Chapter 153-Learning to be one of them

Daryl's P.O.V

Daryl walked up to Strand as he spoke with Cole. "Strand, can I talk to you for a second?" Daryl asks the man, who nods. Cole walks away from the door as Strand looks at Daryl.

"What's up, Daryl?"

"We have a plan, a really stupid plan," Daryl tells Strand.

"So you need someone who is embracing the madness to do it?" Strand asks Daryl with a grin, who nods. "What is it? I don't give a damn just as long as it works."

"A way to find Alpha's herd," Daryl says. "Alicia's talking with Daniel. We want Lydia to show you two how to walk and act like Whisperers and then find a herd and lead it into the border. Alpha or her gang will take it to the herd, and we will know the location and have an advantage against her."

"You're right. That is a stupid plan. I'm in." Strand says with a smirk.

"...Well that was easy, you really are a bit nuts," Daryl says before he walks away.

Lydia's P.O.V

Lydia stood in the main meeting hall in Hilltop with Rick, Daryl, Carl, Strand, Daniel, Maggie, Beth, Negan, Kate, Arya, Alicia, Ezekiel, and Carol all in front, she took a deep calming breath with so many eyes on her, among them Arya's father and her grandfather, outright heroes to the region.

Ezekiel asked first gently "So what are you going to need to do this?"

"Walkers first." Lydia began.

"We have a pile of them outside," Maggie tells her.

"Good that's a start, try and find some that have a similar physique to Daniel and Strand. It will make getting the masks to fit much easier. Also clothes, I'm going to need some dirty, torn-up clothes, best take those off the walkers too. Then I'm going to need you to find me a dozen walkers. They're going to learn how to lead them, find a place to hold them, like one of your horse rings."

Alicia blinked "You're really thorough."

Lydia shrugged "I was among the dead all my life."

"Well, we can move some of those panels outside the wall for you," Maggie says, and Lydia nods.

"What else?" Rick asks.

"You need to find a herd. That will be tough I know with Mo...With Alpha regathering them after the attacks, but there are always a few around." Lydia tells Rick, whose face morphed a moment in sympathy but nods silently.

Kate started "Anything else

"I'll take Alicia, Charlie, Rachel, Alden, and Connie out and find the walkers for the ring. Carl, take Earl, Kenneth, Tara, Clementine, and Arya out to find a herd to guide. Negan, stay here and help, get a small group, and look through the bodies," Daryl says.

Negan grumbled, "Oh sure I get the gross job."

"Don't be a wuss and do it." Arya fired back, chuckling.

"Alright, you all heard the lady. Let's get to work." Rick chuckled as Lydia gave a blush at that but nodded.

Eugene's P.O.V

Eugene sat by the radio, talking with Stephanie about the last few days, and was up to the Sanctuary fall when Shane walked in. "Eugene," Shane called out. "Rick wants to talk with you."

"One moment, Stephanie," Eugene says as he grabs the radio from Shane. "Hello, hoss?"

"Progress, Eugene?" Rick asks.

"It's going good. We have made enough ammo to start, and give us a chance. They are still working round the clock, had a few slip-ups from the machines, but Dante was able to get them wrapped up. No major injuries."

"What are you doing?" Rick asks.

"I am talking to a woman. Rick, she has a community. I am trying to set up a meeting." Eugene said joyfully, everything he and Georgie working for coming to fruit with the sweet woman he was talking to.

"Eugene, I'm gonna need you to work faster. We're running out of options, and every second is another second Alpha decides to break her truce." Rick said tightly.

"I will do my best, Rick," Eugene says as he hands the radio to Shane, who rushes back inside with Eugene turning back to his handheld radio.

"Stephanie," Eugene says. "I need to set a meeting."

"Eugene-"

"Please, talk to your people. You might be the only thing that can save us. That woman I talked about...Alpha? She's stopped for now but could attack again at any moment." Eugene says.

After a moment, Stephanie speaks. "Okay. I'll talk with them."

Lydia's P.O.V

Lydia looks at Strand as he holds the mask in his hand. "This is crazy," Strand muttered. "How do you like yours, Daniel?"

"Shut up," Daniel says.

