Chapter 4: Nothing to Lose

~Rick~

"Guns down," Morales orders. "Now." I do as he says, putting my guns on the ground. Morales chuckles humorlessly, shaking his head. "So you're the Rick from Alexandria. This whole time, it was you."

"You called your men in for nothing," I tell him. "The fight's out there. It's just me in here."

"Did you hear what I said? I know who you are. I saw it in the mirror through the open door, and it wasn't any kind of blast from the past. As soon as I saw you, I knew you made the same trip as me. From there to here. Shit, hell, I guess we aren't the same guys we used to be. 'Cause you're a monster. I called them back because you're a prize, Rick. We've been told. We don't kill you, the Widow, the King, or the Orphan. Not if we don't have to. So why are you here, Rick? I know you. Just like before. You're always the guy willing to rush in. But why? What is it you're looking for?"

I don't reply, still shocked at seeing Morales here.

"Nothin' to say, huh? It doesn't matter. Not anymore. Not for you, or anyone else you brought in here. 'Cause what's left of my people, they're coming. And we'll get you to Negan. Or we won't. Either way, we're gonna settle your shit, Peaches."

"Is your family here?" I finally question.

From the change in Morales's breathing, the way he lowers the gun just a bit, I already know the answer. He tells me, "We never made it to Birmingham. They didn't."

"I'm sorry," I tell him.

"Really, Rick?"

"I am. I lost people, too. Lori, Shane, Andrea. Glenn. Negan killed him. Clary was covered in his blood. She's the who you call the Orphan. Negan forced us to our knees, bashed Glenn's head in right in front of his me. In front of his pregnant wife."

"He had a wife?" Morales questions.

"Not before. He met her."

"In this?"

"Yeah. In this. She's the Widow." I pause, not wanting to know the answer, but I have to ask. "Are you Negan, too?"

Morales raises his gun on me again. "I lost my family. I lost my mind. I was in some trailer, sleeping myself to death, waiting to become nothing. And the Saviors? They found me. They thought I was worth a damn, worth bringing back with 'em. So yeah. Yeah, I'm Negan. To make it this far, this long, I had to be. Had to be something. Just like you."

"We're not the same," I reply.

"How's that?"

"Well, look at you."

"Look at me? Look at us, Rick. Look at us. We're two assholes who will do whatever we have to, just to keep going. And the only difference is I'm the one holding the gun. That doesn't make me any worse than you, Rick. That just makes me luckier. 'Cause let's face it, if it wasn't me, if it was you holding the gun, I'd be brains out on the floor right now."

"You don't know that," I argue.

"And you do?" Morales challenges.

"I know I wouldn't want to."

"C'mon, is that the best you can do?"

"I'd at least try to find another way."

"Yeah, why? 'Cause we knew each other for a few days back at the start?"

"Look, I know I would—"

"You wanna know what I think? I think you can talk all you want, you can say all the words. Lori, Shane, Andrea, Glenn—they're all dead. And somewhere along the way, Officer Friendly died right along with 'em. Just like I did. That's what I know, Rick."

I suddenly spot Daryl behind him, crossbow raised, and try, "Wait, no!"

Morales spins, raising his gun; but Daryl fires first. His bolt sinks into Morales's eye, his body dropping to the ground with a thump. Daryl questions, "You good?"

"That… that was…"

"I know who that was," Daryl replies. "But it don't matter. It don't matter that his wife kept Clary fed, that he taught her different ways of fishing and she taught him tracking in return. It don't matter. Not one little bit." Daryl pulls his bolt out of Morales's body. "You find them guns?"

"They aren't here."

"What?" Daryl demands.

"He called the Saviors back from the courtyard." I kneel, grabbing my weapons. "We gotta get out before—" I cut myself off as I hear a door being kicked open down the hall. "They're here."

~Clary~

The gunfire still continues behind us, the battle raging on. Eric leans against a tree as we strip his jacket off, Aaron assuring him, "It's okay, it's okay."

"How bad is it?" Eric questions.

I turn him, searching his back for an exit wound. I laugh in relief when I see one, telling him with a smile, "There's an exit wound. That's great. Aaron, tie his jacket around him."

Aaron nods, doing what I say. Eric winces, his hands gripping Aaron's arms as he sinks to the ground. "We're gonna get you to the Kingdom's doctor," Aaron tells him, kneeling beside him. "We just have to keep pressure."

