MIKA HELD THE staff and swung it, freezing in place before swinging it again. Morgan was beside her, doing the same movement for her to follow.

They continued their routine, repeating the same several movements. As they did, Morgan spoke.

"It's about redirecting, evading, and caring about the welfare of your opponent. So you have to care about yourself."

A few more swings. Mika controlled her breathing. She thrusted the staff forward as Morgan did the same.

"You don't have to believe that your life is precious, but that all life is precious. Redirect those thoughts and the history that tells you otherwise."

Morgan planted his foot forward and spun the staff around before jabbing it ahead. Mike followed suit and let out a sharp breath.

"We still accept what we were. To accept everyone. To protect everyone. And in doing that...protect yourself."

Morgan brought the staff down and stood at attention as he looked forward. Mika mimicked the action and stood straight as well. Morgan finished.

"To create peace."

Mika repeated. "To create peace."

The man and the girl faced each other. Mika had a stoic look and nodded. Morgan did a light bow of his head.

"You did good, Mika." He told her.

"Thank you."

Morgan brought the staff up and put it beneath his armpit. He reached out as Mika handed him back her staff.

"I'm grateful that you're doing this, Morgan." She told him.

"And I appreciate that you're willing to learn." He replied. "Not many people...are keen on my methods."

"It's a great way of thinking. Your teacher had some good points. We shouldn't change who we are. And all life is precious."

Morgan softly grinned, remembering Eastman's words. He was glad the little girl was willing to take all that in, just like he did.

"I wish Y/N thought the same." He remarked.

Mika looked to the side and exhaled. She rubbed the side of her arm.

"He's not...bad."

"I'm not saying he is," Morgan reassured. "Sorry about—"

"It's okay." She interjected.

There was a beat. After a moment, Mika continued.

"The things that happened changed him. I've seen it happen. It made me sad, too. He would have a lot of anger, and that would affect his actions. But even after what he's done, who he's had to kill...he's still a good person. He has a great heart. Liliana believed that."

Morgan nodded. She had told him a bit of what they went through before and how Y/N lost his girlfriend at the prison. He could empathize with him since he lost his way after losing both his wife, and his son, Duane.

"It's never too late to go back," Morgan said. "I just hope, down the line, he's willing to continue learning. Understand...like you do."

Mika nodded and softly smiled. Suddenly, they heard a shout in the distance.

"They're back!"

On the street, the RV pulled up and stopped. Sasha, Rosita, Carol, and Aaron walked up to the vehicle, and Rick rolled down the window.

"Get Erica. She should inventory what we have. We'll meet her at the pantry."

"You have food?" Sasha asked.

Michonne walked out. "Yeah. Enough for another month."

"I need everybody in the church in an hour." Rick said.

"What is it?" Sasha asked.

"We'll talk about it."

Rick started the engine again. Everyone walked away expecting Carol, who still questioned what he wanted to do.

"Rick, what's going on?"

The man looked over at her.

"We're gonna have to fight."

Many people were in the church listening to Rick's proposal. He stood before them before the altar and explained their situation with the Hilltop and the Saviors.

"And we can work with the Hilltop. Maggie hammered out a deal. We're getting food—eggs, butter, fresh vegetables. But they're not just giving it away. These Saviors, they almost killed Sasha, Ramon, Daryl, and Abraham on the road. Now, sooner or later, they would've found us, just like those Wolves did, just like Jesus did."

Everyone stayed quiet and kept listening.

"They woulda killed someone or some of us. And then they would try to own us. And we would try to stop them. But by then, in that kind of fight, low on food, we could lose. This is the only way to be sure, as sure as we can get, that we win. And we have to win. We do this for the Hilltop, it's how we keep this place. It's how we feed this place."

He finally finished. "This needs to be a group decision. If anybody objects, here's your chance to say your piece."

For a moment, everyone was quiet. Morgan stood up, and the people looked back at him.

"You're sure we can do it?" He asked. "We can beat them?"

"What this group has done, what we've learned, what we've become, all of us—yes, I'm sure."

"Then all we have to do is just tell them that."

"Well, they don't compromise."

"This isn't a compromise." Morgan shot back. "It's a choice you give them. It's a way out, for them and for us."

Y/N sat in the pew at the front. He heard Morgan's pleas and found it stupid. He couldn't believe that he wanted to strike out peace with a group like the Saviors...a group who could be as brutal as the Wolves.

He thought of those he lost before getting into Alexandria, like Liliana and Hershel, to the Governor and his people. He even thought of those lost within the walls to the Wolves and the horde.

Y/N felt anger. He didn't want to take chances again. He wanted to just get this all over with and exterminate the Saviors...and hopefully rid himself of the thought of Negan.

There, the second stage was enacted for Y/N...

Anger.

Y/N stood up and faced Morgan. Everyone turned to him as he spoke up.

"You talk to these Saviors, we give up our advantage, our safety. There's no discussions. No. We have to come for them before they come for us. We can't leave them alive."

"Where there's life, there's possibility." He butted. "I know you know that. Mika knows that."

The young man did not appreciate him bringing up the little girl during the heated discussion.

"Don't bring her into this." He scolded.

"What would she think hearing you—"

"I need you to stop talking about her. Now."

Morgan grumbled, and Y/N sat back down. There was an awkward silence before the wise man spoke to everyone in the church.

"We're not trapped in this. None of you are trapped in this."

Rosita scoffed. A part of her wanted to just stand up and reveal that Morgan had a Wolf imprisoned weeks ago that almost got him and Carol killed. She decided not to, though.

Rick was not keen on Morgan's idea. He was adamant about backing the original plan, which Y/N had devised back at Hilltop.

"Morgan...they always come back."

"Come back when they're dead, too." He butted.

"Yeah, we'll stop them. We have before."

"I'm not talking about the walkers."

Rick just stared at him and didn't reply back. He then looked at everyone else.

