All Nightmare Long

Chapter 461

Author's Note: So I forgot that two guys made it through and Carol blew them up, so I got to correct that. No big deal, easy fix. I've got to decide how to get Summer in the line up. I think she is going to go out on her own to find Negan and get caught. I need her in the line up. Review please.

Rick's group POV:

Abraham bent down and snapped his finger. "Hey, Jes, come over here, look at this," he called out.

Jes walked over. "Yeah?"

"I think a truck might have gotten through. These tracks are fresh," Abraham said.

"A scouting truck," Jes said. "It would make sense, it's something I would have done. Get the call, send out a couple of scouts, while the others get trucks and supplies," she reasoned. "Hey Rick, we may have a problem," she called out as she walked with Abraham.

Rick turned around. "What's going on?"

"Abraham spotted fresh tracks heading to the same direction as the others were going," Jes responded.

"So some of these dicks got away?" Daryl asked.

"It makes sense, they get the call, they send out immediate help, while the others get supplies ready," Abraham said.

"So does that change the plan?" Sasha asked.

"Nah, we still go get our people," Daryl said.

"We do have one advantage over them," Summer said.

"Yeah?" Sasha asked.

"They still are expecting a calvary, they are only getting one lone truck," Summer answered.

"There was no more than five people in either of the other two trucks," Glenn said.

"And it being the first truck out, there wouldn't be more than that, most likely fewer," Jes said. "You made contact with her yet?" she asked Rick.

"Yeah, she said she wasn't ready to make the deal yet," Rick answered.

"She's waiting for backup," Abraham said.

"We keep moving, keep the one radio on the frequency to listen in," Rick said. "I've got this one turned to the frequency she's been using to contact me with," he said.

"They are using some military type techniques, not surprising now a days. Everyone has to have picked up some sort of techniques," Abraham said.

"Using different frequencies, scout vehicles, those are easy, common sense ones," Jes said.

"Well lucky for us, we've got some army experts of our own," Daryl said.

Mar and Carol's POV:

Mar kept her hands down by her legs, keeping an eye on Paula and Molly. She wasn't going to grab the knife in her boot until she had a clear shot. She glanced at Carol and mouthed, "Are you OK?" she questioned.

Carol glanced at her and gave a brief nod. "You don't have to do this, you don't have to fight," Carol told Paula.

"You're people killed all of my people, of course we got to fight," Molly said.

"We didn't want to," Carol said.

"But you did, so tell me why," Paula asked.

"Your people ambushed my people, on the road, tried to take everything we had. They were going to kill them," Carol said, acting scared.

"Well damn, now we know what happened to T's group. Those idiots, probably put on a big show," Molly said.

"OK fair play. You were just defending yourselves, but see you're people killed them on the road, right? Blew them to pieces, so why not stop?" Paula asked.

"If that was the end, we would have left it alone. But three men surrounded my niece while she was out scouting, scared her. Three big men, surrounding a five foot nothing young girl, threatening her, wanting all she had, threatening to take her back to Negan. If it was your daughter, you're niece, would you just stand by?" Mar asked.

"Everyone we met said they were working for Negan," Carol informed her.

"What do you think you know about Negan?" Paula asked.

"He sounded like a maniac. We're scared, we had to stop him," Carol said.

"Sweetie, sweetie, we are all Negan," Molly told her.

"What do you mean? What does that mean?" Carol asked.

Mar shook her head. "You're all brainwashed, is that what this is?"

Molly and Paula ignored her as Molly lit up a cigarette."Can I have one?" Carol asked.

"Well look at you little bird, I didn't think you approved," Molly told her.

"I don't," Carol said as Molly lit up a cigarette for her.

"You are weak, what are you so afraid of? So scared you can't even stick to your on principles," Paula said.

"You don't want me to stick to my own principles," Carol said.

"I want to see Maggie," Mar said.

"She's fine, doll, Chelle won't hurt her," Molly said.

"I'm sorry if I don't believe you," Mar said.

"You are acting like a brave girl, but I think it's all an act," Paula said. "I mean, why would you be with this one if you were as brave as you are acting?" she questioned.

"You wouldn't understand, even if I explained. People like you never do," Mar said as she leaned her head against the wall.

