Last Day on Earth

Things had gone from bad to worse within the span of only a couple of hours. After Glenn, Michonne, and Rosita left to track down Daryl, Tobin informed Rick that Carol had snuck out at dawn to leave us. The only remnants of her lay in a small folded-up note she left on her pillow. She bid us goodbye with the idea that she could no longer handle the weight of killing for the people she loved and asked that no one try and come after her. Surely enough, within minutes Rick and Morgan set out to look for her anyway. Rick returned not too long ago, yet Morgan still remained on her trail insisting he wouldn't return to Alexandria until Carol was with him too. There was the possibility of the Saviours showing up on our doorstep at any moment and we were now without six of our strongest people.

Regardless of how upset I was with Glenn, I had done what he asked, I stayed with Maggie. I had been pacing inside of their house, keeping her company while Enid took the time to cut Maggie's hair. Maggie had looked at me for a long moment, studying my face when she asked the reason as to why I had chopped off my own. I told her what I felt that day, the weight of all the memories somehow residing in the cloak of hair that I hid behind. It felt ridiculous actually to say those words out loud, but in the next moment, she was calling for Enid to do the exact same thing.

I had been staring aimlessly at the fireplace mantel, my head spinning with worry as I pictured Daryl's face. That look he had given me before leaving. Those last words Scar don't, before he went off without me. The thought of him using my actual name felt like a punch in the gut. It wasn't until an agonizing scream coming from Maggie had shot me from my seat. Maggie lay curled up on the floor, clutching her stomach as the screams continued to echo from her throat.

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We were loading up the RV now to head over to the Hilltop, Maggie already laying as comfortably as she could on the back couch. She was burning up fast, which means we had no time to waste when making the decision to go. I loaded up the magazine of my gun, popping it into place and shoving it securely into my belt.

"Any change?" Sasha asked, approaching the campervan with Abraham and Eugene in tow.

"She's getting worse," Rick answered, throwing two duffle bags of supplies onto the floor of the van. We made sure we were prepared, the Hilltop would be a long drive away.

"Good call on the transport," Abraham said.

"We figured she'd be more comfortable," I answered.

"It also means you got room for more," Abraham stated, "They're out there, so I'm gonna be there with you." He then glanced over at Sasha, including her, "We are."

"Package deal," she smiled, walking past us and into the van.

"Uh, what she said," Eugene nodded, including himself in the package.

Rick threw his hand out in front of Eugene, "Look it's a long trip and you're just getting over--"

"It's a superficial graze," Eugene cut him off, "proteins are binding, plus we need to discuss ammunition production and manufacture, so let's roll."

"I already tried. Give him an inch, he's taking a mile," Abraham said as he returned from the RV, leaving to grab more of his own supplies.

"I'm only asking for 23, give or take, depending on the route," Eugene fought, his face deadpanned, "I know I can be of some help. Now's the time and here is the place. Don't shine me. I'll be your anchorman. Yes, I damn will." Eugene turned away from Rick before giving him the time to answer or object. He walked up the steps of the RV, disappearing to the left.

Rick cocked his head around, staring back at me. I shrugged my shoulders in response before I saw Linc jogging up toward us. A machine gun rested lazily over his shoulder by the strap. "I didn't miss the bus, did I?" he asked, a smile on his face.

I put my hand on his chest, stopping him as he went to walk past me, "We could really use more numbers here. If the Saviours come while we are gone, they are going to need someone strong here." My head nodded toward the surrounding houses, suggesting those who still needed to take machete lessons, or have yet to leave these walls very often.

Linc shook his head, "There is no way in hell I'm staying here. I listened to you once when you told me to wait behind and we were separated for weeks, I'm not doing it again," he fought.

"You had severe injuries," I furrowed my brows, explaining why I had done that.

"And right now I don't. I'm coming."

It was Rick who now shrugged his shoulders at me when I gave him a look as to tell him to say something. But, instead, Rick said nothing until Lincoln as well loaded himself into the RV. "Older brothers can be overbearing, but you are so much worse," Rick said, a sly grin on his face.

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We had only travelled about 5 miles out, barely even halfway to the Hilltop yet. I could hear Maggie breathing deeply from the back of the RV, her breaths becoming more painful as the fever crept in. It didn't seem like she was having contractions and besides it would be far too early for her to be experiencing any. No matter how hard we tried to conceal it, we knew that something must be seriously wrong. Rick sat back there with Maggie, for the time being, feeding her water every chance he got as he eased her mind. My eyes stayed trained on the doorway leading to the back compartment, watching as Rick knelt down in front of her pale face.

