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A 50-year-old Maggie Rhee was laying in the bed in the cancer-ward at the Commonwealth Hospital, looking pale and sickly. She had stage IV lung cancer, and Dr. Tomichi "Tomi" Okumura, the great thoracic surgeon of the Commonwealth Hospital, had stated that nothing could be done and that she wouldn’t have long anymore. A week at most. “I’m so sorry, Maggie. If we had noticed it earlier, we could have slowed the spread” the surgeon said, looking sad. “It’s my own darn fault, Tomi. Hershel and the others told to me to come here when I started coughing last fall, but I saw it as nothing. You’ve done great to lessen my pain” she stated. “Glad to hear that at least” Tomi replied, nodding. The door to the ward opened, and two familiar faces entered. Her son, Hershel Rhee, and his wife Gena, who was on the fourth month of her pregnancy. “Hey” the young man greeted his mother. “How are you?” “The morphine that Dr. Tomi has given keeps the pain away” the mother said to her son. “Good to know…” he said looking down, with Gena coming to his side, putting her arm around him. “Is there something, son?” Maggie asked. “You’re going to be gone soon… mom. I don’t know if I’m ready. And you are just so peaceful” Hershel said. “The end is clear, and nothing can be done about. And more importantly, I know that the world will continue to be a less violent and dark place after I’m gone. The Bricks, Alexandria and Commonwealth have managed to thrive and survive and will continue to do for generations to come.” Hershel looked down. “And you will be fine, son. You’re young and have your entire life ahead of you. You’re so strong and brave, and when you’re in pain and sorrow, I know that Gena will be there for” she continued, now looking at her daughter-in-law. “I can count on you, right?” “Yes, Mrs. Rhee” “I’m saddened that I will not get to meet my grandchildren, but I know that you will be a good father. Your so much like him, and you’ll get a chance to be a great father, that I know” With him Maggie meant Glenn. “I know, mom. I just… for so long it had always been just the two of us, and I always envisioned you would be still be there when my kids would have kids…” Hershel got out. “Make sure to live a good life and be there when that happens, for all of us” Maggie said, trying to hold back her own tears. She was saddened that her father, mother, and stepmother never got to meet her child, not to mention Glenn and Beth. “I’ll try” Hershel said, also trying to hold back tears. “And if he forgets, I’ll make sure to remind him that” Gena smiled. Hershel closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, before looking at his mother and wife. “Okay, I think I got hold of it now” Hershel said. “You can let in the others, honey” “Others?” Maggie asked. The door opened again, and a few dozen or so people flooded in. Rick, Michonne, Daryl and Carol, followed by Judtih and R.J., the Eugene and Maxxine, and their daughter Rosie, father Gabriel and Socorro Espinosa, Aaron and Gracie, Bertie, Kal and Eduardo, Ezekiel, Dianne, Jerry, and Nabila, and their children, Magna and Yumiko, Kelly and Connie, Elijah and Lydia, Mercer and Juanita. Maggie was taken back. All her loved ones had come to say goodbye. “All of you took the time to visit me?” she asked. “Of course” Rick said. “We all saw it as important to see visit you one last time” followed Michonne. “You think we would forget about you” Carol asked. “You’re family, Maggie. Always have been and always will be” Ezekiel stated. Maggie looked at all of them. Touched. Following Glenn’s death she grew slowly apart from the group. It had started during the war with Negan but grew after Rick had chosen to spare the former leader of the saviors and she began leading the Hilltop. Eventually she decided to go somewhere else to not be reminded by all that she had lost, finding Meridian, until returning quickly after she lost that settlement. After the Commonwealth-affair they had once again all gone their own ways. “I’m so sorry” she said to all of them. “For what?” asked Michonne. “For leaving so often. You were my family, but I just couldn’t be around you anymore after he was gone. Seeing you all of you reminded me so much of the early years, and how he is no longer here. I love all of you so much, but being around for too long always brings back memories of what was or what could have been. Meridian and Bricks helped me process but coming back always hurt. All of you lost people and managed to get over it, but I never could” “None of us got over the pain, Maggie. We all had our way to process and live with loss” Carol replied. “You needed me. If I had been there, maybe Jesus, Enid, Henry or Tara would still be here” “They weren’t on you” said Rick. “You don’t know that” Maggie stated. “You don’t know that either” Ezekiel stated. “Imagining what could have been done differently only causes pain and sorrow” “We are here to honor you, as the person you were. You were full of love and compassion, and you missing Glenn is a great testimony to that. Did you ever even consider having another lover or husband?” asked Aaron. Maggie shook her head. There had been men that shown interest to be with her, but she never considered it. Daryl came closer to her, sitting next to the bed, and caressing her forehead. “Maggie, you were one of the good things in this world. That's what Glenn saw, and he of course knew, because he was one of the good things too” he told her. “As were Beth and Hershel” Maggie gasped. That was what Maggie had told him decades ago when he had felt guilty over Glenn’s death back at the Hilltop. “You remembered?” she asked, holding back tears. “I couldn’t live with myself if I forgot” Daryl replied. “You know that when you see ‘em soon” Maggie nodded, and Daryl came closer to hug her. Everyone in the room came to Maggie, each giving personal goodbyes. “Thank you. Thank you so much” the sick woman said, now tearing. “Thank you for having been part of my life” All nodded in sadness, and slowly started to exit. “All of us are staying here at the Commonwealth for the night. You want me, Carol, Michonne and Rick to come by in the morning, maybe bring something from the bakery?” asked Daryl. “Leave some last goodbyes?” “A croissant would be nice” Maggie said. “The food they serve here is quite shit” “Me and Gena are also gonna come by tomorrow, mom” Hershel promised. “I know you will” The last of the visitors left, followed Tomi, who promised to go find some more painkillers.
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Tomorrow never came for Maggie Rhee, as she passed that very night in her sleep. A nurse found out when she was doing her nightly stroll and informed Tomi about it. The surgeon decided to not inform the family and loved ones in the middle of the night and would wait for the morning. They would need all the sleep for that revelation in the morning.
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Tomi told Daryl first. The surgeon presumed that the old redneck would be the best person to tell Hershel, since he had been Maggie’s closest friend. Daryl’s teared up a little from hearing that it had happened. Besides Carol, she had been his longest and closest friend and they shared so much common trauma and memories: Hershel, Beth, Glenn... But he was also relieved that her suffering had ended and that she might finally find full peace. He didn’t know if he believed in life after death, but he truly hoped she would see again all those they’ve lost, especially Glenn. Daryl still pulled himself together. He had to tell Hershel.
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Hershel broke down when Daryl told him. He knew there wasn’t much time, but he wanted to see her one more time at least. The older man embraced him, holding him tightly. “I had to tell her something!” Hershel cried. “I wanted to tell mom that I don’t blame her! That I understood why she was the way she was!” Gena came and joined the hug.
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After half an hour of finding out, Daryl, Hershel and Gena were drinking tea and eating lunch. “What did you want to tell her?” Daryl asked. “To apologize. I always knew why she was the way she was since what happened to dad… but I could never understand it. For a long time, I thought she didn’t really love me. When I was kidnapped by the Croat, I thought she was more obsessed with punishing Negan than saving me. But when Gena got pregnant, I started to understand why she was the way she was. She truly loved him?” “That she did. Like you and Gena” Daryl replied. “And I wanted to tell her that I understood it now. That I no longer resent her for that. And that I don’t know if I could have been even half as strong as her if I had been in her place” “She knew. I know that she knew” Daryl stated. “Maggie loved people more than anything, which was her greatest strength and weakness. Her hatred for Negan got the better off a lot, but I don’t blame her. I can never unsee what happened or forgive either. But she truly loved you more than anything else and knew that you would eventually understand why she was who she was” “You really think that?” Hershel asked. “Yeah. She knew you better than anyone, kid. And she didn’t need hear it from you, she saw how you turned out and loved the people around you” Gena embraced Hershel, giving her a kiss on the check. “I had a good mom, didn’t I?” Hershel then asked. “Yeah, you did kid. She was one of a kind” "I'm going to miss her" "We all will" he confronted. "And we will honour her and your dad, grandpa and aunt by living good lives and continuing in building peaceful communities. That was their dream and we owe it to them to make sure it remains a reality"
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Maggie was buried at the Bricks, where he son and daughter-in-law lived. Daryl had proposed they would rebury Glenn next to her, giving them a chance to be together at least again, to which the others agreed. Daryl, Hershel, Elijah, and a few others traveled to the ruins of the Hilltop, where the dug him up. It was the first time Hershel had seen his father, and he couldn’t really comment what he thought of the remains. It was the person who had influenced his life so much, but whom he had never met. A person he knew so well, yet not at all.
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The funeral at the Bricks was quiet, with no one openly crying. Maggie and Glenn were put to rest, with two proper gravestones shipped in from the Commonwealth. The memorial service was held inside, with Hershel, Gena, Daryl, Carol, Aaron, and Elijah holding short speeches about Maggie, having been the closest to her. It was a quiet affair.
