C H A P T E R  2 3

❛ the price we pay ❜

MILO

     IT WAS LATE IN THE EVENING, but Milo still hadn't moved from his position on the porch in front of his house. He was staring into the darkness without really seeing anything, his arms wrapped around his torso to provide himself with warmth. They should've been back hours ago and with every minute passing by without their return, his regret about not joining them was growing.

Worry crawled around in his stomach like a living, breathing monster and no matter how much he tried to contain the beast; it refused to be tamed. This war was starting to wear them all down but he hadn't realized just how much. Not until watching his sister almost kill their uncle. He knew she regretted it, no matter what she told him but he also knew Quinn would push that regret away until time caught up with her and would force her to feel it. And if that were to happen, he feared Javier's words would come true: even killing Negan won't save you from it.

There was a darkness growing within her and he feared the day it might take over completely. The sooner this war would be over, the better.

Movement by the small lake in the middle of the community caught his attention. With a frown he got to his feet and crossed the street. As he approached the figure in the darkness, he recognized the familiar sheriff's hat.

"What are you doing there, kiddo?"

Carl turned around with the speed of a kid caught stealing candy. He was standing beside the manhole cover leading down to the sewers. It felt like a lifetime ago Milo entered those dark tunnels with Aaron and Maggie...And only when looking down did Milo notice the bag standing at Carl's feet. Maybe he had been stealing candy after all.

The teenager straightened his shoulders, as if gathering his courage to defend whatever he was about to say. "I'm helping someone. A traveler."

He raised a brow. "In the sewer?"

"Well, I couldn't hide him anywhere else without my dad seeing." He frowned. "Do you think it's stupid? Wanting to save people?"

Milo crossed his arms over his chest before shaking his head. "No, no I don't think helping someone is stupid at all. I actually think it's pretty brave considering the state of things." He leaned forward, as if he was about to tell him a secret. "And I'm sure your dad would think so too."

Carl scoffed. "Not anymore he doesn't."

"Well, then maybe you could show him," Milo smiled.

Before Carl got the chance to reply, a loud metallic clang echoed through the silence of the night sky. His heart jumped in his chest. Instinct took over and he reached for the gun resting at his side. The clanging continued three times and then suddenly all was silent again.

"What the hell," he mumbled, his gaze flickering to Carl, who had also reached for his gun.

Then, the static of a microphone being tuned reached his ears, followed by a voice that made shivers crawl down his spine. "You may be wondering why the hell your lookouts didn't sound the alarm. See, we are polite. I mean, I don't know when they're gonna wake up from that kind of shock but they should wake up. So let's just cut through the cow shit. You lose. It's over."

His hand was clenched around his rifle in such a tight grip that his arm started trembling. He desperately tried to calm his racing heart but there was nothing he could tell himself that would bring him any comfort.

Negan was standing outside of their gate.

Somehow he and the Saviors had managed to free themselves from the herd surrounding the Sanctuary. Their carefully revised plan had been blown to hell...A sudden rush of fear for Quinn and the others made his heart tremble.

"So, you're gonna line up in front of your little houses and you're gonna work up some apologies and then the person with the lamest one is gonna get killed. Then I kill Rick in front of everybody and we move on. You have three, count 'em, three minutes to open this gate or we start bombing the shit outta you."

Milo turned around to the sound of footsteps and watched as the people of Alexandria slowly left their houses and gathered on the street. Tara and Denise came walking up to him with wide eyes, Heath and Tobin following closely. Aaron left his house with the baby he found in one of the Savior's compounds in his arms, holding her close to his chest.

"They got out," Tara muttered as she came standing beside him.

"Yeah," he replied breathlessly, a sudden cold taking hold of him.

Finally Negan shut the hell up, only to replace his endless talking with that familiar haunting whistle. Milo inhaled deeply to shake the memories of the tune before they could pull him under and pin him in place.

"I have an idea," Carl said.

He tried to hide his surprise at the teenager being the first one to pull himself together and nodded. "Okay, let's hear it."

