself up on to her knees. "I want to see you dead and rot!" She spit blood onto the floor in front of her feet, feeling it coat her teeth as she spoke, and she wiped her nose, refusing to let Pentaghast see her wince in pain.
"You mean nothing to me." She backed up. "I have to get to her."
Neva tried to stand, to stop Pentaghast, but she blew out of the clinic so fast. Neva didn't have the strength to go, so she leaned against the wall and pressed her sleeve into her nose, hissing at the white hot pain that seared through her nose. She could only hope Daryl made her death quick so nobody else had to suffer.
– – –
Josephine ran into Pen's room. "Carol!"
Carol was at attention long before now, ready for someone to burst in through that door to save her or kill her, and she had no weapon. She'd broken the fork trying to undo the lock. She wasn't sure she counted this as luck or not, but at least the kid was afraid of her. She could use that. "They're coming for you."
She was panting. "The kids are safe. We have to get you out."
"What?" Carol stared at the girl.
"We have to get you out." She began to search through the drawers in the room, trying to locate the keys. Pentaghast threw things about, so they were lost more than hidden. "I couldn't find the key in Fin's room, so it must be in here."
"Why are you trying to get me out?"
"Because she'll kill you if I don't. I won't let her hurt you, or your baby." She met her eyes. "Do you really think I was so oblivious? So stupid and naive?"
"I wasn't thinking about you at all. I was trying to get out of here."
She nodded. "I just have to find the key. It should be in here somewhere."
"But you don't know where." She crossed her arms. "Why should I believe you? How do I know it's not a trick? You'll "win me over", she'll carve out my baby, and I wake up in the clinic the next day, or not at all."
"Why do you think we're here right now?" Josephine moved to the next drawer. "Huh?"
"Pentaghast wants it all—power, security, bloodshed, war, peace, etc."
"Because I let people go. Pentaghast kills one of our own, not trusting them, and we move on. That's what happened last time. That's why...you got caught at the hospital. We were going to take it. She marked it. It was going to be our home. We were going to built walls, a lush garden... We were going to stay put finally, but...you all showed up. She...was curious, and she went with it, as always. It's my fault we're in this situation. It's my fault your baby and family are in this situation. And I'm going to make it right."
"Why?"
"Because you're human, just like me. You deserve happiness and a better life than this. A chance for a better life, and I have to try my best to give that to you, like I give that to Ellie. I am raising her to be her own person, not like her mother, not crazed, not selfish. I know most of Pentaghast's problems are...from her past, and Ellie won't have them, but...nature runs deep. I have to nurture that out of her."
"You're foolish."
"Aren't we all fools in life? I mean, even before the world went to shit. And I'd rather be foolish than to not try." She stood up. "Trying is the best thing you do in this world, and sometimes...you get lucky." She held up the key and smiled at Carol.
"I don't trust you."
"I don't need you to trust me. I just need you to let me get you out of here. It's pure hell down in the streets, so we'll have to take the back way out of town. We'll get the kids, and we'll get out of here."
"I won't leave my family."
"You can't fight." She stopped in front of the cage. "You're pregnant, do you realize that? You cannot fight. You have to run."
"I didn't say I'd fight—"
"She will kill you. Her plans have been ruined. She'll turn into a tyrant. She'll burn this place to the ground. She'll take everyone out. She...is incredibly strong and persistent. She won't go down easy. I can't let her hurt you, Carol. If you weren't pregnant, maybe, but you are. I have to get you out of here."
"Oh, you have to get her out, don't you?" Pentaghast stood in the doorway, her hand over her stomach, blood drying there on her knuckles and on the wound inches from them. "How the tables turn."
She spun around, her breathing increasing at the sight of Satan's mistress before her. "Yeah, I guess they do."
"You were mine." She stumbled forward as though it hurt to move. "You were like my sister. My flesh and blood sister. I treated you right. I protected you."
"I protected myself!"
"Oh, sweet baby, no—that was all me. I kept you safe. I gave you food and clothes and access to unadulterated purity. I—I chose you. That was me! My actions! My heart!"
"And I chose to be honest to myself. You tried to have my mother killed! Did you think I could forget that? Forgive that?" She shook her head. "Never."
"You're ungrateful."
"And you're insane. It's time I finally say it. You are fucking crazy! There is no purity in Ellie. She is just a child. A sweet baby girl who needs a stable home and parent! You provide nothing but violence! You do nothing but fill the streets with blood and dance there as though it were rain! A child needs more than that, certainly more than you can ever hope to offer."
