Carl watched as Rick gave Michonne an intimate kiss before walking over to him. Telling him to come here, Rick pulled his hat off and gave him a crushing hug before turning towards the truck he was heading out in. Sophia had given the Dixons her farewells, promising to stay in Alexandria while they were gone, Carol receiving a small hug as well. It almost felt like they were telling everyone goodbye for good, not just for now. So many people were hugging and reassuring each other that Carl's confidence was slightly shaken. One wrong move and everything could crumble around them. He could only hope that everything went according to plan and they would actually be able to end the war with the Saviors without too much bloodshed.

"This is the end of it," Rick assured him before climbing in his truck.

Carl watched his dad and most of the rest of the adults from Alexandria and all the fighters Hilltop and the Kingdom had to offer rolled through the gates of Alexandria to head to the rendezvous point as Michonne stood beside him. "I know you wanted to go with him," he told her. "I did, too."

"Everything hurts," Michonne said. "But I'll help you defend this place."

"Me?" he scoffed.

"Oh yeah," Michonne replied. "This is your show." When Carl just scoffed and turned away, she walked over to him and nudged him with her shoulder. "Okay...You'll see."

He waited for a while before deciding to try to find the man he'd met a couple days ago. If he was lucky, he'd be in the same area as he had been. If he wasn't, then maybe he'd find someone else who needed help. Grabbing his bag, he went to the kitchen while Michonne was on patrol and gathered a few supplies and a couple bottles of water. Hope was something worth holding onto, but it meant nothing if they didn't do something to keep hope alive. His dad was dead set on the war with the Saviors, and while Carl had thought that that was the right course of action, after everything, he couldn't say that it actually felt right now. What was the point in a war that would only hurt more people than it would help?

Carl walked back to the place he had seen the man who spoke about the traveler. Something about what he'd said hit close to home for the boy, and he couldn't help but want to help him. Maybe it was that he'd brought up his mom a lot, something Carl had been thinking about himself. Maybe it was how scared yet sincere he'd looked when he'd held up his hands. Maybe it was the fact that the man didn't even have a weapon to be seen. All Carl knew was that, shortly after his dad left, he couldn't sit around and do nothing. He'd told Sophia that there had to be something left when all was said and done. Now, he was taking it into his own hands to make sure that the world would turn out to be a better place rather than just leaving things lie.

Squatting down in the place he'd seen the man last, he left a couple cans of food and a note that said sorry before looking around. While it was hard to make out, he knew something or someone was hunkered down in the bushes. The only problem was that what his dad had done had made the man scared of him now. Carl knew he was going to have to walk away, potentially track and follow the man, if he was going to be able to get him back to Alexandria. No one could survive on their own anymore, especially an unarmed man that foolishly would talk to anyone he came across.

~x~

A single arrow from Daryl's bow shot through the heart of the Savior on the tree platform, killing him instantly before they moved onto the next stop. They snuck their way to the road blockade, Daryl taking no time in grabbing the man and breaking his neck, snagging up the cigarette he'd dropped as Ani grabbed his gun. Daryl sat on the hood of the car as she walked up to him and showed him the gun. It was exactly what they needed for the explosions, but at the same time, the number that was scratched into the top made them both grimace. They knew they'd killed, they'd killed a lot. Hell, Ani had a higher count than anyone, even if she wasn't sure what it was after the first attack went south. But every single person they had killed had been to keep their family alive, to keep themselves and each other safe. The Saviors, the assholes like the one Daryl had killed, the one Ani was staring at and wishing she could do something worse to, they killed just because they could. Over forty lives had been taken by that man, and both Dixons doubted very much that a single kill had been necessary. That was the whole reason they were ending this thing. Even if Rick said it wouldn't end today, they could if they tried. Once they got the heavy artillery Dwight had told them about from Regina's complex, they could easily end the Saviors and Negan once and for all.

