➳ WE hopped off our wagons and horses to clear out the road from having a broken-down tree in our path. It was myself, Tara, Kal, Yumiko, Magna, Mollie, and Oscar.

Tara led us over to the tree, which was down on a vacant car, and took a quick look at it. "The storm must've knocked it down," she considered with a sigh. It only took her a split second to start barking out orders. "Okay. We got to get the road cleared before Alden's convoy meets up with us."

Immediately, Yumiko says back, "We'll set up a perimeter."

Tara quickly agreed and nodded her head. Then, to the rest of us, she says, "C'mon."

Yumiko and Magna leave to keep us protected from all sides while Mollie and I stay behind with Kal, Tara, and Oscar to help clear the road. We started off picking up the little pieces of limbs and branches before we would have to come together to get rid of the big part of the tree.

We worked in silence for the most part until I had to lift up and throw a big piece off by myself. I dusted my hands off before placing them on my waist, taking a moment to rest before getting back at it.

I felt somebody's eyes on me and quickly glanced up, seeing Tara practically staring holes through me. I tilted my head and asked, "Yes?"

She smirked before standing up and dusting her own hands off, turning her body right in my direction. "I heard you the other night," she confessed, and my face hardened. I wanted to avoid eye contact with her now. "When I went to get something to drink, I heard you in your room. I peeked inside to see what was wrong, and you were asleep. You kept mumbling, He's still here. Who is?"

I frowned and shook my head, quickly turning both my head and body away from her to pick up some more limbs. I didn't want to answer her because I would start to sound crazy again, and I didn't want to be like that around her or Mollie ever again.

I threw two big pieces off to the sides of the road before I felt someone come up, pressing their hand on my right shoulder. "You can tell me, y'know. If you're still seeing Dwight in your dreams..."

I quickly spun around and faced Tara again, shaking my head. "It wasn't him."

Her face showed concern when she whispered out, "Then, who, Tess? Your brother?"

I quickly took a deep breath and glanced down to stare at her belt than her face when I answered back, "Carl... Okay? I'm... I keep seeing him in my dreams now. I don't know why, but I think it's because I want to always remember his face and what his voice sounded like. I don't know, but... Yeah, that's it."

She slowly shook her head before placing her hand back on my shoulder, keeping me at bay. "It's okay. You don't have to say any more than you want to."

I nodded and actually wasn't going to say another word about it until I remembered what Henry had told me just the other day when he found out about Paul being gone.

Tara had already turned away and was picking up the remaining pieces of limbs when I said to her back, "Henry told me something the other day after... Paul. He said, 'Nobody's truly dead when you think about them all the time.' I didn't hear him when he said it... Until right now. He's completely right because... Whenever I dream of those we've lost along the way, they feel more real than you and I standing here right now. In some ways, maybe they aren't truly dead, after all. Right?"

She stood up, and glancing over her shoulder, she smiled and nodded her way. "You are completely right. We all live on in some way."

Then, with that said, we scattered and tried to get this tree broken down and thrown out of our way. I truly tried to hang up on my own words and really hope one of these nights, I will see Paul again.

I can only pray he feels more real than anything around me now.

- - -

➳ STILL delayed in the road with the damn broken-down tree, most of us were still standing there and trying to chop it down to small pieces to handle.

However, as we were standing there and chopping away, we all suddenly turned our heads around when we heard Magna call out from afar, "Hey, Tara! Sickos headed this way!"

Immediately, Tara started sprinting towards them while Mollie and I followed behind her. "How many?" Tara wanted to know, first-hand.

"Maybe ten," Yumiko claimed, shrugging. "It's hard to tell. They're coming out of the trees."

Kelly shrugged and stated, "We can handle 'em."

Tara already had her hatchet out before she countered, "Yeah, but it could be those psychos in the skinsuits." She pointed towards Earl in one of the wagons. "Earl, can you hitch the horses?"

Immediately, he nodded and agreed, "I'm on it."

She spun around and faced the rest of us standing there, waiting on our orders. "Kal, Oscar, and Tess, you're with me." I nodded and snatched out my machete, ready to dance around death once more. To the kids — Gage, Addy, and Rodney — she ordered, "You three, guard the wagon. Stay sharp. Come on."

