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CHAPTER FORTY
“Pope Marked You”
——

Out in the woods, Maggie, Jane, Roslyn and Judith are clearing out walkers together. After putting down a zombified Whisperer, Maggie asks Judith about Michonne and what she told R.J. “Well, I took him to the roof. The sky was full of stars and I told him, that mom was looking at the very same stars as us” Judith says as she smiles up at Maggie and Jane.

“I thought that everyday while I was gone too. Cause it was true” Maggie says as she rubs underneath Roslyn’s chin gently. The pair join Lydia and the others on the road. When the others pull the cart away, Maggie is suddenly confronted with the sight of Negan, helping the other survivors as a free man. “He’s out?” Maggie asks looking to Jane who stares at Negan with anger in her eyes.

“Hey, Maggie” Negan greets as he looks between the two women who could kill him right now if they wanted too. “You won’t believe who let him out” Jane says as she walks past Negan with Roslyn following behind her. After staring at him for a bit, Maggie also walks away without saying a word.

Near the Hilltop, Daryl and Carol are joined by Maggie and Jane along with two other members of Maggie’s group, whom she introduces as Elijah and Cole. Maggie explains that she has been living with the group until the destruction of their village, so she thought she’d resettle everyone at Hilltop. Carol, Jane and Daryl give each other an uneasy look, much to Maggie’s confusion. “About that…” Jane trails off.

Things are cleared up once they show Maggie that Hilltop has been destroyed. While she is looking over the burnt out husk that was once her home, Carol tells Maggie that Negan was with the Whisperers the night that it burned down. Jane rolls her eyes as she looks away from Carol. “Tell her the truth” Jane says before clearing her throat.

“What truth?” Maggie asks looking over at Carol who stammers over her words and Maggie soon realizes. “You let him out?” Maggie asks and Carol not answering is enough conformation for her.

“Alpha needed to die” Carol defends. “Negan needed to rot” Maggie argues looking to Carol. “Negan was our best chance. We were gonna lose everything” Carol explains as Maggie turns her head to face Jane who looks to her apologetically. “I tried my best to run it and to save it but in the end I just couldn’t. They were too strong” Jane states and Maggie nods her head looking back at Hilltop.

Cole asks if they’re supposed to just live alongside Negan in Alexandria despite the fact that he burned down the Hilltop and killed Jane’s husband, to which Daryl replies that they’re still figuring things out. “Thank you for telling me” Maggie thanks and Carol nods her head. “Yeah, it’s the best thing you’ve done for 6 years” Jane says as she groans in pain from her stab wound that was cauterized and watched as Maggie storms off. “I have to get to my people” Maggie calls out before Jane starts following after her.

As Daryl trails behind Maggie, Kelly catches up and volunteers to help with the mission, as she also wants to look for Connie. The group walks for most of the day, until Cole informs Maggie that there is only half an hour of daylight left. “Let’s keep going” Maggie states as Jane breathes heavily while also holding her wound watching Maggie pick up the pace and Jane can’t help but wonder why Maggie’s such in a hurry, it has to be more than just her people she’s worried about.

“About a half hour left. If we’re lucky” Cole says as the group continues walking. “We can go a little longer” Maggie says and Jane sighs grabbing Maggie’s shoulder and stopping her. “What’s all this about? You’re in such a hurry. We don’t have much daylight left and I’m tired and my wound is not helping, so can you clam down and tell us what the hell is going on” Jane demands as she looks to Maggie who finally lets out a breath of relief after walking all this time.

“I have to get to my son” Maggie states and Jane furrows her eyebrows in confusion and tilts her head to the side. “Son?” Jane questions. “Yes, my son. I found him years ago and he was young. He didn’t even know his own name so I took him in. I found him at this house…” Maggie explains, looking like she’s recalling some horrible memory. “I found him at this house and I couldn’t leave him there. He was scared and alone and I need to get to him” Maggie states and Jane nods her head, finally understanding Maggie’s rush because she would do the exact same thing for Roslyn.

“I understand but Maggie… we can’t help him if we’re exhausted” Jane advises and Maggie looks around at the parking lot in front of them. “Okay” Maggie agrees. “Okay, what? You mean stay here?” Kelly asks and Jane nods her head slowly. “It’s no luxury suite but it’ll get us through the night” Jane says as she pats Kelly on the back.

