EIGHT MONTHS AFTER THE BRIDGE

-
-
-

➳ "MOMMY!" Mollie called to me from the playground, smiling and waving her little hand my way. "Look! Look!"

I took a moment to pause, tilting my head and grinning. She was playing with Gracie and Judith, taking turns swinging each other on the swing-set. The two girls had Mollie high up in the air now.

"Yes, honey, I see you," I called back before eyeing Miss Maple, who was sitting nearby and supervising the kids while they played. She had turned her head, and her eyes met mine, all while holding Tara Rose in her lap. I nodded, and she nodded back to me before I dipped my head and kept on walking.

I had heard over the Walkie-Talkie of strangers arriving at our front gates, so I headed down there from my home. I arrived there at there just as they opened and Michonne stood there, ready to greet them. So was I, too.

I walked up behind Michonne and glanced over her shoulders at the new strangers, surprised to see a couple of children standing there. Scott stood there with them while Rosita held up a lady, who appeared to be hurt.

"Found them wandering not far from here," he confirmed to Michonne before taking a step towards her. "One of them's hurt."

This is what I figured, too. I stepped up and kept glaring down the woman, who Rosita held up, and kept my hand firmly on my gun — which was on my belt. We couldn't trust anyone, even someone with children.

Michonne readjusted her head just a little before she pulled her eyebrows together, staring down the woman. The woman spoke out first, "Oh, my gosh... Michonne?"

I almost broke my neck when I quickly went to stare down Michonne in equal question as the new woman. Our fearless leader smiled with tears in her eyes and spoke back, "Jocelyn?"

- - -

➳ "JOCELYN!" Michonne called out to her old friend, who was running out of the infirmary like the place was on fire. I ran up with the others to figure out just what in the hell was going on.

"You've lost too much blood," Saddiq called after her, seemingly concerned for the new stranger's well-being. "Michonne! Hey, hey!"

We ran up to Jocelyn and Saddiq, who held her back while the woman seemed to be grasping for breath now. "Joss, what are you doing?"

"I have to go back," she gasped out, trying to fight Saddiq on leaving.

"No," Saddiq immediately shut down her idea. "There's no way she can travel right now."

"I have to," Jocelyn claimed, now trying to fight Michonne on this, too. "There are others."

Immediately, Aaron and I exclaimed in unison, "What others?"

However, our question wasn't answered since Michonne started yelling to prevent Jocelyn from legitimately falling out dead right then and there. I glanced over at Aaron, and he stared back, shaking his head.

Rosita leaned in and whispered to the strange woman, "You can not go out there like this."

However, this didn't stop Jocelyn, who nearly fell down the stairs when she claimed back, "I have to find them!"

"Find who? Joss, wait!"

"No, you don't get it," Jocelyn exhaustingly claimed, being held by just about everyone here.

However, Michonne quickly held the woman up on her own by gripping her arms and facing her. "Hey. Hey. It's me." The rest of us stood back and waited for this to escalate further. "Talk to me. Tell me what you need."

To my surprise, the woman responded, "Mich... I need help."

- - -

➳ LATER, one of the little girls who accompanied Jocelyn — Winnie — led myself, Michonne, Gabriel, Rosita, Aaron, and Eugene to a factory where they had been staying.

With weapons out and flashlights up in this jungle of darkness, Rosita asked aloud, "You sure about this one?"

"Yeah," one of the boys replied to her. "This is one of the places Joss hid us. I'm pretty sure some of 'em would come back here."

"One?" I asked aloud, glancing over to the boy. "There's more places?" He frowned and shrugged before continuing to walk, clearly ignoring my question.

Gabriel went ahead of us and tried one of the doors, but to no avail. "Well, if we want in, looks like we got to go around—"

However, he didn't have the chance to finish when we all heard a noise and nearly broke our necks to locate it. Apparently, Winnie had crawled up into an upper shaft and squeezed herself in.

Eugene commented on it, "Crafty maneuver. Points for dexterity." He turned back to the boy and questioned, "Does your compadre plan on moseying her way 'round again?"

"Uh," the boy mumbled out, probably not knowing exactly how to answer Eugene's difficult question. "Yeah. She'll mosey."

