The sun was beginning to dip beneath the horizon as Rick, Daryl, and the others stood on the watchtower, eyes scanning the surrounding area. It had been a quiet day, and the tension in the air had loosened somewhat. The group's focus was on the walkers outside the fence, the usual monotonous routine of surviving.

Rick's eyes narrowed as he spotted a pair of figures moving slowly through the woods near the fence. At first, they seemed like just another pair of walkers, shuffling aimlessly in search of food. But then, something caught his attention. They weren't just walking-there was a connection between them. Their hands were linked, just like he had seen a month ago.

His breath caught in his throat.

"Daryl..." Rick's voice was quieter than usual, filled with disbelief. "Do you see that?"

Daryl squinted in the dimming light and followed Rick's gaze. His expression shifted from one of casual observation to confusion and then, slowly, to shock. "No way," he muttered under his breath.

The pair of walkers continued to move, their hand still tightly linked, despite the twisted state of their existence. The woman-her dress fluttered slightly in the evening breeze, just like when they first met her-looked eerily familiar. Her eyes were vacant, her face a grotesque mask of decay, but her body was still dressed in that same sundress.

It couldn't be.

Rick's heart clenched as he finally whispered, barely able to speak the words. "It's them... Taehyung and Jihyo..."

Daryl's jaw tightened, and for a moment, he was unable to speak. His eyes stayed locked on the walkers, who now moved in sync with each other, their fingers still entwined. It was like they were still holding on to each other even in death.

"That's... impossible," Daryl said, his voice thick with emotion. "We saw them... alive... they were happy."

Rick clenched his fists, his stomach twisting. It was hard to reconcile the memories of Taehyung and Jihyo, so full of life and love, with the grotesque image of them now. Their connection, their bond-it was always so pure, so unshakeable. It had been a symbol of hope, something he and the group had longed to understand.

But now, the same bond had become a chilling reminder of how fragile life was. How quickly it could all slip away. And how, even in death, some things never changed.

"Daryl, they were... they were soulmates," Rick whispered, his voice strained with emotion. "They had something we didn't. Something... real. And now..." His words faltered as the weight of the truth hit him. "Now they're just like everyone else."

Daryl let out a bitter laugh, but it was hollow, filled with a sadness neither of them had been prepared for. "I guess there's no escaping it, huh? Not even love. Not even them."

The walkers continued their slow, synchronized shuffle, a disturbing echo of the love they once shared. Jihyo's dress swayed gently as the wind tugged at it, but there was nothing soft about her now. Her once bright face was now a rotting mask, her eyes lifeless, void of the light that once shone so brightly.

Rick felt a lump in his throat. They're gone.

But even in death, their bond was so strong that nothing could sever it. It was like they were destined to be together, no matter the cost-whether alive or undead.

From the corner of his eye, Rick saw the others-Glenn, Maggie, Michonne, and the rest-watching from a distance. They had seen the walkers approach, but it wasn't until they saw the couple's hand still linked that realization dawned on them.

Maggie's face paled, her hand instinctively reaching for Glenn as if to hold on to him, a silent plea for reassurance. Glenn looked at her, his expression unreadable, before his eyes turned back to the pair of walkers.

"I... I can't believe it," Maggie whispered. "They were so... alive. They were different."

Michonne's eyes were narrowed, her arms folded tightly over her chest as she watched the walkers. "No one is safe. Not from this world, not from the walkers. Not even love," she said, her voice low and heavy with the realization that no matter how much they tried to hold on to something, it could be ripped away in an instant.

Tara stepped forward, her expression one of quiet sorrow. "They didn't deserve this... They were... happy," she murmured, the weight of the loss settling in her chest.

Carl was the last to speak. "They were like us. They fought for each other. But in the end, it didn't matter."

Rick turned away from the scene, his heart aching as he rubbed his face. "I don't know how to deal with this," he said quietly, voice shaking. "They were... a reminder of what we're all fighting for. And now... they're gone. And we can't even save them."

Daryl stood by his side, his face shadowed with a mixture of anger and grief. "There's nothing we could've done. But that doesn't make it any easier."

The group stood there in silence, watching as the couple of walkers disappeared into the distance, their hands still linked together in an eerie semblance of the bond they once shared.

It wasn't supposed to end like this. No one had ever imagined it would. But in this world, nothing was ever certain, and love was no exception.

Rick took a deep breath, glancing back at the group. He didn't know what to say anymore, but one thing was clear: in the face of the walkers, in the face of death, there was still love. And maybe that was the one thing worth fighting for.

Even if it was only for a brief moment.