I kneel with them, fighting back tears because there's still work to do. I can't clock out yet, not when there's still a chance we can save Eric. Sweat plasters his red hair to his forehead, blood darkening his green shirt. Aaron's voice is on the verge of breaking as he says, "Eric, I'm so sorry."

"Were you the one who shot me?" Eric jokes, trying to keep Aaron from breaking.

"I pulled you into this," Aaron tells him. "You didn't want to fight."

Oh, this can't be happening. No, no, please, no. God, no, don't let this be real.

"Until I did," Eric replies. "You need to help them."

"No," Aaron objects.

"You need to go. I can bleed here fine on my own."

"I'm not leaving you."

"Don't be an idiot. They need you. They need you both." Eric steals a glance at me, at the shock plastered all over my face. "She needs you." Aaron bows his head, choking on his tears. "Aaron, look. Look at me." Aaron lifts his head. "You know I love you. You know I'm right."

Aaron sniffles, pressing his forehead against Eric's before kissing him. That's when he breaks down sobbing, the fact of the little amount of time we have left setting in. Eric holds out an arm and murmurs, "Clary, c'mere, sweetheart."

I don't hesitate, Eric wrapping his arm around me and holding me close. "It's okay," Eric says. "Now, Aaron, stand your ass up, get back to the fight, and you win this thing."

"I will," Aaron promises. "We will. I love you."

"I always had a hunch," Eric replies with a small smile. Aaron takes his rifle, kissing Eric once more. Aaron pauses before he leaves, looking back at me. "Go," I growl. "You're in charge. Give the order."

Aaron questions, "Push forward?"

"We got nothin' to lose," I reply. "Kill 'em all, even if they surrender. They don't get to live."

Aaron takes off, returning to the fight and leaving me with Eric. I turn towards the sky, Jesus's words replaying in my head. No matter if it's night or day, just look up, and it'll be okay. But it's not. It's not okay. It shouldn't be sunny. It should be grey and cloudy, it should be thunderstorming or raining, at the very least. Instead, it's sunny and far too bright for what we've gone through. And what we're going through.

"Hey, it's alright," Eric says. "I don't feel it."

"You're gonna be okay," I tell him, pressing my hand against his stomach. "You're gonna be okay. You'll make it."

"Stop," Eric murmurs. "Stop worrying, okay? Do… do you remember when I sang to you? To stop the nightmares?"

His breathing is shaky as I hug him, and I know that he was lying when he said he didn't feel anything. "I just want this nightmare to end."

"Me too, baby," Eric whispers. "Will you sing? It's up to you now."

"Yeah," I say, nodding. "Yeah, Dad, I can sing."

Shakily, I sing for him.

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are gray
You'll never know dear, how much I love you
Please don't take my sunshine away

In all my dreams, dear, you seem to leave me
When I awake my poor heart pains
So when you come back and make me happy
I'll forgive you dear, I'll take all the blame

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are gray
You'll never know dear, how much I love you
Please don't take my sunshine away"

And then I'm crying, because Eric's getting weaker and we both know our time is running out. We both know he's not gonna survive this. Eric murmurs, "Clary, sweetheart, you gotta go. You gotta get back."

"I can't leave you," I whisper.

"I don't want you to see this, baby."

"I can't—"

"You can't let Aaron do this by himself. You gotta promise me you'll stay alive for him."

"I will. I promise."

"Go. He needs you. I'll be okay. I'll still be here when this is all over."

I squeeze my eyes shut, pressing my forehead against Eric's. "I love you, Dad."

"I love you so much. I'm so proud of you." Eric kisses the top of my head. "Now go kick their asses, baby. Win this war."

~Morgan~

I think it's impossible to get Jared to shut up.

As we march the captured Saviors to the Hilltop, he whistles a loud and rather annoying tune. I hit his arm, causing him to chuckle, but at least he stops whistling. I walk further ahead, joining Jesus as he tells me, "We're not far. To the Hilltop. We're far from somewhere else, I guess. We made our decision."

"Nothing's been decided," I respond shortly.

"Well, nothing is permanent except permanence I guess. But we are taking these men to the Hilltop. That's where we're going and that's what we're doing."

"You know how dangerous this is. Who these people are."

Jesus pauses for a moment. "No matter what they've done, they're people. There's many kinds of danger, many kinds of dying. I kill. I've killed. You do. You have. But we don't execute."

"I have," I say. Jesus falls silent, dropping back.

"You know, I've been trying to figure out what's different about you," Jared says. "There's something that's definitely different. I think I finally got it. It's your armor. It's what's different. It's smaller. Almost like it shrunk, or something." I start walking just a bit faster, trying to get away from Jared. "Oh shit. Is that the kid's? It is, isn't it? Why the hell would you wear that? Didn't do shit for him."