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Daryl and Connie, who had finally become after he had come back from France, laid in bed that night “How are you?” she asked, communicating via sign language. “Another piece of my past gone. I’m feeling like I’m the only one who still remembers our original group. I’m afraid no one remembers when I’ll be gone” “Maybe you should write it down?” “Don’t have the talent to that” “Ok. How about you tell me and I would write down?” “Would you do that?” “Yes. I’ve thought about writing a history for a while, and we both have so much to tell for these new generations that don’t remember the horror of the early days” “I would like that my love”
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A week after Maggie’s funeral a familiar face came by the Bricks, immediately noticed by Daryl. “Negan” the bowman said. “Hi, Daryl” the former leader of the saviors replied. “Why are you here?” “I heard she’s gone” “She is. I don’t allow you to visit her grave” Negan looked down. "I have to tell you something..." "What?" “Annie and Joshua are dead. A massive group bandits attacked our settlement Missouri and a lot of people died” the man said, holding back tears. “After she came back for me in New York and we defeated the Croat, she told me to go back to them since she didn’t want them to live in a widowed family” “I’m sorry that they’re gone. Annie was a sweet person and I believe Joshua was a good son. But why are you here?” “Resolution? I finally know what she felt like. I never got justice on those killers. They fled on boats, and I don’t have the strength in me any more to find them and give them what they deserve. I will never see them pay for what they took from me. I can see now why Maggie always hated me” “You won’t find resolution here. Now go, before Hershel sees you” “I already have” the young man said, with the two older men looking at him. Negan looked the man. He looked so much like Glenn had that very fateful night. “Hi, I just wanted to…” “Please go” Hershel interrupted him. Negan looked at him. “Just go away. I’m grateful for you saving my life, but you have already hurt this family enough. I know mom let you go on better terms, but the hurt and the nightmares never truly went away. She continued to wake up screaming and sweaty of that night till the end” Hershel said, getting tears. Negan looked at him, trying so say something, but Hershel continued. “I want my parents to rest in peace, honor them and move on to the future, but you will always remind of the past and pain. I don’t want the next generations of my family to live in trauma of what you did. I’m so sorry about your loss and I hope you find your peace, but I gotta do it as well.” Negan remained quiet, until he finally nodded in understanding. The former leader of the saviors walked away, presumably heading towards the Commonwealth for whatever he lonely future he would have now. “Was I too harsh?” Hershel asked Daryl as he watched Negan walk away. “Maybe a little, but you want to move on and have every right to do so” Daryl replied. “You can’t forgive, like your mother, but you want to focus on the future” “I know”
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Hershel laid in bed with Gena, caressing her belly. “Everything all right, honey?” she asked him, noticing he was looking at the ceiling. “Yes… to an extent I’m finally at peace” Hershel said. “I think a big part of mom had died with dad. I hope she has found her peace at well” He felt ashamed for saying that, but it was true. Gena caressed his hair. “I hope I can be the best father and husband for both of you” “You will be, Hersh. Your mom also told me some things she asked me to tell only after she had passed” Hershel turned to his wife, a bit confused. “Your mom told me that she was very aware of not having been the best mother. Your birth and existence were the only reason for her to continue to live. She admitted that you growing up to resemble your father was both a blessing and a curse, reminding her of what was lost, but also what could be. You were the most important thing in the world for her, even if she could not always show that with her pain and hatred for Negan. She said that you had grown up to be good man, that you’re the spitting image of your dad in both looks and character. You were her sunshine and light, and she knew was leaving this world knowing that you will live a good life with the people you loved” Hershel looked at her, touched. “I guess I did have a pretty great mom” “You did, honey” Hershel kissed his wife on the mouth after hearing his.
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Connie had taken her notes out, ready to start the first chapter of Daryl’s memoir she had agreed to write on dictation, titled “The Walking Dead”. “It all started in Atlanta when me and my brother encountered a camp of fellow survivors…” Daryl began, recollecting the long-gone days when the old world fell and new one began to rise. He would make sure that the people he loved, his family, would not be forgotten. Jim, Jacqui, Otis, Sophia, Dale, Jimmy, Patricia, T-Dog, Lori, Oscar, Axel, Merle, Andrea, Hershel, Bob, Beth, Tyreese, Noah, Reg and Deanna Monroe, Denise, Abraham, Glenn, Olivia, Sasha, Eric, Carl, Tobin, Jesus, Enid, Tara, Henry, Alden, Luke, and Rosita, among many others. Their names would and lives would not be forgotten. He would see to it.
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Maggie woke up in a pleasant-looking bedroom of what looked like a farmhouse. She was wearing a pale blue summer-dress. Where am I? This isn’t my ward at the Commonwealth Hospital! Have I been moved somewhere else? These were thoughts going through her mind. The woman felt a strength in her body, she hadn’t felt in years, even before the cancer, and rose from the bed, and noticed a mirror on a small cupboard next to the bed. She picked it up and was shocked at the reflection she saw. She was in her mid 20’s again, having aged back 25 years from her time of death, looking healthier again. Maggie had always kept her beautiful looks (or that’s at least what others have told her), but the cancer had made her much thinner and paler. Due to how far it was, chemo was no longer recommended, so at least the woman got to keep her brown, but greying hair. Is this a dream, the woman wondered, before the door to the room opened. Maggie turned to see it and was shocked by whom she saw enter the room. Her father Hershel, mother Josephine, stepmother Annette, stepbrother Shawn and sister Beth entered the room, all smiling. “Hello, Maggie” Hershel said. This can’t be. It had be another dream. Maggie always dreamed of those she lost. They were both a blessing and a curse. Dreams were the only way she could see them again but waking up meant always to say goodbye once again. Her parents, siblings, friends, Glenn… “What is this? Another dream? I don’t want to wake up be alone again” Maggie cried. “This is not a dream, Maggie” came from Beth. “What do you mean?” Maggie asked. “Honey, you have died” Josephine, her long dead mother, explained. Died? She had died in her sleep? But she still had another week! She wanted to see her son and Daryl at least one more time! They had promised to bring something from the bakery! She died and came here. “Is this heaven?” was all that came from her mouth. “The closest thing there is to one” her father replied. “The locals call it just the afterlife” “Locals?” Maggie asked. “Long story. We’ll get to that, but my dear daughter, I’m happy to see you again” Hershel said, and hugged his eldest child. Josephine, Annette, Shawn and Beth followed. All of them looked the same age the day they died. Maggie was overwhelmed. Was this real? Could it be? Could there really be a place of reconciliation after death. Maggie had hoped that something like that would exist, even though she lost her faith after the farm. Could Glenn be here? “Tell me something only you guys could know. Tell me this real” Maggie asked. “I don’t want this to be another dream and wake up” “When I was terminally ill, I told you that Santa would go to Macy’s to fix toys. You told me you had dreams about it. Now I tell you something I never told you before. I got the idea from a charity commercial on the TV, in which Santa brought used toys for children in poor families” Josephine told her only child. “Was it the one from Kidz in Need?” Maggie asked, remembering seeing something similar as a younger person. “I don’t know which charity it was, honey” her mother replied. “I was sick and just remain the outlines” This was too real to be dream. “I’m really here? I’m dead?” Maggie asked realizing. “Yes” Beth said. “We’re happy that it took so long and that lived a somewhat full life. All of us” “We heard that you were so brave, daughter. That you lived and loved well. And that you suffered so much, but still carried on.” Hershel added. “That I have a grandchild named after me” “You are at peace now, baby” Josephine added. “You’re with us” Maggie began to cry, feeling happy to be with her biological family in over 25 years. “I missed you so much. All of you” Maggie stated. “We know, honey” Hershel said. “Now come” Beth continued. “There are others who want to see you” Her family pulled back from the embrace and led her out of the bedroom. They came to hallway, where Maggie saw Hershel, Patricia, Jimmy and cousin Arnold all smiling at her, welcoming her, before descending down the stairs to a big living room. Much like her family, they hadn’t aged a day from their death. Much to Maggie’s surprise, a large crowd had gathered there, with a banner saying “Welcome home, Maggie”. There were many familiar faces in the crowd. Sophia, Dale, T-Dog, Lori, Andrea, Bob, Tyreese, Noah, Deanna and Reg, Denise, Abraham, Sasha, Eric, Carl, Tobin, the Sutton family, Jesus, Enid, Tara, Cole and many of Meridian, Alden and Rosita were in the room, smiling. All looking exactly as she remembered. “You came for me?” Maggie asked, moved by the crowd. “How could we not?” Bob asked. “You were a great and compassionate friend” “We are so happy that you finally are here” said Tara. “We have waited for long, long time, Maggie” added Sasha. “You can be at peace at least” came from Jesus. Maggie was just and just to be able hold back her tears. “Thank you” she said. “Thank you so much” These were her friends and family. And she had to say something for them. “I also want to tell, Judith and Coco have grown up to be some of the finest women I’ve ever known. They would make you so proud” Lori and Rosita nodded, smiling. Carl was also happy to hear about his little sister. “Aaron is a good man and leader of the Alexandria with Gabriel” Eric and Jesus nodded, remembering the lover they both had shared. “Adam has good foster-parents in Alexandria” Earl, Tammy, and Alden, the baby's former guardians, looked at ease, knowing he was safe. Maggie looked around, noticing that someone was missing. A certain, very important someone. “You’re looking for someone” Enid chuckled, with Tara and Sasha smiling as well. Maggie couldn’t say anything. “Come with us” said Sasha, as she, Tara and Enid took Maggie by her left arm, and guiding her out of the room. The three women huddled Maggie down the hallway to a door and stepped outside to a beautiful courtyard. Maggie marveled at the beautiful scenery and sunshine, until she noticed something: two horses, one light brown, the other a little darker brown in color. And on top of the dark horse, Glenn. Maggie almost got a heart attack. Glenn hadn’t aged a day since he had died, like the others. This was not real. “I think we should leave you two be” Tara said, smiling, before leaving with Enid and Sasha. Maggie just looked at her long love, who came down from the horse and approached her. Neither had said anything to each other. Glenn came close to her looking at her, and she was looking back at him, neither being able to say anything. Eventually it was Glenn who broke the silence. “You found me” he said, remembering his last words to her as Negan had killed him. Maggie’s reply was to just assault his lips with hers, kissing him passionately, her arms embracing her. Glenn kissed back at her, his arms coming around her. Both opened their and their tongues met and danced around each other. The kiss could have lasted for a century, but eventually Maggie pulled back. “Hi” she whispered, smiling at him. “Hi” he replied, smiling back at her. “I missed you so fucking much” she told him. “Not a day has passed that I didn’t miss you” “Me too, Maggie. I’ve been waiting for this moment for such a long time” Glenn kissed her after this, in the same passion she just shown him. After he pulled away again, he asked her something. “Wanna go for a ride somewhere?” “What about the others?” Maggie asked back. “They threw a party for me” “They will understand. I need to show you something” Maggie looked back at the farmhouse, and saw Beth, Sasha, Enid, Tara, Eric and others smiling through the window. As if they wanted her to go with him. “What do you want to show me?” she asked. “It’s a surprise” he replied as he mounted his horse again. Maggie followed his example, and mounted the other, noticing something. The horses looked like the ones they had taken on their first pharmacy-run all those years ago. The run where they had sex for the first time. The run where they had fallen in love. The two rode out of the courtyard, Maggie feeling still a little confused but happy. She might have been dead, and still had a lot to learn on what that truly meant, but she was with the people she loved. She was with Glenn, and that was all that mattered.
