The Walking Dead: Book Thirteen

The Walking Dead: Book Thirteen is the thirteenth hardcover collection book of Image Comics' The Walking Dead that includes issues 145-156, otherwise Volume 25: No Turning Back and Volume 26: Call To Arms.

Volume 25: No Turning Back
The group is in shock. Michonne is distraught as she threw away her chance with Ezekiel and now he's gone forever. She pulls out a knife to put down Ezekiel's severed head but Rick stops her and offers to do it instead, Michonne angrily refuses and pushes Rick before turning back around in tears and hugging Rick tight while apologizing. Andrea takes Michonne's knife and puts Ezekiel down while asking the others to help her get the rest of the reanimated heads. Michonne tells Rick she threw it all away and there's something wrong with her, to which Rick replies "There's something wrong with all of us."

The group, except for Michonne and Rick start putting down the reanimated heads. Suddenly, Michonne tackles Lydia to the ground and demands to know if she knew Alpha would do this, and whether the Whisperers have done this before. Carl pulls his gun and Dante tells Michonne not to do this.

Lydia calming has a knife to Michonne's throat as Michonne presses down her. Lydia tells Michonne that she knew nothing about it, and her old group have never met survivors that outnumbered them like this. She tells Michonne if she doesn't get off her, she will have the knife halfway through her neck before she can do anything about it.

Michonne realizes she is being unreasonable and gets off, helping Lydia up. Lydia tells the group she thinks Alpha is scared of them. Michonne tells Carl to holster his gun and he does.

Carl asks what happened to their bodies and Lydia tells them they were probably skinned. Rick asks if they should take the heads back with them to bury, and Michonne says that they will bury them here.

Rick tells Michonne that's fine, but they leave the poles exactly where they are as that's the territories boundary. Michonne is not happy that Rick seems to not want to cross the line and kill these people for murdering their friends, and says it would be a different story if it had been Carl or Andrea. Rick agrees with her.

Michonne storms off to the woods to think. Rick asks Andrea what they should do. She tells him that if it was unto her, they would ride back and kill them all. Rick confides in her that that may not be possible, but it's understandable that their people will want revenge for these murders. Rick tells her that the Whisperers could ruin everything.

Andrea huggs Rick and tells him she won't let that happen and Rick tells her they will get through this. Down the line, Lydia sees Carl crying as he has found Josh's head. He explains that he was a good friend and it's been a while since he lost one of those. Lydia hugs him and apologises. Dante walks over to check on Michonne and she reacts angrily, then tells him to come help her dig graves.

Back at Alexandria, Eugene is fixing the radio excitedly. Maggie and Jesus knock the door and explain they thought he was missing too. When he tells them Rosita isn't with him, he rushes outside quick calling her name. Jesus comforts Harlan and tells him they will find his brother.

At the fair, Rick and Andrea address the crowd that has gathered, and tells them that he has terrible news.

After Rick reveals the horrible losses, the people of all the communities go into shock and depression over the deaths. After a funeral service is held for all those who were lost, the close friends and family of the deceased go to Rick and begin to yell at him, demanding war and retaliation. Some are even willing to go after the Whisperers themselves, including Josh's father and Magna. However, Rick argues that they shouldn't rush into anything and should think things through before rushing into battle and putting everything they've built into risk. A distraught Marco yells at Rick, claiming that he is a coward and that Maggie should be in charge of all the communities. He states that she knows how to take care of a problem.

Rick then questions Maggie about what Marco had said, and she reveals to Rick that she had Gregory executed. Rick becomes enraged with Maggie, saying that she ignored everything he's said and that they shouldn't go back to the way things were before. Paul attempts to calm Rick down, but he claims that Maggie is ruining everything he's built and that she is putting everyone in danger. Dante steps in to stop Rick but is pushed aside. Jesus tries to hold Rick as Maggie claims that he's snapped, and she questions whether she has to follow him; causing Rick to punch Maggie across the face. Maggie then retaliates and beats Rick to the ground while explaining her actions of killing Gregory.

Jesus pulls her back and she snaps out of her anger, seeing what she has done. They then apologize to each other, hug, and everything calms down. Jesus tells everyone to go home and they all do so.

