SUMMARY: Carol and Ezekiel have to survive, cut off from the Kingdom.

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing of The Walking Dead

RATING: T+

PAIRING: Carol/Ezekiel

A/N: I would like to start off by apologizing for keeping this final chapter from you all for so long. I lost a little inspiration for this fic, I must admit. At the same time, I had to focus my attention on finishing my third novel, which is now complete. It freed me up so that I could finish this fic. I hope you enjoy the last chapter! Thank you so much for your patience.

ON THE RUN:

THE NEXT MORNING:

Carol woke to the strangest sensation; puffs of air whispering across her skin. When she opened her eyes, a big feline muzzle was near her face. She groaned, rolling over to her back. Carol looked up and smiled at Ezekiel. They had survived the night. "Everything ok?" she asked, her voice slurred from the sleep that still clung to her mind.

"All is well," Ezekiel answered with a soft smile. His left hand was resting atop Shiva's head, his fingers scratching behind her ear. During the night, he had fallen asleep a handful of times, and then only for an hour at best. He wanted to keep watch over Carol just as she had done for him when they had been on the run.

Carol took a moment and closed her eyes again. Through the silence she could hear the snapping and snarling of the walkers around them. There were some on the floors above them, but every point of egress to this second floor and the first were chained, there were also guards posted. She could even hear the ones that were outside the building. "We can't stay here for long," she said lightly.

"We cannot return to the Kingdom just yet, or else it would be a slaughter," Ezekiel replied. He knew their home had to be overrun with the dead. For the time being it was prudent to leave it to them until the war with the Saviors had come to an end. When that was, Ezekiel didn't dare to guess.

Carol sighed. She lightly knocked the back of her head against his hard thigh. She was thinking. There had to be at least a handful of Saviors still alive to track them down. So, why hadn't they been found yet? They had been very lucky and in this world that didn't last long.

"Not that I don't enjoy the way you're tenderizing my thigh, but might I inquire as to what thoughts trouble your mind?" Ezekiel asked.

"That was a huge gun we set up to fire on anyone that opened the front gates. What if we killed the group of Saviors that came to the Kingdom?" Carol asked him. "But to make sure they're dead, we would have to send scouts, and there's a chance they'll get killed… So…."

"Quite the conundrum. There are Saviors breathing down our necks and the dead that seek to devour us at every turn…" Ezekiel turned his gaze out the window. They were stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"Either way, we can't go back, not yet at least," Carol said sadly, agreeing with him on that point. Beside her, Shiva growled her agreement as well. Then, she came closer to Carol, and she tried not to flinch as the great cat rested her massive head on her stomach. Gently, she rested her hand atop the feline head, and scratched between the back, white spot marked ears.

"Not until our foe has been eradicated," Ezekiel replied knowingly. They were on a direct path to Hilltop. It would be advantageous for them to regroup there, catch their breath, and help to defend the last outpost of freedom. Even as they were crippled, the Saviors were like a rabid animal looking to lash out. Their wrath would find Hilltop, and they would need to be there.

"So, where do we go?" Carol asked, looking up at the ceiling.

"To the last refuge of freedom," Ezekiel said. "To Hilltop. They will need our added numbers. There is still a war to win."

"Are you sure?" Carol asked. She shouldn't have bothered. Ezekiel had committed to this fight and he wasn't going to back down. Not after all the ground they gained against the Saviors.

"I am," Ezekiel confirmed, nodding his head. Once they were safely behind the walls of Hilltop, from there they could send out riders from a position of strength. The journey to the Kingdom would offer more protection going through the woods between the two communities.

HILLTOP:

Maggie was drawing up a plan with Daryl and Michonne for when the Saviors came to attack them. She had already repelled Simon and his horde by sending back one of their captives, dead, and in the box that had been left. She wanted Negan to know she was serious. She wanted Negan mad. In the back of her mind, she was thinking about Carol, and the Kingdom. There had been no word from them and she feared they were all dead. She was about to bring up the topic of sending a team to investigate when the sound of a distant roar reached her ears. Looking at her family, she asked, "Was that?" Daryl and Michonne were standing ramrod straight, their senses on Red Alert.

"THE KING!" One of the guards cried out.

