A few days later, Tessa is settling into things comfortably and understanding how life within Alexandria function. Today she sits with her cousin Michonne at a Gazebo in the center garden of the community catching up on the many things they've missed in each other's lives since the beginning of the end.
"What happened?" ask Michonne with concern.
"I was home for the break when your Mom asked me to attend to Grandma while she went to pick up her prescription," starts Tessa explaining what she was doing when it all happened.
"I was on social media reading about all the stuff that was happening so decided to turn on the News. There were shootings, hospitals turning people away, the military….I saw the bombing of Atlanta. That's when everything went down. TV, Internet, electricity…Grandma's respirator. Hoping at least the phones were working I dialed 911. Nothing. That's when I realized your Mom wasn't coming back but I still waited. With the chaos in the streets I dared to go outside. Hours went by... Grandma started to breathe again."
Michonne is at loss for words but composes her emotions after hearing the fate of her family for the first time. In the years, she could only imagine what possibly happened and hoping that if they were dead their deaths were dignifying. At least their grandmother went peacefully but her mother's fate will forever be a mystery.
"Long story short, I got out of the house and barricaded myself in the storage shed out back for days hearing gunshots and groans until I was driven out by hunger. I took a few things and set out. I've mainly been on my own ever since."
Tessa takes off her right boot and pulls out a wallet size photo of her, Michonne and her mother they took years back.
"Got it from an album in the shed. It's one of the last things I could savage. Take it."
Michonne examines the photo then hands it back to her.
"No.," says Michonne with a sigh. "You keep it. If you've had it this long it's better off with you. My memories are just that. I don't need to be reminded of them."
"Yeah," says Tessa taking the photo back. "Guess when you look at it long enough it truly is just a picture. Nothing like the real thing."
Tessa stuffs the picture back in her boot.
"No. You still that 'lil worrisome child in the photo," tease Michonne.
"Oh, blah, blah," countered Tessa. "You remember when I was that lil worrisome child I use to be like 'I want to be an artist or veterinarian.'"
"Oh, I do remember THAT. Every stray animal would find it's way to you and you took care of them."
"Yeah. I damn near majored in Biology. It was just an infatuation though. Got in there it was a whole different story but I still love animals and nature. I continued to research and learn about natural remedies, healing herbs and stuff. "
"Then what did you choose?" ask Michonne.
"I was left undecided when all this broke out. I've had plenty of thinking time out there and it made me kind of regret not trying harder. I understand biology but to really grasp the concept…. If so, maybe I could solve all this."
"Don't beat yourself up over it. Whatever scientist is left don't know what caused this."
Tessa ponders on the statement.
"Before the outbreak, I heard about this conspiracy called "The Food Illuminati." I thought it was bogus but researched it anyway. Something about controlling the population through the foods we eat. How they processed foods with chemicals that in large doses have the potential of damaging brain cells and changing the very structure of our DNA. Just so much stuff… but as I researched deeper it got so scary I had to stop. It made me cautious of the what I consumed. Sometimes I felt like an idiot to believe such things but to a certain degree it made sense and was connected. Every time you turn on the News, we'd hear about some new incurable disease."
"Yeah… but that sounds like a conspiracy. Probably nothing more," says Michonne slightly dismissing the theory.
"Which brings me to another point. I remembered a poem I read in literature called "What If A Much Of A Which Of A Wind" by E.E. Cummings. The last stanza petrified me because it states: What if a dawn of a doom of a dream bites this universe in two. Peels forever out of it's grave and sprinkles no where with me a you. Blow soon to never and never to twice. (Blow life to isn't; blow death to was) All of nothing our hughest home. The most who die the more we live."
Bringing a fan of fine art and poetry herself, an eerie feeling strikes Michonne as Tessa continues.
"Meaning what if this isn't something that happened overnight but was HUNDREDS of years in the making and it will take hundreds of years to reverse it? We're already living in practically nothing and nearly all the world is dead. Maybe then the poem was prediction but now- its prophecy."
Silence falls between them for a moment. Wow… Michonne finds herself quite speechless at her cousin's interpretation but she tries to lighten the mood. What matters most now is that they are together alive and well.
"I believe there's a cure," assures Michonne. "And it won't take hundreds of years to find it. Even if it does, know that we were amongst the survivors to make it possible."
"Well if the cure is something as simple as toothpaste we'll have you to thank for that, " tease Tessa towards her cousin's anal habit for oral hygiene.