I spin on my heel, aiming my rifle at him. Everyone stops, and I say, "Clary, she's claimed you, but she won't know. I can say that you ran, or that you tried to kill Jesus. She won't know the difference."

"Morgan, don't," Jesus says. "We're bringing them back so Clary and Maggie can decide what to do."

"And you think that Clary won't decide to kill them all?"

"She won't execute them!"

"Walkers on the hill!" Dianne suddenly shouts. "Walkers on the hill!"

~Daryl~

I lead the way down the hall, gun raised, Rick close behind. We duck into a doorway when there's gunfire from one end of the hall. Rick returns fire, barking, "Down there, go!"

I take off the way we came, and duck into another doorway as Saviors appear at the other end. Gunfire separates us, Rick down the hall and on the other side. I use my semi-automatic first, the two of us taking turns firing at the Saviors at opposite ends of the hall. The Saviors duck for cover as I fire at them, but I find myself looking at my gun in disbelief when it clicks. I could've sworn I had more bullets. I switch to my revolver, counting down the six bullets.

My gun clicks.

I'm out, and the Saviors are still coming. Still shooting.

"Rick! Hey! Hey!" I shout, and he turns to look at me. "I'm out."

Rick fires another shot at the Saviors at his end, then turns back to me. "Hey!" he shouts.

Rick holds up his hand, three fingers up, quickly counting down. He turns and fires at the wall across from him, striking a fire extinguisher. It provides cover for me, and Rick shouts, "Come on!"

I run across, joining him. The Saviors from my end chase after me, and more gunfire erupts. They drop, and for a moment, I think the Saviors killed their own. Then, a voice I easily recognize as Aaron's orders, "Teams of four! Sweep the offices!"

"If there's any Saviors left alive," Clary adds, "kill 'em all."

"Aaron?" Rick calls. "Clary?"

"Rick?" Aaron questions.

"We're by the elevator!"

"Is Daryl with you?"Clary calls, her voice full of worry.

It's not just worry for my safety. I know that much, just by her tone. Something's wrong. Something happened. Something bad. Something made her change her mind about killing everyone.

"I'm here!" I shout. "I'm here."

~Jesus~

Walkers roll down the hill, stumbling to their feet and then towards us. We open fire, and screaming starts as one walker reaches one of the Saviors. The Saviors we captured were tied together with a line of a rope, forming two separate groups. Jared leads his line into the woods, and the second group goes to follow. Alden, the blond that surrendered at the outpost, trips one of the Saviors, forcing them to stop. He barks, "They got guns, we don't! Stop!"

I spot Morgan chasing after Jared's group, and take off after him. One of the Saviors trips, the rest having to stop and get him up. Morgan catches them first, shooting one in the head. He drops to the ground, and every Savior but Jared immediately gets on their knees, one of them begging, "Stop, don't shoot! We give up."

Only Jared remains standing, and Morgan aims at the Saviors. I shove him, forcing him to miss his shot, and he spins, aiming at me. I grab the barrel, forcing it away from me and out of his hands with a grunt. "Morgan, stop," I order.

Dianne, along with a few of her men, arrive behind me. She orders, "C'mon, on your feet, let's go."

"They ran off to get away," Morgan says. "Then what happens after?"

"We stop them," I answer.

"And they keep trying, again and again. What'd you think? That they were gonna come back? That they would change? That they would be something else? It doesn't change. It never changes. And once they turn—"

"Morgan!" I bark, cutting him off. "We're gonna find another way. Maggie will find another way."

"Do you really think she won't want them dead? Every last one, after what they've done. And it ain't just them 'cause we're here now. To be this, do the same thing they do, but we go on. You see, we are the same!"

"Morgan."

"We're the same! We're the same. So there's no choice. Everybody turns, but we—"

"There's war," I interrupt, "and then there's peace. We're gonna have to live with these people after. We're gonna have to find a way to peace." I rest my hand on his shoulder. "Morgan."

He suddenly shoves me back, and I catch myself before I fall. I duck the swing of his bo staff, kicking him back. We both take a fighting stance, and I jump back as he swings again. Morgan takes a few steps back, and I push my hair back, saying, "Alright, you're having a little trouble."

Morgan doesn't respond, instead spinning his staff before attacking again. I dodge and side-step his jabs before landing a punch. He grunts as he stumbles back, putting his hands on his knees. I question, "You wanna stop now?" Morgan simply looks at me. "Maybe not."

