Fear the Dead, Fight the Living
"No! No way in hell. That was not the deal." Gregory tells Rick, "You people swore you could take the Saviors out, and you failed. So any arrangement we had is now done - null and void. We aren't trade partners, we aren't friends, and we never met. Hmm? We don't know each other. I owe you nothing. In fact, you owe me for taking in the refugees, at great personal risk."
"Oh, you were very brave staying in here while Maggie and Sasha saved this place. Your courage was inspiring." Jesus tells him
"Hey, don't you work for me? Aren't we friends?"
"Gregory, we already started this." Rick points out to him
"You started it."
"We did. And we're gonna win." Rick says
"These are killers."
"Is this how you want to live? Under their thumb, killing your people?" Rick asked
"S-Sometimes we don't get to choose what our life looks like. Sometimes, Ricky, you have to count the blessings you have."
"How many people can we spare? How many people here can fight?" Maggie asked him
""We"?" He scoffed, "I don't even know how many people we have, Margaret. And does it even matter? I mean...w-w-what are you gonna do? Start a platoon of sorghum farmers? 'Cause that's what we got. They grow things. They're not gonna want to fight."
"You're wrong. When people have the chance to do the right thing, they usually step up. I mean, people just -" Tara started to say
"L-Let me stop you before you break into song, okay?" Gregory said cutting Tara off, "And, by the way, who would train all this cannon fodder?"
"I will."
"Give me a week." Rosita and Sasha spoke at the same time
"Rhetorical, okay?" Gregory sang and I rolled my eyes, "I don't want to know. I never want to hear another word about any of it, ever."
"Would we be better off without the Saviors, yes or no?" Rick asked him and I could sense the anger in his voice
"Yeah. Sure. Okay."
"So, what will you do to fix the problem?" Michonne asked
"I didn't say we had a problem. You did. And what happens outside of my purview is outside of my purview."
"What the hell, man? You're either with us or you ain't. You're sitting over there talking out of both sides of your mouth." Daryl tells him from next to me and I put my hand on his arm
"I - I think I've made my position very clear. And I want to thank all of you for not being here today and not having this meeting with me or - or being seen on your way out. In other words, go out the back." He tells us and we all walked out
"Walking ballsack." Rosita said as we exited
"Wanna knock that idiot's teeth out." Sasha adds
"Yeah, well, we don't need him anyway." Daryl says
"Yeah, that's right. 'Cause we have Maggie, Sasha and Jesus here." Rick points out and I look at him
"And..Enid" Maggie adds as Enid walked in
"Hey, um -"
"What's wrong?" Sasha asked her
"Nothing. Just...come outside." She said and we walked out seeing a group of people standing there
"What's going on?" Maggie asked them
"Hey. So, if you don't remember, I'm Bertie. And I owe my life to you all, twice over. A bunch of us do. Enid says that you want Gregory to get us to fight the Saviors with you. Is that true?" She asked
"Yes."
"Do you think we can win, that we really could beat them? Us?" Bertie asked her
"I do."
"Well, Enid says you could show us the way. I'm ready." She said and the rest of them agreed.
"It's a start." Michonne says as we walk towards the gate
"We'll get more. It still won't be enough." Sasha adds
"No, it won't." Rosita agreed
"Well, we find the right stuff, then maybe we don't need the numbers. Blow 'em up, burn 'em to the ground." Daryl points out
"You said there weren't just soldiers with the Saviors, that there were workers there. People didn't have a choice." Tara says to Daryl
"We gotta win."
"We need more hands, another group. Negan has outposts. The geography, the distance works against us. We gotta get back. If they come looking for Daryl, we need to be there." Rick points out and I looked at Daryl
"You don't have to get back. Not yet." Jesus tells them and they stop, I see him pull out a walkie holding it up, "It's one of theirs, long range. We can listen in, keep track of them."
"So, if we're not going back, what are we doing, then?" Michone asked
"I think it's time we introduced you to Ezekiel. King Ezekiel." Jesus tells us
"King?" Rick asked
"It's called "the Kingdom"?" Rick asked Jesus as they got out the vehicle
"Yeah. I didn't name it."
Daryl opens the door standing up in the car, "Hey, what the hell we waitin' on?"
"Waiting for them." Jesus tells him and we see a couple people ride over on horses
"Who dares to trespass on the sovereign land of the-" One of the guys started to say but looked at Jesus, "Oh, shit, Jesus, is that you?"
"Who are all these people, Paul?" the other one asked him
"Hi, Richard. Nice to see you."
