"𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘥."
It was a chant Madalyn Taylor told herself every day. Every day since the world ended. She didn't believe it most times, but if she said it enough times it had to come true at some point. Right?
"𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦."
...
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Going beyond the walls was dangerous. It always had been. Any time someone stepped outside of the gates, there were risks. There had been risks back at the prison, and there were risks at Alexandria. It was dangerous, but it was also a necessity. Even more so now with their dwindling supplies and the shadow of Negan looming over their heads every damn moment.
After Negan's first visit to Alexandria, they were left with practically nothing. Just enough to keep surviving. In order to satisfy Negan, they needed to get more supplies. And the only way to do that was to go beyond the walls and scavenge.
Madalyn hadn't left Alexandria since she went with Daryl to avenge Denise. And that had ended with two men dead and Daryl taken as a hostage. She was terrified to step outside of those gates, but the second she heard about the supply run Rick and Aaron were going to take, she volunteered to go with them.
"You should come with us," Rick said to Carl who was throwing darts at a dartboard, all of them missing. Madalyn had a backpack on her shoulders and her sword at her hip. She had her other knives in their respective spots. She, Rick, and Aaron were ready to go, but Rick had been trying to convince Carl to come with them for a bit.
"Someone's got to be here for Judith," Carl replied.
"There's people who want to help," Rick remarked. "We'll only be gone a few days at the most. We need supplies. They're gonna be coming back soon."
"Is this how it's gonna be now?" Carl snapped.
"Yes. It is. You know that."
Carl went forward to grab the darts stuck to the wall as he sighed. "See you in a few days."
Rick looked back at Madalyn, Aaron, and Michonne―Michonne wasn't going either. "We should get going," he stated.
"Bye, Carl," Madalyn said softly. He glanced back at her, his eye saddened. She waved, but he barely waved back. He'd been angrier since Abraham and Glenn were killed. Madalyn didn't fault him for that. She understood completely. She only wished he would talk to her like she talked to him. She worried he would do something he would surely regret.
Madalyn followed Rick and Aaron out of the room. The two men stopped at the top of the stairs, and Aaron told Rick, "We'll meet you downstairs." Madalyn walked beside Aaron as they descended the stairs, sending one quick look back at Rick and Michonne.