"I provide security!"
"No, that's what Fin does."
"Well, Finny boy is being chewed on by walkers, so who gives a good god damn?" She sat on the edge of the bed and leaned back on her palms, rolling her neck, stretching out the kinks there. Her gaze locked on the ceiling. "Miller's gone too. Reyes. Flissa. That little hazel hair kid who made leek soup that I loved."
"Good. You'll be joining them soon. You'll all burn in hell together." She moved her hand behind her back, underneath her cardigan, and Carol saw the shadow of a gun there.
Pentaghast rolled her head to the side. "Will I?" Her green eyes were practically pulsating. "I'll burn in hell?"
"Yes."
She blew out a sigh. "You wouldn't kill a pregnant woman, would you?"
Carl! Carol gasped softly and gripped the bars to her cell, her heart dropping. Her blood ran cold, and it was like all the sound was sucked out of the room. Oh, God. No, please no.
"I'd kill you." She didn't even pause. "I'd kill you no matter how you are, because it's a lie. You're a lie. You can't play games with me. I've been beside you for years. I know your lies by heart. You hold no power over me. You won't make me waver. This has been a long time coming."
"Mmm. You're a lot more bitter than I thought." She chuckled, bringing her wounded hand up to her chin. "I love it. Hmmm."
"I'll give you something to love." She whipped the gun out from the band of her jeans, Pentaghast just...vanished, and the next thing she knew, Pentaghast had her arms wrapped around Josephine's body. She had her arm around her neck, the other twisting the gun behind her back, and they were both struggling.
"My dear, sweet Jo." She whispered into her ear. "I knew there was a darkness in you. How unfortunate it had to show itself."
"It'll be real unfortunate when it kills you." She tried to break free, but Pentaghast was stronger. "Aah!"
"Carol!" That was from Daryl. "Carol!"
"Oh, look, it's lover boy." She tightened her grip on Jo's neck, and she whimpered. "Let's give him a show, shall we?"
Daryl suddenly appeared in the doorway. Carol gripped the bars at the sight of him. He was...pale, so freaking pale. His hair cropped down to the same length it was back on the farm, his clothes thrown onto him. They were loose. He'd lost weight. He barely weighed anything to begin with, and now he was like a walking muscle. God, he looked so sickly. His face sunken in, his eyes rimmed with black and bags hanging down. Her heart ached at the sight of him.
His eyes fell on Pentaghast and Josephine, and he wanted to look at Carol. He wanted to push by them and take her in his arms, but he couldn't. He made a promise. He'd keep it. He had to get Josephine away from Pentaghast. He had to kill that bitch. He wanted to kill that bitch. After all this, after what she'd done...she wouldn't make it out of this room, let alone this house, alive. As a human or as a walker.
"Everybody just grew a sack today." Pentaghast yanked hard on Josephine's arm, Josephine could feel the socket in her shoulder being separated, and she felt queasy. "I like it. Don't get me wrong. I just wish I'd gotten the memo."
"You realize this is it, right?" Daryl entered the room slowly. "You're gonna die."
"Hmm. Let's see if the undernourished fuck can kill me or even make me worry about killing me."
Josephine tossed the gun so it couldn't be used against Daryl, and also so Pentaghast would stop pulling on her arm. It clattered to the floor, and Pentaghast smiled against Josephine's ear. She stopped pulling on her arm, but she didn't release it. She was instead working on the belt around her waist. There was a pocket she needed to get into, and this was the perfect angle for that. He couldn't see her hand, and sweet little Jo Jo couldn't feel what she was pulling out.
"Yeah, he can." Daryl pulled a gun from his waistband. "I'm not leavin' here with you alive."
"Here being this world, or this room?" She smiled widely, sweetly, yanking Josephine to block any chance of him getting a shot in.
"Do it," Josephine strained. "Kill her, even if it kills me, do it."
"Oh, my lamb, don't be so self-sacrificing. It's not a good color on you." She stroked her cheek from behind. "But it's good to know you don't care if you live or die. Makes the guilt easier."
"You don't feel guilt."
"That's true, but I do feel." She looked at Daryl. "Would you like to know what I feel? What I've felt?"
"No, not at all." He moved forward.
"I've been in love. I met a young man in a small group, and I fell for him. He was the purest soul I'd ever met in this world, eyes full of wonder and hope. He was truly a gift for this world." Her voice had softened, her eyes lightening, and the young girl Daryl and Carol had both seen was with them now. "He showed me things I didn't know could exist in such darkness. I believe he could have saved me from it, from the things I did. He was...the opposite of me in every way, and that brought in such light."