“We should go up in the woods, find higher ground” Daryl suggests while Maggie looks over to Cole who’s starting to get annoyed. “I think we’ll all sleep better in some shelter” Maggie says as she walks towards the fence. “So, all we have to do is kill this whole parking lot full of sickos and haul up for night” Kelly repeats the plan and Cole scoffs jokingly, “No sweat”.

Jane pulls out her machete and looks over to Kelly who tiredly pulls out her sling shot. Maggie gets the gate open and they all swarm in killing any walker in sight. “Mm!” Jane grunts as she slams her machete into the walkers head and shoves the walker to the ground and lets out a painful sigh as she places her hand on her wound but quickly stands up straight as another walker comes right towards her. Things continue to go well for the group and there clearing out walkers with no problem. That’s until Maggie notices a group of walkers coming out of a container and attempts to close the door, injuring herself in the process. Luckily, she manages to close the door with Daryl and Elijah’s help.

Later that night, as Maggie tends to her wound, Jane comes to talk to her. “Hey” Maggie greets and Jane smiles down at her as she holds her wound and slides down the wall, trying to control the pain. “You look like hell” Maggie says making Jane laugh softly even though she’s in pain. “Let me see” Maggie urges and Jane slowly lifts her shirt revealing her wound.

“Here” Maggie says as she grabs a cloth from her bag and uses water from her canteen to soak it and gently place on Janes wound so it doesn’t get infected. “Ah” Jane winces but slowly and surely gets used to the water soaking her wound. “What happened?” Maggie asks as she goes back to taking care of her wound.

“Whisperers. Two of them caught me off guard and one stabbed me” Jane says as she adjusts herself. “Those weirdos that wear walker skins?” Maggie asks and Jane nods her head confirming it.

“So… a son?” Jane asks and Maggie smiles brightly at the thought of her son. “What’s his name?” Jane asks. “Hershel” Maggie answers and Jane forms a smile on her face as she hears the name Maggie has chosen for him. “Wow” Jane breathes out as she looks over at Maggie, locking eyes with her.

“Roslyn’s beautiful. She looks just like Glenn” Maggie says as she begins to wrap up her wound. “I know, acts like him too” Jane jokes making there laughs echo throughout the storage room. “I really missed you” Jane admits as tears start to cloud her vision. “I was starting to think you’d never come back” Jane says all while trying to control her tears.

Maggie leans over, pulling Jane into a hug. “I couldn’t leave you forever” Maggie whispers and Jane smiles, tightening the hug she has longed for for years.

Jane sniffles in her tears and removes the wet cloth from her wound and Maggie begins to help her dry it before trying her best to wrap it up with the supplies she has on hand. “How were you after you left? How was your life?” Jane asks before Maggie sighs, leaning back against the wall after wrapping Jane up. Maggie recounts how she and Georgie would help other communities, but it would fail and says that they found a community near Knoxville several years ago and helped them. While Maggie decided to stay with the group along with Hershel, Georgie and the twins went searching for a city out west. Not long after, the community in Knoxville where Maggie stayed in fell, forcing her and other surviving members of the group to run and that’s when Maggie reveals she hasn’t seen Georgie since and declines discussing it for now, but says that it felt good to say some of it out loud.

She adds that she also almost came home afterwards, but she and her group instead traveled to a place near the ocean that Maggie’s grandmother owned, and where she talked about going to one day. She asserts how much Hershel loved it there, and how one night they stayed up late and Maggie told him stories about her family since he didn’t have any.

“I don’t know where his parents are. They could be out there but when I found him at that house and seen what was going on inside… whoever they were didn’t deserve a kid like him” Maggie explains and Jane can tell how emotional Maggie was getting over this.

“But why did you leave?” Jane asks filling the silence between them. “To be honest, for something new and because of Negan. I really wanted to kill him but I knew I couldn’t do that because he would be rotting in that cell, except… he’s not. Not anymore and now I feel like an even bigger coward for leaving” Maggie explains as Jane leans her head over on Maggie’s shoulder. “You’re not a coward. I would’ve left too but you did it first and someone needed to watch Hilltop” Jane says causing the two to burst out into laughter together.

