Daryl arrived at Alexandria about an hour after Rick's life was shattered once again. At the same time, Rick's mind was lingering on the moment about ten years before when he realised there was no more sugar left. All their reserves had dried up and all of their scavenging runs and turned up empty.

It was almost comical – understanding that something that had fuelled trade and slavery, that had caused bloodshed and strife both before and after the end could suddenly not be there anymore. There was no extraordinary change really – it took days and weeks before people even noticed and even then they adapted pretty quickly. It was a subtle moment though, rather like forgetting the name of your third-grade teacher or the taste of single-malt whisky.

A reminder that life was less than it had been before. A loss of innocence.

Most clearly he recalled Michonne's face, twisted into a grim smile. 'So no more chocolate?'

He heaved a breath as the pain came in waves, his brain unable to handle the full impact of everything he had just lost. Michonne. Jacob. Lucy. His family, his friends – all gone.

Alexandria was in ruins, smoke rising from the stumps of buildings that had stood for decades, unassailed by endless hoards of Walkers, gangs and desperate, hungry wanderers. Now it lay in pieces like a child's toy – a broken vessel for countless lost dreams.

Rick was sitting on the ground, clutching a handful of dirt and twigs when Daryl approached. He stood there – a symbol of everything that was wrong with the world. Daryl had betrayed him, abandoned him and had gained the world, whereas he had stood firm, done what was necessary to protect his home and his world had been stolen him. The injustice was galling.

He looked up at the face of his old friend, torn as to whether to punch him out or shoot him dead. Before he was able to decide, his body betrayed him and he burst into agonised sobs.

Daryl grabbed him and held him like a child, and suddenly it was as if no time had passed at all. Rick felt nothing less than overwhelming gratitude to have him there just like the old days – having his back. There was room in his heart for regret.

Carl stood there frozen in mute shock, watching the two father-figures who had spent much of his life locked in bitter enmity. He felt much of his anger drain away, replaced by a bottomless sadness when he realised that he would never see Michonne again.

Abraham stumbled up at that moment – his breath coming in fits and starts. 'No sign of Walkers. There was a fight – I found a couple dozen bodies behind barricades and in the houses.'

Rick blinked tears away. 'Did you find… did you see…?'

'We looked all over. I can't Michonne or the kids… Sasha…' Abraham swallowed painfully, unable to name his precious children, Andrew and Debbie.

He thought that he had struck it lucky, that the fates would not allow him to lose another family. This time, there was no Eugene to prevent him from ending the overwhelming pain that pierced his heart.

A rumbling sound in the distance sent the men racing for cover and scrambling for their weapons. Rick and Daryl waited, guns drawn as Abraham climbed up the nearest watch tower.

'What is it?' Rick hissed.

It seemed like an eternity passed as Abraham stared into the distance. Then he turned to Rick. 'It's for you.'

Rick approached the fallen gates and squinted into the rising sun. His heart picked up its pace when he saw the familiar sight of the Hilltop bus flying towards them like a winged saviour to their rescue.

Except… it couldn't be.

Rick took off running as the bus pulled to a halt outside. He burst into tears once more as Michonne flung herself into his arms.

'You're alive…' He breathed her in – astonished that he could feel her breadth and weight, the softness of her skin and the scratch of her deadlocks against his cheek. 'How…? The kids…?'

She pulled away and stroked his face. 'The kids are fine. Sasha and the little ones too…' She smiled at Abraham whose face immediately crumpled.

It took Michonne a moment to recognise Carl – so grown since she had seen him last. When she did her face lit up with happiness.

'Baby.'

Without a beat, she held her arms out wide and enfolded him tightly. She felt different to Carl – her arms were softer and less muscular and her embrace was gentler now. Being a mother again clearly suited her.

Maggie climbed off the bus, her customary plain black attire in contrast with the radiance of her welcoming smile. 'Y'all need to come with us. We have a lot to talk about.'

