12:27 PM
Dot [Dwight]
They found the rest of his men setting up camp in a clearing near the entrance to a mountain trail, nestled inside what would've been a farmer's market over a decade ago. The entire area was surrounded by a wooden frame that would've supported a cloth-like roof that would be interwoven between metal pipes extending across the gaps between the frames. Years of decay had gotten rid of the cloth, along with parts of the old frame, but various stalls were still evident within the complex.
At the far end, three tents were pitched around a small fire, where one Savior, a young boy named Jeremy, probably no older than twenty or twenty-one, was in the middle of roasting some wild animal on a spit. Nearby, Chris, a built man with a long, graying hair, stood watch, clutching a hunting rifle. Finally, there was the third, Vince, who had the physique of an athlete and brown, close-cropped hair. For now, they were unaware of Dwight's and the teenagers's presence.
Dwight kneeled on the ground, squinting towards the three with contempt. All of them had done horrible things in the name of Negan, so there was no room for mercy. No matter what, they had to do this. He clenched the eye on the burnt side of his face as the feeling of dryness began to become too much to bear. He grabbed the bottle of eye drops from his pocket, taking a moment to moisturize his eyeball before turning his attention to Carl.
"Look, I understand if you two want to hang back. You don't have to kill anyone if you don't want to. I also know that you don't trust me not to sell you out, which is fair. So you decide what you want to do, and I'll follow your lead." If he's anything like his father, he'll have this under control. He pushed himself back to his feet, sighing. "If we're quick, we can have this over in under a minute."
King Caw [Carl Grimes]
As they arrived on the outskirts of the little camp, he was already thinking of ways to deal with the three Saviors. Could they sneak around the camp from all sides and shoot them? It would require spotless shooting and being very quiet, so maybe it was too risky. Could they lure one away, deal with him, and then face the others three-against-two. No, numbers didn't matter in a firefight. Only precision. So the first idea, then? If they were heard, they'd be too spread out to cover each other. What other choice did they have?
Suddenly, Dwight was speaking, and he got an idea. "Alright, then this is what we're going to do." He explained. "Two-face, you're going to approach the camp. Get the attention of the guy on watch, or all three of them if you can. Distract them. Lydia and I will sneak around either side of the camp, and we'll fire simultaneously. You kill the old guy, Lydia can take the other, and I'll take the kid." He set down the shotgun in the grass and pulled out his pistol; it was a much more accurate companion. "We can't afford to miss. Does everyone understand?" His gaze lingered on Dwight longest.
LadyLedge [Lydia]
This whole thing reeked of trouble. She didn't like it. Not one bit. Lydia persisted with trying to convince the boy to back down. It wasn't getting her anywhere, he just outright refused to listen. That kid was adamant, stuck in his ways when it came to keeping the Saviors away. This reckless side of him… she could only assume it was driven by Carl's feelings for his dad. That horrible fate his old community had suffered at the hands of the Saviors... Carl couldn't let it happen here again. In a way, she understood why he was doing this.
Carl started barking orders almost as if he was Tommy himself. In a fucked up situation like this, Lydia was always in awe at how quick he was to straighten out and keep his composure when he made plans. It was something he got from his dad, it had to be. Nonetheless, she still didn't think engaging them was safe at all. But what other choice did she have other than to come along? Carl wasn't about to let them live, and she wasn't about to leave him alone with that untrustworthy half-faced freak.
Lydia begrudgingly nodded towards the boy, withdrawing her sidearm as she readied herself to follow him. "Guess I'll make sure you don't get yourself killed…"
King Caw [Carl Grimes]
Carl said nothing, eyes still trained on Dwight. His doubts about the man were strong, but he couldn't turn back now. But, what if he betrayed them? Gave away the plan? How could they turn the fight back in their favor? Glancing to Lydia, he hoped that she was considering the same things that he was. If they were suddenly outnumbered and separated, Carl wouldn't be ashamed to run back to the highway. Surely, Lydia would share the same sentiments? Survival is priority number one, after all. Of course, there would be no need to worry if Dwight really was trustworthy, which put him back at square one.