"What the bitch?" Abraham muttered from the driver's seat, causing my head to whip around toward the front windshield. Abraham slowly brought the campervan to a halt, inching forward slowly before stopping a good distance away.

"What is it?" Rick asked, coming up from the back section and peering through the two front seats. I got up with him, Lincoln standing up behind me. My eyes squinted, focusing in on the three cars that had blocked off the road to keep us from going any further. Maybe eight men stood there, guns in hands, staring daggers at us. One man stood in the very middle of the group, a couple of steps ahead of everyone else with a half-beaten to death man sprawled out in front of his feet.

"Enemy close," Abraham exhaled. I watched as the man on the pavement finally rolled over, his face and the front of his green t-shirt completely drenched in blood. The man that stood apart from the rest kept still, his stare on us unwavering. "We doing this?" Abraham asked, his head cocking slightly toward Rick.

"No," Rick warned us. He picked up his gun from the table and slowly made his way out of the campervan. Abraham shifted the gear into park, telling us to follow Rick out.

I felt the nerves bubble up inside of my chest, the not knowing eating me alive. I couldn't put my finger on how this was about to play out. I could tell by Rick's all-too-casual walk that he was trying to come off as relaxed, unbothered. So, I fell into step behind him doing the same. I slowly turned my head from side to side as we appeared in front of the van, double-checking the perimeter like I was enthralled by the scenic plush trees. It seemed as if the only Saviours present were the ones that stood in front of us. Rick raised his hands up for the men to see, his AR gripped firmly in his right palm. The rest of us stood only a few feet behind Rick, Carl standing to my right and Aaron standing to my left. Rick wasn't going to speak unless spoken to.

My eyes scanned over the men one by one, but once I got to the one in the centre I was unable to keep my stare off of him. The sight of him made my stomach twist. The smug grin on his too pale face, the combover of his thick grey hair matching the mustache that hadn't quite aged with him yet, the dead blue-grey eyes that looked accustomed to watching the unravelling of torment, all made me want to heave up my breakfast from this morning.

"He's someone who was with a whole lot of someones who didn't listen," the man finally yelled over to us, his stare darting down to the bloodied man laying in front of him. The threat was clearly stated in his tone, sending a shiver shooting down my spine. Look at this man. This is what's about to happen to all of you.

"We can make a deal right here, right now," Rick answered, his hands still held in the air beside his shoulders.

"That's right, we can," the man flashed an ear-to-ear smile, "Give us all your stuff. We'll probably have to kill one of you. That's just the way it is, but then we can start moving forward on business. All you have to do is listen."

I could hear Rick sigh harshly from where he stood, "Yeah…" Rick dropped his hands, holding his gun across his chest. The weapon wasn't held in defence, but it was easily accessible if it was needed. "That deal is not going to work for us. Fact is, I was about to ask for all of your stuff, only I'm thinking I don't have to kill any of you." Rick threatened and for a split second, I could see the worry flash across a couple of their faces before washing it away. "Any more of you," Rick clarified.

The Saviours were silent after Rick's statement. A man in a green jacket stepped forward, shaking a can of spray paint as he stared at Rick. He then knelt down and sprayed an X across the man on the ground torso. The man didn't try to get away, only flinched when the Saviour got too close. He then backed away, his stare returning to us as their leader spoke again.

"Sorry, my deal is the only deal. We don't negotiate."

Rick's right hand raised into the air, motioning for us to back off, "Me and my people are leaving," Rick declined.

We backed away slowly. "Okay, friend," the Saviour called out, waving us off, "Plenty of ways to get to where you're going." It was like he had already known we were on our way to the Hilltop. This wasn't just some fluke accident coming across their path on the road, they waited here for us.

I was the last to step into the campervan before Rick, him making sure we were all back into the safety of our vehicle before he was. I stopped midway up the stairs upon hearing Rick trying to get the last word in. "You want to make today your last day on Earth?"

"No, but that is a good thing to bring up. Think about it. What if it's the last day on Earth for you? For someone you love? What if that's true?" the Saviour responded. "Maybe you should be extra nice to those people in that RV, 'cause you never know…" the man snapped his fingers in the air, "Just like that. Be kind to each other." He then pointed directly at Rick. "Like you said… like it was your last day on Earth."

Rick sucked in his bottom lip and nodded his head, "You do the same."

The door shut behind us and we watched the Saviours through the front windshield once again. The man waved to us from where he stood, Rick clearly hitting a nerve with his words as the Saviour threw back his right leg and kicked the beaten man in the ribs. He was yet to be able to get to us, so he used that poor man as an example.