"Morgan wants to talk to them first. I think that would be a mistake, but it's not up to me. I'll talk to the people still at home. I'll discuss it with the people on guard now, too, but who else wants to approach the Saviors, talk to them first?"

Aaron immediately stood up.

"What happened here, we won't let that happen again." He eyed Morgan. "I won't."

Morgan simply nodded. He was starting to accept that everyone supported the plan to attack the Saviors. There was no use in bargaining. They didn't want to take any more chances.

Aaron sat back down. Ramon ended up speaking from his seat.

"We've had to make choices like this before. That's...how we saved Beth. I get there are risks...but right now, while we have the advantage, it's something I'm willing to do."

Y/N spoke, saying his words that day before invading Grady Memorial Hospital.

"If you don't protect what belongs to you, then sooner or later, it belongs to someone else. We have the upper hand right now. Let's not wait until we don't."

Rick nodded. He rested his hands by his waist.

"Looks like it's settled. We know exactly what this is. We don't shy from it, we live."

Y/N looked up from his hands and spoke up again.

"We kill them all."

Rick glanced at him. He agreed with his sentiment and repeated his words to the rest.

"We kill them all."

Tara, who was beside Denise, shifted in her seat a bit after hearing Y/N and Rick's words. She remembered that same line being uttered by Brian Heriot before storming the prison.

"We don't all have to kill," Rick added, then started making his way out. "But if people are gonna stay here...they do have to accept it."

Y/N sat there momentarily in silence before getting up as well. Everyone watched him as he approached the door, but he stopped beside Morgan before leaving.

"You bring up her name again, use her to make a point or as leverage in any discussion, I'll snap that fucking stick over your head."

Y/N then left. Everyone overheard and looked at Morgan, who just sat there in silence.

Y/N had returned home from planning the attack on the Savior's Satellite Outpost with Rick and company.  It was already late at night, but he wanted to go over some of the plans himself and get his things ready before heading to bed.

He exited the bathroom and entered the dining room, where he was surprised to see Mika. She was standing by the table, which had one of the hand-drawn maps along with Y/N's pistol on the table.

"Mika?" He questioned. "I thought you were sleeping?"

She simply shrugged and ignored the question, more interested in what was before her. Mika kept looking at the map and notes written on it, which included numbers and words like ARMORY? and GUARDS with an X crossed over.

"What is this?" She asked.

Y/N walked over as he fixed the bracelet that was on his wrist. He wasn't sure how to answer or if he even should.

"It's just...something." He answered. "Why don't you just head to bed, hmm?"

"Are you going somewhere? I heard Ramon telling Erica earlier today."

Y/N sighed and nodded. "Yeah. We're going tomorrow. A group of us."

"To do what?"

Y/N didn't immediately say anything. He glanced over at the map and put a hand on it. Mika spoke again as she eyed it.

"You're—you're doing it again."

What?" He asked.

"What you did at the hospital. When you got Beth."

Her statement surprised him. Y/N didn't know that Mika knew the truth of what really happened at Grady Memorial.

"Wh—What? How...?"

"I was around when Sasha talked to Tyreese back when he was alive. He was feeling bad about it, and she calmed him down."

Y/N breathed through his nose. Mika kept looking at the map. She wasn't dumb and knew what the notes said and were about.

"So you're doing it again. You're going somewhere to kill people."

"These people are bad, Mika." He emphasized.

She faced him. "How do you know that?"

"We heard about what they do."

"Just heard?"

"Some horrible things. They also tried to kill Ramon, Abraham, Daryl, and Sasha on the road. We don't want to give them that chance again...with any of us."

Mika looked back at the map. "Did you think about talking to them?"

Y/N scoffed, remembering Morgan's question of the same variety.

"There's no talking with these people. There's no other choice."

"Was there no choice with the people at the hospital?" She retorted. "You told me before that you'd always look for the alternative to help us, but you're not even trying to."

She had him stumped. He remembered telling her that when they were on the road right after the destruction of the prison. He also did have a choice to negotiate Beth's release, but they ended up going with the violent plan.

He bit inside of his cheek as a bit of anger built in him. In his mind, he needed to do this. There was that worry that if they didn't, if they gave the Saviors the upper hand, if they waited...they'd soon be victim to their deeds. Y/N couldn't fathom the thought of the people he cared about being hurt. People like AJ. Like Mika.

He needed to strike first.

"What we're going to do with help us. It will help Jesus's community." He spoke to her in a stern tone. "And it will keep these bad people from doing what they've been doing to others."

Mika didn't respond. She felt he was dead set on his plan, and anything she said wouldn't change his mind. There was no use bargaining with him.

"It's just how it is now." He added. "You're allowed to be upset. You're allowed to be mad at me. But you also have to accept it."

Y/N rested his hand on the head of the chair and put the other on his waist. Mika was still silent as she looked to the side. The man still had a rather strict tone as he spoke.

"Go on, get to bed. It's late."

The girl just walked away without saying a word, heading upstairs to her room. Y/N stood there and let out an exhale. He shook his head and soon resumed his personal run-over of the plan.

Mika sat in her room. She had her journal on her lap and wrote an entry before going to bed. She really wanted to record what was on her mind.

April 20 2012

It's always been peace vs violence. In the world we are now it's hard for people to figure out what's better. My parents used to tell me that hurting people is bad and to treat everyone how you'd like to be treated. But it's hard to think that now.

I get that sometimes it has to happen to keep us safe but it's just hard to think about it. I always think there is another way. People can get help and could change. That's what I thought could happen to Lizzie.

I miss her. I hope she's still out there okay. But then there's that part of me that thinks she's really gone.

I don't know how long I can keep hoping.

• • •

THE GROUP WAS on the road. They had the numbers consisting of Rick, Michonne, Y/N, Daryl, Abraham, Rosita, Aaron, Sasha, Carol, Glenn, Maggie, Father Gabriel, Tara, Heath, and Ramon. There was also Jesus and Andy, the Hilltop member whose arm was broken by Y/N.

