Author's note: So I intended for this to be the last chapter and I wrote and wrote and realized that the chapter was becoming way too long, so the next chapter will be the last. Thank you for reviewing and enjoying this story with me. It turned it out so different from what I had originally planned, but sometimes that is a good thing!
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It was already silent in the woods, but Lydia's words somehow made the silence unbearable. Carl could hear his heartbeat thundering in his chest. Lydia stood with her knife out, staring into Epsilon's eyes with a look of determination.
"You want to... Challenge me?" Epsilon asked, a little shocked. She seemed unsure of what to do.
"Yes. If that is the only way you won't attack the Hilltop." Lydia replied.
"I will crush you." Epsilon said, pulling her own knife.
"So be it" Lydia said, backing away to give herself room.
"Wait! Wait!" Carl yelled, terrified for Lydia.
Lydia, not taking her eyes off of Epsilon, held out her hand and said to Carl, "No. This is our way."
Carl understood, Lydia needed to do this. She was doing it for all of them. Carl and Rick glanced at each other, concerned for Lydia's safety, but they silently agreed to let her handle it.
"No one interferes" Lydia said to Epsilon.
Epsilon nodded and gestured to the Walker People who were in the trees. "Stay back" she ordered.
The women circled each other, trying to assess possible weaknesses. Epsilon was tall, much taller than Lydia, and she had much more weight on her, but Lydia was smaller and more agile. Lydia quickly noticed a blood stain on Epsilon's right arm. She had been injured.
Good, at least I have a chance she thought.
Epsilon made the first move, running at Lydia and jabbing at her stomach. Lydia quickly spun out of the way, and turned around quickly, facing the woman again. Epsilon, not taking a pause, ran at Lydia again with a yell, swinging her arm through the air trying to slash at her. Lydia again spun out of Epsilon's reach, and attempted to slash Epsilon with her knife but missed.
Epsilon seemed winded already, and took a second to circle Lydia. But Lydia, seeing her opportunity to get some hits in, ran at Epsilon with her knife held high as if she were going to slash at Epsilon's face. Epsilon prepared to block her, but at the last minute, Lydia stabbed low, stabbing Epsilon in the thigh.
Epsilon yelled in surprise and stumbled backwards, and Lydia continued forward, slashing at Epsilon's neck, but the other woman pushed Lydia away, causing her to fall on the ground hard.
They both struggled to their feet, breathing heavily, adrenaline coursing through them.
"You stabbed me!" Epsilon gasped.
"That's what you wanted" Lydia said while trying to catch her breath.
Lydia took a few more seconds to get some oxygen before she launched herself at her again, grabbing Epsilon's injured arm and digging her fingers into the wound. Epsilon yelled in pain, throwing herself on the floor and straddling Lydia, trying to crush Lydia beneath her, but Lydia quickly stabbed her knife into Epsilon's other leg.
The woman screamed and tried to crawl away from Lydia, but Lydia jumped onto Epsilon's back, pressing her knife into Epsilon's throat and holding it there. Epsilon tried to throw Lydia off her back, but every time she did the knife pressed into her throat even harder, leaving a thin cut against her throat.
After a few seconds Epsilon stopped struggling, completely out of breath and unable to fight anymore.
Lydia looked up at the Walker People who were watching the entire fight from the trees.
"I won!" She yelled up to them, grabbing Epsilon's hair to make her point. "But I won't kill you" she said to Epsilon, "because our people need you. You are strong, you are skilled, you have talents that will help us survive. I'm going to teach you a new way to live."
Lydia grabbed Epsilon's knife and then let go of Epsilon's hair and hopped off of her back as the woman stared up at her in amazement through her mask. Lydia held out her left hand to help Epsilon up, while still holding her knife in her right hand in case Epsilon attacked again.
Epsilon stayed where she was, skeptically looking at Lydia's hand. She then pulled herself up to her knees as best she could with two stab wounds in her thighs. "If it pleases you to let me live, I will serve the Alpha." She said, bowing.
Lydia reached out her hand again and pulled Epsilon up to a standing position. She then whistled, and the Walker People climbed down from the trees, waiting for her orders.
"I am not your Alpha" Lydia said, and even with the masks on, Carl could see the surprise on the Walker People's faces. "I am Lydia, and we are going to change. We are going to be better than Alpha. We will not kill the groups we come across, unless they threaten us. We will not exploit those weaker than us. We will work together, and we will not attack the people of Hilltop."
