"You know what I was before all this? I was nobody. Nothing."

~Daryl Dixon

The freshman stood huddled in the corner of the locker room, crying and trying to stanch the blood flow from his broken nose. Around him were a dusty backpack and loose pages torn from the scattered textbooks.

He glanced down at his dirty clothes, seeing the splotches of red staining them. The boy groaned and painfully limped to the nearby sink, flinching as he looked into the mirror.

Dante's left eye was swollen shut, his nose twisted in an unnatural angle, and his lips bruised and bloody.

He gave another moan as he pressed a soaked paper towel to his eye, feeling the relief it gave him.

The sudden sound of whistling startled him, and Dante quickly threw away the paper towel into the trash. Unsure where to go, the boy hurried into a stall and shut the door quietly, sitting down on the toilet.

He was sure that they had come back to finish him off. He was foolish to believe he would get off so easily after what he pulled.

Dante pressed himself against the back of the wall, lifting up his legs so he wouldn't be seen. He closed his eye, sending up a quick prayer to St. Michael for protection.

The whistling stopped suddenly and a voice exclaimed:

"Who the hell is bleeding in my locker room? If there's a girl in here-"

Sneakers stood in front of the occupied stall as the voice continued shouting. "This is a boy's locker room! I'm not gonna deal with your 'woman problems!'"

Dante cowered back, trying to find his own voice to answer the impatient one. "I-It's not a girl," Dante blushed, clearing his throat. "It's just me. Dante."

He got up and unlocked the door, pulling it back to come face-to-face with his gym coach: Mr. Negan.

"Did a bus hit you on the way over here?" Negan grinned, messing with the boy's scraggly hair. Dante did not find any humor in this, frowning as his puffy lips quivered.

"Hey, was the joke that bad? I'm sorry- Don't cry." Negan quickly apologized, leading the boy out of the stall. "What happened, kid?"

"Cisco and his gang were messin' with me again, and I hit Cisco back with my textbook. He lost a tooth and-" Dante paused, gesturing to his face. "That's what happens when you fight back."

"Well, I'm proud of ya' kid! You finally grew a pair and took a stand for yourself. You can't let people step all over you. You gotta show them who's in charge!" Negan sat Dante beside him on the locker room bench.

"Who's in charge..." Dante repeated, trying to understand what his teacher was telling him. "No. The next time they see me, they'll kill me. I shouldn't have done that..."

"Then you fight back harder; you become stronger. You make them fear you. But with those noodle arms, you ain't goin' to be scaring anybody," Negan chuckled, lifting up Dante's tiny arm. "You need to bulk up. Start putting some effort in gym class instead of reading all the damn time."

Dante shook his head stubbornly. "I've seen what that leads to. It killed my dad and landed my brother in prison. My life has just known violence because of that thinking."

Negan looked quite annoyed at this statement, but continued on the subject. "You're a stubborn kid, but I bet I can break that iron will of yours. If you want to put those bullies in their place, I can show you. Just stop by around lunch 'cause I'm always here." Negan patted the boy's back gently.

"You don't hang out with the other teachers?" Dante's widened in astonishment.

For a brief second, Negan's eyes looked almost sad at this question. But just as quickly as this appeared, it was gone when he blinked.

"No. I got a reason to be with them. The kids' all come here anyway. I take out all the equipment and let them run wild."

Dante rubbed his nose one last time, seeing that all the blood had dried. His eyes averted to the side where his shredded textbooks lay. He slowly got up and started to collect them off the floor, wincing as he did so.

"So, uh, you goin' to come?" Negan called out from where he sat. "Dante?"

Dante apparently didn't hear him as his hand traced the cover of one textbook.

Anatomy and Physiology.

"Where else would I go?" Dante whispered dazedly as he stared down at the unconscious test subjects.

~

After looking through the second floor, Glenn had come to realize there were only two places he had not checked.

Technically three since he didn't go to the towers. But knowing that there were guards there, he knew to stay away.

But there was the infirmary and laboratory.

He rushed down the stairs when the thought crossed his mind, nearly falling down when his wet shoes met the wooden floor.

The rain had not only brought a sense of clumsiness, but loneliness and coldness. The thunder shook the whole building, making the old castle creak and groan. To Glenn, it seemed like it would collapse at any moment due to the heavy downpour.

This only made his search even more frantic.

Not surprisingly, the door to the infirmary was locked.

"Open up!" Glenn rapped his knuckles against the wood loudly. "I know someone's in there!"

He heard the scrape of a chair moving as he pressed his ear to the door, but nothing else was heard. Glenn started pounding his fists, hoping that the door would give way. He even tried kicking it down, failing miserably and using the last of his strength.

Glenn slid his back down against an adjacent wall as exhaustion finally overwhelmed him. Sleep beckoned to him, and there was nothing else to do but wait.

He already knew there would be no point in checking the laboratory.