"When I first met him," Rick said, standing on the back of the flatbed truck with Ezekiel and Maggie, "Jesus said that my world was gonna get a whole lot bigger. Well, we found that world. We found each other. That...'bigger world' is ours. By right. That we've come together for it, all of us...it's that much more true. It's ours by right! Any person who would live in peace and fairness, who would find common ground, it's their right too. But those who use and take and kill to carve out the world and make it theirs alone, we end them!" he yelled out at the crowd of faces from the three settlements, prepping them for the battle to come. "We don't...we don't celebrate it. But we don't have shame about it, either. There's only one person who has to die...and I will kill him myself. I will. I will," he said with conviction. "But if it's the others, the others who prop him up, who stand by his side, even if they just look the other way, so be it. Then...we keep makin' the world bigger. Together."

"Together," Ezekiel called out. "Bound forever! To quote the Bard, 'For he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother! Shall be my sister!" he said, gently touching Rick and Maggie's shoulder before Shiva roared out.

"We've practiced. We've been through it over and over again," Maggie called out, having spent the last two days making sure the walkers on the highway would be where they needed to be and that everyone knew what their formations were to be. "We all know the plan doesn't end this morning. That we may have to live in uncertainty for days, maybe more. That we have to keep our faith in each other. If we can hold onto that with everything we have, the future is ours. The world is ours."

"I don't want to wait for it anymore," Rick told them all. "You don't either—I know. So we don't have to wait for it. If we start tomorrow right now...with everything we've beat, everything we've endured, everything we've risen above, everything we've become," he told them, his voice getting louder and clearer with each 'everything' he stated. "If we start tomorrow right now no matter what comes next, we've won. We've already won!"

Daryl looked over to Ani as the leaders finished up their speeches and asked if she was still alright. Her only response was telling him to hurry up as she climbed onto her ATV and started it up. They only had so much time to get to the bridge bypass to meet up with Carol, Morgan, and Tara after checking in with Rick and making sure that everything was ready. Ten minutes, to be exact, which was why they let their engines rip and headed out with as much speed as they could. Carol smiled as they rolled into view and pulled to a stop, coming over to Ani and giving her a hug.

"You sure you're up for this?" she asked.

"A course I am, ma. I gotta be. 'Sides, I ain' doin' nothin'. Jus' ridin' with D and then hangin' back 'til they a medic," Ani told her with a shrug.

"That's what I'm worried about," Carol said. "You just being there is enough to make me worry."

"She's got Merle, Sasha, and Abraham lookin' out for her," Daryl told her. "And a promise that I'm gonna whoop their asses if they bring 'er into the line of fire."

"Yup," Ani agreed. "See, I'm protected and also pretty damn well grounded. I mean, I can' really fight both Abe and Merle, and Sash bein' there ain' gonna be any boon ta me ta be able ta fight. 'Sides, Maggie's also goin' for the first part. If she had the medical know how I did, she'd prolly be hangin' back too."

"Here we go," Tara said, silencing the little powwow the three of them had going on while Morgan stood to look in the same direction as the others. "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four., three, two, one. Shit," she said when nothing happened.

Ani grabbed a hold of Daryl's arm as she took a sharp intake of breath. Carol looked on nervously as Morgan became impatient. Daryl turned to look at Ani before turning back to look at the highway with a critical eye. The only one that didn't seem overly concerned was Tara, who seemed more disheartened than anything. Ani was just about to open her mouth when Daryl went a bit rigid, making her look at him.

"Naw, look," he said, pointing to the turn in the road. "There."

"Okay," Tara said. "Close enough. Within a few seconds. Kingdom knows their stuff."

"You got it?" Carol asked Morgan.

"Yeah," he responded as Daryl and Ani ran back to their vehicles and started them up.

