"It's Rick Grimes!"
Anna—holding Judith on her hip—and Daryl stood in the shade of the blacksmith's awning just behind Maggie, Enid, Rosita, and Jerry as they watched the front gates open. Michonne and Rick walked through, looking disheveled and tired. Rick had never looked so old.
Michonne went to Maggie and hugged her while Rick stared off to the left, no doubt at the prisoner's paddock. Anna had had mixed feelings about the prisoners. She felt a certain kind of hatred for them, for what had happened, but she knew overcoming that was a necessary step to what came after the fighting was over. For both sides.
Finally, Rick started toward Anna.
"Come here, sweetheart," he said as she handed the little girl over.
He nodded to Anna, then looked to Daryl and nodded to him. His way of saying thank you.
Balancing Judith in one arm, Rick reached into his back pocket and held out two folded pieces of paper to Anna. She accepted them, recognizing them as what Carl had handed to Michonne back in the sewer. Quietly, Rick and Michonne started toward the house.
Anna looked to the papers and saw her and Enid's names written on the front in Carl's terrible chicken scratch. She looked up to see the teen staring between her and the papers. Anna handed Enid her letter and the teen walked away.
She looked at her own letter and considered reading it. She knew she needed to. Instead, she tucked it into her back pocket, knowing she wasn't quite ready. Anna looked over to see Daryl watching her.
"I'll read it later," she said, and he nodded.
"I'm gonna go talk to Rick," he said, brushing his hand against hers as he walked past.
Anna brushed her hair away from her face and took a deep breath, listening to the clang of metal on metal as the blacksmith, Earl, worked. She looked over to see him working on a spearhead.
Without much thought, Anna went up to the perch near the front gate and peered out over the walls. She tapped her fingers against the wood frame, pursing her lips as her mind ricocheted on the possibilities of what was going to happen next.
They had no way to contact Dwight to find out what Negan was planning, but she had no doubt in her mind that they'd be headed for Hilltop. Maggie had already set up lookouts every half-mile between the Hilltop and the city limits. It wasn't a question of if the Saviors attacked, but when. And when they did, Hilltop would be ready. They had to be.
Daryl had left to join the lookouts. Maggie and Rosita joined Anna on the perch after a while and the three watched as Rick took a sedan and left Hilltop to join the lookouts as well.
"Think he'll come back from this?" Maggie asked.
"Have you come back?" Rosita countered.
The women looked at each other and Rosita shrugged.
"I just keep going," Rosita said.
Maggie, Anna, and Rosita turned to look back at the house where Enid and Michonne lingered on the front steps, Enid reading her letter from Carl, and Michonne holding Carl's hat.
"Yeah," Maggie said, as they returned to watching over the walls. "They will, too."
"It'll be harder after we finish this," Rosita said. "When it's quiet."
Anna nodded in agreement, scanning the horizon.
"Not if Negan's dead," Maggie corrected. "Not for me, at least."
"Not for me, either," Rosita agreed.
Anna pondered that for a moment, wondering if Negan and Isaac's deaths would stop the nightmares and the pain. If killing Dwight would actually make Daryl and Tara feel better. If killing was going to make the guilt go away. How could she have let Carl get bitten?
Maggie furrowed her brow and looked through her binoculars.
"What is it?" Anna asked.
"There's something out there that wasn't there before," Maggie said, pointing toward the object in question as she handed Anna the binoculars.
Anna looked through it and found what she was talking about—four black crates with a plastic bag tied to a stick acting as some sort of flag.
"I'll go check it out," Anna said, passing back the binoculars and climbing down from the perch, followed by Rosita and Maggie.
"I'll go with you," Rosita said.
The two took a truck and drove it out to the crates. They scanned the area for any signs of a trap before Anna spotted the piece of paper in a ziploc bag at the bottom of one of the crates.
Frowning, she picked it out and read the note.
If you fill the crates with food or phonograph records, I will gladly exchange them for a key to your future.
At the bottom were coordinates to what had to be a meeting spot. Anna flipped it over to check for more information, but that was it.
"Let's load these up and take them in," Rosita said, picking up two of the empty crates.
Anna nodded and grabbed the other two. They loaded the crates into the back of the truck and hurried back inside where Enid, Michonne, and Emma had joined Maggie. Rosita and Anna climbed out of the truck and Anna handed the note to Maggie.
"I don't know," Anna huffed before Maggie read the note aloud. "It lists coordinates for our meeting spot," she shrugged.
Maggie passed the note to Michonne and looked inside the crates.