Alas, the door Gabriel had just tried finally opened, and Winnie stood on the other side, who had opened it from within. The door creaked open, and we all started going inside when I noticed Michonne had taken the moment to rub Winnie's chin for her good work, who smiled in return.

We kept on walking further inside this place with weapons and flashlights up when I noticed little things on the walls. For example, Skinning A Deer was written on one of the little posters hung up. It had handwritten drawings and notes on how to do it, detail by detail.

Alas, we cut through a curtain, and this is when the boy whistled aloud. Other whistles came from the distance before some clattering; and, then, children — actual children — came from being hidden behind the items in this factory. Several from all ages.

It was actually pretty amazing.

- - -

➳ THAT night, under the cover of darkness, we were all gathered around the campfire with the new children. Although I didn't know what to think of them all at first, including Jocelyn, they were all warming up to us pretty quickly now.

It was actually pretty breathtaking to see that all these children have survived this long. It was so rare, especially with only one adult, to take care of them all. They were all so normal — despite their dirty outer looks. They laughed, smiled, and acted just like normal children should.

"Let's play the quiet game again," Linus laughed out, giggling. "This time, I'm gonna win!"

"Not if I beat you first," I challenged him, and everyone laughed even harder. "Okay, let's go!"

Just like that, the children fell quiet again, but their eyes and facial expressions spoke for themselves. Gabriel started to make funny little faces again, and this is when all the children started to bust out laughing in unison.

I felt somebody's eyes on me, so I glanced up and noticed it was Aaron. I smiled back at the kids before quietly excusing myself and standing up to my feet, carrying Tara Rose on my hip.

"Hey," I breathed out, noticing the popcorn in his bowl. "What's up?"

"Nothing much," he responded before glancing back at the campfire and the children who surrounded it. "We deserve this... from time to time. I know how things have felt weird around here ever since Rick... But, we can grow and expand. We deserve to laugh and have fun, sometimes. Don't you think so?"

I nodded and smirked, agreeing with his every word. "Yeah, we do."

"What 'bout Mollie?" he suddenly asked, titling his head. "How's she liking the new kids?"

I shrugged and claimed, "She's adjusting fairly well. She's a really good and bright kid. All she wants is to feel normal every once in a while, just like any other kid would want." I noticed Mollie giggling with the other kids while laying on her tummy in the grass and swinging her small legs behind her. "I will not fail her, Aaron. I will not fail my girls. I can't afford to. They're too important to me."

Although I didn't have my eyes on him, I could see from the corner of them of him nodding. "I know, Tess."

I shook my head and sighed out, "But, if... if I lose Paul or Tara, I-I couldn't..."

"No," he cut me off by speaking up and taking ahold of my arm, staring me down. "Not even then, Tess. Not even then. Because, no matter what and no matter how old they get, they're gonna need their mother. They're always gonna need you, Tess. Just remember that, will ya?"

I heard Mollie's laughing in the background.

- - -

➳ I found myself walking the streets until I saw Michonne and some other parents, ready to collect our kids from Jocelyn's place after yet another sleepover. Mollie slept over there with them, just like Judith did, too.

We walked up the stairs to the porch and allowed Michonne to do the honors of knocking on the front door. She smiled by happily knocking, but no answer at first. There weren't any sounds from the inside, so we waited another moment as she knocked again.

However, there still weren't any noises, so Michonne opened the door and went inside with the rest of us. We walked inside and didn't see or hear anyone; and, yet, I noticed the empty pallets of blankets and sleeping bags on the ground of the living room. Empty.

"Hello?" Michonne called out. "Joss? Judith?"

"Mollie," I called out, being more alarmed than Michonne. "Mollie, where are you?!"

"Marcus!" Scott called out for his own adoptive son, too.

We headed outside and started to browse the town for our children. I followed after Michonne as we both called out for our daughters, nervous and panting.

I was starting to really freak out, sweating in this cold, and my chest felt like it was tightening. I clenched it until I heard Scott call out for us, so we ran towards his voice and quickly found him in the food pantry. We ran up and discovered legitimately all of our food had been taken, all except for a few cans, and one of our residents was murdered inside, too.

