Chapter 63:The truth is never what it seems

'Dying men speak true.'

Becca was hesitant to go into town, but she knew it was something they had to do. Everyone knew she was pregnant. There wasn't any use hiding it anymore. Where would she go anyway? The only thing left to do was stay and fight.

Harold and his deputies cuffed Tommy and Francis. They wouldn't kill them. They could potentially get information from them. They could lead them to the others.

Tommy and Francis weren't talking. Not yet anyway. She knew Joel and Harold were going to torture them to get whatever they needed before they were killed. She hoped she could watch. She didn't want to miss a damn thing.

Becca looked around the living room as everyone talked, trying to figure out the next course of action. All she could do was stare at her grandfather. She didn't understand how this could happen. Why can't people just stay dead?

Joel walked over to her and sat on the coffee table in front of her as she sat on the couch. He placed his hand on her stomach as he looked over her battered face,'Is the baby okay?'

'I think so.' She nodded slowly,'I can feel the baby moving. I'm not bleeding or hurting.' She saw the relief on his face and sighed, whispering,'Are you okay?' She looked over at Tommy,'With everything happening?'

He sighed as he shook his head,'I don't know. I don't think it's fully hit me yet.' He glared over at Tommy,'I never thought he would capable of something like this. Never in my life.' He ran a shaky hand through his hair as tears filled his eyes,'It hurts so bad to know he's done something like this, Becca. I wanna kill him.'

She saw the rage in his face. The betrayal was devastating to him and probably something he wouldn't get over for a very long time. She never expected her brother to betray them like this. Then again, she never expected her grandfather to be alive either.

She looked over at Maria, who was standing with Betsy and Am. Maria kept looking over at Tommy with sadness and disgust in her eyes. She looked like she wanted to kill him too. She would have to wait in line.

'So do I.' She whispered admittedly. She took a deep breath and she jerked her head towards her grandfather,'I destroyed his research only for him to be alive anyway.' She blinked away tears and shook her head,'My grandma had been devastated when he died. She never remarried or dated after him.' She gritted her teeth in anger,'And he's been right under our noses this entire time.'

Joel looked over at Francis and frowned,'That fucker is gonna get his day too after what he did to you.' He nodded,'I can promise you that.'

She looked over his face as he placed his hands on her legs. She looked at Aaron's severed head still laying on the floor,'No one knows where the rest of the council are.'

'They ain't in the tunnels.' He snorted,'There were a lot of clickers though.' He shook his head and sighed,'They're giving people the fucking virus so they can experiment on them. They killed Joshua and Katie.' He saw her eyes widened in surprise,'There were children in tanks, Becca.'

She closed her eyes as she felt their baby stirring inside her. She felt him squeeze her legs as tears fell down her face,'They don't want to kill me until after the baby is born. They want us both, Joel.'

He nodded and narrowed his eyes,'Well they ain't gonna get ya. You heard Harold. Almost half the town's on our side.'

She nodded silently, wishing she could believe his words. She thought about what Francis said. They wouldn't able to stop them. They didn't even know how many of them were coming.

Ellie walked over to them and sat down on the couch next to Becca. She averted her eyes between them and frowned, whispering,'How many of them are there?'

Joel frowned at the same exact question Becca asked. He shrugged as he averted his eyes between the two women,'We haven't figured that out yet. But we will. I promise you we will.'

Ellie nodded as she looked over at Lizzie,'I hope so.'

Harold looked over and Becca and Joel, shouting out to them,'Time to head out!'

Joel got up from the coffee table and helped pull her up. He kept his hand in hers. He didn't want to let her go. When he saw her bruised face and tied up to the chair, he's never felt fear like that before. He had been so close to losing her so many times. He didn't think his heart could take another one.

Joel picked up his knapsack of weapons and hoisted it over his shoulder,'Let's get one thing straight before we go. You're not my sheriff. I appreciate ya helping us, but I won't forget what you did to my wife.' He narrowed his eyes,'I don't take rules from anyone, but I will help. Just as long as you're not like my piece of shit, brother.'

Harold took a step back at the lethal look on Joel's face,'Understood, Mr. Miller.' He shrugged,'No offense taken. I understand better than you think I do.' He met his gaze, letting the man know he was serious,'I want this resolved as much as you do. Most of us want our town back. We just want things back to the way they used to be. We don't want violence. We just want peace.'

Joel's features were stoic as his eyes searched his face,'Me and my family want the same.' He nodded,'When this is over with we wanna be left alone. I'll help out in town, but that's as far as it goes. This is our home and I ain't lettin no one take it from us.'