As one, Maggie, Daryl, and Michonne relaxed the moment they heard the shouted message. To them, it meant Carol was alive and she was coming back to them. Together, they left the study and headed outside just as the front gates opened to admit their guests. Except, this reunion would be colored by sorrow. Carol didn't know about Carl.

Daryl bypassed everyone to get to Carol. It felt like it had been months since he'd last seen her and not days. She had warned him not to do something stupid, but in his anger, he hadn't listened to her. All she did was nod and he went to her, resting his head on her shoulder. Then she was holding him, and the last tendrils of his rage washed away.

"Who else made it from Alexandria?" Carol asked, resting her cheek against Daryl's head. Her question made him pull back, showing her the sadness only she knew was there. "What happened?" Tears came to her eyes. "Daryl…?"

"Carl got bit," Daryl said in a low voice. If any of them deserved to survive, it would have been the boy.

Carol closed her eyes, her hands clenching into fists. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. Not Carl. "How?" she asked, her voice nothing more than a breath of air.

"He was helping someone when it happened," Daryl answered her. His head was lowered, and his voice was low. The kid had been apart of them all, and now that he was gone, it hurt like hell.

Carol touched Ezekiel's shoulder to get his attention. Though, she shouldn't have bothered, he had been intently listening to what she and Daryl had been saying. The look on his face said it all, but still she told him, "I'm going to go and find Rick." He nodded, and then turned away to tend to his people.

Daryl led Carol over to where Glenn and Abraham had been buried. Rick was there, kneeling next to them, nearly as still as a statue. He didn't say anything, just stood back and watched. It was hard to speak when one of their own died, but this time it was ten times harder because it was Carl.

Carol knelt next to Rick, putting her hand on his shoulder. She felt the tension, the extreme effort to remain still when inside, she knew he had to be howling in rage. "I'm so sorry…." Rick said nothing, though, she didn't expect him to. All he did was reach his hand up, placing it over hers. She knew he was fighting some internal battle. He had been like this when Lori died. After a few seconds, she got up, and then went back to Daryl. Speaking softly, she said, "Find me if anything happens."

"Uh huh…" Daryl mumbled, keeping his eyes on Rick. He knew his brother, and he knew that the man was ready to deal out death and punishment to the Saviors.

MANNOR HOUSE:

Ezekiel stood in the study conferring with Maggie about where best to place his people in addition to hers. Food was scarce, and the supplies they brought would only hold out for so long. "If fate is kind, then we should not seek shelter here for too long," he said.

"You're welcome here for as long as you like," Maggie assured. It would get a little cramped, but at least everyone was in one place now. Earlier in the week, Jesus had gone out to scavenge for food. So far, there had been no word.

"That is kind," Ezekiel inclined his head. "I shall post my soldiers along the wall with yours, and the doctor I spoke of, should you need her…"

"Thank you," Maggie said, and grinned. "It's gonna be tough, but we should be ready by the time the Saviors come knocking at our door tonight. We have the hostages, so there's that." She didn't want to use them in this manner, but her people, her allies; they had to come first. The plan was solid, and it would work.

"Let us hope that it does not come to that," Ezekiel commiserated. Absentmindedly, he placed his right hand over the bullet wound. The days trek had exacerbated his injury, as well as the night before when he had stayed awake to watch over Carol.

Maggie saw the exhaustion that clung to the King. "We heard you'd been shot. There's a room for you upstairs. Third door on the left, top of the landing."

"You are too kind," Ezekiel said, exhaustion clinging to his words. He would have to rest before the next fight as he was expending too much of his energy already.

Carol knocked on the door gaining Ezekiel and Maggie's attention. "Everyone's in place," she said. Every able-bodied fighter they had were manning the walls, holding positions behind the armored cars, and set up as lookouts for the Saviors. "We finished moving the children down to the cellar with armed guards.

"And what of young master Henry?" Ezekiel enquired. The boy had been willful as of late, fueled by the fire of revenge. He wanted to end the Savior that killed his brother. On one hand, Ezekiel could understand this, but on the other, it was a slippery slope that wouldn't just stop at one act of vengeance.

"He's down there," Carol confirmed, careful to keep her distance while they were gearing up for a fight. "He argued with me the whole way."

"What did you tell him?" Ezekiel asked, taking a step closer to her.

