"We can work with the Hilltop. Maggie hammered out a deal," Rick explained, standing at the front of the church with Paul and Emma standing off to the side. "We're getting food—eggs, butter, fresh vegetables. But they're not just giving it away. These Saviors, they almost killed Sasha, Daryl, and Abraham on the road."
Anna scooted closer to Daryl in the pew.
"Now, sooner or later they would've found us, just like those Wolves did, just like Jesus did. They woulda killed someone or some of us. And then they would try to own us. And we would try to stop them. But by then, in that kind of fight, low on food, we could lose," Rick warned.
"This is the only way to be sure, as sure as we can get, that we win," he continued. "And we have to win. We do this for the Hilltop, it's how we keep this place. It's how we feed this place. This needs to be a group decision. If anybody objects, here's your chance to say your piece."
There was a length of silence as they waited for someone to speak up. Anna was more or less content with the way things were about to go. She wished there was another way, but they didn't have much of a choice.
"You're sure we can do it?" Morgan asked from behind her. She tilted her head so she could see him. "We can beat them?"
"What this group has done, what we've learned, what we've become, all of us—" Rick gestured around the church. "Yes, I'm sure."
"Then all we have to do is just tell 'em that," Morgan said.
"Well, they don't compromise," Rick explained.
"This isn't a compromise," Morgan insisted. "It's a choice you give 'em. It's a way out, for them and for us."
"We try and talk to the Saviors, we give up our advantage, our safety," Rick said. "No, we have to come for them before they come for us. We can't leave them alive."
"Where there's life, there's possibility."
"Of them hitting us."
"We're not trapped in this," Morgan said, looking to the room. "None of you are trapped in this."
"Morgan, they always come back," Rick said.
"Come back when they're dead, too," Morgan countered.
"Yeah, we'll stop them. We have before."
"I'm not talkin' about the walkers."
Anna ticked her jaw, knowing all too well how accurate Morgan's statement was.
"Morgan wants to talk to them first. I think that would be a mistake," Rick said. "But it's not up to me. I'll talk to the people still at home. I'll discuss it with the people on guard now, too, but who else wants to approach the Saviors, talk to them first?"
Aaron pulled himself to his feet and looked firmly at Rick.
"What happened here, we won't let that happen again." He looked to Morgan. "I won't."
"Looks like it's settled," Rick shrugged. "We know exactly what this is. We don't shy from it, we live. We kill them all. We don't all have to kill," Rick said, starting down the center aisle to leave. "But if people are gonna stay here, they do have to accept it."
With his exit, almost everyone rose from the pews and started home. Daryl got to his feet.
"I'll see you at home," Anna said as she stood, prepared to head to Emma and Paul.
"Alright," Daryl nodded, brushing his hand against her arm as he passed her.
Anna smiled at the touch and started to step out of the pew when Morgan approached her.
"Why didn't you say anything?" he asked.
"There was nothing to say," Anna sighed.
"You know this is wrong," Morgan said, almost pleading. "You know there's another way."
"What I know," Anna huffed, "is that these people—these Saviors—kill first, demand everything after."
"So, you kill them first. Before there's even a chance that things might be different. Is that who you want to be?"
"It won't be different."
Morgan stared at her for a moment before bowing and shaking his head.
"You've learned everything you're gonna learn from me," he said solemnly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Anna asked.
"It means I'm not training you anymore," he said, looking up at her with a steady gaze before turning on his heel and walking out.
Anna stared after him, unsure of what she was supposed to do.
"Hey, Anna?"
Startled by the sudden presence, Anna turned to find Emma standing there.
"Is now a good time to talk?"
"And this is the office," Anna said, leading them into the room.
It looked as it usually did, two armchairs in front of the cluttered desk, bookshelves lining the walls. For a moment, Anna wondered if she should have tidied up before having company.
"Nice," Emma said, admiring the room, easing Anna's tension.
Anna rounded the desk and pulled open a drawer to find her interview notebook and sat down in the desk chair while Emma sat across from her.
"Here's the list of questions I ask for my interviews," she explained, opening the book to the first page. "I'll copy it down and you can take it."
There was a list of questions, running down the page, some scribbled out because she decided she didn't like or need them. As she began writing out the questions on a separate sheet of paper, she explained to Emma that when she had first written out her list, she had tried to remain as analytical as possible, not wanting to avoid questions just because they may be too much. She wanted to ask them and let the person she was interviewing decide if they wanted to answer.