'You don't have to worry about that.' He nodded,'I respect that and none of us ever wanted to give you and your family trouble. We're looking for the same thing you are.' He looked over at Francis and Tommy in disgust,'Most of us anyway.' He held his hand out for him to shake,'Truce?'

Joel stared at his hand for a moment and shook it quickly,'Truce.'

He figured it was better than arguing with the man. While he didn't trust Harold, he knew he was a loyal family man. He did save their lives. That had to count for something.

Harold let go of his hand and sighed,'We're going into town. A lot of people are in the town hall for safety. The council has abandoned the town. The only one we could find is Aaron.'

'Where do you think they are?' Joel frowned,'Did you check their houses?'

'Yeah.' Harold nodded.'We can't find a damn thing. They didn't take their clothes or anything.'

'They're planning something.' Becca sighed as she looked over at Francis,'Maybe he knows where they are.'

Francis rolled his eyes and scoffed,'Like I would tell you.'

Joel had just about enough of the old man. He walked over to him and punched him in the mouth, sending him back against the wall. He smirked as he saw the blood dripping from his mouth and a few teeth that popped out onto the floor.

Francis eyes widened as he started laughing, the blood pooling inside his mouth,'Oh, this is getting good.'

Joel narrowed his eyes at Tommy and pointed his index finger in his face,'Don't think I won't do the same to you.'

Maria snorted and shook her head,'God forbid you ruin his pretty smile.' She walked over to him and took off her engagement and wedding ring,'I never want to see you again after this. We're divorced. I hope it was worth it.'

She threw the rings at him and Becca was reminded of that fateful night Joel discovered her 'Firefly' uniform. Tommy had witnessed the entire thing. He was probably smug and gave himself a pat on the back for a job well done.

Now Tommy would understand the embarrassment she suffered at his hands. He would be alone and left with people who didn't give a goddamn about him either way. He would finally understand what it was like to be alone without anyone to help you.

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Becca was nervous as they headed into town. She kept her arms firmly wrapped around Joel's waist as she sat behind him on the horse. She rested her cheek against his back and closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths to calm her anxiety.

She wouldn't be able to hide her pregnancy. Everyone in the town hall would know she's pregnant. They may try to hand her over to the council in order to save themselves. She wouldn't be shocked nor surprised.

They stopped at the jailhouse so they could lock up Francis and Tommy. Harold kept his best deputies to watch over them. She didn't have high hopes. She had been in that jail for almost two days. They mostly slept on the job rather than watching her.

She felt an uneasiness as they headed to the town hall. Joel climbed off the horse first as he grabbed onto her waist to help her down. She wasn't as agile as she used to be.

Ellie grabbed Becca's hand tightly. She smiled down at the teenager and squeezed her hand, whispering,'You'll be okay. I promise I won't let anyone hurt you.'

'They're gonna know you're pregnant.' Ellie frowned,'You have to be safe too.'

Joel smiled at the persistence in her tone. He was grateful Becca and Ellie could handle the situation. He didn't know what he would do if he had to deal with hysterical women. He wasn't good with all that. He still had difficulty trying to handle his wife's mood swings.

Becca bent down in front of her as she held her face in her hands,'I'm so proud of the way you've been handling all this. I'm so proud. I'll be safe. We'll be safe.'

Ellie nodded and gave her a small smile,'When this over we need a vacation.' She shrugged,'I don't know where, but we're gonna.'

Joel smirked as he crossed his arms over his chest,'I'll make sure to book the flights to Hawaii.'

Becca laughed as Ellie rolled her eyes. Something's never change. She was glad to see they still had their sense of humor. They didn't completely strip away Ellie's identity.

Joel wrapped his arm around Becca's shoulders as she held tightly onto Ellie's hand. They walked into the town hall, seeing almost a hundred people inside. They recognized all of them.

They were moved by how many people came out to help them. They never expected anyone in town to show up like this. They've always been somewhat of an outcast. They lived away from everyone and kept to themselves out on the ranch.

They didn't understand why they kept themselves sequestered. They didn't feel the need to explain or apologize to anyone.

They showed up for them though. Just as they did at Becca's council meeting.

They walked down the aisle to find a seat. Becca could feel everyone's eyes on her. She saw some of them staring at her pregnant stomach in shock. She knew her face was banged up as well. There was no telling what was running through their minds. She honestly didn't care what they about her.

None of townspeople seemed to know she was pregnant. Yet, the council seemed to know everything. She hoped the council would return. She wanted do watch as they were sent to the gallows for treason. She would have a front row seat to see the spectacle.

