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The Whisperers were defeated, large thanks to Negan. Carol had led him out to infiltrate the hostiles and take out their leader, Alpha, who was responsible for the pikes, including her son Hershel.
Negan assassinated Alpha, weakening the Whisperers, and fiving the group their chance to take them out for good.
Glenn, Maggie, and many others didn’t feel right with this, but agreed to stay civil, since they had bigger problems to worry about.
After the Whisperers, another group attacked the Communities, one called the Reapers. They were ex-military men with a cult-like mentality who attacked other groups.
Still, in the end the communities triumphed, and won with a cohesive counterattack against led by Maggie.
Still, this conflict too cost lives.
Alden had died.
Alden was a former savior, whom Glenn had spared during the war, seeing him as someone who was fighting on the wrong side out of fear. Glenn saw potential in him, and Alden proved him right, by helping the group in the final days in the fight against the saviors.
After the savior-war he helped in construction at the Hilltop and even became an apprentice-blacksmith under Earl Sutton. Alden also fell in love with Enid, which Glenn saw as a good thing.
Glenn and Alden even formed a friendship, though it was never as deep as the ones he had with Rick, Daryl or Tara. The common trauma of the early years of the apocalypse was just missing.
Then Enid died in the pikes, which caused Alden to grow colder. For a while, he blamed Lydia, the daughter of Alpha and a Whisperer who had joined the group. He came out of the darkness, and even became a stepfather to Adam Sutton, an abandoned Whisperer-baby who was originally adopted by Earl and Tammy Rose Sutton, but after they had died, Alden became the guardian.
Now he was gone, and both Maggie and Glenn agreed to adopt the child.
“I miss him” Glenn said, the night after Alden’s buriel. “Another friend gone”
“I know, but at least he is with Enid again. Her death truly hurt him” Maggie replied
“We had seven years of peace and then this shit happened again. I thought we were over it, but I guess not. Poor Adam has lost three families already”
“He won’t lose us. We’ll raise him as our own, he’ll be a brother to Hershel, Daryl and Beth”
“He will be”
Glenn pulled Maggie closer.
“I couldn’t imagine losing you as well” he whispered. “This world has destroyed so many lovers and families”
She knew what he meant.
Enid and Alden were both gone. As were Earl and Tammy Rose. Aaron had lost Jesus. Henry’s death had caused Carol and Ezekiel’s relationship to end. Rosita had found Gabriel, but part of her still clearly missing Abraham.
Besides the two of them, it felt like only Rick and Michonne were the true lovers.
“I couldn’t imagine losing you either# she whispered back. “But no matter what happens in the future, we will always have each other’s memories and love, alongside the children”
The two kissed.