Chapter 28
The first part of the journey was easy. I narrowly avoided a large group of walkers on the road only three times. The last time I pulled a little ways away and had to calm down, my heart in my throat.
"Do-do you need me to take over?" Miya asked, tightly gripping the door and my arm.
"Do you need you to take over?" She shook her head, and with that we continued on our journey. Then we got our first look of the place from the top of the hill, and I saw the horde of walkers outside as a clear alley, I pulled down it, parking the truck out of plain view.
"Stay here for now, I'm going to scope it out then circle back." She started to protest, "Miya, I'll be back. I need you to trust me and stay put. Remember you said you would do exactly as I said, right?" She glared but there was no further protest. I quietly closed the door, putting my pack and bow on my back. The air was starting to get colder, autumn well on its way. But I was sweating.
"Fuck." I groaned softly, fanning my face.I took a couple breaths and got on top of the car, then on top of the building next to me. I maneuvered across the strip of stores until I was across the street from the shop.
It was definitely a mom and pop shop but it looked like they had a decent amount of stock. From what I could see of the shelves through the glass, they looked full. It was just in a terrible spot. Debris everywhere, dozens of walkers, poor sightlines. Even standing on top of a car you would have a hard time reaching the lowest roofs. Unless you were superhuman. Most of the ladders on the building to the roof were inaccessible from the ground.
I needed to find a way to draw the walkers away. I looked around seeing an alley to my right that had a fence at the back end. There was a dumpster directly behind it. I walked along the roof to the front of the building seeing if there was anything I could use to block the other end of the alley. There was a minivan tipped on its side. It was tall enough that they wouldn't get over it and it was squashed enough that it wouldn't tip very easily. The plan had to work if Miya and I were going to be able to push it into place. Standing, I headed back to the truck.
"Miya!" I called down to her. She stuck her head out of the window.
"How the hell did you get up there?"
"I jumped. Get on top of the roof, I can pull you up." She did as I asked, reaching her arms up. I hinged at the waist lowering a hand, barely able to grip her hand, "Hold on tight." I heaved, pulling her up and onto the roof.
"Jesus, you really are strong… So you said you have a plan?" I had her get on my back as we lept from roof to roof, and let her off when we were next to the alley, pointing down to the shop.
"That's the place." She squinted reading the title, then looked back at me with tears in her eyes.
"I thought that after-the baby…" She had thought what I went through surely killed my child. I sighed, giving her a small smile.
"He's fine," A single tear rolled down her porcelain cheek, "Carol was watching for signs of miscarrage but nothing happened." She threw her arms around me.
"God, I'm so happy…" After I calmed her down I told her the plan. We would wait till nightfall though, it would be easier for us to cross the parking lot.. I helped her off the roof, then slid down the wall to the top of the truck. We ate a small meal to kill the time.
Once the sun had set we went to work on the plan. I clambered back onto the roof running over to the alley, jumping down from the roof, landing soundlessly on the balls of my feet. A jolt went through me from the height but I was in one piece. Note to self, can jump off the top of two story buildings.
I made my way to the front of the alley. Unholstering the Peacemaker, I fired one shot into the air, hearing the sounds of walkers coming towards me. They started to block my view out of the alley. I walked backwards drawing towards me. Once my back hit the fence I leaped, catching the top and pulling myself over. I dropped down to the dumpster, the dead starting to press on the chainlink.
Lighting some paper on fire, I dropped it into the dumpster. After the rest of the trash caught and I jumped down, then scaled to my roof. Once most of the walkers from the street had filled into the alley I jumped to the van, then to the ground. Miya was already running up the front of the building towards me. Taking a deep breath, I braced my hands on the end of the vehicle, Miya beside me. We gave a mighty shove and the car began to move, but it was making a horrible shrieking noise. The walkers started to come back out of the alley.
"No, stay, dead things." I scolded trying to push faster. The van managed to bridge the gap squishing a walker between the back of the van and the wall. Clearing the remaining walkers in our way, we moved over to the shop front.
I tucked myself between the wall and the window, rapping on the glass twice. While I waited for any inside, Miya took out walkers when they got too close. The few walkers inside the store made their way to the door. I pried the door open, shoving my knife in their skulls. Once inside, I pulled the shades down and moved a row of shopping carts in front of the door, staking debris in the picture windows.
