Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Twilight and the Walking Dead. Those rights are reserved for Stephanie Myer and Robert Kirkman. I do own the original characters created for this storyline.
Writer's Notes: I'm sorry for getting this late. I spent all last week in the hospital with my mom. We found out she has stage 4 lung cancer. I was able to write some here and there while we waited for many tests to be done. I got a break from the hospital when my sister came, so I decided to go ahead and get this uploaded for everyone. I will be continuing to write, since my mom doesn't want me to stop everything in my life for this diagnosis. We have a long road ahead, but hoping for the best. As always, I appreciate all of you. I couldn't do this without all of you. Don't forget to follow, favorite, and review!
Bella helped Jasper and Sam load cows onto the trailer. Jesus sat in the bed of the truck and watched. Bella wouldn't let him up after having a head injury. "So, there's a few more cows roaming. But these few will be good enough. Why don't you and Sam check the barns and check out that horse in the field. I'll stay with Jesus." She said to Jasper.
Jasper glanced to Jesus and then back at Bella. He nodded. "Alright. Yell if you need us." He said and patted her shoulder and then him and Sam left to check out the barn.
Jesus looked at Bella when she walked over. "I really appreciate your help. I would have died in that car."
Bella nodded. "I'm sure." She said and hopped up in the truck bed and patted Zeus's head when she sat. "How far is the Hilltop?"
"Oh, like maybe 2 hours maybe two and a half." Jesus said.
Bella nodded. "We're heading back down 28. Is that going to be going away?"
Jesus smiled. "You can ask me where its located. No need to go about it in a roundabout way."
"Fair enough. Where is the Hilltop?"
Jesus was quiet a moment. "We're about 15 miles east of a big Quarry. Off of route 15."
Bella nodded. It was fairly close to where Alexandria was but they didn't do runs past the quarry. They didn't want to chance it. "Good. We'll take you home and then be on our way then."
Jesus studied her. "You're different than most people I come across. There aren't too many people alive anymore with kindness like you."
"Well, I like to believe there's still a sliver of humanity left. I don't want to be part of the bad that's in the world. We have a community. We've taken some losses but we're trying to grow. Trying to sustain. We have families, children and we just want to survive in the world now."
Jesus smiled. "That's beautiful. That was the mission of the hilltop." He said and let Zeus's head.
"Was?" Bella asked.
Jesus sighed. "Its hard to keep a community growing. We found our own hardships. We have little security. We have some crops but it's hard like I said."
"Do you want walls?"
"Oh yeah. We have high walls. The dead stay out. It's the bandits that give more trouble." Jesus said and shook his head. "Either way. It is what it is."
Bella thought about that. "Bandits?"
Jesus nodded. "Well. That's what I call them anyways."
Bella frowned. "They're giving you a problem?"
"They take more than half our resources. Gregory… our leader he just. I know it's because we don't have the men to fight back but it's been hard." Jesus said with a nod.
Bella was quiet a moment in thought. "Do these bandits have a name?"
"They call themselves the Saviors." Jesus relayed. "I know there's more of them than there are of us."
"So they have a separate compound?" Bella asked.
Jesus nodded. "I assume so. They would have to with how much they take."
"Do you have children at the Hilltop?" Bella asked.
Zeus growled and it snapped Bella's attention towards a dozen walkers heading their way. Bella moved without hesitation and took her knives from her side, flicking three knives out and nailing the walkers in the head. She strung an arrow, fired it then another one before she took her machete out and sliced through walker after walker before Sam and Jasper ran over to help but she was already done.
"Find anything?" Bella said going and retrieving her knives and arrows.
Jesus was sitting in the back of the truck in shock of Bella's movement and speed.
"Some stuff. We got the horse to come to us. I have it saddled in the barn." Jasper said and looked around. "I'll get her loaded up so we can move out. They're starting to crawl around here too much."
Bella nodded. "Alright good." She said and looked at Sam. "Get the truck turned around and backed up. Close the distance we'll leave immediately after the horse is loaded."
"Copy Master Sergeant." Sam said and he got in the driver's side while Bella hopped back up in the bed of the truck.
Jesus blinked a couple times and looked at Bella. "You are incredible."
Bella waved it away. "Tell me more about these Saviors."
[The Hilltop]
Bella walked with Jesus and Zeus towards the Hilltop. She wanted Jasper and Sam to take the cattle back to Alexandria. She also wanted him to alert Rick of what was happening. Jasper felt uneasy about it, but he listened.
Jesus stopped at the gate. "Nathan, open up. It's me."
Bella stood with Jesus, Zeus at her side as the large gate opened. She studied the walls. They were tall, some wooden panels and some were made from sheets of metal. The gate seemed to be a manual crank. When the gate opened, she saw the metal FEMA trailers and then there was a large house that sat up on the large hilltop. It was a larger house brick with white columns in the front. There were other camps set up and they had some pens set up with some different animals like goats, and there were chickens. They had gardens with vegetables and seemed to have a good system going on. She saw some children playing as well.