A heavy sigh escaped his lips. "Dwight, you need to tell them to 'pack up camp.' When we hear that, we'll shoot." He said. Silently, he was praying. Be a real Savior for once."Alright, you two. Let's get this over with." There would be no prize for worrying, only acting. There was no choice but to trust him, now. Slowly, he turned down the left side of the camp, trying to be as quiet as possible. It was a small comfort to sense Lydia creeping along behind him.
Twenty feet along or so, they found a decent vantage point. Carl turned to Lydia after they stopped. "If he betrays us, we shoot him first." He muttered gently. On that note, he settled into a comfortable spot and tightened his grip on his pistol.
Dot [Dwight]
Dwight answered Carl's 'order' with a nod, mentally chewing on the plan for a moment before standing up. It was simple enough, and believable. Dwight knew exactly what to say to get them moving, distracted enough to allow Carl and Lydia to get the jump on them. He pulled out his pistol from its holster, clutching it in his hand as he kept to the trees, putting some distance between himself and the two children. Enough to not draw attention their way. When he emerged from the trees and approached the market, he eventually caught their attention, weapons raising for an instant before they were lowered.
He took each step deliberately, aggressively, knowing that this had to look convincing to pull off. "Pack it up, boys. Some assholes caught Brooks and I by surprise, killed him and ran off, and we're gonna catch up with 'em." He stomped into the middle of camp, pointing a finger towards each member of his old crew. "Chris, get the car started. If we're finding these assholes, we need to cover as much ground as possible. Jeremy, get everything back in the car. Vince, help Jerry. C'mon people, let's fuckin' move!"
Shadowman [Chris]
"Someone offed Brooks...?" Chris smacked his lips in disappointment, they were all under the impression it was barren out here, but Negan seemed so sure that there'd be something. Maybe in the end, he was right. It was too early to tell if this culprit was a straggler or a part of a bigger community, but he was sure as hell gonna find out. "Goddammit, alright then. Let's get 'em." Chris spoke, walking towards the car without a second thought, swiftly followed by Vince and Jeremy, who began to fumble around with the tents in an attempt to quickly disassemble them.
King Caw [Carl Grimes]
Carl was so intent on making his vantage point as comfortable as possible he nearly missed the signal, and Lydia thumped his shoulder to regain his attention. Fumbling with the gun for a second, he regained a grip on it, and aimed. There was the slightest pang as he trained his sights on the clueless boy. Ha. Here I am calling him a boy, and he's probably older than me. Regardless of morality, he chose the wrong side to be on. Not his problem.
His eyes locked on to Lydia's for a second, and he nodded. Confident that his shot would be true, his finger stroked the trigger and two bangsshook the forest.
Carl eyed his target and blinked several times. "No fuckin' way…" He mumbled. He had missed! Lydia's target had an unfortunate mess of a face, but that brat had dropped something, bending down to pick it up. The bullet struck the tent and disappeared in the forest beyond, and it was all that the enemy needed to suddenly be on high-alert. He stared at Dwight furiously, hoping that he'd go above and beyond, before getting Lydia's attention. "I fucked up, I know." He admitted, before she could say anything about his shitty aim. "But we need to move, now. " Before getting a response, he moved back towards the path that had led them there. If they could just get a different angle, they could pick the rest off.
Dot [Dwight]
The two gunshots rang out for miles, nearly deafening in the confined space of the market. Vince's face erupted into a fountain of blood as a bullet burrowed into him, while the other buzzed over Jeremy. Cursing under his breath, he reached for the pistol in its holster, pulling it out just in time to send Chris crashing to the ground, a bullet through his ear and into his brain. The younger boy had fallen to the ground, scrambling away from the scene. Dwight immediately followed after him, stopping in the middle of the aisle as Jeremy broke out into a sprint, heading for something glinting in the noon sun. It took only a couple of seconds for Dwight to figure out what it was, and he lifted his pistol to stop him.
