As soon as I got back to the Hilltop, I was immediately ambushed.

   "Tessa!" Izzy squealed as she hugged my waist. "There you are!"

   Izzy was nearly to my shoulders in height and as skinny as a toothpick. She was sixteen-years-old by now and wasn't going to stop growing any time soon. I've helped raise her ever since we first arrived at the Hilltop years ago.

   Her mother was a friend of mine here before she was bitten and, eventually, she died from it. She told me on her deathbed to look after Izzy after she passes away. I have done just that very thing. I kept my promise that I would, after all.

   I scuffled up her long, dark brown hair and lightly chuckled. "Yeah, I'm here, kid," I sighed, taking a moment to glance around my surroundings for another very familiar face. "Uh, do you know where my brother is, honey?"

   Just like myself, she browsed the area and, then, she shrugged. "Uh... I don't think he's come back yet, to be honest."

   "What?!" I exclaimed, wide-eyed. "Are you serious?"

   Again, she shrugged and frowned. Obviously confused, she mumbled: "I... I guess. I'm sorry, Tess. You should ask Gregory. Maybe he will know. Tony might, too, since he's been on the wall mostly."

[A/N: Since I don't know absolutely EVERYONE from the Hilltop (other than Jesus, Gregory, etc.), so that's why I'm going to make up some names as I go... Sorry! This is only temporary until I can find out more about the people from the Hilltop! And, now, back to the story...]

   I nodded and sighed heavily. "Alright, kid. Thanks. I'll go ask Tony, then," I concluded before stepping away from her and on to the wall, where Tony was located at.

   When I noticed him talking to some others about something, I called to him: "Hey, Tony! Have you seen my brother? Is he back yet?"

   Tony, being an older man of about fifty years old or such, with his short, gray hair and matching beard. He peeked me over his shoulder and quickly shook his head. "Haven't seen him today, other than when he left with you earlier. I'm sorry, Tess."

   I lowered my head and growled until I picked it back up and rolled my eyes. Dammit, I thought to myself before speaking aloud saying to Tony: "Alright. Thanks, Tony."

   With a wave towards him, I turned on my heel and headed straight for the main building and attraction of all that is the Hilltop. It's where Gregory stays locked up in all day until he absolutely has to come out. A prick is what he is. I absolutely dread ever talking to him one-on-one, especially without Paul here by my side.

Once in the lobby area, I took a deep breath and knocked lightly on Gregory's office door. I heard some noise, but then: "Yeah, come on in!"

I opened the door and stepped inside, shutting it behind myself. Gregory looked up from his notes and noticed that it was just me. He pursed his lips together and squeaked, "Oh, Tessa, there you are! Is Jesus with you?"

   I shook my head and countered, "No, he hasn't come back yet. It's getting really late and it'll be dark soon. He's usually always back by now."

   He perked his head up and pulled his eyebrows together. "Why, yes. He should've been back by now. He may already be on his way, though, Tess."

   I rolled my eyes because I'm already so done with today. I shrugged my shoulders and scoffed, "Yeah, alright. Whatever, then."

   I headed back for the door and right when I reached for the knob, I heard Gregory say behind me: "You look extra beautiful today, Tess."

I growled under my breath, with my hand on the handle, and spat back at him: "Rot in hell, you sick bastard."

Then, I fled his room without another word and back outside. I kept looking for Paul, but he was still nowhere to be found. I didn't know exactly where he had decided to go today to look for supplies at, so I couldn't just go out there and get myself killed for no reason at all.

I needed Paul here right now. I needed to tell him all about what happened today with the almost deadly encounter that I had with the Saviors. I wasn't killed or even taken, all thanks to Dwight, of course, who – by the way – did end up taking my other walkie-talkie, though.

"Tessa!" I heard my name being called as soon as I was outside again. The only person that calls me that is Izzy, of course. She ran up to me and panicked: "Tony says that there's a small herd headed this way and they need help getting it."

