Chapter 82: Kingdoms


DPOV

~Hours ago~

As we rode off, I had to leave Kat behind, I had watched her from the mirrors to my side, seeing her slim, tight dressed frame become smaller and smaller in the reflection. I hated myself for leaving her but she'd made a choice. She wanted to stay with Negan.

For what felt like hours, had only been minutes since we escaped Sanctuary, I was silent all the way during the ride but Jesus had to break it. "So, you and Kat have been stuck in the Saviors' home for a while," Jesus said loudly over the purring of the engine. "How did that go?" he asked me.

Thinking back to everything, from our final kiss, to seeing her with Negan, to her strength as she watched on Negan's act of terror by ironing a man's face off with a look that told me she was desensitised and emotionless as she watched on. Kat had a strength that made me fear that perhaps, she was involving herself in a way to Negan that numbed her to all sense of feeling.

I wondered what else happened, but the image of Kat's beautiful face, her bright blue eyes that captivated me, stared at me with a sadness, with a fear that made me wonder what crossed her mind when she saw what I had done to fat Joey.

Kat was different now and in a way, I didn't know if I recognised her anymore. My heart aching at the memory of her sad ocean eyes. "Me 'n Kat?" I asked Jesus over my shoulder. "There's nothin' to talk about there," I said once I felt Jesus shift behind me.

"She chose Negan instead of an escape, there was no way to convince her to leave," this was the excuse I kept repeating to myself as to why I left her. As to why I acted like I no longer cared for her.

But I knew my truth. I loved her. And it hurt too much to watch her go into the arms of another man, especially after everything he did. "Have faith in her," Jesus said, pulling me out of my thoughts. "She knows what she's doing and she's doing it for all of us," Jesus was convinced by his own words. "She's got a plan, I'm sure she's being smart about it."

His confidence, his reassurance, it made me curious as to how he'd know anything like that when he hardly knew Kat himself. "How do you know?" I asked him, voice raised so he could hear me over the wind, the engine and the sounds of walkers drawn to the noise.

"Because I talked to her, before Carl was sent back home," Jesus revealed to me out of pure surprise, which was something I didn't expect from Jesus. He talked to her before we got out. I wonder what she told him that she didn't dare tell me. "And because I know Kat," Jesus was confident about this statement.

But doubt had crossed my mind. "I thought I knew her too," I said with a pain in my heart as her words echoed in my ears with the image of Negan and Kat kissing coming to the forefront of my memories. "Now, I don't know if I do..." I drifted, with a sad hope that maybe not everything was what it seemed.

Then, I remembered her words. She meant what she said in the cell, she still meant it but her actions, her choices, her decisions, made me doubt everything. "You do," Jesus continued to have faith in Kat. "She's still the same Kat I met and I'm sure she's still the same girl you have feelings for."

No words were said, as I sped the bike up a little more, accelerating to get to the Hilltop quickly. I knew as much, that if I went to Alexandria, it would be the first place the Saviors would look for me. We needed to get somewhere safe and Kat, she would do what she'd have to do.

Her plans, it was only something she knew but Jesus was right. Katherine, she had taken hold of my heart and I didn't think I'd ever get it back.


PRESENT DAY...DPOV

Hearing the news of Kat, I was left in shock for about half a minute, my heart had stopped and my mind was spinning with an urgency, my heart pounding. I knew what I had to do. "I have to go back for her," I spoke up my plan.

Going to leave, Rick had stopped me before I had left the Barrington House. His hand firmly resting on my chest as he blocked my access to leave. "No," Rick had forcefully stopped me, rejecting my plan to get Kat back to us.

"That's not what she wants," Jesus spoke up, rejecting my suggestion, too.

Rick's eyes glanced over to Jesus, who stood by the door as Rick was wedged between me, Jesus and my chance to leave. "Jesus is right," Rick agreed with Jesus. "Kat, she's smart," Rick had all the confidence in the world when it came to his daughter. "If she has a plan, our best bet is to let her do what she has to do," Rick encouraged all of us to let Kat be.

Resting his arms at either sides of him, Jesus was calm after the huge secret he'd revealed to us. She's pregnant, with my child and I didn't know. "Kat's plan is to find out more, what exactly? That, I don't know," Jesus informed us.

"Knowing Kat, she's going to be trying to find out everything she can," Maggie spoke up as she took a few steps towards us, her arms crossed over her chest protectively and in a stance that showed her deep thought process.

It was the kind of stance a woman took when she was figuring things out for herself, too. She knows Kat, maybe better than I do, now that they are both pregnant. "Maybe outposts, schedules, routes, numbers, inventory, women, children, those who are sick, those who were taken from their homes," Maggie was listing out all the things she'd hope Kat would figure out for us.

From what Maggie was listing, nothing mattered to me. All of them there, are murderers and takers. They don't take to survive, they take everything to kill us all. "Maybe she can figure out locations, layouts and the easiest way to getting to Negan," Rick agreed with Maggie as he would nod and look to her.

"She can help us," Sasha spoke up, sounding hopeful when it came to Kat's plan.

Looking around, everyone seemed to have an undying faith in Kat, in her judgement while I doubted everything. She's being reckless. She's putting herself and our child at risk. "She will," Michonne was confident in her best friend.

Hearing them all, my heart was pounding and my fear for Kat was growing stronger with each beat of my unsteady heart. She's pregnant with my child, in harms way and they're all hoping she can help us when she didn't even help herself?

I couldn't take it anymore. "Are you guys even listenin' to yourselves?" I questioned each and every one of them angrily. "Kat's pregnant, with my child and we're just goin' to let her stay with that maniac?" I questioned their call in letting her stay there.

What we should have been doing, was going back there to save them. To go there, kill them all and bring her home safely. "That's the thing..." Jesus spoke up slowly.

He spoke with caution. "Kat's going to make Negan think its his," Jesus revealed to us another part of Kat's brilliant plan. She has lost her mind. "I don't know how, I just told her to do it soon. If she wants Negan to think she's carrying his child," Jesus told us that he'd given Kat a piece of advice.

The advice to me, was shocking. "She said she'd know her chance when she'd see it," Jesus continued to talk, like it meant something.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I questioned him, wanting to understand just what her chance was. As to what chance she was going to take. Sounds like something Kat would say.

It had been something Kat said. "It's got to be her chance to escape," Carl answered the question that lingered in all our minds. He knows his sister better than most of us. Carl, Michonne and Rick could undoubtedly be the ones to know her better than she knew herself.

"Negan could probably make her the most well guarded person in there once he finds out," Rick agreed with his son, the thought of Kat's safety didn't come to me when it involved Negan.

There is no guarantee Kat would be safe with Negan. "Besides himself," I grumbled, not liking the idea of Kat and our child under Negan's uncertain protection. "Man's always surrounded by guards," I remarked that the only one protected, would be Negan and that he was always safe.

If he didn't have someone in the same room as him, he always had someone at the door and that much, I knew for certain. "Which is a problem for Kat," Rick agreed with me briefly. "While she tries to dig up information, she has to do it before she reveals to him that she's pregnant," Rick understood the struggle Kat would have if they caught her trying to find out as much as she could about the Saviors.

"Which is one of her main worries," Jesus nodded his head, agreeing with everything we were discussing between ourselves.

Rick nodded, glancing between everyone, his eyes fell to the floor, possibly in deliberation to his own daughter and grandchild's safety. "Too many guards, too many witnesses," Rick stated the issue with having guards around her. "Too high the risk of danger to her and the baby."

When Rick's eyes met mine, I hated myself. I should have known something was up with Kat. I should have stayed and never left without her. I should have dragged her onto that bike, or hot-wired a car.

Then, I remembered something. "Why didn't you tell me this before I got out?" I asked Jesus, angry that he didn't tell me that Kat was pregnant with my child before we had made our escape.

Jesus's eyes were sad but he held my gaze firmly. "She asked me not to," Jesus gave me his excuse, as valid as it may have been, it didn't convince me.

He shouldn't care what she wants. She's in danger and she is carrying our child, while stuck in the same place that murdering psychopath is. "And she knew you would of stayed," Rick spoke up.

The man would defend his daughter until the end if he had to. "She wanted you out and safe, as far away from Negan as possible," Rick had locked gazes with me, even if I looked at him through squinted, angry eyes.

She should be here, with me. With all of us. "Getting Daryl out, that was probably her plan before she found out she was pregnant," Michonne said, her eyes on me in a way that told me she knew more than she was letting on.

"I don't think she knows what her plan is," I argued, I had enough of this shit, of the discussions and figuring Kat's plan out. She should be safe, with me, away from Negan.

Rick though, he took a defensive stance as he took a few steps closer to me. "That doesn't matter now," Rick silenced me from criticising Kat further. "What we need to do, is to get ready for a fight," Rick announced to all of us.

His soft blue gaze glancing to each of us. "We need to do this together," Rick tried to encourage us to work as the team we were. "Before saving Kat the tactical way, we got to form alliances, make the alliances we already have stronger," Rick needed to follow his own plan.

Approaching me more slowly, Rick kept his body close, his gaze was slightly over his shoulder as he spoke to me from the side. "Are you with me on this one?" Rick questioned where my alliance was.

It was with him. With all of us. I have to hope Kat knows what she's doing. For us, for all of us and our child. Meeting Rick's gaze slowly, from my side too, I held his gaze calmly but firmly. "Yeah," I mumbled out hoarsely.

Rick's hand went to my shoulder, grasping it and his eyes darted to each of mine. He's making sure that I'm telling the truth. "Alright," Rick felt reassured finally once he noticed me not looking away from him.

Clapping my shoulder, Rick then glanced around at the group. "Let's go," Rick announced before Jesus would go into Gregory's office to request an audience with him. I have to put my trust in Rick. We'll get Kat out of there. We have to. And we will.


KPOV

Sat within the area, where all of Negan's wives were, I had decided to leave my room for a while, because waiting there, felt like eternity. What I needed, was more information, I needed a plan to get myself out of the room.

I needed to find out where I could find other files that had more information than what I found in Negan's room. It wasn't enough. I need more. There's got to be more somewhere. Sat in the room with wives all around, I had a drink of wine in my hands but I wasn't drinking from it.

I only would falsely wet my lips and when no one was looking, I'd wipe it away. I need to keep my baby healthy. As soon as my mind was blurring out all the noise, of the women around me, talking amongst themselves, some questioned where Sherry was. Some wondered what took Negan so long to get back.

Most of the girls hoped a walker ate him, or someone shot him, or maybe he got lost in a herd. Myself, I had hoped for all those things but something in my gut knew he was coming back and I needed to be ready for it.

Blankly staring ahead, I held onto the glass numbly and suddenly saw the girls gather around to look out the window, to see what was going on outside. There sounded to be a truck stopping outside, one that could only indicate that Negan was here.

It took everything in me not to drink the glass of wine from the nerves that rushed through me. My child was the only thing keeping me sober, as it was my baby before anything and anyone else.

"He's back," I heard Tanya say as the others surrounded the window. Tanya's voice didn't seem happy to see Negan again. "And he has someone with him," Tanya observed while I took a few steps closer, the glass of wine still in my grasp.