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Glenn led and Maggie followed as rid via horseback away from the farmhouse she had just woken up from. The terrain outside resembled the countryside of Georgia, where she had grown up. A place she had never seen again after the group had traveled to Alexandria in Virginia. There were times where she had wished to take to Hershel Jr. back to show where she had come from, but it was too painful for her. No she was finally here again, with the man she loved. “Where are you taking me?” she asked. “It’s a surprise” he replied. Glenn and Maggie rode for seven or so minutes before they arrived at a medium-sized, beautiful cottage at the edge of a lake. “Is this your home?” she asked him. “Our home” Glenn stated. “I’ve been waiting for you a long time. I know we always dreamed of traveling to the Ocean and live by it, but this was the best place I could find here” They had indeed dreamt of exploring the world while they had been alive, but the harsh realities of the apocalypse had always put a halt to those plans. And then she lost him, and she would indeed go on to explore the world with her son, but it wasn’t the same. “It’s beautiful” Maggie said. “I’m glad you liked it. Wanna come inside?” “Yes” The two stepped inside the cottage and looked around. The furniture was for the most part quite modern. Maggie remembered that Glenn had grown up in the big city, unlike her. Still, she didn’t really care about what kind of television, kitchen table or fridge he had. She needed something else… the bedroom. She was alone with her husband and she was needy. “Where’s the bedroom?” she asked. “Maggie?” “It’s been 25 fucking years and I need my husband” she told him. “It’s one reason you brought me here?” “Yes, but…” he never got to end his sentence as her lips crashed with his. “I’ve missed this. I've missed you” she whispered as she pulled away from his lips, her hands pulling his shirt over his head. “I’ve missed this as well” he replied. For a moment Maggie pulled back, taking a little distance from him. She had to tell something to Glenn. A thing that had happened between her and another man after the Croat and Dama had been defeated. “Glenn, I have to confess something” she said, looking down. “What, my love?” “After me and some others defeated a bad group in New York, I slept with another man” she said, not wanting to look at him. Glenn didn’t say anything. “His name was Werner Schramm. He was German guy, who with his wife had been trapped in the States after the end of the world. They found a community outside of New York, where they had two children and lived happily for over 12 years years, before it was attacked by raiders. Werner lost his wife and two children and wandered alone for a while, before he ended up at the Bricks, my community” Maggie didn’t know how to continue. “He was a great mechanic, could fix things a lot of machines, and became a valued member of our community. Me and him bonded a lot, since we both had lost so much. One night, we talked about you and Annelise, his late wife, how much we missed and dreamed of both of you. When I cried about missing you, he kissed me. And I kissed him back. And we went to bed and spend the night together” Maggie remembered that night. She had enjoyed it, even though she felt disgusted at betraying Glenn’s memory. She had felt so good to feel loved and cared about again. She started to get tears. “The morning after, we had mixed feelings. I regretted it, while Werner wondered if this could go somewhere for moment. Eventually he became overcome with regret as well. We both felt ashamed over betraying both you and Anneliese. We split ways soon after that, with Werner moving to Alexandria, who were in desperate need of a mechanic.” Glenn remained silent. “Glenn, I’m so sorry I betrayed us” “I understand. One time in 25 years? You never fell in love again?” “I loved people, but never fell in love. Of course, I couldn’t, after you. I loved Werner as a friend, and he was one of the few persons who knew what I felt like. He was a good man like you, but he had his own love. You, Glenn Rhee, are the love of my life, and there is no space in my heart for anyone else” Glenn just kissed her on the mouth, before embracing her. “You’re that needy?” he asked his wife. “Yes. So fucking needy” she replied. “Let’s not keep you waiting then”
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Glenn decided to treat his wife properly for their first time in such a long while. Glenn decided that this was first time in eternity would be for Maggie. It was her homecoming, so he would take care of her pleasure over his own. He stripped her naked her pale blue summer dress, pushed her on the bed with on top, and savored every part of her body. His kissed her lips before traveling down to her neck, sucking her soft skin. Maggie sighed in pleasure. Glenn traveled down her should leaving kisses, before arriving at her breasts. He gave proper attention to both, licking her nipples and sucking on her areolas. “Oh Glenn, I’ve missed you so much” she moaned, feeling the joy of being with her love again. “I’ve missed this so much!” Glenn’s mouth moved away from her breasts, down her stomach towards her exposed womanhood. “Ohhh!” she gasped as his tongue slipped inside her folds. “Don’t fucking stop, my love” Glenn dove into her sugar walls, licking and sucking her. “Yes! Yes! Yes” Maggie moaned, enjoying the attention her husband was giving her. Glenn quickly pulled away from her and climbed on top of his beautiful wife. “Can’t make you come with my mouth the first time here” he whispered, as he thrust into her with his erect member. “Oh, Glenn!” she screamed. “Yes!” Glenn pulled out of her and pushed back, repeating the act, creating a rhythm. He was focused on brining Maggie pleasure, caring about his own need secondarily. It had been such a long time that Maggie had made love… with love. That one night with Werner had be alright, but it was more of a move by two lonely and broken people, who were missing their special person in life. Now with Glenn, it felt like she could come within minutes. And she would… “Oh Glenn, I think I’m cumming” she moaned. “Do it, my love!” Glenn replied. “This is all for you, my love!” She orgasmed. “Ohhh… Ooooohhhhh!” she screamed, coming hard. Glenn followed the cue and came inside her. In the afterlife people could still orgasm and ejaculate, but no one could get pregnant anymore.
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Maggie and Glenn laid in the afterglow of what had just happened, enjoying the pleasure they had felt. “So, welcome home my love” Glenn whispered. “Thank you, Glenn” she replied. “Thank you for waiting for me” “Thank you for staying faithful for me alone for all these years” he said back. “What else could have I done? No other man could compare to you when it comes to loving me like this” The two lovers continued to lay together, listening to each other’s heartbeats, until Maggie broke the silence again. “We should probably go to the others” she said. “I have so much catching up to do” “Yeah we, should” he replied. With this the two the reunited star-crossed lovers rose form the bed. It was the first day of an eternity of happiness.
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The realm of the afterlife was inhabited by beings called watchers, who were spiritual, energy-based beings that inhabited dimension that was parallel to the physical universe. Millions of years ago these beings saw that the primates of Earth could evolve into beings that could share their cognitive abilities, so they decided to connect the two realms, saving the spirit of every human that has died, and allowing them to live forever in this new world. The watchers redesigned their dimension to mirror that of Earth, and it has been growing indefinitely ever since more and more humans have been arriving. Plants and animals from Earth would also begin to manifest. The people in the afterlife could also change their appearance to any age they wanted. Maggie learned that she appeared to the realm in the mid 20’s, since that is when she lost Glenn.
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Negan died a few months after Maggie. He became depressed over what he had lost and no longer desired to live. Much to his delight, he arrived in the afterlife, to be greeted by his wife Annie, as well as his only son, Joshua. His first wife, Lucille, did not want to have anything to do with him. After she heard about him naming his barb-wired baseball bat after her, and using it to beat people to death in front of their group, she didn't to look at him anymore. She also had met Glenn, and was heartbroken to hear that her husband had taken the life of such a young and wonderful man, denying him a chance to live with his family.
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Maggie got nervous when she heard about Negan from one of the watchers, one named Iškur-addu, but Glenn calmed her down lovingly. They had been preparing for this.
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Maggie and Glenn approached Negan a few weeks after he arrived. They stated that they could not forget what he did. They told him that they could not promise that they could forgive him, but one could never know if a century or millennia could change things. They still wished that Negan could find his own peace with his family.
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Negan was the first person they crossed of their list. If they could get through with him, they could get through with anyone else. They wanted to confront all the people they hurt and have been hurt by.
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The Governor had become an insecure and reclusive man, and all attempts to talk to him were useless. Hershel and Andrea had already tried years ago, to no awail.
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Maggie apologized to Warren and Holly, two Woodbury-residents that she had killed during the first war with the Governor. She stated that it was in the context of survival, especially with Warren, but that she still felt sorry for it, and that she took no pleaure in it.
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Glenn forgave Merle, who also apologized for the abuse he caused him back at Woodbury. Glenn stated that Merle made his brother proud by taking out so many of Governor’s men in his last stand.
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Gareth and Mary from Terminus showed remorse. They said they had gone down a dark path due to their own past trauma, that could not of course be excused, but still apologised for what they did to Bob and what they tried to do to the rest of the group.
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Dawn Lerner told Maggie she was sorry about killing Beth. It was an accident, but still wrong, and she came to regret how she was running Grady Memorial Hospital.
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The saviors were a difficult bunch. Glenn had told the people from the Satellite outpost that he was sorry for what he did and didn’t expect forgiveness. Some did, some did not. Maggie apologized to Molly and Michelle, who accepted it, seeing it was a pregnant woman fighting for survival. Dean, whom she had executed as revenge after Simon had killed her man Neil, did not accept an apology. He continued to be the same type of prick he was before. Arat forgave Maggie for allowing Cyndie form Oceanside to kill her. She knew that the things she had done against others vile and had caused much hurt.
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Gregory didn’t care much about what Maggie had to say, not having changed much. Maggie tried for a good moment, but in the end, she gave up.
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The Reapers were a mixed back, with some apologizing, while other did not. Same with the soldiers of the Commonwealth
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Maggie and Glenn were in bed, feeling a bit easier with themselves. They wanted to set things as right as they could, before enjoying eternity properly. “I still fear every night that this a dream, and that I wake up alive without you” she told her husband. “It will stop after a few years, my love” he told her. “I’m glad we tackled our baggage, since know it feels like we can start our afterlife proper” “I agree. I also have our first travel-plan. wanna travel to the closest Ocean and rent a cottage there. Go see some whales, maybe even swim next”“I love you Maggie Rhee” “I love you Glenn Rhee”
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For the next seven years Glenn and Maggie explored the afterlife, having adventures in deserts, jungles, coral reefs, and other biomes, doing things they could have never done before in the living world. No one close to them died in this period, though they would always find some time to meet their fellow-deceased loved ones. Parties and barbeques and get togethers would populate their adventures. Stories and jokes were exchanged, food and drinks enjoyed (even though no one really needed) and love shown among them. Alden and Beth would often sing, sometimes dragging Maggie with them. Maggie could also meet his parents and sisters at last. They had not made it past the first winter of the apocalypse but were happy to hear that their family-name would live on through Hershel and his children. If a perfect Heaven ever existed, Maggie and Glenn experienced it. For seven years.
