THE HORDE OF WALKERS entered Alexandria. They shuffled over the debris made from the toppled watchtower and came onto the streets.

"Everyone, get back!" Rick shouted as he drew his revolver. "Get into your houses, go!"

BLAM! BLAM!

He fired his gun at several of the walkers. Y/N ran with Mika but saw that Rick needed assistance. He drew his own pistol.

"Mika, go!"

"What?" She asked.

"Go with the rest! Go!"

Mika wasn't sure what to do, but the shout from Father Gabriel nearby made her turn around.

"Come on! I got you!"

She immediately ran off with the priest. Despite his betrayal and harsh words about the group a few days before, the little girl still had faith in him. They continued down the street as the man kept the girl close.

Y/N watched them leave but immediately turned back around to help Rick. He aimed his M1911 at the walkers and fired.

POW! POW!

POW!

"Rick!" Y/N shouted.

The former sheriff glanced at Y/N but continued firing.

BANG! BANG!

Soon, Deanna came by. Rick called out.

"You need to get back!"

"We need to get back!" She retorted.

She tried to assist the two men and shot her handgun, too. She was inexperienced and ended up nicking torso and cheeks of the walkers.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The three moved back as they continued fighting off the walkers. Y/N was about to be grabbed by one, but he pushed it down and stomped on its head.

SCRESH!

One grabbed Deanna, and she tried to get it off. She shot it through the underside of its jaw but fell with it in the process, landing on a saw blade that was on the floor.

"Argh!"

BLAM!

Rick shot another before helping Deanna up.

"Deanna, you all right?"

She groaned and held the wound on her side.

"Oh, God. Oh, my God."

Rick was holding the injured Deanna with one arm and had his revolver in the other. Y/N ran with them and made sure to deal with any of the undead that got too close.

POW! POW!

"Rick!" Michonne shouted.

The swordswoman, Carl, and Ron, came by and joined them. Rick was relieved.

"Good, you're safe. Come on."

They kept going. Michonne used her sword, and Carl used his machete to dispatch the walkers nearby.

SVASH!

SULK!

Suddenly, a group of walkers came from the side and got in their way, stopping them in their tracks. They weren't sure what to do.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Some of them were killed by Jessie nearby. She called out to the group.

"Come on, I have Judith!"

Immediately, they followed her and entered her house. Y/N shut the door behind them.

"Put her on the couch." Rick said as she held Deanna.

"Upstairs," Jessie replied. "First room on the left. Come on."

They started running upstairs, and the man was frantic.

"Where?

"This one on the right."

"Which room?"

"Go in there!"

Y/N stayed downstairs and looked out of the window through the blinds. He saw the hundreds of walkers roaming the streets, and he once again felt dread.

He was worried about Mika and AJ, who were still out there. A part of him felt like storming out there and taking on the horde alone to find them. Y/N gripped his pistol and clenched his teeth.

"Y/N."

The young man turned around and saw Michonne. She had a stoic look. It was like she knew what Y/N was thinking and what he wanted to do...but she didn't want him to leave yet and risk his life.

"I need your help. Come on."

Y/N was inaudible as he needed and chose to go upstairs with her.

Father Gabriel ran down the street with Mika. They were on their way to the man's church, which was just a garage in one of the houses on the next block.

Suddenly, their path ahead was blocked off by incoming walkers. The man was terrified as the threat loomed. But then, Mika took out her knife and kicked the knee of the walker in front of her. It dropped, and she finished it with a stab to the head.

SULK!

"We can do this, Gabriel!" She exclaimed.

The priest was astounded by the girl's sudden sense of courage. He gripped his machete and slammed it into one of their heads.

SHANK!

They dealt with a couple more walkers, but it became overwhelming. Father Gabriel stayed close to the soon-to-be ten-year-old and gripped his weapon.

"I'm gonna need you to run to my church, Mika." He spoke.

"What?"

"You know where it is."

"I'm not leaving you."

"Y/N...your group...the people here, they would want you to live. I can buy you time—"

"I'm not leaving you." She emphasized. "You are part of my group. You are part of them."

Father Gabriel glanced at her and noticed her seriousness. He was also a bit touched by her statement and feelings toward him. Ever since they first ran into each other in the woods those weeks ago, she had faith in him and his goodness.

The two were starting to get surrounded. Suddenly, several shots rang out and took some of the undead down.

POW! POW! POW! POW!

Nearby, Gabe and Kate Garcia were on their porch. The fourteen-year-old had a pistol in hand and was the one who killed the walkers around them.

"Over here!" Kate shouted. "Come on!"

Father Gabriel found an opening and grabbed Mika's hand before running toward the house. They went up the steps and into the house as Gabe fired more shots.

POW! POW!

"Gabe!" Kate exclaimed.

The boy finally went inside, and they shut the door. Father Gabriel made sure to help them barricade the front with some furniture, but the walkers kept pounding on it.

"Will it hold?" The priest asked.

Kate looked at the door. "Not for long. The damn thing still needed to be fixed."

Father Gabriel glanced at her in shock. He rubbed his face and breathed out.

"This place is not safe."

"No shit." Gabe remarked.

"Gabe." Kate scolded.

The teenager just rolled his eyes and went to the kitchen where Mariana was. Mika followed and met up with her friend.

"Mika!"

The girl hugged the blonde. For the time they've spent together since first meeting at the school, Mariana and Mika have become great friends.

"Are you okay?" She asked the Latina.

She nodded. "Where is your dad?"

Mika knew who she was referring to, and it was the first time anyone had ever asked about Y/N in that way. Mariana didn't know about Ryan Samuels and thought the former Yankee was her father. Still, she went along with it.