The two of us scouted the building, finding no other walkers. There was a rear door that led into another partially blocked alley. Miya kept the door open while I ran back to grab the truck and pull it down the alley.
Once the vehicle was in place, we set up a small camp.
"I was honestly surprised we pulled that off." Miya said laying on the ground next to me, her head resting on her pack.
"Well, half of the plan working is believing it will work, even if the chances are slim." I told her, laying on my back staring at the yellowing ceiling tiles, "Ya have to get crafty if ya want to live out here."
I screamed myself awake in the early hours of the morning. There was moaning and thumping on the front glass at the sound. I pulled my knees to my chest, my head resting on my knee caps. Miya was awake, scooting over to me, putting her legs on either side of me and resting her chest on my back. We sat there for several minutes, her arms around me, as I calmed down, my body trembling.
Unable to fall back asleep, we ate a small meal then packed up our camp. MIya let me work my way through the store, gushing over the tiny shoes and cute clothes. It was almost like shopping for a baby shower. Other than the personal choices, we took everything either Judith or my son might need, diapers, formula, baby food, vitamins, medications. They had a very little pharmacy attached, mostly with baby aspirin and other herbal remedies. I was flipping through one of the books that the woman earlier gave me, trying to get some direction, while Miya read labels.
It was getting close to evening when we had the truck loaded. I had gone a little overboard on the clothes, but babies outgrow clothes fast. Judith would be able to give him some of her hand-me-downs but she wore a lot of dresses. I stopped at a rotating display, with babies' first christmas ornaments on it. They all had names scrawled on them. I turned the display looking at all the names there. I touched my belly.
"What the heck are we going to call you little bean? Can't call you Lil' Asskicker, Judith called dibs on that one."
"Haven't decided on what to call him yet?" Miya asked, coming up behind me. I shook my head leaving the spinner and heading towards the back
Once we were situated in the truck, I pulled out of the shopping district and headed back towards Alexandra. As night fell I contemplated driving straight through, but I remembered the day before, narrowly missing walkers in the daylight. With a huff I pulled over.
"I don't want to risk that passage from yesterday in the dark," I told Miya, turning off the engine,"Get some rest, I'll keep watch."
"If anyone needs rest, it's you." She said but she got comfortable anyway, throwing the seat as far back as she could in this sorry excuse for an extended cab. Once she was settled and I was softly breathing in sleep, I propped my feet up on the dash going through the things in my bag. Even started to cry while I held the tiniest pair of combat boots ever seen. God I was a wreck. I set the shoes back in my bag producing some of the cured meat that Olivia made and another one of my apples. I was feeling less weepy after I ate and returned to looking through my haul.
"You're going to be a well dressed baby, little bean." I whispered to him looking at a little cut off jean vest, "You and yer daddy gonna be twins." I could see his little chubby face in my mind, his eyes like mine but so much different. He would be stronger than me, would surpass me in every way. He would be the first generation born into the species, "Maybe I should start writing down everything I know about us, especially while you are still growing in me." I said to the darkness. That was actually a smart move, and I silently congratulated myself for having a clear thought in all this madness. Hey, I had to start somewhere right.
I woke Miya as soon as the daylight was sufficient, wanting to get back to Alexandria today so I could get all this stuff inside. She kicked me out of the driver's seat, not confident in my exhausted state that I could make it without hitting something. The rest of the trip was smooth sailing, and the gates of Alexandria loomed up. It had to be close to mid day. It would be easiest just to drive up right to the house.
Spencer, Deanna's older son was at the gate. He looked like hell. He rolled the gate shut behind us. Miya pulled up to the house, pulling the e-brake and killing the engine. Carol stormed out of the house and down the stairs, storming over to my door
"You have no idea how worried I have been." She said through the window at me.
"I'll tell you what I told Michonne, 'Yee have little faith'." She just glowered opening the door. I got out and stepped into her arms, letting her hug her frustration out. I'd rather that, then her yelling.
"Something happened yesterday on the run, Gwen." She said pulling back, "Aiden, useless sap-he died, shot a grenade that turned him into a shish kabob on a steel pipe. Nicholas-he panicked and ran the wrong way." Miya had exited and was standing behind me now, "Tara was hurt, really bad, just went through surgery." i braced my hand against the door, Miya stepped closer to me seeing the shift, "They were trapped in a revolving door and Nicholas pushed them towards the walkers. Noah...he didn't make it." Suddenly I turned, sending my fist into the truck. Carol squeaked softly in surprise. Miya also jumping.
