Chapter 1: Aftermath

~Clary~

"Whoa, whoa, Eugene!" I say, jumping aside as he runs past me. "Where's the fire, man?"

"Tara!" he replies.

I immediately take off after him, asking, "Is she okay?"

"She woke up!"

I find myself grinning as Eugene and I skid to a stop at the house, and then I see Glenn sitting across the room, his face splattered with blood. I push past Eugene and Maggie, crying, "Glenn!"

"Clary?" Glenn asks, his eyes growing wide as he takes in the blood on my face. There's worry evident in his voice as he asks, "What the hell happened to you?"

"It's not mine," I tell him, and he breathes a sigh of relief, then places one hand over his left shoulder. "What happened to you?"

"I'm okay," he tells me. "I just caught a ricochet."

"Who?" I demand, looking down at him. "I don't give a shit if it was an accident. Who's the careless idiot?"

Everyone's silent, knowing what I can do, and Nicholas eventually breaks it by saying, "Uh, that'd be me."

I look over at him, and lunge for him, but Glenn and Maggie hold me back, their arms wrapping around me. "You're dead, Nicholas!" I shout at him. "You cowardly son of a bitch! I'll fucking kill you!"

Before I can go on yelling threats and insults at him, Glenn cries out in pain, releasing his hold on me. I look over at him, realizing that I hit his gunshot wound during my fight. My temper, which had flared when I learned he was shot, dies down, and I lean down about an inch so I'm eye level with him, softly asking, "Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine," he says, his eyes still closed from the pain.

"I'm sorry," I whisper, and he winces as I pull aside his shirt collar to look at the wound. It's a graze, but it'll need stitches. "Rose, you got Nicholas?"

"Yeah," she says.

"Maggie, I need peroxide, gauze, needle, and thread," I order. "Glenn, shirt off."

"Give me a hand?" he inquires. I help him pull his shirt off, then wash my hands as Maggie gathers what I ordered.

"I'm gonna warn you right now," I tell him, unscrewing the bottle of peroxide. "This is gonna sting like a bitch."

"I can take it."

"Famous last words," I mutter, then pour the peroxide on his shoulder. Glenn lets out a yell, and I yelp as he hits my arm. Glenn looks up at me as I pull the peroxide away. "Oh, god," Glenn whispers, realizing that he hit my arm. "I'd never do that to you. I'm so sorry."

"It's alright, Glenn," I reply, quiet as well. I hand off the bottle to Maggie, then pick up a piece of gauze, gently dabbing away the peroxide on his shoulder. I prepare the needle, and say, "This is gonna hurt a hell of a lot worse than the peroxide."

"Just do it," Glenn orders, gritting his teeth. At first, he lets out a groan, but he eventually get used to it, letting out the occasional whimper. "One more," I tell him, sliding the needle through his skin the last time. I tie it off, and pull it away, announcing, "Done."

Glenn lets out a breath he was holding, resting his forehead on my shoulder. "That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," he says.

I wrap my arm around his, sliding my fingers through his hair. "Not that bad, huh? You tough son of a bitch. Stitches fucking hurt."

"Thanks, Clary. And I'm sorry, again."

"Hey, I know that you would never hurt me. So don't even apologize." I kiss his forehead, then release my hold on him. "Daryl just got back. I'm gonna go see him. Stay safe, you dumbass."

He chuckles at that, looking up at me. "Same to you."

I step back, allowing Maggie to take my spot, then turn and leave, running back to the house. I push open the door, calling, "Daryl! You here?"

"Clary?" comes his reply, and I run into the kitchen. He drops his spoon when he sees the blood on my face, scrambling to his feet and running over to me. "Clary?" he asks, taking my face in his hands. "What happened tonight? Are you hurt?"

"I'm alright," I tell him. "It's not mine." I look over his shoulder at Morgan. "But what the hell is he doing here?"