"You need to make it look like we're escaping out back. Get to the woods, halfway to the quarry and cut the lights. Get enough of a lead on them, hit them, and get away on foot. The rest of us hide in the sewers to wait it out. Just have to get the guns, get everyone else here and we'll meet you there. I'll distract them."

He frowned. "It's a good plan, kid, but there's no way I'm leaving you here."

"I can take care of myself," Carl replied. "I'll be fine."

Milo stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Remember what I told you once? I know you can take care of yourself but it's okay to have people look out for you."

Carl held his gaze, his one blue eye holding just as much fire and determination as the eyes of his father. "Okay," he finally relented.

"We have guns," Tara interrupted. "We can fight them!"

"We will but not now," Milo said firmly. "Carl's right."

"But we can't just let them have this place!"

"We can," Carl said, stepping forward. "All we need to do is survive tonight."

"I'll lead them away," Heath offered.

Milo nodded. "Good. Tara, you help him."

For a moment it looked as though she wanted to protest once again but she swallowed her words and nodded. He flashed her a thankful smile.

The static of the microphone crackled once again, interrupting their planning. "Two minutes, people! Dig deep. I want these apologies to be memorable. Bonus points for creativity. Work up a poem, sing a song. I love that shit."

"Get going," Carl said, not wasting any more time. "Denise, get the people from the infirmary. Aaron, get the kids. Let's go!"

They rushed off into different directions, each of them with their own instructions on their mind. Milo followed Carl into the darkness. He shoved aside all thoughts and worries about Quinn and the others. Whatever happened to them, worrying about it wouldn't help him now. He had to make sure everyone here would survive the night.

"You brought this on yourself Rick," Negan's voice carried across the street once again. "See, I was willing to work with you. All you had to do was follow a few very simple rules."

They had reached the gate and Carl was about to climb up the guard tower but once he noticed Milo wasn't following, he turned around with a frown.

Milo smiled at him. "I heard Michonne telling you this was your show and I agree. You got this. I'll wait here and watch the street. I'll give a sign once everyone is cleared out."

A renewed fire seemed to awaken within the teenager and he nodded. Then he climbed up, all while Negan continued talking.

"Now? Well, now I see that you got to go. Scorched earth, you dick!"

"He's not home!" Carl shouted once he reached the top.

"Oh holy shit!" Negan cried out. "Everybody hold your fire. It's Carl. Look at you, answering the door like a big boy. I am so proud. Daddy's not home, huh? Well, I guess he's gonna get back to a big old smoky surprise."

"There's families in here," Carl said, calmly but with a venomous undertone. "Kids. My little sister."

Milo felt his chest swell with pride at the composed way the teenager managed to keep himself standing. He resisted the urge to glance upward at Carl and instead kept his eyes focused on the streets, watching as the Alexandrians hurried to follow the instructions. He could just about make out their silhouettes in the darkness. He could only hope Carl would manage to stall long enough for everyone to make it out. For once Negan's annoying habit of talking too much was actually useful.

"Well, that shit just breaks my heart," Negan replied. "There's kids at the Sanctuary. You must've seen 'em. Even had a little baby at one of the outposts. I wonder what happened to her. None of this shit's fair, kid. Hell, you know that. You had to kill your own mom. That is screwed up."

The sudden mention of that heartbreaking day in the prison made him freeze. He hardly knew any of them back then, how things had changed...Now he would give anything to protect these people, even his own life.

"Ergo, we need someone in charge who's willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that shit doesn't happen. Oh, wait, that's me!"

"Bad stuff does happen, but we can figure this out," Carl pleaded. "We can stop this."

"Oh, now you want to talk? See, your dad had it that I died, no matter what. He gave my people a choice. Not me. Now we're gonna need a new understanding. Apologies, punishm-"

"Kill me!" Carl interrupted him.

The silence that followed was deafening. Milo had to physically force himself not to climb up that ladder. The stubborn bravery of the Grimes family would never cease to both amaze and scare him. But no matter what Carl would say, Milo refused to let him sacrifice himself like that.

