WHO ARE YOU NOW?

Third Person's POV

"Judith! Lyra!" Lyra heard Rosita yelled

"Shit, they noticed we were gone. Man, I'm gonna get an earful" Lyra groaned

"Language" Judith said

"Language" Lyra mocked her. She rolled her eyes

"Jude! Lyra!" Laura yelled

"Jude! Lyra!" Aaron yelled. Lyra internally groaned knowing Aaron was looking for them

"We're here!" Judith yelled as they ran to them. Aaron rushed to them and kneeled down

"Are you two okay?" Aaron asked. The others followed the girls

"Yeah" Lyra said

"We heard them calling. They needed our help" Judith explained

"Our rig- it got overrun by sickos. We owe our lives to Miss Grimes and Miss Dixon here" The man said. Judith took some water and gave it to a woman with wavy hair

"They still need our help" Judith said. The woman, who had blood running down the side of her face, drank the water as if it had been weeks since she last had water

"We can't. You know that" Rosita said

"But-" Judith was cut off

"Hey, uh, I dabbled in the culinary arts, uh, once upon a time ago, and, uh.." The man said

"Luke" A woman with short hair said

"..you know, with a little bit of help, I can whip this buck into a mighty fine osso buco" Luke said

"Huh?" I asked

"Stew. We make stew. More mileage for the masses" Eugene said

"There are more of you?" Magna asked

"Way more, with walls and-" Judith was cut off

"Judith/Jude" They said

"The fact I didn't shoot them has to count for something" Lyra said

"Lyra-" Aaron was cut off

"Incoming" The one with short hair said. Walkers were headed their way. Eugene took the lead and killed the walkers

"There's more on the way. We gotta get outta here" Laura said as they could hear walkers growling

"They need food and water and medicine" Judith said. They didn't respond

"It wasn't a rhetori- rhetori- fuck it! You were supposed to answer!" Lyra yelled

"Language!" Aaron yelled

"If they don't go, I don't go" Judith said

"And if she doesn't go, I don't go. Good luck telling my mom" Lyra said sticking her tongue out. Rosita and Aaron looked at each other

"Come on" Aaron said

"Yeah?" Luke asked

—————

They arrived at Alexandria. Magna, Yumiko, Luke, Connie and Kelly all had sacks over their heads. Yumiko was still in the wagon but the rest were standing

"Again, I feel the need to remind you that what we are doing is in direct a flagrant violation of the current security protocols" Eugene said

"Flagrant?" Lyra asked herself, unsure of what it meant. Rosita took the sacks off their heads

"Yeah, we know" Rosita said. The gates opened. They stared at them. Connie began to move her hands around. I wasn't sure why she was doing that. Kelly did it back as she spoke

"Can't be worse than Jones Springs" Kelly said. Lyra didn't know who Jones Springs was

"Just like Jones Springs couldn't be worse than Coalport" Magna said. Lyra was confused

"Oh, God. Coalport was a fossilized city of shit" Luke said

"You'll be safe here" Judith said

"I'm in deep shit 'cause we saved you, so you better repay me" Lyra said

"Lyra, language!" Rosita yelled

"Man, freedom of speech!" Lyra yelled as they walked through the gates. We continued on in only for Siddiq, Carl, and Y/n to come running over. Lyra knew hell would ensue

"Lyra Dixon! Where the fuck did you go?! You didn't even leave a note!" Y/n yelled at Lyra. Lyra wondered if her Dad would yelled at her. Rosita motioned for Y/n, and Siddiq to come closer

"Judith, what did I tell you about running off?" Carl asked

"Look, they needed help!" Judith said. Carl sighed. He knew he couldn't really say much, as he did the same thing. He softly smiled

"There's another one in the wagon. Female with head trauma. She's conscious" Rosita said. Siddiq and Y/n looked at Yumiko

"Alex and the other nurses are on standby. I'll take her to the infirmary right now" Siddiq said

"I'm coming with her" Magna said

"Slow your roll" Y/n said. Everyone could hear a horse whine

"Whoa" Michonne said as she got back. The gates closed behind her. Michonne walked over and was not happy with what she saw

"You want to tell me what this is?" Michonne asked

"Five unknowns- all clean, one headed to the infirmary" DJ said. Lyra glared at everyone knowing that if someone snitched on her, it would be over for them. Michonne eyed them and then patted them down

"All clean? You sure about that?" Michonne asked

"Indeed. They're whistle-worthy, clean as a-wise. They surrendered their weapons willingly and submitted to standard frisk procedure" Eugene said

"And why are they here?" Michonne asked. Lyra was glaring holes into the back of Eugene's head

"My call" Aaron said. Lyra internally cheered since Aaron was taking the blame

"It's not your call to make" Michonne said

"We decided" Judith said. Lyra face palmed

"Aaron was gonna take the blame" Lyra said to Judith. Everyone looked at the girls