As I approached and came into view of the sight outside, I froze. Frankie, who stood beside me, noticed my hesitation. My eyes glued to the figure that stepped out from the truck. Negan had pulled Eugene out, who looked terrified.

"Do you know him?" Frankie asked me as her eyes were glued to me.

My eyes hard, my jaw clenched tightly together as I gazed down at the sight of Negan, freshly shaved and with blood staining his white shirt and his face. Something happened. I can feel it. "Yeah," I answered Frankie coldly.

Despite the fact I knew Eugene, I also knew he was a liar and a coward. Under pressure, he could easily bend and break. "I know him, he's a friend," I told Frankie that I could trust him. At the very least, I hoped I could.

Glancing over to Frankie once I saw Arat drag Eugene into the room, I felt my stomach churn but I stayed strong. When my eyes met Frankie's, it was like she waited on something. On me.

That was when I realised. Negan took a liking to me but these girls know I don't fear him. That I despise him. "Or at least, I hope he still is," I added before handing Frankie my drink.

Removing myself from the window, I felt eyes glued to me as I strolled out of the room and went in search of Negan. Negan might think he's the King of this castle. But these people are making me their Queen.


RPOV

Stood in Gregory's office, we had been talking to him about arrangements, about what we needed to do to save our two communities, that now, was our chance to join forces and fight. The group was far bigger than any of us ever expected and this time, we wouldn't make the same mistake again.

Gregory had been pacing around behind his desk as he spoke to us. "No! No way in hell. That was not the deal. You people swore you could take the Saviors out, and you failed. So any arrangement we had is now done," Gregory was talking as he walked around.

"Null and void," Gregory said as he finally turned around to face us. "We aren't trade partners, we aren't friends, and we never met," this was what Gregory was proposing. "Hmm?" Gregory hummed while he leaned against the desk.

"We don't know each other," Gregory claimed as he then proceeded to sit himself down. "I owe you nothing. In fact, you owe me for taking in the refugees, at great personal risk," Gregory tried to play it out to be that we owed him.

"Oh, you were very brave staying in here while Maggie and Sasha saved this place," Jesus gave the real credit to those that deserved the real credit around here. "Your courage was inspiring," Jesus mocked his very own weak leader.

This didn't sit well with Gregory at all. "Hey, don't you work for me? Aren't we friends?" Gregory leaned over and squinted at Jesus.

I was getting tired of this. The more we argue, the more danger my daughter and unborn grandchild was in. "Gregory, we already started this," I finally took a step forward to address the facts to Gregory further.

"You started it," Gregory argued as he turned to face me.

I wasn't going to let him act like he had no hand in getting us into this mess too. "We did," I made this perfectly clear as I took another step closer to him. He made the deal with Maggie and Kat. Now my daughter was in their clutches, as was Eugene. "And we're gonna win," I reassured him that this time, we would truly win.

All we needed, was the numbers and the weapons. I was certain we could win. "These are killers," Gregory continued to argue with me.

How he continued to argue against me, it shocked me. "Is this how you want to live? Under their thumb, killing your people?" I questioned his leadership here. I'm tired of losing people. And I'm not going to risk losing my daughter and unborn grandchild.

"S-Sometimes we don't get to choose what our life looks like," Gregory stuttered. "Sometimes, Ricky, you have to count the blessings you have," Gregory was brushing it off like it was something they just needed to put up with.

In truth, we didn't have to put up with the Saviors. We can beat them. I know we can. "How many people can we spare? How many people here can fight?" Maggie asked Gregory on the behalf of The Hilltop.

"'We'?" Gregory scoffed. "I don't even know how many people we have, Margaret," Gregory got Maggie's name wrong, which only infuriated her a little and myself. Something must have happened while we were away. He got my name wrong and Maggie's. He's doing this on purpose. Asshole.

"And does it even matter?" Gregory questioned Maggie as she leaned against one of his desk chairs. "I mean..." Gregory scoffed once more. "W-w-what are you gonna do? Start a platoon of sorghum farmers?" Gregory began questioning her.

The fact he was such a weak, pathetic leader, made me know that both Maggie and Kat could lead this place better than Gregory ever could. "'Cause that's what we got. They grow things. They're not gonna want to fight," Gregory was trying to make it seem like the people here were useless or too afraid to fight.

Sounds like the only one unwilling to fight for what they have is him. As long as he has power, he doesn't care who is in charge in the background. What an asshole. No wonder Kat and Maggie wanted to beat him senseless when they met him.

Tara was the first of us to speak up and defend the people of The Hilltop. "You're wrong. When people have the chance to do the right thing, they usually step up. I mean, people just-" Tara went to say but Gregory stopped her.

"L-Let me stop you before you break into song, okay?" Gregory cut her off before he cleared his throat. "And, by the way, who would train all this cannon fodder?" Gregory questioned everyone in the room.

"I will," Sasha offered herself up.

"Give me a week," Rosita offered at the same time Sasha did.

Gregory didn't even look to either of the girls that offered to train the people of the Hilltop. "Rhetorical, okay?" Gregory said in a sing song voice. "I don't want to know. I never want to hear another word about any of it, ever," Gregory was trying to end the conversation as quickly as he possibly could.

This guy is really pissing me off now. "Would we be better off without the Saviors, yes or no?" I questioned him, my voice projecting the same anger I had towards this man and his hesitancy to not help us.

Gregory looked at me then the ceiling. He was completely uninterested in this idea, I could see it in his eyes. "Yeah. Sure. Okay," Gregory agreed with the idea I presented to him.

Michonne moved in front of me, to put distance between me and this asshole that I wanted to beat into submission. If I do that, I'm no better than the Saviors. "So, what will you do to fix the problem?" Michonne questioned, with hope that maybe, Gregory would offer up his own plan.

"I didn't say we had a problem. You did," Gregory argued and pointed to Michonne, like this didn't concern him at all. "And what happens outside of my purview is outside of my purview," Gregory stated.

Daryl though, he was just as angry and worried about Kat. About Negan keeping her there while she was carrying his child, my grandchild. I'm going to be a grandfather. I need to do this right. For Kat, for Daryl and for my grandchild. I can't fail them.

Although, the father of my grandchild was already a walking tower of rage and desperation. "What the hell, man? You're either with us or you ain't," Daryl almost yelled at Gregory. "You're sitting over there talking out of both sides of your mouth," Daryl remarked loudly.

"While we got people still being kept hostage by these pricks," hearing this, I knew Daryl was talking about Eugene and more importantly, my daughter. "You really going to let those kinds of people keep taking whatever the hell they want?" Daryl was hurt and angry just talking to Gregory about our situation.

Sighing, I lowered my gaze but rose it quickly to see what else Gregory had to say. "I-I think I've made my position very clear," Gregory spoke as he got to his feet and faced us all.

He had fixed up his suit and I hated him for living a fantasy that he never knew how to maintain. "And I want to thank all of you for not being here today and not having this meeting with me or-or being seen on your way out," Gregory was sending us on our way. "In other words, go out the back," Gregory made it very clear he didn't want anything else to do with us.

Glancing to the others. To Maggie, who was angered with Gregory, to Jesus who was disappointed in his leader and to Sasha, who looked like she wanted to murder Gregory there and then. I then gazed over to Rosita, who hated Gregory intensely, to Tara who was left stunned by the outcome.

My eyes then focused on Michonne, who was trying to keep it together. To Carl, who was upset by the fact Gregory rejected helping us. I also knew Carl was worried for his sister and future niece or nephew. Finally, my eyes landed on Daryl.

I saw the anger, the desperation in his eyes and I could feel him rebelling against it all. He wants Kat back as much as I do. We need to get her back. We have to. For her and for their child. The longer she's with Negan, the less safe she is...


CPOV

When dad looked at me, I didn't like how things turned out with Gregory because the weaker we were, the less likely we would be capable of saving my sister. After finding out she was pregnant, I knew we needed to protect her and save her no matter what.

My sister and niece or nephew are the most important thing right now. Not even we matter. As long as she is safe, we might have hope. While she's with Negan, we have no idea if she's safe or going to be safe.

When dad gestured us to leave, we all began heading out. Sasha and Rosita exchanged a few words I couldn't quite make out and when I approached the rest of them, the doors closed behind us. "Yeah, well, we don't need him anyway," Daryl told dad as he followed out after me.

I knew Daryl was angry with Gregory, he was angry with almost everyone. Kat was out there, carrying his child and he was doing his best to do something about it. To do something to help Kat and their child out of the Savior's home.

Dad slowed down and watched Daryl walk past him. "Yeah, that's right," dad agreed with Daryl. "'Cause we have Maggie and Sasha and Jesus here," dad spoke of those who could work with us and possibly convince others to help us in our war.

The sound of a door opening, turned our attention slowly to who was approaching. "And...Enid," Maggie said slowly as the devil herself appeared.

Enid appeared to be a little breathless. "Hey, um-" Enid hesitated to speak as she slowly stopped in front of us all.

Sasha looked to Enid with a little concern in her eyes. "What's wrong?" Sasha was just as curious as me to why Enid appeared to be out of breath over something.

"Nothing. Just..." Enid went to say as she let out a small chuckle. "Come outside," Enid encouraged us to follow her.

Watching her lead the way, we all followed and came across a group of people from the Hilltop stood at the front of the door, waiting for us to exit. "What's going on?" Maggie asked them.

"Hey. So, if you don't remember, I'm Bertie," one woman called Bertie, a Hilltop survivor had spoken up after no one else did. "And I owe my life to you all, twice over," Bertie gave Maggie and the rest of us credit for what we did.

Bertie glanced around her. "A bunch of us do," Bertie included the rest of the survivors that joined her. "Enid says that you want Gregory to get us to fight the Saviors with you. Is that true?" Bertie questioned what Enid suggested.

"Yes," Maggie was blunt with her answer.

Bertie squinted up at Maggie, just like Kat, I was feeling hope now that these people were gathered around. They looked ready. "Do you think we can win, that we really could beat them? Us?" Bertie asked Maggie.

Maggie glanced to all of them. "I do," Maggie answered Bertie. Even if it wasn't honest, Maggie had faith that they would improve and fight for what was rightfully all of ours. Our freedom.

Bertie glanced to the others around her. "Well, Enid says you could show us the way," Bertie spoke up to all of us but mostly, to Maggie. They have a lot of faith in her. "I'm ready," Bertie announced. Then all the rest agreed with Bertie, claiming they were in and ready to learn.

Glancing to dad and Michonne, they were looking to each other happily as their hands locked together. Briefly, my eyes met Enid's. I was proud of her. You gave us hope. Thank you. Were what my eyes told her and she just shrugged. She thinks its no big deal. She has no idea how much of a difference she just made...


RPOV

Everyone began discussing what could be done next, how we could move forward. How we could help them, leaving the small group of survivors who decided to join our cause, I began leading the way back to the gates. Daryl to my left and Michonne to my right.

Truthfully, it had felt strange not having my daughter by my side. Kat should be here with us. "It's a start," Michonne said, pulling me out of my thoughts.

Sasha had sped up to catch up a little with myself and with Rosita to her side. "We'll get more," Sasha reassured us. "It still won't be enough," but Sasha also knew that to fight, we needed more of everything.

"No, it won't," Rosita agreed with Sasha for the second time today.