On his way home, Rick is scorned by the people of the communities. When he arrives at his house, he sees Andrea with Eugene, who is devastated by Rosita's death. He reveals to them that even though Rosita was pregnant with another man's baby, he would still have raised the child as his own so that he could try to make their lives simpler. He tells himself this but reveals that, in reality, it was actually so he wouldn't feel embarrassed. He reveals his anger at her for cheating on him but also says how much he loved her, how much he cared for her and how much he needed her.

Eugene states that he knows the people are screaming for war and that they will get themselves killed because they aren't smart. He says that he is intelligent, and understands that this will take time and planning; but he says that in the end he wants the Whisperers all dead. Both Andrea and Rick reveal that they feel the same way and that they need to plan out what happens next.

Eugene reveals that he understands the fact that the Whisperers have a massive advantage over them. as they do have an entire herd under their control. But Eugene points out that they, too, have an even bigger advantage over Alpha: they have her daughter.

Eugene pitches Rick the idea of using Lydia against Alpha as a form of payback for the recent massacre of the colony members. He argues that Lydia has killed people as well and has lost her innocence, even going so far as to say they would kill Lydia if the Whisperers call their bluff. Rick dismisses the idea several times saying that the girl is still a child, and she will not be put in any more danger. Andrea asks Eugene to leave, and he storms out of the house.

After Eugene's departure, Rick and Andrea speak about how Lydia will not be safe as long as Eugene and the other survivors have the same idea in their heads. Andrea agrees to escort Carl and Lydia to the Hilltop until the hostility blows over and they can form a more concrete plan.

Sometime in the night, Andrea wakes Carl and has him get prepared for the trip to the Hilltop, explaining the situation and that Lydia is downstairs and ready. Carl asks his father if they'll be safe at the Hilltop seeing as Alpha killed some of their residents, but Rick assures him that he will have a word with Maggie about the matter. Andrea, Carl and Lydia begin their trek in the night.

After their leave, Michonne is shown stealthily sneaking into the Grimes house, katana drawn, and sneaking up the stairs. When Rick pulls a gun to the back of her head, she explains that she was only trying to find Lydia and get her to safety. She fills Rick in with how Eugene's words are getting around town, and that tomorrow will be a very rough day for Rick. They go to the kitchen and talk over drinks.

Rick breaks the ice and asks Michonne how she has been holding up since Ezekiel was killed. She begins to cry a bit, explaining that she is upset and angry, then tries to dismiss it and leave, but Rick tells her to wait. He explains that she needs to stop pushing people away.

Rick begins to open up to Michonne, telling her about how he had started to grow distant towards Lori when he was still a police officer. His work brought to him experiences that Lori would have a hard time sharing even if he wanted to, making his emotional reactions increasingly inescrutable to Lori. When he found out about her and Shane, he did not really blame either of them, but he was still hurt. By contrast, Andrea and Rick have lived through a lot of significant experiences together. They understand each other and have no secrets from each other. They have bonded and grow together to an extent that he did not even think possible before. Rick feels closer to Andrea than he ever was to Lori.

Rick goes on to speculate that perhaps Michonne has a bad habit of feelling undeserving of happiness. Rick feels that Michonne let her ex-husband have the custody of her two daughters and pushed Ezekiel away from her life because at some level she wants to punish herself for no good reason.

He goes on to offer that Michonne is likely to move on and learn to live and be happy despite her losses and guilts, yet deep down she will hate herself for that. Rick himself feels that he would not manage to be quite as happy as he is now had Lori and their daughter Judith not died. He would still bring them back if he had any means to, but the fact of the matter is that there is nothing he can do to advance such a goal, so he has to accept reality for what it is and go on despite all the conflicting feelings. As has Michonne.

Michonne asks him if the pain will never go away, and he answers point-blank that no, it will not, prompting a rare emotional outburst from Michonne. She begins to cry openly and admits that she never stopped missing Ezekiel, but at the same time felt that she was punishing herself properly for having failed her daughters. But now she sees that this is just a sick, pointless game of imposing needless guilts on herself for no good reason.

Rick encourages her to perceive the current situation as "being even": she lost Ezekiel, so she can allow herself to let go of the guilt over her daughters as well. Now she better let go of all dark feelings and pursue happiness as opposed to punishment. In a nice moment, Michonne cries a bit more, wipes her tears and smiles at Rick, telling him that he is messes up yet she loves him.

