The Next World

Chapter 8

Deanna and I were halfway through creating a small hole when there was suddenly the sound of people screaming from within the walls.

"What the hell?" I asked.

"Richards! What's going on in there?" Deanna called to the man that was on watch.

The three of us looked up at him and were taken aback when he suddenly caught fire.

"Shit," I said dropping the shovel and pulling out my gun.

Maggie and I advanced. I could vaguely see someone climbing the walls. I fired but missed due to the clouds of smoke that quickly filled the area.

"Damn it!" I exclaimed.

"Come on!" Maggie shouted.

We all headed back to the opening we had exited. My mind automatically went to Carl and Judith. Were they okay?

"Carl," I whispered.

"I'm sure he's okay, Amelia. He knows how to take care of himself," Maggie said reassuringly.

I nodded. We got to the community and were stricken with horror from the scenes going on in front of us. Strangers were slaughtering our people. How many had already fallen?

"I'm going in," I said.

"Amelia, no," Maggie said.

"I have to. You stay out here with Deanna," I said.

"I'm going with you," she said.

"Maggie! No. Look, I know," I said looking at her intently.

"You know what?" she asked.

"I know. Glenn asked me to stay behind. He asked me to look out for you. You staying here is doing just that. Don't let them see you," I said.

I ran into the community determined to stop those people from slaughtering anyone else. There was a group of them surrounding our people. I raised my gun and quickly took out two of them. The others saw me and made their way to me.

"Come on!" I yelled.

I turned around and led them behind one of the houses and hid under the steps. As soon as one of them showed their face, I fired. There was still two others. I pulled out my knife and got one of them in the neck. The last one knocked me on the ground. She had a knife on her and tried her hardest to slice my neck with it.

"Aaaaah!" I shouted, elbowing her off of me.

She reached for her knife but I quickly grabbed my gun and killed her with a single blow to the head. I dove my knife into the head of the one I had stabbed in the neck to prevent him from turning. It wasn't until then that I realized I was in the back of my house. There was some gunfire coming from the front of the house.

"Carl!" I yelled, getting up and sprinting to the front.

When I got there, Ron had taken off running.

"Carl!" I exclaimed.

"Amelia!" he yelled holding a rifle.

I went up to him.

"Is Judith okay?" I asked.

"Yeah. She's inside. Come on," he said.

"No. You go," I looked up and saw Enid standing by the door, relieved to know that Carl wasn't alone.

"Amelia," he started.

"Carl. I need you to stay here and protect Judith. I gotta help the rest of our people. You don't open the door until it's over. You understand me?" I said.

He nodded but I knew he wasn't happy with it.

"Now, go. Both of you," I said looking over at Enid.

As soon as Carl closed the door, I went to search for others. There was one that I saw making their way to me. I held up my gun.

"Amelia, it's me," they said.

I looked closer and recognized Carol.

"Carol?" I asked.

She made it to me and handed me another gun.

"Most of them have been taken out but make sure that there aren't any lingering around," she said.

"Copy that," I said heading down the street.

There was one repeatedly stabbing someone. I ran up, aimed my gun at his head and fired. The woman that had been stabbed was one of ours. I didn't know her name. Her blood was everywhere. She then slowly started to turn, lifting her arms and reaching for me. I knelt down and took out my knife. I silenced the moaning in one fell swoop. I got back up and searched some more. The screaming had died down. I made my way to the armory where I saw Aaron sitting on the sidewalk looking distraught. I quickly headed over to him.

"Aaron, are you all right?" I asked once I had reached him.

"This is all my fault," he muttered.

"What?" I asked kneeling down next to him.

He handed me some photos. They were the photos that he would take when he went out looking for people. There was one of Carl and Rick that was taken the night of the party.

"This is your pack? The one that you dropped when you and Daryl were by those trucks?" I asked looking at the backpack he held.

"Yeah," he simply said.

"Aaron, you couldn't have predicted any of this happening. No one is going to blame you. I don't," I said, resting my hand on his shoulder.

"Had I not dropped it, they would have never found us," he said.

"Aaron. Stop this. It's not on you. Now come on. Help me check on the others," I said standing up and extending my hand to him.

He looked up at me and nodded. He took my hand and I helped him to his feet.

"Let's go," I said.

The both of us continued down the street. We came to the quick realization that it was over. The bodies of both the strangers and our people could be seen all over. Aaron and I had decided to drag them to one part of the street. We'd burn the intruders and bury our people. We were at the far end of the community. I looked around and I automatically caught sight of three people making their way in.

"Michonne?" I said.

I ran to her.

"Michonne. What are you doing here? What happened?" I asked when I got closer, sounding worried.

"We had to do it today. The walkers got free. Heath and I have to take Scott to the infirmary," she said.

I nodded.

"Daryl is fine I'm sure. Sasha and Abraham are backing him up," she said reassuringly.

Knowing that Abraham and Sasha were with him made me worry less but still worry all the same.

"What happened to him?" I asked following them to the infirmary.

"Gunshot," Michonne said.

"How'd that happen?" I asked.

"It was an accident. Sturgess panicked," Scott replied.

"Is he better?" I asked.

"He didn't make it," Heath replied.

"Shit. Here let me get the door for you," I said reaching for the door to the infirmary.