"I told him that you'd be very disappointed in him if he didn't stay there," Carol answered. Henry reluctantly agreed to stay put. Though, Carol could see disobedience burning in the boy's eyes. "You may want to have a few words with him. He might listen better if it came from you."

"I will, after the nights battle has been won," Ezekiel replied, glancing towards Maggie. They still had many preparations to make, and barely any light left in which to make their people ready for a fight.

"No, now would be better," Carol said to him. "I can see to the Kingdom fighters. Henry needs you right now, and we still have daylight left."

Ezekiel opened his mouth to argue more, but he saw the ay Maggie watched them. It had him stopping and bowing his head slightly to acknowledge Carol's wisdom. "My lady," he whispered and then took his leave.

Maggie didn't so much pay attention to what Carol was saying to Ezekiel as she was watching their body language. It was so telling. Once the King was far enough away, she said, "You should have kissed him."

Carol turned around, staring the young widow down with shock in her eyes. "Why would you say that to me?" She wasn't mad, she was just surprised that those words came out of Maggie's mouth.

Maggie smiled a genuine smile, the first for her in a long time since Glenn's death. She crossed the room, so she could stand close to Carol; a woman that had been so much a part of her life for so long. "I can tell you've already slept with him," she chuckled.

"It's that obvious?" Carol asked, wondering if her cheeks were turning red.

"Probably not right off the bat, but to someone who knows you…" Maggie let her words taper off.

Carol knew what she said to Maggie would stay between them; she was one of the people she trusted most in the world. Taking a moment to be herself, she dropped the carefully constructed mask she wore for the world and just allowed herself to be with one of her family. "It seems like it was a week ago, but really, it was only two days."

Maggie missed 'girl talk', she really did. There wasn't much cause for it given what the world was nowadays. Getting the chance to have a little bit of it with Carol was a real treat. "What was it like? With him?"

Carol hoped she wasn't blushing now. "It was…" she sighed as she thought about the right words to use. "Life affirming." She could have said it was GOOD or AMAZING, or MIND BLOWING. It was all of those things, but for the most part she finally felt connected to another human being again. Even now she could feel the phantom touch of Ezekiel's skin against her own. It had kept her going these last two days.

"He was that good with a bullet wound in his shoulder?' Maggie was impressed.

"There were ways…" Carol said and then laughed. The sounded was so foreign to her ears she couldn't believe that it was coming from her. It was real, and it was genuine. She couldn't believe she was talking about this when they were going to be killing people tonight. She couldn't believe that she had laughed in the wake of finding out Carl had died. The thought of Carl was like being drenched in ice water. She and Maggie shared a look. They had shared the same thought.

NIGHTFALL:

The silence was deafening. Carol held her rifle tucked in against her shoulder, her eyes fixed on the front gate. Next to her, Ezekiel held his position. She felt the tension rising in the air around them. The alarm had been sounded to let them know that the Saviors were on their way. Then, there was the roar of engines. She took one last look at the man by her side, her King, and then locked away the woman in favor of the warrior. There were evil men that needed to be killed. She had to be hard, unfeeling, and ruthless to do it.

Ezekiel felt the warmth of emotion leave Carol in the span of a single breath. Her eyes, that had moments ago been full of light, were now dull, conveying the coldness she was drawing around herself like armor. He understood why she had to do it. Still, a small part of him hurt to see it. She had come a long way since they had first met. So, he locked down his emotions as tightly as she had and prepared himself for the battle to commence.

Up on the balcony, Carol could hear Maggie offer the ultimatum. Thirty-eight prisoners and thirty-eight bullets. She heard Simon callously toss away the lives of his fellow Saviors. Quietly, she checked the chamber, seeing one round chambered. She readied her riffle for automatic fire and waited for the signal. It would be Daryl riding through the gates after having lit up the Saviors beyond the wall. Then, in the distance, she heard it; the roar of Daryl's bike.

Ezekiel took a deep breath, preparing himself for the fight. The front gates opened to admit Daryl, and to draw the Saviors into the trap. Next, the bus prevented the first Savior truck from getting too far in, forcing them to get out, to be on foot on a level playing field. Three. Two. One. The remaining coalition forces rose up from behind the armored cars they were using as cover and fired on the advancing Saviors. Some shots landed killing blows, bodies dropping like stones. He kept firing.