"He saved Aaron and me," my brother answers, pulling me over to the island. I take a seat right beside him, not quite ready to let him out of my sight after that statement. I keep my eyes on Morgan, remembering how he attacked Rick and I back in Kings County. Remembering how unstable he was, how easily he could snap.

Morgan ignores me, turning to look at Rick. "You were right," he says. "It wasn't over."

Rick glances down at the map Morgan used to find us, then back at him. "We should talk more tomorrow." He walks over to Morgan, looking down at him. "Listen. I don't take chances anymore."

"And you shouldn't."

I stop, looking over at the gate in confusion as I walk past it. The Alexandrian, Holly, is supposed to be on gate duty, but Eugene is. I watch as he pulls open the first part of the gate, looking at a dark skinned man in his twenties through the bars. I wonder over as I hear the new guy say, "My team's been on a run the last couple of weeks."

"Eugene," the fake scientist introduces himself. "Aaron brought myself and my group here directly in that window so we haven't had the chance to meet so I can't exactly confirm your residence."

"Open the gate," he snaps.

"If I do, how do I know you won't attempt to kill me?" Eugene questions.

"'Cause I'm here," I say, announcing my presence as I step up beside him, looking the new guy over. He keeps his dark hair in dreads, pulled back in a ponytail. He looks me over, his eyes showing his curiosity behind his glasses. I pull out my gun, pulling back the barrel to make sure there's a round in the chamber. "You lay a fucking hand on my people, and I will fuck you the fuck up."

"Watch your language," Eugene scolds.

"Go bite a dick."

"Whoa, easy there," the new guy says. "Look, I'm not gonna kill you. But the longer you make me wait, the more you're motivating me to beat your ass, so…"

I holster my gun, laughing at his statement. There have been many, many times I've been motivated to beat Eugene's ass. Eugene unlocks the gate, knowing that while I will defend him from someone trying to kill him, I won't defend him from someone looking to beat his ass. I'll fuck someone up when they're looking to really hurt my people, but if they're just trading hay-makers, I usually won't stop them. We slide the gate open, stepping aside to allow the two people in the car to come through. "I'm Clary, by the way," I tell the new guy. "Clary Dixon."

"Heath," he replies, shaking my hand. "I take it you came with the mullet?" I nod once, and he turns to Eugene. "So Deanna put you on gate duty."

"Oh, no, I'm not proper duty," Eugene tells him. "This is Holly's shift. I was just walking by. She asked if I could relieve her for a few ticks. I said no and she ignored me, which is obviously what I should've done as it's been at least five ticks and still no Holly."

I share a look with Heath, then say, "I'm from Georgia, I'm a Dixon, and I say some weird shit, but I have no idea what you just said."

I turn as a car door opens, the two people inside climbing out. One's a tall dark skinned man, the other a woman a few inches shorter than him. "I'm Scott," the man introduces himself. "This is Annie."

"Hi," she says with a smile. "Good to meet you. How many of you are there?"

"Fourteen," Eugene answers, then stops. "Thirteen."

"I'm sorry."

"I'll close up," Heath says, and I move to help him as Scott and Annie drive off, further into Alexandria. He looks over at me, asking, "Anything big happen while we were gone?"

"You don't know the half of it," I reply, while Eugene says, "We had a meeting last night."

"Oh, yeah? About what?" Heath asks.

"You're gonna wanna talk to Deanna 'bout that," I tell him.

"Yeah," Eugene agrees. "Get it from the horse. Her mouth. You know?"

"No, I don't, but cool," Heath says, turning to walk away.

"Hey, it's good to see someone like me," Eugene calls after him, and he turns to look at him. "I fully respect the hair game."

"Oh, good lord, you have a mullet," I sigh, walking forward and taking Heath's arm, pulling him with me. "I'll walk you." He looks down at me in confusion, walking with me down the street. "Trust me, Eugene starts talkin', the only way to get him to shut up is to insult the hair or walk away."

Heath chuckles at that. "So, what did happen?"

