Catch Fire | Daryl Dixon

THE FIGHT

Kennedy's POV

The ride back to Alexandria felt longer than it should have. The silence between Aaron and me stretched on, heavy with everything left unsaid. My knee throbbed with every jolt of the horse beneath me, but I kept my thoughts focused on Willow. Daryl was still out there, searching for a way to save Magna and Connie, but my mind had already shifted to my daughter. After everything that happened, I needed to see her, to hold her. I needed to know she was okay.

As we approached the gates of Alexandria, the familiar sight of home didn't bring the relief I expected. Instead, something was off. There was an uneasy stillness in the air, the kind that made your skin crawl.

When we reached the centre of town, I saw Scott and Gabriel standing over a grave that had been dug up. The dirt was disturbed, and the grave marker, freshly overturned, added to the grim atmosphere. As Aaron and I approached, the two men turned to face us. Scott's face was tight with tension, and Gabriel's usual calm expression was shattered, his eyes wide with barely contained shock.

"Gabriel?" Aaron's voice was hoarse, exhaustion clear in his tone. "What happened?"

Gabriel stepped forward, his relief at seeing us alive tempered by something darker. "Aaron... Kennedy... You're alright."

Aaron gave a nod, still catching his breath. "Yeah. We, uh— What happened?"

Gabriel's eyes flicked to the grave behind him before returning to us. "Aaron, where are the others?" His voice carried a weight of urgency, as if bracing for bad news.

Aaron swallowed hard, glancing at me before answering. "We got separated. Most of us got out."

Gabriel's brow furrowed at his words, his body stiffening. "Most of you?"

Aaron's silence said more than words could. The truth hung between us, heavy and suffocating. My chest tightened as I blinked back tears, thinking of Magna and Connie still trapped in that cave. But Daryl was out there, searching for them, and I had to believe that somehow, he'd find them. He had to.

I cleared my throat, trying to push the grief aside, focusing on the present. "What happened here?" I asked, nodding toward the disturbed grave.

Scott and Gabriel exchanged a look, one that sent a chill down my spine. Whatever happened, it was bad.

Gabriel spoke first, his voice heavy. "Beta was here. He killed a bunch of our people and tried to take Mary back to Alpha."

My stomach dropped at his words, my mind spinning. "Beta," I muttered, remembering the towering brute of a man who'd nearly killed both Daryl and me. He'd been here? My heart raced with sudden panic.

Aaron's shock mirrored mine. "Mary's here? Since when?"

Gabriel sighed, rubbing a hand over his face as if trying to find the right words. "She defected. She's... she's not with them anymore. She was helping us."

Aaron shook his head in disbelief, but I didn't stick around to hear the rest of the conversation. Beta was here. The Whisperers had gotten into Alexandria again, and all I could think about was Willow. My poor girl, after everything she'd already been through...

Ignoring the pain in my leg, I limped away from the group, my pace quickening as I made my way to the house. I had to find her. Every step felt like an eternity, the adrenaline rushing through me, making it hard to think straight. When I finally reached the courtyard, I saw them. Rosita was sitting on a bench with Willow, Judith, RJ, and little Coco. Rosita looked rough, her face battered and bruised, blood still staining the corner of her lip. But my eyes went straight to Willow.