Daryl was keeping his eyes ahead, focused on anything that wasn't me or the ground. He's determined. Now, more than ever. "Well, we find the right stuff, then maybe we don't need the numbers," Daryl suggested. "We get Kat, then we blow 'em up, burn 'em to the ground," this was Daryl's plan.

Tara's voice spoke up behind us. "You said there weren't just soldiers with the Saviors, that there were workers there. People didn't have a choice," Tara remembered what else we talked about, before Jesus revealed to us about Kat.

Daryl had told us that Negan forced people to do stuff, to work, to earn points, to earn their way to a 'comfortable' life serving him. "We gotta win," Daryl responded, brushing off those who could be willing to fight with us.

I couldn't risk Kat being in the crossfire and blowing them up, wasn't going to stop other Saviors from finding us and killing us. "We need more hands, another group," I suggested my plan. "Negan has outposts. The geography, the distance works against us," I told them the little Michonne found out during her time figuring things out.

There was still hope. I had to believe that. "With Kat trying to find out more, maybe she can find their weak spots, give us a layout of the place," I included what my daughter must have been doing. "But right now, we gotta get back. If they come looking for Daryl, we need to be there," I was ready to go back home.

I knew that Negan's group would be looking for Daryl the first chance they had. "You don't have to get back. Not yet," Jesus called to us as we were approaching the gates. Making us stop and turn to face him, Jesus reached into his pocket and showed us something.

It was a walkie talkie. "It's one of theirs, long range. We can listen in, keep track of them," this was Jesus's plan while he showed us what this walkie talkie signified. We can spy on them and know their every move.

"So, if we're not going back, what are we doing, then?" Michonne asked the question we were all thinking.

Jesus looked directly at me. "I think it's time we introduced you to Ezekiel," Jesus already had a plan figured out for us. "King Ezekiel," Jesus corrected himself.

Mention of a 'King' had me curious. "King?" I questioned why there was a title to this man. I thought there were no Kings left and I never heard of a King Ezekiel. Ever.


KPOV

Luckily, as I went in search for Negan, he had called for me to his room too. For a moment, I feared he had found the folder hiding in his room, or that he'd noticed the room was unlocked. For the longest moment, I felt he suspected I went snooping around.

Although, I already had a lie in my head prepared for Negan. I'll say it wasn't me. He'll probably think it was Sherry, that maybe she wanted to find stuff or wait there to kill him. Approaching Negan's room, I saw Davey there, waiting for me while Benny had found me.

Standing tall, I watched as the door opened and Negan had been stood by the cabinet of alcohol beside his bathroom. "Katherine," Negan welcomed me once the door shut behind me and he had taken a sip of his whiskey.

"How is my favourite little princess?" Negan teased me with a huge grin while approaching me slowly. His boots heavy and the way he looked, was terrifying had I not expected it already. Blood covered from his jaw, to his neck and stained his crisp white shirt, had it not been splattered by red.

Negan pointed to me with a grin and a look to me from the corner of his eye. "Got to meet your baby sister, Judith," Negan told me, making my heart stop at the thought of my sweet baby sister in his grasp. "She's adorable, I was tempted to bring her home with me," Negan joked with a chuckle.

Downing his whiskey, Negan didn't look at me as he finished his drink. "What happened?" I asked him firmly.

I needed to know who died. Negan broke his arrangement with someone. Either myself or my father. "Watch your tone of voice with me, dear wife," Negan warned me once he swallowed and glared at me. "I didn't call you here to ask me questions," Negan spoke with seriousness in his voice.

I know what he called me here for. But I'm not going to let him use me if he hurt my family. "What. Happened?" I was being firm, I didn't care what he'd say or do next. If he wanted to hit me, he could, as long as it wasn't in my stomach, I didn't care.

Although, I knew he wasn't going to hurt me. Sherry told me as much. He wouldn't hurt me. Not while I'm his wife. Negan took a few slow, heavy and loud steps towards me. His body inches away from me with a dark gaze in his eyes.

Holding his gaze, I wasn't going to flinch and he saw it. I don't scare easily. "Persistent and stubborn..." Negan commented with a dark tone in his voice. "The kind of combination that just turns me on more than I already am just by lookin' at you," Negan said with an amused smile on his face.

How he could change from serious to sarcastically happy, made me feel like I was being whip-lashed mentally. His eyes on mine, he was waiting to see if I'd back down but I didn't. I wouldn't. I need to know.

"After I dropped your brother off back home, he gave me a grand tour of your old place, where we did man stuff, like play darts together and when he showed me a room, we found your sister hidin' in there," Negan began telling me what happened, finally giving in once he realised I wasn't going to let him think I'd let this go.

Negan walked over to the table again, to refill his drink. "By the way, you never told me you had a sister," Negan pointed a finger at me, before he began his slow approach back to me once his glass was filled.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I thought the truth was the best I could use against him. "I thought the less you knew, the better," I told him, keeping my eyes on his coolly.

Negan smirked, his eyes squinting with amusement to my answer. "Oh, I bet," Negan had no doubt about this. "After, I made Carl some good ol' spaghetti," Negan informed me what else he did with my brother.

So far, it sounded like my brother, my sister and father were safe. Same with Michonne, who hadn't been involved in this anecdote yet. "But, we were waitin' for your dad, he was out there scavenging for stuff for me to bring back here," Negan told me what my father had been up to in this story.

"While I was waitin', Spencer approached me, whiskey in hand, actin' like a real welcomin' neighbour," Negan joked, just the mention of Spencer, I knew things were going to go bad.

Shaking my head, I remembered the annoyance Spencer always had with my dad since Reg died. "Idiot must have been trying to sell you some stupid story about how my dad is a curse to the place," I remarked on the typical behaviour of Spencer.

He was the same idiot who took the guns. "Bingo," Negan smirked at me, his eyes glancing me up and down, like he was impressed with my knowledge on Spencer and what he would be up to with a bold move like that.

Idiot has no idea who he was talking to. "While we were playin' a decent game of pool, that I was winning by the way, he told me about his family, about your dad," Negan was playfully talking about the situation like there was something to gloat about when it came to the game of pool.

I'm not impressed. It took everything in me to not roll my eyes. "Tried to make your dad look like he wouldn't co-operate with me," Negan stated all the bullshit Spencer would tell him. "But I saw past his bullshit, I knew Rick would do just like you said and deliver, which he sure as shit did."

Negan seemed excited about the stuff my dad would have found for him. "Not likin' what Spencer was sellin', because he tried removing your dear ol' dad from the picture by trying to convince me to kill your dear ol' dad for Spencer...I killed Spencer instead," Negan said with a slow sip of his whiskey at the end.

Feeling my heart drop, I knew Spencer was an idiot but he didn't deserve death. He deserved to be beaten close to death but death, wasn't what I wanted for him. "Oh..." I whispered as my heart began to pound. What else happened?

My eyes fell to the floor, deep in thought at the information I had been given. "Then, one of his people tried to kill me, shot a bullet straight into Lucille," Negan wandered over to his bat and showed me the hole that was inside his precious bat.

Why is it named that? "Someone had to pay but I also found out, your dad had been keepin' a very important person from me," Negan spoke slowly. "A bullet maker," Negan revealed and that was when it all made sense.

Eugene made someone a bullet. "Tryin' to find out who the bullet maker was, ended up pissing me off because the girl that tried to shoot me, lied to me," Negan growled a little at the memory.

He hates liars but I lie to him daily. "See, I should have killed her there and then but she was too much of a badass to kill," Negan mused briefly but how he spoke, it was driving me crazy. Can he just get to the point?

"Negan-" I went to speak but he cut me off.

"I know, you want me to get to the point," Negan said as he cut me off. "Tired of the lies, I told Arat to kill someone," Negan finally continued the story. "See, for a second I thought she was going to kill your brother," Negan said with a serious look on his face.

Feeling my heart stop, my eyes met his and a smirk grew on his face. "Instead she killed the fat lady, Olivia," Negan informed me, like I wouldn't remember who Olivia was. Feeling relief that my brother was safe, I also felt grief for the two souls we had lost today.

This man, he doesn't stop. Negan saw my worry, then my relief, which made him chuckle before he took another sip of his whiskey. "From there, your bullet maker finally did the ballsy thing and stood up, tellin' me it was him," Negan told me what else happened.

"I believed him and so, I took him home with me, to be one of my top guys," Negan was pleased with this outcome and I wasn't. Eugene can break far too easily. He'll become one of these people before dying. He's not Daryl.

Looking to the floor, I licked my lips and rose my eyes to meet his lingering gaze. "Did you kill anyone else?" I asked Negan, needing to know if anyone else died that I didn't know about.

Negan kept my gaze. It was as though he considered telling me the truth or telling me nothing at all. "No, although it looked like my guys beat the shit out of the guy that went with Rick to look for stuff," Negan had finally decided to tell me the full truth. "One that was at the line-up with the rest of you," Negan further added information from what he remembered of the details.

Listing people, the only guys that were there that night was Glenn, Abraham and both were dead. Eugene was here, safe. Daryl was gone and safe. My brother and father were safe. The only one left was..."Aaron," I whispered loud enough for Negan to hear.

"Aaron," Negan savoured the name. "The perfect name for a pussy," Negan joked before chuckling out a small laugh. Although, his eyes gazed at me from the sides. "Katherine..." Negan said, approaching me very slowly.

Towering over me, I knew he was doing this to intimidate me. "Did you know that guy from your old group knew how to make bullets?" Negan questioned me with a small wriggle of his head to gaze down at me and a small smile plastered to his face.

Staring up at him, he possibly thought I feared him like the other girls did. "No," I lied. "I knew Eugene was smart but I never thought he had that kind of knowledge," I stayed as close to the truth as possible.

Negan's hand went to my face, to brush a finger along my jawline to rest his fingers and thumb under my chin. Pulling my face up a little more to gaze into my eyes. "Are you lyin' to me right now?" Negan questioned me with an amused look on his face.

Despite knowing Eugene gave the place and recipe to my father, I did doubt a little that we could make these bullets. But now, I didn't doubt Eugene to make them at all. "No," I said after a short few seconds of us staring at one another.

My voice had been firm and didn't shake as I lied through tongue and cheek. I don't fear him and he's been gullible so far.

Taking a few steps away from me, Negan turned his back to me. Glancing to the bed, it looked untouched since I got here. Hopefully, Negan didn't suspect me for anything. When my eyes returned to him, I had watched him approach the table and down the rest of his whiskey.

When he put the glass to the table with a loud sound to follow after it, he sat down waited for me to do something or say something. "Take your clothes off," Negan ordered after a few moments of silence.

Shifting in his seat, it was as though he waited for me to do as he told me. To put on a show for him. "It's been a long day," Negan groaned as he relaxed into the couch. "I need to de-stress myself after everything that happened today," Negan said like he'd been working hard for hours on end.

All this man does, is talk and do stupid shit. Staying very still, my eyes were glued to the glass on the table. I had been imagining grabbing the glass, slamming it against his head repetitively but my mind soon caught up with the present.

"Go on. Or I can ask one of my other, more willing wives if she'd much prefer to take your place tonight," Negan urged he had other, more willing wives than myself. Asshole. Like any of those girls want to be sharing their bodies with you. They're probably thankful he took more of a liking to me.