My grin fades. "Some serious shit went down. Deanna ain't gonna be in charge much longer, I don't think." I catch a glimpse of Rick and Morgan, heading towards the makeshift cemetery behind the walls. I release my hold on Heath's arm, telling him, "You're gonna have to keep goin' yourself. I've got business to take care of."

"Why do I get the feeling your kind of business involves shooting people?" he questions. "Don't shoot people, Dixon."

"It normally does. But not this time." I look over my shoulder at him. "It was nice meetin' you, Skittles."

I leave him looking confused and slightly offended behind me as I follow Rick and Morgan, keeping my footsteps quiet out of habit. Father Gabriel and Tobin, one of the men on the construction crew with Abraham, dig two graves, one for Pete and one for Reg. "What're you doing?" Rick questions.

"We're, uh," Gabriel starts. "I wanted to help."

"We only need one," Rick tells them.

"We have two men here," Tobin says, obviously confused.

"We're not gonna bury killers inside these walls."

"I-I-I understand how you feel. I do. But it's not your decision."

I look over as the boss lady herself arrives, hearing everything. "Tobin," Deanna says, and he stops digging, looking up at her. "Rick's right." She steps past me, looking down at Pete's body. "Take it away. Go west. Down Branton Road a few miles. Just past the bridge. We don't go out that way. Let the trees have him."

Her orders known, Deanna turns and walks away, and Rick looks over at me. "You coming?" he questions, starting over to the body.

"I belong out there," I reply. "But I'm forced in here. Yeah, I'm comin'."

I give Rick and Morgan a hand carrying Pete's body, opening the trunk of a car for them. Rick watches Morgan, who stares down at the body. After a moment, he says, "I shot him because he killed Reg. That was it. We didn't have a choice."

"You do have a cell," Morgan says, referring to the house Rick was kept after his fight with Pete, and where Morgan was told to stay last night.

"Not for killers," Rick replies.

"Aren't we all killers?" I ask grievously. I keep my eyes on Pete in the trunk as I close the lid on him. "In the end, it's kill or be killed." I lift my eyes up, looking at Rick. "Let's get goin'."

Morgan and Rick climb in the front seat, while I sit in the back. I find myself thinking of the time back on the farm, when we went eighteen miles out. I look up at Morgan, wondering if he's going to snap. When we slow to a stop, a few miles out just where Deanna directed us, Morgan's the first one out. Rick and I follow suit, following him down into the woods. He looks around, then nods. They carry Pete's body down, while I follow behind them, carrying the shovels. They drop Pete to the ground, and Rick turns back, taking two shovels from me. He tosses one to Morgan, who had started up to meet us, then he heads back down towards Pete. "Morgan," Rick calls after him, and he turns to look at us. "Maybe we should just leave him."

"That's not who you are," Morgan replies, readjusting his grip on the shovel. "I know."

He turns and continues on, and we follow after him. "Hey," Rick calls after him. "You don't."

Morgan ignores him, dropping his bo staff and bag to the ground beside him. He starts digging, and Rick goes to help him, but I stop him when I hear it. "Rick. Rick, stop."

They both ignore me, continuing with their digging. I put my hand on Rick's arm, forcing him to stop, and he looks up at me. "Do you hear that?" I question.

He listens for a minute, then looks over at me. "How did you hear that? I can barely hear it."

"I never lost touch with what's out here," I reply, starting off towards the sound. Rick and Morgan join behind me, and I slow to a stop at the edge of the cliff. There are even more than what I imagined. "Holy shit."

Hundreds of walkers, at least, are crowded in a quarry, blocked by parked trailers. I turn as I hear walkers snarling from behind us, the snapping branches signalling that someone's running. I recognize it as Ron as Rick takes off first, seeing that he's heading right for the cliff. Morgan and I follow right behind him, just as Rick tackles Ron away, the three walkers closest to Ron falling off the side. Rick raises his gun to fire at a fourth approaching, but I throw my knife, knowing that he doesn't have a silencer on it. The walker falls to the ground, and I start over to retrieve my knife, then take a step back as another approaches. Morgan steps in, hitting it over the head to daze it, then pushes it off the cliff. Rick gets to his feet, while I look down at Ron. "The hell are you doin' here?" I question.