"Something's wrong," Frankie ran up, panting. Yeah, you think? "The infirmary was raided."

My chest was definitely starting to tighten, and I closed my eyes, not wanting to believe it. I didn't want to believe Jocelyn and her kids took off with all of our kids. I nearly fell when Frankie grabbed me and held me up, much to my surprise.

I heard Michonne practically whispering until I realized what was saying "no" about. The little bloody footprints led right to one of the manholes in Alexandria — which was wide open.

No... Mollie!

- - -

➳ MICHONNE and I joined up with Daryl, who decided to help us go and find our children out in the woods. Despite the fact he and I haven't truly spoken since Rick, he showed me sympathy when learning the news of Mollie's disappearance.

Michonne was sniffling and breathing heavenly from crying and from just being heavily pregnant, in general. Daryl noticed and spoke up, "Let's take a break." He nodded and pointed towards the nearby swing-set.

"I know you wanna be out here," Daryl started to say to her. "But you got a baby, y'know?"

They sat down in the swings, and I decided to drift away, giving them their space to chat by themselves. Ever since this morning when we found out what truly happened, all I kept thinking about was every little moment I ever shared with Mollie.

She was once a clueless little girl who had turned out to be such a brave child. I just couldn't understand how Jocelyn convinced her and the other kids to go with them. They probably all think it's some sort of game, back to being clueless — all thanks to me, who told her to trust them.

Then, this when it hit me... I remembered back to what I told Aaron on the first night when Jocelyn and the kids arrived at Alexandria.

I will not fail her, Aaron. I will not fail my girls. I can't afford to. They're too important to me.

And, yet, I had failed her. I failed her the moment I told her it was okay to befriend Jocelyn and the new kids. And, now, Mollie might be gone forever. I lost her before I had her, officially. My sweet baby girl... How did this happen?

Before I realized what I was doing, I started to cry, and my back shook with each escaping sob. I was being loud and probably very annoying, but I didn't care. I had failed her. Me.

"Hey, hey, hey," I heard Daryl whisper out before feeling his hands on my shoulders, trying to get me to face and trust him again. I jerked away from him, but my attempt didn't work when he pulled me right into his chest. My head laid on his chest, tucked underneath his chin, when he wrapped his arms around me and rubbed my back. "We'll find her, Tess. We will. We'll find her."

I hadn't felt his embrace in so long that it felt like a stranger hugging me more than an old friend.

- - -

➳ WE came upon this old abandoned schoolhouse and decided to temporarily separate for the time-being to cover more ground. I held my machete out, good and ready to use it on Jocelyn's ass as soon as I saw her.

Early on, I heard Michonne scream out, "PJ! Wait! Wait!"

Daryl and I nearly collided with one another when running towards Michonne's pleading voice before we quickly found an opened door, allowing ourselves to run in after the kid and try to find the rest of them. The classrooms seemed to be in perfect condition, the desks still where they once were.

"Where's Michonne?" I whispered to Daryl, and he shrugged. A noise came from down the hallway, so we bolted out of the classroom and into the hallway.

Michonne stood down there in front of all the children, as I feared inside of what was about to happen. What I feared more was myself... And I will do to survive.

"Where are our kids?" Michonne asked the children, pleading with them for answers.

"Hey!" I exclaimed, stepping forward and quickly exchanging my machete for my gun in one swift motion. "Answer her, dammit. Where are Mollie and the rest of our kids?"

"Drop 'em," Mitchell, Jocelyn's second-in-command demanded before answering any questions. What a little prick-boy.

Michonne tried again, though. "Just tell me that they're safe."

However, before any of us could control what happened next, Daryl and I were both shot at the same time with arrows, falling back and down to the ground in defeat. I tried to stay conscious, but my vision was blurry when I heard footsteps before seeing a little girl above me with blonde hair towering over my downed body.

"...Mollie?"

Then, just like that, the little girl slammed something hard down on my head.

- - -

➳ I finally awoke in all sorts of pain and agony but couldn't speak — due to the cloth in my mouth. I tried to move my arms but quickly realized I was hung up by my arms like hanging meat. I blinked my eyes a couple of times before seeing both Michonne and Daryl next to me while I was hung in the middle of them both.