At first, I wanted to tell him to go fuck himself, to find another girl who would please him. But then, my mind also remembered my plan when it came to my child. I have to make him think he is the father. I can't do that if I hardly have sex with him.

Feeling my heart stop, my eyes rose to meet his as I forced myself to keep calm. Don't panic. He'll know you're up to something Kat. "No," I answered him before I slowly unzipped my dress the best I could.

"Good girl," was the last thing I heard Negan say with a smirk on his face, all before I felt my dress fall to the floor and collect by my feet.


RPOV

Getting into a huge car that could carry all of us, I climbed out after the drive in which Jesus had directed us. Stopping by a spot of old, broken down cars and what looked like an abandoned factory, I climbed out and glanced around. "It's called 'the Kingdom'?" I asked Jesus as we climbed out of the van.

"Yeah. I didn't name it," Jesus told me while I approached him and glanced around.

No one was here but I guessed Jesus was stopping us here, so that we could walk the rest of the way. "How much farther?" I asked Jesus, glancing around and seeing how deserted the whole place was. I didn't even see a walker in sight.

"Well, technically, we're already here. I mean, we're always here, but here we are-at the Kingdom. Well, its outer edge," Jesus fumbled for words. He was having trouble explaining himself.

One of the truck doors opened and Daryl stood up, clinging onto the roof and the door as he towered over us. "Hey, what the hell we waitin' on?" Daryl asked us. Since he found out about Kat, Daryl had been on edge over everything. Even the littlest details.

Jesus then pointed to the distance. "Waiting for them," Jesus answered Daryl.

Turning my head to where Jesus was pointing to, I saw a couple of guys on horseback, riding towards us as one held up his gun. "Who dares to trespass on the sovereign land of the-Oh, shit. Jesus, is that you?" one went to threaten before he noticed who accompanied us.

One of the men slowed down and as the other joined him, the one closest to us shifted on his horse as he gazed down at us. "Who are all these people, Paul?" the one closest to us asked Jesus as the other one put his gun away.

"Hi, Richard. Nice to see you," Jesus greeted the guy who asked the question to our companion.

The one closest to us, Richard, looked down at us. "It's good to see you, too," Richard returned the sentiment to Jesus. "Your friends, who are they?" Richard asked while Jesus moved ahead of me to meet with the two that were on horseback.

Jesus looked over to me. "This is Rick Grimes," Jesus introduced me to Richard and his companion as Jesus gestured to me. "He's the leader of a like-minded community. These are some of his people," Jesus explained the situation. "We would like to request an audience with King Ezekiel," Jesus put out the request for us.

Everything seemed far too formal for my liking. Richard slowly got off his horse, gun in hand as he approached me and our car. "Get out of the car," Richard instructed to those that were still in the confines of the truck.

Watching as the others climbed out and joined us, I kept still and saw how Daryl was cautious in his approach. "You say they're a...like-minded community. Like-minded how?" Richard asked of Jesus.

Jesus glanced around at all of us. "We live, we trade, we fight the dead," Jesus began listing the things we had in common. "Sometimes others," when Jesus said this, a smirk grew and I knew he meant the Saviors but maybe, Richard didn't understand fully what this meant.

"Line up," Richard ordered of us.

Daryl's last experience after a line up, turned out to be awful, as did all of us. Abraham. Glenn. Then the memory of Carl, of Kat and then the fact they took Daryl. What they did to him, all of it. It was natural for Daryl to be cautious after what Richard ordered of us.

Daryl was getting ready to head back into the truck. "Okay. This is a waste of time. Come on. Let's go," Daryl tried to convince us to leave and not deal with a group who were willing to order us around the same way Negan did.

Richard's gaze fell on Daryl a little sternly. "Maybe you're right. The King is a busy man. And it's a dangerous world," Richard was suggesting that maybe we were wasting their time. "We don't usually allow a pack of strangers to waltz through our door," Richard explained why the hesitancy and way they acted.

Michonne had stopped close to Richard, she was closer to them than I or any of us were. "We want to make the world less dangerous, and we are all here to show the King how serious we are about that," Michonne reassured him that we weren't a threat.

How he glanced at us, it was like he was willing to give us all a chance. "The car stays outside," Richard said to Jesus mostly. "You gotta hand over your guns," Richard instructed us of their safety precaution. Mentally, I knew this wasn't the Hilltop. Even if Jesus did vouch for us, no one would listen to Jesus over a King.

"We only have two," I informed Richard as myself and Carl eventually handed over our guns to them.

Once Richard had both the guns, he glanced to all of us. "Okay," Richard began backing up from us. "Follow me," Richard instructed as he took his horse and walked alongside it, with Jesus keeping Richard between himself and the horse.


DPOV

Since Gregory, I had little hope this 'King' would help any of us. I doubted he would help us fight the Saviors and in the process, help us get Kat back. When we walked through the gates, we saw people harvesting, children playing, others jogging, people going about their daily lives. It looked too peaceful to be real.

It wasn't something I could get used to so quickly. Not after what I had been through back at the Sanctuary. "They have the numbers," Michonne said with a smile on her face as she gazed at the mass of people surrounding us.

"But can they fight?" Rosita wondered.

"Oh, they can fight," Jesus reassured us they could.

Myself, I wasn't convinced. People at the Hilltop don't know how to fight. This is the 'Kingdom' I doubt they'll know how to fight with guns. Maybe with sticks and spears like the Hilltop. Or maybe not even that. "Maybe," I grumbled.

Gazing out to the distance, to the people all around us, they looked healthy, capable but they looked fearless, like they knew nothing of what was going on beyond their gates. "Morgan?" I heard Tara say from beside me.

Looking over to Morgan, he seemed just as surprised to see us as we finally saw him. "Hey," Morgan said as he hugged Tara, who slowly approached him with a warm smile. "Hi," Morgan then greeted Sasha who was up next to hug our old friend.

Richard was confused as to how we all knew each other, by the way he looked at us. "How do you know each other?" Richard asked.

"We go back to the start," Rick explained how he knew Morgan. They have far more history than any of us do. Other than Carl, Kat and Rick with each other. Or possibly others in this group, such as myself that knew Carl and Kat from the start.

Richard glanced between us all and then to Rick. "Well, the King is ready to see you," Richard announced to us once he was done discussing the request to have an 'audience' with him.

As everyone else filtered into the theatre to meet with the King, myself and Rick hung back to speak to Morgan. "Did you find Carol?" Rick asked of Morgan.

I had been briefed into what had happened with Carol, that she left the day we got captured because of my own stupid need to kill Dwight after everything he had done. "I did, yeah," Morgan answered Rick.

The thought of Carol being found, but not with him, worried me and sent my mind in a frenzy. "Where is she? Is she okay?" I asked, needing to know if the woman I saw as family, as my best friend, was alright.

Hoping she was well, she was possibly my last hope since Kat was stuck with someone I hated more than anyone in the world. "She was here, and then she left. You know, she wasn't too happy, me following her," Morgan spoke to both of us.

"She wanted to get away from us, from everyone," Morgan explained why Carol wasn't pleased with being followed. "But when I found her, she was shot. It was just a graze. I got her back here," Morgan informed us of what happened when he found her.

The story just felt surreal to me. Carol would never leave us. She loves us. "They got doctors. They're good," Morgan reassured us that the people here were good to them, to both of them and helpful in many ways.

"Was it them?" I asked, wondering if Carol getting shot, had anything to do with the Saviors.

Morgan's gaze met mine. "It was," Morgan answered me. "She had crossed with some of them, and one of them followed her, tried to kill her, but I stopped him," Morgan told us.

He stayed quiet for a few seconds, like he deliberated in telling us something important. "I killed him. I had to," Morgan revealed to us that he had finally taken a life. I hope he's over the whole 'all life is precious' shit. "Carol was here. She got help. Now she's gone."

The way he told us this, made me doubt him. I can tell he's lying. He knows more than he's letting on. What he said, sounded like something Carol would tell someone to tell us. But if Carol is gone, she will never know what happened the night she left. Glenn. Abraham. Me.

Then I also remembered something else. She'll never know what happened to Kat either. Or know the fact that I'm going to be a father. Part of me began to wonder if I was going to ever be good enough to be a father either. With my family history, the example of a dad I had, I prayed I would be nothing like him. I hoped to be better. I had to be.


RPOV

When we finally entered the theatre, we were met with a man, sat in a chair, at the centre of a stage. One man stood in a costume, Richard wore his armour and a young boy, stood in plain clothes. Morgan was stood off to the side.

But all the rest of us, other than Jesus, we stood all the way at the back. Especially at the sight of a tiger walking across, chained and sat beside the King like a house pet. "Jesus! It pleases me to see you, old friend," Ezekiel's voice boomed out to welcome us.

"It pleases him, indeed!" the man dressed in a costume echoed theatrically.

Although, Ezekiel wasn't impressed by the man's outburst. "Jerry," Ezekiel scolded the guy in costume for speaking over him. "Tell me, what news do you bring good King Ezekiel? Are these new allies you've brought me?" Ezekiel questioned Jesus, rather than us.

Seeing as he was stood all the way at the front, just the tiger and charade of a King in a theatre, I knew the tiger was real but the performance wasn't. "Indeed, they are, Your Majesty. This is..." Jesus went to introduce us but soon realised we were all the way at the back.

All of us were terrified of the tiger. It's been so long since we saw one and more importantly, one that was free. "Oh, right. I forgot to mention that-" Jesus went to apologise to us.

Nodding, I couldn't look away from the beast beside Richard and Ezekiel. "Yeah, a tiger," I nodded before the tiger roared. The whole floor shook from the vibrations that echoed in the room.

Jesus then began to approach the stage, showing no fear towards the wild animal. "This is Rick Grimes, the leader of Alexandria, and these are some of his people," Jesus introduced us to the King.

Ezekiel looked proud as he sat upon his wooden throne, glancing to Carl, he looked amazed and a little afraid of the tiger too. "I welcome you all to the Kingdom, good travellers," Ezekiel welcomed us as I followed Jesus's lead.

Following after him, I tried to not show fear to the tiger but I did keep a good distance, as did all the others that had joined me. "Now, what brings you to our fair land? Why do you seek an audience with the King?" Ezekiel was curious to know what we wanted this meeting for.

"Ezekiel-" I went to start as I spoke up but saw a look the King gave me. "King...Ezekiel," I corrected myself, trying to keep on this man's good side. If we were going to get help, we needed him on our side. "Alexandria, the Hilltop, and the Kingdom. All three of our communities have something in common."

The way I started, I hoped was strong as I suddenly spoke too formally to this man. "We all serve the Saviors. Alexandria already fought them once, and we won. We thought we took out the threat, but we didn't know then what we know now," I went to explain what common thing we all had with one another.

"We only beat one outpost," I further explained our downfall. "We've been told you have a deal with them, that you know them. Then you know they rule through violence and fear," I tried to reach out to him but quickly Ezekiel's expression changed.

Ezekiel's eyes were dark as he glared to Jesus, who evidently was the one who had been carrying such information. "Your Majesty, I only told them of the-" Jesus went to explain himself.

