As his vision picks up, Daryl adjusts himself from laying to upright and examines the room. It was different to the one he remembers himself in. He turns to look at the others in the room, curious to the sounds he could hear.
He's met with Connie and Kelly attempting to prevent bleeding from Luke's amputated leg as it pours out with blood. Magna and Yumiko sob as they try keep him awake and alert. Daryl sighs as he sees the defeat look in their faces as Luke withers away.
Daryl reaches for the bandage on his forehead and tears it off, getting up from the hospital bed as he does, "I'm fine."
Carol stands up as he does, reaching over to him, "Daryl. You're not."
He stays silent, looking at the unconscious body of his niece laying on the hospital bed beside his, the wound in her arm still bleeding helplessly through the rags and towels Carol used in attempts to stop her from bleeding out.
He speaks, "she lost a lotta blood."
Luke's dying sobs fill the gaps of conversation within the room, his friends all crying around him, losing hope for their group member they know and love.
"Come on.. it's okay. Stay with us." Yumiko sobs, holding his hand and running a hand down Luke's cheek.
"My.." Luke splutters, unable to form a sentence.
Carol sighs, looking at Luke die out only a bed away, "all the doctors are gone and the nurses and the medicine.."
Daryl turns to Carol, "where."
"We heard Pamela took everything.. and she's holed up in her gated community and left the rest of the commonwealth to fend for itself." Carol replies, devestated.
"Well then that's where we go." Daryl plans, looking at her with her serious manner.
"Too many troopers." Carol reminds, looking down at Judith. "Hoping to find somebody to get us in without a fight.."
"Mercer?" Daryl asks, "he knows people on the inside. What about him?"
"Yeah, Max thinks so. There's a team after him. Some of the others are out looking for the kids and then they'll meet us back here."
"What then? Are we jus' waitin?"
"No, we are going to take care of her and you.." Carol smiles weakly as she looks at Daryl but her smile fades as her attention returns to Luke.
Luke lays there, spluttering as he attempts to communicate with his group, he fails, his words cannot come out, "my.. my.. my.."
"He's trying to say something. What is it?" Yumiko asks Luke.
Unable to speak, Luke points and pokes at his right pocket, Connie sticks her hand in carefully and pulls out a shiny harmonica. The group let out weak laughs as Luke smirks proudly at them.
Yumiko signs and speaks to Luke as she holds the harmonica in his field of vision, "we keep the music alive, okay?.. always.." the girls sob around Luke as the grasp onto his final moments, "always I promise you.." Yumiko continues.
Kelly signs "for you" to which Connie follows up with "for everyone..".
Luke attempts to speak again, "prom- promise me.. promise." He manages to say.
"Yeah. Yeah!" Yumiko returns his promise as the girls sob beside him.
"I love you." Magna speaks up, her voice breaking and trembling through sobs, "we love you so much." She leans forward, planting a tearful and heart wrenching kiss upon his forehead.
As Luke takes his final breath, the girls struggle to breathe as they gasp through their tears, Connie hands Magna her knife to which she gently pushes into the back of Luke's head, sending him off with a final kiss on the forehead.