"They needed help" Judith said

"Judith, Lyra, you know the rules. You all do" Michonne said. Carl put a hand on Michonne's shoulder

"Michonne.." He said softly

"Thing is, they're here now, and one of 'em's badly hurt. Siddiq and Y/n are checkin' her out, but.. Look, no disrespect, but maybe their faith is something we should decide together" Aaron said

"It'll be dark soon. First thing tomorrow, we can bring them before the council for a vote" Gabriel said

"Okay- Put them in holding" Michonne said

Y/n's POV

I was at home in my room, reading a book when Lyra walked in

"Mom" She said

"What is it?" I asked as I looked at her

"How come dad hasn't come back?" Lyra asked confused. I sighed as I realized it's been years since I had last seen the Dixon

"Because he's an asshole" I said

"Then why did you marry me him if he's an asshole?" Lyra asked

"Because I love him anyway, and even to this day. I still do, it's been over five years since I've seen or even heard from him. But your daddy isn't dead, oh no, the thing about Dixon's.. Only a Dixon can kill a Dixon. Your dad is a fighter. But the thing is, I'm an even better fighter. The next time I see your father, I will kill him" I said with a smile

"Does Dad love us?" Lyra asked. I closed my book as I was caught off guard by her question

"Of course he does, why would you think otherwise?" I asked

"Because, he hasn't come back" Lyra said

"You know Judith's father? Rick?" I asked. Lyra nodded

"Daryl, your father.. he's been out there looking for Rick" I said

"But Uncle Rick, is dead" Lyra said. I nodded

"I know he is, but we never found Rick. You know how me and Siddiq are super close? Well Rick is to Daryl like Siddiq to me" I said

"Is that why we live with Siddiq?" Lyra asked

"No, we live with Siddiq because it's convenient" I said

"Do you think he'll come home soon?" Lyra asked me

"He better" I said

"Why don't we just go and find him?" Lyra asked. I sighed

"I tried that already. I sat there and waited at his camp for three days. The bastard never showed up, more than likely was avoiding me" I said with ticked off

"Oh" Lyra said before walking out

Third Person's POV

Lyra knew what she was going to do. She was going to find her father. She found Siddiq who was on the couch

"Hey, Uncle Siddiq" Lyra said. He looked at her and smiled

"What is it Lyra?" He asked. Lyra began to cry. Though, she wasn't actually sad

"I just really miss dad.. and I just wish he'd come home" Lyra cried. Siddiq sat up and put his hand on her shoulder

"Hey, it's okay. He'll be back soon, I'm sure of it. Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?" Siddiq asked

"I think a map to the bridge would help" Lyra said as she sniffled. Siddiq was suspicious

"Why a map?" Siddiq asked

"Because if I can see where dad may be.. then.. it makes me feel better.. 'cause then I can just point and know he's with me even if he's not" Lyra said crying. Siddiq's eyes softened

"Oh, of course. Here give me a minute" Siddiq said as he got up. He walked out. Lyra grinned mischievously. Unfortunately for Siddiq, Lyra knew just how to manipulate him to get him to do whatever she wanted. Siddiq came back with a piece of paper. Lyra put on her act again. He handed Lyra the paper

"Here you go honey" Siddiq said. Lyra sniffled

"Thanks" Lyra said with a sad smile. She walked out and put the paper in her pocket. Lyra wiped her tears away. Now she was on a mission to find Judith. Lyra walked out and entered Michonne's house. She went up to Judith's room. Judith was inside reading a book

"Judith" Lyra said

"What?" She asked looking at Lyra

"Tomorrow, when everyone's holding the meeting. I need you to open the gate for me" Lyra said

"What? No" Judith said shaking her head. Lyra pulled out the map

"Come on! I can find my dad! Siddiq gave me a map, please!" Lyra pleaded

"Okay, fine.. but you owe me two chocolate bars" Judith said

"Deal!" Lyra said

Y/n's POV

The council was holding a meeting. Everyone was there except for the children. Judith, who was the oldest, was in charge of them. Lyra was second in command

"As you can probably tell from out turnout here, it's been a long time since we've seen new faces inside these walls. We're a fair community of decent-minded people, but we are not soft. And that's not going to change today. So let's begin. Which one of you is the leader?" Gabriel asked

"What makes you think we have one?" The woman with wavy lighter hair asked

"Did you know each other before?" Gabriel asked

"No. It was, uh, Magna and then Yumiko, uh, first, and then, uh, Connie and Kelly and then- and then me and then Bernie. Sh- I'm sorry. Bernie was the one that we lost yesterday. Um.. There were others, of course. But, like Bernie, they just.." The man stopped as he cried. The other three began to cry as well

"They didn't, uh- they didn't make it" The man said

"Who were you before?" Aaron asked

"Me? Before all this? I was a music teacher" The man said

"Waited tables at a truck stop" Magna said. Connie signed to us and Kelly translated

"She says she was a journalist, but she's just being modest. She exposed a bunch of sleazeball politicians and put them behind bars" Kelly said