"This isn't the Saviors," Michonne said. "They'd blow through the gates, make a big show. This isn't that."
"I wouldn't put nothin' past 'em," Maggie said.
"Well, if it is a trap, it's kind of obvious," Rosita said, hands on her hips.
"Which is what could make it a trap," Maggie said, starting toward the house.
"What if—" Michonne started and Maggie turned back. "What if it's someone who actually wants to help?"
"If someone is trying to help us and we miss out, we miss out," Maggie shrugged. "If somebody's trying to kill us, we die."
"Not if we're careful," Anna said.
"Being careful is staying here," Enid snapped, and Anna shot her a look.
"I'll go," Michonne offered. "I'll see what's up."
"You go, I go," Rosita said.
"Me, too," Anna agreed.
"And me," Emma added.
"Rick wants us here," Enid warned.
"I know," Michonne said. "But the last time we took a chance like this, it changed everything. Rick didn't agree with me then. He may not understand me now."
"He won't," Maggie said.
"But eventually, he will," Michonne assured. "He will."
"Jesus and the others have been scavenging, and we're still starving," Maggie sighed. "Maybe this person does have something that can help."
"Then, I'm coming with you," Enid insisted.
"Okay," Maggie said. "I'll grab records, in case this is real," Maggie informed, checking her gun's clip before looking to Enid. "You get extra clips in case it isn't."
Anna smirked and started toward the house to find her map. Finally, a good distraction.
The convoy made its way through an alley, wanting to avoid any unnecessary delays on their way to Hilltop. There wasn't much to look at and so, Isaac leaned back in his seat and gazed out the front window at the license plate of the truck in front of them, wondering how a truck from Wisconsin had ended up in Virginia.
Then again, he'd come all the way from Georgia, and back there, he'd teamed up with people from all over. He supposed people were like animals that way. Migrating from place to place in search of food and safety or some vague idea of hope. It was all a pipe dream—one he didn't waste his time on.
A jarring BANG of metal against metal startled Isaac out of his thoughts and he sat up, looking for the source of the noise. He looked through Simon's side mirror, but saw nothing at his angle. Simon screeched the truck to a halt and Isaac braced himself against the dashboard.
- "The hell was that?" - Arat asked over the walkie.
"That was Negan's car," Dwight said, out of breath.
"Jesus, it was," Simon concurred.
Isaac brushed his hair back, irritated that it had fallen in his face.
"You see it?" Dwight asked.
"Yeah, someone pegged him—pegged him good," Simon said as he pulled the truck backward. "Looked like just one guy from what I could tell."
- "Anyone see which way he went?" - Arat asked.
"What are you doing?" Isaac asked, furrowing his brow at Simon as he maneuvered the truck to block off the alley.
"Just tell 'em to pipe down," Simon snapped. "Stay icy. May be more of 'em out there."
"Keep your guards up, scan your lane," Dwight ordered through the walkie. "We could have company."
Simon parked the truck and the three grabbed their weapons before climbing out. As they did so, the rest of the convoy climbed out of their own vehicles and started toward them, ready to start the search and defense of Negan.
"Whoa, stand down," Simon called, and they stilled. "No runnin' off without a plan. Car hit Negan's, pushed him off the road. They headed that way. Couldn't have gotten far."
"Then, what are we waiting for?" Arat demanded.
"It was just one driver," Simon sighed. "It's nothin' Negan can't handle on his own. But just in case, Dwight, Isaac, and I will go check it out."
"All right, we can back you up and—" Arat began.
"No," Simon cut her off. "This might be a ploy to divide our forces, and we're not gonna let that happen, not when we're so close to the master stroke. I turned my truck to make sure no one comes in this way," he said, pointing at his handiwork. "Gary, I want you to do the same down that end. You're in charge. Keep everyone in tight, create a perimeter, cut down anything that comes close," he instructed Arat before turning to Isaac and Dwight. "Shall we locate our benefactor?"
Maggie sent Rosita and Emma into the woods to cover their flanks as she, Anna, Michonne, and Enid drove the truck to the coordinates that Anna located on her map. Parked in the middle of the crossroad was a raised, gray van with two lanky figures standing guard.
Anna pulled them to a stop.
"Okay," Michonne said.
The four of them climbed out of the truck and drew their guns as they approached, stopping ten feet away.
One of the women pulled open the van, and a white-haired woman in a gray pantsuit climbed out. She grinned at them, her smile pushing up her round glasses.
"My name is Georgie," the woman introduced, gesturing to herself and then to her companions. "These are my friends, Hilda and Midge. And you are?"