He attacks again, hitting me with the blunt end of his staff in my stomach. I double over, but I catch the staff as he swings it. I hold on, kicking him, but he manages to take the staff with him. I try to kick him again, but he swipes my feet out from under me. I roll out of the way, Morgan stabbing the ground where I had been barely a second before. I'm on my feet again, knocking Morgan to the ground now.

He gets back up, not quitting. Morgan gets me on my back, and I throw my hands up, holding off his staff as he tries to push down on it. I kick him off of me, and he takes the staff with him. I grab for it again, kicking him back and yanking it out of his grasp all at once. He grunts but stops his offense, knowing that I've beaten him.

"Is it over, Morgan?" I question. Morgan doesn't answer, so I assume it's a yes, tossing his stick back to him. As soon as it's in his hands, he spins it, putting it to my throat. I lift my chin, feeling the tip brushing my neck. "Is it?"

"What?" Morgan questions after a long, tense moment. He lowers his bo staff, taking a step back. "I'm not right. I know that. I'm not right. But that doesn't make me wrong." He shake his head. "I can't be a part of this."

Morgan steps back, picking up his dropped gun. Tara says, "Morgan. You are right."

Morgan walks off, and I sigh. Dianne questions, "You alright?"

I nod. "We have to keep moving," I say. "Shouldn't stay in one place for too long. All that gunfire's gonna draw even more walkers."

~Maggie~

"Maggie!" Enid calls from where she stands watch atop the Hilltop's wall. "It's him."

I knew he'd come back sooner or later, I think as I walk down to the gate, Enid joining me. Gregory knocks on the gate from the other side, calling, "Hey! Hello? Open the gates! I need help. I've been through hell! I know you're in there! I know you can hear me!"

Kal looks down at me, and I give him a nod. Kal opens the gate, just far enough that Gregory can see inside. He steps closer to the gate, a look of relief on his face before it changes to confusion when it doesn't open any farther. He questions, "Is the gate broken? I told them to oil it—"

Gregory cuts himself off when he sees me standing on the other side, prepared for his arrival.

"Gate's not broken," he guesses.

"What are you doing with Gabriel's car?" I question, catching sight of the vehicle behind parked behind him. "Where is he?"

"I don't know who that is," Gregory replies. I guess I really shouldn't be surprised at that, as Gregory can't even remember the names of the Hilltop residents. "Look, the car was just… there."

"So what are you doing here?" I demand.

"I live here. This is my home."

It's also the homes of the people you threatened to kick out, assface.

"I built this place," he continues. "You weren't here for that, but some of us didn't just show up."

"Shut your damn mouth!" I snap. "You're really gonna stand there and pretend you didn't try to sell us out?! Sell this place out to the Saviors?!"

"I was working for the side of sanity. I was working for peace."

"You threatened to kick people out."

"I tried to save lives. Now those people are cannon fodder."

"Those people are fighting for a better life!"

"Look, the throwing out the families line was all Negan," Gregory tries. "He made me say those horrible things. I went to them in-in-in, you know, in the interest of furthering a-a-a good faith diplomacy. I tried to save lives! Some people, without opinions colored by a preoccupation with vengeance, might call that heroic."

"You were looking out for yourself," I reply, knowing every single fucking word that's coming out of Gregory's mouth is nothing but a lie being told by someone that is interested only in self-preservation. "You went there to betray us. To warn Negan that we were gonna fight. That's what you told Kal when you dragged him there. That's why Kal left you there."

"Kal?" Gregory questions, then scoffs. "Kal is delusional."

"What the hell?" Kal exclaims, leaning across the wall to look down at Gregory.

"Kal!" Gregory says, and Kal simply flips him off. "C'mon, man, you know you can be dramatic. That thing with the sorghum pancakes, huh?"

"You mean when you ate a little girl's pancakes?" Kal returns.

"I did not eat those pancakes!" Gregory shouts, then looks behind him to see if his yelling attracted any walkers. Gregory sighs, turning back to me. "Look, for what it's worth, I did exactly zero harm to your cause. Negan already knew everything."

"Goodbye, Gregory," I say, turning to walk back up the path to Barrington House.

"Wait, no, please!" Gregory begs. "Alright, I went there because I was scared! Alright? I knew you were gonna fight and-and I didn't want to be complicit. Because I didn't think you could win. But I see now what you saw all along, that the Saviors can't be reasoned with. That fighting them is the only way. I was wrong. I made a mistake and I'm sorry."

