Chapter 125- Monster
Daryl's P.O.V
Daryl fires his crossbow into the herd and hits a walker in the head, causing Beta to look up at him as Daryl reloads his crossbow and shoots another walker in the head, just missing Beta as he slowly stepped to the side without pause, his gaze steady on the building guiding the horde as it starts to move toward the building front. Daryl goes inside yelling "They'll probably split up. You guys stay here. I'll take the other side of the building!"
"By yourself?" Alden gaped at him, clearly wondering if Daryl had lost his mind.
"I'll be fine," Daryl says.
"You're hoping Beta is there!" Clementine accused.
"Damn right I am," Daryl says. "I'm sick of my people dying. I hope that fucker comes after me so I can kill him. Get ready," Daryl says as he walks away, ignoring Clementine's shouts to get back
Alden's P.O.V.
Alden, Clementine, and Connie watch Daryl walk away. "He's on a warpath," Clementine snarled, rubbing her hat.
"He's lost two of his people in the last four days. I can't say I blame him," Alden says. "Daryl can handle himself."
"I know he can, what I'm worried about is that he'll do something else stupid," Clementine says. "Let's get to work."
Soon enough they heard the dead coming up the stairs, as Connie gestured to the door frantically.
Alden grimaced, turning "Clementine we have to worry about the others, Daryl will be fine."
"He better."
John's P.O.V.
John walked into the radio room and sat down to give an update. "This is the Kingdom to Alexandria. Alexandria, do you copy?" John asks.
"Alexandria copies." Michonne says. "What do you need, John?"
"I wanna talk to you, everyone else is busy shoring up the defenses." John looked down, pausing for a minute then dove in. "About the fair."
"What about the fair?" Michonne asked warily, her tone indicating some wariness.
"I think it is a bad idea, with everything that is going on with the Whisperers, because of what happened to Dwight and Troy. They could attack us while the fair is going on, I mean people from all communities gathered in one place. That seems too rich of a target."
"I agree with you John, I was actually planning on talking to Rick and Ezekiel about it. But I can't do anything about it here. You can talk with Ezekiel and get him to postpone the fair until the Whisperers are dealt with." Michonne says.
John grimaced, thinking Rick would be better suited due to his and Ezekiel's history...but knew that Rick was helping Carol with setting up patrol routes in case Alpha returned for her daughter.
"I'll try." John reassured as he walks away from the radio.
Ezekiel's P.O.V
Ezekiel sat in the theater, going over a map of the Kingdom, marking down where people would be setting up stalls. He had currently marked where Tammy and Earl said they would set their's when he heard the doors open. He looked at the entrance as John walked in. "John, what can I do for you?" Ezekiel asks friendly but surprised.
"I would like to talk to you about the fair." John says as he walks up to the stage.
"What about it?" Ezekiel asks, blinking down at the former officer, his lips pressed.
"I think we should postpone it. No no not cancel it Zeke just postpone it." John says.
"No." Ezekiel says with finality
"We have to deal with the Whisperers." John explained, gesturing outside. "They have already killed Troy and Dwight, they burnt down Oceanside. All of our focus needs to go to them, I mean for God sake Ezekiel we literally have a clearly hostile threat at our doorstep. It can not be focused on some fair!"
"This fair is very important, especially in times like this, when people are scared and worried. It is very important to the Alliance, to our people, to the New World, to hope." Ezekiel says. "Daryl told me that when he met you. You gave him hope. You inspire hope, John Dorie. What has changed? What happened to that man."
"That man is dying with his brothers and family!" John argued to the King of the Kingdom. "He's lost's two of his best friends in less than five days. He just wants to keep the family he has left alive. I want to keep my wife, my son, and my father alive if that means that the fair needs to be postponed and not become a damn beacon for those insane Skin wearers!"
"The fair will not be postponed. It will go on as planned." Ezekiel said in finality with warning "This is my community, this is my choice, and I know Carol would agree with me."
"You'll regret this, Ezekiel." John promised before he walks away from the man.
Staring after him the King gave the cowboy a frustrated look but when back to the Kingdom map, a sudden sense of unease filling him.
Rick's P.O.V
Rick stood in the ampitheather looking around at the gathered members sitting across the seats. Carl, Negan, John, Magna, Ezekiel, Carol, Shane, Madison, Reilly, Morgan, Jesus, Jerry, Rosita, Maggie, Alicia, and Nick had all been gathered across the vast room.