That said, she turned her back on us and started towards the Walkers. To Mollie, I demanded, "Stay with Tammy and Earl, and keep your sister safe. You hear me?"

She nodded and reassured, "I will. I promise."

I turned my head towards the wagon, where Tammy sat with the new baby – which came from the skinheads, who left the poor-thing behind – and Tara Rose, who looked on to me with full eyes. "Tara Rose, baby, stay with them, no matter what. You hear me? You don't run. Stay with them!"

Then, with that said, I nodded towards her and quickly started sprinting behind Tara and them, trying to keep up. We marched along together and readied ourselves to face the dead — or living — again.

"Watch their hands," Yumiko warmed, but she didn't have to tell us again. "Keep your eyes open for weapons."

Immediately, we all started to slice and dice through the dead, making sure to watch for weapons and teeth. I took off a couple of heads by myself with my machete before one suddenly tackled me down to the ground as I struggled to get it off of me.

I feared it was one of the skinheads with that much strength, but it became apparent when we faced off that it was just another Walker. My machete was thrown from my hands, only a small fingertip away from me, while I kept the Walker up by my left elbow, trying to reach out for my weapon.

However, my attention from trying to regain my weapon was suddenly caught off when I heard Earl call out for Mollie. For only a moment, I could see both Earl and Mollie trying to fend off the dead by themselves.

I feared for my daughter and Earl, of course, too — and it only motivated me more to reach out and regain my weapon, so this is exactly what I did. I nearly dislocated my arm when I finally grabbed ahold of my machete and slid it right through the back of the Walker's head. Blood poured out, but I quickly disposed of its body off to the side before it could get on me.

"Earl!" I heard Tammy Rose call out and yanked my head into their direction. "Behind you!"

Earl struggled to get the Walker off of him, falling to the ground. I saw Tammy putting the baby away into a chest on the wagon with air-holes in it. Mollie was fighting off her own Walkers and was currently unable to run and help Earl. I just prayed he wasn't bitten.

However, I didn't have time to fight two different battles when more dead came out from the trees and headed our way. Tara ran over to me and held her hand down to me, and I happily accepted it as she helped me back to my feet.

Then, without speaking to one another, Tara turned her back and held up her hatchet, and I glued my back to hers and held up my own machete. It reminded me of the last night Paul was alive, when we fought the dead — and living — one last time together.

Walkers surrounded us, but Tara and I weren't going to leave each other's sides. We took down each and every Walker who headed our way, having to drill most of them to the ground.

Then, right when my back was turned and I was putting down another Walker, someone tapped me on my shoulder, and I spun around. It was Tara, who now looked off into the distance, and I glared with her.

It appeared to be a couple of horses headed our way with people riding them. Were they here to either help or kill us? Nevertheless, Tara started to take off towards them with the rest of us in tow, but we were stopped along the way when we had to take care of even more Walkers.

In one easy swift motion, the people on their horses jumped off of them and headed our way with their weapons in hand. Truly believing they were going to use their weapons on us, I yanked Tara back, but they quickly came and showed just who they were here to help. They started taking down Walkers with us, so Tara and I quickly started working alongside them.

Tara faced them and breathed out, "Who the hell are you guys?"

I faced them when the man in the black cowboy hat grunted back, "We're the Highwaymen. We're your escorts to the fair." What?! The man quickly used the wrench in his hands to take out another Walker before turning back to us and tipping his hat. "At your service."

Then, Tara and I both spun around to take care of more Walkers coming out of the trees. Finally, it was over, and we could confront our new allies.

I took a deep breath and faced off with the man, who was seemingly in charge, with his big wrench and black cowboy hat. He had a very unique look to him, I have to say.

The man smiled at me and said, "Well... My, my. Aren't you beautiful, sweetheart."

For a split second, I truly believed he was saying this to Tara, not myself. However, it seemed like he was speaking directly to me. With my mouth ajar, I blurted out, "I'm sorry... What?"

He shined his teeth with a brand new smile, his dark eyes spying at me underneath his black hat. "Nothing, just...," he paused, tilting his head and glaring at me now. "You're very beautiful, that's all."

Tara laughed, standing next to me and shaking her head, and I just playfully rolled my eyes. Still, I accepted his compliment; although, after taking down all those Walkers, I probably wasn't looking so hot right now.