Josephine felt something wet run by her ear, and she was stunned to learn Pentaghast was crying.
"But he was weak where I was strong. Months passed, and that beautiful light, that stunning hope, began to fade. The world was not going to restore itself. There was no cure. There was no...reason to hope. It all began to dawn on him, and he couldn't take that realization. Reality is a hard pill to swallow."
Daryl wasn't sure why she was telling them this, but he was sure she was trying to distract them from something. He didn't know what, but he had a feeling he wouldn't like it, so he kept his eye open for a chance to end this. Story or no, he was ready to kill. A human underneath all of that twisted darkness or no, she would not leave this room.
"He killed himself. Sliced his wrists open with a box cutter blade and bleed out in the woods. I'd just...found out I was pregnant, so I went to tell him, to give him hope. I thought...this would be the missing piece he needed to keep himself whole." She scoffed. "When I found him...he was devouring my best friend, who had been taking nap away from the noise of our people. I killed him and then I killed her... And then I took Flissa and razed that little shit hole to the ground. They were weak, and they did not deserve to live, so I liberated them from their burdens.
"See, I am a necessary evil in this world. If it's not me standing here, wearing this villainous cape, then it'll be someone else. I am not as evil as those who lurk in the outskirts of this town." She set her jaw. "I am not the bad guy here. I am just...what the world made me, and it made me into a warrior. A leader. I root out the weak and uplift the strong. I have brought hope to those who needed it, and death to those who longed for it. I am mercy. I am a demon. I'll admit that, but I am necessary. There must always be a darkness to the light, a yin to a yang, and you know it."
"Kill her," Josephine struggled. "Just kill her."
"If you let me continue my will and remove your son," Pentaghast told him, "Carol will live. If you let me die, so will she."
"No."
"You play God now, so be it. You'll come to regret it." Daryl jerked forward when she pulled the aforementioned box cutter blade out from behind Josephine's head. "I found this in his arm after all was said and dead. It still has his dried blood on it, and now hers." With that, she slit Josephine's throat open wide with sharp blade.
"No!" He jolted and immediately went to shoot, but a different gun went off, and Pentaghast fell with Josephine.
Carol stood there with the other gun, the gun Josephine had thrown directly in front of the cell for her. Her hand was shaking both now and then, but her aim was absolute. She wouldn't have missed that shot for anything, and now... Now it was over. It was...truly over.
Daryl walked over the bodies and gently took the gun from Carol's hands, setting it and his gun aside. Carol limply pointed to the key being covered in blood between Josephine's and Pentaghast's feet, and he grabbed it up, freeing her.
The key hit the floor once more as she stumbled out of the cell, he took her in his arms and held her face, blood smearing onto her cheek, but he didn't care right now. He drank in her face, the weight she'd lost there, and tears filled those lachrymose eyes. He pulled her in close, kissing her forehead, and he held her as tightly as he could. He buried his face in her fluffy hairs, and he wanted to weep. It wasn't from joy either.
He was happy. He was fucking elated and blessed, but he wasn't happy. He had made a promise that he hadn't been able to keep, and it broke his heart. Another little girl gone, and there was nothing he could do. He couldn't take the shot without killing both, and he wouldn't take it as Pentaghast had moved in front of Carol, so if he missed, it might have hit her. She knew him well, knew what his heart wanted to protect most, and in the end, it cost Josephine, and it cost Carol, too. Goddamn it.
"Are you okay?" He held her at arm's length. "Is the baby okay?"
She shook her head. "I don't know. I... I haven't felt the baby move in days." She couldn't stop crying. "I don't know."
He slid a hand down from her shoulder to her belly, her hand instantly covered his, and he thought of the length to get them from here to Hilltop. They were still fighting in the streets. He could hear it. The firing of guns, the screams of battle filled the air, and while it had reduced, he could still hear it. He wouldn't take her out there now. He couldn't chance it.
"I'm here," he murmured. "It's okay."
"Daryl..." She closed her eyes.
"I love you." He weaved his fingers through the small gaps hers provided on her stomach, and he bumped his forehead against hers. It was only then that they felt a kick. It was small, but it came again, and it was stronger. His lips trembled, and tears rose up in his eyes now, too, and Carol broke. He smiled at the baby, at it telling them it was there. Their baby was there and alive. Oh, thank God.