"I need you guys to put them on. I need to make sure they fit well enough. It's never gonna be a 100 percent, it used to be someone else's face." Lydia informed the two men, who stared at the mask for a moment before Strand slowly put his on. "Can you see, alright?" She asks after Daniel puts his on.

"Well enough," Strand says, and Daniel nods as they take the masks off. "Your people truly are crazy."

Daniel scowled and slapped his back, clearly not wanting to upset her.

Lydia decided to move on, asking the men. "OK, while we wait for Daryl's group. I'll show you guys how to walk with the dead the best I can without any."

Strand shrugged "We walked with guts more than once."

Lydia frowned "Arya told me, that won't work. A Whisperer will see it, they do it as naturally as breathing. You slip up once, one of them will spot you."

Strand sighed and put the mask on, Daniel nodding reassuringly at her, obeying her instructions.

Shane's P.O.V

Shane looks around the shop and then looks at one of the workers working the furnaces for the lead melts. "Have you seen Dante?" Shane asks.

"Went outside about fifteen minutes ago, I think he's clearing the fences." He tells Shane, who nods as he leaves, checking outside the facility to see no one around. Eyes furrowed, he began to walk the area, eyes sharp.

"Dante," Shane says. "Dante!"

"I'm over here," Dante says as he comes around the building. Blood on both his hands. "I heard some banging. We attracted some walkers, figured I would deal with them." Dante tells Shane, who nods as he stares at the man.

"OK, no problem man. But look next time, try to come out with someone. You're our doctor and we can't lose you." Shane tells Dante, who nods.

"Sure thing Shane. You coming?" Dante asks Shane.

"I'll be in soon. Gonna do a quick perimeter search, make sure there are no more." Shane tells Dante, who nods as he goes inside. Shane walks around the building and sees two dead walkers. Shane walks over to the walkers and stares at them.

"Shane," Dante says as he comes around the building. "Sorry, I know you told me to go inside. They need some help. A box of casting got knocked over."

"Shit. Thanks, I'll be right in." Shane says.

"Do you wonder if every walker you see is one of them?" Dante asks Shane.

"...Sometimes," Shane admitted.

"Can't imagine what you guys went through, seeing your friends like that. Lined up like that. Nick being there, besides Paul...heard the stories about him in particular." Dante says.

Shane freezes as he stares at him."Yeah, it wasn't easy. Haunts me."

"Well, if you ever need anybody to talk to. I'm here," Dante patted his shoulder with a smile.

"I'll remember that," Shane says as he follows Dante inside, eyes locked on his back all the while.

Carl's P.O.V

Carl walked in the front of the group staring out to the empty field as Earl came up beside him. "You doing okay, kid?" Earl asks him.

"I'm just thinking about something," Carl says.

"Hmm?" Earl turned to Carl, curious.

"A friend of ours, the way Reilly died, it made me think of him. His name was T-dog, well his name was Theodore but everyone called him his nickname. He got bit when the prison was overrun, and he gave his life to save Carol. But I haven't only been thinking about him. I've been thinking a lot about the people we lost and how many of them gave their lives so we could live." Carl says. "I'm just wondering if their sacrifice was worth it."

"It wasn't Dad," Arya says, making Carl look at his daughter as him and Earl spun around as, silent as a mouse, she snuck behind them. "They died so we can build a life for the people we love, for the people they loved. Wasn't that the point of the New World? To build a life for the living and to honor the dead?"

Earl looked stunned at the normally fowl-mouthed girl sounding so solemn.

"Yeah, it was," Carl says. "I wonder how you got so wise."

"I had a great mentor!" Arya says. "Mom."

"I'll let her know," Carl says with a smirk back as they start to hear groans. They stop and see a herd of walkers on their side of the river. "That will work."

"Let's get back," Earl says as they start to walk back towards Hilltop.

Arya muttered, "Hope so too."

Strand's P.O.V

Lydia watched Strand and Daniel as they led the walkers in the ring. After a moment, the two of them come out. "Not bad. At this rate, you'll be ready by the morning," Lydia tells them with a smile.

"I am burning this when all this is over." Strand gripped as he set the mask down.

"Are you guys going to need help getting this herd to the border?" Lydia asks kindly to the two men who shake their heads.