Rick could barely contain his excitement as the bus trundled along the bumpy road towards Hilltop. For now, all the tangled thoughts that usually bound his mind together were unimportant. Alexandria, Sophia, the gangs – none of it mattered a damn compared to the knowledge that his kids were alive and that he would see them in a matter of minutes.

The moment the gates to Hilltop closed behind them, Rick jumped off the bus and ran to catch his youngest children in a crushing hug. Abraham broke down in sobs when he saw Sasha approach with Andrew in her arms, followed quickly by little Debbie.

Carl and Daryl stood apart, smiling as they took in the reunions. There seemed to be a strange air underpinning the joyful scene. Maggie and Michonne looked tense, and Daryl could read their expressions well enough to know that they were keeping something grave from the rest of them.

He spotted a couple of familiar faces in the crowd. 'Eugene? Rosita?' He grinned – genuinely pleased to see his old comrades.

'Daryl,' Eugene said in greeting. 'It does my eyes good to see you. Rosita and I have heard a great deal about your ventures. To say the honest truth, we both feel some regret that we never joined you in your great exodus across the plains. I look forward to visiting your homestead before long.'

Eugene leaned closer and lowered his voice. 'I wouldn't be lying to say that Hilltop, while a place of sanctuary in a world gone mad, has proved something of a disappointment since we left Alexandria some years ago. I think we might be ready to make a move to pastures new.'

Daryl was unsure what to make of this long speech. He had never understood Eugene's convoluted form of conversation, but usually found that nodding noncommittally got him to stop talking.

Rosita squeezed his shoulder. 'We should talk later. We love Maggie but people are getting tired of her preaching. To tell the truth, if I don't get out of here soon, I'm gonna go loca.'

Rick, Daryl and the others were quickly ushered into Barrington House where Maggie addressed them. 'We've received intelligence over the last couple of years about the existence of a new gang. Best we can tell they were started by a group of women who were kidnapped and sold into slavery by one of the barons. The leader, Cheryl believes that she's some kind of avenging angel – she wants revenge against anyone she deems responsible for her enslavement. Two days ago, they attacked the Kingdom. The damage was minimal but Ezekiel thinks it was a statement of intent – to show everyone what they could do. They were well-armed with a tank, flamethrowers and plenty of ammunition.'

Maggie paused, her eyes falling on Rick. He squirmed under her unwavering gaze, trying to mine his memory for the significance of the name. Cheryl – that name bore some terrible weight in his mind.

'Ezekiel believes that they were trying to drive someone to ground. We evacuated Alexandra as a precaution, leaving a token security staff there. We didn't truly understand what they were capable of until today.'

And then he knew - Cheryl had told him to remember her name. In the middle of the cries and desperate pleadings of the other women, she had been calm. Her expression had been one of pure pity and hatred. She knew that she would have her revenge someday.

'Rick?' Maggie's expression was infuriatingly pious. She knew, and was eager to torture him.

He cleared his throat. 'Six years ago, we came across a group of women on the road who'd escaped a slave camp. We took them in for a bit, but their employer soon came knocking on our door. His name was Burke, and he was the main supplier of lime mortar within a hundred miles. We were a growing community, and we needed to trade. As part of the price, he asked for the women back.'

Rick saw Daryl's eyes narrow in that inscrutable way of his.

'We had too many mouths to feed and we couldn't afford to keep them. They didn't have skills – couldn't fight. I figured it was a reasonable request. At least with Burke they'd have three square meals and a bed to sleep in… even if they did have to work for it.'

Hearing the words out loud after all these years he was aware of how hollow they sounded. Back then it had been one of a series of difficult but necessary decisions, now with the clarity of time it was what it appeared to be – an atrocity.

'Those women staged an uprising,' Maggie said. 'Took over and killed everyone, then they went to ground. Started raiding settlements and gaining strength – became their own gang, calling itself the Harrowers.'

'How do you know all this stuff?' Daryl enquired. Rumours had reached Fort Sophia of this gang, but realising that Rick was partially responsible for their creation disgusted him.