"He...he was out there helping Rick." She replied. "I—That was the last I saw him."

Mariana could hear the tinge of worry in her voice and hugged her again. Gabe watched them for a moment as he held his pistol close.

The boy thought the world of his younger sister and now had a soft spot for Mika. He wanted to protect them. He felt like it was his duty to do so. And if there was anything his father, David, had taught him that he kept close to his vest...was to do whatever it took to protect his family.

The boy holstered his gun and brought out a knife, one that he had kept since the beginning that belonged to his father. He looked out the window and gazed at the walkers.

"Don't worry. I'm keeping you safe." He reassured them. "Whatever it takes."

Back at the Anderson house, Michonne and Y/N were tending to Deanna. Rick came in panting and a bit exhausted but was still worried about the state of the community's leader.

"How is she?" He asked.

Deanna chose to answer herself. "No offense to these two, but whatever they're doing hurts like a son of a bitch."

"Apologies. Didn't finish my minor in medicine." Y/N joked as he stood up.

Deanna snickered. Michonne spoke up.

"I just finished with the leg." She wiped the area with a cloth. "And that seems to be the worst of—"

Suddenly, Michonne got a better look at the wound and saw a bite mark. Everyone else noticed, and Y/N rubbed his face in distraught. Deanna gazed down at her wound and exhaled before laying back on the pillows.

"Well...shit."

Deanna's fever was already setting in. It wouldn't be long until she succumbed to the infection.

Rick was in another room looking out at the walker-infested street below. Jessie soon came in and had a conversation with him about the situation at hand. Michonne had just spoken to Deanna about Alexandria's future, which they still believed could happen.

"She...wants to talk to you," Michonne told Y/N, who was pacing around in the hall.

He was taken aback. "Me?"

All she did was nod. Y/N peeked into the room over Michonne's shoulder and saw the ill woman on the couch. He let out a breath through his nose.

Y/N went in rather slowly. Michonne gave them their privacy and left them alone. Deanna turned and weakly smiled at the young man.

"You know what I saw?" She asked.

He questioned her. "What?"

"What I saw...when I first spoke with you?"

Y/N was quite curious. He stayed quiet and let the woman continue.

"I saw Reg. A young one...when we first met. So...charming...so dedicated...caring. I could see those traits in you during our interview."

Y/N wasn't sure what to say. All he did was nod and give a quick response.

"I...I appreciate that. Reg was a great man. To be compared to him..."

He trailed off. Deanna let out a breath and looked to the side.

"He prioritized progress. Becoming better. A better man, a better husband, a better father. Nothing was ever enough. He said the only way he'd know there's nothing to improve on is when he stops breathing."

Y/N thought the same. It was a mantra of his to be the best he could be throughout his early life and his career in the major leagues. He still thinks he can be better today. He can be a better contributor to the group, a better friend, and a better protector. Y/N even believed he could still be a better brother...if he was lucky enough to reunite with his older one.

Deanna continued. "I saw that in you. You and Rick care about your people, the others here, and the community. Ever since you stepped foot in here, you immediately thought about how we can improve this place. Make it safer for all of us. I was naive...but you weren't."

"I...honestly thought this place was a shell of what it could be. I still think that." Y/N said. "But, yeah, in my mind...I had a vision of a better one in the future."

"And that vision could still come to fruition." She replied.

Y/N breathed out through his nose. Deanna continued.

"You...Rick...Michonne...Maggie...you have aspirations to better this place. If there is anyone I have faith in to keep Alexandria going...it's you four."

The young man was a bit surprised by her statement. It felt like a lot of trust was put in him so suddenly. It was only a few days since Y/N pulled a gun on Pete and almost killed him in front of everyone.

"But..." Y/N chuckled. "I'm—I'm just some guy. I played baseball. I farmed as a kid."

"I thought you told me what you were before didn't matter?" She replied with a weak smirk.

"And you told me it did."

"And still...you're the man you are now because of it."

Y/N had no response. Deanna took a beat before continuing.

"Leaders aren't born, they're made. And with you...I can see you're becoming just that."

Walkers were starting to come through the door of the Garcia home. The bookshelf wasn't holding, and Father Gabriel and Kate tried to hold it down the best they could.

They grunted as the door was being pushed open. Suddenly, the windows nearby shattered, and the walkers reached in. Mika and Mariana yelped in fear.

"They're starting to come in!" Gabe exclaimed.

Some of the walkers stumbled through the living room window. Gabe ran up and dispatched one with his knife. He backed away and ended up shooting two more.

SULK!

POW! POW!

"We have a back door!" Kate informed Father Gabriel. "We can leave through there."

"Aren't there more back there?"

"Not as much as here in the front!"

Father Gabriel kept trying to push the bookshelf against the door with Kate. He exhaled and backed away, letting it fall as the door opened.

Kate and Father Gabriel took on a few walkers in front of them with a hammer and machete, respectively.

WHACK!

SULK!

SHANK!

"Gabe!" Kate shouted. "Take the girls out the back! Get that door open!"

He nodded and took both Mariana and Mika down the hall. The two adults kept taking the undead on that spilled in from both the door and the windows.

SHANK!

SULK!

WHACK!

Kate shouted. "Go on! Go with the kids!"

"You sure?"

"Yeah! I'll be close behind."

Father Gabriel nodded and ran down the hall. Kate attacked a couple of more walkers in front of her with her hammer.

WHACK!

WHACK!

Suddenly...she felt a sharp pain in her leg.

"Aah!"