Carol killed every target she aimed at. She heard people go down and she saw Tobin get hurt. One glance to Ezekiel and she told him with her gaze that she was going to help him. He nodded and provided cover fire for her. She was off, dodging Saviors, shooting them, and she skidded into the shed where Tobin had gone down. He had a gash across his chest. Immediately, she put her hands to his wound, gathering up the edges of his shirt to help staunch the flow of the blood. Thankfully, the laceration wasn't deep enough to make it a fatal injury.

"Long time no see," Tobin laughed lightly through the immense pain spreading through his chest.

"Can't keep from getting hurt, huh?" Carol replied with a scoff. Suddenly, hands covered hers, and the newcomer Carl had saved was kneeling next to her. He did have medical training. She pulled her hands out from under his and took up her AK-47 again.

"I'll take care of him," Sadiq assured.

"Good." Carol returned to the fray. Maggie had given the signal to fall back to the manor house. They shot out the headlights of the vehicles and then went inside. One again, she fell to the side of Ezekiel. Everyone went deathly still, barely breathing so they wouldn't make a sound. Then came the whistling. It was meant to be an intimidation tactic, but it failed. Seconds later, lights flared to life, bathing the Saviors in the harsh halogen light. Next came another barrage of bullets. The Saviors, the ones who weren't dead, fled.

Ezekiel exhaled, lowering his gun. "We've won the night," he said quietly. Now came the task of taking care of the dead and tending to the wounded. If he thought she would allow it, he would have rested his hand on her shoulder. However, there was still work to be done and the long night had yet to begin. With a nod to her, he got up and went to tend to the dead with the remainder of his combatants. Carol would join her family in securing the house.

MID-DAY:

Dawn came and went with everyone from Hilltop, Alexandria, and the Kingdom working to secure the gates, the prisoners, and gathering up the dead. The wounded were being treated. Too many of their people had been cut up or shot full of arrows. Graves were being dug for those who had passed away during the night. Carol moved from one small work detail to another, helping out where she was needed.

Afternoon was coming upon them with Carol standing outside the medical trailer. Tobin was inside, and she knew she had to offer him some sort of explanation for why she disappeared. She just couldn't make herself go inside. A short time ago, she occupied his bed, shared her day to day life with him. At first, it was because she was pretending, and then she felt like she could stop. That scared her. She left, and then by a twist of fate, she got her, and she and Morgan wound up in the Kingdom. Carol came face to face with Ezekiel.

Carol was being a coward. Not going in there. She could face down a herd of walkers, cover herself in their guts and blend in with them without so much as batting an eyelash. Though, going in there, facing a man she had shared a bed with, that kept her frozen in place. Standing around wouldn't make what she had to do magically disappear. She bit the bullet and went inside.

Tobin was lying on the cot, he'd been sleeping off and on when he saw Carol come in. He couldn't help but smile at her, even though he knew a small part of him was still smarting over the way she had just left him. When the communities came together to fight the Saviors, Carol had come with he Kingdom. She'd come with the King. "Hey…" he called out, his voice filed with sleep and pain.

"Hey," Carol replied, sitting down next to him.

"Give me ten minutes to get my second wind and I'll be up and ready to help," Tobin joked weakly.

Carol scoffed, "You look like an ad for death."

"So… that good, huh?" Tobin asked, shifting slightly.

"Hmm…" Carol murmured, glancing away. It was now or never. "I wanted to explain why I left…"

"You don't have to," Tobin interrupted. "We don't owe each other anything, but I was wondering if any of it was real?"

"I didn't want it to be real, I was pretending," Carol answered honestly, shrugging her left shoulder.

"Well, don't take it easy on me," Tobin replied with a small grunt of pain.

"I was trying to live a life, and then we found out that we hadn't gotten rid of the Saviors. There would be more killing, more people dying, and I couldn't… That was right around the time it started to feel as if… to feel like I wasn't pretending…" Carol forged ahead. When she lived in Alexandria, she had wanted it to be a place where she could just be. But conflict always found them like a magnet.

"That might be the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me," Tobin smiled weakly, seeing that smile reflected on Carol's lips. He missed that.

"I'm sorry…" Carol said softly.

"You gonna leave again after this is over?" Tobin asked.

"I'm going back to the Kingdom. My place is there now," Carol answered. She hadn't known that's where she belonged until she and Ezekiel had been trapped in that ludicrous treehouse together.

