WARRIORS OF THE WALKING DEAD: SAVIORS OF MANKIND
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Rick stood in surprised silence as the results from the "mayoral" issue of Deer Creek were announced. It was unanimous; the civilians all nominated him. Rachel patted him on the back, stopping to clap when everyone began. Daryl smirked when he saw Rick's face, but a part of him was worried that Rick wasn't up for it. He'd just been through too much and this was a major responsibility.
All of the Atlanta survivors patted him on the shoulder as they gathered around him to congratulate him, but Rick didn't feel like he'd won anything. He felt more like his coffin had just been sealed and he was being lowered into his grave.
"What say you? Do you accept the people's nomination?" Charlie Baker asked. Charlie had once been on the city council of Kansas City and ran the meeting as officially as he could.
Daryl looked at Rick, nudging him in the arm when they'd been waiting for a long time. Everyone else stared expectantly.
Rick's eyes were wide and unfocused as he grappled with the news. Rachel cringed, thinking she should probably have warned him before now. Slipping her arm in his, trying to look non-chalant so no one would notice that she was jostling him a bit so he'd snap out of it. Rick slowly turned his head to look at her and that's when Rachel realized that Rick was utterly shocked.
Shit. She thought to herself. I definitely should have warned him.
"Let's give him some time to think about it, shall we?" Rachel said, trying to cover for him a bit and give him some time to calm down. "We can reconvene tomorrow."
With that, she led him out of the room, followed by Daryl who knew something was wrong, and the rest of the Atlanta group.
Taking him back to their tents, Rachel walked him inside and sat him down.
"You okay?" Rachel asked, pressing a glass a whiskey that Daryl poured for him the minute he got there.
"I can't. I can't do this. I can't go through this again." Rick mumbled, making Rachel look at Daryl with a worried expression that was mirrored by his own.
"Rick. Look...if you're gonna live in Deer Creek, you're gonna be part of what goes on there. I've only known you for a year now, but you're not the kinda guy to just sit back and let shit happen if you don't agree with it. One way or another, you're gonna be up in Deer Creek's business." Daryl said trying to get him to understand.
"I can't be responsible for all of those people...not after…everything." Rick said desperately, looking at Daryl.
Daryl felt bad for him, but he'd decided long ago that he had Rick's back and he meant it. No matter what.
"You're not alone. Every one of us is with you. We've all made the commitment to make Deer Creek a home. We're not gonna abandon you." Daryl insisted, letting him know that they were there for him.
Katelyn walked over beside Daryl quietly and smiled supportively at Rick.
"Rick. You've saved all of our lives…more than once. It's not really a choice. It's just who you are. You might as well make it official." Katelyn said softly.
Rick sighed. He knew what they were saying was true. He would take care of the people in need no matter who was in charge. He didn't know who else they'd nominate, but he knew after the past year of taking care of the survivors, he wouldn't ever be able to be someone else.
Rick smiled ironically and looked at Daryl with a cold smile.
"Well, if I'm gonna be mayor, then you get to be sheriff." Rick stated.
Shit. He'd walked right into that one.
Katelyn chuckled as Daryl ran his hand through his hair.
"I can't be no sheriff. Shit. Look who you're talking to" Daryl blurted out, laughing at the ridiculousness of that comment.
"You've already been sheriff, Daryl. You've protected this group just as much as I have. You've acted in the best interest of the group at every turn and that's what we need." Rick said, knowing that he couldn't do this job alone and Daryl had become a very valued member of the group. He'd proven himself time and again. Sure, he was hot tempered and could be ruthless, but he'd grown over the months and had learned to moderate his decisions. He'd separated himself from his brother's influence and now he was the leader in their family. Merle now looked to Daryl, and that's the mark of honor and integrity. The kind of man that people could depend on.
"I ain't wearin' no uniform." Daryl said, earning a chuckle from Katelyn, Rick and Rachel.
Rick nodded.
"All right. No uniform. We're a small enough community that everyone knows you." Rick agreed.
Everyone stared at him, waiting for an answer.
"All right fine. At least until we all get on our feet." Daryl said, swearing under his breath.
Katelyn squeezed his hand and kissed him on the cheek.
Rick and Daryl together were unstoppable and she was proud to know them.
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He watched from the woods, his binoculars up to his face. They'd put twenty railcars end to end, stretching across a portion of the unwalled development in a clever solution to both their housing issue as well as their need for a wall. They'd also built several longhouse style buildings and a bathhouse of sorts.
He had to give them credit; They were creative.
Taking out his notepad, he jotted down the number of civilians he saw and the buildings and services they had gotten up and running. He counted the soldiers as well but it was hard to get an accurate number because they worked in shifts. He jotted down who was in charge of what and even though he didn't know names on all of them, he described them so he wouldn't forget.
He knew that their new "mayor" was named Rick and that the 2 women who were training the soldiers in fighting the walkers were Andrea and Michonne. Andrea being the one that he helped out when the herd came. The one she'd been with that day was named Rachel. He didn't know the name of the one with the crossbow, but he was frequently sought out by others and spent a lot of time with Rick so he knew he held some sort of position as well.
Sliding the notepad into his pocket, he heard the sounds of a jeep and looked up. He raised his binoculars to look and saw Major Jackson Reese entering the Deer Creek development.
Major Jackson Reese. Dozens of operations in Pakistan, Sudan, Kosovo, and Liberia. Two tours in Iraq, two in Afghanistan. Distinguished Service Medal, Medal of Honor, and a Bronze Star recipient. Thirty-seven years old. Parents deceased, two sisters condition unknown, one brother; Marine Force Recon, died in Afghanistan in 2010. Pregnant wife deceased from disease. Daughter, age 2, deceased from disease. Currently stationed in Colorado. Recently was in possession of viral DNA sequence via CDC doctor Madeline Hill. Current status: AWOL.
Major Jackson Reese was an enigma. You didn't find many guys with that kind of record, willing to risk it all by refusing orders and he needed to know why. That left only one option.
Shoving his things into his pack, Michael headed for his secret hideout so he could stash any gear that might give his identity away.
"All right, everyone. The semi's are here with furniture and other needed items. We are going to move it into your homes with those in need getting served first. I know that some of you are being housed together for now, but please be patient. We'll eventually have time to build more homes so that every family can have their own, but for now, we need to build the community. In a month, we'll be able to start digging up the soil and preparing it for planting." Rick said, looking out at the gathered people.
"When will we get power?" Benjamin Porter asked from the crowd.
"Power will hopefully be up and running within the next two weeks. We've situated the generators in the sheds and are working on hooking everyone up without burning out the generators. Right now, there are 10 buildings that have power, including this one and the community showers." Rick stated, earning him murmurs of approval.
"The next order of business is patrol and watch duty. We'll have a rotating schedule with those of you who've been trained. Training is going to be mandatory and so is watch duty. Once we have enough people trained, we'll be able to make it voluntary but for now, we need everybody to help out with this. Also, we've got two soldiers who have expertise in farming who will be coming to teach all of us and oversee the planting process in a month. They've been working with Glenn's team to get the necessary equipment." Rick continued.
"We have groups assigned to patrols this week while training goes on. Please, everyone sign up with myself or Michonne for walker training. We'd like children over the age of 8 to train as well. Just in case." Andrea stated when Rick gestured to her.
"All right. If no one has any pressing questions, you can all go. Remember, the semi's are out front and waiting. The soldiers are standing by to help carry your loads to your homes. Beds have already been dropped off. If you need keys, come see me and those of you who are staying in the longhouse bunks...see Tyreese. He's in charge of that." Rick called out.
Everyone filed out of the building to locate their stuff.