Spider Monkey

Chapter Eighty - Four - Adaptation

After Negan's death, a sense of peace washed over the communities. Maggie and baby Hershel were around in Alexandria more often. Michonne stayed longer. And Carl smiled more, much to the happiness of Hedley. He loved Carl's smile.

Life went on and when it did, it flourished.

But Daryl still ventured out to find Rick. Hedley worried for his father but he knew that his place was where Carl and Judith were. He had to stay within the walls of Alexandria, but he wished he could get Daryl to stay too.

But soon enough, a new threat emerged.

Jesus was killed and Tara, Daryl and Michonne managed to get one of the people that contributed to it. A teenage girl. They locked her in the cage that once held Negan. And Hedley went in to watch the interrogation beside his father.

"No more bullshit!" Michonne yelled, getting into the crying girl's face.

Hedley looked at his father for answers. Daryl showed him the face skin of a walker. It looked like a halloween mask worn before the world went to shit. Hedley's eyes widened.

"I already told you!" She cried.

"How many more of you are there?"

"They're all dead." She sobbed, "My family's dead. Please just stop!"

"Not until you start answering our questions!" Michonne snapped.

Tara came in, more controlled, "Your name. Start with your name."

"I told you, I don't have one." The girl said, "None of us do. None of us did. That's not how it worked."

"How did it work?"

The girl continued to cry, shaking her head.

Daryl then spoke from behind the bars, "Why do you wear their skins?"

"They were... They were good people. We were good. It's what we did to live. That's... That's all we wanted to do. Live."

Tara scoffed, "Oh, you're saying you had to do this?"

"You wouldn't understand."

Michonne growled, "Then make us understand. What the hell were you doing?"

"We... We were just trying to see if they were good people, too." She cried, "But then you attacked us, and now they're dead. They're all dead. And I don't have anything."

"What did your people know about us? Do they know about this place?" Michonne demanded, getting into the girl's face once more.

"I don't know! I don't know. I don't know anything." She said, sobbing harder, "They didn't tell me anything. Please stop asking me. Just leave me alone, please. Please just leave me alone."

Knowing they'll not get anything more from her, they left her and went back up into the street, making sure to lock the doors behind them.

"I don't trust a word coming out of her mouth." Michonne said.

"We'll get it out of her. Try again in the morning." Tara said.

"Not you." Michonne said to Tara, "I need you to go to Hilltop, tell them what happened. I need everyone's eyes and ears in this."

Tara nodded, "You've got it." Then she left.

"We'll get it out of her." Daryl promised.

Michonne nodded, "Keeping her here is a risk. You know that. We all do."

"Yeah. I know."

Hedley then spoke up, "She's not going to talk to either of you."

Daryl shook his head and was about to interject but Hedley kept going.