They were standing outside on the street. Y/N leaned against the back of the RV with hands in his leather jacket pockets and a rifle slung over his shoulder. Rick held his AK47 and spoke to all of them. 

"We're gonna take a look around, try to get a feel for how many people are in there. We like how it looks, we go in. A couple of hours before dawn. The guards outside'll be tired. Everyone inside'll be sleeping."

Y/N, being the plan's originator and a sort of co-lead with Rick, spoke up and added to the run-down.

"We don't like what we see, we head back, and make a new plan. Remember, they don't know who we are. And Jesus will be kept in the shadows."

They all took in the plan. Rick nodded at his words.

"This is how we eat," Y/N emphasized, explaining why they're even doing this for Hilltop. "We do this, and we save ourselves from starving."

"We roll out at midnight." Rick told them.

Everyone dispersed. Later, Y/N and Rick went over to Jesus and Andy at the front of the RV. There were three decapitated heads on the ground in front of them.

"Done with the hair?" Rick asked. "What've we got?"

"That one." Jesus pointed at the head in the middle.

Andy nodded. "Yeah, that's it."

Their plan was for Andy to deliver a head that looked like Gregory's to the Saviors in exchange for Craig, a Hilltop member who was being held prisoner.

"All right," Rick said and picked the head up by the hair.

"Don't know who's uglier...this poor guy or Gregory himself." Y/N jested.

Jesus snickered. "Though, it's probably good we're doing this at night."

"Something wrong with it?" Rick asked.

"The nose. Gregory's is a different shape."

Rick looked at the head he was holding. Y/N rubbed his own chin and stared at it.

"I got it."

Immediately, Y/N landed a few punches to the head as Rick held it, breaking its nose. They all looked at him with perplexity.

"He tried fighting back." Y/N pointed at Andy. "He broke your hand, right?"

The man scoffed, finding it ironic that the guy who actually broke his hand was saying so. Still, they understood the ploy he was proposing.

"Guess there's no reason to be subtle about it." Jesus remarked.

Rick put the head down and picked up his rifle. Andy kept eying both him and Y/N. The former deputy stared back.

"What?"

Andy shrugged. He spoke as he walked away.

"The Saviors, they're scary, but those pricks got nothing on you."

• • •

ONCE MIDNIGHT STRUCK, the plan was enacted. Andy took a car to the front of the outpost and came out to speak to two Saviors who were on guard. Red spotlights lit the entire lot and gave it a hellish look.

He brought the head to them, and the men were honestly astonished that they got it done. Andy also told them about his broken hand and its broken nose in an attempt to support the ploy.

The Savior held up the head and stared at Andy. After a long moment of silence, he jokingly moved the head's mouth and spoke in a nasal voice.

"Little bitch broke my nose. Waaaah."

The other Savior laughed, and Andy just stood quiet. He tossed the head aside and spoke to him in his normal voice.

"Okay, looks like you learned. I'll get your guy, you'll go home, and you bring us more stuff next week, hmm?"

He mockingly slapped the side of Andy's face before walking back into the building to get Craig. The other Savior stayed outside and began to whistle Happy Birthday. Andy just stood there and watched.

SVISH!

The Savior's neck was suddenly slashed by Y/N's hunting knife. He gurgled and fell to his knees before the young man finished him off with a stab to his skull.

SULK!

Everyone started moving in. They hid behind the walls and within the bushes as Abraham, Aaron, and Ramon picked up the body and moved it. Andy stood there like nothing had happened and waited for the other Savior to return.

He finally came back outside and had a beat-up Craig with him.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is." He taunted.

Suddenly, a sword stabbed through his back and out of his chest, and the man groaned.

SULK!

"Ahh!"

Michonne let him fall to the floor, where Rick immediately ran over and stabbed him in the back of the head. Andy went up to Craig and quickly calmed him down.

"It's okay, it's okay. We're bringing you back. We're bringing you back."

Andy walked with his friend and joined Tara, Gabriel, and Jesus at their car. Everyone else readied their weapons and entered the outpost.

Abraham went in first, followed by Sasha, then Daryl, all holding rifles and shotguns, respectively. Rick and Y/N came in afterward, with Michonne and the rest close behind. Y/N held an M4 Carbine rifle and peeked into a nearby room.

Y/N and Rick ran point during the entire operation. The young man spoke to them as he moved forward.

"Check the doors. Find the arsenal." He said. "We take them out."

Rick went with Daryl and Michonne down one hallway to check the room. He also told Glenn, Heath, and Ramon to move down another path. Y/N motioned Rosita and Aaron to follow him down another. They did as ordered and walked with him with their guns drawn.

Glenn entered a room quietly, seeing a couple of Saviors sleeping on their cots. He knew what he had to do, and the nerves began to hit him.

He knelt beside one of the sleeping men, holding his knife over his face. With a deep breath, Glenn finally mustered the will to stab him through the head.

SULK!

Glenn shivered upon doing so. It was the first time the man took a life. Nearby, Heath looked at the next man and pondered the thought of doing the same. Like Glenn, he was lucky enough to have not shed blood before.

Heath hesitated as he held the knife over the bald man's face. Before he could do it, Ramon came over and grabbed his hand. Heath turned to him.

There were no words shared as they looked at one another. Ramon non-verbally reassured him that he would do the deed and save him the experience. Heath took in a breath and gave the knife to him before stepping away.

Ramon crouched down beside the Savior and immediately stabbed him through the temple.

SULK!

Glenn looked over at them and sighed. He then turned around, seeing Polaroids stuck to a pinboard beside the bed.

It displayed about a dozen gory photos of what was likely their victims. It honestly made him sick to his stomach. Glenn quickly stepped away and followed Ramon and Heath out of the room.

Meanwhile, Y/N was down the hall, looking through several rooms. He and Rosita took out a couple of sleeping Saviors themselves and were now looking for the armory. Aaron was ahead and made a turn down the hall.