~

Each test subject had been stripped of their clothing and was in the process of getting their hair shaven off.

This was just Phase I; just preparation.

Though it was not necessary, the male medics focused on the two male subjects while the female medics worked on the remaining four female ones.

However, when they were too move onto the actual experimentations there would be no such separation.

Dante had collected their clothing in a bin, which could be used later. Nothing could be idly wasted. Everything was precious here.

Well, mostly.

They had no need for hair, so that would be thrown out. In fact, Dante had already begun to sweep up the masses of hair, leaving the others to the shaving.

Once he finished, he had started preparing the buckets of water and soap so that the test subjects could be scrubbed down.

"Yo, Dante! We're ready!" Dillon announced, tugging his mask upwards to reveal his mouth.

Dante gave him a thumbs up as he carried the buckets over to the tables. He set them down a little too harshly, nearly spilling the water upon seeing the patients.

They looked hideous.

They didn't even resemble humans to him. They just looked like ugly mannequins ready to be taken apart and reassembled.

Ignoring their unnatural appearance, Dante took a sponge and began to scrub the first one's body.

Dante could only recognize him by the burn mark on the side of his face.

~

Fierce wind and torrential rain swept across the pavement, obscuring Maiya's vision as she helped chop the tree down with an ax. Normally they would have used chainsaws as it would speed up the process immensely.

But with this stormy weather, it was too dangerous. It was too dark. Someone could end up losing a limb because of the limited vision.

Maiya gave one last swing of her ax, and the tree gradually began to fall. For a moment, it looked like the tree was going to fall in the opposite direction towards the gathered crowd.

They instinctively scattered, jumping back in a panic. But the tree suddenly shifted in the right direction, crashing down over the road.

"TIMBER!" A man named Mason shouted, raising his ax.

"You're supposed to yell that when the tree's falling, dumbass! Not when it's already fallen!" Another man named Alonzo retorted.

"Okay, we already parked some cars and trucks on the other roads. We just need to draw the bridge and cut a few more trees down," Maiya instructed, putting her ax to the side of her belt. "Let's get out of here before we're the ones who get stuck." She ordered as they all walked back to their respective vehicles.

"Commander, do you think they made it past us?" Her driver, Elsa, asked worriedly.

"With this rain?" Maiya snorted. "I don't think so."

"Maybe we should turn back then. Forget about the other roads," Elsa suggested as steered shakenly. "And go protect The Castle."

Maiya did not immediately answer to this, growing alarmingly silent. This was the second time today someone had questioned her authority.

That someone had doubted her.

"C-Commander?" Elsa nervously glanced at her leader.

"We'll see," Maiya muttered back irritably. "We are drawing that bridge though."

"Of course." Elsa nodded her head.

"But I do agree with you about The Castle. I would burn it down before I'd let those people take it from us," Maiya sneered as she looked out the passenger window. "We will fight to our last breath to defend it."

~

Tara, Aaron, Eric, Gabriel, and Olivia all stared back in disbelief once Ezekiel had finished telling about what had occurred at The Castle.

"Y-You.. Y-You," Aaron seethed, gripping onto the radio tightly.

"How could you?!" Tara screamed as tears poured down her already wet cheeks.

"Ezekiel..." Gabriel lowered his head sadly. "Tell me this isn't true. This cannot be true!"

"It is the truth. All of it. As much as I am ashamed and guilt-ridden about my actions, it is the truth," Ezekiel sighed.

"I was as shocked and hurt as you. But we don't have time for this. The knights are already waiting in the cars. We need to get to D.C. as soon as possible," Morgan stated as he looked out of the garage. "This is a last-minute trip so take all the weapons you need."

The Alexandrians remained quiet, hesitating in their responses. They only glanced at one another with sullen and cold expressions.

"You know.. We'll probably die." Tara murmured.

Morgan nodded his head regrettably, unable to look at the others' eyes.

"A few months ago, I wouldn't have agreed to something like this. Because I was a stupid coward," Gabriel stepped forward. "Maybe I'm still stupid for doing this, but I know I'm no longer a coward." He gave a small smile to Morgan.

"They're our friends. They're our family," Aaron joined in. "We can't just sit here and do nothing."

"Wherever you go, Aaron. I'm going too," Eric reached for his hand, intertwining their fingers together.

"I'll stay here... Again," Olivia wiped her eyes. "I never imagined we would have to go through this again," Her voice cracked.

Everyone surrounded her, trying to comfort and reassure her they would return. Like last time. But how could they convince Olivia when they didn't even believe it themselves?

"If we do get killed, I hope Judith and the other kids will never have to know a world like this. I hope-" Tara started to cry. "Our sacrifices really do make a difference."

"I cannot tell you for certain what the outcome will be," Ezekiel cautioned. "But who would we be if we did not try?"

"Will it just be us going?" Gabriel questioned suddenly.