Lydia then turned to Carl and Rick. "My people are no longer a threat to you. Will you let us go?" She asked.
"Lydia you don't have to go." Carl said. "I told you, you're family. You belong in a town where it's safe, with running water and medicine, and... and homes!" Carl said.
"We will find those things" Lydia said. "We won't live like animals anymore, but we don't belong in a town either. We'll find our own way."
Rick nodded his head and reached out his hand. "Thank you Lydia, for helping to save my wife, and my sons. My family owes you. I owe you. And you're welcome to come visit any time. If you ever need anything. Anything. Come back and find us."
Lydia smiled and shook Rick's hand. She then looked at Carl and he quickly hugged her, taking her completely by surprise.
"Be safe Lydia" he said before letting her go. She nodded and smiled. "I will".
She then turned and faced the Walker People. "We will get the herd, and go to our summer hunting grounds and we'll build our own community there. There are no more uppers and lowers now. Everyone is important, everyone contributes, and everyone has a name." She turned back to Epsilon. "What was your name? Before all of this?" She asked her.
Epsilon paused as if she really had to think about it. "My name was... Is... Daisy. Daisy Whittfield."
"Daisy. We are going to wrap up your wounds, and then we will go." Lydia said, patting Daisy's shoulder.
Carl turned to Rick. "I think we should go now."
"That's it? We're just gonna let them go? You trust them just like that?" Benny called to Carl. Carl turned to Benny. "I don't trust them, I trust Lydia." And he and Rick began to walk away with the rest of the Hilltop team following them.
Xxxxxxxxxxxx
Enid sat in the living room of her home on high alert. Hearing that the Walker People had another herd and may possibly come back stressed her out to no end. Her gun was loaded and hidden in her back pocket, and although the children were unaware of the current danger, she was ready to usher them into the bedroom and lock the door if she needed to.
Enid had checked Michonne's temperature and was concerned that it was now 102 degrees. If it didn't go down by tonight or if it got worse they would have to revisit giving her the antibiotics, but rest and nutrients were the best thing for her. After Enid fed Michonne a few more spoonfuls of soup and changed her bandages, the sick woman had fallen asleep, and an exhausted Joy was more than happy to also curl up and take a nap next to her mom.
Enid was holding a sleeping Mhare, as Judy was giving Tommy a lesson on his A, B, C's. Living in the woods his whole life, the boy had never learned to read. He had never even seen a book being read. Judy, always the little teacher, took it upon herself to teach Tommy the alphabet. He was a quick learner and had already learned the alphabet song up to S. It warmed Enid's heart to see how close Judy and Tommy were getting.
Enid looked down at Mhare, sleeping in her arms. She smiled as the tiny baby yawned, showing his little pink gums, and then promptly went back to sleep. He was proof that even after the worst circumstances, there was hope. Even after being stabbed before he was born, he was alive and thriving. It made Enid feel like somehow everything would be alright.
Carl and Rick returned home an hour later without Lydia. They were enthusiastically greeted by Judy and Tommy, but Enid's mouth dropped open in horror when she noticed Lydia's absence.
"She's ok. She's alive. She decided to stay with her people... she leads them now." Carl said.
"What? She leads them?" Enid repeated, completely confused.
"She uh... challenged their Alpha and won. She decided to stay with them, they're not a threat to us anymore." Rick explained.
"She challenged their... she... she left?" Enid asked.
"It was her choice. She wanted to help her people create their own society." Carl said.
Enid nodded. Although she didn't understand Lydia's choice, she respected it. Lydia had proved she was capable of taking care of herself.
"So they won't come back? We're safe now?" Enid asked.
"Yea. Seems that way for now." Carl said, pulling Enid into his arms. He kissed her forehead and then took Mhare from her, kissing his forehead as well. He then passed his brother to Rick.
"How's Michonne doing?" Rick asked Enid.
"She's sleeping right now, with Joy. But I'm concerned about her fever. Last time I checked it was 102 and the knife wound is red and painful and dripping some pus. It's not looking good. Once she wakes up I'll take her temperature again, but we're probably going to have to give her the antibiotics." Enid said.
Rick looked down at Mhare. "Will he be ok?" Rick asked her.
"He's doing even better than expected. His color and breathing is good, and he doesn't have any infections." Enid explained.
"Will he be ok on cow's milk?" Rick asked.
