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"Mama, when is Noah coming back? I wanna show him the comic books!" Connor asked, running up to me. I smiled down at him and ruffled his hair.
"They'll be back soon. I promise." I got down to his level as he hugged me, running off to find Carl.
"They're back," Rick told me after a few minutes of me being by myself. I was pacing. This run was dangerous.
"Okay." I followed the group to the gate, smiling as I saw Eugene. But my smile dropped as they rushed Tara to the infirmary. The look on Glenn's face and a beat-up Nicholas.
"Glenn... where's... where's Noah?" I asked. Everyone turned to me, sadness in their gaze. Tears filled my eyes as I clutched my stomach.
"No. No. Where is he?" I became hysterical. He was just a kid.
"Kat." Glenn grabbed me, pulling me into a tight hug.
"God, no... Glenn, I'm so sorry." They were close; I saw them bond many times. I was shaking, angry at the loss of my friend.
"What am I going to tell Connor?" I asked, looking at everyone. Some let their eyes fall to the floor, and others gave me pained looks. Connor was very close to everyone in camp, especially the kids.
"Let's go home. Come on." Rick guided Glenn and me to the house; it was getting dark.
"Tell us what happened," Rick asked Glenn, kneeling over the man.
"I saw the grenades. I tried to stop him. He was going to run. But we made him stay. Couldn't get Aiden out of there without help. All he had to do was hold the door. But he panicked. Noah, I had him. I had his hand. I tried. I watched him die." Glenn spoke sadly with a blank face. I was crying silently.
"I almost left him out there. Could have told a story. What, you think I should have?" Glenn asked. I had a hand on his shoulder, sniffling as I consoled him.
"They don't know what they're doing. Any of them."
"We'll show them." Glenn countered.
"I don't know if they can see it. How things really are. I don't know if they can yet. They haven't caught up."
"We have to be here," I told him.
"We have to," Glenn said.
"Yeah, we do. But their rules, we don't answer to them." Rick told us; I shook my head.
"We are them, Rick. We are now." Glenn said firmly.
"Noah, he believed in this place. I'm telling you, we gotta make this work." Rick walked off on that note, me placing my head on Glenn's shoulder.
"I am... so sorry," I told him, fresh tears pricking my eyes.
"It's okay... I'll... I'll manage." He told me. I gave him a weak smile, nodding my head.
