The Cry Of Sad Souls.

They had let us clean up and get settled before diner was made, I was so excited to have Max meet everyone that I had grown to love. But as we sat at the diner table I had nothing there were less people, there was no joy and there was no laughter. A cloud of sorrow and grief filled the room as we had started to eat.

"Where is everyone?" I spoke as I took the last bite of food, Max had already finished and was leaning back in his chair, we hadn't eat a meal like this in a long time; the last good meal we had was when we had stopped at a place called the kingdom right after I found him.

I was greeted with silence, Daryl slowly gripped my hand preparing me for possibly the worst new of my life. Rick shifted in his seat next to michonne, her hand went to his and pulled it into a tight grip.

"Glenn, Sasha, and Abraham were killed..." My heart sunk in my chest as I looked over to Maggie, her head was low as they spoke of her husband.

"By whom?" I looked around the room frantically waiting for an answer "And where is Carl?" My voice was a little louder then before as I looked back to Rick, this time him and Michonne both had their heads down, tears falling from their face, My throat started to tighten up, my grip on Daryls had started to tighten as well.

"Wheres Carl, Rick? Where is Carl! Where is my brother!?" I couldnt help but to yell causing Rick to finally look me in the eyes, Thats when I noticed them, I finally noticed the pain. His eyes were red and puffy, not from the stress or lack of sleep, but from crying. From crying after losing someone he loved, after loosing a piece of him.

"No...Please....Rick, nooo." My left hand covered my mouth as I looked over at Daryl, his eyes were also filled with tears. He was one of the toughest men I knew and see him so weak killed me even more on the inside. No one spoke and it felt like ages until someone did.

"He was bitten by a walker while keeping me alive." My head slowly turned into the direction of a voice I had never heard before, A dark man sitting at the far end of the table with his hands folded on the table. Grief all over his face....

Everything surged through me, Joy at Carl being just like his dad in making sure people stayed alive and safe, Hatred towards this man for the reason that this happened and rage towards my self for leaving and not being there to keep him safe. The tears fell to the table as I beat on myself emotionally, I should have never left, I should have stayed to make sure things stayed right. I should have-

"Tessa, its not your fault." Daryls voice pulled me from my thoughts causing me to look at him and he knew that I would never let this down, no matter how many time he said it wasnt my fault. Because to me it was.

"When...when did he go?"

Rick lowered his head once more and took a deep breathe, "A few hours before sun rise...He took his own life, so we wouldnt have to..." My hand hit the table causing everyone to jump. I could have been there for him if Max and I hadnt stopped to rest, I could have said goodbye to my brother before he took his own life. God, I was such a fool for leaving.

"I should have stayed, I should have never left." My voice cracked as I cried, Max rubbed my arm to try and calm me but it didnt help, everyone I loved was getting picked off one by one and I could have helped stop that... I could have tried to save his life.

Images of Carls face flashed through my mind, when he would smile and laugh, when he would come on hunts with me. The time when he fell into a thorn bush and I had to pull thorns of his ass and stop the bleeding so Rick wouldnt find out. The times when we snuck out of the house to sit on the roof and stare at the stars, how peaceful it was and how much we enjoyed it. Those were the times we bonded.

"No matter what happens Tessa, Never give up...You're one of the strongest people I knew besides my dad and Daryl, please never give up. You will beat this world, we will beat this world together."

It was the last heart to heart conversation we had before I had left, I choked back tears as I gripped Daryls hand.

"We were supposed to beat this world together!" I shook my head and leaned forward, my body letting off soft spasms as I cried, "He was supposed to wait for me to get back, I told him I was going to come back!" I shook my head.... "He promised me! He promised he wouldnt die! He promised he would stay alive and stay safe!"

By now Daryls had his arms wrapped tightly around my shaking form, I was shaking so hard you could feel it through the table, Daryl tried to no end to calm me but nothing was working. I glanced over at Max with tear filled eyes making my vision blurry.

"I'm sorry." And I was, I was sorry from the bottom of my shattered heart, I had broken a promise to what had become like a son to me because I didnt know what happened, because I didnt come home sooner.

"Tessa..Tessa look at me." Ricks voice was stern causing me to look up, still wrapped in Daryls embrace, still sniffling and trying my best to not cry anymore. "His name is Negan...And im going to kill him." The name struck me hard causing me to pull away from Daryl and sit up.

"Negan?" Rick nodded his head as he looked at me with confusion all over his face, On my travels I had bumped into a man name Negan, a man who carried a bat called Lucielle that was wrapped in barbed wire and covered in blood. Everyone around him had called themselves Negan as well. He was the reason why I had Max, I had walked into what seemed to be a slaughter fest; Bodies on the ground with their heads bashed in. Once known as Max's family, he was the last once on his knees about to get his head bashed in. So I took a chance, I shot the man in the chest just missing a fatal hit, his men to far to grab us as I had grabbed Max and ran into the forest as fast as I humanly could, listening to the bullets wiz by mere inches from our heads.

All I could hear in the back ground was his final words of how he was going to find me and he was going to beat my head in with his bat, all while the boy watches.

"Then lets kill him."