"Daryl!" Rick came running into the room, covered in blood splatter, sweat and panting. He was glad to see they were unharmed, and he was even more glad to see Pentaghast dead, but he frowned at the girl with the slit throat lying next to her.
"No, no, no, no."
Daryl looked over as Neva crashed into the room, wearing blood that didn't belong to her, and she crawled over to her daughter. She lifted her up off the floor, blood oozing from the cut on her neck, and Neva tried to stop the flow, but Jo was already gone. She brought her daughter close, pulling her away from Pentaghast, off the floor and into her lap. She sobbed from the depth of her very soul, rocking her baby in her arms, as she'd done so many times before, but Jo wasn't smiling at her. She wasn't cooing. She wasn't complaining that she was too big for this. She was gone. The biggest light in Neva's entire world was gone.
She released an agonized cry, Carol flinched in Daryl's arms, and Rick gestured to them. It told them to leave her be, and that the war was over. It was safe. Daryl helped Carol over to the doorway, Rick took her in his arms at Daryl's wordless request, and he went back to Nevaeh. He picked up the guns he'd discarded, leaving one on the bed for her to use. It felt cruel to tell her to kill her daughter once more, but it had to be done. Whether or not she used that gun twice...was yet to be seen.
Daryl took Carol from Rick out the hall, Carol told them where to find Judith and Carl, and Rick bolted through the house to find his kids. Daryl guided her downstairs and to the couch, sitting her down. He just wanted to take her home, but he wanted to wait until it clear. He'd check it out first then come back for her. He kissed her forehead once more and slipped outside to see what was going on.
Upstairs Rick found Judith in her crib that had been moved from his house, and he found another toddler with her. They were both awake, looking at him with big eyes, and he lifted Judith up. He held her so tight that she fussed, and he kissed the top of her head. His eyes burned at the sight of his healthy girl, and he walked away, hearing the other child began to fuss. He looked back at her, seeing her holding the bar on the crib, and he didn't know what to do exactly.
"Rick." Michonne hurried over to him. "Judith!" She smoothed down the girl's hair and smiled at her. "Where's Carl?"
"Down the hall." He handed Judith over to her, and he followed the directions Carol had given him. He found his son bound, his hair cut down to the length it was at the prison, stripped of all his clothing and covered only by a sheet. He was unconscious, a glass bottle with a syringe beside his bed, and Rick was at his side in a heartbeat. He freed her wrists. "Carl?"
"Carl." Michonne clutched his hand.
"Son?" Rick touched his cheek, Carl moaned softly and began to rouse, and Rick laughed softly at the sleepy look he'd given him. He lifted his upper body off the bed and embraced him, holding the back of his head. "Hey, sleepy head."
"Dad?" He was so groggy. "What's going on?"
"What do you remember?" Michonne rubbed the back of his hand with her finger.
"Just...someone being on fire. People were lined up in the street. Some woman...came in here...and talked to me. I don't...really remember what she said, but she just kept talking. And whenever I'd wake, she'd drug me before I could fully regain consciousness."
Rick let him go. "That's all?"
"I think." He reached up to rub his eye and found no hair there. "What...?" He panicked. "My hair!"
"She cut it," Rick told him.
"She couldn't have." He reached up with his hand and found it had really gone. "No..."
"It'll grow back," Michonne assured him.
"That's not the point!" His heart sank. "Mom... Mom was the last one to cut my hair... Mom was..."
"Carl." Rick touched his cheek and pulled him back in for another hug.
Michonne set Judith on the bed beside them, Judith went to her brother instantly, and Michonne squeezed his hand tightly. It was the little things, but they could mean the entire world. A brother's vest, a boyfriend's jacket, a sister's blade—even a mother's final haircut—little jewels that...were priceless and once lost...left such a hole.
––
Maggie finished patrol with Sasha, and as they were coming around the corner, her eyes fell on a face she'd longed to see. She took off at top speed for him, Sasha simply chuckled, and Glenn barely got her name out before she knocked him into the snow and the cold, hugging him with her arms and wrapping her legs around him like a monkey.
He chuckled. "It's good to see you too."
She kissed his neck as it was the only thing she could reach at this angle. He chuckled again and bent his head down, her lips brushed against his nose, and she tilted her head back and kissed him again. This time on the lips, and she smiled widely against his mouth, enjoying the familiar warmth and taste of him. It was the best feeling, the feeling of home in the arms of the man she loved, and she was so grateful to have this chance. She couldn't imagine waking up and him not being there. She didn't want to imagine it.