I don't move from where I stand, not even turning around to look at him.

"Please, Maggie," Gregory pleads. Wow, he must be desperate, getting my name right for once. "We're all just human beings with faults and flaws and fears. But is this who you are? Have-have you no mercy? If you know humanity, if you know charity, please! Please, open the gate! Open your heart! Don't leave another human being out here to die!"

Tired of Gregory's incessant whining, I turn to Kal. I tell him, "Let him in."

Kal opens the gate, and Enid puts her hand on my arm, forcing me to look at her. "With everything he did?" she questions. "Why?"

I look over at Gregory, answering, "He's not worth killing. Not yet, anyway."

"You won't regret this," Gregory says as he approaches, Kal closing the gate behind him. Enid and I start off up towards Barrington, leaving Gregory behind and attempting to ignore him as he continues talking. "I've changed. I'm a believer now. You'll see."

"Uh, Maggie?" Kal calls. "I think you're gonna need to deal with this."

~Clary~

We walk outside with Rick and Daryl to find that walkers have started to wander in, drawn by the gunfire. They feed on some of the dead. The others begin to take out the walkers and stop the others before they have a chance to turn. Aaron and I take off, heading back towards where we left Eric.

I think my heart stops beating for a second when I see that there's no one at the tree.

There's blood on the trunk, Eric's gun still lying there beside it.

There's too much blood.

Aaron picks it up before yelling, "Eric!"

"Dad!" I scream. "Dad!"

I freeze. I can hear it.

A walker growling.

I spin on my heel, whispering, "No. Please, no."

On the other side of the gate, I see a lone figure making its way towards the herd passing by. Aaron lets out a sob as we walk towards him, towards the walker that Eric has become. I don't know who it is at first that's run up to us, taking Aaron's arm. "He's there," Aaron sobs, his voice so broken. "Eric's there! I can't—I can't—"

It's Scott, I realize, as he supports Aaron, keeping him from collapsing.

"I can't let him—"

"Aaron," Scott says, cutting him off. "It's not him. We gotta go."

"No!" Aaron objects.

I remain where I am, frozen in shock. Scott puts his hand on my arm, trying to pull me back with them. I snap back, spinning and punching the first piece of Scott that I come into contact with. My fist connects with Scott's bicep; not exactly the best target for trying to free myself, but nonetheless I bark, "Don't touch me!"

I pull my arm free from Scott's grasp, hand going to my knife as I start forward. "Clary!" Scott exclaims.

"I got somethin' I gotta do on my own," I say, not even realizing they were Merle's last words until after they've left my mouth. It all comes back to me, clearer than ever. Merle, dead, stumbling towards Daryl and I, teeth snapping. Daryl, pushing me behind him because I couldn't do it. Because I couldn't put down someone I care about after they had already turned.

"Cheyenne," Aaron says in that broken voice of his. "Chey, please."

I turn back, Aaron extending his arm for me. I rush to his side, burying my face in his chest because I still can't put down my family.

~Maggie~

Oh, Jesus, what the hell have you done?

Kal opens the gate, revealing that Jesus's crew that he took the satellite outpost has returned. And they're not alone.

Nearly forty Saviors are with them, hands bound and tied together with a rope.

Jesus took them as prisoners of war, and he wants to bring them inside to hold them captive as a piece of leverage over the rest of the Saviors.

And Gregory has the audacity to believe that he has a voice in the matter.

As soon as he sees the Saviors, he exclaims, "We are not letting them in! No way!" I roll my eyes as Jesus meets me at the gate, Gregory trailing behind me. "With what they did, with what they do, they are monsters."

"Gregory!" Jesus snaps.

"No!" Gregory returns. "This is not a sanctuary for killers. We'd be putting the safety of everyone in jeopardy."

"Get out of here," I order, turning to look at the former leader.

"I know what they are," Gregory says. "I have stared in the face of—"

"Gregory!" I shout, fuming. "Go!"

Gregory turns and walks away after a moment, and I try to calm myself as much as I can as I turn back to Jesus. He says, "He actually came back after all that."

"And I actually let him in," I add.

Tara steps forward, crossing her arms. She chimes in, "No offense, Jesus, but I kind of agree with that prick."

"There are families in here," I say. "Children."

"It's not like we'd let them roam free," Jesus replies. "There's two empty trailers out back. We could lock them up in there with round-the-clock guards until this whole thing is over. And then we can go from there."

"You know what they've done to us," I remind him. "What they've taken from us."

