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THE GROUP WAS DEMORALIZED and broken. Losing Beth symbolized the very idea that they had dreaded since the beginning of the apocalypse: was there good left in this world? What hope was there for a new life... a good life? They had buried her body under a willow tree. It was beautiful, peaceful, and quiet. Gabriel had spoken some words of God at the brief funeral, but all who were there could not process them. What God could have let this happen? Maggie kept to herself, crying. Even Glenn left her alone. Murphy had no tears left to shed.
Night had fallen quickly, and time seemed to have sped up since it happened. Rick had started a small fire in the center of a camp they had set up. The fire did not do much, however, since there was no food to cook. The group sat silently, save for Rick and Noah having a quiet conversation to the side. Daryl was gone. Murphy looked for him, but he had wandered too far. When she returned from her searching, she decided to catch up with her group... and find out why D.C. did not work out.
Abraham sat leaning against a tree trunk with Rosita in his arms. Murphy made her way towards them, her boots crunching in the crisp leaves. She sat next to the pair without words, her arms propped upon her bent knees as she stared into the flickering flames of the dying fire.
"What happened?" she asked, not turning to her friends.
The two were silent before Rosita spoke up, "Eugene lied, Murph."
That was enough to break Murphy's gaze away from the flames. Her head turned slowly, her eyes wide, "What?"
Rosita's gaze connected with hers, and she gripped one of Abraham's arms lightly, "There's nothing in Washington. Nothing."
Murphy's sight dropped to the ground, her open hands clenching into tight fists. She was angry at Eugene. She was angry at the world. She was angry about Washington. She was angry about Beth. She felt as if everything was slowly falling apart around her. But suddenly, her fists loosened. She felt a release... a weight lifted off of her shoulders. Eugene's lie was what allowed her to survive the past few months. It was not only what brought her to Rosita and Abraham, but to Rick's group. Glenn, Michonne... Daryl. She would never have met them if it wasn't for Eugene. She looked back up at Rosita and Abraham, who were staring at her, expecting a reaction.
"Okay," she whispered.
"Okay?" Rosita asked incredulously. "Murph, he lied. About everything."
"I know," Murphy replied, dragging her feet in the dirt. "But that kept us alive."
Abraham remained stoic, not even turning to face his companion. His voice was cold, "Where the hell did you go the night before?"