They were both alive. Thankfully. We hung up there, but I started to jerk my arms at the binds hanging me up by my wrists. However, nothing was going to help as we stuck in here — held up by some damn kids.

I heard a fire crackling nearby and turned my head towards the direction it was coming from before seeing Winnie, who was the blonde child who struck me over the head, turn around and away from the barrel of fire behind her. She glanced at us before turning back to Linus and saying, "They're awake."

Before I could process, Linus picked up something from the fire. At first glance, I thought it was a fire-poker, but I saw the orange burning off of the tip of it and saw the symbol. An X.

I had a split-second flashback to when I witnessed Negan firsthand deliver a hot iron like this to one of his Saviors' faces, like he had done to Dwight.

Linus, along with Mitchell in tow, walked up behind Daryl and picked up the back of his shirt. This is when I finally noticed Jocelyn off in the corner, sitting there and all wide-eyed — like some kind of actual psycho person.

"What are you doing?!" I tried to scream through the cloth around my mouth. They probably couldn't understand me since it was muffled. "STOP IT!!!"

"Go on, Linus," Jocelyn whispered to the young boy while Mitchell had Daryl's shirt up, and Linus held the brand in his hand. "Be strong."

With that said, Linus immediately pressed the burning end to Daryl's lower back. He screamed out in muffled cries as so did Michonne and I, too. The immediate scent of burning flesh hit my nose, and I wanted to throw up.

I screamed out, "What the hell is wrong with you people?!"

Linus and Mitchell moved away from Daryl before standing in front of me. Jocelyn stood up and walked over to Linus, praising him. "Well done, Linus."

"The strong survive," he quickly replied; as if it was rehearsed.

Then, Jocelyn added, "And thrive." I was panting and panicking over what just happened to Daryl. What the hell?! Jocelyn pursed her lips before glancing me over from toes to head. "She's next."

"WHAT?!"

Linus handed Winnie the burning brand before coming up behind me, as I felt the back of my shirt be lifted up. Daryl was screaming, and I could only manage to hear him say something like, "No... Stop it! Leave her alone!"

However, I wasn't going to just sit there and take it. I was about to fight like hell, so I started swinging around and using my legs to my advantage. I don't know who it was that I kicked behind me, but I definitely did put my boots into someone. Jocelyn tried to control me from the front, but I had immediately kicked her, too. She went flying back and nearly fell on her ass when I felt someone grab tightly hold of me before the back of my shirt was pulled up and my skin was revealed again.

I kept trying to fight, but I couldn't swing or do much of anything this time when I felt the burning and sizzling pain in my lower back. I screamed out in agonizing pain, feeling something I had never felt before. I didn't even feel this terrible when I gave birth without little to no medication whatsoever given to me.

I started to cry, the hot melting tears falling down my cheeks and slipping into the cloth around my mouth, and kept screaming. I was sure my face was pure red, and my teeth were about to break from being clinched so hard. I gulped down a huge lump and prayed for the ending of this already.

And, just like that, it came and went. Thankfully, that is. Then, Jocelyn walked right over to Michonne and got right into her terrified face. I felt for Michonne — especially after being so heavily pregnant right now.

Jocelyn whispered to her old friend, "I told you... Children are capable of anything. I taught them and helped them become what we are. Because they can't be soft." She paused for a split moment before adding, "Not now. Not like I was..."

"Where is she?!" I managed to hear what Michonne was saying through the cloth around her mouth, like mine. She demanded to know just where exactly her daughter was, and I couldn't blame her.

For whatever reason, this caused Jocelyn to fiercely turn her head and stare off to the side. Both mine and Michonne's glares followed hers, just to see Winnie getting the brander, fresh out of the barrel of fire. Oh, my fuck...

Winnie turned away from the barrel with the brander in her hands when Jocelyn says to her, "Control it, Winnie. Don't let it control you."

To my surprise, Winnie furrowed her eyes down; as if, she was in doubt about doing this now, but she must have pushed away her fear when she walked around to Michonne's back.

