Chapter 159-Ghosts
Rick's P.O.V
The gates to Hilltop opened and Rick ran into the community holding Rosita with the rest behind him. "What the hell happened?" Morgan yelled in worry as he ran up to them with Daryl.
"A lot." Rick says as he heads into the Infirmary and pushes the door open. "Siddiq!" Rick shouts.
Siddiq comes from around a curtain and looks at him, eyes widening as he sees both Rosita and Rick had returned.
"Over here," Siddiq says as he motions to a bed. Rick sets Rosita down on the bed as Edwards comes over to them, already cleaning his hands and barking. "Give us some space."
"She's gonna be fine." Rick reassures Morgan who nods, face tight for a moment before, he follows them outside where Negan was hugging Lydia then pulled away with his hands on her shoulders, face contorted a fierce scowl
"What the hell were you thinking?! Going with them!?"
"I had to, this is my fight as much as it is yours. You have to let me fight it." Lydia defended. "And it worked."
"The herd's gone?" Negan asks as he looks at Rick, eyes hopeful.
"I don't think it's gone, the cave was far bigger than I thought." Negan's face fell but Rick continued "But we did damage, I would say at least half, maybe more got destroyed. Look, I know you don't like it, but we may have never gotten in that cave if it wasn't for Lydia." Rick tells him. "We're all alive."
"Rosita's fucking bloody all over!" Negan pointed out, pointing to the door.
"What happened to her?" Morgan asks, wanting to know as well.
"Alpha was at the cave, Lydia lured her away, Rosita gave chase, I don't know what happened after." Rick grimaced seeing Negan already turning to Lydia at that.
"They almost killed each other, I found them in an old gas station, both were in a bad state."
"...She's dead?" Rick's voice asked softly.
Staring for a moment, Lydia looked down, arms folded. "I'm sorry, Rick. I couldn't kill her."
"No one expects you too." Rick looked to see Daryl speaking up. "My Dad was a piece of shit but I couldn't kill him. Regardless of what they've done. They are our parents, the important thing is that you saved Rosita."
Lydia's lip went to a smile but then she looked at them "There's another thing. A Whisperer found us, Gamma, she wants to help, Rosita and I sent her to get info and come here, if she shows up, don't kill her." Lydia says.
Daryl scowled "What?"
"Are you fucking- After that shit with Dante?" Negan argued.
Morgan said "We need every advantage we get. I know what Dante did, but we'll be on guard this time."
Rick nods after a moment. "Morgan's right. We'll watch out." Then he looked at them all "This was a huge win for us. But this isn't over, Alpha's coming, likely with the rest of her herd, we need to prepare Hilltop. We make a stand here."
"What about the kids?" Alicia asks.
"For now, nothing. We wait to see if this Gamma comes. Alpha might expect us to move them to Alexandria, we have to be careful with them." Rick tells her. "Start preparing."
Alpha's P.O.V
Alpha stared at the woods as she laid against the tree, sap on her wounds. She turned and looked at Beta and Gamma as they walked up to her. "They took out more than half the herd." He tells her, fists clenched.
"Do we still have enough to attack?" Alpha asks Beta after a moment of silence who nods. "Then get them ready, they die in two days. Is that understood?"
Beta stepped forward "My Alpha-"
Gamma cleared her throat "May...I speak?"
Turning to her, Beta growled while Alpha held her hand up "Proceed."
"Yes this is a setback, but...all of the leaders are said to be there...Rick Grimes, Daryl Dixon, the Greenes, the would be King and Queen...we kill them all in one fell swoop with the herd we have, we shall triumph." Gamma reasoned, her voice steady.
Alpha smirked "Cut the head off the animal and it dies. I like it. And as said, I wish to watch them burn myself."
"Yes, Alpha." Beta relented, always loyal to his Alpha.
"Good, now go, I need time alone." Alpha says and the two nod as they walk away from her.
She knew Gamma had a fair point, all the herd was needed for this 'Hilltop' place. All of the leaders killed in the attack, will cause the rest to fall with ease. One fell swoop and strike-
"I told you, you'd die." Alpha spins around and looks at the woman from before...Tammy who stood behind her against a tree. "Evil always dies."
"Leave me alone!" Alpha growls. "You're dead! Forgotten!"
"No, you'll be forgotten, Alpha." Tammy said icily. "You're nothing, even your daughter knows that." Tammy says and Alpha growls as she closes her eyes. When she opens them again the woman is gone, The Whisperer Leader hissing in pain and rage.