"Oh no, Miss Lydia. The fewer, the better. We want them to think everything is alright." Strand gave her a smile and nodded.

"Oh. Well if you're sure. Wait for a few minutes and we'll continue." Lydia says before she walks away.

"You know she could have helped us?" Daniel stated as soon as they saw her out of earshot.

"Of course, I know that. But I don't want to deal with a pissed-off Negan. He'd probably skin us alive if he knew we brought her near the border. Do you want that?" Strand asks the man, who shakes his head. "We'll be fine."

"Don't worry, if we're not, I'll make sure they get you first," Daniel says before he walks away. Strand looks at Alicia wide-eyed, who is watching near the fence.

"You think he's serious?"

"Oh yeah," Alicia says with a smirk as she walks away.

"Why do I agree to this shit?" Strand asks himself darkly as he follows.

Rick's P.O.V

Rick walked onto the balcony and saw Hershel there. He slowly walked up to see him watching Daryl and Negan talk, clearly giving the man a final assurance that Lydia wouldn't go anywhere near the border. "Do you hate Daryl?" Rick asks Hershel, who looks at him surprised, then down.

"What he told me? Was it true, or was he just trying to take some of the blame?" Hershel asks his grandfather figure warily.

"It was true," Rick says as he stands by the boy. "He's been blaming himself for your father's death for a decade, trying to make it right, but he doesn't think he can."

Hershel stared, then laid his head on the balcony porch, face deep in conflicted thought.

Watching for a moment...Rick went on "You know, your real grandfather, Hershel...your namesake...I know you heard a lot from your mother and Aunt Beth but listen again... He was one of the best men I have ever known. He didn't let this world change him. Whenever I make a choice even now, I think about what Hershel would say. He helped bring me back from a dark place. He wouldn't want you to be hateful, to want revenge, to put others in danger, but he would also understand why you can't forgive Negan. He loved us. He would love you and only want what is best for you. Just like I do," Rick tells him softly. Hershel looked down and just nodded as Rick rubbed his head and turned to leave

"Do you regret not killing Negan?" Hershel asks him.

Rick paused and turned..." At the start, there was some doubt... a lot of people were upset, your Mother among them...but...Your grandfather also believed in something else. He believed in Daryl, believed that he was a good man. He loved him, just like he loved your Dad, your mother, your aunt. He wouldn't blame Daryl for Glenn's death. He would understand why he did it, and you may not now, but someday you will." Rick says as he leaves.

Strand's P.O.V

Strand and Daniel stood in the office with Daryl, Rick, Lydia, Carl, Beth, and Ezekiel. "They ready?" Rick asks.

Lydia nodded firmly "Once they get to the front, they'll know what they do."

"All you have to do is get the herd across the borders. Once you do that, Whisperers will step in, and you fall to the back." Daryl tells the two men, who nod. "If you aren't back in two days, we'll assume the worst. We can't come looking for you."

"We know," Strand says.

"Good, get some rest," Daryl says, and the two men nod as they leave the room, as Daryl turns to Rick "This is our last hope."

"I know." Rick stared gravely.

If Alpha found these two, there were no more chances...she would send the entirety of the Horde...

And everything Paul Rovia first talked about, when he sat at his table, would be for naught.

Eugene's P.O.V

Eugene sat in the radio room, staring at the radio. Shane walked in and looked at him. "What is it?" Eugene asks him, seeing the look on his face..

"Dante," Shane says. "I had a talk with him earlier today. We were talking about what Alpha did, and he told me that it must have been hard seeing Nick's head beside Jesus's."

"What about it?" Eugene asks, confused.

"No one else knew the order besides the people that were there," Shane tells him, and Eugene's eyes widen. "He was there, Eugene."

Eugene stares at Shane as the radio goes off. "My people wanna meet, Eugen.," Stephanie says on the radio, and they both look at it. Neither of them knew that they were being listened to.

Thanks for reading. In the next chapter, Daniel and Strand cross the border. Eugene gets details from Stephanie, and Dante makes his move against the group, and the group learns that they aren't safe. As always, suggestions, ideas, and feedback are welcomed. Until next time.