"It's good to see you, too." He said "Your friends, who are they?" He asked again
"This is Rick Grimes. He's the leader of a like-minded community. These are some of his people. We would like to request an audience with King Ezekiel."
"Get out of the car." Richard tells us after getting off his horse walking over to Rick and Jesus as we all got out but Daryl kept me behind him, "You say they're a... like-minded community. Like-minded how?"
"We live, we trade, we fight the dead. Sometimes others." Jesus tells him
"Line up."
"Okay. This is a waste of time. Come on. Let's go." Daryl says grabbing my hand
"Maybe you're right. The King is a busy man. And it's a dangerous world. We don't usually allow a pack of strangers to waltz through our door." Richard tells them
"We want to make the world less dangerous, and we are all here to show the King how serious we are about that." Michonne says to him
"The car stays outside. You gotta hand over your guns."
"We only have three." Rick says looking at me and Carl, I reached behind me pulling mine out and handed it to Richard after Rick and Carl did.
"Okay. Follow me." Richard tells us and we start walking with Daryl holding my hand, I still couldn't get over it, he was here, he was with me again. I feel like I needed to be pinched
"They have the numbers." Michonne says as we look at the residents
"But can they fight?" Rosita asked
"Oh, they can fight." Jesus answered
"Morgan?" I hear Tara ask and I turn around seeing him walk over
"Hey." He said hugging her then Sasha, "Hi."
"How do you know each other?" Richard asked
"We go back to the start." Rick tells him
"Well, the King is ready to see you." Richard informed us, the others walk in but me, Daryl and Rick stayed back for a bit.
"Did you find Carol?" Rick asked Morgan
"I did, yeah."
"Where is she? Is she okay?" I asked him and he put his hand on my shoulder
"She was here, and then she left." He said and I looked at him confused, "You know, she wasn't too happy, me following her. She wanted to get away from us, from everyone. But when I found her, she was shot."
"Oh god" I whispered and Daryl put his hand on my shoulder
"It was just a graze. I got her back here. They got doctors. They're good."
"Was it them?" I asked
"It was. She had crossed with some of them, and one of them followed her, tried to kill her, but I stopped him. I killed him. I had to. Carol was here. She got help. Now she's gone."
"What?" I asked in disbelief and Daryl pulled me to him and we walked inside
"Jesus! It pleases me to see you, old friend." Ezekiel greeted as we stand by the door
"It pleases him, indeed!" Jerry repeats
"Jerry." Ezekiel said and looked at us, "Tell me, what news do you bring good King Ezekiel? Are these new allies you've brought me?"
"Indeed, they are, Your Majesty. This is..." Jesus tells him and he faced us as we stare in shock at the tiger next to the man, "Oh, right. I forgot to mention that-"
"Yeah, a tiger." Rick says and the tiger roars
"This is Rick Grimes, the leader of Alexandria, and these are some of his people." Jesus finished as we walked forward
"I welcome you all to the Kingdom, good travelers. Now, what brings you to our fair land? Why do you seek an audience with the King?" Ezekiel asked
"Ezekiel - King...Ezekiel. Alexandria, the Hilltop, and the Kingdom-all three of our communities have something in common. We all serve the Saviors. Alexandria already fought them once, and we won. We thought we took out the threat, but we didn't know then what we know now. We only beat one outpost. We've been told you have a deal with them, that you know them. Then you know they rule through violence and fear." Rick says to him
"Your Majesty, I only told them of the-"
"Our deal with the Saviors is not known among my people-for good cause." Ezekiel says cutting Jesus off, "We made you a party to that secret when you told us of the Hilltop's own travails, but we did not expect you to share-"
"We can help each other." Jesus cut Ezekiel off
"Don't interrupt the King." Jerry tells him
"We brought you into our confidence. Why did you break it?" Ezekiel asked
"Because we want you to hear Rick's plans." Jesus told him
"And what plans have you, Rick Grimes of Alexandria?" He asked Rick
"We came to ask the Kingdom, to ask you, to join us in fighting the Saviors, fighting for freedom for all of us."
"What you are asking is very serious." Ezekiel tells him
"Several of our people-good people-were killed by the Saviors, brutally." Michonne told walking up next to Rick
"Who?" Morgan asked
"Abraham. Glenn. Spencer, Olivia. Eugene was taken." Rosita tells him and I put my head down
"They took Daryl. He escaped. Every second he's out here, he's a target." I added and Daryl put his hand on my back, I'll be damned if they take him again
"You gonna say you were right?" Rosita asked him
"No. I'm... I'm just real sorry they're gone."
