We're The Ones Who Live | The Walking Dead (2)

Part 45 - Faith and Family

None of them were able to get much rest that night. They stayed in the barn going over their plan to get to Alexandria and find the others. Then at first light, with barely a couple of hours of sleep between them, the group set off. 

CJ was angry more than she was afraid. Alexandria had been her home, and the home of her family for years. It was where Carl was buried, along with many others they had lost. Hearing that the Commonwealth had taken it over and were using it as some kind of labour camp for the people who spent years building the place up from scratch, sent a rage firing through CJ's body.

 She wanted Pamela Milton to pay for what she'd done, taking their lives away from them. But she didn't want it to be a war. 

She didn't want to see the Commonwealth raised to the ground, as the thousands of residents who lived there were innocent people just trying to get by. This wasn't like the Saviors or the Whisperers, where the entire group shared the same opinion that they needed to fight. 

The whole situation kind of reminded CJ of the war her people had many years ago with the Governor of Woodbury. A community that had potential to reach out and be better, the make the world a better and safer place for the ones who were still lost, was being run by yet another big-headed leader who refused to see a future where everyone lived together as one. 

CJ swore to herself that this would be her last fight. The last time she let anyone mess with her or her family. Once she had taken down Pamela and the whole government that ran the Commonwealth, CJ was ready to be done with wars. 

But not yet. 

Her and the others had made it down the tracks, close by to Alexandria. The windmill was out of use, the fire damage from months ago looking a little cleaned up now. Daryl and CJ stood together, hiding int he thick, yet bare shrubbery, having finally located their people. 

They couldn't hear much of what was happening down there, but Daryl watched through binoculars as their friends carried heavy wood and logs, walking around with wheelbarrows of stones, and moving slowly, clearly tired. It wasn't just their people either. There were about a hundred folks down there, many of them, the Dixons didn't know or recognise. Just more people from the Commonwealth who must have stepped out of line. 

CJ's eyes landed on Negan, and she watched as he went over to a trooper and started talking to him. After a moment, another trooper came over and shoved the butt of hid rifle into Negan's stomach to get him to back off. 

This triggered Annie to drop what she was carrying and run over, trying to help her husband. One of the troopers shoved her, tackling her to the ground and keeping his arms around her as he dragged her away. 

"Negan!" she shouted out, struggling in the trooper's hold. Negan was trapped on the ground whilst the other trooper held a gun to his head, and he had to watch as his wife was pushed away. 

Ezekiel, Magna, Princess, and many of the others tried to be seen to keep working as they watched the scene before them play out, unaware that CJ and Daryl were watching from higher up in the distance. 

"We should get back to the others," Daryl spoke quietly, careful not to be heard. 

"Not everyone is here," CJ asked in a whisper, still watching the group down below. "Where could the kids be?"

"I don't know," Daryl said softly, placing his hand on his wife's back. "C'mon."

The two of them snuck around through the woods, getting away from Alexandria without being heard or spotted by the guards. There was a strong breeze, and CJ shivered, pulling the materiel of her washed green jacket tighter across her front, doing up the buttons. Daryl noticed and put his arm around her, pulling her close and rubbing her arm to try and warm her up. With her arms folded, CJ leaned against him, and he kissed the top of her head whilst the walked. Twigs snapped beneath their feet, and the wind howled as a gust blew into their faces.