Shambles- The Walking Dead [Alden x Maggie] [1/2]

20- Just a bed

"I can just crash on that chair over there." He pointed to the armchair shoved into the corner of the room. "That'll be more than enough."

"It's just a bed and I want you well rested for tomorrow. It doesn't mean anything." Maggie insisted.

He stared down at the king sized bed and sighed. "Fine." He huffed and laid down on the bed, on top of the covers. He laid his head down on the pillow and his eyes fell closed instantly. "I forgot how comfortable beds actually were."

"Told you." Maggie hummed. "You gonna take off your shoes, or?" She wasn't confused about him still wearing his clothes because nearly everyone did so due to the constant threat of another attack, but the shoes were still odd.

Alden nodded and hummed, already half way off to sleep. When the next morning rolled around Maggie was one the first people up.

"Hey, wake up. The first group's about to leave." She nudged her leg against Alden's foot.

He opened his eyes. "Hey." He mumbled. He shot right up. "Wait, the first group's about to leave already? Why didn't you wake me up?"

"Because we're not going with the first group." She replied. "Here." She tied a purple ribbon around his upper arm before he really realized what she was doing. "Also I still meant to ask, where the hell did you get that shirt from?"

"Someone gave it to me. Tammy or something I believe?" He wiped his hand down the brown long sleeve dress shirt. "She got mad at me for still wearing my old shirt because it had blood on it."

"Looks good on you." She smiled as she handed him his machine gun.

He stood up and swung the strap over his shoulder. It wasn't long after that they set out to fight, joining with the other group. A couple of people stayed back to protect Hilltop, amongst them Carl and Tara. They walked across a field

"How much further?" Daryl asked.

"We grow closer. Yonder, over the ridge." Ezekiel replied as they carried on walking.

No one was talking and the silence was eerie. The focus was purely on the task at hand. They cut through a bunch of birch trees and then they heard the very familiar sound of the Saviors whistling. Everyone's guns went up, all scanning for where the whistling came from.

"Well, damn, Rick. Pegged again." Negan's voice began, amplified over a megaphone. They were still nowhere to be seen. "Pegged so very hard. I ambushed your ambush with an even bigger ambush."

"How about you step out and face us?" Rick yelled in no direction in particular.

"Oh, I'm everywhere, Rick. Pick a direction to run. See how you do. Make it fun for all of us. Guess what else I did?" He taunted. "I brought some of your old friends. You remember your old buddy Eugene? Well he is the person that made today possible. Same goes for Dwighty boy here. In case you were wondering, he didn't ream you on purpose. No, he is just a gutless nothin' that sucks at life, and now he gets to stand up here and watch you all die, and he's gonna live with that." He held a long serious pause. Probably to let the words sink in on Dwight. "Gabriel, well... he's gotta go too. We are cleaning house today, Rick. And then... there's you. It never had to be a fight. You just had to accept how things are. So, here we go." Another pause. "Congratulations, Rick."

Alden stepped out in front of Maggie to cover her as best as he could. He was still scanning for any signs of the Saviors and so was everyone else.

"3!" Negan began to count down. "2!" A long pause to let the tension grow. Gun men appeared at the top of the ridge. "1!" And all the guns fired. But instead of everyone getting riddled with bullets the guns exploded in their faces. Some dropped to the ground either dead or in pain. There was a weird moment where no one really knew what happened or how to react.