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Can't Be Too Careful

"Rick!" Enid called as she jogged up to the trucks where he was loading ammunition. "I have the map of the woods that you asked for. I made a copy for each group."

Alexandria's determined leader jumped off the end of a pickup truck bed and thanked her. She handed him the folded papers before going back to the Grimes's house. Soon after, the trucks were full and the teams were ready to roll.

"Open the gates!" Rick called to the guards on duty.

Slowly, the tall, metal gates creaked open, revealing the road ahead. It was going to be a long journey. The Alexandrians could pack and load all they wanted, but nothing could prepare them mentally for the task they were about to endure. One by one, the trucks rolled out, going their separate ways.

In the car, Rick drove as Michonne navigated with the map. Glenn and Daryl sat in the back and kept an eye on the cargo they carried. Meanwhile, Carol and Morgan led their own group up north. The likelihood of Ron's men being in this direction was slim, but they couldn't be too careful. After all, Judith's life was at risk. Not only that, but the life they'd made in Alexandria was at stake. If Ron's people were able to take Judith without anyone noticing, there'd be no telling what else he was capable of. This string of thought passed silently through all of the Alexandrian's heads, but no one thought about it more than Judith's father. As he drove, his eyes seemed to glaze over as if he was in a trance. Somehow, he was able to listen to and follow Michonne's instructions, but inside he was a royal mess.

How could this happen? I should've been more careful. Maybe there's someone on the inside who helped Ron. How else could a guard not be on duty and Judith be taken without anyone noticing? I should've protected her. Why didn't I or Carl hear anything? When I get my hands on Ron, he'll wish he was never born. What if that Fawn girl is involved somehow?

More and more intruding thoughts zoomed around his mind like a Nascar race. With a heavy heart and an overbearing burden, he continued to drive, his father-instincts kicking in like they did when Carl got shot.

Carol slammed on the brakes faster than she could blink. Morgan's shout had simultaneously excited her and surprised her. Morgan leapt out of the Jeep's passenger seat and ran into the woods that surrounded the bumpy road they were on. Carol and the two Alexandrians that rode with them got out of the car. The air was refreshing after driving in that cramped Jeep for a whole day.

"What is it?" Carol called to her companion.

Morgan shouted back, "I think I've got somethin'."

A few meters into the woods was an orange ribbon, tied firmly around a birch tree.

"Good catch," Carol complimented. "But how do you know it's from Ron?"

Morgan pulled Enid's map out from his back pocket and unfolded it. In one corner was uncharted woods. In another corner was the Hilltop. Towards the center was Alexandria.

"Here's where we are," Morgan said, pointing a little ways above the words 'Alexandria.' "And here's where one of Negan's old bases is." He pointed right next to his original spot. "We know that the Saviors used to leave behind marks, like ribbons tied to trees, to show where they'd been. This ribbon looks new. It's not worn down or full of dust, meaning someone's just recently been here."

"That's true," Carol remarked. "We can't be too careful. Maybe we should check out that old base."

He nodded and said, "I was thinkin' the same thing. Maybe they're using that old base as a hideout or headquarters."

The pair signaled to the other two to hop back in the car, and then they were off.

"Cut through these trees here," Michonne directed Rick.

He followed her instructions and turned the wheel of the pickup.

"What time is it?" Glenn asked. "It feels about time to radio the other teams."

Daryl looked over at the stereo and nodded to Glenn. It was about ten at night. As Glenn signaled the other groups using a boosted walkie-talkie, Rick began to pull over. It was dark now, so searching for signs was pointless. Michonne sighed and said that she'd take first watch. As the others attempted to make themselves comfortable in the small truck, the skilled swords-woman crawled on top of the truck, flashlight and katana in hand. The night couldn't have passed any slower to the travelers. To Glenn, Daryl, and Michonne, the car's seats were about as comfortable as getting a massage that makes the recipient as sore as they were before. For Rick, he was sleepless for a different reason. Just as his mind had raced during the car ride, it went again for another hundred laps. He couldn't stop thinking about how Judith was being treated and if she was alright. He thought about how he would never forgive himself if anything happened to her and how Ron would pay severely for his crimes. He also wondered how Carl would take it if he came back without Judith. His son was already scarred enough from growing up in this awful world; he didn't need more trauma. This journey requires an end, but how many more Ron's would come along? How many more Negan's and Governor's did he have to face to gain peace? All he wanted out of his life was to give peace to his kids' futures. He wanted them to be able to live their lives to the fullest without facing death every other day. Oh, what he would give to make that a reality. Even if Judith wasn't his biological child, she would always belong to the Grimes family, and he was willing to do whatever it took to get her back.