Chapter 157-Cave Attack
Eugene's P.O.V
The sun rose in the air as Eugen packed his bags and looked at Earl as he walked in. "Do you have a prosthetic for me?" Eugene asks Earl who nods as he sets it down in front of Eugene. Eugene grabs the prosthetic and looks at it, being a simple metal prosthetic with a long knife on the end. "Thank you." Eugene says to Earl who nods with a grimace "Just make sure not to test it out, like Rosita said, your brain is what we need."
At that, the genius gave a bit of a laugh as he grabs his bag and walks out of the infirmary, pausing to look at Rosita who was standing by the door.
"How are you feeling?" Rosita asks him in concern
"Fit as a fettle and right as rain" Eugene says as he walks towards the car, looking at her in worry. "We can take the horses."
"Not an option. We need this Eugene, more than we need gas or cars. If we can't take out the herd tonight, you're our last hope." Rosita says. "For real this time."
Eugene nods with a chuckle. "I won't let you down."
"I know you won't." Rosita says as she hugs him. "I love you."
"I love you too," Eugene says before he lets her go and sets the bag in the car. He looks at Rick and Daryl as they walk down towards them. "Sorry about the Campgrounds, Daryl," Eugene says to the man softly who nods, his jaw worryingly clenched.
"The others are saying their goodbyes. They'll be out soon." Rick tells him. "I don't know what is going to happen tonight, Eugene. I don't know if we'll see each other again, so thank you, for doing this."
"I am just returning the favor, you all saved my life more times than I can count, it is time for me to be the hero." Eugene tells him and Rick nods as he holds his hand out to Eugene who shakes it.
Rick smirked at him "Well a certain bullet sabotage comes to mind of being a Hero."
Eugene just blushed more, even more as Daryl continued
"Abraham would be proud of you. Come back, alive. We don't need to lose anybody else."
"I am very hard to kill, Mr. Dixon." Eugene says with a smirk.
"Yes, you are." Daryl gave the barest hint of a laugh as he hugs him. "Good luck, man. Have fun on your date."
Eugene chuckles as he climbs in the car and the others follow behind as they leave Hilltop, Rick and Daryl just in the rear view mirror until they were out of sight.
Daryl's P.O.V
Daryl stood in front of Glenn's grave, sitting down...and recalled the earlier talk with Hershel, realizing he never properly been here. The grief too raw, but he felt he had to come. After a moment he rubbed his brow before speaking.
"I'm so tired, Glenn. We just keep losing, I don't know how many more people I can lose until it breaks me. I wish you were here; you would know what to do."
Pausing he took a breath and continued, drained "I don't know if we're going to win tonight or lose more people, what I do know is that Alpha is the most dangerous person we have ever fought. I don't know if we can beat her. If we do and we're breathing, that will be it for me, I'll step down. I've fought enough." Daryl says as he lays his hand on the cross and walks away.
Negan's P.O.V
Negan grabbed a body and threw it in the wagon, rubbing his hands. He looked at Shane as he held a bottle of water out to him. "You doing, okay?" Shane asks Negan.
"I'm pissed." Negan scowled. "That bitch has been a step ahead of us the entire time. No matter what we do, she plays another goddamn card."
"Hey, not this time. We know where the herd is, we have an upper hand and you heard Rick, he and Daniel have a plan." Shane says as they hear Daryl's bike, looking to the gate. "He isn't doing good."
"He lost his home." Negan pointed out, his voice gruff. "A place he built from the ground up, where he had and raised his children. I'm not surprised."
Shane nods as Daryl walks up to them. "How is it going?" He asks them first as he looks around the bodies, face betraying nothing.
"This is going to take us all day, probably won't be back until after Rick's group leaves." Negan tells Daryl who nods, then he offered. "We got this if you wanna head back and help Rick give Baldie a sock in the jaw."
"I need to be here." Daryl tells him sternly. "I'll be fine."
"Alright, boss," Negan says as Daryl walks over to John, whose face was equally grim. "Let's get back to work."