"Sorry..." I said, wiping tears from my eyes, "Is Daryl back yet?" Turning back towards Carol, my friend with worry in her eyes. She was shaking her head, and I felt my anxiety heighten. Suddenly I was worried.
"Well our run was a success." Miya said, "And I'm sorry about your friend. I've talked to Tara a few times, I'll pray for her." She squeezed my shoulder, "Daryl will be home soon, love. I know it." Then Miya turned to Carol, "Want to help us with this stuff?" She nodded, whipping her tears away, smiling at the other woman softly.
I pulled up the tarp and Carl started to cry again seeing what we went for, which made me cry.
"Ugh this is so unfair, I'm crying because I'm happy!" Carol cried, the three of us laughing, Miya holding back her own tears.
"Stop, if you keep crying Imma keep crying." The three of us stood there for several moments cakling like hyenas. Once we managed to pull it together, the work began. With their help I had everything inside and under a tarp in the bedroom, in less than an hour.
There was a commotion on the street, the sound coming into the house. The three of us looked at each other then ran downstairs and out the door. There Rick was, in the center of the street struggling with another man, already bleeding heavily as was his opponent.
"Go get Michonne! She's on patrol, try the pond!" Carol hissed. I took off down the street to my right. Michonne was already on her way, hearing the yelling herself.
"What's happening?!" She asked when she got to me.
"Rick is fighting in the street outside the house with-Uh Jessie's husband." She gritted her teeth.
"Shit!" She followed me back.
Rick was shouting at Deanna, gun drawn. The other Constable's pace quickened as she assessed the situation.
"If you don't fight, you die." He spat at Deanna, Michonne baring down a fast trot, "I'm not gonna stand by-" She cracked him across the back of the head, knocking him out.
"What the fuck happened?" I growled my temper flaring as I looked at Deanna.
"What she said." Michonne pointed to me, rubbing her knuckles.
"First, Michonne, please detain Constable Grimes and put him in the lower unfinished brownstone basement. The one I showed you yesterday." Deanna ordered.
"Gwen, you mind?" Mention mentioned to out comatose idiot. I shook my head and hefted Rick over my shoulder.
"Jesus Rick, you've put on some weight." Complaining, and poking him in the side, knowing i probably left a bruise. Deserved.
"I can help." Michonne offered. I shook my head.
"Just lead the way." Looking back at Miya, I hoped that she understood I needed to handle this right now. Her face just showed worry, which settled my anxiety even if just a bit. Daryl was still on my mind.
There was a mattress already set up in here and a few flood lights. The walls were bare drywall, some wood support beams still exposed. I briefly wondered about what this place had been like before the Fall.
"Deanna wants to have this as a holding cell." Michonne explained as I set Rick on the mattress, "She showed us during our tour yesterday. Never thought I was gonna be dumpin' his dumb ass in here first." Rosita came down the steps to the door.
"I'm here to fix his dumb face." Rosita opened the door and walked over to him, scoffing at the mess that was his face, "Idiota de mierda." She swore under her breath.
"Can I talk to you outside?" Michonne asked me, as Rosita got to work. I nodded following her out. She closed the door behind her.
"How did the run go?"
"Swell but looks like things here have been less than." The look on Michonne's face said that was an understatement, "Carol told me about Noah and Tara. Now this? What was that about?" She shook her head.
"I dunno, but maybe Deanna does. I should actually get back to her." Rosita was calling for her just then, "Nice timing."
She came back after checking on Rick one last time, meeting me on the street.
"You should head home, relax. I'll come by later, let you know what's going on. You look dead on your feet." She patted my cheek lightly. I nodded.
"I probably won't sleep again until Daryl gets back. I'm worried about him, and I'm worried that man Brian, something feels familiar about him."
"Brian?" Rosita asked when she came up the stairs.
"He helped Gwen, when she got hurt outside the walls." Michonne answered. We were in a public place it was best that the less that was said was better. Rosita seemed to understand.
"Daryl said that he'd keep an eye out. He has a partner in the area so I can't imagine they would have gone that far with a community like this one so close. He knew my name." Michonne and Rosita shared a look.