Negan's P.O.V
Negan walks into the infirmary and looks at Rosita who was talking with Morgan. "How are you feeling there, Mama Bear?" Negan asks as he walks up to them.
"Not too bad, Papa Bear," Rosita smirked. "My leg hurts like a son of a bitch and I'm going to have a limp for a few days, but otherwise, just some more battle scars."
"Hey, Morgan, a minute?" Negan asks him softly
Morgan nods as he kisses Rosita and leaves saying "I'll get Coco, I'll be right back."
Negan sat down and started quietly "Once again, you have saved me. Saved someone I love more than myself."
"It's what we do, right? Protect each other," Rosita says and Negan nods. "She's a strong girl. And besides to be fair, you heard her. She's the one who saved me. Alpha might have killed me if she didn't show up when she did."
"That she is." Negan says with a smirk. "Thank you." Then his smirk fell and sat back heavily in his chair, Rick's words coming again that Alpha was coming and soon it would be do or die.
"You should hate me, for everything I did, for Abraham, for Spencer, but you've saved me. You saved Kate and my daughter, you brought me back after Laura, you protected Lydia. I owe you a debt that I can never repay."
Rosita smiles as she grabs his hand. "You don't owe me anything. We're family, I know you'll do the same if you're ever put in that position," Rosita says as she squeezes his hand. "I thought I was going to die in there. I thought I was never going to see Coco or Morgan again, and I was scared."
"You aren't going to die, you're too strong to die, and you're not dying before I do, I need someone to pull me back. You took on the devil herself and came out alive. How do you feel?"
"Like a badass." Rosita says with a chuckle.
"You're a badass, no doubt about that," Negan says. "I love you."
He stopped, realizing what he said, realizing Rosita was silent then she said "I love you too asshole."
"Mommy!" Rosita's eyes watered as Coco rushed in, jumping on the bed with Morgan close behind her, Negan chuckling and left the family to themselves.
Daryl's P.O.V
Daryl knocked on the door to the room Rick was staying in. Rick opens the door and looks at him. "I need to talk to you," Daryl tells Rick who nods as he lets him in.
"How's the clean up going?" Rick asks him first as they sit at the table.
"It's done, I need to talk with Alicia about what we're going to do after." Daryl says, leaning back with a tired look. "When this is over, I'm stepping down Rick, letting someone else take my place."
Rick nods as he sits down beside him. "So am I." Daryl looked at him, eyebrows raised. "I made the decision even before Alpha came back. I'm an old man, I wanna spend time with my kids, with my grandson. Let the others take over. Our time is coming to an end, it's their turn to step up."
"Carl taking over for you?" Daryl asks Rick who nods. "Good, he's the best leader we got."
"I asked Alicia to talk you into stepping down, and then taking over for you."
"You want Alicia to lead the alliance with Carl?" Daryl asks Rick, surprised, who nods.
"They're the best choices, Daryl. But she's your wife, if you don't want her to do it, you gotta talk to her. But it sounds like she wants this, she wants you to step down."
"You're right, her and Carl will be one hell of a team." Daryl nodded in satisfaction.
"Yes they will." Rick looked outside, then stood "Alright, I'm gonna help with the trenches, I imagine it won't be long till she gets here."
Daryl followed his gaze grimly, knowing this wasn't over yet.
Alicia's P.O.V
Alicia sat in her room staring out the window. She hears the doors open and wipes the tears from her eyes and looks at Daryl. "Hey, what's up?" Alicia asks.
"I just talked with Rick. I told him after this, I wanna step down and he told me that he wants you to take over for me." Daryl says as he walks up to her.
"I was hoping this could wait until after Alpha was dead." She sighed, but nodded. "But yeah, I'm glad you came to the decision by yourself. You built the new world, Daryl. Led it for ten years. I said yes because I want you to have some peace," She says as she takes his hands. "I'm ready for this."
Daryl nods as he kisses her. "What do you want to do after this? Our home is gone."
"We'll go to Alexandria or maybe this new place Eugene found. But right now, we'll go to Alexandria. And our home? Our home is our family Daryl. Not just buildings and a location." Alicia tells him.
At That Daryl's face went soft and he told her "I love you."
"I love you, too," Alicia says as they hear shouting outside. "What the hell?" She asks as they head outside.
Lydia's P.O.V
Lydia runs up to the gate and looks up at Kelly on guard with a dozen soldiers surrounding someone. "What's wrong?" Lydia asks.
"Whisperer," Kelly says. Lydia goes to the ladder and climbs up. She looks out and sees Gamma, all of them surrounding her with knives and spears.
"That's the one I was telling you about. Get Rick and Daryl." Lydia tells Kelly, but as she turned she saw Rick and Daryl already running up.