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One night Maggie and Glenn were sleeping in their cottage, when someone knocked on the door. Maggie tried to convince her husband to go answer, but he was in too deep sleep. Maggie walked over and was greeted again by Enlil, one of the leaders among the watchers. “Someone has come through, Maggie Rhee” the watcher said. “Who? Someone very close?” Maggie asked. “I can be there tomorrow for the welcome-party, but I need sleep” “This is… is more complicated. And you need to wake up your husband as well. I just to have to say ahead of everything else, Maggie Rhee, I’m so sorry for what had happened. If I or anyone else could have prevented it, we would, but we don’t have those kinds powers” Maggie became unsure. What did the watcher mean by this?
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The six-year-old boy was on the hospital bed, looking pale and sickly. The doctors had considered surgery for his liver-cancer, but it had proven to be too far. The boy’s father, pregnant mother and three-year-old sister were next to him, keeping him company as was suffering and drawing near the end. “You were so great” the father told him. “I couldn’t be prouder of you!” “You were amazing” his mother continued. “Our little angel and sunshine!” The boy was too tired to talk back, but nodded, giving his parents a sign. Both were holding back tears, knowing that the end was close for their firstborn. Then something terrible started to happen. The boy started coughing and shacking and sweating violently. The parents got terrified. “Doctor!” the father shouted. “He’s in pain!” A doctor and a nurse rushed into the room to help the young boy. A friend of the parents followed who picked up the daughter. If this was the end, the small girl should not be in the same room when it happened. “We need an oxygen mask!” the doctor shouted to the nurse. The nurse managed to put on the mask, but the boy didn’t stop shaking and sweating. “Hang on, son, please!” the father pleaded desperately. “Baby, don’t go!” came from the mother, already tearing up. The heart rate on the monitor started to slow down, until it eventually flatlined. The boy stopped shacking and moving. He was dead. For moment there was silence. Then an enormous cry was heard in the room. It came from the mother, who just saw her firstborn child die. She almost fell on the floor, but her husband managed to hold on to her. “My baby! My baby! Somebody please help my baby!” she screamed, tears streaming down her face. The father hold onto her, trying to calm her down. He was just as broken by this as she had been, but he had to hold onto her first. The doctor and nurse looked at each other in a sad manner. There was nothing they could do. For the rest of the night the mother wailed for her son. The young daughter was taken to friends for the night, while her father took care of wife. She wailed and cried until she fell asleep from the stress, in the arms of her husband. He was praying that she would not have a miscarriage due to her grief, not wanting to lose another child this night. This was worst thing that could happen just happened to them.
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It was night in the afterlife, as the watcher Enlil brought Maggie and Glenn back to the farmhouse where Maggie had woken up earlier. It was Hershel’s home in the afterlife, and the watchers decided it was the best place for the new soul in question to arrive, much like Maggie had seven years prior. The watcher, Maggie and Glenn were all greeted by Hershel, Josephine, and Annette, who invited them into the kitchen. “So what is this all about?” asked Glenn the watcher. “Who is the new arrival?” Maggie, Hershel, Josephine, and Annette all looked curious as well. The watcher had not told them any more details, except that it was complicated and difficult. Enlil looked back at the five humans. “Heino Rhee has passed tonight from liver-cancer, is now in one of the spare-bedrooms upstairs, still sleeping” the watcher explained. The five humans looked at each other. It could only mean one thing… “No” Maggie said, getting tears in her eyes. “Don’t tell me that… no. Not to my son” “I’m sorry, Maggie Rhee, but your grandson has died at the age of six years” “No!” Maggie screamed. “No! Fucking no! I don’t accept this!” Annette and Josephine, eyes full of tears, were both embraced by Hershel, while Glenn buried his face in his hands. The watcher looked at the woman and her relatives, trying to give sympathy. “Send him back! Send him fucking back! Hershel and Gena don’t deserve this! Please! Do something!” Maggie shouted at the supernatural being. “Please, I beg you! Please help him!” “We don’t have those kind of powers. I decided this would be the best place for him to come, since you are his family.” “No… No” Maggie let out, as she fell to her knees. “Hershel… This isn't right...” “He will sleep until morning” Enlil explained. “Can I trust you to receive the boy when he wake up?” “Yes, we will take care of him” Hershel Greene stated, feeling sad himself that he would have to meet a great-grandchild in such circumstances. It was never right for a child to die. Josephine and Annette nodded at this as well. The watcher disappeared. Glenn came to Maggie, helping her up and heading towards a couch.
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Half an hour passed and the five were gathered in the living room. “This isn’t fair” Maggie sobbed. “Hershel… Gena… I can’t…” “Life was never fair, my love, but the boy will find a home here. We will love him, all of us, right?” Glenn told his wife. “Damn right” Hershel said, with the others nodding. “Heino must have been their unborn baby when I passed” Maggie added. “And he must have been named after Heino Schramm” The others looked confused. “Werner Schramm. The German man I had… grown close to back at the Bricks. He had two children who didn’t make it. Heino and Annika. Hershel liked Werner and was taught by him how to fix some things. It was another reason he moved away after that thing” Glenn didn’t know how to react to this. The man Maggie had a one-nightstand with had been close with this son. That was now unimportant, though. “How do we deal with this?” asked Annette. “A six-year-old child is gonna come here and is going to need a lot more than an adult. And no one from his circle of known loved ones is gonna be here. We all died before he was even born” “Simple. Me and Maggie will adopt him” Glenn said. Everyone looked at Glenn. “The boy needs people to look after him, and me and Maggie never got to raise a child together. He will be loved and taken care of.” “Are you sure?” asked Josephine. “We can…” Maggie interrupted her mother before she could finish the sentence. “Glenn’s right, mom. You guys already have done so much for us, and we never got have a proper family. I owe it to my son too" Hershel looked at his daughter and son-in-law proudly. “We will always be there for you guys” he stated. “We know” Maggie said. “We have everything to take in the boy” “Within a few hours we will meet him” Glenn stated. “Should we get Beth and a few others here as well? Give the boy a safe and loving space to arrive at?” “Yes, we should” said Hershel. What had happened was beyond tragic, but the Rhees and Greenes would make sure that this boy would have a good future in his life after death.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Back in the world of the living:
Heino Rhee’s funeral was held three weeks following his passing, at the Bricks and he would be buried next to his grandparents. The crowd present was largely the same as during Maggie’s, as no one close had died back since her. The world had become a much more peaceful place, where less and less people would die because of walkers or hostile survivors. Which in turn had led to more people dying again of more mundane causes, like cancer. Besides Hershel, Gena, their three-year-old daughter Bethany and Gina’s parents Jonathan and Marissa, Rick, Michonne, Daryl, Connie, Carol, Judtih, R.J., Eugene, Maxxine, Rosie, Gabriel, Socorro, Aaron, Gracie, Bertie, Kal, Eduardo, Ezekiel, Dianne, Jerry, Nabila, Magna, Yumiko, Tomi, Kelly, Elijah, Lydia, Mercer, and Juanita all arrived to mourn to the loss. Werner Schramm was also present, having moved back to the Bricks after Maggie’s death. Luckily Gena had not miscarried her and Hershel’s third baby, but she was still in great pain. Bethany for the most part was quite unsure how to react to her big brother being gone, being both confused and sad. Hershel mourned too, but he wanted to make sure that his family was holding together. Jonathan, Marissa, Daryl and Werner all helped in this.
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Daryl was mourning as well. He had hoped the next Rhee/Greene-family death would be decades in the future, and long after he was gone as well. Seeing another in the ground felt wrong, especially after how many good ones had already passed. The old redneck and Werner approached Hershel after the service little Heino was over. “Hershel…” Daryl tried, but the mourning father turned away from him. “Don’t” he replied. “Please don’t” “I know how you feel, son” Werner said. He had lost his two children and wife before arriving at the Bricks. His son was named Heino, and Hershel, after hearing of this, decided to honor the man who had been a friend to him and his mother by naming his firstborn after the dead boy. And now this firstborn namesake was gone as well. “How do you heal form this?” Hershel asked, getting in tears. “It hurts so much” “I never did. It still hurts. But I want to carry on for their sake, since if I live, so do their memories. Your mom and you inspired me as well, son” Werner looked back at Maggie, missing her. She had been a close friend to him, with whom both could share their trauma. There was also that one night the two of them… did it. “You have your family, and you must live for them” the old German stated. “Your wife needs you, as does your daughter, and you have a baby on the way as well” Hershel nodded, still tearing. “Thank you so much. Both of you” “For what?” asked Daryl. “Being there. Mom spoke so highly of you on her deathbed. How your friendship helped her so much get through life. How knowing you were out there would always put a smile on her face. Being such a good uncle to me” “The honor was all mine” the old redneck replied. “And you, Werner. After mom died, you came back, and helped so much in advising me to become a dad, when my real dad couldn’t. How you taught me to hold a baby or change diapers… I couldn’t have done it without you.” “Anytime, son” the old German stated. Hershel nodded to both men and returned to look for his family.
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Hershel and Gena laid in bed, both sleeping. The pregnant woman had cried herself to sleep, while Hershel had to comfort her, before drifting away as well due to being tired. While they slept, something strange happened.
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Hershel and Gena were both in a dark void, standing.
“What’s going, baby? Where are?” the woman panicked.
“I don’t know” Hershel replied to his wife, confused.
Then a familiar voice came from behind them.
“Hi”
Both turned around and saw a much-younger looking Maggie Rhee.
“Mom?!” Hershel gasped. “What is this?”
“This is a very hard spell some of my friends from the afterlife have managed to pull off, so I can contact both of you in your dreams. Very hard, almost impossible to pull off, but they seemed to manage to do it in the end”
Afterlife? Hershel thought. Does that mean…
“Don’t worry baby, Heino is here. With us” Maggie said.