Once they were all far enough away, the old, broke down truck they'd placed in the middle of the road to get the walkers' attention was detonated, going up in a loud bang of fire and smoke. Dwight was supposed to radio the coverage for that, telling whoever went to inspect to take a certain route he had given to Daryl and Ani. That was why Daryl and Tara were currently affixing metal wire to another van while Carol and Morgan set the explosives. Ani was playing lookout with her pistols silenced while the others were working, only taking out a single walker before they were done. They walked up to the sky bridge, a walkway over what was supposed to be a heavy intersection in this district, which was supposedly that of a school's, and waited.

When Carol and Morgan came up, Carol asked, "How close are we?"

"Close," came Daryl's reply as Ani pointed out another walker, hearing the engines revving in the distance.

"Shit," Tara said to Ani's observation. "Could that thing set it off?"

"Maybe," Ani answered.

"I got it," Morgan said.

"Morgan," Ani said, getting ready to shoot the thing as he moved. "Morgan!"

"Just let 'im," Daryl said, pulling her back to him as they watched the man move while keeping an eye out for the convoy that was drawing ever closer.

"Oh shite, 'e's gonna get caught in the blast!" Ani said as she watched Morgan kill the walker and run for cover, the cars coming into view as Daryl pulled her down to a crouching position.

"Trust he knows what he's doing," Carol chided which made Ani roll her eyes.

"Alright, here we go," Daryl said as he crouched over Ania, keeping her covered in case any shrapnel managed to find it's way to where they were.

As soon as the wire was tripped, two things happened at once. The car they'd set to explode did, in fact, explode, which would lead the walkers right to the point they wanted them to be at, and the car that hit the wire got caught in the explosion and flipped, a small fire beginning in its cab as well. Daryl pulled Ani up once it was done and walked with her down to the bike and ATV, giving her a kiss as Morgan walked back over. Tara had already pulled her car up to them, her and Morgan heading to the satellite station they had cleared out once already. Carol would head out to meet up with the Kingdom at the chemical plant Gavin controlled. As soon as they were done with their fiery exit, Ani and Daryl were heading towards the same place, though they would be separating before they fully got to the plaza. While they were meeting Rick at the meadow, Ani was heading to a checkpoint on a hill behind the plaza where Merle, Abraham, and Sasha would be staying with her while Daryl went on ahead with Rick to attack the place.

"It's started," Carol said as gunfire rang out in the distance.

"Yeah, it was always gonna be that way," Daryl said.

"Ta be fair, Rick and Negan are both huge egos and personalities. I don' think there was eva gonna be a peaceful solution," Ani added as the walkers rounded a corner towards the flaming cars.

"Pleasure doing business with you," Tara said before walking back to her vehicle.

"Beat 'em," Morgan added, turning to enter it himself.

"We will," Carol assured him before giving Daryl a tight squeeze, followed by Ani. "Be careful."

"We will, ma."

"Shit, this is gonna be fun," Daryl said, looking at the horde of walkers approaching them.

"No, it isn't," Carol chided.

"It's better than lettin' things be, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, it is," she said before she walked off to get into her own vehicle.

"You gonna be alright, baby girl?"

"We gotta do this."

"You don't."

"We do," she said, walking up to him and pulling him down into a passionate kiss that lasted as long as she dared to let it. "Let's get this done and ova with."

"Alright," he told her, watching her walk to her quad before taking a drink from his canteen and getting on his bike properly, double checking the gun they'd found.

As the horns blared from the Sanctuary, they looked at each other and revved their engines, slowly heading towards their next destination. As they went through an intersection, Ani first, Daryl pulled the gun and took careful aim at the box sitting on a little pallet on the other side. The explosion and fire that would continue to burn would keep the walkers on track all the way to the Sanctuary gates. Ani stayed in front of Daryl the whole time, making sure to stay on the opposite side of wherever the boxes were placed. Daryl was an excellent shot even on the motorcycle, only taking a single shot each time to make the explosions go off. They would stop and wait just for a few minutes to make sure the majority of the walkers were sticking with them, almost all of the walkers continuing on their predetermined route thanks to Daryl's efforts. He even managed a shot from over a hundred yards while keeping the bike steady and turning around a curve. Ani had to admit that even she probably wouldn't have been able to pull that off.