On the floor, a walker had crawled to her feet and took a chomp out of her. Kate backed away quickly and dispatched it with her hammer.

WHACK!

Her leg was profusely bleeding from the bite. Still, her adrenaline was pumping, and her priority was to leave the house and regroup with the kids. She'd deal with the issue later.

She turned around and went down the narrow hall as the swarm of walkers followed. Ahead, Gabe was by the open door and had seen her stepmother get bit. He even eyed the bleeding wound on her leg.

"Gabe! Go! Go!"

Kate glanced back at the walkers shambling toward her. She then looked back ahead as she neared the door...

SULK!

The woman stopped in her tracks and groaned. She looked down, seeing the knife in her stomach. Kate then looked back up into the eyes of her stepson. There was a tinge of remorse in his somewhat stoic expression.

"I'm sorry." He said lowly.

Gabe pulled the knife out, and Kate stumbled back. Her shocked and pained reaction was enough for the walkers behind her to catch up and grab her. Soon, they began to feast on her as she let out shouts of agony.

Because of the narrow hallway, the undead that were eating her were also were blocking off the rest that wanted to come out through the door. This allowed Gabe to run out, only having to evade a handful of walkers in the backyard.

Ahead, Father Gabriel was with Mika and Mariana. The fourteen-year-old shoved a walker that came close aside and regrouped with them.

"Gabe..." The priest spoke lowly and looked back. "Wh—Where's your stepmom?"

Gabe stood quiet as he dropped his head. He wasn't sure what to say, and the unresponsiveness seemed to be all they needed to know the fate of Kate Garcia.

In his mind, Gabe needed to do that. The abundance of the undead would've followed them and likely overwhelmed them. There was also the fact that Kate was bit. The teenager saw that as a liability and feared she'd slow them down. He had to buy them more time and security.

Like he said before...he was going to protect them no matter what it took.

Mariana began to tear up at the realization that Kate was dead. Mika was also saddened as she knew how much Y/N liked her. Father Gabriel let out an exhale and grabbed Gabe's shoulder.

"Come on. The church is just this way."

The four of them left the backyard and moved on down the street, avoiding the shambling walkers nearby.

Back at the Anderson home, walkers tried to break into the house. The alarming amount of undead that suddenly appeared were a result of Carl and Ron's fight in the garage, which garnered noise that attracted the horde. Now, they had to deal with it.

The walkers snarled as they broke through the door. Y/N, Jessie, Ron, and Carl tried to block the doorway with the furniture they had up against it.

Rick ran downstairs and went over to help. The undead was starting to become too much to handle.

"There's just too many of them." Y/N exclaimed with a grunt.

More walkers began to come through the blockade they put up in one of the back doors. Michonne saw that and went to deal with them. She drew her sword.

"Everybody get upstairs now!"

SVAASH!

SVISH!

"Back off!" Rick told everyone. "Back off!"

They all ran toward the stairs. Y/N used his knife to dispatch a couple of the walkers that came through the door. Rick and Michonne also killed some that neared.

SULK!

SVAASH!

CHOP!

"Come on!" Rick shouted at the two. "Come on!"

Y/N and Michonne ran toward the stairs. Rick eyed another piece of furniture nearby and exclaimed to Y/N.

"The couch! Let's block the stairs."

The young man helped his friend grab the couch and dragged it toward the staircase. They brought it straight up and blocked the entryway...for now.

Rick stared at the snarling walkers. He had an idea of what they had to do to get out of the house. He spoke to Michonne.

"I got this one, you get the one behind it. We're gonna need at least two."

With that said, Rick seethed his teeth and brought his axe down on the head of one of the walkers.

SHANK!

Erica was in the infirmary with AJ. She was held up inside with Heath, Aaron, Scott, Spencer, Eric, a bedridden Javi, and some other Alexandrians.

The baby whined a bit, but Erica was there to comfort him. Heath stayed by the window and watched the undead roaming outside but was also a bit worried because of the child's constant stirring.

"Can he...like...quiet down a bit?" Heath asked.

Erica scoffed. "Please, Heath, tell him yourself."

She held the baby up at him, and he stared blankly at the dreadlock-haired man. Heath just glanced at him and went back to looking out the window.

"I'm good."

Aaron and Scott also kept watch at another window. There were a ton of walkers, and they didn't know how long they'd have to hold up in the house.

"This is fucked, man." Scott remarked.

"That's putting it lightly." Aaron replied.

Eric saw Erica still trying to comfort AJ. He offered to help.

"Let me."

The lady nodded and handed the baby to him. The man held him in his arms and lightly shushed him. Nearby, Aaron looked on and smiled softly at the sight of his husband with the child.

Erica then went over to Javier, who was in the other room, still on the bed, recovering from his injury. She sat beside him and held his hand.

"Everything cool out there?" He asked.

"We're holding up all right. Still...there's un montón of walkers outside."

He nodded and ran his thumb along the top of her hand. Javier sighed.

"We'll make it through this. There's no way I'm leaving this world without eating a piece of your pastel de durazno."

Erica chuckled and brought his hand to her face, kissing it. He smirked.

Javier then looked over at the boarded-up window. He thought about Kate, his niece and nephew, and Y/N. He was worried about them but also believed they had what it took to survive.

"Yeah, we'll be all right." He muttered.

Rick and Michonne dragged two of the bodies up the stairs. He spoke to Carl at the top.

"You stay here. You see anyone squeezing through, you get me."

They dragged it into the room where everyone else was. Rick called out.

"We're gonna need bed sheets, enough for everyone."

"Bed sheets for what?" Jessie asked.