"It isn't ideal" Enid said, " but Michonne's health is at risk. She can stop nursing just until the infection is under control."
Rick nodded. Michonne's health was what was important. Rick suddenly realized he hadn't slept in two days. A yawn escaped from his mouth.
"I'm gonna go check on her" he said, and he headed to the bedroom. He opened the door and saw Michonne laying on her back in the bed, her hair flayed out behind her on her pillow. One of her hands was resting on her belly while the other was lazily thrown across joy who was curled up beside her. Rick smiled at the scene and wished he had a camera to capture the beautiful moment.
He made his way over to the bed and slowly lowered himself down next to Joy, laying Mhare on his chest to keep the boy warm. Joy shifted in her sleep but didn't wake. Rick stretched his arm across Joy and rested it on top of Michonne's hand that was resting on her belly. Michonne didn't stir. He could feel her body was warm and she still had a sheen of sweat. He moved his hand up to her face and ran his hand down her warm cheek, observing how peaceful and beautiful she looked when she was sleeping. He put one of his hands on Mhare's back to keep the infant in place on Rick's chest, and he put his other hand on top of Michonne's again, and promptly fell asleep.
Xxxxxxxxxxx
Two hours later, James showed up at the house. Carl opened the door and stepped on the porch, closing the door behind him.
"Look Carl... About Gregory..." James started.
"I want to have a meeting" Carl interrupted. "A meeting where I can tell everyone what happened all at once. I don't mind explaining what happened, but I won't do it over and over again, and I won't sugar coat it. Gather everyone together and I'll explain it to them, and you can decide as a town what to do."
"Carl I was gonna say, the defense team has been talking, and we decided not to have the trial. We aren't going to put you through that."
"What?" Carl said, completely thrown off guard.
"We trust you Carl. You've always done what was best for this town, I think anyone would agree with that. And it's obvious that Gregory was hiding many things, that tunnel being one of them, and he handed you over to the Walker People. After all you've done, the members of the defense team have decided not to prosecute you."
Carl was silent for a while, thinking. As much as James' words set him at ease, he was also bothered.
"What about Gregory's people?" Carl asked.
"Considering many of them claimed to be too injured or too traumatized to go with us to find the Walker People, I don't think they have much of a say in what happens now."
Carl smirked, but his smile soon wavered.
"No. The people deserve an explanation at least. Just because I'm liked doesn't mean I'm above the law. Have a meeting, I'll explain myself."
James looked shocked, but he quickly nodded in admiration.
"Okay Carl, we'll do it your way. I'll go door to door and tell everyone we'll have a meeting in an hour."
Carl nodded and turned to go back inside.
"Carl", James called. Carl turned around. "You're the most honest man I know. I mean that."
Carl nodded and turned to go back into his house.
Xxxxxxxxxxxx
An hour later, Carl and Enid were at the town meeting, while Rick stayed home with Michonne and the kids. James had just explained to the townspeople that Gregory had been found dead in his home after the attack, and that Carl had confessed to killing him and the two men that were with him. James then said that Carl volunteered to explain what had happened to everyone, even after the defense team decided that he was justified in his actions. Silence fell over the crowd as they all practically leaned in to hear Carl's explanation of his actions.
Carl stood, and made his way to the platform, giving a quick glance to Enid who nodded to give him reassurance, before he began to speak.
"I know all of us have been through a lot in the past 48 hours. We've had two attacks on our town and we've lost so many people. The reason why I agreed to have this meeting is because I wanted to tell you the real story about how we were attacked, and what happened". He took a deep breath, reliving the events of the night before.
"After the funeral Gregory drugged me and tried to hand me over to the Walker People." The people gasped, and mini conversations popped up around the room.
"That's a lie!" someone yelled, "you were fine when you left Gregory's house!"
"Don't interrupt him!" someone else yelled.
"He gave me tea with poison" Carl said, getting angry at being called a liar, "I passed out in the street, where Timothy and Maxwell dragged me off. They took me to Alpha and Gregory made a deal with her, for her to kill me in front of all of you so it'd look like he had nothing to do with it. In exchange, he was going to give her back the little boy that was staying with us. It was a stupid plan. It wasn't well thought out. Alpha found out that Gregory had a secret tunnel that he used to leave Hilltop. She brought her army of Walkers through it. That's how they got in. It was Gregory that let them in here. His stupidity. He was a two timing snake." Carl said, anger coming off of him in waves.