'We rescued a prisoner – an old veteran they'd been milking for information about landmines and ordnance. He was badly injured but he told us everything before he passed. It turns out it's not just you they're after. They won't be satisfied 'til they've killed everyone you care about – everyone you have an association with. They've launched attacks against towns you've done business with, gangs you've dealt with. The Hilltop and Kingdom communities are preparing themselves for a full-scale onslaught.'

Daryl leapt from his seat and raced out of the building, down to where the bus was parked.

'Daryl, wait!' Rick sprinted after him.

'I gotta get back! Those bitches will be headed for Sophia – all this time we been jawin', we been wasting time!'

Rick grabbed him by the collar. 'Listen! You can't help them like this.' He spoke calmly, even though his heart was racing. 'They're an army – we need to regroup and arm ourselves. Come up with a plan.'

'But Carol… all our people…'

'I know.' Rick's voice broke. 'My daughter is there too. I have just as much reason to fight the Harrowers, but we need to do it right.'

He saw the look of mistrust and contempt in Daryl's eyes. 'We need to work together if we're gonna beat them. I know this is my fault and I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything.'

For the first time in years, it felt like he was speaking honestly, without an ulterior motive. All he could think about was rescuing Judith, not what he could gain from the situation.

Daryl nodded tersely, appearing to believe him, at least for the moment.

Maggie approached Rick as he was readying one of the vehicles for the journey. She had agreed to lend them gas, weapons and personnel to help rescue Fort Sophia. 'Killing the Harrowers isn't going to heal your soul, Rick. You need to be redeemed in the eyes of God, not just for what you did to these women, but for what this world did to you.'

'I ain't got time for this, Maggie…'

'None of us have time. Glenn didn't, my father, my sister… all of them were stolen from me. I've watched you change from a man who would do anything to protect his people to a selfish, self-serving man who has cruelty in his heart. That's not the man I know.'

Rick was unable to face her questing eyes that bored into him, always looking for answers that he couldn't give her. 'What do you want from me? I can't go back and be the man I was twenty years ago. I've lost too much. I promised I wouldn't lose anybody ever again.'

'And look where that got you,' Maggie persisted. 'Carl left you, now Judith is a pawn in your crazy games. I'm not asking you to find God, Rick. I'm asking you to find yourself, before it's too late.'

A convoy of vehicles left for Fort Sophia, armed and ready for whatever they were about to face. Daryl's mind swam with fear – already he was bargaining with fate to return his Carol to him.

We can start again, just as long as she's ok. We can build it all again. Just let her be ok.

Rick knew exactly what his former friend was thinking and feeling – the same terrors gripped him body and mind. Both sets of eyes were trained the skyline, looking for evidence of the Harrowers.

I told her I'd be home before sunset. Daryl watched the last fingers of sunlight disappear as night fell.

They reached the crest of the hill and he felt his stomach lurch in horror. The truck ground to a stop, followed quickly by the rest of the vehicles.

The whole of Fort Sophia was ablaze. Panic invaded every cell and pore in Daryl and Rick as they watched the town burn, sending an orange inferno into the sky. The vehicles drew as close to the fortress as they dared and the occupants piled out, armed to the teeth and ready to take on all comers.

It took forever before the gates were opened they entered, checking all sides for lingering Harrowers. Townspeople ran everywhere with buckets of water, desperately trying to quench the fires, but Rick could see that it was hopeless. The wooden houses that had seemed so fragile to him only the day before now curled and buckled like paper in the flames.

'Carol!' Daryl roared. 'Carol!' His heart rent at the sight of the home that he had built in tatters, but all he could think about was finding her again.

When it was clear that the threat of the Harrowers had passed, most of the group holstered their weapons and helped the distressed inhabitants as they struggled to save their homes and families. Rick had another mission in mind, while Carl looked around in desperation, searching for his wife and children.

Daryl's heart leapt when he saw Carol stumbling into view. His eyes raked over her. Her hair and the animal skins she wore were singed, but other than that she looked largely unhurt. Her gait was strange though – she seemed encumbered by something.

And then Daryl recognised the lifeless bundle that she carried in her arms.

It was Pip.