"Negan murdered Glenn and Abraham, beat them to death." Rick says
"Terrorized the Hilltop, set loose walkers just to make a point. I used to think the deal was something we could live with. A lot of us did. But that's changing. So let's change the world, Your Majesty." Jesus says to Ezekiel
"I want to be honest about what we're asking. My people are strong, but there's not enough of us. We don't have guns - not enough, at least. Not a lot of weapons, period." Rick mentioned
"We have people. And weapons. If we strike first, together, we can beat them. Your Majesty, no more waiting for things to get worse beyond what we can handle. We set things right. The time is now." Richard says to him
"Morgan, what say you?" Ezekiel asked him
"Me?"
"Speak." He tells him
"People will die. A lot of people, and not just the Saviors. It...If we can find another way, we have to. Maybe it's just about Negan-just capturing him, holding him. Maybe...I -"
"The hour grows late." Ezekiel said standing up and Shiva growled, "Rick Grimes of Alexandria... you have given the King much to ponder."
"Well, when I was a kid, uh, my mother told me a story. There was a road to a kingdom, and there was a rock in the road. And people would just avoid it, but horses would break their legs on it and die, wagon wheels would come off. People would lose the goods they'd be coming to sell. That's what happened to a little girl. The cask of beer her family brewed fell right off. It broke. Dirt soaked it all up, and it was gone. That was her family's last chance. They were hungry. They didn't have any money. She just...sat there and cried, but...she wondered why it was still there...for it to hurt someone else. So she dug at that rock in the road with her hands till they bled, used everything she had to pull it out. It took hours. And then...when she was gonna fill it up, she saw something in it. It was a bag of gold. The king had put that rock in the road because he knew the person who dug it out, who did something, they deserved a reward. They deserved to have their life changed for the good...forever."
"I invite you all to sup with us and stay till the morrow." Ezekiel tells us
"Yeah, we need to get back home." Rick says to him
"I shall deliver my decree in the morn."
"Please tell me I'm not dreaming" I told Daryl as we laid in the bed of the room we got set up in for the night
He lifted my face up to look at him, "I'm here, I'm not going anywhere without you again, I promise."
"Good, because I can't go through it again Daryl, please don't make me" I said with my voice breaking and he pulled me to him
"I won't, not ever" He says and I kissed him then we just laid there and held each other, "Is the baby okay?" He asked putting his hand on my stomach
"Yeah," I answered putting my hand on his and I felt a flutter where the baby is at, "And he or she knows you're here." I told him and he looked at me confused, "Small little flutter. It's a pregnancy thing" I said with a smile
"I told you I would come back" He says to my stomach and kissed it, I chuckled at him as he moved back up, "I love you" He told me
"I love you too, and I don't care how much you argue about it I am not leaving your side again. Ever"
"You're right, I don't but I'm keeping you with me at all times. Just like I did when I was...there" he says and I put my hand on his face
"We don't have to talk about, at least until you're ready" I told him and he nodded his head
"Why were you there that night?" He asked me
"Maggie was having pains, bad ones, we were trying to get her to the Hilltop. I know what you're gonna say but...I had to help Daryl, she's family, I just..."
"Hey, I get it, but Pheebs I could have lost you." He said
"But you didn't, I'm right here. Always"
He kissed me again and I snuggled into his chest and eventually fell asleep.
"This is life here. Every day." Ezekiel tells us as Richard walked us over to where he was, "But it came at a cost. And I wanted more of this. I wanted to expand. To create more places like this. Men and women lost their limbs. Children lost their parents because I sent them into battle against the wasted when I did not need to."
"This is different." Rick tells him
"It isn't."
"It is. The dead don't rule us. The world doesn't look like this outside your walls. People don't have it as good. Some people don't have it good at all." Rick says
"I have to worry about my people."
"You call yourself a damn king. You sure as hell don't act like one." Daryl said
"Daryl" I whispered to him and he looked at me then back at Ezekiel
"All of this... came at a cost. It was lives, arms, legs. The peace we have with the Saviors is uneasy, but it is peace. I have to hold on to it. I have to try. Although the Kingdom cannot grant you the aid you desire, the King is sympathetic to your plight. I offer our friend Daryl asylum for as long as he requires it, his wife as well." Ezekiel tells us and I look at Daryl who shifted next to me, "They will be safe here. The Saviors do not set foot inside our walls."
"How long do you think that's gonna last?" Daryl asked him and he walked away
"Daryl." I said following him with the others shortly after
"All right, open it up. We're gone." Daryl tells the man at the gate when we arrive and it opens
"You're not." Rick says to him as the others but me and him walk out
"I'm not staying here."