"Lydia, one of the Walker People helped me escape. I came back here and they had attacked my house, stabbed my pregnant mom and almost killed her and her baby, and my sisters. She's still fighting for her life. They have killed so many of us, but if it wasn't for Gregory's tunnel they never would've been able to get in here. I went to Gregory's house to look for him. I knew he'd try to get out of this somehow and I was right. When I got to his house I heard him, Timothy, and Maxwell packing to leave here. They were going to just sneak out and leave you all." Carl sighed in frustration.
"Gregory didn't care about anything but being in charge. He already conspired with the enemy once, there's no doubt in my mind he would've come back with more people and taken Hilltop over by force if he had to. He could've used the tunnels he created. He was a threat, and I stopped him, and I'd do it again if it meant keeping my family safe… keeping all of you safe."
Carl looked at Enid and she smiled at him. The room was silent for a few seconds, people seemed to wonder if Carl had more to tell. When he didn't say anything, a man stood in the back. "What you're saying Gregory did is horrible Carl, but not completely shocking. I've lived at Hilltop since the beginning, when Gregory first became leader of the place, and all he's ever been concerned about is bossing people around. I don't think I've ever seen him hold a gun to protect this place. You know what I saw when I looked out my window, after that herd came through? I saw Carl and the rest of the defense team out there killing them walkers and protecting this place. That's a man I respect. I know there was no way in hell Gregory was gonna let a guy so young be in charge of Hilltop, and to be honest I'm glad that coward is dead. Carl's been protecting this place since he's got here, if he killed Gregory it's because he was dangerous."
There were a few head nods and claps.
"You're clapping because he murdered Gregory?" the woman who had first confronted Carl yelled. "He is admitting to murder!"
"Carl killed that man to protect everyone, including you! I didn't see Gregory trying to grab you and the rest of his followers before he turned tail and ran. He was gonna leave you to the walkers and the Walker People along with the rest of us!" the man responded.
The woman paused for a moment, as she thought about what this man was saying.
James chimed in, "The defense team is behind Carl, we were out there with him, fighting, and we trust his judgement and commitment to Hilltop. He is going to continue to be the unofficial leader until we can get candidates and have an election for a new leader."
There was silence again. Carl looked around and saw many people nodding their heads in agreement. Others were frowning and whispering to each other, while some just stared straight ahead, seemingly lost in thought or traumatized. As Carl surveyed the town he realized it would be a long road to getting this town back to its original glory. Practically every household had lost someone, a friend, a family member, a neighbor… the town was divided and grieving, but they would survive.
"I just want to say… we have a lot of work to do, to get back what we've lost in the past few days. It will be hard, but we can do it together. I've been through a lot in the past few years, we all have, but we're all still standing. If we become divided, if we can't work together past our differences and disagreements, we'll fall. That's not what those we lost would have wanted, that's not what Jesus would have wanted."
More people were nodding their heads, even some of Gregory's followers. Carl took a seat next to Enid, and James came back up to the podium. "The defense team and many other volunteers have been doing clean up, but we need everyone's help. No freeloaders, not anymore. Like Carl said, we have to do this together. We need to take back our community and get it running again. There will be defense team members outside, each is a leader for a different task we need help with. One is body disposal, two is wall defense, three is tunnel sealing, and four is repairs. We ask that everyone who is here join one of the four committees. Tonight we'll have a funeral for everyone we've lost. Thank you."
James stepped down from the podium signaling the end of the meeting. "You did great" Enid whispered into Carl's ear. He nodded and rubbed her hand, getting to his feet and pulling her up as well. He wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. He didn't feel like hearing or seeing any negativity from Gregory's people. As he led Enid to the door, he heard someone calling his name. Resisting the urge to ignore it and keep walking, he slowly turned and one of the townspeople clapped him on the back.
"Hey Carl, just wanted to let you know we're with you and your family. We all know Gregory was good for nothing, and after drugging you he deserved what he got." Carl gave a smile and nodded, thankful that someone was on his side. He continued to walk but was stopped again by another person who offered to bake some food for his family and to give their thoughts and prayers for Michonne and the baby. Two others stopped him to give he and Enid a hug, or to thank them for protecting the community. By the time they got back to their trailer, Carl was so moved he was on the verge of tears.