Nodding as Ezekiel stood next to him, Rick said first "Thank you all for coming, let's get this started."
"So what's the plan?" Madison asks to start things off.
"We know that Alpha has a couple of dozen men and if what Lydia says is true, she has a herd, one bigger than any of us have ever seen, one that will kill us all." Rick says.
"You are not giving me a lot of hope right now, Rick." Negan deadpanned, his feet kicked up on the seat in front of him. "Is that the good news or the bad news?"
Rick carried on, as he saw Ezekiel looked angered at the deposed leader's cavalier attitude, saying "Seeing as they clearly have the numbers advantage in the dead we need to have suggestions. Thoughts?"
"These people are almost like a cult." Magna informed. "We saw it yesterday."
"Can you get Lydia?" Rick asks Negan, who raised an eyebrow but nods as he walks away, with a few giving questioning looks, Shane standing "Whoa whoa...Rick man uh...are you sure about this? She's Alpha's daughter."
Rick looked at Shane firmly "Yes I am. She's scared of her and was abused by her, I think she'll be willing to help us."
Carl added "And Arya trusts her, that's enough for me too."
Nodding at his son in thanks, Rick went over his head what to say. On one hand, this girl was clearly wanting to stay here and was awed at the Kingdom but on the other she was still the daughter of the leader of the Whisperers.
A minute later, Negan came back with Lydia, Rick walking forward saying softly to the nervous girl, looking around at the crowded theater. "I need to ask you some questions about your...About your mother's people."
"What questions?" Lydia asks, looking back at him, her lower lip biting
"Your mother calls herself Alpha. Do her people treat her like one?"
"Yes, they do. They'll do anything she says, their all terrified of her. And none are more loyal to her then Beta." Lydia answered, looking down.
"If she was to die, what would happen to the rest?" Rick asks.
"They would name a new Alpha, probably Beta, but none of them are as smart as my mother. Beta is smart, but he's always been a warrior first. None of them have the mind or the strength. Beta...he worships my mother and I'm not sure what will happen if she were to die before him. And if both...I don't know" Lydia looked worried at this notion.
"Thank you, you can go." Rick tells Lydia, who nods as Negan took her hand and led her back out of the theater.
"Got something?" Alicia asks her brother in law, seeing the look on Rick's face.
"I do." Rick said firmly. "Beta and Alpha, they are the key. If we can kill them, we might be able to break the rest or cause them to scatter."
"Then we better hope Daryl can do it." Maggie shook her head, and Alicia looks at Jesus.
"You're the only one who you fought him. You told me earlier you didn't know. I want an answer this time." Alicia tells the man firmly. "Does my husband stand a chance at beating Beta?"
"I'm sorry, but I don't know, Alicia. When I fought him, it was almost like he didn't feel my hits after the first one, even when I shot him." At this, Rick raised his eyes at the idea of this apparent Beta shrugging off bullets. "After he stabbed Dwight, he started to chase us again, but only stopped when Alpha stopped him. I've seen Daryl do some pretty amazing things, he's smart, and he's strong. But...Beta's a monster, I know that much. We can only hope that Daryl will beat him," Jesus says, and he could see Alicia tense up. Rick looks at his brother's wife.
"He will beat him." Rick says firmly, making Alicia look at him. "I've known Daryl longer than anybody here besides Carl and Shane. I've seen him survive a gunshot to the head. Daryl, Alden, Clementine, and Connie are going to walk through the gates by the end of the day. I know it. They're gonna be okay." Rick tells her as he lays his hand on her shoulder.
After a moment, Alicia crossed her arms and nodded.
No one's P.O.V
The building
Beta leads his men into the building and to the stairs until they reach a blockade. "The guardians cannot get through." A Whisperer whispered to Beta.
"We will go, but be wary." Beta said shortly as they cross the barricade, starting to split up to attack the building from different sides. The priority was the location of Alpha's daughter.
Alden, Connie, and Clementine stood at different doors. The door that Alden was beside opens, and Alden stabs the first man in the head as he charged through and shoots another through the chest as the doors beside Connie and Clementine open. Clementine dodges a swing from one of them, rolling back and stabs him in the stomach as Connie shoots a rock into one of their heads, sending him down.
Connie yelled as another shot an arrow, causing her to push Clementine down.
Daryl aims his crossbow at the door. It flies open, and Daryl fires his crossbow. It hits a table that he Beta was holding. Daryl drops his crossbow and moves away, realizing it wouldn't be that easy
Daryl stood behind a sheet with an ax in his hands as he saw the shadow of a man behind the sheets. He swings his ax and hits the man in the chest. He drops the ax and moves away.
