Dead Man Walking

lv.

Hunter sighed as he stared at the ceiling of his bedroom. He has been on bed rest for the last few days. It was frustrating, to say the least–Hunter used to be a big part of this group and now he's stuck in his bed.

His family came to visit him every day, he spent the most time with Carl and he hasn't seen Rosita since he woke up. He didn't know what her problem was, he didn't do anything wrong but she was actively avoiding him. And she wouldn't even tell him why. Hunter tried to stay positive and focus on getting better, and the fact that his injury wasn't serious enough to require a longer recovery time.

He had been lucky - the bullet had gone straight through his shoulder, missing any major arteries or bones. But the injury had been serious enough to land him on bed rest for a few days. But he was tired of staying in this bed. he was determined to get back on his feet and get back to his normal life. He knew it wouldn't be easy - he was still in a lot of pain and his mobility was limited - but he was determined to push through it.

Hunter rolled out of bed and walked out of his bedroom. He made his way downstairs, he was expecting to see someone in the house but it was empty. He furrows his brows and makes his way to the front door.

As he walked through the streets of Alexandria, he couldn't shake the feeling of unease that settled over him. Where was everyone? Rick was gone, Glenn, Michonne, Rosita, Daryl, and Morgan. They weren't here. What the hell was he missing?

"You should be in bed," Hunter turned around to see Maggie walking over to him.

"Where is everyone?"

"Glenn, Michonne, and Rosita went after Daryl. He just opened the gate and rode off," Maggie informs him and he could alone assume that Daryl went to the train tracks, "Rick and Morgan left to go find Carol."

Hunter has been in bed for a few days and it's like he's missed just about everything, he was lost in a sea of confusion, "Where did Carol go?"

Maggie shakes her head, "No idea. She just upped and left in the middle of the night. She took what she needed and left."

"She'll come back, she's been going through a tough time," Hunter says, "I noticed it after what happened after the Saviors. How are you doing? Are you okay?"

Maggie hasn't been feeling all that well since that day with the Saviors. She's been having this pain in her stomach but she didn't want to worry anyone, "I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

"You're my best friend, I'm always going to worry about you."

Maggie rolls her eyes playfully before pulling him along with her, "How are you doing? How's your arm?"

Hunter shrugs, "It hurts but other than that I'm feeling alright. Hurt like a bitch though. Never in my life have I been shot and I never want to be shot again."

Maggie chuckles, "I'd be worried if you wanted to get shot again. How are things with you and Rosita? She's been picking up a lot more shifts recently."

He sighed, "I don't know. She's been avoiding me. One day she tells me we're gonna be having a dinner date and the next she's doing everything she can to avoid me. She's been like nagging me for weeks now. Always asking me if my heads on straight."

"Is it? It's okay if you're going through something. We've all been there, you have everyone here that supports you," Maggie says, "She just cares about you. You've been doing crazy things since the day I met you. Walker bait."

A smile appears on his face as he remembers them lowering him into the well, "I only did that cause I knew Glenn was too scared to do it. I do the things I do so I can save everyone. I don't think about the risks, I just do it."

"Maybe you should start thinking before you do stupid things that can get you killed," Maggie suggests, "She's scared that one of these days your plans aren't going to work and you'll get yourself killed. I'm scared it's gonna get you killed."

Hunter nods his head slowly, "I'm sorry. I'll do my best to think before I do something stupid and reckless. But sometimes being reckless gets things done. People won't expect it. Gives me a fighting chance."

"Well, hopefully, we won't be put in a situation where you need to do something reckless," Maggie says as she opens the door to her house, "So I was thinking you could help me with something."

"With what?"

Maggie walked into the kitchen and grabbed a pair of scissors and handed them to him, "Give me a haircut?"

He smiles and takes the scissors from her and follows her to the table. She sat down and Hunter stood behind her, "What were you thinking?"

"Short."

"How short?"

"Really short. Like yours."

As he worked, Hunter chatted with Maggie about their vision for Alexandria. They both wanted the same thing. Hunter even hoped that one day Maggie would take a more leading role. She was good at leading, she brokered a deal with the Hilltop when Hunter and Rick couldn't. They also talked about how she felt about becoming a mom. And Every so often, Hunter would step back to assess his work and make any necessary adjustments.

"All done," Hunter says as he places the scissors down on the table. Maggie picked up the mirror on the table and took a look. He watches as a smile spreads across her face, "I like it. It suits you. But why?"

Maggie sighs as she runs her fingers through her newly cut hair, "Hmm. I have to keep going. And I don't want anything getting in my way."

Maggie groaned and clutched her stomach. Hunter only noticed the uncomfortable look on her face, "Did I go too short? I've never cut hair before, but for the record, I think it looks good."

"No, it's not that."

"Maggie?" She let out a scream and collapsed to the ground. Hunter quickly moved to her, "Maggie? Maggie, what's going on? What's happening?" Her screams echoed through his ears and he knew he had to get her to a doctor.

He didn't know what was going to happen, he was completely oblivious to the series of events that were going to happen. He wasn't expecting any of it.