All I need

Time Will Tell

So, I know the biggest question is: What the fuck happened to Gabe?! So, I've implied that Gabe has indeed died prior to the events of this story, but I will fully explain it in the next chapter😄 Chapter Cover by a Tumblr user.

James's POV - 2 Months Later

I continue walking through the fields, Northwest from Alexandria. The cool air of fall had starting coming through the area. I sigh, running my hand through my dark brown locks, my walker mask in my other hand. I look around the area, seeing nothing but baren land...And bullet shells? I walk over and pick up what I thought was a shell. Sure enough, it was a shotgun shell.

I sniffed it, it was fired recently from the smell. The last thing I wanted was to accidently walk into a war. I get up to walk away from the direction of bullets but before I can even take a step, I remember the conversation I had with AJ and Tenn.

Flashback

AJ pulls me towards the other young boy who appeared to be drawing something on paper. The boy who Clem had told me was called Tennesse, 'Tenn' for short looked up at us. "Hi AJ and...James?" I nod as a response. "Hey, Tenn? Can James and I watch you draw?" Tenn nods and we sit down on the ground across from him.

I catch Tenn glancing at my masked face every now and then. "Something wrong?" I ask, causing Tenn to stop drawing. "AJ told me about why you wear walker skin, and that you can survive without killing any. I've just never met someone so, passive before." I remain silent and Tenn continues drawing. "My sisters, Minnie and Sophie, they would kill walkers without hesitation if it was for the good of the group", Tenn pauses, "I could never do that, and Marlon yelled at me one time because I couldn't kill a walker when Brody was in danger."

Marlon...I didn't knew much outside of what Clem told me; he was the leader but his secret of trading Tenn's sisters for safety from Delta came to light, and...

I look down at AJ, who tilts his head at me. I chuckle, pushing that thought out of my mind and tickling him. AJ laughs and tries to swat my hands away to no avail. Tenn watches us, holding back laughs. After I finish playing around with AJ, Tenn asks the question that had been on his mind.

"Can you teach me how to be like you, so I don't have to kill walkers?"

I stiffen up. Be like me? I look at Tenn, his eyes hopeful. "I can teach you the basics. Rock throwing and sneaking around" Tenn smiles, "That'd be great! Thank you." "But listen. I've killed walkers. Only if I had no other option" Tenn nods, "I know, I just don't want killing them to be my only option of survival." I smiled, this kid was open-minded. I like that.

The next hour or so is spent with me observing the two of them draw. I notice one of the finished drawings on the floor at Tenn's feet had what appeared to be two girls and a boy in the middle of them. They were all holding hands, with smiles on their faces. "Are they your sisters?", Tenn stops what he was doing to look down at the photo I was referring to. He picks it up, fingers running over the paper.

"Yes. Now that I know they're still alive, I'll save them!" Tenn states, determination filling his gaze. His sisters, taken by Delta one year ago to fight a war that wasn't theirs to fight.

Could they even still be alive?

Flashback Ends

I close my eyes and with a heavy sigh, walk towards the remains of dead walkers and bullets. If Minnie and Sophie are still alive, I'll find them.

Clem's POV

I pulled the potatoes from the ground, being sure to plant one back. I glance up to make sure AJ is replanting the carrots correctly beforing returning to my section of the farm. Two months had pass by so quickly. Everyone adjusted nicely to the new routine. Rose had started working with Alexandria's doctor, Aasim still kept daily records of our lives, Willy would help Omar in the kitchen, Tenn's the local artist, and Louis and Vi were still the same old nerds.