Red River Blue
Chapter 19
"Ya better not even think about tryin' any of yer crap," Harley warned, lowering herself to one knee and looking her much younger brother in the eye. Axel nodded his head vigorously. Unlike his mother, who usually only made empty threats of punishment, he knew Harley wouldn't hesitate to whoop his ass if he started acting like a fool while she was in charge. Harley gave him one more warning glance before she rose back up to her full height and rubbed her hand roughly over the top of his head.
Axel leaned into Harley's rough embrace, hugging her around the waist. Then he took off for his mother, letting River sweep him up into her arms and hug him goodbye. Harley and Aiden were taking half their group back home to Alexandria. And Axel was going with them. His dad said he already got himself into more than enough trouble here. His parents were staying in Hilltop until they figured out if the new group was a threat they needed to worry about or just more of a nuisance they needed to keep an eye on.
Alexandria was staying to help because Glenn and Maggie were their friends. And extended family. But it was more than that. Alexandria depended on the trade deal they had with Hilltop to provide them with a large portion of their food supply. A threat to that was a threat to all of them. And Harley was already thinking that someone ought to send out messengers to the Kingdom and Oceanside. They at least ought to be informed that there was another group in the area. And that they were blending in with the walkers and controlling large herds of them. Those walker looking assholes caught her by surprise and she didn't want that happening to anyone else.
Harley glanced over their group, doing a brief headcount. Aiden was driving the wagon. Eugene was in the back with Luke. Luke was holding the baby they saved from death by crazy walker people. But the way he was holding it, Harley guessed the man didn't have much experience with kids. Mika, Carl, and Beth were on horseback. They were only missing Tyreese. Harley waved when she saw him hauling ass in their direction, smiling a little when she saw he had Connie and her sister with him. And he didn't appear to be interested in leaving them behind.
"You goin' or stayin'," Harley asked, checking over the strap on her saddle to make sure it was secure.
"I want to sponsor Connie and Kelly," Tyreese huffed in his attempt to catch his breath. Harley laughed, turning to Aiden. The good side of his face was turned up into a big grin.
"All those in favor of Tyreese gettin' laid say aye!," Harley called out, raising her hand in the air. There was a chorus of laughter and loud affirmations all around. Mika cupped her hands around her mouth and whooped it up. And despite his dark complexion, Tyreese turned about fifteen different shades of red. Kelly whipped her hands around, translating what was said to Connie, who started laughing right along with everyone else.
Kelly climbed up onto the bench seat of the wagon next to Aiden, waving furiously at Magna and Yumiko, who accepted the positions that Maggie and Glenn offered them and decided to stay at Hilltop. Tyreese lifted Connie up into the wagon like she was the most precious cargo on board. Then he climbed up himself, eagerly taking the baby from Luke and settling her down in his lap. Axel finished hugging his mother and climbed up into the wagon, eager to wriggle in close to the little girl in Tyreese's arms. Watching her brother with the baby made Harley feel a little nostalgic for her own childhood. She was just a little younger than Axel when Wren was born. And she could still remember how much she loved holding and playing with her when she was a baby. It was like having a real live baby doll. And since her dad was in jail at the time, she got plenty of opportunities to play second mother to her sister. River was her mother. And she was a good mother. But she was never an authoritative figure in Harley's life. They were more like a team, working together to make sure Wren never wanted for anything.
Harley swung herself up onto her horse, grateful that after she said goodbye to Rick back at the cabin, that he heeded her warning not to come out to the gates and make a scene. Watching her mother get all emotional was bad enough.
Harley nodded to Aiden. And he cracked the reins, signaling the horses to move. It always took a little momentum to get the wagon rolling. And this time was no different. But soon they were passing through the open gates and heading for the road that would lead them home. Just as the gates were about to snap shut, Harley heard someone yelling for them to stop. To wait. She pulled back on her reins, stopping her horse and turning the animal around.
Henry, the boy that was visiting from the Kingdom, came rushing through the gates with a backpack on. He was hollering for them to wait for him.
"I wanna go with you," he huffed. "Please can I go?" Harley rolled her eyes and shook her head at the boy, who was casting his longing lovesick look at Mika. Harley looked at Aiden to see if he had any objection to the kid coming with them. He shrugged. Since Henry wasn't a stranger, he didn't need a sponsor to come visiting at Alexandria. Though Harley doubted he had permission from his parents to make such a journey.
"If you're coming," Mika said, "...then come on." Henry's face lit up like it was Christmas morning. "Keep yer weapons on ya and toss your bag in the wagon," Mika told him. He hurried to do as she said. Then Henry swung himself up onto her horse behind her. He wrapped arms around her slim waist, jerking them back when he heard her hiss in pain. She took his hands, placing them on her hips instead and explained that she was kicked in her ribs by the people that snatched her.
"You don't think we'll see them out here, do you?," Henry asked. Mika shook her head. Those walker people were going to need time to regroup after the little show they just put on. That's why their group was leaving for Alexandria now. Before Lydia's group had time to get any ideas about causing them any more trouble.
Aiden signaled the horses to head off for the second time. And they made it just to the edge of the cornfields before they were greeted by another unexpected visitor. Negan stepped out from between the rows of stalks, holding his palms up towards them.
"Got room for one more," he asked. Harley snorted and rolled her eyes at the man, wondering the same thing she often wondered when she saw him. Did he have an actual death wish? Or was he just plain stupid?
"Take a look at your handiwork," Adien suggested, lifting up the patch that covered his empty eye socket. "Does it look like I'm about to let your ass in this wagon?"
Harley cringed at the sight of Aiden's disfigured face. When Rosita tried to shoot Negan, Aiden stepped in to protect her. Negan grabbed him instead. Then he had one of his soldiers cut Aiden's eye out in front of everyone. As a lesson. So they would know that would happen to anyone that thought they might want to challenge him. The sound of Aiden's screams while it was happening were something Harley still heard in her nightmares.
"Haven't you caused enough trouble already?," Tyreese asked. Unlike Adien, who's anger was still fresh all these years later, Tyreese sounded more diplomatic. Like he was really just trying to be helpful. He gave Negan a disapproving look. "Just go on back to town. Before you start any more."
"There's a group waiting to ambush you on your way back," Negan announced.
"Oh yeah?," Harley asked, "...how do you know?"
Maggie and Glenn stopped keeping him locked up years ago. But as far as Harley knew, they still kept the man on a pretty tight leash. Negan wasn't supposed to leave the walls without permission. Though in a community as large and spread out as Hilltop, that was probably hard to enforce. And he was standing here, clearly outside the walls. Without permission.
"I know cause I know them," Negan admitted. Harley narrowed her eyes at him, trying to decide if she believed him. The saviors were disbanded long ago. Most of them were contributing members of the communities that absorbed them. There were even a few in Alexandria. The ones that weren't interested in joining up and playing nice, were told to leave the area. Which most of them did. But there were still a few rogue bands of them, hanging around and causing trouble. They liked to catch smaller groups when they traveled between the communities and rob them. A couple times they took the people hostage and ransomed them back to their families. Though they seemed to know better than to try that with Alexandria.
"If yer lyin'," Harley warned, "...I'm gonna shoot ya right between the eyes."
"Fair enough," Negan agreed. He stepped forward and took her hand, swinging his lanky body up onto the horse behind her. Once he was seated, Harley dug her heels in, spurring her horse off at a brisk pace, eager to get away from Hilltop before any more trouble showed up.