"See?" Enid whispered to him as they stood on their front porch. "They know who you are Carl, just like I do. They love you, most of them anyway…" she said with a wink, "just make sure to tell those women I had you first." She leaned in and kissed him passionately, and his whole body responded, yearning for her after everything that happened. Missing her. And suddenly they both remembered at the same time that his entire family was in his house, and Michonne would be in his bed for a while. He sighed. "This will have to wait" Enid said, kissing his nose, and they both entered the house hand in hand.
A week later
It took a week for Michonne to get to the point where she could sit up in bed and even walk short distances like to the bathroom with help. During that time, Carl, Enid, and Tommy had moved into another trailer in which the resident had unfortunately been killed by the Walker People. Mhare had gained a pound and now weighed a whopping 4 and a half pounds and was doing fine. Now that Michonne was able to sit up, Rick decided it would be best for them to return back to Alexandria. During the week, Rick had sent a rider with a letter to Glenn explaining everything that happened and why they hadn't come back from the Hilltop yet. Carl and Enid had also sent a letter to Glenn and Maggie announcing their pregnancy and telling them they would be coming to Alexandria a few weeks before Enid's due date just in case she went into labor early.
It was the morning that Rick and Michonne were heading home. Enid, Carl and Tommy had come back home to cook breakfast for the family before they left. Enid was making scrambled eggs and Carl was buttering toast as Michonne sat at the table. As she sat she couldn't help remember being cut open on to top of the table and a shudder ran through her body. Her hand moved to her C-section scar which was still painful if pressure was applied to it, but it didn't hurt nearly as much as the knife wound. The infection was almost gone, except for a red area directly around the cut. Tommy was washing dishes as Enid used them, and Michonne smiled as she observed the little family. She was so proud of Carl and the family he had made.
"I could butter the toast y'know, I wouldn't have to get up to do that" Michonne offered, and Carl and Enid both turned around to give her a look that said don't even try it. Michonne smiled as they went back to their task. Rick came into the kitchen a few minutes later holding Mhare who was wearing a green onesie with a smiley face on his bottom. The onesie was way too big for the tiny baby, but it was one of the few infant clothes they could find in the town, and he would grow into it in a few weeks. Rick sat at the table next to Michonne, and Judy and Joy followed shortly behind him.
"That smells delicious Enid" Rick said. "Yep, and it's almost ready" she called, "Tommy can you set the table please?". Tommy set the table with plates and knives, and then quickly ran to hand everyone napkins and cups. "Wow, you did a great job setting the table Tommy" Michonne offered. He smiled proudly. "We've been practicing" Carl said, "Tommy has learned a lot over this last week. The boy is a genius, he can spell almost as well as Judy now too."
Judy smiled. "Spell car!" Judy challenged him. Tommy paused for a second and sounded it out. "Ccccc-arrr. C- A- R." Judy and Joy both clapped for him. Tommy, feeling extremely proud of himself volunteered "I can spell Carl too. C-A-R-L."
Rick ruffled Tommy's hair. "I bet the next time we see you you'll be reading books."
"Ok, food's ready!" Enid said. Carl put a plate of toast on the table, and Tommy took each person's plate to Enid so she could give them scrambled eggs. They all sat down together and were about to dig in when Michonne stopped them.
"Wait, wait…" she said. "I think we should say a prayer before we eat. I know we don't do things like that often, but we have a lot to be grateful for, and I think we should." Rick nodded and grabbed Michonne's hand as everyone around the table held hands.
"Dear God, thank you for the food that we're eating right now, I remember a time when we didn't have anything to eat. Thank you for the loving family that we have, some of us remember a time when we didn't think we had any family left…" Michonne quickly glanced at Enid and Tommy and Enid gave her a knowing look too, "Thank you for my life and recovery, and keeping all of us safe from harm. And thank you for Mhare being a healthy little boy. Thank you for everything that has happened to us that is good. Amen."
The rest of the family responded with Amen, and then they all started to dig in.
After breakfast they had to say their goodbyes, but no one was sadder than Judy and Tommy. The two clung to each other as if they didn't want to let go. "I'll see you in a few months when you come to visit ok?" Judy said. "Ok" Tommy said sadly. "Here" Judy said, shoving one of her books into his hand, "you can keep it. Practice so when I see you again you can read it to me!".
He smiled. "I will Judy".
They gave each other another hug and then Judy piled into the car next to Joy. Rick had already helped Michonne into the front seat with Mhare on her lap.
Carl, Enid, and Tommy stood waving, as the car made its way out of Hilltop, and headed home to Alexandria.