“I’m hoping you’ll come home. Negan is still there and he’s out of his cell but— there’s no where else to go. I’m not saying forgive him because I sure don’t, not even for a second. It’s more our home than it is his” Jane reassures as Maggie leans her head onto Janes gently and the two sit in silence, amongst themselves.

In the morning, the group wakes up and prepares to leave, when they’re interrupted by a walker. As Elijah dispatches it, Cole wonders where Kelly is, since she’s supposed to be on watch.

Kelly, meanwhile, is checking out an abandoned truck and notices a jacket on the roof. She attempts to climb up and reach it, but her foot is suddenly grabbed, startling her. The culprit is revealed to be Maggie, “You left your post” Maggie states as Kelly jumps down from the truck. “Sorry, I was just…”. “You can’t go running off by yourself like that” Maggie argues and Jane steps up looking between them.

“Calm down” Jane says as Daryl also intervenes explains that Connie, Kelly’s sister, is missing. Elijah quickly climbs up the truck tosses the jacket to Kelly, with Maggie revealing that Elijah also lost his sister. Kelly inspects the belongings but doesn’t find anything, much to her disappointment.

The group continues there travels and Jane continues to be in pain. “You hurtin there, widow?” Cole asks and Jane narrows her eyes at him a shaw removes her hand off her stomach where her wound to make it look like she’s fine and not in any pain at all. “First off, no. Second off, don’t call me that” Jane orders as she whips out her machete, gripping it in her hand while looking to Cole who lifts his hands up in surrender before he continues walking.

Just as they’re about to arrive to the rendezvous, they see a smoke cloud rising in the distance. Horrified, Maggie runs ahead, closely followed by the others. Maggie desperately searches for Hershel in the burned-out building, but doesn’t find anything apart form the corpses of two of her group members.

“They followed us Maggie. We were so damn careful. I don’t know how, but it’s them. They’re out here” Cole states looking to Maggie who shakes her head. “We don’t know that”. “Two of our people dead, Maggie. Where the hell’s everyone else?” Cole questions while Jane waves her hand around, trying to clear the smoke from near her. “It’s the reapers” Cole states and Jane looks between Maggie and Cole. “What’s a reaper?” Kelly asks.

“People who attacked our home” Maggie answers. “Came outta nowhere. Wiped out anything in their way. They’re…” Cole trials off before Maggie stops him mid sentence. “We need to get our heads on straight. Find our people. Find my son” Maggie states before storms off upset and angry. Daryl finds some footprints, including Hershel’s, and determines that the group fled north. He also assures Maggie they will find the group responsible. After a while, the trail splits, so the group decides to split up as well, with Daryl, Jane and Maggie heading in one direction and Elijah, Cole and Kelly in the other.

Daryl and Maggie are following their trail. As Daryl and Jane head off in one direction, an unknown figure stalks them. Daryl grabs a young woman, Maya, and briefly holds her hostage and Jane helps him. “Daryl! Jane! Everybody, stand down. Daryl, she’s one of ours” Maggie says and Daryl and Jane immediately let her go. The four of them are joined by Gus and Ainsley, two other members of Maggie’s group. Maya explains that the place they were staying in was set on fire, and that Jen and Billy didn’t make it out, while Matty was killed by something in the woods and didn’t see who did it, but Gus is certain the Reapers are responsible.

“Where’s Hershel?” Maggie asks, looking to Ainsley. “Kim had him. He’s out here somewhere” Ainsley states as she looks around the woods cluelessly. “It’s been hours. You’re the first people we’ve seen” Maya states looking around at Daryl, Jane and Maggie until the conversation is cut short when Gus is abruptly shot in the throat with a silenced weapon.

The group runs for cover as the unknown assailant takes pot shots at them. As Daryl, Jane and Maggie sneak through the woods, they hear another shot and a woman groan. Ainsley has been shot in the stomach. Unfortunately Daryl, Jane or Maggie can’t help her, “It could be a trap” Jane admits and Maggie nods her head slowly, understanding that this person would probably give anything to see shoot another one of them.