"We all go to the armory."

"How?"

"We're gonna gut these things. Cover ourselves with the insides. It'll mask our smell, make them think we're like them."

Y/N understood the plan. He and Michonne did that the day they first stumbled upon the prison. In Rick's case, he did so with Glenn at the very beginning in Atlanta.

"I've done it before," Rick told Jessie and Ron, who were still a bit skeptical. "We stay calm, we don't draw attention, we can move right through them."

"They're in the house, they're making noise. More are coming." Michonne added.

Rick and Michonne went straight to cutting into the corpses, using their knife and sword, respectively.

SULK!

SHANK!

The Andersons looked on in disgust as they heard the flesh squelching. Y/N wasn't fazed by it and gathered some bedsheets from the closet.

"Anyone who stays here is gonna die." Rick told them.

"What about Deanna?" Y/N asked.

Rick panted as he looked at him. He stayed quiet and kept cutting into the body. The non-response was all they needed to know the answer.

Later, Michonne went to see Deanna. She offered to mercy kill her, but the older woman basically told her she was going to go out on her own terms.

It was her life, after all. Start to finish.

Back downstairs, they started covering themselves in the decaying blood and guts. Y/N smothered himself in the flesh and also a bit around his neck.

"We need to move. You, then me." Rick told Jessie.

She stayed quiet for a moment before replying.

"I'll do it."

Jessie crouched down and began to cover herself in the guts. Sam came downstairs and was in shock at what he was seeing.

"Mom?"

Jessie turned around and went up to her youngest son.

"You need to listen to me, okay? We aren't safe here anymore. Okay, we need to do this so that we can be safe out there. We need to look like the monsters."

"No, please, no."

"Yes, honey, we have to go, okay? We have to, Sam." Jessie sobbed a bit. "Honey, just—just pretend you're brave. Okay? Just make it all pretend. Okay, none of this is real and you're somebody who isn't afraid."

Sam stayed quiet and was still very scared. Jessie emphasized that they needed what they had to do to be safe.

"Okay?" She asked.

Finally, he relented. "Okay."

They finished coating themselves in walker guts and made their way to the staircase. They could see the undead below snarling and shambling around.

"We have to go." Y/N whispered.

"We're ready," Jessie said as she held Sam. "Ron?"

"Yeah."

"I'll get Judith." Rick said.

Once he got the baby, Rick gave her to Carl, and he hid her underneath the dirtied bedsheet he was wearing. Rick looked over at Y/N, who nodded and ensured it was time to go.

Soon, they all went downstairs, moving the couch aside and blending into the crowd of walkers. Y/N, along with everyone else, kept as quiet as possible and moved slowly toward the door.

He ignored the constant growls and snarling inches from his ears. Y/N just kept going forward, being near the end of the line and being behind Michonne.

As they neared the door, they heard some shots coming from upstairs.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

They were from Deanna, who was having her final stand with the undead who got upstairs. They heard a loud bellow from the older woman, attracting more of them and giving the group some extra security as they exited the house.

Y/N looked out onto the street, seeing the vast amount of walkers they had to walk through. They all started joining hands, and Michonne reached out and offered hers.

The young man looked down and ultimately took it, gripping it tightly. The two shared a reassuring and determined look, showing they thought of the same thing.

They weren't going to die today. They were all going to make it out alive.

With a quick nod, they slowly made their way off the porch and through the herd of walkers.

Miles away from Alexandria, Abraham, Sasha, Ramon, and Daryl drove down the road in a tanker truck they acquired after their trek of moving their half of the herd.

It'd been quite a day for them. They ran into a few unsavory characters, and almost died to walkers. Daryl had gotten separated but found them again, albeit without his bike. He didn't want to get into how that happened.

But they were alive and were excited to get back to Alexandria. Abraham was honestly more stoked to show off the officer's uniform that he found earlier that day.

"Can't believe that fits you." Ramon remarked.

"It was made for me, son." The ginger replied. "Even in this world...gotta look dapper."

Sasha snickered at his remark. They kept driving down the road until Daryl saw something ahead. Sasha spotted it as well.

"Daryl."

"Yeah, I see."

It looked like a group of men on motorcycles in the middle of the street. Abraham arched a brow.

"What in the holy shit?"

The brakes squealed as Daryl stopped the truck. The leading man in the front got off his bike and called out.

"Why don't you come on out, join us on the road?"

They all stayed inside, not giving way to the stranger's demand. He kept speaking.

"You know, if you wanna resist, try something. I mean, it's a choice, I guess. But we will end your asses, split you right in two, straight through to the sinuses." He beckoned them out. "So, come on."

Daryl shut off the engine, and they all soon got out, albeit slowly and on alert. They stood in front of the truck.

"Yeah, that's great. It's going well right out of the gate." The man spoke. "Now, step two—hand over your weapons."

"Why should we?" Daryl shot back.

"Well, they're not yours."

Abraham scowled. "What?"

"See...your weapons, your truck, the fuel in your truck, if you got mints in your glove compartment, if you got porn underneath the seats, change in the seats, hell, the seats themselves, the floor mats, your maps, the little stash of emergency napkins you got there in the console...none of those things are yours anymore."

"Whose are they?" Sasha asked.

The man stepped forward and eyed the group before him.

"Your property now belongs to Negan."

None of them responded to his statement. They thought the man was batshit crazy. After a pause, he continued speaking to them.

"And if you can get your hands on a tanker, you're people our person wants to know. So let's get those sidearms, shall we? Right now."

