Ephemeral - Alia Dixon

23

Life has been nicer the past few months. Easier. We're building a future right now. The Sanctuary, Alexandria, Hilltop, Oceanside and the Kingdom. Together.
It feels crazy saying that. I feel crazy saying that. Maybe I am. Maybe I have finally turned crazy after everything that happened but no. No, I am still sane. 

It's crazy that we're all helping eachother now. I'm still not on good terms with most of the Saviors but sometimes I go there to help my dad and my brother. They both are there a lot. My brother even has a girlfriend now apparently. I haven't seen her yet but she's supposedly very nice and very badass. At least that's what he has told me. 

I'm just taking one of my walks at night at the Hilltop, making sure everything's fine when I hear Hershel crying around the corner. When I arrive though, I notice someone fighting. Enid runns over, trying to help but gets thrown off by whoever the one in the black jacket it. Alden and Cyndie run over and pull the man off of her while I grab Hershel from the ground.
I start rocking him in my arms trying to calm him down. "It's okay, love. It's okay" I say over and over again before looking back at Maggie. She nods at me appreciatingly before she walks away with stern steps. I look at Alden and Cyndie who are holding Earl, Ken's father who looks as ashamed as ever. I hold Hershel tight to my chest as I walk back to our trailer with him. I rock him a bit before laying him down in his crate that he has in our trailer. Maggie has moved out and and lives in the house now but when she leaves she mostly leaves Hershel with me. I'm not in the mood to go on runs lately and I mostly stay here and help the people. The only time I'm leaving the Hilltop or Alexandria is when I go to the Sanctuary or the Kingdom. Either I visit my brother, who's not around a lot because again, he spends his time with his girlfriend, or I visit Ezekiel and Henry. Henry has grown a lot the past few months, looking older and tougher. At least that's what he thinks. 

Apperently Gregory tried to kill Maggie once again. He talked Earl into killing Maggie, using his pain as his own weapon.  So, she hung Greogry. Infront of all Hilltop. Everyone was obliged to watch as she hung him and a few kids even saw it too. 

Now we are even building the bridge back up. I'm there a lot, helping out with as much as I can but keeping it quiet. Carl wanted me to remember who I was and I did. That's why I like to stay inside the walls most of the time. I'm not a killer, at least I haven't been  before all of this started and I'd like to be that way again. At least while I can. I want a normal life, one without walkers all the time and fighting for my life at every second. That's not who I am. At least it's not who I want to be and I want it to stay that way. 
Whenever Siddiq is around, I make sure to watch him as much as I can and provide from his knowledge. By now I've learned a few things by just watching people. 

But now, right now as I watch them build the bridge , I'm as furious as I haven't been in a long time. I stomp over to the brick who has shoved Henry to the ground. I quickly walk over to him, and crouch down.
"You okay?" I ask and he nods quickly before I turn around to face the other guy. One of the Saviors and he's drinking every last bit of water left in that shitty thing Henry is required to bring around to everybody. I help him up from the ground and watch with an amused grin as Henry takes his stick out and wipes the guy from his feet. He falls flat to the ground while Henry takes the canister back from him and starts walking away. The man wants to go after Henry but I grab his hand and turn him back around. "The kid's just doing his job" I say angrily.
"I don't need your people telling me what to do" he says and I shrug.
"Okay" I say before I punch him into the face, causing him to fall to the floor backwards, holding his now bleeding nose with an annoyed but slightely frightened look on his face. I walk over to him, towering over him with ease. "Touch the kid again and I'm going to shove that water so far up your ass that you'll never be thirsty again. Clear?"
He just stares at me angrily. I grin. "Sorry, sweetheart. I didn't quite hear that. Are we clear?"
I hear someone running up behind me but my dad punches the guy straight into the face, causing him to drop to the ground. "No one goes after my daughter" he says angrily before we share a look. We haven't been seeing eachother much the past few weeks. He's been moving around  a lot. Sanctuary, Alexandria and all of our other locations, he's everywhere and trying to make it right.
I look back at the guy as everyone stands around. I tilt my head and he groans annoyedly.
"Clear" he mutters, making me smile.
"Great" I state before walking through the men and woman on the bridge and towards where Henry is. 
"You good?" I ask him and he nods.
"You don't have to fight my fights, you know?" he asks annoyedly, making me chuckle.
"I know, I saw that. But coming at someone from behind is an asshole move and I won't tollerate that when I'm around. Especially not on you"
He smiles before holding his hand up for a fist bump. I gladly accept. 
"That was pretty badass" he says, making me laugh.
"Thank you. Now go" I say and he waves at me before he walks away.

