Chapter 12: The Fall of Alexandria

I move like a robot with its speed setting on high, zipping around my house and stuffing as much as I can into the biggest backpack I can find. Diapers, clothing, baby food, my photo album, a few of Daryl's items, everything that could prove to be a necessity goes in. Beth's knife goes back on my belt too.

I don't bother with extra clothes, sticking with the t-shirt and jeans I'm wearing. I fasten a baby carrier against my chest, leaving the backpack in the hallway as I rush back to Theo's nursery. He squirms in his little crib, as if asking what's going on. I lift him up and slip him into the carrier, his tiny head completely hidden by the black material. I take a deep breath, moving quickly as I grasp the backpack and place both straps over my shoulders.

My first priority is to get to Buttons. If I get the horse, I have an escape. Second is to find Elliot and the rest of my group. Armoury is last resort, only if I have the chance. If the walkers get in my way, I'm going to find a safer route. No reckless fighting.

Once I escape, I have to find Daryl.

I grab my leather jacket and pull on my boots, sprinting from the house. Theo hardly moves in his little pouch, almost falling asleep again despite the circumstances. I send a silent prayer upwards. The less crying, the better.

I head for Buttons' pen, glancing over my shoulder every now and then. I can hear screaming and the panicked sounds of the Alexandrians coming from the front gate, making my stomach twist. This entire place is lost already.

As I run, I keep a constant eye out for anyone in my family. Rick's house is far behind me already, but I hope he's barricaded himself, Carl, and Judith inside. I catch sight of Buttons' pen ahead, picking up the pace.

The black horse whinnies anxiously when he sees me, trotting up to gate and snuffling his velvety nose against my cheek. I pet him, running my hands along his long face and stroking his ears. I don't have time to get his saddle or bridle on, and there's no way I can ride him bareback with Theo and all the stuff I'm carrying.

"Okay boy, just trust me here," I murmur.

He snorts, making me let out a weak laugh. I snatch the lead rope from the fence and hook it to his halter. Within thirty seconds, I'm leading him from his pen and moving back out. The snarls of the walkers are louder now, only furthering my doubt about chance of escape. I can see them starting to trudge down the road, grey skin looking even more grotesque in the sunlight.

Frantic barking breaks out from somewhere behind me. I spin around, seeing Lightning a ways away. I turn without a second thought, moving towards the faithful black Labrador.

"What is it, girl?" I ask, wrapping my free arm around Theo's carrier as the snarls get louder. "Show me the way."

She yaps and starts trotting away, leading me through the backyards of the nearby houses. I keep moving, feeling more and more exhausted as I go. I remember, quite bitterly might I add, that I'm really out of shape.

Lightning stops next to a garage, barking and whimpering as she scratches at the door. I move to her side and pet her ears swiftly, silencing her noises. Shoving open the garage door, I come face to face with a pair of glasses-wearing brown eyes.

"Elliot!" I gasp.

"Hope, thank God! Have you found anyone else?" he asks, moving from the garage and sparing a glance towards Theo.

One of his glasses lens is smudged with dirt, an axe gripped tightly in his hand. I notice rather swiftly that he also has a backpack full of supplies, as well as having an extra crossbow slung over his shoulder. I tilt my head and arch an eyebrow.

"A crossbow?"

He flashes a sheepish smile. "Sorry...uh, I thought you might find it useful."

Snarls of walkers sound nearby, causing us to instantly shut up. Buttons snorts and paws his hoof against the ground, jolting us back to reality. Elliot nods to me and we take off back the way we came, Buttons trotting along behind me.

"Do you have any idea whether there's a back door?" I demand, my lungs starting to burn from all the running.

Elliot nods. "There should be. If we hurry, we can make it."

We sprint around the corner of one house, instantly coming face to face with a herd of walkers. Buttons neighs and jolts back, jolting my arm back and making me wince.

"Go go go! Back!" Elliot shouts, Lightning letting out a warning bark towards the oncoming walkers.