He stepped up to Daryl. There wasn't much he could do since the man had several others behind him with rifles drawn. Daryl took his handgun out of his waistband and handed it to him.

"Thank you."

He went to Ramon next. He just glared at him. The man scoffed.

"Come on, cholo, don't make this hard."

Ramon kept staring at him but ultimately relented, handing him his pistol as well. The man then moved on to Sasha next and then to Abraham. The former army man was as stoic as ever.

"If you want to eat shit, best not to nibble." The man taunted. "Bite, chew, swallow, repeat. It goes quicker." 

Abraham stared at him momentarily until he took his gun out of his holster and gave it to the man. He was content and walked back to his bike.

"Who are you people?" Sasha asked.

"I get the curiosity, but we have questions ourselves. And we'll be the ones asking them while we drive you back to wherever it is you call home." He turned back around. "Take a gander at where you hand your hats. First, though, your shit. What have you got for us?"

"You just took it, asshole." Ramon butted.

"Come on. Can we not? There's more. There is always more."

The four stayed quiet. The man sighed and got back onto his bike.

"T, take the redneck to the back of the truck, start inside the back bumper, work your way to the front."

One of the bikers went over to Daryl and shoved him, escorting him to the back of their tanker. The man continued.

"Bite, chew, swallow, repeat."

"Who's Negan?" Abraham finally asked him.

"Ding dong. Hell's bells. Usually, we introduce ourselves by just popping one of you right off the bat. But you seem like reasonable people. I mean, you're sportin' dress blues, for Christ's sake."

The man snickered and aimed his handgun at them.

"And, like, I said, we're gonna drive you back to where you were. I mean, do you know how awkward it is carpooling with someone whose friend or friends you've just killed? Oof. But I told you not to ask any questions. And then what does this ginger do?"

They stayed quiet and let the man continue.

"So that's that. I don't want you to get the wrong impression of me."

He cocked the hammer back and was about to shoot Abraham, but Sasha spoke up.

"Wait."

Abraham glanced at the woman, surprised to see how shaken she was after the man's threat toward him.

"Wait." She repeated a bit more calmly. "You don't have to do this."

The man took out one of their handguns and held it in his other hand. Abraham eyed him as he spoke to Sasha.

"Shut up."

"I am talking to the man."

The biker shook his head. "No, you're not."

He cocked the other pistol and aimed it at the three. They waited for their inevitable end, but the man suddenly dropped his hands and sighed.

"I'm not gonna kill you."

Sasha let out a sigh, but they all still found it strange. The lead biker sat there and looked down at his guns.

"Wait, wait....you know what?" He said. "Yes, I am."

As he drew his guns again, he and his entire squad were wiped away with a sudden explosion.

BOOM!

The blast knocked Ramon, Abraham, and Sasha onto their backs. The area where the bikes were was now engulfed in flames as debris and body parts lay scattered across the road.

Daryl came out from behind the truck, holding a smoking rocket launcher. He panted as he looked on at the carnage.

The three started getting up, groaning and coughing from the blast. Abraham helped Ramon to his feet while Sasha was able to get up on her own accord.

They looked at Daryl, who simply nodded. Ramon grinned at the sight of the redneck with the RPG, as it looked badass.

"Son of a bitch was tougher than he looked." Daryl remarked as he walked over to the biker he killed earlier.

Sasha noticed blood seeping from a rip on the man's vest.

"Did he cut you?" She asked.

"A little." He breathed out and looked back at the fiery debris. "What a bunch of assholes."

Sasha pressed a cloth on his wound and patted his back.

"Let's get you fixed up at home."

He nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

They started making their way back to the truck. Ramon followed Daryl inside.

"You ever shot one of those before?"

"Yeah. In the army." He replied.

"Shit...really?"

Daryl shook his head. "No."

Sasha went in next. Before he entered, Abraham looked back at the spot where the bikers once were. He taunted them.

"Nibble on that."

Back in Alexandria, the survivors were carefully traversing the sea of walkers. They were still hand-in-hand, with Y/N toward the back between Michonne and Ron.

Sometime later, Rick motioned them to the side, and they stopped by a bush near the pond. He spoke in a whisper.

"All right, new plan. Flares from a few guns aren't enough. Too many walkers, too spread out. We're not going to the armory. We need our vehicles back at the quarry. All of us drive. We'll need to round 'em up. We leave, we come back."

"Okay," Jessie said. "But Judith...to the quarry and back, I..."

Rick understood her worry. It was a risky trek for his daughter. Y/N overheard and looked at them.

"I'll take her."

Rick turned to the young man. He continued.

"I'll keep her safe. I'll take her to the church. That's probably where Father Gabriel has Mika and several others. We'll stay there until you all lead the walkers away."

"Are—are you sure?" Rick asked.

"Trust me, Rick. I got it. Nothing's going to happen to her."

Rick glanced at Carl and nodded.

"All right."

The teenager came over and brought Judith out from underneath his sheet, transferring her to Y/N's. The young man shushed her and held her close.

"I got you, sweetie. I got you."

"Take Sam." Jessie told Y/N.

The boy disagreed. "No."

"Yes, Sam, it'll be safer."

"I'm not leaving you."

"Sam—"

"Mom, I'm not." He said sternly. "I can keep going."

"Sam—"

"I can keep going. Please."

Jessie stayed silent, as did the rest of them. Sam was adamant about sticking with his family.

"Let's just go." He said.

"Okay." She replied with a nod.

Rick turned to Y/N again, who was still cradling Judith beneath his bloody sheet. Once more, Y/N reassured him.

"I'm going to keep her safe, Rick."