“Can’t you send him back?” Gena cried. “My baby…”
“It doesn’t work like that. We would if we could. But he’s living with my and Glenn over here. Told me he had a little sister, and that mommy is pregnant. Congratulations by the way”
This was all jarring for Hershel, but he focused on the details.
“Is he safe?” Hershel asked his mother. “Is my son safe and well?”
“He misses you both so much, and has difficulties adjusting to his new existence, but he is with people who love him. Me, Glenn, grandpas and grandmas, and so many others who adore him. And there’s something else I need to tell…”
“What, mom?”
“Don’t die, son. Live with your family and raise them.”
“It’s so hard! And unfair!” Hershel and Gena both spatted back at Maggie’s ghost.
“Losing your father almost killed me, but I soldiered through because you needed it. You both must now do that for you daughter and unborn child. Heino is loved and safe. I wish I could change things, but they are what they are”
Hershel held back tears, knowing his mom was right with this.
“The connection is slowly fading” Maggie stated, as the surrounding started light up. “Hershel, baby, I am so proud of you. Gena, I can’t even fathom the pain you must feel as a fellow mother. I love you both so much and hope for you to live well with your family. One day you will come here and meet the rest of us, and I, Glenn or Heino can’t wait for that day, but you gotta promise to live as long as you can”
Hershel didn’t how to answer.
“Promise me, baby”
“I do”
“I love you. Goodbye, for now”
“I love you too, mom”
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Hershel and Gena both woke up from the same dream. The confused pregnant woman started to cry from the ordeal, not knowing what to make of it. Hershel was laying on the bed looking at ceiling. I promise, mom, he thought. I promise to live, like you did for me. His family needed him too much for him to give up. They would pull through and raise their children despite this heartbreaking loss. If Maggie as a single-mom could do it with him, he could, with all the support he had from friends and family. I truly hope to see you again, the man though as he turned to comfort his wife.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Heino Rhee, age 6, woke up on a comfortable bed. For a moment the small boy was still chocking, feeling the pain he just felt in the hospital bed, but calmed down as he noticed that he felt quite well. He looked around and saw that he was in a pretty room, wondering how he arrived there from the hospital he had just been. Where are mom and dad and Bethany, he wondered, feeling alone. Then the door opened and two grown up people, one man and one woman, walked in. For moment Heino thought they were dad and mom, since on the first sight, they kind of looked like them. The man had black hair, like dad, while woman had long brown hair, like mom. On second viewing, though, they were very much different people. Despite this, both were smiling at him, radiating a familiar warmth towards the small boy. “Hi, you must be Heino, right?” the woman asked the boy. “Who… who are you? Where am I? Where are mom and dad and Bethany?” the boy asked the two grownups. “Heino, this isn’t easy to say… but you just died” the man explained. “Died? I’m dead? But… I just saw mom and dad! Where are they? I wanna see them!” The boy was getting panicked, and the woman tried to calm him down. “I’m sorry but you can’t, they are still in the world of the…” “I want mom and dad!” the boy cried. “We would want to get them to so much, little Heino, but you can’t see them until they die, and no one can know when that happens” the man explained. “Do not be afraid, we’re here to take care of you” the woman explained. The boy calmed a little down. “Who are you?” he asked them, before turning to the man. “You kinda look like my dad” “We’re your grandparents, Heino” the woman explained. “Your fathers parents, since Gen… you mom’s parents are still alive” “Dad told me you died” Heino said.“Yes, that’s why we are here to receive you” the woman continued. “Why are you so young? My mom’s parents are old and have grey hair” the boy asked. The woman remembered Gena’s parent’s, Jonathan and Marissa, who had still been alive by the time she had died and had continued to live. She was happy that her grandchildren would have at least have more family around them than she and her son had during their time together. “We died young, Heino” the man explained. “Are you ghosts then?” “No. We just don’t age if we don’t want to. This place is different” the woman replied. “And now we are here to take you in” the man continued. “Since you’re dead as well, we wanted to take you home and keep an eye on you” “What about mom and dad?” the boy asked again. “They are still alive, and can come here only when they die, like you did. I suspect that Bethany is your little sister?” the woman asked. “Yes. She’s three and loud. And mom is pregnant with a little brother” Both the man and woman were touched by the fact that there were more grandchildren. But they decided to now focus on the child in front of them. “This is very painful, Heino, but we want to take care of you” the woman explained, coming closer and caressing the child. “We are so happy to meet you. I died while you were still in your mom’s belly and was sad that I could never see your birth. And grandpa died a lot earlier” The man felt strange being officially called “granpa”. “Dad told me about you. How grandpa died a long time ago, and how you loved him so much that never even thought about marrying anyone else” “Did he now?” the woman asked. Both the man and woman were touched by this. Hershel had told about their love for his children, carrying on their memory. “You wanna take me in?” the boy asked. “You have a house?” “Yeah, kid, we have a house. Wanna meet some more relatives?” the man asked.The boy nodded cautiously and followed the two.
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Heino didn’t know exactly how to react to the strangers in the living room, who were supposed to the be his family. He had heard of stories, like grandma’s sister Beth who died very young or his great grandfather but couldn’t know how to be around them. Both Maggie and Glenn noticed that their grandchild felt a little uncomfortable and asked him if he wanted to leave for their house, to which the boy gave a positive answer. Hershel, Josephine, Annette, Beth, and the others all understood that situation was strange.
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Maggie and Glenn brought Heino to their cottage at the lake and presented him his room, which had been previously a guest room for when friends like Dale, T-Dog, Bob, Beth, Sasha or Carl might have spent the night over. The room had a bed, cupboard, small desk, and closet for clothes, but otherwise lacked a lot of decorative elements. “This is your room. Me and grandpa can get you things. Toys, books and other stuff. For example did you have a teddy bear back… home?” “I had a shark… his name Toothy” the small boy said, quietly. “I forgot him home when I had to go to the hospital, and mom promised to bring him to me, but she forgot” Maggie noticed the boy getting tears, before breaking down and crying. “I miss Toothy, and I miss mom, and dad, and even loud Bethie” the boy sobbed. “I wanna go home!” Maggie got on her knees and hugged the boy. “I want you to go home back as well! I wish you could be with them, but it's just not possible! Me and grandpa are here to take care of you, and I promise that we never leave you” Glenn looked from the side, not sure what to do. Having died before Hershel’s birth, he never had the chance to be the parent that Maggie had been. Still, he joined his wife and hugged his grandson. “Are you hungry? Got a favorite food?” he asked the boy. No one needed to eat in the afterlife, but food still existed and could be enjoyed. The watchers had managed to make plant and animal to manifest in the relam, meaning food could be acquired just like it is in the world of the living. “Scrambled eggs and bacon?” the boy asked. “My favorite breakfast” “Oh, it’s mine as well” Glenn replied happily. “How about we go to the kitchen to enjoy some of it?” The boy nodded, rubbing his tears away.
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The first day with Heino went a little better after that. Eating scrambled eggs with bacon made the boy happier and Glenn asked after they were done if the boy wanted to go watch some ducks at the lake. Glenn showed him the difference between the more colorful males and the more modest females, explaining how the males liked to show off their beauty. “That’s funny. Mom always like to show off to dad with dresses and earrings” the boy laughed a little, comparing the ducks to his parents. Glenn smiled. He liked to hear that his son could have a proper life and marriage, with silly things like dresses and earrings, which he never could have with Maggie.
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The day drew close and Heino grew tired. The shock of his new situation and the walk around the lake had drained his energy, and he had to be carried to bed. Maggie and Glenn laid in bed, reflecting their first day as adoptive grandparents. “He’s so beautiful” Maggie said. “Like you. And Hershel” Glenn nodded and held his wife close. “I’m happy to know he exists, but that boy deserved a full life. It could be decades before more of his family will come here” Maggie continued. “He’s been wronged so much with this” “We will give him a family” Glenn said. “He will be loved by us. Though I gotta be honest, it still feels weird to be called grandpa” “You’re the best-looking grandpa out there” Maggie replied. “And you’re the hottest grandma out there” Glenn stated back and pulled his wife into a passionate kiss, to which she replied to with passion, before pulling back. “Glenn, we can’t. The kid is next to us. He’s been through enough for today” “You’re right, honey” The two had grown a strong and intimate passion for the past seven years, wanting to make up for the decades apart, but this changed things. It seems their honeymoon-stage of eternity had ended with the arrival of this boy who needed them. And they would be there for him.
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The first weeks with little Heino were quite challenging. They boy would often breakdown crying, stating that he missed his parents and sister. Glenn and Maggie would always be there to comfort him. The two and the boy would go out with their grandchild to acquire books and toys Heino had when he was still alive, to fill his room with things that made it more familiar to his previous home. A few miles from Hershel Greene’s house there was small town with store managed by an older man named Tyrell, a former toyshop-keeper, who had decided to create and gift toys to deceased children who arrived in the afterlife. When Heino asked the man if he had a stuffed shark in his collection the man laughed a little. “A stuffed shark? Sorry, son, the closest thing I currently have a is an alligator” the old man said. The boy looked disappointed. “Don’t worry, though” Tyrell continued. “Give me a week and I will manage to create one. Got a specific color?” “Dark blue. And it was a hammerhead when I was alive” Heino described his lost. Glenn was looking on the side, while Maggie was picking up some children’s books, both for reading to the boy as well as to teach him how to read.
