crooked heart → the walking dead ⁵

[ 022 ] alpha's return.

— CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO.
alpha's return.

THE CONSEQUENCES OF PASSING onto Alpha's land presents itself the next day. Alexandria is hit by herds of walkers that come from every direction, they come to every gate. The herds grow in size as the hours pass.

The Alexandrians work in shifts. Sleep becomes a distant memory as the day turns night. Every passing second is spent killing the walkers at their gates.

Theo's hair is pulled back, half up and half down. He hates to have his hair pulled up but Rosita and Jax forced him. He can't deny that it has helped keep his hair out of his face while he continuously uses his knife to stab the walkers. But now, after four excruciating hours of killing, he sheathes his knife. His hair is disheveled, his baby hairs are plastered to his sweaty face with longer strands stuck to his neck. His face is speckled with blood.

He looks to Mara, who is standing at the front of everyone with her knife in hand. She doesn't stop. She's relentless in her killing. Her blonde hair is pulled back into a fishtail braid. Blood stains her arms, hands, and face.

"Hey," Theo starts. "Mara."

She stops for a split second, blue eyes meeting his. They keep eye contact for all of three seconds before she turns away and continues her killing of her mother's walkers.

Mara knows of his past with his younger sister. There's a part of her that understands both sides. But Odessa welcomed her and Lydia without hesitating despite who their mother is and what she's done. Theo is the one that practically told Siddiq to let Odessa die when he saw her in the infirmary bed. So, Mara takes Odessa's side.

Theo scoffs to himself. Still, he walks back towards the crowd and grabs Mara's shoulder. This time, her eyes are angry when they meet his.

"What do you want?" She snaps.

Theo takes her anger in stride. "When's the last time you slept?"

"It don't matter," she pulls away from him swiftly. "I'm fine. Let me do this."

"You need sleep." He shakes his head. "You'll get sloppy out here if you don't and that's when someone gets hurt."

"God, Theo! Don't you get it? My mom is the one doing this!" Mara cries. "People are already getting hurt because of me!"

"Hey!" Gabriel calls out to them. Both Mara and Theo turn to look at the head of Alexandria's council. "We don't need anymore walkers or any distractions out here. So, both of you go home."

Both of them open their mouthes to argue.

"Now!"

Both of them leave.

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"Odessa," comes the voice of Alden. The woman looks up from the papers in front of her. Being leader of the Hilltop is difficult. "Daryl's on the radio. He's asking for you."

Sighing, Odessa puts aside her duties and stands. She and Alden walk alongside each other as they reach the radio. She takes a seat in the chair. She grabs the radio and brings it to her mouth.