"What did you say?" Negan finally managed to find the words to break the silence.

His heart ached as he awaited Carl's reply.

"If you have to kill someone, if there has to be punishment, then kill me. I'm serious."

"You wanna die?" Negan asked.

Milo was surprised to hear that for the very first time there wasn't a single hint of humor or scorn in his voice. He sounded almost human...

Carl shook his head. "No, I don't but if me dying could stop this, if it can make things different, for us, for you, for all those other kids, it'd be worth it."

Somehow a kid managed to sound more grown up than all the adults surrounding him. While they were fighting each other, he was searching for solutions, even if they were extreme ones. Milo saw no possible way that him dying would help the situation in any way. Still, he felt his heart set aflame by Carl's willingness to put an end to this.

"I mean, was this the plan?" Carl continued. "Was it supposed to be this way? Is this who you wanted to be?"

Up ahead Milo saw the silhouette of Tobin as he held up his thumb. They were ready.

He held up his thumb in return and then hit the ladder of the guardpost twice. Carl responded immediately by making his way down and as he did, the sound of gunfire resounded in the distance. Heath and Tara had broken through the back entrance.

"Son of a bitch, Carl!" Negan shouted from the otherside of the gate. "Was that just a fucking play? I thought we were having a moment, you little asshole! Bombs away!"

Carl jumped down the ladder and Milo placed his hand on his shoulder as they started running. "You did great."

Carl nodded, managing a small smile but he faltered when fire exploded to their left, setting a tree on fire. "Shit!"

"Come on!" Milo shouted as they picked up the pace.

He had no idea the Saviors actually had bombs. Neither Dwight nor his father had informed them of any such weapons and now it was too late to do anything about it. All around them fire came raining down from the sky, as if doomsday had been unleashed upon them. Their beloved community was set aflame. And even though Milo knew walls could be rebuilt and houses could be repaired, it felt as though a limb was being torn from his body. This community had saved them from the world in more ways than one and now he was forced to watch it burn to the ground.

Carl reached into his bag and pulled out a smoke grenade. He lit it as they ran and threw it on the street behind them. The Saviors might have the upperhand but that didn't mean they would go down easy and just hand the victory to them.

"You're full of surprises," Milo said, his nerves and fear somehow turning into humor.

A nervous chuckle escaped Carl's lips as he lit another and threw it over his shoulder, not once slowing down.

Another bomb came flying over their heads and crashed into the church. The building exploded and made the very earth shake. The darkness of the night was set ablaze and the heat made the two of them stumble.

"Hurry!" Milo shouted as he gathered his balance. He kept his hand on Carl's arm, guiding him through the flames and smoke as they ran. He would rather die than losing the teenager out of his sight.

Fire exploded right in front of them. The heat licked at his skin as he was thrown on his back. He cried out in pain as he hit the pavement. His ears were ringing and he shook his head to get rid of the noise. With watering eyes he fought to get back on his feet but stumbled and fell on his knees. He didn't even notice he was crying until he could taste salt on his lips.

A hand landed on his shoulder as Carl appeared beside him. At the sight of him, Milo gathered his strength and managed to stand back up. Slowly the ringing faded but when his hearing returned the only sound that greeted him was the greedy crackling of the flames. Red and orange consumed their home, tearing down all they had built. With an impatient gesture he wiped his tears away and somehow Reg's voice came floating up from the back of his mind. The man had asked him if he was a dreamer. He'd replied that maybe, he could be one once again. And now, the future he'd dreamed of was burning down right in front of him.

The roaring engine of a truck pulled him out of his thoughts. A loud crash joined the overwhelming noise of the roaring fire. The Saviors had broken through the gate with a truck. They were inside.

He gritted his teeth and with his arm wrapped around Carl's shoulders, the two of them hurried along through the streets. If they could reach the entrance to the sewers they'd be safe, but the manhole was still two blocks away...

"Milo! Carl!"

