Set during 6x01 "First Time Again"
We're bullet proof until we bleed out
And even though we always try to hide our instincts by our pride
In our struggle to survive, we keep the warpath by our side
We strike the sky until the sun bows
And fly until our feathers burn out
All our lives we've been apart
A vicious cycle from the start
In our struggle to survive, we keep the warpath by our side
"The Warpath" – Conner Youngblood
Flashbacks are in italics. New OC's faceclaims are on my profile.
Chapter 6: Part 1 – Warpath
"How come Flecher never chooses you to do the dirty work?" Tierney asked as she loaded the dirty clothes into the basket.
"Because I never mouth back to him," Amelia responded with a smug smirk.
"Or try hit on his girlfriend," Eloise said, smiling as she picked at the fire with a stick.
"Shay came onto me," Tierney retorted. "I'm just returning her affection."
Eloise and Amelia shared a look then faced Tierney again and said in chorus, "Sure."
"Shay wants me," Tierney said. She shrugged her shoulders and walked away with the basket of clothes in her hands. The older girl had a knife strapped to her hip for her short journey to the river.
"Do you think she's telling the truth?" Eloise asked as she looked at Mia.
"Yeah, but Shay will never admit it," Mia replied with a sidelong look at her friend.
"So, you think another couple's about to form?" Eloise questioned.
"Nylah and Julius aren't really a couple," Mia answered. "They're just hooking up."
"What about you and Koda?"
Mia looked at Eloise with a raised eyebrow. "Me and—yeah, no. We're just friends."
"He likes you," said Eloise with utmost certainty.
"He does not," Mia retorted.
"He does too," Eloise said and continued with a smile, "but he'll never admit it."
"Levi likes you," Mia told her with a quirk of her head..
"I know, and I like him, but he actually knows it," Eloise said. "That's the difference."
"Then why aren't you together?" Mia raised an eyebrow.
"Because we can't be together in this world," Eloise said.
Mia raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"
Eloise watched her for a moment. "Because everyone I love dies. And from what I've heard, everyone you love has died too."
"Not everyone," Amelia said and took a deep breath.
Mia's damp hair was hanging over her shoulders when she walked into Rick's room. She used a towel to dry her hair as she stood in front of him. He stood from the bed and tucked a wet piece of hair behind her ear. Mia smiled weakly.
"I feel like his blood is still on me," Mia murmured quietly.
"It going to feel like that for a while," Rick responded as his hand lingered on her cheek.
"I know," Mia said as she looked up at him and smiled wider this time. "I'm glad you're here."
"Me too," Rick said. He caressed her cheek slowly. "I'll stay as long as you need."
"You might be here for a while then," Mia said, smirking.
"As long as you need," Rick repeated with a soft smile. They lied down on the bed and Mia leaned her head on Rick's shoulder while he lied back on the pillows.
"Where's Dean?" Rick asked.
Mia glanced up at him. "He's getting settled in. He's rooming with Abraham, Rosita, and Eugene."
"They're okay with that?"
"They met him and they seemed okay with it," Amelia paused, "plus I vouched for him."
"That's good," Rick sighed.
"Are you okay with him being here?" Mia questioned.
"Yeah," Rick answered "Of course."
"We were never together—you believe that, right?" Amelia asked.
"I believe you, but I do think he cared about you more than you think he did," Rick explained. He paused for a moment as she looked up at him again. "I saw the way he looked at you."
"I know he's in love with me or at least he was, and I love him, but only as a brother, nothing more," Mia said as Rick held her gaze.
He cleared his throat. "Well, if that ever changes, let me know."
"I may care about him, but I like you," Mia told him. "I may even love you, but I need time to figure that out."
Rick smiled lightly. "Take all the time you need."
He kissed her on the top of her head as she laid it down on his arm.
"Mia, Koda, Eloise, Julius, Tierney, and Axel took turns on watch last night so tonight it will be Zed, Levi, Shay, Nylah, and I will take turns on watch tonight," Flecher announced at dinner.