Ron doesn't answer, looking at the knife in my hand. "You stupid bastard," I snap. "You tryin' to get yourself killed? The hell are you doin' out here?"

I back up as he gets to his feet, staring me down. "I wanted to know where my dad was buried."

I look over at Rick, then step back, allowing Ron to step to the edge. Morgan pulls a pair of binoculars out of his bag, looking down at the walkers below. "This is how," Rick says.

"How what?" Morgan questions.

"How Alexandria's still here," I answer, thinking the same thing as Rick.

"They've had walkers at the wall, but a lot of them, maybe most of them, they wound up here," Rick explains. Morgan lifts the binoculars, looking down at the walkers again, and I follow his gaze. It looks like most of the walkers are wandering up to the top of the cliff, where two trailers block the exit. I turn as I hear Rick calling, "Ron."

Ron starts away from us, saying, "I'm going back."

"Hey," I bark, starting after him. I grab his arm, like I took Sasha's on the bridge, making him stop. "You shouldn't be out here."

"She's right," Rick says from right behind me.

Ron pulls his arm free, glaring at us. "I don't care what you think."

"It's not what I think, it's what I know," Rick tells him, pushing me behind him. "You can't protect yourself. I'll show you how, but right now, you have no idea what you're doin'. And if you come out here, you're gonna die. And it won't be quick, and it won't ever be over, 'cause you'll be one of them, and that's what's gonna happen. You're coming back with us, now. Don't make it harder than it has to be."

Rick starts off through the woods, and Morgan follows behind him. Ron and I remain, and I gesture for him to lead the way. "After you, dipshit." He starts off, and I stay right beside him as we make our way back. "You're a real dumb shit, you know that, Weasley?"

"Like I haven't heard that one before," he sighs. "My last name is Anderson."

"I don't give a shit. You got real damn lucky this time. You ain't ready to be out here. If you come out here again, you're gonna die." I slow to a stop as I see Rick digging, and scoff. "You're kiddin', right? It's gonna be dark soon." I gesture with my head in the direction of the cliff. "And we got them to be worried 'bout."

"No, I am not," Rick says, looking up at me. "You came along. Now get a shovel and dig."

I catch the one Morgan tosses to me, then pass it over to Ron. He stares at it, and I say, "I had to dig my brother's grave. Take the damn shovel and dig."

"No," he says, shaking his head. "I-I can't."

"Pussy," I mutter, stepping up beside Rick and digging. "Let's hurry this shit up. No tellin' how much longer till that truck falls."

Rick called for the meeting, the majority of Alexandrians gathering in Deanna's house as we tell them about the walkers. "My team," Heath says, stepping forward. "We saw it early on. Back when we were on one of those first scouts, finding out what was around here. It was a camp at the bottom. The people, they must've blocked the exits with one of those trucks back when everything was starting to go bad. They didn't make it, they were all roamers. Maybe a dozen of 'em."

"And no one's been back since?" Maggie questions.

"D.C., every time we're scavenging, they've all been in the other direction," Heath says with a shake of his head. "And I never really felt like having a picnic next to the camp that ate itself."

"So all the while the walkers have been drawn by the sound," Michonne states.

"And they're making more sound," I say. "Drawin' more in. They're loud as all hell. It don't surprise me that there's that many of 'em."

"And here we are," Rick sighs. "Now what I'm proposing, I know it sounds risky, but walkers are already slipping through the exits. One of the trucks keeping the walkers in, Clary, you said it yourself. It could go off the edge any day now. Maybe after one more hard rain."

"If we're lucky," I add. "That exit's sendin' 'em east. Every single one of 'em. Right to us. Rick's plan ain't for if it gives. It's for when. It's gonna happen."

