Carl and Sam were checking to make sure the building was clear. I stood guard outside, my hands clutched around Lucille. But I was about as useful as a toddler with a foam bat with the way I was healing.

I had found a mirror a day into our trek to the safe place, and I had stared at my reflection for several minutes.

The first thing I noticed was my throat was nearly all bruised purple from Wayne's grip. The combination of everything attacking my throat made every word a fucking pain to say so at this point I was keeping my mouth shut as we traveled. The gash on my head had scabbed over and made the top of my head slightly lumpy from the dried blood and dead skin covering the gash. I still had dried blood clinging to my left eyebrow. The clothes surrounding my knife and bullet wounds were stained dark red, and the bandages had gone dark soon after putting them on.

We hadn't run into any familiar faces in our week of walking, and at this point it was practically Carl leading the way. He had the map and knew which way we were going as we slowly made our way around D.C. He would lead the way, I would follow closely behind him, and Sam would bring up the rear.

Every now and then Sam would say encouragements to me as he trekked behind me. "We'll get there soon, Terry. We gotta keep going."

But now I was standing outside the storefront, holding Lucille with both hands and making sure the Walkers farther down the streets stayed far away. From inside the store, I heard a sudden crash and grunting, but before I could go in to investigate, Carl and Sam walked out, looking tired but otherwise fine.

I pointed to the store, and Sam glanced over his shoulder, his eyes widening as he understood the question. "Oh! We ran into a Walker inside. It's taken care of. We got it; don't worry."

I wanted to say that I could do nothing else but worry. I could barely speak without pain, leaving me trapped with my own thoughts spiraling around me. Where were the others? How many people had made it to the safe location? Has anyone made it there? One look at the other two made me realize that they were thinking these same horrible thoughts. Carl was bound to be worried about Rick, Judith, Michonne, and Lydia. Sam the same about Presley. I thought about Daryl and Eliza and wanted nothing more than to see them again.

I rubbed at my bruised throat and kept moving along, trailing behind Carl with Sam right on my heels.

The suburbs of D.C were easy, if not boring to walk through. There were a lot of large houses; they probably used to belong to senators and politicians before the world fell apart. I kept a close eye on them, wondering if we'd run into a politician as a Walker. I tried to think of what the politics were even like before the Outbreak, and couldn't think of a single issue.

Sam was looking at the houses too. "Do you remember it?" He asked suddenly. When Carl and I paused to look at him, he elaborated. "Life before the Outbreak, I mean."

Carl blinked and his one eye sparked with confusion. "I don't remember a lot about it. I was in sixth grade, I think. I remember being in class; then my friends started going absent, and then school was closed and Mom had to teach me from home. Dad was still in his coma."

I always forgot how young he was when all of this started. He was so different from the little kid I had first seen running towards Rick in the quarry. I thought about Lori and smiled sadly.

Sam nodded at Carl's response. "Ana and I had just got our first apartment together." And he left it at that.

I thought back to how it was like for me when the world ended. I had just graduated college and had gotten settled into my first apartment to myself. I was supposed to start a job the week after I left for the CDC. But then the emergency call to get to the CDC had gone off, and I never saw that apartment ever again. It's so strange to think that I had once been so worried about rent and bills and paying my insurance. When now the only things that mattered was survival and protecting those you care about.

Oh how times had changed. I followed after Carl and Sam and tried to focus on keeping one foot going in front of the other.

We were only two days into our trek and already I was ready to sit down and rest until my feet stopped bleeding, when we heard a scream. Carl froze in place and stared over at where the scream came from. Sam's hand was touching my shoulder and I stared at the spot too. It sounded close by; probably just on the other side of the houses.

"We should go see if they need help." Carl said softly, as if he wasn't really thinking about it.

"What if they're a Whisperer trying to lure us into a trap?" Sam asked, echoing my exact thoughts. He inhaled sharply. "What if it's Militia?"

Carl had to turn his head completely to look at me, and if I looked over my shoulder, Sam was looking at me too. I chewed on the side of my mouth for a moment.

The scream got even higher pitched and I began towards the screaming person without thinking about it more. It could be one of our own; we couldn't risk letting them die because we were scared of the Militia and Whisperers.

Five Walkers had cornered a dark skinned man. He was standing on the roof of a white truck, a spear in hand and trying to stab them through the brains. He looked up at us as we approached. "Hey! Help me, please!"

I unsheathed Lucille and swung hard at the Walker closest to me. The skull cracked open and the blood that rushed out was black. On either side of me, Carl and Sam were taking care of the other Walkers. I moved around them and brought Lucille down on the next Walker, caving in its skull almost comically easily. When the Walkers were all gone, I looked up at the guy.

"Can you get down?" Carl asked, sounding vaguely annoyed. The man stumbled down the truck, nearly falling on his face in the lawn.