They stared at her in silence. Anna wasn't quite sure what to make of the three.
"Suspicious," Georgie nodded. "But curious enough to see what I have to offer for food and music. I do hope the records are music. I don't accept spoken word. If you're out here, you know you can take care of yourselves, and I like that. I don't care to share this with the weak."
"Good," Maggie said, and Rosita and Emma appeared around the van, guns aimed at Hilda and Midge.
Enid, Maggie, and Anna raised their guns as well.
"Enid," Maggie called. "Anna."
The teen tucked her gun in its holster and patted down Midge, taking the woman's gun. Rosita did the same to Hilda and Anna approached Georgie.
"None for me," Georgie said, raising her hand to shoo Anna away.
Anna rolled her eyes and patted the woman down, finding that she had no weapons. She stepped back to the others.
"Give us what you have," Maggie ordered.
"I'm afraid I can't do that," Georgie said, bridging her fingers together in front of her. "I come bearing knowledge to trade—essential knowledge for the future, primarily in my head," she said, tapping her forehead, "and, uh, I prefer to keep that where it is."
"You're trading knowledge," Michonne repeated.
"That's what I have," Georgie said. "I've made the same offer before—fill the crates, get the knowledge—simple as that. It's not a trick, just a fair trade. I promise you."
"It's an act of benevolence," Hilda said, arms crossed over her chest and eyes obscured by a pair of sunglasses.
"Why would you do that?" Maggie asked, not lowering her gun.
"What else should I do?" Georgie asked, as if anything else hadn't crossed her mind.
"Rosita," Maggie signaled.
Rosita moved to the back of the van and pulled the doors open.
"What's in there isn't part of the deal," Georgie said.
"There is no deal," Maggie said, lowering her gun.
"How many communities have you found?" Anna asked, furrowing her brow as Rosita returned to aiming at Hilda.
"Communities like yours?" Georgie asked. "Not many at all. And not one for a very long time. What you have is special, unusual. The dead have brought out our best and worst, and the worst has been outpacing the best lately, but that won't last forever."
"It won't," Midge affirmed, peering over her sunglasses.
"If, perhaps, people can believe in people again, four crates of goods is worth far less than a sustainable future, and perhaps an exercise in trust," Georgie implored. "I know— "trust" probably sounds like a made-up word now, like flibberschticky."
"Or klompf," Hilda added.
"Or moisture," Midge concluded.
Anna frowned, and Georgie turned to Midge, appalled.
"Stop," Enid snapped. "This isn't real. No way anyone survives going around doing what you say you're doing."
"But we do," Georgie countered. "And we will, because I can divine that you are a fine group, manners notwithstanding."
Michonne walked up to Maggie.
"We can make a deal," she said, only loud enough for Maggie and Anna to hear.
"No," Maggie said, shaking her head. "These people and their van are comin' with us back to Hilltop," she declared.
Anna pressed her lips together, unsure of where she stood on the situation. Perhaps this would give them more time to discuss their options.
"You must've thought about it, clippin' him yourself," Simon said after a long silent walk through the streets.
"You mean when he took my wife?" Dwight asked as they paused in their walk. "Or burned my face? No. Never thought about that. Not once," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm before he started walking again.
"But you didn't, because you chose to survive instead of focusing on past discomforts," Simon said. "You're an adult. You did what you had to, to live. And yet, our leader is not doing the same. If it was my call… we'd say enough. We'd branch out, we'd find new places, we'd make new relationships. We'd make sure the Saviors survive, as you chose to. As Isaac chose to. And we'd move on from past discomforts as you… wisely chose to."
Dwight scoffed, chuckling as he took a step back.
"Well, here I am, my nuts blowin' in the breeze, naked as a jaybird," Simon said. "What do you say?"
"Just move on?" Dwight asked.
"Just move on," Simon affirmed before starting their walk again.
Isaac and Dwight fell behind a few paces, just out of Simon's earshot.
"You okay with what he's proposing?" Dwight asked.
"I—"
"Holy hell," Simon said, cutting Isaac off.
They jogged to catch up and rounded the corner of a building to see Negan's car flipped onto its side, fuel leaking into a puddle around it. They approached cautiously and peered through the open back window. Blood was smeared across the windshield and bullet holes riddled the frame.
"Could be his," Simon said, referring to the blood.
"Or the bucket he brought with him," Isaac suggested.
