𝐄𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬, 𝐁𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 | TWD [Book 1]

LXVIII. The Reminder

The rumble of the Saviors' truck echoes through the gates of Alexandria, Madeleine leads the way, her bike cutting through the silence like a blade as she approaches the waiting figures of. As she dismounts, removing her helmet, shock flashes across their faces, their apprehension palpable in the air. Simon, Alita, and Keisha follow suit, emerging from the truck to stand beside Madeleine with smug expressions.

Simon's smirk is like a slap in the face as Madeleine's gaze meets her siblings'. "Rick," Simon acknowledges, his eyes flickering toward Esperanza. "And... hello again, Esperanza." His chuckle rings hollow in the air as he gestures towards Madeleine. "Your daughter is worried about her man."

"Negan took Daryl," Rick points out, his voice strained with frustration.

"He's escaped," Madeleine chimes in, stepping forward to stand toe to toe with her father, her gaze never wavers as she holds Rick's stare. "He wouldn't happen to have come home, right? 'Cause that's incredibly stupid."

Rick exhales heavily, a weary sigh escaping his lips as he meets Madeleine's unwavering gaze. "Mads,—," he begins, his voice trailing off as he searches for the right words.

"Rick," she says his name with the same detached tone to the way they once were, back when the world hadn't yet crumbled around them. "If he's here, tell us now. Negan doesn't like when anyone lies to him, especially you."

Carl steps forward, his voice steady as he faces his sister. "He's not here."

Madeleine turns her steely gaze towards two soldiers, "You two, go to my room. I want it empty and back at my place." Her tone brooks no argument as shifts her attention to Simon, who has been keeping an eye on Esperanza. "Simon," she snaps, her voice sharp with anger, "take the group and go around the houses. Every single one of them." Her jaw clenches in frustration as she locks eyes with Rick once more. "We'll find Daryl. There are only so many places he could hide."

Simon and the soldiers march away, their footsteps echoing ominously against the backdrop of uncertainty. As the rest of the soldiers follow her commands, Keisha, Alita, and Arat, along with two other soldiers, remain stationed behind her, their guns held firmly in their grasp.

Michonne furrows her eyebrows, her gaze scanning Madeleine up and down with a mix of concern and fear. "What did he do to you?"

"Negan made me his right-hand man," Madeleine responds coolly, her tone betraying no hint of remorse. "Some people didn't agree with it," she adds with a nonchalant shrug, her gaze flickering briefly to the soldiers behind her. "Yet, look at them now."

Esperanza's voice cuts through the air as she steps closer to her sister. "He's your husband," she asserts, her words laden with emotion. "Wherever he is, if he knows you're there... he'll try to save you."