Maggie's P.O.V
Maggie looked at Rick as he walked up to her, having checked some of the dynamite sticks, seeing the look on his face "You ready for tonight?" Maggie asks Rick who nods.
"It has to be done." Rick says absently as he stands by her and the two look at Carl and Enid who are holding Robert and talking with Judith and Andrea, the girls trying to make a funny face to the baby, Andrea laughing at something Enid was saying to her.
"What's going on in that head of yours?" Maggie asks him.
"Everything I've done since the day I woke up, has been for him, for them." Rick says as he looks at his son, then at his daughters, then looked at her. "I don't know if I'm going to make it back."
"Rick, don't talk like that." Maggie says softly.
"It's the truth, we're in danger every time we leave the gates and out there into the world." Rick says. "That herd has to go, everybody here knows that and is prepared to die to make sure it happens. I've just preparing myself for the worse."
"Have some hope, Rick. You are coming home. I know that. Because this world will always need Rick Grimes."
Rick gave her a smirk, and gestured to his son "Me? I'm just another old man, It has him, it has you." Maggie's eyes widened at that, as Rick pressed on. "You need to make sure Hilltop is prepared, Maggie. If this does go bad, this will be the first place Alpha hits."
"I know." Maggie gulped but laid a hand on his shoulder. "We're going to win, remember Rick. We're the greater good."
Giving her a last look, he looked at his children and grandson muttering under his breath "The ones who live."
Strand's P.O.V
Standing outside Hilltops gate's, Strand was pointing on the map laid out on the ground, circling it with a marker "Ok right around here."
Rick nodded and looked at the group saying firmly. "Alright people, Alpha made us bleed now it's her turn."
Magna gave a grin "Bout time we give her a busted nose, so we drop the cave on them?"
Nodding, Daniel said "We have to get inside, if not block the cave altogether."
Gabriel stared at the cave... then looked up and headed to the group to see them off, causing Rick to look confused at the priest "Gabriel?"
The priest came to Kate and said, "She has to come with us."
"...Excuse me?" Kate said in a low warning tone.
"Lydia was raised among the dead, if the explosions don't work, we have to lure the herd out. No one knows this better-"
"I said no."
Next to her, Lydia gave Gabriel a grateful look then looked at Kate firmly "I can do this, I want to help."
"Oh really, what if that damn maniac is there and tries to kill her to keep her fucking lie up?!" Kate snapped, pointing to the woods.
Next to her, Javier put a hand on her shoulder "Kate..."
Rick said "Gabriel we already said-"
"NO!"
Even Rick took a step back as the priest turned to Rick fiercely "I understand us protecting her, but she can do this. We need someone who knows the dead, she wants to help."
He pointed at the startled group "Peanut butter."
And then at the confused Lydia "Meet Jelly."
And his one eye locked on the gaping Kate's gaze "We're taking her. End of discussion. Lydia, get your things, we're leaving in five."
Deciding to take advantage, Lydia ran off to her trailer as Kate looked at the young girl then at Gabriel with a tight jaw...then turned to stomp off.
Seeing all of this...Strand muttered "We do not tell Negan about this until we get back. Or get Rosita to do it."
"Why Me?" Rosita protested.
"You're his daughter's godmother, you're the least likely one he'll shoot or skin."
Lydia's P.O.V
Lydia was putting her stuff in her bag rapidly and looked at Arya as she came in. "Kate told you?" Lydia asks her girlfriend who nods silently, her face lined with concern. Lydia stared back, pressing her lips. "I have to do this."
"Lydia this is so dumb, you are walking into the lion's den. You Mom will kill you the second she sees you; she will kill you." Arya wrung her hands in concern for her.
"She won't see me." Lydia says as she turns to look at Arya, eyes fierce. "My entire life, my mother has won, always got what she wanted. I will not let that happen. Not again. Because she wants everybody here and all the other places dead. Negan, Kate, Rosita, you and everybody dead and I would rather die than let that happen. I have a chance to stop my mother from hurting anybody else and I have to take it. I have to try and stop her," Lydia says as she grabs Arya's hand. "I love you and I can't lose you."