Rick greatly appreciated Y/N's help and care of Judith. He wholeheartedly trusted in him and believed his words.

"Thank you." He said lowly.

Y/N looked over at Michonne. She gripped his arm that was beneath his sheet and looked at him.

"Be careful."

Y/N nodded. He then slowly made his way toward the road, passing by walkers as he held Judith close to his chest.

Rick looked on, a tinge of worry still in his heart. Jessie held his arm.

"Hey. He's gonna make it. Okay?"

Rick looked at her and nodded. Again, he had faith in Y/N.

"I know."

It was starting to get dark very quickly. Y/N kept going despite that and slowly passed by the walkers ahead. Thankfully, he saw the building where Father Gabriel often held his masses.

Y/N trotted forward and rocked Judith in his arms, lightly shushing her to calm her down. He soon made it close and saw someone peeking through the blinds.

Father Gabriel opened the door. He motioned Y/N inside, and he quickly went in, shutting the door behind him. The priest peeked out the window again to make sure not one of the walkers noticed.

Y/N saw several people inside, including Tobin, Beth, Gabe, Mariana, and Mika. The nine-year-old was elated to see the young man alive.

He removed his dirtied sheet and revealed Judith, to everyone's surprise. It was like the sight of the baby brought some light to their dire situation.

"You okay?" Beth asked.

"Yeah." Y/N nodded as he held Judith. "We're good."

Beth took Judith and held her, giving Y/N a chance to embrace Mika. He rubbed her head and looked down.

"Everything all right?"

Mika nodded. Y/N turned to Father Gabriel nearby.

"Thank you." He said. "For bringing her here. For taking care of her."

The priest looked at him and nodded. "It's what I had to do."

"See? He's all right." Mika said.

Y/N looked back at her. She has had faith in Father Gabriel since the beginning. He was a good man, after all.

"Yeah. He is."

Y/N looked over at Mariana and Gabe, sitting on the chairs with the rest. He went over to them to make sure they were okay.

"Javi isn't with you?" Mariana asked.

He shook his head.

"No. He's still at the infirmary. Probably with some other people. Don't worry. I'm sure he's fine."

The little girl nodded. Y/N eyed Gabe, who was looking down and fiddling with his fingers. The young man looked around and finally noticed someone was missing.

"Uh...and Kate? Wh—Where is she?"

Mariana wasn't sure what to say. Mika was also silent. Gabe glanced at him but ultimately looked back down. Their non-response gave Y/N a feeling of aversion.

"She didn't make it." Father Gabriel spoke from nearby, overhearing the question. "We were at her house. The dead came in. She...she didn't make it out."

Y/N heard his explanation and dropped his head, closing his eyes.

The feeling of despair hit him. It was joined with guilt, regret, and shame. He felt like he could've done something...anything...to ensure she was still alive.

Although he had just met her, she was a kind soul and a caring person. It was unfortunate that she was lost and that their relationship couldn't blossom any further.

Mika suddenly hugged the man, seeing the state of mourning he was in. He swallowed and stayed there, knelt, and with his head down.

Rick and the rest kept moving through the horde. The constant growling didn't faze them... except Sam. He soon started to panic as he recalled the threat Carol tried to scare him with days ago.

The monsters will come, and you won't be able to run away when they come for you.

Sam darted his eyes around at the walkers. The snarling continued as his heart thumped.

The ones out there. They will tear you apart and eat you up all while you're still alive.

Sam's gaze then locked onto a smaller walker shambling nearby. It was a boy around his age. The sight of it made him stop in his tracks.

"Sam?" Jessie whispered. "Sam? Come on, come on. Sweetheart? Sam?"

Rick looked back and saw the panicked state the boy was in. He whispered as well.

"You can do it."

"Sam. Sam, come on." Jessie kept pleading. "Come on, Sam. Sam?"

"Sam...hey, you can do this," Ron spoke. "Sam, just look at Mom."

"Honey, you can do it." She said. "Sam, you're gonna get—Sam, honey, I need you to come with me."

Sam whimpered and began to cry. Jessie continued to try and get him to move.

"Sam. I need you to come with me."

"I want to." He whimpered.

"I need you to be strong."

Ron whispered. "Sam—"

Suddenly, two walkers noticed the still boy and pounced on him. One bit into his shoulder while another bit into his forehead.

"Mom!" He wailed.

The screaming continued as more walkers shambled over and began to feast on Sam right in front of her mother. Jessie cried as she still held onto his hand.

Ron stood nearby, shocked and seemingly traumatized at the sight of his little brother being eaten. Jessie suddenly let out a shriek of despair.

"Jessie?" Carl spoke.

Rick called out lowly. "Jessie. Jessie."

"No..." She cried.

"Come with us," Carl said. "Come on. We have to go."

"No...."

Jessie stood still and was seemingly broken. Immediately afterward, three walkers came over and grabbed onto her, biting into her neck and chest. The woman just let it happen and didn't fight back.

"No." Rick muttered in despair as he watched her being devoured.

Jessie screamed as he continued looking on. The times he spent with her flashed in Rick's mind. He let out a sob as she shook his head.

"No."

Carl tried to move away, but Jessie's grip was tight around his wrist.

"Dad." He grunted.

Rick saw that the currently-being-devoured Jessie was still holding onto Carl. He also noticed many of the walkers starting to be drawn to the scene.

He needed to act fast and put his feelings aside. Rick had to make sure his son got out of it. So, Rick took out his hatchet and slammed it down repeatedly on Jessie's wrist.

CHOP!

CHOP!

SVAASH!