She opened her eyes slowly, drinking in his handsome face and finding it boner than she remembered. He had lost weight, and they had cut his hair. He looked like the same Glenn, smelled like the same Glenn, and it was the same Glenn. They had tried to take so much from him, but they weren't able to. God, she hoped they weren't able to. Please—
"I'm okay," he told her, breaking her train of panic. "I needed a haircut."
She weaved her fingers through his short raven locks and kissed the top of his nose. "You're okay?"
"I am." He inhaled. "I found Morgan and helped him with the kids. He told me how he found you. Are you all right?"
"I am. I'm okay." She searched his eyes and smiled at him. "I love you."
"I love you, too." He pulled her back in and kissed her.
Sasha was tempted to clear her throat at them, but she would leave them in their little love bubble. She had her own man to worry about, and they could catch a cold together being all cute on the cold, snow-covered ground. She had plans to visit him when the clinic was empty. Right now, it was filled with sickly children and wounded adults. She didn't want to get in Enid's and Denise's way. She would wait until it could be just the two of them. She liked privacy in her relationships anyway, and he would learn to like it too.
"Come on, you two." Aaron teased. "There's cute and then there is ridiculous. You've passed the border."
"The border is a line to you." Eric stood right against Aaron, their fingers laced together, having been by each others sides since they found each other.
"Look who's talking." Glenn helped Maggie up off the ground, and she shuddered as the cold seeped into her jacket.
"At least we don't make a show of it." Aaron grinned.
"Straight people," Eric mused, rolling his eyes. "So over dramatic with each other."
Maggie giggled and walked over to hug them, glad to see they were all right, and Glenn hugged Sasha. They had passed each other, but they had different duties they were vital to securing their home, but now they could say hey. They could say hey and work as a group to finish their duties. It felt good to be there, to be here, with these people. To be with family. They would ensure every day was like this. They wouldn't let another Pentaghast roll through here.
– – –
It was nightfall before all the bodies were cleared out of town. Everyone in the entire town showered and cleaned off the grime and blood and bodily fluids that had no choice but to release. Denise and Enid tended to the wounded, and no one could stop Enid. She had some painkillers in her system, and she was ready to go. (Tara was waiting for moment to tackle her down.) Sasha and Maggie checked the perimeter for anymore of Pentaghast's men, and Francine and Tara helped Denise and Enid with their patients. There were mostly children who needed fluids and food, and Abraham who had luckily been patched up on the field. They just needed to give him some pain meds and keep an eye on his bandages.
Olivia had found animal skins and meat in the fridge in the pantry when she was going to find something for the kids to eat, and Spencer served it up. He was the first to eat it, so he could have the strength to pass it around to the weakened members of the town. He even made a stew for the kids who couldn't yet stomach solids. He had Olivia's help, and Rosita even offered a hand. He wasn't sure, but there was no saying no to her.
Rick readied a car for Hilltop since Carol wanted to be sure the baby was really okay, and that was when the sole adult survivor of Pentaghast's group showed her face. Rick and Michonne instantly drew their weapons, but Morgan and Daryl both stepped in their way. Daryl and Morgan exchanged a look at the other's actions, not knowing how the other knew to protect her, but oh well. Another body to shield her.
"She let us go," Daryl explained. "Me, Aaron, Glenn—she let us go the moment y'all started fightin'. She saved us."
"And she saved Abraham," Morgan added. "He would've bled out or been wounded worse were it not for her. She helped me take him to safety."
Rick lowered his gun. "Okay. Who are you?"
"I'm...Nevaeh," she stated, her voice empty. "I'm a doctor."
"And you just changed sides?" Michonne was disbelieving.
"You see this?" She thrust a finger to her throat. "This is when Pentaghast tried to kill me. And this?" A motion to her bloody clothes. "This is my daughter's blood. She's dead, because of that spawn. I was never loyal to her. I was just dragged along, because my daughter was her pet project. My daughter was only in it for Ellie."
"The baby with Judith." Rick had almost forgotten.
"Yeah. She's...my er, granddaughter." She cleared her throat. "Where is she?"
"In the clinic. We're having all the kids looked over." Michonne sheathed her katana. "She's being fed, too."
She nodded. "If you want me to leave this place, I will. I'll take her and go. I won't come back. There's nothing for me here." Tears slid down her cheeks. "But...before you either let me go or kill me, I want to help. I overheard your trip to...a hilltop? It sounds like a long trip, and I know it's for the baby."
