[ 010 ] the darkness between the stars.

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CROOKED HEART.

chapter ten, the darkness between the stars.
[ season nine, episode eight ]





CORI, AARON, DARYL, AND Jesus is the best possible group to track Eugene. They have more experience tracking and searching for people than anyone else at the Hilltop. Jesus and Cori had been the recruiters and scavengers for the Hilltop before Jesus stepped into the role of leadership and Cori stepped up as his second-in-command. Aaron had been the recruiter for Alexandria and then when Rick's group arrived, he asked Daryl to join him. Not to mention, Daryl is an incredibly skilled tracker.

Cori crouches behind a fallen tree. Aaron is to her right and Jesus is to her left. Another tree stands tall beside them.

"There's about one hundred thirty, one forty of 'em." Daryl informs them as he and Dog rejoin the trio from where he had been scouting out the herd of walker below them.

"You ever seen them do this before?" Jesus looks back at Aaron and Cori.

There's concern in Cori's blue eyes. She's too worried about the walkers to reply sarcastically. So, she simply says, "no."

"Never." Aaron shakes his head.

Cori stares at the herd with furrowed brows. They aren't scattered out or moving like a normal herd. They're in a cluster with maybe two dozen milling around the outside of the cluster. It looks as if they're circling something but Cori isn't too sure.

"Rosita's back trail goes right through 'em." Daryl states. "We should get the horses, circle around, then we'll pick it up on foot."

"What about them?" Aaron questions.

"What about 'em?" Daryl answers Aaron's questions with a question of his own b

"They're just milling around. That's not normal," Jesus looks back at Daryl.

Daryl stares out at the walkers. "Nah," he says. "Nah, it ain't."

The wind starts to sound above them. It rustles the tree limbs. Cori's eyes flicker up to the sky. She examines the incoming storm clouds.

"We should go. There's a storm comin'," he says. "Dog!"

Aaron, Cori, and Jesus all stand. Jesus and Cori linger beside the fallen tree for a moment. They continue to stare at the herd.

Cori then taps his arm. "Let's go, J."




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"Daryl says he's been trading with Hilltop again," Aaron starts as he, Jesus and Cori walk alongside each other.

"He used to come like clockwork a couple times a year. Never stayed, though. The gaps between the trips got longer and longer. It was really hard for Odessa for a while. Prefers it out here, I guess." Jesus states.

"Sounds like somebody else I know," Aaron pipes. Cori's eyes flicker between the two men. A small smile crosses her lips.

"We used to be explorers," Jesus says. He looks between Aaron and Cori. "The whole world was ours to rediscover."

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