AS we walked inside the gates of the Hilltop, Paul immediately began to inform the new group of the history behind this place. With the large manor house and a farming community, he explained the house was once a living history museum.

"Local schools, before the turn, used to come from all over for field trips," I informed them, momentarily stealing the spotlight from my brother.

He smiled and nodded towards me, placing his hands together. "Exactly, she's right," he concluded, nodding. "Anyways, I want to properly introduce you all to my twin sister, Tess."

Both Glenn and Maggie nodded, already knowing me, while the rest stepped up and into view. Pointing to the leader, my brother introduced him as Rick Grimes. His second-hand man would be the man in the sleeveless vest, Daryl Dixon. Then, the tall and muscular ginger man as Sergeant Abraham Ford. And, alas, a black woman with a wicked sword is named Michonne.

Now that I knew their group, I felt better and safer in a way. Everyone knew everybody now, thankfully. And, on top of all that, Paul wanted to introduce them all to Gregory, which I believe is going to end up bad because that man is a total dick.

Before we could enter the manor, Paul stopped me at the door and whispered, "You should go get your stuff ready."

I pulled my eyebrows together and asked, "Why? What's wrong?"

He sighed, which caused Rick's group to all look at us in question. Rick walked in between us and asked, "What's wrong?"

My brother said to him, "What Tess did out there isn't going to look good to Gregory. He has been wanting to kick her out for a while now, but hasn't because of me. He is getting tired of her."

I stepped up and hissed, "You don't seriously think that he would, do you?"

To my surprise, Paul nodded slowly and Rick scratched the back of his head. "He's had it out for you for some time and I don't think that he's about to miss this opportunity to get you banned from here," he continued, explaining all the little details. "There's that little place from here you could stay in until things simmer down here."

"Where—?"

"Jesus," came Rick's warning tone, butting into our conversation and cutting me off completely. "Really? No, she can come stay with us at Alexandria."

"Alexandria?" I asked, turning to glance back at Rick in question.

"Our home," Glenn answered before anyone else could. "That's where we came from."

I turned back to my brother with my eyes wide and, then, gulped. "Paul... I... I can't do that. I mean, I trust these people, but I don't actually know any of them, either. Is their place even safe?"

"It is," Rick stated, reassuring. "It's probably more safer there than it is here, to be honest. I don't feel comfortable – and I know that your brother doesn't, either – with you being somewhere off by yourself when we have plenty of room at Alexandria for you."

Again, my eyes met Paul's in an intense staredown — which I was winning, by the way. I shrugged and quietly asked, "No, but is it safe from them?"

"Them?" Rick questioned, turning to my brother for answers than myself. "Who's them?"

Paul gulped and simply lied, "Uh... She means the Walkers." Walkers? "That's what they call them, by the way." Oh... "But, yes, Tess, you'll be okay there. Safer there than here, alright? I checked the place out, myself, and it is secure from all over."

Alas, I gave in by nodding. I didn't just want to leave, but it's apparently safer there and, especially, from the Saviors, too. Rick's group and all that he has left back in Alexandria just don't know how fearful they should be of Negan. Fortunately for them, the Saviors haven't found them just yet and taken over.

"Okay," I agreed, taking a step back and allowing access to both Rick ad Paul's eyes. "I'll go with them back to Alexandria."

He nodded and squeaked out, "Good. Thank you." Then, to Rick, he thanked him as well. "Thank you. You won't regret it. She's good company to keep around."

Paul opened the door to the manor and walked inside, going in first before all them. Then, when the door was closed, I made my way back to mine and Paul's trailer.

I popped open the door and climbed inside, going over to my bed and taking a seat down on it. For a moment, I just sat there and took a deep breath out. My index fingers on each hand wandered over to my temples, rubbing them.

I have always hated it here, but would Gregory seriously have the balls to kick me out on my ass?

Suddenly, I heard something — like a static sound, and I immediately knew what it was from. I had the walkie on my bedside table and took it in my hands.

"Tess," Dwight's voice came over the radio. "We should talk. In person."

I tried to wrack my mind for what he would possibly want that for, but failed to see why. "Why, D?"

Look at me, calling him D like I was just another one of his Savior friends. Ugh, I hate myself so much sometimes.

