Winter came suddenly and left no time to prepare. It was sharp, biting, merciless, seeping through clothes, into lungs, into bones. Snow was no longer just a layer beneath your feet, it became a weight that slowed every step and drained strength faster than you could regain it. The wind howled between the trees, tearing through the silence and carrying a cold that did not let you forget for even a moment the situation you were in.

After the fall of the Sanctuary, nothing was left except what you could carry and those who chose to stay.

You moved through the dense forest, between bare trees whose branches bent under the snow. Every step was a struggle, every breath burned your throat. A handful of Saviors still stayed together, and it was them who kept what was left from falling apart under the pressure of winter and loss.

Negan walked at the front, as always. You were right beside him, close, not because you had to be, but because that was your place. His only wife, the only person he allowed to walk that close without a word of protest. Even now, when everything had changed, when there were no walls and no former power, his presence was still something the others held onto. And you were part of that world, part of him.

Arat stayed alert, her eyes moving across the trees and tracks in the snow, ready to react to the slightest movement. Regina and Gavin carried supplies and the remaining ammunition, the weight dragging them down, but they did not complain, because they knew that what they carried could decide whether you would survive another night.

The rest helped each other.

The stronger supported the weaker, someone gave up a piece of cloth, someone shared the last sip of water. No one left. No one fell behind.

This was no longer just a group.

It was loyalty to him.

To Negan.

And to you, because you were part of him, his choice, his only one. They looked at you differently than before, with more seriousness, with something close to respect, because you stayed, because you did not turn away from him when everything collapsed.

They did not either.

They did not stay out of necessity. They stayed because they chose him, his rules, his way of survival. And since he chose you, you were part of that choice too.

They followed him.

They walked with both of you.

Through snow, through frost, through everything that tried to break you.

And despite all of it, they were still here.

Still loyal.