"Our deal with the Saviors is not known among my people, for good cause," Ezekiel declared. "We made you a party to that secret when you told us of the Hilltop's own travails, but we did not expect you to share-" Ezekiel began to raise his voice, showing his anger towards Jesus for his betrayal.

Jesus was feeling pressured but what he did next, proved his own desperation to get people to help us win this fight. "We can help each other," Jesus argued back, cutting the King off.

"Don't interrupt the King," Jerry ordered, raising his voice over Jesus's.

The King continued to glare down at Jesus. "We brought you into our confidence. Why did you break it?" Ezekiel questioned Jesus for his betrayal, for the reason behind him revealing the association we could have with the Kingdom.

Jesus though, stood tall and calm. "Because I want you to hear Rick's plans," Jesus spoke with confidence and a steadiness, that made me realise he was truly on the fighting side. On our side.

Ezekiel's gaze soon fell upon me. "And what plans have you, Rick Grimes of Alexandria?" Ezekiel questioned me this time, speaking to me in such a formal way that made me feel as though I was some kind of Duke or other royal.

Keeping calm, I knew I needed to find a way to convince him to join our cause. "We came to ask the Kingdom, to ask you, to join us in fighting the Saviors, fighting for freedom for all of us," I proposed to him as I kept taking small steps towards him.

"What you are asking is very serious," Ezekiel stated the gravity of this proposal.

Michonne decided to take over for me. In my mind, I could feel Kat with us. Like she was a fuel to keep forcing us to convince him. "Several of our people...good people, were killed by the Saviors, brutally," Michonne spoke up. I could tell some of us, were thinking of my daughter when it came to the sheer need of getting people to join our cause.

This though, piqued Morgan's interest. "Who?" Morgan asked us.

Unable to talk, Rosita decided to take charge of this part of the conversation. "Abraham. Glenn. Spencer, Olivia," Rosita listed all those we had lost as I looked away. "Eugene was taken," Rosita said and I looked up.

I saw the horror and pain crossing Morgan's face. "Kat went with them willingly, offered to be one of his wives and is pregnant with Daryl's child," Rosita revealed, to which, Morgan had glanced between me and Daryl with sorry looks directed to both of us.

Looking away, I had to at the mention of my daughter, vulnerable and at high risk in Negan's care. "She's hoping to help us from the inside. Find out more about them," Rosita wrapped up the information she could give Morgan about my pregnant daughter.

"They took Daryl. He escaped. Every second he's out here, he's a target," Rosita's voice was angry with each word she directed at Morgan. "You gonna say you were right?" Rosita asked him mockingly.

When my eyes met Morgan, it was as though he was sorry for all of it. "No," Morgan said softly. "I'm...I'm just real sorry they're gone," Morgan gave us his condolences.

Remembering everything. Remembering how I met Negan, I wanted to kill him but I was lost. Now, I knew he needed to pay but I had to be smart. My daughter's life was at risk. "Negan murdered Glenn and Abraham, beat them to death," I snarled at the memory.

Sasha was the next to speak up. "Terrorised the Hilltop, set loose walkers just to make a point," Sasha informed everyone of what had happened to the Hilltop while everything else had happened back home.

Jesus was deadly silent as he heard us. "I used to think the deal was something we could live with. A lot of us did," Jesus sympathised with the King as Jesus looked up to him. "But that's changing. So let's change the world, Your Majesty," Jesus tried to give the King the courage we all thought he needed.

Feeling Kat fuelling me, I knew I needed to give the King a little bit of a push. "I want to be honest about what we're asking. My people are strong, but there's not enough of us," I was being honest with the King on our situation.

"We don't have guns-not enough, at least. Not a lot of weapons, period," I further explained how well equipped we were for this war.

Richard had been hanging onto every word we'd been saying, taking it all in. "We have people. And weapons. If we strike first, together, we can beat them," Richard was confident about this as he was already offering to help us.

Instantly, Richard's gaze met Ezekiel's, who already had been staring at his supposedly, loyal subject. "Your Majesty, no more waiting for things to get worse beyond what we can handle. We set things right. The time is now," Richard tried to make the King see sense.

Turning his attention away from Richard, the King's eyes landed on our spectator, on Morgan. "Morgan, what say you?" the King had asked for Morgan's council.

Morgan was stunned that he was the one called upon. "Me?" Morgan asked with stunned surprise.

"Speak," Ezekiel encouraged for Morgan to share his wisdom.

Morgan's eyes fell to the floor. "People will die," Morgan started off with this fact. "A lot of people, and not just the Saviors," Morgan further explained what he had meant. "It...if we can find another way, we have to," Morgan suggested we look for an alternate route.

He was hoping for a peaceful way to solve this. "Maybe it's just about Negan. Just capturing him, holding him. Maybe...I-" Morgan struggled to give out his ideas, to give us a more peaceful way to stop the Saviors.

But we all knew this wouldn't work. I was growing tired of Morgan's good Samaritan act. "The hour grows late," Ezekiel announced before his tiger growled lowly. The theatre rumbled with the vibrations.

Something in me, told me I needed to push the King further. That Morgan steered the King away from where we needed him to be. Ezekiel got to his feet and his tiger followed its master's lead. "Rick Grimes of Alexandria...you have given the King much to ponder," the King announced to me.

He was about to turn his back on us, to leave us there. To announce this conversation was over. My heart was pounding. I need to push him in the right direction. I need to get him to listen to me.

Then, a thought occurred to me as I thought of Kat. Her image clear in my head. Of a child, which then turned to Kat's sweet, face from when she was a girl. Her giggle as I had told her a story. All things I had hoped she'd be able to do when she had her child.

It was then, when it hit me. A story. I have to tell them the same story I told Kat when she was a girl. When she would think she would never be better at something. This story, it should work just the same.

"Well, when I was a kid, uh, my mother told me a story," I spoke up, making them stop in their tracks as I announced the memory of both important women that weren't in my life in that moment. Kat is trapped and my mother...she's gone.

The King seemed to have looked down at me with curiosity. "There was a road to a kingdom, and there was a rock in the road. And people would just avoid it, but horses would break their legs on it and die, wagon wheels would come off," I began my story.

"People would lose the goods they'd be coming to sell. That's what happened to a little girl," I said, feeling my heart sink at the memory of Kat's wide eyes when she would hear me tell her this story. Sometimes, she'd ask me, even when she was growing up, for me to tell her of this story.

Especially in moments, when Kat thought she was feeling hopeless. "The cask of beer her family brewed fell right off. It broke. Dirt soaked it all up, and it was gone," telling this story, I felt like Kat was that girl.

She is always looking out for us. For the people she loves and I have to find a way to get her back. "That was her family's last chance. They were hungry. They didn't have any money," the more I spoke, the more I realised this story meant more to me now, than it ever did before.

"She just...sat there and cried, but..." telling this story, I realised Kat must have cried. She must have broken when she had sold herself off to Negan for the cost of our protection. She was always so selfless.

My eyes slowly rose to meet the King's lingering gaze. "She wondered why it was still there, for it to hurt someone else," I spoke of the rock, in this case, of Negan. "So she dug at that rock in the road with her hands till they bled, used everything she had to pull it out. It took hours."

All of it, every detail, sounded just like Kat and I had hoped that the King would see the relevance he had to this story too. See the moral of this story. "And then...when she was gonna fill it up, she saw something in it," I said. "It was a bag of gold," I revealed to everyone.

"Alright," Jerry commented, enjoying this story.

To me, Kat was that bag of gold, as was all our freedom. "The king had put that rock in the road because he knew the person who dug it out, who did something, they deserved a reward," I was getting to the point of the story.

Each word, it hurt my heartstrings more and more at the memory of me telling Kat this story. And what it meant to me now. "They deserved to have their life changed for the good...forever," I finished the story.

The King's gaze was glued to me, holding mine, like this story really gave him a new insight on this situation. The same it did for me. "I invite you all to sup with us and stay till the morrow," the King had suggested we stay here the night.

"Yeah, we need to get back home," I tried to lightly reject his offer.

But the King, he was having none of it. "I shall deliver my decree in the morn," Ezekiel announced before his staff banged against the hard stage floor.


KPOV

I have to go find him. For hours, I had sat in my room, after the night I had with Negan, the regular thing I had numbed myself to, was to forget the night I shared with him. When he was done with me, I was forced to leave and collect my things before I'd return to my room to get some sleep.

When I woke up, I had checked to make sure my pregnancy test was well hidden, which it was as it was still where I had left it. For hours, I had been pacing around. I didn't even want breakfast, out of fear I'd throw it up but forced myself to eat light at least.

As time passed, the more anxious I got. I have to go find him. I had to look for Eugene, before Negan could brainwash him. I needed to see where he stood. While I gathered the courage to finally leave, I took one step towards the door. All before I heard a...knock. Knock.

Instead of me opening the door, it opened itself and behind it, was Negan, with his bat resting on his shoulder. The look on his face, it was something that had me frozen on my spot. A bad feeling flooding through me. I know what's about to happen...

Just as I thought that, Negan took a few steps into my room and the door then shut behind him. He knows...


RPOV

After spending the night there, we woke up early, to meet with Ezekiel, to find out what his final response was going to be. We had approached a group of kids, teens and adults without limbs tying to learn how to shoot a bow and arrow.

The sight, reminded me of the days I had watched Kat practice, seen her become an excellent archer. Lately, all I can think about is my daughter. Ezekiel had been watching the children practice, much like I once had with Kat. Deep in his thoughts with a proud look in his eyes as he looked upon his people.

"This is life here. Every day," Ezekiel began. "But it came at a cost," Ezekiel hinted that it wasn't easy for them to get to this point. As it was seen by the amputee who more than likely lost a limb, due to a walker.

"And I wanted more of this. I wanted to expand. To create more places like this," the King spoke with such enthusiasm about his dream as he approached us. "Men and women lost their limbs. Children lost their parents because I sent them into battle against the wasted when I did not need to," Ezekiel explained what his choices had done to him.

But this choice, was one for the better. I needed him to see this. "This is different," I spoke up as I approached him. This is freedom. A fight, worth dying for.

"It isn't," Ezekiel disagreed strongly as he shook his head at me and looked me directly in the eyes.

I was firm though, I had to be. "It is. The dead don't rule us," I corrected him as I kept getting closer to him. "The world doesn't look like this outside your walls," I stated the facts. "People don't have it as good. Some people don't have it good at all," I ruled out all the things that were different about outside and what was in here.

This place was a fantasy, one I was sure Kat told Carl all about during the beginning and now that it was real, it was too good to be true. "I have to worry about my people," Ezekiel was trying to put his people's lives, before their freedom.

Sighing, I turned my back and walked away. Daryl was growing more irritated with everyone and anyone who was going against us. "You call yourself a damn king. You sure as hell don't act like one," Daryl snarled. Over the King already.

I understood Daryl's frustration. He wants Kat back as much as I do. But the King began a slow, very strong approach towards Daryl."All of this...came at a cost. It was lives, arms, legs," the King pointed out to Daryl the cost of this kind of life as he pointed to the people we were witnessing. We all saw what it took to get to this point.

The King then turned to walk over to me. "The peace we have with the Saviors is uneasy, but it is peace. I have to hold on to it. I have to try," the King was lightly rejecting my offer to assure his people were safe.