"We never get to take watch together," Shay said to Mia once Flecher sat back down.
"That's because I'm always with Tierney, and Flecher doesn't want you to be on watch with her," Mia explained.
"He has nothing to be worried about," Shay said with a sigh.
"He doesn't?" Mia asked as she looked at her friend.
Shay scoffed. "I don't like girls."
"You like flirting with them, though," Mia said. "And looking at them," she added as an afterthought.
"I—I don't—" Shay took a deep breath "—I don't like girls."
"Shay," Mia said as she leaned closer to the older girl and placed a hand on her arm, "It's okay to be a lesbian or bisexual or whatever the hell it is you are."
Shay held Amelia's gaze for a moment before letting out a deep breath. "I don't want to hurt Flecher."
"Flecher will get over it," Mia dismissed quickly. "He's a big boy."
Shay sighed. "I know, but I don't even know if Tierney still wants me."
"Oh, she wants you," Mia laughed breathlessly as she gestured to the blonde girl sitting across the fire. Shay's gaze followed her gesture and she saw that Tierney was already watching her. "Just get it over with. Dump Flecher and tell Tierney the truth."
"Fine, you win, but if this crashes and burns I'm blaming you," Shay said as she pointed at Mia.
"That's fine with me," Mia said, holding up her hands in surrender. "I'm going to bed."
"Wish me luck," Shay said as Mia stood.
"Good luck," Mia said as she dumped her leftovers onto Shay's plate and put her own plate into the water bin. She started towards her tent, but stopped suddenly.
"What's wrong?" Shay asked over her shoulder.
"I just got a bad feeling," Mia explained.
"Hey," Shay said, causing Mia to face her, "just go to bed and you'll see that everything is fine in the morning."
"My team, we saw it earlier, back when we were on one of those first scouts, finding out what was around here. It was a camp at the bottom. The people there must have blocked the exits with one of those trucks back when everything started to go bad. They didn't make it. They were all roamers, maybe a dozen of them," Heath explained to the room full of people.
"And no one's been back since?" Maggie questioned.
Heath shook his head. "Every time we're scavenging—they're all in the different direction and I never really felt like having a picnic next to the camp that ate itself."
"So, all the while the walkers have been drawn by the sound, and making more sound, and drawing more in," Michonne said.
"And here we are," Mia sighed.
Rick looked down at her and she looked up at him. He had his hand on her shoulder and she placed her hand over it reassuringly.
"Now, what I'm proposing—I know it sounds risky, but walkers are already slipping through the exits," Rick explained. "One of the trucks keeping the walkers in could go off the edge any day now. Maybe, after one more hard rain. That exit sends them east—all of them—right at us.
"This isn't about if it gives, it's when. It's gonna happen. That's why we have to do this soon," Rick said. Mia looked at her mother standing by the window and swallowed hard.
"This is—uh—I don't even have another word for it. This is terrifying," Carol announced in a timid voice. Mia had to stop herself from rolling her eyes and looked around quickly. The Alexandrians believed the woman's act. "All of it, but it doesn't sound like there's any other way."
"Maybe there is," Carter interjected. Rick let go of Mia's shoulder and stepped closer to the man. "Couldn't we just build up the weak spots? I—I could draw up plans. I worked on the wall with Reg. The construction crew—we can try and make it safe."
"Even if we could, the sound of those walkers are drawing more and more everyday," Rick said. "Building up the exits won't change that."
"Rick's right," Mia said, standing up. "The dead ones won't stop once they get a chance to come here"
"We're going to do what Rick says—the plan he's laid out," Deanna said from her spot by the window.
"I told you all," Rick started, "we're going to have Daryl lead them away."
"Me too," Sasha said from her spot beside Mia. "I'll take a car, ride next to him. Can't just be him." She continued quickly. "I'll keep them coming and Daryl will keep them from getting sloppy."
"I'll go with her," Abraham muttered. He looked up at Rick. "It's a long way to go solo."