Another two bullets pierced the air, ripping through the boy's leg as he crumpled to the ground, his hand inches away from the shotgun Carl had left behind. Dwight rushed towards him, stomping his foot on the boy's hand as he finally managed to grasp the stock of the shotgun.
He almost respected the look in the boy's eyes. Fierce, defiant, like a bull waiting for its opportunity to charge at a matador. He threw a slew of expletives towards Dwight, though the older man chose to ignore them. He had to flip the switch, to shove his humanity towards the back of his brain. Jeremy was just a kid, despite everything he'd done to earn his position with the Saviors.
Had this been any other situation, he might've let him go.
Instead, he pointed his revolver towards the boy's head, firing off a single bullet in one, smooth motion. The forest surrounded them fell quiet.
He took in a deep breath, looking around to find the two kids nearby. "It's done. You can come out."
LadyLedge [Lydia]
Lydia swiftly made sure that her target wouldn't get back up, the body of a person that used to be alive mere seconds ago was slumped down. A dark red mass already pooled on the floor, leaking out of his head. And with that, she'd blindly just killed a man, purely based on the word of Carl alone. She trusted him, of course. But did they deserve it? Everything she'd heard from Carl and the way that Savior asshole pointed the damn gun in her face earlier had her pointing to yes. There was a good chance most of them were like that guy. It didn't matter, there was no time for regrets now.
Oh… please no. She'd been afraid of something going wrong, and there it was. Carl missed his shot. Lydia's head swivelled towards the boy next to her in swift aggression. "Are you fucking kiddi-!" She almost yelled before being promptly cut off, he wasn't having it today. Lydia warned him before, she'd warned him something like this could happen. They hadn't seen Carl's face yet, she didn't think. The girl followed after Carl with a bitten tongue, all she could hope for at this point was that Two-Face and the other guy would shoot each other dead.
Sadly, that wasn't the case. The girl sighed at the sound of the sole survivor's voice beckoning them to come out into the open. Yeah, you can wait. Lydia mulled over the thought in her mind, before grabbing Carl by the arm, forcing him to look in her direction. She spoke in a hushed tone, they were far enough away that Two-Face probably couldn't hear them, but better safe than sorry.
"Carl, he's the only one left that knows who and where you are. You get that… right?" It really didn't take a genius to understand what she was getting at here. Lydia wasn't sure of it herself, but if anything… she knew leaving loose ends like this was dangerous.
King Caw [Carl Grimes]
Carl eyed Lydia levely, unsure of what to say. Of course he was still potentially a dangerous target, but he'd done nothing to hurt him… recently. He had helped them deal with a very dangerous situation, when previously his chances could have been much better. Now it was him against everyone, and there would be no surprises. On the other hand, he had helped them by stabbing his other friends in the back. What could possibly be made of that? It would be a private discussion for him and Two-Face to have later. "I'll always keep an eye on him no matter what, but he's proven to be capable and…" He paused, considering his next words carefully. "You've seen the burns on his face. I don't blame him for wanting to get away from that maniac. And I definitely won't just go shoot someone who's gone to such extreme lengths to earn our trust." On that note, he moved away from Lydia and stepped into the clearing.
The campsite was modest, the few resources they had either packed or dropped on the blood-speckled ground. Three unmoving enemies that no one would miss, but at least the crows and maggots would be grateful. Carl flashed Dwight a weak smile, knowing full well that he'd almost fucked them all up. "Glad to see you made it out in one piece. I appreciate your help in defending our home." He said, walking up to the taller man and extending a hand. Perhaps shaking his hand would signify that Carl was actually going to give him a chance. Here's the olive branch, dog. Don't make me regret it.
Dot [Dwight]
Dwight took the boy's hand and shook it cordially, meeting Carl's gaze with respect. Though he wasn't sure which one of them had missed the shot, Carl was still Rick's son, a man that he both respected and pitied at the same time. A part of him both wanted and feared telling Carl about Rick. The situation was delicate as it was, without adding a sense of potential distrust in Carl the instant Dwight mentioned the boy's father.