I started to panic, trying to scream out in her defense, "Wait! Please! She's pregnant! She's—!"

Before my pleads could be heard, Winnie leaned the brander forward and completely fried Michonne's lower back — just like they had done to me and Daryl. She screamed out for her pain, but it had to be worse on her because of her late pregnancy.

Michonne shrieked right in Jocelyn's crazy-dazed face.

- - -

➳ SOMEHOW, Daryl broke free by choking out one of the kids before helping Michonne and I out of our own restraints. Once down, I tried not to shake so much from what I was feeling in my lower back.

"Hey," Michonne breathed out once she was down and trying to stand back up on her own two feet again. "We should split up."

"Alright," Daryl immediately agreed. "I'm gonna tie him up."

Although I wasn't going to say it aloud, I wanted these kids to die for what they did. Still, I hate to think like that because, not all that long ago, they were just normal kids. It was all a set-up, and thanks to Jocelyn, they'll never be that way again. She is to blame for all this, training these kids to become vicious murderers — most likely — and to kidnap other children to make them just like them.

To what Daryl said, Michonne simply whispered out, "Okay." Then, she headed out the room out on her own.

I didn't know quite what to do, so I just headed out into the hallway — where I saw a huge shard of glass on the ground. I quickly bent down and grabbed it without any protection on my hands; so, when I squeezed it in my right hand, it cut deep in the palms of my hands and I watched the blood ooze out. I was officially ready now.

I was about to split off from Daryl until I felt his heavy hand on my shoulder. My breath hitched in my throat when he came around me and barked out, "Don't hurt those kids."

"Daryl..."

"Don't," he warned, cutting me off before I could break out into song. His eyes officially met mine in this heated moment. "They aren't to blame. Jocelyn is. If you can help it, don't kill them. We can give them another chance."

I gritted my teeth and stuck my face right in his. "Yeah, but it isn't your kid who is out there somewhere right now... Is it?"

With that said, I turned away from him and went out on my own, holding the glass shard in my hand, and ready to strike at all costs. I didn't care who could hear me when I started to scream my daughter's name.

"Mollie!" I frantically yelled out for her. "Mollie, baby, it's Mommy! Where are you!?"

I heard giggling echo throughout the empty hallways when I turned back, my eyes searching my surroundings for a moment before I spoke out again, "...Mollie?"

Giggling and, then, "Mommy, come play with us!"

My heart started racing when I heard Mollie's familiar laughter and voice call out for me. I started running back and didn't stop, not even to scream out for her again. "Mollie, where are you!? I'm coming! Just tell me where you are, baby!"

I suddenly saw children starting to run through the hallway and out of a door to the outside, seeing Mollie running happily with the other children. I started sprinting towards the door before it closed right in my face, but I pushed out and ran after the children. I saw Winnie leading them to an RV, holding Judith's hand, with Mollie and other children from Alexandria in tow.

"MOLLIE!"

I started hearing frantic screaming and panting before I ran out and turned the corner, just in time to see Michonne grabbing her katana off the ground and stabbing it right through Jocelyn's left leg before snatching it out and sticking it right through her chest. Oh, my goodness... Michonne did it. She killed Jocelyn. Thank God.

When Michonne was done and took her katana out of Jocelyn's chest, she just stood there for a moment and was probably very hurt in more ways than one. I noticed Winnie running across from the RV and noticed what Michonne had just done to their leader and guardian.

The other children gathered, and the deadly glares on their faces said it all while they clenched their chosen weapons in hand. They were pissed.

I gingerly walked over to Michonne and helped her up to her feet while she struggled to, especially from the new mark on her belly. She had been stabbed, and I froze, staring at her in question.

Once she was on her feet, she nodded and softly reassured, "I'm alright." Now, she separated from me and headed forward, right to the children. "You can all come back to Alexandria," she suddenly announced to the loose cannon children. I didn't agree with this whatsoever. I couldn't find it quite yet to forgive them, but I was really trying to. "We'll take care of you now."

I didn't want to actually kill these kids. This isn't who I am. I am fine with killing adults who have hurt me and my family, but not these children. They were once so pure, but Jocelyn came along and brainwashed them into vicious murderers.

