The Walking Dead: Emperor of Flames

Season 3/Chapter 8: Other Plans

3rd Pov. 

Javier and David leave the quarantine area and walk through the streets of Richmond. There are other people walking around as Richmond is just the same as any other settlement for the most part. Full of people besides soldiers. Even some children are around with their parents. Looking at Javier, David speaks. 

David: I heard you tell your friends to get in line. We have a process. Our own way of doing things. Your guys better not have a problem with that. Things don't go well for troublemakers here. I hope that's clear.

Javier: David, you threw us in a cell! Don't expect us to smile about it.

David: We do that to protect our people. It's not personal.

Javier: You sure about that?

David: C'mon. 

Javier: Where are we going?

Javier looks at his brother with curious eyes, and David speaks about Kate. 

David: Kate asked for you. I thought you'd want to check on her. 

He looks down for a moment. 

David: Listen, Javi. Gabe... he told me some pretty messed up things. Things I need your help wrapping my head around.

Javier, thinking it's about him and Kate. 

Javier: He shouldn't have done that. I wanted to tell you myself.

David: Bad news is bad news. Who cares who delivers it? He told me you lost Mariana. Just a few days ago.

Javier, surprised this is what he'd meant, goes along with it. 

Javier: Oh... I'm sorry, David. She's... she's gone.

David: It's strange grieving for the same person twice. Like losing something you didn't know you had. What was she like, Javi? She was so little when we got separated. Who did my little girl become?

Javier: Mariana saw things that other people didn't. She, uh... she told me told she wanted to write down her memories, to keep them alive after she was gone.

David looks away. 

David: Sounds like her. Always was a dreamer. How... how did she die? Tell me how it happened. Please...I need to know.

Javier tells David about the day at the Junkyard. The day where everything went sideways. 

Javier: She was just standing there, minding her own business. She'd just found her lost headphones in the dirt. She was smiling. And then someone put a bullet in her head.

David: What kind of animal would just open fire on her like that?!

Javier: An animal with your mark.

David: My people aren't in the habit of killing little girls.

Javier: David, I was there! They shot Kate too. Ask your buddy at the gate if you don't believe me.

David looks up towards the gate and sees Max standing guard. David narrows his eyes in slight anger at him, but turns back to Javier. 

David: Max was a part of this? Fuck. I need details. What the hell went down out there? I need to know exactly what happened. Everything you remember.

Javier starts going over the entirety of events and what went down. 

Javier: Bastards knocked me out and threw me in their truck. I got away near this town, Prescott. The same assholes attacked us there. Their leader flooded it with walkers and tear gas.