Familiar shapes appeared through the smoke up ahead. A trembling breath of relief escaped his lips when he recognised Rick's voice. Quinn, Daryl, Rosita and Michonne were running next to him, guns in their hands and rifles slung around their shoulders. No matter what else happened, at least they managed to get the weapons. Then he noticed his father. Nick was stumbling behind them, holding his stomach as he tried to keep up. Even from this distance Milo could see he was seriously injured. Though at the sight of his father, another thought struck him, as sudden as lightning.

"Uncle Javier," he muttered.

He could feel Carl tense up beside him, realizing at the same time as he did that they'd left the man behind in the prison. He could very well die, consumed by the flames or killed by the Saviors if they found him. Both were fates Milo wouldn't wish on anybody.

Time seemed to slow as he stood there. His salvation was right in front of him but could he truly live with himself if he ran into the arms of safety only to leave a family member behind to die? Quinn wouldn't allow him to go back for their uncle once he reached her...

He took a deep breath, his mind made up, and turned around. As fast as his aching legs could carry him, he started running into the direction of the prison. Though he was surprised to hear a set of footsteps joining him. He looked beside him and saw Carl running along. He raised a questioning brow.

"It's not stupid," the teenager smiled, as if having read Milo's thoughts.

Milo felt himself smiling in return, though he faltered when he could hear Quinn calling out his name once again, sounding desperate. He couldn't turn back to explain. There was no time. And so he resisted the urge to look over his shoulder and kept on running.

They rounded the corner only to be immediately met with gunfire. He let himself fall to the ground and grabbed Carl's arm, pulling him down with him. They crawled behind a car for cover. Carefully he peeked around the wheel. Two Saviors were standing up ahead, shooting at them as they approached.

He reached for his gun and removed the safety. Upon feeling his weapon in his hand, his grief for the destruction of their home seemed to reach a boiling point. A battlecry was ripped from his throat as he took aim and fired. The bullet hit the Savior in his chest, bringing him down. He didn't get back up.

Beside him, Carl shot the other in his forehead and immediately the gunfire ceased.

"Let's go," he said through gritted teeth.

They got to their feet and ran towards the basement where the cell was located, just a few houses down the street. While rushing to the front door, Milo reached in his pocket for the keys. He forced himself to slow down a moment and take a deep breath. It would only take longer if he tried to unlock the door with trembling hands. He breathed out and put the key in the lock. He managed to get the door open and rushed inside, already searching for the second key to open the door to the cell.

"Milo?" Javier got to his feet. He looked genuinely surprised.

"Did you really think I would leave you here to die?" Milo said, smiling as he worked on opening the lock.

"I considered it," Javier mumbled, though a grateful smile was hiding in the corners of his mouth.

The sound of glass breaking in the house above the basement made the three of them freeze. It took Milo a few seconds to realize what it meant, a few seconds too late...

"Get down!" He screamed.

He hurried towards Carl and pulled the teenager down. He threw himself on top of him, making sure to protect his head. Then the building came crashing down. Far in the distance he thought he could hear Quinn's familiar voice calling out of his name but the cracking and crumbling of stone overwhelmed her voice.

Then there was only darkness.

A U T H O R 'S  N O T E

I've both been excited and dreading to write this chapter because I've made a lot of changes to the storyline. So I struggled a bit with where to place the characters and the timing of their arrival and such. But overall I'm very happy with how it turned out!

Milo and Carl's relationship has always been one of my favorites, even if they don't have many scenes together. I just feel like their relationship is where Milo's big brother instinct turns into a father's instinct. I think he believes he won't ever get to be a dad and so it's a little bit of a painful subject to him. So when he's with Carl he's even more protective of him and I think that's mostly an instinct he isn't even aware of.

Anyway, the question that remains now is, are they okay? Sadly you guys have no other option but to wait (please don't kill me lol). Also, don't forget to leave some comments with your thoughts. I'd love to hear from you guys!

I'll see you all next time!

xx Nelly