Suddenly, an alarm within the outpost sounded. It caught them by surprise. Unbeknownst to them, Abraham and Sasha were caught off guard by a Savior roaming the halls, and he had pulled the fire alarm.

"The fuck?" Y/N muttered.

Immediately, a few of the Saviors came out of their room. Y/N immediately aimed his rifle and shot at them before they could react.

GRATATATA! GRATATA!

Two of them were killed. The other Savior took out his pistol and fired at Y/N, who took cover behind a wall.

POW! POW! POW!

The Savior shot a few more times before a shot from Rosita took him down.

BRAKA!

Y/N gave her a nod before the Latina moved ahead, and Y/N soon followed. She made a left turn and saw another Savior aiming into a room that Aaron was in.

BRAKA!

The Savior was killed before he could shoot Aaron. He came out of the room, stepping over the body of the man he had stabbed earlier. The three kept moving as they heard ongoing gunfire within the outpost, likely coming from Rick's crew and the alerted Saviors.

They stopped by a door. Their mission was to find the armory and Rosita wanted to check the room.

"That's one of the locked ones." She told Aaron. "We'll cover you. Do it."

He nodded. Y/N and Rosita were side by side, aiming down the halls as Aaron shot the door lock and tried to kick it open.

More Saviors spotted them. Y/N and Rosita immediately granted cover fire and forced them to take cover.

BRAKA! BRAKA!

GRATATATATA!

Aaron kept kicking the door. A Savior peeked out and shot at them, but Y/N immediately took him down with a straight shot to the head.

BRAKAKAKA!

GRATA!

Rosita continued to fire at the next Savior and forced them to stay behind cover. Unfortunately for them, one of their legs was sticking out, and the Latina shot them there.

BRAKAKA!

The woman fell to the floor and groaned in pain. Soon after, Aaron was able to break the door down and enter the room. It wasn't the armory but a supply closet.

Meanwhile, Glenn, Heath, and Ramon had found the armory and used some of the guns to eliminate a group of Saviors. Rosita, Aaron, and Y/N noticed that the gunfire within the outpost had quelled, likely signifying the end of the threat. Now, they had to find the rest and regroup.

Down the hall, the injured Savior continued to groan as she bled from her leg. She tried crawling and cursed at the three nearby.

"You—you don't get what you just fucking did. You're dead! Dead!"

Y/N just looked over at her. He began to walk down the hall toward the wounded woman as she continued taunting.

"You made a mistake. You're going to regret this. He'll make sure—"

GRATA!

Y/N shot her straight through the head with his handgun and kept moving. Rosita and Aaron paid no mind to the action and simply followed him.

The group scoured the entirety of the base and finally made it back out, seeing it was light outside. They looked through the lot and saw the vehicles they had parked, likely ones they had extorted from people.

Hearth stopped by an RV and looked into it. He figured it was good enough to take on the two-week supply run he would be on with Tara.

"Hey, you want to just come back with us?" Glenn asked him. "Take a couple days before you and Tara go out again?"

"No, man." Heath sighed, still a bit shaken from recent events. "I just want to get out of here."

Soon after, the group bid farewell to Tara and Heath, who decided to go on their run from there. Y/N went over to open the gate and let them out, waving at them as they left. Tara made Heath stop for a moment.

"I'll bring the kid something." She said.

Y/N smirked. He remembered Noah saying that before going on the run that eventually lead to his demise. He didn't want a repeat of that with Tara.

"Just take care of yourself." He replied.

They soon left. Y/N walked back toward the group with his rifle slung over his shoulder. He stopped by Rick and Michonne who were talking.

"What is it?" Rick asked her.

"Just—just want to know which one of them was Negan."

Y/N wasn't sure what to say. Of the people he killed, none of them were him. But what he knew for sure was that everyone there was dead.

Suddenly, the sound of a roaring engine caught their attention. They looked over and saw a man come out of a garage on a motorcycle. Daryl immediately realized it was his bike.

"Son of a bitch!" Daryl exclaimed and ran ahead.

Rosita aimed her assault rifle and fired in the Savior's direction. She ended up hitting him.

BRAKAKAKA!

The man fell off the bike and rolled across the grass. He tried to get up and run, but Daryl dove in and tackled him before punching him while on the floor.

"Where'd you get the bike?" Daryl asked.

Y/N walked over and aimed his pistol at his face. The Savior spat out blood and shouted at him.

"Just do it! Like you did everyone else, right?"

Y/N contemplated ending him then and there, even glancing at Rick for the go-ahead. Suddenly, a female voice came from the radio that the man dropped.

"Lower your gun, prick."

They were all perplexed. The voice continued.

"You, with the Colt 1911. All of you, lower your weapons right now."

Y/N took a breath and picked up the radio, still aiming the gun at the Savior. Rick, Gabriel, Rosita, and the rest held their weapons and looked around. The young man chose to be the one to speak to whoever was on the other end.

"Why don't you come on out? Let's talk."

"We're not coming out, pretty boy, but we will talk."

There was some static. Y/N held the radio but his face and looked around with the rest. The woman continued.

"We've got a Carol and a Maggie. I'm thinking that's something you want to chat about."

That garnered a reaction from everyone, especially Glenn. Rick nearby seethed his teeth and glared. Y/N bit the inside of his cheek, anger building inside him.

"Now, we're gonna work this out right now, and it's going to go our way." She added.

Rick looked over at the Savior on the ground and then at Daryl.

"Grab the motherfucker."

Daryl and Glenn forcefully pulled the injured Savior up and on his feet, with the two also holding their guns to his head. Y/N held the radio to his mouth and spoke.

"We have one of yours. I'm sure you can see that. We'll trade."

"I'm listening."

"Let me talk to Maggie and Carol first, make sure they're all right."

There was a moment of no response. Finally, a voice came through.

"Y/N, it's Carol. I'm—I'm fine, but—"

There was an interruption and then static. Maggie's voice came through a second later.