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We had found another route to take to the Hilltop. It was longer than the one we originally planned, but this route gave us more visibility on the road. If the Saviours tried to corner us again then we would be able to spot them from a further distance away this time, giving us the chance to turn around.

I couldn't stop the thoughts from rushing through my mind from what that man had said. The idea that today could possibly be any one of our last days on Earth. I would do anything to ensure that it was them and not us. I wanted him to eat those words, to see the fear in his eyes when he realized it was going to be him. I looked over at Lincoln to find him already staring at me like he had been reading my thoughts as I had been racing through them.

"What?"

"Why didn't you go after Daryl this morning?" Linc asked, his brows furrowing.

"Glenn stopped me from going," I answered, which had been mostly true.

"Scar, we both know that if you wanted to go then you would have found a way. Got in another car or simply yank Glenn through the passenger window to take his place." A light smile slid across Lincoln's face that didn't meet his eyes.

I fidgeted with my hands before catching myself on the seat as the RV jerked over a pothole in the road. I knew he had been right and until now I didn't allow myself to think about it. But, there was something about the way that Daryl had said my name, that told me he couldn't have me following after him. And at that moment I had been so mad that I almost did something incredibly stupid. I knew that if I had said what I wanted to at that moment, Daryl would have resented me for it. The words were on the edge of my tongue as I nearly told him that I love him and to stay. And even though that was true, he'd know that I had used those words to get him to stay. So I bit my tongue until I drew blood, fought with Glenn, and then didn't fight any longer when he asked that I stayed with Maggie.

Instead, I looked up at Lincoln and gave him a part of the truth, "I owe Glenn and he asked me to stay with Maggie."

That seemed to be a suitable enough answer for Lincoln as he nodded his head in understanding.

"Bitch nuts," Abraham cursed and I already knew what he was looking at. We had come up to the only wind in the road, the Saviours posted up on the other side of the curve as Abrhama drew the van to a halt once again. How they knew what route we'd take next was beyond me. Unless… unless they had groups already stationed at every route possible to the Hilltop?

"We making our stand?" Sasha asked.

Surprisingly Carl was the first one to answer, "Yeah, we end it."

The vehicle was silent for a moment, "No, not now," Rick disagreed, "They've been waiting. They're ready. With one of us behind the wheel, that's seven on 16. We're going to play it our way, how we want it." Rick looked over his shoulder at Carl. "Right?"

Carl's eyes finally drew away from the Saviours, "Right."

"Alright, go slow," Rick ordered Abraham, motioning for him to turn the campervan around.

My stare remained on the Saviours in front of us. As soon as we began to back away to turn the van around one of the men stepped forward, firing off warning shots into the sky. 16 people stood there facing us and not one of them looked familiar, meaning that the likelihood of them being already stationed at every road leading to the Hilltop was high.

"How are we on gas?" Rick questioned.

"Half a tank. I pulled some more cans before we left," Abraham informed him.

"Those weren't the same men that blocked off the road the first time," I said.

"Same outfit, different soldiers. They got numbers." Abraham nodded.

"Yeah, we keep driving, we get here there."

"We will," Sasha agreed with Rick.

"If we have to shove each and every one of them up their own asses," Abraham threatened. All in the same breath he exhaled and cursed again.

A chain lay directly across the road, tied to a tree on either side. The chain and been wrapped around and imbedded through various body parts of eight walkers.

"Jesus fuck," I exhaled.

"We can't go through it. Can't risk the RV. You stay behind the wheel just in case," Rick ordered Abraham, "We're gonna have to clear it."

We exited the van one by one, the same formation we knew all too well. With our guns propped up on our shoulders, we scanned the perimeter of the forest while moving forward toward the walkers. Their groans echoed as they launched toward use, their sudden jerks rattling the chains.

"Putting together a red rover like that takes people," Eugene said.

"A lot of them," Lincoln exhaled.

"Come on, let's do this," Rick ignored their statements even though he knew it to be true. He threw the strap of his gun over his shoulder before yanking out his axe.

"Dad," Carl stopped him.

"That's Michonne's," Aaron pointed toward one of the walkers. My heart plummeted to my feet, feeling like the pavement had been pulled up from underneath me. Two of Michonne's dreadlocks had been stapled into the side of the walker's skull.

"That's Daryl's," I nearly cried as the words came out of me. Two of Daryl's arrows had been shot through the once beating heart of another walker. They were taunting us, letting us know that they already had our people and were in complete control.

My knees were about to buckle. I felt them giving out when a bullet landing in front of my feet jerked me back to reality. One after another bullets hit the ground around us, another taunt. We could kill you right now if we wanted to.

"Get back to the Rv! Now!" Rick shouted over the gunfire.