Eventually, though, he'll have to find out.
"If you're lucky, the Saviors will think it's too dangerous out here once these guys don't make it back. Might keep them off your lawn." He let go of the boy's hand, glancing towards the bodies littering the market. Was this who he'd become? Someone capable of murdering people he knew without remorse?
Well, he'd done a lot worse for the Saviors, hadn't he?
He returned his gaze to Carl, sighing. A question burned in the back of his mind, and eventually, it became too difficult to ignore. "Did anyone else make it out of Alexandria after the war? After Negan demolished your home, I figured you all got killed."
King Caw [Carl Grimes]
Carl only managed to hold his tongue, the sharp words unfitting for someone he'd just shook hands with. It was as if he thought the Saviors were idiot barbarians, but Negan was no idiot. Something told him that the Saviors would be back; it may just be more scouts, but the man that Negan was back then probably wouldn't have stayed away if a scouting party didn't return. He might just suspect that someone else had stopped him - they'd all survived for fourteen years by now, after all. Even close calls like in the clearing, those were a part of life sometimes, but man had bested walker. If Carl came to that conclusion, Negan probably had, too.
Man was man's most prominent enemy, even in this world.
So he was silent, appreciating the trail of corpses that the day's events had left behind. He realized that he was not directly responsible for any of them - besides killing the clicker, of course, but that thing had died a long time ago - with an odd satisfaction. Two-Face must have been uncontented with the silence, however, because before Carl had even moved another question was launched his way; one that he could answer with ease.
"You probably knew Andrea, right? Rick's girlfriend?" Without waiting for an answer, he turned away from the grisly scene and began stalking off towards the trail. "Well, she's back at home. I don't know about anyone else." Then, he stopped. "Oh, she's in charge, too." He added as an afterthought, waiting for them to join him by the trees.
Dot [Dwight]
The instant Andrea's name left Carl's mouth, Dwight began to regret this entire thing. Oh, he remembered her alright. She hadn't approved of Rick working with Dwight, especially after everything he'd done to them before he turned against Negan. They'd probably never forgive him for Abraham, though he didn't want them to. What he'd done for that asshole… he was accountable for it. Always accountable. He'd done them of his own volition, even if they were done for someone else.
He only hoped that time had mellowed out Andrea, and this reunion wouldn't turn out to be his demise.
Though a small part of him hoped that it would be.
2:11 PM
Screamin' Eagles [Tommy]
His brother had left as quickly as he'd arrived. When he found out that Tommy wasn't going to handle the situation for him, there had been no chance to stop them. Well, it wasn't like he actually had control over them. Their leaving happened, and there was nothing that could be done. The cure may die on the road, the barbaric Fireflies may actually develop it, but that didn't matter anymore. It was out of his control.
His brother, Joel, left as quickly as he'd arrived, and Tommy was relieved. He was not prepared for the responsibility.
The sun rose on another day, and Joel had already faded. He had to focus on his people. At the moment, he found himself in the company of Eddie, sitting by the front gate. Several people had reported hearing gunshots in the hills. If it was someone in their community, guns were a weapon only used when necessary, and there would be an explanation. If it wasn't someone in their community, well… he didn't want to think about that scenario yet.
So they sat atop the wall, staring at the treeline. Tommy was bouncing his knee, anxious for something to happen, but Eddie was as lax as always. Thumbing through his book, he spoke to Tommy, "Y'know, I sit here every day for a reason. You don't have to sit here with me."
Tommy snorted, crossing his arms and shifting on the uncomfortable stool. "I spend plenty of time on my ass, too. What makes doing it here any different?" A bored shrug was all he got in response.
He turned his attention back to the trees, and something caught his eye. A flash of blonde in the trees. Focusing on the path, he heard someone on the other side of the gate announce that they could see movement, and his pace quickened. Three people came into view through the shrubbery, and he immediately identified one as Lydia. That meant one of the other ones had to be Carl, but that left no explanation for the third person. They got closer, and he could tell that it was obviously a man - he was at least a full head taller than the kids.