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It had been about two weeks since Heino had arrived, and Maggie had something on her mind. She and Glenn had approached the watcher Enlil again, with a request. “We heard you watchers can contact the living through dreams and visions” Maggie told the watcher. “Yes we can, but this is a very delicate and difficult art” Enlil replied. “We have been approached by pretty much every person in history with this type of request, to tell their loved ones that they are all right, but less than 0,02 precent go through. And you want to contact two people in their dreams at the same time!” Glenn knew this. He, Hershel Sr, Beth and everyone else had tried to contact Maggie via dreams following their deaths, but they have been among the 99,98 precent of cases that failed. “I know the chances are slim, as his mother, but I must try. He and Gena must be in such great pain, if there is the smallest chance to take some of it away, I gotta try to do it” Enlil looked at the woman. She was determined to see this through. “Allright, Maggie Rhee. I’ll look what I can do. I might need a week or so to get the procedure ready” “Thank you, Enlil”
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A week later, Enlil and three other watchers, Utu, Ninshubur, and Inanna, had gathered with Maggie to perform the procedure to contact Hershel Jr and Gena through their dreams. Glenn stayed back home with Heino, not telling the child what his wife was doing. The watchers circled around Maggie and started to glow in a gold radiance, building a connection between the afterlife and the world of the living. “If this goes through, you got only a few minutes. Use them wisely” Enlil told the woman. Maggie nodded. The woman noticed it was getting dark around her. She could no longer see the watchers, and soon she saw the shapes of two familiar people in the distance. Hershel and Gena. She almost got tears when seeing them, but remembered that she had be quick about this.
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“Promise me, baby”
“I do”
“I love you. Goodbye, for now”
“I love you too, mom”
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Maggie woke up, still surrounded by the watchers. “Did we just succeed in contacting someone?” asked Ninshubur. “We did!” said Inanna. “I can’t believe it!” Utu added. “Well done watchers!” Enlil said. “Maggie did you get what you wanted?” “Yes. Thank you so much, all of you” the woman replied. Seeing Hershel and Gena was… good. She wished it would have lasted longer, but this was better than nothing. She truly hoped they would take her advice to heart. Maggie said goodbye to the four watchers and returned home to her husband and grandchild.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
A year after his arrival, they decided to enroll Heino into a nearby school that was being managed by the watcher called Utu and some former teachers. The idea was to offer education for deceased children. Maggie had heard of this school from Anneliese Schramm, the deceased wife of Werner, who had enrolled her two children there as well.
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“Did we do the right thing, sending him to that school?” Glenn asked his wife while lying in bed. The man had grown close to his grandson, often taking him into nature to look for animals or horse-riding and having races with radio-controlled cars. He had often comforted the boy when he had woken up in the night, missing his still-living parents. “Dead or alive, he needs the formation around other people than just the two of us. And he needs education. He can’t just stay in our home, hidden away from the rest of this world forever. He deserves to grow up and live a full li… afterlife” Maggie replied. It wasn’t easy for her either. The boy had become somewhat of a substitute for what they could have never done while they had been alive: raise a child together. Quite often already both Maggie and Glenn forgot that Heino was their grandson, instead thinking of him as their their actual child. The son they always dreamed about raising, but which denied of them in their mortal lives.
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In the beginning Heino was scared to daily leave his new home and guardians, whom he had grown quite close with, but he found friends among the other children, especially a girl named Rhea Znidarsic, who had died around the same time as he did, in the area that was once known as British Columbia in Canada.
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Years passed in the afterlife, with Maggie and Glenn witnessing their adopted grandson growing and forming, slowly becoming a teenager. Despite being a little bit moody, like all children in that age, they also saw the virtues of the Rhees and Greenes in him, which made them so proud.
Heino showed to always be loyal and reliable to his family and friends, often helping his grandfather in anything he asked, and always brining 110% enthusiasm into it.
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The now teenaged boy started spending more and more time with Rhea, with his grandparents suspecting that something might have been going on. “We’re friends, mom!” the 14-year-old boy said to Maggie, as she had teased him over the issue at the breakfast table one “Saturday”-morning, before quickly realizing what he had just said. Maggie and Glenn were both surprised by this, but before either could react to anything else, the boy had quickly left the kitchen for his own room, leaving his breakfast. “I’ll go talk to him” she told her husband, who nodded.
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Maggie quietly entered her adopted grandson’s room, seeing him laying on the bed, having his face buried in the pillow. “Heino?” she asked him, as she approached him. “Go away” the boy replied, as the woman sat down next to him. “It’s okay…” she tried, caressing his hair. “I just realized how I haven’t thought of them much lately.” The boy raising his head from the pillow, eyes filled with tears. “Mom, dad, Bethie…”“It’s understandable, Heino” Maggie told the young. “You were so young when you left them” “And you and grandpa have been so amazing. Took me in and took care of me… I’ve been longer with you two guys than with mom and dad. You did so much with me… taught me to swim and ride a horse, brought me to school and helped with my homework and always made sure I was safe… it feels like you’re more of my parents than my real parents.” Maggie silently nodded to this, understanding the strange family they had formed. “I know the feeling. Me and your grandpa were together for only one and a half years, and I had to live over two decades without him” Maggie said to her grandson, wiping away his tears with her fingers. “It felt wrong and painful, but I tried my best to soldier through it, knowing that his lived in my memory” “It’s hard” “You were so young, Heino. The night you died and came over here I cried so hard for the loss you and your parents must have felt. But I and grandpa also knew that we had to take you in” she explained. Heino nodded. “I hope you understand that your arrival and adoption has been the greatest thing to happen in our afterlives here. Raising you into becoming a moral young man has been a great honor for the both of us. If you wanna call us “mom” or “dad”, we won’t mind” “I just don’t if it was appropriate to call you “mom”. It feels like I’m betraying my still living mom” the boy explained. “We won’t judge you for how you call us” Maggie explained. “We’ll still love you nonetheless, and I don’t think your parents would judge you either” “Thanks” the boy replied. “Now, tell me about Rhea…”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Daryl Dixon was in his 70’s when he died from a stroke. It came as a nasty surprise to his wife, Connie, and the other residents of the Bricks, especially Hershel and his family, but they were happy to have had this great and wonderful man in their lives for so long.
Daryl’s memoir pinned by Connie, called The Walking Dead, which followed the story of his and Rick’s group from Atlanta to the Commonwealth, had become a bestseller of sorts, with thousands now knowing the names of Rick, Michonne, Carol, Maggie, and Glenn and what they went through over the years, be it Hershel's farm, the prison, the Governor and Woodbury, Terminus, Grady Memorial Hospital, Alexandria, Hilltop, Negan, the Whisperers and the Commonwealth. Their story and what they went through would not be ever forgotten.
He had lived a long and good life and would always be remembered by the people he left behind.
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When arriving in the realm of the dead, Daryl was greeted by all those he lost: Merle, Beth, Hershel, Sophia, T-Dog, Rosita, Jesus, Andrea, Tyreese, Sasha, and so many others. He was happy to see that Rick and Michonne were not there, meaning they were still out there, somewhere alive. There was a lot hugging and rejoicing at seeing an old friend again.
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Daryl met Maggie and Glenn on their own, wanting to talk to them. “I’m so sorry Glenn” the redneck told the other man, showing tears. “Daryl…” “Had I not stepped out of line that night, you could have raised your family” “I don’t blame you for that, Daryl. And neither does Maggie” “I missed you so much, bud. What happened to you… I would aways think of you. And seeing Maggie and her baby… It just hurt. You were one the good things. You made me a better person. You and T-Dog and Rick and Carol and Hershel and Beth. I was in with lot of bad folks before the end and you guys pulled out of that shit. You made that Nicholas-guy a better person, and had Merle lived, you could have made even him a better person” Daryl then turned towards Maggie. “And you were so great too, Maggie. Seeing you grown and fight and love all those years… I’m so happy that you found each other again. And I heard you’re raising little Heino as well” “Getting to do what we never got while we were alive” Maggie explained. “Welcome home, Daryl” Glenn stated. “You were one the best men I ever knew”
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Daryl moved the near the Rhee-family, often visiting them. He would also go on drives around afterlife, meeting his friends and family, rekindling lost relationships with friends and family.
Like Maggie and Glenn, he met with former enemies, trying to settle things and wanting to let past grudges be, with some being going through, while others did not.
He was also waiting for his dear wife Connie, hoping to reunite with her soon enough as well.
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Two months after Daryl died, Werner Schramn did as well, being in his 60’s. He suffered from a stroke while working the engine of a truck.
Hershel and Gena, as well as their two children, Bethany and Glenn Jr, felt the pain. Both Daryl and Werner had become family to them, being reminders of Hershel’s deceased family. The children knew them as “Pa Daryl” and “Pa Werner”. The two little ones also brought a lot of joy to the old and lonely mounting man's life, seeing that good things could still happen in this world.
Much like Daryl, the man would be greatly missed by his loved ones, but some were also hoping he could find peace.
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Werner came to the afterlife in the age he was happiest: when he was a father in his 30’s. He was reunited with his wife, Annelise, and his two children, Heino and Inge, who embraced him. All four were in tears, happy to see one another again after all these years. “I’m sorry it took so long, but I met new people that counted on me!” he told his family. “We met Maggie and Daryl and little Heino” Annelise replied. “So proud that you still continued after everything” “We’re happy to see you again, papa” said Inge. “We missed you so much” said his son. “As did I you. Not a day or night have gone by that I didn’t miss you three” the father stated. “Welcome home, Schatz” said Annelise. “At long last”
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Maggie was happy to hear that Werner had reunited with Annelise and his family, but also felt weird that she now shared a realm with her husband and one-night stand.
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Annelise didn’t blame her husband for his one night-thing with Maggie. It was an accident, and nothing more. She had heard it from Maggie, who had reassured her that Werner loved no one other than her.
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Werner wanted to meet Glenn to talk about what had happened between him and Maggie. The two agreed to meet at the Schramm-residence, which was quite far away from the Rhee-cottage. Glenn had to travel there by train.
