All Nightmare Long
Chapter 449
Author's Note: Happy New Year. Sorry this one took a while, between work, the holidays, and being annoyed with Scott Gimple, I just took a break. Not a long break, I can't give up this story. It's been in my life for three years, and the characters are part of me. Which is why Jewel is upset with Gimple. Please review, it means a lot.
Quinn, Jewel and Rick's POV:
Quinn walked up to Rick and Jewel as they were watching the supplies being unloaded. "Rick? Hilltop gave you all this?" she asked.
Rick and Jewel looked at each other. "We made a deal," Rick answered.
"Is this what the meeting about?" Quinn asked.
"Yes," Jewel answered. She looked at Rick. "We need to tell her, so she can give her opinion. We agreed that we would run Alexandria together."
"Can you break the deal if I don't agree with it?" Quinn asked.
"We all have to agree to it to make it work," Rick responded.
"So what is the deal?" Quinn asked.
"We're going to take care of a man named Negan for the Hilltop," Rick responded.
"Negan? Why do I know that name?" Quinn asked.
"Summer mentioned him when she returned from the Hilltop," Jewel responded.
"The one who carries a baseball bat?" Quinn asked.
"Yes," Rick answered.
"I'm going to need more information than that Rick," Quinn said.
"Negan leads a group called the Savior's, they rule by intimidation and the Hilltop works for them. And by work I mean they gather supplies and grow food, and give them half. Otherwise they kill someone,"Jewel explained.
Quinn ran a hand through her hair. "So, you made a deal to take care of Negan and his men for the Hilltop for a one time supply delivery?"
"It was 50% of what they had," Rick pointed out.
"How many men does he have?" Quinn asked.
"Jesus said he saw a group of twenty to thirty," Jewel answered.
"I was taught not to run after bullies when I was a kid, and this is what it seems that you are doing," Quinn told them.
"We are taking down the threat before it comes after us," Rick told her.
"Rick you know that we don't have a lot of fighters here, a few other than the people you brought in," Quinn said.
"We can handle it," Rick assured her.
Quinn looked at Jewel. "Do you think we can?" Quinn asked.
Jewel nodded. "I know we can," she answered.
"At what cost?" Quinn asked. "We may lose people right?"
Jewel looked at her then Rick. "We may lose something, it always cost us something."
Quinn nodded. "I'll go with you."
"You don't have to, someone needs to stay here and protect Alexandria," Rick told her.
"I stayed this time, and if I'm going to stand up with you and tell everyone that this is the way to go, then I am going to be there with you," Quinn told him. "I'm going or I'm not going to stand with you in the church," she told him.
Jewel looked at Rick. "It's fine, I'll stay. I shouldn't be away from Hope and Judith another night," she said as she squeezed Rick's arm.
"Then it's settled," Quinn said.
"It's settled," Rick agreed.
Daryl and Summer's POV:
Summer stood on the guard deck over looking the street outside the gate. She turned when she heard someone coming from the other side. "Uncle Daryl, aren't you going to the meeting in the church?"
"I am, thought you would be too," Daryl said as he climbed up to join her.
"Someone needs to be on guard," Summer responded.
"You still don't agree with this, do ya?" Daryl questioned his niece.
"No, I don't. Why would you suggest something like this? And please don't say it's because we needed food and supplies," Summer said.
"We did need food. And, we can't let a guy like this continue his reign of terror. He's just a boogey man," Daryl told her.
Summer looked at him. "Uncle Daryl, he isn't a boogey man. This isn't like the Governor, it's not. I know we've taken down people before, but they always came after us first. Us doing this, it doesn't make us any better then him. We may not be using a bat, but we are talking about killing people, going to where they are and taking them out."
"You saw what they did, you were witness to it. Can you tell me that you don't think a man like that should be taken down?" Daryl asked.
"I'm not saying that he shouldn't be taken down, just the opposite. He needs to be stopped. But, I think this is the wrong way of doing it," Summer said. "I don't trust that Gregory is telling us everything he knows and that could cause problems. I saw Negan, I saw what he was capable of, and I think we need to take him on closer to home. You and mom always taught me if it feels wrong, then don't do it. This feels wrong, Very wrong. I can't do it, not like this," she told him.
Daryl kissed the top of her head. "I respect that," he told her.
The Church:
Rick watched as everyone came in. "We can work with the Hilltop. Maggie and Beth hammered out a deal. We're getting food, eggs, butter, fresh vegetables, but there just not giving it away," he told them.
"So what are we going to have to give them?" Gus asked.
"These saviors, they almost killed Sasha, Daryl, Abraham on the road. Four of them cornered Summer when she was on her way back home. She saw what Negan is capable of. Now sooner or later, they would have found us just like those Wolves did, just like Jesus did. They would have 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. This is the only way to be sure, as sure as we can get that we win. And we have to win. We do this for the Hilltop. It's how we keep this place, how we feed our people. This needs to be a group decision. If anybody objects, here's your chance to say your peace," Rick told them.
Jewel stood up. "Deanna believed in being honest and straightforward with you all. Summer isn't here, because she doesn't believe in this. She is going to stay back and help protect Alexandria," she told the group.
Morgan stood up. "You sure you can do it?" he asked as he took a breath. "We can beat them?"
"What this group has done, we we've learned, what we've become, all of us. Yes, I'm sure," Rick said.
"Then all we have to do is tell them that," Morgan told him.
"Negan is a dictator, and dictator's always believe that they are doing the right thing, that they know better than everyone else," Jes informed him.
"They don't compromise," Rick told him.
"This isn't a compromise, it's a choice you give them. It's a way out for them and for us," Morgan told him.
"Did that work with the Wolve's you let go, Morgan? You gave them a chance, and they came back. This was after they killed that kid's brother, your friend. You let five of them go, they almost killed Rick and Jewel," Jes pointed out.
"That doesn't mean that it won't work out this time," Morgan told them.
"People like that they don't change there ways," Jes pointed out.
"We try to talk to the Savior's, we give up our advantage, our safety. No we have to come for them before they come for us. We can't leave them alive," Rick said.
"Where there is life, there's possibilities," Morgan said.
"Them hitting us,"Rick said.
"Them killing people we love, killing our children, killing you, or any of us," Jewel said.
"Hey, we're not trapped in this. None of you are trapped in this,"Morgan said.
"Aren't we?" Quinn questioned. "They are out there, they will find us."
"Morgan, they always come back," Rick said.
Morgan nodded. "Come back, when they're dead too," he said.
"We'll stop them, we have before," Rick said.
"I'm not talking about the walkers'," Morgan said.
"You left those wolve's alive, and they came back and we lost twelve people. I'm not willing to lose anyone else," Jes said.
"Morgan wants to talk to them first. I think that would be. mistake, but it's not up to me. I'll talk to the people still a home, discuss it with the people on guard now too. But who else wants to approach the saviors?Talk to them first," Rick said.
"What happened here, we won't let that happen again, I won't," Aaron says as he looked at Morgan.
"Looks like it's settled, 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 but people are going to stay here, they are going to have to accept it," Rick said.
"What about Summer? Is she going to have to accept it?" Morgan asked.
Jewel sighed. "Summer knows what has to be done, but she's going to stay back here," she said as she walked out with Rick.