"If he comes back, I'm keeping a close eye on him." Michonne said, echoing what had silently passed between the two women, "He may have helped you but what if he knows your name because he knows what you are?" I hadn't thought of that. Well so much for decreasing my anxiety. I needed to take a page out of Daryl's book and get all zen. Seems like Carol was probably the last person to know what that meant. I was fiercely reminded of Sohpia and our Fall at the farm. But once the emotions started they didn't want to stop.
"I'll walk you home." Rosita offered, I nodded trying to ignore the tears falling down my cheeks.
She let me cry in silence as we walked, but I could feel that something was bothering her. I noticed a strange shift in her since they all found out about what happened. I'd seen her more, even though she lived in the other house, she was at ours often. She came to see me when I was bedridden.
"You can ask, I wont mind." Finally breaking the silence, Rosita jumped a bit.
"I knew you were- unique, the moment we met." She scoffed, "Coming back from a stab wound to the chest, "She shook her head sucking on her teeth, "You don't want to-I dunno- share that?"
"No, my bite is fatal. So was the one who bit me. I was the only one who lived from a bite from one of us." She furrowed her brow.
"Not even if you found a way to turn your blood into something that could make the human race immune to this?" Letting out a heavy sigh, I stopped to look at her.
"Rosita….Believe me, if somehow we were able to use my blood to create a cure or what have you, the transition could still kill people." Pressing my nose between my fingers, my hands covering the lower half of my face. I let them fall, "I'm also not ready to be a lab rat again…" Her eyes immediately widened.
"I didn't even think-"
"It's alright, Maybe by the time we have rebuilt the technology to save the world, ill be ready to lend my blood. But until that time, I'm just gonna try and live my life."
"That's fair." She continued onward, my feet moving after a brief moment my longer stride bringing me back next to her.
"Tell me about the time you pulled the guys heart out." She said excitedly. I snorted and began the tale, regaling her with my top wolf driven kills. I had her undivided attention all the way up to the patio.
"Well, thanks for humoring me." Rosita said as she slowly backed up towards her own house.
"Yeah, thanks for walking with me, it helps, ya know. Just talking 'bout things." She nodded in understanding and turned, striding away.
Carol was in the living room with Jessie and Sam, when I returned to the house. My friend ushered me to the far corner of the kitchen.
"Seems that Rick was playing righteous defender." She was pressing the tips of her fingers into her temples, her eyes shut. When they opened again, she lowered her voice farther, "Sam, he's been following me around, asked me for a gun so he can protect his mom." She looked over my shoulder at them, then back at me, "Pete's been beating them. She even put a lock on the inside of the closet door upstairs, In Sam's room; Told him to lock himself inside when she and Pete fought. Rick found out, he cares a lot about Jessie." Well I had kinda seen that one coming by the way he interacted with her since day one, "Rick was over at Jessie's trying to convince her to fight back for not only her sake but the boys. Pete came home while he was there. Then this happened." She gestured outside. Carol probably understood Jessie the best, "Gwen have you slept?" Her eyes dark. I shook my head.
"Go shower, and lie down. I'll bring you some tea." I was definitely not a suggestion, "Miya already went home, but she said she'd come back later to check on you. Even if you can't sleep, at least get off your feet." I did as she instructed and headed up to our room.
The shower helped to at least relax my muscles. I toweled off and put on my oversized clothes crawling into bed. Carol was there a few minutes later. She set my mug of tea on the side table. She set her hand on the top of my head, a motherly look on her face.
"Thanks mom." I joked. She smiled
"You are the only one allowed to call me that."
After she left I grabbed the journal I had scavenged. I remembered seeing it at the shop and I liked the tooth of the paper so I took it. It was leather bound, but instead of drawing in it like I had intended, I decided to journal every moment so far down this road.
It was getting late when Michonne knocked on my open door.
"Hey." I greeted her, setting my pencil down. Her face said that shit had hit the fan, "Spill." She flopped face first down on my bed in defeat then started her story.
Deanna would be holding a meeting tomorrow night deciding whether or not to exile Rick. Rick on the other hand had been plotting to take over if they decided to exile him. If Rick left, he knew we, his family, would follow, and he didn't want that. Daryl, Carol and Rick had hatched a plan to steal guns from the armory the night of the party. Daryl bailed out of the plan because of Aaron's job offer, plus after I came back and wasn't doing well, he didn't want to put my safety in jeopardy. Things were currently not leaning in Rick's favor.
My face was buried in my hands when she completed her story.
