'aw man, you want a beer? all right.' - weezer

the aftermath of the fight is what got to me. seeing people i knew lying out in the street as their dead bodies cook in the virginian heat. people sit out on the roads scrubbing blood off the sidewalks as others bury the bodies of the ones we lost and burn the ones we hate. i walk beside maggie as we stroll the streets seeing the damage. "do you think sasha did that to herself?" i ask. "i don't know how, but i know she did." she answers sadly. "she gave us a chance. you did. you made the right decision to come." i add. "the decision was made a long time ago before any of us knew each other when we were all strangers who would've just passed each other on the street before the world ended. and now we mean everything to each other." she explains and i nod.

"you and joel were lost after what happened to you. we didn't know you but we helped you. we put ourselves in danger for you. and that started it all for us. from the wolf attack to the herd, to the saviors, to here..to right now, not as strangers- as family. because we chose to be there for you that day at the gate. it started with both of you, then it grew, to all of us." she adds. "i'd like to think if we passed each other we'd feel something, in another lifetime." i say. "how's that shoulder?" she asks. "hurts, it'll heal though." i say as we reach the infirmary. "i'm gonna go check on rosita and michonne. you gonna stay?" i ask. "for a bit, yeah." she answers. i smile and walk up the steps of the house. i sigh a sigh of relief and walk in. today was good, we lost people, but we made progress. 

"hey, rick. i found this." daryl says barging in behind me. he hands him a small wooden statue. "didn't know." rick reads off the bottom. "dwight." daryl answers.

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇

the calm wind blows through my hair as i stand there, in the field holding my arms to my chest to keep warm. people from all 3 communities stand around us, marked with a ribbon showing where they're from. rick stands on top of a car as we all surround him. "when i first met him..jesus said that my world was about to get a whole lot bigger. well, we found that world. we found each other. that 'bigger world' is ours by right. that we've come together for it, all of us..it's that much more true- it's ours by right. any person who would live in peace and fairness, who would find common ground..it's their right too. but those who take and kill and carve out the world and make it theirs alone- we end them. we don't..celebrate it. we don't have shame about it, either. there is only one person who has to die." he announces.

"then..we keep making the world bigger. together." he says. "together. bound forever!" ezekiel repeats standing beside him and maggie on the car. "to quote the bard, 'for he today that sheds blood with me shall be my brother. for she today..my sister.'" ezekiel quotes and shiva roars as she lies on the back of the kingdom's pickup truck. "we've practiced. we've been through it over and over again. we all know the plan doesn't end this morning. that we may have to live in uncertainty for days, maybe more. that we have to keep our faith in each other. if we can hold onto that with everything we have, the future is ours. the world is ours." maggie announces.

we all pack up our things and head back to hilltop, a few to alexandria. i sit quietly as rosita, jesus, and i ride back to alexandria to pick up some remaining guns. the people open the gate for us and we hop out of the car. "i'll catch up." i say as i turn down the street toward the graveyard. i walk right up to joel's grave, the third one to the right. a wooden cross sits in the ground marking his spot. "we're fighting them today." i whisper. "i'm gonna kill him, it's gonna be me. it has to be me. rick knows it." i add. i tug on joel's jacket i am wearing around me to create some more warmth, the zipper had broke ages ago. it fits big on me, oversized. the sleeves are long so i roll them up to my wrists. 

"i miss you, joel. i'll kill negan for you." i say before turning and walking down the road up to the arsenal. "you ready?" rosita asks loading some guns into the car. "yeah, just wanted to grab something." i say getting back into the car. we drive the 20 minutes to hilltop and the whole ride i sit quietly and watch out the window. we arrive and the others tell us rick and a couple of others have already gone out to take out the spotters negan has set up. i find my way to the silent infirmary. "hey." enid says walking in. "hey." i respond setting up some tables for sutures and other minor things. "you ready for this?" she asks. "is anyone really ready for something like this?" i ask. "i am." she answers sitting down on one of the beds. 

"you feeling okay lately?" she asks. "fine." i answer kind of snarky, i'm sure i have a good reason though, somewhere. "i'm going with them." she says. "what?' i ask turning to face her. "i'm gonna go help fight." she repeats. "enid." i sigh. "you can't stop me, isa. i want to help, i need to help. i can't just sit here and wait for everyone to come back, what if they don't?" she says. "you have to stay. no one will be here for the infirmary." i argue. "i'm going, so you can't." i add. "why? you're the best doctor we have here. if anyone shouldn't go it would be you." she says. "i'm not arguing about this." i reply setting down the gauze in my hands and walking out of the trailer. part of me feels bad for snapping at her but she won't listen otherwise. 

the sun shines down extra bright today, the cool air keeps me comfortable as i walk up to the stables. out of the corner of my eye i see carl and rick walking up the dirt path. i turn and walk up to them, rick wanders off to maggie and carl stands there with clearly something to say. "my dad wants me to stay with michonne." he says and i sigh. we were supposed to fight together. i wanted him there when i killed negan, it would be a whole new chapter and he should be there for that. "are you gonna?" i ask. "he isn't giving me a choice." he replies. "what about what we planned?" i ask him a little saddened.

"you can do it. just pretend i'm there with you, i'll be waiting for you at home." he says hugging me. "i thought you'd fight a bit more to keep me here." i say half joking, half meaning it. "you wouldn't listen to me anyways. plus, this is important to you. it wouldn't be right for me to take it away from you." he replies and my eyes warm up with tears. "just promise me you'll come back to me." he adds and i rub my cold nose. "i promise." i add and i hear daryl whistle by the gate. cars line up with metal pieces drilled into the sides. people crowd around as they watch the group load guns into the cars. i open the door and climb in sitting beside rosita. 

i look out the window as the car starts up. carl stands there watching us as we drive off. "you ready for this?" rosita asks me as she pops her gun into place. "i've been ready for a while." i reply watching the trees whip by the window. 

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

currently working on something fun and kinda new but not new? you'll see it eventually...