THE ROMANTICIST | C. GRIMES

05 | CHAPTER TWO

The sounds of explosions, gunshots, trucks rumbling and yelled arguments didn't let up for hours. They heard Negan calling everyone to round up and the trucks rumbling away down the road, but still nobody moved. It wasn't until after Rick's watch hit six in the morning that Daryl poked his head out inside of Alexandria. A few walkers, smoldering ruins and still uncleared smoke, but no Saviors.

"We shouldn't move everyone just yet." Daryl said as people began to move. "Some could've stayed behind. Should check the place out first."

"Yeah, alright." Rick nodded, thinking for a moment. "Daryl, Rosita, Tara, Tobin, Scott. You got it?" The five agreed, Rosita and Tara standing from where they were.

"I'll go too." Mollie said, her voice light as she watched the five start to group up down the sewer near the Alexandria exit. Carl had fallen asleep on her shoulder, his head stirring lightly as she talked. "I've gotta check if it's still there. It can't survive outside of the right conditions for very long."

"Your ankle is broken." Michonne shook her head. "You're not going anywhere."

"No one else can take care of it. I have to be the one." Mollie argued. "I can still shoot a gun, even if my ankles broken." With that, Mollie began to shift Carl off of her. Michonne sighed, shifting in the low water to help her move Carl and stand up.

"If you move wrong even once it could be permanently effected." Siddiq spoke up. "I can't recommend you leave."

"I have to." Mollie glanced back at Carl. "I'll be back." Michonne nodded, keeping a hold of her shoulders for another moment before letting her go. Mollie wasn't exactly steady on her feet, but she was a lot stronger than she should've been. The others had already started up the ladder, Tara being the only one left by the time Mollie had made it there herself.

"C'mon, I'll help you." Tara offered. Mollie mumbled a thanks and after an uncomfortable climb, she steadied herself on the burnt grass. As Tara climbed up and Daryl pushed the manhole cover back into place, Mollie looked around. Burning cars sat in the streets, more than a few rows of houses were reduced to smoldering ashes, the church was left much the same, and there was a large hole in the wall where the others had broken through. It didn't look like the Alexandria Mollie had once uncomfortably walked into.

"Pair up and move out." Daryl said, pulling his crossbow off his back. "Search the buildings that are left, and other hidey-holes you know about. Make sure there ain't none left." Naturally, people paired off until Mollie and Daryl were left standing there.

"I need to get to Carl's house." Mollie said, turning back to look at him. "I need to check if that plants still there, still in tact."

"Right." Daryl sounded almost amused, and he began walking straight. Mollie hobbled after him, managing to catch up due to Daryl's slow pace. "That magical shit you gave Carl."

"It's part of it." Mollie nodded. "There's a lot more out there than you humans ever realized. Not just magic, either."

"What'd you mean you humans? You ain't dead so ain't you human?"

"Again, such a human way to think." She couldn't help but chuckle lightly. "Just because I look human, doesn't mean I am. There's a reason I can do magic and you, a human, can't. You can't learn it, either. It's just ours."

"So what else is there?" He didn't sound amused, and he didn't sound like he believed her.

"And spoil the mystery? Where's the fun in that." She snorted. He scoffed, and they fell silent. A pair of walkers were looming around the front of the Grimes house. Daryl shot an arrow into one of them, Mollie throwing her knife forward before Daryl could get another arrow loaded. "The hell you learn that at?"

"The Kingdom." She shrugged as they walked forward, each retrieving something from each of the walkers. "Maybe you would know if you'd stayed for more than 24 hours." He grunted in response, walking ahead of her and pushing the front door open. She hurried after him, pausing in the doorway. The living room was torn apart, and she could see a few cupboards open. "Shit, shit, shit..." Hurried whispers flew past her lips as she hobbled into the house and past Daryl who was poking his head around the living room. She rounded the corner to the kitchen, and her heart dropped.

"Oh no!" This was enough to catch Daryl's attention as she hurried into the kitchen. Smashed against the wall and then the ground sat the clay pot and the dead plant. "Someone smashed it hours ago." She breathed, her knees hitting the ground with a hard thud.

"Rick said he and Negan had some kinda fight in here." Daryl said, checking out the broken window on the side of the house. "Mighta been him."

"It's dead." Her voice was flat. "Nothing I can do."

"Get up then, we gotta clear the place and get back." Daryl waited, not seeing her move. "I said let's go." She still didn't move. He sighed, giving up and starting up the stairs. She sat back off her knees, her back hitting against the counter island. She stared at the dirt splayed across the kitchen floor, her hands reaching out to push it around. She lifted her hand back up and stared a the dirt pressed into her skin, a flash of Ben's grave in her mind. Her hand clenched into a fist as she pushed it into her lap, squeezing her eyes shut as a tear came out. And then, she heard the garage door squeak open.