Standing up and stepping away from Eddie, he started down the wall's ladder. He had no way of knowing what awaited him on the other side of the gate.
King Caw [Carl Grimes]
Carl felt apprehensive as he spied several men atop the wall. He should have seen it coming. Tommy or Andrea would have extra guards stationed after hearing so many gunshots out in the woods. He was hyper-aware of Dwight, the stranger/previous enemy, walking beside him. Their walk had been peaceful and sincerely lacking in surprises, giving him hope that things would work out. They could only hope that Andrea would be forgiving, and no one else would ask too many questions.
The great gate drew close, and he took a deep breath. Things would work themselves out. Even if they reprimanded him for bringing Dwight, it had seemed like the best course of action. Carl would rather not have the extra blood on his hands.
A call came from the wall and he saw Eddie waving from atop; he waved back. They all mostly looked relieved to see the two of them back okay, but he could see a few odd glances directed at Two-Face. Doing his best to ignore it, he waited patiently for the gate to open.
Screamin' Eagles [Tommy]
Tommy sauntered over to the gate and stood as close to it as he could, watching the guards haul the heavy doors to the side. The gate opened with a clang, and the trio entered. They didn't look ragged, per se, but he could see leaves in Lydia's hair and flecks of blood on Carl's clothes. The youngsters were forgotten when he layed eyes on Dwight, however.
The stranger looked like he had come out of an old horror movie, half of his face a relatively normal and scruffy man but the other half a hideous mass of wrinkled scar tissue. He had a blank disposition and grim eyes, as if his face was a wall that no investigating would knock down. They approached, the guards stopped them and collected weapons, and Tommy never took his eyes off of the stranger. Just from the way this man carried himself said that he probably trusted them less than they trusted him.
Clicking his tongue, he pulled out his walkie-talkie slowly and muttered into it, "Andrea, you'd better come to the gate. We've got a guest." He frowned and shook his head out of his thoughts, stepping forward to greet the guest. "Carl, Lydia, it's good to see that you made it back," he told them warmly. Then, he turned a quizzical expression to the man, but held out a hand to shake nonetheless. "What's your name, stranger?"
Dot [Dwight]
The amount of times Dwight had approached communities like this were verging on numerous, but this one had a special case of anxiety attached to it. Being with the Saviors, they'd always had the upper hand, and with Negan swinging his bat around, Dwight hardly had to lift a finger in the 'negotiations'. This, however, was different.
He was alone. He'd betrayed his group, for the second time. He was putting his faith in a group that hardly trusted him and hardly had any reason to keep him alive. In a way, he couldn't help but feel anxious.
His gaze took in the impressive display of the Jackson community before eventually falling onto a man that seemed to be running things at the gate, who'd extended a hand to greet him. He took it, trying to smile casually as he spoke up. "Dwight." He glanced past the man for an instant, before letting his gaze return to him. "Quite the place you got here, mister…?"
Screamin' Eagles [Tommy]
The man seemed to soak up his surroundings, his eyes darting every which way as he entered the community. Probably sizing us up, Tommy concluded. He didn't let it sully his welcoming smile. "You can call me Tommy." He told the man - Dwight - before waving at the men on the wall. Now that everyone had come home, there was no reason to keep the gate open. With another metallic crash, the heavy door had closed them in. It was hard to tell how Dwight felt about this, based on his twisted expressions alone.
Well, now it was a waiting game. "I'm not quite the person in charge," he explained to their guest. "I co-lead with someone else, and she's on her way. Take a look around, while we wait." He turned away from the stranger, then, trusting that Carl and Lydia wouldn't let him wander too far off. He wanted to see what Dwight would do.
Dot [Andrea]
"No need, I'm already here." Andrea called out as she hastily approached the scene. Any sense of politeness went out the window, though, as soon as she realized who she was looking at, standing at their gates like a ghost. She stopped a few feet away from Tommy, narrowing her eyes. He seemed to expect this reaction, his expression remaining unchanged.