Mitchell spun his head around to Winnie and barked out to her, "Kill all of their children. The rest of you are with me."

"NO!!!" I screamed out immediately before Mitchell started sprinting towards us. Michonne tripped him to the ground while I had stuck thr glass shard in his stomach when he flew by. Despite everything, I was going to defend myself and Michonne from them.

Michonne tried to control the situation while we spun our heads towards Winnie. She took out her hunting knife and started walking towards the RV, where our children were at.

"Winnie!" Michonne called out to the young girl, pleading with her now. "No!"

Before I knew it, I was being grabbed by someone. Then, I heard Michonne scream out after she had just stabbed Mitchell for me. He was going to kill me, but Michonne... stopped him.

I knew it would be on after that, as I went from carefully watching Michonne mourn for having killed a clueless teenage boy to seeing the other children gear up for war against us. I held up the glass-shard in my hand and gulped down a huge lump of something.

Linus came towards us now, stabbing me right in the stomach before I temporarily cowered away to tend to my wound when Michonne begged him, "No! No! Stop it! Please! Please! No! Stop!"

I finally spun around and was about to help Michonne when yet another kid came running up to me, one of the boys — P.J. He tried to stab me while Linus tried to do the same to Michonne, especially aimed at her pregnant belly.

Michonne screamed out to Winnie, who was instructed to get to the RV to finish our kids off. I wasn't going to let that happen. So, when more kids came at us altogether, Michonne and I had no other choice than to... defend ourselves and survive at all costs.

So, I swung my glass shard into each child who came our way, not knowing whether or not they were hitting them. Then, when the split second was over... I had the moment to glance down at their bodies, which wasn't drawing any more breath. I felt... sick.

Still, we had time to plead with Winnie before she just entered the RV. We lunged forward, and Michonne begged, "Winnie... please... don't."

I heard doors squeak open and glanced back to see Daryl now joining us on the outside from being inside for so long. I turned my head back around and stared down Winnie with fresh tears in my eyes.

"Winnie," I now tried by myself, carefully walking towards the little girl. "Please... Our kids deserve to live. My little girl deserves to come back home to her little sister and grow older. Don't take that away from us — from any of them. Please, Winnie. Please."

Slowly, but surly, Winnie started to show remorse — revealing her childlike mind. She lowered her hunting knife and almost appeared like she wanted to cry before jumping out of the RV and running away from us.

With that done, Michonne and I could finally catch our breaths and cry out for the children who we had to just kill. I felt so sick and cruel, and only hoped God could somehow forgive me for doing what I just did. I truly wished Carl could forgive me, too.

Michonne cried out to her daughter, "Judith... Judith..."

So, I did the same, "Mollie? Baby, are you in there? Mollie..."

Suddenly, Judith emerged from inside the RV and revealed herself in the opened doorway. She just stood there for a moment, almost as if she didn't recognize myself or Michonne standing there together.

Alas, Judith called out, "Mommy!"

She came running out to her mother, the only woman she would ever know to be her real mother, smiling as Michonne took her up into her arms. I couldn't help but cry out for this tearful reunion, as Michonne did, too.

I turned my attention back to the entranceway of the RV and desperately cried out, "Mollie?!"

I heard footsteps from inside the RV before Mollie appeared in the entranceway, pausing for a moment before a smile spread across her face and squeaked out, "Mommy, you found us!"

She hopped down and ran towards me, as I immediately took her straight into my arms and picked her up, squeezing her nearly to death. I held onto her, squeezing my eyes shut with tears running down my cheeks as I kissed her cheeks.

"I'm right here, baby," I whispered in her ears while holding onto her. "I'll always find you."

I felt someone come up beside us when I opened my eyes and saw Daryl, who nodded towards me. Mollie recognized him before taking her arms from being around my neck towards him and saying through a bright smile, "Uncle Daryl!"

She fell from my arms right to his, and he simply took her right in with open arms and rocked her. She squeezed his neck as tight as she had mine just split moments before. She didn't know any better — because Daryl was like an uncle to her. She chose him.

Despite this, it didn't phase Daryl as he held her even tighter than he had ever done before.