"Y/N, it's Maggie. We're both okay. We'll figure thi—"

Another interruption. The Savior spoke again.

"You have your proof. Let's talk."

Y/N took a breath out of his nose. He glanced at Rick, who nodded and let him continue taking initiative. He trusted Y/N and whatever plan he had, especially after a seemingly successful offensive on the outpost.

"Here is the deal..." Y/N said. "You let them go, you can have your buddy back, and you get to live."

"Two for one, that's not much of a trade."

"I suppose you don't have another choice, or else you would've done something about it already."

There was about a minute of silence. Ramon spoke up as they waited for a response.

"We're really going through with this? Bargaining?"

Y/N didn't respond. In reality, his trade offer was just a ploy until they can figure out how to get Maggie and Carol back and kill the rest of the Saviors.

"I understand that it's worth talking over. It's a fair trade." Y/N spoke into the radio. "Just come out, we do this, we all walk away. Do we have a deal?"

After a moment, she finally replied.

"I'll get back to you."

They had to find Maggie and Carol and where the Saviors took them. Daryl ended up picking up footprints in the woods and followed the trail. From there, Y/N just waited for any word from the Saviors and would have frequent back-and-forths with the woman.

"Have you thought about it? Talk to me."

"You weren't listening. I said I'd contact you."

"Guess...I'm sorry. Does my apology make a difference? Get this done faster?"

"What do you think?"

"I think we're gonna make the trade, so tell me where we gotta meet up."

"We haven't agreed to that."

"You will."

"You know what? I'm not so sure. We'd be taking most of the risk, not getting much in the way of a reward."

"Trust me..the other option won't work out for you."

"We'll take our chances. "

"Asshole, are you there?"

"Hey, that's not very nice. What happened to pretty boy?"

"Fuck you. We've thought about it. We want to make the trade."

"That's good."

"There's a large field with a sign that says God is dead about two miles down I-66. Good visibility in all directions."

"We'll meet you there. 10 minutes?"

"10 minutes."

They did not go to the field. The group ended up following the tracks to a nearby slaughterhouse. Smoke came from the roof, so they knew it was active, and people were there.

They stormed inside. Glenn and Rosita were in the front with their rifles drawn and made it to a sliding door that led to the kill floor. Rick got ahead and opened it for them.

Someone was on the other side, and Glenn raised his gun...but immediately dropped it upon seeing it was Maggie. The woman looked a bit disheveled, and she lowered her weapon too.

"Maggie." Glenn breathed out.

The two hugged as everyone else went inside. Daryl immediately approached Carol, who seemed distressed and out of it.

"You okay?" He asked. "We got your trail. You start a fire?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

Daryl held up her chin and continued to question if she was all right. "Hey, you good?"

The lady immediately shook her head. "No."

"Come here."

Daryl embraced Carol. Maggie parted from Glenn and breathily spoke.

"They're dead. They're all dead, the ones that took us. They're all dead."

The two women had to deal with the Saviors themselves and also ended up burning the recently arrived reinforcements alive in the kill room. The extreme violence they had to enact shook them to their core, especially Carol, who was now beginning to wonder if everything Morgan talked about was true.

"Hey, are you okay?" Glenn asked Maggie.

"I just..." She paused. "I can't anymore."

Glenn hugged her again. "It's okay."

Meanwhile, the last surviving Savior looked to the side, absorbing the fact that his colleagues were dead. Rick stood beside him and drove the point in further.

"Your friends are dead. No one's coming for ya. So you might as well talk."

"Let him burn." Daryl added.

"I'm gonna ask you one last time...how'd you get the bike?"

"We found it." He replied.

Daryl scoffed. "Like hell you did."

"We found it."

Y/N stepped forward, his hand on his gun holster. He wanted to get straight to what was on his mind...and that was whether their leader was among the dead in the outpost or there at the slaughterhouse.

"Was Negan in that outpost last night, or was he here?"

The man kept staring blankly ahead. After a few seconds, he finally responded.

"Both."

Y/N raised a brow. The Savior, with blood still coating the lower half of his face, turned to him and grinned.

"I'm Negan, shithead."

The young man just stared back. The Savior could not see it, but anger boiled within him, and a tinge of red was overcoming his vision. It was like the mention of the name lit a fire in him. And...he finally got to put a face to it.

"There's a whole world of fun that we can talk about, so let's have a chat." Negan said.

Y/N replied. "That's all I needed."

Without hesitation, Y/N took out his M1911 and aimed it at his head.

BANG!

Negan fell to the floor, dead. Carol jumped at the sudden gunshot and gripped the rosary she had in her hand. Everyone else just stayed quiet or continued comforting the two women.

Y/N held his pistol and looked down at the dead Savior. Michonne looked on, seeing the state that he was in. Rick went up to the young man and held his shoulder.

"It's done." Rick said.

He kept looking down at the body. Y/N knew the man on the ground wasn't his brother, but to be able to put a face to the name and end him felt a bit freeing. It was as if that worry was gone, that fear that it was his Negan who was this supposed bogeyman.

Y/N had now put himself in the third stage...

Bargaining.

The man before him was just some guy with the same name who led the Saviors. And he finally put an end to him. Everything seemed all right now.

Y/N nodded in response to Rick's statement and holstered his gun.

"Let's get going."

• • •

ABOUT A WEEK passed since their attack on the Savior Outpost. With the immediate threat dealt with, the Hilltop honored their deal and gave Alexandria more food and supplies. This was the beginning of their partnership.

Mika sat in the living room, writing again in her journal.

May 1 2012

This is my favorite month! Usually all the flowers bloom after an entire month of April rain. And because it's where my birthday lands.

Two more days!

Not sure if we'll do anything. I haven't even told anyone about it yet. The only people that knew were my dad and sister and Lili. Maybe she told Y/N. I don't know.

Should I say something? They probably won't care. There's a lot of other things to worry about. Other stuff that is important.

