Ch. 51

"Are you sure about this?" Daryl asked as he stared at Maggie and Rick. "I mean, this could start something more than what we got than Negan."

"Which is why we can't let anyone know. He's out of control Daryl. He kept reinforcements from getting to Hilltop, he fired on our scout, he's dangerous." Maggie said.

"What about Merle?"

"He won't be there. Don't worry," Maggie once again insisted. "Daryl, are you with us?"

The man sighed heavily as he glanced over Maggie's eager eyes, and Ricks hesitant, yet determined ones. A choice was before him, and he had to decide if he would accept. And with a gruff scoff and single nod, he accepted. And a weight was placed on his shoulders.

Sam sat in front of the radio, his hands clasped in front of him as he thought of what he would say. Merle and Abraham had reported back to him, and in turn, he had relayed the news of the prisoners escaping and taking control. Of the dead, the wounded. Of Rory, the young boy that had come from the library and had been turned into a warrior through the Savior War.

Sam had sat in front of the radio for what seemed like forever. He felt as though every breeze that passed through the window was another season that had passed. The frigid winters, the scorching summers, all passing in the blink of an eye, as he sat there trying to come up with the words to say to his troops, to the troops of the communities that fought Negan, and also, to Negan himself.

Sam took a shaky breath and moved forward, his arm grasping the transmitter and bringing it to his mouth. He cleared his throat and began to speak.

"To everyone listening, this is Samuel Connal."

"Hey turn that up!" a man said scrambling toward the radio trying to get a listen. He had been with Abraham and broken the siege at the Plaza. He listened eagerly, glad to "The General" speaking over the radio.

"I have been informed of our victories against Negan, and of his savage attack against the Hilltop. Lives were lost, and we shall mourn them, and remember that their sacrifice was not in vain."

Sasha scoffed as she heard Sam speak. She had been dragging bodies to a funeral pyre for the better part of two hours. Bodies of men and women she had known and trained with for months.

Bodies were stacked so high on pyres that new ones had to be built as there were barely enough people tall enough to stack the bodies that high. Maggie had already come around and told the people of Hilltop how Sam had kept reinforcements from arriving to help them. As far as most of the Hilltop soldiers and residents were concerned, Sam had burned down their homes as much as Negan had.

"But Negan's retreating. Running back to Sanctuary with his tail between his legs. We've lost a lot today, we've all lost someone. And although we will mourn, first we will fight. First, we will tear down the Saviors from their Sanctuary, and restore the peace."

"Yes, we will," Maggie said chambering a round in her pistol. Daryl sat across from her, running his knifes blade across a whetstone, the smooth sound of metal scraping against metal filled the air. "We'll keep that peace too Sam. any cost."

"Stand strong people. Keep pushing and we'll beat the Saviors. From the Foundry, this is Samuel Connal, keep fighting, and stay alive." As he hung up the radio microphone Sam leaned back in his seat and felt the weight of the world resting on him. He closed his eyes and nearly winced as he saw Rory's corpse. His bloodied and broken body. The deep knife wound in the back of his skull. Sam visualized how Rory had been beaten to death by five Saviors, around him and kicking and beating the young boy to death.

Sam forced his eyes open and his fist was clenched, the nails in his hands drawing blood from his palm. He released his hands and stood up, moving back toward the foundry floor watching as the survivors of the attack had begun to reorganize the Foundry.

The Saviors bodies had been dumped a few miles away, fresh meat for the walkers. Funeral preparations were being prepared for their own men lost in the takeover. Pyres built, and graves for those that didn't want to burn.

So much death in such little amount of time, Sam almost felt like it was back to the early days of the outbreak. But he felt in his bones that this was far different from that. Those days there had been confusion and fear, not it was just hatred. For Negan, for the Walkers, for everything.

Yet the war was close to ending. Negan had retreated and was cooped up in Sanctuary with the last of his forces. All that was required now was a siege. One last siege and it would all be over, and peace would come to the communities. But as Sam thought that, a bitter smile crept onto his face, as he realized that in the new world, there was no peace.