Zeus walked calmly beside Bella and Jesus as they made their way to the house on the hilltop.
"Greg… is an acquired taste."
Bella raised a brow as they stopped walking to stand right outside. "I'm not here to like the guy Jesus, I'm here to bring you back home and to ask about the Saviors issue."
Jesus nodded then opened the door and they walked inside.
Greg was an older man, grey hair with a receding hairline, a trimmed matching goatee and his eyes were a darker shade of blue. He wore a suit, odd for the apocalypse, but Bella looked past that. "Jesus, you've brought a friend." He said with a slimy smile.
Jesus nodded. "Greg, this is Bella. She saved my life today. Unfortunately, Brian didn't make it."
Greg frowned, not likely that news. "Oh no, that's no good. What happened?"
"Crashed the vehicle and flipped it. Brian wasn't wearing a seatbelt and he went through the windshield." Jesus said. "Um, Bella is the leader of a community. She wanted to talk more about the issues we're having with the Saviors."
Bella nodded. "Nice to meet you Greg. Jesus told me about the Saviors. I just had some curious questions about the arrangement you have with them."
"Well. The Saviors, they uh, they are just some friends of ours that we share-"
"Cut the bullshit. I don't care if they're the second coming of Jesus. No pun intended." She said, glancing at Jesus and then back at Greg. She could spot a bullshitter a mile away. "Listen Greg, I don't care about what they have on you. Or why you agreed to jeopardize the community for thugs, I just know you have children here that don't deserve that."
Greg pursed his lips. "You don't understand-"
"I understand that you are giving over half of your resources to the Saviors. Now, Jesus didn't tell me the details behind why you landed on that agreement. And honestly I don't care. I'm interested in who they are. I have my own community to support and defend and I would like to know if there are bandits in my area." Bella was straight and to the point.
Greg glared at Jesus and then looked back at Bella. "It's none of your business. You should leave."
"Wait. Greg, what if we can put an end to the Saviors? We can work together." Jesus suggested.
"There's no stopping the Saviors. How is bringing some girl here going to help anything."
Bella raised a brow and made a hmph noise. "Alright. This girl is an Army Ranger. That's special forces. I'm also a doctor, surgeon. I also have taken down large compounds and have more experience in my pinky finger than you do in your whole body. I know how to defend my community. My advice is to find more guns, learn to work with nonchemical explosives and stop being so god damn arrogant. You're these peoples leader and you just tried to bullshit me. Both of you." She said and looked at Jesus. "You, aren't a bad person. I can see that, Zeus sees that. But you thought that introducing me to this shitbag was going to inspire me to feel sorry for the Hilltop and what? Offer defense? Offer my help? Do you think you have something I need, because you don't." She said and looked back at Greg. "You're pathetic."
"Why I never. You need to leave, now." Greg said, his tone clipped.
Bella nodded and looked to Jesus. "It was nice meeting you Jesus. Best of luck." She said and then she clicked her tongue and started to leave. Greg made a motion and two men moved forward. Zeus growled, showing his teeth. Bella smirked a little. "You really think you're going to stop me from walking away?"
"You know where our community is." Greg said, his voice serious.
Bella nodded. "Yeah, I do. What part of special forces didn't you understand? I'm the deadliest weapon in this room Greg, I suggest you tell your henchmen to standdown."
Jesus looked at Greg. "Greg, this is wrong. She could have helped." he said and looked at Bella. "I'm not trying to bullshit you Bella. I genuinely want to help the Hilltop."
"You might, but he doesn't." Bella said and when the two men rushed her, she reacted fast and before Greg knew it, Zeus had him on his back and he was snarling in his face, and Bella had the two men knocked out.
Greg put his hands up to block his face when Bella turned and clicked her tongue and Zeus stood down.
"Now, I don't care about this place. I don't need it, but I do suggest you figure out a better way to protect this place. I will offer this as my parting gift. I have room in my community for the children and their family's. I will keep them safe." She offered.
"You are insane. I barely know you. Why would I trust that you can protect them?"
"Because I have 11 more like Zeus at home." Bella said. "And because I have the experience. I have protected and rebuilt after being attacked by bandits. Have you?" She said and walked closer, looking down at Greg. "Get your shit together Greg or you'll be sorry." She said then looked at Jesus. "Route 44. There's a power station outpost. That is where I will leave a walkie. If you ever want to talk about the children. That's how you'll contact me." She said and she walked out of the house with Zeus following her. She walked towards the gate and Jesus came out and motioned to the guards to open the gate for her.
Bella left, Zeus by her side, walking away from the Hilltop with little information about the Saviors other than Bella didn't want to have a run in with them.