Finally, he severed her hand and freed Carl. Jessie dropped to the floor and was still being devoured by the walkers. Michonne helped the boy up.

Suddenly, there was a click. They turned around and saw Ron, the last surviving Anderson, holding a gun up at them...more specifically, toward Rick.

"You."

Rick was silent, still in shock at what had happened and what he had to do. Ron continued aiming the gun at him.

"You."

SULK!

Michonne stabbed him through the back, killing him. Ron fired a stray shot to the side before falling on the floor, where some more walkers began to feast on him.

Rick gave a nod to Michonne, grateful for the save. He then looked to the side...seeing his son.

The boy was bleeding profusely from his eye socket. The stray shot by Ron had grazed the corner of his eye, and the bone fragment ruptured it. The grizzly brought both Rick and Michonne an immense feeling of dread.

"Dad?" Carl muttered.

Rick breathlessly gasped. "C—Carl?"

The boy soon fell to the floor. Rick immediately went over and picked him up bridal style. He and Michonne were frantic as they ran ahead, with the swordswoman slashing away the walkers in their way.

SVISH!

SVAASH!

SLASH!

Back at the infirmary, Denise was let in after being saved by Owen, Morgan's Wolf prisoner, who ended up sacrificing his life for her. She was a bit shaken up.

"You okay?" Spencer asked.

"I'm fine." She quickly replied. "How are my patients?"

"They're doing well," Heath answered. "We moved them upstairs just in case."

"Oh, my God." Aaron suddenly said as he looked out the window.

They joined him and peeked, seeing Rick carrying Carl and following Michonne as she killed walkers in front of them.

"It's the kid," Heath said. "Is he bit?"

Denise backed away and took a breath. She knew that the boy was gravely injured, and she needed to compose herself to save his life.

"Nope."

"What?" Aaron asked.

Denise went back into the room and began to give orders to everyone.

"I need bandages. Top shelf, next to the sink. Two IVs from the fridge and all the clean towels you can find. Erica, grab the gurney."

Denise went over and opened the door, letting the three in. Rick placed Carl on the gurney as Aaron shut the door.

"This is a gunshot?" Denise asked.

"Handgun. Close range." Michonne replied.

"Please save him," Rick mumbled. "P—Please."

Rick started to drown out the voices and noise as he stared at his wounded son. Everyone was frantic and moving around, trying to tend to Carl.

Michonne helped Rick remove his dirtied sheet and wiped some of the gunk off his face. Still, his eyes were trained on Carl.

He backed away and rubbed his temples. Rick then went to the door and peeked through the blinds, seeing the horde of walkers outside. He closed his eyes briefly and gritted his teeth before unsheathing his hatchet.

"What-- what are you doing?" Michonne asked as he opened the door. "Rick!"

The man soon went outside and slammed the door shut behind him. Michonne kept calling out.

"Rick!"

Rick was soon joined by Heath, Michonne, Aaron, Eric, Scott, and Erica in taking on the walkers outside.

CHOP!

SVAASH!

WHACK!

CRACK!

SULK!

More Alexandrians came out of a nearby house and assisted. Rick was taken aback by their arrival but kept fighting.

"Knock 'em away! Drive 'em down!" He exclaimed. "We can beat 'em. We can beat 'em! We can do this together!"

Down the road, Father Gabriel was seeing what was happening outside. He motioned Y/N over, and he, too, saw Rick and the others taking the fight straight at the horde. The two shared a look and then a nod.

Gabriel went to grab his machete while Y/N picked up a bat that was nearby. He gripped the handle and swung it slightly as he looked at it.

"What are you doing?" Tobin asked as the two went toward the door.

Gabriel turned to them and spoke.

"We've been praying...together. Praying that God will save our town. Well, our prayers have been answered. God will save Alexandria...because God has given us the courage to save it ourselves."

Y/N thought the priest's words were remarkable. As a fellow Catholic, he found them moving and commended them. The young man spoke to the rest shortly afterward.

"Deanna said that we're all one people. You are my people. Together, we can ensure this place has a future. And by the Grace of God...we will make sure it does."

Most of the people in the room were eager to join the fight. Mika sat there, proud of the strong words from her protector's mouth and his sense of leadership. She wasn't going to stand pat, so she grabbed her knife and stood up.

Y/N saw her. There was a hint of worry about her being out there, and the girl could tell. She wanted to reassure him that things would be fine.

"Trust me, Y/N. I can handle it. Together, we can do anything."

The young man nodded and smirked at the girl.

"I know."

Rick and the Alexandrians continued making a stand. They were soon joined by Y/N, Mika, Father Gabriel, and most of the church group. Rosita, Tara, Eugene, Carol, and Morgan joined the fray shortly after.

WHACK!

SULK!

SHANK!

CRACK!

BRACK!

SVAASH!

On another side of the town, Glenn had shown up with Enid. He wanted to help Maggie, who was on a platform with dozens of walkers below.

"Go get her!" Glenn told Enid. "Go get her!"

Enid did as told and ran to Maggie as Glenn attracted the walkers by shooting at them.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

"Over here! Come on, here! Over here!"

BLAM! BLAM!

"Glenn!" Maggie exclaimed.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

"No! Glenn! Glenn!"

"Come on! Over here, come on!" He fired more shots and shouted at Maggie and Enid on the platform. "Go! Just get over!"

Maggie saw Glenn starting to get cornered and aimed her revolver at the walkers. She pulled the trigger.

click.

"Shit!" She cursed.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

Glenn fired his last few shots before he started to hit them away with the gun itself. Maggie yelled out for her husband.

"No, Glenn!" She cried. "Glenn!"