I scanned the surrounding houses and buildings, if there was a Whisperer or soldier somewhere hiding there, I wasn't about to let them surprise us. But a soldier would have a working gun, and we didn't have one of those. I adjusted my grip on Lucille and got ready to charge if anything came out at us.

"Thank you," The unknown man said, breathlessly. "Seriously. I dropped my knife and thought I was a goner before you lot showed up. I'm Siddiq, by the way."

"I'm Carl," The young man took the opportunity to introduce himself. "That's Sam, and that's Terry. Where're your people?"

Siddiq looked around at all three of us and looked downcast. "Dead. We got caught in a herd nearby."

I looked at him with a hard frown. There was a herd nearby? I went back to the line of buildings, terrified that the Walkers would start breaking through the backyards at that second. I made eye contact with Siddiq and waved around, shrugging as I did.

Siddiq stared at me like he didn't know what to do with that. "I don't understand. Are you mute?"

"Terry got injured, hurt her throat or vocal chords or something." Sam explained without hesitation. I narrowed my eyes at him, annoyed that he was already giving out what we've been through to a stranger. Sam caught my glance and he shrugged.

Siddiq looked at me with immediate concern. "I can help with that. I never got my doctorate but I got pretty far." He started to lean forward to come towards me and I immediately took a step back. Siddiq froze and backed off immediately. "I get it. You just met me."

I gave the surrounding area one last look; if anyone was going to attack, they would've done it by now. I whistled sharp and low and jerked my head back in the direction we were going. Carl nodded curtly. "Good to meet you, Siddiq." Carl said bluntly.

We had only made it past the first house when Siddiq ran after us. I turned around and glared hard at him as he got closer. Carl and Sam both tensed up, their weapons raised immediately. Siddiq stopped again.

"I'm not stupid." He said firmly. "My group is...gone. And if I go alone, I'm going to be gone too. I don't know you three from Adam, but I need people. We all need people. You can't tell me you three have been surviving on your own this whole time, right?"

"You-" I started, my voice breaking and aching but I stalked forward, brandishing Lucille like she was a sword. "Don't-know us." My voice sounded like I was still being strangled with Wayne's hands around my neck.

Siddiq stared at Lucille, staring at the old bat with rusted barbed wire wrapped tightly around it. Dark black blood was dripping off the wire in strings like dog drool. I opened my mouth, struggling to make words come out. "We-are goin'. You-fucking-stay here."

"And if I end up getting eaten?" Siddiq asked coldly. "What then?"

I shrugged. "We-won't-be dead."

Sam shot me a heated look but said nothing. I turned my back on Siddiq and continued on, and it took a moment for Carl and Sam to come after me. Sam caught up to me fast, looking at me from the corner of his eye.

"Terry, he needs help." Sam pointed out.

"We-need-help." I grunted. Carl caught up and his blind eye was on my side, so he couldn't see me when he spoke.

"I want to see my family too, Terry." Carl started. "But we can't turn our backs on someone who needs our help."

That was before we had to walk miles upon miles to Maryland. I wanted Daryl and Eliza back, and there wasn't time to pick up a straggler. Carl suddenly grabbed my elbow and I halted to stare hard at him. Carl's one eye focused hard on me.

"We can't give up on people, Terry." Carl said firmly. "We're bringing him with us." Before I could say anything, Carl turned his back on me and started towards where we left Siddiq. Sam and I watched him go and Sam glanced at me.

"He can't slow us down any slower than we're already going, Terry." Sam said firmly. "We can't leave him on the side of the road where Whisperers and Militia can get him."

I raised an eyebrow at Sam and rolled his eyes. "I know, I know. We're sitting ducks too. We'll get there soon, just stop worrying."

Carl returned with Siddiq. I glared at him and shook Lucille, some of the strands of blood slopping onto the pavement. Without another word, I turned tail and kept on going. Lucille remained in my hand, and every time she moved, more blood dripped down onto the pavement leaving a trail behind me.

We kept moving. When our feet began to bleed, Siddiq made us stop and he wrapped them up with scraps of clothing. He only had a handful of Advil left, and he gave us each a single pill. Whenever Walkers appeared, we took care of them quickly and quietly. I gave Siddiq my hatchet, seeing as I didn't trust him with Lucille. No one else was trusted with her, and I was pretty sure that Negan wouldn't forgive me easily if I let others hold her.

On one of the nights where we paused to rest, I inspected Lucille a little more closely. She was beginning to splinter, and the wire was harder and redder from rust. I chipped at the rust a bit with my thumbnail and accidentally broke off one of the barbs. She was rusting away, and I wasn't sure how much longer this bat was going to hold. Did baseball bats even break from age? How long had Negan had her? If I hit a Walker with her one day, would she just shatter?

I made more of an effort to clean her that night, getting the dried blood off and the rust if I could manage it. While the men slept, I kept watch and cleaned Lucille and wished I could talk without being in a lot of pain.

