Chapter 79-War Plans
Alicia's P.O.V
Daryl walked into the cabin the morning of the meeting and looked at Alicia, who was sitting on the couch. He walked over to her and sat down. "What's on your mind?" Daryl asks her seeing the look on her face.
"I've been thinking about when Merle and Ofelia were born and I couldn't leave. I was too scared that something would happen to me." Alicia tells him. "And they didn't need me when that bridge was being built."
"You wanna fight, don't you?" Daryl asked her, already knowing where this was leading.
"This group poses a big threat from what David is saying. I could sit by during the bridge. I can't sit by during this while the rest of you are out there. If they get past, it doesn't matter if I'm fighting with you or here. That's it." Alicia explains, looking at her husband dirmly.
"I ain't gonna try and stop you if that is what you're worried about. If you wanna do this and you think you can, I'll be by your side until they're dead or we're dead," Daryl firmly says.
"What about the kids?" Alicia asks.
"We can find someone to watch 'em," Daryl says. "Morgan and Rosita could. We'll figure it out."
Alicia nods. "I'm ready for this."
"I know you are," Daryl tells her.
Daryl's P.O.V
Carl, Michonne, Rick, Jesus, Reilly, Arat, Maggie, Al, Ezekiel, Carol, Daryl, Shane, Morgan, John, Alicia, Madison, Enid, David, Javier, Negan, and Clementine stood in the big cabin around a map Maggie had brought from Hilltop that Tripp had marked. "This, everybody?" Daryl asks.
"Yeah," Rick says.
"Okay, as we all know, Jesus and Carl took a group to Richmond a few days ago. As they were coming back, they were ambushed, and Kenny was killed." Daryl says. "Tripp marked this map with the route they'll-"
"I'm going back," David says, interrupting Daryl, causing the hunter to look at the semi prisoner in disbelief. "There is no point to this meeting. I am going back, and I am going stop this before it even starts. Before the fighting starts so no one has to get killed. Those are My damn people and my friend. This can stop, and all of you can go home. Understood?" David says in a demanding tone. The room was quiet and tense as Daryl stood up straight and walked around the table to stand in front of David.
"You wanna go back, go for it, but you're going back alone, not with Gabe or Kate. They'll stay here. I don't think you understand how it works here. You don't order people around. You ain't a leader here, and you ain't got no power. You wanna go back and try and talk some sense into that bitch be my quest, but that doesn't change that she dies. That everybody who helped kill Kenny dies, and if they attack anybody here, they'll die too. So if you ain't going to help, get the uck out and start walking, and don't stop," Daryl growls. "You try to take anything or anyone, and I'll put an arrow through your heart. Understood?" Daryl asks.
David stared throughout all of this, his jaw clenched...then just turned away silently back to the map.
After this as if nothing happened, Daryl walks back over to his spot by John and Shane, John saying a bit hesitant at first after that confrontation. "Anyway. As Daryl was saying, if they use the route, Tripp marked, the first place they'll hit is Hilltop."
"So that is the first place we'll start to fortify. After, we'll go to Alexandria, the Sanctuary, Kingdom, and finally the Camp." Carl says.
"Why the Camp last?" Carol asks.
"This is the most remote place we got and is the hardest to find if you don't know what you are looking for," John says. "If they do, push us all the way back. This is where we'd make our last stands. We'd set up traps and use the woods to our advantage. We know the area. They don't."
"If they do push us out of Hilltop, we go to Alexandria. That is where we'll try and kill as many of them as possible. We'll use the sewers we used to get out when Negan blew it up." Michonne says.
"You did what?!" David looked at Negan in disbelief, clearly the first he heard this.
"To be fair, no one died." Negan stated cheekily but continued seeing Rick's annoyed face "Joan will be the person in charge of this. She is the one who sent the ambush after us."
"How do you know?" Al asks him, arms crossed.
"Daniel is very good at getting information." Negan grinned "Forgot how scary he could be."
"Now, if we push them back, we keep going. We push them all the way back to Richmond and then make them give up Joan and Badger and anybody else who attacked us." Shane says.
"How do you purpose we do that?" Javier asks, clearly wanting justice for his dead niece.
"Clinton and Paul. They weren't a part of this, Daniel's going to keep Max alive, and if he tells Paul and Clinton the truth, he lives. Joan is the heart of all this." Daryl says.
David nodded, at least thankful they were going to give some of the people a chance
"All the kids will be moved here until this is over," Maggie says.
"If we are to go down, Alicia, Maggie, Al, Michonne, and Rosita will take a bus and leave with the kids before they hit the campgrounds," Rick says as he points to the map. "You will go back to the Factory and wait there for 24 hours. If we do not show up, you leave."
"This ain't going to be the same as fighting the saviors. We aren't a few hours from them. We're days. They could retreat and keep coming back. But we ain't going after them until after we know they are weak. We know this area. If they want a fight, they're going to fight on our field. On our terms, we all had to work together to beat the saviors. That's how we're going to beat Richmond, too," Daryl says. "So get some rest. You're welcome to stay here tonight if you want. We're going to be busy the next few days."
"Rick radio Eugene. Tell him to start making bombs. We should line the treeline with them." Shane says. Rick nods as he walks away, and everybody starts to split up.