"Of course I do," Jesus says. "You were out, you didn't see her. You didn't know. You didn't feel the worry. You didn't know the panic that shot through me when I saw Clary put that gun to her head—my gun. You all lost that night, and you would've lost more because of what he took. What Negan took. But these men? They didn't take. They surrendered."

"Jesus," I start.

"They surrendered," Jesus repeats. "Not all of them wanted to, but the ones that did, they cut all ties they had with Negan. Look, I know what they did. I know it's not what Clary would do, letting Saviors live. But they've surrendered, and they still deserve a second chance. They're not innocent by any means, but Clary wouldn't kill people trying to start over. I can't kill people instead of giving them a second chance." I sigh. "We can't let them go, and we can't kill them. We can't."

~Clary~

The others all have bodies. They all have someone to bury.

We don't.

Aaron's shaking, doing everything in his power not to break down sobbing because I'm still here. In his mind, he still has a responsibility; but I can't force him to do his duty as a father when he's just lost the man he loves. Aaron has his arm around me, keeping me pressed into his side.

I turn, wrapping my arms around his torso and burying my face in his shoulder. I whisper, "You don't have to be strong for me, Dad. You don't—you don't…" I squeeze my eyes shut, choking on my tears. "He's gone. We lost. You don't… you don't have to keep fighting."

Aaron doesn't respond for a long time, until, with an unsteady voice, he whispers, "It's almost done. It's almost over. There'll be peace when we're done. There has to be. It's all we can do. We have to hold onto tomorrow."

I lift my head from his shoulder, just leaning into his side as I go back to staring at the bodies of those that sacrificed themselves for nothing; the guns weren't here. Daryl passes by us, squeezing Aaron's shoulder and leaning down to kiss the top of my head. "Rick and I, we'll take care of the rest," Daryl promises. "You can be done."

When neither Aaron or I respond, Daryl continues on, taking care of what needs to be taken care of. I close my eyes, resting my head against Aaron's shoulder.

I lift my head when I hear a baby crying.

Rick emerges from the outpost, a baby in his arms. Tobin inquires, "She was inside?"

"She was," Rick confirms, stopping beside Tobin. "I have a stop to make, and Daryl's got his bike. Maybe she can go back with you or Scott."

"She can go with me," Aaron volunteers, pushing himself up off the hood of our car. I follow him up, sticking close to him, not ready to let him leave me even for just a second. He looks down at me, and I nod at him. Aaron turns back to Rick. "We can take her to the Hilltop. She's be safe there."

Rick steps closer to us, softly saying, "Aaron, are you sure?"

"Eric, Clary, and I were gonna go up," Aaron tells him. "We were gonna go there after and update Maggie, so… it's what Clary and I are gonna do." Rick pauses, and Aaron's voice breaks as he whispers, "Please. I… I have to."

Rick nods, passing the baby to Aaron. He tells him, "Her name's Gracie."

Rick and Tobin leave, but Daryl pauses. He turns to me, and Aaron steps back with Gracie. Daryl wraps me in a hug, resting his chin on top of my head.

For once, I don't reciprocate Daryl's hug. Instead, I whisper, "Please, don't. Please don't touch me, Daryl."

"I'm sorry," Daryl murmurs. "We'll make 'em pay."

"'Cause we got nothin' to lose."

~Daryl~

"'Cause we got nothin' to lose."

Clary pulls herself from my embrace, bowing her head as she returns to Aaron's side, gently stroking Gracie's hair. "Daryl," Rick calls.

I turn away from my blood family and my adopted family, turning back to my brother in arms. I meet back up with Rick as Tobin goes to his car, heading back to Alexandria.

"I'm worried," I say, glancing over my shoulder at Clary and Aaron as they get in their car. "All of it, for nothing."

"This isn't over yet," Rick says, resting his hands on his hips as I turn back to him after watching Aaron drive away with the two children under his care. "The fight's still going on, and it's not just me that's been leading it."

"The hell you saying?" I demand.

"You know what I'm saying," Rick replies. "I don't want to do it, but I don't have any other choice. I need Clary still leading this. People listen to her. I know that she can get a lot more people to like her and kill for her than I can. I need her."

"She just lost her father!" I exclaim.

"The fight doesn't just stop because people have died!"

"It might not, but it is for her. She's mourning her father."

"There'll be time to mourn after. There will be. But there isn't now."

"Rick—"

"Negan still hasn't been defeated," Rick interrupts. "It won't be over until he is. There won't be time to mourn until after it's over."