"It seems like a good fit for you," Tobin admitted reluctantly. He was happy she had finally found her place, even though it wasn't on Alexandria or with him.

Carol nodded, smiling lightly again. "Well, I had better let you rest. I got to get back out there and help with the fortifications." She got up, leaving him to rest.

NIGHT:

Full on dark had settled over the world bringing with it a measure of coolness. Ezekiel had checked in on all of his people, injured and exhausted alike. Those who could manned the walls, while others rested, or sat with the injured. Ezekiel found a spot outside, spread out a few blankets and pillows after he had given up his room to those who needed it more than he. Shiva was lying close by, her eyes on him, her body relaxed. Now, all he needed was Carol. Thinking about her magically made her appear.

Carol made one last round, secure in the knowledge the walls were going to hold. She was so exhausted that all she wanted was to curl up and sleep. The thought of sleep naturally made her think about Ezekiel, of sleeping next to him. And her feet carried her to her heart's desire. He was waiting for her just as she was unhooking her armor. The day was finally over, and it was no longer needed. She dropped it by the edge of the blanket as she stood in front of him. He was equally unencumbered by the stifling protective gear. "Sleeping outside?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I gave up our bed to those who needed it more," Ezekiel answered softly. He took a step closer to her so that they were almost sharing the same breath of air. She placed her hands on his chest, her right hand lightly touching the fresh bandage the doctor had put over his wound. It led him to place his hands on her hips. Behind them, Shiva growled lightly. Ezekiel laughed softly. That was her way of telling him to go to bed.

"I'm so tired, I'm don't even care where I rest my head tonight," Carol said in a rush. It was taking all she had to remain on her feet. For right now, she was going to side step his comment about the bed. Normally, she was one of the few of the group who didn't sleep much, but with the vents of the last few days, then her and Ezekiel trapped out in enemy territory, she was depleted and in need in sleep.

Ezekiel took a step back, and then sat on the blanket to lie back and rest his head against the pillow. He stretched out his right arm and waited for Carol. One slow blink and she was kneeling down next to him. She curled into his side, resting her head on his chest. He was finally able to breathe easier. So much had happened to them in the last few days. It felt like months since they had last lain together. The weight of her against him was a soothing balm to his battered, war weary soul.

Carol draped her arm over his stomach, her eyes fixed on Shiva lying a little bit away from them. The tiger was staring right back at her. Before, it would have bothered her but knowing that Shiva was there comforted her. She knew the great cat wouldn't let anything happen to Ezekiel. Carol allowed her breathing to slow, each exhalation carried her further into sleep.

Ezekiel fought against the sleep desperately trying to claim him. He wanted a few moments of peace and quiet to enjoy the cool night, to enjoy Carol lying next to him. The heat of the day had been bled away by the darkness, giving them a moments reprieve from the stifling humidity of the day. Not even the moaning and groaning of the wasted beyond the walls could take away the calm beauty of this night. The King closed his eyes.

Carol woke with a start. She looked at Shiva, seeing the tiger alert and her body tense. Extricating herself from Ezekiel's light hold, she sat up trying to pin point what exactly had woken her. And then she heard it; the moans. Quickly, she woke Ezekiel, and whispered, "Walkers." Then she was up and heading towards the house. She came up on one, drew her knife, and drove the blade into its skull. It dropped, and she moved on.

Ezekiel knew Carol could hold her own. He took Shiva and moved towards the house. One of the wasted came for him and he put the creature out of its misery. Then another and another. He raced inside to kill a creature gnawing on the arm of one of their men. The newest face, the man young Carl saved, leapt into action, tying off the arm, preparing for an amputation. Ezekiel would guard the man while he and Rick took care of the injured. It had to be done, even in the fray of battle.

Carol found her way into the house through the back entrance where she raced up the stairs. On the second-floor landing, she motioned to those fleeing to head down the way she had just come. Sounds of distress caught her attention and they were coming from the room where she and Ezekiel had given up. A sickening feeling churned in the pit of her stomach. The lumbering form of the walker that was advancing on one of the women; she didn't want it to be who she thought it was.

