Bloody hell! That first episode was…words fail me. I'm sad about Jessie, I had high hopes for her. Also, a rocket launcher (with Daryl attached obviously) is now on my birthday list, you know…just in case. I hope you like this new chapter; I've upped the ante just to try and dispel some of the anxiety from the new episode. I can't wait for next Monday. Please let me know what you think if you can.

Walking the Wasteland to the Lighthouse

The three of them moved towards the door but stopped when the gate crashed open and an army of hooded people walked through, heavily armed and obviously well organised.

"Oh shit." said Rosita quietly as they watched the army move into position in front of the woman.

She flung Aaron to the ground as Rick and Deanna looked wildly from side to side.

"Alpha Team, sweep the town. Bring everyone here. Yellow Team find the armoury. There's one in the watch tower with a sniper rifle, get them down." As soon as she gave the order, they moved silently.

"We got about 2 minutes before they come through here." said Carol.

"You go with them, I'll disappear and meet you later." Essie said, shoving the gun into her waistband.

"I''ll come with you." Daryl said.

"No. You need to be with Rick and the others. One of us is less likely to be caught…" Essie replied, not looking at him.

"Anyone who tries to run will be shot on sight." the woman's voice echoed around the town.

"Go!" said Carol.

"Don't die." said Essie and ran up the stairs just as the door was kicked open.

Essie pulled herself into the attic and closed the hatch silently. She held her breath as she heard people moving about just below her.

"Clear." said a woman's voice and they walked back down the stairs. She waited another 5 minutes and slowly lowered herself back into the room and ran to the front of the house and ducked below the window.

Everyone in Alexandria had been herded into the centre of the town and were being separated into groups of men and women.

"What do you want from us?" shouted Deanna over the crying children.

"Nothing." answered Delilah "we have everything. Stop talking and stay still."

"We can work this out." shouted Aaron but was hit in the jaw by a gun butt and went down.

"Stop this!" shouted Deanna and moved towards Delilah. Essie saw it happen in slow motion; Deanna took two steps forward and a gunshot cracked through the town, she fell in front of Jessie and didn't get up.

"That's what happen when you don't do as I say." the woman said as she holstered her gun.

Everyone was silent except for the occasional sob.

The men were herded towards the church under heavy guard. The women were well armed and well trained, each had a machine gun, a semi automatic and ammunition in every pocket of their khaki vests; some had machetes and all had bowie knives strapped to their legs. They showed no emotion and made no sound, only Delilah had spoken. The women were kept in the town square. Rick looked at Carol and Michonne as he was led away, he would see them soon.

"My name is Delilah. This town belongs to us now." she said as she surveyed the crowd of women in front of her.

"You can choose to join us, we only take women. Your young children will be allowed to stay with you as long as you do as I say. If you deviate, you will die."

"You might be thinking that you could take us on but I would advise against that. We don't need you, you mean nothing to us and we will kill you. Who will be your spokesperson?" Two gunshots echoed from the church but Delilah ignored them.

The crowd looked around at each other but no one volunteered. Michonne caught Jessie's eye and shook her head but Jessie ignored her and stepped forward.

"I will." she said steadily. Delilah looked at her and, before anyone could say anything, shot Jessie in the head. People screamed but Delilah stared at the body dispassionately.

"Quiet!" immediately, everyone was silent, "I find it better to take out the more vocal ones first, it saves time later on."

"You." she said, pointing at Olivia, "You will be the spokesperson. Take all the names, if you miss anyone off I will kill a child and then you, do you understand?" Olivia nodded.

Essie saw her friend fall, felt the gunshot and then…nothing.

Essie was going to war.

The men were herded into the church, each was zip tied with their hands behind their back and gagged, they were all tagged as either black, red or amber. 2 of the Alexandrians had tried to run and were instantly shot. Once all this was done, they were split into their colour groups. It was clear black tags were considered the most dangerous, Rick and the others were in this crowd; red tags were able bodied but less obviously battle hardened and included Carl, Eugene and the preacher and finally ambers were the old or infirm. Rick took a very little amount of satisfaction in knowing they had made a mistake in putting Carl in the red group.

The amber group were taken into one of the empty houses. The red group were herded into the community centre and the black tags remained in the church. None of the women spoke but were efficient and quick. Eric, red tagged, tried to stay with Aaron who was black tagged and still bleeding; he was beaten unconscious and dragged to the church. Anyone who moved was hit with the butt of a gun or kicked into submission. Escape would be difficult, if not impossible.

Essie pulled herself onto the roof of the house and ran along the ridge tiles, keeping low. The sun was well up and she dripped with sweat. Shrugging off her jacket, she left it on the roof but didn't feel the sun on her bare arms and shoulders. Lying on her front, she watched as Olivia went along the rows of women, writing their names onto the sheet. She needed to get to the armoury and then get to Carol and Michonne. The women soldiers were still sweeping through the streets, keeping out of sight would be difficult.