They pulled away from the Sanctuary and the horde, gunning it as fast as they could to get to the meadow roughly two miles from the plaza. They got there before anyone else did and just sat against a tree, waiting for Rick and company to arrive. When they did and checked to make sure everyone was there, they realized they were a car short. Gabriel's vehicle never showed up, not even after ten minutes, which was all they could spare if they were going to keep on track with the other teams.

"We could wait a bit more," Daryl said as Rick checked his watch again, Ani looking at it over his arm as well.

"We can't," Rick told him. "He stopped to get me."

"Huh?" Ani asked.

"Negan," Rick said in explanation. "He was on the ground and I was shootin' at him and Gabriel, he stopped to get me."

"He did a good thing then," Ani said, looking back at the path.

"We gotta start out," Rick told them.

"You alright?" Daryl asked him.

"This isn't about me," Rick said with a cock of his head and eyebrow.

"Yeah," was his response before Daryl let out a loud whistle and waved his bandana around while walking over to Ani. "You stay with Merle, you hear me? No goin' off on your own. No gettin' involved in the shoot out."

"I promise," she told him before once again kissing him, leaning his forehead down against hers when she backed off. "Jus' come back for me, ya got it? Ya not allowed ta leave me on me own with Lou."

"I won't. I'll be there," he assured her, giving her a quick kiss before getting on his bike. "You wait for me."

"I will," she told him as she backed away. "I love ya, D."

"Love ya too, baby girl," he replied before heading out, following Rick's truck.

~x~

Daryl took aim and shot the guard to the plaza as Rick moved forward. The gates weren't even securely locked as the man practically dove right through them, Daryl hot on his trails. They could hear the gunfire start from the other side of the building where the rest of Alexandria were ambushing the Saviors working there. Together with Rick and some of the other fighters, they took out the two guards at the front of the complex and entered the building. As expected, it was relatively empty, the group splitting up with the others looking for Saviors and Rick and Daryl going after the heavy artillery that was supposed to be here.

"You signal if they're already inside," Rick told the others as they split off. "We'll be there."

"Come on," Daryl told him. "Let's find them guns."

He and Rick split up after entering another wing of the first floor. The place seemed to be deserted as he entered yet another empty office. Gunfire from outside was still sounding out, their plan to keep the others pinned down seemingly working. All they had to do was find the guns. It didn't take Daryl long to clear his section of the floor, heading back towards the lobby type area that held the stairs and elevator. He was met with Rick's rifle to his face, the map Dwight had drawn them in his hand telling Daryl that he hadn't found anything either. The others weren't around, but it was pretty obvious what they were looking for wasn't on this floor.

"Ain't nothin' on this floor," Daryl stated as he looked at Rick.

"Only option is up."

"High ground. Good cover," he agreed.

"Yeah, I'd put 'em up there too," Rick said.

"Stairs," Daryl told him, pointing to the door that led to them and trying it, finding it locked. "Damn, wish we had Ania's lockpickin' skills right now," he said after trying and failing to kick the door down.

"You really want her in a fire fight again?"

"Hell naw. That's why she's by them trees," he stated before looking at the elevator. "Come on, help me get these damn things open. Looks like we're climbin'."

It took a few minutes to open the elevator shaft. Daryl was thankful that the elevator was on the ground floor due to the lack of power in the building. If it had been stopped between floors, this little endeavor of theirs would have been impossible. Rick helped give him a hand up onto the top of the elevator after he'd given the man a leg up to get there in the first place. The climb itself was difficult with the crossbow and the rifle on their backs but opening the elevator doors once they got to the next floor was ridiculous. Daryl was breathing heavily by the time he threw his bow onto the floor and climbed out of the shaft himself, turning to help Rick up as well. They'd climbed up the shaft three times by the time they reached the top floor of the building, both covered in sweat. Back to back they checked the hallway to make sure they were in the clear.

