The Replacement

Part Fourteen

Warning: violence, death and swearing

*******

It wasn't long before Alpha's horde had reached Hilltop and with a blink of an eye the battle between the Hilltop and the Whisperers began as Daryl at the rest of them fought like hell for their survival.

Negan, along while Alpha stood a distance from the battlefield as they watched Hilltop begin to burn. "I thought you wanted them to join us" Negan looks at her as she steps up to him with a lit arrow.

"They will..." Alpha responds stepping closer to him, "as part of my horde."

Negan shocked at what he just heard, quickly composes himself then, "Holy-shit-" Negan grins down at her, "you are a badass..."

Negan was standing inline with the rest of the Whisperers; bow and flaming arrow in hand, taking one last look at Alpha and with a heavy sigh, he turns to raise his weapon and fires and within an instant the entire Hilltop was ablaze with fire from all directions.

The fires soon became too huge to handle and along with the number of Walkers that kept coming, the Hilltop's residents had no choice but to flee.

*****

It was the next morning when those that had survived the destruction of Hilltop slowly started showing up at the gates of Alexandria.

You were busy giving out instruction to those helping the survivors when you noticed Daryl, along with the children and a few others enter through the gates.

"Judith! R.J!" you rush up to hug them, "thank God the two of you are ok!"

Daryl steps up to you, "hey..." and you grab him in for a hug too.

"What happened?" you ask him.

"They set the Hilltop on fire, we had no choice but to retreat" Daryl answers.

"Oh my God!" you gasp out in shock, "I'm glad you guys made it out safe."

"We were lucky" Daryl grunts, "not everyone made it out alive. Has Lydia shown up?"

"No, not yet" you shake your head, fear that something might have happened to her, taking over you then.

"If she doesn't pitch up soon, then I'm going out to look for her" Daryl tries to calm you from panicking. "You seen Carol?"

"No, I haven't" you reply, "you guys should go get checked out and then get some rest."

Daryl nods at you in agreement, leading the kids home and you continue on with what you were busy with.

The survivors were exhausted and a lot of them were wounded, but although there had been some casualties you were extremely relieved that Daryl had followed your orders and that all the children had made it out alive.

You quickly sprang back into action in getting the wounded seen to and making sure that everyone was safely settled in.

It was also during this time that Negan had come across Lydia alone in the forest as she tried to make her back to Alexandria.

*****

Negan and Alpha were alone in the woods, talking as he tries to convince her against killing Lydia. "You still love her..."

Alpha conflictedly stares at the cabin that Negan told her he had Lydia in, she then looks up at him. "I have to do it... because I love her... she will always be my baby..."

Negan steps closer to Alpha as she reaches a hand up to draw him in for a kiss. "Thank you..." Alpha whispers as she pulls away from the kiss and steps around him to head for the cabin.