Essie dropped back into the attic and made her way through the house until she got to the kitchen; she had a pistol with a full mag and a knife, it would have to do for now.

She scouted the back of the house and it looked clear, so she slipped silently out of the kitchen and along the wall.

Rick saw Abraham struggling against the ties and shook his head, they needed to bide their time and wait for an opportunity. He knew he hadn't seen Essie in the group of women before they'd been separated; he had faith in her abilities.

Carol cradled Judith who was beginning to cry in the baking heat. She could feel the focus from Michonne and the others. Sasha was standing next to Tara, having been dragged from the guard tower; her cut lip was still oozing blood. She looked along the line of women and saw Caitlin at the end staring back at her with huge eyes, she nodded to the child who nodded back showing no fear.

Essie turned the corner of the last house but quickly ducked back again as a group of soldiers came from the other side and began to walk towards her. She ran back the way she had come but heard another group moving quietly; she was trapped. Trying each door as quietly as she could, she searched for a hiding place but all the doors were locked and they were getting closer. Something grabbed her ankle and she fell onto the cool grass; she grabbed her knife and saw it was a hand. Enid stared out from under the last house. Essie scrambled underneath just as the first group turned the corner. She turned to look at Enid who was watching the women pass by.

When it was clear, Essie put her lips to Enid's ear.

"How?" she breathed.

"Crawled under here and waited." Enid whispered back.

"Weapons?" but Enid shook her head.

"Information?"

"30 soldiers so far. Men in the church and 2 dead." Enid replied.

"You ready?" and Enid nodded. They pulled themselves out from under the house and made their way towards the armoury, keeping close to the houses. They saw 3 women with machine guns guarding the back entrance.

"What now?" whispered Enid as Essie sighed in frustration. She stared at the girl whom she knew nothing about, stood in front of her. Essie didn't know if she could trust her to be brave enough but she was all she had.

"How brave are you feeling?" Essie whispered.

Enid took a deep breath and stepped out from between the houses with her hands up The 3 women immediately took aim.

"Please don't shoot me" pleaded Enid.

"Put these on and walk slowly towards us." ordered one of the women, throwing her a zip tie. Enid slipped them over her wrists and pulled them closed with her teeth and began to walk over to them. She saw Essie drop from the porch behind the women with her knife in hand.

"Please don't shoot me." Enid repeated.

"Shut up!" said the woman but that was all the distraction Essie needed to slit all three of the women's throats. They went down silently. Enid looked horrified as Essie stabbed them in the head and stood up, sprayed with their still warm blood. She walked over to the girl and cut the zip tie not even noticing how she flinched when Essie touched her.

"Help me drag the bodies under the house." Essie said, grabbing the ankles of the first body. Enid grabbed the arms and began to pull.

"Wait!" Essie hissed and began to strip the body of the khaki vest and ammunition. She looked up to see Enid staring at her.

"Take the clothes and put them on." she ordered but Enid couldn't move.

"Do it!" Essie hissed but saw the girl was terrified, "we need to be able to blend in, even if it's only for a moment." Enid finally nodded and took the vest and weapons off the nearest body.

Olivia handed the completed list to one of the soldiers who counted it and nodded as she handed it back to Delilah.

"You may now return to your houses but the doors will be kept open and each house will be guarded front and back. Anybody who does not comply will be killed along with everyone else in her house and 2 others chosen at random. Just to show I am serious…" and Delilah nodded to one of the soldiers who pulled Shelley Neudermyer and a woman called Jeanette out of the crowd and pushed them to their knees in front of her. Carol felt Michonne begin to move but held her back as Delilah calmly and without comment shot both women in the back of the head.

Essie and Enid had just dragged the third body under the house when they heard the shots. Enid tried to run but Essie held her in a grip like steel.

"Whoever it was, we can't help them. We can help the others."

Enid turned her head and looked into Essie's eyes; they were hard and almost black in the shadow of the house. She could feel the blood slippery skin around her arm and the heat that radiated out from this woman. A memory flashed into Enid's head of when a neighbour's house had caught fire in her street, before the world ended. The flames had looked like liquid as they destroyed the house; she remembered how they had changed shape and colour but the memory of the noise was stronger, it had roared and spat but there had been moments of silence when the only thing the fire had done was destroy. Right in that moment this is what Essie reminded her of.

"Keep your knife in your hand and keep quiet, we're going to clear the armoury." and Enid nodded. She was now with Essie and she realised the only thing to do was follow her or keep out of her way. Enid wanted to follow her.