...

The days are passing one by one as the Saviors are building the bridge and more and more of them go missing each day. I know that Rick has a lot to do right now and he's definitely making himself a lot of enemies right now.
"Alia!" I hear Enid shout from the medical tent. I excuse myself from the people I've been talking to and run towards her. I walk over quickly as I see Aaron lying there. My eyes widen as I see his arm, shattered. 
"We have to amputate" I state and she nods hesistantly before moving to get the stuff, while I take another look at the arm. 
"What?" Aaron asks baffled. 
"There ain't no other way?" my dad asks shocked. 
"The only chance to stop the bleeding is to amputate and cauterize the wound" she says.
"What?" Aaron asks again as she hands my dad the band to wrap around his upper arm. 
"It's going to be fine, Aaron. You are going to be fine" I say as Enid and my dad coordinate between eachother.
"Is there something for the pain?" my dad asks and I shake my head.
"Wouldn't kick in fast enough" I state, still holding Aaron's good hand.
Enid looks at him with a frightened look. 
"You want me to do it?" I ask her and she hesistantly nods. We switch places and I take a quick glance at our book we have here. 
"Do it" Aaron mutters as I start cutting and starts screaming. He passes out quickly due to the pain but we manage to get the arm off clean and stop the bleeding as good as possible too. 
My eyes widen as my dad storms out of the tent. 
"You got it? I'll be right back. I have to-"
"Go" she says calmly and I nod before running after my dad. I look around, searching for my dad histerically. I don't have to search for him long before I see the guy from this morning tumble out of the tent with my dad hot on his tracks. The guy tries to fight back but my dad has him on the ground again in seconds before punching him with a pan and getting on top of him, hitting him repeatedly. Carol gets him to stop as we all stand around. He looks at her, breathing heavily before he walks away and back into the infirmary tent. 

I shoot Carol an apologetic look before I walk after him.
"What are you doing?" I ask angrily as I walk back inside the tent. He sighs.
"What he deserved" he says and I chuckle angrily. 
"Maybe he did but that's not how we do things around here. Rick-"
"Rick, can care about his own problems" my dad says and I walk up to him angrily.
"It's enough, dad. Rick has enough weight on his shoulders right now and he's trying his best. Yes, the Saviors aren't our best friends but we are living together now. They are a part of us now if you like it or not. Yes, a few of them are assholes but so were our people before all of this happened. You forget how many of them didn't even want us in Alexandria in the first place? How many bad people we've encountered on the way? Everyone deserves a second chance and yes, some of them are blowing it but that's not your problem. Rick is dealing with it so be a good friend and keep Aaron company!" I say angrily, leaving my dad and Enid staring at me with wide eyes. My dad doesn't say anything again as he sits down on a stool next to Aaron's body, who sleeps there peacefully.

We all wait in silence, me and Enid exchanging a few words here and there but nothing more. My dad hasn't even dared to look at me again. He only looks up when Rick enters. He looks at Aaron before looking at me and Enid.
"Well done. He's gonna be all right?" he asks and I nod.
"Yeah"
"If we can keep the wound from getting infected. But he's still in a lot of pain" Enid adds.
"He's holding on, though" my dad says.
"Damn right I am" Aaron says weakly, making me slightely smile at him before I lower my head and stare at the ground as my smile falters again. Rick trades places with my dad and starts talking to Aaron. 

"Can I talk to you, dad?" I ask and he looks at me a bit surprisedly.
"Yeah" he mutters as we excuse ourselves and stand infront of the tent.
"I'm sorry, dad. I shouldn't have went at you like that"
He chuckles, making me look at him with a confused look. "No, I deserved that. You're right. Rick's trying but Alia, he's not doing the right thing. Thsse Saviors are dangerous and they're not loyal to us. They are only causing us problems and we should do something against it. Rick can't help everybody and he needs to accept that" 
I look at my dad with disapproval. "Dad, you can't mean that"
He looks at me sadly. "I do"
"Wow" I breathe out angrily before walking away. I can't believe he's just said that. After everything Rick's done for us, they're all giving up on him.