"Dwight," she spoke the man's name as if it were an insult, though she wasn't sure whether or not she really meant it that way. He nodded his head once, clearing his throat.
"Good to see you made it out okay," he spoke evenly, a hint of concern that she didn't believe for a second.
She'd never trusted Dwight, even while he was 'working' with Alexandria to get back at the Saviors. During the war, he'd proven to be a valuable ally, but not a trustworthy one in the least. Only made matters worse when the Saviors steamrolled over Alexandria and the survivors had to scatter into the countryside. She had no idea what Dwight had been up to since then, but she could only guess.
And she didn't like it.
"What are you doing here?" Her voice was emotionless, though a hint of bitterness lied beneath the surface.
"Negan's expanding his horizons. Couple guys and I were out scouting when we ran into Carl and the girl. I saw an opportunity to get out, so I took it. The others are dead." The way he talked about the Saviors was callus, and for once… Andrea couldn't fault him for it. "I'm here to help," he continued, taking in a deep breath. "In whatever capacity you let me. Things have changed, Andrea. I've changed. I'm just… ready to put the past behind me."
Her lips twisted into a half frown, and she glanced towards Carl with a hint of disapproval, though she was curious to see what he'd say on Dwight's behalf. With a small nod towards Dwight, she glanced back towards Tommy.
"Take 'em to your office. We'll deal with him later."
Tommy nodded, escorting the ex-Savior deeper into Jackson. Andrea let out a breath, trying desperately to clear her mind. Things just got a whole lot more complicated.
She turned towards Carl, taking a step towards him with her hands on her hips. "What's your take on this? You trust 'em?"
LadyLedge [Lydia]
Trailing at the back of the mini group that formed near the entrance stood Lydia, her arms folded and her head swung the other way in disgust. Was there even a point in arguing against this? She'd already desperately tried with Carl, and was getting the feeling he would vouch for the so called 'former Savior.' Even worse, Andrea wasn't gonna listen to her over him , no way. Right now, Lydia just decided it'd be best to stop giving a shit and let the rest deal with it, for the sake of her own health. Especially since in light of everything that happened, her head was only going back to one place. It all just felt… confusing , Two-Face and the Savior drama aside. The talk between her and Carl at that old playground, then getting jumped by that clicker... Lydia's mind was glued to those events, replaying them over and over.
She couldn't keep standing here. And she sure as hell wasn't planning on being around for the eventual questioning on how they found that guy. Carl could explain it, because this was all on him. With her mind made up, the girl took a stride backwards with a quickened pace, before fully turning around while the rest were occupied as she began to walk off.
King Caw [Carl Grimes]
Here it was. The fated question. Carl had already come to the conclusion that his word would be a major defining factor on how much they trust Dwight, so when it came down to it? What did he think of Dwight?
Clearing his throat, he lowered his voice and spoke, "I don't really know what his deal was back in the day. I was a little out of it, being as young as I was. But I know that they had already disarmed us, and Dwight turned on his teammate to save us." The words felt bitter, admitting that he'd been taken hostage and saved by a former enemy. He balanced on the balls of his feet, unsure of how to proceed. It was hard to take a side, but Dwight had been nothing but cooperative and even friendly thus far.
"I say he can stick around, but we need to keep an eye on him. We might want help if the Saviors come back, right?" An extra guy with a gun never hurt, when it came to protecting what was theirs.
Dot [Andrea]
Andrea regarded Carl with a keen eye, looking for anything that he might be conveying underneath it all. Anything that might tell her if he wasn't absolutely sure on this. When she found nothing, she simply nodded, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Then we'll do that." She sighed, shifting as she leaned against the side of the wall. "By the end of it all, after I'd already pegged Dwight for what I thought he was… your father, he-" Her words got caught in her throat, thinking about Rick Grimes again only made her realize the void that'd been left in his absence. One that she had to fill, alongside Tommy. "He still gave Dwight a chance. If things turned out differently… this might've been a nice reunion. He's going to have to earn our trust, now."
"But this… this is a start, I guess."