"Last floor," Rick told him. "The guns have got to be up here."

"He said they'd be here," Daryl responded, though his anger was growing by the second at the fact that they hadn't found the damn things yet.

"Everything else he passed you is checking out," Rick assured him.

"That guy's a piece of shit."

"If those guns get to the Sanctuary, they could cut through those walkers and free up an exit," Rick cautioned. "We'll go faster if we split up. I find the M2s, you find 'em, we use them, hit the courtyard right then and there."

"End this quick," Daryl agreed, wanting to end it all as fast as possible.

He took off down the hall, his bow at the ready as he checked room after room. The place was still cleaned out. Not a single soul seemed to be on the inside of the building. Every room was empty as he opened doors or paused quickly only to whip into the room with his bow up. His thoughts were mostly focused on the task at hand, though a part of it was focused on what was happening outside. As long as that gunfire kept up, they had time to search the building and find the guns. While he was worried about Ania, he knew she was safe and that Merle wouldn't let her do anything risky, let alone Sasha and Abraham. And while that knowledge helped keep his worries at bay, the anger that grew with each passing room that was empty only made him that much more determined to kill Dwight when all was said and done.

Kicking the door to a room open, he entered it to find it empty yet again. Closing the door behind him lightly just in case anyone was hiding, he crept through what looked to have been an office space with his guard up. The gunfire outside was starting to let up while some screaming could be heard dotting the noise as well. He knew they only had so much time to find what they were looking for. It was with hope that he opened yet another door only to find what had probably been a utility closet. However, on the floor, a pile of puke, what looked to be shit on a couple pieces of bread, and a pair of handcuffs told him otherwise. It was a cell like the one he'd been in, and damn if it didn't take him back.

Everything he'd been through, everything they'd done to him, came roaring into the front of his mind until the reality and gravity of the find set in. Who knew how many people the Saviors had done that to, how many they had forced to change simply to survive the torture the Saviors themselves inflicted? If it hadn't been for Ania and Lou, he might not have been able to hold up. Those had been the four longest days of his life and it was only when he heard a clatter from down the hall that he began moving again. By the time he found the source and heard the man talking, the sound of fighting had ended and the gunfire outside had completely quieted down. Rounding a corner, he could hear Rick talking to someone, the voice sounding familiar to Daryl as he brought his bow up and he closed in on the open door.

"Wait! No!" Rick shouted as he pulled the trigger just as Morales whipped around, dropping their old acquaintance to the ground.

"You good?" he asked Rick, who just stood staring at him like he'd lost his mind.

"That—T-That was..."

"I know who it was," Daryl cut him off. "It don't matter," he said as he went to retrieve his bolt. "Not one little bit. You find them guns?"

Rick just stared at him while Daryl gave him a blank expression back before answering, "They're not here."

"What?!"

Rick dropped to a knee and grabbed the gun he'd dropped along with the one Morales had been holding on him, "He called the Saviors back from the courtyard. We gotta get out before..." His words were cut off by a door banging open from the stairwell, Daryl moving to take cover by the wall as Rick stated, "They're here."

"We gotta go, man," Daryl told him, grabbing his shoulder and pulling him out of the room. "We gotta go."

They ran down the hall, trying to make it to the elevator shaft before the Saviors managed to make it up the stairs. The way was clear up until they actually reached the shaft, Daryl quickly having to jerk back as he looked down it and gunfire rang up at him. Rick cursed and searched for a way out, pointing Daryl to a room back the way they'd come, but neither man had much time to move before the Saviors began firing at them from down the hall. Daryl had barely been able to duck into the room when the bullets flew, only having a pistol and his crossbow with him while Rick had a rifle with half a clip and his Python. They were being shot at from both directions, Rick and Daryl each taking a side and trying to stem the flow of enemy bullets in order to make a run for it. Daryl emptied his entire clip, unable to take a single Savior out due to the cover the several file cabinets and rooms in the corridor offered. He could see Rick, who looked back at him as he switched to his second pistol and fired again. Daryl turned and laid cover, but only managed to get two shots before the hammer clicked.

