"—Now, we're gonna work this out right now—and it's going to go our way. —"
Anna peered through her scope, scanning the tree line for any sight of people.
"You can see we have one of yours. We'll trade," Rick said into the walkie.
"—I'm listening, —" came the woman's response.
"First I want to talk to Maggie and Carol, make sure they're alright."
There was a pause before static came.
"—Rick, it's Carol. I'm fine—I'm fine, but— —" she cut off.
"—Rick, it's Maggie. We're both okay. We'll figure this— —" the woman came back on before Maggie could finish.
"—You have your proof. Let's talk. —"
"This is the deal, right here. Let 'em go, you can have your guy back and live," Rick said.
"—Two for one, that's not much of a trade. —"
Anna glanced at Glenn and Daryl.
"You don't have another choice, or you would've done something about it already," Rick countered. "Look, I know you're talking it over. It's a fair trade. Just come out, we do this, we all walk away." He waited a moment for a response. "Do we have a deal?"
"—I'll get back to you. —"
Rick sighed and clipped the walkie to his belt before tucking his gun in its holster.
"What's the plan?" Michonne asked.
"We're gonna get 'em back," Rick assured. "Get him up," he ordered, heading for the row of vehicles.
Daryl yanked the man to his feet as Anna stood.
"This ain't over," Daryl hissed, shoving the man forward.
"It's never over," Anna murmured.
The group found the location where the Saviors had watched them from afar. Anna couldn't help but think that Maggie shouldn't have been out here in the first place. Otherwise, Carol would have been with them in the compound and they wouldn't be in this mess.
"There were four of 'em," Daryl declared, surveying the surrounding area.
"Looks like they went this way," Anna observed, kneeling beside some pulled dirt, no doubt from Maggie or Carol.
"Alright," Rick said, turning to the group. "Jessie, Abraham. Take Gabriel, Rosita, Sasha, and Aaron back to the vehicles; wherever this trail leads, meet us there." He turned to Paul and Emma, standing off to the side. "You two should head back to Hilltop, let them know we're takin' care of things."
"I'm going to stay," Emma stated. "I want to help."
Rick nodded.
"Okay. Let's head out."
They split off into their respective parts, and Jessie stepped over to Anna.
"Hey, you good?" He asked, patting her arm.
"I'm fine," she shrugged. "I'll see you soon."
Jessie nodded and jogged to catch up with his group. They soon disappeared between the trees, and Anna turned back to Daryl and the others.
Daryl led the group, following the tracks Anna had found, everyone walking along in a solemn silence. Anna took up the rear, watching out for any signs of trouble.
Emma fell back to walk beside her.
"Thanks for staying," Anna said, not looking at the woman.
"We're gonna find them," Emma assured. "We've got a plan, and we've got tracks. It's going to be alright."
"We will," Anna agreed.
"Are you close with them?" Emma asked.
"I've known them since close to the beginning," Anna explained. "They're family."
"You're lucky," Emma said. "I don't have any family left."
"I'm sorry," Anna said. "Jessie—my brother—he's all I've got left from before. It's a miracle we found each other. It's easy to forget how lucky I am when the losses keep piling up. It's hard holding onto anything nowadays."
"I'm sorry, too. I guess we've all had more than our fair share of losses. I'm lucky to have found Hilltop. But it's still not easy dealing with it all. Sometimes writing is the only thing that gets me through the day," she said, her voice cracking.
"I suppose writing still does have its uses," Anna said quietly.
"I wish I was as strong as you," Emma sighed. "You seem like you've handled it all pretty well."
Anna glanced at Emma before quickly averting her eyes back to the perimeter.
If only that were true.
Everything started going through her head like a movie as they walked—all the losses, the conversations, and the avoiding. It seemed avoiding was all she did, and this woman was calling her strong? Everyone else faced their losses and problems. She couldn't.
Up ahead, Daryl stepped to the left of the group, pausing at a grouping of bushes.
"So, you and him?" Emma asked, gesturing to Daryl.
"Yeah," Anna said, happy for the change of subject.
"How long has that been a thing?" Emma asked, gently poking Anna's forearm.
"About two years," Anna smiled.
"This way!" Daryl called, leading the group through the bushes and onto a road, where they could see a set of very obvious tire tracks. Rick turned to their captive Savior.
"Where are they headed?" He asked.
"Fuck you."
Rick shook his head and pulled the walkie from his belt.
"Have you thought about it?" He asked. "Talk to me."
"—You weren't listening. I said I'd contact you, —" came that same annoying female voice.
"Would it make a difference if I said I was sorry about that?" Rick asked.
"—What do you think? —"
"I think we're gonna make the trade, so tell me where," Rick insisted.
"—We haven't agreed to that, —" the woman corrected.
"You will."