"We just need to talk," he claimed through the static. "In person, it's safer than on here."

"Dwight," came my warning tone. "What's going on?"

Static played for a long time until... "War," he whispered, then the walkie went dead.

I gulped, squeezing the walkie to my chest and gripping it tightly in my hand. Dammit, I mentally cursed with a huge sigh afterwards.

Abruptly, without any warning, I started to hear something going outside my trailer. It was loud and nearly out-of-character for this place — except for when the Saviors were here and making a ruckus.

Without saying anything else, I tossed my walkie back into my bag and ran outside to confront the commotion. I ran right into the center of it all with Rick's group against my own.

"Nathan, what happened to everybody else?" Gregory was asking some of our people that had just made it back from their own mission. "Where's Tim and Marsha?"

Ethan, being a very tall man, suddenly stopped and answered instead, "They're dead."

Gregory had stopped in front of him, too, and glanced at each of them. Not only was there Ethan, but there was Crystal and Nathan, too. "Negan?"

"Yeah," Ethan agreed.

Gregory argued, "We had a deal."

Nathan called out from the back, "He said it wasn't enough. Was the drop light?"

Smugly, Gregory shook his head. "No." Then, Crystal says that they still have Craig, being Ethan's brother.

"They said they'd keep him alive, return him to us, if I delivered a message to you," Ethan explained, stepping dangerously closer to Gregory more and more.

Gregory shook his head and simply said, "So... Tell me."

Ethan placed his hand on Gregory's right shoulder and, sympathetically, apologized to him. I didn't know just for what, but it couldn't be good.

Before any of us could grasp the next few actions, Ethan suddenly stabbed Gregory in the stomach as he falls back into Maggie, Paul, and Dr. Carson's arms.

Rick and Michonne immediately ran to Ethan, holding him back, but he kept screaming from the top of his lungs, "Get off of me! I had to!"

He shoved Michonne off of him before swinging at Rick, who blocked his hit and, instead, kneed him in the gut to put him down on the ground with his body hovered over his.

While a fight was starting to breakout between Rick and Ethan, I briefly stepped away from the action. I didn't know where I stood with all of these people.

As soon as I turned my head, though, I saw Nathan tossing Rick off of Ethan, who then was attacked by Abraham, tackling him down to the ground as well. Nathan had his arms around Abe's neck, which wasn't looking so good to me. Nathan was on top of Abe and had his hands around his neck, trying to squeeze the life out of the big man.

So, on instint to protect people, I started that way before I was suddenly being put down on the ground as well. Crystal was on top of me, holding me down. "What do you think you're doing?!"

Somehow, I managed to quickly jump up to my feet and shoved her back. She stumbled backwards, but didn't fall her ass like I had.

She swung back her right fist and movd it towards me, trying to nail me right in the face. I managed to duck before tackling her all the way to the ground by going for her mid-section.

We tussled on the ground for a good minute, exchanging hits, before I finally got the upper-hand and nailed her right in her nose. She yelped out in pain and I saw the blood start oozing out, but I didn't care.

Finally, I jumped up and left her on the ground to recover before I spun around to see Daryl taking Nathan's arm and bending it in a way that it wasn't supposed to, cracking. Nathan screamed and got off of Abe.

"Hey!" I heard Glenn scream and we all turned to see at just what it was over. Glenn was about to take his knife out to end Ethan completely while Ethan held a knife to Rick's neck.

"Stay back! Anybody who tries to stop me is killing my brother!" Ethan screamed, fully focused on his kill – who he was hovering over.

"Ethan, stop," I tried negotiating with him. "It doesn't have to be this way. They seem to be good people, who have nothing do with this! So, put... it... down!"

"No," he testified against me, looking directly up at me. "You won't stop me! None of you will!"

Believing that I have nothing left to lose, I snatched my Beretta out and held it up, aiming for Ethan's head. I gulped, feeling everybody's eyes aimed at my turned back. I was really about to shoot one of my own for a stranger, who offered his home to me.

"Put it down or I'll shoot!" I warned him, taking the gun off safety now. "Now, Ethan, or I'll—"

Then, suddenly, blood began to pour out of Ethan's neck, landing directly onto Rick. For a split second, I thought that I had pulled the trigger and didn't even know it.