"We're already out here," Rick says. "Open the gate!"
Lydia climbs down the ladder as the gate opens and they walk outside. "You're Gamma?" Daryl asks harshly, Rick remaining stone faced.
"I am." Gamma says as she looks at Lydia. "I know when Alpha is going to attack."
"I'm gonna need your weapons." Rick says. "I promise you; no harm will come to you. As long as you hand them over."
Gamma nods as she hands her knife to Rick. "That's all I got."
"Take her inside," Rick tells the arriving Negan and Shane, who both gave the unmoved Whisperer dark looks, but nodded.
Beth's P.O.V
Beth, Carol, Tara, Earl, Kenneth, Alden, Connie, Rick, Magna, Gabriel, Ezekiel, Daryl, Maggie, Negan, Alicia, John, Carl, Lydia, Michonne, Javier, and Morgan stood in Beth's office all around and staring at the sitting Gamma. "Why did you betray Alpha?" Rick asks her first.
"Alpha told us she killed Lydia. Said that we couldn't be weak. I believed in her and because of that and because I believed that she would kill anybody threatening us, I killed my sister. Then I see her in the woods. Alpha lied to us, and I killed my sister for her. I want her to die for that." Gamma gulped once.
Many of them looked at each other, suspicious, but listening at least.
"What's your name? Don't say Gamma." Daryl warned her.
"Mary. My name is Mary." Mary says. "Lydia and that woman told me that if I give you this information, you'll give me a chance and you'll let me see my nephew."
"Nephew?" Beth asks.
"The boy...the boy my sister left on the ground." Mary says.
Tara stood "Wait, that was...that was your sister? Your Noah's aunt?"
"You named him, Noah? That is a good name, we...we didn't give him one. Animals didn't get names." Mary looked down for a moment, then back home. "You take care of him?"
"We do." Tara says as she looks at Mary. "Beth and I, he's our son."
Beth shook her head and looked at Tara "She admitted she killed his mother and you-"
"We need this, Beth." Daryl cut in sharply.
Beth looks at Tara who slowly nods. "Fine, but you won't hold him, you'll just look at him."
Mary nods in acceptance as she looks at Rick and Daryl. "Alpha will attack in two days. At night."
"Two days?" Javier asked in disbelief.
"Then we gotta get the kids out." Maggie says.
"You can't." Mary says. "The second Alpha returned, she sent her people to cut down trees on your road, you can't leave, she has her people in the woods to kill anybody who tries to run by foot."
"God damn it." Rick said in concern that his children and the rest were stuck here. "Alright, we'll find a way to keep them safe. But right now, we have two days to prepare for Alpha's herd. We got work to do," Rick says to the group before he looks at Mary. "You can stay here, but you won't carry a weapon, and someone will watch you."
"I'll watch her." Gabriel says.
"Good. Let's go." Rick says as they hurried out, knowing they were on the clock.
Alpha's P.O.V
Alpha sat on a log sharpening her knife, feeling her strength return by the hour, her nerves on edge from the impossible she saw, then her loyal second's voice was heard. "Gamma is gone."
"Gone?" Alpha asks, looking up at Beta in disbelief. "Where?"
"We found two of ours dead by the border, her tracks looked like they were going to the community called Hilltop." Beta tells her.
"They know we are coming." Alpha says softly. "You will kill her, Beta."
"I will, Alpha, I promise you." Beta paused then said "Does the plan change?"
Alpha hissed "No!" She took a breath as Beta's eyes were concerned for her as she regained control "No, nothing is changed. We kill all of them in one attack and the rest fall at our leisure."
"By your will Alpha." Beta bowed his head and headed off to continue the last gathering of the guardians.
"You're losing Alpha," Alpha looks up and stares as where Beta had been standing was now the old man.
Dorie.
"Damn you. You are not real!" Alpha says as she stands. "You are dead, I made sure of that."
"But you see me, because you are scared, my words haunt you. I told you in that barn, that you will be forgotten, hell your daughter doesn't even love you. She wants you dead." Dorie growls. "You don't have the advantage anymore and that scares the hell out of you. Cause once you are dead, no one will ever say your name again," Dorie says with a smirk. "You're worthless." He says before he is gone and Alpha stares at where he once stood.
Her fists clenched and shaking at her side.
Thanks for reading. I think two more chapters before the attack and then the battle of Hilltop which I am so excited about. Alpha is seeing the people she has killed, is that because of her injuries or is she really scared. Who knows? As always suggestions, ideas, and feedback are welcomed. Until next time.