5. Alexandria

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"Who the hell would do this?" Yumiko angrily asked while carrying the biter mask. The group came around a corner of brush in the abandoned neighborhood they walked through, desperately trying to get back to Hilltop. They arrived to a gated dead end. "Even think about doing this?" She handed the biter mask off to Magna.

While they didn't have time for formalities in the graveyard—the group took a moment once daylight hit to introduce themselves to each other, and Yumiko was kind enough to give up her white bandana to Wren to wrap the cut on her thigh. It was deep, she wouldn't bleed out, but she would need stitches as soon as she could get them.

"I suspect some vessel filled with a chunky salsa of abnormal impulses and metastasized rage." Eugene spoke in the way only he knew how, while Michonne helped him limp towards the fence.

"I love the way you speak, Eugene." Wren threw the compliment at Eugene from the back of the group where she always found herself. Watching everyone's backs.

"It's full-on batshit." Magna proclaimed while the decayed and disgusting mask swayed with the movements of her arms as she walked.

"You think there's more?" Aaron's voice was exhausted and worried.

"Yeah." Was all that came out of Daryl's mouth as they continued to struggle with carrying Jesus's body.

"So, what do we do?" Yumiko asked to no one in particular as she checked out their surroundings.

Magna easily knocked down a portion of the fence and it fell as if the only thing keeping it standing were the weeds growing up from the ground around the bottom.

Michonne was strong, but she was showing signs of exhaustion from helping Eugene walk. "Right now, we keep moving." Her voice was authoritative and it was no wonder to Wren why she had taken over leading Alexandria after Rick disappeared.

The group found their horses, and the literal weight that was lifted off of their shoulders was enough to give everyone a sign of hope and some much needed relief. Wren stayed towards the middle of the group with Aaron and Jesus's horse—his body laying across the saddle. She could see Michonne and Daryl quietly chatting ahead of her and she strained her ears to try and catch what they were saying.

Daryl skeptically glanced back towards Yumiko and Magna before looking back at Michonne, waiting for an explanation. "Judith found them. Vouched for 'em. So do I." She told Daryl with cautious optimism.

He looked at the ground and then back towards the woman he had known and trusted for nearly a decade and said, "All right."

The pair walked in silence for a moment before Michonne spoke up again. Wren could hear perfectly what Michonne was saying. "It's gonna mean a lot to them. Bringin' him back." Michonne's voice shook as she spoke and Wren glanced at her fallen friend, her heart aching. "Burying him."

Daryl looked Michonne in the face as he spoke his next words, "Sorry I couldn't do that for you." It was clear who he was talking about.

"I'm sorry I couldn't do it for both of us. Thank you. For trying to find him. And... for after." Daryl laid his hand on Michonne's shoulder for comfort. The moment was serious and personal and Wren stopped paying attention out of respect.

"I wish I'd met him before. Sounds like he was a good one." Magna had moved her horse next to the one carrying Jesus as she spoke, looking from Wren to Aaron.

"He was. Shouldn't have been out here." Aaron's voice was laced with hurt and sadness and anger.

"It's my fault if I hadn't—"

"—Jesus made his own decisions. We all knew the risks of being out here. Knowin' we shouldn't be." Aaron's tone was curt as he spoke to Eugene. Wren felt that Aaron's anger was out of line. Eugene didn't deserve to be his punching bag because of what happened. She understood the anger, god did she understand. But Eugene was not the person to be angry with. Whoever the hell those sick fucks that wear biter faces are who should be receiving the brunt force of their anger. "Maybe what happened was bound to happen."

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