𝖣𝖺𝗋𝗄𝗇𝖾𝗌𝗌 𝖪𝖾𝖾𝗉𝗌 𝖢𝗁𝖺𝗌𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖬𝖾 | ᴅᴀʀʏʟ ᴅɪxᴏɴ ³

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɴɪɴᴇᴛᴇᴇɴ

«Fear»

CHLOE  vividly recalls the last conversation she ever had with Tara. Tara had been organizing a training session with Rachel and Gabriel, and Chloe had joined in. Now, Tara was no longer with them, yet here they were at Oceanside, engaging in a training session.

"Watch your ranks," Aaron instructed the people of Oceanside, The Kingdom, Hilltop, and Alexandria. "Watch your files."

While the majority of the group followed Aaron's commands, Chloe, Michonne, and Daryl remained at a distance, assessing the formation and offering assistance where needed.

Logan stood alongside Aaron in the formation, flanked by Merle and John. Each had their designated role in the extensive training group, mainly focused on facilitating the session for the trainees.

Little Judith stood proudly among the ranks, wielding her katana sword with determination, while Tom remained back in Alexandria alongside Lydia and the others.

The group in Alexandria was making significant progress, implementing the agricultural techniques and procedures learned from Georgie's book, ensuring the cultivation of crops and the community's overall well-being.

"Oh, so you've been travelling with a... a collection of instruments all this time?" Luke asked Chloe as the group retreated back to camp after training.

"Yeah, well, two guitars," Chloe nodded with a smile. "They belonged to my Dad and Cody, my brother."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" Luke began to apologize, observing Chloe's eyes turning sorrowful.

"No, it's alright," Chloe reassured him with a smile.

"It's the end of the world, and you three are still obsessing over musical instruments,"  John remarked, prompting Alden to chuckle.

"It's art," Luke defended.

"Here we go," John sighed.

"Listen, for a very long time, historians and archaeologists have pondered how ancient humans survived the Neanderthals," Luke continued.

"Okay?"

"How did we overcome them when they were bigger, smarter, and stronger, faster?"

"They had better tools than us," John explained.

"So why are we still here, and they're not?"

"Oh, man," John breathed in, and Logan, who stood beside him, was already teasing him.

"Then they stumbled upon a cave," Luke continued.

"Okay?"

"And in that cave, they found a year-old flute."

"A flute?"

"Yes, a flute," Luke said, causing the group to chuckle. "And then they realized that maybe ancient humans didn't defeat Neanderthal. Not in the way that we think of the word 'defeat,' okay?"

Luke continued, "They came together as an answer to defeat. They sat around a campfire. They shared their stories with each other in the form of music. And paintings. And... And they created a... a common identity. And then, you know, they... they built communities, and they grew.

And... And then, as they grew, Neanderthal retreated, and then, after a while, they just died out. So this, yeah. This. This. This is the one thing that separates us from the animals. For better or for worse, it brings us together. And if we're trying to rebuild something, you can't ignore that."