"You have to. It's the smartest play. You know it is." Rick told him
"I agree with Rick on this one Daryl, if they come to either the Hilltop or Alexandria who knows who they will kill, I told you last night, don't let me go through it again" I said and he pulled me into a hug, "I'm staying too" I told Rick
"Try to talk to Ezekiel. Or stare him into submission - Whatever it takes. We'll be back soon." Rick tells him then gives me a hug and walks away then the gates closed. I looked at Daryl who pulled me to him and kissed my head.
"I wanna find my mom" I told him and he looked at me then nodded
It has been a couple days since we've been here and I could tell Daryl hated it but I tried to tell him it was a good thing. One morning we got up and walked out of the place we were staying in when we saw Morgan and a young man standing there talking, Hey. Where'd you go in them trucks?" Daryl asked as we walked down the stairs and I see Morgan say something to the other person and walked to us, "You went to see them, right?" Daryl asked him
"Yeah."
"Part of your deal?" I asked Morgan and he looked away then back at us
"What the hell's wrong with you? You're bleeding." Daryl indicated to Morgan's face, "They did that to you. You know what they are."
"I do."
"You know, if my mom were here, she saw all that... if she knew about Abraham... and Glenn... she'd be leading us right to them, ready to kill them all." I told Morgan
"She would. And that's why she left." He says and I looked at him then scoffed walking away and Daryl followed.
Me and Daryl walked over to Richard seeing him shoot an arrow into a target, "I'm practicing. Gonna have to start using these more. The Saviors are smart enough to know I shouldn't have a gun around them." He shoots again, "Morgan said you're a bowman." He tells Daryl holding something up for him, Daryl looked at him then me then back at Richard
"Why?" Daryl asked him taking it from him
"'Cause we want the same things. I need your help." Richard says and Daryl looked at the crossbow Richard handed him lifting it up to his face, it may not be his but it was nice to see him hold one again, it's who he is. Daryl put it down and looked at me, I gave him a smile
Me, Richard and Daryl made our way through the woods and Richard knocked a sign over and we followed him to a camper. He went inside first then me then Daryl who shut the door behind us. I saw him pull out a couple rifles and handed one to me, I looked at Daryl who reluctantly nodded his head and I grabbed the rifle as Richard handed Daryl one.
After that we made our way down a road seeing a broken down semi, as we walked Daryl kept looking at me then we moved behind the semi, "They ride this road. If we see cars, it's the Saviors. They've been coming in packs of two or three lately. That's why I need you. I can't take them alone. We're gonna hit them with the guns first...and then the Molotovs. Then back to the guns until they're dead." Richard told us
"Why the fire?" I asked him
"Needs to look bad. The Saviors who discover what's left...we want them to be angry. I left a trail from here to the weapons cache I planted, to the cabin of that someone Ezekiel cares about."
"Who's that?" I asked
"It's just some loner he met. Sometimes he brings food."
"Why don't they live in the Kingdom?" Daryl asked him
"I don't know. She lives out there, she'll die out there." Richard said and I moved to him
"It's a woman?" I asked and Daryl looked at me
"What does that matter? She's got more balls than you and me." He indicated to Daryl, "She's gonna die either way. When the Saviors come and find their buddies dead, if they know their elbow from their asshole and can follow an obvious spoor, they're gonna go to the weapons cache and then to the cabin, and they're gonna attack this woman."
"What's her name?" I asked him
"Maybe they kill her, maybe they don't, but it's gonna show Ezekiel what he needs to do."
"Her name. What is it?" I asked again
"She's tough. Maybe she'll live." Richard ignored me again and I shoved him against the semi
"Say her damn name!" I yelled at him and Daryl pulled me back
"Carol." Richard says and my heart sinks then I look at Daryl, "I hoped you didn't know her, but I didn't think you'd care, 'cause you know what needs to happen."
"No." I tell him then moved to grab my stuff with Daryl doing the same
"Maybe she'll live. Look, this - this is how - this is how this could happen. This is how we can get rid of the Saviors, how we all can have a future. She's living out there on her own, just waiting to die."
"No!" I said to him again
"If we don't do anything, a hell of a lot more people are gonna die, people who want to live!"
"You stay the hell away from my mom, you hear me?" I warned him and he looked at me then we hear vehicles approach
"It's them. Look, we can wait for things to go bad, we lose people... or we can do the hard thing... and choose our fate for ourselves."