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“I’m so sorry about that one night” the German man told Maggie’s husband. “One night we just talked about you and my Annelise, and it just happened… in the morning after, I didn’t know how to handle it” “I don’t blame you for that, Werner. Mistakes happen, even the likes of what happened between you and Maggie. The most important thing is that we are now with the people we love” Glenn replied to the man. Werner nodded. Reuniting with his family had started to heal a lot of serious trauma. “And I want to thank you, as well, Werner. For being there for my son. Daryl told me that he helped you teach things like how soothe a baby or change diapers, and how to be a father overall. It seems my son held you in high regard, if he named his firstborn after you” “It was the least I could do. Despite everything, Maggie had been very kind to me, and I felt like I owed it to her to keep an eye on her family after she was gone” "I'm still very grateful for that" “You know, Hershel and you are quite a like. Maggie always said he was the spitting image, but I couldn’t tell, since I never met you. Now that I’ve met you at last, I can say myself, he gets a lot from you. He is kind, caring and loving, but is always ready to stand up for the people he loves and what is the right thing to do. It’s an honor to finally meet the man who is the father of this good man” Glenn was touched by this. Maggie and Daryl had always spoken of his son a great man, and his grandson of course held his father in a high regard, but it was good to hear from a stranger without a direct family-connection say those things. “Thank you for those kind words” “They’re not kind words. They are merely the facts of the case” Glenn nodded and was ready to leave. “Hey where are you going?” asked the German man. “You just came, and I have some nice apple cider stashed away in the kitchen. Wanna come try it?” “Sure”
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It had been fifteen years since Heino Rhee had arrived in the afterlife, and he grown up to be a good man in that period. While the school did not lead him to the route of any employment, as there was no such need for people who lived in the afterlife, it still helped him in becoming a full person. And now he was getting married to the love of his life, Rhea Znidarsic. The two had grown close over the years, and, as Maggie had speculated, something was going on between them indeed. The ceremony would be held outside the Rhee-cottage, with all deceased family being invited to the occasion. From Heino’s side there were Maggie, Glenn, Daryl, Hershel, Beth, Annette, Josephine, Shawn, Daryl, and Werner. Wider family friends had also come, such as, Otis, Patricia, Dale, T-Dog, Lori, Carl, Earl and Tammy Sutton, Enid, and many of the people of Meirdian, who had known Heino’s father. Rhea had been alone in the afterlife for a long time, having been one of the few people to die in her safe community British Columbia. Still, her parents, Rostislav and Amanda, had recently both passed and arrived in the realm of the dead. One could say they were quite shocked to find out that their daughter had gotten engaged post-mortem. The watchers Enlil, Utu, Inanna, and Ninshubur were also all present, being interested in the story of the Rhee-family and how it continued in their realm.
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Heino was making himself ready in his room, setting on his tuxedo, when Glenn entered it to greet his adopted grandson. “Look at you” the older man told the younger one. “It feels like yesterday when you arrived, and now you are getting married. Your grandmother and I are so proud of you” “Thank you” Heino replied to his grandfather. “Thanks to you and mo… grandma for taking me in and raising me” Heino sometimes called Maggie and Glenn “mom” and “dad”, and sometimes just “grandma” and “grandpa”. He wanted to honor both his parents, but also his lovely grandparents who had given him so much love. “No, thank you for giving me the chance to be a father” Glenn said back. “I died so young, and never met my son, your dad. You dying so young was such a cruel and unfair thing, being ripped away from your life and family, but I’m beyond grateful for having gotten you into my afterlife. And so is your grandmother” “Thanks, grandpa” after saying that, Heino hugged Glenn. “Is there anything else. Are you nervous about moving out and starting with Rhea?” “No. I’m so freaking excited. I love her so much and want to be with her forever. It’s just… I don’t know if we should have waited for mom and dad to come here and then get married. Now that her parents have passed and come here as well” “They wouldn’t judge for not waiting for them, I believe I can say that much. We just miss important things and events, it’s part of both life and afterlife. Rhea was alone for a long time, with most of her family still in the world of the living. It’s good for her to have some family on this big day. And you already have so many out there. It will be a nice surprise once your parents come here, and see what you’ve made of yourself” “Thanks again, grandpa”
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The ceremony was performed by a Reformed Presbyterian minister named Trevor van der Voort, who was a deceased family of Rhea’s parents. The wedding was simple, but beautiful, with Heino and Rhea making their and being then declared husband and wife, and everyone cheering in joy about the matter. The following celebration included dancing, drinking, feasting and joy. Rhea’s father Rostislav tried to give Heino “the talk”, but seemed to fail at that, as the younger man knew his daughter better as he did, having spent years together in school as a friend and boyfriend. Eventually the two newly-weds climbed into a car tagged “just married” and drove off to their own cottage a few miles away to start their life together, with friends and family all cheering the beginning of a new story. Maggie and Glenn were both in tears, seeing Heino leave.
Things were about to change again.
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Maggie and Glenn laid in their bed in their cottage. After 15 years, they were alone again. “It just feels like Enlil came and told us about his passing” Maggie said. “And now he’s gone” “He’s not gone. He lives a few miles away and we will see him again. It was just his time to leave the nest and start his own” “I don’t know what to do now” “We’ll live, like we always done” For the first one and a half years into the apocalypse, Maggie and Glenn had been each other’s anchors, but his death changed it all. They spend over 25 years apart, which was hard, but they managed to get through them: Maggie with her son and communities, and Glenn with reuniting with his dead loved ones. The first years were especially rough for both, but they worked through it. Glenn, knowing that they would meet again, was counting on the day he could see his beautiful wife again. The first seven years together in the afterlife again were spend in pure love and passion, making up for what they had missed in their actual life: holidays, adventures, celebrations with dead loved ones, and of course a lot lovemaking. Then Heino had arrived, giving Glenn and Maggie the chance to raise a family together. Glenn got what he imagined he could never have and was so grateful for having had the chance to be a father. Now Heino had moved out and started his own life, and the two had to find a new way forward with their eternity. Maybe now wait for their son’s arrival, however long that might take. “We will figure something out, my love” Glenn said. No matter what, Maggie and Glenn had each other, and every person they loved, forever.
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Back in the world of the living:
The woman laid in the snow, dirty, bloody, shivering and in tears. Her clothes were ripped, and she was surrounded by the bodies of her three, now dead, companions, who had been killed by the assailants, a band of a dozen or so men. She wanted to help on an errant, accompanying a truck from her community to another to transport some medical supplies. Her husband had debated with her about the matter, but she wanted to do it. Considering they were ambushed by this band and her companions killed, not to mention what they had just done to her, she truly wished she listened to him. “We should put her out of her misery, now that we’ve had our use with her” said one of them. “I agree with Westin. She has seen our faces and knows some of our names. Trust me, if she lives and tells about this, they’ll come after us with everything they got” said another. “Thanks, Scot” said the first one, seemingly named Westin. “Who wants to do it?” asked the one named Scot from the other men. “I’ll do it” replied another. “Way to go, Cyril” said Scot. The man named Cyril approached the woman, carrying a baseball bat. Seeing what the man was carrying, she was terrified. “Honey, sorry if it got a little out of hand, but we haven’t seen a woman in 7 months. And you being so pretty, don’t blame us too much for not being able to control ourselves” said Cyril. “I have a family, please. I won’t tell anyone what happened tonight. I never saw your faces or heard any of your names” she pleaded. “Can’t take that risk. Plus, how out of hand this got, there is no way in Hell you or folks would let this go” the man replied. Cyril was right. The woman would never let this go, let alone her husband. They would track these bastards down and give them hell the moment they could. “Before I’ll do it, I gotta say, you were one of the best we have. We love the ones that try to fight back” Cyril chuckled. “Fuck you” “That’s the spirit” The man rose his bat over the woman’s face. The woman closed her eyes and thought of her family: her beautiful 19 year old-daughter, her smart 16 year-old son and her aging, but still living parents. Not to mention her loving and devoted husband of two decades, who had been the love of her life and with whom she had experienced their fair share of heartbreaks, including the loss of a child. I love you, she thought, before the bat game down and killed her.
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The Rhee-cottage, Afterlife:
A year had passed from Heino’s and Rhea’s wedding and things have been normal since. Or as normal as the afterlife can be, with no deaths or permanent damages. Maggie and Glenn had invited a lot of friends over for a karaoke-night at their home. It wasn’t a special night, but just some fun. Heino, Rhea, Enid, Alden, Werner, Annelise, T-Dog, Rosita, Abraham, Sasha, Eric, Jesus, Luke, Jules Noah, Shawn, Daryl, and Beth were among the guests. There was laughing, singing, and drinking, and everyone was having a good time. While Alden was trying to sing Das gibt's nur einmal by Lilian Harvey and Werner Richard Heyman, much to amusement of the two present Germans, there was a knock on the door. As Glenn was to preoccupied chatting with T-Dog, Shawn, and Noah, Maggie rose form her spot and headed towards the door. As she opened it, she was greeted by two watchers. “Hi, I don’t think I’ve met you before” Maggie said. “Quite right, Maggie Rhee. I’m Teshub, and this is Tarhunna” one of watchers said, as the other just nodded. “Has someone died?” Maggie asked. “Yes” came from the one named Tarhunna. “Your daughter-in-law, Gena Rhee, has passed tonight, at the age 48” Maggie stood quietly for a moment. It had been around 23 years since she passed away, and the last time saw her son and his wife. Her son had been married for 23 years, and then lost her. She had truly wished her son would avoid what had happened to her and Glenn. “We are so sorry about the loss of her still living family, including aging parents, two children, who are your grandchildren, and husband, your son” Teshub added. “There is also something else” Tarhunna continued. “She died a very violent and cruel death, add the hands of a gang of bandits. We are keeping her in a safehouse right now since she already woke up once and was a little erratic. We had to sedate her” Cruel and violent, Maggie thought. Did that mean she was… “Was Gena raped before her murder?” Both Teshub and Tarhunna looked down, with the former nodding.“We’re so sorry. It’s always rough when a case like that comes through” “Thanks for the information” Maggie told the two. “Can you give me the location to the safehouse?” Tarhunna gave her a small note, and the woman returned inside. She would have to approach Hershel, Heino, Rhea, Daryl and Werner after the others were gone, so they could decide how to approach their new loved one. Maggie had never been raped. The Governor had humiliated her, but never went that far, so she could not fathom what would be going through Gena right now. And how this loss would impact her son and two still living grandchildren. She had to be strong for this. Another person needed them.