His attention then turned to everyone who stood around me. Disappointed, I looked to Carl, to Michonne. Both were sad but held hope for something to save us. They're counting on me. They're all counting on me to save us. And to get Kat back. "Although the Kingdom cannot grant you the aid you desire, the King is sympathetic to your plight. I offer our friend Daryl asylum for as long as he requires it. He will be safe here," Ezekiel announced that he wouldn't help us but he would give Daryl sanctuary here.

I knew that with Daryl here, he'd be our best bet at convincing the King. Morgan, he wouldn't, That much was proven after yesterday. "The Saviors do not set foot inside our walls," the King informed us that Daryl would be safe within the Kingdom's walls.

"How long do you think that's gonna last?" Daryl growled, with a spiteful tone in his voice.

Following Daryl, he angrily walked away. He was the angriest out of us all. Since his capture, what they did and now Kat, he was a raging ball of angry fire. I understood his rage better than anyone. Morgan, Richard, they all followed us as we left the King alone to his thoughts.

We need to convince him. We need to get more people to join us, other than some of those from the Hilltop. We need more. If we're going to kill Negan, to save Kat, we needed the Kingdom. "You can change his mind, but you won't," I said to Morgan, knowing how his belief's were the thing holding him back.

"Then you can stay. We can talk," Morgan suggested that I stay and come up with an alternate plan with him. A more peaceful approach. The Saviors don't know peace. They never will.

Richard had walked ip to be beside me. "How many people do we have? To fight?" Richard asked me. "I'll go with you," Richard offered to join us.

Even if he was to join us, it wouldn't be enough for all of us to fight against the Saviors. "We don't even have enough to take on one outpost face-to-face yet," I informed Richard of our current fighting status.

Richard took into account all I had said. "So the Kingdom has to get involved, or the Saviors will always be in charge," was what Richard took from this whole thing.

"It isn't about soldiers. We're making them stronger. The more food we give them, the more arms, the more everything, every day any of us give them something, they become harder and harder to beat," Richard explained war tactics. That the more they had, the stronger they'd become and the weaker we'd get. We needed to find a way to pull their plug and quickly...


DPOV

Irritated by the past couple of days, since I finally escaped and found out about Kat, about our child, I knew I was only angry with the world after everything that happened. Tense after the escape, I just needed to do everything I could to get Kat back.

Even if all I wanted to do, was blow the whole of the Saviors up by myself and ignore Rick's need to have us work as a team. "Alright, open it up. We're gone," I ordered the people of the Kingdom as I approached the gates.

Rick had stopped in front of me, stopping me from leaving. "You're not," Rick informed me that I wasn't going anywhere with them.

I couldn't believe him. How serious he looked about it, I had hoped he was joking but instantly realised he wasn't. "I'm not staying here," I told Rick. Refusing to stay at the Kingdom, with a bunch of people living in a fantasy, with a King who didn't act like one.

I knew Rick wanted me to convince the King, to stay here and be safe. The Saviors would go to the Hilltop, possibly find me and kill me. "You have to. It's the smartest play. You know it is," Rick told me the facts.

Knowing Rick was only looking out for me, I couldn't argue with him. I need to stay alive. For Kat. For our child. "Try to talk to Ezekiel," Rick encouraged of me. "Or stare him into submission," Rick joked with me for the first time in what felt like forever.

Wanting to smile, wanting to laugh, I couldn't. So much was wrong and I had no idea how to fix it without getting into trouble. I need to do what Rick asks of me. "Whatever it takes," Rick almost cracked a smile.

My heart was breaking. I wanted to be with them, I wanted to get Kat back to us. To all of us. But I was being abandoned or left alone constantly. "We'll be back soon," Rick reassured me, he wasn't going to be leaving me here for too long.

Rick's hand raised to rest upon my shoulder, to reassure me he was coming back for me. I want to be there for when we get Kat back. But I know Rick. He wants me alive, for my child. He wants to protect me from Negan.

Having to watch them leave, I watched as Rick strode off after the others but the way I stared at him, I knew he could feel my eyes on him. Get Kat back. No matter what. My eyes were telling him as he turned around to look at me.

A look of comprehension crossed his features when his eyes met mine. While the gates shut, I hoped Rick would do what we were all set out to do. But I had my own work to do. I have to get us more allies. I have to convince the King if we're ever going to have a chance to save Kat...


CPOV

Driving back to the Hilltop, back to Alexandria. The ride away from the Kingdom, without Daryl or Kat beside him, felt strange. While dad drove, Jesus led him down a route he knew the Saviors had used frequently through what he overheard. Stopping by a blockade of cars, lined up in three lines, the cars all parked up beside each other facing the road ahead of them.

Suddenly, Negan's voice sounded over the walkie. "For anyone out there who loved the obese bastard as much as I did, I just want to say a few words. Fat Joey was not the most badass sonuvabitch, but he was loyal," Negan spoke, reminding me of what Daryl had done to get out of there, murdering one of Negan's to escape.

"He had a great sense of humor. In fact, we were just joking about oral sex with Lucille the other day. Things will not be the same now that he's dead. Without Fat Joey, Skinny Joey is just..." Negan let out a long sigh. "Joey," Negan announced the difference, now that Fat Joey died.

This guy is insane. "So it's a goddamn tragedy," Negan falsely sympathised with the death of one of his men. "So, let's have a moment of silence," Negan spoke through to the others, as though he would actually pray.

Part of me wondered if Kat was there, listening in to this with Negan in front of her, or if she was clueless to it all. Brakes squealed as dad drove his best to get a good spot of where he could squeeze between the cars but it looked impossible.

"Someone's trying to block the way. Gotta be the Saviors," Jesus suggested as my dad and Jesus rolled the windows down to glance out the window.

Gazing out the window, I noticed a structure that looked similar to the one of the Sanctuary, which wasn't far to where we were. "Look. I think that's their base over there," I encouraged them all to look over to what I saw.

Jesus leaned in closer to get a good look himself. "Yeah, that's it," Jesus was the only one, other than myself, Kat, Eugene or Daryl that could probably determine if this was in fact, the Sanctuary. "Must be trying to make it hard to get to them," Jesus assumed this was the case when he glanced back to the rows of cars.

Poking his head a little out the window, I saw my father try to get a good look of the cars again. "We gotta keep going. We'll move them, and then we'll move them back," dad had suggested this should be the plan.

"They don't need to know we were here," dad stated before he began reversing the car to make space for the rows of cars we would need to move out the way. His eyes met mine briefly as he glanced back. I bet he sometimes expects Kat to be close to me but...she isn't.


MPOV

Keeping watch, we had all mostly climbed out of the truck but one of us stayed behind the wheel, while we began pushing the cars using our truck out of the way. Giving us a chance to make a gap for our truck to get past.

As I gazed out into the distance through the binoculars, a strange sight came into my view. It appeared to be a wire, covered with explosives dangling from it, the wire was held between two cars, parallel to each other. What I tried to do, was keep an eye on anything that could harm us and the base of the Saviors but what I found, was far more interesting.

Something, I knew needed to come to Rick's attention. "Rick," I called to him. "Come take a look at this," I encouraged him to come over and take the binoculars I offered him, only for him to look through it and see what I saw.

When Rick took the binoculars, he took a good, long while to examine what I saw through the lens I looked through. When he saw it, he then lowered the sight seeing tool in his hands to squint at what he'd just witnessed. He looks as confused as I felt.


RPOV

Gazing at what we had found, I had got to my hands and knees. My head slowly getting closer as I inspected the wire, covered with explosives, as I tried to see a way for us to take them. We need this stuff. If we have a chance to beat the Saviors, we could. With this stuff only.

Glancing to the others, I noticed Jesus and Sasha closely inspecting the wire as they stood together too. Michonne walked along the outside of it, curious as to what it was used for. "What's all this for?" Michonne asked us.

Myself, I had no answer for this. But Carl did. "Wait. When I was hiding in the back of the truck, I heard a couple of them talking about this," Carl interrupted us, informing us of what he'd overheard during his trip to the Sanctuary.

"This is for a herd," Carl revealed to us.

Rosita was the one who looked the most at ease around all these explosives. "That's why it's a steel cable. It's not just for one walker. It's for a lot," Rosita explained why there was a need for steel cables instead of the regular wired ones.

I noticed Sasha glance around frantically, like she feared that the Saviors were soon approaching. "We need these explosives," Sasha encouraged us to take it. This was my plan all along.

We all knew how important the explosives were. Like Daryl said. We could save Kat, blow these assholes to hell. "Yeah," I agreed with Sasha. "But we have to figure out how to disarm it first," was our first plan of action I had in mind.

Rosita took it upon herself to begin finding a way of making sure the explosives didn't activate once we began removing them from the wire. Looking for the box, when she found it, Tara began to back away. "Uh...okay," Tara evidently was weary of the explosives going off with her there.

"Backing up is not gonna make a difference if this thing goes off," Rosita growled, like she knew what Tara was trying to do.

Her backing off, wasn't going to help her. "We got ourselves a red situation. I need a search party," Negan's voice suddenly spoke out, making all of us jolt a little at the sound of his voice.

My eyes met Jesus's, who, was the one keeping the walkie on him. "See if Daryl ran home like the dumb animal that he is," Negan's voice commented as Jesus rose the walkie talkie up to let us hear Negan's words more clearly.

Simon's voice then echoed through the walkie. "On it. Be there in time for lunch," Simon reassured him this was going to be a quick visit to Alexandria.

"Turn that sleepy little burg upside down," Negan ordered.

Michonne looked as worried for our home than I was. Knowing they were on their way, we needed to get things done and quickly, before they could find us not where we were supposed to be. "We gotta go. We gotta get there before them, but we need these. We need to clear a path anyway," Michonne spoke with a shaky breath.

It was obvious that Michonne was nervous about how quickly we could get the explosives and get back to Alexandria in time. "Yeah," I agreed with everything Michonne had said. "Rosita?" I wondered if she was almost done.

Her fingers were fumbling with wires until eventually, she tugged out the battery from the box that was hiden in a hole in the dirt. "First part's done," Rosita informed us.

Michonne straightened up, ready to keep going. "What now?" Michonne asked, her words quick, as we all began feeling the pressure now.

Time was ticking. "We gotta unwrap the secondary explosives-the dynamite, the RPGs. Make sure these casings are not messed up, and do not mess them up, either," Rosita instructed us as she got to her feet. "This thing could still blow," Rosita warned us.

Not wanting to waste anymore time, we all needed to pitch in, if we were going to get out of this together. "You all heard her. Let's go," I encouraged us all to get working on getting all these explosives into the truck safely.

Rosita was the one taking full leadership in this situation, as I had no idea what was going on. All of us began to work on collecting whatever we could. Keeping my eyes open for any threats, be it walkers, be it the Saviors, I needed to be sure that nothing was coming our way while our backs were to any threats.

"You can load the explosives into the trunk as long as they're in good shape. No dents, no tears. They're not live. They still need to be triggered to be set off," Rosita would instruct us as we began setting these all somewhere safe after Rosita would inspect them. "Not that one. I don't like the way it looks," Rosita said as she grabbed a stick of dynamite.

