A few days passed and half the wall was now lined with barbed wire angled outward.
The foundations for the new watchtowers had been dug and the concrete poured.
Crews wet the concrete every few hours to make sure it cured strong.
Inside, Maggie had recovered enough to move around the house. Beth stayed close to her, her own pregnancy nearly at its end.
Joe stood on the front catwalk with a rifle slung tight, scanning the road.
That's when he spotted it... an SUV rolling toward the gate. Three passengers inside. Unknown.
He raised the rifle, tracking them until they pulled up.
The SUV skidded to a stop. Its passengers stared, eyes wide at the sight of Alexandria's transformed entrance.
Beams bristling with spikes, barbed wire stretched across the gate, and more coiled menacingly overhanging the walls.
The driver, a black man, leaned out. "Hey, it's us! Open the gate!"
Joe's voice carried, sharp and commanding. "Identify yourselves. Now!"
The man froze at the sight of the scarred figure above him. The other two scrambled out of the SUV.
"Who the hell are you?" one demanded.
"Names!" Joe barked, finger brushing the trigger.
"Heath! Scott! Annie!" they shouted back quickly. "We've been on a scavenging run for the past few weeks!"
Joe studied them a beat longer, then lowered the rifle. He hopped down from the catwalk, unlatched the gate, and stepped out. "I'm Joe. My group joined less than a week ago."
Heath exhaled, relief breaking across his face. He shook Joe's hand. "No worries, then."
Annie frowned. "Why the lockdown? Why so much barbed wire?"
Joe's tone was flat. "There's a group out there. Call themselves the Wolves. Tried us a few days ago."
Scott's eyes went wide. "What! Did anyone..."
Joe cut him off. "No. I handled it. But the rest of them are still out there."
Heath nodded grimly. "Alright. We need to talk to Deanna anyway. We came across something big."
Joe's gaze narrowed. "What is it?"
Heath shifted. "No offense, but… I wouldn't tell guard duty."
Joe chuckled, low and humorless. "Guard duty? No. I'm Head of Defense now. Co-leader, more or less."
The three froze in disbelief. "What?"
"Bring the car inside," Joe said. "We'll go to Deanna's together."
Scott jogged to the SUV and drove it in. Annie shut the gate. Joe whistled sharp. Within a minute, Tara appeared at a run.
"Cover the gate," Joe ordered.
Tara nodded, taking his rifle and climbing the catwalk.
The scavengers exchanged looks.
Joe gave orders here, and people obeyed with no hesitation.
"Let's move," Joe said. He led them down the main street.
On the way, the trio's surprise only deepened. In a nearby field, Alexandrians stood in formation, each holding a 9mm, firing in controlled bursts at paper targets.
Instructors walked the line, correcting stances.
Annie whispered, "Those must be your people, right?"
Joe nodded. "I told Deanna everyone learns to handle a sidearm. Mandatory."
Scott shook his head. "You sure you just got here? Looks like even the leaders are listening to you."
Joe smirked. "We came to an agreement."
Heath asked, cautious. "What kind of agreement?"
Joe didn't break stride. "I handle defense and outsiders. They handle rules and day-to-day inside the walls."
Heath let out a low whistle. Annie glanced at the barbed wire and spikes. "So that was all your idea."
Joe nodded. "Before this, anybody with balance could've climbed over."
Scott muttered, "I told her that too..."
Annie shot him a glare. "You said we should grease the beams."
Scott froze. "Well… yeah."
Joe chuckled. "Might work. Until it rains."
Annie laughed, patting Scott's back. "He tries, bless him."
Heath smirked. "We all know he's not the brightest bulb. But we keep him around."
Scott squinted. "Thanks... hey!"
Joe sighed and lengthened his stride. "Come on. Deanna's in her office."
...
They reached Deanna's.
Joe paused at the door... Maggie sat across from Deanna in a sofa chair, Miracle resting in her arms.
She was smiling as she talked about the farm and cloning apple trees.
Joe crossed the room quickly. "Maggie, what are you doing here? I thought you were going to rest a while longer."
Maggie smiled. "I was feeling cooped up. Deanna stopped by, and I decided to come over."
Joe nodded but kept a protective eye on her.
At the doorway, Heath's squad froze. Their eyes dropped to Miracle, awe softening their faces.
"Ahhh," Annie breathed, stepping forward. She peered down at the newborn. "She's gorgeous."
Maggie smiled. "Thank you."