"That's why we have to do this soon."

"This is..." Carol starts, then pauses. "I don't have another word for it. This is terrifying. All of it. But it doesn't sound like there's any other way."

"And there isn't," I agree.

"Maybe there is," Carter argues. "Couldn't we just build up the weak spots? I could draw up plans. I worked on the wall with Reg. Construction crew. We can try and make it safe."

"Even if we could, the sound of those walkers is drawing more and more everyday," Rick says. "Building up the exits won't change that."

"We're gonna do what Rick says," Deanna says, speaking for the first time since the meeting was called. She doesn't turn to face us, just continues staring out the window. But her seal of approval is the only thing making the Alexandrians agree to this. "The plan he's laid out."

"I told you all, we're gonna have Daryl leadin' 'em away," Rick says.

"Me, too," Sasha says from her spot on the couch beside Maggie. "I'll take a car, right next to him. Can't just be him. I'll keep them coming, Daryl'll keep them from getting sloppy."

"I'll go with her," Abraham volunteers. "It's a long way to white knuckle it solo."

"Alright, we'll have two teams," Rick decides. "One on each side of the forest, helpin' manage this thing. We're gonna have a few people on watch from now on. Rosita, Spencer, and Holly. So they're out. So who's in?"

"I'll take a team, help keep it controlled," I volunteer, stepping forward. I turn to look at Rick. "There's one thing that I know for sure out of all this. I'd ride into the mouth of hell for you."

"To the mouth of hell it is," Rick responds, giving a nod to show that he would do the same. He holds out a hand, and after a moment, I shake it. He trusts me again, but most of all, he treats me as an equal because he knows what I'm capable of. Of how I could lead this team, this group, if he wasn't here. After Terminus, we were allies. Nothing more. Now, he's my brother-in-arms. We stand together to make humanity's counterattack.

"I'll go," Michonne volunteers.

After a quiet conversation with his wife, Glenn says, "I'm in."

"I'd like to help," Gabriel says, raising a hand.

"No," Rick and I snap at the same time. Rick shuts his mouth as I snap at Gabriel, "You lyin' son of a bitch. You can't help with jack shit." I look around at the others. "We need more people. So who else?"

"There's gotta be another play," Carter tries. "We can't just control that many."

"Rick's said it before, walkers herd up," I say. "They'll follow a path if something's drawin' 'em. That's how we can get 'em all at once."

"So we're supposed to just take his word for it? We're all supposed to do what you do, just fall in line behind Rick? After…"

"After what?" Rick challenges.

"After you wave a gun around, screaming, pointing it at people. After you shoot a man in the face. After—"

"Enough!" Deanna barks, turning to face the group, coming to Rick's defense.

"I'll do it," Heath says. "Only if I'm on Clary's team."

I smile softly at that, slightly honored that people, ones from Alexandria, want to follow me. Glenn nods once, meeting my eyes. There we go, the team of three. Others begin to volunteer, and I freeze when I hear Nicholas say, "I'll go."

"Oh, for fuck's sake," I sigh.

"We have to do this, and you need people. I'll go."

I share a look with Glenn, shaking my head at Rick, but the former officer asks Nicholas, "Are you sure you can do it?"

"You need people," Nicholas repeats.

"Alright," Rick says. "We can do this. We'll keep this place safe. Keep our families safe. We will."

"The plan," Carter says. "Go through it again."

"Man, he just said it," Daryl snaps, also getting tired of Carter's shit.

"Every part," Carter demands. "The exact plan. Again."

I stand with Rick, watching the others as they build up the wall that will keep the walkers from heading back home. I look over as Deanna wanders over to us, and I give her a small smile, glad to see that she's the type of leader that helps instead of sitting back and watching. "I haven't had the chance to say it yet," Rick tells her. "But I'm sorry about Reg. He was smart and kind. He was a good man." Deanna gives a nod to show her thanks. "It was the right call. We need this."

