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It's A Long And Winding Road To Meet My Own Death

I didn't realise how quiet it would be out here. It was just me and the road for a long time. I was so lonely I almost smiled when a walker ambled towards me.

Heading to Hilltop on foot seemed like a good idea, the most efficient means of travel. When Carol disappeared, they noticed she stole the car from the gates. I wondered where she went, why she left. I knew it was something to do with what happened that day at the outpost, the reason she was so reluctant to kill the Saviors. If she knew what they did now, would she change her mind? If she knew what they did to Abraham and Glenn-

I scolded myself for even thinking about it. I didn't want to think about it, I was on a mission. Save Daryl, kill Negan. The memories of that night didn't fuel the fire inside me, if anything they dampened it. But my mind had a way of wandering when there was nothing around to stop it.

I brought my sword down on the walkers skull when it reached me, watching the two halves tumble to the ground with the rest of its body. I scrunched up my nose at the sight, noticing the blood and brain matter seeping into the dirt and stones. The thought made me shiver. No matter how hard I tried, Negan's violent acts still forced their way to the front of my mind.

I nodded once at Gabriel, allowing him to shut the gate behind me. All I had was my sword and some string, but that was all I needed. I crept into the woods, keeping my footsteps light as they shuffled through the leaves. My hand trailed along the metal wall of Alexandria, following it round to the other side until I stopped unexpectedly.

"You lost, kid?" I let out a chuckle when I saw Abraham sitting on a fallen tree, a cracker midway to his mouth as he raised his eyebrows at me.

"I'm hunting. We're running low on food in there, thought I could help out." I told him. It wasn't often that I went out by myself, but Daryl was showing Aaron how to fix the bike today.

"Hunting, huh? Well, I already caught mine." He held up his cracker and I grinned, watching him take a bite. I glanced up at the wall, seeing the construction crew taking their break inside the walls.

"You like it out here?" I asked. It seemed like the only logical reason for him coming out here to eat his lunch. At his nod, I made a suggestion. "Wanna tag along? I'm heading down to the river, gonna try for some fish."

His smile turned into a thoughtful frown before he got to his feet, finishing his food and shoving the empty lunch box in his bag. "Why the hell not?" He agreed, following me into the woods.

I pulled a limp branch to the ground, tying a noose in both ends of the string before attaching it to the tree. Abraham watched intently, his fingers rubbing his chin as he focused.

"You can't tell Daryl I'm showing you this. It feels like I'm sharing family secrets or something." I muttered, my voice hinting at a joke.

"How'd you wind up together, anyway?" He asked after a moment of silence. I supposed we were an odd pairing, but that's just how family worked.

I shrugged, finishing the funnel of leaves and dusting my hands off. "We were at the same camp in Atlanta. He actually kinda scared me when we first met. But I guess I grew on him."

"How'd you come to be...who you are to each other?" He questioned with a curious glance. I thought about what he was asking for a second, trying to figure it out myself.

"Before the world ended, I thought my family was who I was stuck with. But then, it all went to shit and I realised my family could be whoever I wanted it to be. It was a choice I could make. So I chose Daryl. And Glenn, Maggie, Carl. This group is my family now."