Well on their way to the Hilltop, Andrea, Carl and Lydia meet Gus, a patrolman. He asks if things are alright, and Andrea pleasantly asks him to not let anyone know that he'd seen her. He obliges. Lydia start questioning Andrea for asking Gus to lie for her. Out of her growing suspicion, she starts asking why anyone wants to hurt her. Andrea and Carl try to get her to realize that people will want to blow off steam in any way that they can without thinking clearly. Lydia, still refusing to believe this starts become irritable, explaining that her mother doesn't care about her, and the plans Eugene's made wouldn't work. Andrea tries to deny this and respond that her mother does care about her, and Carl even tell her that Andrea can be trusted. Lydia finally speaks her mind, asking if they had Gus lie because she was being taken back to her mother. Pulling a gun on Andrea, she demands that they tell her the truth. Lydia keeps pointing her gun at Andrea. Carl starts to point his gun at Andrea as well, and then he quickly aims to Lydia, and tells her she will not hurt his mother. All three lower their weaponry and sort the conflict out.

Alpha cries next to a tree, until is greeted by a fellow Whisperer. The whisperer tells her that he won't tell the others that Alpha cried, and Alpha cuts his throat open. Another whisperer greets Alpha, and she tells him that the another whisperer tried to cross her.

Dwight returns to the Sanctuary, and tells his fellow Savior he doesn't want to be the leader anymore, since he is under a lot of stress due to breaking up with Debbie and the deal with the Whisperers. The Savior tells him they need a leader, and he can not quit now.

At Alexandria the citizens are furious to Rick because he won't strike back at Whisperers. Everyone starts to fight each other, until Rick pulls out his gun and tells the Alexandrians to go home or he'll shoot at them.

At night, Rick goes to Negan and states that he needs his help.

Negan has a grin on his face. Negan becomes delightful as Rick states he need his help. However, Rick says he will never unlock his cage, which makes Negan feel embarrassed.

Dwight is greeted by his fellow savior, Laura, after giving a speech about the Whisperers to the Saviors. Dwight is strongly convinced that he isn't the leader for the Saviors, but Laura strongly disagrees. She also reminds Dwight that the Saviors do not trust Rick, and still want the leader to be Dwight or Negan. Dwight's keeping them from stroming to Alexandria and putting Negan in charge. Laura then realizes that Dwight still yearns for Sherry. She tells Dwight she was a "cunt" and that she never cared about him. Laura then kisses Dwight, and tells him everyone appreciates his efforts. Dwight apologizes to her and leaves the room.

Carl, Andrea and Lydia arrive to the Hilltop, and are greeted by Eduardo. Andrea quickly informs him that no one can know Lydia is in the Hilltop. Lydia apologizes to Carl for pulling a gun on Andrea, and Carl apologizes to her as well. The two hug and Lydia states that Carl is the best, which Carl responds that he is being good to everyone because of his father. Elsewhere, Maggie, Hershel and Brianna are hiding in an apartment from the angry citizens, and Eugene tries to operate the radio, in vain.

Rick informs Negan about the Whisperers, and Negan asks Rick are they "us" or "them". Rick is about to leave, but Negan convinces him to stay. Negan gives him advice about him being the leader, and tells him that he has to lie to keep people alive and happy. Rick leaves and Negan starts to smile.

Vincent and Julia mourn for Josh. Vincent states he is full of anger, and that all he wanted was to keep Josh safe until he was an adult. The family is greeted by Morton and his son.

Rick greets Eugene, who tells him that the radio is working but there is no one out there. Rick tells Eugene he wants to form a military and train people to use guns, and be prepared for the war with the Whisperers. At the Sanctuary, Dwight takes Lucille out of the closet.

Dwight leaves the Sanctuary and is followed by Laura, who Dwight interprets is coming to ask him to go back; however, she is actually going with him.

Back at the Safe-Zone, Eugene and Rick are having a conversation about forming a military and that they will start the next day.

Later that night, Rick is walking around Alexandria. He is suddenly confronted and pushed to the ground by two hooded men. One of the hooded men proceeds to beat Rick while his hood happens to fall down, revealing him to be Morton. He is then told to stop by the other hooded man, who is revealed to be Vincent, and is subsequently tackled to the ground. Morton fights back against Vincent and then leans in to pick up Rick's walking cane. Rick intervenes by biting into Morton's neck, in which he dies in the process due to blood loss. Rick succumbs to his injuries and falls unconscious.

