Better Days

Chapter 367

Author's Note: The next two chapters are going to combine episodes two and three somewhat. Not sure exactly how it's all going to play out but that's the plan. Plus of course mix it up with Summer and David. I have to say, I am looking forward to season 7, only because Summer and Jes are giving me awesome ideas. So don't expect it to be anything like the script of seven. Daryl may be home before he gets to (hopefully they don't kill him, Jewel won't allow that) in the show. Please review.

Alexandrian's:

Glenn whistles at Rick to get his attention as they are meeting up and the herd is passing.

"It's working, you were right," Tobin said as he extended his hand to Rick.

Jewel nudged Rick's shoulder to get him to give the other man his hand in return. "It's not over yet, we still have a lot of work to do," Jewel said.

Rick nodded. "She's right. We have to finish this, we have to keep moving and fan out down that thing front to back."

"We need to give space in the middle for Summer's group to keep them entertained right?" Brad asked.

"Entertained isn't the word I'd use, but distracted, yes," Jewel answered.

"There's to many ways they could go once they get to the overpass, we have to make sure we're ready," Beth said.

Rick nodded. "Like we said, cops at a parade. Glenn you take the back, you got the other walkie," he instructed.

"Got it," Glenn said.

"If it gets sloppy, we fire our weapons, pull them back on track," Rick told them.

"I'll hit the front," Tobin said.

"I'll head back to Alexandria," Jewel said. She kissed Rick. "This is working," she said as she took off running.

Rick squeezed her hand before she left. "OK, one after the other," he told them as they started to head out.

"Carter, don't go so far out ahead," Beth warned. She didn't see the walker but she heard Carter's scream as she looked back at Quinn and Rick.

Rick took off his walkie talkie. "Tobin they're breaking off," he said.

"What do you want us to do?" Tobin asked.

"Fire your guns and draw them back," Rick ordered as Quinn reached Carter. She looked at Rick and Beth before she bent down. Rick shook his head.

"Oh I'm dead," Carter moaned.

"Carter, I can only imagine it hurts, but you have to be quiet. It's drawing the dead away from the herd. It's endangering everyone, shh, just try to be quiet," Quinn beggied.

"Carter take a breath, Carter," Rick tried to reason with him.

"Rick we need to do something, his cries are only going to draw more," Beth said.

Rick looked at Quinn as he took out his knife.

Quinn grabbed his hand and shook her head. "Carter, it's all going to be over soon, it's alright," she told him as she put her knife in his skull. She backed up and covered her hand to her mouth as her back hit the wall.

"Rick, it's working, the gun fire is bringing them back on the road," Tobin reported through the radio.

"You got them Tobin," Rick said as he looked at Quinn.

"Copy that. What was that screaming?" Tobin questioned.

"That was Carter, he got bit right in the face, Quinn put him down," Rick told him as he stood up and went over to Quinn. "I could have done it, you could have let me."

Quinn looked at Rick. "He was one of mine, I had to do it. We can both say all the right things, Rick, but we both know you don't consider any of us, part of your group. You didn't expect Carter to survive out here, neither did I, but it wouldn't have been right for you to put him down when he was part of my group. One day, I hope you'll be able to see us all as one, but today's not it, and I couldn't let him be killed by a virtual stranger. If I get bit out here, let Glenn or one of my people do it," she told him. "I hope one day both of us are family enough that we could put each other down respectfully. That's what it's all about now isn't it? That final moment, right before you come back, to have someone care enough to put you down so you don't become one of those things? Your reasons of putting Carter down and mine were two totally different reasons, and we both know it," she said standing up and passed Rick leaving him dumbfounded.

Rick stood up and looked at Morgan.

"She's a lot like her mother, isn't she?" Morgan asked.

"She got it a lot quicker than Deanna," Rick answered. "We have a good hour until we have 'em to green, hand them off to Daryl, Sasha and Abraham. Why don't you go head back, catch up to Jewel. Tell them what's happening, they have a right to know," he said.

"Okay, Rick, I just..." Morgan started to say.

"Will you do that for me? I don't like the idea of Jewel heading back on her own, if you leave now, you'll be able to catch her," Rick told him. "I'll take care of that one. Michonne, you take point," he said as he went to take care of a walker.

Morgan looked at Michonne then at Carter. "I know it's how it is, I do," he told her.

"Yeah, I do too," Michonne answered as she moved past him and Morgan turned to leave.

Jewel's POV:

Jewel turned as she heard the scream, knowing instantly that it was Carter. She wanted to feel sorry for the man, the old her would have, but she knew she couldn't waist time on sympathy for him. She turned back and started running toward Alexandria. She saw a walker coming toward her and held up her knife and dispatched it quickly.

"You should think about getting a longer handle, so they don't come so close," Morgan said as he came up behind her.

Jewel turned. "You should think about announcing yourself instead of using your ninja skills to sneak up on a person. Rick put Carter down?" she asked.

"Quinn," Morgan answered. "How did you know it was Carter?"

"His scream, it doesn't surprise me that Carter was the first to go. Rick sent you back?" Jewel asked.

"He didn't like the idea of you being out here alone," Morgan told her. "He loves you."

Jewel raised an eyebrow as they walked. "I know that, Morgan."

"What I mean is that everyone needs a voice of reason, especially in times like this, and you're Rick's," Morgan told her.

"He's mine," Jewel told him.

"He'd be lost without you, if something happened to you or your kids, or any body in your group," Morgan told her.