"No." Daryl told him
"Sorry." Richard says and turned around aiming his gun at the road then Daryl moved up behind him grabbing him and threw him to the ground. I heard the vehicles getting closer so I moved to lean against the semi as Daryl had Richard pinned to the ground then started punching him again and again, I see Richard reach for a canteen and hit Daryl across the face with it, I went to move to him but he held his hand up the grabbed his crossbow as Richard grabbed his gun and they aimed their weapons at each other then I raised my rifle aiming it at Richard as well.
"There'll be more. Or those - they're gonna ride back this way later. We'll have another chance. But we're running out of time. If you and your people want to move against the Saviors... you need to do it soon, and you need the Kingdom. What we have to do requires sacrifice one way or another. Guys like us... we've already lost so much." Richard says to Daryl
"You don't know me. I still have someone to keep me going" Daryl told him and Richard looked at me
"I know...that Carol, living on her own like that... she might as well be dead right now."
"She gets hurt, she dies, if she catches a fever, if she's taken out by a walker... if she gets hit by lightning - anything - anything happens to her, I'll kill you." Daryl told him lower the crossbow
Richard lowered his rifle then I did, "I would die for the Kingdom."
"Why don't you?" I asked him then me and Daryl grabbed our stuff and walked away
We got to a house and see a couple of the kingdom's people walking away as I see my mom walk back into the house, Me and Daryl shared a look then headed over to it standing on the porch, I lifted my hand up and hesitated then knocked. We waited a few moments then the door opened and I saw my mom standing there, she looked at both of us in shock then pulled me into a hug then Daryl wrapped his arms around both of us.
"Jesus took us to the Kingdom. Morgan said you just left." Daryl told her, "We were out here. We saw you."
"Why'd you go?" I asked her holding back tears and she put her hand on my face
"I had to"
"I couldn't lose anyone. I couldn't lose any of them. I couldn't lose you." She says to me as we sit in front of the fire place while Daryl sits at the table, "I couldn't kill them. I could. I would. If they hurt any of our people - any more of them - that's what I would do." She says and I looked at Daryl, "And there wouldn't be anything let of me after that. The Saviors - did they come?" She asked us
"Yeah." Daryl says
"Did anyone get hurt? Is everybody okay?" She asked with her voice breaking, "Did the Saviors...Is everybody back home okay?" She asked and Daryl looked at me, "Daryl..Phoebe"
"They came. We got them all. Made a deal with the rest of them, like Ezekiel." He lied and she sobbed pulling me into a hug, "Everyone's all right. Everyone's all right." She pulled away and I gave her a fake smile but it looked genuine. I don't want her to lose herself, not now, not ever, "We gonna eat or - or I got to be a king or something to get food around here?" Daryl asked and we chuckled I got up and walked over to him smacking his arm then kissed him
"Shut up." I tell him and he kissed me again as my mom chuckled bringing the pot over and I sat down next to Daryl
"Ezekiel... is he okay?" Daryl asked her as he handed me a bowl full of soup
"Yeah, I think he is." She says and we eat, "Is the baby okay?" She asked me and I smiled at her
"Everything is good." I tell her and she grabbed my hand
"Watch out for yourself, all right?" Daryl asked her as we walked out of the house and he hugged her. After he pulled away I hugged her as well trying not to cry
"I don't want to leave" I tell her and she looked at me putting her hands on my face wiping away a tear that fell
"I know sweetie, but I have to do this. For myself." She says and I nodded then gave her another quick hug and we left.
Daryl POV...
After we got back to the kingdom Phoebe went to bed and I sat in the area the tiger was at and i sat outside her cage, she growled a little but walked over to me, "Well, you're good with her." I hear Morgan say, "Ezekiel will be impressed."
"Well, figure any guy that has a pet tiger can't be that bad. He's okay by Carol. Yeah, we found her, out in that little house."
"Look, what I said... when I said she just... went away... it's what she told me to do." He told me
"No, I get it. We need the Kingdom. You got to make that happen."
"I'm sorry. I mean, I - I really am, but, uh... it can't be me." He says and I stand up
"Look, whatever it is you're holding on to... it's already gone, man. Wake the hell up."
"You're the same as me, Daryl." He said to me
"You don't know shit about me."
"No, I do. 'Cause you or Phoebe didn't tell Carol what happened. You didn't, 'cause she'd be here otherwise. And I'm glad for that. See, we're all holding on to something." He says and I reached down and pet Shiva
"Me and Phoebe are going back to the Hilltop in the morning and getting ready." I told him walking out the door.
Phoebe POV...
Me and Daryl got our stuff gathered up and headed to the front gate, one of the guards handed me my gun as the doors open then me and Daryl walked through taking one more look at Morgan then continued on.