"I wasn't even gone for two days!" I exclaimed, slapping my palms on the bed. She sighed, obviously in the same Frustration Boat.
"I had no idea any of these things were happening, until today." Michone huffed, "I thought he trusted me." She was very visibly hurt, she was very fond of Rick and normally he included her in most decisions.
"He does trust you, but he knew that you would speak out against his plan. Try to dissuade him. So he didn't tell you." I gave her a hearty pout, "Daryl didn't tell me about this little plan either." I reassured her, "I was there right alongside you in the dark, but then again i didn't wake up until after he bailed." She mulled it over for several moments, "I should attempt to sleep." I told her, pulling her out of her own head.
"You want me to stay till you fall asleep again?"
"Would you?" I asked quietly. She nodded laying down next to me on the top of the covers. Laying back, turning to face her. She grabbed my hands with hers.
"We will find a way to work this out, we have to." She told me, but it sounded like she was trying to convince herself too.
"We will. We always find a way. Look how far we have come. Something like beating an abuser to a pulp and wanting to carry a gun shouldn't be grounds for exile. Our people- we'll show them who Rick really is."
I woke sometime in the night, Michonne fast asleep where I last saw her, then fell back to sleep. I awoke again at dawn, Michonne already gone. I sat up rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. The nightmares had not ceased, but not to the level I was screaming myself awake. I was still way off from being "well rested", though. Rising, I decided to just face the day. After dressing, I went downstairs. Carl was in the kitchen feeding Judith.
"Hey." I greeted the teen briefly looking up then back to Judith. I huffed and walked over. "Have you been to see your dad yet today?" I asked him. He shook his head, to which I grabbed the baby food out of his hands, "Go, I'll finish this."
"Are you sure?" I just nodded and he left, not needing any more persuasion.
Once I was done feeding her, I put Judith in her stroller, grabbed her diaper bag and wrote a quick note that I was taking her out. I pushed her out the door lifting the stroller down the stairs and set off towards the gazebo by the few people out were watching me as I walked. Yay, awkward.
Once at the gazebo I put a blanket down on the bench. I sat and unbuckled Judith from her seat sitting her on the blanket, handing her a couple toys, just letting her play. I had put the child rearing book in the diaper bag before I left the house. I pulled it out and flipped through it deciding whether or not to read the whole thing or just a certain chapter. I flipped to a different section, checking on Judith. She was looking at me while she chewed on her plastic keys.
"Are those delicious?" She continued to knaw, babbling at me, "Even better than the first bite of applesauce after days on the road with no food?" She just blew spit bubbles at me, smacking her keys on the bench, "Guess that's a 'no'."
By the time I had read through the rest of the book, Judith was asleep next to me. She had a little bubble of snot in her nose that expanded when she breathed. Quietly chuckling, I carefully packed up her things, then picked her up and set her in the stroller getting her buckled. She opened her eyes for a fraction of a second when the buckle clipped but then she was out again.
Carol was back when we returned around lunch time.
"Wow, she's asleep before noon." Carol remarked, taking her out of the stroller and putting her in the bassinet that was in the living room.
"Honestly I think I just bored her to sleep." I chuckled softly. She came back over and sat at the island with me.
"If this goes sideways, are you with us?" Carol asked, referring to the meeting tonight.
"Always. I've stood with Rick this long, it would be foolish to back the losing side. Not that I want it to come to that." I wasn't going to create a situation where we had to fight, and i hoped Carol understood that was a bit of a warning.
"I can understand that. I'll follow your lead on that." Carl returned then, frustration masking his features.
"Hey kiddo, c'mere." I called him and he stomped over, "Did ya see yer dad?" He shook his head, crossing his arms.
"Michonne told me to go. Said I would see Dad later." I looked at Carol then back to the teen.
"You want something to take your mind off it?" I asked him. He looked up at me furrowing my brow.
"Sure…" He was not sure. His expression made me chuckle though.
"When you make this face," I did my best impression of the face he was making, "you look exactly like your dad." he scoffed, "But wait that's not it!" I laughed as he tried to walk away, he stopped and turned back, "I just got back from a run yesterday with Miya to a baby boutique and i was thinking about a name-
"How about Carl? Carl's a good name." Carol and I were laughing, my side in stitches.
"Why because it's your name?" I asked him pinchin his sides, making him laugh.
"Well duh."