- - -

➳ BY the time we all arrived at the Kingdom with the Highwaymen in tow, we had learned all their names — especially the man in the black cowboy hat, who carried around the huge wrench. His name was Ozzy, and so far, he was very nice — along with the rest of his crew.

Mollie and I started to help Tara and the rest of Hilltop unload supplies, already feeling welcomed in their royal embrace. Just as I took out a huge crate of supplies out, which I nearly dropped, a pair of hands caught the crate before it could hit the ground beneath me.

My eyes slowly started to trail upwards when I noticed the familiar cowboy hat and friendly smile. "Here, darlin', let me help you with that."

Before I could argue, Ozzy took the crate of goods from my hands and headed over to their spot for me. I actually managed to smirk and scratched my forehead, watching him drop off the supplies before returning back to me.

"I could've handled that, y'know," I claimed, shaking my head and dimming my eyes towards him. "I'm stronger than you probably think I am."

He smiled and leaned in, breathing right into my face: "I know." Then, with that said, he tipped his hat off at me before disappearing.

My head fell a little when I smiled and rubbed the back of my neck. "Tess," I heard someone call out my name before cranking my head back up, seeing Tara waving at me. "Hey, grab another crate and come help me."

I quickly nodded and started heading her way with a new crate in my hands, setting it down on a table. We started to take out the mason-jars of things and tried to make them look as presentable as possible on the table.

We were standing there and organizing in silence until Tara nudged my side and quietly said, "Hey, y'know, back on the road 'bout what you said..." She paused before facing me as we stood there so close to one another. "It's okay that you're dreaming of him again. Those who we've lost, they'll always be real to us."

I slowly nodded but kept my mouth shut. And, yet, she continued, "And, y'know, if you ever dream of Dwight or if you wanna be with Luke or even Ozzy now... It's okay with me. I know that..." She paused, taking a deep breath and managing to glance up at me, our eyes meeting somewhere in the middle. "I know we're too close to be sisters, and we're not close enough to be anything else, but... I do love you, forever and always."

With fresh tears in her eyes, she quickly glared down at the supplies to organize them again to distract herself. My breath was caught in my throat, but I managed to reach over to her shoulders and yank her around to face me again. She hesitated at first, but I kept her in line so I could say what I needed to say now.

"It was and always will be you," I confessed, keeping my hands steady on her shoulders. Fresh tears filled her eyes when she glanced away, allowing them to fall down her cheeks. "Don't you see that?"

Tara is the only one who hasn't left me.

With that said, she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and allowed the remaining tears to fall while she had her lips practically inside of her mouth now. She finally nodded, and when she did, I quickly threw our bodies together and squeezed her neck, feeling her warmth flow through me now.

She threw her arms around my waist, and we simply just held each other there for a good few minutes. Tara will never truly realize just how much I love her, deep down. While we held each other, I remembered back to when we fought the Saviors at Hilltop and when we all believed Tara was going to die from an infected-arrow.

"Tara, no... I won't leave you, I promise. I will stay with you through everything."

"I don't deserve you, Tess."

"Yes, you do. You're my best friend, Tara. I wouldn't be here without you. I stay alive for you, and I would easily die for you, too. So, what I'm gonna do is... If you go, I'll go with you."

"Tess, no—"

"I'm not losing anyone else. I've already made up my mind. If you die, I die. We die together, Tara. We'll be together forever, in the sky, you and me."

"Hi," someone suddenly squeaked out, so Tara and I quickly let go of each other and faced the two new people who were now standing there.

All smiles, Carol and Ezekiel stood there. Tara quickly hugged Carol, and when she was done, she moved on to Ezekiel. I embraced Carol, as we've never had any bad blood between us, before I moved onto Ezekiel and embraced him, too.

Alas, Carol took a look around before turning back towards me and Tara. "Where's Henry?"

Both Tara and I killed our smiles, glancing around us in question and concern. "He's not here yet?"

Carol shook her head and hummed out, "Mnh-mnh."

Shit.

Tara turned her head towards them again and questioned, "What 'bout Daryl? We were meeting them here."

Both Ezekiel and Carol stared Tara and I both down in stern question when she asked us, "Where exactly are they?"

Tara and I quickly turned and looked down at one another, holding our breaths, before looking around again.

Where the actual fuck are they now?