Ellie Dixon

Another Chapter Begins

Six days later and I was in the living room with my dad, Rosita, Sophia, mum and Carl. I took a breath before speaking. "So, as you all know... I think Rick's alive." I had only told Carl a couple hours earlier. All he had in his head was getting Rick back. I felt the same. "Not all of you need to come with me, but I'm going to get him."

"You'd have to kill me before I didn't go save him." Carl stated.

I nodded, before dad spoke. "Yea, I'm in."

Sophia agreed. "Someone has to keep you guys in line."

Mum smiled. "And someone has to keep the rest of you alive."

"I'm coming too." Rosita stated.

"What about Coco?" I reminded her.

"Gabriel and Eugene will be here for her." Rosita responded.

"Who will take care of RJ?" I asked.

"Jerry and Nabila." Dad answered.

I nodded, before taking a breath. "And who's going to take care of Maggie?"

The room fell silent as we were all reminded of Glenn's death. We lost people all the time, but Glenn was different. This one hurt a hell of a lot more than most. Mum broke the silence. "Maggie's going to the Commonwealth with Hershel. She says there's too many memories here and she wants to help out. She's distracting herself. Princess, Yumiko, Magna, Lydia, Elijah, Connie, Kelly, Mercer... They're all going to be there too. Yumiko and Maggie are really good friends now, she'll be in good hands."

"I just feel terrible leaving her." I stated. "Especially this close after-" I cut myself off. Not being able to say out loud what actually happened.

"What if we told her?" Carl suggested.

I shook my head. "I feel terrible enough getting your hopes up just in case this doesn't happen. Maggie's lost enough already."

"We all have." Rosita agreed.

I hummed. "We leave tomorrow." I stated, before leaving the room and going outside. I saw Maggie working on the gardens, Hershel playing with a toy next to her on the grass. "Hey, Maggie. Hey, Hershel." I said, softly. I sat next to Hershel.

Maggie dusted the dirt from her hands before grabbing her water bottle and sitting down too. "Hi, Ellie."

"How you holding up?" I asked.

"God, I wish everyone would stop asking me that." She complained before taking a breath. "Sorry, I... I'm sorry. I'm fine."

I shook my head. "Don't apologise. I'm sorry for asking." I said genuienly.

Maggie smiled. "Me, Hershel and the others are leaving for the Commonwealth day after tomorrow. We're gonna help out over there."

I nodded. "That's good... That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Are you coming with us, Auntie Ellie?" Hershel smiled brightly.

"Oh, please do." Maggie reached forward and gently grabbed my hand.

I let out a sad breath. "After me and the others do this thing."

Maggie furrowed her eyebrows. "What thing?"

"Me, Soph, Carl, dad, mum and Rosita have to go on this run. It'll take a few weeks. Months even. We're gonna grab something which will help us all." I responded.

"What is it?" Hershel asked.

"It's a surprise, kiddo." I tapped his nose. "But after that I'll come over to the Commonwealth."

"You promise?" Maggie pleaded with me.

I smiled, bringing her in for a hug. "I promise."

I was in my room and packing my back when the door opened. I turned and saw RJ. I smiled at him, before he spoke. "Everyone's leaving me."

I furrowed my eyebrows and sat on the bed. "What do you mean?"

He walked over to me, climbing onto my lap. "Mama left. Then you went to sleep... Now, everybody is going again. Even Hershel."

It broke my heart to hear the young boy talk like that. I pulled him into a tight hug. "We'll be back, buddy."

"I don't want you to go away again." He whispered.

I hummed, reaching back to grab Teddy. "Teddy doesn't want me to go away either. Think you can hold onto him for me?"

RJ nodded, wrapping his little arms around my bear. "He'll be the only friend I have left."

"What about Archie?" I reminded him.

"His daddy took him to the Commonwealth." RJ mumbled. 

"What if I told you that we'll come back with an awesome surprise?" I asked.

RJ looked up to me with a bright smile. "What is it?"

"Well, if I told you that then it wouldn't be a surprise now, would it?" I smirked.

RJ bit his bottom lip, deep in thought, before he nodded. "You promise that you'll come back?"

"I promise." I held out my pinkie, and he locked it with mine.

"Then it's okay that you're going. I guess." He said, sadness still in his tone.

I kissed his head. "How about we make one last batch of cookies, huh?"

RJ jumped down from the bed. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

I was holding Coco while looking over a map with Mercer. I pointed at where Prentiss had shown me the location of the outpost. "This is where she said he's being held."

"No, that's where we told the guards of lower levels. In case any of them decided to mess about." Mercer responded.

"Goo-bap?" Coco asked.

Mercer nodded. "Exactly." He said with a smile, before pointing to the other side of the country. "The outpost is there." He highlighted it in a black marker.

I huffed. "New Mexico it is."

"I would come with you, but they don't recognise my authority, and-" He started.

"And you gotta help your people at the Commonwealth." I smiled, putting my hand on his arm. "I get it, don't worry, Mercer... By the way? I don't know Princess that well, but apparently we're friends... So, if you hurt her then I'm going to rip your tongue from your head okay?"

"Grr." Coco agreed.

Mercer let a grin take over his face. "I'd never hurt her."

I nodded. "Glad we got that settled."

Rosita was driving one of the RV's. Inside was herself, Sophia, mum and Carl. I was on the back of my dad's motorbike as we drove. We came to a fork in the road, and we were waiting for the others to tell us what direction we were meant to be going in. "Straight left for three miles!" Rosita called from the RV.

"Then what?" Dad asked.

"I'll let you know when we get there, Sophia and Carl can't even agree on what's left and what's right." Rosita smiled.

Dad laughed. "Got it." Dad started driving again, my arms wrapped tightly around his middle. I let my head rest against his back. Momentarily, his right hand came up to squeeze my hands, before it went back to driving.

"I hope this works!" I yelled over the noise of the wind rushing around us.

"It will, babe! We're gonna get our boy back! You'll see!"