"What are those?" Emma asked, pointing at the milk crate filled with manila folders, all labeled with names and the dates and times of the interview.
"The files of the people of Alexandria," Anna said, crossing a t and dotting an i.
"You keep files on everyone?"
Anna nodded, "Most of the files are of the interviews, but I wanted to make profiles on everyone as well. It's made things easier—finding out what job everyone is best suited for, keeping track of rations—stuff like that."
"There are a lot of files," she commented.
"Yeah, there are a lot of people here," Anna shrugged.
"How come these are over here?" Emma asked, gesturing to the files on the desk. "Are you working on something?"
"No—yes. I was. Those files—those people are gone," Anna explained hesitantly.
"Oh," Emma said. "I'm sorry."
It was quiet for a moment, the only sound being that of Anna's pen sliding across the page as she finished copying the list. When she was done, she passed it to Emma. The two stood up and Emma gasped.
"You have a computer?"
"Yeah. It doesn't have the internet, but it does what I need it to do," Anna said easily, glad for the change of subject.
"What's that?" Emma asked, coming around the desk to touch the laptop, as if she couldn't believe it was real.
Anna reached back into the desk and produced her voice recorder.
"It makes it easier to listen to the interviews, and I can put them on CDs," Anna explained.
"Like this one?" Emma asked, picking up the unmarked and undisturbed CD on the desk.
"Don't!" Anna jumped, pulling the CD from Emma's hand. She shoved it into the drawer and slammed it shut, wiping her hand on her jeans as if the CD had left some kind of residue behind.
Anna looked up at a startled Emma.
"I'm sorry," Anna said quickly. "It's just—that's—" she cut herself off.
"It's okay," Emma assured.
"It's for a family," Anna said before she could stop herself. "Their daughter—she's gone."
Anna didn't know what had come over her, why she was telling this near stranger any of this. She pressed her lips together to keep the words from spilling from her mouth. Emma didn't need to know.
"I'm so sorry," Emma said quietly. There was beat of silence. "So, you make CDs for the families of those who died?"
"Yeah," Anna muttered. "If they have any family left. Sometimes they don't get to say goodbye."
"How did she die?" Emma asked cautiously. "If you don't mind me asking."
Anna didn't say anything right away, fighting the tears that stung at her bottom lids. It was as though her chest were imploding, Lindsey's screams ringing in her ears.
"Like a hero."
"Describe it," Rick said, placing a piece of paper on the table in front of Eddie.
"Rectangular building, big satellites on it," he said, drawing a very rough sketch in marker of what he was describing.
"Any windows?"
"I don't remember any. I think they made it so there's only one way in."
"Guards outside?" Anna asked.
"Yeah, two of them, at least."
"And you don't know how many people they have?" Michonne asked.
"No…. Uh—I mean, no," Eddie stammered. "I saw a place where they stored food. It wasn't that big, so—"
"You've been inside?" Rick asked.
"Yeah. They had us load in supplies one time."
Glenn grabbed another piece of paper and laid it down over the first.
"What do you remember?" He asked.
Eddie started sketching again, indicating where the store room was and not much else.
"And you didn't see any other rooms?" Maggie asked.
"No, it's a big place," Eddie said. "This is the hallway I saw. There is more."
"And every time, they had you bring things into here?" Michonne asked, pointing at the store room.
"We brought a couple spears for them," Eddie offered. "Two of the Saviors took them down this hallway," he said, drawing out hallways and making arrows.
"Maybe a weapons locker, an armory?" Paul suggested.
"Okay," Glenn said. "We get in there, secure the armory, that's how we end it."
"That's how Carol ended it here," Maggie agreed.
"But we don't know if they have an armory or where it even is," Eddie said.
"They'll have an armory—be stupid if they didn't," Anna said. "And it'll be down this way."
She ran her finger over the direction Eddie had indicated the Saviors had taken the spears.
"Well, we've got a lot of good guesses," Daryl said, stepping forward. "We've done more with less."
"We go in at night—while they're sleeping," Rick said.
"The guards won't be sleeping," Eddie interjected. "Like I said, I think there's only one way in and there's no way to bust through that door without waking up the rest of them."
"We don't need to. They're going to open it for us, let us walk right in," Rick assured. "They want Gregory's head, right?" Everyone looked to him. "We're gonna give it to 'em."