I nodded, mentally taking that up as my new mission, and ran up to the wall. This will definitely help get my mind off of things, but I can't help but think that one of them things are my brother out there.

I got out my machete, holding that out and ready to go. "Tony! What's the plan here?"

He held his pitchfork high and replied, "We need to get out there and put a stop to it before it ones close to home. You in?"

I nodded and answered, "Of course, I'm in! Let's go already, then!"

With the gates now open, Tony and myself – and a few others from the Hilltop – stormed out and ran towards the end of the dirt road with our weapons raised for war against the biters.

I took out the first one with my machete while Tony and the others took out some of the rest around it. I didn't let anything stop me from killing more, but I watched their faces as I went on.

"That's good," I announced after all of them were officially dead. "I think that we're all good now."

With nearly a dozen bodies sprawled out on the ground now, we took a moment to rest after that slaughter. "If only we fought like that against the Saviors, then we wouldn't have to constantly live in worry," I commented and earned a bunch of glares from my crew. "What? You know that it's true."

Charlie, another member of the Hilltop, shook his head and stated: "We know that, but you can't fight back, though, Tess. You and Jesus are, really, the only good fighters that we have left here."

Tony acknowledged this and added, "And we can't risk you two dying. Ever."

I placed my hands on my hips and scoffed, "While he's not back yet. Any guesses where he had went?"

This time, they had fell silent out as they were now out of answers. Nobody knew where he had scurried off to, but he's that way, of course. He comes and goes as he pleases to satisfy everyone.

"Fine. Whatever. F-ck it," I cursed, raising my arms in the air in surrender. "Let's just get these bodies in a pile and set them on fire, I guess."

This time, Tony hesitated and countered: "Not tonight, Tess. It'll be dark soon. Better pile them up and set them aside until tomorrow for a campfire."

He wasn't wrong, so I agreed with a nod. "Yeah, Tony, I agree. So, let's them up and get back home. I'm tired as hell already."

Altogether, we got all the bodies together and pile them up, off the road we've made to get up to the Hilltop. The sky was getting darker and not because of nightfall, either. A storm was coming.

Quickly, we got them up and went back home just in time for the rain to hit us. Izzy and I ran to our trailer, shielding ourselves from the rain.

"How about you grab yourself a real shower before bed, kiddo?" I said to her while she took off her damp clothing off at the door.

She nodded with a smile and agreed, "Okay, Tess. Then, you take one after, right?" I nodded and that's when she hurried to go take her shower.

Finally, I got to lay down for the night. I don't think that I'll be able to stay awake long enough to eve take a shower, to be honest. Today was very stressful and all I wanted was real sleep.

Suddenly, some noise occurred and it sounded like static. "Oh, Tess... You there? It's D."

My heart dropped and, then, I hit the floor to retrieve my new talkie from my bag to a point where I got my head on my bedpost. I held the talkie in my hand and quietly said into it: "Uh, yeah. Hey. What do you want?"

Static, but then: "I'm lonely. Wanna talk?"

I growled and rolled my eyes. "Really? This isn't like the old days."

"Why not? It can be. We can be friends... Again."

Again, I rolled my eyes in disbelief. I will never be his friend again. Not after Kent. "Go to hell, Dwight. I will forever be grateful for that you did for me today, but as far as I'd ever being friends again... It will never happen."

A long and awaited static. For a second, I thought that he wasn't going to reply before... "I'll meet you there, Tess. Talk to you tomorrow."

My heart suddenly sank, but I had to end this before it became anything whatsoever. "Yeah, alright. Goodnight, Dwight."

"Goodnight, T."

• Not all bad guys are actually BAD... They're underestimated, that's all 🙃 Hah hah! I'll probably update tomorrow, but if I somehow don't... It will be the day after... MAYBE 😭 I'm sorry, but I have crappy work and all that dumb crap to do 🙄 •