Do birthdays really matter anymore?

"Hey, Mika."

The girl was startled by the sudden appearance of the young man. Mika looked up from her book and saw Y/N smiling.

"You busy?" He asked.

"No. Not really."

He motioned toward the door. "Want to come with me and pick up AJ from Erica's?"

"Okay."

Mika closed her book and put it on the table beside her. She then followed Y/N out of the house.

In the last several days, the two had reconciled from their little argument the night before Y/N went with the group to attack the Saviors.

The girl just seemed to forget about it, but Y/N figured she just gave up on trying to change his mindset on violence. Y/N hoped it didn't make her think of him differently.

As they walked, the man finally spoke.

"You looking forward to anything later this week?"

She arched a brow. "Hm?"

"Anything special?" He asked.

"Uh...I don't know."

"Really?"

"What do you...?" Mika suddenly realized. "Wait...did you know?"

Y/N smirked and nodded. Mika was honestly surprised Y/N knew about her upcoming birthday.

"You're turning 10," Y/N said. "That's a pretty big milestone."

"Yeah." She simply replied.

Y/N scratched his chin as he looked ahead.

"We'll come up with something to do on...Thursday, right? I'll tell everyone else."

"You don't have to."

"Come on, I gotta. People love you, Mika. They'd want to celebrate it. Especially now when we got a house to do it in."

Mika smiled. She was very delighted to hear that and was excited for the day. Y/N rubbed the top of her head.

"I'll make sure it's one of the best days of your life."

Meanwhile, Daryl, Ramon, Rosita, and Denise were on a run to search for meds at a nearby apothecary.

They retrieved it and made their way toward the tracks. Ramon held his rifle and walked inside them. After mostly being quiet throughout Daryl and Denise's conversation about siblings, he chose to speak to Rosita.

"Hey, I gotta ask you something. It's just been on my mind lately."

"What?" She asked.

He rubbed his chin and looked ahead.

"That morning when the group went to the Hilltop with Jesus the first time. I...uh...saw you come out of Y/N's house. Los dos—um...?"

She scoffed. Ramon smirked and began to tease.

"¿Asuntos privados? (Private matters?)"

"Keep talking...y te daré un puñetazo (and I'll punch you)."

He laughed. Rosita snickered but got a bit sincere in her tone.

"I just...needed some help. And he was there. Told me what I needed to hear."

Ramon nodded. Like Rosita, he believed Y/N was a good man who put the needs of others before him.

"He helped me a few times, too." He replied. "A lot of times, actually."

They kept moving and walked across the train tracks. Denise saw an abandoned car nearby and decided to check it. It had a walker in it, but she wanted the cooler within.

"There's a cooler in there!" She called out. "Might be something we can use inside."

"We got what we came for." Rosita replied.

Daryl agreed. "Nah, ain't worth the trouble, come on."

The tree kept walking. Despite the disagreement, Denise decided to go in herself. She opened the door to kill the walker, but it ended up stumbling out and getting on top of her.

Daryl, Ramon, and Rosita heard her struggling and ran over to help Denise. She gained the upper hand and told the three to let her handle it.

"No, don't!"

SULK!

Denise ended up killing the walker. She panted and got up before throwing up a bit. Rosita looked at her in disappointment, more so because of her dangerous antics.

"Oh, man. I threw up on my glasses."

Denise grabbed the cooler from the car. She opened it and saw a can of soda.

"Hot damn." She reacted.

"What the hell was that?" Daryl scolded. "You could've died right there, you know that?"

"Yeah, I do." She simply replied.

"Are you hearing me?"

"Who gives a shit?" You could've died killing those Saviors, the three of you, but you didn't." She shot back. "You wanna live, you take chances. That's how it works. That's what I did."

"For a couple of sodas, though?" Ramon asked. "Come on, Denise."

"Nope. Just this one."

Denise walked past them. They followed her down the tracks.

"Are you seriously that stupid?" Rosita asked.

"Are you?" Denise asked her. "I mean it. Are you?"

Rosita didn't reposed. Denise took a breath and continued her tirade.

"Do you have any clue what that was to me, what this whole thing is to me? See, I have training in this shit. I'm not making it up as I go along, like with the stitches and the surgery and the..."

She stopped for a second.

"I asked you two to come with me because you remind me of my brother. Brave and takes no shit and then young and confident. And sometimes you make me feel safe." She told Daryl and Ramon, then looked at Rosita. "And I wanted you here because you're alone. Probably for the first time in your life. And because you're stronger than you think you are, which gives me hope that maybe I can be, too."

The three were surprised her to hear what Denise thought of them. She shook her head and looked to the side. She really wanted to drive home the point of not being afraid, which is what she is trying to do.

"I could've gone with Tara. I could've told her I loved her, but I didn't because I was afraid. That's what's stupid. Not coming out here, not facing my shit. And it makes me sick that you guys aren't even trying because you're strong and you're smart and you three are really good people, and if you don't wake—"

THWICK!

Suddenly, an arrow protruded from her right eye. The three took a moment to realize what had just happened and were stunned. Denise uttered a few more words as her body began to shut down.

"...up...and face your..."

Ultimately, Denise died, and her body fell to the floor. Daryl, Ramon, and Rosita aimed their weapons toward the tree line, where an entire squad of Saviors emerged with their guns drawn.

"You drop 'em now!"

One man came out with a tied-up Eugene, who had gone a separate run nearby with Abraham. He put him on his knees and stared at Daryl.

"Well, hell." The man, David, spoke.

Portrayed by Oscar Isaac

Daryl stared back at him, angered at the sight of the man he tried helping several weeks ago in the woods. The man who stole his bike and crossbow. The man who took advantage of his kindness.

"Don't you got something to say to me?" David asked. "Wanna clear the air? Step up on that high horse?"

Rosita and Ramon glanced at Daryl, who was still not saying anything.

"No," David said. "Yeah, you don't talk much."