Arya kisses her as she presses her forehead against Lydia's.. "I love you, too. Come home"
"I will."
Rosita's P.O.V
The group walked through the woods as the moon started to lower itself, the night long fallen. "How far are we?" Alden asks.
"We'll get there just as the sun starts to rise." Strand says. "Nobody should be guarding it at that time."
"Hopefully." Daniel grunted, not seeming to mind if they got into a fight.
"So how the hell do we blow this cave?" Magna asks.
"Eugene made some explosives laced with dynamite. We have 8, we plan them along the cave, in different spots and after we get out, we drop it. It might not kill them all. but it is definitely going to make it an easier fighter." Rick tells Magna who nods.
"And if You know who is there?"
Daniel bluntly responded "Drop it on her too, suffocate the cunt."
Rosita looks at Lydia at that remark as she looked away a moment then back, softly asking. "Are you okay?"
"I am, it's ok. I'm just hoping we don't see my Mo…Alpha." Lydia corrected herself, clearly hoping she didn't notice.
"It's alright to call her your mom. Regardless of what she has done, she is still your mother." Rosita says assuringly.
"Kate has been a better Mother to me in the past five months than Alpha ever was." Lydia muttered and Rosita nods as they get to the border.
"We stay silent now." Strand put a hand to his lips and they all nod as they follow the man. The group walks in silence, eyes on the trees as it was almost eerily quiet, until they see the large cave entrance, but they all stop when they hear talking. They get behind the trees and bushes as they tense, to see Alpha come out of the cave with several Whisperers.
"Nobody leaves here. We must be prepared for an attack by Rick Grimes and Daryl Dixon," Alpha orders the two whispers who nod.
One of them bowed their heads "We go?"
Alpha scoffed "No, they're on alert...we make our move once they send the majority to the burnt community."
"What now? If we attack her, the herd will be draw out and we'll be boxed in." Daniel growled. Lydia looks at the group for a moment before she moves away from the tree.
"Lydia get back here!" Rick hisses.
"MOTHER!" Lydia shouts making Alpha and the Whisperers look at her in shock...Alpha in growing rage, the Whisperers with her staring almost agape, some shaking their heads. "You did a lousy job at killing me," Lydia growls.
"Get her! KILL HER!" Alpha shouts in pure rage as she runs after her daughter who charges into the woods followed by the two Whisperers already trying to get answers from her as they ran.
"Rick, go!" Rosita says as she stood.
"Where are you going?" Rick asks her, hand on his ax, about to go after Lydia himself.
"I'm going to get Lydia. Get in that cave and do what we came here to do, I'll meet you back at Hilltop!" Rosita says as she runs after the Whisperers.
"Be careful!" Rick called out as she ran.
Rick's P.O.V
After a moment, Rick let out a breath "Dammit."
Gabriel said softly "We'll find them when we get out Rick."
"...Yeah you're right, stick to the plan." He said, almost to himself.
The group walked into the cave slowly, Shining their flashlights. They looked down at a large hole and could hear the walkers growling and moaning below. "Ready?" Rick asks everybody who nods.
Connie signed a few words, as Alden translated "Whose first?"
Rick sighed as some looked at him "Right, send the old man down...fine." Tying a rope around his waist, he slowly goes down the hole first followed by the others. The group shined their flashlights around and saw that behind them was a wall and in front of them, below the rock they were standing on was the herd, many already attracted and reaching for them as if Hell itself was opened.
"I'm seriously starting to regret ever coming to Virginia." Strand says as they look at the herd.
Thanks for reading. Next chapter Rick and his group works on destroying the herd as Rosita goes after Lydia and fights Alpha. Negan reacts to Lydia leaving and Daryl talks with Alicia. As always suggestions, ideas, and feedback are welcomed. Until next time.