Three Empty Words

Chapter Thirteen Part Two

"Someday. Nothing lasts forever. Nothing stays the same. So why can't I stop feeling this way?" ~  5 Seconds of Summer (Wherever You Are) 

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Thea's PoV

The trek to Carol's house was a slow one. Walkers kept getting in my way, making me tired and irritable, especially underneath a very warm sun. But I did eventually come to the medium sized, black, iron gate. I carefully pushed it open and latched it again once I was on the other side. It made a loud creaking sound, which alerted Carol to my arrival.

"Thea? What are you doing here?" She questioned from her position just inside of her cottage.

"Just wanted to see you. Talk about some things. I-We all thought you were dead. Morgan didn't tell us anything," I told her truthfully, slowly walking up her porch steps. She nodded and stepped aside to let me in.

Taking a look around, I noticed how much smaller it was on the inside than it looked, but it was cozy. Carol shut the door and lead me to the couch. The both of us sat down, turning our bodies to the side to see each other while we spoke.

"Does Daryl know you're here?" I started off by asking. She just nodded her head. The light from the fire flickering casted ominous shadows across her face. "Do you know where he went? He was supposed to stay at the kingdom, but he's gone now."

"He came by, but he went back afterwards. Why is he staying there?" She asked. My eyes widened.

"Do you not know what's happened at all? He didn't tell you anything?" Her head listed to the side in confusion.

"What do you mean? He said everything was fine..." she trailed off, but the look on my face told her that everything wasn't fine at all. "What happened? I want to know everything." I took a deep breath, preparing myself to tell her all the horrors that have happened since she left. 

"Maggie got sick so we were going to take her to Dr. Carson at Hilltop, but we were eventually stopped by Negan. He lined us up, all kneeling on the ground. He told us from now on that we worked for him and that someone had to pay for killing his men. He killed Abraham and Glenn. Beat them to death with a baseball bat," I started, watching her reaction. Tears were already forming in her eyes at the news.

"But he didn't stop there. He killed Spencer, and then Olivia. He shows up once a week, sometimes more to gather half of our supplies and takes off. He humiliated Carl and Rick. One of his followers shot me, trying to get to Olivia. Negan took Daryl to make one of his own, but he escaped. If Negan finds him, he'll kill him. That's why he was supposed to be at the Kingdom," I mumbled, getting choked up at all the memories flooding back. 

"Thea, I'm-"

"It's okay," I smiled, wiping away the tears. "I get why you left." She sighed heavily and got up from her spot. I believed it's because she didn't want me to see her cry. 

"You want to help me plant some seeds?" she asked from the kitchen. Her voice sounded hoarse and strained. 

"Sure," I agreed. I'm sure it would take our minds off of everything for just a little awhile. Until hopefully Ben got back, and I could get to know him more. Maybe Daryl would come back, but I figured that one was just a small hope.