"He could be anywhere, alive or dead," Simon went on. "Somewhere in between. Just 'cause he walked away doesn't mean he's breathing. We can keep looking, maybe find him more alive than dead, but then what?" Simon asked. "We could face a distasteful moment. Or we could walk away. Get back to our people and make things even better. This is a critical point in our history, Dwight, Isaac," he said, looking between the two. "This is something we could tell our grandkids about."
Dwight pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his back pocket and put one between his lips, lighting it and taking a drag. Isaac watched as Dwight exhaled the smoke and took another pull before he flicked the cigarette toward the car. It arched in the air, cartwheeling into the fuel puddle and an eruption of flame engulfed the car.
"Good answer," Simon said, walking away.
Dwight walked after him, and Isaac stared into the flames. Not the way he had expected things to go, but a hurdle jumped was a hurdle jumped. Assuming Negan was really dead.
"The handoff horn started up but no confirmation hits. Saviors could've slowed their roll. Let 'em. We'll slow 'em down more," Jerry explained.
His face was still dotted with bruises and scrapes, yet he grinned.
"That's good," Maggie said. "Be dark soon. Get people ready. You know what to do."
Jerry nodded and left, passing Michonne on the way out. Anna crossed her arms over her chest, pressing her lips together.
"We should make the deal and let them go before the Saviors get here," Michonne said the moment she was through the door.
"I can't let her go, not with what they have," Maggie said. "I got too many mouths to feed. They have crates of food in that van. People here could be starving soon."
Michonne turned to Anna, as if to ask for her opinion, when Enid appeared, gun still in hand.
"Maggie's right," she said, and they turned to her. "We take their stuff. Otherwise someone else will. Someone else will kill them. It's a miracle they're still alive, anyways."
She walked forward to speak directly to Michonne.
"The Saviors are on their way. We're gonna fight, and some of us will die, so why should we give a shit about people who don't give a shit about themselves?" Enid asked, her voice raising. "I mean, out there, living like that? We take their stuff, and we use it. We stop pretending that things just work out. They don't."
"Carl and Anna rescued Siddiq, and now we have a doctor, and we have a friend," Michonne said patiently before glancing down and gently taking Enid's gun. "Carl was brave."
"And now he's dead," Enid said, tears in her eyes and voice breaking.
Michonne stared at her for a moment, her face unreadable.
"Step back," she said quietly.
Enid looked ready to say something more, but she glanced between Anna and Maggie and decided to leave. The door creaked open and shut before anyone said anything.
"Things don't just work out," Maggie said.
"No," Michonne said. "No, they don't. But I think he knew that. He didn't give up on who Rick wanted him to be. And we can't on who he wanted us to be. We can't."
And with that, Michonne turned and left. Anna bowed her head and uncrossed her arms.
"Do you think keepin' them here is a mistake?"
Anna looked up to see Maggie was now staring out the window.
"Georgie and her pals?" Anna asked. "I think keeping them here pulls them into something they have nothing to do with. Something they don't need to be a part of."
"So, you think I should make the deal and let them go?" Maggie asked.
"Make the deal or not, you should let them go. But—" Anna sighed heavily. "I think you should make the deal. Assuming everyone is the enemy makes everyone an enemy. We can't afford to live like that."
Maggie said and did nothing, seeming to contemplate Anna's words.
"I'll let you think," Anna announced, heading out of the room and out of the house.
Anna cast a glance at Georgie, Hilda, and Midge sitting on a bench in front of the house with Rosita and Emma standing guard. She started around to the back of the house, deciding she needed some time to visit Glenn and Abraham. As she came around the corner, she spotted Enid, sitting in front of Glenn's grave, holding her knees and crying.
She considered turning back and leaving the girl alone, but she continued toward her and sat down, setting her stick on the ground behind them. They were quiet for a long moment.
"I killed Natania," Enid said suddenly. "She was out there trying to kill anyone she came across, and we came across her. So, I killed her, and I'm alive. Carl saved someone, and he's dead."
Anna took a breath, trying to gather her thoughts.
"How the hell are we supposed to do this?" Enid asked. "Are we supposed to just stop fighting?"
"No," Anna said, shaking her head. "No, we don't stop fighting for our future. But… to get to our future, it's going to take more than just fighting."
"So, what? We just talk to the Saviors and hope it'll work out?" Enid asked. "Things don't just work out that way."
"Not everything, you're right. But, if everywhere you look you see enemies, you're going to live in a very lonely world," Anna said, brushing her hair out of her face. "It's hard to tell when you're supposed to fight and when you're supposed to wait. Sometimes we don't get to know until it's too late, and sometimes the answer is right in front of us." Anna glanced at Enid. "I think Carl figured that out with Siddiq. And I think he was hoping we'd figure it out, too."