He motioned some men to take the packs and guns away from the three. David held the redneck's crossbow in his right hand.

"I'm still getting the hang of her. Got a different kick than the guns I'm used to." He said.

"I should've done it." Daryl grumbled.

"What was that?" David asked. "Seriously, I didn't catch what you said."

Daryl glared. "I should've killed you."

"Yeah, maybe you should've. Now, here we are. It begs the question, doesn't it? Who brought this on who? Look, you'll just have to take my word for this, but...the lady wasn't the one I was aiming for."

Daryl kept staring daggers at him, along with Rosita and Ramon. David continued.

"Like I said, gotta get used to the kick. Shit, I ain't no Rambo."

Ramon, who was very furious at the death of his friend, decided to speak up.

"You sure ain't."

"What?" David asked.

"Why don't you put that down, and we'll handle this mano a mano."

David snickered. "Oh, vaquero got some balls. So, unlike redneck over here, you love to talk. What's your name?"

He continued glaring. "Ramon."

David nodded. He didn't see a threat in the young man and continued speaking.

"It's nothing personal. Look, this isn't how we like to start new business arrangements, but, well, you assholes kind of set the tone, didn't you?"

"What do you want?" Rosita asked.

"I'm sorry, Princesa, I didn't catch your name," David said. "I'm David. So? What's your name?"

"Rosita. What do you want?"

"Well, Rosita...it's not what I want. It's what you, Ramon, and Daryl are going to do. You're going to let us into your little community. It looks like it's just fine and dandy in there. And then you're going to let us take whatever and whoever we want...or we blow this fat guy's brains out. And then yours. And then theirs."

He continued. "I hope it doesn't come to that, really. I believe nobody else has to die. We just try and start with one. You know...maximum impact to get our point across. So what's it going to be? You tell me."

Suddenly, Eugene spoke.

"You wanna kill someone, you start with our companion hiding over there behind the oil barrels. He's a first-class a-hole and he deserves it so much more than us three."

He talked about Abraham, but it was all part of Eugene's plan. David glanced over and took out his handgun.

"Albert, go check it out." He ordered one of the men.

He slowly went over the to the barrels with his shotgun. They all watched as he did...until Eugene sprung into action by biting David's groin.

"Aahh!" David groaned.

Immediately afterward, Abraham came out of the tree line and shot down a couple of the Saviors.

BRAKAKA! BRAKA!

Daryl slit the throat of the man beside him and took his gun, shooting down another Savior. Rosita ran over and picked up the rifle.

GRATATA!

BRAKAKAKA! BRAKA!

Ramon grabbed his gun and went behind cover with Daryl and Rosita. He shot toward the tree line and killed a Savior who tried flanking Abraham.

BRAKAKA!

Finally, David got Eugene off his dick (pause) and pushed him away, falling and dropping the crossbow in the process. He noticed the men were beginning to dwindle and called for a retreat.

"Fall back! Fall back!"

They started running. Daryl was adamant about killing David, so he began to chase after them. The Saviors ran through a field, but Rosita called out to him.

"Daryl, stop!"

He did, in fact, halt. Daryl turned around and saw Rosita kneeling over Eugene, who was shot in the side. He decided to leave the Saviors to flee and help her, Ramon, and Abraham tend to the man.

The four started carrying him, passing by the dead body of Denise. They'd soon come back to retrieve their friend.

• • •

Y/N HEARD ABOUT what transpired the day before. Once again, he was filled with anger. He was irate. He could not believe that the Saviors struck back, killing Denise and wounding Eugene.

Rick was informed about it, too. He now worried that there would be an eventual attack on the community by them, so he wanted everyone to prepare. Every home basically had arms at the ready, and the people behind the walls were prepared in case a battle ensued.

The morning was hectic, though. Daryl had left Alexandria to try and find David and the Saviors, which led to Michonne, Rosita, Glenn, and Ramon going after him. Then there was a guilt-ridden Carol, he left a note to Tobin before running away. Morgan and Rick decided to go and find her.

This left Y/N, Abraham, Sasha, and Maggie at Alexandria with the rest. The former baseball player decided to be on watch with Sasha at the gate in case any of them returned.

And this was a rare moment. The two hadn't really spoken much since Tyreese's death. Y/N felt like Sasha needed the space and didn't want to intrude, as it was her brother, after all.

Y/N went up the ladder and got onto the platform. Sasha held her rifle and kept looking out on the road. As usual, it was just silence between them. Until...

"Do you still think about before?" She suddenly asked.

Y/N glanced at her, honestly surprised by the question. He looked down at his gun.

"Like...before everything?"

Sasha nodded. Y/N sighed.

"Yeah...I sometimes do. But...not of what you think."

The woman was confused. Y/N began to clarify.

"Not about my time as a baseball player. Not about my house or my cars or the places I used to go. More recently...I think before all that. Like—like my mom. My older brother. My...dad."

Sasha glanced at the young man. She felt like he wanted to say more and let him continue.

"Just the things I feel like I didn't appreciate. That I feel like...went by too fast, you know? I was just so stuck in my new life and all the fame that came with it...that I abandoned my roots. Who I really was."

Sasha took in what he was saying. She had never seen him so vulnerable and he had never spoken about those kinds of things with her.

"I remember when when we found you up near Jacksonville. You being so...I don't know what's the word..."

"Charming?" He joked.

She snickered. "Oh! Boneheaded."

"What?"

"You barely knew your way around. Didn't know what to do with the dead. Then, after we found the RV park, we got to help you a bit. And you got the hang of it."

"Thanks to my dad, I'm a fast learner." He replied. "And you and Tyreese...you were good teachers."

Sasha glanced at him. For the first time in a while, she softly smiled at the young man.

"I'm sorry...about what I said that day on the road. About...Tyreese meaning nothing to you. I shouldn't have."

"No need to apologize."

"No, I do. I forget that I'm not the only one who lost him. You did, too. You meant a lot to him, too."