Scott and Heath drifted closer too, looking down quietly.
Joe cleared his throat. "Didn't you have something to tell Deanna?"
Heath straightened, turning to the leader. "We've got a problem."
Deanna's expression sharpened. "What is it?"
Heath said, "There's a dry quarry about twenty miles out. Thousands of walkers trapped inside."
Joe asked flatly, "So what's the issue?"
Annie answered, "A semi's blocking the road, keeping them penned in. But the ground under it is collapsing."
Scott added, "It's gonna give any day now."
Deanna let out a heavy breath and looked straight at Joe. The scavengers noticed the way her eyes sought his.
Joe thought for a beat. "We got explosives?"
Deanna shook her head. "Only a few grenades."
Joe frowned. "Fertilizer?"
Annie said, "Some farms nearby. Maybe there."
Joe nodded. "Kerosene? Other flammables?"
Deanna said, "A few gallons for the lamps."
Joe's lips curled slightly. "Napalm."
Maggie looked up. "Eugene could probably make it."
Joe nodded. "I'll get him."
He stepped out and returned minutes later with Eugene in tow, grateful to be pulled off training duty.
They sat him down and handed him water.
Eugene looked around at the stares. "Alright, what's going on?"
Joe asked, "Napalm. You know how to make it?"
Eugene adjusted his glasses. "Yes. One formula uses aluminum naphthenate and aluminum palmitate. Or polystyrene, benzene, and gasoline."
Joe cut in. "Which can you make here?"
Eugene answered, "Either. Depends on which ingredients we can source."
Heath asked, "Where do we find them?"
Eugene said, "For benzene, we could extract from glue, furniture wax, certain cleaners. For polystyrene... we could use packing foam, factory scraps, disposable plates and cups."
Scott asked, "So you just mix that into gas?"
Eugene nodded. "Correct. In precise ratios. The goal is longevity of burn."
Joe nodded. "Alright. Me, Rick, and Kenny will lead runs to find what you need."
Deanna interjected, "There's a warehouse with what you'd need. Packing foam for sure... and we also need parts from there. Some inverters for the power grid. Houses have been losing power randomly."
Joe turned. "Alright, just show me one of the bad inverters."
"Heath can give you one," Deanna said.
Joe nodded.
Scott frowned. "So the plan's just… burn them all?"
Joe said evenly, "Yeah. Chop trees, soak them in napalm, feed the fire till every last one's ash."
Heath's eyes lit with relief. "It'll work. The herd will cluster into the flames. Fire will spread through them fast."
Annie added, "And rain won't kill it. Napalm sticks."
Eugene pushed up his glasses. "In fact, rain helps. Napalm is less dense than water, it would float and spread."
Joe asked, "Do we need a special container?"
Eugene thought. "A large metal vessel. A feed trough would do. Add a spout for pouring into jerry cans."
Joe nodded. "Done."
He kissed Maggie's cheek, stood. "I'll grab Rick and Kenny."
Heath followed him out. They jogged to the training field, waving the men over.
Rick asked, "What's going on?" Kenny turned too.
Joe said, "Grab a few for real practice."
Kenny's brows rose. "Take them out? Why?"
Joe's face was stone. "We need supplies, but we can't empty the walls. The Wolves are still out there, waiting for us to slip."
Rick asked, "What do we need?"
Joe said, "Ingredients for napalm... glue, cleaners, paint, packing foam. Anything plastic we can melt down."
Rick and Kenny didn't hesitate. They started pulling trainees with solid form. Joe picked a few himself.
Minutes later, three vehicles rolled out of Alexandria.
This time, on a mission that would decide whether the walls stayed standing or fell to an overwhelming horde of walkers.
...
Beth sat curled on the couch, book in her hands. She stood, heading toward the bathroom when suddenly...
Splash.
She froze. Her eyes darted down. Her water had broken.
Panic shot through her chest. She was alone. Maggie was still out with Deanna.
A sharp contraction slammed into her. Beth doubled over, clutching the counter with white knuckles until the pain eased.
"Help! Help!" she cried, voice cracking.
…
Next door, Carl was in the attic with Clem and Sophia, a comic spread across his lap.
He thought he heard something faint, a cry. He glanced up. Neither of the girls reacted. Maybe he imagined it.
Minutes later, it came again. Louder.
Carl sat up. "Did you hear that?"
Clem frowned. "Hear what?" Sophia shook her head.
Carl stood. "Someone's yelling. I'm gonna go check it out."