Although none of us listened, we took aim and fired off shots back at the Saviours that lay waiting concealed within the bushes. We were giving Rick the time to cut the chain, we need to get through those walkers. My heart pounded against my ribcage, attempting to take steady breaths as I focused on my aim. It took me seconds to breathe in deep through my nose before I had my target locked in. My finger squeezed the trigger rapidly, killing two of the Saviours through the center of their skull.

"I got it!" Rick yelled.

I turned on my heel, now focusing my attention on the walkers. I shot down the four on the left, creating a gap in the road for our van to get through as Rick used his axe to take down the other four. We retreated back to the RV as soon as the road had been cleared, Abraham stepping on the gas before the door had even been slammed shut.

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The next 20 minutes of our drive had consisted of fighting over which way we should head next. Sasha insisted that they wanted us headed in this direction, that we should turn around and figure out another route. Although Eugene was spitting out possibilities, the amount of gas we had left wouldn't make those routes plausible. Bullet holes lined the outer wall of the RV and a sputtering noise kept coming from below our feet meaning something had been damaged by the Saviours. And with each run-in we encountered, wasting our time and turning us around, Maggie had been getting worse.

"Rick!" Abraham shouted from the front seat, my legs bracing me as the RV skid to a stop. We wasted no time in exiting to access the situation in front of us. The RV remained parked underneath an overpassing bridge, keeping it hidden for the time being. Again, no Saviours stood waiting for us, but instead a mountain of entire trees stacked across the road. Dark black tread marks stained the pavement in front of us.

"These tracks…" Eugene uttered, "they would indicate they not only have people but some big-ass toys and capabilities."

"What it indicates is that we are neck-deep up shit creek with our mouths wide open," Abraham seethed as he looked over at Rick.

The sound of a chain rattling from above us caused the hairs on my arms to stand upright as a scream shot out of someone's lungs. I spun on my heel, raising my gun up toward the bridge. That same man during our first run-in hurtled over the side of the bridge, the chain squeezing around his neck, the links catching against one another from the weight of his body hanging airborne over the edge. The man clawed at the chain, his face already a deep purple as his legs kicked out from underneath him. I cursed under my breath, wishing the chain would have just snapped his neck upon impact rather than leaving him hanging.

"Don't," Abraham snapped at Aaron, herring the safety of his gun click off.

"I can tray and break the chain," Aaron fought.

"It won't work."

"I can try," Aaron yelled, his breath uneven.

"It won't work," Rick agreed, stopping him. "And we need the bullets."

I sucked in a deep breath, the tears welling up in my waterline as I stared at the man fighting for his life. The choking sound coming from his severed airway rang in my ears. His kicks became slower, one arm dropping from his neck as his body slowly went limp. His body jerked once more as we could hear his final breath of air squeeze out from his throat.

"You're treating your people good, right?" that same voice called out from behind the mountain of logs. We turned our heads, watching as the trees began to go up in flames. "Like it was your last day on Earth? Or maybe one of theirs?" We were silent. "You better go. It's gonna get hot. You go get where you're going."

"Go. Go." Rick ushered us back to the van.

We hadn't driven very far before we pulled down a vacant road to discuss our next move. By now we were all terrified, even Rick had that look on his face that told me that even he was unsure what to do next.

"So, what's the play?" Lincoln asked, sitting down across from Sasha. We had all been staring down at our map while Rick went to check on Maggie again.

"She needs a doctor," Rick said, his eyes glassed over as he emerged from her room.

"There are two more routes north from here," Sasha pointed down at the map, showing us.

"They are probably waiting for us right now," I said.

"So, they're ahead of us, probably behind us," Eugene shook his head, "But they are not waiting on us, per se, they're waiting on this rust-bucket. And they don't know the moment-to-moment occupancy of said rust-bucket. And the sun sets soon," he explained. Eugene was nodding his head, looking directly at Abraham like he was waiting for him to approve of his plan. Abraham's eyes went wide, a knowing nod back to his friend like he was telling him it was a damn good idea. Eugene was offering to continue driving the RV down the northern route, while we carry Maggie through the woods. It would take much longer, but it was our only shot. A shot to fake out the Saviours.

We all looked up at Rick, his blue eyes a much deeper shade from the tears that threaten to spill over after checking on Maggie. His face had gone pale, but he nodded his head in agreement. We were getting Maggie to the Hilltop one way or another tonight.

The sun had set on us quickly, dipping behind the horizon and providing a blanket of darkness to shield us. We had been walking for about 20 minutes, staying just close enough to the road to still follow it from afar, yet far enough in the woods that a headlight driving by wouldn't be able to spot us. Rick, Aaron, Lincoln, and Abraham carried Maggie through the bush on a stretcher, while Carl and Sasha took point. I on the other hand hung back, keeping an eye on our surroundings.