Rick massaged his hand as he thought for a moment. He looked around at everyone after a little while. "All right, we'll have two teams; one on each side of the forest to help manage this thing. We're going to have a few people on watch from now on; Rosita, Spencer, and Holly—so they're out." Rick paused as he gestured. "So, who's in?"
Rick already knew that Amelia was planning on going with them so she sat back down and watched as several Alexandrians volunteered to go. Some were accepted while others weren't. Carter began to question Rick's leadership skills, but Deanna stopped him before he got too eager. She kept quiet when Nicholas volunteered to go. Glenn had promised her that he'd handle the coward, and Mia trusted him so she let him deal with it.
"We'll make this work. We'll keep this place safe—keep our families safe. We will," Rick promised to the Alexandrians.
"The plan," Carter paused, "go through it again."
"Man, he just said it," Daryl reminded him.
"Every part—again—" Carter insisted. "—the exact plan."
Mia was sleeping when the strangers broke into their camp.
It was chaos. All she really remembered was the screams and the blood. The next second she was bounded and gagged and blinded. She had been hit a few times, and it left her with a bloody lip and bruised ribs.
By the time the seize was over, three of her people had been killed, leaving eight alive. Every one of them was thrown into the back the intruders' trucks and driven somewhere. They were taken to a farm and unloaded from the trucks. Their blindfolds were removed and they were taken into a large barn.
Mia was struggling against her captors, but they were stronger and taller than her. She looked around for her group members but only saw eight of them. Nylah, Zed, and Levi were missing. Mia knew they were probably dead.
There was nothing in the stalls inside the barn except for chains hanging from the ceiling. Mia recognized the chains as the kind slaughterhouses used to hang their dead livestock. She continued to fight her captors as they shoved her into one of the stalls and tied her arms up in the chains. Her feet were barely able to brush up against the floor, straining her arms and shoulders. She tried to plant her feet and shy away from the men who'd brought her inside the barn when they pulled out a long knife and approached her.
She screamed when they ran the blade over her arms, her stomach, and her back a bunch of times. Mia began to cry as the burning sensation began to grow.
There were echoes of cries and sobs throughout the barn and that only made Mia feel more helpless. As she began to bleed out, she realized she couldn't help the people that she loved. She couldn't help her family and that hurt her more than the cuts on her body.
"Hey, Sherrif," Mia greeted as she walked into the kitchen.
Rick looked at her and smiled. "Hey."
She dropped her gaze to Judith, who was riding on Rick's hip. "Hey, Beautiful."
"Want to hold her?" Rick asked, his eyes flickering between his daughter and Mia.
"Of course," Mia smiled. She took Judith into her arms and smiled wider when Judith giggled. "She's so cute. You're so lucky."
Rick's expression dropped slightly when he saw the way Mia looked at Judith. "You wanted kids before the outbreak?"
"Yes," Mia breathed. "I want four." She laughed under her breath. "I wanted four."
"You don't want to bring a child into this world?" Rick asked even though he knew the answer.
"Nope," Mia responded. "I always wanted the normal life. Big house, white picket fence, kids running around in the front yard with their dog."
Rick stepped closer to Mia and placed two fingers under her chin to make her eyes meet his. He smiled weakly down at her. "I will do everything in my power to give that to you."
"Thank you, Rick," Mia told him.
He stepped back slightly. "I don't think you should come with us. I think you should stay here with your mom and brother and make sure everything is okay while we're gone."
Mia looked from Judith to Rick. "If you're going, I'm going. There's nothing you could say to make me change my mind."
"I just want to keep you safe," Rick admitted.
"I know," Mia said with a small smile. "And maybe you'll get your chance."
Her group was all that Mia could think about. Three of them were most likely dead. The rest of them were bleeding out alongside her.
"Mia," Tierney whispered from the stall next to her. "Mia."
"Hey, blondie," Mia joked with her eyes closed. Her captors had continued to reopen her wounds to make sure she was still bleeding. And that only made her weaker and weaker.