"On a serious note, you helped name your sister, and I want you to help me. Can you do me this favor Incredible Carl?" He gave me a grin.
"Pfft, yes. And that Courageous Carl to you ma'am." I rolled my eyes.
"Okay go on, do kid things." he ran up to his room.
"You're going to be good you know." Carol said after Carl was gone.
"Good at what?"
"Being a mom. Babies, a teenaged boy, all those young orphans, in your youth. You're a natural." Not that i was particularly trying to 'mom' them, she was right, it was just a natural reaction. Maybe it was because I had always been empathetic of others.
"I just wanna hold him…." I said resting my arms and chin on the counter, my arms cradling my stomach."
"I see your outlook on everything has changed after your trip." Her smile was contagious. I nodded.
"That was part of why I went. Norah always told me that 'it really doesn't sink in till you are standing in a baby boutique buying tiny shoes'." I felt the tears again but this time i was able to get a handle on them, "I found these tiny combat boats and I just sobbed over them thinking about Norah. It was nice having Miya there, though. Made me excited about it rather than completely nervous."
"You're sure it's going to be a boy?" She looked skeptical.
"I one hundred percent know it's a boy. I just know." At this point I had held him, seen him and spoken to him. I was carrying Daryl's son. Carol nodded.
"Well given that you are one of a kind, I'm inclined to believe that. You haven't thought of a name?"
"I have no clue. What I was going to tell Carl, was that I saw this little stand with personalized ornaments. I looked at the names and I felt nothing for any of them, but we have time to think about it. Especially with Courageous Carl on the Case!"
After talking with Carl and Carol I wanted to go outside the walls. I stopped in the armory.
"How are things?" Olivia asked me as I armed myself. She was nervous about the meeting too, already pretty attached to this band of wild dogs Alexandria took in.
" will work out how they should in the end." I slide the Peacemaker into its holster, "With that I'm confident." I told her, "That cured meat was delicious by the way." I added as I left.
I didn't go far into the forest, just finding a nice tree and climbing up to sit in the higher boughs. I pulled out my sketchbook and drew a squirrel sitting on the branch to my left. The creature tentatively watching me as it chewed on a pine nut. When the sketch was done I sat there just listening to the forest, the wind making the trees creak and groan. The sound of animals in the brush.
I spent several hours in that tree, trying not to worry about tonight, and about Daryl, and about this place. The sun was getting low and it would be dark soon. I descended my tree and headed back to Alexandria.
Instead of going back to the armory I went straight home. Keeping the Peacemaker with me. If this was going to come to blows, I wanted to be ready. When I saw Carol back at the house I patted my thigh covertly, the other woman dipping her head in understanding.
When the sun dipped to the horizon, we headed out to the courtyard on the side of Deanna's home, a fire lit in a metal drum for light and warmth in the brisk air. People were seated in folding chairs talking softly amongst themselves. I hung towards the back so I could watch all the entrances and exits. Carol and I had been there for almost twenty minutes when Deanna spoke.
"We're going to start."
"Can we wait?" Maggie asked, "There's still people comin'. Glenn, Rick."
"We're going to start." Deanna reiterated, "It's already dark." She paused as people sat down and stopped talking, "We're going to talk about what happened. Not the fight. Not what precipitated it. We're dealing with that. We're going to talk about one of our Constables, Rick Grimes. We're going to talk about how he had a pistol he stole from the armory, about how he pointed it at people. And we are going to talk about what he said. I was hoping he'd be here."
"She said he's coming." Michonne cut in.
"I'm sure he'll be here." Carol added, "And I'm sure we can work this all out." Michonne started to talk about what happened.
"And after being out there and not being how you were out there...it can drive you crazy. Rick just wants his family to live. He wants all of you to live. Who he is...is who you're gonna be, if you're lucky." She told them.
"Rick Grimes saved my life over and over." Carol continued standing before everyone, "There's terrifying people out there. And he rescued me from them. People like me, people like us, need people like him." She looked at Deanna then back at the others, "I know what happened last night was scary. And I'm sure he's sorry for that." Doubt it, "But maybe we should listen to what he was saying." She sat back down. Then Abraham spoke.
"Simply put...there is a vast ocean of shit that you people don't know shit about. Rick knows every fine grain of said shit...and then some."