Carol charged in, putting herself between the walker and the other woman. It was Tobin; dead and starving for human flesh. She shoved against him, but he had more muscle on her; even dead. This time, she planted her foot, braced for him to charge at her, and while he tried to bite at her, she jammed her blade into the side of his head. Just as his body fell, she saw Ezekiel standing in the doorway. There was blood on his sword. "Is it clear down stairs?" she asked holding his gaze. Later. She could talk about this later.

"It is. The last of the wasted have been dispatched," Ezekiel replied, motioning for her and the others to follow him.

Back downstairs, Carol rejoined Rick, Maggie, Daryl, Sadiq, Michonne, and Jesus. The dead that littered the ground were all their own people. "None of them were bitten," she pointed out.

Rick shook his head, mentally berating himself for being so slow to put it all together. "Negan's bat. When I was out there with him, it was coated in walker blood. I thought he'd simply crossed with a few of them."

"They must have coated their weapons in it," Maggie surmised. "They wanted us killing each other again."

"Did we get them all?" Rick asked.

"We're checking now," Maggie answered. "The prisoners that stayed are securing the gate." She wasn't shocked that some of them had stayed, not after Simon chucked their lives away like they were nothing. Pure cannon fodder.

Carol touched Daryl on the shoulder, silently telling him that she was heading outside. Ezekiel had already gone out, she guessed to check to make sure no more had died. She needed to be out of the house, away from dead, away from Tobin. Outside, she jogged down the steps, and started to head back towards where she and Ezekiel had been sleeping. Along the path she stopped, seeing him with Jerry. They were talking in low hushed tones.

Carol changed direction and headed towards the wall. No one was manning the watch posts, so, she might as well do it. She needed a few minutes alone, a few minutes to get herself under control. Getting up on the wooden balcony, Carol leaned against the wall. She fixed her gaze on a distant point while she silently let her tear fall. She would allow herself a short time to mourn Tobin. He had been a good, kind man. He had cared for her more than she had cared for him.

Ezekiel knew to give Carol the space she needed. He had seen the look on her face when she slayed the wasted that was trying to sink its teeth into her. She knew the man, had had some sort of personal connection with him. He had to connect with his people that were still alive and get the next wave of dead put in the ground. So, for now, he let her have her space until every last one of their people had been seen to. Dead and alive.

"You should go…" Jerry said, after seeing the direction in which the King had been looking.

"Jerry…" Ezekiel stressed the man's name.

"We got this boss," Jerry responded with a smile.

In the face of such openness and honesty, Ezekiel found himself relenting; as he always did with Jerry. He trusted her steward to act in his stead while he was off seeing to Carol and her emotional wellbeing. With Shiva has his dangerous shadow, he crossed the compound and climbed up the ladder near to where she stood. She was calm on the outside, as still as a statue, but inside he didn't dare guess as to the true extent of her tumultuous feelings. "The wasted you ceased from this world, you knew him."

"His name was Tobin," Carol answered, nodding. "He and I were together for a little while and then I ran because I was tired of fighting when we found out that the Saviors weren't all dead, not like we thought. That's why Morgan came after me and it's how we wound up in the Kingdom." She had never told him why she left her group, her family. Now seemed like a good time because she didn't know if they were going to get a better one. She didn't even know if they were going to last the week.

"To lose a lover in that manner…" Ezekiel let his platitudes die. Talking about her and another man wasn't pleasant, and he could feel the tension rising inside Carol. She didn't want to hear him talking about her and another.

Carol stopped him from saying more by wrapping her arms around his left and pillowing her head on his shoulder. She didn't want to think about her and Tobin. It didn't matter now anyway. Tobin was dead, and she had killed him. Then, she felt his lips touch the top of her head, and that made her smile slightly. Despite what she left behind, she finally found her place with Ezekiel.

THREE DAYS LATER:

The days slipped by and Carol wished they had been uneventful. After their people had turned, after the prisoners escaped, Henry had gone after them and gotten lost. Carol and Morgan had gone out after him, but then they split up because Morgan wanted to kill them. He kept saying he had to. She knew she couldn't stop him, so she let him go. Night had fallen, and she finally found Henry with three walkers trying to kill him. She put them down and gotten Henry back to Hilltop. Since then, his demeanor had changed. Henry stopped wanting revenge. He was listening to Ezekiel and he had taken off his armor.