At the Hilltop mansion, Andrea is walking around and finds Carl having sex with Lydia, who appears to be feeling his eye. A stunned Andrea doesn't intervene and decides to walk off.

Rick, after being found by a panicking Maggie, is taken to Dr. Carson's house where he is surrounded by Jesus, Maggie, and Michonne. Rick tells Michonne to go find "him", in which she is then seen chasing after Vincent.

Rick walks outside to see his people while Maggie is convincing him to go back in and get cleaned up and recover. Rick states, "They need to see me like this."

Rick proceeds to give a speech and talks to his people about how he was attacked by "two of our own" and that he is "scared of things going back to the way they were." He goes on to say that he "doesn't want to return to those days", in which he lost the ones he cared about, especially Lori and Judith. Rick states that they need to "Move forward. Don't go back." During this, Dwight and Laura walk in. Rick says that "out of frustration we attacked ourselves" as a retaliation to the "multiple heads on pikes" incident in Issue 144. He informs them that an army is being formed so that they can "wipe the Whisperers off the face of the Earth." Vincent is then brought up to the podium in which Rick forgives him for his actions. Everyone is seen chanting "Rick Grimes" and Negan's cell is shown. Negan smiles while saying to himself, "'atta boy."

The volume begins with Rick and Dwight training a group of people whom has volunteered to be part of the communities new militia. During training the group draws out a sizable pack of zombies for practice. For a moment it seems they may have overreached but Dwight assumes command and gets them out of the situation. Rick meets with Dwight afterwards and compliments him on his military instincts and implies that he wants him to become a leading figure in the militia. Dwight complains that he left The Sanctuary to avoid having to be a leader but Rick tells him it's too late and that they need him.

When they return to Alexandria, Maggie is getting ready to depart for The Hilltop. Rick asks her if she has decided how many people she can send to join the militia. She tells him that because Paul has decided to stay she could probably send ten but possibly more. Rick thanks her and tells her to inform Andrea, Carl and Lydia that they can come back. Rick heads home but Vincent catches up to him and thanks him for keeping him around. Rick assures him that killing him would only serve to rob him of the opportunity to make up for his one mistake and do more good. While talking to Vincent about this he suddenly stops to think and heads to Negan's cell. Negan wonders what he can do for him this time but Rick tells him he's just checking up on him, much to Negan's delight. Arriving at his home Rick discovers Gabriel waiting on the doorsteps. Gabriel tells him that having served as Alexandria's official reverend is something he is grateful for and feels he's been good at. Nonetheless, he has decided that protecting peoples souls aren't enough for him anymore and asks to join the newly formed militia. Rick agrees and says that he can start in the morning.

Going inside his house he finds a sleeping Michonne who awakens upon his arrival. She tells Rick that she is going out on the boat again with Pete but Rick argues that she shouldn't anymore and that he needs her at the The Kingdom to assume the vacant leadership left by Ezekiel. Michonne tells him that she saw this coming and admits that the people there need her to lead them but herself needed someone to push her in the right direction to actually commit. The conversation then turns to the Sanctuary which also lacks leadership since Dwight left. Rick asks for Michonne's opinion and she tells him she'll think about it and asks how old Carl is.

Elsewhere in Alexandria Eugene has been fiddling with the radio trying to make contact with whomever might be listening. He eventually starts to cry because no one responds when suddenly someone calls out his name. Eugene is stunned.

Eugene and the radio survivor have a deep conversation, and promise to each other not to talk to other survivors about them.

Gabriel is being trained to shoot walkers by Dwight. Still, he is worried how it will play out after Gabriel realizes that they're about to kill other survivors.

Rick meets Brandon, and tells him he is sorry about Morton. Brandon attacks Rick, but Rick knocks him over and states he has to behave or Rick will kill him. Michonne catches the two and Rick leaves. Later, Brandon steals the keys to Negan's cell, telling him they could escape. Negan says he'll think about it.

Paula informs Rick that the keys to Negan's cell are gone. Rick and Michonne run to the basement and see an empty cell.