"—You know what? I'm not so sure. We'd be taking most of the risk, not getting much in the way of a reward. —"
"The other option won't work out for you," Rick warned.
"—We'll take our chances. —"
Rick heaved a sigh.
"Tracks are headed south," Daryl said. "Follow the road, see what we see?"
"Yeah," Rick agreed, turning the channel. "Jessie, you there?"
"—Yeah, —" came her brothers reply.
"Meet us at mile marker eight," Rick instructed. "We'll be waiting for you."
"—See you in a bit. —"
Anna swayed with the RV as they sped down the road. She sat between Glenn and Daryl, their shoulders bumping together. Daryl held his gun aimed at the unnamed Savior, glaring at the man.
"You gonna keep that thing on me the whole way?" The Savior asked.
"Damn right, and you best pray we get 'em back alive," Daryl sneered, pulling back the hammer on his gun.
The Savior shifted in his seat.
Static came over the walkie. Rick pulled the RV over to the side of the road, the caravan following suit, and pulled the walkie off his belt.
"—Asshole, are you there? —"
"I'm here," Rick said.
"—We've thought about it, —" the woman said. "—We want to make the trade. —"
"That's good," Rick nodded, glancing at Michonne beside him.
"—There's a large field with a sign that says "God is dead" about two miles down I-66. Good visibility in all directions, —" she informed.
"We'll meet you there. Ten minutes?" Rick offered.
"—Ten minutes, —" the woman agreed before the static cut out.
Rick turned to the rest of the RV.
"We're getting 'em back," he assured. "This is gonna go our way."
Rick turned the knob on the walkie and informed the rest of the convoy before pulling back onto the road and heading off. Anna looked back to the Savior.
"Looks like you're not getting shot after all," she said.
The group stood in the field, keeping cover with the vehicles—they weren't taking any chances. Anna leaned against the RV, inspecting her rifle as they waited. Six minutes had already passed since they had arrived in the field, the large sign looming over them. She squinted up at the words spray-painted across the billboard.
God is dead.
She wondered how long it had been there. Judging by the water damage and rust, probably since the beginning.
"Where the hell are they?" Daryl growled, pacing back and forth in front of the Savior, gun still aimed.
"They'll be here," Rick assured.
"And if they ain't?" Daryl snapped.
Rick sighed and opened his mouth to respond when Emma cut him off.
"Hey," she called, pulling everyone's attention to her. She pointed north-east, at the plume of smoke rising above the trees.
"What is that?" Rick asked, immediately turning to the Savior. "What is that?" He demanded again when the Savior only stared at the smoke.
"I—I don't know," the Savior stuttered.
"Is that where they are?" Daryl asked.
"It's gotta be them," Glenn insisted.
"Is that where they are?" Rick repeated, pulling his gun on the man.
"I don't know—probably," the man said quickly. "It's an outpost of ours."
"What're we waitin' for? Let's go," Daryl said, snatching the man by the arm and hauling him to his feet. "Move," he ordered, shoving him towards the RV.
Anna and Glenn took point, guns trained in front of them as they rounded the corner, the group close behind them until they came upon a steel, rolling door. Anna signaled for Glenn to ready himself before stepping forward and grabbing the handle. She glanced back at him. He nodded and she raised the door, quickly stepping back to aim into the building.
"Maggie!" Glenn cried as Anna registered the two women in front of them.
Daryl rushed past her and approached Carol, inspecting her for injury.
"You okay?" He asked. "We got your trail. You start a fire?"
Carol gave a tight nod. Anna looked between the two women as Rick pushed the Savior into the building.
"Hey, you good?" Daryl asked.
"No," Carol breathed.
"Come here," Daryl said, pulling her into his arms.
"They're dead. They're all dead—the ones that took us. They're all dead," Maggie said quickly.
"Are you okay?" Glenn asked.
"I just—I can't anymore," Maggie sobbed.
"It's okay," Glenn assured, pulling her into him.
Anna stared back and forth between Carol and Maggie—two of the strongest women she knew, completely lost in whatever had happened here.
"Your friends are dead. No one's coming for you," Rick said. "So, you might as well talk."
"Let him burn," Daryl taunted.
"I'm gonna ask you one last time, how'd you get the bike?" Rick asked.
"We found it."
"Like hell you did," Daryl snapped.
"We found it," the Savior insisted.
"Was Negan in that building last night, or was he here?" Rick asked.
The man looked slowly at Rick.
"Both," he said. "I'm Negan, shithead."
Anna furrowed her brow, her grip on her gun tightening.
"There's a whole world of fun that we can talk about, so let's have a chat," Negan grinned.
"I'm sorry it had to come to this," Rick said, stepping back and raising his gun.
Anna flinched as the echo of the Python firing rang in her ears, and she watched the man fall to the ground, his brains splattered on the gray wall behind him.