When we crossed the town line of Hampstead, everyone started moving faster. It was here in Hampstead, Maryland. It was far enough north that we were far, far away from the Militia and the Whisperers. The place we were going...it was big but probably not big enough for all of us to stay forever. Daryl and Eliza should be there; and that was all that mattered to me.

Siddiq was filled in by Sam on everything he should know. We were once four communities until a bitch of an enemy drove us out. Now we were doing a mass exodus to find a new home. As he filled in Siddiq, I couldn't help but wonder where the fuck we would go now. We couldn't stay at this chosen place. We could go farther north, maybe to Lake Erie. We could go east, towards the coast, wind up in Delaware or New Jersey. Or maybe we go west, there'd be less people out in the Midwest. Who the hell even knew how long it'd take to get anywhere near the Midwest.

I thought about going to Michigan, back to where I was from. The idea of seeing my old home again after years of the world not working made me pause, and decided that I'd rather not go back there. Michigan hasn't been home in years.

The sun was setting and we were limping by the time the high school was in sight. A cold chill had settled on the ground, despite the fact that it was still fall. "Keep moving," I kept muttering, mostly to myself.

The high school was at the bottom of a hill, and it was built like a fortress, the same reason Maggie chose it. I smiled widely at the sight of the school; it was standing, and from here I could see some lights coming from inside. I hurried towards it, waving at the men to hurry up and follow me. We had just made it to the steps of the high school when the front door swung open.

I opened my mouth to cry out his name, but it died in my throat and didn't matter that much in the end anyway. Daryl leapt down the stairs in one bound and crashed into me, knocking me hard to the ground and his full weight landing on me. I gasped in pain but wrapped my arms around him anyway, a hoarse laughter escaping me.

"What happened to you?" Daryl asked the moment he pulled me back up to my feet.

"From what I've checked out," Siddiq said, coming from behind me. "Her vocal chords suffered the most damage from whatever fight y'all were in. I'm Siddiq by the way."

"Whoever you are," Aaron's voice came from the front door. "Get inside. Don't want any Walkers coming near here."

I reached up and brushed Daryl's hair out of his face, staring at his bright blue eyes. Eliza. I wanted to ask about Eliza. I barely started to mouth her name when Daryl started nodding.

"She's here." Daryl whispered. "She's here and she's safe and she's going to lose her mind when she sees you. I'm just so happy you're alive, Yankee."

When I mouthed, I love you, Daryl kissed me hard. Carl and the others hurried inside and Daryl practically dragged me inside. "Walkers are really active around here at night." He grunted. "Gotta be careful not to be outside at all once it's dark."

The red, white, and black paint was peeling in fat curls. It smelled musty and damp and there was a puddle of who knows what in the far corner. But Daryl's arm was warm around me and I leaned into him like he was a furnace.

Aaron smiled at our small group of new arrivals. "Daryl, you can show them where everyone is. I'll keep an eye out."

"Thank you," Daryl said, and they nodded deeply at each other. "C'mon. Everyone's gatherin' in the cafeteria. Everyone's got an assigned classroom to sleep in. Families are stickin' together. Eliza and I have been bunkin' with Presley, waiting for you and Sam to get back."

"Who's missing?" I asked, my voice weak.

Daryl paused and looked at Carl. "Rick hasn't shown up yet. Neither has Morgan, a handful from Alexandria, and Negan. We been assumin' you were all together."

Carl looked worried for one moment before shaking his head. "My dad is fine. He'll be able to make it here without any problem." Daryl nodded in agreement and we reached a set of closed double doors. The doors swung open and instantly, I was met with what looked like a sea of people.

There was a long moment before people looked up, and in that moment I got to see everyone. Sher and Davis were sitting with some couples from the Hilltop and Kingdom. I saw Alyson bouncing Boyd on her lap, smiling and laughing at him with Mark sitting nearby. Abraham and Sasha both looked beat up, but they were together and sitting with Father Gabriel. There was Lydia, and she was sitting and talking with Enid and Lillian of all people. Maggie sat with people from all four communities, listening to all of them talk.

That's when I saw Dwight and Laura, talking with Magna and Yumiko. Eliza was sitting on Dwight's lap. "Oh my God." I mumbled, and as I talked, Carl rushed into the crowd, moving straight towards where Lydia was sitting. Sam darted off, shouting Presley's name at the top of his lungs. Daryl nudged my back and I was off.

I weaved through people I knew and people I didn't. I was smiling so hard it was hurting my face. I could hear people laughing and clapping as I ran through them. Dwight was already standing by the time I made it to him, and even he was laughing when I skidded to a halt right in front of him.

"Mama!" Eliza screamed the moment she saw me. I was vaguely aware of people chuckling and making crying noises but I ignored them as I took my baby girl from Dwight's arms and into mine. Eliza wrapped her skinny little arms around my neck and I crushed her into me, tears flooded my eyes and fell freely and I still held her close to me, relishing in the smell of her hair and the tightness in which she was holding onto me.

This was home. Wherever this little girl was, this was home.