"Yes, I would rather it be that way. Unless you want to ask your people to come?" Ezekiel looked at the priest intensely.

"No, it will just be us," Aaron decided. "I don't want to risk more lives."

"What about Hilltop? Don't they deserve to know?" Eric mentioned.

"About that..." Ezekiel sighed again, recalling how Oceanside had also played a part in the betrayal. "I failed to mention how some of Hilltop, specifically the Oceanside women attacked too. I was only vaguely informed they would be there."

"I knew it," Aaron scowled as Tara gave a low sob.

"Do you know what they wanted?" Eric narrowed his eyes angrily.

"Weapons, I believe. I am not certain of what else," Ezekiel offered.

"I need to talk to Cindy." Tara's voice had grown horse.

"Tara-" Aaron started to say, but Tara cut him off harshly.

"If Ezekiel was able to change your mind, why shouldn't she?"

"She might not want to. She might be too far-" Morgan attempted to explain, yet once again Tara interrupted.

"Bullshit. I can convince her. I get that we need to keep this squad small, but we still need some more people. Especially people who caused all this!"

"Hilltop is the least likely place to help. Jesus probably wouldn't want to set foot near that place after what they did to him. Cindy saw half her people slaughtered there. She knows how indestructible that place is," Aaron insisted.

"Are you having second thoughts?" Morgan challenged.

"No! Of course not! I'm just trying to explain why they might not want to help!" Aaron defended.

"Aaron," Eric said gently. "It wouldn't hurt to ask, right? Maybe you're just underestimating them."

Aaron paused, staring at his fellow friends in deep thought. "Alright, I'll radio Jesus while the rest of you load the cars. In 10 minutes, I want everyone ready to leave. This storm is only worsening and we have no time to waste."

~

Only a light rain had fallen over the Hilltop since the storm had not yet reached it yet. Off in the distance, Cindy could see the clump of dark clouds where Alexandria resided. She sat on the porch of the main house, sharpening her trident with a stone.

While her hands were focused on the task in front of her, her mind was elsewhere. She remembered when Glenn had come over the night of the accident at the quarry with the medical supplies.

She remembered her eyes burning with a vengeance when she saw him step foot inside the walls, thinking she should just kill him and be done with it. Take this trident and impale his throat with it.

But something inside told her to wait; to be patient.

She would have her retribution.

Cindy vividly recalled while Glenn was busy talking to Sasha and Jesus, she snuck over to his truck and stowed away in the back. She hoped he wouldn't check because there was hardly anything to hide behind.

He didn't.

She recalled how during this drive, Cindy had a lot of time to think. She thought about what her grandmother would want her to do. If this was how she wanted Cindy to lead the dwindling number of her people. In Cindy's mind, she believed this was how she was supposed to lead. The naïve pacifist she once was had succumbed to all the violence and hate she had known for so long.

She recalled how it wasn't until early the next morning did she realize she had fallen asleep in the truck. Surprisingly, no one had found her.

She recalled how she was shivering; how she pushed open the cover and climbed out the back. Dawn had not even colored the sky, meaning she still had time to find the leader before everyone woke up.

She recalled how she didn't have to search long as she saw Maiya doing some exercises in the garden alone.

She recalled their conversation; how she tried to imitate an aura of bravado. She recalled how Maiya had immediately taken a stance of defense, and her expression was one of caution. Cindy recalled introducing herself, telling the woman who exactly she belonged to. She recalled Maiya justifying killing Cindy's people in defense of her brother and castle.

However, at the mention of Glenn, Cindy intensely recalls the feeling of bloodlust flowing through her icy veins and warming them.

Just as what's happening now while she goes through her memories.

Cindy's sharpening became more erratic as she reflected on what she wanted, which was for every single person involved with the deaths of her people killed. But she had to start from the bottom up, saving Glenn for last as he had been the catalyst. She would pit enemies against one another like pawns just as Glenn had done with Oceanside. She would let them do the work of killing each other until only she and Glenn were left.

Then, once the dust settled she would have Glenn's head atop her trident.

Cindy's eyes reflected the newly sharpened trident, recalling the deal she proposed.

"Whatever you want as long as I get the weapons that rightfully belong to Oceanside, and to be leader of Hilltop," She had told Maiya.

And what Maiya had wanted was for the people who killed her friends captured, experimented on, and ultimately killed.

Cindy's eyes suddenly darted to the gates, which were opening. Her eyes immediately darkened when she saw who was entering, losing the glossiness of remembrance.

"I can arrange that," She repeated as she put her trident to the side, standing up to greet the new arrivals.

A/N: Here's a new update just in time for Christmas!

I would love to hear your thoughts, especially predictions or theories regarding the conclusion! I'd also love to hear any feedback!

(P.S. I hammered the "she recalled" lines because I didn't want to add more flashbacks! I already know how fans hate those on the show, and I'm trying to keep them to a minimum)