"Hey! Hey!" he shouted over the gunfire to Rick, getting his attention. "I'm out."

The Saviors were getting closer by the second when Rick shouted out to him and held up three fingers. Daryl nodded his understanding and began counting in his head as Rick took aim at something he couldn't see. Whatever it was, the smoke that shot out after he fired was enough to give him cover to get back over to Rick. The Saviors were damn near on top of them, but the smoke filled the area, making it difficult to see. Using the smoke to their advantage, they managed to grab a Savior a piece and take them down before yelling could be heard from the men firing at them and even more fell to the ground.

"Teams of four, sweep the offices!" he heard Aaron call out.

"Aaron!" Rick called out.

"Rick!"

"We're by the elevator!"

The teams were quick with their sweep, ending the Saviors with swift vengeance before coming to Rick and Daryl's side, Daryl seeing a set of wings and saying, "Merle?"

"Hey, baby brother," the man said with a cocky grin.

"You're supposed to be with Ania!"

"I'm here on her request," Merle stated simply. "Ain't even here for you, Darylina, so don't worry 'bout it. Let's go. Make sure these damn Saviors stay dead."

~x~

Ani waited in the field as the gunfire began sounding out. Her pacing went from slow to wearing a path in the tall grass as soon as the sounds began, but what really had Merle worried was how frightened she looked. She was staring at the plaza even though none of them could see anything. Between the trees and the buildings surrounding the plaza, they weren't able to see anything at all about what was happening. Daryl was in one of those buildings with Rick, and that was all either of them knew. If everything went according to plan, the Saviors would be pinned down by their gunfire. Once pinned, well, nature would take its course with the dead and they'd be able to fight fire with walkers rather than actual gunfire.

"Don't get your panties in a bunch, Tiny," Abraham tried. "They'll be fine."

"Yeah, ya sayin' that don' mean I believe it," was his response. "Aaron, Eric, and Francine are in the fire fight. Daryl and Rick's inside by now, prolly. And I'm sittin' 'ere with me ass hangin' out for the bitas ta chomp!"

"Hey, we're all sittin' up here with our thumbs up our asses," Merle said. "All to keep you and that bun safe.

"Yeah, well, if it weren' for Little D, I'd be fuckin' with 'im!"

"You and me both, sister," Merle told her, walking over to her and putting a hand on her shoulder as she tried to see what was happening past the trees. "He'll be alright. You just gotta give 'im time."

"I don' wanna give 'im time, Merle. I should be in there with 'im."

"We all should be," Sasha said as she came and stood next to her. "But you were right in making sure the teams had a medic at a distance with a team of their own. It could come in handy."

"Yeah, I know," Ani said, her unintentional arrogance showing once again. "That's the whole reason I suggested it. Well, that and so I could be a part a it all without bein' a part a it."

Sasha and Merle both chuckled as Merle went back over to Abraham and was handed a cigar. "We all wanted to be a part of it. But Maggie went back to the Hilltop to make sure it was defended and to keep her baby safe. You needed to be here, to see it, and that's fine. But me and Abraham? We're going to make sure you and your baby are safe."

"Ya don' know how much that means ta me, Sash. I jus' wish we were all in that damn buildin' helpin' keep Rick and Daryl safe."

"Well, unfortunately, we're sittin' 'round comparin' which end of the turd is the dirtiest," Abraham countered from his place by the tree. "Best thing we can do is try to keep our minds off'n it and keep the way clear of hostiles, whether dead or alive."

"And waitin' for our people ta see if we got anyone ta patch up," Ani said sadly. "Gods, how the fuck are the three a ya so damn calm?!"

"Because you're nervous enough for the four of us," Sasha joked.

"ANI!" Aaron's voice rang out. "Ani! We need you! Eric...Eric, hold on, baby."