Paula shook her head. "I was a secretary before. I fetched coffee for m boss and made him feel good about himself. I spent most of my days reading stupid inspirational emails to try to feel good about myself. There was this one that kept going around. A young woman was having a hard time and told her mom she wanted to give up. So her mom went into the kitchen and started boiling three pots of water. She put a carrot in one, an egg in another, and coffee beans in the last they boiled for a while her mom said look all three things run through the same boiling water. The carrot went in strong and came out soft. The egg was fragile and came out hard but the coffee beans changed the water itself. You're supposed to want to be the coffee beans. See to me, coffee was just the thing my boss would drink up no matter how many times I refilled his damn cup. It was just never enough. I was at work when the Army took over DC, we weren't allowed to leave. They had to evacuate all the important people first. Members of congress, government employees, so I was stuck with my boss, not my family, my husband, my four girls. My boss was weak and stupid and he was going to die and he was going to take me down too. He was the first person I killed so that I could live. I stopped counting when I hit double digits, that's just right around the time I stopped feeling bad about it. I am not like you, I'm still me but better. I lost everything, it made me stronger."

"You sure about that?" Carol asked.

"I'm alive," Paula said.

Mar kept her eyes closed and started laughing. "Are we supposed to stand up and applaud because you have a sob story? That you weren't with your kids when this went down? That you became another heartless bitch that wants what everyone else has and will kill anyone else to get it?" Mar asked as she looked at her. "I had a son before this, and two weeks before this went down I put him on a plane to visit his dad in Boston who was an abuser. The only reason he got any visitation was because he had money, had connections. I don't kid myself that my ex husband sacrificed him to live just a little bit longer. I spent the first few months with a group that raped women, and you know when I killed a guy to get away, I still felt bad, I still do, with every one I kill," Mar told her.

"You're with those people, those killers," Carol said.

"Your people are killers, Carol, that makes you a killer. That makes Mar a killer," Paula said.

"You, you're the one," Carol said.

"Excuse me?" Paul said.

"You're the one that's afraid to die. And you're going to, you will die. That's what's going to happen if you don't work this out," Carol said.

"Are you going to kill me?" Paula questioned.

"I hope not," Carol said.

"You're going to die, one way or another," Mar said. "And I may be the one to do it," Mar said.

"You're pretty sure about that honey," Molly said.

Paula took out the walkie talkie. "Ass hole are you there?"

"I'm here,"Rick answered.

"We've thought about it. We want to make the trade," Paula said.

"That's good," Rick answered.

"There's a large field with a sign that says God is dead about two miles down from I-66. Good visibility in all directions," Paula instructed.

"We'll meet you there. Ten minutes?" Rick questioned.

"Ten minutes," Paula responded as she ended the transmission. She started pacing and shaking her head as Mar glanced at Carol. "That was to easy," she reasoned.

"Maybe they're just itching to get there people back," Molly responded.

"No, there was no static, there should have been static. They're close, they're probably already here. We were careful but there were tracks, there had to be. They killed everyone back home, they have the weapons, they know what they're doing. They're probably waiting to kill us as soon as we walk out those doors, that's what we'd do," Paula said.

"You would have been smarter to make the deal sooner," Mar told her.

"Shut up," Paula said.

"No you have to listen to me please. Rick is a man of his word. He wouldn't put me, Mar and Maggie at risk to die," Carol begged.

"Then he's just as stupid as you are," Paula said. She switched the channels on the radio. "What's you're ETA?" she asked as static came through.

"Ten minutes away, the car is running on fumes," a man responded.

""We have gas, we'll fill you up and then we move. Radio when you're back in the perimeter," Paula instructed.

"Copy that," the man answered.

"We've got to get ready, pull Chelle out so she doesn't get stuck in the fight."We have to be ready to move at any second," Paula said.

"What about the girl?" Molly asked.

"Leave her for now. If we leave, we travel light. If the pricks are here, we'll pick them off at the door," Michelle said.

Mar rolled her eyes and gave a small smirk to Carol as Paula opened the door and killed two walkers. "Molls we need this hall clear," she instructed as the door.

Mar gave a Carol a look as Carol took a few breaths. Mar took the knife out of her boot and started to cut the tape off her legs as Carol used the crucifix to get her arms free.

TBC