Shambles- The Walking Dead [Alden x Maggie] [1/2]

27- Reap what you sow

Alden drifted back into consciousness in the early morning. He shot straight up immediately, even if he knew that he was too late. He knew that Arat was dead. Now it was just him and Maggie at the school. She sat beside him, leaning back against the wall. He looked her dead in the eyes.

"You killed her?" he spat immediately. He wanted to hear her say it.

"It's done, Alden. It's over," she simply replied. "They did it respectfully. I made sure of it."

"You can't kill someone respectfully. She didn't deserve this."

"You're one to speak with what you did to Gregory. And she did deserve this. She killed a child."

"What I did to Gregory was wrong. I told everyone it was wrong and yet you didn't punish me but you punished Earl," he spoke calmly. He needed to reign his anger in if he wanted this conversation to be productive.

"Everyone got what they deserved," she insisted.

Alden was fed up with the way everyone seemed to think. They weighed with two separate scales when it came to punishments. Rick seemed to be the only one with a level head at the moment. He only thought about the future now.

They could finally build something and stop fighting. But all that had followed was more death. People were vile. He was vile, everyone was. Justin's murder had been one thing; he was an asshole anyway. Arat's murder crossed a line. Everyone surely didn't get what they deserved. Some got more and some got less but nothing about it was fair.

He checked his holster only to find it empty. "Hand me my gun," he said matter of factly.

She looked at him hesitantly, like she had in the beginning when she wasn't sure if he was trustworthy or not. It hurt more now than it did back then. She was supposed to trust him as much as he trusted her and yet she didn't.

"What? You think I'm going to shoot you?" He tilted his head and held his hand out. "I just want to get back to camp."

Then finally she handed him his gun but she remained silent. They had always had this difference in opinion about the Saviors. Alden had always respected her stance on what to do with them. But her way of thinking was flawed, because if Arat and the other Saviors that had been killed deserved to die, then so did he. He was also responsible for people's death, people Maggie was close with: Abraham and Glenn.

Somehow he deserved to live and they didn't. It wasn't fair.

"I think, maybe, we need a break," he finally said after a pause. "Or I do," he added when she remained silent.

He waited a couple seconds longer. He hoped she'd object to it. He wasn't holding out for an apology. He knew better than to expect one. All he wanted was for her to say something. Yet, she remained silent and didn't meet his eyes. Alden couldn't quite tell if it was out of anger or embarrassment. Maybe it was both. He looked back at the spot Arat had been on her knees last night. She'd spend her last moments absolutely terrified and begging for her life. It would haunt him that he couldn't give her a second chance.

"Anyway, I'm heading back to camp," he added as he put his gun back in his holster. "You can come if you want, or don't"

She still didn't say anything. He lingered for another moment, hoping she'd fight for him. But she didn't, so he headed back to camp on his own. He was lost in thought as he walked back and didn't really realize when he was back in camp. He was only shook from his thoughts when Carol tapped his shoulder. She looked at him all concerned.

"What happened?" she asked as she pointed to the fresh bruise lining his face. "And where's Maggie? Daryl's here but he hasn't said much. And what about Arat? Laura has been able to talk the Saviors down. She'll manage a bit longer but then they're gone."