Jewel stopped and looked at him. "Morgan, we've lost people, a lot of people, and we each take those losses to heart. It effects us every single time we lose someone, when we have to bury some one. We depend on each other, it's a two way street."

"The man's death the other nights, were you effected by it?" Morgan asked.

"Reg was a good man, I didn't know him well, but he wanted the best for people, and I respected him for that," Jewel told him.

"What about the other man? The man that Rick killed?" Morgan questioned.

"Morgan, Pete was an abuser, he hit his wife and sons, and people ignored it because he was a doctor. I'm not sorry that he's dead, and I'm not sorry Rick killed him. Pete was a bully, acted like he thought that women only had one purpose in life, on there backs. I grew up with men like that, and I'm not letting another man make me feel like a worthless piece of crap. You are trying to make us see there are other way then killing, and you're right, in some small instances. Pete wasn't one of them," Jewel said. She turned her head to the noise of a horn. "That's coming from Alexandria, come on!" she yelled as she took off running with him close behind.

Rick's group:

Heath turned and looked at the direction of the horn. "What the hell is happening?"

"It's a horn or something. It's pulling the back half off the road. Oh GOD!" Glenn exclaimed as he started running.

"Rick! The noise is distracting the herd," Beth yelled.

"Whatever that is, it's far. It sounds like it's coming from..." Michonne started to say.

"Home," Rick said as he started running.

"We have to get ahead of them, come on," Beth yelled at the Alexandrian's as she started running.

"Rick! We need to tell Tobin what's going on!" Quinn yelled at him.

"I'm trying," Rick said as he started running with Glenn and Quinn with him.

"Tobin! It's not stopping, light it up, you hear me? Tobin!" Rick yelled through the radio. He glanced over at the walker. "Michonne," he instructed.

"Got it," Michonne said as she separated from the front group.

"Shit! Shit! It was half, Jesus it was more than half," a young man named Sturgess said.

"We just got to stay ahead of them, they walk, we run," Annie told him.

"She's right, otherwise everyone we know is dead back in Alexandria. Our family, our friends, they all die, if we don't get them back on track," Beth told them.

"Rick!" Daryl yelled through the radio.

"I'm here," Rick said.

"What's going on back there?" Daryl asked.

"Half of them broke off, they're going toward Alexandria," Rick reported.

"Towards you?" Abraham asked.

"We ran ahead, there's a horn or something coming from the East. It's not stopping," Rick reported.

"Axel and I are going to turn around, try to get ahead of them, through the back way," Jes said through the radio.

"I'm gonna gas i up, turn back," Daryl said.

"Daryl, we have it, you keep going!" Rick instructed.

"You're gonna need our help," Daryl insisted.

"Gotta keep the herd moving. You heard Jes, she's heading the back way to try to steer them back," Rick told the other man.

"If it going down, we don't need to keep the herd moving," Daryl responded.

"The rest of that herd turns around, the bad back there gets worse," Rick told him. "Daryl?"

"Yeah I heard you," Daryl responded.

"Rick, what do you want us to do?" David asked through his walkie talkie.

"You guys need to double back, take the hills, keep on high ground, same plan as before, but get them back on the highway," Rick instructed.

"We're on it," David responded.

"We're on our way," Jes reported. "We'll try to get some heading your way. You said the horn was coming from the East?"

"Yeah," Rick responded.

"That's from home," Jes answered as she looked at Axel.

"Yeah," Rick responded through the walkie talkie.

Michonne killed the walker as Heath approached her. "It's coming from back home, it has to be," Heath told her.

"He did this, he brought us all out here to die, he killed Carter," a young man from Alexandria said.

"Carter was dead already," Michonne told him.

"He was bit on the face, he was in agony, and I put him out of it. I'm not going to apologize for it," Quinn responded.

The man looked at Quinn. "Our families are in trouble back there, and we're done. We're good as dead," the man rumbled.

"Hey calm down. What the hell are you talking about?" Michonne asked.

"We are done and it's cause of him," the man babbled.

Quinn looked at him. "Rick's family is in Alexandria, right along with ours. It's not his fault a horn is going off. And if you die, it's because you're not listening to what he says, it's because you're panicking. That's not how you survive out here," Quinn told him.

"So basically, shut up and move," Michonne said as she glared at Heath to do the same. "Thank you," she told the other woman.

"For what?" Quinn asked.

"For backing Rick," Michonne answered.

"If anyone can get us out of this mess, it's Rick," Quinn said as she went and joined the others.

"All right, listen up. Here's the new plan. I go back, get the RV, circle around, the woods on Redding, meet up with Axel and Jes. We'll get in front of them before they get there. We can lead them away," Rick told him.

"RV's a mile back, I can go with you," one of the Alexandrian's replied.

"I'll handle it, just get home. They might need you there," Rick told them. "Glenn, Michonne, Beth," he said as he started walking with them. "If something's in front of you, you kill it. No hiding, no waiting, you keep going," he instructed his people.

"I'm going with you, you can't do this on your own," Glenn told him.

"He's right, Rick, we don't do things alone," Beth reminded him.

"Glenn, Beth, I can do this," Rick assured them.

"You both need to help me, we've got to get these people back," Michonne told them.

"Yeah, thing is some of them aren't going to make it," Rick said.

"Rick," Michonne started to say.

"You try to save them, you try, but they can't keep up, you keep going. You have too, you make sure you three get back," Rick told them.

Beth turned at the sound of yelling.

"The horn stopped, good," Rick said as he watched Michonne put down on of the Alexandrians.