"Oh, gods," Ani said as she and the others began to move, grabbing her bag and opening it as she ran.

"Help him," Aaron cried. "Help him! I got you, Eric, I got you. It's okay."

"How bad is it?" Eric asked.

"It's a through and through!" Merle told Ani as they got him to the trees and put him down against it.

"That's good," Aaron told him as Ani got to work on trying to stop the bleeding. "Ani'll patch you up. We're gonna get you to the Kingdom's doctor. Just have to keep pressure," he said as he looked at Ani, who's devastated expression had him sob as he clasped Eric around the neck. "Oh, Eric," he cried. "I'm so sorry..."

In true Eric fashion that had Ani sob out a laugh along with Aaron, he asked, "Were you the one who shot me?"

Aaron began sobbing as Ani kept pressure against the wound, even though they all knew how this was going to end. "I-I pulled you into this. You didn't want to fight," he told him as Eric grabbed a hold of his collar.

"Until—Until I did," Eric responded weakly, already beginning to have to fight to stay conscious. "You need to help them," he told Aaron, who tried to abject through his tears. "You need to go. I can bleed here fine on my own. Besides, I've got Ani here. Who better than my best friend to look after me if not my other half?"

"I'm not...I'm not leaving you," Aaron said.

"Don't be an idiot," Eric told him. "They need you," he said as Aaron looked down while sobbing. "Aaron, look at me. Look at me," he whispered, his hand rubbing against Aaron's cheek lovingly as Ani choked back her own sobs and tears and grabbed another rag from her bag to try to stem the bleeding. "You know I love you. And you know I'm right." Aaron shook his head and leaned in, kissing Eric for all it was worth while Ani was leaned away before breaking away and sobbing. "Okay. Now, stand your ass up, get back to the fight, and you win this thing," Eric commanded.

"I will," Aaron said after clearing his throat and blowing out harshly. "We will. You look after him," he said, turning to Ani before looking back to Eric. "I love you."

"I always had a hunch," Eric responded with a sad smile, watching as Aaron grabbed his gun. "Now go."

"Merle," Ani said. "Go with 'im. Make sure 'e comes back out."

"You got it, Ani," Merle responded, heading away with Aaron after giving the man a nod.

"Eric, I can'...I can' stop the bleedin'," Ani sobbed. "I can'...The bullet, it hit somethin' I can' fix. I don'...I can'...I'm so sorry..."

"Hey, hey, it's not your fault," he assured her giving her a smile. "Just, do me a favor?"

"Anythin'," she promised.

"Well, it's actually two," he chuckled before groaning. "Sing to me? And don't let me turn. He can't...He won't recover from that."

"Ya know I would neva, love," she said through her tears, bringing his head to her shoulder as she sat next to him and gently held him. "What song do ya wanna hear?"

"You know my favorite," he said with a smile that only made the situation that much harder for Ani.

"Yeah," she cried, looking up at the sky and taking a deep, shuddering breath before beginning to sing 'Wind Beneath My Wings,' a song she and Eric had sung together several times while their men had been doing something in the garage or went out on their own to hunt.

She hadn't even finished the second verse when his body lay limp in her arms as she rocked him. Abraham offered to end it for him for good, but Ani refused. He was the third best friend she had lost, and the second she'd had to release from whatever curse forced everyone to turn upon death. She held his body close as she sobbed, feeling guilt once again at everything she had while also, for the first time in her life, understanding why death was so painful to people. Aside from her grandmother and the people she, herself, had killed, or those the others around her had due to necessity, she'd never seen someone die right in front of her, let alone someone she'd cared about. Sure, there had been times the deaths had made her feel conflicted, but she wasn't conflicted in this moment. She was simply entirely consumed by a despair around the entire conflict and situation. Covered in Eric's blood, she cried until there were no tears left and Aaron ran out, collapsing next to them and taking Eric's body from her, wallowing in his own despair.