The same thing would happen to Tommy and Francis as well. She was convinced Tommy was the one who shot her that night, but he would never admit it. He was two faced, but seemed to be loyal to the cause. He chose a supposed vaccine over his own wife and son. There would be a special place in Hell for people like him.

These people were victims too. They were collateral damage as Francis would say.

Becca, Ellie, Joel, Lizzie, Maria, Betsy and Am all sat together. Harold walked up the podium, looking around at the group.

Joel narrowed his eyes as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the seat. He wasn't thrilled with Harold leading anything. He couldn't even lead his police force properly. They were a bunch of bumbling fools.

Harold smacked the the hammer down onto the podium to get everyone's attention. Everyone became silent as they focused on Harold.

Joel got up from his seat and yanked the hammer out of his hands, glaring up at him,'That's enough of that. We ain't doin this Law and Order shit anymore. Just say what ya gotta say and drop the fuckin theatrics.'

Harold's eyes widened as he swallowed harshly, slowly nodding his head as he spoke into the microphone,'I know that most of you are scared and don't know what's going on.' He sighed,'We're all scared.'

A man from town stood up and pointed his finger at him,'I brought my family here because you promised me this place would be safe.' He shook his head as tears filled his eyes,'I have no one else left but my wife.'

Harold hung his head and sighed,'When I asked you come here, Dalton, I had no idea what was going to happen.'

'They killed our kids!' A woman shouted from the crowd.

Harold held up his hand and sighed,'I know. They killed mine too.'

Becca's eyes widened at his realization. She wondered if Harold was unknowingly tasked to bring them here. Why were children being killed? Were they lured here because they were immune?

Other people in the crowd starting shouting as Harold struggled to control the chaos. Joel stared up at the man, almost feeling sorry for him.

Almost.

Joel got up from the bench and stood in front of the room,'The council is behind a lot of this. Harold didn't know just as much as everyone else.' His eyes scanned the entire room as he took a deep breath to suppress his anger,'They've been conducting experiments on your child because they're immune to the virus. The council used your kids to try and cure your loved ones. It's easy for you to blame someone when this has been going right underneath you for years. Literally.'

He wouldn't tell them about the tunnels. He wouldn't play that card just yet. He didn't want to give too much away at once.

Joel shrugged as he kept his focus on Becca,'You're either with us or against us. You want to side with those fuckers and get yourselves killed than be my guest.'Make your choice.'

The townsfolk were silent a moment before they all erupted in agreement, raising their rifles high in the air. Joel took a deep breath. He wasn't used to fighting with anyone else but himself. He was used to being alone to fight his battles. Not anymore.

Joel walked over to Becca and sat down next to her. She turned to him and smiled softly, whispering,'You're really good at public speaking.' She smirked,'You should be the sheriff.'

He snorted and shook his head,'I wouldn't last a day. I'd end up hanging my own damned self.'

She covered her mouth to hide her laugh. He smiled fondly at her. They didn't take away her personality. He knew she was afraid, but she was being brave for their children. That was the strongest kind of woman in his book.

After the meeting, the townsfolk stayed and hunkered down. They were too afraid to go back to the houses. They didn't want to be left vulnerable.

Maria left to go to the bunker and check on Sebastian. She was scared something happen to him or someone took him. Too many people went missing in this town. She refused to let her son be another one to end up as one of their experiments.

Becca. Lizzie and Ellie were sitting on one of the couches by the window. They kept vigil and stared out the window, making sure no one was coming.

Ellie looked over at Becca, who had her hands over her stomach, rubbing it soothingly,'Is the baby okay, Becca?'

'Yeah.' She nodded and gave her a small smile,'One of the nurses here checked me out. My vitals are good. My blood pressure is a little high though.'

Joel overheard the conversation and went over to them, his eyes staring down at Becca in concern,'Your blood pressure is high?' He frowned,'Why? Are you sick?'

'I'm not sick.' She smiled wryly,'I'm just pregnant. Of course my blood pressure would be high. This isn't exactly a walk on the beach, you know?'

He snorted and shook his head,'It sure isn't.' He sighed as he sat on the arm of the couch,'Me, Harold and a couple other guys are going to the jailhouse tonight. We want them to talk.'

Becca nodded as she looked up at him,'I want to be there.'

'Me too.' Ellie nodded her head in agreement,'I wanna see what they know.'

Joel reluctantly nodded at the two most important people in his life. Three if you count the baby. If they wanted to see a little torture-who was he to say no? They deserved to be there just as much as he did.

Maybe even more.

Up next: Joel and the gang go to the jailhouse to 'talk' to Tommy and Francis. Think of the Silver Lake torture scene, but make it fashion.

Also, the civil war is finally here! It's gonna be an old western shootout, folks!