Tara seemed a little stunned by Rosita's words. "Okay," Tara clearly had no idea what Rosita was doing.

Once Rosita tucked the stick of dynamite away from us, we all continued trying to gather all the explosives we could from the wire. Luckily, we were almost done. "Dad," I heard Carl call to me. "Look," Carl was pointing behind us.

Turning a little to see what approached behind me, it was the herd of walkers appearing from out of the woods. "Okay. There they are. But they're far. We still have time," I encouraged them that panic wasn't needed right now.

I knew if we could keep our heads down and focused, we would get out of here without a scratch. "You sure?" Sasha asked me as she glanced over to me.

Meeting her gaze, Sasha was worried we wouldn't do this in time. We're almost done. We have to be. "We need these," I tried to convince her the risk would be worth it. Getting up to look at the herd, I saw the opening and it would only be noticeable to the Saviors we were here, if they saw the open gap.

"And we need to get the cars back in front of the onramp," I pointed to the space made for the cars that had been parked up in rows and lines.

Jesus got up and glanced to what I had ordered us to do next. "They'll know we took their explosives, so does it matter?" Jesus wondered why I was keeping up the act. It's less obvious if it looks like no one was here.

But, I also didn't want the walkers darting off into different directions or to go back to any of the communities. "We want that herd to stay on the highway," I explained the importance of moving the cars.

Handing Tara another stick of dynamite, she seemed confused as to why I needed the herd here. "Why?" Tara asked me with confusion clouding her features.

"We may need it," was all I could say. It might be of use to us later.

Rosita was inspecting the rest of it and placing the last of the explosives in the back of the truck. "Okay. Tara, Carl, come on!" Rosita ordered for her team that would help her move the cars, to join her.


CPOV

Climbing into the truck, Tara joined Rosita and myself as we drove to the point we needed to be. Pushing the cars in place, Rosita would steer while we pushed the cars back into their spots. The pressure was on.

The herd was coming and we were in the open for them to attack us. Flashbacks of the time when I was a child came to mind. Of Sophia and all that happened with her. This isn't then. We're stronger now. We know how to fight.


RPOV

We were all working hard to get the remaining sticks of dynamite off the wire, which was slowly becoming a great goal we would achieve today. Out of all the shit we've had lately, I can only hope this is the start of our turn around.

"Uh...Rick..." I heard Sasha's small voice call to me as she looked to the distance.

Seeing how close they were becoming, these walkers appeared to be moving faster but they were just slow and we were under far too much pressure, which made time move faster. "Alright. Sasha, Jesus, can you get back to the Hilltop on foot?" I asked as I kept cutting at a stick of dynamite.

Sasha quickly glanced over to Jesus who gave us a nod. "Yeah," Sasha answered me quickly.

Sweat was dripping down my face and collecting in my long locks. We need to do this quick. We need these explosives. "Tell Maggie we're not giving up," I gave them my message to Maggie. "Go!" I encouraged them to get out of here as quickly as possible.

Jesus was the first to run but Sasha showed me the sticks of dynamite. "Here," Sasha said softly before putting the sticks of dynamite in front of me.

Checking to see how Carl was doing, I could see they were fine and still pushing the cars to block the way. "We need every stick, every RPG," I informed Michonne of how necessary this was.

What we were doing, was crazy but we had to get what we could use against the Saviors. "Yeah," Michonne agreed with me. "Rick," Michonne had looked back to see something as I was too focused on the sticks of dynamite I was trying to set free.

The sounds of walkers approaching got louder. Standing up to look to the distance properly, I had seen what Michonne saw. The walkers were getting dangerously close to Carl and the others. "They're gonna cut them off," Michonne was worried for them, as Carl's back was to the walkers.

"Can we just split up?" Michonne asked me.

Not wanting to split from my son, after having to let my daughter go, we had no idea if any of us would meet back at Alexandria together. We needed to do this together and to be smart about it. "No," I answered as a thought came to me. "The cars. If they run..." I went to suggest.

Grabbing the sticks, I needed to find a way to bring them back with me safely. But we all needed to get out of this safely as the herd was gaining up on us. "We lay on the horn when we start it-" Michonne finished the idea for me.

"I'll bring my arm down, and we go," I told her what our signal would be.

Michonne's eyes stayed firmly on mine. "Yes," Michonne agreed upon the signal I mentioned.

Hoisting my legs to help me cross over the wire, I began backing up into the car closest to me. "Stay together!" I ordered as Michonne finished up on her sticks of dynamite.


CPOV

Once we were done, we began jogging back to the truck. The cars were back in place but the walkers were filling through. Seeing the walkers coming closer, I feared that they were going to swarm us. The confidence I had earlier, wasn't enough to have me fight against the whole herd on my own with just a knife and a gun. "Damn it!" I yelled at the fact they were almost on us.

Rosita had opened the door to the truck, along with Tara doing the same. We all climbed in and shut the door quickly. "We'll figure it out," Rosita said as she got in and locked ourselves inside. Walkers surrounded our truck, banging on the windows and the doors, as they begged for entry.

This is crazy. But worth it. It has to be. It has to work, if we're going to save Kat and my niece or nephew...


RPOV

Climbing into the car, we both hot-wired them at the same time, closing the door behind me and climbing up into my seat. Seeing some of them surround the truck, that held Carl, Rosita and Tara inside, I needed to save them and ourselves. Glancing to Michonne, she was rolling her window down, her eyes meeting mine as she nodded to me.

This was her way of telling me she was ready. Raising my arm, I lowered it and we both stepped as hard as we could onto the gas pedal. Honking as we drove and slowly, we began slicing down the herd. A blur of red and black was all we saw until we got closer to the truck.

Climbing out, we shoved and pushed at walkers that began surrounding us. This was far too risky and had one from the herd got us, we were surely dead. Luckily, Michonne made it to the truck before I did and when I got in, I slammed the door shut.

Tara quickly drove us out of there. Panting, I looked back and realised just how much of a risk it was. Especially, the moment I saw the sky full of orange, red, yellow and white. The stick Rosita got, had been an active one.

"Yeah, I didn't like the look of that shit at all," Rosita said in a way that reminded me of Shane when he was right about something. Shane...I wished things were different. I wish you would of been by my side through this kind of shit.

Realising how close we were to death multiple times, through pressure in time, in the space between our threats. From returning to Alexandria, to fearing we were going to get devoured by the herd. Then, the fact we could of blown up at any minute between a slip up, or the bomb that lit the sky then.

Thanking the heavens we made it, I knew it was a risk we took and one, I hoped was for the better. "I pushed it. I pushed it," I had been pushing our luck all through that and we were far too lucky to have escaped any of it, with the stuff that we had with it too.

Both myself and Michonne were panting as she took hold of my shoulder, rubbing it as to soothe me from the fact I had put us all in danger just then. "We're here. You can smile. We made it," Michonne said with a smile on her face.

I had been fighting to get my breathing back. The worry itself, I knew I was so close to death. We all were and if we hadn't of acted as quickly as we did, if we didn't have the help we had. All of that, would of been a waste and we would of all died.

But here we were. We were alive and breathing. "We can make it. We can," Michonne did her best to encourage me this was all going to work. How Michonne looked to me, she tried to get my eyes to meet hers and eventually, after many circles my head went, I finally met her gaze.

Tapping my shoulder, she pulled me in closer, to whisper into my ear as her head rest against mine. "We're the ones who live," Michonne repeated my words as I tried to regain my breath. We have to. There is far more at stake now...


KPOV

Watching Negan's back, his bat resting on his shoulder as he left the room with what I could only imagine would be a smirk on his face, I fell to the end of the bed and lowered my head into my hands. That was close.

Focusing on my breathing, I ran my fingers through my hair and gripped it tightly. What do I do now? Then, a thought occurred to me. I had to get to work. Instantly, I went digging for a notepad and a pen. Writing everything I remembered from the files I found, I wrote it all down.

Everything I remembered, I began writing it down and needed to do so quickly. I can't risk letting anyone see this or find it. I can't risk someone finding out my plan. Hiding the notepad after, I hid it in a place I knew no one would find it and should anyone question where it was, I already had a lie prepared.

I need to be ready. For anything. And everything...


RPOV

Tobin had approached us as those from Alexandria opened the gates as we parked up the truck far from Alexandria, far enough the Saviors wouldn't find it. Walking to the gate, they had noticed us instantly and let us in.

Rushing to us, Tobin looked a little nervous to talk to us as we entered the gates. "Lose the car?" Tobin asked me.

"Uh, it's somewhere safe," I answered him briefly.

I needed to be as quick as possible because I knew Simon and the others were bound to be here sooner, rather than later. "You didn't find anything," Tobin seemed disappointed by this but there was some good news.

But if the Saviors had found our explosives, they would of known we were close to their base and could kill another one of us with no hesitation. "No," I answered falsely but quickly. "Listen, we need to get everyone ready," I went to tell Tobin but it was too late.

Vehicles approaching alerted us that they were here. "The-" I went to say but was cut off I turned around and saw the group of tyrants coming into our home with a huge amount of numbers.

Feeling my body tense, I had to watch. For only a while longer, I would convince myself. As soon as we had Kat and Eugene back, we would blow the Saviors to ashes. Simon climbed out from the truck and the others followed. "Rick. Hello," Simon greeted me. "And...hello again," Simon then greeted the others, along with myself.

"We thought it'd be longer," I acted out the part of a concerned survivor and leader.

We knew they were here for Daryl but I needed to act like I knew nothing of his escape. "Do you think we're here for a tribute? Do you?" Simon questioned me once I didn't answer.

Simon had approached and stopped in front of me. "Is there another reason?" I asked him, trying to sound curious the best I could.

There was no way in hell Daryl was here and even if he was, I wouldn't let them take the father of my unborn grandchild's away from us. I wouldn't let them kill him this time. Daryl has more to live for now. "There is," Simon assured us there was more. "We're here for Daryl," Simon stated.

Acting confused, I kept stern with me words as I showed confidence in them. "Negan took Daryl," I gave them the facts but left it all at half truths. They'll never know where he is now.

Sounding strained, Simon held onto his belt. "Oh, but...then your son showed up, Daryl went missing-" Simon was suggesting Carl was the one to free him. "Might those two things be connected?" Simon questioned if it all correlated.

Regardless what they thought, it wasn't Carl who got Daryl out. Or Jesus. Some thought it could be Kat but something told me she wasn't that advanced yet in the Sanctuary. "They're not," I defended my son. "We didn't know he was gone till right now," I lied.

A huge grin was wide across Simon's face as he watched me but in his eyes, I saw the doubt in them. He thinks Daryl's here. Doesn't he? "Then this should be easy," Simon joked with his arms wide open. "Now, everyone find a buddy," Simon ordered my people around.

When his eyes then danced from me to the others, I knew something big was coming. "Gonna have to follow us around. If he's here, we really need you all to see him die," Simon tried to reason but instead, told us it was all for the better, which if he had been here, no, it wouldn't have been.

I'm glad he stayed at the Kingdom. Simon stepped around me, walking up to my son, Simon flicked Carl's hat, like he hand when we were at the line up, before Negan arrived. Simon thinks he's in charge...but he isn't.