We pivot and race the other way, still seeing no walkers coming from the other direction. Theo squirms and makes little noises, the panic of the whole situation starting to upset him as much as it's stressing me. We near the back stretch of the fence, our strange group never stopping its forward charge.

We skid to a stop next to the wall, Elliot starting to mutter under his breath as he presses his hands against different spots. Buttons fidgets, making it harder and harder for me to keep him under control. Lightning, on the other hand, remains at Elliot's side.

"There!" Elliot says.

Before I can ask what he means, he grasps his axe and rams the sharp blade against the wall. A part of the metal buildup caves in, revealing a weakened spot. He hits it again and again, the clanging no doubt attracting more walkers. He doesn't slow down, sweat starting to bead on his forehead.

"We have to go," I urge, wary of the oncoming herd. "If we don't-"

"Trust me, Hope," he commands.

He swings the axe back and, with all his might, slams it against the wall. A chunk about as wide as a car caves in, revealing nothing but trees ahead. Elliot steps aside and beckons me forwards.

"Watch your head. Come on."

I obey, leading Buttons towards the gap. I slip through, turning around and helping Buttons. Elliot and Lightning follow, both of us casting glances back towards Alexandria. My chest seizes as I feel my eyes start to itch, Elliot's strong hand resting on my shoulder as he leads me away. 

"Elliot...what about Daryl and the rest of my family?" I whisper, unable to make my voice louder. "They're all still in there for all we know..."

"Your group will be fine," he responds. "Pardon my language, but they're the toughest sons of bitches that I've ever met. Whatever happens, I'm sure that they'll find a way to survive."

I take a shaky breath in, trying to clear my mind. We keep moving, the snarls of walkers echoing all around us. We both seem to be thinking of the same thing. We can't go to the front gate because of the walker hoard still banging against it, and we certainly can't go back the way we came. We have to move east, away from Alexandria and onto the next safe area.

Buttons taps his hooves against the ground, snorting and bobbing his head up and down. I slow to a stop, looking down at Theo before my light brown eyes flicker back up to Elliot and Lightning, the two walking straight ahead of us. I shut my eyes and take a deep breath.

I turn to Buttons, the faithful horse that I've know for what seems like a short amount of forever, and force a smile. I reach up and gently remove his halter, leaving his face rather bare. He snorts at me again, as though he's asking me what I'm doing.

"Go be free, my friend. The places that I need to go aren't good places for a horse," I say. "Go back to running."

I pat his flank, urging him away. He looks at me once more before letting out a short neigh, turning, and galloping away. I watch him disappear, forcing my tears back as I take a deep breath. It's better this way.

Elliot's soft laughter reaches my ears, making me turn around. "What?" I inquire.

He shakes his head. "Sorry...I just find it funny how you talk to animals as though they can understand you. It's nothing bad. I do it too."

I shrug, feeling my shoulders sag with grief. "Oh well...he'll be happier with being free anyways."

There's silence again before he nods and points his axe out. "Let's keep moving. I think there's a place not too far from here where we could hunker down."

"Yeah...okay," I say, finding no energy to argue.

Before we can start moving again, I hear rustling in the foliage. I instantly wrap my arms around Theo, his tiny body warm against my chest. Elliot readies his axe, Lightning's ears swivelling as she too listens for what the maker of the noise is.

We don't move, waiting to see what it is. I can't tell what direction the rustling is coming from. The wind and the snarls on the distance and the screaming of people from Alexandria so close by make it difficult to even begin to wonder where the sound could be coming from.

A hand suddenly grasps my shoulder and I nearly scream before another roughly-textured hand clamps over my mouth. My body is turned towards the source of the hands, meeting a pair of blue eyes identical to those my son possesses.

"Hope," he whispers, his voice wracked with emotion as he lowers his hand from my mouth.

My eyes fill with tears as I let out a choked laugh. "Daryl..."

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