"What else?" Deanna questions, looking up at him after the men working on the wall. "You need to tell me."

"People need to be armed inside the walls," Rick tells her. "They need to be trained, everyone."

"Rick," I say as I hear the twig snap. "Here they come. Let's give 'em a chance to fight, yeah?"

"Carter, heads up," Rick calls, and the former construction man turns towards the woods. Carter and Sturgess, a gardener in Alexandria, drop the log they were carrying, stumbling back as walkers stumble forward. Our people go to help them, but Rick shakes his head. "Use your shovels. The guns will draw more."

"Help us!" Carter begs.

"You can do this," I call. "You need to, all of you."

Sturgess shoves a walker away from him, stumbling backwards towards the other Alexandrians. Seeing that they're unable to fight, Morgan takes off to help them. Rick barks at him not to, but he does anyway. The group follows him, stepping in to help the Alexandrians. Carter shoves a walker away from him, right at me. I fall to the ground, but I push it on its back, plunging my knife into its head. Daryl sends a glare his way, holding down a hand to help me up. I mutter my thanks as he pulls me to my feet, watching Rick staring down Morgan. "You said you don't take chances anymore," Morgan says.

I meet Rick's eyes, sharing the same thought. How the hell are these people still alive? It goes unspoken between us. I look over at Morgan, looking at him and his badass bo staff. "Morgan!" I call, trying to relieve some of the tension, and he turns to me.

"Yeah?" he asks.

"Teach me your Jedi ways!"

He smirks, then chuckles. "Gladly."

Daryl shakes his head, chuckling softly. His grin fades when Carter turns to look at us, my brother growling out, "You put her in danger again, you're gonna regret it."

I start towards the house when I hear the crash from inside it, knowing that nothing good is going down. Rick, seeing that I've left his side, runs to catch up with me, Daryl and Morgan behind him. From inside, I hear Olivia cry, "Carter, don't! You can't!"

Rick opens the door, and when I see Carter aiming a gun at Eugene, who cowers on the floor, I don't hesitate to aim my gun at him. "What the hell's going on?" Rick questions, stepping inside, staying out of my line of fire.

When Carter doesn't answer, I take a step closer to him, as Rick demands, "What're you doing?"

"I'm taking this place back from you," Carter answers, still not lowering his gun.

Rick turns to look at the others in the storage house. Spencer, Tobin, Francine, and Olivia. He questions, "That's what you were talking about in here?"

"That's what he was talking about," Spencer answers. I take one look at them, and immediately know they're telling the truth. Carter's the only one thinking of that, the others just happened to be here, caught up in it. I slowly make my way over towards Eugene and Carter, moving to put myself between them. Eugene's part of the group, he's family. I don't let my family get shot by a dipshitted hothead.

"You see, the thing you gotta do," I tell them, my eyes back on Carter. "You always gotta set up look outs. But apparently, your leader here is too much of a dumbass to do even that."

"That would've been the smart thing," Rick agrees. "You know, if I happened to—"

He cuts himself off by suddenly attacking Carter, taking the gun and shoving him to the ground. I keep my gun on Carter, now is on his knees at the feet of Rick and I, as my leader aims Carter's own gun at him. "You really think you're gonna take this community from us?" Rick growls. "From Glenn? From Michonne? From Daryl? From Clary? From me? Do you have any idea who you're talking to?"

"It was just me," Carter whispers.

"What?"

"It was just me," Carter repeats, louder this time. "Just-just kill me."

"Gladly," I say, but Daryl moves forward, putting his hand on top of my gun before I can fire. As he pushes my gun down, away from Carter, he says, "Rick."

"I'm good," Rick replies, taking the gun off of Carter. He passes it over to my brother, looking down at Carter. "You can try to work with us. You can try to survive. Would you do that?"

"Tomorrow's the dry run, Carter," I tell him. "Try not to fuck anything up. Heed my every order, and you might survive."