Daryl moves behind another man and grabs his face. "No, please." He pleads as Daryl slits his throat. Daryl drops his body and turns around, realizing he had lost track of the Massive Whisperer.
Soon he heard footsteps and turned, and realized Beta had effortlessly crashed through a wall and tackled Daryl sending him to the ground.
A Whisperer soon tackles Alden into the wall. Alden knees him in the stomach and pushes him back, but the Whisperer was relentlessly, grabbing Alden's face snarling "Where is the Alpha's daughter!?"
He grabs his knife, and a rock goes through the back of the man's head. He looks at Connie, and she nods, and he nods back at her with a smile as Clementine ducked a swing and stabbed the last Whisperer through the neck. After he fell they saw they were all cleared, as Alden said in worry. "We gotta find Daryl."
Beta tackles Daryl into a wall, with a feral growl Daryl hits him in the head and then kicks him in the chest, knocking him back. Throwing Daryl down, Beta loomed over him "Where is she?"
In answer, Daryl pulls out his knives, and Beta does the same. Beta swings his knife at Daryl, who dodges, and Daryl swings his knife at Beta, who blocks the swing and his the knife out of Daryl's hand. Daryl hits the knife out of Beta's hand. Beta drops his other knife and tackles Daryl onto a saw table. He grabs Daryl's head and starts to push it down onto the saw. Daryl pushes Beta in the face and pushes him back, and then moves away. Beta looks around and moves towards a fair side of the building.
"Where are you...you and your 'Family'." Beta spat out in disgust "They mean nothing to me. You still cling to a long-dead world. The 'New World' you speak of is one among the dead, this is only the beginning. I will kill you quickly if you tell me where the girl is."
He looks around and sees a sheet blocking a doorway, narrowing his eyes he walks towards it. Behind him, Daryl moves a piece of wood from above him and comes out from under the floor, and runs up behind him. Beta turns around as Daryl runs into him full force and knocks Beta down the elevator shaft. Daryl walks over to the shaft and looks down at Beta. After a moment of thought he leaned back and spat down the shaft "Asshole."
Daryl's P.O.V.
Daryl grabs his crossbow as Alden, Connie, and Clementine walk into the room, looking at the bodies. "Where is he?" Alden asks.
"He's dead." Daryl answers.
"You're bleeding." Alden said in concern
"I'm fine" Daryl grunted as he was already walking out. "Come on, let's get back to the Kingdom."
After a moment, the rest sighed and followed.
The Kingdom
The gates to the Kingdom open, and Daryl, Clementine, Connie, and Alden drove through the gates, them closing soon behind them, Alicia runs up to him and hugs him. She pulls back and kisses him, and after a moment, she pulls back again and then punches him in the stomach.
He stumbled back "What the hell was that for!?"
"That was for being an idiot!" Alicia says. "You have kids you have to worry about."
"That's why I did what I did." Daryl says as the others come up to them. "We'll talk later, okay?" Daryl asks softly, and Alicia nods.
"Damn boss you sure have been punchable lately, usually I'm the punchable one." Negan gave a cheeky grin.
Daryl gave him a dark look "Keep it up and I'll even the score."
After a snort, Negan turned serious "Is the Jolly Green Giant dead?"
"Yes," Daryl says. "I killed him."
"How?" Jesus asks, eyes wide
"I pushed him down an elevator shaft." Daryl says. "Beta is dead."
"Good job," Rick says as he pats his shoulder, and Daryl looks at Amanda.
"I'm sorry," He says. "I'm sorry."
Amanda walks up to him and hugs him. "It's okay. You killed the bastard who got him,"
Daryl nods as Amanda lets him go.
"We have a plan. Now we have to deal with Alpha." Rick says.
"Then we'll kill her, and we'll kill the rest. I won't watch any more of our people die."
No one's P.O.V.
All was quiet down the shaft, dark as night...but then...
Beta opened his eyes and stood up with a growl. He looked up at the top of the shaft and growled as he started to climb.
First, they kidnapped the Alpha's daughter then this insult?
These fools would die for this.
Thanks for reading. Next chapter, the group will continue to plan and prepare for the fair. Lydia and Arya will grow closer, and Daryl and Alicia have a talk. As always, suggestions, ideas, and feedback are welcomed until next time.