The girls exchanged looks, then nodded. "We'll come too."
They clambered downstairs, listening hard. The cry came again, clearer now.
"Help!"
Carl bolted for the door, Clem and Sophia on his heels. They rushed into his house.
Beth lay crumpled on the floor, one arm wrapped protectively over her stomach, the other braced weakly against the wall.
Blood pooled beneath her. Her face was pale, lips trembling.
Carl dropped to his knees beside her. "Beth! Stay with me! Stay awake, you hear me?"
Beth's head lolled slightly. She gave a faint nod, whispering, "I'm… I'm trying."
Carl's voice cracked as he turned. "Clem, get Carol! Now!"
Clem didn't hesitate. She spun and tore out the door at a sprint.
Clem tore through the street and found Carol near the pantry, organizing jars with Olivia.
"Carol!" Clem gasped. "It's Beth, her baby... it's happening! She's bleeding!"
Carol's whole body snapped taut, no hesitation, no mask.
She set the jars down hard enough that Olivia flinched. "Show me. Now."
…
Inside, Carl knelt over Beth, pressing a blanket against the blood soaking beneath her.
His face was pale but set. Sophia stroked Beth's hair, whispering to her.
Beth cried out as another contraction hit, her nails raking across the floorboards.
The door burst open. Carol strode in, her presence filling the room. "Move," she said, already dropping to her knees at Beth's side.
Carl shifted aside, his voice cracking. "She's bleeding bad, Carol..."
"I see it," Carol cut him off, firm but not unkind.
She brushed Beth's damp hair back and pressed her other hand against the younger woman's belly. "Beth. Look at me. Breathe. Stay with me."
Beth groaned weakly, but her eyes locked on Carol's.
Carol turned her head, voice sharp. "Sophia get towels, as many as you can carry. Clem, go boil some water. Carl, keep pressure on that cloth. Don't you let go until I tell you."
The kids snapped into motion, no hesitation.
Carol checked Beth quickly, her jaw tight. Too much blood. Her mind flicked through every delivery she'd ever helped with, this was a first.
She steeled herself.
Beth whimpered, "It hurts..."
Carol leaned in close, her tone low and unyielding. "I know it does. You're stronger than this pain. You've got a baby to bring into this world, and I'm not letting you quit on me. You hear?"
Beth nodded faintly, clutching Carol's hand.
Carol's eyes softened for just a moment. "That's it. Good girl." Then her focus sharpened again. "We don't have much time. This baby's coming now."
...
Carl's hands were slick with blood as he pressed the towel to Beth's side, his chest heaving.
Carol crouched low, her voice sharp and steady. "Carl, back up. I need space."
He obeyed, staying close.
Carol guided Beth's breathing, eyes locked on her. "Listen to me. The baby's ready. When I say push, you push with everything you've got. Don't hold back."
Beth whimpered, pale and drenched in sweat. "I… I can't—"
"You can," Carol snapped. Then her tone softened, almost gentle. "You will. One more step, Beth. Just one. Now breathe."
Beth did, shaky but focused.
Another contraction slammed through her. Carol's command cut the air. "Now! Push!"
Beth screamed, body straining. Carl grabbed her hand, whispering desperately, "Come on, Beth, you got this."
"Again!" Carol barked.
Beth bore down with everything in her, nails digging into Carl's arm as she cried out.
Then...
A sharp wail filled the room.
Carol caught the newborn, steady hands moving quick. She wrapped the tiny, writhing body in a towel Sophia had brought, rubbing its back until its cries grew louder.
Beth sagged against the floor, tears streaking her cheeks. "Is it…?"
Carol cut her off with a firm nod. She lowered the bundle into Beth's arms. "She's here. She's strong."
Beth's tears turned to laughter, shaky and weak. She kissed the baby's damp forehead, whispering, "Chloe. Her name's Chloe."
Carl grinned through tears, leaning over to look. "She's beautiful."
Clem and Sophia hovered nearby, wide-eyed, both smiling.
Carol pressed another cloth against Beth's side, applying firm pressure.
Her tone stayed level. "You're still bleeding. Stay calm. I'll keep you stable."
Beth nodded faintly, her arms curled protectively around Chloe. She looked up at everyone, eyes shining. "Thank you… for saving us."
Carol smiled, and gave a small nod. Her hands never stopping their work. "That's what we do. We take care of our own."
Carl, Clem, and Sophia gave a firm nod, pride welling in their chests.