Maya, however, takes the bait, and is promptly shot in the chest. Before she dies, Maya points to a direction, which Maggie takes as a sign that she saw Hershel. Continuing to take cover from the shots, “There’s only one shooter” Daryl states and Jane nods in agreement. “If there was more, shots would be fired all around these woods” Jane agrees. Maggie decides to flank him, and instructs Daryl and Jane to keep his attention. “You’re going alone?” Jane asks and Maggie waves her off as she quietly sneaks away.

As Maggie sneaks up on the sniper nest, she only finds the shooter’s rifle. As she searches, a camouflaged figure lunges at her with a knife, but she dodges and stabs him in the chest. Despite this, the man shrugs off the injury, pushes her to the ground, and pulls the knife from his chest. He tries to kill Maggie by throwing the knife, but she ducks out of the way in time. As the man advances towards her, Maggie backs up into a trap and is strung up on a tree.

“Hey!” Jane calls out from behind a tree, trying to keep her identity secret. The man looks around the woods in confusion before Jane moves from one tree to another. “Hey!” Jane shouts again, trying to bring the attention onto her before Daryl shoots him in the side with his crossbow, before charging the attacker. The man once again shrugs off the injury and effortlessly tosses Daryl into a tree, knocking him out.

Jane watches from the trees and widens her eyes knowing she’d never be able to take on a man with that armor and that much strength. Jane looks over finding a rock near a tree. She leans over, grabbing it and maneuvering her away so she’s behind the man and the man can’t see her. The man starts to takes steps towards Maggie, watching as she tries to free herself.

“Behind you” Jane says and the man turns around and that’s when Jane swings the rock, hitting the man upside the head. The man groans in pain as blood leaks from his forehead. He reaches out to grab Jane but the man is shot in the chest with an arrow, and quickly surrounded by Kelly, Elijah, Cole, and the remaining members of Maggie’s group. Jane drops the rock to the side and pulls out her machete, gripping it in her hand.

“Who are you?” Maggie questions the man but he says nothing. “You’re one of them aren’t you? Attacked our home, killed my friends, our family. Why’d you do this?” Maggie continues to question but the man still says nothing. Maggie threatens to kill him, as she knows he is alone, and inquires about his motive for attacking the group. The man calmly tosses his weapon to the ground and simply says “Pope marked you”, before pulling a pin from a grenade. “Get down!” Maggie shouts and everyone follows her command and kneels as the man blows himself up.

Once the explosion stopped, Jane stood to her feet, recalling the mans words in her head. “Pope…” Jane whispers remembering when Silas was talking about a man name Pope and what he did to his family. The past could not be coming back to haunt Silas. “That’s just nasty” Jane says as she swipes a bloody piece of skin off of her arm.

Afterwards, Maggie, Jane and Daryl search the woods for Hershel. Maggie whistles for him when something falls on her head. She looks up to find Hershel sitting in a tree. “Hi mom!” Hershel cheers and Jane looks over at Daryl, smiling at the sight of Hershel. The boy that Maggie calls her son.

A few days later, the group arrives to Alexandria, only to find it under repair after being trashed in the Whisperer attack. As Maggie and Hershel walk in, Negan and other Alexandrians watch them from a distance. “Mommy!” Roslyn calls out as she runs to Jane and Jane smiles pulling Roslyn in for a hug, happy to see her every-time she comes back from a long couple of days.

“Hi” Magna greets and Jane smiles brightly, placing her lips onto Magna’s. “Not leaving again, are you?” Magna asks and Jane shrugs. “I’ll have to check my schedule” Jane jokes and Magna shakes her head before rubbing the side of Janes cheek gently. “Who’s this?” Maggie asks as she walks over with Hershel. “Magna. Magna this is Maggie” Jane introduces and Magna smiles, shaking Maggie’s hand in hers.

“You guys together?” Maggie asks and Magna and Jane both nod their heads which makes Maggie smile even bigger, happy to see that Jane is happy. After all Jane has been through, Maggie knew she deserved this. Especially if she had to live with Negan. Someone had to keep her sane through it all. “Great to meet you, Magna” Maggie says and Magna nods her head, happy too meet Maggie as well.

WORD COUNT: 3376

season 11 coming soon! check out my tiktok for the trailer for act three! tiktok is cierakay_wp

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Chapter 44