In a world ruled by fear, survival comes with a price.
When her brother's attempt to overthrow the Saviors fails, Tessa finds herself under Negan's watchful eye-protected, controlled, and dangerously close to the man she should hate. As violence, po...
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The morning air at Hilltop was cold, sharp enough to sting Tessa's lungs as she stepped out of the barracks. She paused on the steps, fingers resting on the edge of the scarf wrapped around her jaw.
She'd kept it on for days, hiding the bandage, hiding the wound, hiding what Negan had done. She felt like a marked property. But something in her chest shifted now. A small, quiet defiance.
Slowly, she unwound the fabric.
The cold air hit her bare skin first, then the rough ache of the half-healed cut beneath it. The bandage was gone; just a thin, angry scar remained, stretching along her jawline like a reminder carved in flesh.
She folded the scarf into her hands and let her arms drop to her sides.
No more hiding.
Rick stood nearby with Maggie and Jesus, their voices low and urgent. When Rick noticed her, he shifted slightly closer—not hovering, but protective in that quiet Rick way.
Carl lingered beside her, arms crossed, eyes still dark from everything they'd survived.
"We're headin' to Gregory," Rick said softly. "We need Hilltop's help. You good to come with?"
Tessa nodded. "Yeah. I'm okay." She wasn't. Not fully. But staying behind wasn't an option. Daryl came up beside her, hood low, face bruised and tired. "Ain't goin' without you," he muttered, like it wasn't a choice. They walked together toward Gregory's office. Gregory opened the door with an irritated, half-drunk look. His gaze skimmed the group—Rick, Maggie, Jesus, Daryl—then landed sharply on Tessa.
"...and who the hell is this?"
Before Tessa could answer, Maggie stepped forward.
"She's family," Maggie said firmly. "And she's under our protection now."
Gregory's eyes flicked to the scarf on Tessa's jaw, then away. He cleared his throat. "Right. Well. Whatever. You all can't be here."
Rick's arms folded. "We need to talk."
"No," Gregory snapped. "Absolutely not. If the Saviors see you here, I'm dead. Hilltop's dead."
Tessa watched him shrink and fold in on himself like a man made of fear. A different kind of prisoner. One Negan never had to lock up.
Rick stepped closer. "We're gonna fight them."
Gregory scoffed. "That's suicide."
"We're not asking you to fight," Rick said. "Just help."
Gregory refused. Again. And again.
They left the office with nothing but more determination.
"He's never going to help," Tessa muttered as the door slammed behind them.
"No," Jesus said. "But someone else might."
They followed him toward the woods. Leaves crackled under their boots, a quiet rhythm. Tessa kept close to Rick and Daryl.
Daryl walked on her other side, shoulders tense, glancing at her jaw every so often like he was checking she was still okay. Not smothering—just there.
Jesus stopped near the road and looked back at them. "Where we're going... you'll have to trust me."
Tessa exhaled. "At this point, we don't have much left but trust."
They kept moving until tall metal gates rose in front of them.
The Kingdom.
Guards with spears stepped out, blocking the path. Tessa stiffened beside Rick, instinct tightening her chest. But Jesus lifted a hand calmly.
"It's okay. We're here to see Ezekiel."
The guards hesitated, then allowed them through.
Inside, the Kingdom bustled like a strange pocket of peace—gardens, children running, people talking. Tessa felt the surreal shift in her chest, like stepping into a different world she didn't quite know how to stand in.
They were led to the auditorium. She stayed close to Rick as the sound of a tiger's low rumble echoed through the room, and her breath hitched just a little.
Ezekiel turned, staff in hand, Shiva beside him.
"Jesus!" Ezekiel greeted, then looked over the group. His eyes paused on Tessa—on the scarf, on the exhaustion behind her expression. Something softened in his face.
"What brings you all to the Kingdom?"
Rick stepped forward. "We need your help fighting the Saviors."
Ezekiel listened carefully. Calm. Wise. Unmoving.
He declined.
Politely. Regretfully. But firmly.
The group left quieter than they'd arrived. However Daryl stayed behind in hopes to change the kings mind.
Outside, Rick exhaled through his nose. "We'll keep lookin'. Someone will stand with us."
They were halfway down the road from the Kingdom when Rick slowed down the car. Tessa leaned forward from the back seat, heart tightening. The road ahead was completely blocked — a neat, deliberate line of abandoned cars stretching from one side of the highway to the other.
Suddenly a voice cut through the air.
"For anyone out there who loved the obese bastard as much as I did, I just want to say a few words. Fat Joey was not that most bad ass son of a bitch. But he was loyal and had a great sense of humor-" Rick quickly lowers the walkie, seeing the look of dread on Tessa's face.
"Someone's trying to block the way. Gotta be the saviors." Jesus says.
"Look", Tessa points out, "I think that's their base over there."
"We gotta keep going, we'll move them, and we'll move them back. They don't need to know we were here."
Tessa swallowed hard, dread curling in her stomach. Negan was going to find out, he always found out, and she wasn't ready for what that meant.