At that moment, I realized that Rick ended this by stabbing Ethan in the neck, completely slitting his throat. Daryl held a gun raised at Nathan while Crystal stood there in disbelief.

The people of the Hilltop were taken back by such behavior. From my turning on them to Rick killing one of our own right in front of them all...

Rick stood up, physically unharmed, except for the blood from Ethan. He turned to face everybody and nonchalantly asked, "What?"

"You killed him," Nathan called out.

"He tried to kill Gregory, then me," Rick tried explaining, defending himself.

Suddenly, Crystal took off towards Rick and punched him, hitting the ground afterwards. I stomped towards Crystal and was about to take her ass out before Michonne caught her first, slamming her to the ground. "Ah!"

Michonne's figure shadowed over her as she simply warned, "Don't."

Spears began to be raised by my people, who wanted all of us to drop our weapons. Rick raised his python gun and spat back, "I don't think that I will."

Paul suddenly appeared between all of us, who had his arms raised. "Everyone, this is over! It's over!"

"You're damn right it is," I stated, still holding my gun up against Kal, who had ran up to me with his spear. "Why defend a killer who tried to kill our own?!"

Although I despised Gregory with everything that I had, Ethan was still one of us who was sent back here to kill our so-called "leader" under Negan's authority. I wouldn't piss on Negan even if he was on fire.

"Says you," Kal suddenly spat back at me, holding his spear pointed right at me.

Glenn was suddenly and quickly there, holding his own small gun up at him. "Why don't you just lower that now? Alright? Leave her alone."

Although we only met maybe ten or so minutes ago, I really appreciated Glenn for being there for me like I had been there for him and his crew earlier. Us survivors have to stick together.

"Ethan was our friend, but let's not pretend he was anything more than a coward who attacked us," Paul stated, trying to reassure the group on both sides. "He did this and these people, including Tess, stopped him."

I peeked over my shoulder, seeing Crystal cowered over Ethan's body, crying. I didn't have any remorse or pity for either of them. They wanted a war and, now, they got one.

While Paul and Rick talked, I turned to Glenn and advised him to lower his gun now from being raised towards Kal. "It's alright, Glenn," I reassured him, turning to face him. "It's alright."

Right as I had turned my back on Kal, I felt a sudden pain in my back and touched it, realizing that I was bleeding. I don't know what occurred next when I suddenly fell, fading in and out due to the pain.

What just happened?

I looked up and seen Daryl hammering on Kal, who was now on the ground while Glenn tried his best to restrain Daryl from causing further damage.

What did Kal do to me?

"She's turned on us," is what Kal kept chanting over and over again, like a broken record. "She's turned on us!"

I lifted my hand up and watched as my shiny red blood oozed from my hands to the ground. "Shit," I cursed, realizing that he had stabbed me in the back. Literally.

"Tess," Paul breathed out my name, now that he was holding me up. "Dr. Carson's gonna check you out. Hold on."

"No," I groaned, trying to use him and the ground to help me up. "I'm fine."

"Don't be stubborn," he warned, trying his best to keep me down.

"No, really, I'm fine," I grunted before standing up again with his help.

I watched as Glenn had finally taken Daryl back from beating Kal's face in even more. However, Daryl was still kicking his feet and trying to breakaway from Glenn – and even Abe's – hold onto him. "Do it again, you son-of-a-bitch! I dare you!"

I couldn't believe that the silent and lone wolf who was Daryl Dixon, a complete stranger to me, was willing to beat a man half to death for what he did to me. I would forever be thankful for both Daryl Dixon and Glenn Rhee for their bravery today. Even Abraham Ford, too.

The next action that I performed was out of my ultimate control. I didn't know what came over me. Either it was revenge or anger, or something else in its own category... But, without much thought at all, I took my Beretta out, took aim, and shot towards Kal. My shot missed him, but only by a hair when he was lucky enough to move out of the way before impact.

What he did to me was a fresh wound, but the spear through my back wouldn't heal.

I went to take another step, but my eyes suddenly fell to the back of my head and I hit the ground without feeling it.