"I overheard—" the blonde girl stopped to take a deep breath "—some of the men—" Another heavy breath "—they said something about—" another breath "—a fight with walkers."
"Fight with walkers?" Mia asked under her breath.
"I think they're gonna make us fight walkers," Tierney said. "We'll lose. We're weak and starved. There's no way we'll win."
"I know." Mia took a deep breath. "I know."
"I know this sounds insane," Rick paused as he looked down at everyone, "this is an insane world. We have to come for them before they come for us! It's that simple."
He glanced over his shoulder at the quarry filled with walkers before looking back at the Alexandrians. "This is where it all starts tomorrow. Tobin gets in the truck, opens the exit, and we're off. He hops out and catches up with his team of reds, staying on the west side of the road. Daryl gets on his bike—"
A loud rumbling sound came from behind the group.
"You see that?" Sasha asked as she pointed to the trucks on the upper level of the quarry.
They all watched as the ground gave out from under one of the trucks. The large vehicle fell from the second level, opening the exit for the walkers to get out.
"It's opened!" Mia shouted as she started towards Rick.
"We gotta do this now!" He called out as he got off the trucks. "Tobin's group get moving, now!"
"No. Rick, we're not ready!" Carter exclaimed.
"Sasha! Abraham!" Rick directed.
"Damn straight! We'll do this live!" Abraham responded as they got into the car.
Mia waited off to the side as Rick continued to give instructions to the people who were still standing around. She came up beside him as Carter grabbed his attention.
"Rick, this was supposed to be a dry run!" The man told him.
"Daryl get ready!" Rick instructed over his shoulder.
"Rick, we haven't even gone through the whole plan!" Carter continued.
"Feel free to go back, but we're finishing this!" Mia told him when Rick started to walk away.
"Tobin, you hit it on my signal!" Rick shouted loud enough for the man in the truck to hear. "They're headed for home!"
He turned to Mia and placed a hand on her cheek. "Stick with me, okay?"
"Okay," she nodded.
It only took a day for Mia to figure out whether or not Tierney had heard right.
It started out like the other days with the men coming in to open up the shallow wounds again. But they came back sooner than expected. Each of Mia's family members were untied from their chains and taken them down.
Mia hands were tied up and led outside the barn. Her jaw dropped open when she saw that the corral outside was filled with walkers and there were spectators standing a safe distance from the cage.
She was lined up with her other group members and a tall, white man in a hat started to pace in front of them.
"So, who wants to go first?" He asked as he looked at them.
"I'll go," Mia said without hesitation. She always said she would die to keep her new family safe, and this was her chance to try to protect them.
"Sorry, little lady," the man tilted his hat towards her, "men only."
"Why?" She asked before she could stop herself.
"Because we have something else planned for you and your lady friends," he explained.
Mia exchanged a look with Koda, who was standing next to her.
"Me," Flecher volunteered, "I'll go."
"No," Shay and everyone echoed.
"Take me," Flecher persisted.
"If you insist," the man in the hat smiled and pointed to Flecher. "You must be ready to die."
They had managed to get the walkers past the curve without much difficulty. Rick, Amelia, Michonne, and Morgan fired the flares to keep the dead ones on track and the car and motorcycle kept their attention to keep them moving forward.
Rick held Mia's hand as they ran through the trees beside the horde of walkers. They stopped after Glenn's group joined theirs.
"It's working," Carter noticed. "You were right."
Mia raised an eyebrow as he held out a hand towards Rick. He let go of Mia's hand and shook it shortly with a nod before turning to look at the rest of their group.
"Everyone, we need to finish this," he told them. "We have to keep moving and fan out down that thing, front to back. Like we said, cops at a parade.
"Glenn, you take the back," Rick decided, "you got the other walkie."
"Got it," Glenn confirmed.
Rick looked at Mia and nodded. She looked around at the group. "If it gets sloppy, we fire our weapons, pull them back on track."