"And you?" Aaron asked Kelly

"I was in high school, stressin' about stupid shit that felt like the end of the world" Kelly said

"And who are you now?" Gabriel asked. I crossed my arms as I waited for their answers

"A fighter" Magna said. Connie signed something that made Kelly smile

"She says she's my guardian angel, but, really, it's the other way around" Kelly said

"I guess I'm still a music teacher? Um, education never ends, not even in the face of monsters and mayhem" Luke said. Me and Gabriel looked at each other. They seemed like decent people

"What did you do to survive?" I asked

"What I had to- anything I had to" Magna said. Connie began to sign

"She says she never gave up, but me, I grew up" Kelly explained. Luke exhaled sharply

"I don't- I don't- I-I-I" Luke stammered before inhaling deeply

"I don't think I did anything special. I-I don't know what I did to deserve it. Um.. At- At first, I was just lucky. I was- I was in the right place at the right time, and then, uh, I met the right people. H-Here's the thing, is that- it's funny, but before all this, if you saw us all sittin' at the same table at, like, a restaurant, a bar, or something.. you'd say to yourself, 'Well, hey, I don't know. Maybe these people work together?' Because we certainly don't have anything in common, except for the fact that we're breathing. And that's a lot nowadays, right?" Luke asked. The others nodded

"Thank you. If that's everything, I'd like to motion for a vote" Aaron said

"I have a question" Michonne said. We all turned our heads

"The chair recognizes our fellow councilperson and head of security" Gabriel said. Michonne stood up

"As a community, we want to be kind. We want to be generous. We want to be charitable. But, as we know, decisions like the one we are about to make can come with a heavy price" Michonne said. I rolled my eyes as we were stuck in the Michotatorship. Reminded me of the Ricktatorship.. Michonne approached Magna and stood infront of her

"Can you show me your left hand?" Michonne asked

"Michonne, what are you doing?" Aaron asked as he stood up. Magna had something covering her left hand. Michonne removed it and then looked

"You get that at a truck stop?" Michonne asked

"Screw you" Magna said. Aaron walked over

"What is it?" Aaron asked

"You wanna tell him?" Michonne asked. I wasn't sure what was happening. I raised my eyebrow. Magna smiled even though she was pissed

"Michonne, if you have something to say-" Aaron was cut off

"It's a prison tattoo. The four dots are the walls. The one in the middle is you, the prisoner. Hard time" Michonne said. I stood up as everyone murmered

"Michonne, I get your concerns, but we don't even know what she did. I get that you're being cautious, but this is a little much" I said

"Y/n is right, just because she was a prisoner-" Aaron was cut off

"I can explain" Magna said

"Oh, you wanna tell the truth?" Michonne asked

"Michonne" I said sternly

"Yes" Magna said as the two got into a glaring battle

"And you have nothing to hide?" Michonne asked

"Nothing" Magna said

"Put the knife on the table" Michonne said. I was confused. Magna unbuckled her belt. The knife was the belt buckle. She set it on a wooden box

"I remember, and I know that you do, too. So go ahead. Take your vote. I second the motion" Michonne said as she walked towards the door

"Hey! Can I ask you a question?" Magna asked

"No" Michonne said as she left

Third Person's POV

Getting on the horse originally was the huge issue and actually staying on the horse was another issue for Lyra. But it got easier as she followed the map. Time passed but finally Lyra saw someone. It was a man who was wearing a coat. He turned and looked at her. He seemed oddly familiar to Lyra. She stopped the horse

"Hey, asshole! Yeah, you! Do you know a Daryl Dixon?" Lyra asked as she pulled out her gun and aimed it at him. He glared at Lyra as she got off the horse. Lyra then approached him as she kept her gun aimed at him

"Are you dumb? I asked a question" Lyra said annoyed

"I'm Daryl, but what the hell you doin' out here by yourself? You lost, kid? What's your name?" He asked. Lyra had realized this was her father and was pissed that he didn't know who she was

"Man, mom was right. You really are an asshole" Lyra said groaning. His eyes widened but he seemed unsure of his revelation

"Who's your mom?" He asked

"She's your wife, dumbass, so you tell me" Lyra said. He was completely caught off guard

"Lyra? What the hell are you doin' out here? How did you even find me?" He asked. Before Lyra could respond, horses could be heard. They both turned to see a lady with long grey hair and a teenager with blonde hair. They stopped their horses as they saw us

"Whoa" The woman said. She then looked at us and smiled

"You two need rides, strangers?" She asked

"Who are you?" Lyra asked confused

"Daryl, that girl reminds of Lyra except older.. actually now that I think about it.. Lyra would be your age" The woman said

"That's my name" Lyra said. The woman's eyes widened

"Oh my God! Does Y/n know you're out here? I bet she's worried sick" The woman said

"I'll get an earful, it's fine" Lyra said

(2827 words)

Edited: 07/12/22