Dead Man Walking

xcvi.

There was a lot of work that needed to be done in Alexandria. And Hiltop but they didn't have the materials to rebuild Hilltop so their focus right now was Alexandria. Maggie had sent Gabriel and Aaron on a mission, she gave them a list of places that could have food and supplies that they needed.

Hunter was in much need of a break, he spent days out there with Maggie, her people and Daryl. He was shot at, and almost blown up and he just needed a moment to take in that the Whisperers were really gone. That was the biggest threat he ever had to face, and he was nervous about these Reapers that could be out there.

It was never-ending, one battle after another. There was never enough time to just breathe and take a moment to rest. But right now, at this moment, there was time. And he didn't know how long he had before he was going to be dragged into something.

So here he was, sitting on the floor with his daughter in front of him. He smiled as he played with her, making silly faces and noises to elicit giggles from Coco. She reached out with her hands to grab at the toy he held in front of her, her bright eyes lighting up with wonder and excitement.

She was growing up so fast, he felt a sense of joy and contentment as he watched his daughter explore and learn. He hoped that she would remember these moments forever. Even if it was just in bits and pieces because he knew he'd remember them.

She was a lot quieter than Judith was when she was a baby. But Judith grew up on the road. They never had a good place to stay for long, until Alexandria. Alexandria is all Coco knows. But whenever they talk to her she always makes eye contact with them so they know she can hear them and maybe understand a few words they're saying.

"Hey," Hunter looks up and smiles at Rosita. She looks between the two before joining them on the ground, "How's my baby doing?"

Coco's eyes move to Rosita and a smile presents itself on Coco's face and a giggle escaped from her lips. Hunter has already raised three kids, but the joy he felt just looking at his daughter was the most he felt in a long time.

Rosita plays with Coco's fingers as she looks up at him, "And how are you doing?"

"Well, I got shot at in the woods. Um, that was pretty fun," Hunter says, "But, uh, I met Hershel yesterday. I haven't seen him since he was a baby. God, he looks so much like Glenn. And he's just such a happy kid. It's good to see him smile."

"You know, I was reading your journal," Hunter hums, "And you write about the people you knew before but you never talk about them."

Hunter shrugs, "There's never time. We're always fighting something. But I never forget about them. I think about them all the time. What they did for me and my family. They're the reason I'm alive. They're the reason I am who I am."

"Tell me about them. I wanna know what got you here."

Hunter chuckles softly, "Well, when it all started, Rick was in a coma. He was shot. I remember, just thinking about Carl and Lori and getting them safe. And Shane he went to get Rick. But he came back without him, and told us he was dead. We were on our way to Atlanta, when bombs dropped. On the road, we met Carol, Ed and Sophia. And then Andrea and Amy. T-dog, Dale, Jacqui, Jim, then Morales and his family. We had a camp just outside Atlanta. A few days later Daryl and Merle came around and I went on a run in the city where I met Glenn."

He smiles, "I was out there because Carl wanted a deck of cards. I was in the bookstore and Glenn just runs right into me. He was running from walkers and it became all hectic. Back then I didn't shoot first. I'm glad I didn't, 'cause Glenn became one of my best friends."

Rosita smiles at the joy on his face. She lifted Coco up and walked over to the bed, "What happened to all of them? When did you meet Maggie?"

Hunter followed her to the bed, he laid down on his side as Coco rested in between them, "Rick came back from the dead on one of our runs. We brought him back to camp and we had to go back to the city 'cause we left Merle on top of the roof. Daryl was pissed off, and tried to kill us. When we got back to the city Merle was gone and when we got back to camp there were a shit ton of walkers. They killed Ed, and Amy. They got Jim."

"And that's when we decided to go to the CDC. Morales and his family didn't come with us. There was no hope at the CDC the doctor there tried to kill us. Jacqui opted out. And again we were back on the road. That's when we lost Sophia. And when we were out looking for her. Shane, Rick, Carl and I, we saw deer. And the smile on Carl's face was amazing. Such a beautiful moment was ruined. He was shot. And that's how we met Maggie and Beth and Hershel."

"Hershel saved Carl's life. And at the time Hershel had hope for a cure. He kept the people he lost in the barn and then Glenn found out and he told me. Maggie cracked an egg over my head. All hell broke loose when Shane opened up the barn," Hunter runs his fingers through his hair, "Sophia was there. She was just a kid. We were searching for her and the whole time she was dead. We convinced Hershel to let us stay at the farm after Dale died. We ran into a bit of a problem, Shane was losing his mind. We had this prisoner that we kept in the barn. And one day, Shane told us he escaped. I was out with Daryl and Glenn when we found him dead. That's when I realized it was Shane's plan. He was gonna kill Rick."

Rosita furrows her brows, "Why would he do that?"

"Cause when we all thought Rick was dead, Lori was hooking up with him. He was in love with her. And when Rick came back it messed with his head. And then Lori got pregnant which screwed with him even more. His plan was to kill Rick and then kill me. 'Cause as long as we were alive. Carl and Lori would never be his. I think that's when it all changed for me and Rick. Having to kill someone we grew up with. It changes you."

"It was kill or be killed. You didn't have a choice," Rosita says, "He was your friend and he made a whole plan to kill you and your brother. You did what you had to do."

"We don't kill the living," Hunter scoffs, "We were so stupid back then. Going around thinking that we could survive without killing. The farm was overrun after that. And we were on the road for months until we found the prison. That's where we lost T-dog and Lori. Then Merle and Andrea. Hershel. And then I met you. And you were there when Beth died."

"Wait, what about Michonne? You didn't start with her, when did you guys meet."

Hunter chuckles, "At the prison. She was shot and she was carrying a basket of formula. We didn't trust her, we didn't know her. But she told us that the Governor kidnapped Glenn and Maggie and she helped us find them. She was badass with that Katana. And I didn't know it then but she became one of the most important people in my life."

"They all died so we could live. So we can keep fighting. And then when we were fighting the Saviors. When we were trying to get the guns from the outpost. Rick ran into Morales. His family never made it to Birmingham. He said he was Negan. This guy we knew from the start was holding Rick at gunpoint. And I killed him. It could've easily been me. Or any of us. If we lost everything and we could've been with the Saviors."

"We've all changed. And we can never go back to who we were before all of this. I mean, Carol she was weak and she relied on everyone to save her. But now, she's strong and she's the bravest person I know. She took out Terminus on her own. And I rely on her to save me."

"Maggie said something to me and Rick a long time ago. Something that's stuck with me. We were all strangers, who would have just passed each other on the street before the world ended. And now we mean everything to each other. Rick was in trouble, he was trapped. Glenn didn't know him, but he helped him. Glenn put himself in danger for Rick, and that started it all. From Atlanta, to Hershel's farm, to the prison, to here. To this moment now, not as strangers, as family. Because Glenn chose to be there for us, that day, a long time ago, that was the decision that changed everything. It started with us, and it just grew, to everyone here now. Glenn made all of this possible because he chose to help me save my brother."

"That life, that family, the trust, the loyalty. That's what I want for our daughter. For Jude, RJ. I want them to have everything that I did. Blood doesn't make family."