The walkers surrounded Glenn. Suddenly, they were all mowed down by rapid gunfire.

BRAKAKAKA!

GRATATATATA!

BRAKAKA! BRAKAKA!

Glenn crouched down and shielded his face. Once it subsided, he looked up and saw Abraham, Ramon, and Sasha on a platform holding assault rifles.

"Can you get the gate?" Abraham called out.

The Korean was still in awe. The ginger smirked from above and laughed.

"Appreciate it, pal."

Soon, Glenn reunited with Maggie, Enid, Ramon, Abraham, Sasha, and Daryl at their tanker truck. The redneck had a plan in mind that involved the gasoline in it.

Back in the town, the Alexandrians kept fighting the horde. Rosita stabbed a couple in the head, and Y/N came from behind and hit one across the head with his bat.

SULK! SULK!

WHACK!

Mika made sure to keep some distance as she dealt with the walkers. He stabbed them through the underside of their head while also making sure to knock some down for a cleaner stab.

SULK!

They all stood in a circle and took on the incoming walkers. Rick shouted.

"Move it! Back up!"

CHOP!

SVAASH!

Eugene and Tara took a couple of them down with their blades. One got close to Tara, but Y/N came in and knocked it down with his bat.

SHANK!

SULK!

WHAM!

Suddenly, there was an explosion at the pond, and it was lit up in flames. Nearby, Daryl stood on the tanker and held a rocket launcher. His plan was to attract the walkers to the water after dousing it with gasoline.

And it worked.

The horde was attracted to the noise along with the bright light of the flames. The Alexandrians looked on in awe and had a moment to catch their breaths.

Still, they had a task at hand. The former baseball player was the one this time to shout at the townspeople.

"Don't let up!" Y/N exclaimed.

As was the pond, a fire was lit in everyone. They were all in sync as they continued taking the fight on the horde. The Alexandrians were determined to get rid of the undead and save their community.

SVAASH!

SULK!

WHACK!

CHOP!

CRACK!

SVISH!

WHAM!

BRACK!

SCRESH!

CRUNCH!

SQUELCH!

SHANK!

WHAM!

THRAKK!

SCRECK!

SULK!

SLASH!

SVAASH!

• • •

IT TOOK UP until morning, but the citizens were able to retake Alexandria.

Bodies of walkers were splayed out all over the road. The survivors, clothes and exposed skin caked in blood and dirt, stood around in front of the infirmary. Some, like Father Gabriel, prayed in memoriam of the lives that may have been lost to the horde.

Ramon sat on the step, looking out at the street. Beth sat beside him, wiping away some of the stains on his face. He smiled at her before kissing the young woman.

Nearby, Erica was with AJ, cradling the baby and shushing him. Y/N came by and knelt beside him, where he planted a kiss on the top of his head.

Inside the infirmary, Daryl was being sutured of the wound on his back. Maggie was also in there being checked up on with Glenn right by her side. Down the hall, Michonne was holding Judith as she looked into the next room where Rick and the currently unresponsive Carl were.

The boy had his head and right eye bandaged. Rick sat beside his bed and was worried. What he had experienced also forced him to reflect and think about everything.

"I was wrong." He began. "I thought after living behind these walls for so long that...maybe they couldn't learn. But today...I saw what they could do, what we could do if we work together."

Carl was still unconscious. Still, Rick spoke to him as if he could hear what he said.

"We'll rebuild the walls. We'll expand the walls. There will be more. There's gotta be more. Everything Deanna was talking about...is possible. It's all possible. I see that now. When I was out there...with them...when it was over...when I knew we had this place again...I had this feeling. It took me a while to remember what it was...because I haven't felt it since before I woke up in that hospital bed."

He let out a sob and then began to cry.

"I want to show you the new world, Carl. I want to make it a reality for you. Please, Carl...let me show you. Plea—please, son, don't die."

Rick held his hand. After a moment, the boy's fingers twitched a bit, and ultimately...Carl's grip tightened. The man looked on in both relief and astonishment.

Carl was listening...and he wholeheartedly believed in everything his father said.

Back outside, Y/N sat on the porch with Mika. She had gotten cleaned up a bit, which paled in comparison to the state Y/N was in. His clothes were still bloody, and his face was dirty.

The two heard about what happened to Carl and were worried. Thankfully, they were just informed that he was conscious and would be okay.

The young man took a breath as he looked out onto the road. Some people were starting to pick up the bodies, and Y/N would soon go and assist. He just wanted a little more time to rest and be with the girl.

"We did it." Mika suddenly spoke.

"Yeah, we did."

There was a beat. Mika glanced over at Gabe and Mariana, where the boy was hugging his little sister.

"I'm sorry about Kate." She added. "I know you liked her a lot."

Y/N reacted somberly. He slowly nodded.

"I did."

He kept looking out at the road. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke again.

"But...I can't let that keep me down. I know she wouldn't want it to. I learned that it's best to move on...live with what you have now." He turned to her. "And right now...I still got you."

The little girl grinned. Despite him being dirty, Mika leaned on his shoulder. He put an arm around her and rubbed her arm.

"I'm glad I got you." She replied.

Y/N nodded. They both looked out onto the street and listened to the ruffling of leaves caused by the wind.

"So, what's next?" She asked.

Y/N thought back at Deanna's words to him before she died. She believed there was a future for Alexandria despite the trials it endured, and Y/N thought the same. He was going to work with Rick, Michonne, Maggie, and the rest of the townspeople to ensure the community continues...hopefully for generations.

"We rebuild," Y/N answered. "And work for a better future."