"I'll hit the front," Carter told them before he started jogging.
"Okay," Rick paused as he took Mia's hand again. "One after the other."
They had been walking together for a few minutes when the screaming started in the distance. Rick picked up his walkie-talkie and pressed the talk button.
"Tobin, they're breaking off," he said clearly into the mic.
"That do you want us to do?" Tobin's voice came in over the speaker.
"Fire your guns and draw them back," Rick instructed.
Mia and Rick shared a look before they both started running.
There was nothing they could do to stop it. Mia and the rest of her group were forced to watch as Flecher was sent into the corral with nothing to defend himself but a short, jagged knife. It wasn't even long enough to kill a walker. Mia knew he would have to stab one at least six times to kill it, but he didn't have that kind of time.
Flecher managed for the first few minutes just fine. He killed three walkers without getting bitten or killed, but then the other walkers started to round up on him.
"We have to do something," Shay exclaimed.
Mia looked at her. "There's nothing we can do but watch."
"This is just a game for them," Koda said as he nodded towards the spectators.
"A sick game at that," Tierney scoffed.
They all winced when Flecher barely escaped a walker's teeth.
Mia stopped short when they saw Carter being bitten on the face by a walker. Rick pulled Carter away from the walker and killed the dead one quickly. He kneeled next to Carter as he tried to quiet him, but Mia saw it wasn't working. The walkers on the road were being pulled off more and more.
"You got to be quiet," Rick said quietly.
Mia kneeled in front of Rick and turned Carter's head to the side so she could place her knife at the base of his neck. She knew there was no way to save his life. She took a deep breath before plunging the weapon into his neck, killing him instantly.
"It's working," Tobin declared over the walkie. "The gunfire is bringing them back on the road."
When Mia looked up from Carter she saw Rick already looking at her. He nodded shortly and stood up, offering a hand to help her up. She took it and he pulled her to her feet. Mia pursed her lips when she saw Morgan looking at her.
"You got it, Tobin," Rick said into the walkie as the walkers started to get back onto the road.
"Copy that," Tobin responded. "What was that screaming?"
"That was Carter. He got bit right in the face," Rick said. "Mia stopped him."
Rick put his walkie-talkie onto his belt and turned to Morgan. "We have a good hour until we hand 'em to green when we hand them off to Daryl, Sasha, and Abraham. Why don't you head back, tell everyone what's happening? They should know."
"Okay, Rick, I just—" Morgan started.
"Will you do that for me?" Rick asked, cutting him off.
Morgan nodded.
"I'll take care of that one," Rick said as he pointed at a walker behind them. "Michonne, you take point."
"I know how it is," Morgan said once Rick was gone. "I do."
"Yeah," Mia said. "I do too."
"We all do," Michonne sighed.
"No!" Shay screamed when Flecher was bit in the neck by a walker.
Mia managed to quiet her down to stop from drawing too much attention to herself, but she couldn't stop her from crying. And she didn't want her to. She was being forced to watch a man she had been with for the past couple months bleed out in front of her. No one could understand that pain like Mia could.
They had always been prepared for something to go wrong. They had gone through the plan enough times to know what to do if something did miss the mark, but they had no idea what to do when a loud, incessant horn began to blow off in the distance.
Mia grabbed Rick's hand and they jogged farther into the woods together when the back half of the horde began to break off in their direction.
"It's coming from home," Mia stated as she listened to the horn and realized what direction it was coming from.
Rick, Mia and Michonne shared a look before breaking into a run again.
Mia grit her teeth as the man from before began to pace in front of them again. He was still wearing the cowboy hat, but now he was pairing it with a cheerful smile. It was as if he'd just watched his favorite movie, not a man be murdered.
"Well, that was entertaining," he said with a sigh.
"You're sick," Eloise said with a scoff.
"And it looks like we have a volunteer for the hunt," the man decided.
"What hunt?" Mia asked.
"Don't worry about that, my dear," he responded. "You'll have your turn."
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