No Looking Back {Book Two}

17

After awhile, we arrived at Alexandria. Michonne appeared on the watch platform.

"Henry and Maddie are hurt. You were closest." Daryl said.

"What about her?" Michonne asked.

"She's with us." Henry said. Me and Daryl nodded, telling her that Lydia is with us. She then turned and they started talking.

"Open it!" Michonne shouted. The gate opened and we went inside. Henry was getting his leg stitched while I was getting my arm stitched.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" I asked him.

"Yeah it does." He said.

"Just talk to me and it'll keep your mind off the pain, that's what I do." I said.

"Okay. But what do we talk about?" He said.

"Anything. Like what you would be doing if the apocalypse didn't happen." I said.

"I'll probably still be in school." He said, before wincing. "What about you Maddie?" He asked.

"I'll be working at a full time job and hunting with my brother. I miss those days." I said. "But yet I wouldn't have Judith, Liam, and RJ." I said.

"Who are they?" Lydia asked.

"My kids." I said.

"I didn't know you had kids. You look too young to be a mother." She said.

"I'm not as young as you think I am." I said, wincing.

"How old are you?" She asked.

"I'm 41." I said, making her shocked. "Do I really look that young?" I asked.

"Yeah, you do." She said.

"I achieved my mission then. I've always tried to look younger." I said.

"Okay you're all done." The nurse that was stitching me said.

"You are too Henry." The other nurse said. We then walked outside, well, I was helping Henry outside and he sat on the step.

"Hey Laura, looking as good as ever." I said.

"And you look badass like always." She said.

"I have to be. People has to know not to mess with me." I said. "It's like I'm invincible. It's hard to kill me but what do you expect from a Dixon." I said.

"You Dixon's are some strong sons a bitches." She said, chuckling with me joining along.

"Are you two together?" Lydia asked.

"No. It does look like that, doesn't it?" I said.

"Yeah it does." She said.

"We're just best friends even though we hated each other before." I said.

"I hated your guts." She said.

"I hated your guts more." I said. We then started to bicker like we always do. After our bickering stopped with us laughing at each other, I walked away and I saw Daryl and Judith in the distance. I smiled at the sight.

It was soon dark and Daryl was leaving with Connie, Henry, and Lydia to go to the Kingdom. Daryl walked over and hugged me and of course I hugged him back.

"Please be safe Daryl." I said.

"I will. You be safe too." He said, pulling away.

"I will." I said. They soon left and I walked to the house with the kids. We were sitting around the table eating dinner.

"Mommy, can I have more tomatoes?" RJ asked.

"Can I have more too mom?" Liam asked.

"Yeah. Here you go." I said, putting more tomatoes on their plates. "Judith. Eat your food don't poke it." I said.

"Sorry mom." She said. "I'm not that hungry. Can I go up to my room?" She said.

"Yeah. Wrap your food and put it away before you do, alright?" I said.

"Okay mom." She said, getting up and walking away.

The sun was soon coming up and I was laying in my bed tossing and turning. I can't stand Judith being mad at me, so I got out of bed and walked her door then knocked on it.

"Judith? Listen, I understand you're upset. Can we talk?" I said. I wasn't getting any response and so I opened the door to see her bed made but didn't see her.

I quickly got dressed and left the house and went to Negan.

"Negan, has Judith been down here today?" I asked him.

"I haven't seen her. Not since yesterday." He told me. I looked down, more worried.

"What does she talk to you about?" I asked, trying to stay calm.

"Nothing really. Just chit-chat." He said.

"Please be more specific." I said.

"Homework sometimes, as you know. Other times how much she misses her Uncle Daryl whenever he's gone. She likes hearing stories about her dad and Carl. And you know I wouldn't lie to her since she can tell if I'm lying." He said. "I let her know that she's just a badass like Carl was. How he got into the Sanctuary and shot up a bunch of my men. How her dad ninja-sliced my jugular. They're all old stories, Maddie. But they're new to her." He said.

"Why do you tell her these things?" I asked.

"She likes listening to me talk. The point is, she comes down here to talk to me because I'm straight forward with her." He said.

"Did you tell her what you did to Glenn and Abraham?" I asked.

"I'm always honest with her. She asks me questions and I answer them. She's heard those stories too." He said. "He hates that Michonne isn't letting new people in. She thinks things should be like Carl thought they should be in the letter he wrote to her." He said.

"Why doesn't she talk to me? She's my daughter." I said.

"She is your daughter and she has her own ideas about how things should be." He said. "Wait. You didn't come down here because you were curious. You came down here because you don't know where she is. Maybe she's like her mother and she's not taking shit lying down." He said.

I was running to her room and I opened the box next to the door and found a note that said:

Mom,
I'm sorry but I need to go.
Our friends need help.
- Judith

I crumpled the paper and ran to grab my gun and knife then went out to look for her.