After that, Gregory had shown up with a map showing where Negan would be. They all agreed it had to end. So, using the information on the map, they made a plan and were preparing to head out. Daryl, Rosita, Morgan, Rick, Michonne, Carol, Ezekiel, Jerry, Jesus, and Maggie were going to finish it. Tara had elected to stay behind, to look out for the others, and to get them out should the Saviors come to Hilltop. They had a solid plan and they were going to follow through with it.

What was supposed to be a trap was easily taken down. Only a handful of Saviors manned the road, leaving walkers chained up to cars in a vain attempt to slow them down. Carol was standing next to Ezekiel when he found another map, with more information on it. Negan's actual location. Between them, Shiva growled, reflecting the irritated thoughts running through Carol's mind. She and the big cat shared a look while Ezekiel conferred with Rick, showing him the information that seemed to be too good to be true.

Ezekiel handed over the newly gained intel from the corpse of one of the fallen Saviors. Even as Rick looked it over, he felt he had to voice his concerns, "This could be a trap."

"Yeah, I know," Rick agreed. Sadly, they had no choice but to walk right into it.

"Yet, you intend to spring it anyway," Ezekiel said knowingly.

"I do," Rick confirmed, "but we have Maggie and her group to even the odds a little."

The group trudged on with Rick leading the way, knowingly leading them into a trap. A short cut through the woods and they were spilling out into clear countryside. They continued on, walking over hills, high above, and that's when they all saw it. A river of walkers. It put things in perspective for each and every one of them. Even if the Saviors were taken care of, they still had the legion of dead to contend with. However, that was tomorrows problem. Today was for Negan and the rest of his loyalists.

Everyone continued on. They had to.

"How much further?" Daryl asked.

"We grow closer. Yonder, over the ridge," Ezekiel replied. Which, in turn, earned him a look from Carol. She raised her right eyebrow and shook her head slightly. He shrugged.

The day wore on until the Hilltop contingent arrived at the designated coordinates. Then there it was; that whistling. Everyone stopped and raised their weapons. All around them Negan's voice echoed. Carol risked a glance to Ezekiel. He looked back at her and then they turned their attention to scanning the immediate area for Saviors. Negan began pontificating, going on an on about how he was going to kill them all. Then came the countdown, and up on the ridge above them Saviors appeared, guns aimed.

They were going to fire, but from where the Hilltop fighters stood, they saw the guns backfire. Many of them went down. Rick called on them to fire. They all charged up the hill, firing, taking down the Saviors that were still standing on the main line. In a matter of minutes, it was over. The Saviors that hadn't been killed by the backfiring bullets or by standing in the way of the Hilltop fighters, threw down their weapons, and got on their knees with their hands raised.

Carol had enough time to see Rick tear off after Negan. Then Maggie followed after them both. She breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this was all over. Then, she felt someone next to her, and she knew it was Ezekiel. It was over, finally. They won.

A shot rang out.

The sound drew everyone; Hilltop, Alexandrians Saviors, and Kingdomer alike. There, by a tree, Rick stood, his gun in hand and Negan dead at his feet. The monster in their story was dead. The man who murdered Glenn and Abraham was gone.

A tight knot that Carol hadn't been able to let go of, it finally loosened. She turned back, searching for Ezekiel. He was close by, his face grim, but his eyes were understanding. He knew this death had to happen for all those lives that had been taken and for all those lives that had been spared.

It was over.

THE KINGDOM:

Days later, Ezekiel, Henry in the saddle with him, rode towards the gates of their home. Some had returned in advance to clear out the wasted and to effect repairs on the front gates. It seemed to him as if the Saviors had never come to wipe them out. Though, the bullet holes in the front gates reminded him that they had, but they had lived. Ezekiel nudged his horse forward, with Jerry and Carol flanking him. They had come home to their people putting their lives back together.

Carol dismounted from her horse and handed the reigns over to Diane. Ezekiel lowered Henry down, and the boy ran off to where Nabila was, offering to help her with whatever he needed. Then, the King was coming towards her and she felt her heart skip a beat. It was an odd sensation to have again. He held out his hand to her and she found herself taking it, lacing their fingers together.

Ezekiel pulled Carol close, taking her other hand, his lips hovering just over hers, but instead, he whispered, "Welcome home." She only smiled at him. It was the first of many he hoped to continue to put on her face.

THE END.