"Maggie," Daryl says. "Can you stay for a minute?" Maggie nods as the others leave. "Can you do this? It's been a while since you've seen him. I can't have your emotions getting in the way again and getting someone hurt."
"I'm fine, Daryl," Maggie reassures him gently. "I don't need to like Negan or trust him. I just need him to kill the bastards trying to kill our family."
"He'll do that pretty well." Daryl snorted and left.
Staying behind for another moment, Maggie looked outside Negan talking to David, likely explaining some of the past...and just let out a breath from her nose, looking back to the maps.
Negan's P.O.V
Negan walks up to Rick slowly. "You got a minute?" Negan asks Rick, who nods after a moment.
There wasn't warmth in their eyes...more a grudging respect, hard earned but there between the two men...Rick asking soon "Everything ok?"
"Yeah, how's Carl doing with everything with Kenny?" Negan asks. "I haven't got a chance to talk to him, and I don't really want to bring it up."
"You remember what it was like to lose the first savior?" Rick asks.
"Yeah, it fucking sucked. I was on a run with the guy. There weren't that many of us at the start, but we were getting some food, and walkers showed up, and this guy. His name was Evan, and he decided that I was too important, so he grabbed a walker that was holding me and it took a bite out of his throat. Laura and I had to clear the walkers and then put him down. One of the worse feelings in the world."
"He's accepted that he couldn't change anything that happened with Kenny. He's ready to take Joan out," Rick tells him.
"Yeah he's pretty damn hard assed like that. I remember the same kid who stared me down the whole time and threatened me point blank." Negan said fondly.
"...You have a very unique sense of pride you know that?" Rick said, eyebrows raised.
"Hey I respect that! Don't worry, he'll be fine. In the meantime, you should sit down before your leg gives out," Negan says with a smirk before he walks away.
"Asshole," Rick mutters as he goes over to Michonne.
Shane's P.O.V
That night Shane, Madison, Alicia, Daryl, Carol, Rick, Michonne, Negan, Reilly, Carl, Enid, John, June, Morgan, and Ezekiel sat around a fire. "This reminds me of the night at the quarry before the walkers showed up," Carol says while looking at Carl, who smiles.
"That was a good night for a little bit. It felt normal." Carl says fondly, likely remembering those old days.
"We only showed up after the walkers showed up." Rick says.
"Where were you?" Negan asks, curious. "Let's see...Carol here was with her husband and kid, you were with your Mom with Shane taking you guys out of your town, and your Dad showed up later after getting shot, which I still have no godly fucking idea how you survived." Rick snorted, not sure either "Boss was with his racist jackass brother...missing anyone?"
Carl shook his head, everyone else from the quarry having died since then.
"Rick, Daryl, T-dog, and Glenn had gone back to Atlanta to get Merle after Rick handcuffed him to the roof after Merle threatened to kill T Dog." Shane says. "And to grab Dale's tools and a bag of guns."
"Merle had cut his hand off my then and was gone. Took our truck, so we had to run back." Rick says as he looks at Daryl, who was staring at the fire.
"Probably one of the best things to ever happen," Daryl says after a few moments.
"What do you mean?" John asks, this response giving many a bewildered looks to Daryl
"My brother was a prick, a bastard who didn't care about anybody other than himself and me. Sometimes I don't even miss him." Daryl says. The group was silent as they stared at Daryl. "He's my brother, and that made me sound like a real asshole But I've done some pretty stupid shit since this all started. If he was here, Merle would have done more stupid shit," Daryl pauses as he looks at Shane. "Merle wanted to rob you guys during the night. Leave with as many supplies as we could carry. Back then, I was basically his fucking dog, so I would have followed him, no questions asked. That didn't happen because Rick handcuffed him to that roof."
The group was silent until Shane spoke. "I'm glad you didn't do it. If you two had, I would have hunted the two of you to the end of the Earth."
"You didn't know?" June asks Shane.
"No, this is the first I've ever heard of it," Shane says, masking the anger he was feeling. "I'm gonna go get some more wood."
Shane stands up and walks away from the fire. "Shane," Alicia says as she walks up behind him, followed by Rick and Carol. "Come on. You know he wouldn't have done it."
"He was thinking about it, though. There were kids there, Alicia. Carl, Sophia, Morales, and his family," Shane says. "I know I shouldn't be pissed off about this. It was over five years ago, but it does piss me off. And he would have. You never saw him with Merle."
"He might have helped Merle do it, but he would have never gone through with it. He would have stopped Merle because Daryl still had a heart. Even if he wasn't that good at showing it," Carol tells him.
Shane looks at Rick. "How do you feel about it?"
"Don't matter to me. It never happened, and I know Daryl well enough to know he would have never done it. Daryl's a good man, and he's always been one. Even if he didn't know it back then," Rick says. "Also, you can't give him any crap. You were more of an asshole than he was back then."
Shane chuckles and nods. "Yeah, I got it. I overreacted. Now go back to the fire. I am going to get more wood," They nod as they walk back over to the fire as Shane walks away.
Thanks for reading. The next chapter will be mostly at Hilltop and start to show how they are going to fight Richmond, as well as some more scenes in Richmond. As always, suggestions, ideas, and feedback are welcomed. Until next time.