They chuckle at the joke as Rick approaches.
"Cracking jokes about me again?" ask Rick stopping before the ladies.
"It's not about you this time, I swear," says Michonne smiling off the moment.
Rick shrugs it off casually.
"We're going on another run soon. I know we've exhausted just about every place around but we have to keep looking. Luck's bound to change," explains Rick.
"Well I'm not doing anything. I can pull some weight?" offers Tessa.
"Nah, Abraham and Rosita would do for this go round but Daryl was asking for you."
"Did he shoot himself in the foot?"
"Don't know. He was hauling a deer but you better go make sure."
"Yeah," sighs Tessa getting up. " I better."
She heads off to find him.
At his little hangout, Daryl is stoking the fire pit when Tessa approaches. There is a gutted doe hanging from a tree and she stops to look at it.
"Bambi's mom?" she ask.
"Doesn't matter, it's dinner now. It's what you wanted, ain't it?"
"Yeah, but the trouble to get it? If you had told me I would have helped."
"Naw… wasn't no trouble. You were going to do it alone before. Besides, I'm sick of fish."
"… Okay. You killed it. You get the lion's share but I call dibs on the shoulders."
She turns to leave as Daryl calls after her.
"Whatever. We split it."
"Dibs!" shouts Tessa playfully and continuing on her way.
Night and all is calm. Daryl and Tessa sits by the fire engaged in conversation after eating a portion of the country roasted deer.
"I wanted to travel the world," says Tessa across from Daryl. "I practically still could."
"It's not that simple," says Daryl tossing pieces of debris into the fire as he listens to Tessa.
"No. Not too many things are. But I still want to."
"So why haven't you? All this time, you could have been long gone."
"I guess… even if I were to stand on top of a mountain, what would I be looking down at? What was or what would be? Surviving is a common goal but I'm not even sure if it's worth having a personal one. I don't know what I want... anymore."
Silence falls for a moment. Daryl looks to Tessa with almost a tender glare as she now tosses debris into the fire. Something about her seemly familiar.
"I know what I don't want," says Daryl. " I don't want to be torn apart by some reanimated bastard, or shot up by some prick…. I don't want to see you hurt. If surviving is the only goal then I'm gonna make sure I do."
Tessa examines him for a moment searching for truth in his eyes. She then pulls off her boot for the picture and holds it out. In the wallet size portrait, Michonne with her mother and Tessa. She shows him the photo.
"Big cousin, Michonne and that's her mom. This photo was actually meant for them but the photographer was running a special where an extra person could get in for the same price."
"What the hell kind of special was that?"
"Who knows," says Tessa rolling her eyes. " I was just hanging with them because she was in town. Growing up I admired Michonne so much. I mean, she had it all. She doesn't talk about it now but life was good to her... and it still is."
After a moment Daryl notices something around Tessa's ankle. A shackle seems welded around it but barely hidden under by her jeans. He doesn't draw attention to the fact that he has seen it but casually starts a new subject.
"How were you alone out there? You had to have been with a group."
"No. It's better to be alone. You do what's necessary when necessary for you. To be honest, I've been here for a little under a week and have mixed feeling about it."
"That's stupid. You get on me 'bout not saving people and you don't want to be around them."
Tessa puts her boot back on before addressing Daryl.
"Why are you here? I mean, you seem like the small town, backwoods guy that didn't want anything to do with anybody except, maybe, those close to you. You're perfectly capable of taking care of yourself. So why stay? "
"I wasn't, at first. I guess I found a purpose. "
"Is it hunting squirrels people won't eat?" tease Tessa
"And finding any other supplies they need," says Daryl countering the tease smoothly.
"Yeah. Good luck with that. There are approximately thirty four people in this community and nothing left in the entire area."
There is a brief silence before Daryl gets up.
"I'm taking a group out in the morning. Bound to be something out there."
Tessa watches him as he heads off. A feeling of sorrow comes over her at the situation the community is facing. Even neighboring communities are faced with a similar dilemma. If they don't find more supplies like medicine, hygiene, clothes, and even food, sustaining a balanced life will be difficult. Sure they grow food, raise some livestock and Daryl hunts, but seasons change and recently, Hilltop, being the larger supplier of produce, suffered a misfortune with their crops. Any more misfortune, the Alexandria's will be forced to leave the community they call home. Tessa knows what she must do.