"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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JASE
The chill in the wind sent goosebumps down Jase's arms despite the jacket covering him. He was by no means a stranger to the cold, but that didn't mean he was particularly fond of it. This was only the very beginning of winter (autumn, technically) anyway. Once snow fell, he'd have more grumblings to give to the world.
The warmth of Barrington House seeped into his bones as he entered the building. He breathed a sigh of relief as he traversed silently up the stairs and down the halls.
Not many places had been untouched by the war. Barrington House was not one of those sites. It had become the deathbed for Hilltoppers, Alexandrians, and Kingdomers alike. If one looked hard enough, they'd be able to find specks of blood that refused to be cleaned away after that infection spread.
Even now when Jase thought about what the Saviors had done, bile would rise to his throat. What sort of sick monsters would coat their weapons in walker blood? Monsters who were fully aware of their actions. Monsters who still had a beating heart but no soul to go along with it.
Yet not all Saviors were monsters.
The sound of two familiar voices reached Jase's ears, pausing his steps. They came from the room toward the end of the hall―the office.
"...not sendin' food to that place without something in return," Maggie said.
"Rick said that they'll have ethanol to give," Jesus replied, calm as ever. Jase moved closer to the shut door, checking his surroundings to make sure he could escape if he needed to.
"And when will we get the fuel?" Maggie asked.
There was a beat of silence before Jesus answered, "Not until after winter." Maggie scoffed. "They just need to get through these few months, then they'll be able to produce the fuel."
"So we're expected to feed all those people all winter with nothin' in return?"
"No. Rick only needs us to give the Sanctuary a few deliveries of food. Alexandria and the Kingdom will help supply the rest."
"Jesus, we are still recoverin' from the Saviors nearly destroying the Hilltop. We can't go sending off our food supply," Maggie shot back, irritation evident in her voice.