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The party came to an end, but Maggie asked Daryl, Werner, Heino and Rhea to stay with her and Glenn, wanting to tell them about Gena’s arrival to the afterlife. “What happened, honey. Who was at the door?” Glenn asked his wife. “Two watchers who told me that someone has died” Maggie replied to him. “Who has died?” asked Werner. “Gena” “Mom?” asked Heino. “Mom has died?” “Yes, Heino. Your mother has passed away” “Why didn’t you tell us all?” asked Daryl. “We should be welcoming her to this place!” Maggie looked at her loved ones. “I don’t know how to tell this, but Gena died a very brutal death on her way here. I don’t know the details exactly, but she was raped and murdered by a gang of bandits” Everyone fell silent when hearing this. It had been decades since a death like that had come by. Maggie and Heino had both died of cancers, while Daryl and Werner had suffered from strokes. Not pleasant ends, but nothing to compared what so many others had experienced. Glenn had died a brutal and cruel death and it had taken weeks for him to get over the initial trauma when he came to the afterlife, and more years of therapy to get some sense of normalcy. But even he could not imagine what Gena had to go through. Heino did not know how to feel. He had missed his mother dearly and had always hoped she would join them but hearing how it had happened made him feel sick.
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The next day, Maggie, Glenn, Heino, Daryl and Werner traveled to the safehouse where Gena had arrived, meeting again the watchers Teshub and Tarhunna. Rhea had staid back home, not wanting to cause more stress to an already tense and complicated situation than necessary. “Is she alright?” Maggie asked the two. “She’s woken up and we explained where she is, she’s crawled up in a corner and afraid. I suppose you five will be the ones to greet her?” asked Teshub. All five nodded. “Gena remembers me and Werner the best, so maybe we talk first”
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Gena sat in the corner of the room she was being held, confused, and scared over where she was. The bandits that had violated her and killed her friends, and one of them had just bashed in her head and she was here. And then she woke up in this room and was greeted by these strange human-like beings who claimed she was in the afterlife. She didn’t know what to make of such a claim, rather thinking she is in some strange dream she fell into following her assault. The door of the room opened, and she saw five people enter, four men and one woman. Gena immediately recognized two of them. “Daryl, Werner?” she asked. “Is this a dream?” “I’m sorry to say that it isn’t” Daryl stated. “You’re dead, like the rest of us” “Dead?” “Yeah, this is the afterlife” explained Werner. “The afterlife?” Gena looked at the three other people who had arrived. Two men and one woman. The woman was Caucasian with brown hair, while one of the men appeared Asian and the younger one was of mixed descent. Both men resembled her Hershel, so that could only mean one thing… “Heino?” she asked the younger man. “Is that you?” “Yes, mom. It’s been a while” Heino replied, both him and his mother getting tears in their eyes. “Baby, I missed you so much. Every day since we lost you” Heino came closer to her, ready to give her a hug. Gena tried to receive this, but quickly backed away, her body not comfortable with physical contact due to what had just happened before her death. “I’m so sorry… before I died I was… I was…” she tried to explain herself but began to break down in tears again, not being able to say what had happened. “We know what they did to you, Gena” Maggie said, stepping closer and caressing her daughter-in-law. “And we are here to take care of you” “Maggie?” Gena asked “You look so much younger” “Yeah, that’s a complicated story” “And you… you must be Glenn” Gena looked at the last person in the room. He looked so much like Hershel, as well as Heino and her other son, Glenn Jr. “Yes. Hello, Gena. I heard so much about you and I’m happy to finally meet you, though I would wish it was under better circumstances.” “I’m so sorry about that” Gena began but was interrupted by Maggie. “Stop that right now. What happened to you was not your fault. As I said we are here to take of you, honey. We’re family and we stick together, be it in life or afterlife” Gena looked around herself, Glenn, Heino, Daryl and Werner, all nodding to what Maggie had just said. Gena was in pain over how her life had ended but was relieved that she was surrounded by the people she loved. She just missed her still-living husband, daughter, son and parents, who will soon discover her remains on the side of the road, and not know where she now was.
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His Gena was gone. It couldn’t be. Not like this.
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Hershel Rhee, alongside his two children, Bethany, and Glenn Jr, as well as Jonathan and Marissa Koenig, Gena’s parents were at the Commonwealth hospital, shook. Gena was dead. Their beloved Gena. Daughter, wife, and mother. Alongside four others from the Bricks, who had agreed to transport medical supplies to Alexandria, who were suffering from an illness. Sterling McLaughlin, Julian Mann, Matthew Hartzler and Donald Orr, all friends of Hershel, had died as well, and their families were present as well. A Commonwealth recon-team had found their bodies and raided truck on the side of road and called it in to basecamp, who then in turn called the Bricks. When Hershel heard the statement five dead, four male and one female over the radio, his world shattered. He and Gena had debated over her going to the mission, stating that she wanted to contribute help Judith and her community. In the end he relented. It had been years since they had met a hostile group, so they had gotten too lax with security. Dr. Cornelius Samuelsson, one of the forensic pathologists working at the Commonwealth hospital, came to the families. “So sorry about this” he told to them. “They all died quickly, that’s what I can tell you so far” “Can we see the bodies?” asked Wanda McLaughlin, the wife of the late Sterling. “We wanna say goodbye to them” added Terence Orr, the older brother of the late Donald. “Please, let us see our daughter one more time” pleaded Marissa, with Jonathan holding his wife’s arm. “We would usually have to do some paperwork, but I think, due to the situation, an exception can be made” replied Dr. Samuelsson. Hershel could not talk, but followed suite, as the good doctor led the way. The man tried to tell his children not to come, but they wanted to see their mom one last time.
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His Gena was gone. It couldn’t be. Not like this.
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The families of the five dead were brought to the morgue of the hospital, where the five dead bodies laid. Sterling and Donald had both been shot, the former through the throat, while the latter though the head. Julian and Matthew had both been stabbed to death, a knife through the heart. They were still recognizable. Unlike Gena, whose head was bashed in completely, making her unreconcilable. The only way Hershel could see that this was his wife, was based on the wedding ring she was wearing. “My baby” Marissa whined, seeing her daughter in this state. “Mom! Why is she like that?” Bethany asked, with Glenn Jr looking away from what he saw. Hershel was frozen. Her face was bashed in. Like his father. This couldn’t be real. Not again. Not like this. The man nearly fell at the sight, with Dr. Samuelsson rushing to help stay up. “I’m so sorry. This was a bad idea” the doctor said. “Say your goodbyes and we’ll be leaving”
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His Gena was gone. It couldn’t be. Not like this.
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Hershel didn’t know what happened next exactly, but he and the other families ended up in a break room outside the morgue. Bethany and Glenn Jr were comforting their grandparents, while he was just sitting there. This can’t be real, he thought, and he rose from his place. He needed air. Or a drink. He wasn’t sure. He just couldn’t sit right now. “Hershel, where are you going?” Marissa asked, as he left the breakroom. “Dad, please don’t go” Bethany pleaded. But he wouldn’t listen. He needed to be on his own.
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His Gena was gone. It couldn’t be. Not like this.
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Hershel wandered the corridor of the morgue, not knowing what he should do. The last time he felt this desperate was when Heino had passed, in this very same hospital, but he had Gena back then. He had her as well as his mother, died, also in this very same hospital, but now she was gone. Hershel froze when he heard something down the corridor. It was two nurses talking. “Dr. Samuelsson did not tell the woman’s family about what they did to her, right Yvonne?” asked one the other. “Right so, Michaela, it would break them if they knew” replied the one named Yvonne. “Did what?” Hershel asked, joining the two. The nurses were straddled. “Did what? What happened to my wife?” Hershel repeated. “What did Dr. Samuelsson not want to tell me?” “Good sir, not sure if we are authorized…” nurse Michaela tried but was interrupted by him. “Tell me. Please, I need to know. She was my world” Hershel pleaded. “Your wife was… she was raped before her death” nurse Yvonne said. Hershel looked at both nurses, becoming pale when he heard this. “And not just once. We found the sperm of several different men in her. We believe, based on how the five were killed, she was the last to die, being used by the attackers after they had finished the other four” nurse Yvonne continued. If he was to know this, he should know it all. “We’re so sor…” nurse Michaela tried to say, but she once again interrupted by him, but this time it was a cry of agony. Hershel fell on his knees and covered his face with his hands. Dr. Samuelsson and a few other nurses arrived on the scene. “You told him?” he asked Yvonne and Michaela. “He overheard us” they tried to explain. “This is why we didn’t want to tell right away, to avoid causing a scene” the doctor said. Hershel didn’t care about listening to what the medical staff was talking about. The revelation was too much for.
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His Gena was gone. It couldn’t be. Not like this. But it was. And she had died in gruesome and cruel way. In pain, fear, and humiliation. Alone. Away from her loved ones. Away from him. He was meant to protect her. And he failed. And know she was gone.
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Gena moved in with Heino and Rhea, them being her closest family. The mother was overwhelmed by the news that her baby-boy had grown up and gotten married in his post-death existence, but she was happy to see him happy. Despite her newly found peace, the trauma still caused Gena nightmares, and Heino talked about that to his grandparents. Maggie had an idea, who she could turn to for some help.
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Maggie knocked on the door of a house, and was greeted by Gareth, the former leader of Terminus, the hostile cannibal-group they fought a long time ago. “What do you want?” he asked. The termites and members of Rick’s group had made peace in the afterlife, but neither side had really talked all these years. “I need to talk to you mother. She lives here, right?” Gareth called for his mother who came to the door. “Oh, hello, it’s been a while” she noted. “Yeah, it’s been a while. I need your help, Mary” “What for?” she asked. “My daughter-in-law recently came through. She was murdered in a brutal manner by a gang, but before that she had been… she had been…” Maggie tried, not knowing how articulate it to the older woman. “Raped?” “Yes. She was raped” Many of the women at Terminus had been victims of rape, Mary included, and Maggie guessed this was the best group to approach for that. “Me and Glenn hoped you could speak with her. Help her be able to live with her past” “I could talk with her. No woman deserves that shit” “Thank you”
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Gena and Mary got a long, and the older woman from Terminus also introduced her to other survivors of rape from Terminus, such as Theresa, Kaylee and Cynthia. Getting to talk about her pain with others who shared similar horrors helped Gena a lot and eventually she became more stable, being able to sleep at night or hug her son and daughter-in-law. The trauma would never go away, but Gena would also not be owned by it, being her own person again. She would finally be able to talk to Maggie, Glenn and Heino about Hershel, and what kind of life they, telling them what a wonderful person he had been. And they would listen the she did.