The forest seemed to fall eerily dark, a thick blanket of fog hovering only mere inches from the ground. The mist seemed to cloud around us seeping through the trees, leaving us only to be able to see a few feet ahead. We only had our ears to rely on knowing if anything was approaching now.

"Aaron, please. Just let me walk it," Maggie tried to convince him. She could barely mutter out the words between her shaking.

"Relax," Aaron answered, his voice soft, "Just a few more miles."

I stopped mid-step, thinking my ears were picking up on something. The group continued walking ahead. I thought back to every little thing Daryl has ever taught me about hunting, about tracking. I scanned the area, but I just found myself growing frustrated. None of those things would help me right now because I couldn't see a damn thing. I could listen for footsteps, leaves rustling, twigs snapping, or branches swooshing, but I just found every sound jumbling together in my head as I could not separate those sounds from our own.

In that moment it hit me. How badly we had fucked up. It was the first thing Daryl always told me when we began tracking. How many times I had watched him do it myself. You don't follow the first trail that you find, you look for every possible sign of a trail. You look at the scene and you way your options. You look for every little detail that seems out of place and you follow the best route. And if the Saviours were as skilled as they proved to be then they would have seen the direction the RV drove off in, but they also would have seen our trail we took on foot. I felt like a freight train had run straight through my chest.

"Rick--" my words were cut off by the sound of a group of men beginning to whistle. Rick's head snapped back around toward me, all of them stopping dead in their tracks as they heard it too. The chorus of whistles drew closer, my head whipping back and forth and I slowly began to make out movements within the fog. "Go!Go!" I yelled, stepping forward into a run and pushing them along.

We weaved in and out of the trees, running as fast as we could with the men carrying Maggie between them. It felt as if the further we went the louder the whistling got. A tormenting sound like they were playing a game of hot and cold with us. As if we were running directly into their trap. We slid to a halt as we came to an opening, the headlights of a truck blinding us and keeping us in place. I threw my arm over my eyes, adjusting to the sudden light. The whistles then merged together, one long high-pitch sound that made my heart thump. A pack of wolves cornering its prey, we were surrounded. I spun in a circle, my gun raised as another headlight flicked on from behind us. There had to be a hundred men closing in from every angle, every man looking more foul than the last. And directly ahead of us sat our RV.

My breath caught in my throat, my hair sticking to my face from the sweat that dripped off of me from running. Then men stopped at a certain point, locking us into the circle. Their whistling had finally ceased, but they continued to stare daggers at us like they had been waiting a long time for this moment. My eyes locked on a man who stood with a bat thrown over his shoulder, an all too intent smirk sliding up his face that made me nauseous. To my far right, Eugene knelt on the ground, his face black and blue and bloodied as he tried not to cry.

"Good," a man called out and I immediately recognized the voice. I turned on my heel, hearing his footsteps approaching, seeing that same man that promised this would be our last day on Earth. "You made it. Welcome to where you're going." His focus remained on Rick, a wide smile once again spread across his face. "We'll take your weapons." He then pulled out his gun, pointing it directly at Carl's head. "Now."

"We can talk about--" Rick began to say.

"We're done talking. Time to listen," he seethed.

Men approached us from every angle, removing all of our weapons from our bodies. I stood unflinchingly still, my breath catching in my throat as the same man I locked eyes with patted down my body like he had all the time in the world. My AR had been ripped from my neck, my Glock stashed, and each of my hidden knives pocketed before they retreated.

"Okay," he exhaled, "Let's get her down and let's get you all on your knees," the Saviour ordered. "Lots to cover."

The Saviours went to go put Maggie down on the group before Abraham gritted his teeth and said, "Hold up. We got it."

"Sure. Sure," the man allowed it. They placed her gently down on the ground, both Rick and Abraham helping to carry her over to where they pointed for us to kneel. They dragged Eugene from his spot, bringing him over to us. Rick looked over at Eugene, his mouth hanging open and his face pale. The man then walked up behind Rick. "I'm gonna need you on your knees."

Rick was silent as I stared at the side of his face. His body shook. We had seen the pictures, we had known what they'd done. We knew what kneeling meant for us. Yet, we didn't have any other choice. Rick looked over at Carl as he sucked in his teeth. Then his eyes met mine and I have never seen fear like that in his face before. The helplessness. From there I couldn't stop my hands from shaking. My heart pounded so heavily on my ribcage I could hear it echoing against my eardrums. And I watched as Rick slowly dropped down to his knees, each of us following in suit.