Paula rushes to the gate and finds Siddiq and Annie at the gate. They both ask her what she is doing at the gate, however she does not respond. Rick and Michonne come up to the gate and wonder if Negan escaped with Maggie and the Hilltop.

Dante leads a group back to the Hilltop.

Brandon sneaks away from the Hilltop group traveling on the road, and gives Negan his old clothes. They then start to argue and Negan pushes Brandon, telling him to take him in the right direction, then they both walk off.

Michonne and Aaron talk with Rick about going after Negan. Aaron tells Rick that if Negan was smart, he would just leave and never come back, but Rick tells Aaron that Negan will probably try to hurt Rick and the rest and destroy everything they have. Michonne and Aaron then leave to try and find Negan.

Eugene is talking to the Radio Survivor about his trip from Texas, the Survivor gets the idea that Eugene is from Texas. Their conversation is cut short when Eugene hears a gun shot and runs outside to investigate.

Marco gets shot in the leg, Jesus grabs the man wielding the firearm, Eugene grabs the gun from the man. Jesus states he is a Whisperer. Eugene and Jesus take Marco the infirmary, as they leave the shooter seems stunned about what he just did.

Dwight leads a team out in the open. Vincent almost gets bit, but Dwight saves his life, then they all kill the roamers that attacked them.

Laura asks why Dwight has Lucille, he states that whoever takes control of the Sanctuary should not have her, as she represents a lot to him, including oppression, misery and authority.

Magna and her group get into an argument, with Kelly, Connie and Yumiko about whether or not they should stay in Alexandria, Magna decides to stands by Alexandria. Magna tells Connie and Kelly, that they're doing this for Luke and for them, then Magna and Yumiko walk off.

Rick asks Paul, the man who shot Marco about what had happened. Paul tells Rick he was scared and that he feels responsible for what had happened with Alpha. Rick then walks away, while Paul gets worried about his future.

Michonne and Aaron continue their search for Negan.

Negan and Brandon both end up at The Whisperers border, Brandon starts thinking about his mother Tammy who's head was one of the ones on the spikes that made up the border. Brandon starts to cry prompting to Negan tell him to stop being a pussy. Negan then feels bad and gives him a hug. Brandon then states that he wants Rick and Alpha to kill each other, Negan tells him that's the plan. "Or Rather..." Negan says, as he stabs Brandon fatally in his chest, "... that was your plan". He then walks alone into The Whisperers border.

As Andrea patrols outside Hilltop, she runs into Maggie, who has gone ahead of her convoy to get a break from Hershel. Maggie tells Andrea it is now safe for Carl and Lydia to return to Alexandria, but Andrea notes that Carl will likely want to stay at the Hilltop.

As Aaron and Michonne approach The Whisperers' border, they find Brandon's body. Aaron volunteers to keep him from turning and bury him, but Michonne insists they retrieve Negan first, and bury Brandon afterwards.

As it begins to grow dark, Negan grows annoyed as Brandon did not retrieve a sleeping bag for him. Noticing movement, he draws his knife and orders anyone following him to come out, prompting the Whisperers following him to reveal themselves. Negan is impressed by their suits, but also notes how hard it must be for them to tell each other apart from normal zombies. When questioned, Negan claims he is simply passing through their territory, but is interrupted by the arrival of a large Whisperer calling himself "Beta". After a short confrontation between the two men, Beta orders the rest of the Whisperers to bring Negan to Alpha.

Back in Alexandria, Eugene informs the Radio Survivor of the Whisperers, and recent developments since their attack. The survivor is surprised to learn that Eugene's group allows its members to freely carry guns, and Eugene explains that the group's usual restrictions on guns have been taken away in order to train soldiers to combat the Whisperers. The survivor notes that hard it is to live in the open, and that her group tries not to pass judgement for on others for what they've done to survive. However, after learning that Eugene's girlfriend was one of the victims, she apologizes and tries to appease Eugene by revealing her name to him: Stephanie.

While Carl is working, he is informed by Earl, who had just arrived from Alexandria, that it is now safe for Lydia to return to Alexandria. As he is going to inform Lydia, Carl is stopped by Maggie, who tells him that Rick wants him to return to Alexandria, but Carl tells her that he intends to stay in Hilltop.