"My father respected Rick Grimes." Maggie spoke from where she had been standing, "Rick is a father, too. He's a man with a good heart who feels the things he does, the things he has to do. And all of us who were together before this place, no matter when we found each other, we're family now. Rick started that. And you won't stop it." She turned to Deanna, "you can't. And you don't want to. This community, you people...that family...you want to be part of it, too."
"The last place we had roots before this place," I stepped into the light, "There was another community whose leader wanted us dead, and led a group of people to fight with us. Instead of killing them, we drove them off, in the process I was shot. After they retreated we gave chase with every intention of protecting our home. Their crazed leader killed most of them and then abandoned the rest. Instead of letting them fend for themselves, Rick took them in, adding them to his family. He continued to bring in people who needed us." Pausing i glanced around the crowd, "I've been with him since the beginning. Just like Glenn, just like Carol."
Deanna stepped forward.
"Before we hear from anyone else, I-uh, I would like to share something in the spirit of transparency." She paused a moment looking in the fire, "Father Gabriel came to see me the day before yesterday and he said our new arrivals can't be trusted, that they were dangerous, that they would put themselves before this community." The Priest? What in Samhain did we do to him? "And not one day later, Rick seemed to demonstrate all the things Father Gabriel said. I had hoped Gabriel would be here tonight."
"I don't see him here, Deanna." Jessie spoke up, "So you're just saying what someone said. Did you tape him?" I was pleased that Jessie stood up for Rick, granting her a few brownie points in my book.
"He's not here." Maggie pointed out.
"Neither is Rick." Deanna shot back. Neither was Glenn, or Nicholas for that matter.
"Excuse me." Maggie said, walking out of the meeting. No one said anything for some time. Tobin stood next.
"I just want to keep my family safe. You know? And I don't even know what that means anymore, but if it means we've got to get rid of-" Speak of the Berserker and he shall appear. Rick walked in behind Deanna, a walker over his shoulder. He was covered in blood. He threw the corpse down by the fire, a woman squealing in the crowd. Everyone was just looking at Rick, who was breathing heavily, obviously just in a serious fight.
"There wasn't a guard on the gate. It was open." Rick growled at them.
"I asked Gabriel to close it." Spencer told his mother.
"Go!" She barked at him. He ran off into the night.
"I didn't bring it in." Rick continued, "It got inside on it's always will- the dead and the living, because we're in here. And the ones out there...they'll hunt us. They'll find us. They'll try and use us. They'll try to kill us." He had captured the crowd's attention, "But we'll kill them. We'll survive. I'll show you how. You know I was thinkin'-I was thinking how many of you do I have to kill to save your lives?" Carol and I locked eyes, then we both looked to see how that line was sitting. It wasn't, the scent of fear was mounting.
"But I'm not going to do that." He continued, "You're gonna change. I'm not sorry for what I said last night. I'm sorry for not saying it sooner. You're not ready, but you have to be. Right now, you have to be. Luck runs out." Rick turned around to look at the group, I could see Jessie shaking her head, then I noticed Pete holding Michones sword behind Rick.
"You're not one of us." he growled, "you're not one of us!" He started to charge forward.
"Pete, you don't need to do this." Reg stepped forward, putting his hand up.
"Get the hell away from me Reg." He growled back.
"Pete, just stop." They started to struggle.
"Get away from me." Pete repeated.
"Reg. Reg." Deanna was trying to stop her husband too. Rick and I had our hands on our guns. I saw Carol hiss at him,
"Not now." Pete reached across with the hand with the sword across Reg's chest and when he pushed, the sword came up slitting his throat. Deanna screamed rushing forward, catching Reg as he fell. Michonne surged towards Pete taking the sword from him. Abraham detained him, Pete yelling from under his knee.
"This is him! This is him!" Reg dying slowly, choking on his own blood. Deanna sobbed, as his life sputtered out.
"No, no, no my love, my love!" She sobbed. My heart twisted.
"It's him!" Pete screamed again, "This is him!" He was struggling trying to get up. Jessie was looking on, her face full of panic, her fear high. Deanna looked up at Rick, Reg fully dead now.
"Rick…" He stared at her. She looked down then back at him, "...do it." She ground out. Rick turned and fired a bullet into Pete's skull.
I'm a bit shocked i managed to end this chapter at the end of this particular episode. Yay Season Five Finale! Will we finally figure out who the heck this Brian person is? Who knows? Oh wait, I do...
(ತ◞౪◟ತ‵) Muhahaha
_/\_