Rick was uncomfortable and tense. "Yeah?"
"I can check on it here. I fixed the broken equipment you took from the hospital. And I'm a doctor. And I owe...her."
"Her?" Michonne narrowed her eyes.
"Carol. She killed that monster, and I want to thank her in some small way. I can't get my daughter back, but I can check on her kid. I want to. Maybe...I'll get something out of it. Maybe it'll just make me even more miserable." She shrugged. "But if I can spare you a trip, spare gas and stress on the expectant mother, please, please let me."
Rick inhaled and nodded. "Any funny business, and it's over."
"I don't have any plans or plots under my sleeve." She shrugged weakly. "I just don't. I just want to make amends for not acting sooner."
"Why did you act at all?"
"Because it was the first time I'd seen a chance for her to lose. Josephine saw it too, but I'm just slow. I'm a coward. It cost me my daughter, and I won't forget that. I won't make that mistake twice."
"You won't have to." Daryl lowered his head. "And it wasn't you. I should've taken the shot when I was in the hall. I should've—"
"I should have known you were strong enough to stop her," Neva interrupted him. "I shouldn't have been so afraid. It's not on you, Daryl. I asked you to keep her safe, and I shouldn't have. It wasn't your job. It was mine."
"It was her job, too." Carol had been in the car, listening to the conversation and decided to speak. "Josephine's. She knew it might come to her death, and she wanted you and Ellie to be free, even if she couldn't be. She wanted to do the right thing, and...you should be proud. She was strong. She was kind. She's the reason my child...is alive."
Neva whimpered. "She was everything I wasn't..."
Carol swallowed. "She was everything you raised her to be. You wanted her to be compassionate and strong, and she was. She wore the same clothes as the wolves, fooled them well, and she...saved who meant most to her. Be proud. It wasn't your fault. It was Pentaghast's. She wanted to take as many people down as she could."
Neva nodded. "Thank you."
Carol smiled softly, remembering the tender heart laughing beside her at a table filled with family and spirits and food.
––
Within the next twenty minutes they were led to the house beside the clinic. Neva had pulled herself together and cleaned herself up, leaving Carol and Daryl to prepare themselves for what was about to happen. Maggie and Glenn, Rick and Michonne, Carl and Judith, and even Aaron and Eric were crowded around to see the little one. They were waiting outside, of course, just in case things weren't looking good, but they were all sending good vibes and praying it would work out.
"Are you ready?" Nevaeh inquired at the couple.
"As ready as we can be," Daryl replied.
She had everything ready, so she just began, and soon the room was alive with the heartbeat of their baby. Carol couldn't stop her tears, and Daryl exhaled a breath his soul had been holding. He kissed the top of her belly that didn't have gel on it, and he tried to kiss her forehead again, but she tilted her head so he got her lips. He wasn't sure he deserved a kiss, not after what he'd held back, but that was for later. After rest and more food and hydration.
The others came pooling in when Daryl called to them, they all gazed upon the not so little baby on the screen, and Neva confirmed she was six months along. She showed them the basics, and she discovered something else. Something she knew they didn't know yet.
"Would you like to know the sex of the baby?" Nevaeh looked at the couple.
Carol moistened her lips. "Yeah."
Daryl nodded.
"See this?" She gestured with her pinkie, and they gave a nod. "This...means it's a boy. You have a healthy six month old baby boy. Congratulations." Her throat contracted, remembering the day she discovered Jo would be Josephine and not Joseph.
And Carol's throat tightened for a different reason entirely, and around her the room erupted in "I knew its" and "Congrats". She felt numb from the news, and it felt...surreal. She didn't have a reaction for them, but luckily nobody was looking at her for one. Daryl was being teasing by Rick and Glenn, and Maggie and Michonne were exchanging a look on plans made long before now. It was a happy moment, clearly, but Pentaghast and her words had soured it for Carol. She could find joy in the news later, perhaps after talking to Daryl.
Her eyes moved to him as Glenn and Rick were flustering him, and he rolled his eyes, looking over at her, and he smiled a little at her. He knew they had a lot to talk about when it was just the two of them, but for right now they were the parents of a healthy boy. He was thrilled. If only he could get Rick and Glenn to get off his back. He never wanted more brothers...but then again, he received a lot he didn't ask for, and he loved it. It came with a lot of pain, but it was worth it.