As Andrea arrives back in Alexandria, she is happy to greet Siddiq, but her mood is soured at the sight of the numerous "SILENCE THE WHISPERERS" signs set up around Alexandria. Andrea angrily goes to Rick to find out what has happened, and is horrified to see that he has suffered sever injuries in her absence. When she tries ask what happened to him, Rick tells her that he has become a "better leader".

As they advance deeper into Whisperer territory, Michonne tries to suggest that Aaron pursue a relationship with Paul Monroe, but Aaron insists that he isn't interested. As they talk, they hear people approaching, and prepare to defend themselves. As Beta and a group of Whisperers approach, Michonne orders them to stop their attack, and explains that she and Aaron simply want to retrieve Negan and leave. Beta reminds them of Alpha's order and attacks Aaron, stabbing him in the stomach.

As he arrives at the Whisperer's camp, Negan jovially talks about the type of skin suit he would like after joining them as he is taken to Alpha. Alpha demands to know who he is, and Negan introduces himself, before declaring that he is in love.

Michonne is fighting Beta, telling Aaron to hold on. Eventually, she gets the better of him, however a Whisperer sneaks up on her and she manages to kill it, albeit giving Beta a chance to get free. She chops off the Whisperer's hand and kicks him towards some walkers, which devour him. Beta gets the upper hand on her again, and just as he is about to kill her, Dwight appears withreinforcements.

Beta escapes in the heat of the gunfire. Michonne rushes to Aaron and heads out to the Hilltop on horseback. Michonne tells them to hunt Beta down, however when she is gone, Dwight tells the Militia to move out.

Andrea and Rick are arguing in their house. Andrea is telling Rick to take down the signs, to no avail. Rick says the people of the communities need to direct their anger towards someone, and it can't be him. He reveals to Andrea of the plan to hurt Lydia and how he was attacked. He says he ismanipulating the residents for their own good. Andrea says he sounds like Negan, to which Rick responds with silence. He tells her there's something she should know.

Negan is engaging in some "friendly" conversation with Alpha. After a while, she asks how he survived so long. He tells her he was with another group, but they "booted him out". She asks him if he's looking for revenge on these people. He says it's not the kind of thing he'd ask for on a first date. Alpha asks him to stop, but he continues making sexual remarks, leading to Alpha punching him in the face, prompting Negan to apologise, saying "I can tell when I crossed a line".

Beta suddenly appears, pinning Negan up against a tree. He tells them about his encounter with Michonne, Aaron and the Militia. Negan admits he lied, saying "''..When I'm scared out of my fucking mind and pissing my pants in the most manliest way possible, I will lie through my fucking teeth". ''Alpha orders him to explain himself. He doesn't, saying Beta is scary, and to just kill him if that's what they're going to do. Alpha asks him if he's scared, to which he replies "no". He says he lived longer than he expected to. When Alpha asks him why he came, Negan says he has a "hell of a lot to offer" her.

Siddiq is watching out for Michonne and Aaron. Rick approaches, asking Siddiq to tell him if he sees anything. He tells Rick he'll be "the first to know". Elsewhere, Michonne is riding back with Aaron, begging him to hold on.

At the Hilltop, Carl awakes to find Lydia watching him. She tells him she wouldn't be there without him. Maggie and Brianna are tending to a horse. Maggie tells her that she doesn't like being kept in the dark, saying she wants word from Alexandria. They suddenly hear someone yelling to "OPEN THE GATE!". Michonne rushes in with Aaron. She yells at them to get Doctor Carson, telling them Aaron's not breathing.

Elsewhere, Dwight puts down a zombified Brandon. Then crossing back over the border, Dwight tells the Militia to hurry, saying that they are in danger. He says "we engaged with the enemy on enemy territory. This is an act of war".

Deaths

 * Ezekiel (Zombified)
 * Rosita Espinosa (Zombified)
 * Josh (Zombified)
 * Olivia (Zombified)
 * Carson (Zombified)
 * Amber (Zombified)
 * Erin (Zombified)
 * Oscar (Zombified)
 * Luke (Zombified)
 * Ken (Zombified)
 * Larry (Zombified)
 * Tammy Rose (Zombified)
 * Morton Rose
 * Brandon Rose (Alive and Zombified)
 * Several unnamed Whisperers

Trivia
(To Be Added)