Anna leaned against her stick as she, Emma, Rosita, Michonne, and Enid stood on the porch, watching over Georgie, Hilda, and Midge. The sun was starting its descent and Maggie had yet to come out with a decision. Anna was starting to get worried the three wouldn't be able to leave in time, if at all.
The door opened and Anna glanced over her shoulder to see Maggie stepping out of the house carrying a crate full of records. She made her way off the porch and set the crate down in front of Georgie.
"No spoken word?" Georgie asked.
"I'm agreeing to your deal," Maggie said instead. "We'll fill your four crates, then you can go. You're gonna want that to be sooner than later."
"I accept," Georgie said. "But I'm changing the terms."
Anna tensed, looking between Maggie and Georgie as her grip on her stick tightened.
"This one, no more," Georgie said quickly. "In addition, you can have a sizable portion of my food stores," she said, gesturing to Hilda and Midge; they got up and began to unload some boxes from the back of the van. "From the looks of things around here, you need it far more than we do."
"You're givin' us food? In exchange for what?" Maggie asked suspiciously.
"Records, and good faith," Georgie said simply. "To be clear, this isn't a gift—it's a barter. I'll be back. Maybe not for a while, but I will, and by then, I expect great things."
She moved to the van and pulled out a stack of pages loosely bound by three metal rings.
"Here… is the aforementioned key to a future. Inside, there are handwritten plans for windmills, watermills, silos, hand-drawn schematics, guides to refining grain, creating lumber, aqueducts—a book of medieval human achievement, so we may have a future from our past," she said, handing the book to Maggie.
Anna tilted her head to get a better look at it.
"Yes, I know, the originals are in my head, but I made photocopies," Georgie said, nodding. "Still, it's been an evolving document since the copy shop."
"Thank you," Maggie said after a moment.
"Build this place up," Georgie said. "I want those other crates filled when I get back—cheeses for Hilda, pickles for Midge."
"We'll see what we can do," Maggie assured.
Georgie stepped forward and patted Maggie on the arm.
"You will," she said softly.
Enid walked off. Anna cast a glance at Michonne, and the woman started after her. Hilda and Midge continued to load up the van as Maggie turned to Anna and Emma.
"Take this," Maggie said, handing the book to Emma. "I'll go through it with you later."
Emma nodded, accepted the book, and started inside. Hilda and Midge finished loading up the van and said their goodbyes before the three climbed in and sped off through the gates.
"You made the right call," Anna said as she moved to stand in front of Maggie.
"Not everyone can be an enemy, right?" Maggie asked.
Anna nodded, flashing a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Without another word on the matter, Anna turned and headed inside, making her way up to her and Daryl's room. She shut the door and leaned her stick against the nightstand.
Anna sat on the soft bed, pushing herself further onto the bed to sit cross legged against the pillows. She pulled out the piece of paper from her back pocket and looked at her name scrawled across the front. There was no reason to put it off any longer. With a deep breath, she unfolded the paper and began reading.
Anna,
Thank you for helping me be a kid while I still could. For playing video games with me, supporting me, and just being the older sister I never thought I wanted or needed.
When we lost you at the farm, I didn't think we'd ever find you again. I kept that Game Boy for as long as I could, even after the batteries died. It's all I had left of you. And all Daryl had was your journal. I read it when he wasn't around. Sorry. He never stopped looking for you—even when I said you were dead. I wish I had never stopped, either.
When I told you what almost happened before Terminus
Anna sniffed, attempting to keep the tears in. She noticed the way the pen seemed to have pressed harder into the page. That had been a tough conversation. She was just glad those men hadn't succeeded. But even the pain of 'almost' lingers, and he had come to her when they'd been in Alexandria for a little while. It had taken some time, and he'd been embarrassed, but eventually he told her what he'd been unable to talk to Rick or Michonne about.
She shook her head and returned to reading.
you told me you got it, that you understood the anger and that you still felt it, even after all this time, and you weren't sure if it was ever going to go away. I know it was hard for you to tell me that, but you made me feel like I wasn't alone.
I know you're going to feel guilty about this. But it isn't your fault. It wasn't anyone's fault. It just happened. You've gone through too much to get to where you are. Don't give up. I'm asking you and dad, don't give up. Keep fighting. Everyone's got to have a chance for what comes after. You told me that and you were right. Please, don't forget it.
I love you.
Carl