Y/N didn't know how to respond. Sasha continued.

"When we had to move after the RV park was attacked, Ty thought about you. He would hope that you were still out there alive. Then we found you at the prison, and he was so relieved. And when he was there for AJ being born, he finally got some sense of...normalcy. That's when he decided to be with Karen because he believed he could just...live now."

Her words tugged at his heartstrings. He thought about the many times he spent with Tyreese and how great of a man he was. Y/N really missed him...and a part of him felt terrible that he never got to tell him how much he appreciated him.

Y/N took a deep breath in, attempting to compose himself. Sasha could tell he was emotional and put a hand on his shoulder. Eventually, the woman pulled him in for a hug.

"I wish he was here." Y/N said amidst the embrace. "To see us. To see AJ. To see where we are now."

"He sees us," Sasha replied. "I'm sure he can."

They continued embracing for a few more moments before parting. Y/N and Sasha shared a smile before looking back out over the gate.

"So...who are you really?" She asked, remembering his remark earlier.

Y/N let out a quick chuckle.

"Y/N Smith Junior. Son and brother. Farm boy. Prefers a good book over other pleasures in life."

Sasha snickered. "That's not your name. You're lying."

"It's true. You're, like, one of only few that know now."

The woman smirked.

"L/N rolls off the tongue better. Probably helped you sell more merchandise."

Y/N simply nodded. He remembered Liliana saying the same thing long ago.

Suddenly, they heard a shout. They turned around and saw Abraham below jogging toward them.

"Get your asses down here, ASAP!"

"What's wrong?" Y/N exclaimed.

The former army sergeant yelled back.

"It's Maggie. She's sick or something. Come on!"

Y/N glanced at Sasha. Maggie being ill was something they couldn't ignore since whatever it was could harm not only her, but her unborn child.

Immediately, the two climbed down front platform and followed Abraham back into town.

Daryl was out on the field with his crossbow, looking for tracks. He suddenly heard rustling by the trees. He got behind the cover and shot in that direction.

THWICK!

The arrow hit the tree, barely missing Rosita's head. Behind her were Michonne, Glenn, and Ramon. She glared at Daryl and pulled the arrow out of the trunk.

"Watch the hell out, asshole."

"I did." He shot back as he walked by them. "You shouldn't have come."

"You shouldn't have left." Michonne butted.

Ramon began to question Daryl.

"Dude, this David guy. What's up with you and him?"

Daryl turned around and faced the four.

"When I split off from you, Sasha, and Abraham, he was out there in the woods, in that burned-out forest with a couple of them girls, put a gun to my head, tied me up! I even tried to help him."

"So, you think it's your fault?" Glenn asked.

"Yeah, I know it is. I'm gonna go do what I should've done before."

Daryl trotted away. Glenn called out.

"What, for her?" He asked, mentioning Denise. "She's gone, man. You're doing this for you."

"Man, I don't give a shit."

Glenn jogged forward and got in Daryl's way.

"Daryl...we need to get back there and figure this out from home. Our home. We need you, and everyone back there needs us right now. It's—it's gonna go wrong out here."

"We'll square it. I will." Michonne told Daryl. "I promise you. Just come back."

Daryl looked at them, a look of guilt still on his face. Inside, anger still boiled in him, and no form of bargaining would change his mind.

He shook his head and kept walking.

"I can't."

"Daryl." Glenn spoke.

"Man, I can't!"

He kept walking. Rosita, remembering how Denise was murdered right in front of her, sided with Daryl and wanted to seek retribution.

"I can't either." She said before following the redneck.

Glenn and Michonne were speechless. Ramon stood there holding his rifle and watched the two leave. He, too, felt like he needed to do Denise right.

"I'm going with them."

Glenn interjected. "Ramon—"

"I gotta. She told us to take chances...not to be afraid to do so. That's what I'm doing."

Ramon walked off soon after. Glenn sighed before turning around and going the other way, where Michonne followed.

Glenn and Michonne walked through the woods. The Korean was stressed about everything.

"Thing is, those men could be back in Alexandria right now." He said.

"If they are, they're dead." Michonne replied.

"I hope not. We need them alive. We need to find out more."

"Yeah, we do."

Glenn stopped by a riverbank with her. He shook his head and looked off to the side.

"We just got stuck with each other. We were lucky." He told her. "We figured it all out together. It felt like we did. After everything, we did. The world's not what we thought it was. Hilltop, the Saviors, it's bigger."

Suddenly, there were whistles. Glenn held up his gun, and Michonne was ready to draw her sword.

A couple of men came out from behind some trees nearby and cocked their rifles. More of them continued to pop out, with each man eerily whistling.

Glenn and Michonne soon found themselves overwhelmed. They slowly dropped their guard. Finally, David came out from behind a tree trunk. He aimed his handgun at them and looked on menacingly.

"Hi."

Daryl, Ramon, and Rosita circled back to cover more ground.

As they trotted through the woods, they spotted two people sitting on the floor with gags in their mouths: Glenn and Michonne.

"What the hell?" Ramon muttered.

The three held up their weapons and got behind some trees. Daryl looked over at Glenn and Michonne, who saw the redneck and tried to speak, but their words were being muffled.

Daryl shushed them and aimed his crossbow ahead. Suddenly, he heard a gun cock behind him.

"Hey, Robin Hood." David spoke.

The archer didn't move. A couple more men came over and got the jump on Rosita and Ramon, forcing the Latina to lower her gun.

The young man stood still...before quickly turning around to hit a Savior. The much larger man dodged his punch and ended up slamming the butt of his gun into Ramon's face, breaking his nose.

BRRRCK!

Ramon fell to the floor, groaning and bleeding. David kept aiming at Daryl, who slowly lowered his crossbow and looked back at him.

BLAM!

David shot the man square in the shoulder, sending him to the floor. Rosita looked on in shock. The Savior Lieutenant just smirked and taunted that maimed redneck.

"You'll be all right."