CPOV

Having to follow them around, they had wrecked our homes, turned things upside down, broke plates, cups, anything that was supposed to be a comfort as they turned even our blankets or beds on the floors, over. They were doing their best to wreck the joint, all to find nothing of what they were looking for.

Keeping quiet, I knew I needed to be silent while I watched everyone else do the same. Most tried to keep up with the people who were making a wreckage of our home. They want to find Daryl so bad, they are willing to destroy our things to also make a point.

Whatever Kat is doing, I hope she really screws them over and ruins all their plans. But I also hope she stays safe. For our sake, her own, for Daryl and especially for my unborn nephew or niece.

I was secretly glad Daryl was safe. He was going to be the father of my sister's child and as the family we now firmly were, me and dad would do what we had to, to protect him. I won't let them find the father of my niece or nephew. I will protect all of them with my life...


RPOV

Following the Saviors around, we had found them tipping Alexandria upside down, just to try and find Daryl. Their luck was not with them today, as we had taken their explosives and their chance of killing Daryl. Now, Simon had whistled as we went to check the pantry.

But the pantry, turned out completely bare. "Wow," even Simon was stunned by the huge lack of food there was. "These are some bare shelving units. You guys have a barbecue or something and not invite us?" Simon joked.

"Seriously, this is sad. Hope you're not trying to hide stuff from us, 'cause that generally doesn't go over very well," Simon had been looked around at the shelves and began talking between me while glancing to the rest of my people as he approached them.

It was Aaron who spoke up. "We have a lot of people. It's...getting harder to find stuff, and our focus lately has been on finding things that Negan might want," Aaron made up an excuse. "We're still adjusting to the new system," Aaron reassured Simon it was only something we could catch up with.

But when we were last here, I knew these shelves had enough to last us maybe a few weeks. How it disappeared, wasn't normal. "We were gonna scavenge more today. If you just wait, we'll...bring something back. We'll find more," I spoke up, getting Simon's attention away from Aaron.

Already, Aaron had paid a price from the Saviors last they were here. "Aww," Simon mocked with a chuckle at the end of it. "Relax. I'm not here for a pick-up," Simon reassured us this wasn't the case.

"Good thing," Simon added an opinion to it. Bowing my head, I knew too much eye contact would prove I was building my confidence back up. That I was becoming more and more determined to end them.

The image of Kat, in trouble because of them, crossed my mind. "But that day is coming, so you best do whatever you need to. Dig deep. Go the extra mile. Take some risks!" Simon gave us words of encouragement as he rest his arms onto the empty shelves.

"We will," Michonne spoke up confidently.

Simon's head turned to Michonne but he thought nothing of her strength. "Well, we will appreciate that," Simon told Michonne cockily as he walked over to her.

Following them out, Simon had his hand on my back, leading me to our gates as he was acting like we were good friends. I would rip this guy in two, had I not feared for Kat and Eugene's safety. "Thank you for the cooperation, Rick," Simon thanked me.

"My apologies for leaving the place a bit of a mess, but we got a litany of other shit to attend to," Simon said as he began walking away, apologising to me for the mess they made. "So do you, I guess," Simon made a very good guess.

The trucks rolled out behind him. "Tick-tock. Chop-chop," Simon encouraged me to hurry up with everything I had to do. Climbing up into the truck, once it stopped behind him, he shut the door and remembered something. "Oh!" Simon yelled once he remembered.

"And, Rick..." Simon called to get my full attention. God, give me strength. "if Daryl does turn up here two days from now, two months from now...hell, two years from now, just know there's no statute of limitations on this," Simon began to state the ground rules for this.

There was no deadline. "Keep that hatchet handy. You're gonna need it if he turns up with you people," Simon encouraged me to be prepared for something bad to happen. Swallowing hard, I wanted to end them but I had no way of doing so.

"And it won't turn out the way it did for your boy," Simon warned before he slapped the side of the truck and they rolled out. An angry look had crossed Simon's face, resembling the same scowl Negan could wear as they rolled out.

When they left and the gates were closing, I swallowed and thought to myself. Thank God Daryl is safe. "What happened to the pantry?" I asked the others as I faced everyone. There was no explanation for why it was bare.

Aaron was the one to speak up instantly. "We don't know. And we need to talk about Gabriel," Aaron answered and stated an issue at the same time.

Looking around, I had noticed he was nowhere to be found. "Where is he?" I asked them.

He wasn't there during the Savior's arrival and he wasn't here now. Part of me hoped he was scavenging. "He was on watch the night you all went to scavenge. I was supposed to take over for him in the morning. He wasn't at his post," Tobin informed us of all the information we didn't know about.

That alone, didn't sound like Gabriel. He kept watch. Even after what he did with us at the outpost. He never just left us. "Pantry was cleared out and a car was gone," Aaron added more information to that last piece of the puzzle.

"No one's seen him since," Eric stated that everyone here, knew nothing of his whereabouts but had somehow pieced all of this together and pin pointed Gabriel as the thief and runaway.

Scoffing, Rosita didn't doubt this for a second to be Gabriel's plan of action. "That son of a bitch. He stole our shit and ran," Rosita had pieced everything together angrily.

Tobin though, sounded doubtful. "That's...what it looks like," Tobin too assumed this was the case.

No. That's not him. "Well, I don't want to believe it," Michonne was the first one to want to believe that this was not true.

Hearing them, they were all too quick to judge. "I don't believe it," I argued, putting my own views in front of them. "That's not Gabriel. He wouldn't do that to us," I was sure about this.

"I thought he changed, too, but it can't be anything else," Rosita shook her head, determined to crucify the priest before a jury could decide he was guilty.

Not liking this, nothing felt right and I didn't believe Gabriel would leave. Not after everything. Not since he gathered the courage to fight for our lives, our freedom. "Yes, it can," I snarled before I walked back to the pantry. There's got to be some kind of clue...


MPOV

Tara was the only one stood close to me, as we stood in the pantry, searching for clues as to where Gabriel was and what happened to the food. "I can't believe he would just take our stuff and go. I mean, that's-that's not who he is," Tara said.

Rick didn't believe Gabriel would do this, neither did Tara. Myself, I knew people could do the craziest of things in an extreme situation. Kat did. Rick had. We all did. "Well, he saw Olivia and Spencer die right in front of him," I tried to sympathise with a thing that would drive anyone to run away.

Crouched down, reading Gabriel's bible, I didn't know why Rick bothered with the book Gabriel never left home without. "I know. I just..." Tara let out a faint sigh. "He found his courage, you know?" Tara reminded me of what Gabriel had been like.

"I want to believe he held on to it," Tara tried to explain why she wanted to believe that Gabriel hadn't done what he could have done.

Truthfully, I too wanted to believe Gabriel was capable of staying strong after everything that happened. "Why wouldn't he have taken this with him?" Rick asked, getting to his feet. "Why would he leave it on the floor?" Rick turned to look at us with confusion.

None of us knew why but maybe, Gabriel was in that much of a rush. Aaron had rounded the corner and joined us in the gun storage, which was already empty from the lack of things we already had in here. All we had was melee weapons and now all those, are gone too.

"There weren't tracks out there before. We didn't find anything now," Aaron informed us all as he would briefly glance at the book in Rick's hands. "Maybe Daryl or Kat could've picked something up but..." Aaron said as his words drifted, a shake of his head indicating there was nothing out there.

The thought of Daryl came to mind instantly. Along with Kat. As those two were now a pair, bound by a new life and the love I knew they shared. Kat's pregnant with his child. And Daryl is on the run from Negan. How did it get so messed up, just when it was looking perfect?

Rosita and Eric soon followed in after Aaron as he stopped at one end of the door frame, while Rosita stood by the other. "He left. He didn't leave a note. He obviously doesn't want to be found," Rosita assumed angrily with her arms crossed.

Rick turned his back to us, flicking through pages of the book that held all our inventory written inside it. Stopping on a page, Rick stared down at it as I saw his frame stiffen but then relax. "Yes, he does," Rick corrected her.

Showing us the page he stopped on, the words in bold said BOAT. Aaron approached Rick's side as Rick showed it to him. "How would he know we were out there?" Aaron wondered, stunned by the words he too read on the page.

The words written on the page, proved Aaron and Rick knew where this 'boat' was. "I don't know," Rick answered while he looked away from all of us, shaking his head and glancing back up at Aaron.


RPOV

Reaching the same spot where the boat was, it had been a long morning and the day, still wasn't done. Walking through the trees, following the trail and coming across a trail, I knew it must have been either Gabriel or the one who took him hostage.

"Psst," I beckoned to the others as they approached, when I finally pushed away the leaves that hid the footprint. Whoever it was, they were close. And it looks fresh. That much, I've learned from being around Kat and Daryl in situations like this.

Following the trail, we came across an abandoned clearing of long grass, abandoned cars, turned over trailer houses and a few blocks. Whistling, the others searched around but the noise of something hitting what sounded like metal, made me spin around to see it.

A gun pointed at me, a hooded figure stood by the truck, soon enough, I looked around and more hooded or dark cloaked people with guns approached us. Panting, there was nothing I could do but watch us get surrounded but then I smirked.

These are people. With guns. If we get them on our side...we can beat the Saviors. We can get Kat and Eugene back. Having faith restored to me, even as they circled us and trapped us, I knew they had Gabriel and had enough people, weapons to help us win this fight. This is it...


A/N: Here it is. I really liked writing this chapter. Seemed more hopeful, even with Kat knowing her target but being at odds with him and focused on her target. Hope isn't with her right now, as she needs to be alert and smart. Knowing that she needs to be smart while in a wolf's den. But Kat knows she's surrounded by sheep, while she is a lioness and on the hunt.

What I do suggest, is for you to watch that scene of Rick telling the King a story. To me, it just sounds like Rick is talking about Kat in this story. Kat would dig and dig at the rock (Negan) to get him to stop hurting people. Even at the cost of losing everything her family worked for in the process. That she is the key to the better life. That she would dig until her fingers bled for them to all be free of Negan.

Honestly, possibly one of my favourite scenes to write in Rick's perspective so far. Anyway. You know the deal.

Now, I would normally ask for 5 reviews, but seeing as everyone keeps posting reviews so quickly. And I still haven't recovered from the holiday I just took, it's been hard to write anything with work, with life and the jet lag. I need time to actually post the chapters I like to write beforehand, before the chapter before it gets posted.

10 REVIEWS AND A NEW CHAPTER WILL BE COMING OUT TO YOU AS SOON AS TOMORROW. AND I WANT AS MANY ANSWERS TO MY QUESTIONS AS POSSIBLE. IN ONE REVIEW. NOT IN 10 OR 5, SPLIT OFF TO TRY AND REACH THE GOAL OF REVIEWS. I LITERALLY WROTE THIS AS QUICKLY AS I COULD WHEN I GOT BACK FROM MY TRIP TO NEW YORK, ONCE I RETURNED TO ENGLAND.

Questions you can answer in the reviews:

1) What did you think of this chapter?

2) Favourite scene in this chapter?

3) What did you think about the rock in the road story? Now that you read this version.

4) What do you think happened between Kat and Negan you didn't get to see?

5) What do you want to see happen next?

Until those 10 reviews are gifted...

Much love,

HeroJustInTime90